We live in a content-saturated world. How do you make the copy you write and the content you create stand out from the crowd? If you want to grow your business and get more leads with content marketing then this is the show for you. Join Claire Winter, Content, Storytelling & PR Coach, each week to learn the strategies to grow your business with content marketing. Words are the building blocks of your business. Get actionable advice, and tips on how to use them effectively every week. This podcast is for entrepreneurs and brands who want to amplify their expertise and make a bigger impact through the stories they tell and the content they create. Each week Claire will share her content marketing insights and knowledge to help you grow your business and get more customers. There'll be inspiring interviews from epic content creators and experts too. Claire is a trained journalist and has worked in TV, radio and was the editor and owner of a magazine for eight years. She's built two successful businesses using content marketing. She started her career at ITN and now works from her ‘shedquarters’ in Berkshire, in the UK where she lives with her husband and three girls. She works with entrepreneurs and businesses globally and is a dedicated Earl Grey tea drinker.
This week is my last episode of Cracking Content. I've absolutely loved every minute of producing and creating this podcast. It's been an incredible journey and I've loved sharing my knowledge about creating content, writing, blogging and pitching to the press. But as many of you who have been listening and following me for a while will know, I have launched a new business called the Creatrix Journey which is my soul's passion and purpose. I will be launching a new podcast called the Creatrix Journey, which is aimed at female creatrixes or creators who want to be inspired by walking and writing, ignite their creativity, and share their words and wisdom with the world. Connect with Claire: The Creatix Journey: https://creatrixjourney.com/ To find out more about the Creatrix Journey UK walking and creative writing retreats in October go to: https://creatrixjourney.com/walk-and-write-retreat/ To download our free creative writing guide: https://creatrixjourney.com/free-writing-guide/ Email: claire@clairewinter.info To find out about 1:1 content coaching go to: www.clairewinter.info Website: https://clairewinter.info/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairewinteruk
In this week's episode, I want to focus on writing tools and techniques that make you a better and more productive writer. These are things that have worked for me and my clients, and I'd love to share them with you today. I'm going to cover the importance of allocating time to write, free writing, the Pomodoro technique and more. Episode Highlights: (00.49) Writing is a muscle (01:12) Find a writing routine that works for you (02:08) Have someone check your work (02:55) Join a writing group for accountability (03:47) Practice free writing (05:33) Connect with nature (05:58) The Pomodoro technique Connect with Claire: To download our free creative writing guide: https://creatrixjourney.com/free-writing-guide/ To find out more about the Creatrix Journey UK walking and creative writing retreats in October go to: https://creatrixjourney.com/walk-and-write-retreat/ Email: claire@clairewinter.info To find out about 1:1 content coaching go to: www.clairewinter.info Free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crackingcontent/ Website: https://clairewinter.info/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairewinteruk
In this week's episode, I'm going to be talking about how to generate new content ideas. Often when you've been creating content for your business you start to run out of ideas. So here are some to reinspire you and get a different perspective on the content you're creating. Now, don't forget we are not creating content for content's sake. It has to have a purpose. It might be for people to know, like and trust you or for people to learn more about your business or that all-important sales call to action, but don't generate tons of content without any strategy behind it. You should always be thinking about where your ideal audience is and what kind of content they like consuming. Episode Highlights: (01:32) Focus on a detail (02:26) Engage and talk to your audience (03:35) Audiences love hearing about people's failures and successes (04:09) Look at your metrics (04:49) Create simples reels (6:34) Use your existing content and reshare it (06:49) You can crowdsource Connect with Claire: Email: claire@clairewinter.info To find out about 1:1 content coaching go to: www.clairewinter.info Free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crackingcontent Website: https://clairewinter.info/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairewinteruk To download our free creative writing guide: https://creatrixjourney.com/free-writing-guide/ To find out more about the Creatrix Journey UK walking and creative writing retreats in July and October go to https://creatrixjourney.com/walk-and-write-retreat/
In this week's episode, I'm covering what to do if you lose your creative mojo? How do you spark creativity when life feels like too much? For me, creativity is as essential as breathing for any successful business owner or entrepreneur. But when, and how do you get inspired? Often it can happen when you least expect it, while you're trying to fall asleep, reading a book or taking a shower but forcing it never works. Episode Highlights: (01:14) Creative blocks can arise for many different reasons (01:49) Walk it out (03:00) Walking in the great outdoors is the perfect combination to empty the mind, get inspired and come up with new creative ideas (03:50) Taking a walk can take the stress of the creative block away (05:07) Could a nature prescription really help your mental health? (05:26) Nature connection and creativity tips Our next online course starts on September 23 - https://creatrixjourney.com/online-course-in-creative-writing/ To download our free creative writing guide: https://creatrixjourney.com/free-writing-guide/ To find out more about the Creatrix Journey UK walking and creative writing retreats in July and October go to https://creatrixjourney.com/walk-and-write-retreat/ Connect with Claire: Email: claire@clairewinter.info To find out about 1:1 content coaching go to: www.clairewinter.info Free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crackingcontent/ Website: https://clairewinter.info/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairewinteruk
In this week's episode, I am talking about how to become a more productive writer. Now, back in the day, I used to have to produce a huge amount of features and content to a deadline. So I am very deadline driven. So the first thing I would say if you are using a tool like Asana or Trello is to set yourself writing deadlines. If you want to write a book by the autumn, figure out how many words you need to write and set yourself deadlines and the same for a blog or social media content. Episode Highlights: (01:29) Show up for writing the same way that you show up for every part of your business (02:09) Reward yourself (02:41) Get yourself a writing coach (03:37) Join accountability groups (04:33) Use the Pomodoro technique (06:00) The more that you write, the better you get (06:27) Connecting with nature has proven to improve your attention (07:54) It's my absolute mission to get more people out walking and writing For more information on the 21-Day Walking and Writing Experience go to: https://creatrixjourney.com/21-day-walking-and-writing-experience/ To download our free creative writing guide: https://creatrixjourney.com/free-writing-guide/ To find out more about the Creatrix Journey UK walking and creative writing retreats in July and October go to https://creatrixjourney.com/walk-and-write-retreat/ Our next online course starts on September 23 - https://creatrixjourney.com/online-course-in-creative-writing/ Connect with Claire: Email: claire@clairewinter.info To find out about 1:1 content coaching go to: www.clairewinter.info Free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crackingcontent/ Website: https://clairewinter.info/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairewinteruk
In this week's episode, I'm going to be talking about how to start writing creatively. You may have heard about my walking and writing adventures and my new business, the Creatrix Journey, which really focuses on creative writing and how we can tap into that creative part of our mind and get into ease and flow. All of us want to write with ease and flow and joy so we can share our words and wisdom with the world. And the best way to do this is to start writing more creatively. Writing creatively makes you a much better content creator, which is why I'm going to delve deep into this today, because the more creatively you write, the more people you can connect with, and the more ideas that you share that no one else has, the more interest people will have in you and your business and the skills and offerings, products, and services that you are selling. Episode Highlights: (01:52) Writing creatively will enable people to understand your story (02:49) What's holding you back and the tools that can help you (04:26) Start journaling (06:12) Why is journaling good? (07:51) Keep reading (09:18) Joining a writing group or workshop (10:18) Take a mindful walk (11:51) When you're trying to develop a writing practice set up a schedule For more tips on how to write creatively read this blog: https://creatrixjourney.com/how-to-start-writing-creatively/ To download our free creative writing guide: https://creatrixjourney.com/free-writing-guide/ To find out more about the Creatrix Journey UK walking and creative writing retreats in July and October go to https://creatrixjourney.com/walk-and-write-retreat/ Our next online course starts on September 23 - https://creatrixjourney.com/online-course-in-creative-writing/ Connect with Claire: Email: claire@clairewinter.info To find out about 1:1 content coaching go to: www.clairewinter.info Free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crackingcontent/ Website: https://clairewinter.info/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairewinteruk
This week I interview one of my students, Laura Gurney about her journey when she joined my course, Awaken the Creatrix and how it transformed her life. We discuss how taking part in the walking and writing process helped her get back in touch with what she really wants to do, the changes she's made to her life and the amazing things that have happened since she took time out to really connect with nature and her true purpose. Episode Highlights: (02:08) Laura's background (03:12) Laura's experience on the Awaken the Creatrix course (05:46) It's been a therapeutic space (06:47) Often when we walk in nature we're not mindful (08:10) If I had known writing would affect me like this I would have done it years ago (09:01) Having you guide us is amazing (09:37) We're on a wider mission but in this safe circle Connect with Claire: To find out more about the six-week online Awaken the Creatrix course that starts in September go to https://creatrixjourney.com/online-course-in-creative-writing/ To learn more about our in-person walking and writing retreats In July and October go to https://creatrixjourney.com/walk-and-write-retreat/ Get your free creative writing guide here: https://creatrixjourney.com/free-writing-guide/ Email: claire@clairewinter.info To find out about 1:1 content coaching go to: www.clairewinter.info Free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crackingcontent/ Website: https://clairewinter.info/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairewinteruk About Laura Gurney: I have literally never aspired to be a ‘marketer' and yet, here I am, a ‘Digital Marketer' working with organic and affiliate marketing on social media! I have worked for 30 years between academia and marketing, both paid and self-employed, specialising in the visual arts, working behind the scenes for Simon Gillespie of ‘Fake or Fortune' & ‘Britain's Lost Masterpieces' fame; teaching anthropology of art at Leeds Uni, researching contemporary arts practice in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, working to support artists exhibit their work in the UK and now feel really happy as a ‘people person', helping others to make connections. I love doing this work; especially when I can help a business I truly believe in to attract new clients; I have a few strategies that I think are unique on social media, that are ultimately rooted in old-fashioned networking. If it hadn't been for Lockdown, I am not sure I would have taken the Zoom networking so far, and I probably would have missed this writing course. I am also keen to work with women; women trying to fit so much into their lives and creating businesses from their dreams; this is where I can now make a real difference. I always wanted to be a writer when I was a child. I created endless characters and fictitious stories about astral travel and soul journeys. I was obsessed, I wrote poetry, won awards, had a vision of writing that gradually faded as I became tired from my day jobs and my writing moved into purely academia or publicity material. One of my life loves is Buddhism and more recently Taoism, Tai Chi and Qi Gong and whilst my teacher has been keen for me to get my class up and running, I have been reluctant to start until Claire's writing course aligned me with the natural elements in such a mindful way, that It became startlingly obvious that I needed to ground myself and connect my energy with the heavens and get writing. I have become unstuck, following her structure and guidelines I am full again of the writing dreams that I had as a child. And more than that, I have established a new Qi Gong class which is devoted to healing, harnessing the power of the elements; we have been running for 2 months now and are growing steadily. Its odd the way a writing course helped to pull me further into alignment, and therefore my life and hopefully others through my qi gong class, but it has. Putting my conscious awareness deeply into the elements and writing about them opened something new up; or rather, something that was hidden/ buried. I hope to continue writing and expanding in this way!
