Cracking Content Podcast

Welcome to the Cracking Content podcast, helping entrepreneurs to amplify their expertise through storytelling, content, and PR, so they can get more sales and make a bigger impact. Every business has a story to tell. Don't be afraid to tell it.

The last Tuesday of every month Claire will interview an epic content creator and this week she is talking to Instagram Influencer Abi Hugo, who is an Influencer and Trainer. She has grown her account @TheWhiteThistle to over 25k in 2 years.

[0.58] My journey initially started with an idea for an online décor shop three years ago.

[1.33] I started to go to networking events and people were more interested in how I had grown my account to 5,000 followers.

[1.50] Around the same time I got approached by a brand to do my first paid content.

[2:18] What if I didn't have to ship out the packages and I could just create content for other brands and still get paid for that?

[3.35] I call myself a content creator because that is what I do, I'm creating content. I just love that is now my job. And someone will give me a product or service and I find a way to turn that into a story that connects with people and my audience.

[6.55] Being really engaging on Stories is a really big thing.

[8.05] I have a bit of a strategy behind the structure of my stories because it helps me know what I need to do.

[12.55] Getting over that 20k mark, gave me that like, "Okay, I'm a bit more established now, I can do this."

[14.23] Spend an hour to three hours actually creating, thinking about the content you want to create for the rest of the month.

Abi Hugo is an Influencer and Content Creator behind the account @TheWhiteThistle. She has grown her account to over 25k in 2 years and is passionate about de-mystifying what it means to run a social media account and always shares what she describes as the InstaReality. She teaches entrepreneurs how to use the platform to grow their brand and businesses and how to make money on the app.

You can find her at abihugo.com

Connect with Claire:

To find out about 1:1 content coaching go www.clairewinter.info.

Free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crackingcontent/

Web: https://clairewinter.info/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairewinteruk

Join the Cracking Content Club Membership: https://clairewinter.info/cracking-content-club/

Welcome to the Cracking Content Podcast, helping entrepreneurs to amplify their expertise through storytelling, content, and PR so they can get more sales and make a bigger impact. Every business has a story to tell. Don't be afraid to tell it.

In this episode, I'm going to be talking about writing hacks to disrupt the scroll. Now, what do I mean by that? I mean a social media post that is going to stop somebody in their tracks so they read what you have spent ages creating. Scrolling through our feeds is a compulsive urge that many of us find really hard to resist. Social media is vying for other people's attention and it's a battle to get people to stop on your post. You'll need to tap into all of your inspiration to write great attention-grabbing, scroll stopping copy. So here are some hacks that will give people a reason to engage with you.

{1:17} Write a great headline. That is going to grab someone's attention. And the great thing about social media posts is you can have fun with them. You can write a pun, you can write something shocking and attention-grabbing. You're not trying to write a blog post that has got to have an SEO-friendly headline. This is to grab someone's attention so they read that blog post.

{2:08} If you haven't done some work on your ideal customer, it's a good idea to go back to square one and think about who is this bit of content for? What is the purpose? And what am I trying to get them to do next?

{2:45} You need to take their attention away from scrolling. And one of those ways is through an arresting image. Not everybody likes reading content. They like looking at pictures or video.

{3.59} You need to write in language that will resonate with your ideal customer. People buy with their emotions. Ask yourself, "How is your ideal customer feeling right now?" Think about their state of mind. Are they worried? Are they happy? Are they bored? How can your content reflect that?

{5:00} A big part of a content marketing strategy is also listening, and talking to your customers, and understanding what they need right now.

{6.10} Another great exercise is to revisit some of your old blog posts and refresh them. Why not repost them and see if you can get an uplift in engagement?

Connect with Claire:

To find out about 1:1 content coaching go www.clairewinter.info.

Free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crackingcontent/

Web: https://clairewinter.info/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairewinteruk

Join the Cracking Content Club Membership: https://clairewinter.info/cracking-content-club/

Welcome to the Cracking Content podcast, helping entrepreneurs to amplify their expertise through storytelling, content and PR, so they can get more sales and make a bigger impact. Every business has a story to tell. Don't be afraid to tell it.

In this episode, I'm going to talk about how to make your content more engaging and how to find your real voice. So often, when we're creating content, it might feel like you're shouting into the void and you're thinking, "Oh my gosh, I can't maintain my audience's attention." Or you're worried that you're not getting enough views. As humans we are naturally drawn to quality content. It's much better to concentrate on creating those core bits of quality content and using social media to amplify it than just churning out content every day without purpose.

