Influencer Inspiration: How Dylan Mckeever Got Lemons and Made Damn Good Lemonade
Meet comedian Dylan Mckeever, and learn how she pivoted to short-form comedy during the pandemic.
Like everyone, when COVID took over the world last year Dylan McKeever was forced to stay home. But, as a stand-up comedian, it meant the entire standing-up in front of a crowd element of her job was impossible to do. So, she took to social media creating hilarious videos which immediately took off, and was able to grow her following to over 17K on Instagram.
As a transgender influencer, Dylan has the unique perspective and voice that brands are searching for. And, she’s hilarious. Making her a perfect resource for brands looking to infuse comedy and inclusivity into a campaign.
Dylan spoke with us about her newfound influencer career, and how behind-the-scenes collaborations can support brands just as much as sponsored posts.
How have you used social media as a platform to connect with a wider audience?
15 months ago the pandemic started, and I was doing stand-up comedy. I had only started doing it for 6 or 7 months. And, lockdown happened and there was no more stand-up comedy. So, I started translating some of my stand-up jokes for the internet, the “small, small screen”.
It’s actually been one of the best things for my career. I wasn’t doing it before COVID, and the response has been super positive. Things have really taken off. It’s been nice, I’m almost surprised by the response. I’ve had a long creative career, and it’s really interesting to see something take off with popularity because I’m really used to creating within a void and releasing things into nowhere. That’s the attitude I’ve grown accustomed to, and social media has really changed that for me.
How has this impacted your ability to collaborate with brands?
As far as collaborating with brands, I’ve gotten a few gigs out of this. The ones that I like the most are the ones where I’m doing a lot of work on someone else’s campaign. I’ve done writing and acting for companies, consulting for ad campaigns. Actually, in many collaborations I’m not the face of the brand, I help more with joke writing and I actually like being behind-the-scenes.
As a comedian, I feel like I really need to be authentic and keep people’s trust. So, I shy away from doing a lot of sponsored collaborations because I’m still growing my following and want to keep their trust. That’s why when I work with brands I tend to do more voice-over work, acting, and consulting. I enjoy it more, and I think it fits who I am best.
When entering a collaboration, and maintaining your authenticity, what is your vetting process?
This is all pretty new, but when I enter a collaboration I am a little picky. I wouldn’t say I identify as an influencer perse, it’s not a label I use. So, I think it allows me to be more discerning.
That being said, if it’s a product I actually use and like I’d be happy to work with the brand. As long as it fits into my life, I feel like the collaboration is authentic.
What type of products would be ideal collaborations for you?
I drink so much Kombucha. I eat a lot of pickled onions. Avocados. I really love this specific Giorgio Armani Lip Gloss. It doesn’t dry out the lips. Honestly, just things I would use in my regular life, nothing random.
It’s not so much about the brand, it’s more of a question to myself, “would I use this?”. I don’t like telling people what to buy unless I’m actually using it.
In a post-corona world, do you see yourself continuing your online comedy?
I think so. I’m signing with managers, so that will change the process of getting gigs and writing jobs. I’m not sure how that will impact influencer-style collaborations. But, I really love the consulting element of it. Brands come to me, I give them a suggestion, and they bring my idea to life. It’s really an interesting process to see come to fruition.
What does your consultant process look like?
I’m working on Pride campaigns right now, and they are trying to get an authentic voice for some of the Queer stories they are trying to tell. And, also joke writing. That is more challenging because I am not used to writing for a brand. A lot of jokes I think of, I realize it would be okay if I said it but not a brand, so it’s a learning process.
So is behind-the-scenes work your ideal influencer role?
I think so. Writing is really one of my strengths, and I think I’m different from other influencers that aren’t comedians.
I also think there can be some tension being the face of a product. I was actually going to be the face of an abortion pill. And, I am trans, so I can’t get pregnant. I thought it would be weird if I was the face of the product. So, I suggested I just write the campaign and someone else performs it. That ended up being a good idea.
It’s really a balancing act of figuring out if my face should be on something. That’s also why doing voice-over work is fun.
Are you on other channels besides Instagram?
I started doing TikTok. It’s really fun there! It’s so much more loose and joyful than Instagram.
@deemakes_ Did you guys know books have a buncha words in them??
♬ original sound – Dylan McKeever
I’m not the best at making short content, I go over a minute all the time. When I first got TikTok I would post and then leave, because I was afraid the teenagers would make fun of me. I actually didn’t read the comments for a few months. Then I came back and everyone was nice so I stayed.
Feeling inspired? Learn more about the great influencers waiting to collaborate with you!