March 11, 2025 • 36 mins
Wedding pros, if you’ve been sleeping on video marketing, it’s time to wake up!
In this episode, Keenya Kelly breaks down exactly how to create shareable, viral-worthy video content—even if you don’t think you’re creative. You don’t need fancy equipment or hours of editing—just the right strategy to attract your dream clients.
Stop chasing likes and start creating content that gets shared (and you booked!). Tune in now and start making videos that actually grow your business!
75 Viral Hooks from Keenya Kelly: www.keenyakelly.com/75hooks
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Brandee Gaar (00:00):
Wedding pros.
If you've been sleepingon video marketing,
it is time to wake up.
Today I'm sitting down withKeenya Kelly, a TikTok marketing
powerhouse who went all in onvideo content when everyone
else doubted her, and nowshe's got a massive audience,
viral videos, and a businessthat's thriving because of it.
Here's the deal.
You don't need fancy equipment.
(00:21):
You don't need to be a pro oncamera, and you definitely don't
need to spend hours editing.
You just need theright strategy.
In today's episode, Kenyais breaking down how to
create viral worthy videocontent even if you don't
think you're creative.
The one thing most wedding prosget wrong about video and how to
fix it fast and why you should.
Stop chasing likes andviews and start focusing
(00:44):
on shareable content.
Hey there, CEOs.
You're listening to theWedding Pro CEO Podcast.
The podcast to helpyou grow and scale your
profitable wedding business.
I am your host, Brandee Gaar,and over the last 17 years,
I've grown one of the largestplanning firms in Orlando,
Florida, grossing morethan $6 million in revenue.
Today's action packed episodeis going to change the way you
(01:05):
approach social media forever.
If you're ready to stopoverthinking and start making
videos that actually growyour business, let's dig in.
Keenya.
I heard you years ago.
on, the Social Media Marketingpodcast, and I immediately
started following youon TikTok and I was just
like, I love this girl.
And then.
I got to see you in personat POD recently as a speaker,
(01:28):
and I told my husband assoon as I came out of your
session, I was like, she wasby far the best speaker here.
Like absolutely loved listeningto her, welcome to the show.
Keenya Kelly (01:37):
Yeah.
You're so nice.
Thank you so much for having me.
I'm very excited to be here.
Brandee Gaar (01:41):
do you know how long ago it was that you were
on Mike Stelzner's podcast?
Keenya Kelly (01:44):
I think 2021, maybe,
think it was 21.
Brandee Gaar (01:49):
Accurate because I, the reason your show
stood out to me so much wasbecause I had just started
my personal brand in 2020.
And so I was like, I love howthis girl talks about video.
I loved just your storyand it resonated with me.
And so now I love just hearingyou talk about video content
and I wanna get into that today.
(02:10):
I want my listeners to hear how.
Easy.
It can really be to do that.
But before we do that, I'd loveour listeners to hear a little
bit more about your story.
So can you like walk usback before you were Keenya
Kelly that we know now.
Keenya Kelly (02:25):
Yeah, it's so funny.
Yeah, so I, um, I got my startlike for the most part in
network marketing as you know,like there's a company back,
back in the day called fromprepaid legal, and so like.
I was a college person thatjust got recruited into the
network marketing industry andthat is what like changed the
(02:46):
trajectory of my life becauseI was headed, I was in college
and all that type of stuff andI was just someone who knew that
there were great possibilities.
I just didn't know how therewas gonna be and network
marketing industry really.
Completely changed everythingabout me and my life
because of everything thatthey taught me, all the
(03:06):
books that I was reading.
once you've made a certainamount of money as an
entrepreneur or you've seenother people make a certain
amount of money, it's reallyhard to stay on a day job.
And so years later I gota job and it was hard to
let my boss talk to mecertain ways, or it was just
really, really challenging.
And I realized, okay,I've gotta figure out.
(03:28):
How to do something different.
Brandee Gaar (03:29):
I tell my husband all the time now, I'm
like, I don't even know howI would have a job anymore.
Like, it's been so long.
I don't know what I,how I would do that.
Right.
It's just such a differentpersonality and realizing that
you can really take controlof how much money that you
can make and things like that.
So you had this joband then you were like.
I don't wanna do this anymore.
What?
What?
(03:49):
What did you do?
You
Keenya Kelly (03:50):
Yeah, so if you guys did not know I'm black,
and as black people, we.
We are kind of raised todo certain things to our
hair, which make our hair.
We put this chemical onit and make it straight.
And so I was doing that fora majority of my life, but
I really started getting,developing a closer relationship
with God, and all of a suddenI started changing and I wanted
(04:12):
to see what would my hairlook like if I stop putting
the chemicals on my hair.
And so all of a sudden, oneday I cut everything off.
And I was like, I was asbald as a bald eagle in my,
in my personal opinion, um,and not quite that bald.
I'm just being dramatic.
But it was really,really, really short.
Brandee Gaar (04:29):
yeah.
Went all in.
Okay.
Keenya Kelly (04:31):
I felt like I was GI Jane.
Um, you know, but what happenedfrom there was this lack of
knowledge of what do I do withthis hair that's grown out
of my head, this curly hair.
And I had learned about thisshow in Atlanta, which was, they
called it Natural Hair Show.
When you, they wereteaching people how to
care for their curly hair.
(04:51):
And because of my salesbackground, I decided I'm
gonna do the same thing.
Richmond, Virginia.
I'm gonna host my ownhair show not knowing what
it all was gonna take.
So I created a media kit,created a website, got a venue,
and said, I'm gonna do this.
And my first event had likea couple hundred people.
The next event had 1500people at a convention center.
(05:13):
And yeah, and I realizedI've got something.
And I just kept doing that for afew years until I realized, oh.
How are peoplemaking money online?
Like what are people doingwith this livestream thing?
Brandee Gaar (05:26):
Yeah.
And so that Is that reallywhat kind of, hang on before
I even ask that question.
So like you, I'm like,wait a second, you just
had all these people come.
Which I think is interestingbecause if you follow Keenya
on threads, I, I have nowstarted following you on
threads and it's so fun 'causeyou're a lot more personal
over there, I feel like.
Right.
(05:46):
And so you've been talkingabout how you're creating
these meetups in Houston.
Is this just, do you feel likethis just like came easy to
you, like getting people tokind of just be attracted to
what you're doing or how doyou know what's gonna work?
Keenya Kelly (06:04):
Yeah.
So honestly, I don't know.
Um, I feel like the wholenatural hair show thing, that
was just me having reallybig faith that I could do,
uh, that I could do this.
I didn't know ifit was possible.
I just felt like I'm at leastgonna try it and you miss
a hundred percent of theshots you don't take, you
know, with the hair shows.
So I just kept kindof trying that and.
(06:24):
Kind of what's happeningin present day is,
I think it's just.
Um, radical faith orjust, um, um, d Lulu?
Um, you know, because, ' causewhat's happening in present
day is I relocated backto Houston in May of last
year, and I, I felt lonely.
(06:46):
I just felt so lonely.
Just, you always feel lonelywhen you work from home if
you don't have any friends.
And so I was just comingto terms with how lonely
I felt and I decided to.
Create a separate TikTokaccount to just be me
in Houston, just myself.
And I said, well, becausepeople in Houston are connecting
with me, why don't I seeif people will be willing
(07:08):
to go and have just meet upwith me for like a walk or
lunch or something like that?
'cause they don't knowthe business side of
me on this new account.
They just know that this personare coming in contact with.
And I didn't know what couldhappen to like, thinking
50 people would come andseeing 1200 people register.
I think that it's, I think Ihave a gift that I'm trying
(07:29):
to like accept or walk intolike a magnetic, it's like a
natural thing for people to bedrawn to me, and I think I am
coming to terms with it at 43.
Brandee Gaar (07:40):
I, I loved it because like I said,
I really only knew thebusiness side of you.
Like I followed your TikTok forlike how to create viral content
and how to be comfortablein front of the camera.
And so after I saw you atPodfest, I followed all the
other platforms and I waslike, whoa, this threads
thing, like you have.
so many people comingto these meetups and I'm
like, what is happening?
(08:00):
Like, how are you gettingall these people to come?
But it looks like a blast,and I think you just have this
magnetic personality that kindadraws people in and makes them
feel comfortable, which is.
Super helpful in whatyou do on video as
Keenya Kelly (08:13):
Exactly.
Brandee Gaar (08:14):
so, okay, so you did the hair shows and then how
did that transition into video?
