More Than A Few Words

Are Your Headlines Putting Readers to Sleep? (Let’s Fix That.) I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the polite little headlines we keep sending out into the world—you know, the ones that tiptoe into a reader’s feed, whisper “excuse me,” and then wonder why no one pays attention. This month, I’m diving into the power of bold, spicy, “oh-no-she-didn’t” titles that make readers stop mid-scroll. Because if we want people to actually read what we write, we might need to ruffle a feather or two. Ready to stir the pot with me? Why Negative Titles Win (Even When Everyone Says They Want Positivity) Here’s the not-so-secret secret: people are drawn to headlines that poke at their fears or frustrations. Negative titles stand out in crowded feeds because they tap into emotions folks already feel but haven’t said out loud yet. Sure, I could have called this piece “5 Ways to Improve Your Blog Titles,” but… yawn. If your goal is to be memorable, negativity—used thoughtfully—is your new best friend. Your Language Might Be W

I love the What Went Wrong  conversations because they remind me that even when things look like they’re working, there’s usually a crack or two hiding under the surface. In this episode, we dig into one of those uncomfortable moments every business owner faces. Growth slows, the numbers get fuzzy, and suddenly the team you built so carefully starts to feel… expensive. I sat down with Matt Levenhagen, founder of Unified Web Design and host of the Builder Podcast, to talk about what happens when you hold on just a little too long. Here’s what really stuck with me: • Hope is not a hiring strategy Matt kept his team based on where revenue had been, not where it actually was. When projects stalled, he filled time with “busy work” instead of facing the numbers. That gap between reality and optimism gets expensive fast. • The warning signs are usually obvious, we just ignore them Delayed projects, slow client responses, and scrambling to keep people busy. Those were all signals. The lesson? If you’re getting creati

It started the way so many good ideas do, in conversation. Jen Edds, Lisa Mitchell, CFI, and I started talking about creating something different. Not another conference. Not another room where people talk at you. We wanted a space where smart women could actually talk with each other. And then, on March 26, we did it. This conversation is a bit of a celebration, a look back at what happens when you take an idea out of the group chat and bring it to life. Because honestly, that leap from “we should” to “we did” is where most ideas stall out. Here’s what stuck with me. Takeaways: • Pick one thing and go all in I’ll admit it, even as a marketer, I needed this reminder. One clear call to action, one place to send people. When everything matters, nothing stands out. Simpler really is smarter. • Borrow boldly and share freely Some of the best ideas in the room weren’t “original.” They were tested, tweaked, and passed along. That’s the magic. Less guarding, more sharing. We all get better faster. • Real con

When I moved from Texas to Indiana one of the things I loved best was the color of the seasons. Spring brings bright pastels which morph into the rich greens of summer. Then comes fall with the bring oranges, yellows and a few shades of brown. The only exception is winter filled with dreary colorless days which seem bland bland when compared to the vibrancy of colors throughout the rest of the year. I think that is why I appreciate  evergreen trees and the bright spot of colors they bring all year long. Just as these wonderful trees bring consistent color to my yard, evergreen content brings spots of color to a marketing calendar. What is Evergreen Content?  Evergreen content, unlike seasonal content or breaking news, this information is always relevant to your readers. Frequently asked questions, simple how-to blog posts, or product reviews make great evergreen content. These posts can be researched and written well in advance and be ready whenever you need some fresh content Start with the questions custome

Sometimes the best way to explain marketing is with a good story. In this episode, I chatted with Ryan Ross, head of marketing at BrokersBloc and author of the novel Benefits with Friends. The book follows a very unlikely hero, Al Dente, a pasta manufacturer who suddenly inherits his father’s benefits brokerage. As Al tries to figure out how to grow the business, he learns some very real marketing lessons along the way. Ryan wrapped those lessons in humor, food puns, and a cast of memorable characters, but the marketing advice is solid and surprisingly practical. Here are a few ideas that really stuck with me. • Pick a niche before you pick a tactic Al starts with nearly a hundred clients but no clear direction. His mentor pushes him to choose a specific audience instead of trying to serve everyone. Because of his background, he understands manufacturing. Once he focuses there, everything else becomes easier. The message is clearer, the prospects make sense, and the marketing finally has direction. • Borrow c

