The Branding Fix

Content creation’s dark truth? Most creators never make real money. We spent years in the wrong niche, “following our passion” while our bank accounts bled… and in this video we’re breaking down exactly what went wrong and what we’d do differently now.

After 14 years of blogging and creating content, we’ve realized something nobody wants to say out loud: not everyone should be a content creator — at least not in the way the internet sells it. If you’re pouring your heart into content and still not seeing profit, this might be the wake‑up call you actually need.

Watch the video: https://youtu.be/Bz2TkDsD9Jg

In this video, we’ll cover:

- Why “follow your passion” kept us broke for years

- How to tell if your niche will never make real money

- The difference between a fun hobby and a profitable content business

- A simple framework to decide if content creation makes sense for you

- What we’re doing now to rebuild our blogs and brands in a smarter way

🎯 This is for you if:

- You’re a blogger or creator who’s exhausted and underpaid

- You’re thinking about starting a YouTube channel, blog, or newsletter

- You’ve been told “just keep posting!” but the numbers don’t add up

- You secretly wonder if you picked the wrong niche (or the wrong platform)

⏰ TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Content Creation Reality Check: The Harsh Truth No One Tells You

00:44 Our Painful Story: Years Stuck in a Non‑Profitable Niche

01:52 Passion vs Profit: Why Passion Alone Won’t Pay the Bills

02:12 Our Unprofitable Blog Niche: How We Wasted Years Making $0

03:59 Not Every Niche Is Profitable: How to Avoid Dead‑End Topics

05:27 Profitable Blog Ideas: Examples of Niches That Can Actually Make Money

08:49 Our Major Pivot: How We Shifted to Profitable Content

11:06 Who Should Actually Be a Content Creator? (Real Talk)

13:08 Passion vs Profit Framework: Find Your Unique, Profitable Angle

💬 COMMENT BELOW: Are you blogging for money or business? What's your niche?

🔗 IS BLOGGING DEAD in 2026? Watch next: https://youtu.be/MTY7qcc_CLM

💼 ABOUT THE BRANDING FIX:

We're two solo bloggers documenting how we rebuild and future-proof our content in the age of AI.

🔔 New videos every Tuesday and Friday!

🎧 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

#ContentCreation #CreatorEconomy #PassionVsProfit #Blogging #MakeMoneyOnline #CreatorTruth #NotEveryoneShouldBeACreator

Is blogging dead in 2026? We lost over 50% of our blog traffic after Google updates... and our revenue GREW by 30%. This is our 2026 update to the "Is Blogging Dead?" video we made in July 2025. We're sharing the real numbers from our blogs and honestly... the results might surprise you.

Watch the video: https://youtu.be/MTY7qcc_CLM

📊 WHAT'S CHANGED:

• Lost 50%+ blog traffic after Google updates

• Revenue INCREASED by 30%

• Direct traffic now our #1 source

• Email list driving higher RPMs than Google ever did

💡 WHAT'S ACTUALLY WORKING NOW:

• Brand building over generic SEO

• Email list as primary traffic driver

• Quality over quantity content

• Multi-platform distribution

• Authentic human experiences

🎯 WHY 2026 MIGHT BE THE BEST YEAR:

• Less competition (everyone's quitting)

• Better tools than ever

• Multiple traffic sources beyond Google

• People craving REAL content more than ever

⏰ TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Is Blogging Dead in 2026? Google Updates Reality Check

00:34 Our Traffic Story: Lost 50% Traffic, Grew 30% Revenue

00:46 Google Algorithm Updates: Surviving the SEO Apocalypse

01:45 Direct Traffic is King: Why Google Isn't Your Only Hope

02:19 Blog Strategy Revolution: What Changed in 2025-2026

04:40 Brand Building Over SEO: Community That Actually Stays

05:45 Traffic Diversification: Beyond Google Search Traffic

08:03 Quality Over Quantity: Content That Converts in 2026

10:49 2026 Blogging Gold Rush: Why Smart Bloggers Are Thriving

14:51 Step-by-Step Action Plan: Build Your Unshakable Blog Business

15:33 The Blogging Future: Your Next Move in 2026 and Beyond

📌 YOUR 2026 BLOGGING ACTION PLAN:

• Audit your traffic sources TODAY

• Start building your email list (even with 1 subscriber)

• Diversify beyond Google (Pinterest, YouTube, Instagram)

• Track engagement metrics, not just page views

💬 COMMENT BELOW: Are you blogging in 2026 or throwing in the towel? We want to hear your story!

