The Blog
The emotions, actions and thought processes of my creative work.
This is where I share what I’m doing and why, how I’m thrashing out problems and what I’m trying to achieve.
Create The Product *You* Want To Buy
Whenever we want to create something new in our business, we tend to start with ‘what do people want?’. This is good! In fact, you might go so far as to say that it’s a pretty hard and fast rule of business ownership – create products that your customer really wants. Do surveys and research and put together their suggestions with your know-how and hey presto! But sometimes, business ownership means breaking the rules…
Renegotiating My Relationship With Instagram
A few months ago, Instagram and I reached an impasse. It had been a long time coming. For a while I had struggled with showing up there, feeling bound to it by its necessity to my business but deeply uncomfortable with all the layers of the ropes that weren’t really working for anyone.
Some Thoughts on Vulnerability and Saturation
Over the last few months, I think we’ve all felt a shift in the online landscape, and the conversations I’ve had with clients have reflected this. It started with questions about whether anyone even buys e-courses anymore, or the market being saturated and people struggling to stand out.
Instagram Photography Tips: How To Compose Your Photos
There is no doubt that my business has been built off the back of my photographs. Yes, my blog and content has been vital too, but almost always my photos on Instagram are the first thing that people find, and draw them in to learn more. And really, I’m an amateur photographer – I shoot on Auto (and previously, an old iPhone) and, to be honest, find the technical stuff a bit boring and, well, technical.
Why People Engage Less With Sponsored Content, and What We Can Do About It
Last week, I had a bit of a paddy about Instagram. For about five seconds I thought about my deleting my account, but mostly I just felt glum after a picture bombed.
Why You Need To Stop Using The Instagram Algorithm As An Excuse
We need to talk about the algorithm. It feels like every day I see someone (usually a blogger, usually on Twitter) bemoaning what the algorithm has done to their Instagram numbers.
How To Write Instagram Captions That Engage Your Audience
Instagram may be all about the image, but a large proportion of it is all about the caption too. If you want to build community then writing Instagram captions that engage is really important for increasing meaningful interactions on the app. During February’s The Insta Chat Twitter chat, a poll of the participants showed that 91% of them read the captions on posts more often than not.
How To Style A Cup Of Tea
You’ve probably noticed, but my go-to prop for Instagram photos is a cup of tea. Partly this is because the photos I take featuring rosie-lea are always my most popular – take a look at my most popular posts below for that evidence. I always know that if I’m in an engagement slump then a good ol’ cuppa will be sure to get me out of it. But of course, it’s not all about the likes and validation, there are lots of reasons why I’m drawn to tea as a prop.
Slow Marketing Manifesto: How & Why This Method Will Improve Your Business
Maybe it seems counter-intuitive, the idea of ‘slow marketing’. Maybe you’re sat there thinking, “why would I want to do things slowly, I want results right now”. But think about that for a minute – do you really?