295: THROWBACK EPISODE: HOW to get more visibility/PR for your small business | Anna Scott

When we think about Public Relations, we might often think media, right? Getting in the paper, on TV and the like! BUT PR is more than just media. It is about getting visibility for you and your business on various online (and offline) channels. 

Getting THIS type of visibility allows you to be seen in different communities and different audiences! From podcast guests to Instagram lives, on this podcast episode you will get ALL the information you need to know about PR and visibility for you and your small business!

Is this a throwback episode? YES! One of the most listened to, and also a good reminder - repurpose!!

If you LOVED the episode, make sure you share this on your Instagram stories and tag us @contentqueenmariah and @annascott.pr.

KEY EPISODE TAKEAWAYS 👇

✨ Why you should repurpose more 

✨ What does PR look like for small business 

✨ How to get more visibility for yourself and business 

✨ Where to get more visibility 

✨ How to make a visibility/PR plan 

SHOW RESOURCES 👇

If you like this episode, don't forget to share it to your Instagram stories and tag me⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ @contentqueenmariah⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠!

Other than that, enjoy - chat next week 💕

ABOUT THE GUEST

Anna is your go-to Visibility Coach, empowering passion-led women in business to become their own Hype Women so they can grow their audience, become noteworthy in their industry and take their business to the next level.

Using over a decades worth of experience in PR & Branding, with some of Australia’s biggest homegrown brands, coupled her intimate knowledge of the small biz world, she supports her clients with the confidence and know-how they need to increase their visibility and grow their audience, in a way which is down-to-earth, easy to follow, easy to implement and most importantly gets results.   

If you are looking for a Coach to help to supercharge your visibility, reach new audiences and grow, Anna will help you identify and go after the opportunities you never knew were possible for you and your business.

If you like this episode, don't forget to share it to your Instagram stories and tag me⁠⁠ ⁠⁠ @contentqueenmariah⁠⁠⁠⁠!

Other than that, enjoy - chat next week 💕

PODCAST TRANSCRIPTION

This is episode 295, and I have a throwback to one of the most listened to guest episodes on my podcast since starting the Content Queen Podcast, but I'm gonna talk about it 'cause we've got things to share about repurposing as well. Welcome to the Content Queen Podcast. I'm your host, Mariah, entrepreneur storyteller, digital nomad, creative content bootcamp, and founder of Content Queen.

I'm here to teach you how to share your unique story, create content, and market your business with strategy through the channels. That work for you. Each week, I'll deliver story, tell you connect to a powerful strategy around marketing, business, and content creation. I'll also be joined by amazing souls and entrepreneurs who are here to share their own journey, along with actual steps to help you take your business to a whole new level.

Your amazing storytelling powerful and marketing and content strategy. Let's do it. Hello, gang. Okay. As you've noticed, if you've been a long time listener, a long time fan, you might've heard this episode before, but. This is what happens when we create content, right? We get into this, okay, keep going. Keep delivering, keep [00:01:00] delivering new, new, new, new, new.

That happens. And I was thinking about this today because sometimes I'll, you know, start working with a client and maybe they've been creating content for some time before. I've got someone in mind that I started working with, uh, in the last few months, and they've been creating content for. Quite a while and I go, oh, I'm keen to know more about their story.

And because I've only just started working with them, I don't know their story to the full degree of them obviously, but maybe someone that's been following them because they might have already spoken about it. So we get in our head that like, people already know these things or they've already heard these things.

So we just always create new and we never go back and like maybe it's reshare our story or. Create use content that's performed really well and repurpose it and reuse it. And for full disclosure, this came as an idea off the back of something that happened, like always. I have so many [00:02:00] guests for you guys lined up, but just from scheduling purposes, everyone had booked them in and then had to re reschedule.

So all of them are in October. So I have a podcast recording. Tomorrow as I've recorded this, a podcast on Friday as I record this, and then I think three next week. So I've got like five guests signed up, but. Not at the time that I needed to have a guest episode, could I have done a solo episode? Yes. And I have done that in the past.

So if you have a podcast and you're really worried about, oh, what if it doesn't align? What if it doesn't work out? The purpose of having like a content plan and strategy and knowing you know what you're talking about, what you're selling in your business and what makes sense to your podcast, what you're known for, it's so easy just to pluck something out and and go with that.

And I could have easily have done another solo episode, but that's happened a lot this year with scheduling and not. You know, the, the, I think everyone's just busy, right? It's just a busy period. Everyone's got a lot going on, so. I didn't wanna do another solo [00:03:00] episode, and I felt like I had done a lot of solo episodes this year as well because of the things I've had going on.

And also, yeah, my schedule as well. So I was like, you know what? I'm going to repurpose something that I thought was a really good episode, and obviously everyone else did because it is one of the most listened to guest episodes. The the top most listened to guest episode was about Instagram in 2023, so I couldn't use that one.

So this is like the second. But it's really timely. It's a really good conversation. I've been talking a lot about owned media and I had a conversation yesterday about PR and someone saying, you know, is, uh, creating blog content, a part of pr, what is like a part of my online PR strategy? I was like, no PR is anything.

Sorry, borrow earned channels. Anything that you have earned, I think I said earned before. Anything you earn from someone else, and that is what this guest is gonna talk about today anyway, so she will share all of that, but I think it's really timely. I just went to the social summit recently and a lot of them did talk about pr.

