Marketing Trends Now by Katie Brinkley

Speaking can be one of the most powerful marketing tools for your business. But only if you do it with intention.

In this episode, Katie Brinkley talks with Leisa Reid, founder of Get Speaking Gigs Now and CEO of the International Speaker Network. Leisa has delivered more than 600 talks. She hasn't cold pitched in over 10 years, and she still speaks about 40 times a year.

You'll learn:

• When speaking is worth your time, and when it isn't
• Why "brilliance hoarding" is costing you clients
• The two traps new speakers fall into: "get my name out there" and "pay my dues"
• The difference between speaking to market your business and being a paid keynote speaker
• Why warm outreach beats cold applications
• How a "speaker soulmate" can keep you booked for years
• How to write a call to action that turns an audience into clients
• Where to give your very first talk

If you've thought about speaking but didn't know where to start, this is your permission slip.

Get Leisa's five tips to get more speaking gigs: getspeakinggigsnow.com/tips

Have you ever kept doing something just because you've always done it?

After more than 550 episodes across Marketing Trends Now and Rocky Mountain Marketing in five years, Katie Brinkley needed a break. In this return episode, she explains why she stepped away for four months, and why pausing is sometimes the smartest marketing decision you can make.

Marketers hear it constantly: stay consistent, keep creating, never lose momentum. Katie believes consistency matters. She also believes in posting less, being intentional, and making smarter marketing decisions instead of adding one more thing to the calendar.

Here's what's new on the show:

• New episodes every Tuesday morning
• Short solo episodes, most 10 minutes or less
• One idea per episode: what's happening, why it matters for your business, and what to do next
• A monthly interview with experts in digital marketing, AI, and social media strategy

Tired of 10 different people telling you to post more, use AI, make more video, and join another platform? This show helps you sort out what's worth your time and what isn't.

Subscribe to Marketing Trends Now so you never miss an episode.

What if AI didn’t just help you think — what if it actually started doing the work you hate to do?

That’s the question Katie tackles in part three of this four-part AI series.

So far, this series has covered two major ideas: first, most business owners are using AI too narrowly, mostly for output instead of execution. Second, if AI doesn’t sound like you yet, it’s not because it can’t — it’s because you haven’t trained it with enough context.

Now comes the real shift.

In this episode of Marketing Trends Now, Katie explains how to move from using AI as an assistant to using it as an executor. Because if AI is still only “helping” you, but you’re doing every final step yourself, you’re still the bottleneck.

• Why even “good” AI users are often still doing all the work themselves
• The mindset shift from help me to handle this
• Why speed alone is not enough if tasks are still running through you
• How to identify the repetitive tasks that drain the most energy
• Why your anti to-do list matters more than your prompt library
• What friction removal actually looks like in a real business
• Practical examples like follow-up emails, podcast repurposing, and meeting prep
• Why the goal is momentum, not perfection
• How to start building repeatable systems without overcomplicating everything

Timestamps:

00:00 – Stop Using AI for Ideas Only (Execution Is the Real Win)

01:00 – Why You’re Still the Bottleneck (Even With AI)

02:00 – The Mindset Shift: “Help Me” vs “Handle This”

03:00 – Build Your AI Anti-To-Do List (Start Here)

05:00 – Real Example: Automating Emails & Content With AI

07:00 – Why AI Doesn’t Need to Be Perfect (Momentum > Perfection) 

If AI is only helping you think, you’re still doing all the work. The real payoff happens when AI starts handling pieces of execution and removing friction one task at a time.

Before the next episode, pick one task from your anti to-do list and use AI to handle it from start to finish. Then refine what it gives you. And if you want help building a smarter marketing system that actually frees up your time, that’s exactly what we help business owners do at Next Step Social.

Learn more about Katie and Next Step Social & Podcasting:

Speaking: https://katiebrinkley.com/

Website: https://www.nextstepsocial.com/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiebrinkley

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MarketingTrendsNow

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

What if AI doesn’t sound like you — not because it can’t, but because you’ve never actually shown it how?

That’s the shift Katie Brinkley tackles in part two of this AI series.

In this episode of Marketing Trends Now, Katie breaks down one of the biggest frustrations business owners have with AI: it feels generic, off-brand, and like it creates more editing instead of less. But the issue usually isn’t the tool. It’s the lack of context.

If you’ve ever opened ChatGPT or Claude, typed in a prompt, and thought, “I would never actually post this,” this episode is for you.

