Marketing Sucks

Influencer Marketing Strategy: Dos, Don’ts, and Common Mistakes

This week on Marketing Sucks, Amanda is joined by Chelsea Clark, founder and CEO of Momfluence, to break down what brands get wrong about influencer marketing and what actually makes creator partnerships work. From unrealistic expectations and one-post “magic” thinking to budgets, briefs, affiliate offers, mom creators, micro-influencers, and why smaller communities often convert better than massive followings, this episode is a no-fluff conversation for brands that want to work with influencers without wasting money. Amanda and Chelsea talk about why influencer marketing is really about content, trust, retargeting, brand awareness, and long-term relationships, not instant sellouts from one post. If you are a product-based business, service provider, or founder trying to figure out how to approach creators, pitch properly, set a realistic budget, and build partnerships that actually make sense, this episode is your reality check. What You’ll Learn ✔ Why influencers are not magicians and one post will not usually sell out your product  ✔ What brands should actually expect from influencer marketing campaigns  ✔ Why impressions, story clicks, and reusable content matter more than vanity metrics  ✔ How to choose the right creators for your brand, audience, and campaign goals  ✔ Why micro-influencers and smaller creators often create stronger, more authentic content  ✔ What not to do when pitching influencers, including Gmail pitches and affiliate-only offers  ✔ How much brands should realistically budget for influencer marketing  ✔ Why long-term creator partnerships usually outperform one-off sponsored posts  ✔ How to think about influencer content, paid ads, retargeting, and brand awareness together  ✔ Why going briefless can sometimes lead to better, more natural creator content Connect With Us For behind-the-scenes clips, hot takes, and conversations we don’t always have time for on the mic, follow us on Instagram @grindsocialmedia. [http://www.instagram.com/grindsocialmedia] If you’ve been listening for a while, leaving a quick review helps more business owners find the show and stop wasting money on marketing that doesn’t work. Thanks for listening and thanks for being part of this community. Meet Our Guest Chelsea Clark is the founder and CEO of Momfluence, a leading influencer marketing agency that specializes in mom creator-led campaigns for family, lifestyle, and consumer brands. With a deep understanding of the modern mom consumer, Chelsea helps brands build trust, relevance, and measurable growth through authentic creator partnerships across North America. Learn more at www.momfluence.co [http://www.momfluence.co] or follow along on Instagram at @momfluence.co. — 📱 Looking for content creation & social strategies that drive REAL results? Visit grindsocialmedia.com [https://grindsocialmedia.com/]. 🤝 Book your free discovery call: calendly.com/grindsocial/discoverycall [https://calendly.com/grindsocial/discoverycall]    Get social Instagram: @grindsocialmedia [https://www.instagram.com/grindsocialmedia/]  Facebook: facebook.com/GRINDSOCIALMEDIA [https://www.facebook.com/GRINDSOCIALMEDIA]  📢 I’d love it if you’d share this episode and tag me!   Podcasting support Production: theultimatecreative.com [https://theultimatecreative.com/]

Visibility Fatigue and Self-Doubt: Why Showing Up Online Feels So Hard for Women in Business