Getting [00:04:00] PR to put yourself out there, you do have to have a good story as well. So it sort of all circles back, right. Putting down your story, understanding your story, and knowing how it's gonna help others. I mean, we all think either one, we have a story to share, or two, our story's boring. So either way, we have to pluck it out and, and work with it to help us be seen and visible.

And with a marketing strategy. And I'm seeing this too with, with Content Bootcamp and really trying to get content bootcamp out there because my retainer services and the things that I offer. Um, I'm sort of really happy with where I'm at with that. I don't necessarily want more clients. I mean, we'll never turn down the universe, but at the moment I don't, I don't need that.

I need to really help small business owners, and that's why I'm doing these workshops. I need to put myself out there as well, and so I'm looking at. A bit more pr, a bit more visibility, partnerships, et cetera. So I think this is a really great episode. I'm sure you will as well. It [00:05:00] might be on your mind.

It might be something that feels really overwhelming, like pitching yourself to people, I think. Feels quite overwhelming, right? So I'm gonna introduce Anna Scott, and then we are going to go into the episode. But Anna is your go-to visibility coach. Empowering passion led women in business to become their own hype woman so they can grow their audience so they can become noteworthy in their industry and take on their business to a next level.

She's worked in over a decade of PR and branding with some of the Australian's biggest homegrown brands. She has a massive knowledge around visibility and pr. So let's just get straight into the episode, 'cause there was a lot of juicy information. We did record this back in 2022, so it's a little while.

So there might be some things that maybe are talked about in reference that aren't existing. I'm sure TikTok wasn't even spoken about. I, but. Listen to this episode because either way, you'll get so much value out of it. Welcome, Anna to the podcast. I'm so excited to have you on. Can you please tell everyone a little bit more about who you are and what you [00:06:00] do?

Anna: Yes. Thank you so much for having me here, Mariah. I'm so excited to chat to you and your amazing community. Um, so for those who don't know me, I'm Anna. I'm a visibility coach. So I empower passion led women in business to become their own hype woman so that they can really step into that limelight, start sharing their passion on a bigger scale, uh, and start to reach, attract, and work with more of those elusive dream clients.

Mariah: Absolutely love it. Love what you do. And first I wanna just take a little step back, I guess, down memory lane and talk about, uh, your origin story. We all have one. We all have a why we started. Uh, so what is your story and how did you get to where you are today? 

Anna: Yeah, so my origin story, um, so I am a mama to two [00:07:00] beautiful girls and another little bub on the way.

And I was coming back to my corporate role after having my first child. Um, and it just wasn't aligning for me in terms of the mom that I wanted to be and the lifestyle that I wanted. And do you know what? I probably had a little bit of fear in terms of what it meant to start my own business. I had kind of got a little bit bored during maternity leave and started consulting for some local brands because.

I had 10 plus years experience in not only pr but also um, branding. And so I was sort of combining my knowledge in both of those spheres to help some local, um, women in business to really elevate their profile. Uh, and I was just doing that. Very piece meal, um, while I was on maternity leave and I just didn't have, [00:08:00] I guess, the courage to make the jump.

So I went back to my corporate role even though it wasn't really gonna be that flexible. And literally six days in COVID hit. And, um, my role, which was quite specialist, um, was actually made redundant. And so I was just like, oh my gosh. I think this is a universe just telling me to do it. And so I just decided to go all in and, and I've always had this philosophy in life, if you wanna make something happen, then you need to do it and really go after it.

And so, um, yeah, I sort of just. Dove headfirst into my own business. And I started out doing all the things like I was doing social media content and marketing and advertising and website reviews and design and all sorts of things. Um, and the more that I sort [00:09:00] of started working with other people in business, particularly women in small business, the more I realized that my skillset.

From my PR and branding days was really, really needed, um, because the women I was, I was working with were so passionate about what they did and, um, they were doing amazing things and they were sharing it in ways on their own channels, like on their socials or through email. They weren't utilizing other people's channels and really sharing what they're about and who they were on a bigger scale.

And so that's kind of where the birth of my first, um, group program Power Up OME PR came from. I was like, I can help these women to start showing up in a bigger way, really understand, um, what those key messages are. What they want to be known for and start building their profile. Um, yeah. [00:10:00] In, in, you know, their local area.

On a national scale. On a global scale. All of the things to really, yeah, just elevate everything that they were doing within their business and life. 

Mariah: Absolutely love it. Congratulations by the way, on expecting baby number three. Oh, thank you. So exciting. And yeah, the, the universe definitely delivered you a big hello.

Here is your 

Anna: ticket. Yes. And I think the more that, um, I do what I do and the more women that I meet, I'm like, this is exactly where I needed to be. And, um, I'm really happy that I didn't. Fight against it. And I was like, let's just go with it and see what happens. So 

Mariah: yeah, it's awesome. No, absolutely love it.

And you know, some of the things you touched on were, you know, talking, um, we, we always are on our socials, kind of like, um, you know, beating the rhythm to our own drum and talking about what we do. But I love this concept and we spoke about it when we had our chat and I was like, yes, you have to come on the podcast and talk [00:11:00] about this is utilizing other spaces to.

Create content and market ourselves in the form of PR and visibility. So we are going to dive into today's topic of visibility as a business owner and how we can get visibility online for ourselves and our business. And I love this concept of, you know, utilizing different spaces. So can you share first, um, your experience as an entrepreneur and how, I guess, visibility and getting visibility for your brand.

Michael, this podcast is a perfect example, has helped you. 

