The Branding Fix

Okay so if you're trying to make money as a content creator and the numbers just aren't numbering, sit with us for a second.

We were talking about this and realized the creator pitch and the MLM pitch are basically the same script. It's never been easier to start. Anyone can do it. Just get the course. And the presets. And the microphone.

Make it one time, collect money forever. And then eventually somebody tells you the real move is teaching other people how to do the thing you're doing. Like. That's a downline.

📌 What we cover:

So we went back and counted what we've actually bought over the years and it's bad. Presets we forgot the names of. Six social media templates from one company. Cameras, plural. Courses that told us nothing we didn't already know. We get into master resell rights and all the faceless digital marketing stuff too, because that's the same thing wearing a new outfit.

And then we talk about what does work, which is slower and way less fun to put on a thumbnail. But it holds.

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Content creation and the MLM playbook

01:46 Why the creator pitch works on smart people

02:49 The laptop on the beach lifestyle sell

03:17 What we bought: presets, gear, courses

07:16 The batching myth: a month of content in an hour

09:07 Passive income isn't passive

12:36 Master resell rights and the downline

15:49 An actual MLM meeting, and LulaRoe

18:49 What a real content business looks like

22:00 How to actually make money as a creator

23:22 Free brand challenge and Monday coworking

☕ Pull up a chair. This is your monthly business check-in, and we're not sugarcoating anything.

👇 JOIN THE FIX YOUR BRAND CHALLENGE: https://www.thebrandingfix.com/fix-yo...

Pull up your Instagram grid right now and be honest: does it look like a personal brand or a billboard FOR a brand? Does it look like a magazine or a grid of Canva graphics? Because there's a difference, and it's quietly killing your reach.

Somewhere along the way creators started making content that looks like advertising and magazines from the 80s and 90s. Then they added polished graphics, Canva templates, stock photos, perfect carousels, and more; then both the algorithm and the audience scroll right past, because nobody stops for an ad.

In this live coworking session we fix your Instagram in real time: less graphic design, more human, and the hook rules that decide whether anyone stops at all. Then we audit YOUR grids live.

WHAT WE GET INTO:

→ The "uncanny ad" problem:why graphics and stock photos = instant skip → Hook University: everything needs a hook (feed, carousel, reel, caption) → Reels vs. carousels vs. photos: what the algorithm ranks and in what order → Captions are SEO now: helpful, not stuffed (the "tiny blog post" method) → The 5-hashtag cap and what it's really telling you → LIVE: drop your IG handle and we'll tell you if your grid looks like a brand or an ad

👇 Describe your Instagram in 3 words. We'll know instantly.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Brand or Billboard

01:12 Why Polish Kills Reach

01:51 Less Production More Person

02:27 How We Got Here

04:57 Poll Your Current Feed

05:32 Canva Features Tagged AI

08:38 Instagram Tells to Avoid

09:41 Ditch Templates and Stock

14:06 Stop Chasing Perfect Grids

16:36 Clean Up Your Content

18:11 Create Shareable Feelings

19:24 Stop Auto Promo Graphics

22:02 Avoid AI Clip Tools

23:48 Slow Down and Give Grace

26:06 Build Your Own Stock Library

30:42 Normalize Editing Time

31:40 Reels Without Hooks

35:39 Be Unique and Vulnerable

37:29 Boundaries and Storytelling

42:37 Formats and Reintroductions

47:21 Every Post Is First Impression

50:22 One Point Videos

51:34 Challenge Content Spiral

54:03 Start With The Answer

56:27 SEO Tricks And Give

01:06:50 No Recap Posts

01:11:17 Monthly Focus Content

01:16:19 Entertainment And Opinions

01:23:52 Captions And Community

01:30:35 Less Production Wrap

👇 JOIN THE FIX YOUR BRAND CHALLENGE:

https://youtu.be/M8ZPlEzd_90

💼 ABOUT THE BRANDING FIX:

We're two solo bloggers documenting how we rebuild and future-proof our content and brand.

🔔 New videos every Friday! Live co-working every Monday at 10am EST.

🎧 Also available wherever you get your podcasts.