{1.19} What you need to think about is the end result of the content you're creating and the key business messages that you're sharing with the world. Why is it important? What value are you bringing and how are you sharing?

{2.51} People have a short attention span when it comes to content. People are often scanning content that they read on the web. Make sure you don't write a ridiculously long paragraph, create a snappy, but intriguing title to draw your readers in and then make your content easy to read with short paragraphs, subheadings and lists.

{3.57} Creating, engaging content is just not about you. It's about connecting with your audience. Readers are drawn to relatable experiences. Tell a story. I've done an episode about this already. There is a unique truth and honesty to stories that gains instant trust. Let yourself be a little bit open and don't forget to use things like social media widgets at the bottom of your page or blog post, so readers can share your story and pass on the word.

{4.49} How often have you clicked on an article to find that it doesn't answer the question that it sets out in the title? Make sure that you deliver on the content that you create. Your content should be consistent with keywords throughout it, so it can be found through organic search.

Connect with Claire:

To find out about 1:1 content coaching go www.clairewinter.info

Free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crackingcontent/

Web: https://clairewinter.info/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairewinteruk

Join the Cracking Content Club Membership: https://clairewinter.info/cracking-content-club/

Welcome to the Cracking Content Podcast, helping entrepreneurs to amplify their expertise through storytelling, content, and PR so they can get more sales and make a bigger impact. Every business has a story to tell. Don't be afraid to tell it.

In this episode, I'm going to be talking about perfecting your pitch to the media. I love talking about this, and it's something that a lot of people feel a bit scared about when they first start doing it, but the more you do it, the easier it gets. So perhaps you're trying to market your business or share a charity event or something that's happening in your world, here are 10 tips to help you pitch to the media, take a risk.

{1.26} Pitching stories is really about taking risks because you don't know what the outcome will be. If you're worried about putting yourself out there, think, what is the worst thing that can happen? Literally, the worst thing that can happen is that you get ignored or someone says no, in which case, you can just move on and try something different and just think, well, that one didn't land, I'm going to try another one.

{2.56} You need to approach journalists effectively. I can't tell you how many press releases I've been sent, where they got the wrong publication and the wrong name. Now, this might sound a bit ego led, but people don't tend to read emails that aren't addressed to them.

{4.38} Provide extra content. Journalists are super busy and have many deadlines to meet. So they want someone who's prepared and ready. Providing extra content to your pitch will definitely give you an advantage.

{6.59} You can give an exclusive to one publication, and then a different angle to the others. That way, you can still release your full story to other places too. If you're going to offer exclusivity, make sure it's for that dream publication that your ideal client loves to read.

{7.26} Don't be rude. It's not personal. It will be down to their news agenda, their editor, what other news stories are breaking that week. Sometimes you even land a story and then a bigger news event will happen and all of the stories that have been scheduled to go that day will be knocked off by a breaking news event. So, it's never ever guaranteed that your story will make the press.

If you want to learn more - Join my webinar - Learn how to get your first (or next story) featured in the press on the 5 November at 8pm (DST). You can sign up here https://clairewinter.info/register/

Connect with Claire:

To find out about 1:1 content coaching go www.clairewinter.info.

Free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crackingcontent/

Web: https://clairewinter.info/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairewinteruk

Join the Cracking Content Club Membership: https://clairewinter.info/cracking-content-club/

Welcome to the Cracking Content Podcast, helping entrepreneurs to amplify their expertise through storytelling, content and PR so they can get more sales and make a bigger impact. Every business has a story to tell. Don't be afraid to tell it.

How listening is vital to the inclusivity conversation.

In this episode Claire talks to international leadership and inclusion coach Aduke Onafowokan. She is also the Founder of The Sister Sister Global Network and Lead Associate at Inclusivitii.

[1:02] The Sister Sister Network is a social enterprise. We are pretty much a drop-in centre for leadership and personal development training for women.

[01:53] What we do at Inclusivitii is helping organisations get better at diversity and inclusion, whether that's from developing the target operating model for inclusion, thinking in practice, to even doing diversity and inclusion audits, to know where they are in that journey and what changes they need to make

[3.07] We always listen, that's the first value, to really understand what people need right now. Part of that listening is also trying to understand where the needs are different and trying to find out what we can then do to support different levels

[4.45] So we attract that community through making sure that the things we're talking about is very relevant.

[6:11] But I think at its very core, networking is really about human-to-human connection, so it's really personal. And it's all about knowing what you bring to the table, but also how you show up.

[9.39] My second TedX talk three ways to be more inclusive. So I thought I'd do three ways to be more inclusive. Inclusive in everything you do, whether it's your marketing, your thinking, even how you write your content or just the products that you design, but how to be more inclusive.

