← The Goal Digger Podcast | Top Business and Marketing Podcast for Creatives, Entrepreneurs, and Women in Business
The Goal Digger Podcast | Top Business and Marketing Podcast for Creatives, Entrepreneurs, and Women in Business
868: Practical Advice for Creating Content, Gathering Reviews, and Building a Life-First Business
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- [00:02]
Jenna Kutcher
This episode is brought to you by Shippo, your one stop solution for shipping labels, helping small businesses like yours save up to 90 off retail rates for a limited time. Shippo is offering listeners 25 in Shippo credit when you spend your first $25. That means shipping your first few packages is basically free. I'll never forget those early days after launching my online shop. Our living room was filled with products and I was taping up boxes late at night, printing shipping labels manually and paying full price from the carriers. It was really exciting, but shipping was hands down the most stressful part. That's why I wish I had Shippo sooner. With Shippo you can manage all your orders from one dashboard, get the best discounted rates from top carriers, connect your stores and print labels in batches. It is a total sanity saver. So head over to Shippo.com Golddigger and claim your spend 25 get 25 offer today. That's S-H-I-P P O.com Golddigger One thing that I've looked at is I've been through so many pivots in my business and one thing that I think I've done well and done right is that every time I've made a big pivot I've done so gradually and I've leveraged what is currently working or already working to help me get to that next place. I'm Jenna Kutcher, your host of the Gold Digger Podcast. I escaped the corporate world at the age of 23 with nothing more than a 300 camera from Craigslist and a dream. Now I'm running a seven figure online business that feels even better than it looks. All from my house in small town Minnesota with my family here, we value time as our currency. We mix the woo and the work and we are in the pursuit of building businesses that give us the freedom to live lives that we love. I've always loved turning big goals into reality and I'm here to help you do the same. This isn't just a peek behind the curtain. Come along with me and my guests as we tear the whole curtain down. Every week we tackle practical, no fluff marketing strategies and host honest discussions on what works and what doesn't. Join me and my expert guests for actionable insights to help you grow your dream business with confidence. Pull up a seat and get ready to be challenged, inspired and empowered. This is the Goal Digger podcast. Today's episode is one of my absolute favorites because it's all about you. We're diving into another ask me anything with your real unfiltered questions straight from the gold digger community. You left me the best voicemails. Honest, thoughtful, and full of the kinds of questions that we don't talk about nearly enough. In this episode, I'm answering some juicy ones like how to navigate major pivots, get out of content creation burnout. And yep, I'm even opening up about one of my biggest career flops and what it taught me. These Ask Me Anything episodes feel like this coffee chat with a side of business therapy, and I have a feeling something in here is gonna hit right where you're at, whether you're just starting out or you're scaling up. And hey, if you wanna be a part of a future episod episode like this one, I would love to hear from you. Give me a call at 218-203-9660. Leave your name where you're calling from and ask your question. It's super simple and I'll also make sure that the number is linked up in the show notes in the episode description for you. But Again, it is 218-203-9660. Give me a call and ask your question so I can answer it on the next Ask me anything. All right, let's hit play on your questions and get into it. All right, let's hit play on our first listener question. I'm so excited to get into it with you today.
- [03:42]
Listener
Hi Jenna, My name is Makaya Gray. I am calling from Michigan and my question is how do I get more people to organically want to leave a review on my podcast? Tried to run a giveaway to get reviews and I've added it as like a call to action in my outro and the only successful way I've been able to is with review swaps.
- [04:06]
Jenna Kutcher
Okay, Mikayla, I love this question and I have a few ideas around this. Okay, so first, the biggest thing that I found, especially when it comes to reviews, whether it's testimonials for a product or reviews on your podcast, is to make it super personal. Like, why do they actually matter to you, not just for your podcast rankings, but, like, how do reviews motivate you to keep going? People love knowing their words make a difference and they also love knowing that, like, you actually take the time to read them. Which brings me to my second idea. Have you considered reading reviews on air so you can shout out your reviewers in every single episode? It also gives listeners a reason to leave one, like, maybe I'll hear my name next. And so we actually used to do this in the past. And I do think it's super beneficial. And so what I would do is that after each intro of a show, I would say, like, special shout out to, and then I'd say the username and I would read the review. And then that was a really natural place to have that call to action. And so consider reading reviews on air. And you could also organically integrate them into the content. If you have a review that is aligned with something you're talking about or the way that you're teaching, the next thing is. And this one was so surprising to me, but make sure people know exactly how to leave a review. Like, sometimes it is literally just confusion. And so I used to create like a screen flow recording, recording my screen as I would go find my podcast on Apple Podcasts and show people exactly what click to leave a review. Because if they are a subscriber to your show, it's actually kind of tricky to leave a review because you still have to search out the podcast name or click on a few different buttons and so literally walk them through how to leave a review. I personally think the best way is to do a screen recording and post it on your Instagram stories, if you have one, or save it as a story highlight or like, link to it in the show description. Like, if you want to leave a review but you're not sure how, watch this quick video and I'll walk you through it. But sometimes it literally just comes down to confusion. Okay, I have a few more tips on this. One is tying it back to community. And so one thing that I found is I feel like when people ask for people to subscribe or leave a review, it kind of feels like this really, like, awkward ask. And so if you can tie it to them being the hero and not you being the hero, that can be super helpful. So, like, help more amazing people just like you find the show. And one thing that I've been trying to do a better job of, and hey, if you're listening right now, this could be super helpful, is if you are listening to an episode and you know someone who could benefit from this, take a quick second to share this episode. And one thing I'll say here, when it comes to podcast rankings, and I don't know all of the inside information on how the algorithms work, but I do know that sharing episodes is heavily influencing rankings, maybe even more so than reviews. And so sprinkling in organic call to action throughout your episodes, where again, you're not positioning yourself as a hero, like, I'm so good. Leave me a review because I'm so good. But more so being like this helps other people that are amazing. Just like you find this can be a great way to position it. And then lastly, ask at the right moment. So sometimes if you're waiting until the very end, people might not get there. Like, I know for me as a busy mom, it takes me a few days to listen to an hour long podcast, right? So it's like I'm playing it while I'm folding laundry or if I'm in the sauna. So like consider adding it either in the intro again by like reading another review or dropping it mid roll. Like figure out where you can drop it. Now the last thing I'll say