Social Media Made Approachable: Meet Kayla Kleinman, Your Social Media BFF

By Emily Merrell

Have you ever looked at doing something on social media and just felt anxious/nauseous/not sure how to proceed? For me, that’s every time I look at Instagram Reels. Thank goodness for humans like Kayla Kleinman who are Reels experts and can break it down into layman terms, making it approachable from start to finish. Before Kayla was your Social Media BFF, her whole life had been impacted by social media – from landing her first job to getting a master’s degree in the subject. Learn more about Kayla and her journey. 

SDS: Your life has revolved around social media, from landing your job to securing partnerships with bloggers. In your words, how has social media played a role in your life?

KAYLA KLEINMAN: Social media has honestly changed my life! I truly don’t know where I’d be today if it wasn’t for opportunities and people I’ve met thanks to social platforms.

I got my first real job out of college thanks to Twitter. ClassPass, which was super small at the time, noticed me thanks to my fitness tweets. They reached out to me because they had an opening at the company and thought I’d be a good fit. Thanks to those tweets, I ended up working at ClassPass for a year in social media and marketing which set me on the marketing path. I fell in love with social media so much that I went on to study it in grad school (yes, that’s a thing!) and completed my Master of Science in Social Media and Mobile Marketing from Pace University’s Lubin School of Business.

Along the way, I’ve also met some of my closest friends thanks to social platforms. I’m a total introvert but have found Instagram to be such a great place to network and connect with like-minded women in NYC. I’ve also had incredible opportunities to travel and lead yoga retreats in Costa Rica, start my own yoga company and a whole lot more all thanks to Instagram.

SDS: As a social media coach, what are the biggest blocks you see people having for social media? 

KK: Overthinking it! Yes, there is strategy behind social media (which is where I come in!) but oftentimes people get so caught up in wanting every post to be perfect that they just don’t post. I’m a big believer that sometimes you just have to put your stuff out there and then refine as you go on and learn more. Just start. Your first reel won’t be perfect. Your first few posts might feel awkward. But don’t let that hold you back from starting.

SDS: What are your favorite social media hacks for your business the most people don’t know about? 

KK: Use your Instagram Insights! My favorite quick hack for growth is to go to the content you’ve shared in the last year and then see which post brought the most followers. Repost that post, or recreate something super similar! I do this every few months and the results are always INCREDIBLE.

SDS: How do you help your clients with social media? 

KK: I help female solopreneurs navigate their Instagram strategy, show up authentically and create engaging content that converts. I do this through a number of steps including optimizing your bio to attract your dream client, creating an engaging content strategy that builds “know, like, and trust” and overall best strategies for best business practices on your socials.

People like to buy from PEOPLE they know, people they like and people they trust. I think we sometimes forget about that on social platforms and just become these weird robot businesses devoid of personality and humanity. It’s so important to also show up as the human behind your business and share bits and pieces of who YOU are. Maybe that’s sharing your cute dog, what things look like behind the scenes, or a day in your life.

SDS: What is something you wish you could have told your younger self about social media? 

KK: First I’d tell younger Kayla to hop on Instagram sooner and start thinking about it more strategically… but I also can’t fault my 2014 self because who knew these platforms would explode into what they are now! 

I’d also tell my younger self to stop trying to emulate what others are doing. You do you. The magic happens when you show up as your authentic self. 

SDS: Lastly, how can our readers learn more about you and what you’re offering? 

KK: Book your free 15-minute social media strategy session here, and follow me at @yoursocialmedia.bff and @kaylakleinman. Also, check out my blog Kayla in the City which I’ve been running for almost a decade.