Marketing Happy Hour - REWIND: How National Geographic Stays Culturally Relevant with 400M+ Followers | Elizabeth Thompson of National Geographic
Episode Date: July 23, 2026In this throwback episode, we sit down with Elizabeth Thompson, Senior Manager of Social Media at National Geographic, who leads strategy for one of the largest social ecosystems in the world — over... 400 million followers across platforms. Elizabeth shares the career journey that took her from Army brat and freelancer to running social for one of the most iconic storytelling brands, including how she grew Nat Geo's Instagram from 250M to 270M followers and TikTok from 2.5M to 9M. We unpack how a 137-year-old brand stays culturally relevant today, how her team uses UGC, reactive content, and new platform features to reach global audiences, and what creators and marketers can learn from building social strategy at scale. This one is packed with timeless frameworks — worth a relisten or a first listen if you missed it.Key Takeaways:// How to grow a legacy brand on social: The relevance, resonance, and risk framework Nat Geo uses to decide which cultural moments are worth jumping on — and which to sit out.// The power of UGC at scale: Why Nat Geo Your Shot was reimagined as a creative community, not just a content bucket — and how it drives belonging, not just reach.// Building strategy for massive audiences: How Elizabeth approaches content for 400M+ followers across seven platforms, and why an always-on strategy and engagement plays both have to coexist.// Career lessons for social pros: How internships spanning PR, journalism, and email marketing — plus a freelance business and a master's degree in Germany — shaped her path to Nat Geo.// Team building and cross-functional alignment: What transparency, flexibility, and proactive communication actually look like inside a large, matrixed organization.// The timeless principles that will outlast every algorithm shift: Authenticity, community, and adaptability — and why these three things will always matter no matter what the platforms do next.____Join the MHH Collective! The MHH Collective is a community for marketers and business owners to connect, ask real questions, and grow their careers together. Join for access to live Q&As with industry experts, a private Slack community, and ongoing resources: https://www.marketinghappyhr.com/mhh-collectiveSay hi! DM us on Instagram and let us know what content you want to hear on the show - We can't wait to hear from you! Please also consider rating the show and leaving a review, as that helps us tremendously as we move forward in this Marketing Happy Hour journey and create more content for all of you. Join the MHH Collective: Join nowGet the latest marketing trends, open jobs and MHH updates, straight to your inbox: Join our email list!Follow MHH on Social: Instagram | LinkedIn | TikTok | Facebook
Transcript
Discussion (0)
Welcome to Marketing Happy Hour, a weekly podcast helping marketing professionals and entrepreneurs build better strategies and hit career goals.
I'm Cassie and I'm Allie. We're marketers and your hosts through these unfiltered convos with your peers and experts in the space.
Let's dive in. Grab your favorite drink and let's get to this week's episode.
Today, Allie and I are joined by Elizabeth Thompson, senior social media manager at National Geographic.
I am so stoked about this episode. We were talking off.
record that I just attended Digital Summit and heard a session from two team members from the Nat Geo
team. So just excited to Elizabeth meet you, dive more into your experience as well. Welcome to the show.
Thank you so much for having me. I'm so excited to chat today. Yeah, big fans of the pod. So very
happy to be here. Oh my gosh. We are big fans of everything that you all do as well and just excited to
become a fan of you too, like hear your journey and what you're working on and just everything.
But first, we have to kick off with, I just want to know what's been in your glass lately.
Oh, my gosh.
So right now, since this early afternoon, I have my go-to diet Coke.
Love.
It's so good.
And it's become a habit for me that, like, at Nat Geo, the whole social team, like between 1 and 3 p.m.,
if I don't have a diet Coke in hand, like someone's checking on me.
Like, have you had your diet Coke today?
This is a staple.
But, yes, always have my water with me as well.
hydration is important but typical go-to happy hour order i've definitely been into like a skinny spicy
marg lately or a dirty martini with jalapeno brine and blue chief stuffed olives so
a little diverse there yeah halapeno brine is so fun i like spice i like the spiciness
i love it i do have to ask or have you tried the new diet coke with lime from target like have
you gotten the cans are you no but i'm going i'm like a i'm i'm like a i'm i'm
on a mission to go and get that and try it.