and you're already doing this is consider incentivizing. And we want to do this in like a non sketchy way so you can definitely try a giveaway. But what I would recommend and something that I think is really smart and my friend Natalie Ellis does this over at Boss Babe is they have a really fun bonus that they offer for anyone who leaves a review. So they have a thing where it's like, if you screenshot your review and you send it to us, we will send you this blueprint that's worth X, Y or Z. And so it's a really compelling way where it's like they're getting the value from the review, but the person leaving the review is also getting value. And you do have to kind of figure out the system in terms of delivery. This is why we haven't done this yet. But I love it. Like every time I hear Natalie do that, I'm like, brilliant. It's so smart. And she's giving away something incredibly valuable which incentivizes people to leave a review. So I think there are a lot of different ways that you can do this. Don't forget that people need repetition. So whichever routes you choose, and I would recommend taking a mix of these suggestions, make it a consistent part of your brand and your content rhythm so that people are hearing it often because, you know, they say the average person needs to hear something multiple times before they actually take action. And so I think incorporating some or all of these steps will help you get more reviews and keep you growing in that area of your podcast. So I'm super excited for you, Michaela. I hope this answers your question. Let's scoot on to our next question. This question is coming in from Ashley.
- [09:22]
Listener
Hi, Dana, I'm Ashley in Fort Myers, Florida. My question for you has to deal with Your content strategy and email marketing. When you are building out your systems, do you schedule a full day for planning out your content in terms of email and then content creation? How do you schedule everything out and also make room for clients? Especially if you're someone new like myself, who doesn't have any clients, how do you balance all of that or what tool do you use to do that?
- [10:00]
Jenna Kutcher
So this is a huge piece of entrepreneurship that I think takes a lot of trial and error, especially if you are in the earlier stages of business and you are more acting as a solopreneur. And so I want to kind of paint the picture of, like, when I was doing everything on my own as a solopreneur versus now, where I actually have a team supporting me. So one of the things that has been so helpful for me for years and years and years, I've literally been talking about this topic four years on the podcast is batch working. And for me, I didn't even know when I started using this technique that it's incredibly helpful for people with adhd. But I would just argue when it comes to content creation, a lot of times we're creating just like out of the desire of completing a task. And we're not necessarily looking at like, okay, where are we guiding someone? Like, how does this fit into the big picture? How does this make sense for somebody in terms of sequence and experience? And so if you are not batching your content in terms of like, email or any other places that you're creating content, whether it's a podcast or a blog or social media, you want to really have that bird's eye view. And I feel like the only way to do that is through sitting down and strategizing all at once. So I have always been a batch worker, team or no team, because for me, it's like, if I am looking at my email marketing, I want to make sure that, like, I'm making sense of, like, the flow of the emails, the messaging of the emails, etc. So for us, what we do is we batch out one month of content for every area that we're creating content. And keep in mind, we have a lot of different pillars that we're creating in from email to the blog to the podcast. And so I always love to be able to look at everything in terms of at least one month. And so typically what we'll do is we'll sit down and whoever is involved. So if it's just you, great. If you have a virtual assistant or a copywriter or somebody helping you, even better. But sitting down and mapping out one month. Now, one thing about my business that I would totally challenge you to create if you don't have this in your business, is creating a rhythmic schedule. So instead of sitting down and being like, okay, how many posts do I want to do this month? Or how many emails do I want to send? We have a rhythm in our business. So that's not even a question. We know this is the rhythm. These are the days we publish content. This is how we want the flow to look. And so when you have kind of this skeletal structure, it's a lot easier to drop in ideas, content strategies, launches, sales pushes, et cetera. And so we always start the month with, like, the skeletal structure of, like, how much content. So, for example, for the podcast, we do two episodes a week every single week. For email, we typically send two emails a week every single week. So we can see, here is how this content is going to be dropping. Then we drop in any promotions going on or anything that has to be dropped at a certain time. And then from there we fill in the rest of the dates. And so this is super helpful because we can see, like, okay, we want to be more serving than selling. So what type of serving content is going to work best here? Are there any things that are happening in life? Are there any things dropping on the podcast that we want to include in emails? Like, how can we repurpose the content we're creating to show up in more than one place? And so then what we do is once we kind of have this skeleton, we have the dates and we have the content ideas. That's when I drop in, and I drop in outlines, I drop in notes, I drop in personal stories, anecdotes, lessons I'm learning so that basically that shell is just expanding. And again, you can batch work each piece of this process. So let's say one day you just create the skeleton. The next day you drop in the important dates and figure out, like, the ratio of serving to selling. The next day, you drop in notes. Or you could do all of this in one sitting. So once I drop in the notes and the outlines, then this usually gets passed off to my team to help write them. And then once they've written them, then I go through and review them and edit them. Then they get loaded in, whether it's into the podcast, RSS feed, or into our email marketing system. And then we test everything. So that's when I come back in. I review everything, give feedback, make sure the formatting looks correctly. And so as a business I love to be at least one month ahead. Typically, we're about six to eight weeks ahead in terms of content, but that is because we've created this rhythmic business where we know what's coming, we know how to anticipate what's coming, and we know how to create in advance. And so I love working ahead because I feel like stressed work is never our best work. But then this also just allows us to kind of have that bird's eye view of, like, here is what is happening in our community. Here's how we can support this. Here is the flow, the sequence, and everything that's coming out. And then as an aside, as we go one month at a time, we also have these, like, quarterly objectives or goals. So I plan my year in terms of quarters, and that kind of helps us overarch month by month. Here's what's happening. This is a lighter month. This is a heavier month. This is more of a serving month. This is more of a selling week, like figuring out that flow. So build out your system and just kind of take the entire process and go bit by bit and then break it down based on the amount of time you have. If you have one hour, maybe do one part of each task. If you have a couple hours, maybe just spend one day a month planning out the content for the month. And then that way you can start breaking it down and creating it and getting it all set up. So I hope that answers your. Your question. Ashley and I love Fort Myers. We visited there last year, and the kids still have so many beautiful memories from the beach. All right, next question. Is this. It is coming from a listener named Kaylee.