Anna: Yeah, sure. So when I first started out, I, I had, you know, the only people following me on socials were my family and friends, and I had no email list. It was non-existent and. I was really just relying on word of mouth referrals for the work that was coming into me.

And I knew that if I really wanted to make [00:12:00] this work, I needed to start getting my name out there, putting myself out there, showing up and building, um, I guess a community around me. And creating those connections of people who would mention my name in a room, call them, you know, whatever you'd like, but I like to call them the name Droppers.

Um, and you know, build that community of brand fans. Those people who, you know, are excited to work with you and, um, you know, connecting with your message. And so, yeah, I mean, there was a few things that I did in terms of investing in myself. So, you know, I, I engaged with a business coach and I started, um, networking and joining various groups like One Roof and Business Chicks.

Um, but then I also looked at, um, what my, I guess, personal PR strategy was, um, and how I could start [00:13:00] tapping into other channels apart from the ones that I was controlling, like my socials, um, to really share my message and start building that profile within my space. And so when I started, um, doing things like.

Brand collaborations, whether it was like a giveaway with another, um, uh, business owner or, um, just going, doing Instagram lives, obviously, um, getting on podcasts like your own Maria, and really, um. You know, starting to share my thought leadership, I guess, in my space and what I was really passionate about.

And from there I started to just see the momentum build and I started attracting clients that had no connection to me, except they may have heard me on a podcast, or they may have read an article that I had written and. Um, they were just sliding into my dms and [00:14:00] messaging me and saying, Hey, I love what you were talking about.

Could we catch up? Or, I'd love to join your program. And that was awesome. Like, that was when I first started realizing, um, you know, the power of PR in the small business world. Um, and yeah, that's, that's kind of what it's done for me. And, you know, I think it can be really daunting, um, initially, and I totally.

Oh, I look back at some of my first like Instagram stories or the interviews that I did with people and I was really stumbling and I really had to think about what I was going to say and think about what my key messages were. But I guess the more that I did it, the more confidence. Um, came and the more I started realizing that people actually wanted to hear what I had to say.

Uh, and so yeah, it's, it, it's a really nice feeling. 

Mariah: Mm-hmm. I'm just smiling ear to ear because like I just reflect a lot on the [00:15:00] same, my own experiences of just reaching out to people, doing, you know, podcast swaps or, um, Instagram lies, I mean, back. When I started, we couldn't do this awesome collaboration post where like they went on both.

So if, even if I went live, it was you going live too. So it was kind of Yes. Now, back then it was, I went live, I posted the live, so it was my piece of content. Now we've got this kind of collaboration space. Yeah. But it's just, it's crazy how. Impactful it can be when you go into other people's spaces and it's awesome you sharing your own experience of like, yeah, I have all this, I know all the things I had to do, but to go out and do them is daunting.

I, um, one my business coach made me put in my calendar 30 minutes a day of visibility. So you'll love this one. Yeah. Trying to get, um, visible p pitching people to go on their podcast. It's super uncomfortable. How uncomfortable is it to be like. Hey, can I like, you know, crafting like, um, something to, to collaborate with someone or to go [00:16:00] into their space.

'cause you get rejected, right? And I think that's the biggest thing is like, once you've got the okay, then you've of course gotta think of what you're gonna talk about. And that's a whole competency as well. But the actual pitching thing can be super daunting. But once you put your name out there, like.

It's amazing. You build a community through getting visibility for yourself. It's, you tap into other people's communities. There's so many communities I've been able to be part of through being in a visibility space, like being on a podcast, and then you tap into their audience and they become part of your community and it's just like, there's such an amazing, um, impact that you can have.

So I love that you shared your own experiences because even though you know, these are the good things to do for my business, it doesn't make them any easier. 

Anna: No, it definitely doesn't. And I think, um, you know, people shy away from it particularly. Um, you know, I do find product-based businesses, but also service-based businesses.

They just, you know, have this [00:17:00] fear of putting their face to their business and. Um, we know that people are choosing to work with other business owners based on who they are, whether their values align, um, you know, even finding connections with them on the type of lifestyle they lead or, you know, um. You know, understanding their story and connecting with where they were to where they are now.

And it's that aspirational piece. So if you aren't creating that, that personal brand and sharing your story and allowing your audience to connect with you in that way, um, it's really hard to build those authentic relationships with your community. 

Mariah: Yeah, for sure. And you think about this trust building exercise, and we're seeing it with big corporates now.

Like all of their. You know, executives are being, when I worked in corporate, we were really pushing for our execs, and this was, you know, three years ago now we're really pushing for their personal brands, [00:18:00] and now it's like even more so than ever, authenticity, human connection. We've just come out of like.

Huge, you know, lockdown, everyone just wants to connect with people. They don't wanna connect with a logo, and it is hard when you don't often wanna be the face of the brand, but you, you have to, everyone. Even with startups I've worked with, the first thing they've said to me is, I need to build my own personal brand, so can you help me work with that?

I was like. Sure thing. Yeah. But it's just, it's so interesting. I reflect on my own, you know, marketing strategies and even where most of my clients have come from in the past, you know, in two years. And a lot of it is through either networking or or networking on other spaces and, and branding myself through pr like.

Podcasting, you know, and PR isn't just writing a press release and sending it out to the news. It's PR is this, this whole visibility and, and having relations with the public, you know, when I met, when I did my degree, there was no real def clear [00:19:00] definition of pr. But it's like just having that relationship with like a wider collective and just putting yourself out there in that space.