When did you really startgetting into video content?
Keenya Kelly (08:25):
I got into video 2000 and I think it was 2016,
um, that's when Periscopecame out, the live streaming
platform that Twitter owned.
And I started seeing peoplemaking money online using
Periscope, and it, it didmake a lot of sense to me,
but I was freshly off adivorce and I was like, well.
I'm hurting, Istill have a brain.
(08:46):
I can see thatsomething's happening.
So let me just download thisapp and start talking on it and
seeing what are people doing.
And eventually I invested inlike an hour or somebody's
time, and that was themoment where I realized, oh.
The me that has something,could be on this platform
selling something.
And you know, I was used toselling other people's stuff.
(09:07):
I wasn't used to selling me asa service or as a product, but I
was like, I'll, I'll get there.
So it's like, I'm just gonna geton here and I'm gonna talk and
I'm gonna invest in some type ofperson to teach me this stuff.
And I invested in a coachingprogram that was a year long
and that's when I learned aboutthe online coaching space.
And it just opened up myworld from 2016 to 2017.
Brandee Gaar (09:29):
Wow.
Okay.
So first of all, you investedin a coach, which I think not
enough people say out loud,which is like how much it
can change your life to havesomebody that's gone before you
Keenya Kelly (09:41):
Mm-hmm.
Brandee Gaar (09:42):
tell you like, here's what you need
to do, here's the steps,and things like that.
And then the second piece Ilove that you just said is you
really got on there and startedgetting comfortable with video.
Not really selling anythingright away, it sounds like.
Right?
Like you were justkinda on there.
What would you talk about?
Keenya Kelly (09:59):
Yeah, so initially I was just kind of talking
like, about me life, you know?
Um, I think I had gotten intonetwork marketing again, and
so I was kind of talking aboutthe company that I was in.
Trying to sell those products.
I wasn't successful,but I was just, I was
just trying, you know?
Yeah,
Brandee Gaar (10:17):
Yeah.
That's so interesting.
So now obviously you have this.
Huge platform and you teachother people how to not just
use video content, but how tomake money from video content.
So I'd love to know how youkind of started to shift into
making money through video andhow, how, what was that mindset
(10:37):
and how did that really go?
Keenya Kelly (10:40):
So what happened was when I invested in that
year long coaching program,she had to pull out of me
what I already knew, and themarketing avenue that she was
talking about was live streamvideo, which was Periscope, and
then it was email marketing.
And so I had to create a productand she taught me how to create
a digital product, which was,it was foreign to me then.
(11:02):
And so I was like, okay,now I've gotta figure out
how to present me online tosell, to make people believe
that I could sell something.
And so I remember the firstday, I can literally see myself
right now, but the first timethat I was gonna try to sell
a coaching program, I waslike, okay, I've got a landing
page, there's a link, and I'mjust gonna come on live and.
(11:24):
I didn't know howI was gonna do it.
I just knew I chose a topic andI had some bullet points and I
was just gonna talk and I wastalking and talking and talking.
And then I went into the salespitch and it literally was like
a six week live coaching programwhere, you know, you had modules
but you were also gonna get me.
And I think it was 2 97 andthe first person bought,
(11:48):
and then the second personbought, and I was like.
Oh shoot.
And it was just two people,but that was two was enough.
'cause I was like, I got it.
And that was the moment whenI realized there's something
to this, and if I investmore and more knowledge
and actually apply it, Ican go beyond what I think.
Brandee Gaar (12:07):
Yeah.
Yeah.
Isn't, I mean, those first.
Couple of sales that youmake no matter what kind
of business that you have.
You're like, waita second, somebody
actually wants what I do.
This is crazy to me.
Right?
And it's so empowering to,to have that feeling of
somebody purchasing yourservice or your product.
And I, I love that for you.
(12:28):
So.
Then you, now you reallyvery specifically teach
on video marketing, right?
Like that is the core of whatyou do and what you teach.
Um, how did youtransition into that?
and how did you reallylearn like how to
make a video go viral?
I know TikTok iskind like your baby.
Like that's the one whereyou focus the most attention.
(12:49):
Right?
I, I'd love to kind ofknow how you got into that.
Keenya Kelly (12:52):
So what happened for me was, from 17 to 2019,
I was building a brand designagency and I was designing
websites, logos for people andI was getting my customers from
livestream or what have you.
And I found myself being like,I don't wanna do this anymore.
This is too hard.
'cause people take foreverto give you what you
need in order to do theirwebsite and stuff, and.
(13:15):
And at the end of 2019,we knew something was
happening in the world.
We didn't know what.
Um, and so I, I believeI had heard God tell
me to get on TikTok.
I think it was at thebeginning of 2020.
'cause I was prayinglike, I don't know what's
going on in the world.
Like, tell me, what do I do?
And I felt like I had heardhim tell me to get on TikTok.
And the only thing I knewabout TikTok was the baby Shark
(13:38):
Challenge from like 2000 andlike 17, that a friend of mine,
Shalene, uh, Johnson was on.
And I was like.
I don't understand.
Um, but I downloaded it andI didn't understand it, but I
was like, no, this is stupid.
And then I would wake up inthe middle of the night and
I would hear God tell me,you need to focus on TikTok.
And I was like, this is thecraziest thing I've ever heard
(14:00):
in my entire, what is going on?
I mean, I went for awalk one day and he was
just very passionatelytelling me about TikTok.
And so nobody wastalking about it.
So I was on the app andI did not know how to
use any of the buttons.
I know it was just kidsand it was just, it just
didn't make any sense.
But because I kept hearing it soclearly, I said, let me just try
(14:21):
to figure out how this works.
And so all of 2020, I spentthe, the whole year just trying
to learn how to use differentfeatures, just trying to learn
how to use different features.
And eventually my first videowent viral, had nothing to
do with my business, butwhen it went viral, I said.
I have never gone viral before.
Something is happening onthis platform that God is
(14:42):
trying to tell me about.
And so I just doubled downand just went all the way in
on TikTok and at the end ofthe year I decided I'm gonna
focus on teaching peopleTikTok marketing, because
something is happening here.
And 2021 people weremaking fun of me.
It was just, it was a wild time.
Brandee Gaar (15:00):
What?
Keenya Kelly (15:02):
The marketers started going, they
started reaching out to mesaying, what are you doing?
What are you doing?
Like people that never knew whoI was at all started reaching
out, and that's when I realizedpoor gasoline on this, and then
everything exploded from there.
Brandee Gaar (15:15):
Yes.
Yes.
That makes so much sense becauseall of a sudden I, I think a
lot of business journeys arelike that, where, you know,
you go all in on something.
And I don't know if I would callthem haters, but people start
to say like, all of the, youknow, like, what are you doing?
This is crazy.
That's an app for kids, youknow, you're being silly.
(15:36):
Why?
You know, I remember whenI started doing videos.
I started on Instagram,but I was like.
It was, it was challenging forlike friends that meant, well,
I'm sure maybe, I don't know,but that were just like, I don't
understand what you're doing.
Like what are these sillyvideos that you're doing?
You know?
And you would start tosecond guess yourself.
And I think that's one ofthe things that holds so
(15:56):
many people back from doingthe video marketing because.
It can really be, itcan be overwhelming to
put yourself out there,
Keenya Kelly (16:06):
Yeah.
Brandee Gaar (16:07):
when your closest friends are, you know, making
comments or, and honestly,sometimes I don't even think
that they're trying to be mean.
Um, I think that they'rejust like confused and then
all of a sudden it takes offand then people are like,
well, what are you doing?
I wanna know how to do it too.
Right.
And you're like, you didn'twanna know six months ago.
Keenya Kelly (16:23):
Mm-hmm.
Exactly.
Brandee Gaar (16:24):
okay, so all of a sudden it kinda
started to explode.
do you feel like Keenya, thatthere is a formula to creating
a viral content and, and how doyou feel about viral content?
I'm gonna ask both at the sametime, because a lot of people
say, well, you don't reallywant to go viral, but what
are your thoughts on that?
Keenya Kelly (16:44):
So I think that going viral has its
pluses and minuses, right?
You know, we have seen themost amazing things happen
because a video went viral.
Um, like your business cantake off, you can, you know,
grow a massive audience.
You can get the eyes of peoplethat you never would've thought.
That gives you incredibleopportunities beyond what
(17:04):
you ever thought possible.
Um, but also on the side ofvirality is you're gonna deal
with people who don't knowyou, who don't know your brand.
