It's Season 3, we're in our new Creative Brand Sessions territory, and we're talking about some hard stuff right off the bat: What to post on social media during a crisis when you don’t know what to say.

I'm sharing 3 types of posts that show you're listening, learning, and taking action, but that don't come from a place of shame, panic, or fear. Because it's important we don't make these moments about us. It's not about how woke we are or how ashamed we are. It's about listening and showing support. It's about taking action.

Show notes for this episode are available at megan-kuhar.com/notes

Hello and welcome to Creative Brand Sessions! My name is Megan Kuhar and it’s my belief that all artists and creatives can stay true to themselves while being totally aligned online.

It’s the last episode of Season 2! I have a big announcement to make: I'm changing my podcast name and my podcast format. I'm SO excited for this new phase and can't wait to tell you all about why I'm making the change, and how it fits into my brand journey.

I also want to talk about a question I get a lot, especially from younger artists who are just starting out: How do I stop comparing myself to other artists?

My 50% off promo for the Fan Finder Mindset ebook ends 5/29! Get yours at megan-kuhar.com/mindset and use code STAYHOME.

On today's Coaching on Air episode, I chat with Heather Batchelor, a pop/soul artist based in Nashville who is struggling to find an engagement and posting system that she can handle on Instagram. She feels the lack of consistency and frequency is stalling the growth of her account, and has tried everything from hiring a social media manager to planning her grid. I shared with Heather a few ways to plan with purpose, and how to dive into content that you can share every day without totally burning yourself out. Plus, we talk about why sharing only when there are special announcements or events going on is doing a disservice to your audience.

Links:

• Heather's Instagram: instagram.com/heatherbatchelor/

• Episode 26: Real Stories and Real Results from Indie Musicians Highland Kites

• Save 50% off the Fan Finder Mindset with code STAYHOME: megan-kuhar.com/mindset

I know it’s rough to want to collaborate and connect with people, but be stuck connecting with a screen instead.
 
I love technology and even I am getting worn out by it. I miss connecting with people face-to-face.
 
But the thing is, all this time, even before we were forced to eliminate face-to-face contact, we’ve had social media as an outlet for connection. It’s been there, underutilized, all this time.
 
So in this episode, I'm sharing 5 ways you can connect with your audience virtually as a creative entrepreneur.

Don't forget to pick up my ebook for 50% off with code STAYHOME at megan-kuhar.com/mindset!

What do you do when your number of your followers isn’t growing and it’s really bumming you out? That’s what dancer Calah Beale asked me on this episode of my Coaching on Air series.

She recently hired a videographer to create 4 dance videos for her, but now she’s frozen and hasn’t gone beyond just sharing one. “I want to gain more followers because most dancers don’t take you seriously unless you have a lot of followers,” she explained. But when it came down to it, she hadn’t shared more videos because she wasn’t sure if she was ready to grow yet.

Links:

• Subscribe to my YouTube channel!

• Calah’s Instagram

• Calah’s YouTube

• That super awesome dancer on YouTube that I totally blanked on: @donte.colley

• If you’re like Calah and you’re struggling with your mindset while you try to grow your social media following, then check out my ebook the Fan Finder Mindset. It’s perfect for you! And it’s 50% off for a limited time with code STAYHOME. That’s just $18.50! Buy it here: megan-kuhar.com/mindset

Let’s talk about NETWORKING. (Did you just get a shiver or was it just me?) So many artists cringe at the idea of networking, probably because a lot of us are introverts, but we know it’s something we need to continue to do in order to grow our careers. Katherine Forbes, a self-proclaimed “100% introvert,” has realized that confidence in networking comes with time and practice, and that the most successful networking conversations are done one-on-one—not even necessarily in person! So if you’re stuck at home like most of us are, now is the time to start networking. For real.

Links:

• Download Katherine’s Email Templates for Networking: katherineforbes.com/fanfinder
• Music Biz Besties: musicbizbesties.com

Show notes are available here: megan-kuhar.com/notes/katherine-forbes

Today I’m going to share my 5 biggest recurring mistakes. Yep, for real. This is getting deep into some Meg-psyche, but I’m not doing it in a self-degrading way—I’m going to share my five biggest recurring mistakes and how I continue to learn from them. These are basically the 5 thorns in my side that I am always trying to shake off.

The mistakes are:

1. Not expressing enough gratitude
2. Not being confident enough in myself and my choices
3. Accepting others’ judgements
4. Comparing my success with others’
5. Getting stuck in a loop and blocking myself from resolving it

If these mistakes are ones that you feel like you relate to, maybe my lessons learned will help you as well.

 

* SPECIAL OFFER: 50% off the Fan Finder Mindset ebook with code STAYHOME at megan-kuhar.com/mindset

 

Read this episode as a blog post: http://megan-kuhar.com/notes/my-5-biggest-recurring-mistakes

Cheryl B. Engelhardt is such a source of inspiration for me because her thriving career has featured composing, songwriting, coaching, speaking engagements, producing, and so much more. She is a force of awesomeness and there are a dozen things we could have talked about, but I had to keep my cool and focus on one thing at a time as best as I could. So we talked about one of the coolest things I think she’s ever done: release her latest record, Luminary.

Cheryl didn’t just stop with releasing the album, however. When she announced it and started her pre-save campaign, she launched with an immediate, trackable goal: to get on the Billboard charts in the New Age category. Cheryl worked on this goal through the most amazing grassroots efforts: engaging her fanbase, giving them action steps, and reaching out to collaborators to get the word out about her music. She shares all about this process in our conversation, and I know that if you’re looking to release music any time soon, it will inspire you to challenge yourself to think of things in a new and innovative way.

Luminary is a piano/ambient music record for mindfulness, focus, and growth, and it not only hit #1 on iTunes and Amazon New Age charts, but it is also featured on the popular meditation apps Insight Timer and Simple Habit. There are meditation videos, a soon-to-be paper journal, affirmations… She’s created a whole brand with this record, you guys. As a marketing geek, I find it totally fascinating, and I can’t wait to share our conversation with you. So let’s get into it!

Links:

• I Am A Luminary website: iamaluminary.com
• Cheryl’s website: cbemusic.com
• Cheryl’s Instagram: instagram.com/cbemusic
• Subscribe to my new YouTube channel, Creative Brand Coach: bit.ly/creativebrandcoach

This week is another Coaching on Air episode of the Fan Finder Podcast, where I coach a listener on air so everyone can learn together. I'm welcoming Nissim from the band Flowtone, who asked me about managing all of his platforms (YouTube, Instagram, Facebook page, Facebook group) with consistency.

He wondered, "Are we essentially trying to tell the same story, different sides of the same story, or a different story altogether?" It's a great question, and we dove into to answering it, along with other questions like "Should I plan my captions ahead of time?" and "How do I manage all of this content without getting totally overwhelmed?"

Links:

• Flowtone's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Flowtone/
• Flowtone's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gowiththeflowtone/
• Flowtone's YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/FlowTone336

 

Click here to grab the Fan Finder Mindset ebook. Be sure to use coupon code PODCAST for $4 off! megan-kuhar.com/mindset

Click here to sign up for Planoly to start planning your social media content (and avoiding the overwhelming headaches!) planoly.com/referral/megankuhar

Podcast music by Stephanie Trivison.