• Why most people expect AI to read their minds
• Why better prompts are not the answer
• The real difference between prompts and context
• Why AI sounds generic when your brand voice is undefined
• The three things you need to define before AI can sound like you: your tone, your audience, and your beliefs
• Why you need to show AI, not just tell it
• How to use examples of what feels right and what feels wrong to train better outputs
• Why starting from scratch every time guarantees inconsistent results
• How patterns and structure turn AI into part of your workflow instead of just another tool

Timestamps:

[00:00:00] – Why AI Content Doesn’t Sound Like You (Big Mistake)

[00:01:30] – The Real Problem: AI Doesn’t Know Your Brand Voice

[00:03:00] – Stop Prompting—Start Training AI With Context

[00:05:00] – How to Teach AI Your Tone, Messaging & Audience

[00:07:00] – Why Most AI Content Feels Generic (And How to Fix It)

[00:09:00] – Turn AI Into a Time-Saving System (Not More Work)

If AI doesn’t sound like you, it’s not because it’s broken. It’s because it doesn’t know you yet. Better results come from better context, better examples, and better patterns.

Before the next episode, find one piece of content that sounds exactly like you and one that feels completely off. Use both as your starting point. And if you want help building smarter systems that make your marketing actually feel like you, that’s exactly what we do at Next Step Social.

Learn more about Katie and Next Step Social & Podcasting:

Speaking: https://katiebrinkley.com/

Website: https://www.nextstepsocial.com/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiebrinkley

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MarketingTrendsNow

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What if AI isn’t saving you time — not because it isn’t powerful enough, but because you’re using it the exact same way as everybody else?

That’s the real question behind this episode.

In part one of this new AI series, Katie Brinkley breaks down why so many business owners are using AI, but still not feeling the payoff. Because yes, AI can help you write a caption, brainstorm an email, or draft a blog outline. But if you still have to rewrite everything, make all the decisions, and carry all the mental load, then AI didn’t really free you up. It just gave you a faster starting point.

This episode is about the shift from using AI like a content tool to using AI like a CEO.

• Why AI often feels helpful but not truly life-changing
• The difference between using AI for outputs vs. using it to reduce friction
• What “ask and receive mode” is, and why it keeps you stuck in shallow AI use
• Why so many entrepreneurs are still the bottleneck, even when they’re using AI
• How AI can support execution, decision-making, and your day-to-day operations
• The difference between making more content and creating more capacity
• Why repetitive tasks drain more energy than most business owners realize
• What an “anti to-do list” is, and how to use it as your starting point with AI
• What to do before the next episode in this 4-part series

Learn more about Katie and Next Step Social & Podcasting:

Speaking: https://katiebrinkley.com/

Website: https://www.nextstepsocial.com/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiebrinkley

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MarketingTrendsNow

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

Have you ever had a video get views, but nothing actually came from it? No leads. No engagement. No traction. That’s the trap so many business owners fall into on YouTube: they see views and assume something is working.

But not all views are created equal.

In this episode of Marketing Trends Now, Katie Brinkley breaks down the YouTube metrics that actually matter if you’re using video to grow your business. Because if you’ve ever opened YouTube Studio and felt overwhelmed by the data, this episode will help you simplify what to track and what to ignore.

• Why views are one of the most misleading metrics on YouTube
• What YouTube actually cares about when deciding to push your content
• Why watch time and audience retention matter more than raw views
• How to use your first 30 seconds to keep people from dropping off
• The real role of click-through rate, thumbnails, and titles
• What impressions tell you about whether YouTube is even showing your content
• The difference between making videos for views vs. making videos for business growth

[00:00:00] – Why Views Don’t Equal Business Growth

[00:00:30] – The Biggest Mistake in YouTube Analytics

[00:01:15] – Why Views Are a Misleading Metric

[00:02:00] – The Metric That Actually Drives Growth (Retention)

[00:02:30] – How to Use Audience Retention to Improve Content

[00:03:00] – Why the First 30 Seconds Make or Break Your Video

[00:03:30] – Click-Through Rate: Titles & Thumbnails That Convert

[00:04:00] – Fixing the Disconnect Between Click & Content

[00:04:30] – Impressions: The Metric Most Creators Ignore

[00:05:00] – How to Diagnose What’s Actually Not Working

[00:05:15] – Stop Chasing Views—Focus on Business Results

[00:05:30] – The 3 Metrics Every Business Owner Should Track

[00:05:45] – How to Use Analytics as Growth Feedback

If you want YouTube to help your business, stop obsessing over views and start paying attention to the metrics that show trust, interest, and momentum: retention, click-through rate, and impressions.

