What can we learn from how a historian tells stories of our past for how we can create better content in our business? 

Kaye Jones from The Herstorian joins me for a virtual brew and to discuss how she unearths hidden stories throughout history and makes them relatable and relevant for all people. Whether you like history or not. 

We dig into: 

>> The elements a story needs to have the greatest impact

>> Why our history is like a jigsaw missing most of the pieces

>> How we can bring intersectionality into our work to create more equity

>> What we can learn from how history is taught in schools

>> How we can get our audience to stop and listen instead of scrolling on by. 

Plus, Kaye shares how she started The Herstorian during lockdown and why it needs collaboration to thrive. What we can do to create better connections. And how business for good can make a deeper impact if we look at share how all perspectives of history shapes our lives. 

Kaye also enlightens me as to the hidden penises (peni?) on the Bayeux Tapestry and why turnips do not make a great education tool. 

About Kaye: 

Kaye Jones is a historian, former history teacher and teller of diverse histories. She runs The Herstorian, which helps educational publishers to step up their game and create content that reflects the diversity of all students.

All the links: 

Find Kaye on LinkedIn here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/theherstorian/

Sign up to her mailing list here - https://mailchi.mp/464649a25dfc/join-the-herstorian

Check out The Herstorian here - https://www.theherstorian.co.uk/

And get The Thursday Brew here - brewtime.substack.com

This episode is in collaboration with The Happy Tea Company - a fully sustainable herbal tea that's grown in the Worcestershire countryside. 

Check them out here - https://www.happyteacompany.co.uk/

Mitali Deypurkaystha joins me for a vegan brew and to talk about why writing your own business book is perhaps the ultimate piece of content a business can create. 

Here's what you'll learn over this chat: 

>> How self-publishing can give you the same quality as professional publishing houses when done right

>> What you need to write a business book (and it not take years)

>> The best time to write a business book

>> Why leadership needs this crucial piece of content

>> And what you need for a values-based business 

Plus, we chat about veganism, cats, and discover why my cooking skills are lacking. 

SEO Masterclass is here - https://indieessentials.co.uk/seo-masterclass

Get The Thursday Brew here - brewtime.substack.com

Your Free Content Strategy Checklist - https://indieessentials.co.uk/mitali-deypurkaystha

About Mitali: 

Ghostwriter turned international bestselling author and vegan book expert, Mitali Deypurkaystha, aka 'The Authority Creator,' transforms vegan business leaders and entrepreneurs into thought leaders by becoming published authors. Featured on ABC, NBC, CBS, and Fox, she's helped her clients generate over $5 million in additional business revenue. In 2009, she adopted a rescue cat and witnessed sentience beyond what she believed animals were capable of showing. She became vegan in 2013. Inspired by the growing number of vegan leaders and business owners, she now focuses on serving these inspirational people to raise their visibility and authority: https://www.letstellyourstory.com/ 

This episode is in collaboration with The Happy Tea Company - a fully sustainable herbal tea that's grown in the Worcestershire countryside. 

Check them out here - https://www.happyteacompany.co.uk/

Ellen Donnelly from The Ask joins me on this week’s podcast.

Ellen explains how she got into business coaching and started her own business at the start of lockdown. Plus, how she’s bringing her experience from other industries to help business owners get clarity now on the kinds of businesses they want to build.

This episode is brought to you in collaboration with the Happy Tea Company. - https://www.happyteacompany.co.uk/

We have a virtual brew and chat about:

>> How to use the opportunities given to you to guide your path into business
>> Having no safety net can be a huge driver to make a business work
>> The power of free content and how this can give you a proof of concept
>> Ellen shares why it’s important to practise your craft and why you could do this through your content
>> Why you might want to consider email marketing as a series that pulls together bigger thoughts in episodes
>> Ellen shares her approaches to blogging and creating a newsletter
>> Why using your clients as inspiration for content is crucial
>> How Ellen develops her ideas and makes connections between her content and that of others
>> Why you need to take people on the journey with you - Ellen shares that her newsletter readers are some of her best leads. Plus, other opportunities come from putting your thoughts online.
>> We talk about Ellen’s article about whether your personal brand is harming your business and the sharing this article has
>> We discuss online burnout and the dangers of putting all your energy into content creation
>> Plus, the upsides of having a personal brand of your business
>> Ellen shares some key advice on how to avoid burnout and enjoy being online more
>> Why you need to consider a business model when you start in business
>> Benefits of using Substack and why you need a solid process for your newsletters
>> Trade-offs between paywall and free content
>> Ellen shares the honest experience of what it's like when you start your own business and how you can cover the bills while building the excitement
>> How you spend your time and money is important, especially when you want to achieve a dream
>> Ellen shares the power of community when building a business
>> Why enjoyment is key to creating content that works and resonates