Visit our website: https://www.thebrandingfix.com

FREEBIES TO GET STARTED:

- Get 15 Free Brand Boards: https://thebrandingfix.myflodesk.com/branding-boards

- Get 3 Free Lightroom Presets: https://thebrandingfix.myflodesk.com/u860o8ig3h

Subscribe for more branding tips: https://www.youtube.com/@thebrandingfix?sub_confirmation=1

Everyone keeps telling you SEO got HARDER because of AI overviews, endless Google updates, "SEO is dead." We're telling you the opposite, and we mean it: SEO got EASIER. 2026 is the new 2010. All the exhausting stuff that scared people off like formatting, keyword stuffing, chasing search volume, writing for robots, etc, is exactly what's dying. What's left is almost embarrassingly simple.

In this live coworking session, we break down what actually works for SEO now (on your blog AND on social), why bloggers suddenly have an unfair advantage, and the genuinely simple checklist that replaces the old complicated version.

WHAT WE GET INTO:

→ What died vs. what's back (and why AI overviews CAUSED this shift) → The simple 2026 SEO checklist: what to DO and what to STOP doing → Why SEO moved to social: Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube are search engines now → The bloggers' advantage: you've done this for years, you just need to tweak it → "Blog like it's Tumblr" and why voice and experience beat keyword tricks → LIVE: drop your niche, and we'll tell you if it's an SEO goldmine (blog + social)

👇 On a scale of 1–10, how much does "SEO" stress you out?

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 SEO Is Easier Now

01:13 Tumblr Era Blogging

03:50 Deprogramming Old SEO

07:36 Stop Chasing AI Hacks

10:05 What SEO Killed

18:02 Ditch Keyword Tools

25:01 Purge Tools And Platforms

30:05 Human Experience Wins

30:19 Local Travel Blogging

34:30 Learn In Public Content

35:15 Depth Beats Keywords

36:08 Human Journey Content

39:01 Ditch SEO Checklists

40:47 Headings and Intent

44:06 Keyword Stuffing Example

50:36 Titles and Meta Descriptions

54:27 Social Media SEO Shift

01:00:56 Have Fun and Be Real

01:04:15 Wrap Up and Next Week

👇 JOIN THE FIX YOUR BRAND CHALLENGE:

https://youtu.be/M8ZPlEzd_90

💼 ABOUT THE BRANDING FIX:

We're two solo bloggers documenting how we rebuild and future-proof our content and brand.

🔔 New videos every Friday! Live co-working every Monday at 10am EST.

🎧 Also available wherever you get your podcasts.

Visit our website: https://www.thebrandingfix.com

FREEBIES TO GET STARTED:

- Get 15 Free Brand Boards: https://thebrandingfix.myflodesk.com/branding-boards

- Get 3 Free Lightroom Presets: https://thebrandingfix.myflodesk.com/u860o8ig3h

Subscribe for more branding tips: https://www.youtube.com/@thebrandingfix?sub_confirmation=1

If you want to make money blogging in 2026, the strategy that used to work is now working against you. ☕

Here's the 8-step plan to rebuild.The old way of blogging is dead. Not evolving — dead. And if you're still writing keyword posts hoping the algorithm bounces back, you're rebuilding on the same foundation that already broke.

What content creators and bloggers need to understand: chasing clicks was always the fragile version. A real brand — one where people come looking for you by name — is the only thing AI can't replicate. It's the only answer to traffic loss that actually survives the next update.

We walk through the 8-step plan we're using to rebuild blogs from the ground up: content audit, brand clarity, social as a billboard (not a second job), and turning monetization back on in the right order.

📌 What we cover:

→ Why "fear posting" keeps you stuck (and what to do instead)

→ How to audit your content and cut what's diluting your brand

→ Why your email list is your only algorithm-proof asset

→ The social media strategy that actually drives blog traffic

→ The right order to turn blog monetization back on

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Blogging Crash Reality

01:46 Stop Chasing AI SEO

02:58 Own Your Platform

03:49 Real Brand Definition

05:31 Step One Pause Posting

06:07 Step Two Content Audit

08:38 Step Three Brand Challenge

09:17 Step Four Social Billboards

12:26 Step Five Pinterest Refresh

13:22 Step Six Build Newsletter

14:29 Step Seven Repurpose System

15:15 Step Eight Monetize Order

18:22 Blogging Rebuild Wrap Up

☕ Pull up a chair. This is your monthly business check-in, and we're not sugarcoating anything.