This week, go into your YouTube analytics and focus on just three things: how long people are watching, whether they’re clicking, and whether YouTube is showing your content. Start there. Improve one thing at a time. And if you want help turning your YouTube content into a strategic lead-generation system, that’s exactly what we do at Next Step Social.

Learn more about Katie and Next Step Social & Podcasting:

Speaking: https://katiebrinkley.com/

Website: https://www.nextstepsocial.com/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiebrinkley

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MarketingTrendsNow

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you’ve been following AI video this past year, there’s a good chance you heard “Sora” and thought, this changes everything. And honestly, it did. But now OpenAI is reportedly moving away from Sora as a standalone app — and that matters for business owners more than most people realize.

Because this isn’t really about one app going away. It’s about what AI companies are prioritizing now, what tools are actually worth your time, and how to stop chasing shiny objects in your marketing.

In this episode of Marketing Trends Now, Katie Brinkley breaks down what Sora’s shift really means, why AI video is moving from flashy to functional, and how entrepreneurs can use AI in a way that actually supports leads, sales, and consistency.

• Why OpenAI shifting Sora into ChatGPT and other products is a signal, not a setback
• What this says about the future of AI ecosystems vs. standalone tools
• Why most business owners never consistently used AI video tools in the first place
• The difference between what AI can do and what is actually useful in your marketing
• Why AI video is becoming more about enhancement than creation-from-scratch
• Real-world examples of AI-assisted content: clipping podcasts, adding captions, cleaning audio, and repurposing
• The biggest mistake entrepreneurs make with AI tools
• Why strategy matters more than software
• How the “awareness to action” framework keeps your content focused when the tools keep changing

[00:00:00] – Is AI Video Changing Marketing Forever?

[00:00:35] – What Happened to Sora (And Why It Matters)

[00:01:00] – The Real Problem With AI Tools Right Now

[00:01:40] – Why AI Is Moving Into One Ecosystem

[00:02:15] – Stop Chasing Tools—Start Building Workflows

[00:02:50] – The Shift From Flashy AI to Functional AI

[00:03:30] – Why Most Businesses Don’t Use AI Video

[00:04:00] – Practical Ways to Use AI Video Today

[00:04:45] – How to Turn One Video Into Multiple Assets

[00:05:15] – The Biggest Mistake Entrepreneurs Make With AI

[00:05:45] – Why Strategy Matters More Than Tools

[00:06:10] – The 4-Post Content Strategy Explained

[00:06:40] – Build a Content System That Actually Converts

[00:07:10] – The Simple AI Repurposing Strategy to Start Now

[00:07:40] – Final Takeaway: Strategy Beats Tools Every Time

The future of marketing is not more tools. It is better systems. The businesses that win will not be the ones testing every shiny new AI product. They will be the ones using AI inside a clear, repeatable content strategy.

This week, instead of creating something new from scratch, pick one strong piece of content you already have and turn it into three more pieces. That is where AI becomes useful. And if you want help building a content system that actually drives leads and sales, that’s exactly what we do at Next Step Social.

Learn more about Katie and Next Step Social & Podcasting:

Speaking: https://katiebrinkley.com/

Website: https://www.nextstepsocial.com/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiebrinkley

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MarketingTrendsNow

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If your Instagram comments have slowed down, your LinkedIn posts feel quieter, or Threads suddenly seems a lot less lively, you’re not imagining it. Engagement is shifting across platforms — but the real story is bigger than “the algorithm hates me.”

In this episode, Katie Brinkley breaks down the recent engagement trends across major platforms and explains what’s actually happening behind the scenes. Because while engagement is down on some of the biggest platforms, that doesn’t mean your content is broken. It means the environment has changed.

Katie walks through why social media feels more crowded, more competitive, and more algorithm-driven than ever before — and what entrepreneurs and business owners should do differently if they want their content to keep working.

• Why engagement is declining on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Threads
• Why engagement is ticking up on platforms like TikTok, Pinterest, Facebook, and X
• How social media became far more competitive than it was even a few years ago
• Why recommendation algorithms changed the rules of the game
• Why LinkedIn can still be powerful even when engagement rates dip
• What Threads’ cooling engagement really tells us about platform maturity
• The difference between vanity metrics and real marketing results
• Why posting more is not the answer if your strategy is weak
• How the Awareness to Action strategy helps create purpose-driven content

Engagement is not the goal. Trust, connection, and business outcomes are the goal. The businesses that succeed are not the ones chasing every algorithm shift. They are the ones building content systems that still create leads and opportunities, even when engagement fluctuates.