- [15:53]
Listener
Hey, Jenna, this is Kaylee calling from Tacoma, Washington. I'm curious, what's something embarrassing you've done in business that still haunts you a little, but you laugh about now? Can't wait to hear.
- [16:05]
Jenna Kutcher
Oh, my gosh. Okay. I feel like there are so many cringy things I've done in the past, and I am fairly certain that my brain has blocked many of them out of my memory so that I'm not haunted by them. One of the things that is coming to mind right off the rip with this question is the way that I used to use Facebook statuses. Oh, my gosh, those little reminders every day. I cringe every time. But it also, like, makes me, like, proud of that version of me. Let me just give you some examples. I would post any time I bought a new piece of equipment as a photographer. So as a wedding photographer getting started, literally, I Would post, like, welcoming a new 35 millimeter lens into the family. And then I'd like post this, like, artistic photo of that lens. Another thing that I did that is very cringy. I don't even think this is possible to do anymore. So I can totally tell you without fear that you're going to do this. But back in the day on Facebook, remember when the newsfeed was more, like, you could see when people's relationship status shifted. So it'd be like, from in a relationship to single. You'd be like, oh, I wonder what happened there. Well, I would watch that every day, and I would see who of my friends relationship status changed to engaged. And then I had this little template that I would send those people, and I would say, oh, my gosh, Congratulations on your engagement. I just saw you got engaged. Just wanted you to know I'm a wedding photographer, and I would absolutely love to photograph your wedding. And I mean, I was, like, out there. Like, I sent a lot of those messages. I apologize if anyone is listening. And they got one of those. But at the same time, I'm like, girl, you had guts. Like, you had chutzpah. You were out there doing it. So most of my, like, super cringy things I feel like were Facebook related. And I also, like, giggle or, like, laugh at that because I'm like, I was acting as my own publicist. Like, I was creating PR news releases every single day. Every new client that booked me, I would celebrate it. Like, I was just, like, in it to win it. I also would, like, bring my camera everywhere, and I would, like, make sure that people could, like, credit me for beautiful photos so that, like, my photos were everywhere. Like, I was just, like, hustling. And I don't know, I kind of appreciate that, but it is really embarrassing. Like, the other day, somebody messaged me from college, and I, like, scrolled up in the message because I was laughing because some of it was, like, from, like, the dorm days. And then I saw that template from when they got engaged of me, like, pitching myself, and I just kind of, like, smiled and cringe to myself. And I was like, oh, my gosh. You go, girl. But also. So I definitely have a lot of those moments, but I also just, like, look back and I'm like, you were also just putting yourself out there very boldly. And I think that there's parts of me that I'm grateful that the timing of all of that, it felt okay and relevant. But I also think that entrepreneurs could do more of that. These Days, like, could advocate for themselves more, could put themselves out there more. I feel like nowadays we succumb to this pressure of, like, if I'm gonna show up, I have to have it all figured out. I have to have it all beautiful. It has to be perfect, it has to make sense. And I feel like I was really throwing spaghetti at the wall and, like, willing to just put myself out there and be embarrassed if that was gonna happen. And I think that we could take a little bit of that bold 23, 24 year old version of me and infuse that a little bit more into it. Because what I recognize in this, even though it's slightly cringeworthy, is that every time I was doing a post welcoming a new lens into my camera family, I was subconsciously reminding people that I am a photographer and I have a photography business. And so it was like these subtle daily reminders of what I was doing and who I was doing it for, for and what I wanted to be. And I feel like we could do a better job of that. Even I could do a better job of that now. So maybe I should channel some of that awkward energy and get back into it. So the other day I went down this rabbit hole of finding really cute matching summer outfits for my girls. I had my cart full, my dog was asleep in my lap, and of course I didn't have my wallet on me. And so I was just about to abandon it, telling myself I would circle back later. And then that purple shop pay button popped up. One tap, it's done. It's kind of dangerous how easy it is, but it's also totally magical. Well, that little purple button, that's shop pay and it's powered by Shopify. It remembers your info so that checkout can be instant. And for business owners, Shopify makes it just as easy to run your store as it is to shop. One Shopify powers 10% of all E commerce in the US from brands like Gymshark and Mattel to businesses just getting started. It is everything you need to launch gorgeous templates built in tools for payments, inventory and marketing. It's all in one place. No code, no hassle. And that purple shop pay button, well, it's not just cute, it is why Shopify has the best converting checkout on the planet. If you want to see less carts being abandoned, it is time for you to head over to Shopify. Sign up for your $1 per month trial and start selling today at shopify.com goaldigger go to shopify.com gold digger shopify.com/gold digger this episode of the Gold Digger podcast is sponsored by Mercury, a business banking solution built for the way modern entrepreneurs actually work. Lately, I've been exploring new tools to better support my business finances. And when I started asking around, my friend and fellow entrepreneur Hala immediately said, jenna, you've got to check out Mercury. She's been using it for her business and had glowing things to say. So of course I had to look into it. And honestly, I get the hype. With Mercury, you can track cash flow, send international payments, issue virtual cards, and even apply for capital all from one dashboard. Their credit cards come with a 1.5% cash back. And if you're working with international vendors, Mercury offers free domestic and international wires in US Dollars. So if you're in that same season of figuring out what's next for your business finances, Mercury just might be the partner you've been looking for. Mercury is a technology company, not a bank check. Show notes for details. Deposit $5,000 or spend $5,000 using your Mercury credit card within the first 90 days in order to earn $250 or do both for 500 in total rewards@mercury.com goal. That's mercury.com goal. All right, the next question is coming from Misha. Let's hear what she has to ask.