This week thousands of podcasters around the world take part in Podcastathon, a global effort that shines a spotlight on nonprofit organizations doing meaningful work in their communities. For one week, hosts swap their usual topics for stories about causes they care about and invite their listeners to learn more, get involved, or lend support. This episode is my contribution to that global event, and it gave me the perfect excuse to talk about one of my favorite nonprofits. Sometimes the hardest part of marketing isn’t getting attention. It’s helping people feel comfortable enough to try something new. That is exactly the challenge when you run a Fringe theater festival. In this episode, I chatted with Paul Daly, Executive Director of the IF Theatre in Indianapolis. IF Theatre is the home of the Indy Fringe Festival, one of the largest fringe festivals in the world, bringing dozens of performers and hundreds of shows to Mass Ave every summer. The festival celebrates creativity, experimentation, and the kind

We all love a good story. But here is the twist. If you are the hero, you are doing it wrong. In this conversation, I chatted with John Elbing, creator of the Story Building Method and author of a new book on the topic. We dug into the difference between storytelling and story building. It is not a play on words. It is a shift in perspective that can change how your marketing connects. John believes storytelling has turned into a coat of paint. Hooks. Tricks. Presentation tips. All fine. But before you polish the story, you need to decide which story you are telling. And here is the big idea. It is not your story. It is your customer’s. A few takeaways you can use right away: • Recognition comes first Before someone cares what you do, they need to see themselves in your message. In your words. In your images. In the problems you describe. When they think, “That’s me,” you have their attention. Skip this step and they scroll right past you. • Perception shapes your value People want to quickly understand what

I am going to be honest right from the start. This is a rant. A friendly one. But still a rant. I’m a geek at heart. I love shiny tools, clever plugins, little bits of tech that make my marketing life easier. But lately it feels like some of my favorites have decided to test me. Really test me. It started with my email marketing platform quietly turning off a third-party API I relied on. Their decision, fine. But maybe a heads up would have been nice. Instead, I spent four months wondering why new subscribers were suspiciously quiet. Turns out, the connection was dead. And I only discovered it while building a completely unrelated page on my website. When I reached out to support, they casually mentioned they don’t use that interface anymore. Terrific. Then my chatbot decided to hallucinate. I asked it to summarize an interview and create a teaser. Simple request. Except it thanked a guest who wasn’t even in the conversation. Not even close. I have no idea where it found that name. Apparently, creativity is a

If smarter marketing really worked the way the tools promise, we would all be done by lunch. Instead, most days feel like standing in the cereal aisle staring at fifty boxes that all swear they are the healthiest choice. That is why I sat down with Lisa Raehsler to talk about what to skip when everyone is promising smarter marketing. Lisa is a PPC strategist with more than twenty years in the trenches and the founder of Big Click Co. She spends her days helping businesses sort out what actually works from what just looks shiny. Why this matters Paid ads are not plug and play. Between Google, Meta, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and the parade of AI tools promising instant results, it is easy to feel behind before you even start. Lisa reminded me that the problem is not a lack of tools. It is too many tools pretending they know your business better than you do. Key takeaways from our conversation Skip the “easy button” marketing. Every platform now offers a button that says “generate headlines” or “create images.” Lis

Most business owners think success means being everywhere. Every platform. Every city. Every zip code. But the truth is, real growth usually starts much closer to home. Sometimes right down the street. In this episode, I sat down with Kyle Bailey, who spends his days helping home service businesses win where it matters most. Their local market. We talked about hyperlocal blogging, community connection, and why Google is paying attention to more than keywords. And yes, this is one of those conversations that makes you rethink how you show up online and in real life. Why this matters If you serve a local audience, broad and generic content is working against you. Google wants proof you belong in the neighborhood. Your customers do too. Hyperlocal content bridges that gap by showing, not telling, that you are part of the community you serve. ABOUT KYLE  Kyle Bailey has been helping Home Service Businesses increase sales through SEO, Local SEO, Social Media Marketing and Website Conversion for over 15 years. He f

