What Worked → What Didn’t Work → What Can WE Actually Do?

Because after looking at giant companies with giant budgets making both brilliant decisions and spectacularly dumb ones, the useful question for us is:

What can we learn and what can we do better?

We small biz owners have a HUGE advantage: we can be human.

This might be the most interesting thing I found in all this research, and if you’ve been reading me for a while, you know I’ve talked about this before.

The shift towards “polished casual” and way less highly produced content puts more energy into what’s inside the content, meaning expertise, usefulness, ideas and inspiration, rather than expensive cameras, editing and production.

There’s independent evidence supporting the broader idea. Sprout’s 2026 Content Strategy Report surveyed 2,300+ consumers and found that human-generated content is what consumers say brands should prioritize most.

And 60% of consumers aren’t particularly impressed when brands jump onto every viral trend. Authenticity and reliability matter more.

You don’t have Coca-Cola’s marketing budget. Good news. You don’t need it.

The owner talking into an iPhone about something she actually knows can have an advantage that a $100,000 campaign doesn’t: there’s an identifiable human being on the other side of the screen, someone we can relate to.

Become known for SOMETHING instead of trying to be known by EVERYONE.

I heard this term on a YouTube video “micro-fame” and loved it! “Micro” always sounds attainable doesn’t it? And it goes along with my favorite blog, I’ve mentioned it SOOO many times, but let me share it again.. Kevin Kelly’s 1000 True Fans.

I first learned about this from my dear friend and teacher. Watch this to hear the author Kevin Kelly talk about it.

Your goal is to become highly trusted within your niche (remember YOU are the niche, NOT necessarily just one focus) rather than chasing some enormous follower count baloney.

And here’s a stat for you that just may open your eyes:

Only 17% of consumers say they check a creator’s follower count before deciding whether to engage. SEVENTEEN!! Isn’t that an incredible statistic?! Subject relevance and content style matter SOO much more.

Your small business, book, album, course, art, whatever you’re putting into the world, doesn’t need fame.

It needs the right 500, 1,000 or 5,000 people knowing exactly why they should call you, follow you, hire you, buy from you.

The Butterfly Effect philosophy I love so much is in full play here, isn’t it? Repeated tiny digital deposits of expertise create authority over time. Soooo, in other words? Keep creating your fabulous useful content.

Make content people can FIND.

This is where search-everywhere comes into it.

People aren’t going: Google → website → buy, anymore.

They’re bouncing around.

Socials. YouTube. Reviews. Reddit. AI search. Website. Back to socials. Comments. Then maybe a purchase.

In fact, 30% of consumers now favor social networks over traditional search engines when looking for product reviews and recommendations.

So instead of: “What should I post today?”

Why not ask yourself: “How can I help/inspire/uplift my followers/customers today?”

THAT becomes your video or article post.

And then we can get into my repurposing plan.

One idea can become:

YouTube video → Substack post/video → Reel → LinkedIn post → email → Short → TikTok → FAQ → Pinterest → another Reel answering a comment. (Please note! The order of this can easily be arranged to suit YOUR primary profile)

You don’t need nine ideas, friend. You need one useful idea, intelligently distributed.

Have I Mentioned Video Lately?

Because the YouTube numbers right now are just nuts.

YouTube says Shorts are averaging 200 BILLION daily views, and viewers are watching more than one billion hours of YouTube on televisions every day.

And this one is particularly useful for all businesses:

YouTube reports that it is the #1 social platform viewers use when researching, vetting or making a decision about a brand or product or travel. WHOA

That is much more interesting to me than “video gets more engagement.”

Because this is purchase-intent behavior.

Instagram is wonderful for discovery. TikTok is wonderful for discovery. But don’t sleep on the platform where somebody may type the exact problem your business solves into a search box six months after you made the video.

That’s why I’d describe YouTube as building content equity.

A reel can have a wonderful 48 hours. A useful YouTube video can keep working for you. Nearly evergreen content.

And yeah! Substack video deserves its own little sidebar.

The current video product lets creators record or upload video, automatically create transcripts, send the audio into their podcast RSS feed, make video paid-subscriber-only with free previews, and easily generate clips for Notes/social distribution.

HELLO REPURPOSING MACHINE OMG.

I’ve been experimenting more with Substack video myself on the backend, and I think small businesses and creators should be paying very close attention to what they’re building over there.

OK SOOOOO! WHAT HAPPENS WHEN SOMEBODY TROLLS/HATES ON YOU?

Small businesses tend to make one of two mistakes:

DELETE EVERYTHING BAD 😱

or

DEFEND MY HONOR TO THE DEATH IN THE COMMENTS ⚔️

Neither one of those is a good PR strategy.

Here’s the framework I share with my clients:

PAUSE → ASSESS → RESPOND → MOVE

Pause.
Take a breath. Don’t respond right away. DEF don’t type while angry.

Assess.
Is this criticism? A legitimate customer problem? Incorrect information? A troll? Abuse/threats/spam?

Those are not the same thing. But make sure you are honest with yourself and don’t be like the Lovesac CEO 🙄 (here’s that moment if you missed it)

Respond.
If there’s a legitimate complaint, acknowledge it like a human. And keep it short and without detail.
If personal information or detailed customer service is required, move the conversation to DM/email.

And if it is indeed harassment, hate speech, threats or obvious spam?

Delete/block/report as appropriate. Community management does not require volunteering as someone’s punching bag.

MOVE.

If the problem requires order information, account details or a longer customer-service conversation, move it to DMs or email or a phone call.

Publicly acknowledge. Privately resolve.

There’s strong data behind taking legitimate comments seriously: 73% of social users say that if a brand doesn’t respond to them on social, they’ll buy from someone else. 👀

The best PR plan happens BEFORE you need PR.

THIS is probably the best lesson from the “What Went Wrong” corporate-disaster article.

Don’t wait until something goes wrong to decide:

• Who’s responding?

• Who has authority to respond?

• What warrants a DM?

• What warrants deleting?

• What warrants an apology?

• What warrants legal/professional help?

• What absolutely should not receive a response?

Sprout Social recommends exactly this kind of triage and escalation protocol rather than improvising after negative comments start appearing.

And your small-business advantage appears again: you can respond quickly and sincerely.

No committee.
No seven-level approval chain.
No “We value your feedback and remain committed to blah blah blah.” ⬅ (the worst)

You don’t need a bigger marketing budget. You need a clearer reason for people to care.

The corporations from my last two articles could buy attention.

Small businesses usually can’t. THIS IS EXACTLY WHY I LOVE SOCIALS FOR ALL OF US!

Be useful. Be findable. Be specific. Be responsive. Be human.

And keep showing up. Not perfectly. But with messy consistency.

Apple-style giant-budget genius is fun to study.

Corporate marketing disasters are extremely fun to study. 😜

But the lesson here isn’t “I wish I had their resources.”

It’s: They have money. We have proximity.

We know our customers. We can answer them ourselves. We can change something tomorrow instead of next quarter. We can turn on a camera without calling a production company. We can respond to a comment without convening the board.

Small is a marketing advantage. Use it!

Looking ahead…

Stop letting vanity metrics (likes, even comments) decide whether your content worked.

Here’s another change I’m watching closely: we may be entering an era where people consume our content without ever publicly engaging with it.

Social Insider analyzed 70 million posts for its 2026 benchmark report and found comments per post fell 24% on TikTok and 16% on Instagram. Meanwhile, video views increased on both platforms, and shares jumped 45% on TikTok and 12% on Instagram.

In other words: people didn’t necessarily stop paying attention. They changed how they show it.

That’s important for us small bizes.

Someone might watch your entire video, read your carousel, remember your name, Google you three days later and eventually hire you without ever giving you that tiny dopamine hit of tapping the ❤️.

So yes, look at your likes. But also look at views, watch time, retention, shares, saves, profile visits, website clicks and, ultimately, whether your content is moving actual humans toward your business.

Likes aren’t dead. Yet. Their monopoly on what we call “engagement” just might be.

And THAT is something I’m going to be watching very closely as we head toward 2027. 👀

I love TikTok. There. I said it. Now you know.

I know we’re all supposed to complain about social media approximately 87% of the time, but one of my favorite things about TikTok is finding incredibly creative people doing interesting things, hearing ideas I wouldn’t have encountered otherwise, and discovering trends that make me stop scrolling and think: Ooooooh yeah. I like THAT. Maybe I can do that…

And recently, TikTok reminded me of another one.

The Great Lock In.

The idea went viral last year as a challenge to use September 1st through December 31st to “lock in” on your goals instead of waiting for January 1st to suddenly become an entirely newly glowed-up human being.

I love this kind of thing. It gets me going.

Now listen up tho’, ‘cuz I am not making 47 new rules, waking up at 4:13 am to do a 90 minute morning routine, drinking something involving cayenne pepper and promising not to miss a workout, not eat carbs or ummmm forego watching Project Runway until 2027.

Hard pass on that shizt. (although I might be getting up early for a bit)

SO! What could Current Me actually accomplish between September 1st and New Year’s Eve? There are 122 calendar days, btw.

September. October. November. December. 122 dates on the calendar, counting September 1 and December 31.

That is not an insignificant amount of time.

You could:

• Write something.

• Launch something.

• Learn something.

• Make more money.

• Save some money.

• Build a walking habit.

• Practice an instrument.

• Declutter your house.

• Post socials regularly.

• Record a podcast.

• Apply for the thing.

• Finish the thing you’ve been talking about finishing since right around the dawn of civilization.

And apparently our brains rather like these kinds of starting lines.

Some fun science-y stuffs… Researchers Hengchen Dai, Katherine Milkman and Jason Riis have studied something called the fresh start effect. They found that “temporal landmarks”, like the beginning of a week, month, year or semester, can give us a motivational bump toward pursuing our goals.

Other research from the same team found that highlighting a date as the beginning of a new period can help psychologically separate us from our previous imperfections.

Which makes September 1st rather delicious, doesn’t it?

It’s a new month. Summer is ending.

We’re entering the final third-ish of the year.

And unlike January 1st, we’re not being bombarded with messages telling us we need to become a NEW person.

Which brings me to the part of The Great Lock In that I’m changing for myself.

I don’t want a new me. I rather like Current Me.

Current Me, though, has some things she wants to do/accomplish/try.

Some are professional.

I want to write more.

I want to podcast more.

I want to make more money.

I want to get my book finished. 👀

I want to get some important boring grown-up things handled.

Some are personal.

I want to walk more and work my way toward 10,000 steps a day.

I have physical goals I’d like to reach.

I want to make real progress at the piano.

I want to finish redesigning my office.

I want to declutter my closet and actually SELL/donate the clothes I don’t wear anymore.

Nope. Not gonna set myself up for not having an X on the calendar or a checkmark missing. I HATE that and it makes me feel crappy if I miss one day, it fully ruins my mojo.

There will be days of wild productivity.

There will be days when I do the bare minimum and pray (hard) to get through the day.

There will probably be days when I have grand plans and then accomplish something in the neighborhood of jack squat.

You know what I’m gonna say… messy consistency is ON.

I don’t have to feel locked in every single day to remain committed to where I’m going.

The energy changes.

The mood changes.

Life happens.

The plan is so good it will be there tomorrow.

So my version of The Great Lock In has one major rule:

We are not trying to have 122 perfect days.

We’re striving to arrive at December 31st substantially changed (better? improved? upgraded?) from August 31st.

That’s it.

Maybe that means something enormous happens.

Maybe you finish the book.

Launch the business.

Pay off the debt.

Run the race.

Get the job.

GO YOU!

But maybe the change is quieter.

You become someone who writes most mornings.

Someone who walks more often than she used to.

Someone who publishes ideas instead of endlessly polishing them.

Someone who practices.

Someone who saves a little money every week.

Someone who takes ACTIONS.

Tiny actions count. SO MUCH.

Messy consistency counts.