- [22:48]
Listener
My name is Misha Lewis. I'm calling from Maryland, and my question is I want to know how I can pivot my business from being a service provider, hair and makeup artist to a business that works for me where I don't have to go out and do something every time I make money. Thank you.
- [23:11]
Jenna Kutcher
Okay, this is such a great question, and I do feel fully equipped to answer it because I went from being a service provider as a photographer and that was the only way I made money to having an entirely digital business that doesn't require me to show up in order to get paid. So I can relate to this feeling. And I think that part of the feeling that you might be feeling is when you recognize that there is an absolute ceiling of what you can earn. And usually the only way you can truly earn a lot more is by working more. And you flip from looking at money as your currency to truly understanding what I mean when I say time is your currency. That is when it hits you that you might have an incredibly successful business, but that business is reliant on you showing up to get paid. And there's nothing wrong with that. I have so many incredible business owners in my community that have built really ridiculously successful businesses as service providers. But I feel like at some point burnout's going to hit, you're going to realize that your earning potential is actually capped to your capacity or life is going to happen and suddenly you can't show up. And you recognize that, like if you don't show up, you don't get paid. And for me, I've shared this story before and a quick trigger warning in terms of pregnancy loss. But when I went through my second pregnancy loss, so I had two back to back. The second one, I got the news that we had lost the baby, but I hadn't gone through the process of miscarriage yet and I had to show up and shoot a wedding the next day. And I felt like a ticking time bomb. I was the lowest of lows in my life and I felt, felt like I had to put on a face and show up and be the happiest person in the world when my internal world was absolutely crumbling. And that was a huge pivotal point for me of like, this is not sustainable. If this is what freedom is supposed to feel like, I don't want this version of it. I wasn't free, right? I wasn't free to just be in the fetal position like I needed. And so I just want to say you don't need to go through a crazy life altering moment like that. But that was my experience of like, wow, I'm super successful as a service provider and I built this amazing thing, but it doesn't actually match my definition of success. So long winded explanation. I have three different ideas for you, Misha. So the first one is the most obvious in terms of what I would naturally gravitate towards, which would be pivoting into creating digital content or a more education route. Now I am saying this as a digital course creator, somebody who is able to sell products on the Internet. So immediately I'm like, okay, you obviously have experience, expertise and success. What could you do? Or how could you package that up in a way that allows you to create something once and serve many? So you could create a mini course, like a bridal beauty business, one on one. Or you could create like a makeup technique course, like to teach people pro makeup techniques for beginners. You could teach brides, if they can't afford to have a hair and makeup person, the best way to achieve professional looks on their own type thing. So I think that if you could uncover what your superpower is or what you figured out, or a system or a process that you do that's unique to you, I would personally consider turning your Expertise into assets. You could also create digital downloads like bridal beauty prep checklists or makeup artist pricing guides or different types of ebooks. You also could create content. Now this doesn't necessarily give you the more passive thing that you're looking at, but you could monetize like YouTube or video tutorials and have affiliate links for your favorite products. There's this one creator that I love and she creates just makeup content and she teaches people how to do their makeup better. And I have absolutely bought products off of her recommendation and I love that they're affiliate linked. I love that she gets paid because she's showing me like, here's the best, best product and here's the best way to use this. What I want to say is, is that I would never pivot from what you're doing entirely. Like one thing that I've looked at is I've been through so many pivots in my business and one thing that I think I've done well and done right is that every time I've made a big pivot, I've done so gradually and I've leveraged what is currently working or already working to help me get to that next place. So even when I decided I don't want to shoot weddings anymore anymore, I didn't just quit shooting weddings, I phased out. So I went from 30 to 15 to 7 to 5 to 3 and then I stopped. Like people don't realize I was still shooting weddings like a few years ago. And so continue to leverage what is working for you. Look at time as your currency. See where you can maybe save time so you can spend it learning a new way of doing business and consider creating digital content. The second idea I had for you, if you want to have a more passive role or be able to have more flexibility, would be to build a team. So this could be more of like an agency model where you can shift from service provider to more of a business owner. So if you were able to hire and mentor junior stylists and then take a percentage of their bookings that way then you would be focusing more on branding, marketing, client experience and your team would do more of the hands on, on like service based work. You could also offer luxury packages with your trained artists. Like people will still value what you've built in your brand. And so consider that because you're still in your zone of genius, but you kind of remove that whole you only get paid when you show up piece. And so that could also be an option. Now the third option is a little bit out of left field. But I just wanted to toss it in because it was something I was considering for you is I just heard somebody say this the other day and I so deeply wish I can remember where I heard it, but it was like leveraging your day job to fund your new dream. And one thing that I was thinking for you too is like, would there be like a totally different left field place that you'd want to take your business? Like for me, when I was a wedding photographer, I started a watercolor print shop and it was a drop ship where I would just paint whenever I had time, upload the designs. Once they would sell, I would collect coffee commissions or even something like real estate. Like, is that a direction you could go where you could use your income now to invest in creating other income streams? Like you could buy a property and you could rent it out, you could do some sort of retreat, you could create a beauty studio where other artists could use it when you're not using it. So I'm just like thinking of some other examples. We've had people on here that teach entrepreneurs how to create Amazon storefronts and drop ship things. And like, there's just a lot of other areas that you may have never considered where you could leverage what is working for you as a service based business right now, but help use it to fund the next stream that doesn't necessarily have to be in full alignment with what you do. So I don't know, I'm just thinking through, like, how can you earn from what you're doing right now, but use it to build future freedom? So those would be the three things I would consider and really just getting clear about, like, what is your definition of success? What is the type of work you're willing to do? I don't believe that passive income is truly passive. I think that one, it takes a lot to build up passive income streams. And yes, they can be more passive, but I don't know of anything that is truly like 100 hands off. I haven't uncovered anything like that. All right, I hope that answers your question, Misha. Let's scoot on to the next one.
