• Courses

    4 Mistakes to avoid when creating a course

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    Rewind to 2018 and when I first launched Content Clarity. As I already knew I was entering the coaching space, I knew courses were an essential part of my offer suite. So I launched with 3 courses.

    Now, I did pretty well considering I had an audience of zero. I made $500 (respectable!) But over the space of the last 3 years I’ve learned so much about tweaking and perfecting these courses, to ensure I get the best results. I wish I knew these from the start:

    Mistake 1 – Not knowing what your audience wants

    The very minute you decide you’re going to make a course, you’re already away looking at Canva slide templates. But you need to stop and go through some of the groundwork first (you can’t build a house by putting the windows in first!)

    Ask yourself; does your course idea solve a problem that your audience has?

    Now you can’t answer that question unless you get to know your audience first.

    This is something that I teach in Passion to Passive and it’s something I get all my students to go and do as their very first exercise.

    Only when you know your audience inside and out, do you know exactly what they struggle with (that you can solve) and it’s the perfect first footing for a course idea.

    Better yet, interview your audience and have them tell you exactly what they’d love you to solve for them.

    Mistake 2 – Is your course idea valid?

    So you’ve honed your course idea and feel confident it’s what your audience have a real need for. But nothing quite tests the water than validating your idea.

    How do you validate your course idea?

    • Poll on Stories
    • Interview a select few people on Zoom

    Once you’re satisfied there is a good level of demand for your course idea (and indeed you’re very much on the right track with what you want to include inside your course. I always recommend doing a presell AKA selling your course before you even make it.

    It might sound a bit counter intuitive (and flipping scary!) But preselling your course is a sure fire way of validating that demand and seeing if indeed people will pay for your course, before you go to the time and effort of creating it!

    Mistake 3 – Keeping quiet until launch day

    So many people fear letting people into their idea, in case someone steals it. Or in case they change their mind, or it doesn’t work out (what will people think?!). But you can’t just rock up one day and sell something that you’re not even known for. You need to build up desire, grow an audience (if you don’t have one) and nurture people to overcome the objections they may have.

    People love to see behind the scenes and feel part of something and be the first. It feels special to them… So let them in!

    Mistake 4 – Over perfecting and over thinking

    I’ll say it now… YOU DON’T HAVE TO STUDIO FILM your course! Seriously!

    Some of the 4 figure courses that I’ve paid for that have essentially been a Google Doc… It didn’t get in their way of going on to make 5 and 6 figure launches.

    What really matters, is the transformation your provide to people.

    Look, I know it’s hard. You want it to be branded and look pretty, which is why I’ve made a 40 page mix and match course workbook Canva pack to help you create your course.

    But I’ll tell you now, there will be changes to your course once you get feedback from the 1st round. So I recommend saving the studio filming until you feel confident that it’s hitting all the marks!

    Far easier to edit in an extra slide and voiceover, than to re-record a 30 min lesson to include an additional explanation.

    4 Mistakes to avoid when creating a course | Content Clarity | Rewind to 2018 and when I first launched Content Clarity. As I already knew I was entering the coaching space, I knew courses were an essential part of my offer suite. So I launched with 3 courses.
  • Content Planning, Social Media

    3 Systems to simplify your social media content creation

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    Creating content for social media can often leave people feeling overwhelmed and lost. But writing those captions, or creating those graphics doesn’t have to be something that stops you posting consistently on social media. With my favourite 3 systems for creating social media content, you can find your groove and keep showing up, knowing what to say confidently and consistently.

    Canva

    Adobe chick turned Canva convert, I don’t honestly know where I’d be without it! Great for desktop creation, as well as an app for on the go. It makes quickly whipping up those Instagram Reel covers a breeze.

    They have a vast range of templates, which can be easily customised to your brand colour and font, so that your carousel graphics, quote posts, GIFS and tip posts look like they were created professionally.

    InShot

    If you’re a big TikTok or Instagram Reel fan, then check out Inshot. When you’re ready to start playing around with transitions and snipping clips together, Inshot lets you do it quickly and you can even add your text in there to (let’s face it Instagram can be pretty glitchy with text and TikTok has limited colours!).

    This app will really lift your short from video to the next level and have your TikToks and Reels looking amazing.

    Flick

    Hashtags for Instagram has to be the one stumbling block that holds up posting for so many people. With Flick it takes all the pain out of researching hashtags AND measuring them! No more trawling on Instagram and falling down that rabbit hole.

    Just search using keywords and Flick will suggest hashtags that are low, medium and high competition and even show you the daily posing number for each tag, so you can see how high you can set your sights.

    Give it a go… It will save you HOURS!

    Looking for more content tips and support? Check out The Content Academy, my monthly membership for business owners who are looking to be more savvy with their content and start seeing amazing results from blogs, social media, emails, video, podcasts… We cover it all!