The Butterfly Effect is ON.

Because 122 days of messy consistency can become a surprisingly big thing.

So here’s what I want to encourage you to do…

Don’t make a list of 38 goals because a TikToker or a Substacker told you to overhaul your entire existence. FULL STOP

Instead, think about December 31st…

Imagine yourself sitting there on New Year’s Eve looking back at these four months.

What would make you say: Holy crap. I actually did this?

Maybe choose:

One thing to finish.

One thing to build.

One thing to improve.

One thing to get rid of.

One thing you’ve been putting off that you’re finally going to start.

And then begin.

Not January 1st.

Not when you’re more motivated.

Not when things calm down.

Not when you have the perfect plan.

Current You gets to start. Right now.

So yes, TikTok. I’m doing The Great Lock In.

But I’m doing it my way.

No perfection. No personality transplant. No “New Year, New Me BS”.

Just 122 days of seeing what happens when Current Me keeps making the next best move forward.

Let’s see what we can do before midnight on December 31st. 🦋 SO EXCITED for my temporal landmark to slam in. 😄

See you Thursday for the “what can small businesses do better” post. And super thanks for being here.

Yesterday was teaching day.

ICYMI - here you go.

Today is a little reminder that one of the perks of being a paid subscriber here is something I REALLY want you to actually use:

You can put me in your social media back pocket.

Got an Instagram account that suddenly feels like it’s shouting into the void?

Wondering why something you …

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I genuinely thought this one might be hard to write.

After all, we’re talking about enormous companies with enormous marketing budgets. Teams of writers. Mulitple social media strategists. PR departments. Executives. Agencies. Lawyers. CEOs.

Surely it would be difficult to find truly spectacular examples of WHAT DIDN’T WORK??

Friends. It was not difficult. Not even a little bit. 😂 I have several for you to read about… one gets personal.

And somewhere along the way, I realized this isn’t an article about bad commercials.

It is about something MUCH bigger: Your marketing doesn’t end when you hit POST.

• It’s what happens when people answer back.

• It’s how you handle criticism. (always address criticism, not trolls, mind you!)

• It’s what your CEO says.

• It’s whether you listen when your customers tell you something.

• It’s how you apologize when you’re wrong.

And maybe most importantly:

Do you know what you and your company stands for? And are you actually prepared to stand behind those values when it becomes uncomfortable?

Callaway + Good Good Golf: WHO APPROVED THIS?

Good Good Golf created an ad for its co-branded Callaway driver in which Garrett Clark sees Alexis Miestowski reaching for his driver, runs toward her, shoves her to the ground, stands over her and warns her not to touch his driver.

WTAH?! I gasped when I saw this. I thought people were exaggerating.

This went through production. It went through approvals.

Callaway has acknowledged that it approved the ad before it was posted. 🤦🏻‍♀️

The explanation was that it was supposed to parody the horror film Obsession. 😳

Which brings us immediately to Marketing Lesson #1:

Intent does not magically erase impact.

The backlash came quickly. The video disappeared. Good Good apologized. Callaway apologized.

And then the response to the response became its own problem.

PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp publicly called Good Good’s initial response “disappointing,” “a bit defensive and late.”

Both CEOs eventually issued stronger responses. Good Good announced it would donate proceeds from the driver campaign to an organization supporting women. Callaway CEO Chip Brewer acknowledged that the approval should never have happened and said the company was reviewing how the video got through its processes.

But by then, this wasn’t just a bad-ad story anymore.

As of August 26, actual business consequences are appearing.

Golf Channel postponed the premiere of Big Break x Good Good until September 1st after a sponsor requested that its branding be removed from the show.

Golf Galaxy, which had previously been identified as the presenting sponsor, disappeared from subsequent promotion.

Good Good products also disappeared from Golf Galaxy and Dick’s Sporting Goods websites, although Dick’s/Golf Galaxy has not publicly confirmed why.

And here’s another part marketers should pay attention to:

Women are one of golf’s most important growth markets.

There were 7.9 million female on-course golfers in the United States in 2024, and women accounted for nearly 60% of golf’s net participant growth since 2019. UMMMMMM whoa, who knew? Guess they should have, hm? Just thinking out loud.

So somewhere during all those meetings and approvals, did anyone ask: How might the people we’re actively trying to welcome into this sport feel about this?

Because going viral is not automatically a marketing win.

Sometimes everybody is talking about you because you created something extraordinary.

Sometimes everybody is talking about you because they’re collectively asking: WHO (the hell) APPROVED THIS?

Those are not the same thing.

Lovesac: Your Customer Is Not The Punchline

This one should have been easy.

Comedian Deric Cahill bought a Lovesac sectional.

It arrived in 24 boxes and he says it took about five hours to assemble.

So, being a comedian, he made a hilarious video about the experience and called it “corporate terrorism.”

His followers piled into the comments with their own assembly stories.

Now imagine you’re Lovesac…

People are talking about your product.

They’re telling you exactly where they’re experiencing friction.

They’re even discussing whether they’d PAY for professional assembly.

❀𖤣𖥧𖡼⊱✿HELLO, FREE MARKET RESEARCH.⊰𖡼𖥧𖤣❀

You could join the joke.

You could acknowledge that assembly is a beast.

You could offer assembly.

You could make a hilarious tutorial.

You could listen. (what a concept)

Instead, Lovesac CEO Shawn Nelson responded with jokes about Cahill needing small floral gardening gloves.

Then the company’s account posted another video mocking the idea of a grown man needing gloves to put together a couch, accompanied by: “the feminine urge to provide the masculine energy.”

Oh. No.

No no no.

And THIS is where I think the actual marketing failure happened.

Cahill’s original video wasn’t necessarily a crisis.

Lovesac’s response? Absolutely turned it into one.

The company tried to explain that it was just having fun.

But by then, the conversation had shifted from:

“Wow, this couch is a nightmare to assemble.”

to:

“Why is this expensive furniture company making fun of a customer?”

Customers are going to complain.

Sometimes they’ll be right, wrong, exaggerate, be funny.

Sometimes their funny complaint will get hundreds of thousands of views.

You don’t have to grovel every time someone criticizes you.

But you DO need to understand the difference between:

laughing WITH your customer and making your customer the punchline.

Especially when that customer just spent thousands of dollars with you.

Neutrogena + Hayden Panettiere

I had to share this because this one bothers me personally.

I’m going to tread lightly and separate what we know from how I feel about it.

Hayden Panettiere represented Neutrogena for roughly a decade.

She later said that after she publicly discussed experiencing postpartum depression in 2015, Neutrogena sought to end its relationship with her under a morality clause. Her representative fought the termination, but the relationship ultimately wasn’t renewed.

Hayden also said nobody from the company reached out to support her during that extraordinarily difficult period.

But here’s an important part of this story:

We didn’t learn this after Hayden died.

Hayden wrote about the Neutrogena relationship in her memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, which was published May 19, 2026.

She also talked about it publicly while promoting the book.

The story was out there.

Neutrogena could have addressed it then. They didn’t.

After Hayden died on August 16 and her comments began circulating again, the backlash grew.

Four days later, Neutrogena released a statement acknowledging that it had made Hayden “feel unsupported during a very difficult time” and announced plans for a significant investment in women’s health, including postpartum-depression support.

Neutrogena has said it waited after Hayden’s death to respond out of respect for her family.

My question is: Why did it take her death at all? Feels a bit like virtue signaling to me.

The memoir had been published three months earlier.

She talked about the experience publicly.

There was an opportunity to say something while Hayden was here to hear it.

That is the part I personally can’t get past.

And this is where I want to make it clear that I’m speaking as Karen the consumer, not making a claim about Neutrogena’s responsibility for Hayden’s health, struggles or death.

I simply have feelings about this.

Personally, I will not be buying any more Neutrogena products.

Other consumers can read what happened, read Neutrogena’s response and make their own decision.

But there’s an enormous marketing lesson here.

Neutrogena is a company whose business has been built substantially around women.

As shared above, they released a statement about “we did not support Hayden” blah blah. But it was too little, too late. Not only that, they turned off comments on their “so-called” support statement. SRSLY??

What do values mean when living them is inconvenient?

Because your brand values or mission statements aren’t just pretty words you put on your website.

They aren’t your Women’s History Month graphic, you put up once a year.

They aren’t an inspirational quote on Instagram once in a while.

Your values become visible when they’re inconvenient.

And that’s something every single one of us who runs a business should remember.

McDonald’s: Sir. Have You Actually Ever Eaten A Hamburger?

Let’s take a breath and laugh together a little

THE BITE SEEN AROUND THE WORLD…

McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski filmed himself trying the new Big Arch burger.

This should have been the easiest marketing assignment in history.

Eat burger. Enjoy burger. Tell us burger is good.

Instead, he repeatedly referred to the burger as a “product,” appeared hilariously tentative about eating the enormous thing, and took a bite that did not scream: GET THIS DELICIOUSNESS INTO MY MOUTH.

The internet noticed, Ohhhhh, did the internet notice.

In case you forgot here it is along with a few fabulous responses from other burger joints…

The memes were spectacular.

And then McDonald’s competitors smelled an opportunity.

Executives from Burger King and Wendy’s enthusiastically ate their own burgers.

Costco’s CEO eventually got involved and absolutely went to town on a $1.50 hot dog. 😂

Which gives us another marketing lesson:

Your competitors are watching too.

If you create an opening, somebody else may walk directly through it.

But McDonald’s gives us a fascinating twist.

Because this supposedly terrible piece of content generated an estimated 5.8 BILLION impressions in a single day.

So... Was it actually a failure? Maybe. Maybe not.

The execution was awkward. The internet made fun of it.

Competitors used it against McDonald’s.

But millions of impressions later, we’re STILL talking about the Big Arch.

Which leads us to a question I think marketers need to ask much more often: What are we actually measuring?

• Viral doesn’t automatically mean effective.

• Views don’t automatically mean customers.

• Comments don’t automatically mean sales.

• Embarrassment doesn’t necessarily mean failure.

Sometimes the internet hands you a moment you never intended to create.

The question becomes: What do you do with it?

THIS Is Marketing Too

And that’s what these four wildly different stories have in common.

Your marketing doesn’t stop when the post hits.

It doesn’t stop when the Reel posts.

It doesn’t stop when you hit SEND in the DMs.

That’s when another kind of marketing begins.

• Your comments are marketing.

• Your replies are marketing.

• Your customer service is marketing.

• Your CEO’s TikTok is marketing.

• Your apology is marketing.

• Your silence is marketing. (this one is nuanced)

• Turning off the comments is marketing.

• How you behave when you’re wrong is marketing.

And how you behave when you believe you’re RIGHT? That’s marketing too.

Which brings me back to something I think every small business, creator and personal brand needs to figure out BEFORE the internet comes knocking:

What do you stand for?

Not what sounds good in your bio.

What do you actually stand for?

Because eventually somebody will challenge it.

A customer will complain. A post will flop. Someone will misunderstand you. Someone will disagree with you.

And yes, eventually you may screw something up.

I will. You will.

Every company in this article will again.

You don’t need to be perfect.

But you do need to know:

What are our values?

What are we willing to apologize for?

What aren’t we willing to apologize for?

When do we listen?

When do we fix something?

When do we respectfully stand our ground?

And what happens when the audience answers back?

Because social media isn’t broadcasting. It’s a conversation.

And next week, we’re flipping this entire conversation around and looking at what DOES work for us small(er) brands and businesses.

Because you don’t need a billion-dollar marketing budget to get this right.

And after this week’s examples, I’m starting to think having fourteen fewer approval meetings might actually be an advantage.😜🦋

This is one of the Why This Worked mini-series, an occasional series where I dig into marketing, advertising and social media that made us stop, notice, remember and maybe even buy, to figure out what the rest of us can learn from it and how to do it ourselves.