🔗 WATCH OUR ORIGINAL "IS BLOGGING DEAD?" VIDEO: https://youtu.be/59dRFc-efFY

💼 ABOUT THE BRANDING FIX:

We're two solo bloggers documenting how we rebuild and future-proof our content in the age of AI.

🔔 New videos every Tuesday and Friday!

🎧 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

#Blogging2026 #IsBloggingDead #MakeMoneyBlogging #BlogTraffic #EmailListBuilding #ContentMarketing #BloggingTips #GoogleUpdates #BloggingForBeginners #BloggingDead

Posts that got ZERO engagement months ago are suddenly exploding with traffic. One of our "dead" Instagram posts just hit 643,965 views - and we figured out exactly why this is happening (and how you can replicate it).

Instagram is now behaving like a search engine and blog platform combined. Old posts are getting discovered through search months (even years) later.

Watch the video: https://youtu.be/XdLpEof0lww

In this video, we break down:

✅ Why Instagram's algorithm now prioritizes evergreen content over viral moments

✅ How to optimize your captions for long-term search traffic

✅ The exact strategy we used to turn "dead" posts into traffic magnets

✅ How one viral post created an internal linking effect across our entire profile

✅ What metrics actually matter for sustainable Instagram growth

This isn't about chasing trends or posting daily. It's about creating content that builds authority and gets discovered over time.

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Introduction: Strange Instagram Trends

00:26 Meet the Branding Fix Team

00:41 Instagram's Shift to SEO and Blog-Like Behavior

01:49 Seasonal and Evergreen Content Strategies

02:10 Optimizing Captions for Better Reach

02:56 Traffic Lift and Internal Linking on Instagram

03:53 Long-Term Strategy and Content Planning

04:59 Intentional Posting and Tracking Metrics

06:59 Conclusion and Call to Action

📊 MENTIONED IN THIS VIDEO:

- How Instagram search works in 2025

- Caption optimization for discoverability

- Evergreen vs. seasonal content strategy

- Profile traffic patterns and internal linking

- Long-term content planning for Instagram growth

This is part of our blog rebuild series where we're documenting how to future-proof our content strategy in the age of AI. New videos every Tuesday and Friday!

---

💬 COMMENT BELOW: Have you noticed old Instagram posts suddenly getting traffic? Drop your experience below!

Watch Next:

→ The 4 Platforms We're Using Next Year: https://youtu.be/nsMyLdejBv8

→ We Stopped Chasing Followers and Driving Blog Traffic Instead: https://youtu.be/A_b-cEi2GU0

💼 ABOUT THE BRANDING FIX:

We're two solo bloggers documenting how we rebuild and future-proof our content in the age of AI.

🔔 New videos every Tuesday and Friday!

🎧 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

#InstagramGrowth #InstagramTips #InstagramSEO #ContentStrategy #SocialMediaMarketing #ContentCreation #InstagramMarketing #BloggingTips

Our social media strategy for bloggers in 2026: We're cutting 6 platforms and focusing on just 4 that actually drive blog traffic. After analyzing our data we’ll show which are the only platforms worth our time.

Watch the video: https://youtu.be/nsMyLdejBv8

📊 IN THIS VIDEO:

→ Which 4 platforms we're keeping and which 6 we're ditching for 2026

→ Why platform culture matters more than follower count when choosing where to invest your time

→ Where to focus your effort to get maximum results with minimum time investment

→ Our ultimate goal: driving clicks to our blog, and how these 4 platforms deliver that better than the rest

🕒 TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Social Media Strategy 2026: Which Platforms to Keep or Ditch

00:25 Blog Traffic Strategy: Our Platform Selection Process

00:47 Instagram Strategy for Bloggers: Why It's Our Top Priority

01:58 Facebook Marketing for Blog Traffic: The Unexpected Winner

02:51 YouTube Content Strategy: Long-Term Growth for Bloggers

04:09 Pinterest Marketing Strategy: Still Driving Blog Traffic in 2026

04:46 Social Media Platforms We're Ditching in 2026

06:59 Time Management for Bloggers: Platform Prioritization Framework

08:21 Next Steps: Content Strategy and Blog Growth Plan

This is part of our blog rebuild series where we're documenting how to future-proof our content strategy in the age of AI. New videos every Tuesday and Friday!

