What’s making this work (the marketing breakdown)
Let me tell you what Ballerina Farm did that most "traditional" brands get wrong:
1. They build a lifestyle flywheel, not just a product
Most brands think: Product first, then content to sell it. Hannah flipped it: Lifestyle first, then products that make that lifestyle possible.
Her Instagram CENTERED around showing what life looks like when you slow down, make things by hand, and build something real. The products became tools to help followers live that way too.
The lesson: Your content should do wayyyyyy more than just sell your product. Your product should enable the life your content promises.
2. They chose controversy as a positioning strategy
Half the internet thinks she's aspirational. The other half thinks she's problematic (oh, poor thing, she was stolen from her ballerina dreams!). And that tension is the entire business model.
She's not trying to be for everyone. She's polarizing on purpose. The "tradwife" debate drives millions of views, which drives brand awareness, which drives sales from the people who DO identify with the lifestyle. CHU-CHING.
Your version: What's the thing your audience half-loves, half-questions about your approach? Stop hiding it. Make it your flag. 🏁
3. They sold aspiration through proof, not promises
She never says "You should do this." She just does it—with eight kids, on camera, in real time.
Probably my favorite thing about all of her content. It’s so REAL. Like you’re there (and…. it's always been that way. Trust me, I scrolled back to 2017).
The shift: Proof-of-concept content beats persuasive content. Show the mess. Show the process. Show the 6am starts. That's what makes people believe it's real—and worth buying into.
4. They monetized at EVERY stage of awareness
- Just discovering her? Free Instagram content (awareness stage)
- Inspired but overwhelmed? $40 sourdough starter kit (low-commitment try)
- Ready to go deeper? $200+ meat boxes, bakeware, linens (true believers)
- All in? $150 farm-to-table dinner tickets, future farm stays (premium experience)
Most brands try to sell one thing to everyone. Ballerina Farm built a ladder: and every rung is profitable.
5. They understood the real product: escape
Here's what she's actually selling: permission to reject the grind.
Her audience is burned-out founders, tired marketers, and overscheduled parents who fantasize about a slower life. They don't want to milk cows—they want to feel like the kind of person who could.
Your angle: What are you really selling? What does your customer want to feel? That's the product. The thing they buy is just the vehicle.
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To try this week:
Pick one thing about your brand that feels too niche, too weird, too "not for everyone."
Now make that thing 40% more obvious in your messaging.
→ Put it in your bio.
→ Lead your next email with it.
→ Make it the first thing people see on your website.
Watch what happens!!!!!!
The people who don't get it… will leave.
The people who DO: will finally feel like they found their place.
And those are the only customers worth building for.
P.S. If you're thinking "but my niche isn't controversial"... you're not niching hard enough. There's always a line. Find it. Stand on the spicy side. 🔥
P.P.S. I literally did this with my agency
Brand Good Time and we almost doubled our revenue year over year. So yeah I'd say… it's worth it. :)