- [30:54]
Listener
Hi Jenna, my name is Lauren Alonso and I'm calling from South Carolina. My question for you is we hear all the time that we spend 80% of our time creating and 20% of our time promoting. And it should really be the opposite. I find myself in this boat all the time. How do I stop the hamster wheel practically? What does it look like actually when it comes to promoting an offer from the planning process to the actual launch and promoting it on different platforms.
- [31:23]
Jenna Kutcher
So here are three things that I thought of when considering this. So first is, and let me just preface this and say it is so easy to get in this funk of spending way too much time creating, and then you don't give enough breath or thought or air to the actual promotion. So this is like a very common problem. It's something we still deal with to essentially, especially because we create a mass amount of content that to leverage it in all the places can be really challenging. And it's something that, like, I am still working on. So I just wanna preface it with that. So the first thing that we have been exploring and thinking about, and I think this is the best place to start, is how can you create less and use more? Because a lot of times I think we get stuck in this idea of, like, we need more content, but what we actually need is to stretch the good stuff further. And so there's a few different ways that you could do this. So one would be to do, like a deep dive investigation as to what is actually performing, like, what is actually leading to real results that are tangible and valuable for you. When you peel that back, it might show you that there are a few little things that you're doing that actually move the needle. And there's a lot that you could let fall away. Like, over the years, we've greatly simplified a lot of processes in my company. I think we could even do that more. But we've also gotten better at understanding, okay, this is really good. Like, how could we take one podcast episode and create a week's worth of content? Like, how could we extract, like, the main idea of what we're talking about and then figure out different ways that we could repurpose it across platforms? Like, maybe the podcast is a big idea. Maybe on Pinterest, we're sharing the key question, quote, a tip or a story. Maybe on LinkedIn, we're repurposing the story piece that we pulled out. Maybe on Instagram, we're creating a carousel using the outline for the content. And so the thing is, is that I think we've gotten afraid of repeating ourselves. But in reality, a small percentage of our audience is even seeing all the content we're sending. Like, I don't know. I mean, it's like, so small that, like, you could say the same thing for, like, two months. And I feel like you still wouldn't annoy people because we're consuming so much content. And so. So the other thing to realize Is like, not everyone is seeing every single thing you post. And I think that's something our brain tricks us into believing. So just thinking of, like, how can I create less and use more? And if you actually go back in this episode where we're talking about batch working, I feel like having that month at a glance way of creating the skeleton and looking at what's coming up and what's coming out allows us to do that because we're able to see, like, hey, what's happening on the podcast that we can use for email content? Oh, okay. What from? That could be a really good LinkedIn post. Great. Okay. What types of carousels could we create to send people to the podcast episode? And so again, creating less, using more, and just really thinking about, like, how can I take one piece of content and break it up to make it less platform specific and fit the other ones? Which brings me to number two, one core idea. Now imagine it this way. Many outfits. I'm thinking, like, share in clueless. Like, one thing that helped me to recognize this and realize how to do this so much better is Pinterest. Because what I'm talking about here is how can you take that one message and dress it up for different audiences and platforms? Pinterest helped unlock this within me. Because on Pinterest, when you create, on Pinterest, you can create an unlimited amount of pins that can point to one piece of content. What I mean by this is this podcast episode that you're listening to right now will become 10 different pins, all using different angles, different titles, different graphics, different images, different headings, different styles. And so Pinterest helped me to recognize, like, how can I take one core idea and dress it up in many different ways? And so for me, a lot of times we kind of look at like, the podcast is the deep dive, right? I can share a lot of content in an episode. I can go deep. I can explain myself, I can give the stories. Instagram is more like the relatable moment or like the quote that stood out. And a lot of times what I'll do is I'll take the podcast episode and then I'll take the core idea and I'll turn it into a carousel for Instagram. Then with email, this is like the more personal, storytelling, actionable, takeaway value add. We try to use the email as like, here is something that happened to me. Here's why I recorded this. Here's why I think you should listen to it. And then LinkedIn is like the thoughtful reflection or something that really aligns with the pro angle, like, what is an insight that professionals could take from this? And then lastly, Pinterest, my favorite is like, figuring out, okay, how can we drive traffic passively using all of these different angles? And so one of the things that I think we need to shift our mindset on is like, think distribution instead of always defaulting to creation mode. And one thing that I think is important here is like a necessary mindset, mindset shift that needs to come with this question is I think that oftentimes creating feels easy to us and promoting the creation feels incredibly vulnerable, right? Like, it is a lot easier to be in go mode. I've listened to like so many, like, amazing famous people be like, I love the creation. I love the art of creating. I love sitting down and writing or singing or whatever that is. But when it comes to actually promoting it, it feels incredibly vulnerable. Like, you're like saying, like, hey, world, I made