People who don't know you andsay they don't like you, but
they don't, they don't know you.
People who say meanthings about you to you.
You know, you're alwaysgonna deal with a lot
of keyboard warriors.
I. You know when, when a videogoes viral and if your business
(17:26):
isn't ready for virality, itcould put you out of business.
Like it reminds me ofOprah's favorite things.
You know, like nowadays shedoesn't do this, but when
she first started launchingOprah's favorite things, so
many companies went outtabusiness and it wasn't because.
She did a bad thing.
It was becausethey weren't ready.
They didn't have theinfrastructure or the people and
(17:46):
they couldn't handle it, so theywent outta business, you know?
And then if you go viral andyour business isn't ready, like
you, you can't capture leads.
Your, your website can't managethat, that amount of volume.
Then you've got, you'vegot a big problem.
So I, when my clientsare working with me,
I encourage them.
I encourage them to go viral.
But we encourage 'em tocreate funnels, right?
(18:09):
So I have clients thatgo viral all the time.
Like one of my clients, she wentviral and she gained, um, 50,000
followers in 24 hours and 20,000people join her email list
Brandee Gaar (18:20):
Wow.
Keenya Kelly (18:21):
runs an ad ever again.
She got 20,000 potentialcustomers from one video.
You know, one of my girls,she's a, a lawyer, and
she had 120 calls to herlaw office, and 10 became
clients because of a video.
Brandee Gaar (18:35):
Wow, that's so incredible.
And I think, I do think thatexactly what you said about
being prepared for it, causeyou're right, Oprah's favorite
thing is also Shark Tank.
Like I see.
They.
They'd always say like,you need to be prepared.
You need to be prepared.
'cause when this episodeairs, like it's gonna be nuts.
And I don't think that weput enough emphasis on that
because so often businessowners are just like, I
(18:56):
want that viral moment.
Like I want a viral video.
But you're just not readyto sustain what a viral
video can do for you.
So I love that you talkedabout like getting 20,000
people to your email list.
That's insane.
That is insane.
Or 120 calls, likenew discovery calls.
That is so.
Amazing to be able to do that,but you have to be ready for it.
(19:16):
are there particularthings that you say, like
these are the things thatmake up a viral video?
Like how do you kind of knowwhat's going to go viral?
Or do you,
Keenya Kelly (19:25):
so you don't always know that a video's gonna
go viral, but you can, you cando certain things to give it
more of a, more of a chance.
So, for example, one of thethings that we do with our
audience or our clients islike, before we film a video,
we're asking ourselves.
How can, what is gonnahappen in this video?
Cause not just our regularpeople, but everybody
(19:48):
to wanna share it.
Like for example, like do youknow what's happening right
now with Duolingo on TikTok?
Brandee Gaar (19:54):
No.
Keenya Kelly (19:55):
Duolingo.
So Duolingo is the platformwhere you can learn
a different language.
And Duolingo over the lastcouple years has become very
creative in their marketing.
I mean, they have so much fun intheir marketing that you forget
that they're trying to get youto learn a different language.
Well, after the Super Bowl,they killed the mascot.
(20:16):
So they did this campaignwhere they were making fun of
Drake and Kendrick Lamar, andthen the next day they were
like rest in peace to Duo.
And it became, it was quite thecampaign that they were sharing.
Like, oh, he's, he'sdied, or she, or whatever.
And.
But strategically, they knewthat there's a potential of what
could happen with this killingoff duo and all these brands.
(20:41):
Scrub Daddy came on board and itwas like they started creating
videos like, well, I'm takingmy kids now that you're dead.
I'm taking the scrub daddy,you know, quote unquote daddy.
And then Vistaprint andall these other mascots
started jumping on the "Duodied" trend and all this.
Stuff.
And it, when I tell youthe viral, the highest
(21:01):
level of virality hashappened with Duolingo.
And then yesterday theyannounced, I, I'm kidding.
I'm not dead.
And so now people are like,now that the campaign is
still going on, and so whenwe're talking about, you
know, creating a viral video,viral, it's really about.
It's like a formula, right?
So the first part of a viralvideo is what's happening in the
(21:23):
beginning of the video, right?
The video doesn't necessarilyhave to be funny or you're
killing off your mascot,but it does have to be, you
have to think through whywould a person just wanna
stop and watch this video?
That's the first part.
And then second, what's thestory that's being told that
makes you not only wanna watchit all the way to the end,
but you are going on some typeof emotional rollercoaster
(21:45):
and now all you wanna do.
It, share it withsomeone else, right?
So, I mean, we've seen, um,we saw on Super Bowl Sunday
where Instacart crushed it.
You know, they were showcasingall the different foods
and things that you can getwhen you order on Instacart.
Now, you didn't know it wasInstacart until you got to
the end of the commercial,but all you wanted to do
(22:06):
was re-watch it, right?
All you wanted to do wasshare it with a friend.
And so when you'recreating content, you
wanna say to yourself.
What, what is happening in herethat I've gotta tell someone?
Like there's this video ofthis black woman at a, um.
Like a high school footballgame and it's cold outside,
but you see she's burning up,like you see heat coming from
her head and it's because she'shaving a hot flash, right?
(22:28):
And so a video like that, youknow, I'm sure the video was
longer than what we're seeing,but the clip they showed was
just her sitting there andthe heat coming from her head.
Because people are like,what is going on there?
And now all they wannado is share with their
menopause friends.
Brandee Gaar (22:43):
Right.
Right.
That makes total sense.
And so really, would yousay that shareable content
is really what you'relooking for in trying to
get a video to go viral?
Keenya Kelly (22:55):
Yes.
So because the thing, thereason why video goes viral is
not just because you watchedit over and over again.
It's because you watchedit and you shared it, and
you kept sharing it, andyou keep sharing it and
everybody keeps sharing it.
Brandee Gaar (23:07):
Yes.
Okay.
That makes so much sense.
And so when you're a businessowner, right, like it, you
know, a lot of our businessowners, it's like, it feels
like it's harder to create viralcontent, I would say, because
it's not funny sometimes.
Right.
But I love how you're kindof describing, I'm guessing
that this person withthe, the menopause, right?
(23:28):
Was that for a business or wasit just like a funny video?
Keenya Kelly (23:32):
It was just a funny video.
Yeah, yeah.
Yeah.
But, but businesses, yeah.
We don't typically go viralas much unless we have
really thought througheach piece of content,
each frame of the video.
Brandee Gaar (23:45):
Yeah, that makes sense.
But what could be reallyinteresting to me is that
if you have great, like.
I, I say chewable content.
I don't even know what chewablecon, you know, but like content
people can really sink theirteeth into that they want from
your business, and then youhave lots and lots of that on
your platform, and then you getone video to pop off, right?
That just kind of bringspeople in that makes them wanna
(24:06):
binge and know more about you.
That could be a really easyway to do that as well, where
you're not trying to makeevery video go viral, right.
Keenya Kelly (24:14):
Yeah, for sure.
So one of the things Ialways tell our clients
is like, don't focus onjust trying to go viral.
'cause what you really needis, you know, maybe a hundred
thousand views, maybe 10,000views is what you really need,
um, from your video content.
Um, and then yes, if you canget one video that can pop off,
yeah, it'll bring attentionto all the other content.
One of the other things is like,is giving yourself permission
(24:36):
to be creative, right?
So we're in a, in 2025, we'renot in a space where people
are watching as much of uslike talking head videos.
So they are watching them,but we have to be even
more strategic and creativewith those types of videos.
Like for example, let'sjust say you, you're a
photographer at a wedding.
Right.
Great.
We love that you got videosof this beautiful wedding,
(24:57):
but what else could you do tohelp your wedding business?
It could be you are, you'revideoing the before, like
the, here's what everythinglooked like before
and then here's after.
But you're utilizing someof these trends, right?
Where here's the sound and it'slike this, and then it explodes.
It's like you just,you're taking these.
(25:17):
Funny, creative things thatare happening on social that
have nothing to do with yourwedding, but you're going, oh, I
can actually take that scenarioand put it into this frame
and I can make it into that.
And so like, uh, I've seena lot of photographers and
videographers that partnerwith the bride in the groom.
And prior to the day, they arethinking through what kind of
(25:38):
trends can we do with the bride?
Can we do with the groom,with the mom, with all the
different aspects of thewedding and the bride and
them, they're all about it.
'cause they're like, thisis, this would be great
for our, for our wedding.
