Creating content fit for a (drag) queen

Be unique 

In nearly 90 years dominating the San Francisco landscape, I suspect the Golden Gate Bridge has never had its limelight snatched in quite such a way, as the queens turn our catamaran bay cruise into their own fashion show catwalk. “You need to put your own stamp on whatever you do – that’s what makes content personal and unique to you,” says Kitty as she, Vanity and Glitzy work their moves along the boat’s deck. “It goes beyond just trying to promote something. Bring yourself and your own personality. Be individual and don’t try to copy someone – that’s so important.”

Sell the fun

“You’ve got to sell the fun,” she adds as we return to dock at San Francisco’s Pier 39. “But also, give a balanced view and show the real experience. Be honest with your audience,” and Kitty would know, having amassed more than 140,000 Instagram followers. “San Francisco is a fabulous place to come to. It is so vibrant and has such an energy to it – that’s what you’ve got to get across. Making short snapshots and off-the-cuff videos can sometimes get that across in a better way than a more polished look – especially for social.”

Always be authentic

“Good content comes when you’re authentic and you don’t take yourself too seriously. People want to be entertained and inspired but they want to get to know you too,” says Glitzy, whose drag-style take on Virgin’s onboard safety demonstration won her place on the trip.

It’s a view shared by Nick Evans of creative agency Pensara, whose clients include Virgin Atlantic, Brand USA and London’s Langham hotel and the director on the trip’s shoot. “Authenticity is such a buzz word within the industry but there’s a reason for that,” he tells me. “When you’re creating content in a destination and you’re showing your experiences – people relate to it so much more.” We see that in action moments later as the queens play around Pier 39 – including giving its carousel horses their most vigorous ride in some years. “We’ve moved away from the need for everything to be polished and the expectation from the consumer has changed – they don’t need to see everything in a beautiful light,” Evans adds. 

Be true to your brand

“Think hard about what’s your brand, your niche and your USPs and keep true to that and always keep that in mind and think about how your audience and the customers want to engage with,” says Glitzy, as we walk along the streets of the city’s Castro district – steeped in LGBT+ history and culture. “Somewhere like Castro can really embody what you and your content is about,” she adds, as we venture from the former home of trailblazing LGBT+ politician Harvey Milk, past striking street art, eye-catching shops and the occasional nude jogger. “See, there’s always something here to catch your eye,” she smiles.

Rehearse 

Although you want to make your content look as natural as possible, practice can make perfect, Glitzy tells me. “I’d rehearse whatever you’re doing so you’re comfortable with it and you can get your mouth around what you want to say. Once you’re relaxed with it, you can bring it to life and put more of your own personality in there. If you’re presenting, there’s a free autocue app called Teleprompter that I use.”

Make it meaningful 

“What’s key to understand is that we live in a world where we’re just inundated with content every single day,” says Evans. “My favourite stat is the average person scrolls through 300 feet of digital content on their phone every day – that’s the height of Big Ben. You need to take a step back and think ‘is the content I’m creating meaningful?’ That’s where narrative and storytelling is so important. We naturally love watching a story and being part of a story. So even if it’s the smallest narrative arc you can find, it becomes so much more relatable to people.”