this thing. I hope you really like it. I hope it's great. And so when we think about distribution instead of creation, it allows us to say, this creation took me time and energy and maybe even money, and I care about it enough to make sure that it reaches the people I created it for. And so distribution can become fun and it can become a really seamless process. One thing that I've been doing a lot more is like using Google Doc to help me take one piece of content and then think through how it's going to work on each platform, how I'm going to dress it up differently for each audience in each platform. And that helps it get out there more, knowing that it's going to work for me long after I hit publish. And one thing to note here is like, the average pin on Pinterest lasts months compared to a social post that lasts hours or maybe a day or two if you're lucky. And so when I'm thinking distribution, for me, I'm thinking Pinterest. And that allows me to create something and spend time and energy creating it, knowing that it's not just going to live and die within 24 hours. Pinterest is going to help that piece of content stay in the ether, stay in front of my dream audience for months. And that has really helped me to kind of maximize Pareto's principle in a positive way. The last thing here is to build a simple repurposing system. So stop starting from scratch every single time. How can you create systems or processes or flows that allow you to more rinse and repeat? So you have recognized, like, hey, I'm Creating all the time. I'm not actually promoting very much. How do I fix this? I would say that having an SOP like a standard operating procedure or a simple workflow that will allow you to follow each piece of content through the process is going to be so important. So the first thing here would be create a content tracker. So whether we use Monday.com that's what we use to track all of our projects. But there's notion you could use a Google sheet, you could create an Excel spreadsheet, but map which content is created and where it's gone. Like make it a super simple Checklist inside of Monday.com once we say write a blog post, we're writing copy for it, for Facebook, for LinkedIn, et cetera. And so that is just a part of our process and so nothing is getting dropped and we're not like missing those promotional pieces. And then I would also say if you struggle with this, once you create that process, figure out how you can batch your repurposing. Like so set aside one hour a week to splice up the long form content into bite sized pieces. And I will say here, ChatGPT can be an amazing friend for you. If you can create a system or a way to communicate with ChatGPT saying here is the long form content. Create a post based on this piece of content. For X platform where I typically serve X, Y or Z and go back and forth with it for a little bit. You could easily create prompts inside of ChatGPT that would take that long form piece of content and help you make it into bite sized pieces to help you with that promotion piece. And then lastly, if this is an area where you just know you're not going to follow through, consider hiring somebody to help. So this could be a virtual assistant. This could be an intern. Tell them, okay, I'm, I want to be in creation mode. I love creation mode. It's comfortable for me. Help me to repurpose this once the core piece is done. Help me to create the process or follow through on the process so that I know that everything I'm creating is actually getting out to who it needs to reach. Okay, real talk, you know when you get served an ad that makes zero sense for you. Like for weeks I kept getting ads for these high tech gaming chairs. Hi. I don't even game. I'm a mom, I'm not a twitch streamer. That's what makes LinkedIn ads stand out. They actually get your message to the right people. That's why I love what they can do for business owners. LinkedIn ads gives you access to over 1 billion professionals. That's billion with a B and you can target your ideal buyer by title, industry skills and even in revenue. 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Gusto is the all in one platform that makes payroll, benefits and HR feel doable even if you're not a numbers person. Whether you're paying W2s, 1099s or offering health insurance and 401ks, Gusto's got your back. You can run payroll in just a few clicks and Gusto will automatically file and pay your taxes at the federal, state and the local level with no spreadsheets and no guesswork. Over 400,000 small businesses across the country, including mine, trust Gusto because it is so simple and so intuitive. If payroll has been sitting on your I'll figure it out later list, this is your sign. Right now, Gusto is offering three months for free. When you run your first payroll, head to Gusto.com/Gold Digger to get started. That's Gusto.com/Gold Diger. You know those seasons of life where everything feels like it's moving a mile a minute? Yeah, I've been living in those. There was this one week where we woke up in snowy Minnesota and by nightfall our girls were running barefoot playing dress up in a beachside Airbnb in Florida. We went from parkas to palm trees in under 12 hours and let me tell you, it was a whirlwind. But what made it feel like home wasn't just the sunshine, it was the thoughtful touches waiting for us. A cozy space to Land toys for the kids, beach gear ready to go. It felt like someone had prepared it just for us. Whether you're traveling for work, chasing down a big dream, or just carving out time to rest, life pulls us away from home sometimes. And if you've got a little extra space or a second property, maybe you've wondered, could we share this with someone else? But let's be real. Hosting can feel like a lot. That's where Airbnb's co host network changes everything. You can connect with a local co host who helps manage it all, from setting up your listing to messaging guests to handling the on the ground details. 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- [43:57]
Listener
Hi, Jenna. It's Christy calling from Nashville. I was just wondering, you know, you always seem so grounded and intentional, but I'm sure there's a lot going on in your life behind the scenes. What's something that you're currently struggling with that people might not expect?