[11.32] Sometimes it's okay to just step up and say, "Hey, I would like to do a TED Talk. This is my idea. I would like to do a TEDx Talk, and I would love to understand how to do it." So just take that leap of faith. Don't wait and just do it. I wish I had done that earlier.

[13.57] To be more inclusive in your content marketing. The first thing is to listen. Listening is such a powerful skill. As children, we're taught how to read and write, but there's nobody that really teaches us to listen. We are taught to keep quiet, but we're not necessarily taught to listen. So a lot of us grow up without listening skills.

Aduke travels the world, speaking to audiences about developing a learning mindset on effective leadership practice, inclusion, equity, race, gender, and other aspects of diversity and intersectionality (when multiple aspects of identity overlap).

With a clear focus on recruiting, developing, and retaining diverse talent, as well as extensive experience in global organisations and expertise from Yale and University of Oxford, Aduke helps organisations to understand and manage the complex challenges of diversity and unlock opportunities to create inclusive and equitable organisations.

Through her social enterprise The Sister Sister Global Network, Aduke supports thousands of women to access leadership and personal development and connect with leaders through networking opportunities. The Network runs in partnership with organisations including The UN Foundation Girl Up, University of Oxford, NatWest, UK Parliament and UNICEF on Campus to empower women and future female leaders at work and in business.

Featured in international media such as BBC and Medium, Aduke's second TEDx Talk – Inclusion in an Era of Polarisation offers leaders salient points on redefining leadership and responding to the moment.

Through her body of work and in her personal life, she continues to contribute to the advancement of women, leadership, and diversity.

You find Auduke at: https://www.adukeonafowokan.com/

Listen to her TedX talk here: Three ways to be more inclusive. https://www.adukeonafowokan.com/the-tedx-talk

Connect with Claire:

To find out about 1:1 content coaching go www.clairewinter.info.

Free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crackingcontent/

Web: https://clairewinter.info/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairewinteruk

Join the Cracking Content Club Membership: https://clairewinter.info/cracking-content-club/

Welcome to the Cracking Content Podcast, helping entrepreneurs to amplify their expertise through storytelling, content, and PR so they can get more sales and make a bigger impact. Every business has a story to tell. Don't be afraid to tell it.

In this episode, I am going to be talking about how to get your press release noticed. Now, some people get intimidated when it comes to writing a press release. They think that they need to hire an expensive PR firm or an expert to help them write a press release, but if you get it right, you can do it for yourself or your company. If you're a solo-preneur and have limited PR budget, a press release is a great way to get you media coverage.

{0:57} Now, the biggest mistake that people make when it comes to writing press releases is that they send them out too frequently.

{2.35} Journalists are getting hundreds of press releases in their inbox every day.

{3.45} When you're thinking about your story, think about the journalist and the publication you're pitching to. Make sure you use the right tone of voice.

{6.03} Make sure you use visuals and you have a link to high res images for the journalist to use. Not all media companies have a picture desk on hand and high quality, high resolution images will make it much more likely for you to be featured.

{7.23} The last thing I would like to say is if you haven't sent out a press release before, try it with your local media first.

Connect with Claire:

To find out about 1:1 content coaching go www.clairewinter.info.

Free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crackingcontent/

Web: https://clairewinter.info/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairewinteruk

Join the Cracking Content Club Membership: https://clairewinter.info/cracking-content-club/

Welcome to the Cracking Content Podcast, helping entrepreneurs to amplify their expertise through storytelling, content, and PR so they can get more sales and make a bigger impact. Every business has a story to tell. Don't be afraid to tell it.

In this episode, we're going to talk about why every business or solopreneur or coach needs a business biography. If you don't, you're really missing out on lots of opportunities. We live in a content-hungry world. There are thousands, if not millions of websites that accept guest blogs and podcasters, not to mention speaking and media opportunities where you can share your expertise with the world. And why wouldn't you? In a previous episode, I talked about how you can pitch to the press, but a big part of that is being press-ready, and creating a decent business biography will stand you in good stead for guest blogging, being a podcast guest, and also pitching to the media. So it's well worth spending some time on crafting a really brilliant biography.

{1:16} Remember to include the basics, like your current job and professional experience.

{3.22} Remember to write in the third person.

{3.37} Add something unique. Don't make it too formal.

{3.48} Remember to update it frequently

{5.14} Get out there and start pitching to the press!

Connect with Claire:

To find out about 1:1 content coaching go www.clairewinter.info.