But you are thinking about itin terms of this is gonna be
great content for my business.
Brandee Gaar (25:54):
Yes.
Yes.
I think that's actually ahuge piece of the puzzle,
especially for our listeners,is thinking about it
beforehand and planning.
Right.
And because so often we think ofsocial media as an afterthought
or a when I have time.
So just what you just saidright there is like planning
(26:15):
what you're gonna do.
Do you encourage yourstudents, your clients, to.
How far out are youplanning content or what?
What do you think about that?
Keenya Kelly (26:24):
Yeah, so, uh, like, like today at like three
o'clock I'm doing this thingcalled a B-roll filming day.
And so this is where I'm justfilming myself doing B-roll
for, for an hour, but I plan it.
I know exactly the shotsthat I need to film, right?
If I am hosting anevent and I know.
A, b, c, this is gonna happenat this event prior to, I'm
(26:44):
going, okay, how can I getthe pre footage to go along
with these particular trends?
Right?
So let's just say you haveyour wedding and you are a,
um, you're a florist, right?
Well, you wanna thinkthrough, okay, how is the
bride groom or whomever, howare they planning on using.
The flowers, right?
(27:05):
And am I delivering it to them?
Am I setting things up?
If you are, then you can go,okay, let me get permission
from the bride and groomto do before and afters.
And once they say yes,you're showing them this
is what I wanna do andhow it's gonna turn out.
More than likely they'relike, yeah, do it.
And can we get the, can weget the, the footage once
you finish with it, themore you're planning in
(27:25):
advance, the more you can getpermission from everybody else.
Brandee Gaar (27:28):
Mm-hmm.
Yes.
That's so good.
And, and I think just knowing,going into it, because
so often vendors show upat a wedding and you are.
You're just kinda just grabbingwhatever footage is there and
then after you're just sittingwith it, staring at it like,
what am I gonna do with this?
What can I do with this?
And I think pre-planningis so smart.
Hearing you say you'repre-planning your B roll is
(27:50):
really fascinating to me too.
Can you tell us just alittle bit more about that?
'cause I don't think enoughof us do great B-roll at all.
Keenya Kelly (27:59):
Yeah, for sure.
So one of the things Irecognize is that as somebody
who creates content and has abusiness, it's a lot of work,
you know, to have time tofilm and to run my business.
And so I realized that like,okay, if I plan a day where
I'm filming for an hour andI give my students access to
do it as well, not only can Ifilm, but they can also film.
(28:19):
So prior to, On a regularbasis, I'm on social media and
I see these really cool ideas.
So I take all these videos fromother creators and I copy the
link and I have like a list onmy notes that says, shoot this.
Right.
And then I have the linkto whatever the video
is and what they did.
And then I'm going, okay, whenit's time for me to film, I'm
gonna fill myself spinningaround in a chair in this
(28:40):
shirt, and I'm gonna spinaround in a chair five times at
five different shirts, right?
Then I need to actually fillmyself with my easel, opening
it and closing it in allthe different shirts, right?
So I just kind of have it.
Just have it in terms ofwhat I'm going to film.
I'm not gonna speak, I'm notgonna talk at all in the videos.
I'm just gonna do random things.
I'm gonna walk to theleft, walk to the right,
(29:01):
I'm gonna drink a drink.
I'm gonna pick up my cat andput my, put my cat down, you
know, and then I'll edit later.
But I have some ideas ofthe footage I need to get
because I've been thinkingabout it all month long.
Brandee Gaar (29:13):
Wow, I, that actually is a huge nugget.
I hope our listeners heardthat, because Wedding vendors
especially that have products.
So I'm thinking youmentioned a florist, like
a florist, a stationer,possibly even a photographer
or planner DJ as you'repreparing for wedding day.
But the problem is you juststart shooting random stuff
(29:33):
or you forget about itand you're like, dang it.
I knew I needed to do that.
But what Keenya just saidwas pre-think out.
What are the shotsyou wanna get?
So when you're getting ready forwedding day and wedding morning,
or you're putting together.
Processing flowers or puttingtogether the bouquets,
you know, um, stamping theinvitations, like all of that
is content that you can get,but if you don't know you need
(29:53):
it, you're not gonna get it.
And so that pre-planningstrategy is massive.
That was such a greattip, Keenya, that you
Keenya Kelly (30:01):
Y yo, I just got an idea for a dj, so it's kind
of like, um, what's that song?
Um, it's like party,party something.
It's like.
Brandee Gaar (30:10):
Anthem.
Keenya Kelly (30:11):
Yeah, So you know it, so what happened,
like when you were talking, Isaid, oh, I can see how a DJ
could actually intentionallyset themselves up, like the,
the, the footage is filmingthem before anybody gets it.
They're just pretending likethe party is happening and the
DJ's got his earphones in andhe's just like, and he's filming
himself and you hear the music'splaying before the beat drops.
(30:31):
And it says, everyday I'm shuffling.
And then now the scenechanges to the dance
floor when they're like.
They're going crazy.
But you are watchingthis video and you know
something's happening.
You're like, when the beatdrops at a wedding and
you're like, okay, you'rewaiting on the beat to drop
and you don't see anybody.
You just see the dj andall of a sudden now you
see and you're like, wow.
Right.
And it's, people waitfor it because they wanna
(30:53):
see what's gonna happen.
And it's just,it's just planning.
Brandee Gaar (30:56):
Which gives you the longer
watch time too, right?
Because people are waitingfor what's gonna happen
when that beat drops.
And that's massive.
It too is getting thatwatch time, right?
And what you just said rightthere wouldn't have, like if
you waited until the dance floorwas packed, you now missed the
opportunity to get that shot.
Right?
So.
(31:16):
That's so good.
Keenya, I love this so much.
So I know that you have,you have a download, right?
75 viral hooks.
Is that what it is?
Keenya Kelly (31:25):
Yes.
Mm-hmm.
Brandee Gaar (31:25):
Where can everybody get that?
Because I want them togo learn from you and see
what some of these viralhooks are and how they can
use it in their business.
Keenya Kelly (31:33):
Yeah, for sure.
So one of the things I knowyou guys, is that anytime
you're gonna have a greatvideo, you gotta start it with
a hook, whether it's text,it's audio, or it's visual.
And so we have 75 of them.
You can go to my website,which is
keenyakelly.com/75hooks, whichis
K-E-E-N-Y-A-K-E-L-L-Y slash 75hooks with an s.
Brandee Gaar (31:55):
Okay.
We'll link that in thedescription, in the show notes
below too, so that you guyscan all go grab that, because
I would love to see you makingsome of these videos, like
watch the hooks, look at thehooks, and really think, how
can I use this in my businessto make that shareable content
that Keenya was talking about?
That's really gonna help youso much to get that reach,
(32:16):
to get those views and.
To start seeingthose leads come in.
So we wanna have the shareablecontent, we wanna have
watch time on your videosand I'm excited for this.
So you guys, what I want youto do is download her 75 viral
hooks and then I want you totell us, like if you make one
of these videos, there's severalof the videos like tag myself,
tag Keenya, we wanna see them.
(32:38):
I think that would be so fun.
Keenya Kelly (32:39):
Can I give them one last tip?
Brandee Gaar (32:41):
please.
Yes.
Do it.
Keenya Kelly (32:42):
So I want you guys to go to TikTok, even
if that's not your favoriteplatform, just go to TikTok and
I want you to type in weddingsor wedding florist, wedding
dj and start binge watchingthe creative content that some
of these companies are doing.
And then just take the linkand make a list of them,
because like right now, youheard what I said, but if you
can see what we're talkingabout, then it'll make a
(33:05):
whole lot more sense to you.
Brandee Gaar (33:06):
Yes.
That's so true.
And and saving those linksis so helpful too, because
otherwise you just have abunch of junk in your brain.
You go to film, I've donethat before, and you're like,
what was I supposed to film?
Like what did it look like?
Yeah, so having thoselinks right there in a
note in your phone isjust like, that's so easy.
You can, anybody can do that.
So simple.
Ugh.
(33:27):
Okay, you guys, listen, thiswas an actionable episode, which
means you need to take yourAirPods out right now and go do,
go make content based on whatKeenya has talked about today.
Keenya, where can everybodyfollow along with you?
Keenya Kelly (33:42):
Yeah, so I'm on all social media platforms,
uh, Keenya, Kelly, um, TikTok,Instagram, YouTube, everywhere.
