Building a Social Media Strategy for a Global, Legacy Brand | Elizabeth Thompson of National Geographic - Marketing Happy Hour

In this 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 freelancer to running social for one of the most iconic storytelling brands, including how she grew Nat Geo’s Instagram from 250M to 270M and TikTok from 2.5M to 9M. We unpack how Nat Geo stays relevant in today’s cultural landscape, how her team uses UGC, storytelling, and new formats to reach global audiences, and what creators and marketers can learn from building social strategy at scale.

Key Takeaways:

// How to grow a legacy brand on social: The frameworks Nat Geo uses to stay culturally relevant while staying true to its roots.

// The power of UGC at scale: Why user-generated content fuels @NatGeoYourShot and how it drives community, not just reach.

// Building strategy for massive audiences: How Elizabeth approaches content for 400M+ followers across seven platforms.

// Career lessons for social pros: How early internships, freelancing, and experimentation shaped her career—and how creators can follow a similar path.

// Team building in social: What it takes to scale from platform manager to leading a multi-platform social team.

// The role of storytelling in modern social: How Nat Geo blends cultural moments, trends, and visual storytelling to stay top-of-feed.

Connect with Elizabeth: LinkedIn

Follow Nat Geo: NatGeoYourShot | NatGeo

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