So You Think You Want to Be on a Design Team

Have you considered applying to a design team?

In a few short days, I’ll be livestreaming with some of my design team colleagues for Let’s Talk Design Teams Part 2. I thought I would take a moment to reflect a little bit on my experience and share it with you here first. My goal during the stream will be to listen a lot and talk very little because it’s a rare opportunity to have a discussion like this with so many talented designers.

Top 5 Things I Wish I Knew

This list isn’t in any particular order other than what I thought of first. Perhaps there’s significance to that, I don’t know. Reflecting a bit on my experience on design teams, there are things I definitely wish I knew. I’m not sure how much of a difference it would have made and what choices I would have done differently, but I do think I would have felt better informed if I knew what I was getting myself into.

Everyone is different, which is why I’m really excited about my upcoming livestream because I am curious to know if my peers feel differently.

1. Who’s On The Team? And What Do They Think?

When I first started applying to teams, I made sure to do my research about the sponsor/company. I looked at their products to make sure it was something I would love crafting with. I checked all their social media to see what vibe they are putting out there — cutesy, artsy, etc. But what I did not do was look at who designs for the company. And I would never have had the guts to ask a current or past design team member what they thought of the team. I’m not sure I have the guts to just message someone out of the blue even today. 🙂 But I wish I did have that courage. It would be informative to know certain things before applying…things that aren’t on a DT call.

That said, if someone were to reach out to me out of the blue and ask me about my DT experience, I would be really open to answering. [Update – since drafting this and before publishing it, I was asked by two people about my DT experience on a particular team. So fantastic!] And I don’t think I’m unique in that way. I think on the whole, most crafters are willing to help where they can. I may not be able to or want to talk about specifics, but I’m happy to hear the question and answer if I can. That said, I have a contact form here on my website, so feel free to reach out to me!

2. Social Media’ing Takes a LOT of Time

It’s a lot of work to manage multiple social media platforms. I started by focusing on just one, but these days, that’s not enough. You need to be on Facebook because a lot of team collaboration happens there. You need to be on Instagram because lots of sharing and promotions happen there. It’s a lot of time to stay engaged with everyone – everywhere. I post my videos to multiple different YT channels and since I don’t get notified when folks leave a comment on my video on a sponsor channel, I have to periodically go to that video and check for new comments. Similarly, if my sponsor shares my project on their Instagram page, I like to check on it to make sure I’m responding to comments there too.

I love reading all the comments. In particular, I love when I start to recognize names and profile pics. It’s nice to feel connected. But I know at some point, I won’t be able to keep up because it’s just ever so time-consuming. And I think it’ll be sad when I can’t respond to all my comments.

3. How Many is Too Many Teams?

I don’t know. I’m on several design teams. And for some, I only did a single 6-mo term, so I’ve rotated off teams too. However, I think I should give myself a limit. This isn’t so much because of the workload, but more so I have time to craft with the things I buy for myself. 😀

When I started, I applied to every team whose products I loved. I assumed failure because I was so new. I think that was smart because when I was rejected, it didn’t hurt as much (still rough, but at least expected). And just like finding a job, you put your resume out there and you go on as many interviews as you can because there are lots of people looking and not a lot of positions available. So you have to assume that you won’t land every job (DT role) you apply to.

I still have that feeling of “Oh I would love to craft with their products!” every single time I see a DT call. You know the saying, “My eyes were too big for my stomach?” I have that problem but not with food (well not only with food) — with Design Teams. LOL. For me, this is dangerous because I think I can easily stretch myself too thin. More than a handful of times I’ve stayed up to 2-3 AM crafting, editing a video, etc. I prefer that stay the exception not the rule.

Bottom line, I think it’s important to know your limits. Think hard about what your goals are and really only join teams that will help you achieve those goals.

4. There’s no Escaping Facebook

When I left the tech and video/online game industry, I thought I could leave Facebook behind. No such luck. If you aren’t a FB person, you need to realize that there’s a lot happening there and if you want to be on a Design Team, you’ll need to regularly engage on Facebook. I am on some teams that don’t use it but that seems rare.

Firstly, Facebook groups is used for team collaboration, communication, file exchange, etc. That’s where everything happens in terms of knowing what’s going on with the team. Beyond that though, your sponsor likely has a Facebook group for its fans and that’s where your projects will likely need to get posted. It can also be worth it to start your own Facebook Page, so you can separate your crafty sharing from your personal life. And once your audience grows, maybe then you’ll want to create your own Facebook Group so you can interact with your new crafty friends and followers in a more two-way conversation. And that’s where I am at today — running my own FB crafty page and FB crafty community group.

For better or worse, there’s no escaping Facebook.

5. Bad Habits

I’ve picked up some bad habits. This isn’t strictly due to being on a design team, but it’s related. I am on the socials CONSTANTLY and I am checking my ANALYTICS constantly! I am a math and numbers geek, so I can’t get enough of statistics, charts, graphs, trends, etc. I refresh within minutes to see numbers tick up (or down). I’m always trying to figure out why one reel does so much better than another and how can I recreate that “success”. The reality is that I probably can’t. There are too many variables and only a few I can control. And at the end of the day what I’m sharing is a creative work – which is subjective. There’s only so much value these numbers can provide in terms of using them to inform future content, and yet I’m still obsessed.

I also want to make sure that I’m doing well on my teams. I want to pull my weight on the team, so to speak. I really take it to heart if a video of mine doesn’t perform well and get the views and engagement as other videos. As a result, I’m always checking if my videos manage to bring in new subscribers for my sponsors, checking if they are getting viewed a lot, etc. I get bummed and a little worried about my position on the team if I feel like my video wasn’t a success by at least my own standards.

I think at some point, I need to realize that after I’ve put a video out, there isn’t too much I can do to impact its performance. Doing my best work, sharing it and directing traffic towards it is about the most I can do and then it’s up to “the algorithm“. The constant refreshing and checking on stats doesn’t really benefit anyone.

Awareness of data is good, but an obsession with having the latest numbers is not. There’s a balance that I have yet to find.

Want to Know More?

I announced in my Let’s Talk Design Teams – Part 2! that I have an idea for a member-only live stream. This would be a “Bonus” stream for the Let’s Talk Design Team series. This perk unlocks at 10 Die Cutters (members at the Dies level). Livestreams feel more fun and more informative when there’s a lot of participation in the live chat. So we’ll see if I can get there. It won’t be before April because I’ve already scheduled a stream every Saturday from now to end of March. You have time to watch the live stream series and see if you want to know more after that.

If you’re interested in becoming a member, you can read more about My New Membership Club. And you can sign up on YouTube.