Launching a Micro Media Brand in Your City With Morgan Chicchelly, Founder of Des Moines Girl

In this week’s podcast episode, Emily chats with Morgan Chicchelly, founder of Des Moines Girl, a blog dedicated to all things Des Moines. Morgan joins the podcast to share more about building a local media brand that’s helped so many people discover new brands, places, and things to do in their city. Not in dsm? This story is still jam packed with value for anyone interested in building a micro media or online brand from scratch. 

Morgan grew up in Des Moines but spent the majority of her twenties on the East Coast. After returning to her hometown like so many did during the pandemic she discovered that so much had changed about the city she grew up in. She wanted to get to know her city better but struggled to find a place to discover new brands and activities beyond her own searches on Instagram and Google. So she decided to create her own, a blog and brand called Des Moines Girl.

With a full-time corporate job, Morgan slowly built Des Moines Girl on the side, investing first in branding and then creating her website and social media presence on her own. She started by sharing topics she was interested in herself like all the happy hours in Des Moines, or best brunch spots or upcoming weekend activities and quickly gained a loyal audience.

Morgan walks our listeners through how she creates a two way conversation with her followers and tips she has for others looking to build an engaged community primed to act. She also shares her advice for those just starting out and how to avoid burnout by learning how to fill the gaps between your weaknesses and strengths. 

If you’ve been curious about starting a local blog or social media account highlighting spots in your city, listen to this episode with Morgan! 

Tune in for topics like:

  • The searches that spurred Morgan to create Des Moines Girl

  • Why it’s important to anchor your social media presence with a website

  • What to do first when you’re ready to launch your brand

  • A pivotal conversation & a question Morgan hadn’t considered before

  • The reason to wait before monetizing your brand

  • How to keep your why at the forefront of your business

Links from the episode:

Follow me (Emily Steele) (Love Local) on Instagram for a little business + a little life, and a whole lot of positive energy!

Show NotesEmily Steele