Podcast
Baking it Down with Sugar Cookie Marketing 🍪
Hosted by Heather and Corrie Miracle · EN
👋 Hey - Heather and Corrie here with the Baking it Down Podcast with Sugar Cookie Marketing (a group on Facebook full of sugar cookiers turned business owners).
🍪 We're here to help you rise with your reach, flood with new followers, bake up new ideas, and make that all-important dough (while makin' that dough - see the pun there?)
🤑. What’s it about? We’re a Facebook Group turned Podcast, Membership, Book Club, and Baking 101 that’s dedicated to assisting bakers in effectively marketing online to generate more sales and better manage their businesses.
🧠 With free Facebook Live classes, hundreds of resources, and thousands of like-minded bakers, there’s a lot to learn in "SCM" (aka Sugar Cookie Marketing). ️🎧 As an extension of our Facebook group, this podcast is here to let you learn by listening. 📈 We'll cover group topics, marketing trends, and more (leaving this wide open in case Corrie wants to start singing).
💸 We take the sweet art of selling online to the cottage bakery world with marketing methods that move products (and pastries).👂 So open up those glorious ear canals because we have a podcast! Just when you’ve thought you’ve “heard” it all with those marketing "miracle" twins (that's our last name - not a proclamation), we’ve got something just for you each week!
🥣 As a baker, you don't always have the luxury of two hands needed to scroll in Sugar Cookie Marketing Group or crack open a book in Sugar Cookie Bookies, but what you can do is listen (unless you're my kid asking “what’s for dinner” for the millionth time).
👐 Hands full of flour? No problem! 👍 18 dozen iced cookies due tomorrow? Let’s do this. The Baking it Down Podcast by Sugar Cookie Marketing is a weekly podcast geared toward helping you grow your bakery business - dropping (almost) every Tuesday.
📅 We choose a topic each week that's either something new and emerging in the world of social media or something that we saw in "The Group" that was a hot topic and we bake it down... I mean, "break" it down for you. 🗯️ What you can expect in the podcast is about an hour of chit-chat with the meat and potatoes right at the beginning of the episode.
🥔 That’s when we dive into the marketing topic of the week! 📞 Oh yeah, folks can call / text / email in with their questions too - a fun way to hear from other bakers out there.
Our promises to you:
1️⃣ We always make it clean = no cursing. We understand that you are busy and could be around little ones while also trying to get your weekly dose of business growth so we make sure that each episode would make our grandma proud and keep it clean so you can listen while also living your life.
2️⃣ We always make it fun. There’s a lot of negativity in the world so we try and make the podcast an upbeat and fun learning experience for you. I mean, we try to make the Instagram updates and c...
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224. Baking it Down - Main Street Money
Aug 12, 202501:12:46Summary readySend us a text💼 Main Street Money - Maximizing the main street cookie collab.In this week's Baking it Down Podcast - Episode 224 - Main Street Money, the Main Street Cookie Collab is BACK and it's in two weeks on August 28th at 11:00 AM est. This is a fun collab because it incorporates so much "local" than our other collabs do. ⚠️ Keep in mind, this collab is on a Thursday, not our typical Friday - much thanks to my inability to read a calendar. ⚠️ Also, heads up - we've shifted the time an hour later to 11:00 AM est - 12:00 PM est. We did this so our West Coast friends don't have to be up early to participate. 📌 1. What's a cookie collab?A cookie collab is a single-day, single-hour online event where a group of bakers design a cookie (or a picture) based on a specified theme. At that designated time, bakers will post their cookie creations to Instagram using a specific hashtag (#SCMCollabLocal). We use a unique hashtag for each collab - ⚠️ meaning don't use the same hashtag as the last collab.During that hour, all the collabers will engage with other bakers' posts by liking and commenting (but not following). It lasts for 1 hour, and it's a great way to increase engagement by hijacking the algorithm to show your post to more of your followers. A win-win-win. Some collabs are invite-only, but this is an open invite. All we ask is that you register to get reminders and help with your captions (not required, but appreciated). 📌 2. Details on this Main Street collabThis is one of my favorite collabs because the potential pay-offs are so much higher than our other collabs. The Main Street Collab is just that - you find a local business and turn their logo into a cookie. Yes, it's similar to the "cookie my logo" collab we did last month, but this one ups the ante because we're featuring a local company - more on that in a minute.