Handstanding on the beach in Aruba is hardly something most people would call relatable, but Rachel Brathen, aka “Yoga Girl” seems to be the exception. For the past four years she has shared yoga videos, travel photos, bikini shots and inspirational photos, amassing a following of 1.7 million people. The #yogaeverydamnday hashtag, which Brathen created, has been used in 4.3 million posts.
But there’s more to Yoga Girl than palm trees, paddle boards, and beach buns. Brathen is using her influence for good, writing books, heading nonprofits and creating an accessible online yoga platform. What makes her so popular online? Here’s what content marketers can stand to learn from Yoga Girl’s rise to internet fame.
Authenticity Matters
What sets Brathen’s account from other yoga accounts — and accounts period — is that she doesn’t gloss over the negative things in life.
“On social media everybody shares only perfect things, the really good angles or the filtered photos, it’s like a highlight showreel of all the great moments – we never share the normal or the sad. But sometimes those times can be inspiring as well,” Brathen told the Daily Mail.
Take, for example, a post shared in October where Brathen shares a personal and gut-wrenching story about her best friend who died in a car accident a year and a half earlier. It wasn’t the first time Brathen’s followers had heard about her friend and her loss, as she shared her feelings openly while she was grieving. It’s this kind of honesty that make her followers feel a connection.
“I feel similar pain in my journey of life and I thank you for expressing yours so I don’t feel so alone,” one follower commented.
It’s Not All About You
While it would be easy to use all that fame for purely self-indulgent endeavors, Brathen is spreading the love. In October, she launched oneOeight, an online platform featuring yoga, meditation, grief counseling, healthy cooking lessons, and more. A Kickstarter campaign for the website raised $430,943 from 6,511 backers, far exceeding the $108,000 goal.
She is also the founder of Sgt Pepper’s Friends, an animal rescue organization in Aruba that rehabilitates abandoned animals from the island and finds them homes (something Brathen also uses Instagram for). She also co-founded 109 World, a new non-profit working to alleviate issues related to water, children, education, animals, food security, women, and the environment.
As Brathen says: “Live the life in front of you, stay authentic to who you are and see what you find out for yourself.”