    3 Systems to simplify your social media content creation | Content Clarity | Creating content for social media can often leave people feeling overwhelmed and lost. But writing those captions, or creating those graphics doesn’t have to be something that stops you posting consistently on social media. With my favourite 3 systems for creating social media content, you can find your groove and keep showing up, knowing what to say confidently and consistently.
  • Instagram, Social Media

    3 things to avoid on Instagram

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    Engagement pods

    The like for like, comment for comment pods/groups that you may well see on social media aren’t worth your time or effort. These pods guarantee a certain number of comments or likes on your post, but these are worthless if it’s not your ideal customer (AKA people who intend to buy from you) and usually it’s just other business owners who are selling exactly the same thing as you.

    Instead focus on building relationships with the people who do follow you and engage on your posts. You’ll see far better results (actual leads and sales) from that effort instead.

    The latest algorithm trick

    It’s tempting to keep an eye out for a glitch in the matrix… Some little hack that will propel you to go viral, but I hate to burst the bubble. Those hacks are weeks/months old by the time they reach the wider society. By which point Insta is already onto it and stopped it from having the same effect it once did.

    Instead, spend time getting to know what really works for your account. Look at the insights and see what your audience are engaging with and see if you can do more posts like that and build on that engagement.

    Batch cold DM

    No, no, no… 100X no! If it’s making your sleazometer go off the chart, then chances are you shouldn’t be doing it. Sure thing, selling is a numbers game. But these days people value integrity. The standard cold pitch DM’s are a bit notorious and get very little positive reaction.

    Instead, create content that has people sending YOU DM’s… So you don’t even have to think about ever cold pitching ever again!

    This is something you can learn in Conquer your Content… My 8 wk 1:1 content strategy coaching, for those looking to create a sustainable content plan for their business that actually gets leads and sales. 

    So, there you have it… 3 things you should avoid doing on Instagram. For more Instagram tips, check out my FREE Instagram audit.

    3 things to avoid on Instagram | Content Clarity | The like for like, comment for comment pods/groups that you may well see on social media aren’t worth your time or effort. These pods guarantee a certain number of comments or likes on your post, but these are worthless if it’s not your ideal customer (AKA people who intend to buy from you) and usually it’s just other business owners who are selling exactly the same thing as you.
  • Business

    How to attract your dream clients

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    When it comes to content, whether that’s social media, blogs, podcasts or YouTube videos, it is all too easy to fixate on the ‘end goal’ AKA the sale. And so many business owners and entrepreneurs find themselves getting drawn into ‘buy my thing mode’. But It’s important to spread your content out and cover all the bases, because even if you just focused on selling, you will eventually burn through your entire audience.

    That’s why I always recommend making sure you spread out your content to cover the all important 3 bases; Discovery, Nurture, Action (I call it the DNA method). Discovery focusses on audience attraction, so that you’re always adding new people into the process all the time and creating a pool of people to sell to.

    But just how can you do that through content? Well let me tell you in this blog…

    Talk directly to them

    Make sure you get to know your audience particularly well… Enough that you know exactly what your offering solves for them. In this day and age, on social media especially, you need to be able to stop that scroll with eye catching tips & graphics.

    You do that by talking directly to them. Not solely with their problems but talk their language too. Make sure you know how they describe their problems and their desired solutions, so you can use that in your content for messaging that packs a punch!

    Wondering how you creating eye catching graphics, check out Canva!

    Make sure you’re discoverable

    80% of people still turn to a search engine for help. Whether that’s Google, Pinterest (yep, it’s a search engine) or YouTube. So make sure you’re not missing out on that big potential. Social media is great of course, but people are searching for solutions 24/7 and long term content like blog posts, videos on YouTube and podcasts will deliver for you round the clock, even when you’re on holiday, sleeping, shopping… Sounds wonderful, right?!

    Be yourself!!

    This is super important and one of those things that often business owners forget. Don’t be afraid to be you!

    When you try to be the ‘Pinterest version’ of you, you’ll find that showing up becomes a lot harder. Maybe you’ve been putting on your radio voice or sitting on the fence about certain stereotypical things in your niche. Don’t be afraid to be yourself. You’ll find that showing up becomes far easier, quicker and more appealing to your audience when you ditch the ideals.

    If you want to learn more about how to attract your audience, then check out The Content Academy… My monthly membership to keep you accountable in your content planning & creation, whilst helping you upskill and make the most of your content.

    How to attract your dream clients | Content Clarity | When it comes to content, whether that’s social media, blogs, podcasts or YouTube videos, it is all too easy to fixate on the ‘end goal’ AKA the sale. And so many business owners and entrepreneurs find themselves getting drawn into ‘buy my thing mode’. But It’s important to spread your content out and cover all the bases, because even if you just focused on selling, you will eventually burn through your entire audience.
  • Business

    3 reasons why someone decides to buy from you

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    Ask any entrepreneur what makes people buy from them and you’ll probably find that the most common answer is the product/service. Sure that’s part of the puzzle, but would you be shocked if I told you there’s way more to it than just the product/service alone?