👇 JOIN THE FIX YOUR BRAND CHALLENGE:

• Fix Your Content In 10 Days (Free Brand Ch...

👇 JOIN THE FIX YOUR BRAND CHALLENGE:

https://youtu.be/M8ZPlEzd_90

💼 ABOUT THE BRANDING FIX:

We're two solo bloggers documenting how we rebuild and future-proof our content and brand.

🔔 New videos every Friday! Live co-working every Monday at 10am EST.

🎧 Also available wherever you get your podcasts.

Visit our website: https://www.thebrandingfix.com

FREEBIES TO GET STARTED:

- Get 15 Free Brand Boards: https://thebrandingfix.myflodesk.com/branding-boards

- Get 3 Free Lightroom Presets: https://thebrandingfix.myflodesk.com/u860o8ig3h

Subscribe for more branding tips: https://www.youtube.com/@thebrandingfix?sub_confirmation=1

Squarespace raised their prices again. Here's how to move your blog to WordPress with a calm, portable exit plan that future-proofs you against the next platform price hike. ☕

If you're a blogger or content creator watching your platform costs climb, the answer isn't just switching, it's building for portability so you're never trapped again. We break down what actually changed with Squarespace pricing, why platform-hopping won't save you long-term, and the calm exit strategy that works whether you're on Squarespace, Wix, or any hosted platform.

📌 What we cover:

→ The real Squarespace price change (and why your next platform will do it too)

→ The migration reality check nobody talks about

→ Platform-hopping horror stories (including Kadence pricing drama)

→ How to build for portability from day one

→ WordPress isn't that hard, here's the calm exit plan

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Squarespace Price Shock

00:55 Why Switching Won't Save You

01:29 What Changed and Why

03:45 The Migration Reality Check

05:01 Platform Hopping Stories

07:36 Kadence Pricing Drama

09:22 Build for Portability

14:35 WordPress Isn't That Hard

15:25 Calm Exit Plan Steps

19:37 Final Thoughts and Wrap

☕ Pull up a chair. This is your monthly business check-in, and we're not sugarcoating anything.

👇 JOIN THE FIX YOUR BRAND CHALLENGE: • Fix Your Content In 10 Days (Free Brand Ch...

👇 JOIN THE FIX YOUR BRAND CHALLENGE:

https://youtu.be/M8ZPlEzd_90

💼 ABOUT THE BRANDING FIX:

We're two solo bloggers documenting how we rebuild and future-proof our content and brand.

🔔 New videos every Friday! Live co-working every Monday at 10am EST.

🎧 Also available wherever you get your podcasts.

Visit our website: https://www.thebrandingfix.com

FREEBIES TO GET STARTED:

- Get 15 Free Brand Boards: https://thebrandingfix.myflodesk.com/branding-boards

- Get 3 Free Lightroom Presets: https://thebrandingfix.myflodesk.com/u860o8ig3h

Subscribe for more branding tips: https://www.youtube.com/@thebrandingfix?sub_confirmation=1

Most creators show you the highlight reel, the wins, the screenshots, "look how well this did." We're doing the opposite. In this live coworking session, we're pulling up our REAL analytics: the flops, the embarrassing numbers, the month that didn't work, all unedited, on screen, and letting you roast us in the chat while we diagnose what to fix in real time.

Because you learn nothing from someone's best day. You learn everything from watching someone honestly diagnose their worst one. Then we help YOU audit yours, live.

WHAT WE GET INTO:

→ Our real flops on screen (a bombed video, a traffic dip, a launch that underperformed)

→ How to read your own analytics WITHOUT your feelings getting in the way

→ The 3-way diagnosis: was it the content, the promotion, or the wrong audience?