I remember when Lyme Diet Coke was,
oh, we have a visitor, Salem, Matt.
We're big cat people.
He realized, oh, we're recording.
Let me get in the frame.
A little attention seeker.
But I am on a mission to try it because I'm a big Lyme girl, too.
So I love it.
You're going to love it.
You absolutely will.
Well, Elizabeth, so, so excited to have you.
would love for you to walk us through your career journey, how you landed at Nat Geo, and just tell us more about your role there.
Yeah.
So honestly, I'm taking back to, like, my childhood days.
I feel like a lot of how I grew up is so ingrained in, like, who I am today and, like, what I do at work even.
So I've always had a passion for adventure, exploration, travel.
I grew up an army brat.
So, like, connecting with other people was always so important to me as I moved around and tried to make new friends.
I was also just very chronically online and very into the pop culture and like what was going on in the world.
Also just growing up during like the boom of social like coding away in my MySpace days.
So that's like a lot of what my childhood was like.
And then fast forward to my undergrad, I knew I wanted to work in the umbrella of like PR, broadcast journalism, marketing, advertising, something in that space.
But I wasn't exactly sure what.
And so I had internships kind of spanning all these things, having different experiences.
And I just loved so much, but I couldn't figure out like what exactly I wanted to do.
So I ultimately decided to move to Germany to get my master's.
And while I was there, I also got an internship at Stars and Stripes, which is a global publisher that serves the U.S. military community.
And as an Army Back growing up, Stars and Stripes was like always a part of my world.
So I was very excited for that opportunity.
And eventually, throughout my internship, I got a full-time job as a content producer where I really focused on digital and print lifestyle content strategies.
And then somehow I honestly couldn't tell you the moment.
Some social media marketing responsibilities like fell into my lap.
And that's when I was like, ooh, okay, I also like the marketing of the content and like connecting with audiences.
And then from there, I moved from Germany to the D.C. area and transferred to Stars and Stripes
headquarters in D.C. And I moved into the digital marketing department where I led global, social,
and digital marketing strategies. And this is also the time where I'm like uncovering more and more,
like, all right, I really like social media. And I started my own freelance business. And I created
social content strategies and just created content for a suite of small businesses.
And this is where I was like, okay, I want to just be in social only.
I was toggling between like just, do I go all in on my business or do I find like that
dream role?
Enter National Geographic.
So I started with Nat Geo back in 2022.
And I started as a manager overseeing strategy for Instagram and TikTok.
And then over time, my scope expanded the last year and a half to seven different platforms
owning strategy for the core brand accounts and also the newly revamped UGC field, Nat Geo-Yorshot
Instagram account.
And a big part of my team and I's goals are really driving audience acquisition.
So our social audience to NatGeo.com to read our amazing editorial storytelling.
It's also elevating our TV titles, driving people to Disney Plus and Hulu to watch these shows and
documentaries.
And because we lead brand strategy, we have to like elevate the full 360 story of Nat Geo, right?
So like expeditions and books and so many entry points of the brand.
All right, Salem's going to piece out.
Okay, there he goes.
He was done with me.
So, yeah, it's a big part of our day to day is just really elevating the whole brand and supporting all these various lines of businesses.
the work of our amazing explorers and photographers.
And then I truly can't go without shouting out my own team,
Sonia Mattel and Adriana Sanchez.
Without them, I could not do what we do every day to support this amazing brand
and the entire social team and our partners.
But specifically, I would say in the last like two years, we really focused on
how are we going to make a 137-year-old brand like culturally relevant, you know?
and reach newer generation. So it really was under the vision and leadership of our VP to
Lani Andre, who's like, chef's kiss. I'm not just saying that. Like she is such a force in the social
space. I'm very, very grateful for her. And she really has pioneered how we approach social media
in this world and just like entering conversations in a more engaging in social first way than we
ever had before. So yeah, that's a little bit about me, my journey, what we do at not geo.