This week on Marketing Sucks, Amanda is joined by award-winning psychotherapist Natacha Pennycooke for a real conversation about visibility fatigue, self-doubt, comparison, and the emotional cost of constantly showing up online. They unpack why being visible as an entrepreneur can feel so draining, especially when social media makes it look like everyone else is growing faster, doing more, and living some effortless “soft life.” From comparisonitis and nervous system overload to boundaries, burnout, and redefining success on your own terms, this episode is a much-needed reminder that building a business should not require shrinking yourself or abandoning your mental health. If you know you need to be visible but feel emotionally exhausted, this conversation is your permission slip to pause, recalibrate, and come back in a way that actually feels like you. What You’ll Learn ✔ What visibility fatigue actually looks like for entrepreneurs  ✔ Why showing up online can feel emotionally exhausting, not just physically tiring  ✔ The difference between normal nervousness and chronic self-doubt  ✔ How comparisonitis impacts confidence, creativity, and business growth  ✔ Why the “soft life” narrative can create unrealistic pressure for women entrepreneurs  ✔ How to redefine success based on your own life, energy, values, and goals  ✔ Why playing small costs you, your business, and the people who need your work  ✔ What to do when you know you need to be visible but feel completely drained Connect With Us For behind-the-scenes clips, hot takes, and conversations we don’t always have time for on the mic, follow us on Instagram @grindsocialmedia. [http://www.instagram.com/grindsocialmedia] If you’ve been listening for a while, leaving a quick review helps more business owners find the show and stop wasting money on marketing that doesn’t work. Thanks for listening and thanks for being part of this community. Meet Our Guest Natacha Pennycooke is a leader in workplace mental health and safety, a mindset coach, and an award-winning psychotherapist. With over 13 years of experience, she is the CEO of Natacha Pennycooke Psychotherapy, a private group practice supporting individuals, couples, families, and youth 16+ through trauma, anxiety, depression, fear, self-doubt, and the mental health impacts of racialization and marginalization. Her work is guided by an anti-oppressive, healing-focused, trauma-informed, anti-racism lens and racial justice framework. Learn more at www.natachapennycooke.com [http://www.natachapennycooke.com] or follow along on Instagram at @natachapennycooke.therapy. — 📱 Looking for content creation & social strategies that drive REAL results? Visit grindsocialmedia.com [https://grindsocialmedia.com/]. 🤝 Book your free discovery call: calendly.com/grindsocial/discoverycall [https://calendly.com/grindsocial/discoverycall]    Get social Instagram: @grindsocialmedia [https://www.instagram.com/grindsocialmedia/]  Facebook: facebook.com/GRINDSOCIALMEDIA [https://www.facebook.com/GRINDSOCIALMEDIA]  📢 I’d love it if you’d share this episode and tag me!   Podcasting support Production: theultimatecreative.com [https://theultimatecreative.com/]

Stop Confusing Social Media Tips With Real Marketing

This week on Marketing Sucks, Amanda and Phil tackle a mistake too many business owners are making right now: confusing social media advice with actual marketing strategy. They break down why content tips, posting hacks, and follower growth tactics are only one tiny part of the bigger picture and why relying on them alone can leave your business stuck. Using the classic four Ps of marketing, they unpack the real difference between social media marketing and marketing as a whole, from product and pricing to placement and promotion. This episode is a back-to-basics reality check for brands that are taking advice from people who know how to grow an account but not necessarily how to build a business. If you have ever been told to just post more, raise your prices, or chase the next platform without a real strategy behind it, this one will call you out in the best way. What You’ll Learn  ✔ Why social media advice and marketing advice are not the same thing  ✔ How the four Ps of marketing still shape smart business strategy  ✔ Why product-market fit matters more than content tips  ✔ How pricing affects positioning and perception  ✔ Why promotion is bigger than posting consistently on social media  ✔ How to tell whether advice is helping your business or just feeding the algorithm Connect With Us For behind-the-scenes clips, hot takes, and conversations we don’t always have time for on the mic, follow us on Instagram @grindsocialmedia. [http://www.instagram.com/grindsocialmedia] If you’ve been listening for a while, leaving a quick review helps more business owners find the show and stop wasting money on marketing that doesn’t work. Thanks for listening and thanks for being part of this community. — 📱 Looking for content creation & social strategies that drive REAL results? Visit grindsocialmedia.com [https://grindsocialmedia.com/]. 🤝 Book your free discovery call: calendly.com/grindsocial/discoverycall [https://calendly.com/grindsocial/discoverycall]    Get social Instagram: @grindsocialmedia [https://www.instagram.com/grindsocialmedia/]  Facebook: facebook.com/GRINDSOCIALMEDIA [https://www.facebook.com/GRINDSOCIALMEDIA]  📢 I’d love it if you’d share this episode and tag me!   Podcasting support Production: theultimatecreative.com [https://theultimatecreative.com/]

Ask Better Questions, Get Better Marketing: Why Lazy Strategy Is Keeping Your Brand Stuck