→ What we're actually changing this month based on the numbers

→ LIVE: drop your ugliest metric (a flop, a dip, a $0 month) and we'll tell you what we'd do 👇 What's your ugliest metric right now? Drop it, no judgment.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 No Highlight Reels

01:25 Why Fran Went Quiet

02:06 Google Search Console Update

04:42 Link Social Accounts

05:27 Instagram Search Clicks

07:46 Even Crappy Reels Rank

08:53 YouTube Traffic From Google

14:05 Brand Awareness In Search

15:51 Poll Ugliest Metric

16:42 Victoria Google Analytics

19:44 Fran Traffic Recovery

24:56 Fixing CTR And Titles

30:00 Kindle Post Comeback

33:14 Promote Pillar Content

35:43 Analytics Check In Habit

36:36 Summer Reading Guide Setup

37:13 Paywall Traffic Lesson

39:40 Channel Mix Breakdown

41:51 Helpful Content Wins

44:47 Pinterest Summer Slump

46:40 Pinterest Bare Minimum

48:52 Instagram Community Focus

55:50 Reels Versus Carousels

01:00:29 YouTube Search Insights

01:04:58 Google Drives Social

01:08:46 Build Brand Long Game

01:10:30 Poll Results Wrap Up

01:11:28 Final Takeaways Goodbye

👇 JOIN THE FIX YOUR BRAND CHALLENGE:

https://youtu.be/M8ZPlEzd_90

💼 ABOUT THE BRANDING FIX:

We're two solo bloggers documenting how we rebuild and future-proof our content and brand.

🔔 New videos every Friday! Live co-working every Monday at 10am EST.

🎧 Also available wherever you get your podcasts.

Visit our website: https://www.thebrandingfix.com

FREEBIES TO GET STARTED:

- Get 15 Free Brand Boards: https://thebrandingfix.myflodesk.com/branding-boards

- Get 3 Free Lightroom Presets: https://thebrandingfix.myflodesk.com/u860o8ig3h

Subscribe for more branding tips: https://www.youtube.com/@thebrandingfix?sub_confirmation=1

Everyone in this space tells you to do MORE! So post more, add another platform, launch another product, buy another tool. We did the opposite. Over the last year, we quit a whole list of "best practices" and tools everyone swears you need and our income went UP, not down.

In this live coworking session, we're not adding to your plate; we're handing you the list of things you can put DOWN today and probably grow faster because of it. Then we're going live in the chat to tell YOU what you're allowed to quit.

⚠️ This isn't lazy advice. It's the difference between being busy and being paid.

WHAT WE GET INTO:

→ Why "do more" is the default advice (and who profits from it)

→ The 8 things we quit: batching, keyword chasing, daily posting, 5 platforms, paywalls, the "brand voice," the course treadmill, comparison

→ What actually happened to our traffic and income after each one

→ The test for what YOU should quit vs. keep

→ LIVE: drop the thing you're most exhausted by and we'll give you a verdict; quit it, tweak it, or keep it 👇 What's ONE thing you're quitting after today? Tell us in the chat.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Do Less Earn More

01:27 Letting Go of SEO

02:44 Poll What Exhausts You

04:36 Why Everyone Pushes More

10:18 Stop Over Optimizing

21:20 Things We Quit List

22:32 Ditch Quiz Lead Magnets

25:41 Cut Platforms and Posting

27:41 Kill Popups and Freebies

36:47 Stop Buying Templates Gear

43:24 Start Simple Promote Later

46:04 Name Brand Pricing

47:12 Duct Tape Creator Hacks

48:39 Search Traffic Comeback

50:25 Quit Paywalls Gatekeeping

51:55 Opportunity Income Stories

57:47 How To Know Quit

58:28 Podcast Cut Example

01:01:18 Stress Tools Analytics

01:05:22 Trim Platforms Focus

01:07:34 75 Hard Check In

01:10:50 Fall Content Planning

01:12:39 Million Dollar Myth

01:14:17 Virtual Assistant Reality

01:18:30 Decision Fatigue Advice

01:29:46 Wrap Up Next Live

Watch Next (links):

▶️ Fix Your Brand Challenge

▶️ We Stopped Batching Content (Here's What Happened)

▶️ We Stopped Chasing Keywords

▶️ We Removed All Paywalls

👇 JOIN THE FIX YOUR BRAND CHALLENGE:

https://youtu.be/M8ZPlEzd_90

💼 ABOUT THE BRANDING FIX:

We're two solo bloggers documenting how we rebuild and future-proof our content and brand.

