Plants with Krystal: How Showing Up Authentically Led to a Book Deal

Krystal Duran, the creator behind Plants with Krystal, has more than a million followers on Instagram and more than a million subscribers on YouTube. She used to kill a lot of plants. In 2022, after losing her husband, 90% of her plant collection died too, and she made a choice: keep showing up, authentically, and share how she was getting through it.That honesty built a community, earned her four Reelies awards and led to her new book, More Than Just a Plant: How to Care for Your Plants as They Care for You.In this Think Like a Producer interview, we talk about:- Going from eight years in social work to full-time creator- Her "dip to black" moment and sharing grief online- Why she walked away from two book deals before writing the one that was truly hers- Why she still edits every video herself- How to build trust with a YouTube audience without fancy gear- Her advice for experts who are nervous on camera- Lightning round: the easiest plant to keep alive and the one to skipI met Krystal at the pre-Reelies dinner hosted by Adobe in Atlanta, and I'm so glad I did.⏱️ CHAPTERS00:00 Showing up authentically00:14 Welcome to Think Like a Producer04:50 From social work to plants08:06 The plant that started it all10:06 Can you save a dying plant?12:34 Krystal's dip to black moment18:03 Instagram's 90-minute videos and chasing platform changes20:02 Building trust on YouTube21:40 Why she edits everything herself22:55 Getting the facts right as a creator23:41 Branding and color24:36 The book deal she said yes to28:08 Consistency and confidence on camera31:34 Lightning round33:40 What's next: the book tour📚 GET KRYSTAL'S BOOKMore Than Just a Plant: https://quarto.com/books/9781577158097/more-than-just-a-plant🌿 CONNECT WITH KRYSTALInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/_plantswithkrystal_/?hl=enYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PlantswithKrystalWebsite: https://www.plants-with-krystal.com/BUY HER BOOK HERE: https://amzn.to/4zokqaB🎧 Also watch my conversation with Libby Ward🎓 The Visibility Program: https://oncamready.com/podcast-offer then https://substack.com/@oncamready🌐 Work with me: https://oncamready.comPitch: [email protected] (Affiliate):Record your content with Riverside: https://riverside.sjv.io/09VWrEDiscount Code: OCR15VidIQ (Affiliate): https://vidiq.com/oncamreadyThink Like a Producer, an ON CAM Ready presentation. Monday through Thursday, I break down one news headline so experts can find their angle and produce their own authority. Every other Friday, I sit down with people who've made the journey from unknown to known.Subscribe for new episodes Monday through Thursday, plus interviews and tutorials on Fridays.#ThinkLikeAProducer #PlantsWithKrystal #PersonalBrand #CreatorJourney #UnknownToKnown #ContentCreator #Houseplants