Episode Summary:

Is blogging dead?

That might be a spicy question but it's exactly where Mike Zielonka and I started in this week's episode of Happy Subscribers.

Mike helps online creators get seen, get clicks, and get paid — and he's got strong opinions on why many creators are still following outdated strategies… and what to do instead.

Whether you're writing newsletters, publishing recipes, or promoting digital products, this episode is a reminder that your content strategy needs to evolve with how people behave online and that includes how they interact with your emails.

If you're feeling stuck in "blogger" mode, and you know you need to level up how you think about your business, this is your nudge to think and act like a creator — one who's willing to try new things, track what's working, and show up with a renewed purpose.

In this episode, you'll learn about:

• Why the "just blog and pray" strategy doesn't work anymore
• How email fits into your content flywheel and what it looks like when done right
• Why email is where the magic happens for building trust, engagement, and revenue
• What AI tools can help with and where they fall short (with examples)
• The importance of a hook and how to make your content more scroll-stopping online

Check out this episode's blog post Connect with Mike:Instagram Website Episode Resources: Grok by xAI Gemini TypingMind Duett Free Resources

Duett Services:

Email Strategy Playbook - A fresh set of eyes and insight into your current email marketing

The Duett Debut - Done for you email copywrting & automation setup

Ready, Set, EMAIL - Quick & custom email setup to grow and send your newsletter fast

Book a FREE Discovery Call

Instagram @alleagrummert

Episode Summary:

When you think about trying something new with your email marketing, does it stress you out?

If it feels techy or outside your wheelhouse, maybe your first instinct is to bury your head in the sand. (Honestly, that can feel easier than possibly messing up, right?)

But what if "messing up" wasn't the enemy? What if it was actually your best way to gather data, learn about your audience, and test things little by little to see what sticks?

This week's guest, Nikki McKnight, is here to talk about her "FAFO" approach — yes, that stands for F** around and find out. It's about taking action even before you feel ready, and letting clarity show up in the process. This episode will give you permission to run small experiments, learn what works, and build confidence along the way.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• How to find clarity as you build and grow and change your marketing
• What questions to ask (and when) as you make decisions
• The role "tolerance for uncertainty" plays in personal and professional growth

Check out this episode's blog post Connect with Nikki:FAFO Newsletter (Nikki's bi-weekly-ish business experiment for founders) Instagram First Dates & Soulmates Podcast (Nikki's romance podcast with Meg Casebolt) Episode Resources: Book a FREE Discovery Call Other FREE Duett Resources

Duett Services:Email Strategy Playbook - A fresh set of eyes and insight into your current email marketing

The Duett Debut - Done for you email copywrting & automation setup

Ready, Set, EMAIL - Quick & custom email setup to grow and send your newsletter fast

Instagram @alleagrummert

Episode Summary:

Ever been tempted to "set it and forget it" with your email marketing? Or thought "I'll let this run and go focus on other things?" That mindset (or neglect) of your email potential is costing you traffic, connection, and revenue. Real dollars for your real business. In today's Happy Subscribers episode, I'm breaking down why email isn't meant to run on autopilot forever — and yes, that's coming from an Email Automation Junkie. I want you to have a strategy that's simple, sustainable and sends as much love to your list and traffic to your site as possible.

In this episode, you'll learn about:

• The three core parts of a healthy email strategy — the fundamentals you can grow from
• What happens if you're missing one or more of these strategies
• Why automations can't be your entire "strategy" (though wouldn't that be nice?)
• What I recommend for staying the most connected to your list in real time
• A simple way to get clarity on what's working in your current setup

Check out this episode's blog post Episode Resources:

Book a FREE Discovery Call

Duett Services:

Email Strategy Playbook - A fresh set of eyes and insight into your current email marketing

The Duett Debut - Done for you email copywrting & automation setup

Ready, Set, EMAIL - Quick & custom email setup to grow and send your newsletter fast

Instagram @alleagrummert

Episode Summary: What is "community," really?

We toss that word around a lot, but this conversation with Faith Clarke, organizational health & inclusive teams specialist, autism activist, and author, made it click... community isn't a parasocial vibe we hope our subscribers feel. It's something we design together.

Community matters for email because people buy when they trust you. And trust comes from you being a person, not from perfect messaging or sending on the "best" day of the week.

This is how your emails shift from being simply one way broadcasts into two way, mutually-beneficial relationships.

So how do you show up as a whole person, create a community that benefits everyone in it, and invite your audience to participate?