And ummmmm YES! There will also be the occasional Oops: Why This DIDN’T Work. Because sometimes the marketing lessons that cost somebody else millions are the most fun ones to study. 😜

Trying to figure out your bio, content, strategy, platform, reach, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Reels, YouTube, Substack… whatever is making you go WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO WITH THIS?! 😂

Send it my way, IGOTCHU friend! (Please only ask 1-2 questions at a time).

I’l…

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I don’t even have to say the name of the company yet, do I? (ps “Dream Big” is one of my faves)

The enormous Clydesdales. The beautiful countryside. The barn. The wagon. The puppy who refuses to leave his best friend. 🥹

The trainer who raises a foal, watches him grow and then sees him again years later. UGH back to 😭.

And, usually, a piece of music placed at precisely the right moment…

OH GREAT, BUDWEISER. I was just trying to watch football. 🏈 Why am I crying now?

This is not by accident, friends.

For this installment of Why This Worked, I want to look at one of the most recognizable and emotionally effective assets in advertising history: the Budweiser Clydesdales. 🐎

These commercials are not successful because horses are beautiful. And they are not simply heartwarming little films attached to a very large advertising budget.

They work because Budweiser has spent decades creating an emotional world that people recognize, remember and willingly return to.

And before you think, Well, that is lovely for a gigantic company with a Super Bowl budget, Karen, but what does it have to do with my business???

Stay with me, friend.

First, you do not need eight Clydesdales, a team of Hollywood filmmakers or millions of dollars. (although any of those would be super fun)

The horses are selling something bigger than beer

Budweiser rarely asks the Clydesdales to explain the beer.

The horses are not standing in a pasture discussing ingredients, pricing or why this bottle is superior to another bottle. Lolz

Instead, they sell what Budweiser wants the beer to represent:

• Tradition

• Loyalty

• Friendship

• Perseverance

• Homecoming

• American optimism

• The belief that we can make it through hard things together

This is the biggest lesson in this entire campaign:

The Budweiser Clydesdales didn’t become advertising icons because they repeatedly promoted a product. They became icons because they repeatedly delivered a recognizable emotional experience.

A little history if you’re interested: The Clydesdales became part of the Budweiser story in 1933, when August A. Busch Jr. and Adolphus Busch presented their father with a six-horse hitch to celebrate the return of beer at the end of Prohibition. The company quickly recognized their promotional potential and began taking them around the country. (Anheuser-Busch’s official history)

This was not a mascot invented for one campaign and abandoned six weeks later.

Over time, the horses became what marketers call a distinctive brand asset, something we can recognize and connect to the company before we see its logo or hear a product pitch.

THIS is where small businesses and creators should pay attention.

Most of us do not have a famous team of horses.

But you can build recognition around:

• A recurring character or person

• A recognizable phrase

• A visual motif

• A particular way you open your videos

• A named series

• A consistent kind of story

• A point of view people immediately associate with you

In fact, that is one of the things I am building with Why This Worked. The campaigns will change. The examples will change. But the premise remains recognizable: we are going to look at marketing that truly connected with people, find out WHY and then determine what we can borrow from it.

Recognition is not reserved only for companies with enormous budgets. It is built through meaningful repetition. YOU can do that, too!

They created an emotional universe, NOT a pile of unrelated ads

This part is SO smart. And falls perfectly in line with the way social media and YouTube is moving… tell your story in a series format.

“Brotherhood” followed the relationship between a trainer and a Clydesdale. “Puppy Love” gave us an irresistible friendship between a puppy and a horse. “Lost Dog” created separation, danger, rescue and reunion. A later commercial followed an injured horse’s recovery. “First Delivery” gave us a determined young foal trying to prove what he could do.

Different plots ➡ Same emotional universe.

Budweiser shares different stories while keeping the emotional promise intact.

Small businesses often do the reverse. We may keep using the same content format while changing our entire personality from one post to the next.

• Today we are funny.

• Tomorrow we sound like a corporation.

• The next day we are inspirational.

• On Friday, we sound as though an AI swallowed a marketing textbook and wrote our caption.

Your content does not have to look exactly the same every day. But the experience of your brand should feel connected.

Ask yourself:

• How do I want people to feel when they encounter my work?

• What themes appear again and again in the stories I tell?

• Is there an emotional quality people could begin to associate with me?

• Does my content sound as though it is coming from the same human being?

Budweiser built a version of Americana we could feel

The Clydesdales carry an unmistakable feeling of Americana.

The farms. The barns. The open land. The craftsmanship. The weathered fences. The wagon. The hard work. The music. The idea of neighbors helping neighbors and ordinary people overcoming difficult things.

It is nostalgia, but it is doing more than reminding us of the past. It is orienting us emotionally. It gives us a world that feels familiar, steady and reassuring.

And it continues to work. Budweiser’s 2025 “First Delivery” Clydesdale commercial won USA Today’s Ad Meter, while coverage of that year’s Super Bowl advertising noted how brands were leaning into heartland nostalgia and American resilience. (Forbes)

Your customer may purchase a service, a lesson, a product or a ticket. But what are they hoping to feel or accomplish because they chose you?

The commercial became news and the news gave more advertising

Now we get to one of my FAVORITE parts of this strategy.

Before the 2014 Super Bowl, “Puppy Love” appeared 75 times on national television and approximately 1,200 times on local broadcasts, nearly four times the local coverage received by the next most-covered commercial.

It generated over 1 million online shares, with more than 1.1 million occurring before the game even began. (Unruly’s campaign analysis)

The Washington Post reported before kickoff that the commercial already had more than 23 million views and was making people cry on Twitter. (The Washington Post)

Think about what happened there.

News shows talked about the horses. Entertainment programs showed clips. People posted reactions. Friends shared the commercial. Commentators ranked it. Others spoofed it.

And every share reminded people of Budweiser again.

This is something businesses of every size can use, especially in social media!

We often publish our biggest piece of content once and then move immediately to the next thing. One post. One caption. One tiny prayer to the algorithm. Then it disappears down the feed.

Instead, work on creating an arc in your social marketing:

1. Seed the idea.

2. Introduce the story.

3. Publish the centerpiece.

4. Share reactions or behind-the-scenes material.

5. Clip out individual lessons.

6. Invite your audience into the conversation.

7. Revisit the story when it becomes relevant again.

One strong idea can become an ecosystem of content.

That is not “posting the same thing over and over.” It is helping people enter the idea from different directions.

A warning: emotion must still connect back to YOU

There is one potential problem with emotional marketing.

People can love a beautiful story and completely forget who created it.

Budweiser largely avoids that because it has spent decades connecting these particular horses, the hitch, the wagon and this style of storytelling to its brand.

The Clydesdales are not interchangeable stock footage. They belong to Budweiser in the public imagination.

So please do not take this article to mean, “Post something touching and hope people buy.”

Connect the feeling to something recognizably yours:

• Your language

• Your values

• Your recurring themes

• Your people

• Your process

• Your origin story

• Your visual world

• Your named ideas

Otherwise, someone may remember that a post made them feel wonderful but have absolutely no idea who made it.

What can WE borrow from those fabulous Clydesdales?

No horses required. I promise. 🐴 (But srsly tho’ who doesn’t want a horse?)

✱ Choose an emotional promise - How should people regularly feel after encountering your content? encouraged, capable, understood, curious, relieved or ready to act?

✱ Build recurring assets - Develop phrases, series, images, themes and ways of communicating that gain meaning through repetition.

Starting over every week is not automatically more creative! It’s exhausting. You don’t need to do that!

✱ Tell stories with stakes - Show us what was difficult. What almost did not happen? What changed? Why did it matter?

✱ Create something worth repeating - A promo announcement may not travel beyond the people who already follow you. But a surprising story, meaningful result, strong opinion, emotional moment or remarkable customer transformation gives other people a reason to talk.

✱ Let the product step back, but not disappear - You do not have to interrupt every meaningful story with a sales pitch. Lead with the meaning. Make the connection to your work clear. Then provide an easy path to the offer.

✱ You do not need their budget to use their brilliance - The Mac vs. PC campaign made a product feel easier, friendlier and more human. The Clydesdales made a brand feel bigger than its product.

That is the difference I keep coming back to.

You may not be able to buy a Super Bowl commercial. For sure most of us cannot. You may not have generations of brand recognition behind you. And I am going to assume you do not have eight magnificent Clydesdales waiting patiently behind your office.

But you CAN:

• Decide how you want people to feel

• Create something recognizable

• Tell stories only you can tell instead of only making announcements

• Build multiple pieces of content around one strong idea

• Give people something hopeful, useful or meaningful enough to share

• Repeat your core message long enough for it to become connected to you

This is how recognition begins. Not with millions of dollars.

With clarity. Emotion. Consistency.

And! The courage to keep telling your stories and how those around you will benefit what you bring to the table.

This is the second installment of Why This Worked, an occasional series where I dig into marketing, advertising and social media that made us stop, notice, remember and maybe even buy, to figure out what the rest of us can learn from it and how to do it ourselves.

And ummmmm YES! There will also be the occasional Oops: Why This DIDN’T Work. Because sometimes the marketing lessons that cost somebody else millions are the most fun ones to study. 😜

Next up! Top social media campaigns… OOOH I’M SO EXCITED!! This is my absolute wheelhouse… and guess what? You have homework, dear friend! Please go follow the National Park Services Instagram account. BRILLIANT! And, one of my absolute faves. 🦋💖

Have a fab weekend and see you in Notes and next week!

I swear I was a researcher in a previous life. I LOVE researching and reading and watching and figuring things out.

So a major part of my marketing learning and research is simple:

I just wanna figure out what things worked. Then share it with you.

Why did something make us curious enough to look up the product, follow the person, click the link and, eventually, buy?

And lately I keep coming back to the same (non mind blowing, TBH) conclusion:

Good marketing helps us understand something.

Great marketing makes us feel something.

Which brings me to the two guys standing in front of a completely white background.

“Hello, I’m a Mac. And I’m a PC.”

Ohhhhh, this campaign. I LOVED IT SO MUCH!

Two Guys. No Set. Brilliant Writing. Fab actors.

👆(yes, this can be YOU, don’t worry, we’ll get there).👆

Apple launched its “Get a Mac” campaign in 2006 with Justin Long as Mac and John Hodgman as PC.

There were no elaborate sets. No gorgeous computers spinning dramatically in space. No breathless voiceover listing technical specifications.

Most of the time there were just two people talking.

Mac was relaxed, casual and creative.

PC was buttoned-up, slightly awkward and forever encountering some new complication or virus.

And here’s one of the smartest parts:

PC wasn’t a villain.

John Hodgman made him incredibly likable.

You didn’t hate PC. You probably felt a little sorry for him.

He was just… complicated. Crashed a lot. Maybe a little whiny.

Meanwhile, Mac seemed easy going. Just worked, right out of the box. And kept working.

The campaign eventually included dozens of spots, won the Grand Effie for effectiveness, and Adweek later named “Get a Mac” its Campaign of the Decade.

But those accolades aren’t the reason I still think about it.

I think about it because I remember how it made me feel.

“Wait! Could I Use That? A COMPUTER???”

I was NOT interested in becoming a computer expert.

I was interested in what a computer could help me do.

Make music.

Edit/organize photos.

Create things.

Build things.

Experiment.

Write a book. (ooooh it is sooooo coming more on that later!)

And I can tell you I did NOT want to learn another language before I could get started on that computer.

Anyone else remember iLife?! GarageBand. iPhoto. iMovie.

Suddenly, the computer wasn’t the thing. It was the tool that could get me somewhere I desperately wanted to go.

And all I had to do was turn it on.

That’s the promise I heard underneath those funny little commercials:

You don’t have to understand everything happening inside this machine. You can just start creating.

For someone like me? HUGE.

I could imagine myself using a Mac before I ever understood all the reasons a Mac might be technically different.