Brandee Gaar (33:49):
Okay.
Okay.
I love it.
Go give her a follow.
Tell her that you heardher on the Wedding Pro CEO
Podcast and Keenya, thankyou so much for being here.
Keenya Kelly (33:56):
Yeah, thanks for having me.
I appreciate it.
Wedding pros.
If you've been sleepingon video marketing,
it is time to wake up.
Today I'm sitting down withKeenya Kelly, a TikTok marketing
powerhouse who went all in onvideo content when everyone
else doubted her, and nowshe's got a massive audience,
viral videos, and a businessthat's thriving because of it.
Here's the deal.
You don't need fancy equipment.
(00:21):
You don't need to be a pro oncamera, and you definitely don't
need to spend hours editing.
You just need theright strategy.
In today's episode, Kenyais breaking down how to
create viral worthy videocontent even if you don't
think you're creative.
The one thing most wedding prosget wrong about video and how to
fix it fast and why you should.
Stop chasing likes andviews and start focusing
(00:44):
on shareable content.
Hey there, CEOs.
You're listening to theWedding Pro CEO Podcast.
The podcast to helpyou grow and scale your
profitable wedding business.
I am your host, Brandee Gaar,and over the last 17 years,
I've grown one of the largestplanning firms in Orlando,
Florida, grossing morethan $6 million in revenue.
Today's action packed episodeis going to change the way you
(01:05):
approach social media forever.
If you're ready to stopoverthinking and start making
videos that actually growyour business, let's dig in.
Keenya.
I heard you years ago.
on, the Social Media Marketingpodcast, and I immediately
started following youon TikTok and I was just
like, I love this girl.
And then.
I got to see you in personat POD recently as a speaker,
(01:28):
and I told my husband assoon as I came out of your
session, I was like, she wasby far the best speaker here.
Like absolutely loved listeningto her, welcome to the show.
Keenya Kelly (01:37):
Yeah.
You're so nice.
Thank you so much for having me.
I'm very excited to be here.
Brandee Gaar (01:41):
do you know how long ago it was that you were
on Mike Stelzner's podcast?
Keenya Kelly (01:44):
I think 2021, maybe,
think it was 21.
Brandee Gaar (01:49):
Accurate because I, the reason your show
stood out to me so much wasbecause I had just started
my personal brand in 2020.
And so I was like, I love howthis girl talks about video.
I loved just your storyand it resonated with me.
And so now I love just hearingyou talk about video content
and I wanna get into that today.
(02:10):
I want my listeners to hear how.
Easy.
It can really be to do that.
But before we do that, I'd loveour listeners to hear a little
bit more about your story.
So can you like walk usback before you were Keenya
Kelly that we know now.
Keenya Kelly (02:25):
Yeah, it's so funny.
Yeah, so I, um, I got my startlike for the most part in
network marketing as you know,like there's a company back,
back in the day called fromprepaid legal, and so like.
I was a college person thatjust got recruited into the
network marketing industry andthat is what like changed the
(02:46):
trajectory of my life becauseI was headed, I was in college
and all that type of stuff andI was just someone who knew that
there were great possibilities.
I just didn't know how therewas gonna be and network
marketing industry really.
Completely changed everythingabout me and my life
because of everything thatthey taught me, all the
(03:06):
books that I was reading.
once you've made a certainamount of money as an
entrepreneur or you've seenother people make a certain
amount of money, it's reallyhard to stay on a day job.
And so years later I gota job and it was hard to
let my boss talk to mecertain ways, or it was just
really, really challenging.
And I realized, okay,I've gotta figure out.
(03:28):
How to do something different.
Brandee Gaar (03:29):
I tell my husband all the time now, I'm
like, I don't even know howI would have a job anymore.
Like, it's been so long.
I don't know what I,how I would do that.
Right.
It's just such a differentpersonality and realizing that
you can really take controlof how much money that you
can make and things like that.
So you had this joband then you were like.
I don't wanna do this anymore.
What?
What?
(03:49):
What did you do?
You
Keenya Kelly (03:50):
Yeah, so if you guys did not know I'm black,
and as black people, we.
We are kind of raised todo certain things to our
hair, which make our hair.
We put this chemical onit and make it straight.
And so I was doing that fora majority of my life, but
I really started getting,developing a closer relationship
with God, and all of a suddenI started changing and I wanted
(04:12):
to see what would my hairlook like if I stop putting
the chemicals on my hair.
And so all of a sudden, oneday I cut everything off.
And I was like, I was asbald as a bald eagle in my,
in my personal opinion, um,and not quite that bald.
I'm just being dramatic.
But it was really,really, really short.
Brandee Gaar (04:29):
yeah.
Went all in.
Okay.
Keenya Kelly (04:31):
I felt like I was GI Jane.
Um, you know, but what happenedfrom there was this lack of
knowledge of what do I do withthis hair that's grown out
of my head, this curly hair.
And I had learned about thisshow in Atlanta, which was, they
called it Natural Hair Show.
When you, they wereteaching people how to
care for their curly hair.
(04:51):
And because of my salesbackground, I decided I'm
gonna do the same thing.
Richmond, Virginia.
I'm gonna host my ownhair show not knowing what
it all was gonna take.
So I created a media kit,created a website, got a venue,
and said, I'm gonna do this.
And my first event had likea couple hundred people.
The next event had 1500people at a convention center.
(05:13):
And yeah, and I realizedI've got something.
And I just kept doing that for afew years until I realized, oh.
How are peoplemaking money online?
Like what are people doingwith this livestream thing?
Brandee Gaar (05:26):
Yeah.
And so that Is that reallywhat kind of, hang on before
I even ask that question.
So like you, I'm like,wait a second, you just
had all these people come.
Which I think is interestingbecause if you follow Keenya
on threads, I, I have nowstarted following you on
threads and it's so fun 'causeyou're a lot more personal
over there, I feel like.
Right.
(05:46):
And so you've been talkingabout how you're creating
these meetups in Houston.
Is this just, do you feel likethis just like came easy to
you, like getting people tokind of just be attracted to
what you're doing or how doyou know what's gonna work?
Keenya Kelly (06:04):
Yeah.
So honestly, I don't know.
Um, I feel like the wholenatural hair show thing, that
was just me having reallybig faith that I could do,
uh, that I could do this.
I didn't know ifit was possible.
I just felt like I'm at leastgonna try it and you miss
a hundred percent of theshots you don't take, you
know, with the hair shows.
So I just kept kindof trying that and.
(06:24):
Kind of what's happeningin present day is,
I think it's just.
Um, radical faith orjust, um, um, d Lulu?
Um, you know, because, ' causewhat's happening in present
day is I relocated backto Houston in May of last
year, and I, I felt lonely.
(06:46):
I just felt so lonely.
Just, you always feel lonelywhen you work from home if
you don't have any friends.
And so I was just comingto terms with how lonely
I felt and I decided to.
Create a separate TikTokaccount to just be me
in Houston, just myself.
And I said, well, becausepeople in Houston are connecting
with me, why don't I seeif people will be willing
(07:08):
to go and have just meet upwith me for like a walk or
lunch or something like that?
'cause they don't knowthe business side of
me on this new account.
They just know that this personare coming in contact with.
And I didn't know what couldhappen to like, thinking
50 people would come andseeing 1200 people register.
I think that it's, I think Ihave a gift that I'm trying
(07:29):
to like accept or walk intolike a magnetic, it's like a
natural thing for people to bedrawn to me, and I think I am
coming to terms with it at 43.
Brandee Gaar (07:40):
I, I loved it because like I said,
I really only knew thebusiness side of you.
Like I followed your TikTok forlike how to create viral content
and how to be comfortablein front of the camera.
And so after I saw you atPodfest, I followed all the
other platforms and I waslike, whoa, this threads
thing, like you have.
so many people comingto these meetups and I'm
like, what is happening?
(08:00):
Like, how are you gettingall these people to come?
But it looks like a blast,and I think you just have this
magnetic personality that kindadraws people in and makes them
feel comfortable, which is.
Super helpful in whatyou do on video as
Keenya Kelly (08:13):
Exactly.
Brandee Gaar (08:14):
so, okay, so you did the hair shows and then how
did that transition into video?
When did you really startgetting into video content?
Keenya Kelly (08:25):
I got into video 2000 and I think it was 2016,
um, that's when Periscopecame out, the live streaming
platform that Twitter owned.