And, you know, think words that you mentioned, like thought leadership and all of these things help us. Become known, you know, and, and what are you known for? Or what, what do people know you for is, is how you sort of market yourself. And it's, it all works together. And unfortunately, there is no quick way for all of this.

It just takes time. 

Anna: It takes time. That's the thing. And yeah, it's not all gonna happen at the same time. Yeah. Um, and going back to that, like, you know. There is that difference with PR in that you are tapping into other channels. But the great thing is you are tapping into this know, like, and trust factor that the publication, the person, the podcast, has already built with their audience.

So it actually is a fast. Track sort of way, um, to [00:20:00] actually take some of that trust and kind of put it on yourself, I guess, because by them, uh, having you and showcasing you as part of their platform. They are automatically saying, I trust this person. This person is a reliable source of information. So when you know those, that audience chooses to come to you, they're already warmed up.

They're like, oh, this person's legit. You know, I, I, they automatically have a, you know, at least some of my trust now I'm gonna check them out and, and see what else I can find about them and start building that, I guess, yeah, connection with them. 

Mariah: Mm, that is so true. It's interesting 'cause you are sort of tapping into someone's already done work, you know?

Yeah. So it is, it's just, you gotta build relationships with that one person rather than your whole, you know, social media community. It's just like, okay, if I can win this one person over and get on their podcast, then it's gonna be a lot of easier, or on their, your blog [00:21:00] or in the magazine then. The hard work has been done for me.

That is, yeah, it's a really, really good way to think about it. So I wanna lead into like an actual step that people can take away from this episode. And I wanna go through visibility for business owners. And from a high level, I just want you to break it down what this means and what does this look like.

I know we've mentioned podcasts and, and, um, guest articles and things, but it'd be good just to get like a really high level on what does visibility for our business look like and what sort of channels could we look to go to? I know we're gonna. Dive into those more, but just as a high level, what does visibility for our business look like?

Anna: Yeah, I think that visibility, um, you know, can take on many different forms dependent on your business, what your objectives are, um, you know who you are trying to reach, and I think that's one of the biggest things. Often people overlook is really diving into who is that person that I wanna reach with this activity.

So [00:22:00] obviously when you're looking at your visibility, the way that I like to split it, and I know that you, other people split it in four different ways, but for the ease of explaining it, I, I just talk about two different areas. So one is kind of your own channels, and this is like. Where you kind of control the message, where what you are putting out is going directly to the public.

So this can be things like your socials, your email, um, any kind of marketing that you are doing, and then there are your earned channels. So this is where other people are essentially telling their audience that you are good. So, um, you know, there's um, you know, lots of different way, different visibility accelerators that you can use and channels that you can tap into.

So I know that whenever I mention pr, everyone's like. Uh, media [00:23:00] like straightaway. So yes, there is the opportunity for media, both digital, um, tv, um, and print. But that is whether that aligns with, you know, what you want to achieve for your business, whether it's right for the objectives that you have. Um.

Then also, you know, we've mentioned, um, around connecting with other business owners and looking at collaboration opportunities. And I think I'm really passionate about collaborations because I've seen how amazingly they've worked for my own business and um, it's something that I really drove in my corporate role as well and have seen, um, the ability to really help to elevate each other together.

Um, so. Brand collaborations and there's so many different things that you can be doing, whether it's, you know, working on a product together or, you know, jumping on Instagram, live together, running a masterclass, doing a competition. There's so many opportunities [00:24:00] in that space. Um, and then looking at things like podcasts.

We know that, um, you know. The listenership for podcasts is just skyrocketing in Australia. I think it's something like 40% of people over 18 are listening to podcasts monthly, um, which is a huge audience. So, and the other great thing about podcasts is that they are very specific on the topics and the audience that they listen to.

So you have that ability to really target, um, the podcasts that are gonna reach your people. It's not a broad spectrum. You can be really targeted, um, in your approach if you have a strategy in place, um, around the types of podcasts that you want to be on. Um, and what else do I, I, the other, um, accelerator that I teach to my clients or help them to, [00:25:00] um, executing is guest posting.

So, you know, writing articles for. Online publications or blogs, um, is a great way to showcase your thought leadership. Um, also great for things like SEO and, and all of the things. Um, and one of the things that actually is overlooked often is influencer marketing. Uh. Not overlooked from a brand, um, you know, like a product-based business.

Obviously we understand what influencer marketing means for them, but for service-based businesses as well. Um, at the moment I am working with a, um. Beauty, uh, salon that is launching, and we are looking at who are those influential people in the local area mm-hmm. That we can engage, that we can invite into our space, we can showcase, you know, how the space looks, feels the kind of [00:26:00] experience that they're gonna get so that they can share that with their community.

So it is not just about your quintessential social. Influencers. It's like, you know, who's influential to the people that you're trying to reach. 

Mariah: Hmm. It's really interesting with that one too, because we have like affiliates. I know I've, for one of my programs, I can reach out to business coaches that have clients that need content marketing and offer some of my programs to them on an affiliate basis.

Totally. So it's not just, you know, going to having people do social media campaigns. It could be, Hey, if you sign up and refer your clients onto me, you could get. It's a, it's a different form of like visibility, right? It's a different form of like referral and you know, it all, it's interesting how it all connects, right?

So, you know, doing guest blogging, going on podcasts can help with your back links, which helps with your SEO. So people linking to your website, like it's all, it all works, um, together as this holistic totally our business. 