💬 COMMENT BELOW: Which platform drives the most blog traffic for you? Let's compare notes!

Watch Next:

→ Our 14 Year Monetization History: https://youtu.be/0znN_1sKL6o

→ How We Prepare for the Blogging Super Bowl Season: https://youtu.be/LqGpbBekG08

💼 ABOUT THE BRANDING FIX:

We're two solo bloggers documenting how we rebuild and future-proof our content in the age of AI.

🔔 New videos every Tuesday and Friday!

🎧 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

#BlogTraffic #SocialMediaStrategy #ContentCreator #BloggingTips #PlatformStrategy

We're done asking our audience for money. No more memberships, no more paywalls, no more paid newsletters. For the next 18 months, we're betting everything on ad and affiliate revenue instead.

If you're a content creator exhausted from chasing brand deals or asking followers to subscribe to yet another thing, this video breaks down why we think blogging and ad networks like Mediavine or Raptive might be the passive income alternative you didn't know you needed.

Watch the video: https://youtu.be/IqliDBJupMs

📊 IN THIS VIDEO:

→ The philosophy behind removing paywalls and memberships

→ Why blog ad revenue works differently than social media monetization

→ What metrics we're watching as we test this strategy in real time

This is the first episode of our 18-month experiment. Subscribe so you can follow along with our results before you decide if our method and blogging is right for you.

🕒 TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Our Most Controversial Decision Yet

00:50 The Problem with Traditional Monetization

01:47 Our Demonitization Strategy

03:03 Turning Off Memberships and Paywalls

03:50 Focusing on Value Over Revenue

05:09 How We'll Pay the Bills

08:51 Setting Expectations and Measuring Success

10:38 Conclusion and Next Steps

💬 COMMENT BELOW: What's your current monetization strategy and what's the most exhausting part about it?

Watch Next:

- Our 14 Year Monetization History: https://youtu.be/0znN_1sKL6o

- How We Prepare for the Blogging Super Bowl Season: https://youtu.be/LqGpbBekG08

💼 ABOUT THE BRANDING FIX:

We're two solo bloggers documenting how we rebuild and future-proof our content in the age of AI.

🔔 New videos every Tuesday and Friday!

🎧 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

#blogging #passiveincome #contentcreatormonetization #makemoneyblogging #makemoneyonline

After 14 years of blogging, we've tried every monetization method out there - and most of them failed spectacularly. In this video, we're pulling back the curtain on what actually worked, what was a complete waste of time, and the brutal lessons we learned the hard way.

Watch the video: https://youtu.be/0znN_1sKL6o

📊 IN THIS VIDEO:

- Which monetization methods generated real income vs empty promises

- The biggest mistakes that cost us thousands of dollars

- Why some "proven" strategies completely flopped for us

- What we'd do differently if we started over today

- The truth about blogging income nobody talks about

🕒 TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Introduction to Our Monetization Journey

00:44 Early Monetization Efforts

01:43 Platform-Specific Monetization

05:00 Product Launches and Merchandising

07:11 Service-Based Income and Virtual Events

08:57 Passive Income Strategies

13:15 Biggest Wins and Epic Fails

13:53 Conclusion and Future Plans

💬 Which monetization method are YOU currently using? Drop a comment and let us know if it's working or if you're struggling - we'll share our honest take!

Watch Next:

Get ready for blogging Super Bowl season: https://youtu.be/LqGpbBekG08

💼 ABOUT THE BRANDING FIX:

We're two solo bloggers documenting how we rebuild and future-proof our content in the age of AI.

🔔 New videos every Tuesday and Friday!

🎧 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

#blogging #makemoneyonline

After spending a full year on Substack full-time, we're sharing our completely honest experience and why we're already planning our exit strategy. From why we avoided the platform for years to our hot takes on its future, this is everything we learned about Substack as creators.

Watch the video: https://youtu.be/YJaDLfSucF0

📊 IN THIS VIDEO:

• Why we waited years to join Substack

• Our real follower loss numbers and what caused it

• Who Substack actually works for (and who should avoid it)

• Our complete exit strategy breakdown

• Predictions for Substack's future

🕒 TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Introduction and Overview

00:53 Why We Avoided Substack Initially

01:15 How to Make Money on Substack (Our Results)

03:55 Substack Problems and Struggles

06:34 Substack Growth Issues (Losing Followers)

10:47 Who Should Use Substack (and Who Shouldn't)

13:53 Why We're Leaving Substack (Exit Strategy)

16:03 Substack Future Predictions and Hot Takes

20:43 Conclusion and What's Next

💬 TELL US YOUR EXPERIENCE: Are you on Substack? Thinking about joining? Drop your questions or experiences in the comments - we read and respond to everything!

