Make Marketing Suck Less

Dr. Michelle Mazur (00:00): Today we're celebrating the 300th episode of the Rebel Uprising podcast. Pop the champagne, throw some confetti, and come celebrate with me as I reflect about what it means to play the long game, what I've learned from creating 300 episodes, and what's next for me and this podcast. Let's do this. Get ready for the Rebel Uprising Podcast, the only podcast dedicated to business owners who feel overlooked for their expertise, skills, and experience. Let's claim your expertise and turn your complex ideas into unmistakable messaging that grows your business. I am your host, Dr. Michelle Mazur, the author of the 3 Word Rebellion and your rebel truth-telling guide to building a business that gets noticed.

(01:04): Recently, someone asked me how I got to this milestone. What does it take to get to 300 episodes of anything really? For me, it was about playing the long game. I just kept turning on the mic week after week, month after month, year after year. This podcast has always been a strategic business priority and a core piece of my marketing strategy. But really, I just love doing this. I love sitting down to create scripts, I love the research that goes into these shows, I love pulling audio clips into an episode.

(01:49): The best marketing you can do is marketing you love to create. There's so many shoulds in business. You should do video. And God knows I have been told that so many times like "You have a great personality you should be doing video," but video just drains me. You hear, "You should post three to five times a week on Instagram. You should blog, you should do all of these things." But if you're playing the long game in business, in your marketing, it matters that you do something you love. Create marketing that you are excited about, that you're passionate about.

(02:32): Dorie Clarke in her book The Long Game says, "The challenge for all of us is an inner one. To keep going when it seems like no one is paying attention or cares, and to believe that eventually, the world will catch up. And it helps if you love what you're creating. So if you love to write, blog, write a book. If you love video, do that. If you love talking like no one is watching, then podcasting might be your thing. The best thing you can do is jettison the shoulds and focus on what lights you up. And then you keep showing up week after week, month after month.

Tara McMullin (03:20): Hey, I'm Tara McMullin from the What Works podcast, and I wanted to say a huge congratulations to you, Michelle, on your milestone episode. 300 episodes is a massive achievement and one that only happens through diligence, patience, and practice. Thanks for helping us all to embrace the rebel within so that we can share our rebellious ideas with the world.

Dr. Michelle Mazur (03:45): This podcast is not just a labor of love or an expression of my creativity, it's also a really smart business decision. And this is something I want everyone to figure out for their business. What actually works for you and how does it work for your business? Podcasting for me is not about growing my audience, that's not this podcast's job. I learned years ago from my friend and one of the executive producers of the show, Tara McMullin, that your podcast is about nurturing people. That it's a really big ask to show up in someone's head and have them listen to a 15-minute or 30-minute episode.

(04:36): So for me, this podcast, while yes, it provides you great value and insight into the world of messaging and marketing, it also serves the business function of getting people ready to work with me and my business. Because I know that if a potential client books a sales call and they listen to the podcast, that we're going to speak the same language and that potential client understands how I approach messaging and marketing already. They know my philosophy, my values, what I stand for. And all of a sudden that sales call is really just about hey, do we get along? Would we be a good fit? Are we good collaboration partners? And this takes the pressure off of sales calls and it makes sales calls absolutely fun and delightful. I feel like I get the opportunity to know someone and really see if my work can help their business provide value for them.

(05:51): I had one client tell me that she convinced herself to work with me because of binging this podcast. There is such power when you are in someone's head talking. It's very intimate, and it's also a power I want to use thoughtfully and for good, for the good of the business owner who listens. This podcast doesn't just work for me as a creator it works for my business which is good because the business funds the production of this podcast. So when you think about your own marketing and playing the long game, ask what job the content you're creating for your business does. This is the how it works question. Is it the job of your content to nurture like this podcast? Is it to grow your audience, your brand awareness? Or, does it have another job all together? And then ask hey, is it accomplishing your goals? Does it work for your business?

Speaker 3 (07:08): Hello, Michelle, it's [inaudible 00:07:10] Timmons here dropping in to say many, many congratulations on your 300th episode. What an accomplishment. We met over eight years ago in the Fall Cohort in 2014 of Tara's 10ThousandFeet and it has just been a joy watching you lean into your 3 Word Rebellion. As you do it you give others, myself included, permission to do likewise. And you know what? That is a gift that keeps on giving. So again, congratulations. I hope you get to celebrate by going to see your favorite band, Duran Duran sometime in 2023. Enjoy. Bye.