- [44:14]
Jenna Kutcher
Ooh. Okay. This one feels incredibly personal. It also feels really timely. I feel like I have gotten increasingly more private as the years have gone on. I think part of it is just getting older. I think part of it is the stage of life I'm in. I think part of it is becoming a mom. And so I am not someone that's, like, on Instagram stories every single day, letting you into my life. But one thing that I found really interesting and surprising at this stage of my life is the mental load. And just, like, seeing how it can really, I don't know, bog me down, make things extra challenging. I think the mental load partnered with ADHD and partnered with this specific stage of motherhood has been incredibly challenging. And I feel like I have so many thoughts and ideas and tasks that are living in my head. I have so much fear around forgetting those things that I just constantly feel like my mind is racing. Another part of this that I think is adding slight complexity at this stage of my life is, you know, I always looked at this stage of my life as, like, the stage of, like, you're raising the kids and you're really busy as a mom. I am that Also, we recently lost my beloved grandpa Sulo. And with that came a lot of responsibility and tasks and, you know, supporting our family in a lot of different ways and recognizing that. And somebody said this to me, and I thought it was just so brilliant that, like, we are called, like, the sandwich generation, where we're at, where we're raising little ones, and we're also caring for our elders if we're lucky enough to have them. And so it's this, like, really peculiar time in life where I'm like, you know, I want to be super supportive for my mom. I've had to do sleepovers with my grandma where I'm, like, helping prep the kids and then running to take care of my grandma. And, like, it's just been this, like, really exhausting stage of life where it feels never ending, and it's just really mentally draining. It's. It's hard. It's like, if somebody were to say, how can I help you? It's like, I don't even know how you can help because so much of it is living in my brain. And I was recently listening to a podcast about the mental load, and it was just like, something that is so unconscious and so innate, but it also affects us in so many ways. And so I think I've just been really thinking about that a lot. So this week has just been really heavy and, like, really task oriented. And I feel like I'm going from, like, motherhood to work to family tasks to organization to packing for a trip. Like, all these different things, and they're all, like, good things in and of itself, but it's just a lot. It's a lot to carry. And my brain just feels, like, tapped out. Like, at the end of the day, I'm like, I don't want to talk to anybody. Like, I am just done. I have nothing left in the tank. And that is not a great way to end your days. So that is something that I am struggling with. And I think people maybe expect it. I don't know, but it's just like, I've had a lot of deep thoughts, especially with the loss of my grandfather, of just, like, recognizing this really painful, peculiar, in between stage of life where we recognize that, like, people aren't eternal, that our elders need just as much support as our children need. And figuring out the ways to show up for everyone who needs you while still somehow I don't know how making time for ourselves, that is my struggle. All right, the next question is coming up. Let's hit play.
- [47:48]
Listener
Hi, Jenna. Jisha. Here, and I am currently in Montana. My question for you is, what was the biggest failure in your career, and what did it teach you?
- [48:01]
Jenna Kutcher
Okay, this question is really interesting, and I think I'm really struggling with the word failure. Not because I've had a perfect and linear journey as an entrepreneur. Not at all. I've messed up a lot. A lot, publicly and privately. But what's really interesting is when I hear this question, I struggle with, like, naming something as a failure. This is not coming from, like, a toxic positivity place of, like, everything is good, but, like, coming from, like, an honest and earnest place of, like, the places that I've messed up. I've learned so much, and it's taught me so much. There's one. I mean, there's definitely been moments where, like, any entrepreneur likely has had them, where you're like, this is it. I'm done. It's game over. I remember one of my weddings. I got home super late from the wedding, and I was uploading all of the memory cards, and I was like, where is the memory card with this chunk of the evening? And I could not find it, and I thought that I had lost it. So I was, like, calling, like, the limo driver. The next day, I went back to the venue. I was crawling on the floor. We were looking in the parking lot, couldn't find it. And I realized a terrible mistake that I never made again, that I had, like, shot over images. It was the worst. I had the most gracious clients of all times. I still love them to this day. Like, I'm still a part of their lives. They were so incredibly kind because I basically lost, like, a chunk of their wedding day. It was a smaller chunk, but still a very, very important chunk. Robin Brooke, I love you. But that was, like, a moment where I was like, I will never recover. I will never recover. One thing that that taught me, one, have ample memory cards with you. Two, format every card before you go to the wedding. Three, have a second shooter. That is, I was shooting as well. I mean, it, like, created so many processes, but I hated that it was at the expense of somebody. I gave them, like, money back. I shot them for free for years. I, like, I absolutely. They taught me the best lesson in grace that I could have ever asked for as an entrepreneur, because I literally was sick for days around this. So there's definitely been, like, moments like that where it's just like, you are like, I can't go on. This is the end. I'm never showing up again. I'm never showing my face again. And I think every entrepreneur who's been in business for any amount of time will have those moments. But when I think of failure, to me, failure would be not continuing on, not learning and growing. And I think my level of empathy has expanded. I think my consciousness has expanded. I think that I have evolved with every hiccup and issue and bump in the road. There are very few things that will keep me up at night anymore because I think I've just learned how to be more resilient. But I just have a really hard time labeling anything as a failure because I think it would be a failure if you didn't learn or if you just quit. So that might be a little too fluffy, but that's really how I feel. All right, we are on to the last question of the day. Ask what you've got, Ms. Rachel.
- [51:11]
Listener
Hey, Jenna. My name is Rachel Jones. I am calling from Louisiana, and here's my question. I put a big pause on my copywriting and email marketing business since the fall of 2024 when I had a miscarriage. I know that's something you can unfortunately relate to, and I really would love your insight on how to get the joy back into my business, running it, and all the things after such a traumatic event. Thanks so much.