And THAT, friends is the marketing lesson.

Sell Me the Transformation, Not the Process

We hear this constantly in marketing:

“Sell the benefit, not the feature.” Sure. Ok. Got it. Whatever that means. 🤷🏻‍♀️

But I think this campaign went one step further.

It sold the emotional benefit of the benefit.

It wasn’t simply: “This computer is easier to use.”

It was: “This is the computer for EVERYONE, especially creatives.”

Those are very different messages.

One describes the product.

The other changes how I see myself with the product.

And if you’re marketing your own creative business, I think that distinction is enormous.

Maybe someone doesn’t need to hear every detail of your course yet.

Maybe they need to feel less overwhelmed.

Maybe your potential client doesn’t need a list of every service you provide.

Maybe they need to feel like you understand the problem they’ve been trying to solve.

Maybe your audience doesn’t need another perfectly scripted educational reel. (they really just wanna hear you talk about your stuff, srsly)

Maybe they need to laugh.

Or feel curious.

Or think:

OH. I can do that.

And oh Those Actors!

A BIG reason these ads worked? The actors. (back to the humans!!)

The chemistry between Justin Long and John Hodgman made the whole thing feel conversational rather than corporate.

And the story of how they got there, BTW is pretty fabulous.

Steve Jobs reportedly suggested Justin Long after seeing him in Herbie: Fully Loaded. Hodgman has told the story of initially resisting flying to Los Angeles simply to audition for the campaign before ultimately landing the role.

Think about that for a second…

One of the most famous technology companies in the world was communicating an enormous brand message… through two funny humans talking to each other.

→ No jargon.

→ No CEO explaining the strategy.

→ No frantic attempt to cram seventeen selling points into thirty seconds.

People. Personality. Story. You know, YOU. (you don’t have to be an actor in fact, it’s better to be kinda messy)

Imagine that. 😄

Then Microsoft Responded (whoopsie it wasn’t good)

The campaign became culturally powerful enough that Microsoft eventually had to fight back.

In 2008, Microsoft launched a major advertising push (reportedly part of a roughly $300 million consumer campaign) that included its “I’m a PC” ads.

Big campaign. Big response. Lots of celebs. Yeah, it just didn’t hit.

Also one of my favorite little pieces of marketing irony?

Some promotional images Microsoft distributed for the campaign contained metadata showing they had been processed using Adobe Photoshop CS3…

I’m sorry but that’s just funny. 😂

It also demonstrates something important.

Apple wasn’t simply marketing a computer. Nope.

It had helped establish a story about what each brand represented.

PC = complicated, corporate, conventional, boring.

Mac = simple, creative, human, fabulous.

Once your audience starts repeating your story for you, you have accomplished something much bigger than selling a feature.

So Why Did This Work?

When I pull this campaign apart, I see a handful of things that still matter enormously, especially now.

It was simple.

Two people. One conversation. One idea at a time.

It was entertaining.

You could enjoy the commercial even if you weren’t shopping for a computer.

It felt conversational.

Yes, of course it was scripted. Brilliantly scripted, in fact. But it didn’t feel like someone reading marketing copy at you. (ok slightly off topic, but think about AI use here, super scripted, organically given… if you want me to go further on that, just ask)

That distinction matters.

It gave the brand a personality.

Apple didn’t have to repeatedly announce, “Hiiiiiiiiii, we’re the creative, approachable computer company!” 😆

They showed us.

It made the customer the real protagonist.

The ultimate message wasn’t really “Mac is cool.”

It was: Life could be easier and more creative for you when you use a MAC.

And most importantly… it made us feel something.

This is the part of marketing I think we risk losing. Especially right now.

We have endless tools to help us optimize.

• Hooks

• Keywords

• SEO/GEO/AEO

• Analytics

• Content calendars

• Templates

• AI

• Scripts

• Automations

• BLAH BLAH BLAH…

All useful, TBH. I use them too.

But if we’re not careful, we can optimize every last drop of humanity right out of our marketing. And humans are still the ones on the other side of the screen. TALK TO THEM.

They want to feel something.

• Good

• At ease

• Curious

• Amused

• Inspired

• Understood

• Smarter than they were 30 seconds ago

Hopeful that just maybe this problem they’ve been struggling with is actually solvable.

Your marketing doesn’t always have to make someone want to BUY something immediately, either.

Sometimes its job is simply to make someone want to come a little closer.

Read another post. Watch another video. Visit your website. Follow you.

Remember you. Trust you.

And eventually think: Maybe this is for me.

That’s why I keep studying marketing that worked.

Because twenty years later, I couldn’t tell you the processor speed of the Mac Apple was selling me. (I just had to check the one I’m writing this on, lolz!)

I don’t remember how much RAM it had.

I def couldn’t recite the technical specifications if my life depended on it.

But I remember those two guys.

I remember laughing.

I remember thinking Macs looked easier (and funner).

And most importantly: I remember feeling like I could use one.

Twenty years later, I remember exactly how the marketing made me feel.

THAT is why this worked.

Next one is about my beloved subject of horses… bet you can guess which ones!! #thinkbig

This is the beginning of Why This Worked, an occasional series where I dig into marketing, advertising and social media that made us stop, notice, remember and maybe even buy, to figure out what the rest of us can learn from it and how to do it ourselves.

And ummmmm YES! There will also be the occasional Oops: Why This DIDN’T Work. Because sometimes the marketing lessons that cost somebody else millions are the most fun ones to study. 😜

When Socialmaxxing Social Media Stops Being Social

Everyone seems to be “maxxing” something these days.

Looksmaxxing.

Productivitymaxxing.

Sleepmaxxing.

Wellnessmaxxing.

Probably coffee-foam-maxxing, too. 😆

Sooooo, why not Socialmaxxing?

And I don’t mean optimizing every post with AI, scheduling software, hacks and complicated systems.

I mean maximizing the social part of social media.

When Does the “Social” Part Happen?

There’s a question I’ve been asking myself lately.

If everything is AI-generated...

...scheduled weeks or months in advance...

...written by ChatGPT...

...filmed using an AI avatar...

...and posted automatically while you’re asleep...

When exactly does the “social” part happen? 🤔

Maybe the problem isn’t actually AI.

Maybe the problem is that we’ve become obsessed with optimizing everything.

• More automation

• More batching

• More scheduling

• More systems

• More hacks

• More output

• More, more, more

Well, somewhere along the way, we forgot that social media was supposed to be... ya know, SOCIAL.

Listen, closely now… I’m Not Anti-AI. I’m Pro-Human.

I use AI every single day. I love AI.

In fact, this week my paid subscribers are receiving an exclusive video walkthrough of my AI for Creatives: Working Smarter Without Losing Your Voice mini presentation. I’ll share exactly how I use AI to save time without sacrificing my own voice.

I use AI for brainstorming.

For organizing my thoughts.

For polishing captions.

For editing videos.

For creating graphics.

For research, with verification. Always.

None of that bothers me.

What does bother me?

When AI starts pretending to be you.

You’ve probably seen it.

Someone uploads a few minutes of video, and suddenly there are thirty different versions of “them” talking to the camera.

Technically impressive? I guess so?!

Actually them? Not even close.

To me, that’s the line.

I want technology to reduce the friction between us and our creativity. I want it to help us organize our thoughts, explore ideas, improve our work and create more room for the things only we can do.

But I don’t want it to become us.

Why I Still Love Social Media

I’ve spent years encouraging people to share their lives online.

Not every moment. Not every opinion. Not every meal.

The parts they actually want to share.

Social media has always been three things for me:

• A public, and sometimes private, digital journal of my life

• A way to market the work I do

• A way to learn, discover ideas and stay connected with people I genuinely care about

That is still how I use it today.

I don’t believe social media is automatically fake, shallow or harmful.

I believe it becomes what we train it to become.

Please Tell Me You’re Curating Your Feed

One of my core philosophies has always been curating your feed.

Your algorithm is trainable.

Follow the people who inspire you.

Mute the people who drain you. (READ THAT AGAIN)

Choose:

• Art

• Music

• Books

• Travel

• Ideas

• Creative people

• Small businesses

• Whatever lights you up.

→ Your feed should feel like walking into a room

you actually want to spend time in.←

That is one of the reasons I find the current conversation around authenticity so fascinating.

People like to tell me social media isn’t authentic anymore.

Then they schedule every post for the next six weeks. 🤦🏻‍♀️

They let AI write every caption.

Or worse...

They let AI become them.

Scheduling Isn’t Always the Enemy (but often is)

Now, before someone emails me... 😬

Yes, scheduling has a place.

Weekends.

Vacations.

Launches.

Planned campaigns.

Middle-of-the-night posts intended for another time zone.

Absolutely.

The magic has never been pressing “Publish.”

The magic is what happens afterward.

The conversations.

The comments.

The unexpected connections. (My fave thing!)

The spontaneous post because something wonderful, strange, funny or meaningful happened today.

That is the part no scheduler can automate.

Before you schedule another month of content, ask yourself one question:

If someone commented on this post five minutes after it went live, would I even know?

Because social media was never just about publishing.

It IS about participating.

What I’ve Seen Across More Than 25 Accounts

People often ask whether posting through third-party scheduling platforms hurts reach.

Platforms have consistently said scheduled posts and those posted through third party apps are not automatically penalized.

That is their position.

TBH, my own experience has led me to a different conclusion.

After managing more than 25 social media accounts over the years, I have almost always posted natively and organically inside the app. On the rare occasions when I schedule, I usually use the platform’s own scheduling feature.

I have consistently seen stronger engagement when I am actually inside the app, creating, interacting, replying and participating in the conversation.

Is that definitive proof that native posting receives preferential treatment?

Nope.

It is an observation based on years of running accounts, studying analytics and comparing results.

The KPIs and insights have been enough to keep me there. #JustSayin. Take this for what you will.

And yes, YouTube is its own world. Scheduling makes much more sense there because it operates differently from the conversational rhythm of platforms like Instagram and TikTok and even Linkedin.

Defining Socialmaxxing (my fave new Karen word!)

So instead of using Socialmaxxing to describe the endless pursuit of more automation, more content and more optimization, here’s how I define it!

For me, Socialmaxxing looks like:

• Curating your feed with intention

• Responding to comments

• Starting real conversations

• Celebrating other people’s wins

• Sharing your work without pretending everything is effortless

• Showing up as a recognizable human being

• Using AI as an assistant, not a replacement

• Posting with purpose instead of pressure

• Choosing quality over quantity

• Creating something worth stopping for

• Being available when people respond

• Making someone feel seen

• Leaving people feeling a little more informed, encouraged or inspired than they did before opening the app

This is the kind of Socialmaxxing I want to practice.

It is not about maximizing automation.

It is not about maximizing algorithms.

It is not about maximizing the amount of content you produce.

It is about maximizing connection.

Post Less. Care More.

Ironically, I’ve found that embracing this kind of Socialmaxxing may allow you to post less.

YESSSSS! Post less. Care more. (I know that’s what you want! Doesn’t this make you happy?!)

Create something worth reading, watching or saving.

Participate when people respond.

Let your audience recognize your ideas, your humor, your perspective and your actual voice.

Quality has a funny way of outperforming quantity. 😜

Socialmaxxing isn’t about becoming more algorithmic.

It’s about becoming more human in and with your socials.

And I totes believe this:

Coming Next! Anatomy of a Great Post in this AI era.

I’m going to show you exactly what I mean.

I’ll break down what I believe makes a nearly perfect social media post in 2026.

Not because there is one magical formula that works for every person, audience or platform.

There isn’t.

But after years of managing accounts, testing ideas, studying analytics and watching what actually connects with people, I’ve noticed a pattern.

And I am very happy to share it with you!