And yeah, that's it. Yeah. Well, you already mentioned legacy, right? And so I'm just curious,
like, as you are bringing more creators and talent into the fold to work with them to develop
content for your pages, how are you balancing their tone, their brands, their vision
with this legacy identity, right? Like, how are you kind of bouncing? How are you kind of bouncing? And
the new with the old essentially. I'm just very curious to hear about that. Oh yeah. I love that question. I think
when it comes to working with talent, you have to be, you have to understand that like you have to marry their
worlds with the brands world. And so what I mean by that is anytime we're working with talent,
like what are they known for? What is their audience love the most about them? And how can we bring that
into what people know and love about national and geographic? It's really marrying those two worlds together
that I think is what has created the best social content for our campaigns, working with talent
and creators.
I think also, too, is being adaptable to your approach for campaigns.
So, for example, the way we work with like a high profile celebrity versus a creator
versus a campaign for an editorial franchise or a TV title, like it's very different and you
have to be adaptable to the moment.
I think also collaboration is super important as well when it's working with like celebrity talent
or creators ensuring that the brief or the idea is something in their wheelhouse, they're comfortable
with it, but they also have creative freedom as well.
And I think when it comes to injecting that new, like you mentioned into something legacy,
if they have an unexpected idea or something different, I think it's so important to be
open to that, even if it's a place that's unfamiliar for the brand.
but of course it's still at its core is in line with the brand's values and missions and like
the overarching strategy of course. So it really is just that marriage of the two worlds being
adaptable and being collaborative with the talent. Yeah, that's incredible. And I think so important
for other brands to hear kind of how you approach that. I'm curious from a process standpoint,
what does the process look like when you and your team are identifying a cultural or trending
moment worth reacting to from the not geo brand perspective and when is it better to sit out.
Yes. Oh, man. It's so hard because I feel like anytime I see a trend, I'm like, let's do it.
I know. Or I just see my own trends. I'm like, all right, let's just, maybe I'll just hop on my
own trend and do it on my own TikTok or something. I'm just so chronically online, it's probably unhealthy.
But from a brand perspective, really what my team and I are thinking about is relevance, resonance,
and risk? Like, is it relevant to the brand? Is it in our wheelhouse? Is it something that we have a
natural tie or way in? Or even if it's unexpected, is it unexpected in a good way? I think also when it
comes to resonance, is this something that's going to make someone laugh, bring them joy,
make them think about the world differently? Does this have high shareability? Like, is this going to end up
in the DMs and the group chat? Because that's what you want to do. We want to show up in these spaces
with people. And then risk, I think obviously if it's going to be detrimental or paint the brand
in negative light, we just don't go there. Also, anything that goes against legal guidance,
obviously we stay clear from. One example is that we can't use trending audio. So if a trend
is reliant on that sound, we just either have to find a different clever way in, which we have
done before, or we just don't enter it. So I think.
that's like the overall framework and process that we use. But I think another key thing is like
collaboration. Something that I'm always adamant about is that even though we're the social team
ideas and pitches and ways into these zeitgeist moments or cultural moments can come from
anyone, any department. So really tried to establish a environment where anyone can feel like they can
pitch an idea to the social team and like be a part of the brainstorm and the conception of
the actual asset because we all have different for you pages. We all have our own corners of the
internet. And like what I'm seeing on mine might be very different than what you're seeing on
yours. So I think collaboration is so important as well into the into identifying the right
moments to jump on that could be like really unexpected and fun for the brand. Yeah. During that
the session at the conference, there were a lot of stories like that where even with creators,
they were like, yeah, I mean, we work with agencies, but some of our best collaborations have come out of just some of our fellow teammates, like sharing a creator to collaborate with because it's on their feeds and they're kind of consuming that kind of content. And so I think you're exactly right. From a leadership standpoint, making sure you're fostering that environment for the team to share ideas. But also, you know, as a professional, like, don't be afraid to speak up and contribute and share why, too. I think that's the biggest thing is, yes,
idea is great, but why are you sharing that specific idea? What's that data to back it or the concept
to back that idea too? Yeah. And I think too, especially like nurturing like younger members, right?