And I started seeing peoplemaking money online using
Periscope, and it, it didmake a lot of sense to me,
but I was freshly off adivorce and I was like, well.
I'm hurting, Istill have a brain.
(08:46):
I can see thatsomething's happening.
So let me just download thisapp and start talking on it and
seeing what are people doing.
And eventually I invested inlike an hour or somebody's
time, and that was themoment where I realized, oh.
The me that has something,could be on this platform
selling something.
And you know, I was used toselling other people's stuff.
(09:07):
I wasn't used to selling me asa service or as a product, but I
was like, I'll, I'll get there.
So it's like, I'm just gonna geton here and I'm gonna talk and
I'm gonna invest in some type ofperson to teach me this stuff.
And I invested in a coachingprogram that was a year long
and that's when I learned aboutthe online coaching space.
And it just opened up myworld from 2016 to 2017.
Brandee Gaar (09:29):
Wow.
Okay.
So first of all, you investedin a coach, which I think not
enough people say out loud,which is like how much it
can change your life to havesomebody that's gone before you
Keenya Kelly (09:41):
Mm-hmm.
Brandee Gaar (09:42):
tell you like, here's what you need
to do, here's the steps,and things like that.
And then the second piece Ilove that you just said is you
really got on there and startedgetting comfortable with video.
Not really selling anythingright away, it sounds like.
Right?
Like you were justkinda on there.
What would you talk about?
Keenya Kelly (09:59):
Yeah, so initially I was just kind of talking
like, about me life, you know?
Um, I think I had gotten intonetwork marketing again, and
so I was kind of talking aboutthe company that I was in.
Trying to sell those products.
I wasn't successful,but I was just, I was
just trying, you know?
Yeah,
Brandee Gaar (10:17):
Yeah.
That's so interesting.
So now obviously you have this.
Huge platform and you teachother people how to not just
use video content, but how tomake money from video content.
So I'd love to know how youkind of started to shift into
making money through video andhow, how, what was that mindset
(10:37):
and how did that really go?
Keenya Kelly (10:40):
So what happened was when I invested in that
year long coaching program,she had to pull out of me
what I already knew, and themarketing avenue that she was
talking about was live streamvideo, which was Periscope, and
then it was email marketing.
And so I had to create a productand she taught me how to create
a digital product, which was,it was foreign to me then.
(11:02):
And so I was like, okay,now I've gotta figure out
how to present me online tosell, to make people believe
that I could sell something.
And so I remember the firstday, I can literally see myself
right now, but the first timethat I was gonna try to sell
a coaching program, I waslike, okay, I've got a landing
page, there's a link, and I'mjust gonna come on live and.
(11:24):
I didn't know howI was gonna do it.
I just knew I chose a topic andI had some bullet points and I
was just gonna talk and I wastalking and talking and talking.
And then I went into the salespitch and it literally was like
a six week live coaching programwhere, you know, you had modules
but you were also gonna get me.
And I think it was 2 97 andthe first person bought,
(11:48):
and then the second personbought, and I was like.
Oh shoot.
And it was just two people,but that was two was enough.
'cause I was like, I got it.
And that was the moment whenI realized there's something
to this, and if I investmore and more knowledge
and actually apply it, Ican go beyond what I think.
Brandee Gaar (12:07):
Yeah.
Yeah.
Isn't, I mean, those first.
Couple of sales that youmake no matter what kind
of business that you have.
You're like, waita second, somebody
actually wants what I do.
This is crazy to me.
Right?
And it's so empowering to,to have that feeling of
somebody purchasing yourservice or your product.
And I, I love that for you.
(12:28):
So.
Then you, now you reallyvery specifically teach
on video marketing, right?
Like that is the core of whatyou do and what you teach.
Um, how did youtransition into that?
and how did you reallylearn like how to
make a video go viral?
I know TikTok iskind like your baby.
Like that's the one whereyou focus the most attention.
(12:49):
Right?
I, I'd love to kind ofknow how you got into that.
Keenya Kelly (12:52):
So what happened for me was, from 17 to 2019,
I was building a brand designagency and I was designing
websites, logos for people andI was getting my customers from
livestream or what have you.
And I found myself being like,I don't wanna do this anymore.
This is too hard.
'cause people take foreverto give you what you
need in order to do theirwebsite and stuff, and.
(13:15):
And at the end of 2019,we knew something was
happening in the world.
We didn't know what.
Um, and so I, I believeI had heard God tell
me to get on TikTok.
I think it was at thebeginning of 2020.
'cause I was prayinglike, I don't know what's
going on in the world.
Like, tell me, what do I do?
And I felt like I had heardhim tell me to get on TikTok.
And the only thing I knewabout TikTok was the baby Shark
(13:38):
Challenge from like 2000 andlike 17, that a friend of mine,
Shalene, uh, Johnson was on.
And I was like.
I don't understand.
Um, but I downloaded it andI didn't understand it, but I
was like, no, this is stupid.
And then I would wake up inthe middle of the night and
I would hear God tell me,you need to focus on TikTok.
And I was like, this is thecraziest thing I've ever heard
(14:00):
in my entire, what is going on?
I mean, I went for awalk one day and he was
just very passionatelytelling me about TikTok.
And so nobody wastalking about it.
So I was on the app andI did not know how to
use any of the buttons.
I know it was just kidsand it was just, it just
didn't make any sense.
But because I kept hearing it soclearly, I said, let me just try
(14:21):
to figure out how this works.
And so all of 2020, I spentthe, the whole year just trying
to learn how to use differentfeatures, just trying to learn
how to use different features.
And eventually my first videowent viral, had nothing to
do with my business, butwhen it went viral, I said.
I have never gone viral before.
Something is happening onthis platform that God is
(14:42):
trying to tell me about.
And so I just doubled downand just went all the way in
on TikTok and at the end ofthe year I decided I'm gonna
focus on teaching peopleTikTok marketing, because
something is happening here.
And 2021 people weremaking fun of me.
It was just, it was a wild time.
Brandee Gaar (15:00):
What?
Keenya Kelly (15:02):
The marketers started going, they
started reaching out to mesaying, what are you doing?
What are you doing?
Like people that never knew whoI was at all started reaching
out, and that's when I realizedpoor gasoline on this, and then
everything exploded from there.
Brandee Gaar (15:15):
Yes.
Yes.
That makes so much sense becauseall of a sudden I, I think a
lot of business journeys arelike that, where, you know,
you go all in on something.
And I don't know if I would callthem haters, but people start
to say like, all of the, youknow, like, what are you doing?
This is crazy.
That's an app for kids, youknow, you're being silly.
(15:36):
Why?
You know, I remember whenI started doing videos.
I started on Instagram,but I was like.
It was, it was challenging forlike friends that meant, well,
I'm sure maybe, I don't know,but that were just like, I don't
understand what you're doing.
Like what are these sillyvideos that you're doing?
You know?
And you would start tosecond guess yourself.
And I think that's one ofthe things that holds so
(15:56):
many people back from doingthe video marketing because.
It can really be, itcan be overwhelming to
put yourself out there,
Keenya Kelly (16:06):
Yeah.
Brandee Gaar (16:07):
when your closest friends are, you know, making
comments or, and honestly,sometimes I don't even think
that they're trying to be mean.
Um, I think that they'rejust like confused and then
all of a sudden it takes offand then people are like,
well, what are you doing?
I wanna know how to do it too.
Right.
And you're like, you didn'twanna know six months ago.
Keenya Kelly (16:23):
Mm-hmm.
Exactly.
Brandee Gaar (16:24):
okay, so all of a sudden it kinda
started to explode.
do you feel like Keenya, thatthere is a formula to creating
a viral content and, and how doyou feel about viral content?
I'm gonna ask both at the sametime, because a lot of people
say, well, you don't reallywant to go viral, but what
are your thoughts on that?
Keenya Kelly (16:44):
So I think that going viral has its
pluses and minuses, right?
You know, we have seen themost amazing things happen
because a video went viral.
Um, like your business cantake off, you can, you know,
grow a massive audience.
You can get the eyes of peoplethat you never would've thought.
That gives you incredibleopportunities beyond what
(17:04):
you ever thought possible.
Um, but also on the side ofvirality is you're gonna deal
with people who don't knowyou, who don't know your brand.
People who don't know you andsay they don't like you, but
they don't, they don't know you.
People who say meanthings about you to you.
You know, you're alwaysgonna deal with a lot
of keyboard warriors.
I. You know when, when a videogoes viral and if your business
(17:26):
isn't ready for virality, itcould put you out of business.