🦋 Paid Subscriber Bonus

This week also! (I’ve got my work cut out for me! ☺️) paid subscribers will receive an exclusive video walkthrough of my mini presentation:

AI for Creatives: Working Smarter Without Losing Your Voice

I’ll walk through exactly how I use AI in my own business, from brainstorming and content planning to editing and research, while making sure the final work still sounds like me.

Because that is the goal. Not replacing your voice. Protecting it.

Thanks for reading and sharing and when you need guidance remember my readers get a special price for sessions and more… book here!

Sharing so you don’t make the same mistakes I have made.

+ Cool tips and updates under my update.

A few weeks ago I found out I’m losing one of my biggest clients. 😳

Not because of poor performance.
Not because they weren’t happy.

In fact, it is quite the opposite.

The metrics I created were some of the strongest I’ve ever produced. Literally, at the beginning, there were barely any comments and ZERO tags and shares. To now, where it’s not unusual to receive thousands of views, comments, shares, etc.

The organization is making structural changes, and my role disappeared with them.

I’ll be honest…

It hurt. A lot.

When you pour your heart into helping build someone else’s business, it’s easy to believe that great work guarantees security.

It doesn’t.

But after the disappointment settled... I realized something incredibly important.

No one is responsible for building my business except me.

Stop Building Everyone Else’s House Before Your Own

For years I’ve helped clients with:

• Planned strategies.

• Covered national conferences.

• Produced, edited, created hundreds of reels.

• Learning how to DO social media and not lose their soul.

• Written blogs.

• Created campaigns.

• Studied analytics/deciphered KPI’s

• Helped build communities.

Meanwhile...

My own YouTube? Barely touched.

My own digital portfolio? Didn’t. Even. Exist. OMG WTH. 🙄

(Which is honestly hilarious {srsly Karen???} considering I’m a social media strategist.)

I kept telling myself I was too busy serving clients.

But being busy isn’t the same as building, friend. NOPE.

Ugh, this is a hard lesson. VERY HARD.

I’ve cried and drank the wine. I’ve whined to my husband. I’ve sought advice from my fancy friends. I’ve given myself space and think time.

OK. Time get on with things. I’ll keep you in the loop and share strategies for getting clients and gigs as they happen.

Now on to what I love to do… share the research I do so your marketing strategies stay on track and up-to-date.

Updates You Gotta Know!

YouTube Studio Quietly Got Smarter

If you haven’t opened YouTube Studio lately... whoa.

Go look. 👀

Google has quietly added AI-powered brainstorming directly into Studio.

Instead of starting from scratch, it can help you:

✔ Brainstorm new video ideas

✔ Explore related topics

✔ Find follow-up videos

✔ Summarize channel performance

✔ Analyze comments

And because it’s working from your own channel, the suggestions feel much more relevant than generic AI prompts.

Even Better...

First look at this!

Now it starts with “Inspiration” and when you tap it all the ideas are based on what you’ve already talked about.

Next, select one of your videos and it will get even more specific with ideas.

Once you select one of your videos, YouTube suggests entirely new directions based on what you’ve already created.

I love this!

Not because AI is magically creating content.

Because it removes friction and gives you ideas to get those creative juices going.

Sometimes all we need is one interesting question or thought to get moving.

Create Clips…wait what?!

CLIPS! This made me SO excited! It follows with the “create once, make multiple” strategy that works perfectly with long form videos.

I’ve been playing around with this and it’s really fun! You can have the YouTube AI create your clips OR you can choose from the transcript - tap “start here” then tap “end here” (could be different words like only start or end btw) and then it creates your video clip!

Not only that you can tap the “reuse info” and it auto loads what you’ve already written as your description AND still edit that too! SO amazing and you can bet I’ll be using that, too.

Could this replace Opus for me?? Maaaaaybeeee?! Not sure of that yet, but this was really fun and also stays editable if you want it longer or shorter and get really specific.

🦋 My Favorite Strategy (no AI required)

Here’s something I’ve been doing that I think every creator should try.

Instead of asking:

“What should I post next?”

I ask:

“What has the internet already proven people care about?”

I’ll look at 10–20 creators in my niche.

Then I search for what is called outlier videos.

Those are the videos that wildly outperform everything else on that channel.

Maybe a creator averages 2,000 views...

...then one video suddenly gets 150,000.

Now, THAT’S interesting. 🤔

NOT to copy it.

Because I want to understand why it connected.

• Was it the title?

• The timing?

• The emotional hook?

• The problem it solved?

That’s the kind of research I do. For clients and (now) for myself.

Then ask...

“How can I talk about this from my own perspective?”

And one more thing.

If another creator genuinely inspires your approach...

Credit them. Always.

The internet doesn’t need more copycats.

It needs more original voices who acknowledge the people they are learning from and with.

P.S. you can absolutely use AI to do this research for you. Why not? ☺️

🦋 The Project I Should Have Started Years Ago 😬

Building A Digital Portfolio

This week I’ve been working on something I’ve recommended to clients for years... a digital portfolio.

And it’s been surprisingly emotional.

Every project I add reminded me of something I’d forgotten.

• A conference.

• A campaign.

• A client breakthrough.

• A reel that reached thousands.

• A strategy that works.

Sometimes we become so focused on what’s next...

We forget to appreciate everything we’ve already built.

If you’re in a creative profession...

Don’t wait!

Document your work. Not just for future clients.

For yourself, too.

Sometimes confidence comes from simply seeing your own evidence of great work, all collected in one place.

🤓 Bonus #protip!

A Google Search Console Update I’m Watching Closely

I don’t have this update yet.

But the second I do... you’ll be the first to know.

Google is rolling out something called Platform Properties inside Search Console.

Eventually you’ll be able to connect platforms like:

• Instagram

• YouTube

• TikTok

• X

And see how your content is performing directly in Google Search.

The part I’m most excited about? Being able to see which Google searches lead people to your Instagram content.

This is incredibly valuable information for creators.

I’m still waiting for the rollout on my account, but I’ll absolutely report back once I have it.

Here’s the creator (remember attribution!) I learned about this from:

Can you keep a secret? 🤫 I’m only sharing this with you…

My YouTube Experiment

This is where things get interesting.

For the next 90 days, I’m making a commitment… just between us. 😜

I’m treating my own business with the same care I’ve spent years giving my clients. (If you are one of my clients now, DON’T WORRY! You’ll be getting all the care and love ++ I always give you.)

I’m going all in on YouTube.

Not because I know it’ll work. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Because I want to find out. 👀

I’ll share everything.

✔ The wins.

✔ The failures.

✔ The analytics.

✔ The AI tools.

✔ The SEO discoveries.

✔ The experiments that flop.

✔ No guru-style promises.

No “six-figure secrets.”

Just one working multihyphenate social media strategist building in public.

We’ll see where this takes us.

Honestly?

I’m kind of excited. And scared. 😅

Reference for my new online friend “…it made me feel excited… well excited and scared!” lyric Into The Woods (assuming you know this show since you mentioned Les Miz!!)

🦋 One Last Thought

Maybe losing this client isn’t the only story.

Maybe it was simply the nudge I needed.

The reminder that while I love helping other people grow...

I have to keep building my own dreams, too.

Maybe YouTube becomes my biggest source of clients.

Maybe it doesn’t.

But either way...

I’m done treating my own business like a side project.

And I’m really looking forward to seeing where this experiment leads.

P.S.

If you’ve ever had a setback that quietly pushed you toward something better, I’d love to hear about it in the comments.

Sometimes the thing we thought was the end...

Turns out to be a beginning.

This may be a new chapter for something I’ve been thinking about… The Butterfly Brief. 🦋 This is where I share what I’m doing specifically. Anyway, thanks for reading and sharing and when you need guidance remember my readers get a special price for sessions… book here!

I slept in a little (like 7am lol, which honestly felt luxurious), worked from bed for a bit because I was trying to keep my cortisol low, and then dove right in.

Today I’ve been:

✨ A talent agent

✨ A social media strategist

✨ A writer on Substack

✨ A voice teacher

✨ A singer and pianist

✨ And I even got to be on a panel talking about talent representation and how we can better support performers.

Now? I’m packing for San Antonio because I’m heading to the National Association of Teachers of Singing conference this weekend, where I’ll be doing social media, interviewing people, seeing dear friends, and probably hugging a lot of faces. 🫶

I also finally upgraded my gear! I have a new RØDE mic setup and a gimbal, so I’m basically in my ‘tiny media company’ era and I’m ridiculously excited about it.

These are the days that remind me how much I genuinely love having a portfolio life. My worlds don’t compete with each other, they feed each other.

Being a performer makes me a better teacher. Being a teacher makes me a better agent. Being an agent makes me a better strategist. Writing helps me process it all.

And here’s my little reminder for you:

Do the things you love. And if you’re in a season where you’re mostly doing the things you must, find small pockets for the things that light you up. They matter.

I’m going to be checking in throughout the conference, (I’m doing a little yap challenge) so if you have questions about social media, talent representation, singing, performing, or building a creative career with lots of moving pieces, ask away, I’d love to hear it.

Happy Tuesday-now-Wednesday, friends.

Here. We. Go. 🦋 🎭🎵✍️ 📸 📲 🎹

Tutorials coming later this week!

The longest day of the year always feels like a natural reset point for me. 🌞

Not quite New Year’s. Not quite a birthday. But a chance to pause, take stock, and ask: What do I want the next season to look like?

If you’re a service provider, creative entrepreneur, coach, teacher, artist, or small business owner, you understand exactly what I mean.

It’s often easier to create content for someone else than it is for yourself.

I can help clients brainstorm, strategize, film, edit, caption, schedule, and stay consistent all day long. Yet somehow my own content often ends up squeezed into the margins of the day. Or, gulp, not at all.

Sound familiar? 😬

I’m not aiming for perfection. I’m aiming for intention.

A little more sharing. A little more showing up.
A little more trust in the Butterfly Effect.

Because the truth is that opportunities often come from the posts we almost didn’t publish.

That idea was reinforced for me this weekend during a wonderful coffee chat with community. We had an absolute fabulous conversation.

There is something magical that happens when creative humans gather together. 🥹

Someone shares an idea.
Someone else adds a perspective.
A third person asks a question nobody considered.

Before long, everyone leaves with more energy, more clarity, and more momentum than they arrived with.

The internet sometimes gets criticized for creating disconnection, but I’ve found the opposite can also be true.

The right online communities create connection.

The right conversations spark action.

The right people can remind you of possibilities you’ve forgotten.

Speaking of social media...

Instagram has been quietly rolling out some updates that are actually worth paying attention to;

Users can now reorder their grid.

♾️ For years, creators have wished they could rearrange posts without deleting and reposting content. Instagram is finally making that possible. This gives creators, brands, and businesses much more control over the first impression visitors receive when they land on a profile. This means you can actually have evergreen posts. AMAZING!

This is a great way to highlight specific posts, making it easier to showcase important content, offers, announcements, or cornerstone pieces of your brand story.

👀 One update I’m especially excited about is the ability to add captions to individual images within carousel posts.

If you’ve ever wanted to create a step-by-step tutorial, tell a story slide by slide, or add context to specific images, this feature opens up a lot of creative possibilities.

💻 Wanna get off your phone?

Instagram’s Edits app is getting a desktop version. WHOOOP!

That’s great news for creators who prefer editing on larger screens or want a workflow that feels a bit more professional. #protip - I LOVE editing on my iPhone because that’s how many are VIEWING your content. #foodforthought

Finally, here’s one of my favorite current uses of AI:

Profile optimization.

Whether you use ChatGPT, Claude, or another AI tool, you can now get surprisingly helpful feedback on your bio, positioning, messaging, keywords, and overall profile strategy.

Sometimes a few small tweaks can make your profile significantly clearer to the people you’re trying to reach.

And clarity creates connection.

My word may still be Navigate, but for the next few months I’m also embracing my other phrase:

Mood off. Plan on.

Show up.
Share the thing.
Trust the Butterfly Effect.