In this week's episode, I'm going to be talking about creating conversations with your content. Now, this sounds really simple, but I think sometimes this is where people go wrong with content marketing. They post, and then they leave and that's not something that's wise to do. What you want to do is create a conversation. When people start to converse with you, share your content, comment on it, and engage with you. They're beginning to know, like and trust you and understand the value of your goods or services. Episode Highlights: (01:34) Share your story (03:07) Social media is a great way to amplify core content (03:38) Interview your clients (04:46) Think about a new angle (05:36) Ask your audience what kind of content they want (06:10) Weave your expertise into your brand message (06:44) Utilize hashtags (07:13) Relatable content allows us to connect Connect with Claire: Here are my 30 Content Ideas in 30 Minutes Download: https://clairewinter.info/freebies/30-content-ideas-in-30-minutes/ Email: claire@clairewinter.info To find out about 1:1 content coaching go to: www.clairewinter.info Free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crackingcontent/ Website: https://clairewinter.info/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairewinteruk
In this week's episode, I'm going to be focusing on how to interview podcast guests. Now, I've been a journalist for 20 years and way back when I worked at ITN, I had to interview all sorts of people, politicians, sports, people, and the same when I ran my magazine for eight years, I've interviewed Steve Redgrave and believe it or not Basil Brush. So, I'm going to let you know the key things to focus on when you're preparing to do your interviews. Episode Highlights: (01:19) Book an interesting guest (02:13) Do your background research (03:11) Write a nice, flattering introduction (05:36) Don't ask closed questions (06:42) Repurpose your interview Ep. 59 How To Create A Brilliant Guest Signature Talk: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/ep-59-how-to-create-a-brilliant-guest-signature-talk/id1529616010?i=1000543466958 Connect with Claire: Here are my 30 Content Ideas in 30 Minutes Download: https://clairewinter.info/freebies/30-content-ideas-in-30-minutes/ Email: claire@clairewinter.info To find out about 1:1 content coaching go to: www.clairewinter.info Free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crackingcontent/ Website: https://clairewinter.info/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairewinteruk
In this week's episode, we are celebrating an amazing milestone with this podcast, we have hit 10,000 downloads! It's been one of my favourite bits of content that I have created since we launched, I've met lots of people and it's a great way of presenting yourself to a new audience and to grow your email list. So I decided that in this episode I'm going to talk about how to create and continue a successful podcast. First of all, if I can do it, you can too! Episode Highlights: (01:37) Think about your subject matter (02:51) Who is your audience (05:09) Manage your expectations (06:47) Use your show notes wisely (09:28) Having guests can help grow your audience (11:45) Reasons why people don't start a podcast (13:22) Start before you're ready! Connect with Claire: Here are my 30 Content Ideas in 30 Minutes Download: https://clairewinter.info/freebies/30-content-ideas-in-30-minutes/ Email: claire@clairewinter.info To find out about 1:1 content coaching go to: www.clairewinter.info Free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crackingcontent/ Website: https://clairewinter.info/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairewinteruk
This week, I want to talk about my walking and writing journey and how it evolved into an online course. Now, I can hear many people thinking, “how can you make walking and writing into an online course? You need to do this in person.”. Well, obviously the last two years have taught all of us that we can bring most of our work online. Now don't get me wrong. I love to do things in person and offline as well, but I also like the global reach that an online course can give. So I have created a new brand called The Creatrix Journey, focusing on my two passions; walking and writing. Episode Highlights: (01:39) When I learned to love walking (02:37) The impact walking has on my writing (03:31) What is a creatrix? (04:08) My walking and writing online course (05:35) The effect the course has had on the participants Awaken the Creatix: Check out the Creatrix Journey website: www.creatrixjourney.com Follow us on Instagram: @thecreatrixjourney.com To find out more about the Walk & Write Awaken the Creatix course: https://creatrixjourney.com/online-course-in-creative-writing/ Get your free creative writing guide here: https://creatrixjourney.com/free-writing-guide/ Connect with Claire: Email: claire@clairewinter.info To find out about 1:1 content coaching go to: www.clairewinter.info Free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crackingcontent/ Website: https://clairewinter.info/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairewinteruk
In this week's episode I'm going to be dealing with a subject that often gets brought up by people in my Facebook group, what do you do when life gets tricky? Maybe events in your own life have got tricky or it could be the state of the world at the moment or both that are making it difficult to create content. So I'm going to suggest several ways for you to step back and still be able to produce content. Episode Highlights: (01:58) If you're concerned about world events share charity posts (02:14) Stop scrolling and consuming so much media (02:29) Repurpose your content (03:05) If blogging weekly is too much reduce to monthly (04:53) Batch produce your content (05:26) If someone else's content has resonated with you share their post (06:24) Request blogs from other experts (08:01) Give yourself a day off from social media Connect with Claire: Here are my 30 Content Ideas in 30 Minutes Download: https://clairewinter.info/freebies/30-content-ideas-in-30-minutes/ Email: claire@clairewinter.info To find out about 1:1 content coaching go to: www.clairewinter.info Free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crackingcontent/ Website: https://clairewinter.info/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairewinteruk
This week it's a bit more of a personal conversation. I'm going to be talking about my own walking and writing journey and how I have used my passion to create writing programs, a day retreat and a weekend retreat called Awaken the Creatrix. These are aimed at women who are change-makers, coaches, creatives, healers, and anyone that has something very important that they want to share with the world. Episode Highlights: (02:10) Being creative is our life's purpose (02:52) The Awaken the Creatrix course (04:27) When I fell in love with walking (05:18) My qualifications (06:45) The competition! Awaken the Creatix: Check out the Creatrix Journey website: www.creatrixjourney.com Follow us on Instagram: @thecreatrixjourney.com To find out more about the Walk & Write Awaken the Creatix course: https://creatrixjourney.com/online-course-in-creative-writing/ Get your free creative writing guide here: https://creatrixjourney.com/free-writing-guide/ Here's more information about the competition: Today we launch the new website for my Walking and Writing Courses, Workshops and Retreats to unlock your inner writer. It's my soul-led offering from my heart to yours. I'm so proud of what we've built and I hope you like it too. Introducing creatrixjourney.com To celebrate the launch today we're hosting a gorgeous GIVEAWAY worth £833 Fancy winning….
This week I'm sharing a live recording I did with the brilliant Awena Naomie Ella. Awena is a Certified mBIT and transformational success coach, for ambitious, soul-led women ready to own their truth and create a life of wild success. She joined me for the last cohort of the Walk & Write Awaken the Creatrix Course and in this episode of the podcast, we discuss what that experience was like for her and how much she benefited from giving herself the time to become more creative through getting in touch with nature and writing with other like-minded women. Walk & Write Awaken the Episode Highlights: (02:09) What is was like being part of the Creatrix Course (04:55) How Awena came up with new concepts and titles for her business (05:31) The importance of integrating the walk before writing (08:57) It was powerful having this circle of women (12:35) You appreciate how important creating a space for creativity is (14:00) Getting back in touch with the nature and elements Connect with Claire: To find out more about the Walk & Write Awaken the Creatix course: https://creatrixjourney.com/online-course-in-creative-writing/ Get your free creative writing guide here: https://creatrixjourney.com/free-writing-guide/ Email: claire@clairewinter.info To find out about 1:1 content coaching go to: www.clairewinter.info Free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crackingcontent/ Website: https://clairewinter.info/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairewinteruk About Awena Naomie Ella: Awena Naomie Ella Certified mBIT and transformational success Coach, for ambitious, soul led women ready to own their truth and create a life of wild success. Awena is a business mentor, experienced Occupational Therapist, Certified mBIT Coach, Holistic Life Coach, NLP Master Practitioner, Belief Clearing Practitioner, Healer, Multi-Award Winning Businesswoman, speaker, teacher and a badass warrior woman with a passion to create global change and help other phenomenal women Ascend into a wildly wealthy life! Connect with Awena: Website: https://naomieella.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/naomie.ella.393?fref=mentions LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/awena-naomie-ella-509039197/?originalSubdomain=uk
This week's episode is all about how to be more confident on video. Video is going to be increasingly used by people to promote their businesses, their goods and services, and also to create consumer confidence. I've got some really impressive facts that might encourage you to start playing around with video, or using it more for your business; by the end of 2022, 82% of all internet traffic is predicted to be video. At the moment 86% of small businesses say they are using video in some way to promote their goods and services. And 84% of consumers say they are more confident if they've seen a video about someone's product or service. Episode Highlights: (01:53) Know your equipment (02:02) Going live (02:41) Invest in some good lighting (05:09) Find something that will give a bit of confidence (05:49) Pre-recording (07:55) Play to your strengths Connect with Claire: Listen to this episode of Cracking Content to find out how to create a brilliant guest signature talk. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-59-how-to-create-a-brilliant-guest-signature-talk/id1529616010?i=1000543466958 Here are my 30 Content Ideas in 30 Minutes Download: https://clairewinter.info/freebies/30-content-ideas-in-30-minutes/ Email: claire@clairewinter.info To find out about 1:1 content coaching go to: www.clairewinter.info Free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crackingcontent/ Website: https://clairewinter.info/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairewinteruk
This week's episode is all about reels and if we really have to do them. You would have to be hiding under a rock, not to notice the number of people using short-form video content. Obviously, TikTok is leading the way, and if you have teenagers in your house, you will see them creating lots of dance videos, or consuming a lot of this content. Instagram has obviously got reels and they have indicated that they want to make Instagram, not a picture led platform, but a video led platform. You've also got YouTube shorts and even Pinterest are getting in on the video game with Idea Pins. So it's definitely worth considering using video for your content marketing. Episode Highlights: (02:05) I've built my business doing Facebook lives (03:31) There any many different things you can do with short videos (04:00) Use the trending music (04:32) Think about who your audience is and what content they like consuming (05:22) You can keep it really simple Connect with Claire: Here are my 30 Content Ideas in 30 Minutes Download: https://clairewinter.info/freebies/30-content-ideas-in-30-minutes/ Email: claire@clairewinter.info To find out about 1:1 content coaching go to: www.clairewinter.info Free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crackingcontent/ Website: https://clairewinter.info/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairewinteruk
This week I'm going to be discussing how you can get into the writing and content creating zone when you just don't feel like it when you are tired or right out of inspiration. So whether it's writer's block, distractions or endlessly stacking deadlines, the whole writing process can seem like it's against you at times. And let's face it, we really need to write, even if we are creating videos or podcasts or social media content. So for those moments, when you need to get into the writing mindset, here are some tips to get you back into flow and back into the zone. Episode Highlights: (01:33) Make sure you take time to do nothing (02:16) Start your day relaxed with a nice morning routine (05:12) Create a nice place to work (06:39) Writing is like a muscle, you need to exercise it (07:42) Use the Pomodoro technique Connect with Claire: Here are my 30 Content Ideas in 30 Minutes Download: https://clairewinter.info/freebies/30-content-ideas-in-30-minutes/ Email: claire@clairewinter.info To find out about 1:1 content coaching go to: www.clairewinter.info Free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crackingcontent/ Website: https://clairewinter.info/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairewinteruk
