Today we’d like to introduce you to Jessica Hirsch.
Jessica, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
When I was growing up, social media wasn’t a thing. I originally studied to become a math teacher at the University of Albany and then graduated with my master’s degree and taught math for 7 years before leaving my full-time career as a high school math teacher in the South Bronx.
From the time I started doing social media content creation on the side in 2014, until June 28, 2017, I was sort of living a double life — over that three-year span, I was gaining a lot of traction on social media and building a loyal following. I decided to take the biggest risk of my professional career and leave teaching to pursue life as a full-time entrepreneur.
All through grade school I always knew I was going to be a math teacher (my mom was as well) — It was by no means an easy decision b/c I LOVED teaching but I wanted to take a chance and see what I could turn my passion for food and sharing my experiences into. Over the course of 10 years, I’m so proud to have built a strong community and audience on my social media channels as well as advanced my self-taught skills as a professional photographer and videographer as a member of the SONY Alpha collective team.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Every job has its ups and downs and challenges. As an entrepreneur, one challenge is to make sure you stay on top of things and show self-motivation. Luckily I get to do something I truly love so it doesn’t come too difficult for me as I love filming, editing, shooting, and of course, eating what I film too.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Jessica Hirsch is the founder and CEO of CheatDayEats which is a lifestyle brand and production company focused on food, travel, and fitness. Her look, style, and fun personality combined with her unique content creation are not the only things that set her head and shoulders above the crowded world of influencers.
Jessica’s high-quality photography and videography landed her on Sony’s Alpha Collective Team. A group of the finest photographers in the World. Jessica Hirsch started “CheatDayEats” on Instagram and “ItsMyCheatDay” on Tiktok. Now, her international full-time career is posting about her indulgent experiences around the world, where she features her passions throughout her Instagram: cheat day-worthy food, a healthy balanced lifestyle, and worldwide travel adventures.
She has worked with brands such as Sony, Samsung, Coca-Cola, Converse, Godiva, BEBE Sport, Mastercard, IHOP, Dunkin’ Donuts, and many more. She’s also been featured in major media outlets, including NBC’s Daytime TV, ABC, Entrepreneur.com, Cosmopolitan, and Refinery29. With the growing success of her brands and fans from all over the world, Jessica remains humble and appreciative of all her brand partnerships and supporters.
My content strategy is trying to execute a photo or video that really showcases an experience. Showcasing who I am what the food is, and maybe where I am and when. Every piece of content that I post is a little different depending on what it is and where I am, and obviously, I don’t want it to get dull, so my content strategy differs based on that information.
As my brand has evolved, my content strategy has changed dramatically. Originally, I was posting straight-up food porn, like chocolate dripping, and of course, I still do that, because I still love it. That’s who I am. But today, I try to incorporate a lot of lifestyle content and have my personality really shine through on my feed. So it’s kind of a mix.
Obviously, a photo tells a story, but a video gets more in-depth, and it really gets the audience involved and lets them see a little bit more of what I’m doing. I love to post how-tos or show how a dish is made. I think it gets people much more interested in the video than if it was, let’s say, just a cheese bowl. The more of the experience that people are able to have themselves, the more traction it’s gonna get. I try to do it as much as possible, but it’s hard to get into the kitchen sometimes.
I think my brands are very relatable. I find that I get audiences from all over the world and all different types of people. It’s because, in the end, everybody loves food, and I think everybody loves to have an indulgence. It’s kind of like a combination of luxury and indulgence, and I think people really love to see that.
Every partnership’s a little bit different, but what’s important to me, at the end of the day, is that I’m working with brands destinations, and products that I love. I’ve learned, and I’ve spoken to many people who have said this also, that the money’s not worth it if it’s not gonna be part of who you are and what your brand represents because you’re going to lose people in the end.
Any big plans?
My plans for the future are to continue to work with great clients in the F&B space both for posting on my social media channels as well as providing content for brands to own restaurants, grocery store chains, local mom-and-pop shops, etc. I love helping brands tell their story through my lens and wish to continue doing that.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cheatdayeats/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cheatdayeats/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-hirsch-519540112/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/cheatdayeats/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5GRW5USkKBcs1w6btjjbaA
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cheatdayeats and https://www.tiktok.com/@ItsMyCheatDay
- Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/CheatDayEats/