As we head into summer, that’s what I’m thinking about most.

Not chasing every trend.
Not trying to do everything.

Just showing up consistently. Connecting with good people. Sharing ideas.
Learning from others, and trusting that small actions compound over time.

That’s the Butterfly Effect. 🦋

One conversation.
One post.
One connection.
One opportunity.

You never know which one changes everything.

Here’s to a creative, connected, and abundant summer. ☀️🦋

Karen Michaels 🦋 is a talent agent, social media strategist, singer-pianist, and podcast host helping creatives spend less time on socials and more time doing THE THING. Find her at socialbutterflygroup.substack.com, on Instagram and @TechieButterflySinger on YouTube.

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^{A quick reminder since I haven’t been rolled into the cool perks page yet… for $7 a month/$99 a year, you can ask me a question in email EVERY SINGLE WEEK you have a subscription about your socials, profiles or posts (all platforms) and I’ll send back a detailed answer to help you. Seriously INVALUABLE. Even more value packed is for $650 a year you get the same weekly access plus a MONTHLY one-to-one meeting with me to work on strategies and your digital marketing presence. Sell your 1-1 sessions, shows, books, arts, products, highlight your events, your podcast, I have helped people with ALL of those. Can’t wait to help you, too. 🦋}

What if the problem isn’t really your creativity... but where your creativity goes when it arrives?

Think about the last really good idea you had. The one that showed up in the shower, or mid-conversation, or three exits into a drive with no safe way to write it down.

Where is it now? Probably wandering around somewhere in your brain ether. That’s how it feels to me.

Now, LISTEN! It’s NOT because we aren’t creative! You and I most def are and I know you have lots of great ideas. It’s because you had nowhere set up, no matter where you are, for it to land.

You’re almost never out of ideas. It just means the good ones came and went. The shortage of ideas isn’t inspiration. It’s storage.

So a while back I stopped trying to generate ideas and started catching them. Like beautiful float-y butterflies. I made myself a little system.

✱ I call it my Inspo Hub. ✱

It’s not fancy. Not complicated. And, that’s the entire point.

Here’s how to start yours…this weekend… in like ten minutes:

One place. Pick a single home: a note on your phone, one doc, a voice-memo folder. Not five apps. One. Messy is perfect. (you know how I love messy!) Findable is what matters.

One rule. The moment an idea arrives, you catch it, before you talk yourself out of it. The keepers have a feeling to them. Like you’d be letting something valuable drift past if you didn’t reach for it. That feeling is the whole signal.

I believe the Universe sends us ideas and if we don’t use them, it moves on to someone who will. Don’t let it slip away! It wants YOU. Tell Siri to put it in a note, keep a pencil/paper in the shower (you know how ideas flow around water so be prepared), type it into your notes app messy (back to that!!!) and don’t worry about the damn grammar. You can categorize and fix later. Record a voice memo!! This is one of my absolute faves. It’s the fastest and most efficient.

Reframe what you’re already doing. You’re not “just reading” or “just scrolling” or “YouTubing”. You’re gathering. You notice things all day long when you’re on TikTok, or YouTube or Substack.

Your Hub simply gives those “noticings”, those observations, those twitches, somewhere to live. You’re a reader, a watcher, an observer by nature. This is permission to treat that as the work it actually is.

Keep a few wells.

When the page feels dry, return to your 3–5 high-signal sources, highly curated social media profile, maybe books you’d happily reread, one or two people who reliably make you think.

What do you do, have an opinion about, or has made you think this week and start there.

Here’s mine (updated) in case you need a little inspo and haven’t seen this before:

• ⚓️ lifestyle and relaxed productivity

• 📝 how I’m incorporating my word theme “navigation”

• 📈 platform updates

• ❣ Canva help and how tos

• 📘 Butterfly Social Media Field Guide (I need to do this NOW)

• 📲 new apps

• 📚 stuff I read

• ✍️ stuff I write

• 🎧 podcasts I love

• 🛥 ✈️ travel

• 🎶 🎹 musician stuff

Do this for a few weeks and 🤯 something happens.

A handful of ideas will keep resurfacing. The ones you can’t stop circling back to. Those become yours. Your signature. The things people start to associate with your name.

Every post, every episode, every newsletter I make now starts its life in that one little note. The blank screen stops being a threat, because you’re never starting from zero again. You’re just visiting a room you already filled.

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about navigation. You know it’s my word for 2026 and BOY HAVE THERE BEEN LOADS OF DETOURS LATELY. 😮‍💨 (more on that later, I’m not ready/able to share yet).

Back to navigating.

Paying attention to what shows up.
Following my gut.
Trusting small steps.

The funny thing is that the Inspo Hub isn’t really an idea system at all.

It’s a navigation tool.🧭

Every note is a breadcrumb.
Every observation is a clue.
Every unfinished thought is a possible direction.

And when you collect enough of them, you start to see where you’re meant to go next. Sometimes I forget that myself when I get too lost in my beloved clients’ work. I must remember to make myself a client, too. 😬

This week, when I reopened my Inspo Hub I felt a surge of hope. I really do have a lot of thoughts and ideas I want to share with you.

And it was all in… ⬇

One folder. One place. Because of the Apple eco-system, on all of my devices.

No complicated system, friend. No big set up. Just a home for ideas.

Maybe the answer isn’t finding more inspiration.

Maybe it’s learning to trust the inspiration that’s already finding you. 🦋

Karen Michaels 🦋 is a talent agent, social media strategist, singer-pianist, and podcast host helping creatives spend less time on socials and more time doing THE THING. Find her at socialbutterflygroup.substack.com and @TechieButterflySinger on YouTube.

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I read something this weekend that touched me like a warm hand on the back...

It was a piece by Dan Koe with the world’s least subtle title: “If you have multiple interests, do not waste the next 2–3 years.” And somewhere around the third paragraph I realized I wasn’t reading advice. I was reading validation.

Because here’s the story so many of us were handed: Go to school. Pick a thing. Niche down. Stay in your lane. SIT STILL. Become the world’s foremost expert in one narrow strip of pavement and whatever you do, don’t be scattered. Unfocused.

OH and by the way, mask your ADHD, it’s too much.

Oooopsies.

For me, I was/am scattered in the most fun way. I sang. I played piano. I fell in love with social media. I got back to writing and now I even represent talent!

I became a person creatives came to when they wanted to grow on socials and learn how to do it without losing their soul. And for years, STILL, a quiet voice (and even a few biz coaches) asked, “When are you going to just pick one?”

Welp! Turns out the answer was and is ummmmm never, and that’s my advantage to doing and BEING.

The lie was built for the 9-5.

Koe makes a point I can’t stop thinking about: specialization wasn’t some eternal law of success. It was an Industrial Age invention. In a pin factory, one person doing every step made 20 pins a day. Split into specialists, the same workers made 48,000. So we built schools, careers, and entire identities around being one efficient part of someone else’s machine.

But you are not a pin factory, my friend.

We don’t live in that world anymore, and the proof is historical. Before the printing press, knowledge was locked away, books copied by hand, literacy rare, learning outside your trade nearly impossible. (Not to mention women being encouraged NOT to read or learn anything outside of “our place.”

When Gutenberg arrived, the cost of knowledge collapsed, and within fifty years Europe was flooded with millions of books. One human could master many things in a single lifetime.

Like, Da Vinci. A painter, sculptor, engineer, anatomist. “Realize that everything connects to everything else,” he said.

The Renaissance didn’t reward people for picking one thing. It rewarded the ones brave enough not to.

And here’s my favorite part, the part I’d like to put on a billboard and scream from the hills: we are living through that again.

The internet and AI just collapsed the cost of knowledge a second time. The skeptic in me wanted to call that hype so I went looking, and the research holds up. David Epstein’s Range makes the case that in unpredictable, fast-moving fields, broad samplers often outrun early specialists. Frans Johansson’s The Medici Effect shows that the biggest breakthroughs happen at the intersection of disciplines, not the bottom of one.

Your edge was never going to be expertise. Your edge is intersection. It’s the specific, unrepeatable way your interests overlap. A way of seeing that no one else on earth can copy, and that no AI can generate unless someone like you tells it what to think.

So here’s where I land (with a bit of my #keepinitreal thoughts mixed in)

A singer/pianist who became a social media strategist, a talent agent helping actors get work, add in my writing, (it saves my soul and so happy I’m brave enough to share with you now).

Lately, I've been helping artists make sense of AI, (it helps me learn more, too!) translating the technology into practical tools that support creativity rather than replace it.

That intersection isn’t a mess. It’s an ocean of ideas and river of flowing energies. I’m building a vessel where all of it lives together and I have a ball doing it.

If this speaks to you too, hear me: you were never too much. You were just early.

I also promised you the truth, not just the pep talk. Sooooo here’s some #builditinpublic info…

Being multi-talented is not a catchall for business-savvy. Let me say this plainly, because someone needs to: if I’d made wiser financial decisions over the last five years, I’d be a lot further along than I am right now. The gifts and verve aren’t the problem. Time to figure this one out, too. #excelhereIcome

That’s the lesson I want to share with you more than any other this year. Your multi-hyphenate-ness is a genuine asset but an asset you don’t protect is just a pretty thing you eventually lose. Treat the multi-hyphenate life like the business it actually is.

😬 WHEW…Talking to myself here too, folx.

Pay yourself like an employer who respects you. Future-you is real, and she’s counting on present-you to stop winging it.

And the hope? The hope is not theoretical. I’m working my way through it, one better decision, one honest spreadsheet, one un-glamorous Tuesday with a calculator, at a time.

I’m telling you this while I’m still figuring things out, because I think that’s worth more than telling you once I’m safely on the other side. You don’t have to have it all fixed to start fixing it.

Here’s what I want you to carry into your week:

You were and are NEVER, too much creative friend. Embrace all that you are, all that you do and all that you bring to the table. You’re incredible.

Have a fabulous week,

Karen Michaels 🦋 is a talent agent, social media strategist, singer-pianist, and podcast host helping creatives spend less time on socials and more time doing THE THING. Find her at socialbutterflygroup.substack.com and @TechieButterflySinger on YouTube.

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The Social Butterfly Buzz

June Bloom.

The Social Butterfly Buzz is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber…

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3 months ago · 3 likes · 2 comments · Karen Michaels 🦋

Several of you reached out and asked:

“Okay Karen, but what do you actually DO with AI?”

Fair question.

Because there is a lot of noise out there right now.

Some people are acting like AI is going to replace every creative (and more) job on the planet.

Others are pretending it doesn’t exist.

↘I think the truth is somewhere in the middle↙

As a singer, writer, talent agent, social media strategist, podcaster, and general professional plate-spinner, I don’t use AI to replace my creativity.

I use it to support my creativity.

Think of it as a really enthusiastic executive assistant who never sleeps and doesn’t mind helping me organize my thoughts.

Here’s how I’m using it right now.

1. Turning Chaos Into a Plan

Let’s start with that calendar I made last Sunday;

• The calendar wasn’t created by AI.

• The goals weren’t created by AI.

• The dreams weren’t created by AI.

I created all of that first. Handwritten. Totally analog.

Then I snapped a photo and uploaded it to Juno (she’s my chat).

I asked Juno to:

• identify themes

• find gaps

• suggest priorities

• create a Workflowy structure

• help me build a realistic weekly workflow

Instead of staring at a giant wall of obligations and dreams, I suddenly had a roadmap.

And that felt freeing, strategic and quite frankly I got a LOT done this week AND had more free time, too.

🔥 Hot Tips I’m Testing Right Now

Hot Tip #1: The Instagram Trial Reel Experiment

A social media friend recently shared something that made me stop scrolling and immediately start taking notes.

The strategy?

• 1 regular feed post

• 3 Trial Reels

• all in one day

Why?

Your regular feed post primarily reaches your current audience.

Trial Reels are shown primarily to people who don’t already follow you.

