Making, Saving and Losing Money as a small business or freelancer, with Niki Groom

The 5 Best Ways to Get More Instagram Followers: How can you get more Instagram followers without having to resort to shady tactics? Is it still possible to grow just by using honest engagement and great content? I'm sharing the 5 deceptively simple strategies I've used to grow my account to 152k that can work for everybody, right now. by Hashtag Authentic - for creatives, dreamers & business owners online

19 min listen

Following Your Creative Instincts, With 5ftinf: This week I'm talking with Instagram royalist, Philippa Stanton of 5ftinf. With over 460k followers, Philippa was a pioneer of the whole flatlay movement with her colourful 'domestic foraging' shot at her kitchen table. We talk about the early days of Instagram, authenticity, staying fresh and creative, and following our obsessions - wherever they may take us. Find show notes at meandorla.co.uk/podcast3 by Hashtag Authentic - for creatives, dreamers & business owners online

24 min listen

Why People Follow & Unfollow You On Instagram: Why do you seem to lose followers every day on Instagram no matter what you do? In this episode, we look at this tactic people use to grow their accounts - why they do it, what it means, and why ultimately, it's a bad idea for your Instagram account. by Hashtag Authentic - for creatives, dreamers & business owners online

27 min listen

How To Get Press Coverage For Your Online Work, With Janet Murray: Janet Murray is a freelance journalist turned PR-queen. She's passionate about PR and publicity being accessible to everyone, and shares insider knowledge of how to get press and media coverage for your business or blog, without selling out. In this episode she shares her top tips for getting featured, and why it matters more than you might think. by Hashtag Authentic - for creatives, dreamers & business owners online

41 min listen

Working As A Pro Instagrammer, With Hannah Argyle: Hannah Argyle has over 200k followers on Instagram, as well as a successful lifestyle blog and partnerships with a heap of big name brands. I called her up for this episode to get the scoop on how she balances motherhood, the expectations of her Instagram audience and her own creative desires. by Hashtag Authentic - for creatives, dreamers & business owners online

34 min listen

Finding your 'right people' online, with Tara Swiger: This week I talk to US-based business coach Tara Swiger about the importance of creating for your right people on instagram and beyond, and why finding them is the secret to achieving your dreams online. by Hashtag Authentic - for creatives, dreamers & business owners online

59 min listen

Owning Your Opinions In Print, With journalist Hadley Freeman: This week's episode is a bit of a fangirl moment for me - Hadley Freeman, author, journalist and Guardian columnist is somebody whose writing and wisdom has inspired me for a number of years. She kindly gave me some of her time to talk about her career path, sharing your opinions for a living, and dealing with feedback from commenters and twitter trolls alike. Also, just a heads up that there's some adult language in this episode. by Hashtag Authentic - for creatives, dreamers & business owners online

33 min listen

What Brands Look For In Influencers, With Sally Gurteen: Today I am joined by Sally Gurteen, aka the Cafe Cat. Sally is a social media manager whose past clients include Caffe Nero, Selfridges, Lindt and many more, where she’s been responsible for blogger outreach, social media campaigns and sponsored content with influencers on Instagram and beyond. I asked her to come onto the podcast to give the inside scoop on the whole process - what brands are thinking, what they’re looking for, what turns them off. So if you’re an influencer, or thinking you’d quite like to become an influencer, this is essential information - and it’s equally useful if you have a business or are considering using influencer marketing at some point in future. by Hashtag Authentic - for creatives, dreamers & business owners online

53 min listen

Using Instagram to Launch A Creative Business, With Jono Smart: With over 66k followers on instagram, Jono Smart says about 90% of his business comes via the platform in one form or another. His signature minimalist designs can sell out in a matter of hours, and he’s now in demand across the world as a contemporary potter. I called him up for a chat about sales, keeping a healthy Instagram mindset, future-proofing his business, instagram as a creative 'gateway drug', & his frank online sharing of living with Bipolar disorder. by Hashtag Authentic - for creatives, dreamers & business owners online

36 min listen

Managing Self Doubt, With Sas Petherick: Sas Petherick is a UK-based coach who specialises in helping women experiencing self doubt. I first met her through Instagram a year ago, and was struck by how much insight and wisdom she could drop into the most incidental moments of casual conversation. She also makes me laugh until it hurts. For anyone who's ever felt like an imposter in their own career, or like their self doubt is holding them back in life, this episode is essential listening. I think you're going to love it. by Hashtag Authentic - for creatives, dreamers & business owners online

44 min listen

Why Great Photos Are Still the Key to Making It Big On Instagram, With AllThatIsShe: This week I chat with Dominique, better known as AllThatIsShe on Instagram. In the last 12 months she has gained over 100k followers from scratch, simply by sharing her uniquely beautiful, fresh and innovative content. We talk about how she did it, finding a balance when sharing her family life, and her go-to photo staples for Instagram success. by Hashtag Authentic - for creatives, dreamers & business owners online

