Don't quote us on this: brand, marketing and the BS in between

This episode continues the series on the tools Nic and Ro actually use, and this week it’s the one you’ve probably already lost hours of your life to: Canva.

Nic (who’s a real designer and mostly uses Adobe) explains how to stop falling down the template rabbit hole. She starts with why setting up your brand kit is the first thing you should do. If you don’t have a brand yet, she shows you how to find the clues by looking around your home, your wardrobe and your bookshelves. Then she tackles the dreaded blank screen, with simple, practical design tips: stick to your margins, ditch the logo, keep text above 30px, tighten your line spacing and let your graphics breathe.

They also answer a listener question: “I’ve had my brand done. Do I need to use it everywhere?” The answer is yes and no. Ro and Nic explain the difference between your brand and your visual identity, why only about 25% of your posts need to be polished, and what consistency really means.

And in this week’s Don’t Quote Us On This, they get spicy about the copycats, overpromising courses and quick-buck merchants taking over the online business world. They also explain why they’re doubling down on values-led business and real-life human connection.

Love the podcast?

📣 Don’t Quote Us On This Live is coming next year. It’s a whole day in the room with Nic, Ro and six incredible workshop hosts, and you’ll walk away with work actually done. No fluff, no BS, no AI-generated content. The Pay in 12 offer has now closed, but you can still grab your early bird ticket in nine payments of just £16 a month until December. Don’t sleep on it, because early bird is ending soon. Follow @wearedquot on Instagram for every announcement.

Don’t Quote Us On This is the straight-talking podcast where marketing strategist Rowena Wilding and brand strategist Nic Mooney pull apart the biggest myths, trends and frustrations in branding and marketing.

You can follow Ro on Instagram and LinkedIn

And Nic on Instagram and LinkedIn

This episode kicks off a brand new series on the tools Nic and Ro actually use, starting with the big one: social media.

There's some mythbusting about exactly where social media sits in your marketing funnel; they cover why you don't have to be on it every day (or at all), and they give their best advice on how to use it without burning the fucking out. They also tell you the tool you need to find where your audience actually is, and three simple types of content that build real relationships, plus handy hacks for talking-heads reels and carousels.

They also tackle a slightly tongue-in-cheek listener question from the Wild Collective community: "Can't AI do this for me?"

And in this week's Don't Quote Us On This, they take aim at the flood of AI posters clogging up the feeds.

Love the podcast?

📣 Don't Quote Us On This is becoming a real-life conference. A whole day in the room with Nic and Ro talking brand, marketing and the BS in between, with incredible workshop hosts still to be announced. Follow @wearedquot on Instagram for every announcement. Early bird tickets are live now at £144, or spread it over 12 payments of just £12 a month if you book in the next month.

Don't Quote Us On This is the straight-talking podcast where marketing strategist Rowena Wilding and brand strategist Nic Mooney pull apart the biggest myths, trends and frustrations in branding and marketing.

You can follow Ro on Instagram and LinkedIn

And Nic on Instagram and LinkedIn

A short and sweet episode with a couple of highlights from Nic and Ro's SELL-OUT masterclass, In Demand By Design, PLUS a very exciting announcement.

So, a quick insight into:

• Brand personality
• Visual Identity
• Creating lead magnets
• And how to use them

And make sure you stick around to the end to find out what we're going to be doing next!

Want to join us for Don't Quote Us On This: The Conference?

Grab your ticket here for just 12 x £12 a month

Here's the thing nobody tells you: you already have a brand.

Whether you've paid for a logo, cobbled something together in Canva, or done precisely nothing at all, people are already forming an impression of you at every single touchpoint. The only question is whether that impression is the one you actually want.

In Episode 16, Nic takes Ro through the psychology of visual identity: why the same pink can say five different things, how fonts and imagery tell a story in seconds, and why you should never invest in brand photography until you understand your brand first.

Then they answer the question they both get asked most, when's the best time to invest in your brand and marketing, and bust the myth of the marketing silver bullet. And in this week's Don't Quote Us On This, Ro gushes (for once) over Marks & Spencer turning an employee into a genuine influencer, and why Waitrose copying it from their own brand channel completely misses the point.