Dr. Michelle Mazur (07:58): And before I talk about what's next, I wanted to talk about a few of my favorite podcast episodes. I'll say, when you've got 300 episodes it's really, really hard to remember all of them. And my assistant Jess has started this huge database for me so I can keep track of what I've been talking about, pull from some old episodes, maybe do a little bit more repurposing. Since I have such this huge body of work that I am so proud of ... The other day, one of my clients said something to me about messaging and marketing and I was like "Oh, wow, that is so smart and so insightful." And she looked at me and was rather confused and she said, "I know Michelle, you said it." With that in mind and with knowing that I have long-term podcasting memory loss, most of my favorite episodes are more recent episodes.

(09:01): I love the whole series of the 3 Word Rebellion Book Club that I created in September of 2022. Really that series focused on how to use the book to communicate your expertise. My favorite episode from that series is where I had clients and readers talk about what the 3 Word Rebellion did for their business. It was so powerful for me and a powerful reminder of how important being able to communicate the value of your business is. And I'll hook up that episode for you in the show notes because I just love listening to those stories.

(09:49): My other favorite episodes is where I introduced the idea of the overlooked expert phenomenon. So many people told me that they saw themselves in those episodes. Even though that they are these brilliant business owners with years of experience, credentials out of the wazoo, they're able to get their clients real results, they have this proven track record, they still felt overlooked in favor of those people with the charismatic, shiny marketing where everyone knows that person's name. With that, I am so grateful for Michael Lewis and his podcast series Against the Rules for focusing on why we don't trust experts right now because it really gave me the fodder, the research I needed to really name what I was seeing in business.

Sean (10:47): Hey, Michelle, it's Sean from Yellow House.

Lou (10:49): And it's Lou.

Sean (10:51): Congratulations on 300 episodes. We so appreciate you and we look forward to the next 300.

Lou (10:56): Absolutely, Michelle. We love listening to you, we love producing your episodes, we love having you in our ears every week.

Sean (11:03): Congratulations.

Lou (11:04): Congratulations. Woo.

Dr. Michelle Mazur (11:07): So what's next for the podcast? This year I'm claiming as the year of the experts because it is time for experts to rise up on mass and be seen, known, and hired for their work. The problem with online business right now is there are so many pseudo-experts out there who did it once for themselves and now think they can do it for other people. And these pseudo-experts tend to be great at marketing but fall short of delivering the promised results. And so those business owners, those pseudo-experts, need to take a backseat if we are going to try and change this industry. Experts need to be seen and known, and be the first one thought of when people are looking for support for their business, or for their lives, or for a collaboration partner. My role and the podcast role will be helping experts communicate why their expertise matters and is valuable in helping them implement that into their marketing, their copy, their PR efforts.

(12:30): And, of course, I will be doing this through my one-on-one work in the 3 Word Rebellion messaging intensive, but I'm also going to be doing something new this year that I'm so excited about. Soon I'll be announcing a new community offer aimed for business owners who often feel overlooked for their expertise, and who want to define their message confidently share it in their marketing, and finally take more focused action so they get known and hired for their work. Rebel experts, it's your time to rise up, and be known, and hired. This is my focus, this is what I am passionate about. I will be bringing all my expertise, the 3 Word Rebellion, and all of my know-how to help experts be known for their work.

(13:27): In the meantime, I'm so grateful. I'm grateful to Steve Mills who has edited every single episode of this podcast from the very beginning. And he also edits my sister podcast Duped with Maggie Patterson so he's been listening to my voice week after week for years now and I am so grateful to have his support and have him on my team. I'm also grateful for the great collaboration partners at Yellow House Media, Sean, Tara, Lou, and Emily. Thank you for your support and your help in making this podcast a success. What I love about podcasting is that I get to show up and do what I do best. I script the podcast and I get to record it. And then the rest, well, Steve and the team at Yellow House, well, they take care of.

(14:22): And finally, I'm grateful to you. Whether you found this podcast yesterday and are soaking it all in or have been listening for years, thank you, thank you. You are the reason I do this. You're the reason I show up to record every single month. Here's to another 300 episodes. Oh, wait, wait, wait, that feels so overwhelming. Here's to the next episode of the Rebel Uprising podcast, and I'm glad you'll be listening. If the Rebel Uprising Podcast is helping you claim and communicate your expertise so that your clients can find and hire you, please share the show with a friend. The easiest way to do that is through pod.link. You can find the show at pod.link/rebel, and that page will allow anyone you share the show with to subscribe and start listening in their favorite podcast player. That's pod.link/rebel.

(15:32): The Rebel Uprising podcast is a production of Yellow House Media. Our production coordinator is Lou Blazer, our production assistant is Emily Kilda. The podcast is edited by Stephen Mills. Our executive producers are Sean and Tara McMullin. The Rebel Uprising podcast is recorded on the unseated traditional land of the coast Salish peoples, specifically the first people of Seattle, the Duwamish people, original stewards of the land past and present.