This week I am joined by Limarah Crathorne because, in a previous episode, I was talking about SEO and your customer journey and how you can make your website experience for your customers more seamless and also get them to convert. And I promised that I would get Limarah to come on the Cracking Content Podcast to tell us about how we can do that. Limarah is the founder of Convert-More.Com and she's here to share her expertise about making customer journey and conversions easier. Episode Highlights: (02:13) How Limarah started her business (04:30) The mistakes that business owners are making on their websites (07:42) Review mining (11:02) Three things to help optimise your website (14:12) What is SEO? (16:33) Using the correct keywords (21:27) Repurposing content Connect with Claire: Here is my guide to being your own PR: https://clairewinter.info/freebies/be-your-own-pr/ Email: claire@clairewinter.info To find out about 1:1 content coaching go to: www.clairewinter.info Free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crackingcontent/ Website: https://clairewinter.info/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairewinteruk About Limarah Crathorne: Limarah is an expert in helping businesses to get more enquiries, clients and customers from their website. Using a customer-driven optimisation approach she looks at the bigger picture to show you the missed opportunities buried in your website that will help you to get more visitors to your website from Google and turn them into buying customers. Connect with Limarah: Visit the convert-more.com Read her convert-more.com/blog Follow her on Instagram Watch her on YouTube
This week is all about how to maximize winning a business award. Now, the reason why it's this week's title is because I've got some amazing news to share with you. The Cracking Content Podcast won its first award last week! We won Best Marketing Podcast in the Podcast for Business Awards. Now we were runners up last year, which was amazing, and it was even better to win this year. So this is why I decided to talk about how do you maximize winning a business award today. Episode Highlights: (02:58) It's a great way of showcasing your business to a wider audience (03:58) Make an announcement, create a blog (05:28) Send out a press release to your local media (07:31) Send out an email to your mailing list (08:35) Use other people's words - transcribe the summary the awards used for you Connect with Claire: Here is the business awards link: https://awards-list.co.uk/uk-awards/business-awards/ Here is my guide to being your own PR: https://clairewinter.info/freebies/be-your-own-pr/ Email: claire@clairewinter.info To find out about 1:1 content coaching go to: www.clairewinter.info Free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crackingcontent/ Website: https://clairewinter.info/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairewinteruk
This week, I have been having some really interesting conversations about marketing on social media. Some people are tired, they're tired of spending a long time online marketing their businesses, which inevitably often leads to scrolling and comparisonitis. So is there another way? Could you really market your business without social media? Episode Highlights: (03:17) Create core content and use social media to amplify it (05:51) Grow your email list (07:36) Concentrate on search engine optimization (SEO) (09:15) Blogging regularly will ensure more people find your business (10:48) Pitch yourself to the media Connect with Claire: Download my Content Planner: https://clairewinter.info/freebies/yearly-content-planner/ Here is my Blog Brainstorm Guide: https://clairewinter.info/freebies/blog-brainstorm-guide/ Email: claire@clairewinter.info To find out about 1:1 content coaching go to: www.clairewinter.info Free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crackingcontent/ Website: https://clairewinter.info/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairewinteruk
This week, I am really excited to be talking about becoming an authority at what you do. So why is that important? Why is it important to elevate your expert status? Well, firstly, you can command more fees when you're an expert at what you do. People seek you out and you can work as a consultant for large corporates or create courses, programs, write books that people want to buy because they know you are the expert in your field. Episode Highlights: (01:06) Establish your niche (03:32) Drive traffic to your email list (04:10) Create intentional content (05:51) Give people actionable tips (08:25) Be press-ready Connect with Claire: Pitch to the Press course: https://clairewinter.info/pitch-to-the-press-join/ Free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crackingcontent/ Email: claire@clairewinter.info To find out about 1:1 content coaching go to: www.clairewinter.info Free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crackingcontent/ Website: https://clairewinter.info/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairewinteruk
This week, I'm going to be talking about how to be authentic with your writing. So one of the first things to think about is you need to know what your why is. Why you've created your business? What's important to you? What you stand for and what you stand against. And I know there's probably some eye-rolling going on right now because we hear the word authentic all the time. And actually, it is an overused word, but let me tell you this, when you are authentic and you speak from the heart, these are integral to becoming a successful and happy online entrepreneur. Episode Highlights: (02:07) It's important to share your credentials (04:22) I love helping people and creating products and services that do that (06:52) Find your niche and shine in it (07:12) You will attract the clients you want to attract by being authentic Connect with Claire: Awaken the Creatrix Within: https://clairewinter.info/creatrix/ Email: claire@clairewinter.info To find out about 1:1 content coaching go to: www.clairewinter.info Free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crackingcontent/ Website: https://clairewinter.info/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairewinteruk
This week, we're going to be talking about the benefits of blogging. Now, I've done a few episodes about blogging and why it's so important for your business but people either love it or loathe it. Quite often you will see blogging is dead or blogging is a waste of time so let me tell you some good reasons why blogging is still relevant for your business in 2022. Episode Highlights: (01:27) You own your website and the content you upload to it (01:58) Use social media to amplify your content (02:46) Your blog will make your site a go-to source of information (04:24) Your blog can work as a convenient portfolio of all your work (05:37) You can repurpose blogs into different types of content (06:28) It gives you a personal touch Connect with Claire: Download the Blog Brainstorm guide: https://clairewinter.info/freebies/blog-brainstorm-guide/ To find out about 1:1 content coaching go www.clairewinter.info. Free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crackingcontent/ Website: https://clairewinter.info/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairewinteruk
Welcome to the Cracking Content Podcast, helping entrepreneurs to amplify their expertise through storytelling, content, and PR so they can get more sales and make a bigger impact. Every business has a story to tell. Don't be afraid to tell it. This week, I'm here to talk to you about how to have an authentic voice in your content. Being authentic is something that we talk about a lot in social media and in the content that we create. But I think it's a word that can be overused because when someone is a personal brand or they're doing weekly or daily lives or hosting podcast shows different things have happened to them and different things have happened to their businesses. So whether you are in a big organization or you are a solopreneur, your voice actually changes, your temperament, your tone, depending on what's happening in the world and what's happening with your clients or your customers. Episode Highlights: (01:15) Your voice can change as your business evolves (01:46) We are all unique and can bring our own unique voice to what we do (02:16) What is your ultimate goal when you're creating content? (03:42) It's fine for your tone of voice to change (04:20) Listen and understand what you're trying to share with them Connect with Claire: Download the free 2022 content planner here https://clairewinter.info/freebies/yearly-content-planner/ To find out about 1:1 content coaching go www.clairewinter.info. Free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crackingcontent/ Website: https://clairewinter.info/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairewinteruk
Welcome to the Cracking Content Podcast, helping entrepreneurs to amplify their expertise through storytelling, content, and PR so they can get more sales and make a bigger impact. Every business has a story to tell. Don't be afraid to tell it. This week, I'm talking about creating compelling social media posts for your business. Many of us get fixated on creating compelling social media posts, and we get concerned when we don't get people commenting or engaging on those posts. So in this episode, I will be revealing how you can make the most out of your content. Episode Highlights: (00:59) Know your audience (01:16) Track what posts are doing well (02:57) Start off with a compelling blog (05:18) Focus on the hook (09:12) Show behind the scenes (11:13) Do the, “so what test” Connect with Claire: Download the free 2022 content planner here https://clairewinter.info/freebies/yearly-content-planner/ To find out about 1:1 content coaching go www.clairewinter.info. Free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crackingcontent/ Website: https://clairewinter.info/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairewinteruk
Welcome to the Cracking Content Podcast, helping entrepreneurs to amplify their expertise through storytelling, content, and PR so they can get more sales and make a bigger impact. Every business has a story to tell. Don't be afraid to tell it. This week, I'm going to be talking about how to create a brilliant guest signature talk. So what is different between a normal talk and a signature talk? A signature talk is a tool to attract new clients. It's something that you can do as a guest expert on a podcast, in a Facebook group, or on stage at a virtual event. It is your opportunity to share that you're an expert at what you do and it helps you elevate your expert status. Episode Highlights: (01:14) It should incorporate your core brand message (02:21) Ideally, you're in front of a new audience (03:21) This is a way of building trust and reaching a new audience (04:42) Talk about the kind of transformation you can create for people Connect with Claire: You can download my free PR guide here https://clairewinter.info/freebies/be-your-own-pr/ Download the free 2022 content planner here https://clairewinter.info/freebies/yearly-content-planner/ To find out about 1:1 content coaching go www.clairewinter.info. Free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crackingcontent/ Website: https://clairewinter.info/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairewinteruk
Welcome to the Cracking Content Podcast, helping entrepreneurs to amplify their expertise through storytelling, content, and PR so they can get more sales and make a bigger impact. Every business has a story to tell. Don't be afraid to tell it. This week I am joined by Clare Cogan, a Teenage Mental Health specialist who supports parents and teens with a range of issues including anxiety, depression, motivation, self-confidence and self-esteem. We are going to be discussing how to navigate the pitfalls of parenting a teenager and Clare's book ‘Reopening the Slammed Door'. Episode Highlights: (01:57) I went on a bit of a mission to try and educate families about the teenage years and to help empower teenagers (04:22) You need to develop a sense of humor (05:53) Learn when your children are more receptive to your questions (06:47) If you listen to them they will listen to you (13:05) I use a lot of metaphors and stories in my work (16:37) Teens are very black and white they often think that the only ones feeling this way (23:24) I don't take a one size fits all approach Connect with Claire: You can download my free PR guide here https://clairewinter.info/freebies/be-your-own-pr/ To find out about 1:1 content coaching go www.clairewinter.info. Free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crackingcontent/ Website: https://clairewinter.info/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairewinteruk About Clare Cogan: I am a Teenage Mental Health specialist, supporting parents and teens with a range of issues including anxiety, depression, motivation, self-confidence and self-esteem. I am a wife, mother, chief cook and bottle washer as well as running my own business for the past 14 years. The reason I do what I do? Because most of my life I have suffered to some degree or another with anxieties. Worries about what is going on in my life right now, concerns about the future. Buy ‘Reopening the Slammed Door': https://www.amazon.co.uk/Reopening-Slammed-Door-Surviving-Teenage/dp/B09G963ZWD/ Connect with Clare Cogan: Website: https://www.clarecogan.com/
Welcome to the Cracking Content Podcast, helping entrepreneurs to amplify their expertise through storytelling, content, and PR so they can get more sales and make a bigger impact. Every business has a story to tell. Don't be afraid to tell it. This week, I'm going to be talking about how being a guest expert can raise your profile. So why do we feature as guest experts? It's because it raises our profile, it gets us in front of a whole new audience. You could be a guest expert on a podcast. You could be a guest expert on someone's live show on their Facebook page. You could be a guest expert on a stage or at a virtual event. You could also be a guest expert in someone's curated community. Episode Highlights: (02:03) Show your knowledge (02:20) Decide on three main things you want people to remember about you (02:59) What is that your call to action (03:38) What is your unique value proposition (05:52) Create a really great biography (06:29) Define the demographic of the people that you want to be in front of Connect with Claire: You can download my free PR guide here https://clairewinter.info/freebies/be-your-own-pr/ To find out about 1:1 content coaching go www.clairewinter.info. Free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crackingcontent/ Website: https://clairewinter.info/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairewinteruk
Welcome to the Cracking Content Podcast, helping entrepreneurs to amplify their expertise through storytelling, content, and PR so they can get more sales and make a bigger impact. Every business has a story to tell. Don't be afraid to tell it. This week I'm going to talk about the difference between visibility and credibility. We hear a lot of people talking about let's get visible, it's time to get visible, but there's also another side to this, which is being credible and that's being seen as an expert. So how do you elevate your expert status? Here are six steps to becoming more credible. Episode Highlights: (01:17) Have one, really clear message (01:25) Are you calling yourself an expert? (02:27) If you're an expert, if you're a credible source, you're creating your own content (03:44) Are you sharing social proof? (04:14) What are the three main things that you want people to remember about you? (06:14) Be a regular content creator (07:17) What can you share with the media that they might be interested in? (08:06) Make sure that people know what you're an expert in, that you're a content creator and a thought leader in your space Connect with Claire: You can download my free PR guide here https://clairewinter.info/freebies/be-your-own-pr/ To find out about 1:1 content coaching go www.clairewinter.info. Free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crackingcontent/ Website: https://clairewinter.info/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairewinteruk
Welcome to the Cracking Content Podcast, helping entrepreneurs to amplify their expertise through storytelling, content, and PR so they can get more sales and make a bigger impact. Every business has a story to tell. Don't be afraid to tell it. This week, I'm really excited to talk about getting visible in a way that feels good. So what does that mean? And what does getting visible mean? We hear online entrepreneurs and coaches talking about this all the time; that you've got to get more visible to get more clients. And for the more introverted and people who may just be starting out in business this can seem like a really scary prospect. But like creating content I believe you can find a way of getting visible that really works for you, that really feels good and you can enjoy doing it. Episode Highlights: (01:18) Create a podcast (01:42) Pitch yourself as a podcast guest (02:03) Create a brilliant bio (03:23) Pitch yourself to other bloggers (03:53) Write a blog and break it up into social media posts (04:20) Use LinkedIn live (05:02) Batch record (07:08) Figure out whether it's audio, video, or writing that you want to focus on Connect with Claire: You can download my free PR guide here https://clairewinter.info/freebies/be-your-own-pr/ To find out about 1:1 content coaching go www.clairewinter.info. Free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crackingcontent/ Website: https://clairewinter.info/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairewinteruk
This week, I am going to talk about how to get visible without using social media. If you are sick of being on the hamster wheel of thinking that you have to post three or four times a day on your platform of choice, or maybe you've even chosen to post on multiple channels multiple times of the day, and you are not getting the kind of traction that you would like. And you are feeling like it's a saturated online world and you are not getting your voice, your message, your business or your brand noticed. How can you do it in some different ways? Episode Highlights: {1:12} Pitching to the press {2:49} Concentrate on core bits of content {3:10} Drive traffic back to your website {4:11} Guest blogging {4:59} Pitch yourself as a podcast guest {5:13} Start networking {05:38} Create free downloads, freebies or lead magnets Connect with Claire: You can download my free 2022 Content Planner here: https://clairewinter.info/freebies/yearly-content-planner/ To find out about 1:1 content coaching go www.clairewinter.info. Free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crackingcontent/ Website: https://clairewinter.info/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairewinteruk
Welcome to the Cracking Content Podcast, helping entrepreneurs to amplify their expertise through storytelling, content, and PR so they can get more sales and make a bigger impact. Every business has a story to tell. Don't be afraid to tell it. This week, I'm delighted to be interviewing Lucy McCarraher, who is the founder of Rethink Press and the Business Book Awards, and also the author of 13 books -– three novels, four self-help books and six books on writing, including A Book of One's Own – a manifesto for women to share their experience and make a difference, and Bookbuilder (with Joe Gregory). Episode Highlights: {0:52} Lucy explains how she came to write 13 books. {1:43} Lucy talks about founding Rethink Press. {2:40} On the benefits of publishing a book: You get clarity when you plan and write a book in detail. When you've got your name on the front of a good book or a well-produced book, it says, "I'm the expert here." It's not an overt sales tool, but when you send out your book to your prospects and clients, it tells them what you do. {4:07} There's a thing what I call ‘book magic', for every author something really amazing and unexpected will happen because their book has got into the hands of somebody. {5:20} On how you can repurpose your book manuscript. {10:05} Lucy explains what her Book Builder program is. Connect with Claire: You can download my free PR guide here https://clairewinter.info/freebies/be-your-own-pr/ To find out about 1:1 content coaching go www.clairewinter.info. Free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crackingcontent/ Website: https://clairewinter.info/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairewinteruk To get your content sorted join the Cracking Content Club Membership for just £35 a month: https://clairewinter.info/cracking-content-club/ About Lucy: LUCY McCARRAHER started her first publishing company while she was still at university and has worked in publishing and the media ever since. She is the Founder of Rethink Press, the premier hybrid publisher of business books. Lucy is the author of 13 books – three novels, four self-help books and six books on writing, including A Book of One's Own – a manifesto for women to share their experience and make a difference, and Bookbuilder (with Joe Gregory). Lucy is the Founder of the Business Book Awards, and Host of the ABOO – A Book of One's Own online support and mentoring group for women authors and aspiring authors. She has mentored over a thousand entrepreneurs and business owners to plan, write and publish their books. Lucy is a speaker and mentor. She has a post-graduate diploma in teaching Creative Writing and Literacy. Connect with Lucy: www.rethinkpress.com Facebook – Lucy McCarraher Twitter, Clubhouse, Instagram - @lucymccarraher LinkedIn – Lucy McCarraher www.facebook.com/groups/ABOOCircles
Welcome to the Cracking Content Podcast, helping entrepreneurs to amplify their expertise through storytelling, content, and PR so they can get more sales and make a bigger impact. Every business has a story to tell. Don't be afraid to tell it. This week, I'm going to be talking about how to get onto podcasts as a guest and impress audiences. I've nearly been podcasting for a year now, but I've also been a guest on many podcasts since my entrepreneurial journey began four years ago when I launched this current business. We live in a hectic world where we often have to multitask and podcasts allow us to do this very thing. You can listen to podcasts while traveling, driving, or if downloaded anywhere. But with them becoming increasingly popular, how can you make sure you stand out enough to be a guest on one? How can you make yourself more memorable? Episode Highlights: {1:45} Don't just do a blanket email out to hundreds of podcasts. Research them. {1:50} Find out who the host is, what they like talking about, how long their episodes are, what they have covered, and who they've interviewed. {2:38} Using external agents is absolutely fine, but make sure they're properly briefed and they are selling you in a way that you'd like to be sold. {4:02} Presenters get lots of people requesting to be a guest on their show. Make sure your subject line stands out. It is crucial because people are scanning their email either on their phone, on their laptop or wherever they work. {4:38} Make sure it's a concise pitch as well because people are time poor. {4:46} People want to know that you've got an audience to showcase the episode to. It doesn't have to be a massive audience. It just has to be the right audience. {6:09} Make sure that you're prepared. You've got a good mic. You've got headphones plugged in. {6:52} You also need a killer biography which sums up why you are great at what you do and who you help. This is your moment to showcase you as an expert at what you do. {7:13} It can be a really good way to grow an audience quickly. People really get to know you, you're talking about what you do best, sharing expertise and knowledge and stories about how you've helped people. Connect with Claire: You can download my free PR guide here https://clairewinter.info/freebies/be-your-own-pr/ To find out about 1:1 content coaching go www.clairewinter.info. Free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crackingcontent/ Website: https://clairewinter.info/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairewinteruk To get your content sorted join the Cracking Content Club Membership for just £35 a month: https://clairewinter.info/cracking-content-club/
Welcome to the Cracking Content Podcast, helping entrepreneurs to amplify their expertise through storytelling, content, and PR so they can get more sales and make a bigger impact. Every business has a story to tell. Don't be afraid to tell it. This week, I'm going to be talking about how to create content that delivers. As many of us know, content marketing is one of the key elements to any marketing strategy. But with so many platforms available, it can be really overwhelming to know where to start and what will play to your business strengths. So in this episode I am going to be revisiting some key ideas about content marketing and how you can connect with your ideal audience. Episode Highlights: {0:55} Strategic thinking is vital when it comes to a cohesive content strategy. When you're thinking about your strategy, always think about what's the end goal. {1:59} More often than not, marketing goals are subscriber based, so it might be that you want to build up your email sign-ups or your blog subscribers. {2:37} Know your audience. Content that works has your audience always at the forefront. {3:22} Check out the analytic tools available on social media platforms, particularly Instagram and Facebook, they allow you to see the age, sex and locations of your current audience. {3:57} Think about your audience. Can you visualize them? Can you build up a profile of your perfect customer and work out how to relate to them on a really basic, human level? {5:05} If you don't have a blog yet, the good news is it's never been easier to set one up. {7:25} One of the most vital parts of any content distribution strategy is your mailing list. Communicating directly to your subscribers means whatever you're sending is landing in their inbox and this is a great way to amplify your content. {10:36} It's really important to stay strategic and not fall into the trap of reactive marketing. Make time to take stock and regularly brainstorm. {10:48} We also need to rest and recuperate and be creative by doing something different. I talk about walking and then writing, so you tap into the creative part of your brain {11:07} It's also vital that you go back to your business and content goals and build a content calendar. {11:41} Truly great content happens when you create something that sits perfectly in the environment it's in. {12:11} Content marketing and social media practically go hand-in-hand, but it takes more than just posting to make things come to life. {13:07} Utilize storytelling, what emotions will your story evoke? How will you make people feel? How will it make them change? Will they want to share it? Connect with Claire: You can download my free 2021 Content Planner here https://clairewinter.info/freebies/2021content-planner/ You can download my free PR guide here https://clairewinter.info/freebies/be-your-own-pr/ To find out about 1:1 content coaching go www.clairewinter.info. Free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crackingcontent/ Website: https://clairewinter.info/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairewinteruk To get your content sorted join the Cracking Content Club Membership for just £35 a month: https://clairewinter.info/cracking-content-club/
Welcome to the Cracking Content Podcast, helping entrepreneurs to amplify their expertise through storytelling, content, and PR so they can get more sales and make a bigger impact. Every business has a story to tell. Don't be afraid to tell it. This week I am so pleased to welcome Dawn McGruer to the podcast. She is the bestselling author of Dynamic Digital Marketing, and also runs a successful academy and agency. Dawn started her first business 20 years ago at the age of 21. She now helps people master the art of online influence and business success and how to avoid common pitfalls along the way. Episode Highlights: {1:14} Dawn describes when she decided to start her entrepreneurial life and how starting off so young enabled her to learn a lot quickly. {1:56} Dawn talks about releasing her first book Character Building. {3:56} How important it was to learn from her business failures. {4:49} Stop procrastinating and start doing, you can always think of reasons not to do something. {5:39} On her signature product the Fast Track Academy. {6:25} How the pandemic pushed her to create her latest product the Power Circle {7:07} On how the Power Circle will take people through six steps to enable them to show up powerfully online in a way that's really authentic and comfortable for them. {7:41} Thinking about what's going to have a real impact, what's going to drive your business forward. {9:12} It's about addressing the things that we want to do, not that we think we need to do. {9:28} It's about working smarter, not harder, and having this true passion and vigour about why you're doing something and not just thinking about leads, money, goals, but dreams. {10:31} The content that I'm creating at the moment is really asking for opinion, getting people involved in trends and insights, getting people to really show what they're feeling right now in business. {10:47} I feel that the content for me is about driving a deeper connection on social media. Quality, not quantity. And just slowing the pace down and thinking about posting with purpose. {11:12} I think it's all about resonating, relating, showing my true experience, pitfalls and challenges, the good, the bad, and the ugly, and stepping out in that way. And I think that's really what people want right now. {14:26} I would encourage people to look at their social media and if you go through your newsfeed and you've got no comments, no likes, no shares, quite honestly, your content's either boring or nobody wants it. And it's time to then shake it up and change it. {15:00} It's taken me 20 years to get to 30,000 connections and 5 million subscribers. If you carve out 10 quality people per day that you choose to connect with, then you can't fail in building a solid, powerful audience. Connect with Claire: You can download my free PR guide here https://clairewinter.info/freebies/be-your-own-pr/ To find out about 1:1 content coaching go www.clairewinter.info. Free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crackingcontent/ Website: https://clairewinter.info/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairewinteruk To get your content sorted join the Cracking Content Club Membership for just £35 a month: https://clairewinter.info/cracking-content-club/ About Dawn McGruer: Dawn started her first business 20 years ago at the age of 21, became a best-selling author of Dynamic Digital Marketing, speaker and strategist in the world of digital marketing and mortgage free at 33. She helps people rise to meet today's challenges and master the art of online influence and business success and avoid common pitfalls along the way. She believes in dreaming big, working hard and making it happen. She is the host of Dawn of a New Era; a business and marketing podcast with a difference for people who want to start, scale and grow their own business. She shares tips to improve marketing, motivation and mindset as well as her own real-life challenges and experiences as a highly successful entrepreneur. She was incredibly artistic at school and although she didn't follow that path it has creatively influenced her entrepreneurship. But her underlying driver was being extremely ill as a child with kidney disease, and later at 19, losing 6 people in as many months. Naturally someone who bucks the status quo these life changing events fuelled her to live and work to the max. Hence her stratospheric road to success. Her social footprint Linkedin: 25K Youtube: 75K views, Facebook 6K, podcast #17 in the charts, twitter 5K and an email subscribers list of 5 million. Connect with Dawn: Website: https://dawnmcgruer.