➡️ Time: Thursday, 11:00 AM EST➡️ Date: August 28th, 2025➡️ Use Hashtag #SCMCollabLocal➡️ Register Here: https://form.jotform.com/SugarCookieMarketing/main-street-cookie-collab📌 3. How to choose a business to featureDon't feel overwhelmed here - the easier this is, the better. But if you're looking for some tips to maximize potential with this collab, here's what we recommend:✅ Find a hyper-local company.✅ Consider featuring a restaurant or coffee shop.✅ Try to pick a business that already has a bit of a following.✅ Choose a company that's active on social media - specifically on Instagram (bonus if you see they reshare a lot of content).✅ Find more ways you can squeeze content from this collab-featured business.📌 4. What you're going to postAt 11:00 AM (est), you're going to post the logo cookie on your Instagram. Ideally, the photo of the cookie is taken in front of the business's front door (bonus if you get their logo in the pic too) - you'll likely get more traction that way. Your local audience will think, "Oh hey! I've been there, I love that place!" Your caption is going to feature either facts about the company, your favorite menu items, or why the location means something to ya - make it interesting for your readers (and for the company you featured - they'll be delighted to read about themselves). You're also going to tag the company's Instagram handle to see if we can get their attention (and possibly a reshare). Once you post, you're gonna engage with other bakers who used the same hashtag while they come to your post and engage too! This is a fantastic way to get your start in corporate orders - some bakers will eve
Summary223. Baking it Down - Business Victim Mindset
Aug 5, 202501:23:28Summary readySend us a text💀 Business Victim Mindset - Be what happens to your business.In this week's Baking it Down Podcast - Episode 223 - Business Victim Mindset, we are in the slowest baking month of the YEAR. Yep - last week of July / first week of August = the Google trends report where "sugar cookie" is least searched. Conversely, 📊 the end of the slowest month begins the uptick of our busy season - but that's not the point of today's podcast. We're focusing on the "hanging up of the apron" baker who looks for indicators that the industry is dead. Pack it up, boys, ain't no one want cookies no more! The cows came home, and they didn't bring money with 'em. WRONG. While it feels that way, this has always been our yearly industry ebb and flow. "The J Months" (💸 January, June, and July) make you question if you're good at business at all, and the Q4 months make you feel like you're on top of the world. We are here - August 3 - 9. 🕵️ In this graph from Google Trends, we see a year in Google search for the term "sugar cookies." That peak is the week before Christmas. That trough? That's us literally this week. 🎄 So if Christmas is 100%, bakers are looking at 14% of our highest order volume (📉 data doesn't exactly mean that, but it can be extrapolated as a decent representation of our calendar year as bakers).Why are we talking about the low point of baking leads? Because it's during this time that bakers let their business happen to them. They are reactive. They let the ebbs and flows control their moods. 😞 Low leads = low mood. The proverbial "hanging up the apron" quitting posts tick up around this time. 😢 It feels like the end is nigh. But here's today's challenge: happen to your business. Something's not working? Try it a different way. Class didn't book out? BoGo tickets until it does. Summer rain watered your sales numbers at that last farmer's market? Lightning flash sale it is.1. Your farmer's market event gets rained outIf there's anything more unpredictable than when Corrie will be on the podcast, it's the weather on the day of a farmer's market. We can't control the weather, but we can control our perspective on it.🤕 Business happening to you: You baked everything. You had high hopes for sales, now you're sulking because it was a total wash. 💪 You happening to your business: You jump on an impromptu Facebook Live to see if anyone wants to snag a "lightning flash deal" on your bakes. You gain a new audience of last-minute orders, and your product doesn't go to waste - you even recoup some of your costs, maybe even some profit.2. There was low attendance at your vendor eventIt happens - the vendor coordinator drops the ball (ahem - wedding vendor expo a la 2024) and no one shows up. But you prepped, spent money on your displays, baked, and even lugged your Eddie there for a photo-booth setup.🤕 Business happening to you: You pack up early and leave. You then complain about the entire event and coordinator in a local community group - heck, they deserve it for wasting your time.💪 You happening to your business: You realize attendance is low, but you brought your DSLR camera. You start connecting with other vendors and take a few photos of them in action. You grab their business card and make a connection, thus potentially securing a referral source. 3. There was another baker at your holiday marketNothing's worse than showing up to a Holiday Market full of your competitors, especially when they told you that you'd be the only cookie baker.🤕 Business happening to you: You complain to management and forever burn that bridge.