30 min listen

Instagram & Blogging Q&A, Your Questions Answered: This week it's the Q&A I promised, and I'm diving into the questions you all sent my way. I cover blogging, Instagram, social media and getting everything done, plus lots of extra things in between. Sidetone - apologies for the glitches in audio quality this week. I didn't realise my settings were off until after recording, and didn't have time to redo it! Lesson learned. Done is better than perfect anyway, right? by Hashtag Authentic - for creatives, dreamers & business owners online

37 min listen

Avoiding the comparison trap on social media: 'Comparison is the thief of joy'. We've all heard, read or pinned it on Pinterest, but how can we keep our worry about other people's success in perspective, and avoid falling into the comparison trap? This week I share lessons I've learned about learning from our envy at other people's achievements, and how to handle the fear of failure when it hits. by Hashtag Authentic - for creatives, dreamers & business owners online

18 min listen

How To Stop Playing Small, With Tara Mohr by Hashtag Authentic - for creatives, dreamers & business owners online

54 min listen

Creating Your Ideal Work Week, With Jen Carrington: Jen Carrington is a coach for big-hearted creative business owners based in Manchester, UK. We first met when she was launching her coaching business and I was looking to take my blog a bit more seriously, and three years down the line we've both learned and grown an awful lot. In this episode we reflect on the lessons that business and money have taught us both, and Jen shares the secrets of structuring a working week for the self employed. by Hashtag Authentic - for creatives, dreamers & business owners online

45 min listen

Is Blogging Still Relevant, With Kat Molesworth: Kat Molesworth is a blogger, photographer and vlogger, and founder of Blogtacular, an annual UK conference for bloggers and online creative folk. She is also a font of knowledge on all things blogging and internet related, so I wanted to get her take on the future of blogging, and whether or not it’s really important for online creatives. by Hashtag Authentic - for creatives, dreamers & business owners online

24 min listen

Staying True to Your Creative Voice, With Helen Stephens: I know I seem to say this every week, but author and illustrator Helen Stephens is truly one of my very best friends. She's also brilliantly successful, with her books for children winning multiple awards, being adapted for stage, featured on BBC Children's television and appearing on the shelves of millions of happy children worldwide. by Hashtag Authentic - for creatives, dreamers & business owners online

31 min listen

The Rules & Laws For Influencer Marketing, With Pete Lewin: Influencer marketing - endorsement by popular 'real people' like bloggers, Instagrammers and YouTubers barely existed four years ago. I can remember googling for agencies as I waited to quit my day job, and finding only a handful, mainly in the States. Repeat that search now and you'll find 100s, all promising to link businesses with the biggest and most influential names on social media - all for a price. A few weeks ago, Instagram introduced a new system for declaring sponsored content. Off the back of this, I wrote a post tackling the rules & regulations governing sponsored content and freebies for influencers, and Instagram's new guidance for disclosing this. Whether you're an influencer, a small business or even just an avid browser of social media, these rules affect us all, and are not always easy to follow. I got in touch with Pete Lewin from Purewal and Partners in London, to get into the nitty gritty, and hear a clu by Hashtag Authentic - for creatives, dreamers & business owners online

36 min listen

Why Your Audience Isn't Growing: This week on Hashtag Authentic, it's just me! For this solo episode, I'm chatting about some of the reasons why your audience has either stopped growing, or why you've plateaued. We are fortunate to have an online creative community that allows us instant gratification , i.e. feedback, and this sort of social media interaction be used as an amazing tool for either gaining or losing followers. In this, I also list 10 tips for refining your content to hit the mark each and every time. by Hashtag Authentic - for creatives, dreamers & business owners online

23 min listen

Stop Making Excuses & Start Actually Trying, With Sarah Von Bargen: “Anything that has ever changed your life - that person had to stop being afraid of self promotion. They had to pitch the book agent, they had to write promotional tweets, they had to work with a PR agency and talk themselves up. That's the reality of putting yourself out there." Sarah Von Bargen is a writer and teacher who’s been blogging for nearly a decade at Yes and Yes. In that time she has travelled the world, created ebooks, ecourses, appsand more, and been featured in places like Forbes.com, Lifehacker, Problogger and Glamour. And she says she only really started trying quite recently! She is a living gold mine of wit and wisdom, and in this episode we talk about two topics that are close to her heart. Intentionality – in our online actions, and in our spending too. by Hashtag Authentic - for creatives, dreamers & business owners online

35 min listen

Why Every Online Creative Needs a Mailing List: This episode is 'mailing list 101', for people who don't have one, people who think they don't need one, or for people who have one but aren't doing anything about it... by Hashtag Authentic - for creatives, dreamers & business owners online

21 min listen

Call Your Work By Its Real Name: One subject we've touched upon in previous episodes, and that I see coming up again and again with the people who take my courses or the women I mentor is this issue: 'what do I call myself?' In this week's mini episode, I'm sharing why I encourage everyone to take themselves and their work seriously, and not shy away from the big job titles of our dreams. by Hashtag Authentic - for creatives, dreamers & business owners online