One builds community. One builds discovery.

Then post it to your regular grid later.

One idea. Multiple opportunities.

Now before everyone collectively hyperventilates...

No, I am not suggesting you post four times a day forever.

Remember my philosophy:

Sprinting. Then strolling. (Learn this philosophy here! It’s not too long and quite clear).

Bonus: those same Trial Reels can often be repurposed directly to YouTube Shorts with little to no tweaking. One piece of content working harder for you? Yes, please.

I’m testing this strategy next week and will report back.

AI Doesn’t Fly the Plane
I DO!
It just helps me navigate faster.

One of my favorite uses for AI isn’t writing content. It’s helping me think and organize so my messages and content is most helpful.

Instead of asking AI to write a caption, I might say:

“I woke up thinking about this - here’s my brain dump… organize and comment as my high level coach always keeping mind my end goals, ideologies and for the uplifting of those around me. Then write 20 hook/caption ideas.”

Or:

“I wrote this and it’s off, what am I missing?”

Then I rewrite, tweak, edit, and make it sound like me.

The result?

Less staring at blank pages. More creating.

Hot Tip #3: Stop Posting. Start Talking.

This week’s biggest business wins came from commenting, engaging and getting out IRL.

Not posting.

COMMENTING.

I reached out to a trusted coach I’ve known for years to share what I’m working on and where I’m headed.

Within one conversation she said:

“Oh wait! You need to meet so-and-so.”

Which led to coffee. Which led to new ideas.

Which led to more connections.🤩

At the same time, I spent more time commenting and engaging on LinkedIn and Instagram instead of worrying about my own posting schedule.

The result?

Two new meetings landed on my calendar.

And I received a request for my piano EPK for a corporate event.

Don’t overlook the comments section. Get in there and be SOCIAL. All from the comfort of your fave chair and loungewear. 😜

Hot Tip #4: Upload Those Shorts

I’ve been listening to and reading GaryVee talk about the future of short-form content, and one point really stood out:

The content you’re creating today may become part of how people discover you tomorrow.

If you’re already making Reels, consider uploading them to YouTube Shorts, too.

The barrier is incredibly low. The upside is potentially huge.

Especially for creatives, speakers, coaches, performers, and small business owners.

The Big Takeaway

The people who ask whether AI is replacing creativity are asking the wrong question.

The better question is:

“How can AI help me spend more time being creative?”

Because that’s where the real opportunity is.

AI can help me:

• organize

• brainstorm

• research

• edit

• plan

But it can’t replace:

• relationships

• stories

• experiences

• intuition

• taste

• humanity

Those still belong to us, friends.

And frankly, I think they’re becoming even more valuable.

So if you’re curious about AI, start small.

• Use it to organize your planner.

• Brainstorm your next post.

• Create a workflow.

• Generate ideas.

Then bring your voice, your experiences, and your creativity to the final result.

That’s where the magic happens.

Have a wonderful weekend, friends.

Get outside. Take a walk.

Call someone you enjoy talking to. (thanks for the 4 hour phone call, you know who you are 😆 we drank wine and changed the world last night!)

It’s creativity, relationships, and humanity that are your greatest superpowers.

🦋 Karen

Karen Michaels 🦋 is a talent agent, social media strategist, singer-pianist, and podcast host helping creatives spend less time on socials and more time doing THE THING. Find her at socialbutterflygroup.substack.com and @TechieButterflySinger on YouTube.

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TLDR:
🦋 Put it on paper

📅 See the whole picture

✨ Dream a little bigger

🤖 Let AI schuzz it up

🚀 Take the next step

🧭 Navigate Your Summer

Even more precise…

Write or speak everything, all your thoughts, on paper/into your notes.
Take a picture.
Let AI help you build the roadmap.

_{All bloom, no gloom 🌞}

June 1st.

We made it! I made it.

Honestly, there were moments over the last two months when I wasn’t entirely sure I was going to arrive here with my sanity intact.

April was my “Say Yes” month.

Then May looked at April and said, “Hold my coffee.” GULP… 😮‍💨

Between extra work hours, graduation preparations, family celebrations, a major client loss (more on that coming), some unexpected health concerns, and all the normal responsibilities that don’t magically disappear when life gets complicated, it felt like I spent much of the spring running on momentum and caffeine.

But this weekend, in the late night hours of quiet and thinking, something shifted.

Instead of jumping straight into another busy month, (please no) I spent most of Sunday doing something I haven’t done in a while:

I zoomed out. 👀

I grabbed one of those giant paper calendars from the Dollar Store, a handful of markers, and started filling things in.

First came the non-negotiables:

• Work hours

• Meetings

• Teaching

• Work events

• Family events

• Known deadlines

Then I added my projects and goals.

• The podcast.

• Substack.

• Talent agency goals.

• Health goals.

• Taxes (because apparently the IRS continues to expect adult behavior from me).

• The piano work I’ve been wanting to prioritize.

• The writing projects I’ve been nudging to the back burner.

And finally, I grabbed a blue marker (blue pen on white paper is high contrast and is known to activate the brain in magical ways!) and added what I call the “oh-sooooo delulu dreams.”

The bigger ideas.

The things that don’t have a guaranteed outcome.

The goals that make me excited and nervous at the same time.

More talent clients booked.

More piano gigs.

More writing.

More opportunities.

More freedom.

The funny thing? Once everything was on paper, my brain got quiet. I KNOW this happens and I don’t do this enough.

Anyway…

Not because the work disappeared.

Not because the challenges disappeared.

Because I could finally see it.

All of it.

The obligations. The opportunities. The dreams. The next steps.

When everything lives inside our heads, it feels enormous.

When it lives on paper, it becomes something we can navigate. (shameless plug alert ⇣⇣⇣)

The Social Butterfly Buzz

🧭 Navigate Your Creative Life: Social Media in 2026

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8 months ago · 14 likes · 9 comments · Karen Michaels 🦋

And yes, I took a picture of the calendar.

Then I fed it into my AI. And that might be my favorite part of this entire process.

Because AI didn’t create my goals. Ummm NOOOO.

It didn’t decide my priorities.

It didn’t tell me what matters.

I did that.

AI simply helped me organize the route.

It helped me take a giant pile of ideas and turn them into a practical roadmap.

And friends, that felt incredibly freeing.

For me (maybe you too?) that’s what June is for.

Not more hustle. Not more pressure.

Not waiting until July 1st or January 1st to start over. (I’m not good at waiting, are you? Please help lol)

Maybe June is simply an invitation to pause long enough to see where we’re going.

Yes, it’s true we’re nearly at the halfway point of the year.

Soooo, what if you gave yourself permission to dream a little?

To plan a little? To scheme a little?

What if you took all those ideas floating around in your brain and gave them a home on paper?

Then maybe... just maybe... consider to let technology help you schuzz it up into an actual plan.

Because your second half of the year is about to be here.

You CAN make your dreams and schemes happen…

P.S. Friday I’ll show you exactly how I used AI to turn my $3 Dollar Store calendar into a practical summer roadmap and how I use the Workflowy system. (PS you can use any system you want!)

Karen Michaels 🦋 is a talent agent, social media strategist, singer-pianist, and podcast host helping creatives spend less time on socials and more time doing THE THING. Find her at socialbutterflygroup.substack.com and @TechieButterflySinger on YouTube.

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I know it’s May. I see it on my calendar. So WHY does it feel like December, vibes? (Thanks to friend/client/colleague Gillyanne for this inspo!)

Deadlines stacking. Events overlapping. Life and work blurring into each other. A hundred tabs open in your head, and somehow the algorithm still wants you bright eyed and curated.

Yeah. NOOOOO.

This is Maycember energy. And if you’re feeling behind, scattered, or quietly thinking “I should be doing more,” let me interrupt that for you.

You KNOW I know if you read my post about April…

The Social Butterfly Buzz

When You Say Yes to Everything… and Accidentally Find Yourself Again

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4 months ago · 3 likes · 3 comments · Karen Michaels 🦋

🦋 You are not behind. You are in motion. (saying to myself tooooo)

When life gets loud, the instinct is to catch up, plan harder, post more. But here’s the truth most creatives miss: you don’t need to do more. You need to navigate better.

The Creative GPS Shift

Stop asking: What should I post this week?

Start asking: What am I already living, learning, or solving?

That is your content. Not invented. Not forced. Real. You.

The best content doesn’t come from pressure. It comes from presence.

A Tiny Strategy That Doesn’t Feel Like One

Pick one thing this week.

A question someone asked you.

Something you’re figuring out.

Something that felt hard, or felt really good.

Then talk about it (video, voice note, messy first take) or write about it (short, honest, no overthinking). That’s your YouTube. That’s your Substack. That’s your showing up.

You don’t need a system. You need a starting point.

🦋 The Butterfly Effect Reminder

Small actions count. Especially now, when most people quietly disappear. So when you share one idea, post one thought, send one message, you’re not falling behind. You’re building momentum nobody can see yet.

A Monday Permission Slip

You’re allowed to show up imperfectly. Post something simple. Skip the perfect plan. And still grow. Still matter. Still move forward.

This Week’s Gentle Nudge

Don’t try to win May. Just stay in motion.

One post. One idea. One step.

That’s how this works.

That’s always how this works. 🦋

Karen Michaels 🦋 is a talent agent, social media strategist, singer-pianist, and podcast host helping creatives spend less time on socials and more time doing THE THING. Find her at socialbutterflygroup.substack.com and @TechieButterflySinger on YouTube.

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It’s May and Summer is the PERFECT time to get things GOING.

Let me just say the quiet part out loud.

Social media? It’s not the main character anymore.

It’s the doorway.

And if you’ve been pouring your heart into Instagram, TikTok, or whatever algorithm decided to cooperate that week (only to feel like you’re spinning your wheels) I want you to take a breath. Because what I’m about to share isn’t a cautionary tale. It’s actually really good news.

The Creator Economy Just Grew Up

Something big has been quietly shifting in the world of online business and creative entrepreneurship. The creators who are genuinely thriving right now? They’re not just posting more. They’re building ecosystems.

They’ve stopped treating social media like the destination and started treating it like the on-ramp.

Here’s what that looks like in practice:

Social media = visibility. It’s where people discover you, get a feel for your vibe, decide if they like you.

But ownership? That lives somewhere else entirely.

And two platforms are sitting at the center of this shift in a way that feels almost tailor-made for creative multi-hyphenates like us:

Substack and YouTube.

The Map I Keep Coming Back To

Think of it this way:

YouTube is where people find you. Substack is where they stay with you.

YouTube gives you discovery, connection, presence. It’s your face, your voice, your energy in real time. It’s where someone stumbles across you singing a jazz standard or breaking down a social media trend or teaching voice technique or sharing a fabulous destination (I’m looking at you, friends, be sure to check out her new channel on YouTube) and thinks, oooh, I like her.

Substack? That’s where that relationship deepens. It’s where your thinking lives. Your longer stories, your behind-the-scenes, your truest creative voice — delivered directly to someone’s inbox, no algorithm required.

Together? They create something more powerful than either one alone.

And the data backs this up. Substack has crossed 5 million paid subscriptions, with its recommendation features now driving over 40% of new subscriber traffic.

Mid-level creators are building $2K–$10K/month businesses directly from their audiences, not from brand deals, not from chasing viral moments.

From trust.

That’s not a fluke. That’s alignment between platform and human behavior.

From Content Creator to Creative CEO

Here’s the mindset shift that changes everything.

You’re not just a person who posts content. You’re a Creative CEO, someone who honors their artistic voice and pays attention to what actually moves the needle.

That doesn’t mean you are turning into a data robot. It means recognizing that every piece of content you put out is both a creative expression and a signal. It’s telling you something about what resonates, what lands, what your people actually need from you.

And when you start seeing it that way, the pressure lifts a little. Every post isn’t make-or-break. It’s just the next brushstroke.