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/businessconsort/ YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIxofJB2ZKh7xZQ7HVd8Ybw Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/businessconsort Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dynamic-digital-marketing-show/id1448903495?mt=2
Welcome to the Cracking Content Podcast, helping entrepreneurs to amplify their expertise through storytelling, content, and PR so they can get more sales and make a bigger impact. Every business has a story to tell. Don't be afraid to tell it. This week I am going to be talking about creating summer content. I'm sharing some great ideas and tips for preparing your content if you're planning on taking a much needed break over the upcoming summer weeks and you don't want to be on your social media. Episode Highlights: {0:55} Batch your content, dedicate a day to creating content and a day to scheduling it for the upcoming summer weeks that you're taking off. {1:06} Repurpose your content. {1:43} Jump on news stories but keep it light and fun. {1:53} Tap into existing campaigns and useful hashtags that you can create social media posts around. {2:14} People love to see the face behind a business so use the more informal summer months as a good opportunity to share behind the scenes, pictures of your team, customers, and products. {3:12} Ask fun summer-themed questions. {4:03} Get people to share their summer photos {4:29} Use calendar dates and, of course, sporting events, and other fun activities to break up your social feeds. {5:13} Keep it light and have fun with your content and remember to make it short, compelling, and easy to read. Think bite-sized chunks. Connect with Claire: You can download my 30 Content Ideas in 30 Minutes Guide here: https://clairewinter.info/freebies/30-content-ideas-in-30-minutes/ To find out about 1:1 content coaching go www.clairewinter.info. Free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crackingcontent/ Website: https://clairewinter.info/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairewinteruk To get your content sorted join the Cracking Content Club Membership for just £35 a month: https://clairewinter.info/cracking-content-club/
Welcome to the Cracking Content Podcast, helping entrepreneurs to amplify their expertise through storytelling, content, and PR so they can get more sales and make a bigger impact. Every business has a story to tell. Don't be afraid to tell it. We are officially halfway through the year. How the heck did that happen? So what should you be doing about your content planning for the next six months? It's a great question to ask ourselves as we look to opening up, and people's online habits are going to change. So what does that mean when it comes to planning for your business and planning for content? It means that you still need to have a content plan in place that's flexible. Episode Highlights: {1:41} How you should adapt content and content planning so that it is flexible in case things change quickly - which they often do at the moment! {1:58} If you're a product based business, get organised and plan for those key selling dates. {2:34} If you're a service-based business keep in mind your launch dates for your new programs and start promoting them early. {3:16} Think about your 3 top wins over the last 6 months and see if you can do more in the next quarter. {4:28} Think about your content marketing objectives and what you want to achieve over the next 6 months. {4:43} Know your audience and what they need from you. {5:17} Decide what methods or platforms you are going to use to help engage with your audience, TikTok, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram or are you going to focus on writing blogs. {8:10} Create a time-line and work backwards. {8:24} Planning your content will enable you to have a clear message, and ultimately save you time, and of course, money! Connect with Claire: You can download my free 2021 Content Planner here https://clairewinter.info/freebies/2021content-planner/ To find out about 1:1 content coaching go www.clairewinter.info. Free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crackingcontent/ Website: https://clairewinter.info/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairewinteruk To get your content sorted join the Cracking Content Club Membership for just £35 a month: https://clairewinter.info/cracking-content-club/
Welcome to the Cracking Content Podcast, helping entrepreneurs to amplify their expertise through storytelling, content, and PR so they can get more sales and make a bigger impact. Every business has a story to tell. Don't be afraid to tell it. In this week's episode, I'm going to be talking about 10 tips for making your content stand out. So what is going to make your content sing louder than your rivals, how can you make your brand memorable and easily identified? Whether you're a small business or a marketeer for a brand, finding your own voice and making it stand out can feel a little bit overwhelming. And often I hear business owners say to me, "Help, I just don't know where to start." So here are my top 10 tips for helping you create memorable, standout content. Episode Highlights: {1:26} Why it's important to assess the mood of your audience {1:55} Why you need to use each social platform appropriately {3:07} Get into the mind of your clients and understand that what you offer can make their life easier {3:21} If you don't know what your audience wants, ask them {4:55} Have conversations with your audience {5:59} Keep your brand consistent, have a big overview of your social platforms and make sure the messaging is the same {6:30} Make sure your branding matches your business {8:18} It's better to focus on one social platform and do it well rather than trying to be everywhere {8:40} Dump the jargon so that you don't alienate large portions of your audience {9:01} Blogging should be at the top of your content to do list {9:56} Focus on quality and make sure you're creating decent content {10:43} Be organized and consistent and plan how to spend your time creating content Connect with Claire: Join me for my Content Planning Party https://clairewinter.info/content-planning-party/ You can download my free 2021 Content Planner here https://clairewinter.info/freebies/2021content-planner/ To find out about 1:1 content coaching go www.clairewinter.info. Free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crackingcontent/ Website: https://clairewinter.info/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairewinteruk To get your content sorted join the Cracking Content Club Membership for just £35 a month: https://clairewinter.info/cracking-content-club/
Welcome to the Cracking Content Podcast, helping entrepreneurs to amplify their expertise through storytelling, content, and PR so they can get more sales and make a bigger impact. Every business has a story to tell. Don't be afraid to tell it. This week I am going to be doing a deeper dive into my program Pitch to the Press. You'll discover why approaching the press will benefit your business and through my course I make it simple and achievable. My previous clients have been featured in The Guardian, The Daily Express, The I, BBC Radio Kent and many more media outlets. Episode Highlights: {1:06} How Claire's client got featured in Good Housekeeping and various other publications {1:28} Claire explains why she started Pitch to the Press {2:52} Why Claire's previous experience as a journalist enables her to share how to get your press release noticed {3:14} On what you will achieve when you do the Pitch to the Press course {4:05} On why you should focus on pitching to your local press {5:36} On why it's important to know your personal brand story {7:11} On getting press ready and having your PR plan of attack Connect with Claire: To sign up to her webinar on Wednesday 23rd of June (GMT) London go to: https://clairewinter.info/register/ Join the Pitch to the Press Course: https://clairewinter.info/pitch-to-the-press-join/ You can download my free PR guide here https://clairewinter.info/freebies/be-your-own-pr/ To find out about 1:1 content coaching go www.clairewinter.info. Free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crackingcontent/ Website: https://clairewinter.info/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairewinteruk To get your content sorted join the Cracking Content Club Membership for just £35 a month: https://clairewinter.info/cracking-content-club/
Welcome to the Cracking Content Podcast, helping entrepreneurs to amplify their expertise through storytelling, content, and PR so they can get more sales and make a bigger impact. Every business has a story to tell. Don't be afraid to tell it. This week I have got a fabulous guest, AJ Campbell, who is a best-selling author of Leave Well Alone and has recently got a new book out called Don't Come Looking. We'll be discussing how much dedication it takes to write a novel, self-publish it and become an Amazon bestseller. Also Amanda will be revealing all her press coverage she achieved after doing my Pitch to the Press course. Episode Highlights: {1:04} Amanda talks about when she self-published her first novel {4:17} Amanda describes how much dedication it takes to write a novel {6:07} On how there is a lot of competition and you have to be prepared to go up against professional publishers when you are self-publishing {7:55} On how important it is to have an editor to critique the book {10:40} Amanda describes the plot of her new novel Don't Come Looking {12:02} Amanda describes her content planning process after working with Claire {14:22} Amanda reveals all the press coverage she achieved after doing the Pitch to the Press course Connect with Claire: You can download my free PR guide here https://clairewinter.info/freebies/be-your-own-pr/ To find out about 1:1 content coaching go www.clairewinter.info. Free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crackingcontent/ Website: https://clairewinter.info/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairewinteruk To get your content sorted join the Cracking Content Club Membership for just £35 a month: https://clairewinter.info/cracking-content-club/ About Amanda Campbell: AJ Campbell is the debut author of the Amazon bestselling novel Leave Well Alone. An alumna of the Faber Academy, she writes in the psychological thriller and mystery genres. Her latest book Don't Come Looking, although a standalone story, is a sequel to her debut novel and is due for release in April 2021. AJ draws inspiration for her writing from many facets of everyday life. The human mind and how different people react to each other and interact in society fascinates her. She loves settling down with a good book and enjoys thought-provoking stories that beg the question - what would I have done in that situation? AJ lives on the Essex / Hertfordshire border with her husband, sons, and cocker spaniel, Max. She is a firm believer in daily exercise for mental health and enjoys walking Max in the local fields to boost her creativity. AJ also loves cooking oriental food while sipping a good glass of white wine. Connect with Amanda: Website: www.ajcampbellauthor.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AJCampbellauthor Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ajcampbellauthor/ Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/AuthorAJC Purchase Leave Well Alone: https://tinyurl.com/hkj5u5x8 Purchase Don't Come Looking: https://tinyurl.com/6x98yc35
Welcome to the Cracking Content Podcast, helping entrepreneurs to amplify their expertise through storytelling, content, and PR so they can get more sales and make a bigger impact. Every business has a story to tell. Don't be afraid to tell it. This week I will be talking about how to write a compelling media pitch. First of all, I imagine you're asking what is a media pitch? It is something that you send to a journalist when you're pitching a story idea, or putting yourself forward as an expert at what you do, so you can comment on a topical or trending news story. It's a great way to get you and your business out into the press. Episode Highlights: {0:55} How to start your email when sending it to journalists {1:40} General etiquette when pitching to a particular media outlet or person {2:23} Claire explains why you should know about the publication you're sending your media to. {3:24} How important it is to pre-plan and get all the annual key dates in your calendar. {5:31} How online is different and you can pitch about trending stories. {6:33} Follow #journorequest on Twitter for stories that journalists are actively looking for input. {7:24} Make sure you have all the relevant media assets easily available for journalists. {8:39} Don't forget to follow up your email. {9:32} It's important to build a positive relationship with the journalists you're working with. {10:35} Make sure you are media ready. Connect with Claire: You can download my free PR guide here https://clairewinter.info/freebies/be-your-own-pr/ To find out about 1:1 content coaching go www.clairewinter.info. Free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crackingcontent/ Website: https://clairewinter.info/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairewinteruk To get your content sorted join the Cracking Content Club Membership for just £35 a month: https://clairewinter.info/cracking-content-club/
