Emily Kirsner | Social Media & Influencer Strategist

Emily holding up a film camera to her face, black-and-white cutout with a yellow outline

About me

I make brands more interesting on the internet.

I’m a social media strategist who turns cultural moments into scroll-stopping content. I led Tripadvisor’s global rebrand, launched TikTok accounts at Mars, and spent years at agencies helping brands show up where people actually pay attention.

I’ve worked across travel, lifestyle, food, fashion, tech, beauty and fitness. Basically, if it exists online, I’ve made content about it.

Built and run Tripadvisor’s first always-on creator program
Directed social-first celebrity campaigns
Concept, film and edit platform-native video myself
Based in New York

Work

A few projects I’m proud of

Rebuilt Tripadvisor’s social persona and strategy

Posted 58% less, and earned more shares and more positive conversation.

From boomer favorite to Gen Z brand

Q1 2024, Boomer tracker#1+10.5 brand equity growth among baby boomers

Q2 2025, Gen Z tracker#10+9.3 brand equity growth among Gen Z (31.3 to 40.5)

Source: Ad Age-Harris Poll brand trackers, published May 2024 and July 2025.

The ask: Make Tripadvisor relevant to younger travelers, with social as the way in.
What I did: I led the strategy with our agency partner. We moved the feed away from one-off posts and toward travel programming people come back for. That meant a clear role for social, three content pillars, a job for every channel, a sharper Type C voice that flexes by platform, plus original editorial series, creators and community management.

FromOne-off posts built for the feed

ToAn entertainment network with travel programming you come back for

+2.15cultural saliency score, vs. a −0.91 benchmark

86%net sentiment, second among 12 competitors (benchmark 63%)

+17%share rate quarter over quarter, on 58% fewer posts

Results from Tripadvisor’s Q2 2026 organic social review. Benchmarks are H2 ’25 averages. Net sentiment measured with Infegy.

Hotel Bookings Project

The ask: Our sales team wanted Gen Z’s attention and more hotel bookings, through three organic Instagram posts on Tripadvisor’s channels.
What I did: We found that Gen Z gravitates toward niche humor and unexpected twists, and built all three videos around that.
What happened: Over half a million organic views. The videos became cornerstone assets for Tripadvisor’s paid social hotel campaign on TikTok.

500K+organic views, then paid TikTok ads

Laptop showing Tripadvisor’s homepage with a Tripadvisor Rewards promotion

Revamping Reviews

The ask: Show off Tripadvisor’s 1 billion reviews in a way that would stop the scroll.
What I did: I developed two breakout concepts: a static series of hilariously helpful travel tips, and “Speed Reviews,” videos of people racing through destinations while rattling off real reviews.
What happened: Thousands of views and high engagement. Proof that smart creative can turn data into entertainment.

1Breviews turned into scroll-stoppers

Hard Rock Cafe

The ask: Hard Rock Cafe’s 50+ accounts were posting inconsistent content that didn’t match the brand’s iconic voice or mission.
What I did: I built a scalable monthly content calendar and community management playbook for the U.S. and Europe, plus a custom hashtag strategy that got fans to tag their Hard Rock experiences.
What happened: Authentic fan content became a tool that boosted engagement, expanded reach and gave every cafe’s channels one cohesive story.

50+accounts, one voice

Always-on Influencer Program

Always-on creators, built on one connected ecosystem.

The strategy: our Unified Growth Flywheel

Demand creation

Build relevance

Social content and creators launch stories, trends and formats that build awareness, consideration and cultural relevance at scale.

Demand capture

Drive bookings

Affiliate creators meet travelers closer to the point of decision, with reviews, how-tos and offer-driven content.

Ecosystem development

Grow advocacy

Top-performing creators graduate into longer-term partnerships across social and affiliate, building our creator bench.

Insights and optimization

Optimize impact

Performance data from both programs shows which products, messages, creators and audiences respond, and shapes the next wave of content.

One connected ecosystem.

The program in action

The ask: Create an always-on influencer program that promoted booking experiences on Tripadvisor’s website.
What I did: I targeted micro-influencers in niche categories with high engagement, and used strategic briefs to guide who we picked and what they made. In July we launched the updated program with a sharper strategy and tighter creator briefing, then amplified the best content with paid media.
What happened: 87 pieces of creator content in the first two months, across Tripadvisor and Viator. Genuine loyalty over vanity metrics.

87pieces of creator content in two months

Results so far: the July launch, first two months

Tripadvisor

64unique pieces of content

77total pieces of content

24Mtotal audience

1.65Mtotal views and impressions

Viator

10unique pieces of content

10total pieces of content

1.8Mtotal audience

119.8Ktotal views and impressions

Totals include syndications. Results from Tripadvisor Group’s social update.