Ever notice how being underestimated can light a fire under you? Too young. Too old. Not the right look. The wrong box. It’s frustrating. And it’s also fuel, if you know how to use it. In this episode, I sat down with Trevor Storm, a student entrepreneur running Media Wolf Marketing while earning his finance degree at Butler University. Yes, you read that right. And no, he’s not waiting for permission. We talked about what happens when clients look at you sideways and wonder if you can really do the job. Spoiler alert. That doubt can work in your favor. Here are a few moments that stuck with me. Say yes, then earn it. Trevor’s mindset is simple. Say yes to the opportunity, then do the work to make that yes pay off. Not reckless, just confident enough to learn fast and own the outcome. Use what they doubt as your advantage. Youth. Flexibility. Fewer layers. Trevor reframes all of it. More time. More focus. More care. When clients are your whole world, they feel it. The magic lives in the final 5 percent.

There was a time when conferences felt a little bit magical. You’d show up, coffee in hand, and before the first session even started, you’d be deep in a hallway conversation that changed how you thought about your work. Those little moments, sitting on the floor near an outlet, laughing over lunch, that’s where the real magic happened. But somewhere along the way, that magic started to fade. Big events got flashier. More sponsors, more VIP packages, and a lot more “networking opportunities” that felt like thinly disguised sales pitches. It stopped being about connection and started being about clout. I found myself missing the kind of conversations that left me inspired instead of exhausted. So, with a few fellow podcasters, Lisa Mitchel and Jenn Edds, we started dreaming about something smaller, more human. A gathering for women behind the mic who aren’t chasing followers but chasing meaning. That’s how Beyond the Mic was born. Not a conference, but a conversation. A cozy afternoon in Indianapolis this Marc

You know that feeling when you spend half your day chasing trends, tweaking hashtags, and wondering why your brilliant post is showing up three days late in someone’s feed? Yeah, me too. That’s why I sat down with Alice Seba, a content marketing pro who’s been helping online publishers turn persuasive content into real revenue for more than twenty years. She’s sold millions of dollars’ worth of content — and she swears the secret isn’t outsmarting the algorithm. It’s out-connecting it. As Alice put it, “You don’t need the algorithm to notice you if your community does. When you connect, collaborate, and share stories, you build something the algorithm can’t touch — real relationships.” And that’s the magic. When you stop trying to please the algorithm gods and start showing up for actual humans, you get noticed by the people who really matter — even when the social media winds shift. Here are a few big takeaways from our chat: Stop chasing the algorithm. Your business isn’t with code; it’s with people. Spend

How do you establish meaningful milestones in your business? For years I treated my business plan like a glorified spreadsheet, a place to park projections and hope the numbers magically pointed me in the right direction. It took me longer than I care to admit to realize a plan without milestones is a lot like taking a road trip without those familiar green highway signs. You may get somewhere eventually, but you will spend a lot of time wondering if you missed your exit three miles back. The trick is to start with honest, challenging and absolutely measurable goals. I learned this the hard way. In one of my earliest ventures, I confidently announced we were going to grow. That was it. Just grow. Predictably, no one knew what that meant, least of all me. Was I talking about five new clients or fifty? Without specifics, we drifted instead of charging ahead. Once I began treating my goals like real mile markers, things changed. I set targets I could count, track, and celebrate. I tied them to timelines that for

When was the last time you were pitch slapped? You know what I mean — you comment on someone’s post, and suddenly your inbox is full of “personalized” pitches that feel anything but personal. In this episode, I chatted with Billy Sammons of Live Local Marketing, who believes it’s time to push back against the noise and get back to what actually works: real, human connections. Billy’s been building local marketing communities for 15 years, and his message is refreshingly simple — relationships still matter. Here’s what stood out from our conversation: Go old-school — because it still works. As digital spaces get more crowded, buyers tune out. Billy says the antidote is face-to-face connections that make people feel seen and valued. Start small, start local. Forget the cold calls. Walk into a business you already support, strike up a conversation, and collaborate on something that helps you both. Keep it simple. You don’t need a fancy setup. A phone, a $19 mic, and a tripod are all it takes to start creating l