Welcome to the Cracking Content Podcast, helping entrepreneurs to amplify their expertise through storytelling, content, and PR so they can get more sales and make a bigger impact. Every business has a story to tell. Don't be afraid to tell it. This week I have the fabulous Dan Greef, who is the founder of Deliciously Guilt Free, and the podcast host of UK Low Carb. We'll be talking about Dan's inspiration behind Deliciously Guilt Free, it's phenomenal growth in the last year and why he loves to share his customers' stories on his super successful podcast UK Low Carb. We also talk about why it's important to share your business story and why creating mission-led content is a strength. Episode Highlights: {1:02} Dan explains why he started Deliciously Guilt Free {2:26} Dan talks about sharing people's stories on his podcast, UK Low Carb {3:24} On why content marketing is important for an e-commerce business {4:27} On why you should share the personal side of you and your business {7:30} Dan describes why brand building is actually creating a relationship with your customers {15:25} Claire reinforces why it's so important to repurpose your content {19:35} Dan explains why it's important for him to have and to repeat his mission statement Connect with Claire: You can download my free PR guide here https://clairewinter.info/freebies/be-your-own-pr/ To find out about 1:1 content coaching go www.clairewinter.info. Free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crackingcontent/ Website: https://clairewinter.info/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairewinteruk To get your content sorted join the Cracking Content Club Membership for just £35 a month: https://clairewinter.info/cracking-content-club/ Connect with Dan: Website: https://deliciouslyguiltfree.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/deliciouslyguiltfree/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/deliciouslyguiltfree/ UK Low Carb Podcast Website: https://www.uklowcarb.com/ Uk Low Carb Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uklowcarbpod/ Uk Low Carb Podcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/UKLowCarbPodcast
Welcome to the Cracking Content Podcast, helping entrepreneurs to amplify their expertise through storytelling, content, and PR so they can get more sales and make a bigger impact. Every business has a story to tell. Don't be afraid to tell it. This week I am delighted to be talking to Nicole Higgins, who's the buyer and retail coach. We'll be talking about using physical products, even if you're a service-based industry or entrepreneur, how people have got new product lines and of course how Nicole uses content in her business. Episode Highlights: {1:34} Nicole takes about her change in career and why she set up The Buyer & Retail Coach in 2019. {2:33} On how people have had to pivot their businesses during lockdown and had the time to think about how they want their businesses to grow. {4:14} On the products service-based businesses can offer to their clients. {4:16} On how launching products can create great content. {8:06} Tips on how to create and release products for your business. {11:10} Nicole describes the types of content she likes creating. {13:58} On why repurposing your content is really helpful and important for your business. {17:06} On why you should outsource so you can save time and stay motivated. Connect with Claire: You can download my free PR guide here https://clairewinter.info/freebies/be-your-own-pr/ To find out about 1:1 content coaching go www.clairewinter.info. Free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crackingcontent/ Website: https://clairewinter.info/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairewinteruk To get your content sorted join the Cracking Content Club Membership for just £35 a month: https://clairewinter.info/cracking-content-club/ About Nicole: The Buyer and Retail Coach Nicole is a retail expert with over 18 years experience working in the fashion industry as a buyer for big blue chip retail developing and sourcing product from all over the world and working on product strategy for big business. She now brings that expertise to entrepreneurs & SME and helps them make their product ideas a reality and works with them to increase sales & profits. Connect with Nicole: Website: www.thebuyerandretailcoach.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebuyerandretailcoach/ LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/nicolehigginsuk
Welcome to the Cracking Content Podcast, helping entrepreneurs to amplify their expertise through storytelling, content, and PR so they can get more sales and make a bigger impact. Every business has a story to tell. Don't be afraid to tell it. In this episode, I'm going to be talking to Becca Heaps, the founder of Tentshare, and also the curator of Tentival 2021. It is really exciting to have Becca on the podcast for lots of reasons; we've worked together, she's been a client of mine, she's done some of my courses, and also does coaching with me. But I'm more excited about her new project, Tentival 2021. {1:09} Rebecca: I'm Rebecca, founder of Tentshare, which is a people to people, tent lending platform. So, the idea is that if you've got a tent, it's an asset. So, you can pop it on the Tentshare website and rent it out to someone local to you, and make a bit of extra money at the weekend. But also if you'd like to go camping and you don't want to invest in a big old tent, or invest in a tent that you may only use once or twice, you can go onto the Tentshare website and rent the tent that would be appropriate for your camping trip. {2:00} Rebecca: From that has grown Tentival. I hosted and curated Tentival last year, 10 days after lock down. Because I was absolutely gutted that there was going to be no more festivals, plus I'd launched Tentshare, and I wanted people to pitch up their tents and have a lovely day looking at each other's tents, and having a glorious day outside. So, that's how Tentival started. And this year, I'm bring Tentival 2021, which is coming back bigger, and better, and brighter, and more sparkly than before. {3:09} Rebecca: There are a lot of virtual festivals and events being streamed online. But the thing that's very different about Tentival is it is interactive. {5:01} Rebecca: So, the idea is that you pitch up a tent in your garden, or you go to a park, maybe take a picnic, bring a device. As long as you've got a device and the internet, you can access this festival from anywhere. {10:04} Claire: Can you tell us a bit about your content marketing journey with this business? Rebecca: I launched it February 2020, and then a really lovely friend gifted me a four-week course, Pitch the Press course, which happened to be yours Claire. And it landed in my lap at just the right time. And I went on that four-week course, and my goodness, what a lot of information I learned. And by the end of it, I had pitched. I'd been in The Mirror. I'd had an interview on BBC Radio Kent and I've been in a camping magazine. {12:04} Claire: It's just been phenomenal watching you grow your business and grow awareness about what you're doing. And obviously, you're really active on Clubhouse as well, and you've made some great connections there, which has enabled you to take Tentival to the next level. {12:25} Rebecca: You invited me into Clubhouse. And whoa, it's just been incredible. The contacts that I've made, and the people. And once you're in there and you find your people, and you're all like-minded and in alignment with all your ethos, it's just incredible. It's been great finding people who, at last, I feel like I have a voice, where I haven't felt I've had a voice before. So, it's been wonderful. So, I've got you to thank for that as well, Claire. {12:59} Claire: I think that is probably my mission. I've been redefining it, and it is, it's like helping women amplify their reach, and find their true, authentic voice and share it with the world. I think it's needed more than ever. {16:17} Rebecca: For every ticket sold, we're going to plant a tree. We've teamed up with Tree Sisters, and they do an amazing initiative planting trees where they're most needed and where they're most effective. And tickets are pay as you can. So, we don't want wealth or lack of wealth, especially coming out of COVID, when people haven't been able to work and such, to be a barrier to coming to the festival. Connect with Claire: You can download my free PR guide here https://clairewinter.info/freebies/be-your-own-pr/ To find out about 1:1 content coaching go www.clairewinter.info. Free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crackingcontent/ Website: https://clairewinter.info/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairewinteruk To get your content sorted join the Cracking Content Club Membership for just £35 a month: https://clairewinter.info/cracking-content-club/ About Rebecca: Rebecca's passion project is Tentshare (www.tentshare.co.uk), a pioneering peer-to peer tent-lending platform. Tentshare offers a more sustainable and cost-effective solution for campers. Tentshare is committed to building a community of campers and novice campers sharing tents, equipment, and knowledge. During the Covoid-19 crisis, Rebecca curated and hosted the first lockdown, virtual festival, Tentival 2020. Rebecca also has a wide range of skills and experiences garnered over a career that has taken in more than 10 years as a primary school teacher in the borough of Hackney and a Stage, Lighting and Sound manager for several theatre and entertainment project. She is currently director of a successful family property development business, Hippo Holdings Ltd. Tentival 2021 June 12th - Find out more and purchase a ‘pay-as-you-can' ticket here: https://www.tentshare.co.uk/tentival-2021/ For further information, images, or interviews, please contact Rebecca Heaps, Tentshare Founder: 07940469284; hello@tentshare.co.uk; https://www.tentshare.co.uk/ Connect with Rebecca: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tent_share/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tentshare.co.uk Twitter: https://twitter.com/Tentshare1
Welcome to the Cracking Content Podcast, helping entrepreneurs to amplify their expertise through storytelling, content, and PR so they can get more sales and make a bigger impact. Every business has a story to tell. Don't be afraid to tell it. In this episode, we've got the amazing Catherine Gladwyn, who is a bestselling author and business mentor. We love to talk to solopreneurs and people who've got bigger teams about how content has made a difference to their business. {1:51} Claire Winter: Can you tell us which bits of content you like creating and what's made the biggest difference in your business Catherine? {1:57} Catherine Gladwin: The kind of content I like creating is honest and fun. So I've always been very authentic. I think that's a word that I've brought into my life a little bit more since I started my business, but I am just me online. If anybody follows me, if anybody looks at my posts, they'll know that I speak exactly as I write. {2:24} Catherine Gladwin: I'm very upfront about things. I'm going through some health issues at the moment, and I've been sharing that online, and that's always worked. That's worked for me. That's enabled me, importantly, to attract the people that I'm going to get on best with because there's no airs and graces. They know exactly what they're getting into if they want to work with me. {2:58} Catherine Gladwin: I also blog. I do blog quite regularly. It's mostly giving advice to help people in their business. And I've got to say, I'm really surprised that I do it regularly, but they're never very long, and I don't sit there thinking about them. They were actually massively important to enable me to write my books because I used a lot of the content from my blogs in my books. Repurposing. {5:17} Catherine Gladwin: Social media should never be relied on as the only form of marketing. {6:03} Catherine Gladwin: I started to write my first book, which is quite niche, it's how to be a virtual assistant, I started to write it and I planned out all the chapters and I thought, "Actually, I'm kind of talking about things that I've covered a little bit already in my blog." So I went through my blogs and pulled the content out. {7:35} Catherine Gladwin: The second book is the 20% rule. I came up with the 20% rule. No one client should take up more than 20% of your time or your income because then if you lose them, it doesn't matter. The whole book covers how to ensure your business is sustainable and safe and more importantly profitable as well. {12:55} Claire Winter: What content do you like consuming? {13:00} Catherine Gladwin: I go for authenticity. I like to read things. I enjoy reading posts from people that make me laugh. That add humor to their stuff, don't take things too seriously, don't talk in corporate speak. That's not really for me. I've never enjoyed that. Even when I was in the corporate world I never enjoyed that. And people that resonate with me. {14:36} Claire Winter: The other thing that you've had a lot of success with is sharing your story. Your personal story, but also your business story, with the media. How have you found doing that? {14:48} Catherine Gladwin: Well, the first time I did it, I think my first story was about my health, I get pituitary tumors and I've got Addison's disease, so I talk about that to raise awareness because they're both rare diseases. The first story I did was in The Daily Mail and I was so scared because we all know what The Daily Mail is like. And I was convinced that I'd have paparazzi on the front door and they'd find out about that penny chew that I nicked when I was nine years old. And there was a slight incident with somebody's number plate once and I thought they're going to unearth everything, but of course they're just not interested. {16:00} Catherine Gladwin: I've got another piece coming out in The Guardian shortly as well. And the way I get them is just by asking. So a little bit of tenacity. I follow the Journo Request on Twitter so keep an eye on that. {18:59} Catherine Gladwin: They're not going to contact you. So you've got to put your elbows out and say, "Look at me." And it's scary. If you were to meet me face to face I'd rather be quiet. I am an introvert. I'd rather be quiet and sit quietly but yeah, online it's a lot easier to just put your elbows out and say to somebody, "Whoo, over here, I can help with that." Connect with Claire: You can download my free PR guide here https://clairewinter.info/freebies/be-your-own-pr/ To find out about 1:1 content coaching go www.clairewinter.info. Free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crackingcontent/ Website: https://clairewinter.info/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairewinteruk To get your content sorted join the Cracking Content Club Membership for just £35 a month: https://clairewinter.info/cracking-content-club/ About Catherine: Catherine Gladwyn, is an expert business mentor and multi-award winning #1 bestselling author of two business books. In 2018 The Independent newspaper listed her first book as one of ten best business books written by women and since then she has gone on to be featured in many national publications including The Guardian, Forbes, Cosmopolitan, etc. Most of the women she mentors are the main breadwinners in their family and those who aren't don't want to be. That's the beauty of her mentoring, it's tailored to the individual. Connect with Catherine: Website: https://catherinegladwyn.co.uk/ Buy her book, The 20% Rule: https://www.amazon.co.uk/20-Rule%C2%AE-business-sustainable-profitable/dp/1912009455/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&qid=1616084516&refinements=p_27%3ACatherine+Gladwyn&s=books&sr=1-1, Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/delegateva
