Podcast Summary

Podcast: This Can't Be That Hard
Host: Annemie Tonken
Episode: 351 - Showing Up Without Burning Out: Build a Marketing System
Date: January 13, 2026

Overview

In this episode, Annemie Tonken explores what it means for photographers to "show up" in today’s marketing landscape without burning out. She shares realistic strategies for building a sustainable marketing system—one that nurtures real-world connections, establishes trust, and utilizes content with intention. Annemie dismantles the myth that endless online content is the only path to business growth, urging listeners to reclaim time, energy, and authenticity in their marketing.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Changing Face of Content Marketing

• Then vs. Now: Annemie recalls an earlier era when simply sharing authentic content online was enough to stand out, compared to today’s overwhelming and crowded content environment.
  • “Once upon a time, this may have been this fun social space … That has now changed completely. And it's a massive chore, right?... We are stuck in this system that is very well designed to suck up all of our time, our energy, and our attention.” (00:55)
• Algorithm Fatigue: Photographers are caught in a constantly-shifting system that pushes them to create more, giving rise to widespread burnout.
  • “The algorithm keeps getting more confusing, right? Today it wants carousel posts, tomorrow it wants reels… They keep changing the rules so that we keep participating.” (01:43)

Defining Marketing Goals for Photographers

• Finite Market, Infinite Pressure: Unlike influencers or large brands, most photographers have limited capacity and local audiences. Marketing should reflect this reality.
  • “Our marketing goals are finite. We are not in the business of selling to as many people as possible. Our availability is fixed if by nothing other than the number of hours in the day.” (05:19)
• The Role of Trust: Trust, not follower count or viral content, is what converts inquiries into paying clients.
  • “Despite what you know, Mark Zuckerberg would have you believe… meeting those goals doesn't require 10,000 followers…What it does require is trust.” (07:14)

Building Trust In-Person

• Redefining "Showing Up": Annemie urges listeners to prioritize in-person visibility—participating in community activities, volunteering, joining clubs, and simply being present in their own locale.
  • “The best way to establish trust… is to show up in real life.” (07:38)
• True Visibility: Real-world engagement organically builds relationships and demonstrates values, often more powerfully than digital efforts.
  • “They see how you show up, they see how you listen, how you support your community. They recognize what your values are… without you having to come up with a clever carousel.” (09:30)
• Barriers to Booking: For most clients, booking a photographer requires overcoming vulnerability and anxiety—trust is the bridge.
  • “Being photographed is this vulnerable place for most people... But actually believing that truly requires a lot of trust." (10:23)

The "Enough" Content Strategy

• Setting the Bar: Rather than creating endless content, Annemie advises meeting “a standard” so referrals can verify your legitimacy through your online presence.
  • “It doesn't have to be content for days…But it does need to be enough so that when that organic referral network does its job... your online presence has to meet some kind of standard.” (11:39)
• Creating a Repeatable System:
  • “How do you continue to do that [create enough content] without… burning yourself out? …by creating a marketing system… so that you can do it in every season of your business.” (12:54)

Annemie’s 3-Part Content System

• 1. Blog Content (14:27)
  • Blog posts are long-form, evergreen, and valuable for building expertise, trust, and SEO.
    • “Blog posts are a lot of work, but they are evergreen in a way that short form content like social media just cannot achieve.”
• 2. Email Marketing (17:22)
  • Email is described as a high-converting, direct, and personal way to build loyalty and communicate with your opted-in audience.
    • “It's permission based, it doesn't rely on algorithms, it's more personal, it's more intimate… It builds loyalty.”
• 3. Social Media (18:31)
  • Use social purely as a way to amplify and reuse content already created for blogs and emails—never as the main driver.
    • “Social media shouldn't be the heart of your system, it should just be a part of your system.”

Suggested Cadence:

• 1 quality blog post per month

• 2–3 emails per month (drawing from blog content)

• 3–5 social posts per week (repurposing content, not reinventing)

  • “Quality content beats quantity any day. It's better for trust…it is certainly better for your time and your mental well being.” (20:35)

Leveraging AI Authentically

• AI as a Tool, Not a Shortcut: Annemie shares her journey with AI: initial disappointment gave way to success after she learned to use it as an accelerator for her own unique voice, not as a generic copy machine.
  • “You can't use a sledgehammer when you need a scalpel... If you start with generic input, you're going to get generic output.” (22:22)
• Systemizing with AI: She introduces her “Blog Builder” tool for Consistency Club members—a workflow that starts with self-generated ideas and a deep brand profile, yielding AI-assisted blog posts in your own voice.
  • “Those blog posts honestly sound like you wrote them from scratch because they're based on your ideas, your tone and your voice.” (24:41)
• The Big Picture: Choose the right tools for you, but always prioritize authenticity, efficiency, and human touch.

Maintaining Joy in Your Business

• Boundaries Matter: Create clear systems and boundaries so that marketing doesn’t overtake your business—or your life.
  • “By creating a well oiled content system, you will take back control and achieve your marketing goals while maintaining clear boundaries around the time and energy that you give to content.” (25:48)
• Offline Connection is Powerful: Now more than ever, business growth is about coffee dates and living visibly in your community—and Annemie gives permission for this to “count” as marketing.
  • “Expand your definition of marketing to include coffee dates and community events and story time and school pickup and saying yes to that casual happy hour invite.” (26:18)
• Final Encouragement: Cut your screen time in half—your business and well-being will thank you.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Do I have a photography business where part of the job is marketing, or do I have a marketing business where every once in a while I get to go take photos?” (05:00)
• “People hire people they trust. And the only reason that they're not encouraging you to go join the PTA is because there's no marketable, sellable goal there.” (09:44)
• “Social media shouldn't be the heart of your system, it should just be a part of your system.” (18:31)
• “You only notice the bad kind… because when it's good, you don't even realize that it's there. It's the same with AI.” (24:17)
• “Do not let the content machine steal the joy from your business.” (26:41)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Transition From “Golden Age” Content to Present Day: 00:00–03:47
• Defining Your Actual Marketing Goals: 04:12–07:14
• Building Trust In-Person: 07:38–10:23
• How Much Content is Enough?: 11:39–12:54
• Annemie’s Content System Explained: 14:27–20:35
• Harnessing AI Without Losing Yourself: 21:00–25:48
• Encouragement & Final Thoughts: 25:48–26:41

Conclusion

In Episode 351, Annemie Tonken reframes what it means to market a photography business, making a case for balance, real-world presence, and sustainable systems. By following her framework—one quality blog post, a couple of emails, and recycled social posts—you can build enough content, protect your creative energy, and foster the human connections that really drive bookings. The underlying thread: marketing can (and should) serve your life, not the other way around.