📣 In Demand by Design is back, and this time it's virtual. Just two weeks away, with a few spaces left. A full virtual day where you'll nail your brand and your marketing, including exactly how to humanise it in all the ways Nic and Ro dig into in this episode. It's your last chance to get on this fab offer - they're not running it again! It's on Monday 15th September to nail your brand and marketing, £500. Grab your ticket now!

Don't Quote Us On This is the straight-talking podcast where marketing strategist Rowena Wilding and brand strategist Nic Mooney pull apart the biggest myths, trends and frustrations in branding and marketing.

You can follow Nic on Instagram and LinkedIn

And Ro on Instagram and LinkedIn

Recorded in the sweaty, grublety depths of the summer holidays, this one's for every business owner hanging on by their fingernails while parenting and running a business at the same time. Nic and Ro see you.

You're a warrior.

Off the back of their first-ever in-person mastermind day, which people described as the best investment they'd made in a decade, Ro and Nic wanted to give something back. Because times are tight and budgets are tighter, but that doesn't mean your brand and marketing have to stall.

So in this episode they run through six things you should absolutely be doing for your business that cost you nothing at all, from leaning properly into your personal brand and actually researching where your audience hangs out, to claiming your Google Business Profile, working your reviews harder, setting up a handful of Canva templates, and finally getting over yourself and posting the fucking video.

Along the way they answer a listener question about sharing your wins in your content without sounding like an utter twat, an issue that seems to plague women far more than men, and one Ro and Nic have plenty to say about.

And in this week's Don't Quote Us On This section, they get stuck into a spectacular rebrand U-turn, and unpick why so many businesses misread their own brand, burn hard-won recognition, and learn the expensive way that reputation takes years to build and seconds to break.

If money's tight but your ambition isn't, this one's a cracker.

📣 In Demand by Design is back, and this time it's virtual. So many of you couldn't make the in-person day, so Ro and Nic have refined it, revisited it and packed in even more value. It's one virtual day on Monday 15th September, it's £500 with split payments available (the deadline to split is 15th August).

The promise? The people who come will have a better Q4 than the whole rest of their year. Quote them on that. Grab your tickets here.

Don't Quote Us On This is the straight-talking podcast where marketing strategist Rowena Wilding and brand strategist Nic Mooney pull apart the biggest myths, trends and frustrations in branding and marketing, with plenty of laughs, strong opinions and the occasional rant along the way.

And Ro on Instagram and LinkedIn

You can follow Nic on Instagram and LinkedIn

In their quest to continually bring you the most helpful advice in getting your brand out there and doing effective marketing, this week Nic and Ro have turned to another expert to bring the goods.

Marina Gask is a journalist of more than 35 years having written for publications including Cosmopolitan, Good Housekeeping, The Independent and The Telegraph.

She's passionate about helping women tell their stories and step into their badass boss era by finding great press coverage opportunities.

In this episode she gives us a run down of the four absolutely crucial things you need to do to get in the press, and she dishes the dirt on some of the practices she's seen in the industry that have left a bad taste in her mouth.

It's a must listen for anyone considering PR as part of their marketing strategy, and to be frank, it's a must listen for anyone who HASN'T considered PR as part of their marketing strategy, because... why the hell not?!

You can follow Marina on LinkedIn and Instagram
And learn more about her Press Breakthrough Bootcamp here

Why does business feel so bloody hard right now?

If you've found yourself wondering whether it's just you... this episode is for you.

Because if the first half of 2026 has felt heavier than it should, you're definitely not imagining it.

In Episode 13, Ro and Nic tackle the question that's cropping up in almost every conversation they're having with business owners right now: Why does everything feel so much harder than it used to?

They unpack what's really going on beneath the surface, from the trust recession that's making sales cycles longer than ever, to market saturation, economic uncertainty, AI disruption and a political landscape that's leaving many people emotionally exhausted before they've even opened their laptops.

But this isn't an episode about doom and gloom!!

It's about understanding why things feel different, why the old tactics aren't working quite like they used to, and what business owners can actually do instead. They explore why strategy matters more than ever, how to build trust when everyone's sceptical, and why trying to find the next silver bullet is probably the worst thing you can do.

