Editorial Director of Spotlyte, Lauren Levinson
Lauren Levinson has always knew that she wanted to be in the editorial/writing field. She knew she wanted to get into editorial, specifically magazines, from a young age, and her first internship was at ELLE’s fashion department during her senior year of high school. “I studied magazine journalism at the S.I. Newhouse School or Public Communications at Syracuse University, and she continued to intern at magazines throughout college. Once I graduated, I worked my way up to a director position at various magazine and digital outlets, while also freelance writing when I had the chance.” She says that getting your byline out there is an important step to take. She also jumped back and forth between fashion and beauty. She was the fashion news editor at ELLE.com and then the beauty director at POPSUGAR before committing to beauty. That said, she says that if you are a good journalist, you can write about anything.
She loves learning about the science behind products and treatments — plus, she thinks it is fun to get to try them out herself. “I always tell people, “Come back as a beauty editor in your next life.” What other position allows going to the spa to be considered work?”
Lauren is the Editorial Director of Spotlyte, a digital content site, created by Allergan. “Our mission is to educate consumers about beauty, skincare, and medical aesthetics.” They cover everything from the latest clean beauty serums hitting Sephora to cutting-edge laser treatments. “Expect interviews with inspiring people, product reviews, trend reports, and overall well-researched content.”
When it comes to creating a platform similar to Spotlyte, Lauren says the key to success is to develop and speak directly to an audience. “Don’t try to be everything to everyone. There are outlets doing this already, and doing it very well. My theory is that niche outlets will thrive in the competitive digital landscape. Have a strong point of view.” She also suggests to hire talented voices. “People follow people’s writing online. We curated a dream team of editors and writers contributing to Spotlyte. If everyone is writing about retinol or vitamin C, for instance, we can get readers interested in our take on it by featuring talented and trusted voices.” She also says that branding is an essential key to success. “Whether it’s the visual aesthetic on Instagram or the specific voice and tone, make sure there is a brand and it’s consistent. This will captivate an audience who will come back to consume more.”
The advice Lauren would give to anyone wanting to enter the beauty world in any form would be to, “Pardon my French, but know your shit. Beauty junkies want to get their news and reviews from trusted sources. They know a lot on their own, so they are often looking for informed voices to teach them and make sense of a crowded marketplace. Whether you want to be an editor, influencer, or beauty pro, you need to be a voice of authority.”
Lauren made a goal for herself to become the director of a website by the time she was 34, being 35 now, she feels so excited to have already hit that milestone in her career. So when looking at herself in 5 years, she has no idea what the content space will look like since it has changed so much, and will only continue to change. "When I studied journalism in college, Facebook had just launched and we had no idea we’d be creating editorial content for it someday.”
Knowing that she can’t predict the future, she decided to be committed to adapting and pivoting with the times. “I always say, people will need to get their news from somewhere. The ones who survive will be able to produce it no matter the medium is — be it video, print or digital articles, social media, or something we haven’t even imagined yet. I love managing and mentoring a team so I hope in five years I am still doing that, being pushed creatively, and offering some sort of journalistic service to an audience.”
Keep up with Lauren and Spotlyte: @spotlyte @laurenlevinson https://thespotlyte.com/