Something that is so engaging and entertaining to them may just be totally different. I think it's
understanding that so many people have different taste. And even though it might not be your cup of tea,
it could be somebody else's. And we have to just be open to creative ideas.
I guess too, at the time of this recording, it hasn't come out yet, but I think when this comes out, it'll be out there.
But someone on my team, Sonia, she really wanted to do this idea with me being in a shark, like, costume.
And we've never really done anything like that, at least on like the brand pages.
So that's coming out.
But like she had this idea.
We want to make it fun and silly and just different.
But it's still on brand, still Nat Geo and playful.
But it is very different than what we've done before.
And I think not only does it really.
drive engagement and increase brand love.
But I think also it creates a really good positive atmosphere in the workplace and
like overall boosting morale for anyone, again, on the social team or not to like have
this creative outlet to pitch these ideas to really anchor the brand and cultural relevance.
Yeah.
I love the idea too of allowing the team to actually a buy-in into that content where necessary.
So that is, that's so fun.
I'm curious to you on the metric side.
You know, how do you balance that short-term performance metric request like an engagement spike or like, you know, likes on a post or whatever it is with that long-term brand affinity and trust?
You know, how are you kind of looking at content now in terms of a performance standpoint?
I know these algorithms are shifting so rapidly and what we're checking can change depending on the campaign or depending on the objective, but just curious how you're approaching data.
Oh, yeah. I mean, definitely like engagement's impressions are, an audience sentiment are like the biggest and most important metrics we're really looking at in terms of like what's really sticking with our audience. I think when it comes to these like engagement plays or spikes, that's very important to have as part of a strategy, but also having an always on strategy is really, really critical. You can't have one without the other. Like they both go hand in hand. That always on strategy, like,
that's the content you know your audience is like expecting from you.
It's data back.
They engage with it the most.
And that's like feeding the day to day.
And then the more engagement spike or like engagement play moments are really going to be the cultural conversations, the trends, just the social first, like really native content.
And having a healthy cadence of that pipeline as well.
So I think it's like, yes, have the engagement plays to drive connection, be to.
top of mind for people, show you're involved in internet culture, but still have that always on
to drive that brand affinity and trust. Again, they go hand in hand. You can't have one without the
others. So both are very much equally important for us and Nat Geo. Yeah, for sure. And you already
mentioned Nat Geo, Your Shot, that page that you all have. UGC is obviously very important, allowing, you know,
the audience and fans to have a platform and an opportunity to be a part of a strategy or a campaign.
or what have you.
So what role does a page like that, or just UGC in general,
playing maintaining authenticity and community at Nat Geo?
Yeah, I mean, I think just UGC in general is so important to community and authenticity
because it really invites your audience to feel like they're a part of the brand.
I think for Nat Geo Your Shot specifically, we really reimagine it this last year and a half
or so.
And for those who don't know, like Nat Geo Your Shot is this a campaign?
where a community of up and coming kind of beginner visual storytellers, photographers,
videographers, up to experts in their craft, can share their work through our hashtag
challenges to like kind of create a prompts.
And I think it's so important that we really reimagine this space because not only are we
highlighting beautiful work, which is very national and geographic, but we're inviting this
audience into it and to be a part of it.
oftentimes people will say like oh my gosh you work at nat geo i've always wanted to be a nat geo photographer
when i grew up and this account really is like delivering that it really makes the brand feel more
attainable and i think even beyond the ugc for nat geo your shot um adriano sanchez and my team
really led this initiative of reimagining it revamping the community to be a space where
we're highlighting this ugc work but it's also a resource for this community so we're sharing photography
from some of our most iconic Nat Geo photographers
and like how to take underwater photos
or how to photograph these upcoming night sky events.
And so this account specifically really creates a space
for the community to highlight their work
but then also to grow in their craft.
And I think that really ties back to authenticity
and like the space they were really trying to create
for these visual storytellers.
That's incredible.