In this episode, you'll learn about:

• Why real community = communal care + protection + shared need-fulfillment (not just "engagement")
• How to "read the room" online when our usual in-person cues are missing
• What it looks like to reimagine email as dialogue, not a monologue—and why frameworks beat formulas

Check out this episode's blog post Connect with Faith:Website Instagram Episode Resources: Book a FREE Discovery Call

Duett Services:Email Strategy Playbook - A fresh set of eyes and insight into your current email marketing

The Duett Debut - Done for you email copywrting & automation setup

Ready, Set, EMAIL - Quick & custom email setup to grow and send your newsletter fast

Instagram @alleagrummert

Episode Summary:

You don't need 100 blog posts to see big results on Pinterest and drive massive traffic to your site.

I know this because Nadalie Bardo got 1 million views on Pinterest in her first month with only 10 posts.

In this episode we dive into all things Pinterest like:

• How she leverages trends, design templates, and Pinterest's natural clickability to boost her content's visibility and drive traffic to her blog
• How she was able to organically grow her email list to 24K subscribers
• How she's converted those subscribers into 1000s of happy customers

And the best part? She doesn't even use ads! It's all organic growth.

In this episode, Nadalie also shares:

• The Pinterest strategies she teaches her students
• How to capture seasonal traffic and "stack" it year after year
• The #1 type of lead magnet that brought in 15k subs
• Where to start if you want Pinterest to send you traffic on repeat

Check out this episode's blog post Connect with Nadalie: Website Instagram Resources Mentioned: Book a FREE Discovery Call Email Strategy Playbook - A fresh set of eyes and insight into your current email marketing

Duett Services:The Duett Debut - Done for you email copywrting & automation setup Ready, Set, EMAIL - Quick & custom email setup to grow and send your newsletter fast

Instagram @alleagrummert

Episode Summary:

Hey, food bloggers: your Instagram traffic doesn't have to get stuck on Instagram. What if every comment on your Reel could send followers straight to your blog (and your ads)? What if they could save recipes to their email or even shop the recipe with one click? Enter: Grocers List. Ben, the founder of this amazing tool, is on the podcast to share how his food-blogger-specific platform has helped over 1000 of the top food creators drive more traffic, grow their email list and unlock new ways of earning revenue from Instagram followers. I'd been looking forward to this conversation for months, and I'm so excited to give you a behind-the-scenes look at this amazing tool that everyone has been raving about. Learn more about Grocers List and get 100% off your first month when you use the code PODCAST. Create your account here to get set up in minutes!

In this episode, Ben shares:

• Why he created Grocers List when tools like ManyChat and LinkDM already existed
• The different money-making features that Grocers List has like Comment for recipe, Save to email, and Shop the Recipe
• How the tool actually works and why people rave about how easy and time-saving it can be
• The different ways you can use Grocers List, the bare bones traffic-boosting strategy, plus ways you can level it up (like how Pinch of Yum uses it!) for email list growth

Check out this episode's blog post Connect with Ben: Instagram Grocers List (use code: PODCAST) Resources Mentioned: Book a FREE Discovery Call Pinch of Yum Happy Subscribers Episode

Coaching Programs & Services:

Email Strategy Playbook - A fresh set of eyes and insight into your current email marketing

The Duett Debut - Done for you email copywrting & automation setup

Ready, Set, EMAIL - Quick & custom email setup to grow and send your newsletter fast

Instagram @alleagrummert

Episode Summary:

This doesn't usually show up in email marketing conversations… but might be the real reason your email strategy isn't moving forward… Not time. Not tools. Not templates. But trust.

In this episode of Happy Subscribers, I'm sharing how I went from doing everything myself as a freelancer — email strategy, copywriting, tech setup, copyediting, project manager, you name it — to leading a team of 9+ incredible subcontractors who now run the day to day of Duett. But for years, I held on tight to every little thing. Even after hiring amazing people, I didn't let go (and project timelines got stretched). And you know what that made me? The bottleneck. You know, the place where things get STUCK.

I had to LEARN some things. About myself, about working with others… So today, I'm taking you behind the scenes of how I moved from overwhelmed solopreneur to a CEO of a team that's excited to support creators with email marketing and what this story of *trust* could mean for you, too. If email marketing has ever felt like a weight on your shoulders or a to-do list that never gets done, this episode might just help you see what's possible when you have a team behind you that you can trust.

