28 - Katie Welch, Rare Beauty

For Ep. 28 of Earned, we’re joined by Katie Welch, CMO of Selena Gomez’s smash-hit makeup brand Rare Beauty! We kick off the episode by hearing about how Katie uses her own TikTok platform (with over 16,000 fans!) to mentor young professionals interested in the beauty industry, and how Katie herself broke into the space. We then walk through Katie’s enviable marketing career, as she shares how the lessons she learned at communications firm Weber Shandwick—particularly, the power of storytelling—have been invaluable to her work with brands including Bliss, Hourglass, Honest Beauty, and of course, Rare Beauty. Next, we dive into Rare Beauty, and Katie recalls how Selena Gomez’s mission to create a space where everyone feels welcome drew her to the brand. We discuss the challenges that come with building a brand from scratch—in the middle of a pandemic no less—and the innovative ways Rare Beauty kept its community connected and prioritized mental health in the time of COVID-19. Finally, Katie reveals her top three influencer marketing philosophies.