Summary222. Baking it Down - Return of the Twith
Jul 29, 202501:19:29Summary readySend us a text
Summary221. Baking it Down - Money Talks with the Miracles
Jul 22, 202501:33:40Summary readySend us a text💵 Money Talks With the (older) Miracles.In this week's Baking it Down Podcast - Episode 221 - Money Talk with the Miracles, Corrie's still outta commission, so we've got another Miracle sister as a stunt double - meet Ashley with YNAB.com. Ash is the older (and wiser) sister and also an employee of an app that helps folks manage their money. Now, this is not a sales pitch; that said, I do use the app (and pay full price - what happened to sibling hookups?!), and we're giving away 3 months of it in the Sugar Cookie Marketing group. But we are talkin' about the "YNAB Way" - an approach they take to help business owners and individuals look at the way their money works differently than we're typically told to. The goal of this unique approach is to remove the "ick" of budgeting and replace it with a spending strategy. Basically, they put you and your money on the same side of the war against debt and dollar dread.Here's the "YNAB Way" approach as it applies to bakers:💵 1. What does this money need to do before I’m paid again?💵 2. What larger or less frequent spending do I need to prepare for?💵 3. What can I set aside for next month’s spending?💵 4. What goals, large or small, do I want to prioritize?💵 5. What changes do I need to make, if any?The key is giving every dollar a job. That means each month, every dollar you intake gets assigned a role, aka a job. In your "money that came in" line, there will ideally be 0 dollars because all those dollars were moved from the "ready to be given a job" and then were allocated to some line item in your budget. That's where the 5 steps come in. The first "job" your dollars need to tackle is the things that, if not paid, you won't have a business next month. Think website hosting fees, licensure fees, and booth fees. Got those dollars assigned? Cool - we're still in business.Step 2 - The next are those not frequent but very necessary expenses (YNAB calls them sinking funds). These are things like yearly renewals, oven repairs or replacements, insurance policies, heck, maybe your Cookie College yearly renewal you got at a MAJOR discount during the Mid-Summer Membership Sale next week (you smart spender, you) - all things you gotta have, but aren't monthly bills. Step 3 gets your money working ahead. Instead of just funding your bills for this month, imagine a world where next month is already accounted for, too. *Sighs in relief* As wise older sister Ash said, "We're trying to level out the financial roller coasters." Step 4 is my personal favorite. Once the bills are all budgeted for, we can start prioritizing our dream spending. Ash says you can learn a lot about a baker through their budget, especially when it comes to goals and wants. Think buying that Eddie, or going to CookieCon 2026, or spending with (budgeted) reckless abandon at The Vendy Blendy. And we end with Step 5 - the overview and the adjustment. We see what we had to spend, we see what we will spend, and we now see what we want to spend - where can we optimize? Where can we dream bigger? Where can we spend less? Like Ash says, "It's a constant conversation with yourself about how you want your money to work for you." 👂 Snag this podcast on any major podcast player (Spotify, Apple Music, Audible, Amazon Music, or watch it on YouTube) by searching for Baking it Down Podcast - Episode 221 - Money Talk with the Miracles.
Summary220. Baking it Down - Ope, It's Amy!