Social-owned rapid response

The gap: Agency work runs on longer-term, longer-brief processes. Trends and timely moments needed a faster lane, owned by social.
What I built: A social-owned process with the creative team: a Social Squad of internal contributors with strong social instincts, Currents to spot timely trends and news, and weekly sprints that turn them into Tripadvisor and Viator memes and light video.
What happened: Internal creative became a strong complement to the agency’s video and creator-led work. The top posts: a product-feature meme, a brand-relevant meme and the Travelers’ Choice winners list.

Weeklysprints for trend work

Meme: My parents in their 30s versus me in my 30s, with a Tripadvisor experience booking — Experience product feature

Meme: people my age versus me, with pastries — Meme with brand relevance

Travelers’ Choice Awards winning destinations list over an aerial photo — Travelers’ Choice winners list

36internal creative posts since Jan 2026

2.8M+impressions

23K+engagements

Top organic posts shown. Results from Tripadvisor Group’s social update.

Tripadvisor Studio

The idea: One high-production hero show anchors our new TV model: The Travel Agency, hosted by our in-house creator. It’s structured but unscripted, set inside “the world’s first agency to help you reclaim your agency,” with refillable segments of reviews, UGC and street correspondents.
The set: A nostalgic-meets-Gen Z world built on three pillars: nostalgic, unserious and travel-centric. Three vignettes give every segment its own corner of the set.
The mix: Half of production in the studio to build the world, half outside to bring audiences the best experiences.

50/50in-studio and outside

The Travel Agency set: a retro office with green tile floors, orange chairs and a blue sofa — The Travel Agency set

A green cube sign reading The Travel Agency on a concrete wall — The Travel Agency sign

Three vignettes, one cohesive set

The host seated at a desk covered in travel souvenirs, holding a green Tripadvisor card, with a Machu Picchu window behind her

The Desk

Home base for intros, transitions and solo segments, surrounded by accessible travel props.

On Tour With

A segment where we get up close and personal with the amazing tour guides from Tripadvisor’s bookable experiences.

Two guests mid-conversation on green vintage airplane-style seats in front of a brick wall hung with colorful bags and a painted parrot

The Interview Spot

A casual conversation zone for guests, guides and travelers.

Highlights from The Agency

Miss Ma’am She

177.5K impressions, 7.21K engagements, 1.42K shares and saves on Instagram

35.4K impressions on TikTok

Totals from all parts

Mackenzie Thomas

107.8K impressions, 1.79K engagements, 265 shares and saves on Instagram

3.4K impressions on TikTok

Totals from all parts

+966%avg shares vs. benchmark

+189%avg IG engagements vs. benchmark

Releasing each story in parts gave audiences a reason to come back and follow along. Benchmarks are H2 ’25 averages. Results from Tripadvisor Group’s social update.

Brands

Client work

I’ve done it all: crisis management (yes, those 2am “we need to respond NOW” moments), influencer wrangling, social strategy that actually moves the needle, and everything in between, across every social platform you can think of.

Experience

Tripadvisor & Viator

Social Media & Influencer Strategist, Nov 2022 to present
- Led Tripadvisor’s global social rebrand: 500K new Instagram followers in a year and a Drum Award for Travel & Tourism Social Media.
- Launched the always-on creator program and directed social-first celebrity campaigns.
- Wrote creative guidelines and content frameworks for internal and agency teams.
Mars

Senior Social Media Manager, Nov 2021 to Aug 2022
- Launched and scaled social channels for Kinship pet care brands: 372K TikTok views and 5K followers in the first week.
- Grew Instagram followers 31% with community-building content.
Red Havas North America

Social Media & Content Manager, Apr to Nov 2021
- Ran large-scale social accounts for entertainment and lifestyle clients, with content calendars built from social listening.
Coyne PR

Social Media Manager, Oct 2020 to Apr 2021. Social Media Specialist, Nov 2019 to Oct 2020
- Directed social strategy for entertainment and hospitality clients across North America and Europe.
Virginia State Corporation Commission

Public Relations & Social Media Coordinator, Jul 2018 to Nov 2019
- Ran social strategy for government agencies and public service campaigns.

Skills

Strategy: Brand strategy, social media strategy, social listening, trend analysis
Content: Copywriting, editorial calendars, photography and videography, video editing
Partnerships: Influencer, brand and platform partnerships
Platforms: Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, X, Pinterest, Reddit
Tools: Canva, Adobe Creative Cloud, Hootsuite, Sprout Social, Brandwatch, Meltwater
Management: Influencer and creative agencies, internal creative teams, freelancers

Emily Kirsner smiling, black-and-white portrait, shoulders up

Say hi

Hiring, collaborating, or just want to talk social?

emilykirsner@gmail.com linkedin.com/in/emily-kirsner-72b39613b

Email me