Like it reminds me ofOprah's favorite things.
You know, like nowadays shedoesn't do this, but when
she first started launchingOprah's favorite things, so
many companies went outtabusiness and it wasn't because.
She did a bad thing.
It was becausethey weren't ready.
They didn't have theinfrastructure or the people and
(17:46):
they couldn't handle it, so theywent outta business, you know?
And then if you go viral andyour business isn't ready, like
you, you can't capture leads.
Your, your website can't managethat, that amount of volume.
Then you've got, you'vegot a big problem.
So I, when my clientsare working with me,
I encourage them.
I encourage them to go viral.
But we encourage 'em tocreate funnels, right?
(18:09):
So I have clients thatgo viral all the time.
Like one of my clients, she wentviral and she gained, um, 50,000
followers in 24 hours and 20,000people join her email list
Brandee Gaar (18:20):
Wow.
Keenya Kelly (18:21):
runs an ad ever again.
She got 20,000 potentialcustomers from one video.
You know, one of my girls,she's a, a lawyer, and
she had 120 calls to herlaw office, and 10 became
clients because of a video.
Brandee Gaar (18:35):
Wow, that's so incredible.
And I think, I do think thatexactly what you said about
being prepared for it, causeyou're right, Oprah's favorite
thing is also Shark Tank.
Like I see.
They.
They'd always say like,you need to be prepared.
You need to be prepared.
'cause when this episodeairs, like it's gonna be nuts.
And I don't think that weput enough emphasis on that
because so often businessowners are just like, I
(18:56):
want that viral moment.
Like I want a viral video.
But you're just not readyto sustain what a viral
video can do for you.
So I love that you talkedabout like getting 20,000
people to your email list.
That's insane.
That is insane.
Or 120 calls, likenew discovery calls.
That is so.
Amazing to be able to do that,but you have to be ready for it.
(19:16):
are there particularthings that you say, like
these are the things thatmake up a viral video?
Like how do you kind of knowwhat's going to go viral?
Or do you,
Keenya Kelly (19:25):
so you don't always know that a video's gonna
go viral, but you can, you cando certain things to give it
more of a, more of a chance.
So, for example, one of thethings that we do with our
audience or our clients islike, before we film a video,
we're asking ourselves.
How can, what is gonnahappen in this video?
Cause not just our regularpeople, but everybody
(19:48):
to wanna share it.
Like for example, like do youknow what's happening right
now with Duolingo on TikTok?
Brandee Gaar (19:54):
No.
Keenya Kelly (19:55):
Duolingo.
So Duolingo is the platformwhere you can learn
a different language.
And Duolingo over the lastcouple years has become very
creative in their marketing.
I mean, they have so much fun intheir marketing that you forget
that they're trying to get youto learn a different language.
Well, after the Super Bowl,they killed the mascot.
(20:16):
So they did this campaignwhere they were making fun of
Drake and Kendrick Lamar, andthen the next day they were
like rest in peace to Duo.
And it became, it was quite thecampaign that they were sharing.
Like, oh, he's, he'sdied, or she, or whatever.
And.
But strategically, they knewthat there's a potential of what
could happen with this killingoff duo and all these brands.
(20:41):
Scrub Daddy came on board and itwas like they started creating
videos like, well, I'm takingmy kids now that you're dead.
I'm taking the scrub daddy,you know, quote unquote daddy.
And then Vistaprint andall these other mascots
started jumping on the "Duodied" trend and all this.
Stuff.
And it, when I tell youthe viral, the highest
(21:01):
level of virality hashappened with Duolingo.
And then yesterday theyannounced, I, I'm kidding.
I'm not dead.
And so now people are like,now that the campaign is
still going on, and so whenwe're talking about, you
know, creating a viral video,viral, it's really about.
It's like a formula, right?
So the first part of a viralvideo is what's happening in the
(21:23):
beginning of the video, right?
The video doesn't necessarilyhave to be funny or you're
killing off your mascot,but it does have to be, you
have to think through whywould a person just wanna
stop and watch this video?
That's the first part.
And then second, what's thestory that's being told that
makes you not only wanna watchit all the way to the end,
but you are going on some typeof emotional rollercoaster
(21:45):
and now all you wanna do.
It, share it withsomeone else, right?
So, I mean, we've seen, um,we saw on Super Bowl Sunday
where Instacart crushed it.
You know, they were showcasingall the different foods
and things that you can getwhen you order on Instacart.
Now, you didn't know it wasInstacart until you got to
the end of the commercial,but all you wanted to do
(22:06):
was re-watch it, right?
All you wanted to do wasshare it with a friend.
And so when you'recreating content, you
wanna say to yourself.
What, what is happening in herethat I've gotta tell someone?
Like there's this video ofthis black woman at a, um.
Like a high school footballgame and it's cold outside,
but you see she's burning up,like you see heat coming from
her head and it's because she'shaving a hot flash, right?
(22:28):
And so a video like that, youknow, I'm sure the video was
longer than what we're seeing,but the clip they showed was
just her sitting there andthe heat coming from her head.
Because people are like,what is going on there?
And now all they wannado is share with their
menopause friends.
Brandee Gaar (22:43):
Right.
Right.
That makes total sense.
And so really, would yousay that shareable content
is really what you'relooking for in trying to
get a video to go viral?
Keenya Kelly (22:55):
Yes.
So because the thing, thereason why video goes viral is
not just because you watchedit over and over again.
It's because you watchedit and you shared it, and
you kept sharing it, andyou keep sharing it and
everybody keeps sharing it.
Brandee Gaar (23:07):
Yes.
Okay.
That makes so much sense.
And so when you're a businessowner, right, like it, you
know, a lot of our businessowners, it's like, it feels
like it's harder to create viralcontent, I would say, because
it's not funny sometimes.
Right.
But I love how you're kindof describing, I'm guessing
that this person withthe, the menopause, right?
(23:28):
Was that for a business or wasit just like a funny video?
Keenya Kelly (23:32):
It was just a funny video.
Yeah, yeah.
Yeah.
But, but businesses, yeah.
We don't typically go viralas much unless we have
really thought througheach piece of content,
each frame of the video.
Brandee Gaar (23:45):
Yeah, that makes sense.
But what could be reallyinteresting to me is that
if you have great, like.
I, I say chewable content.
I don't even know what chewablecon, you know, but like content
people can really sink theirteeth into that they want from
your business, and then youhave lots and lots of that on
your platform, and then you getone video to pop off, right?
That just kind of bringspeople in that makes them wanna
(24:06):
binge and know more about you.
That could be a really easyway to do that as well, where
you're not trying to makeevery video go viral, right.
Keenya Kelly (24:14):
Yeah, for sure.
So one of the things Ialways tell our clients
is like, don't focus onjust trying to go viral.
'cause what you really needis, you know, maybe a hundred
thousand views, maybe 10,000views is what you really need,
um, from your video content.
Um, and then yes, if you canget one video that can pop off,
yeah, it'll bring attentionto all the other content.
One of the other things is like,is giving yourself permission
(24:36):
to be creative, right?
So we're in a, in 2025, we'renot in a space where people
are watching as much of uslike talking head videos.
So they are watching them,but we have to be even
more strategic and creativewith those types of videos.
Like for example, let'sjust say you, you're a
photographer at a wedding.
Right.
Great.
We love that you got videosof this beautiful wedding,
(24:57):
but what else could you do tohelp your wedding business?
It could be you are, you'revideoing the before, like
the, here's what everythinglooked like before
and then here's after.
But you're utilizing someof these trends, right?
Where here's the sound and it'slike this, and then it explodes.
It's like you just,you're taking these.
(25:17):
Funny, creative things thatare happening on social that
have nothing to do with yourwedding, but you're going, oh, I
can actually take that scenarioand put it into this frame
and I can make it into that.
And so like, uh, I've seena lot of photographers and
videographers that partnerwith the bride in the groom.
And prior to the day, they arethinking through what kind of
(25:38):
trends can we do with the bride?
Can we do with the groom,with the mom, with all the
different aspects of thewedding and the bride and
them, they're all about it.
'cause they're like, thisis, this would be great
for our, for our wedding.
But you are thinking about itin terms of this is gonna be
great content for my business.
Brandee Gaar (25:54):
Yes.
Yes.
I think that's actually ahuge piece of the puzzle,
especially for our listeners,is thinking about it
beforehand and planning.
Right.