Where to find Ellen:

Theask.substack.com
The-ask.uk
That article: https://theask.substack.com/p/how-the-desire-to-maintain-a-personal

More about Brew Time

Register your interest in the SEO masterclass here 

Send me a message here: [email protected]

Come and find me on LinkedIn

Follow this podcast on Instagram

Brew Time newsletter

You should always practise what you preach. And this week I'm sharing with you why this podcast is changing. 

I've looked at the stats and want to improve this podcast. What the stats tell me is that you don't listen to podcasts in a linear way. You dip in and out when you need something. 

They also tell me that you enjoy listening to the conversations, the virtual brews, with the awesome business owners and content creators. 

So I'm going to be redirecting my efforts into more of this. To make these episodes the best they can possibly be for you, my listener. 

Because it is vitally important you listen to your audience, you notice your analytics and then LEARN from them. 

Not churning out content every week because you think you have to. But doing what people want. It's not about me, it's about you. 

Other golden advice in this podcast comes inspired from Expert Unrivalled here - https://www.marketleaderleague.com/category/podcast/

Get your Happy Tea Company Tea here -https://www.happyteacompany.co.uk/

Find me here - https://indieessentials.co.uk/

In this episode, I look at what we can be tracking with our metrics to make a better impact on the world and be more sustainable as a business.

As a vegan business that supports ethical and sustainable businesses, measuring your green data should be part of your regular metrics. 

For 10-mins of your life, find out: 

>> I look at what are the usual metrics you should track as a base and what you can add to this

>> What are green metrics and why you should track these

>> I share my own hypocrisies when it comes to sustainability and green metrics

>> Why you should have the green data ready for when someone holds you to account for your sustainability (and you should be held to account for these actions)

>> Green data may not seem like a marketing metric but it is a positive metric to measure and can be used as content

>> Why having an online business does not make you carbon neutral

>> And why we should consider the usefulness of our content creation to try to reduce energy use as part of incremental gains

>> How we can all be taking small actions to improve our CO2 usage both in business and in our life

>> I share a compelling reason to start measuring your green data now

>> Why you should be aligning your core values to the kind of data you measure

By reducing our content churn, we will be making our businesses more sustainable and creating better content that works harder. It’s better for us, for the world, for our audiences and business.

Get the Actually Useful Podcast Shownotes here - www.indieessentials.co.uk/green-metrics

Register your interest in the SEO masterclass here - https://indieessentials.co.uk/seo-masterclass/

Some more helpful tips on this subject:

How to use data - https://indieessentials.co.uk/how-to-use-data-to-create-better-content/

How to do more with less content (blog) - https://indieessentials.co.uk/how-to-do-more-with-less-content/

Less content for your business - https://indieessentials.co.uk/episode-3-less-content/

Get in touch: 

Send me a message here: [email protected]

Come and find me on LinkedIn

Follow this podcast on Instagram

Brew Time newsletter

If you want your content to make an impact and truly connect with your audience, then you need to go deep when it comes to branding. 

This week, I'm joined in conversation with Lisa Staff and Deevo Tindal from Sprout Connectors. They share their holistic approach to content, why telling your story is key and how important it is to make that human connection with your audience. 

Lisa and Deevo also share: 

>> Their story of how Sprout Connectors came into being through a meeting on Instagram

>> How to leverage Instagram for leads and networking

>> Why photography is at the heart of storytelling and how you can attract the right clients depending on the images you use

>> Bargain-basement photos will only attract bargain-basement clients

>> And the damage that can be done by over-estimating DIY skills

>> What makes a scroll-stopping image and why what you think will work may not be what your audience wants

>> Why you need a human connection no matter how big your business

>> Truly listening to what people are saying is the key to creating better content and making more of an impact

>> Why people want to hear about your superpower - even if you think everyone else can do it because you find it easy

>> Plus, how you can approach changes with social media platforms that you have no control over to continue to build your brand online.