If your engagement dropped tomorrow, would your content strategy still bring in leads? That’s the question that matters. And if you want help building a content strategy that creates visibility, trust, and business growth no matter what the algorithm does, that’s exactly what we do at Next Step Social.

Learn more about Katie and Next Step Social & Podcasting:

Speaking: https://katiebrinkley.com/

Website: https://www.nextstepsocial.com/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiebrinkley

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MarketingTrendsNow

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

AI promised to save us time. Faster captions. Faster blogs. Faster videos. Faster everything. But if you’ve actually tried using AI in your business, you already know the truth: it doesn’t always feel faster.

In this episode of Marketing Trends Now, Katie Brinkley breaks down the gap between the promise of AI and the reality many business owners are experiencing. Because while AI adoption is exploding, meaningful productivity gains are lagging behind. And the reason is simple: AI is not a strategy. It’s a tool.

Katie unpacks where AI is actually useful, why so many entrepreneurs feel like it’s creating more work instead of less, and how to use it in a way that truly supports your marketing instead of cluttering it.

• Why AI feels more complicated than promised for many business owners
• The difference between using AI as a shortcut vs. using it strategically
• Where AI works well: research, brainstorming, and content repurposing
• Why AI struggles with voice, nuance, and relationship-building
• The real reason so many AI-generated captions still need heavy editing
• Why strategy must come before any tool
• How to use AI as a multiplier, not a replacement

[00:00:00] – Is AI Actually Saving You Time?

[00:00:45] – The Gap Between AI Hype vs Reality

[00:01:30] – Why AI Without Strategy Creates More Work

[00:02:10] – The Hidden Problem With AI Tools Today

[00:03:00] – Why AI Content Still Needs Heavy Editing

[00:03:40] – What AI Is Actually Good At (Use This Instead)

[00:04:20] – Best Use Cases: Research & Content Repurposing

[00:05:00] – The Biggest Mistake: Using AI Without a Plan

[00:05:50] – Strategy First: Why Experts Win With AI

[00:06:30] – AI as a Multiplier (Not a Replacement)

[00:07:10] – The Real Goal: Better Strategy, Not More Content

The businesses getting the most value from AI are not the ones using it to replace their thinking. They are the ones using it to speed up execution after they already know where they’re going.

If you’ve been experimenting with AI but still feel like your content is taking too long — or sounding too generic — it may not be a tool problem. It may be a strategy problem. And that’s exactly what we help with at Next Step Social. From social media strategy to podcast production to full marketing intensives, we help you build the roadmap first so tools like AI can actually make your life easier.

Learn more about Katie and Next Step Social & Podcasting:

Speaking: https://katiebrinkley.com/

Website: https://www.nextstepsocial.com/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiebrinkley

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MarketingTrendsNow

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Have you ever opened your podcast dashboard, looked at your downloads, and immediately decided whether your show was a success—or a failure? You’re not alone. Most podcasters are judging their show using numbers they don’t actually understand, and it’s quietly wrecking their confidence and their strategy.

In this episode, I break down what your podcast stats are really telling you, what they’re not telling you, and how to evaluate whether your show is working as a business asset—not just a piece of content.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why a “download” does not equal a listener—and what it actually measures
• How different platforms (your host, Spotify, Apple Podcasts) each tell you a different part of the story
• Why no single dashboard gives you the full picture of your audience behavior
• The three metrics that matter most for entrepreneurs: Listener retention, Completion rate and Subscriber growth
• Why you don’t need thousands of listeners for your podcast to be successful
• How to ask better questions of your analytics: Which episodes spark DMs, shares, or client inquiries?
• Why a small, aligned audience of ideal clients is more powerful than a big, passive audience

Timestamp:

00:00 – Why Podcasters Misinterpret Their Analytics

01:05 – What a Podcast Download Actually Means

02:20 – Why Podcast Data Comes From Multiple Platforms

03:20 – The Problem With Relying Only on Downloads

03:55 – The Metrics That Actually Matter

04:05 – Listener Retention Explained

04:25 – Completion Rate and Engagement

04:45 – Why Subscribers Are Powerful Leads

The next time you log into your stats, I want you to stop asking, “Are these numbers big enough?” and start asking, “Are the right people listening?” If you’re ready to launch or optimize a podcast that actually supports your business, that’s exactly what we do at Next Step Social. You can learn more at NextStepSocial.com.

Learn more about Katie and Next Step Social & Podcasting:

Speaking: https://katiebrinkley.com/

Website: https://www.nextstepsocial.com/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiebrinkley

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MarketingTrendsNow

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.