💼 ABOUT THE BRANDING FIX:

We're two solo bloggers documenting how we rebuild and future-proof our content in the age of AI.

🔔 New videos every Tuesday and Friday!

🎧 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

#SubstackCreators #SubstackNewsletter #BloggingIn2025 #CreatorEconomy #ContentStrategy

We're completely changing our email marketing approach and sharing exactly why. Our content creator email strategy is changing, from switching email providers to redefining our newsletter goals. We're documenting our journey toward building genuine relationships with our community instead of just chasing clicks.

🎯 What we cover:

• Why we switched email service providers
• Our new value-first email strategy
• How we're using newsletters to drive blog traffic authentically
• Building loyal subscribers vs transactional relationships
• Real behind-the-scenes of our email marketing reassessment

Watch the video: https://youtu.be/7JJIPkpQ-xA?si=6MPh_YlI3YMionh2

⏰ TIMESTAMPS:

00:00 Introduction and Overhaul Announcement

00:41 Challenges with Substack

02:34 Switching Email Providers

03:47 Victoria's Email Provider Journey

04:32 Francesca's Email Provider Journey

07:58 New Email Strategy Goals

10:02 Implementing the New Strategy

11:58 Growing and Maintaining the Email List

17:00 Conclusion and Next Steps

🧠 New episodes weekly.

🛋 Cozy vibes. Honest convos. Real strategy.

🎧 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

Tired of creating endless social media content that gets you nowhere? We were too. For months, we burned ourselves out trying to build followers on every platform with no real strategy, posting the same content everywhere, and completely ignoring what actually works on each platform.

Then we made a crucial shift: we stopped chasing followers and started focusing on driving actual blog traffic. The transformation was incredible.

In this episode of The Branding Fix, we're sharing our complete social media strategy overhaul: how we went from scattered content creation to purposeful blog promotion, why understanding platform culture changed everything, and the exact approach that's now consistently driving readers to our blogs.

You'll learn how to audit your current social media approach, develop platform-specific strategies that actually work, and create content with a real purpose behind every post. No more posting just to post. this is about making your social media work for your blog.

Watch the video instead here: https://youtu.be/A_b-cEi2GU0

Timestamps:

00:00 Introduction: Our Social Media Struggles

00:55 The Old Way: What Wasn't Working

02:09 Burnout and the Mindset Shift

05:16 New Strategy: Promoting the Blog

07:42 Auditing and Analyzing Social Media

10:50 Conclusion and Next Steps

🧠 New episodes weekly.

🛋 Cozy vibes. Honest convos. Real strategy.

🎧 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

We just cracked the code on blog post optimization, and the results have been incredible! In this episode of The Branding Fix, we're sharing our complete 8-step checklist for updating old blog posts that took our traffic from struggling to thriving.

Watch the video: https://youtu.be/u3imIZLpW6A

What you'll learn:

• Our exact step-by-step blog refresh process
• How to optimize titles and meta descriptions for maximum clicks
• The art of delivering value upfront to keep readers engaged
• Why sharing your wins AND fails builds trust
• How to remove fluff and keep only what converts
• Strategic internal linking that boosts your entire site
• Why original images beat stock photos every time

This isn't just theory, see real examples from our own blogs and the traffic results that followed. Whether you're a solo blogger or building a content empire, this checklist will transform your content optimization game.

Time Stamps:

00:00 Introduction

00:43 The Importance of Updating Old Blog Posts

01:21 Step-by-Step Blog Post Update Checklist

01:24 Step 1: Understanding Search Intent

01:55 Step 2: Updating Titles and Meta Descriptions

02:36 Step 3: Value-First Content

03:20 Step 4: Sharing Personal Wins and Fails

03:41 Step 5: Removing Fluff

04:44 Step 6: Strategic Interlinking

05:28 Step 7: Using Original Photography

06:23 Step 8: Final SEO Check

08:00 Real Results from Updating Blog Posts

11:24 Conclusion

🧠 New episodes weekly.

🛋 Cozy vibes. Honest convos. Real strategy.

🎧 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