Welcome to the Cracking Content Podcast, helping entrepreneurs to amplify their expertise through storytelling, content, and PR so they can get more sales and make a bigger impact. Every business has a story to tell. Don't be afraid to tell it. In this episode, we'll be talking about how to brainstorm new content ideas. In a previous episode, I talked about how to deal with content overwhelm. And part of that problem is people generating new ideas for their business. They get stuck and they procrastinate and they spend hours trying to write a blog or social media posts for their business. Writer's block can happen to all of us, but there are many different ways you can fight the frustration. Whether you need content for blog posts, podcasts, or even e-books, here are some tips on how to generate new ideas. {1:06 } Make sure you dedicate time for brainstorming. It's easy to think you can sit down and write new content and the ideas will just flow out of nowhere, but it's not realistic. It'd be much better to have a whole list of ideas stored away just when you need them. Go for a walk before you do it. Your creative output can go up by as much as 62%, according to a Stanford University study. {1:49} So choose a time every week to get brainstorming, do relevant research, and write the ideas down, so you can have a whole bank of ideas when you come to creating your content. {2:01} Planning and batching content also really helps. So once you've brainstormed, map out the content you want to share in the next three months. Think about the key messages you want to share with your audience. {3:01} You can look at your competitors and see what they're doing and improve upon it, or maybe do the complete opposite, but it's absolutely fine to be inspired for an idea, but do not copy. {3:15} Find out what other popular topics people are talking about in your niche. You can do that by Googling it, looking on Instagram, following hashtags, going into Facebook groups and seeing what people are talking about. You can even pose the question with your audience, do a poll. {3:41} So trust that your message and content will resonate with your audience and that you don't need to copy anyone, but you can get inspired. {3:49} Another great, easy way to get ideas is to use Google. Use Google search suggestions. If you have a general topic in mind, start typing it into Google. Loads of suggested ideas will pop up, including further related searches at the bottom of the page. This is a clever way of gaining idea inspiration that is aligned with your audience, but also SEO friendly since you source them through Google. {4:16} Listen or watch something new. Is there a new book that you've read or a podcast that you really love? The more content you consume, the greater the possibility of new ideas. There are endless books, podcasts, videos, and creative content that you can consume. {4:50} Start storytelling. We love listening to stories and we love telling stories. And the best part is all your stories with their intricate details are unique to you. No one else can tell them. So if all else fails, tell your audience about something that happened to you. It could be a success story or a time you made a mistake. What did you learn from it? How is it relevant to your audience? Connect with Claire: You can download my free Content Calendar here: https://clairewinter.info/freebies/2021content-planner/ To find out about 1:1 content coaching go www.clairewinter.info. Free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crackingcontent/ Website: https://clairewinter.info/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairewinteruk Join the Cracking Content Club Membership: https://clairewinter.info/cracking-content-club/
Welcome to the Cracking Content Podcast, helping entrepreneurs to amplify their expertise through storytelling, content, and PR so they can get more sales and make a bigger impact. Every business has a story to tell. Don't be afraid to tell it. In today's episode, I'm going to talk about how to make your content stand out. There are billions of articles on the internet. It's more difficult than ever to gain visibility in a sea of endless content. Whilst you can create engaging content by focusing on high-quality writing, informative information, and original ideas, sometimes you still need to put in that extra effort. So to compete for your standout place in the online world, why not try some of these tips? {1:05} Own your voice. With endless articles on the same idea. It's easy for content to merge into one another. What do you stand for? What do you believe in? What unusual take can you give to a mainstream idea? You need to draw attention to your words. How can you make them stand out? How can you disrupt the scroll? What will make someone sit up and listen? Don't be afraid to have an opinion. {1:34} You don't want to attract everyone. You want to attract your ideal client. By people understanding what you stand for and what you stand against will allow you to filter out the people that you don't want to work with. It's great to be clear on who you do want to work with. It's also good to be clear about who you don't want to work with. {2:36} Make actionable content, make it easy for someone to buy from you. Sometimes people get lost in their own content and the same with the content that they put out on social media. They don't give an actionable call to action. {3:57} I talk about this probably nearly every episode, but update and repurpose content that's worked for you. That's why I always say it's great to use a Dropbox or a Google Drive, where you store all your content in one place. So you can look at the content you created last year at the same time and see if any of that you can repurpose. You should also be looking at your analytics to see which ones got the most reach and the most engagement. {5:23} The other thing that people forget to do is that they create these brilliant bits of content, or they get mentioned by the BBC or in the Daily Mirror. And they tell their audience once. There's nothing wrong with going back to when there's a relevant theme or topic people are talking about on social media going, “Oh, it was amazing when we got mentioned by the Daily Mirror last year.” {6:25} Get clear on your brand intentions. Again, I've talked about this at the beginning. What are your values? What problems do you solve for your customers? What inspired you to start your business in the first place? When you're aligned closely with your brand, it will shine through in the content you produce. {6:49} If you can weave your values like a story within your work, potential customers are much more likely to resonate and jump on board. {7:11} Think about something that is going to make someone stop what they're doing and listen to you, watch your video, or read your blog. We can't play it safe when it comes to content marketing. It's often easier to sit back and sit in your area of expertise and not stretch yourself. But it's only when we step out of our comfort zone that we open ourselves to new opportunities. {7:53} It does involve a bit of trial and error, but if you improve your content, you can improve your traffic, site authority, and sales as a result. So be patient, open-minded, and really drill down on your brand story and values. Growth takes time, but it is well worth the hard work. And trust me, it's just around the corner. Connect with Claire: You can download my free PR guide here https://clairewinter.info/freebies/be-your-own-pr/ To find out about 1:1 content coaching go www.clairewinter.info. Free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crackingcontent/ Website: https://clairewinter.info/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairewinteruk To get your content sorted join the Cracking Content Club Membership for just £35 a month: https://clairewinter.info/cracking-content-club/
Welcome to the Cracking Content Podcast, helping entrepreneurs to amplify their expertise through storytelling, content, and PR so they can get more sales and make a bigger impact. Every business has a story to tell. Don't be afraid to tell it. In this week's podcast I have got an amazing guest for you, Suz Chadwick, who is a personal branding expert. {0:55} Suz: I am a personal branding coach and a business coach and a speaker coach. So all the things. But for me, it's really about supporting women to become bold and powerful voices in their industry and claim their space with confidence. And so really taking a look at how are they developing their brand, what are they known for? How are they becoming more vocal and visible? {01:46} Claire: So which content do you like creating the best? Suz: For me, I have to say that I've actually built my business on Instagram Stories. I always joke around and say I built a multi six-figure business with a cat filter on. {2:35} Suz: So for me, it's amazing at engaging my audience, but it also has been able to kind of boost the engagement and the reach on my Instagram in general. And then I find that when I get clients and I ask them why they decided to go with me or how they found me, they're like, "I listen to your podcast and I watch you on Stories just about every day and I feel like I know you." {3:39} Suz: It's sharing that content as well in so many different avenues and forms, but it's just making sure that that message is always consistent. {3:50} Claire: Being consistent with the message so people know exactly who you are and how you can help them is absolutely key. {4:01} Claire:I think what's interesting about Clubhouse is that they're real time conversations. And in fact, we met on Clubhouse. I think it's been a great place to network and a great way to grow an audience quickly. {6:10} Suz: Clubhouse has allowed me to expand my network on a global basis at a speed that I haven't seen in any other social platform before in a free platform. And so, yes, I can pay for ads to get into the US and the UK and wherever else, but I can literally go into a room and I've got people from all over the world. And now my network in the US is so much bigger than it was, which is amazing. And something that was a real goal of mine actually in the last year was to break into the US and build my network and my brand there. And I feel like Clubhouse is really allowing me to start to do that as well, which is fantastic. So, yeah, it's super interesting. Plus, once you start getting clients from it, once again, it does become a little bit addictive. You're like, "Maybe I should get back on." {8:19} Claire: That is the cool thing about Clubhouse, isn't it, is that you can listen like radio? So you can be doing other things. {10:43} Claire: What's made a difference to your business life, if you think of content creators or content that you've consumed? Suz: I would have to say podcasts would be the number one thing. So when I'm not working, when I'm out for a walk, going shopping, doing the dishes, cooking, whatever it is, I'm listening to a podcast. And it can be a podcast on feminism. It could be a podcast on business. It could be anything. But podcasts for me as far as content creation goes because it's on the go and it's something I can do anywhere. {13:40} Claire: So when it comes to the things that have made the biggest impact on your business, you've shared that your own podcast and stories. What else have you done that's made a really big difference? Suz: Speaking, 100% speaking. So when I speak, and I used to be a debater in school. So I started speaking when I was 16. And then when I was in corporate, they used to roll me out for corporate conferences because everybody else was like, "I'm not speaking." I'd be like, "I'll do it." And then when I got into my own business, it was so interesting. I talk about this all the time, as well, is that I think a lot of people wait for opportunities to come to them. And so I was like, "Well, I want to be a speaker." So I just ran my own events and guess who the keynote speaker was? Me. Imagine that? I'm headlining. And so I just have always created my own opportunities. {20:38} Suz: I think that to the point of content when you create great content, I call it the content ecosystem, which I'm sure you're similar. Is that when you create something where people can consume you in different formats and in different ways, I just think it builds that trust. It builds the excitement and the engagement as well. {21:26} Claire: Choose the platforms you love and enjoy and that you're going to have fun on, and that energy will draw in the right people. We're not in this game not to enjoy what we're doing. Connect with Claire: You can download my free PR guide here https://clairewinter.info/freebies/be-your-own-pr/ To find out about 1:1 content coaching go www.clairewinter.info. Free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crackingcontent/ Website: https://clairewinter.info/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairewinteruk Join the Cracking Content Club Membership: https://clairewinter.info/cracking-content-club/ About Suz: Suz Chadwick is a BOLD Business, Branding & Speaker Coach taking your brand from basic biscuits to delectable ‘got to have' goodness. If you want to be the go-to person in your industry or you want clients clambering for your brand of awesome sauce and saying – “You're the only person I want to work with” – then you're in luck! With over 10 years as a brand consultant working with global brands as well as solopreneurs, Suz knows what works when it comes to creating a business & personal brand to connects and stand out. Recognised as a Top 10 Branding Coach by Yahoo! Finance and contributor to Entrepreneur.com, Savvy SME, and many other business publications, Suz is also the author of Play Big, Brand Bold, host of the popular Brand Builder's Lab podcast, and the creator of Brand Builder's Academy, The Bold Speaker's Collective & Brand Leader's Lounge. Suz works with savvy women in businesses to create confidently bold brands & profitable businesses without the burnout. Connect with Suz: Website: https://www.suzchadwick.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suzchadwick Twitter: https://twitter.com/SuzChadwick Podcast: https://brandbuilderslab.podbean.com/