Lisa and Deevo also share their insights into how small businesses can leverage their position at the moment. And why we're going through a significant shift in how things are done. 

And they have some very wise words to say about storytelling, value proposition and why you should treat your marketing content like a conversation with your loved ones. 

This conversation is packed full of advice and will definitely help you think about content differently. 

All the links: 

Sprout Connectors - https://sproutconnectors.com/

Sprout Connectors Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/sproutconnectors/

Get the newsletter - https://brewtime.substack.com/

Find me on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fiona-brennan/

Follow this podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brewtimepodcast/

Get in touch: [email protected]

What is the optimal amount of time to spend on your content? Spend no time on your content and you’ll get no leads so your sales will fall. Spend too much time on your content and it can impact how you run your business and not necessarily have a return on investment.

For 10ish minutes of your life you can find out:

>> The danger mindset of the DIY approach
>> Why you need to figure out how much time you spend on your content
>> What you need to do to work out how long you’re spending on content
>> The different categories you need to monitor
>> How to work out what content you should be spending more time on and what you should stop doing
>> How to use these exercises when you’re building your marketing team
>> And why even established businesses need to look at their content time.
>> How to work out the costs in content creation
>> Why trying to do content that you don’t enjoy is a total waste of your time
>> How to create more time when it comes to content marketing

Plus, you can use this data to show how long content creation does take and what kind of return of investment it can bring.

All the links: 

Content Marketing is Not Advertising - https://indieessentials.co.uk/content-marketing-is-not-advertising/
Find out how the Content Clinic can help - [email protected]

Come and find me on LinkedIn

Follow this podcast on Instagram

Brew Time newsletter

Lucy Orton joins me in conversation this week to put content, positivity and building a positive mindset into perspective for business owners. 

Lucy explains what is a self-sabotage coach and how they help business owners. Plus, her journey to becoming a certified coach through her career and how that plays into the work she does. Why Lucy wants to work with a strong sense of purpose and drive to help them be better about themselves and create a better outcome for them.

In this long podcast episode Lucy shares:

>> Why it’s important to have research to back up the work you do and the content you create
>> How the language women use can impact their successes
>> How we can change our internal monologue to create better outcomes in our lives and business.
>> Ways in which your sense of identity can impact your learning experiences
>> Why it’s important to see the positives in every situation
>> Lucy shares why she started a podcast and how it supports the marketing strategy in her business
>> Not letting the idea of there being too much out there from holding you back
>> Understand what suits you better when it comes to content and do that rather than what you think you should be doing
>> Focus on what feels at ease and without effort
>> Finding topics, themes and angles when you feel like you won’t have enough to say
>> Why you need to celebrate the small achievements in your content and what you should do if you find this challenging
>> The importance of creating a bank of self-esteem and to recognise your own awesome.
>> Why it helps to be pragmatic about content
>> Batching or not - we get Lucy’s insights into this and what works for her.
>> Making allowances for adjusting your content plan when you need to
>> We chat about toxic positivity and the danger that can pose when you’re creating content
>> Balancing positivity and presenting a polished view of your world - and how to avoid building a belief around yourself
>> Importance of switching off
>> Lucy shares her inspiration for her podcast episodes and how she gets her content ideas.
>> Why it’s okay to repeat content - even podcast episodes
>> Lucy’s ingenious way of supporting her clients with her podcast and her plans for a second podcast
>> Why Lucy doesn’t blog and why this is a good thing
>> How to make your content feel like it’s not work
>> Giving yourself permission to say no

Lucy also shares her favourite platform for creating content and where you can find her. Plus where you can better focus your energies instead of using social media platforms that do not fill you with joy.

About Lucy Orton:

Lucy Orton is a certified positive psychology coach, podcaster and expert on self-sabotage. Her popular weekly podcast 'Self-Sabotage To Success' is in the top 5% of podcasts globally and has reached no.7 in the UK Apple Entrepreneurship charts.

Lucy empowers her listeners and clients to step away from mindset gremlins and a critical inner voice and into their rightful space in the world. Lucy also works with creative teams and organisations to help them retain, support and empower their female talent and is particularly passionate about championing women so they are able to completely shift how they see themselves, creating huge and lasting impact for themselves and others.