Along the way, they also answer a listener question about speaking to your ideal client, dismantle the myth of the "perfect customer avatar", and end with a spicy rant about the booming personal branding industry... and why so much of what's being sold is simply basic brand strategy wrapped up in shiny new packaging.

If business has felt like wading through treacle lately, this one might just help you realise you're not the problem.

Don't Quote Us On This is the straight-talking podcast where marketing strategist Rowena Wilding and brand strategist Nic Mooney pull apart the biggest myths, trends and frustrations in branding and marketing, with plenty of laughs, strong opinions and the occasional rant along the way.

"Just post more."

"Charge what you're worth."

"The funnel is dead."

If you've spent more than five minutes on LinkedIn recently, you've probably been hit with at least one of these gems. And while some of them sound convincing on the surface, Nic and Ro think a lot of today's marketing advice is, frankly… utter bull.

In Episode 12, they dive headfirst into some of the worst advice doing the rounds online and explain why so many business owners are burning out, chasing vanity metrics and investing in all the wrong things.

From the obsession with posting multiple times a day to the idea that a pretty brand is all you need, they unpack why good marketing is rarely about shortcuts and almost never about following someone else's formula.

They also answer a listener's question about follower counts, revealing why more followers won't magically make marketing easier, and why your messaging, nurture and strategy matter far more than the number at the top of your profile.

Finally, in this week's Don't Quote Us On This, they tackle a hard truth: if you want a profitable business, you have to learn how to build one. Being brilliant at what you do isn't enough. Strategy, systems and marketing aren't optional extras. They're the business.

As always, expect strong opinions, plenty of laughs, and absolutely no sugar-coating.

You can follow Nic on Instagram and LinkedIn

And Ro on Instagram and LinkedIn

What happens when your first-ever podcast guest is someone whose business perfectly proves the point you're trying to make?

In Episode 11, Ro and Nic are joined by the brilliant Olivia Marocco, founder of Brand New Connect, editor of Brand New Magazine, and creator of one of the best business events they've attended all year: The Odyssey.

Together, they dive into the realities of building a brand that people genuinely trust in a world where audiences are becoming increasingly sceptical, communities are everywhere, and everyone seems to be chasing bigger, faster and louder.

Olivia shares the story behind Brand New Connect, how a magazine evolved into a thriving community, and why she's never been interested in following trends or growing for growth's sake. Instead, the conversation explores integrity, trust, attention to detail, and the importance of building something that reflects your values rather than someone else's definition of success.

The trio also discuss personal branding, the pressures of constant visibility, knowing when to evolve your business, and Olivia's recent decision to move Brand New Magazine from print to digital.

And in a particularly spicy edition of Don't Quote Us On This, they tackle the rise of the "girl boss" mentality, why collaboration beats competition, and what happens when communities become more about ego than impact.

If you've ever wondered how to build a brand people trust, create a community people actually want to be part of, or grow a business without losing yourself in the process, this one's for you.

Follow Olivia on Instagram and LinkedIn

Follow Rowena on Instagram and LinkedIn

Follow Nic on Instagram and LinkedIn

What makes a good event… actually good?

Is it the speakers? The venue? The people in the room? The free coffee? (Spoiler: that one matters more than you'd think.)

In Episode 10, Ro and Nic compare notes after an absolutely ridiculous few weeks of networking. Between them, they've attended eight events in less than a month, ranging from intimate lunch gatherings and industry conferences to awards ceremonies, exhibitions and sold-out women's business events.

So they decided to do what any self-respecting marketers would do: analyse the lot.

They chat about the events that genuinely blew them away, the little details that made a huge impact, and the common mistakes that can turn a promising event into a disappointing one.

Along the way, they discuss everything from curated guest lists and facilitated networking to terrible coffee, bad speaker prep and why the room itself matters far more than most organisers realise.

There are also some brilliant recommendations if you're looking to get more from networking, whether you're attending events, speaking at them, or thinking about running your own.

If you've ever left an event buzzing with ideas, meaningful connections and a notebook full of inspiration... or left wondering why you bothered putting trousers on in the first place... this episode is for you.

Plus, they reveal the first-ever guest coming onto Don't Quote Us On This, and trust us, it's a good one.

Follow Ro on LinkedIn or Instagram

Follow Nic on LinkedIn or Instagram