I think Cass and I are both aspiring photographer
is in our own right. And just thinking about the, you know, taking my camera to Hawaii and Japan
and kind of thinking about Nat Geo as a result of that and being like, oh, it's so cool. This reminds
me of a shot that I've seen in Nat Geo. And I just speaking from my own personal experience.
And just that is such a cool way to connect with the community and really different, I think,
and in a differentiator for Nat Geo for sure. Yeah. No, I love that. Okay, you have to submit to
Nat Geo, your shot. I know. I know.
We absolutely will. Both of us will. And I think, you know, Natia is obviously incredibly large. It's very matrixed. You know, you're working cross-functionally with so many different people from EPs to filmmakers, editorial team, sales teams. What is your approach and what can you share with us about how you can keep social strategy and creative aligned across all of those different stakeholders?
Yes, it's such a great question. My approach really is transparency and communication and flexibility.
So when it comes to that transparency and communication with these partners, it's all about
anytime there's a shift in strategy or there's a new platform feature or we're adapting
or revamping tone and voice for something, we're always proactively communicating that to our
partners.
That way, when we're in meetings advising on a certain approach for social to elevate a campaign
or project they're working on, they're fully aware of where this advisement's coming from
so that transparency and communication is absolutely critical.
With that said, though, I think flexibility is just as important.
You can have a very structured social strategy, but to be a good partner, especially across
a matrix organization, you have to be flexible with that strategy and be able to bend your
rules, if you will, to meet your partners where there are.
I think what I really learned is that, especially working at a matrix organization, is that
there's so many layers. So oftentimes when partners are coming to us with an ask or request about
how to use a collab feature with so and so or how many posts can we get out to really elevate
or amplify something, it's also coming from a suite of partners that they have, whether it's
talent or other external factors. And so it's also just meeting people where they are,
leading with empathy and understanding and try to get to like a yes and scenario versus like
just going in with a hard no because like this is how the strategy is. So I really learned like,
yes, you can have your your strategy, but you have to allow that flexibility to meet your partners
where they are. And ultimately strengthening that trust and connection with these partners is
only going to elevate your social strategy and the brand even more. Yeah, absolutely. And with that,
I think it poses communication challenges, right?
We have to over communicate.
We have to clarify.
We have to build relationships with other partners to really understand, you know, what
makes them tick and how do they communicate versus these other partners.
So any tips on communication too, because that's obviously a big skill in marketing,
just to be on top of communication, making sure you are clear with partners and over
communicating, if I want to say that word again, over communicating different details.
So yeah, just curious, like any other strategies that you recommend or just tips for building those
skills.
No, absolutely.
I mean, I think for us, what is very important is having frequent touch points already on the
calendars, whether that's a weekly meeting, a monthly, a quarterly, whatever it may be.
Specifically for the social team and Nat Geo, we all have our like day-to-day partners we're working
with, whether we sit more on the editorial side or synergy side to amplify more of like the Walt
Disney company or our team.
or our TV title side.
So everyone kind of has their day-to-day stakeholders,
but something that we specifically do
is host a monthly meeting
where we're just sharing with all of our partners,
like the biggest priorities coming up,
a look back at performance,
and really create a space and dialogue of what's coming,
what worked, what didn't work in the past,
how we're shifting and just establishing that trust.
So I think meeting frequently is very critical.
I would say also when they're,
are major shifts in something. Like if it's something that's going to impact an upcoming campaign
or project, you don't have to necessarily wait for those touchpoint meetings. Like take it upon
yourself to be proactive in email or send a Slack to these partners to give a heads up. I think
is also really important. But again, I think just always having that top of mind. So no one is
surprised is the best way to go about that proactive communication. Because often what I have found is that
sometimes people are hesitant to like admit they don't know everything about social media or even
if they are comfortable with that it's still just something that feels so otherworldly to them and
like how we how we promote our TV titles or editorial storytelling whatever may be and so when you
knowledge share with them it really helps them feel more confident in themselves but then also
helps build that trust with you too yeah yeah great great tips I love the idea especially if you're in an
organization where there are so many different departments and brands that you're communicating
with to do that monthly touch base.