Anna: Yeah, and that's [00:27:00] why I like to explain it in the kind of two halves because mm-hmm.

I, you can't, you need them both to be working in unison together to have a really impactful. Brand and campaign. Um, but often we can get really bogged down in focusing on our own channels. Mm. And we forget about the ability to tap into other people's channels and utilize them. And like I said, you know, it can be a real fast track way to bbr build that trust and credibility, um, with a whole new audience, which allows you to start growing your audience, which is awesome.

Mariah: Yeah, for sure. So what do you think is the best way, uh, that we can get visibility if we, if we were, if anyone was to be listening and wants to, like, haven't done or gotten started with this, and we'll talk about getting started and maybe, you know, a mini how to kind of form a bit of a strategy around this.

But if I wanted to get started, like are there certain platforms that are the [00:28:00] best to start with or is what's sort of the best way to get visibility, especially at the moment? 

Anna: Yeah, I think it's about starting with what your objectives are. So when you are first starting out in business, or when I was first starting out in business, I.

Like I said, I didn't really have an audience and I knew that I really needed to grow my community. And so a big focus for me was growing my social, um, following, but also my email list. And so what I did was look for the opportunities that would allow me to drive people to those channels. Yeah. So I focus on four key visibility accelerators.

Um. When I am getting clients to go through my programs and coaching, so we look at brand collaborations, we look at opportunities, uh, to guest posts. We also look at [00:29:00] opportunities to, um, jump on other people's podcasts and do interviews. And then we also look at, um, media opportunities as well. And I feel like when you are first starting out in business.

A great way to start building your own community, um, and really drive that audience growth is through brand collaborations because you can be really targeted in the brands that you choose to work with. So it's that, um, audience that is, um. Very much like your own, they're generally complimentary businesses, so you know that the work that you're putting in is actually very targeted and reaching the people that you wanna reach.

Uh, I'd say the same with things like podcast interviews. Again, you can be super targeted in the podcast that you choose to be on, but once you have sort of moved from those early stages of business where you're really looking to grow your audience, you kind of move into the next. Phase of your business [00:30:00] where you're looking to grow your credibility and authority.

And that's when I sort of suggest, all right, let's start looking at things like media, things like guest posting, um, because that's going to really help you to showcase. Um, you know, your thought leadership in a bigger way, um, to really elaborate on some of those ideas that you have. Um, and you know, it's not necessarily going to have a really strong, strong call to action at the end of it, but it's definitely going to solidify you in the minds of the people that are reading or, or, you know, um, seeing that sort of content.

Mariah: Yeah. That's really interesting. I think that's really helpful to sort of visualize. So with brand partnerships you'd be talking about, you know, doing masterclasses with people, giveaways. Is that sort of the things that you would look to do in brand partnerships? Is there any other things that people could probably look to do within that sort of partnership space?

Anna: Yeah. Uh, like, and [00:31:00] even things like Instagram lives, jumping on a live with someone, thinking about really key topics or pain points that you know your audience has and, and elaborating on that, it's a great way to showcase, I guess your, like, what you think about certain topics and your expertise, but also gives people the opportunity to see what it would be like to work with you, the type of person that you are.

Um. Yeah. And then things like giveaways, um, you know, uh, whether you can look at things like affiliate programs. If you are looking to launch and you've created some connections with business owners who do have a similar audience to you, is there some way that you guys can cross promote each other's offers or Yeah, jump in and, and run a masterclass for their group and vice versa.

Just, yeah. How can you work together with other business owners, um, to really raise each other up. 

Mariah: Mm-hmm. 

Anna: And also, do you know what, [00:32:00] it can actually be really lonely being a business owner. So I find it really fun to connect in with people and, and, um, and get the opportunity to work with them on various projects.

So, yeah. Yeah, it's not just about the, the business outcomes. It's also really nice to have that connection as well. 

Mariah: Yeah, totally agree. It is, it is really nice when you have people, you're working on something, you're talking to people more and um, you know, sort of building up that relationship. And I, I think it's really interesting because like within this, it's a really strong message to everyone listening.

That connection is so important within this space. You, there's no, you have to be part of that community or try and build a community yourself and. I think one of the biggest like sort of secrets, like air quote secrets. 'cause there's no real secret, you know, recipe. But one thing that I never built in corporate and I never thought about until I reflected was how [00:33:00] important.

Having a network is, and that's why, you know, doing the net, I mean 2021, I barely did any networking and I can see the, I can see it now. So now I'm like building it back up. So you might go through these phases where you do a lot of networking and then you sort of have a break 'cause you kind of like need that downtime and it comes, you know, in flows.

But with that networking and that connection, I mean, social media is called social media for a reason. Bound to be social, right? But connecting with these people, having conversation. You can't just, you know, hide in your computer, unfortunately. You do have to go out there and build those connections because you know it's, it.

Of course you can reach out to people, but they wanna get to know you before you know. We had a chat before you came on the podcast and before I go live with you, you wanna build a connection with someone as well, so. You know, and be able to, um, have a relationship as well. So just sort of building that, going to those networking events and sort of chatting to people on Instagram.

And it doesn't have to be a, like, how long have you been in business? Or, you know, the generic questions you get. It could just be [00:34:00] general and like, I just wanna build a relationship. I'm just here to connect with others. Of course, we get a lot of cold messages. Um, but even just a simple welcome message. I always ask people open to collaborating and generally, like it's not just.