🔔 New videos every Friday! Live co-working every Monday at 10am EST.

🎧 Also available wherever you get your podcasts.

Visit our website: https://www.thebrandingfix.com

FREEBIES TO GET STARTED:

- Get 15 Free Brand Boards: https://thebrandingfix.myflodesk.com/branding-boards

- Get 3 Free Lightroom Presets: https://thebrandingfix.myflodesk.com/u860o8ig3h

Subscribe for more branding tips: https://www.youtube.com/@thebrandingfix?sub_confirmation=1

Let's make an extra $2,000 online together before the end of the year without launching a course, coaching program, or stressful product. In this live coworking session we are sharing the exact low-stress plan to make money online using affiliate marketing, and how to time it for the Q4 holiday season when spending is highest.

The strategy: stop scattering random product links and "lock in" on a handful of products you actually use, until you become the go-to person for them. Then push those products across LTK, ShopMy, Pinterest, Amazon, and social. And plant your gift-guide content NOW (it's July) so it ranks in time for the holidays.

No launch, no webinar, no convincing anyone of anything.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 Q4 Money Window

00:59 Poll and Coworking

01:49 Stop Scattering Lock In

02:45 Why Courses Fail Now

04:25 Pick 3 to 5 Products

06:57 Become Known Organically

11:01 Community Check In

12:55 Content Capture Tips

14:27 Football Side Chat

17:18 Where to Put Links

23:11 Timing for Q4 Earnings

26:55 Make 2K Feel Real

27:41 Q4 Income Stacking

28:48 Set The 2K Goal

30:03 Niche Product Angles

31:31 Amazon Associates Q4

31:49 Pinterest Instagram Plays

36:35 Amazon Review Videos

37:36 Math Behind 2K

40:47 Pick Evergreen Winners

42:02 Cleaning Content Series

45:56 Bundle High Low

48:46 Lock In Homework

51:07 Wrap Up And Execute

✅ WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

• Why courses, coaching & memberships are struggling in 2026 (fast)
• The "lock in" strategy: become known for a handful of products
• How to pick your products and get known for them without feeling salesy
• How to use LTK, ShopMy, Pinterest, Amazon & social for affiliate income
• The Q4 timing play: plant gift guides now so they rank for the holidays
• How an extra $2,000 actually adds up by stacking small income streams

💬 COMMENT your niche + your lock-in products and we'll tell you if you're onto something. 🔔 We go LIVE every Monday for a coworking session. Subscribe so you catch the next one. 🔗 LINKS

• Fix Your Brand challenge:
• Our content system:

👋 We're The Branding Fix, two solo bloggers rebuilding our blogs out loud in the age of AI. Blogging, affiliate marketing, and making money online, every week.

📲 Say hi: @thebrandingfix

We had to get honest with ourselves. Were we on Substack to build name recognition or to actually make money? Because the strategy for each is completely different, and staying in the middle is why most creators stay stuck.

It's easy to tell yourself it's both. You're growing an audience, the subscriber count is ticking up, it feels like progress. You'll make money later.

We hit that fork in the road and had to pick a lane. This video is the conversation we had with each other and the math that made the answer unavoidable.

IN THIS VIDEO:

→ The real reason we're on Substack (and the question every creator needs to answer)

→ Why "both" isn't a strategy, it's a stall

→ The income ceiling built into the paywall model that nobody talks about

→ How we reframed Substack as a billboard instead of a bank account

→ The 7-step monetization blueprint we're actually following

This isn't a "Substack is bad" video. It's a "stop lying to yourself about why you're here" video.

☕ New videos every Friday & live coworking every Monday.