Links you'll need: 

Flow: The Psychology of Happiness- https://uk.bookshop.org/books/flow-the-psychology-of-happiness/9780712657594
The Upside of Your Darkside - https://www.scri

In this podcast, I look at the elemental that create a good newsletter and what you need to do to get people looking forward to getting your email each week.

We get 121 emails on average every single day. So how do you get someone to open your marketing email and not delete it?

I go over the different kinds of newsletters you might want to create and why each of these works. And why you may want to consider charging for people to get your newsletter.

Plus, I share why I no longer ask for you to sign up to my newsletter so get my Actually Useful Podcast Show Notes, which are worksheets that go with each podcast episode.

I also look at why you need to think about your newsletter as a magazine. Then I give you a quick exercise to do to help you understand what really makes a good newsletter.

I share the four different kinds of newsletters that you can make. As well as the one you might want to avoid as it’s so difficult to get right.

I go over the importance of creating a community around your newsletter. And the idea that I pinched from another newsletter which I reckon everyone should do.

Plus, I explain why you should feel proud for getting even one person signed up to your mailing list. And why building a list is far harder than ‘the experts’ will tell you. But that there are ways to encourage the right kinds of people to sign up.

All the newsletters mentioned in this podcast:

Brew Time newsletter - https://brewtime.substack.com/
Nick Parker’s newsletter - https://www.thatexplainsthings.com/about/
Sian Meades Williams newsletter - https://mailchi.mp/69d207801f23/freelancewritingjobs
The Quietus subscription - https://thequietus.com/articles/28506-membership
Books That Matter - https://www.booksthatmatter.co.uk/
The Idler - https://www.idler.co.uk/
Popbitch - https://popbitch.com/
The Friday Club - https://knowltonmarketing.co.uk/the-friday-club/
You Are The Media - https://www.youarethemedia.co.uk/
Sofie Hagen - https://www.sofiehagen.com/newsletter
Mslexia - https://mslexia.co.uk/

Further reading and listening:
Nick Parker’s podcast episode 16 - https://indieessentials.co.uk/tone-of-voice-with-nick-parker/
What makes a good newsletter - https://indieessentials.co.uk/what-makes-a-good-newsletter/

This week I’m joined by marketing coach and flipping all round brilliant person, Janine Coombes. We chat all about branding, personal brands, positioning your products, the all-important pricing issues and how micro-businesses can create offers that your audience wants to buy.

It’s a packed episode and a whole lot of fun.

For an hour of your time, find out:

>> Finding your own brand voice and how long this has taken Janine to get her distinctive voice.

>> Why you need to create a coherent brand for your business - even if it’s just you.

>> How Janine developed her distinctive images and why these tie in with her brand identity.

>> Why sometimes accidental branding can work for your business.

>> How to have an expressive brand online without being loud

>> Janine shares her process of adapting her business to changes and how she’s developed her new group programme.

>> Janine’s 3P’s of Promise, Package and Price to create a compelling offer.

>> Some of the difficulties around pricing

>> The dangers of the power hour and how to overcome this

>> Why changing from a day rate or hourly rate needs a shift in business model.

>> Why getting a tighter positioning will help everything click into place with your business.

>> Why Janine means by: “better marketing for much less effort,“ and why this applies beyond marketing.

>> The all-important question you need to ask yourself when it comes to creating your packages.

>> Why you should do what you want when it comes to your business.

>> Putting your red flags into your content to deter people who you don’t want to work with - and do the same with your green flags.

>> The kinds of decisions you want to make around words when it comes to your brand voice. And how this can help you attract the right audience.

>> Janine’s approach to content and her passion for blogging.

>> How Janine ranked no. 1 on Google for her target search term and what result this brought to her business.

Plus, we discuss what is better - personal brand or business name. And when you might want to use one over the other.

Check out Janine's brilliant group programme here - https://janinecoombes.co.uk/your-sizzling-hot-offer/

Email: [email protected]

Find Janine on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/janinecoombes

Check out her website: https://janinecoombes.co.uk/

Come and find me on LinkedIn

Follow this podcast on Instagram

And get your Actually Useful Podcast Show Notes each week right here: brewtime.substack.com