    Think about it… You go to buy a new car (let’s say a new VW Polo!) You have 4 VW dealerships within a 70 mile radius. You see when there’s people out there doing the same things as you, you might think it’s the bonuses, or the $50 off, but when it comes to an emotionally led purchase, especially when there’s a significant investment… People will be looking at these 3 things:

    Your knowledge

    Are you the expert in your field? Were you able to answer all their questions, handle their objections and support them through a decision they found hard to make? Or are you fresh out of diapers and have no experience in your field?

    No one wants to be someone’s guinea pig, or ‘first’. They want experience, knowledge, wisdom and expertise.

    So, showcase that knowledge of yours! If you are fresh to your field, but boy have you done the research, show that… Show that you know your stuff. It doesn’t always come down to ‘time in the trenches’ if you can demonstrate you know what you’re talking about and you kick a$$ in the next category…

    Your personality

    Knowledge is great, but ultimately if the person just doesn’t bond with your vibe, then you’re pushing water uphill. You may not have a great deal of control over whether people like you or not (and let me tell you now, you have to be ok that not everyone will!) But you do have control of making sure that your personality comes out and that you let it be seen.

    Showing your personality will attract way more people than it will put off! (Where’s all my cat loving, Harry Styles obsessed, mums at?!)

    Social Proof

    The power of testimonials and social proof is HUGE! Think of it like the snowball effect. Nothing quite reassures other people that it’s ok to buy from you than other people doing it.

    You know when you’re in TK Maxx and you pick a quiet rack and then all of a sudden EVERYONE wants to be in your rack?! People gravitate towards what other people are doing, even subconsciously… So, make sure you capture those testimonials AND USE THEM!

    If you want more support in your content marketing then check out The Content Academy, my membership for busy business owners who want to take control of their online presence and scale their business with ease.

    3 reasons why someone decides to buy from you | Content Clarity | Ask any entrepreneur what makes people buy from them and you’ll probably find that the most common answer is the product/service. Sure that’s part of the puzzle, but would you be shocked if I told you there’s way more to it than just the product/service alone?
  • Content Planning

    5 Boundaries to set for consistent content creation

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    Quite often when it comes to creating content for your business, it’s very easy to fall into the rabbit hole of researching, doubting yourself, forgetting what you should be writing or creating content wise… Or the absolute killer one is to put your content marketing at the bottom of the list and literally never get around to it!

    So, in order to stay consistent in your content creation and keep showing up to build that know, like and trust factor with your audience, here’s my top 5 boundaries you should set…

    Have a routine

    You need to create a schedule in your diary of when you are going to sit down and plan out your content and also give yourself time blocks when you’re going to sit down and create the content (stop trying to do it all in the same day… You get content overwhelm!)

    Quarterly planning is my recommendation, with a monthly session to batch create content that can be scheduled and mark up any prompts for when you’re appearing live on Stories etc. This is something that we do inside The Content Academy to hold you accountable and keep that routine.

    Limit your content consumption

    Yep, stop scrolling and trawling your competitors content. Because I can guarantee you’ll only end up letting that imposter syndrome creep in and you’ll soon find that your content plan will start to mirror what you’ve seen them do (even subconsciously!) So, make sure your social media feeds are of people who empower you, that you enjoy seeing and who are indeed your customers (so you can empower them by engaging with them).

    Keep competitor research to a set time and only as a research mission (set a timer!)

    Create a workflow

    All my clients and students LOVE having a Trello workflow to turn to… One place where they can store their content ideas, map out their content pillars and even use it to map out a calendar of content across all platforms and executions.

    This way you can also keep a historic view of what you put out and where… So, imagine 12 months down the line literally being able to repurpose and cutting your ‘new content’ creation time massively!

    Switch off distractions

    It’s important that when you are sitting down to plan or create that you switch off any distractions. I’m talking putting your phone on ‘do not disturb’ mode, closing down that email window, noise cancelling headphones… Whatever works best for you.

    You might even find that to get in the zone, you want to move to a different work space. Some people prefer to plan in a coffee shop, or even in bed. Wherever you can get your juices flowing.

    Get ahead in your content

    We all have days where we feel a bit ‘meh’… If you’re simply just not feeling it on your assigned planning day, then imagine being able to move it?! If you get 30+ days ahead in your content, you’ll have that flexibility.

    Don’t forget the part that hormones have to play in how you feel about your business. Certain weeks just might be a no go for creative ideas. So remember that and be kind to yourself about it.

    There you go… my 5 tips to showing up consistent in our content. Let me know how you get on!

    5 Boundaries to set for consistent content creation | Content Clarity | Quite often when it comes to creating content for your business, it’s very easy to fall into the rabbit hole of researching, doubting yourself, forgetting what you should be writing or creating content wise… Or the absolute killer one is to put your content marketing at the bottom of the list and literally never get around to it!