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Substack Income Ceiling

00:45 The Fork in the Road

02:02 Three Reasons You're Stuck

03:20 Do the Substack Math

04:39 Paywall Model Problem

05:18 Substack as Billboard

07:09 Step 1 Pick Your Goal

08:05 Steps 2–4 Audit and Fix

10:04 Step 5 Start a Blog HQ

11:56 Step 6 Monetization Order

14:44 Step 7 Cost vs Earnings

16:06 Wrap Up and Next Video

☕ Pull up a chair. This is your monthly business check-in, and we're not sugarcoating anything.

👇 JOIN THE FIX YOUR BRAND CHALLENGE:

• Fix Your Content In 10 Days (Free Brand Ch...

👇 JOIN THE FIX YOUR BRAND CHALLENGE:

https://youtu.be/M8ZPlEzd_90

💼 ABOUT THE BRANDING FIX:

We're two solo bloggers documenting how we rebuild and future-proof our content and brand.

🔔 New videos every Friday! Live co-working every Monday at 10am EST.

🎧 Also available wherever you get your podcasts.

Visit our website: https://www.thebrandingfix.com

FREEBIES TO GET STARTED:

- Get 15 Free Brand Boards: https://thebrandingfix.myflodesk.com/branding-boards

- Get 3 Free Lightroom Presets: https://thebrandingfix.myflodesk.com/u860o8ig3h

Subscribe for more branding tips: https://www.youtube.com/@thebrandingfix?sub_confirmation=1

Want to grow your blog traffic without making new content every single day? In this live coworking session we show you how we repurpose our content and how one blog post into a full week of content that actually drives traffic. First, the exact checklist to rebuild an old blog post so it ranks on Google and readers finish it. Then, how to promote your blog on social media using: Instagram carousels, Instagram reels, Pinterest, and Facebook as billboards that point back to your site. Because here's the mindset: your blog is the asset you own, and social media is the billboard. Most bloggers build the asset and never put up the billboard, so their best posts just sit there. Not anymore.

⏱️ CHAPTERS

00:00 One Post Ten-X Results

01:08 Rebuild and Promote Plan

03:43 Step One Answer Fast

05:33 Step Two Make It Yours

12:59 Step Three No Dead Ends

16:35 Poll Results Reality Check

19:14 Billboards Not New Content

22:23 Instagram Carousel Blueprint

27:20 Reels for New Reach

29:15 Pinterest Search Shift

32:12 Pinterest Hooks That Click

33:03 Gen Z Pins and Visuals

33:57 Facebook Value First

36:33 Groups Without Spamming

39:39 Threads X No Link Dumping

43:24 Platform Specific Strategy

45:17 Chat Sports Break

46:50 Better Blog Title Hooks

50:00 Pinterest vs Social Branding

57:58 Homework and Wrap Up

✅ WHAT YOU'LL LEARN

How to rebuild an old blog post so it ranks and converts

The 3-step blog post checklist: answer fast, add experience, link the next step

How to repurpose one blog post across multiple platforms

Instagram carousels that tease the answer and earn the click

Reels that reach a cold audience and grow your following

Why online search is moving to Pinterest, and why pins need hooks now

How to promote your blog on Facebook without getting buried

💬 COMMENT your niche and we'll suggest a hook for your next post.

🔔 We go LIVE every Monday for a coworking session. Subscribe so you catch the next one.

🔗 LINKS

Fix Your Brand challenge:

Our content planning system:

👋 We're The Branding Fix — two solo bloggers rebuilding our blogs out loud in the age of AI. Content, blogging, and making money online, every week.

📲 Say hi: @thebrandingfix

👇 JOIN THE FIX YOUR BRAND CHALLENGE:

https://youtu.be/M8ZPlEzd_90

💼 ABOUT THE BRANDING FIX:

We're two solo bloggers documenting how we rebuild and future-proof our content and brand.

🔔 New videos every Friday! Live co-working every Monday at 10am EST.

🎧 Also available wherever you get your podcasts.

Visit our website: https://www.thebrandingfix.com

FREEBIES TO GET STARTED:

- Get 15 Free Brand Boards: https://thebrandingfix.myflodesk.com/branding-boards

- Get 3 Free Lightroom Presets: https://thebrandingfix.myflodesk.com/u860o8ig3h

Subscribe for more branding tips: https://www.youtube.com/@thebrandingfix?sub_confirmation=1