- [51:53]
Jenna Kutcher
Okay, Rachel, I just want to say thank you first for sharing what you've been through. I think that you are incredibly brave for sharing it. And I also just want to acknowledge the beauty in you taking that pause. Like, I want to remind you, I hope you know this, but, like, you didn't step back because you were weak. You stepped back because you're a human and you and your heart needed time to heal. And along with the lines of the last question I just answered, like, that's not failure. That's wisdom. Like, that is pure, hard earned wisdom. And so my first thing to you is let that pause be a part of your story. This is not a detour. This is not the end. This is not the exit. This is just like a chapter in your story. It's a terrible, traumatic, traumatic chapter and one I wish I could hold for you and take away from you. You know, I just think that when I look back, I was actually just talking to a friend of mine who sadly experienced her second miscarriage. And she sent me a voice note and was like, I never. I never thought this would be me. I remember it was, you tell me everything. And you know, I can viscerally relive that season of my life. And one of the things I told her Was that after my first loss, I somehow felt like some weird peace and purpose in it. Like, I felt like I was being called to, like, share it and remove the stigma. I mean, this was like eight years ago. So this was like a long time before people would really publicly share. And then with my second loss, I was just angry and I was scared and I was devastated. And so I just want to say that I'm proud of you for pausing. Because when I look back at that stage in my life, I just threw myself into work to stay busy, to not be still. And I think that stillness is such a gift and it's such wisdom to be able to see when you need to be still. The next thing I would say is it's really important after you go through something so life changing, whatever that looks like, to redefine what joy and success looks like right now. Like, after a loss like that, joy might not look like excitement, like, joy might look like peace or stillness or contentedness, like, whatever that is. And so I want to remind you and I, I have a line like this in my book. How are you really of, like, you're not going back. Like, do not force yourself to go backwards. You have changed. And so instead of thinking, I want to go back to who I was before this thing, what would feel right for you today? Like, what is one small step that sparks something? It doesn't have to be joy again. It could be peace, it could be success, it could be excitement, it could be calm. Like, what is that? And so I just want for you to redefine, like, what is joy right now. It might be different and it's going to keep evolving. And so having a check in of, like, honestly, what is it right now? And just know that it is okay to start slow. I think that there is so much truth in finding your creativity again and momentum building and seeing yourself showing up and shifting your identity. Like, joy can begin with just a flicker of curiosity. And so just pay close attention and don't force it. I think it will come back for you. The last thing I will say is that you are going to be rebuilding in a lot of ways and you get to choose what the pace is for that. And so one thing that I think is important when you've been through anything life changing is you want to create from your experience, not in spite of it. Like, you don't. For me personally, like, I didn't want to separate my losses from who I am, from what I create, from how I show up. You want to create from this experience, because you have a deeper well of empathy now. Like, that makes you an even more powerful writer. It makes you a better marketer. Like, you get the human experience on a level that you didn't understand before. And that doesn't mean that I would hope anyone would ever go through this, But I know that, like, my well of empathy just got deeper when I experienced what it felt like to go through that. And so maybe you just ease back in. Maybe instead of writing for clients or paychecks or contracts, you write for yourself first. Maybe you start journaling again. Maybe you record voice memos of where you're at and what you're feeling. Like, maybe you just play with words again. Like, but maybe you do it for yourself first before diving back into client workloads. Like, for me, whenever money and deadlines gets involved in anything, it adds a level of stress to life that's just natural. And so if you have the ability to start slow and to ease in, I would 100% do that. And then the last thing I would say is I would encourage you to reconnect with past clients or peers. Just to get reconnected, just to talk, not pitching. I think that connection and just reconnecting with other people is what changes the world. I know that sounds dramatic, but I really do. And so I think, too, just like, getting back into the circles where you might be inspired or you might just feel seen and heard, or you might pick up something that sparks curiosity or brings you joy, I think that that could be really beautiful. But here's what I want to say. Your business will wait for you, and when you are ready to return, it's going to be better because you're bringing your whole heart with you. And that is the type of business that people can feel like, that is the feeling that emits not just what you're selling, but, like, who you are and why you do what you do. And so don't put a lot of pressure on yourself. I was telling my friend when I sent her a voice message back, one of the things that I really experienced during our season of loss was, like, while I was working, and while I might do things slightly differently now, one of the things I'm proud of is that, like, I worked in that waiting season, but it wasn't like, the hustle y type of work. It was the type of work of, like, building the type of business that supported the kind of mom I wanted to be. And I can now trace back and see that a lot of the work that I did in that Season of Loss set me up for success. Not just business success, but set me up for success as a mom and allowed me to become the kind of mom I wanted. And so a lot of times we can waste our seasons of waiting. And that's not to say like hustle your way through it. It's said to intentionally use them so that when the thing that you're waiting for, whatever that is, whether it's a baby or a partner or a big break or a new strategy or whatever that is, when the thing that you are waiting for comes, it's going to find you ready. And I think that that is something that I want more people to know and understand. So there you have it. That was a fun journey and oh my goodness, we went for quite some time. Thank you for hanging out with me. As we wrap up, I just want to give a big shout out for everyone who called in and shared their heart and their challenges and asked their questions. These Ask Me Anything episodes remind me just how powerful Community is and how many of us are navigating similar questions in different ways. Whether you're focused on growing your audience or shifting your offer or building in a way that supports your life, not just your business, I hope that today leaves you walking away with some extra clarity and encouragement. And remember, I want to hear from you too. So as this winds down, here's what I want you to do. If you've got a question you've been dying to ask, call me right now. 218-203-9660 Leave me a voicemail. Your question. I want your question on the next episode of Ask Me Anything for the Gold digger podcast again. 218-203-9660 leave me a voice message. I want to hear from you and I want to answer your question. Thank you so much for listening to this episode and if you know someone who would be touched by it, who might be walking, walking through something similar, who would be inspired by what we talked about today, please send them this episode. It would mean the absolute world to me. I love that you are here. I love getting to spend this time with you. And of course, my goal. Diggers, keep on digging your biggest goals. I'll talk to you soon. Thanks for pulling up a seat for another episode of the Gold Digger Podcast. I hope today's episode fueled you with inspiration, gave you information that you can turn into action action, and realigned you with your true north in life and business. If you've enjoyed today's episode, head on over to gold digger podcast.com for today's show. Notes, discount codes for our sponsors, freebies to fuel your results, and so much more. And if you haven't yet, make sure you're subscribed so that you never miss a future show. We'll see you next time. Gold Diggers.