Hi there and welcome to this mini-teaching episode of the c&k podcast. Last night I posted my first ever free download for all of you and I was really surprised by how much all of you loved it! If you haven't already snagged the download, hop over to the link.tree in my bio on instagram and download your own copy. Let me know what you think!

As with anything new, it kind of feels like the classic camping scenario: You arrive in the dark of night and wake up the next morning, sticking your neck out of the tent to check out the surroundings, because you have no idea if the scenery is going to live up to the image you saw online when you booked. And then it takes your breath away because all along it was even way better than what you had imagined. That's how I would describe launching something new and having a good feeling in your gut, but still not being a 100% sure about it. But then, if you don't risk it, you'll never know.

So let's get back to the reason for this download. I firstly had been wanting to create a downloadable mini-guide about how I launched and grew the c&k instagram page in quite a short amount of time, and what I use on a daily basis to carry on with things and get them done. And secondly, I thought that if I felt so overwhelmed by this step, maybe by taking the leap and trying it out, I could learn lots of valuable new things I could then teach many of you. If I could figure out a process or a protocol that I could simplify and write down, I could take a lot of the anxiety out of it for fellow-creativepreneurs.

Ok so let's get down to business about refreshing a stale feed:

If you feel like you didn't quite get on board with the "New year, New me" wave, and maybe your insta feed is in fact feeling a bit outdated and not so much the true you or your business anymore, then this mini-training is for you:

Now I know your first question is most likely going to be: Barbara, do I need to delete all my old posts and start from scratch?! And my answer is a clear and definite: NO WAY! People love seeing how you've evolved and grown in your journey. So focus on the next 5 points and you'll see just why I say: "Keep the messy parts!"

1.Fresh new images:

Have some fresh new portrait pictures or product images taken. A portrait shoot should get you about 30 nice images and you won't believe the impact of this - they could pull you through the next 3-4 months of content for your feed if you use them wisely. It's always a good idea to have some professional pics at hand when collaborating with other creatives.

If there's no budget for some pro pics at the moment, source some nice locations in your area and ask a friend or hubby to take a few nice shots in different spots. Get creative! You could also source some "filler" images from stock libraries - there are loads of free ones available.

2.Redefine the way you speak to your audience:

Is the language you are mainly using too formal? Or are there ways you could hit the spot a little better by changing it up to sound a little more casual, familiar and witty? Or do you need to give them a bit more "real talk" or even some behind the scenes details about yourself to let them in a little more?

Spend some time thinking what it is your readers or community want to read more about or hear more of. Or even better - ask them!

3.Decide on an underlying colour scheme for your feed:

This should fit in with your primary brand colours and feel, it you've already established those, otherwise now might be a good time. Figure out what resonates more with your brand - is it bright and colourful? Neutral and muted? Minimalistic? Feminine? Deciding this will set the stage for the whole look of your feed and will make it easier to decide what goes...