9 min listen

The Power Of Personal Projects, With Xanthe Berkeley: Xanthe Berkeley is a photographer and videographer with a penchant for stop-frame photography and cheerful colour. A a self-confessed 'project fountain', she's able to chart her own creative and professional development by the projects and assignments she has embraced along the way. By the end of this episode I defy anyone to not want to find their own new initiative, and follow in Xanthe's footsteps creating for pleasure and passion without caring about the response. by Hashtag Authentic - for creatives, dreamers & business owners online

44 min listen

Journaling & Writing For Happiness, with Megan C Hayes PHD: My guest this week has spent ten years researching writing, and the psychology of happiness. Author and Academic Megan C Hayes believes the two can be firmly intertwined, and has developed a framework - the Positive Journal® approach - to help anyone pick up a pen and start feeling more positive. In this episode we explore her background online, the psychology and neuro-science behind writing your heart out, and how it can all come together to make magical things unfold. by Hashtag Authentic - for creatives, dreamers & business owners online

49 min listen

Using Instagram For Charity Fundraising, With Creating for Good: "Creating for Good is a London based collective of creatives who use their passions and skills to make a difference in the lives of women, men and families affected by war, political discord and poverty. " With a combined following of over 1.2 million. Through workshops, photo walks and individual tutoring we give 100% of all proceeds to charitable organizations which focus on providing skills to empower marginalized people and communities to secure a more sustainable future." I talk to Giulia, Jo, Elena, Jessica and Sarka from the team, to find out how it got started and what they've learned along the way. by Hashtag Authentic - for creatives, dreamers & business owners online

29 min listen

Columns, Newsletters & Book Deals, With Dolly Alderton: Dolly Alderton is a writer, author, director and journalist, with a weekly podcast to boot. I met her earlier this year when we were panelists at an event in London alongside Emma Gannon, and I found so much of what she said in her answers really resonated and stayed with me. As you'll hear in the following conversation, she's a witty, self possessed and savvy woman, living the dream as a freelance writer & creative in London. Her first book, Everything I Know About Love, is out in the Spring, and so I called her up to find out how she got to that milestone, what wisdom she's learned along the way, and whether she'd like to be my new best friend how she juggles so many dynamic projects at once. Also, a heads up that there's some marvellous adult language scattered throughout this episode . by Hashtag Authentic - for creatives, dreamers & business owners online

58 min listen

Selling Your Work Without Feeling Weird & Uncomfortable, With Tara Swiger: Tara Swiger is a coach for people who make or create products they're passionate about, helping them to build profitable businesses. Her episode on finding your right people is one of my all time favourites I've recorded so far, so I invited her back on to tackle some of the issues I hear about again and again from people in our community here - specifically, how to sell ourselves without feeling awful, and dealing with vulnerability. Tara always brings incredible value to everything she does, and I promise this episode will uplift, inspire and fill you with enthusiasm for selling your work. by Hashtag Authentic - for creatives, dreamers & business owners online

37 min listen

'Crazy Creative People' - Building A Creative Business Around Mental Illness, WIth Beth Kirby: If you've ever spent any time on Pinterest, Instagram or reading recipe blogs, you're probably familiar with Beth Kirby's work. What you might not realise is that she built her incredible, unstoppable, heartbreakingly aspirational brand off the back of a diagnosis of Bipolar disorder and a failed marriage with zero photography experience - and she's more than happy to tell you about it! Beth's work has inspired me for a long time, so it was a lot of fun to finally get to chat with her 1 on 1, and share our passion for the world of online community building for anyone who feels like they don't fit in with the norm. by Hashtag Authentic - for creatives, dreamers & business owners online

55 min listen

How to Write Spellbinding Instagram Captions, With Laura Jane Williams: My guest this week is author, journalist and storyteller Laura Jane Williams. I first met Laura when we were both presenting at the Blogtacular conference a couple of years back, shortly after the publication of her first book. Since then she's written a second, follow-up memoir and taught the secrets of her storytelling magic at workshops, classes and courses online. She writes with spellbinding beauty across multiple platforms, including the most exquisitely crafted instagram captions, so I called her up to dig into some of her secrets, and get the low down on her journey so far. And in case the opening quote above wasn't enough of a heads up - a warning for occasional adult language in this episode too. by Hashtag Authentic - for creatives, dreamers & business owners online

54 min listen

The Digital Butterfly Effect, With Jon Ronson: One of my favourite things about this podcast is that it gives me the excuse to have really interesting conversations with people whose work I adore. This week is the perfect example, and something of a fangirl moment for me, as my guest this week is writer and journalist Jon Ronson. If you're lucky, you'll all have come across his work already - his books include The Men Who Stare At Goats, The Psychopath Test, So You've Been Publicly Shamed and Frank, some of which have already been adapted into successful movies. His most recent film credit is 'Okja', which came out earlier this year to adoration and critical acclaim. His newest venture is The Butterfly Effect, a podcast series looking at the way the internet has revolutionised one very specific industry, and the lives of a lot of very normal folk along the way. Watching Jon's work evolve over the last few years I've really been struck by the role the digital world has had to play in by Hashtag Authentic - for creatives, dreamers & business owners online

36 min listen

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Making, Saving and Losing Money as a small business or freelancer, with Niki Groom

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