Jul 15, 202501:20:20Summary readySend us a text👋 Ope, It's Amy! The mod team meets the mod team.In this week's Baking it Down Podcast - Episode 220 - Ope, It's Amy!, we continue on our "regular scheduled programming" departure to introduce our first ever podcast guest - 🎂 Amy Russell of CookiesTakeTheCake (https://www.instagram.com/cookiestakethecake)! 💥 Now here's the funny part: Amy has been a part of the Sugar Cookie Marketing moderation team for like almost 5 years, and yet we've never met her before. Attempted to? Yes, many times. But she's 16 hours away in Missouri, and we're dying of heat exhaustion in the Nation's Swamp... I mean, Capitol. But claim that no more, 🚦🚗💨 for Amy went an additional 8 hours outta her way to be the first ever podcast guest as Corrie preps for her hysterectomy surgery (today actually - she'll be under when you're reading this email. 🙏 Healing thoughts, twin #2!).Why give this podcast a listen? Amy's got a unique story - 🥣 like many bakers do, how she found herself on a whisk and a prayer is an interesting story involving starting with gluten-sensitive cakes and migrating into the wild world of sugar cookies due to their ease of freezing - something that comes in handy when you've got 👦👦👦👦👦 5 boys under 17 years of age (🏥 ER visits seem to be their favorite vacation destination). Amy has structured her business in a way that allows her to juggle everything that life throws at their family of 7 - from church missions trips to after-school sports activities. 🔧 Her bakery is a tool to not only add income to the family's bottom line but also the flexibility needed to play Manager Mom - 🔧🛠️🪛🔩 all of which are more tools she uses to increase her brand awareness and network to new potential clients in a pretty neat way (I won't spoil it for ya, you can hear it on this week's episode).👂 Since I don't have kids and Corrie only has one, it's an interesting listen to see what it all looks like under the hood of a large family. The big takeaway from Amy? She says to find your niche. In her words, "If the market's saturated, ✍️ then call me the ink." And her defining statement is that there's enough work to go around if you're willing to niche for it. And I'm here for this. There's enough cookies to go around when you're the gluten-free, mini-baker serving an area outside a massive city where your unique setup allows you an even more unique marketing opportunity.Tune in next week for Podcast Guest #2 - the older Miracle sister!👂 Snag this podcast on any major podcast player (Spotify, Apple Music, Audible, Amazon Music, or watch it on YouTube) by searching for Baking it Down Podcast - Episode 220 - Ope, It's Amy!
Summary219. Baking it Down - C is for Cancer
Jul 8, 202501:20:49Summary readySend us a text🤒 C is for Cancer - A health update.In this week's Baking it Down Podcast - Episode 219 - C is for Cancer, we pause our typical marketing podcast to talk about health - specifically as it relates to Corrie's cancer diagnosis and her upcoming surgery that'll have her outta commission for a few weeks (yes, you're still stuck with me, Heather).Today's podcast was a departure from our typical marketing content. It's a way to raise awareness that cancer doesn't judge, it doesn't choose favorites, and the best way to beat it is to catch it ahead of time. Ergo, the goal of today's podcast is to raise awareness for cancer screenings. As a self-employed baker, the thought of putting your health in front of all your orders, deadlines, payroll, website updates, social media posts, newsletters, pop-ups... You get the point. Your health can feel like it's the last thing you have time to focus on when it comes to your endless to-do list. But you have to put "health" at the top - your life literally depends on it.👂 Snag this podcast on any major podcast player (Spotify, Apple Music, Audible, Amazon Music, or watch it on YouTube) by searching for Baking it Down Podcast - Episode 219 - C is for Cancer.