In this episode, you'll learn about:

• How I knew it was time to hire help and why email felt so hard to outsource at first
• What we do to ensure every client project is strategic, thoughtful, and tailored (honestly, the work got better when I stopped doing it all myself!)
• What it really looks and feels like to train and trust a team with your business and your voice
• How strong systems give you more room for creativity, not less
• 3 big lessons I learned stepping into leadership (and why being "the boss" didn't come naturally)
• Why handing off your email doesn't mean losing your voice — it means finally having the space and clarity to use it really well

Check out this episode's blog post

Coaching Programs & Services:

Email Strategy Playbook - A fresh set of eyes and insight into your current email marketing

The Duett Debut - Done for you email copywrting & automation setup

Ready, Set, EMAIL - Quick & custom email setup to grow and send your newsletter fast

Book a FREE Discovery Call

Instagram @alleagrummert

Episode Summary:

In this episode, you get to meet my friend Ally Anderson of Akari Digital and she is a freaking WHIZ. I mean that with all of the air in my chest. I learned so much on this call with her that I cannot wait for you to hear and learn about it too! Whether you're a content creator, blogger, course creator or service provider, join us as we go deep into the stats and numbers of email marketing! Once you have better data, you'll be able to use your time and energy on the strategies that work BEST for reaching your audience. We love saving time and getting better outcomes, don't we?

In this episode, Ally shares:

• Examples of KPIs for different platforms, different goals and different types of creators

• Her honest opinion on using the double opt-in as you grow your list

• The one really important tech factor that could be keeping your emails from being seen

• Practical strategies for how to track your activity and engagement from email

• What tracking tool you need to set up ASAP

Check out this episode's blog post Connect with Ally:https://akaridigital.ca/start/ Episode Resources: Book a FREE Discovery Call

Coaching Programs & Services:

The Duett Debut - Done for you email copywrting & automation setup

Email Strategy Playbook - A fresh set of eyes and insight into your current email marketing

Ready, Set, EMAIL - Quick & custom email setup to grow and send your newsletter fast

Instagram @alleagrummert

Episode Summary:

Today kicks off part one of a two-part series all about defining and creating your personal brand — not just on your website, but in your emails, too. Because in a world of content overload (and AI!), your brand is what makes you recognizable, relatable, and worth remembering. Establishing a clear brand helps you differentiate yourself online — for your audience and for yourself.

In this episode, you'll learn about:

• The difference between a "pretty logo" and a true brand strategy (and why skipping the strategy step will come back to bite you)
• The "waterfall effect" of branding: how strategy flows into visuals, messaging, and your email subscriber experience
• The role of brand values in how you show up online and how they help you attract the right audience
• How showing up as your real self (quirks and all) creates stronger human connection than polished perfection
• A simple gut-check you can use to see if your brand still feels on point or if it's time for a refresh

👉 And don't forget — this is just part one! Next week on The Vine Podcast (go ahead and subscribe now), Madison interviews me about the next step: weaving your brand into email with a welcome sequence that helps new subscribers get to know you right from the start.

Check out this episode's blog post Connect with Madison: The Vine Podcast Grace + Vine Studios Website Grace + Vine Studios Instagram Joyfully Mad Food Blog Joyfully Mad Instagram Episode Resources:FREE Duett's Your First Welcome Sequence Duett Services:

The Duett Debut - Done for you email copywriting & automation setup Email Strategy Playbook - A fresh set of eyes and insight into your current email marketing

Ready, Set, EMAIL - Quick & custom email setup to grow and send your newsletter fast

Book a FREE Discovery Call

Instagram @alleagrummert

Episode Summary:

The way this episode SURPRISED me… 😮

Kayla Burton — food blogger, food blog coach, and kind-hearted tech tutorial queen — joined me on Happy Subscribers, and y'all, I've got to spill the beans: She nurtured her email list weekly for two years with massively helpful, no-fluff content helping other food bloggers. Then she launched her first webinar… and ended up with THIRTY new coaching clients. (Yes, THIR-TY!)

If you want a real life example of a two year commitment to value, consistency and connection — this conversation with Kayla will give you practical tips for your own journey with email marketing.

My favorite takeaway?

When you genuinely care about your audience and help solve their real problems (with consistency and generosity) the results show up in relationships and revenue.

Kayla's story is proof that thoughtful, helpful emails don't just build trust… they build a loyal, engaged community that's excited to learn from you.

In this episode, Kayla shares:

• What she's learned from sending newsletters for 2+ years including 6 of her favorite personal lessons

• Why she was nervous to send emails at first and what's changed to boost her confidence in a way that makes it easier

• How she's used her newsletter to find her voice and confidence as a thought leader in the food blogging industry

• How community building actually happens through email marketing

• Why you don't need anything fancy to grow a thriving, newsletter list of dedicated fans

Check out this episode's blog post Episode Resources:Free 5-Day Food Blog Foundations Email Course Email Strategy Playbook Connect with Kayla: Instagram

Coaching Programs & Services:

Maximize Your Marketing - For those who need an in-house CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) to help you build sustainable email and promotional strategies, engage your subscribers, and grow your business and bottom line that otherwise is untapped potential.

The Duett Debut - Done for you email copywrting & automation setup

Ready, Set, EMAIL - Quick & custom email setup to grow and send your newsletter fast

Book a FREE Discovery Call

Instagram @alleagrummert