I don't, yeah. Say like, do you wanna join my free something? I say like, do you wanna collaborate? Like, let's do something together and get to know each other that way, because otherwise yeah. It's just a matter of kind of building up that, that network as well, not just as you said for business outcomes, but for just social outcomes as well.

Anna: Totally. And I think sometimes, um, we get overwhelmed by, um, the fact that. You know, we might be reaching out to someone who has a bigger following than us, or you know, who has a podcast or is a journalist or whatever, but at the end of the day, they're all people. And so I, I just say, you know, start by creating genuine connections with those people.

Um, you know, don't [00:35:00] just go in with the ask. Um, they're people too, they. They want to have a relationship with you, particularly in podcast. They wanna know who you are and what you're about and whether they are gonna connect with you. Yeah. Because you're gonna have to have a half an hour to an hour conversation with them, and they don't want it to be stunted and awkward and all of those things.

They wanna know that you are gonna be able to provide their audience with, you know, value, uh, and you guys are gonna be able to have an interesting convo. Uh, yeah. So, yeah, it's just, it is. Just going back to basics and creating Yeah. Really true and authentic relationships with people in the first instance.

Mariah: Yeah, for sure. Yeah, I totally agree with that. And so, you know, we spoke about before you said like having objectives for our business. 'cause, you know, having these sort of business goals allows you then to have your goals for various elements for your business. You know, if, if my goal is to. Be here in five, [00:36:00] 10 years or one year.

Okay, I need to do these things, so I'll need to be seen. So I need some more visibility. I'm gonna start small. So once we've sort of got like our goals and then have worked out, okay, well I'm podcasting. I, I wanna join podcasts 'cause I wanna be a thought leader and I find I'm quite good with my words.

You know, those sorts of things. Maybe some people aren't like writing, nah. Um, maybe I'll hire someone down the track to do that for me, that's, I do that for a lot of people. I write for them. Um. So, is there a matter of starting, like a list of, of potential people? Like I, you know what I found recently, you're gonna love this.

When I found, like this was built in 2019, I, it was called third party. I called it third party. Like third party. I don't know why I called it. It's just this document called Third Party. Yeah, and the reason I found it is because I'm writing an article on third party data for a client, and every time I search it, that one accidentally comes up.

And it's a list of podcasts, Instagram lives I wanted to do with people. Potential master classes, but I called it third party. [00:37:00] So I don't know why I called it third party. Like third party people. Like, I dunno, not collaborations or visibility, maybe 

Anna: collaborations wasn't really a buzzword. Yeah, 

Mariah: I don't think it was.

But anyway, my, my third party. Um, so do you recommend having a list and then sort of from there kind of. Building out like specific messages or a bit of a plan, like, okay, I'm gonna connect with this person on socials, I'm gonna follow their content for a little while and get to know them before I, I reach out.

Like, do you, is there sort of like a little, a little plan people should put together? Where could they get started? You know, once they've decided, yep, visibility's for me, I wanna get seen on other channels and it feels a lot easier than creating on my own content channel sometimes. What's sort of the next step?

Anna: Yeah, so I think in the first instance you just have to be really clear around what you want to be known for. 

Mariah: Mm-hmm. 

Anna: Um, and look at things like your height pillars, which are like those key topics. Um. You know, similar to what your content pillars are, but really [00:38:00] picking out three key things or three or four key things that you wanna talk to, that you wanna be remembered for, that you feel like will connect in with your people.

Um, and then from, and looking at things like, yeah, what your key messages are and, and really just having a really clear understanding of your personal brand. Because essentially when you're putting your. Self out there. That's what you're putting out there, and you want it to be in line with how you're showing up on your socials in your email, on your website.

Because if people are going to come to your community and get to know you, you don't want them to be bomb bombarded by all these different messages and them not really understanding who you are and what you're about. So yeah, I always start. With, um, your personal brand first for all of my clients, um, because then we know how we want 'em to be showing up.

And from there, just that understanding of who your people are, [00:39:00] but where are they hanging out? So who's really influential to their buying decision when it comes to your business? So, you know, are they old school and love to read the paper, or are they, um, you know, podcast lovers? Or do they, you know, t traw a lot.

On digital platforms, and that's where they're finding their information and that's gonna really help you in terms of then identifying who those targets are. Um, but yeah, from there, like you suggested, is really once you've landed on the channels that you want to start honing in on to build your visibility.

And like you said, if you are not a writer, then don't. You know, don't start with going after guest posting, because that's gonna be a real effort for you. It's going to stop you from showing up in the way that you wanna show up because you're gonna be overthinking it. Um, if you're like me and you love a chat, then you know, podcasts [00:40:00] might be the way to go, or Instagram lives, um, places where you can show up in a way that feels really comfortable to you as well.

Um, and then yeah, listing out a few of those, um. Targets or, or people that can help you to kind of tap into those channels. So whether it's podcast hosts or other business owners, um, and you know, I think it's about being realistic too in those first. A few pictures and things like that, you're really going to be thinking about, um, your messaging and how you get that across and, um, you know, tweaking it and things like that.

So maybe don't start with, you know, the big audacious goal. You know, maybe start with a few, um, you know. People that you already have connections with or those smaller ones. So you can build that confidence, build that understanding of, you know, what works and what resonates, [00:41:00] um, and go from there. But like you said, having that list and then looking at ways that you can start connecting in with them and building that relationship, whether it's, you know, just writing a really thoughtful comment on one of their social posts.