This week on Marketing Sucks, Amanda and Phil dig into one of the most overlooked reasons marketing falls flat: people are chasing quick answers instead of asking better questions. They unpack how lazy questions lead to lazy strategy, generic content, unclear messaging, and teams that are busy but not actually building anything meaningful. From client strategy sessions to everyday content planning, this episode breaks down why better marketing starts with deeper thinking, sharper listening, and the willingness to challenge assumptions before jumping to tactics. They share the kinds of questions that can instantly improve your messaging, your offers, your sales process, and your overall clarity as a brand. If you are constantly asking “what should we post?” instead of “what does our audience actually need right now?” this episode will hit a nerve in the best way. What You’ll Learn  ✔ Why chasing answers too quickly leads to weak marketing  ✔ How better questions create stronger messaging and clearer strategy  ✔ Why “what should we post?” is usually the wrong place to start  ✔ How assumptions quietly hurt your content, offers, and sales process  ✔ Five practical questions that can help clean up your marketing fast  ✔ Why the best marketers listen longer before they decide what to say Connect With Us For behind-the-scenes clips, hot takes, and conversations we don’t always have time for on the mic, follow us on Instagram @grindsocialmedia. [http://www.instagram.com/grindsocialmedia] If you’ve been listening for a while, leaving a quick review helps more business owners find the show and stop wasting money on marketing that doesn’t work. Thanks for listening and thanks for being part of this community. — 📱 Looking for content creation & social strategies that drive REAL results? Visit grindsocialmedia.com [https://grindsocialmedia.com/]. 🤝 Book your free discovery call: calendly.com/grindsocial/discoverycall [https://calendly.com/grindsocial/discoverycall]    Get social Instagram: @grindsocialmedia [https://www.instagram.com/grindsocialmedia/]  Facebook: facebook.com/GRINDSOCIALMEDIA [https://www.facebook.com/GRINDSOCIALMEDIA]  📢 I’d love it if you’d share this episode and tag me!   Podcasting support Production: theultimatecreative.com [https://theultimatecreative.com/]

AI Marketing Slop Is Everywhere: How to Tell If Your Content Sounds Fake

This week on Marketing Sucks, Amanda and Phil take on one of the most painfully obvious problems in modern marketing: AI-generated content that sounds polished, empty, and completely forgettable. Through a game of “Marketing Guru or AI Slop,” they compare real quotes from iconic marketing voices against fake AI-written ones and break down exactly why bad AI content is so easy to spot. From vague fluff words and overused language to generic ideas with no real point of view, this episode gets into what makes content feel human, sharp, and worth paying attention to. They also share five practical ways to clean up AI-assisted writing so it actually sounds like you, not a robot trying to be inspirational on LinkedIn. If your brand voice is starting to sound suspiciously like everyone else’s, this episode is your wake-up call. What You’ll Learn  ✔ How to spot the difference between real marketing insight and AI-generated fluff  ✔ Why bad AI writing usually sounds polished but says nothing  ✔ Which overused words instantly make content feel generic and fake  ✔ Why strong writing needs tension, opinion, and a real point of view  ✔ How to make AI-assisted content sound more human and more specific  ✔ Why you should never publish the first draft AI gives you Connect With Us For behind-the-scenes clips, hot takes, and conversations we don’t always have time for on the mic, follow us on Instagram @grindsocialmedia. [http://www.instagram.com/grindsocialmedia] If you’ve been listening for a while, leaving a quick review helps more business owners find the show and stop wasting money on marketing that doesn’t work. Thanks for listening and thanks for being part of this community. — 📱 Looking for content creation & social strategies that drive REAL results? Visit grindsocialmedia.com [https://grindsocialmedia.com/]. 🤝 Book your free discovery call: calendly.com/grindsocial/discoverycall [https://calendly.com/grindsocial/discoverycall]    Get social Instagram: @grindsocialmedia [https://www.instagram.com/grindsocialmedia/]  Facebook: facebook.com/GRINDSOCIALMEDIA [https://www.facebook.com/GRINDSOCIALMEDIA]  📢 I’d love it if you’d share this episode and tag me!   Podcasting support Production: theultimatecreative.com [https://theultimatecreative.com/]