Summary218. Baking it Down - The First Ever Mid-Summer Membership Sale
Jul 1, 202501:20:48Summary readySend us a text🤑 Mid-Summer Membership Sale - The first-ever mid-year Cookie College sale.In this week's Baking it Down Podcast - Episode 218 - Mid-Summer Membership Sale, we cover this month's Mid-Summer Membership sale starting July 27 - August 2, 2025. This 7-day sale is the only one we've ever run before the Vendy Blendy (I cried just typing that - 🥲 how is this year goin' by so fast). 🤑 1. The Details This is our first-ever Mid-Summer Membership Sale - typically, we run a Black Friday sale, but that puts bakers having to take classes right smack dab in the middle of busy season. So I (ahem, Heather... thank me later) convinced Corrie to run a similar sale, but mid-summer so bakers can work on marketing in the slower season (before our "Cookie Super Bowl" holiday season starts).So if you've been on the fence on signing up for these memberships, now is the time to snag 'em while they're cheap. They won't go on sale again until our one-day Black Friday sale. This time, you have 7 whole days to think it over.Mid-Summer Membership Sale Details:💵 Date: July 27 - Aug 2💵 Duration: 7 Days💵 Discounts: 10% - 50% (even 89%)💵 Location: Online at The Cookie College website 🤑 2. The DiscountsSo we're runnin' a sale on e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g - that means every membership and even the now-archived Class Kits from yesteryear. There's somethin' for everyone in this sale, so fence-sitters, rejoice! Your procrastination has finally paid off for once!The Discounts:💵 The Cookie College - (was $76) $68/mo or $680/yr💵 The Cookie Class Kits - (was $63) $31.50/mo or $351/yr💵 The Bakers Biz Basics - (was $36) $18/mo💵 The Digital Downloads - (was $10) $5/mo or $100/yr💵 The Two Dollar Transfer Club - (was $2) $1/mo💵 The 2023 - 2024 Class Kits - $10/eachAnd if you're already a current member of any of the above, you can STILL switch to the cheaper plan! Yeah - I gotta take care of my peeps. As always, all sales are offered to current members as well. You'll just log in > settings > scroll all the way down to billing > scroll even further to "change plan" > select the cheaper option.BAM - your bill date doesn't change, and any overpayment is applied as a pro-rated discount for that first payment. Your next invoice will reflect that cheaper plan.🤑 3. The Roast 'n Toasts To hype up the Mid-Summer Sale, we're hosting THREE Live marketing audits. They're only 30 minutes long, and each will feature 5 bakers who signed up for 5 minutes in the hot seat. We'll burn through their profile finding recs to increase sales, reduce funnel length, or clarify communications. In exchange for sweatin' it out with us, each baker has a 1-in-5 chance to win a month FREE in The Cookie College!💵 July 10 - Roast 'n Toast - Mid-Summer Marketing Audit #1 🔥🥂💵 July 17 - Roast 'n Toast - Mid-Summer Marketing Audit #2 🔥🥂💵 July 24 - Roast 'n Toast - Mid-Summer Marketing Audit #3 🔥🥂In each of the Roasts, I'll cover a bit about the sale, too. Wanna get roasted then possibly toasted? Sign up here: https://form.jotform.com/SugarCookieMarketing/roast-then-toast
Summary217. Baking it Down - Video Marketing for Local Small Bakeries
Jun 24, 202501:03:52Summary readySend us a text📹 Video Marketing - For local, small cottage bakeries.In this week's Baking it Down Podcast - Episode 217 - Video Marketing for Local Small Bakeries, Corrie wanted to talk about the wild world of Reels. Well, Reels, TikToks, YouTube Shorts - you know, vertical video. A topic made all the more important by Meta's announcement last week that all videos uploaded to the Facebook platform would now be categorized as Reels, thus shutting the door on horizontal videos (* Lives are still Lives, though).It's what's in right now, and as small businesses who want to increase reach, we gotta bite the proverbial bullet and say cheese (trust me, I hate it too).🎞️ 1. Start with the setupThe setup will make or break your quality, but pro-tip: it won't be perfect when you're just getting started. Don't let that stop you! The old adage was right when it stated, "Practice makes perfect." So yes, you may be tripping out of the gate, but the long-term benefits of Nike's "Just Do It" will make the juice worth the squeeze. Products Recs from this Podcast:🔗 Tripod - Canvas Lamp🔗 Dummy Phone - iPhone 13🔗 Editing App - InShot🔗 Backdrop - The Backers Co in White Matte Finish🔗 Teleprompter - Search Amazon for one that fits your setupYou'll want to find a natural indirect light source - this means the sun, but in a bright room where the sun isn't creating harsh shadows. If you can't get out of the sun because of the positioning of your house, using a silk curtain can diffuse the light enough to make it work.