You may know that’s what I call messy consistency — and it’s honestly the secret sauce behind most sustainable creative careers I’ve ever seen.

Your Editorial Point of View Is Everything

A niche is what you talk about.

A point of view is what you stand for.

And there’s a massive difference between the two.

Your point of view is what makes someone choose you over the sea of other voices saying similar things. It’s what turns a casual reader into a loyal subscriber. It’s what makes your 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐆𝐏𝐒 actually guide something because it’s calibrated to you, not to what’s trending.

When you’re clear on your point of view, you don’t have to chase every trend. You get to respond to them from your own perspective. That’s the difference between:

“5 tips to grow your social media”

...and...

“Why most social media advice is burning you out — and what actually works instead.”

One is information. The other is a conversation someone wants to be part of.

Small Actions. Real Momentum. The Butterfly Effect.

Here’s what I want you to remember when it all feels like too much:

You don’t need a massive content machine.

You need intentional small actions that compound.

One solid idea, handled with care, can become:

• A YouTube video

• A Substack post

• A few Notes that spark conversation

• A handful of short clips that bring new people into your world

Each piece is small. But together, over time, with consistency, they create momentum that actually leads somewhere. Not viral overnight. Not overnight anything. But steady, aligned growth that builds something real.

That’s the Butterfly Effect in action. Small shifts. Big ripples. Not because you did everything, but because you did the right things, repeatedly, in a direction that made sense for you.

The Journey You’re Actually Building

Whether you’ve thought about it this way or not, you’re already guiding your audience through something:

Discovery → Connection → Trust → Community

Substack is genuinely built for this full arc.

• Notes for discovery.

• Long-form posts for trust.

• Video for connection.

• Chat or a paid tier for the inner circle that wants to go deeper with you.

You’re not just trying to get more followers. You’re guiding people somewhere.

And that’s a much more sustainable (and honestly, much more joyful) way to think about what you’re building.

And If You’re Just Starting/Restarting?

Keep it ridiculously simple, friend.

Week 1: Get clear on your voice and your direction. What do you stand for? Who are you talking to?

Week 2: Start posting… messy, imperfect, real. Messy is perfect.

Week 3: Find your rhythm. A few short pieces, one longer post, one video. That’s a full week of content right there.

Week 4: Look at what actually landed. Follow that signal. Continue to look at data.

Let the 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐆𝐏𝐒 guide you. It knows more than you think it does.

The Bottom Line 🦋

You don’t need more noise.

You need clarity, connection, and a place you actually own. (remember to get those emails!)

Substack and YouTube aren’t just platforms. Together, they’re a system. One that supports your voice, your work, your creative life, and your growth in a way that feels sustainable instead of frantic.

Layer in the Butterfly Effect (small actions → real impact) and your own clear 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐆𝐏𝐒 (your direction, your voice, your why) — and you’re not just posting anymore.

You’re building something that actually moves. 🎯

And that? That’s the whole point. 🌈✨

Next week I’ll be talking about how I’m using AI. WHOA sooooo much going on in the AI world and IMHO, and it just can’t be ignored.

Karen Michaels 🦋 is a talent agent, social media strategist, singer-pianist, and podcast host helping creatives spend less time on socials and more time doing THE THING. Find her at socialbutterflygroup.substack.com and @TechieButterflySinger on YouTube.

April has been a month. Like… one of those “who am I and why did I say yes to ALL of this?” kind of months. 😳

And if I’m being honest?

I didn’t say yes because I was feeling wildly inspired.
I said yes because I was feeling… a bit off. 😬

A little on the sidelines of my own life.
A little less passionate than my usual.
A little too focused on everyone else.

So what’s up?? Why is this happening??

I am one of the best cheerleaders you will ever meet. And, I love doing it.

So what happened?

I forgot to be one for myself.

BOY do I feel the weight of the world some days. I KNOW YOU DO TOO…

Listen, friends. You know that saying, “God helps those who help themselves”?

Yeah… well, I’ve been saying all the right things to myself lately.
The mantras, the mindset, the reminders.

But I haven’t been fully doing the part that actually matters:

Taking action.

Because my tank is running on fumes.

So what happened?

I decided to say YES TO EVERYTHING.

Not exactly the calm, balanced, well-thought-out strategy I would recommend but there you have it. 😂

There were DEF a few schedule hiccups.
A few nights with less sleep than ideal.
A few moments of “okay, this is a lot.”

But also?

NGL, it’s been a little… exhilarating.

Because here’s the part I didn’t expect:

This chaotic, overbooked, slightly unhinged month has been quietly showing me what actually matters.

What I want to keep doing. 🎯
What I don’t. 🚫
Where my energy naturally goes when I stop overthinking it. 💥

And maybe the biggest realization of all: it wasn’t the busy schedule that was draining me before…

It was doing things that don’t REALLY matter.

Also? A predictable one.
The “this is what I should be doing” one. (ugh - should)
The one that slowly started to crush my creativity.

This is exactly why I created my “messy consistency” approach.

Because I’m not someone who thrives in rigid structure.

I need movement.
I need shifts.
I need just enough unpredictability to wake my brain back up.

Honestly?

Sometimes I don’t need more space…

Sometimes I need no space at all so it pushes me into action.

If you’re in a “meh” season right now…

If you feel stuck, or flat, or like you’re watching your own life from the sidelines, this is your gentle nudge:

Say yes.

Not forever.
Not to everything blindly.

But to something that shakes things up.

Something that interrupts the loop.
Something that requires you to show up again.

Because here’s what I’m remembering in real time:

Don’t wait for the spark to take action.

When you take action… that spark comes back. ⚡️

So yes… April has been a lot. And my busiest week is this week. 😅 (wish me luck, lol)

But it might just be exactly what I needed. And if you’re feeling that quiet nudge?

Say yes, friend. Even if it’s messy.

Especially if it’s messy. 🦋

I’ll see you on Friday! Remember paid members to email or DM me any questions you have about your socials.

Hugs and here’s to LOADS of creativity,

Stop Treating Your Creativity Like a Hobby

(When It’s Actually a Business)

There’s something I need to say—and I’m saying it with love, but also with a little edge:

What you do is not just your passion. It’s a business.

(This article assumes you are making money, want to make money and not a hobby. If you have a hobby, carry on and have fun.)

And if you don’t treat it like one…
it will never pay you like one.

I see this every single day with creatives. I know singers, writers, actors, teachers, artists… people with extraordinary talent.

And yet…

They hesitate or overthink.
They “wonder” if they should be marketing, emailing, posting, reaching out. They DON’T treat their work like a business.

Let me save you some time, friend:

👉 Yes. You should.

The Part No One Wants to Hear

Being a creative does not just mean working on your craft.

It means:

• Marketing yourself

• Writing emails

• Showing up online

• Networking

• Following up

• Making yourself visible (gulp, this one is def hard, I know)

• Staying in the game

Even when you don’t feel like it.

Especially when you don’t feel like it.

(If you read my last post, you already know where I stand on “not feeling like it.” Those are often the most important days.)

A Real Story From This Morning

This morning, I was the featured guest for an acting studio.

Actors had the chance to:

• Ask questions

• Get feedback

• Work audition material

• Be seen

Do you know how many showed up?

One.

ONE.

For me, she won the day.

She showed up prepared on a Saturday morning.
She got a one-on-one coaching session.
She used the opportunity most people say they want.

That’s the difference.

Not talent.
Not luck.

Action.

“No One Cares How You Feel” (Hugs and Stay With Me…)

Okay… this is my tough love part.

No one cares how you feel.

I know. That sounds harsh.

And, listen, OF COURSE your friends care. Your partner cares. Your family cares.

But the industry?

The opportunities?
The casting?
The clients?

They respond to action, not emotion. They aren’t trying to be mean or jerks. They

And if that stings a little, good. It’s supposed to wake something up in you.

Because this path of entrepreneurship (yes performers, you are an entrepreneur/self-employed person), creative worker, putting yourself out there selling your ebook or services is. so. hard.

👉 It is NOT for the faint of heart.

The Truth About “Potential”

This is the part that gets me every time…

I see so much potential in so many people, it’s almost painful.

Here’s my top 5 strengths from the Clifton Strengths (Gallop people) to help you better understand what I’m about.

Understanding these strengths have served me well in life and as a social media coach and talent coach.

I can literally see where someone could go.
The career they could build, the income they could make, the impact they could have, if they would just do the things.

And yes…
NOTE TO SELF, KAREN: do the things. 😅 UGH. Me too, ya’ll. Me, too.

Where My Coaching Comes In

If I’m being honest?

At least 50% of my job is not strategy.

It’s:

✨ Encouragement
✨ Perspective
✨ Accountability
✨ Belief

✨ Back to Encouragement

Because sometimes you don’t need a new plan.

You need someone to say:

“You’re so much closer than you think. Now let’s go do the work.”

Let’s Talk About You

If you’ve been:

• Waiting until you feel ready

• Overthinking your next move

• Avoiding visibility

• Holding back because it feels uncomfortable

This is your nudge.

Actually… it’s more than a nudge.

It’s a push.

👉 You don’t need permission.
👉 You need to do the thing.

You can do this!

If You Want Me in Your Corner…

This is exactly why I created my subscription.

Each week, you can:

• Ask me anything about your social media, marketing, or strategy

• Get real feedback (not fluff)

• Stay consistent without burning out

• Actually move forward

If you’re already subscribed be sure to
📩 send me your question for this week.

If you’re not yet
✨ come join me.

Final Thought

You don’t have to do everything perfectly.

You don’t have to feel inspired every day.

But you do have to show up.

Because the creatives who build real careers?

They’re not the most talented.

They’re the ones who decided: “I’m treating this like a business.”

And then… they backed it up with action.

You are amazing. Don’t you DARE forget that. No matter what point you’re at, I have no doubt you can make significant progress by the Fall. Let’s do it!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend…

Cute doggy from Giphy embodying EXACTLY how I feel today…

I’m going to be honest… today is a bit scattered over here. My schedule is… well let’s just say I said yes to everything for April and BOYYYYY am I feeling it.

Annnnnnnd… that’s exactly why I want to send this.

Because this is the moment most people don’t create content.
And it’s the moment that actually matters most.

So here’s something simple you can use today 👇

Your 10-minute “ready to create” setup

Instead of waiting to feel inspired, set yourself up to catch content as it happens:

• Open Notes (or your Inspo Hub as I call it 😉)
• Start a running list called: “What I’m doing/thinking today”
• Hit record for 30–60 seconds while you’re working, walking, or talking something out

That’s it.

No script. No pressure. No “niche.”

This is what is meant by Interest Media…
your life is the content.

What you’re working on
What you’re figuring out
What you’re loving / struggling with

This is what people want to see and hear.

Quick Friday teaching takeaway:

If you only create when you feel “ready”… you’ll disappear.

If you create while you’re living… you’ll always have something to say.

Also a quick nudge to my paid subscribers 💛

You get one question a week: strategy, content, bio, Substack, whatever you need.

Email me or message me here on Substack and I’ll dig in with you.

And if you’ve been thinking about upgrading…

Honestly, I just don’t know why wouldn’t you take advantage of this? Here are the deets ICYMI…

The Social Butterfly Buzz

✱ What if you had a social media expert… in your back pocket?

Let me tell you something I see all the time right now…

Read more

5 months ago · 4 likes · 7 comments · Karen Michaels 🦋

It’s basically having me in your back pocket every week.
And I’m keeping this intentionally small (only a few spots left). BIG THANKS and a HEY, to all who joined last week! 😄

My updated Substack schedule is:

Mondays, we’ll get into inspo + organizing + lifestyle + travel stuffs.
Fridays are for teaching + doing and yes I’ll be sharing more tutorials, too.

Messy consistency, for the win. Always.

And I’ll report back soon on what I’m learning with Claude 👀 very interesting so far…