Free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crackingcontent/

Web: https://clairewinter.info/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairewinteruk

Join the Cracking Content Club Membership: https://clairewinter.info/cracking-content-club/

Welcome to the Cracking Content Podcast, helping entrepreneurs to amplify their expertise through storytelling, content and PR so they can get more sales and make a bigger impact. Every business has a story to tell. Don't be afraid to tell it. This episode, we're going to be talking about guest blogging. In Episode 3, I talked about how blogging is good for your business. It establishes you as an expert in your field, and the keywords you use in the blog work in search engines, and it helps people find you through organic search. But did you know guest blogging is also a brilliant way of raising your profile and reaching a wider audience? It's certainly helped me. I've given advice on the NatWest business websites. I've also written blogs for the Female CEO magazine and the Homeworker magazine. They're niche titles, but they are totally the right audience for me, it's where my ideal customers hang out. That's exactly what you should be doing when you're thinking about guest blogging.

{1:15} The main benefit of guest blogging is spreading the word about your brand and winning the trust of your target audience by contributing to a blog that's in your niche or area of expertise.

{1.55} At the end of your blog, you want to offer something like a free guide or some call to action for them to sign up for your newsletter.

{2.21] Stimulating social media shares from other blog sites also widens your reach. You can enhance this by using great images and infographics.

{3.52} How do you find out about guest blogging opportunities?

{4.31} What should you pitch, once you've decided who you're going to contact?

{6.05} Make sure you check your post.

For more tips on PR download my How to be your own PR guide: https://clairewinter.info/freebies/be-your-own-pr/

Connect with Claire:

To find out about 1:1 content coaching go www.clairewinter.info.

Free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crackingcontent/

Web: https://clairewinter.info/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairewinteruk

Join the Cracking Content Club Membership: https://clairewinter.info/cracking-content-club/

Welcome to the Cracking Content Podcast, helping entrepreneurs to amplify their expertise through storytelling, content and PR so they can get more sales and make a bigger impact. Every business has a story to tell. Don't be afraid to tell it.

Not only does your content needs to be memorable, it needs to be useful to the consumers, reading, watching, or listening to it. Words are the building blocks of your business. Whether you write a blog, create a video or record a podcast, you need to have the right mindset, take action, and be consistent. When you are creating a content plan remember to ask yourself these questions, who am I writing for? What content do they like consuming? What worries them? What services or products do you provide that can help them? Listen to your audience and use the same language they use.

{1.36} Ask your audience what they need help with and respond to them with the content you create.

{2.00} Consistency is Crucial.

{2.52} Dedicate time regular time for content planning.

{3.18} What is the client's journey from the moment he or she hears about your business until a sale is made?

{3.36} Remember each content goal needs metrics to evaluate its performance.

{3.54} How to do quarterly content planning.

{4.47} Write down important dates. What business events do you have in the next four months? This could involve campaigns, holidays, launches, and promotions.

{8.44} A quarterly content plan might seem like a lot of work, but it will save you a lot of time in the long run,

Want to start planning? Download my free yearly content planner which has popular key awareness days. https://clairewinter.info/freebies/2020-21content-planner/

Connect with Claire:

To find out about 1:1 content coaching go www.clairewinter.info.

Free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crackingcontent/

Web: https://clairewinter.info/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairewinteruk

Welcome to the Cracking Content Podcast, helping entrepreneurs to amplify their expertise through storytelling, content and PR so they can get more sales and make a bigger impact. Every business has a story to tell. Don't be afraid to tell it.

This episode I'm going to be talking about pitching to the press. It's one of my favourite topics. I've been a journalist for 20 years and I've received a lot of rubbish pitches and crap press releases. So I'm here to talk to you about how you can establish yourself as an expert at what you do and how to get more visible. And the best way to do this is to be featured by the media. So we live in a content hungry world. There are countless websites, bloggers, podcasters, media publications and outlets that are looking for content. So here are some of my tips on how to get media savvy.

{1.06} The first thing you need to do is your research about the media outlet you want to target.

{2.04} What's unique about you and your business story?

{3.18} What is your hook?

{4.03} Pictures are really important.

{4.28} Twitter is your friend if you want to find press and media opportunities.

For more ideas on how to be your own PR download my free guide. https://clairewinter.info/freebies/be-your-own-pr/

Connect with Claire:

To find out about 1:1 content coaching go www.clairewinter.info.

Free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crackingcontent/

Web: https://clairewinter.info/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairewinteruk

Join the Cracking Content Club Membership: https://clairewinter.info/cracking-content-club/