Influencer
Creating an Authentic Connection with Your Audience ft. Julie and Moritz of Sol and Pepper
Julie and Moritz are globetrotters and ‘collectors of moments,’ sharing their authentic journey and goal of living a simple life with their family online. They are the proud parents of two boys, Solly and Nalu, and their dog, Pepper. They have an impressive Instagram following of nearly 250,000 followers, where they share their authentic stories, journey, and the joy of simple living.
Julie and Moritz of sol and pepper met in 2018, creating a pivotal moment in their lives. Both Julie and Moritz have always had wanderlust in their hearts and decided to give up everything, including their old jobs, apartment, and Germany. They chose to break social norms and explore the world, do their own thing, and feel freedom in entirely new ways.
They explain, “This was the year we both met for the first time. It was always in our heads that we wanted to travel the world, enjoy our freedom and be as flexible as possible. For that reason, we decided to buy a van and give up everything at home. We quit our jobs and our apartment and just hit the road with our 20 years old van “Rolf”. We have traveled to more than 23 countries in the last few years, mostly within Europe, because we wanted to take Pepper with us. Living in a van has allowed us to stay in the most beautiful spots in Europe in the middle of nature.”
Sharing Their Authentic Journey
Julie and Moritz have documented this journey on their blog and Instagram, gaining nearly 250,000 followers on Instagram in the process.
They share, “Our Instagram journey started as a hobby. We mainly wanted to make stories to keep our friends and family updated daily. But we gained followers quickly because apparently, many people liked the way we create our lives. That’s how we came up with the idea of simply trying to work with Instagram in a professional way.”
Their Instagram content encompasses many categories, including family life, traveling tips, romance, and lifestyle content. Their reels are especially popular, typically receiving over 250,000 views.
They note, “On our account, we mainly show our life as a family and give our followers an insight into our journeys. We focus on nature, intuition, and mindset and want to show people out there that there are other ways of living than the one that fits the social norm and encourages them to think outside the box and go their own way.”
Recent popular posts include a romantic kiss in the snow, fun footage of their dog Pepper, and a post highlighting the beauty of the South African shore.
As for their blog, they share, “The most read blog post is the one about our home birth with Nalu. The experience of giving birth to Nalu during Corona in an Airbnb in Austria was also one of the most intimate and impressive experiences for us as a family. We also recorded a podcast episode about this, which even Spotify Germany featured in their story and ran very successfully.”
Julie and Moritz have shared their home birth experience on Instagram, their blog, and a podcast. Their unique, on-the-go lifestyle makes this experience especially interesting. Home birth is also a trending topic receiving a lot of attention online, making this a winning combination for social media content.
Julie and Moritz’s Tips for Growth
They share, “We think that this is a process. We’ve tried a lot over the years, and through that, we’ve realized more and more where we want to put our focus and what feels coherent to us, and through that, we’ve also developed our own personal style. It is important not to compare yourself with other bloggers constantly, but to stay true to yourself.”
Julie and Moritz have been posting for over three years after using all their savings to purchase a twenty-year-old camper, which they converted into their home on wheels. While they didn’t know what to expect then, they stuck with their travels, celebrating each moment and sharing their life consistently online. These factors have led them to highly successful careers as content creators.
They also recommend investing in the best equipment you can afford to make high-quality content from the start.
“For us, it was important to invest in good working equipment right at the beginning. That means for us: a good camera and accessories as well as a good laptop to set up professionally and, of course, learn to use it.”
Ultimately, their biggest strategy has always been slowing down their lives and being authentic to themselves. Their branding and beliefs center around a love of adventure and wanting to share their life to inspire others. For other content creators, developing a strong sense of your deeper WHY for creating content can help you reach people in new, authentic ways.
Their Marketing Strategy & Brand Work
Julie and Moritz explain, “Our marketing strategy is that we always stay with ourselves, never compare ourselves with others, have found our individual way, and always remain authentic. Continuity is also super important. That means creating content regularly.”
In addition to creating consistent content, Julie and Moritz are also highly selective about the brands they work with.
“We are always looking for brands who fit our philosophy of life and share the same values as we do. We can identify most with brands who focus on sustainability, mindset, self-care, being close to nature, and travel.”
As part of their content creation journey, they have worked with many brands but couldn’t name a specific brand that was their favorite. They shared they have worked with so many amazing and unique brands that it would be impossible to pick a favorite.
They note, “We do collaborations with brands. That means we show our community on Instagram different products and promote them on our account. It is important for us to promote only brands we can identify with.”
Julie and Moritz vet brands they work with to ensure they share the same philosophy for life. Typically, they look for sustainable brands in the self-care, travel, nature, or mental health niches.
They explain, “Our goal has always been to reach many people with our authentic style and to create a base with Instagram, through which we can live our lifestyle and combine it with a lot of travel.”
By showing integrity when selecting brands they work with and creating intuitive content, they hope to reach their goals through continuity, honesty, and authenticity.
In addition, they help their followers similarly document their special moments with their presets, which allows them to create a harmonious and consistent feed. The presets have a vintage, authentic, and close-to-nature feeling, aligning with their mission.
“At that point of our life, we are super happy. Our focus is always on family and our kids. It’s important to us that we always find a good way to combine job and family. We are currently upgrading our American school bus, which will soon be ready to hit the European roads with us and write many new adventure stories.”
