Hashtag Authentic - for creatives, dreamers & business owners online

Influencer marketing - endorsement by popular 'real people' like bloggers, Instagrammers and YouTubers barely existed four years ago. I can remember googling for agencies as I waited to quit my day job, and finding only a handful, mainly in the States. Repeat that search now and you'll find 100s, all promising to link businesses with the biggest and most influential names on social media - all for a price. A few weeks ago, Instagram introduced a new system for declaring sponsored content. Off the back of this, I wrote a post tackling the rules & regulations governing sponsored content and freebies for influencers, and Instagram's new guidance for disclosing this.  Whether you're an influencer, a small business or even just an avid browser of social media, these rules affect us all, and are not always easy to follow. I got in touch with Pete Lewin from Purewal and Partners in London, to get into the nitty gritty, and hear a clued up professional's take on where it's all heading. Get full access to Entre Nous at meandorla.substack.com/subscribe

Sas Petherick is a coach specialising in helping women overcome self doubt and find their self belief. She is someone who has taught me huge amounts, both personally and professionally, and before we'd even finished recording our episode together in Season 1 I knew I needed to bring her back for another this time around. I called her up to talk about an issue that I suspect is close to lots of our hearts - that worry about what other people will think of us. I was hoping to get Sas to cure me of this altogether, but her answers to the problem are not quite what you might expect... Get full access to Entre Nous at meandorla.substack.com/subscribe

Tara Mohr is a columnist, coach, writer and speaker who helps women live to their full potential and find their own personal fulfilment. Her book, Playing Big was recommended to me by Jen Carrington, and I was so inspired by its wisdom, wit and uncommon common sense that I immediately knew you all needed to hear from her, too. Get full access to Entre Nous at meandorla.substack.com/subscribe

This week on Hashtag Authentic, it's just me! For this solo episode, I'm chatting about some of the reasons why your audience has either stopped growing, or why you've plateaued. We are fortunate to have an online creative community that allows us instant gratification , i.e. feedback, and this sort of social media interaction be used as an amazing tool for either gaining or losing followers. In this, I also list 10 tips for refining your content to hit the mark each and every time. Get full access to Entre Nous at meandorla.substack.com/subscribe

I know I seem to say this every week, but author and illustrator Helen Stephens is truly one of my very best friends. She's also brilliantly successful, with her books for children winning multiple awards, being adapted for stage, featured on BBC Children's television and appearing on the shelves of millions of happy children worldwide. Get full access to Entre Nous at meandorla.substack.com/subscribe

I first met Julia of Humphrey & Grace (nee @JuliaBesideTheSea) at a rooftop party on London hosted by Instagram. We've followed one another for years - four of them, to be exact - and I've seen her account grow from its early days to the massive 200k following she enjoys today. We caught up for a natter, and our chat covers changing your Instagram username, dealing with imitation and copying, the dreaded algorithm, calling yourself a photographer and oh so much more. Get full access to Entre Nous at meandorla.substack.com/subscribe

"Creating for Good is a London based collective of creatives who use their passions and skills to make a difference in the lives of women, men and families affected by war, political discord and poverty. " With a combined following of over 1.2 million. Through workshops, photo walks and individual tutoring we give 100% of all proceeds to charitable organizations which focus on providing skills to empower marginalized people and communities to secure a more sustainable future." I talk to Giulia, Jo, Elena, Jessica and Sarka from the team, to find out how it got started and what they've learned along the way. Get full access to Entre Nous at meandorla.substack.com/subscribe

Julia from Stylonylon is a journalist-turned-fashion blogger. I called her up to find out about how she sees blogging fitting into the world of journalism, and what skills she’s brought over for communicating directly with her audience. We also talk about podcasting, self-taught photography and the power of owning your own audience in this episode. Get full access to Entre Nous at meandorla.substack.com/subscribe

This week it's the Q&A I promised, and I'm diving into the questions you all sent my way. I cover blogging, Instagram, social media and getting everything done, plus lots of extra things in between. Sidetone - apologies for the glitches in audio quality this week. I didn't realise my settings were off until after recording, and didn't have time to redo it! Lesson learned. Done is better than perfect anyway, right? Get full access to Entre Nous at meandorla.substack.com/subscribe

Janet Murray is a freelance journalist turned PR-queen. She's passionate about PR and publicity being accessible to everyone, and shares insider knowledge of how to get press and media coverage for your business or blog, without selling out. In this episode she shares her top tips for getting featured, and why it matters more than you might think. Get full access to Entre Nous at meandorla.substack.com/subscribe