Or, um, you know, sending them a DM and, and letting them know that you enjoyed an article that they wrote or an Instagram live that they did, or, you know, just, just little ways to start getting yourself in front of them so that hopefully it has that trickle on effect. They start to become aware of you.

They start to remember who you are, and then hopefully they decide that you are super interesting and they wanna put you in front of their audience. 

Mariah: Yeah, I love that. And it takes, you know, it's sort of, it doesn't have to always be like that strategic, like, you know, it's, it's just this nice, as you just sort of described it, it's just this nice like flow of connecting with someone and then seeing if they're, um, interested in hearing what you have to say or [00:42:00] things like that and, and really, um, establishing those channels.

'cause it's very similar to like creating your own social media or your own content marketing strategy. 'cause it's sort of similar. You will be, have to create content in some. Aspect, it just, it might be different. Um, so sort of doing that research and understanding what you wanna be known for, which is very interesting.

'cause I feel like a lot of people. Think about it, but then at the same time haven't got, like, these are the key things. I actually only did it last year when I was sort of looking at rebranding. And the one thing that you mentioned and I think is really important for everyone to sort of take in is that consistency.

Like you said, you need, if you are showing on podcasts and talking about one thing and your social media doesn't talk about that at all, like it's, there's this like mixed message and people can get quite confused, oh, I thought you were the confidence. Queen or whatever. And now, and on your socials, you don't even talk about that.

You talk about fear or I don't know, you know, like it's, it's all very up in the air and people get confused. 

Anna: Yeah. And I think one of the things, like, you made a really [00:43:00] good point. I find it's really hard to come up with the, what you wanna be known for and even like the topics that you wanna talk about without bouncing those ideas off someone.

Um, I find that I can do that with my. Clients really easily, and I'm like, oh my gosh, that that topic there, that's the one that's super amazing and um, will really resonate or like will be really eye catching. Let's hone in on that. But then when you try and do it for yourself, there's so much going on and you're like, oh my god.

You know, there's a lot of self doubt. So I do find that having those conversations with other people and getting. Feedback on, you know, some of those things, like who you wanna be known, what you wanna be known for, and what you really wanna stand for and, and talk about, um, can really help. Yeah. When you've got someone else to bounce the ideas off.

Mariah: Yeah, for sure. 'cause you're always got like this, um, sort of bias, don't you? Like, oh, but like, I don't wanna not talk, be known for that. 'cause I really love that. Someone [00:44:00] from the outside looking in is like, oh, don't worry about that. Like, no one cares about that. We care about this. And you're like, oh, okay.

Yeah. Yeah. It's so true. It's always like, you know, when you market your own, I could, you know, do a strategy with a client and like, this is the strategy and then I'll go to do my own. I'm like, yeah, but like this bit and like that bit, like I wanna add that into, and then you're like, oh no, I just need someone else to do it for 

Anna: me.

Totally. I had a client and she's like, but. I could talk about all the things and I'm like, I, I know you could talk about all the things. Yeah. But if you talk about all the things, nothing's gonna stick. Exactly. So we need to hone in on what the really key things are, the meaty things that people are gonna be like, oh yeah, I, that really resonates with me.

Or Oh, I remember that. 'cause it totally changed my mindset on what I thought about this topic or whatever it is. But we just want them to be standout topics. 

Mariah: Yeah, for sure. I love that. I think it's like, you know, the, the really clear message, it's just like, what are those topics? And it, I guess, you know, a lot [00:45:00] of people switch and change and experiment and Yeah.

You know, decide like, oh, you know, I don't really wanna, I wanna kind of rebrand myself in this direction. It happens all the time, so I guess. If you choose and land on something, it doesn't mean that that's you forever done. Like I'm sure I won't always be like the content queen. I'm sure I'll be something else at some point in my life, but like, it's like life stage.

Like that's what you become known for. It's like when you start a business and you start as like when you're a. A virtual assistant, there's lots of virtual assistants that then go into social media management and they go from social media management to, and then like progress with the series of their business.

It's the same thing, right? Like you're an expert in this topic and then you become like you level into a different topic and it's not necessarily leveling up. You just learn different things and you can kind of like build off that. But what I'm finding, and maybe. You find the same thing with a lot of your clients and yourself.

You end up going back to the va. Like for example, there's like content pillars. I always teach, there's a strategy I always teach. I always find myself going back to it. I'm like, geez, Mariah in 2019 was so wise, or [00:46:00] 2020 and I was like. She still was. You just keep, like, it's just, it means it's a consistency thing, right?

You're going like, you've sort of landed on that and you've just build on it. Like, I add elements of storytelling now, but I, I found, like when I did this, like reflection of what I wanna be known for and like storytelling and strategy came up. It, I, I still doing that in 2019 was just in a different way.

And like, you kind of just, you give it names and you sort of build it out. And I'm sure a lot of your clients have found like, oh yeah, I used to talk about that. Maybe I'll just go back to that, you know. 

Anna: Totally. And I think it's just about, um, assessing the things that you're sharing as well. Um, sometimes messages don't land and that's okay.

That's, you know, you've gotta share them to know whether they do or don't. And there'll be ebbs and flows. And sometimes, you know, a topic like in 2000 and nineteen's been talked to death and you're like, I need to move on from this. And then, you know, when you're reevaluating a couple of years later, you're like, that's totally relevant.

Now I just need to [00:47:00] tweak it. In this way? Or, or, yeah. Or I just need to bring it back to the fold and let's have this conversation again. 