📐 Most bakers struggle with the positioning of the tripod in relation to the cookie. Don't be afraid to position the camera at an angle - if you pay attention, you'll find most decorating videos are not directly overhead, although Corrie tells ya how to make it work with the Canvas Lamp (heads up - she does not use the lamp's light ring, just the phone mount).🎞️ 2. Types of videos to recordOnce you get your setup dialed in, you may be tempted to become a one-dimensional "cookie decorating video ASMR" content machine, but ya gotta mix it up. 🔑 This is the key point to the podcast - small, local businesses need to feature local content. Consider who is watching your videos. ASMR-type decorating videos appeal to a wide audience - 🌎 like, "the whole world" wide. Not the goal if we want to increase our local customer base, but good for impressions (the number of eyes that watch your videos). When we feature hyper-local businesses, farmers markets, and event coverage, we appeal really just to our local demographic. That's the goal.🪣 Here are some content buckets you could pull from to make a diverse content strategy that covers both broad and narrow targeting:🎬 Read customer testimonials and give order details🎬 Local event coverage - farmer's markets, new restaurant opening, town events🎬 Tell a story or series - "I'm on my journey to open a brick and mortar - I'm taking you with me!"🎬 Behind the scenes - "I have an order for 30 dz. Let's do it together."🎬 Presale QVC-style video - "Here's what you'll find at my pop-up next week."🎬 Baking Tips - "Here's how to make Royal Icing at home!"🎬 ASMR-type decorating vids🎞️ 3. Things to include for extra reachFinally, try to include these when recording - it'll help your audience better relate and discover your content. And the more people who see your content, the more likely the algos are to show your content to more people = the endless cog in the marketing wheel.
Summary216. Baking it Down - Take a Stab at a Cookie Collab
Jun 17, 202501:01:16Summary readySend us a text
Summary215. Baking it Down - AI-AI-Oh Yes
Jun 10, 202501:05:51Summary readySend us a text🤖 AI-AI-Oh Yes - Ways bakers are incorporating AI.In this week's Baking it Down Podcast - Episode 215 - AI-AI-Oh Yes, we read a thread asking bakers how they're using AI in their bakery business. The answers should inspire you - from streamlining workflow to helping write compelling copy on social media, AI has entered stage left, and it won't be leaving anytime soon.If you're a late adopter to this new tech, you're not totally alone, but we predict (hot take) that the bakers who do incorporate AI into their workflow will outperform the bakers who resist the "winds of change." For this newsletter, I'll just list out how bakers are incorporating AI as they incorporate their icing. It's how others use AI that can inspire you to learn ways you can add it yourself. In the podcast, we also listed out how the Harvard Business Review found out how the majority of folks are using AI in their lives.Full disclosure - we recorded this podcast last week, and I'm currently sitting beachside (hopefully not in the rain) right now. So, hello from the past. Also, hello from a huge fan of letting technology help you in business.🔧 1. Rewriting copy and captions - Ericka - "When I’m brain dead, I’ll have it rewrite my copy to sound like I’m a lively awake human 😂." 🔧 2. Create outline drawings for cookies - Renea - "To make one-line drawings for cookies."🔧 3. Edit backgrounds on images - Viviana - "Once in a while, I use it to change the background and content. I am involved in networking, and on a few occasions, I have had to give a 10-minute presentation about what I do. I let AI help me put things into words."🔧 4. Color mixing theory - Kelly - "Copy ideas, and when I’m having trouble with mixing a color, although I haven’t found it as helpful with colors as I had hoped. I’m liking a lot of these other ideas mentioned here, especially when you are stuck on that last design and making the one-line drawings!"🔧 5. Design ideas - Amie - "Sometimes I need just one more design idea, and I’ll have it make me some ideas."🔧 6. Website copy - Tina - "Writing first draft of copy for social media, website. Putting in my responses to difficult customer queries and asking it to make it more friendly and sincere. 😁"🔧 7. Recipe scaling - Daphanee - "Recipe scaling and troubleshooting, writing copy, doing mockups for sets when I have a hard time conceptualizing them."👂 Snag this podcast on any major podcast player (Spotify, Apple Music, Audible, Amazon Music, or watch it on YouTube) by searching for Baking it Down Podcast - Episode 215 - AI-AI-Oh Yes.
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