How can we support one another and what we're doing and growing?
So that's, yeah, of course, have to talk about AI for a minute.
You know, we're in this age where AI is evolving very quickly.
Algorithms are shifting pretty much every single day.
What just kind of like creative and overall social principles do you think will always be
timeless in your work? Is there anything that comes to mind there? So I think the things that will
always be timeless are versus authenticity. So I think people, audiences can really tell immediately
when something feels like it's made for them in mind versus it's a brand kind of shoving their
bottom line down their throats. So ensuring that your approach to social is authentic is going to
continue to be timeless. I think the second thing is connection and communities. So we think
about why social was created in the first place, people to connect with family and friends,
then obviously brands entered that conversation or that world as well. So I think for brands to
continue to keep that connection and community top of mind, whether it's through the content
they're creating, community management efforts, UGC efforts, that's going to continue to stand
the test of time and social. And then it's less of a creative tactic, but more of a strategic
one is I think adaptability. And what I mean by that,
platforms are going to continue to come and go. I think algorithms are obviously going to continue
to shifting. New features are going to pop up. And as social media marketers, it's critical for us
to stay on top of that and figure out when to lean in or when to at least experiment and try
a lot of these features. So for example, if we know that carousels get served twice in feed,
lean into that to increase your reach. If we know that adding audio to your carousel is going to help
you go into the Reels tab, which Instagram is prioritizing, lean into that. And so whether,
whatever those features are going to continue to be and evolve and get grow to be, it's important
as marketers for us to be adaptable in those spaces and just always be ahead of the curve on that.
Yeah, absolutely. And kind of with that, too, another question, how are you personally staying on
top of just trends and changes and just the space in general? Because again, not only the algorithm,
there's so many different things happening, even just with a consumer standpoint, the
behaviors there.
Like, how are you personally staying on top of things in our ecosystem?
Yeah.
Honestly, I think part of it is my chronically onlineness and just like being on social all
the time.
I think also, though, just like really key industry forward resources, right?
So newsletters, podcasts, such as y'alls, or following the heads of these platforms, right?
I think Adam from Instagram does a fantastic job of really ensuring that he's communicating
all the, like, newest updates to Instagram.
And it's almost like Christmas morning when he does that.
And I'm like, yes, got it.
I sent it to like the whole social team and that geo or someone else in the team.
We're like, all right, guys, how are we going to like lean into this?
And we try it out.
If it sticks and it sticks and that's great.
And we're ahead of it.
If it's kind of a blip in the moment, it's a blip in the moment.
But I think just leaning into those industry.
experts, thought leaders, the resources, newsletters and podcasts or whatever medium that you like
to receive information is really key to stay ahead of the curve there. Yeah, absolutely.
Elizabeth, this has been fantastic. I feel like, again, we can ask you a million questions.
We'll have to have you back to do a check-in. But in the meantime, please tell us what channels
should we be following? How can we connect with you personally? Give us all the details there.
Oh my gosh. Well, thank you first again for having me. It's been so much fun. Definitely
you could talk for hours about social. In terms of connecting, I definitely connected me on
LinkedIn, Elizabeth Thompson, senior manager of social at NAD Geo. Also, you can find me on
Instagram, Elizabeth Thompson. I don't post a ton about like work and social there. Sometimes
some behind the scenes stuff of what's happening at HQ or we're out creating social content.
But it's mostly my dogs and my cat. So if you're into that,
follow me more Salem more Salem more Salem cameos yeah and then obviously would love for anyone who
isn't already following Nat Geo we also have amazing verticals across platforms for something for
everyone Nat Geo history science TV docs animals you name it so yeah just watch this space watch
Nat Geo space and more exciting things to come amazing thank you so much we'll have all of those
channels linked below so definitely check those out but Elizabeth really appreciate you taking the time
today and just sharing your experience but also all things not geo thank you so much thank you so much
thank you all right until next time yes yes thanks so much for listening to this episode of marketing
happy hour if you enjoyed it make sure you're subscribed to the show and sign up for a weekly
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Check out the links in the show notes. We'll see you next time.