Welcome to the Cracking Content Podcast, helping entrepreneurs to amplify their expertise through storytelling, content, and PR so they can get more sales and make a bigger impact. Every business has a story to tell. Don't be afraid to tell it. Today, I'm going to be addressing a problem that comes up time and time again, and it's something I talk about quite a lot in this podcast, is how to prevent getting overwhelmed when creating content. {0:53} The first thing I need to tell you is you don't have to be everywhere. You just need to be intentional with your content, understand who your ideal customer is, and what platforms they like hanging out on and how they like to consume content. {2:01} You need to be creating content with purpose, intentional content that's scheduled and goes out at optimum times, which is why you need to look at your analytics and see when people are online and when they're engaging and commenting on your content and looking at what content works well. So you've had a little deep dive into what's working well for you and when people are online and when you're going to make the most impact. {2:51} But having a plan in place is the key thing, even if you have to adjust the plan, which we all had to do this year, and we may have to do going into 2021 and '22. It's a plan with flexibility. So if you create a content calendar or schedule, it'll give you a bird's eye view of the whole process from start to finish. It'll give you a guideline of what content is going out and when and makes you focus on what I like to call core bits of content. {3:37} When you start working with a team, you might start having an operations manager or a VA working with you as your business builds and grows, and they will all know what content is going out and when and help you with that content creating process. So wherever you are in your business, this is a useful thing to have in place. {3:59} Secondly, make sure you make the most out of the content that you've already created. Look back, like I've said, at what worked well and what didn't. Pull out the bits of content that you know people have engaged on and repurpose them. You don't need to be creating content 24/7. There aren't enough hours in the day to be doing that. {4:53} Think about what your target audience would like to see and how you can give them content that they've previously loved but with an added twist. {5:02} Thirdly, and I talk about this a lot as well, but I love to reiterate what's really important, give your audience what they want. If you're feeling like your content isn't as well-received as you'd hoped, writing about what you're passionate about is important, but don't forget to look at the results too. Look at what's working. If you don't know what your audience wants, ask them. {7:00} Sometimes, it is about creating content to educate people and make them understand the problem that they've got and how they can solve it. So there's lots of different ways of doing that, blogging, podcasting, videos, Facebook lives. You'll find the area that you like doing the most. {7:34} Getting people on your email list should be part of that process. So whether that's asking people to sign up to a free download in your show notes if you're podcasting, or make it a question when someone enters your free Facebook group, you get to ask three questions, make sure one of them is, would you like to hear from me regularly from my e-newsletter, please leave your email here. {8:18} You don't need to think about volume. You need to think about value. So ignore volume and increase the value of what you create. It's much more important to create quality content that really, really engages your ideal customer and gets them thinking about their problem and how they need to solve it or to know, like, and trust you so that when they need your expertise, they know who to turn to. {9:23} So creating educational content that will provide real value to their lives, focusing on a few relevant and actionable posts rather than a myriad of meaningless information is the way to go. Connect with Claire: You can download my free Content Calendar here: https://clairewinter.info/freebies/2021content-planner/ To find out about 1:1 content coaching go www.clairewinter.info. Free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crackingcontent/ Website: https://clairewinter.info/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairewinteruk Join the Cracking Content Club Membership: https://clairewinter.info/cracking-content-club/
Ep. 035 How To Create Content That Connects And Converts Welcome to the Cracking Content Podcast, helping entrepreneurs to amplify their expertise through storytelling, content, and PR so they can get more sales and make a bigger impact. Every business has a story to tell. Don't be afraid to tell it. In this podcast, I'm going to be talking about how to create content that connects and converts. Creating valuable and impactful content is a challenge, let alone content that inspires and connects with its desired audience, sparking a conversation, traffic, and those are all-important conversions. The truth is, around 87% of content writers are still struggling to create content that engages their customers. So, what can you do to make your content connect and create conversations? {1:00} First of all, you need to really understand your audience. If you don't understand who you're marketing to, how can you expect to grab their attention? Embrace a distinct brand voice and personality, and let it shine through your content, using intentional word choices and adopting your audience's beliefs and worldview. Ask yourself, what do I stand for? What do I stand against? {1:34} Notice what content your audience is connecting to most and think about why that is. What are they reacting to? What are they commenting on? Use this to produce more effective results. Often telling a personal story, engaging those people, telling them about a challenge you faced, using those stories to really connect and engage with your customers will make all the difference. {2:00} Remember to be human. We all like to hear about triumph over adversity, but also those funny tales where things went wrong, particularly when you're an entrepreneur. One of my favourite things to say is, learn to fail well and learn from those mistakes that you've made. So, again, think about a brand whose content you really admire. How do they speak and how does their content make you feel? Chances are that your favourite content creators are those that are authentic, real, and use genuine emotion to inspire. {2:31} It's no surprise that we connect to those who are most relatable to us. So, don't let a screen get in the way of you and your audience. Evoke emotion to create impactful and long-lasting content. Certainly, for me, the things that I love consuming are people's stories, learning about how they've built their businesses, and what's inspired them along the way. {3:05} Encourage conversation. Increasing likes and comments is all well and good, but if no one is actively participating in a meaningful conversation, how much impact is your business really making? Let people know that you value their opinion and their voice. Ask questions, host a poll, or even organize a competition. {3:27} Building trust is valuable for creating a community of people who genuinely love you and your business. And that's why setting up things like a Facebook group like mine, which is called Cracking Content where people can engage and talk to each other and also consume your content are really valuable. {4:18} Make sure that you allocate time, not only to create and post content but have conversations on channels as well. {4:26} Don't just tell, show. There are only so many times you can talk about a product or service before your customer might just have had enough. Instead, switch up your content to give real-life examples. This can involve anything from building a story around your brand and why it came to exist to simply sharing fantastic customer testimonials. {5.35} Last but not least, don't forget the visuals. As much as written content is important, the visuals are often what the customer sees first and can be just as important. Aesthetic often plays a significant role in the consumer's decision to stick around for more content or simply move on. So, make sure you include photos in your content at the very least. And video and infographics are also good attention stoppers. Connect with Claire: You can download my free PR guide here https://clairewinter.info/freebies/be-your-own-pr/ To find out about 1:1 content coaching go www.clairewinter.info. Free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crackingcontent/ Website: https://clairewinter.info/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairewinteruk Join the Cracking Content Club Membership: https://clairewinter.info/cracking-content-club/
Welcome to the Cracking Content Podcast, helping entrepreneurs to amplify their expertise through storytelling, content and PR, so they can get more sales and make a bigger impact. Every business has a story to tell. Don't be afraid to tell it. In this episode, I'm going to be talking about five ways to save time creating content. So this is one of the biggest problems people talk about when it comes to creating content, particularly if you're a solopreneur or run a small team. People are like, "It's just taking me too long to create content." And they feel overwhelmed and feel like they have to be on every channel three times a day because they see other people in their world doing that. {1:02} So the first thing is, you need to get organised. So how can you keep track of the content process from start to finish without a schedule in place? So this is one of the mistakes that people I've worked with often do; they post in the moment. Now that can work if you've got lots of time, but if you've got a busy business as a coach or a creative entrepreneur or a product-based business, you need to have a content schedule in place so that you are highlighting the products and services that you have to sell. {1:46} Making sure that you've got a schedule in place ensures that all your brand messaging and all the things you've got to sell are actually in your content. You wouldn't believe the amount of content audits I've done, where people actually don't use a sales call-to-action in any of their social media posts. And then they wonder why they don't have any clients, or they're not selling any products. {2:17} If you set up a content calendar and plan your content ideas ahead of time, it means you're not wasting time. So it can also help you time block. So you can set time aside every month to plan what you're doing. {2:38} Make time every month to map out what you're going to do. We like to plan our content in quarters. But at the moment, it's good to do a monthly check-in because things are changing so quickly that you might need to adjust or change the content you're putting out, depending on what's happening in the UK or wherever you're living. {3:05} The next tip is to streamline your research process. Do you sometimes have a hundred tabs open on your computer? That's just too many things going on at the same time. The same thing can happen when you're researching a topic. So stay on task and save time by looking at your own analytics and also your competitors to see what topics are trending. {3:56} One of my favourite and most easy things to do is to actually ask your audience. If you've got a good email list, you could send out a survey asking people what kind of products they would like or giving feedback on an existing product or service that you offer your clients. {5:15} Think hard about what channels you want to focus on. It's better to do one or two really well than try and be everywhere all the time. {5:26} Did you know that businesses that regularly publish a blog see 67% more leads from their inbound efforts over companies that don't? {6:09} So, rather than posting something that's not very good every day, create an excellent blog and then pull out social posts from that. And you know you are boosting your search engine optimization, sharing ideas with your customers and clients. You can also use your email newsletter to share that blog in as well. {6:49} When it comes to promoting your content, cascade the content. So, I've talked about creating those core bits of content, like a blog or a podcast, and then think about how you can repurpose it. Create a listicle, Five Ways To Write An Excellent Blog, and then you push out those tips as well. So it is just really thinking about how you can make those core bits of content that you've created Evergreen. Evergreen is not just a tree. It's a bit of content that you can update every year that also helps people. Connect with Claire: You can download my free PR guide here https://clairewinter.info/freebies/be-your-own-pr/ To find out about 1:1 content coaching go www.clairewinter.info. Free Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/crackingcontent/ Website: https://clairewinter.info/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clairewinteruk Join the Cracking Content Club Membership: https://clairewinter.info/cracking-content-club/
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