And because so often we think ofsocial media as an afterthought
or a when I have time.
So just what you just saidright there is like planning
(26:15):
what you're gonna do.
Do you encourage yourstudents, your clients, to.
How far out are youplanning content or what?
What do you think about that?
Keenya Kelly (26:24):
Yeah, so, uh, like, like today at like three
o'clock I'm doing this thingcalled a B-roll filming day.
And so this is where I'm justfilming myself doing B-roll
for, for an hour, but I plan it.
I know exactly the shotsthat I need to film, right?
If I am hosting anevent and I know.
A, b, c, this is gonna happenat this event prior to, I'm
(26:44):
going, okay, how can I getthe pre footage to go along
with these particular trends?
Right?
So let's just say you haveyour wedding and you are a,
um, you're a florist, right?
Well, you wanna thinkthrough, okay, how is the
bride groom or whomever, howare they planning on using.
The flowers, right?
(27:05):
And am I delivering it to them?
Am I setting things up?
If you are, then you can go,okay, let me get permission
from the bride and groomto do before and afters.
And once they say yes,you're showing them this
is what I wanna do andhow it's gonna turn out.
More than likely they'relike, yeah, do it.
And can we get the, can weget the, the footage once
you finish with it, themore you're planning in
(27:25):
advance, the more you can getpermission from everybody else.
Brandee Gaar (27:28):
Mm-hmm.
Yes.
That's so good.
And, and I think just knowing,going into it, because
so often vendors show upat a wedding and you are.
You're just kinda just grabbingwhatever footage is there and
then after you're just sittingwith it, staring at it like,
what am I gonna do with this?
What can I do with this?
And I think pre-planningis so smart.
Hearing you say you'repre-planning your B roll is
(27:50):
really fascinating to me too.
Can you tell us just alittle bit more about that?
'cause I don't think enoughof us do great B-roll at all.
Keenya Kelly (27:59):
Yeah, for sure.
So one of the things Irecognize is that as somebody
who creates content and has abusiness, it's a lot of work,
you know, to have time tofilm and to run my business.
And so I realized that like,okay, if I plan a day where
I'm filming for an hour andI give my students access to
do it as well, not only can Ifilm, but they can also film.
(28:19):
So prior to, On a regularbasis, I'm on social media and
I see these really cool ideas.
So I take all these videos fromother creators and I copy the
link and I have like a list onmy notes that says, shoot this.
Right.
And then I have the linkto whatever the video
is and what they did.
And then I'm going, okay, whenit's time for me to film, I'm
gonna fill myself spinningaround in a chair in this
(28:40):
shirt, and I'm gonna spinaround in a chair five times at
five different shirts, right?
Then I need to actually fillmyself with my easel, opening
it and closing it in allthe different shirts, right?
So I just kind of have it.
Just have it in terms ofwhat I'm going to film.
I'm not gonna speak, I'm notgonna talk at all in the videos.
I'm just gonna do random things.
I'm gonna walk to theleft, walk to the right,
(29:01):
I'm gonna drink a drink.
I'm gonna pick up my cat andput my, put my cat down, you
know, and then I'll edit later.
But I have some ideas ofthe footage I need to get
because I've been thinkingabout it all month long.
Brandee Gaar (29:13):
Wow, I, that actually is a huge nugget.
I hope our listeners heardthat, because Wedding vendors
especially that have products.
So I'm thinking youmentioned a florist, like
a florist, a stationer,possibly even a photographer
or planner DJ as you'repreparing for wedding day.
But the problem is you juststart shooting random stuff
(29:33):
or you forget about itand you're like, dang it.
I knew I needed to do that.
But what Keenya just saidwas pre-think out.
What are the shotsyou wanna get?
So when you're getting ready forwedding day and wedding morning,
or you're putting together.
Processing flowers or puttingtogether the bouquets,
you know, um, stamping theinvitations, like all of that
is content that you can get,but if you don't know you need
(29:53):
it, you're not gonna get it.
And so that pre-planningstrategy is massive.
That was such a greattip, Keenya, that you
Keenya Kelly (30:01):
Y yo, I just got an idea for a dj, so it's kind
of like, um, what's that song?
Um, it's like party,party something.
It's like.
Brandee Gaar (30:10):
Anthem.
Keenya Kelly (30:11):
Yeah, So you know it, so what happened,
like when you were talking, Isaid, oh, I can see how a DJ
could actually intentionallyset themselves up, like the,
the, the footage is filmingthem before anybody gets it.
They're just pretending likethe party is happening and the
DJ's got his earphones in andhe's just like, and he's filming
himself and you hear the music'splaying before the beat drops.
(30:31):
And it says, everyday I'm shuffling.
And then now the scenechanges to the dance
floor when they're like.
They're going crazy.
But you are watchingthis video and you know
something's happening.
You're like, when the beatdrops at a wedding and
you're like, okay, you'rewaiting on the beat to drop
and you don't see anybody.
You just see the dj andall of a sudden now you
see and you're like, wow.
Right.
And it's, people waitfor it because they wanna
(30:53):
see what's gonna happen.
And it's just,it's just planning.
Brandee Gaar (30:56):
Which gives you the longer
watch time too, right?
Because people are waitingfor what's gonna happen
when that beat drops.
And that's massive.
It too is getting thatwatch time, right?
And what you just said rightthere wouldn't have, like if
you waited until the dance floorwas packed, you now missed the
opportunity to get that shot.
Right?
So.
(31:16):
That's so good.
Keenya, I love this so much.
So I know that you have,you have a download, right?
75 viral hooks.
Is that what it is?
Keenya Kelly (31:25):
Yes.
Mm-hmm.
Brandee Gaar (31:25):
Where can everybody get that?
Because I want them togo learn from you and see
what some of these viralhooks are and how they can
use it in their business.
Keenya Kelly (31:33):
Yeah, for sure.
So one of the things I knowyou guys, is that anytime
you're gonna have a greatvideo, you gotta start it with
a hook, whether it's text,it's audio, or it's visual.
And so we have 75 of them.
You can go to my website,which is
keenyakelly.com/75hooks, whichis
K-E-E-N-Y-A-K-E-L-L-Y slash 75hooks with an s.
Brandee Gaar (31:55):
Okay.
We'll link that in thedescription, in the show notes
below too, so that you guyscan all go grab that, because
I would love to see you makingsome of these videos, like
watch the hooks, look at thehooks, and really think, how
can I use this in my businessto make that shareable content
that Keenya was talking about?
That's really gonna help youso much to get that reach,
(32:16):
to get those views and.
To start seeingthose leads come in.
So we wanna have the shareablecontent, we wanna have
watch time on your videosand I'm excited for this.
So you guys, what I want youto do is download her 75 viral
hooks and then I want you totell us, like if you make one
of these videos, there's severalof the videos like tag myself,
tag Keenya, we wanna see them.
(32:38):
I think that would be so fun.
Keenya Kelly (32:39):
Can I give them one last tip?
Brandee Gaar (32:41):
please.
Yes.
Do it.
Keenya Kelly (32:42):
So I want you guys to go to TikTok, even
if that's not your favoriteplatform, just go to TikTok and
I want you to type in weddingsor wedding florist, wedding
dj and start binge watchingthe creative content that some
of these companies are doing.
And then just take the linkand make a list of them,
because like right now, youheard what I said, but if you
can see what we're talkingabout, then it'll make a
(33:05):
whole lot more sense to you.
Brandee Gaar (33:06):
Yes.
That's so true.
And and saving those linksis so helpful too, because
otherwise you just have abunch of junk in your brain.
You go to film, I've donethat before, and you're like,
what was I supposed to film?
Like what did it look like?
Yeah, so having thoselinks right there in a
note in your phone isjust like, that's so easy.
You can, anybody can do that.
So simple.
Ugh.
(33:27):
Okay, you guys, listen, thiswas an actionable episode, which
means you need to take yourAirPods out right now and go do,
go make content based on whatKeenya has talked about today.
Keenya, where can everybodyfollow along with you?
Keenya Kelly (33:42):
Yeah, so I'm on all social media platforms,
uh, Keenya, Kelly, um, TikTok,Instagram, YouTube, everywhere.
Brandee Gaar (33:49):
Okay.
Okay.
I love it.
Go give her a follow.
Tell her that you heardher on the Wedding Pro CEO
Podcast and Keenya, thankyou so much for being here.
Keenya Kelly (33:56):
Yeah, thanks for having me.
I appreciate it.
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