Mariah: Yeah, exactly. And it's like when you, you know, Ted Talkers and things like that, they say the same speech, they just refine it, make it better, and like, you know, you just have to try and like perfect it.

Or you are always just making iterations to make it better. And it happens, you know, when you do a workshop for like a masterclass for one person and then someone else wants you to do the same masterclass and you're kind of like. I feel like I'm cheating here because it's the same thing, but it's like, it's different audiences and things like that, but you can tweak along the way, um, and make iterations.

But that was super helpful. I, I've been doing a lot more visibility at the moment, so it's really given me a really good insight and everyone listening, you know, putting some time in the calendar to assess like, okay, I've been building on these content channels. How can I expand myself more? And sometimes it's not always.

Doing it through your own content. It's doing it through other platforms and channels, but is it, before we wrap up, is there anything else you wanna add? [00:48:00] Um, before, you know, we tell everyone how they can connect with you. 

Anna: Yeah, no, I think, um, for me it's just about, you know, coming back to the reason that you started your business, um, the passion that you had, the need that you saw for, um, your people.

Don't, don't get inside your own head and, and worry about, um, you know, positioning yourself as an ex. Expert in your field or, um, you know, be because you have a lot of value to add. And, and people sometimes, um, you know, forget that they have so many experiences in life, in their professional career. Um. And insights that are of value to people, whether it changes a mindset for them, it, um, inspires them on a particular day or whatever.

So, you know, by really putting yourself out there and sharing, um, your knowledge on a biggest. Scale, you are adding value [00:49:00] to people and you are inspiring them, even if it's only one person. So I just encourage everyone to think about how they can be sharing their message, um, with more people. 

Mariah: Yeah, so true.

And I listened to a podcast once of a guy that said, you know, someone might share the exact same message as you, but it's how you delivered it that people connect. Like someone might not connect with my message, they might connect with someone else's and vice versa, like. We all are sharing our own experiences and a lot of us have very, that's how we connect.

We have the same experiences and different lessons can be taught in different ways and people connect with them how they, you know, that's why we're not everyone's cup of tea as they say. Definitely can't be good for everyone. But thank you so much for joining. It was so good to get your insights and I know, you know, there's so many other little collaborations that we are gonna do that's just gonna bring these like two worlds together.

'cause they're just so like aligned in what they do. It's just like. Adding a different level, you know, to this sort of like your content. It's like people, [00:50:00] instead of it being like, oh, I've gotta add another thing, it's actually exposing this work you've done and kind of elevating it, which I love because a lot of the times we uh, you know, think that, oh well I put someone content on someone else's page.

It could be on mine, but it's actually like, yeah. But you are opening yourself to a whole new audience. New audience, yes. You know, a massive priority. And also for accountability reasons, if you aren't very good with like. About inner accountability and you're really good with outer, joining someone else's podcast is a great idea 'cause you're gonna show up to it, right?

Rather than like, oh, I'm gonna start my own podcast and you never do. Yes, just join other people's. Right? That's, it's just like everyone else has a a different journey. So how can people find you, connect with you and work with you? 

Anna: Yeah, so you can find me on instagram@annascott.pr, and my website is anna scott.com au.

And, uh, I offer one-on-one coaching, but I am also about to launch, um, a new digital program called Be Your Own Hyper, [00:51:00] uh, which is essentially helping you to really step into the limelight, become your own hype woman. Share that. Expertise on a bigger scale tap into those visibility accelerators that I spoke about before.

Um, with things like pitching templates and, you know, plug and play, um, uh, worksheets and that sort of thing to really, I guess just to help women in business to start building that profile, um, and really showcasing their awesomeness. I love it. 

Mariah: Um, 

Anna: so yeah, I'll, there should be a link in your show notes to the wait list for that one.

But like I said, it's, um, launching in September, which Woo. Yeah. Like in 

Mariah: a day 

Anna: like Yeah, like 

Mariah: tomorrow. Yeah. Well, when this is go goes live, it'll be September. Yeah. So everyone joined the, the wait list will put that in the show notes. But thank you so much for joining. Anna. It's been great chatting to you.

We had a very good conversation [00:52:00] a couple weeks ago, so I was so excited to get you on the podcast and of course you delivered so much knowledge. So thank you so much. 

Anna: Thanks so much for having me. 

Mariah: Okay, I'm back. I just took out my intros and and outros for this episode, so I hope that was super valuable.

I. I'm taking notes from Anna's book and putting myself out there more, so if you wanna join me, we can keep each other accountable because, yeah, showing up on social media for me is a lot more natural. Creating my own content is a lot more natural. But yeah, putting myself out there and pitching to other people not as natural.

Right. We all have our things that aren't as natural. We've had a couple of PR episodes in the past recently. We do have some more coming up, so I think they compliment really well with content marketing. So stay tuned for those, but be a content queen or king, and remember that developing your strategy and story develops your business and content could be more than just your own content.

Right? Thank you so much for joining me today, and please don't forget to share this with all your business and entrepreneurial friends. You can do this by adding it to your Insta Stories and tag me at Content Queen Mariah, or just tell 'em about it. If you do rate [00:53:00] and review on whatever platform you're listening to this on, it does help me get this podcast out there and share my message.

Follow me on Instagram or TikTok and let me know if there are any topics you want me to talk about in the future. I'm all ears. We have lots of guest episodes coming up, so stay tuned for those and I'll talk to you soon. Bye.

PodcastMariah MacInnesmarketing, marketing advice, how to be authentic online, business ownerComment