If you think branding starts and ends with a logo, we need to talk. In this conversation, I dug into what really makes a brand work and spoiler alert, it has very little to do with what you personally like. We talked about why branding gets messy, where business owners go wrong, and how to build something that actually connects with the people you want to serve. I sat down with Jessica Adanich, an award winning designer, brand strategist, and founder of DesignProd Studio. She helps businesses turn half formed ideas into brands that are ready to stand up in the real world, not just look good on a screen. Here are a few takeaways you can use right away: Your brand starts with your audience, not your taste Jessica nailed this. If you do not know who you are talking to, every design choice is just a guess. The goal is not to please yourself. It is to connect with the people you want to attract. AI is a tool, not the answer AI can help you get unstuck, spot patterns, or gather insight. It cannot replace talkin

Welcome to 2026. This week is exciting for a lot of reasons. It’s the beginning of a new year, which means I get to close the book on last year and start fresh.  I will be bringing along what worked and letting go of what didn’t. This week is also special because on January 7, I’ll be marking a big milestone: the 16th anniversary of this podcast. It’s kind of hard to believe I’ve been talking that long, but my mother would not be surprised. She always said I was born talking. While the show has gone through plenty of iterations, one thing has stayed consistent, a focus on creating great marketing insights for marketing professionals. I’ve changed formats over the years, but in the last few, I’ve settled into a rhythm that really works. That said, after 15 years of talking about marketing, I’ll admit I was getting a little bored with just the tech and the tools and the tools and the tech. So last year, I launched a series called What Went Wrong, where I interviewed marketing professionals about campaigns and p

Some days the problem isn’t your KPIs. It’s the fact that you’ve been staring at your own brand so long you can’t read the label anymore. That’s where this conversation with Charlie Sells got interesting. We dug into how easy it is for business owners to chase goals, tweak dashboards, and sprint through to-do lists while completely missing the bigger opportunity hiding in plain sight: curiosity. Charlie, the founder of Clarity Over Everything, spends his days helping leaders step back far enough to see what’s actually going on. And let me tell you, he’s right. I’ve lived this one myself. Takeaways Curiosity beats KPIs every time. When you stop assuming you already know your customer, your competitors, and your message, you finally spot blind spots you’ve been tripping over for months. Throw out assumptions and go look again. Competitors shift. Platforms shift. Markets shift. If you haven’t audited your landscape in a few months, you’re already behind. Not all ideas deserve your Time Once curiosity uncovers n

Ever feel like your marketing message is shouting into a crowded room? Every day, your customers are bombarded by thousands of messages—from family, friends, and brands all vying for their attention. So how do you make yours stand out? I chatted with Orly Zeewy, a speaker, educator, and facilitator of those “aha” light bulb moments, about one of my favorite topics: clarity. Orly helps entrepreneurs turn fuzzy ideas into sharp, memorable messages that connect and convert. As she put it, “What’s clear for you is not necessarily what’s clear for the person you’re speaking to.” And that’s the heart of the problem—most of us start by explaining what we do, when we should be showing people why it matters to them. We explored how clarity isn’t just a nice-to-have. It’s what helps people remember you long after they scroll past. And, Orley reminded me, true clarity starts with understanding who your message is for and what they actually need. Here are a few takeaways from our conversation: Start with your audience.

In this episode of What Went Wrong, I chatted with Tim Bronson, the Fully Booked Coach, who came armed with not one but two “what went wrong” tales. Both are a little painful, a little funny, and packed with lessons marketers can actually use. First, there was the podcast that wasn’t. Back in 2008, Tim marched into a music store, dropped a grand on shiny equipment he didn’t understand, then promptly lost his nerve when it didn’t work. Without a clear plan or patience for the learning curve, he packed it up and walked away before ever recording a single episode. Fast-forward to 2019, and Tim’s book relaunch hit another snag. Following advice to line up 50 reviews at launch, he asked 50 people for help, assumed their polite “yes” meant they’d actually deliver, and stopped there. The result? Not nearly enough momentum to push the book up the Amazon charts. Two very different mistakes, but the themes are familiar to anyone who’s ever launched…well, anything. Impulse without preparation. Expectations without math.