The Instagram Stories Podcast

Cyndi Zaweski is an award-winning journalist and content strategist here to help you tell better stories. Her StoryCraft marketing framework gives founders a cohesive strategy to share their passions and expertise, using their story as the throughline between what they love and who they serve. She writes about the intersection of business growth and personal growth to inspire storytelling ideas in her community of more than 80,000 people online. In this episode, Cyndi Zaweski, owner of StoryCraft with Cyndi, dives deep into the art of storytelling for solopreneurs and brands. Cyndi discusses the importance of storytelling beyond just answering why a business was started. She explains how a brand’s story is its personality and can be used to connect with the audience, make content engaging, and drive home a brand's mission. Cyndi shares practical tips on finding and crafting your own story by looking at your life experiences and the common struggles you’ve faced. She emphasizes that every story needs tension or conflict to be compelling, using examples like her journey from being an uncomfortable news anchor to becoming confident on camera through consistent practice on Instagram Stories. The episode also explores how individuals can position themselves as authorities without traditional credentials, by associating with experts and packaging valuable information effectively. Cyndi’s approach provides hope for aspiring content creators and entrepreneurs, showing that expertise is not just about having a degree but about experience and adding value. Listeners will walk away with actionable insights on how to reframe their personal struggles into inspirational stories, and how to use these stories to build a strong, relatable brand presence. The conversation highlights the significance of consistency, vulnerability, and the willingness to learn and evolve in the process of storytelling. Find Cyndi online at: Website: www.cyndizaweski.com  Newsletter: www.cyndizaweski.com/newsletter Short-Form Storytelling Course Waitlist: www.cyndizaweski.com/storytelling-course Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cyndizaweski/ Enjoyed this episode? Leave a Review: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow Me on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@danielhillmedia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Want more content like this? Check out my Social Media News Podcast - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The Instagram Stories

In this episode, we chat with  Kristen Bousquet, a creator monetization coach who helps content creators and influencers build profitable businesses. Kristen shares her journey from starting her business during the pandemic to creating a thriving membership community that combines the intimacy of one-on-one coaching with comprehensive educational resources. Kristen started her company after selling her first business for $100k at 25 years old, and since then has been able to generate over $450k in her creator business as a microinfluencer. Soulcialmate’s goal is to educate entrepreneurial creators on how to turn their online influence into a profitable, self-sustaining business through "Soulcial Scoop" podcast, creator membership ("Soulcial Suite"), and coaching programs all while keeping the "soul" in "soulcial media". We dive into her podcast, Social Scoop, where she discusses social media news and offers actionable tips for creators. Kristen also shares her innovative "anti-pitch" method for connecting with brands—focusing on relationship building over cold pitching. She offers insights on identifying your unique value proposition and why it's crucial for standing out in a crowded space. Kristen's passion for animal rescue also shines through as she discusses her experience fostering dogs and her commitment to making a difference in the lives of animals. Whether you're a seasoned creator or just starting out, this episode is packed with practical advice and inspiration to help you take your content creation journey to the next level. Don't miss it! Timestamps: [00:00] Introduction to Kristen Bousquet [02:15] The origin of Kristen's membership community [08:30] Overview of the Social Scoop podcast [12:45] When to start monetizing your content [17:00] The "anti-pitch" method explained [30:00] Defining your unique value proposition [41:20] Applying the anti-pitch method to podcasting [45:30] Kristen's involvement in animal rescue and fostering dogs Links: Learn the Anti-Pitch Method with This Guide Follow Kristen on Instagram: @KBOUSQ Check out Kristen's podcast Soulcial Scoop: Listen here Learn more about Kristen’s membership community: Join here Thank you for listening! Enjoyed this episode? Leave a Review: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow Me on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@danielhillmedia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Want more content like this? Check out my Social Media News Podcast - ⁠⁠⁠⁠The Instagram Stories

Jenn Herman, a social media consultant and globally recognized Instagram expert, shares valuable strategies for managing Instagram effectively. She emphasizes the importance of shares and saves for boosting engagement. Jenn discusses practical tips for creating impactful Reels and advises on a streamlined content strategy that includes three key post types weekly. With insights on time management for busy users, this conversation is packed with actionable advice to enhance your Instagram presence and foster growth.

Amanda Marochko is a Staff Product Manager at Buffer, responsible for maintaining and expanding Buffer's core product offering through channels and integrations. Prior to Buffer, she was the International Growth Lead (EMEA) at Shopify. Outside of work, she runs a non-profit for women in tech. She is originally from Ottawa, Canada and currently based in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. In today's episode, we talk about Buffer - how social media managers and content creators can use it - plus the recent Threads integration Buffer just launched. Follow Amanda's journey online using the follow links: Twitter - https://twitter.com/Marochko Threads - https://www.threads.net/@marochko Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/marochko Find Amanda (and the rest of the Buffer team) at Buffer.com Leave a Review: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow Me on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@danielhillmedia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ News Podcast - ⁠⁠The Instagram Stories

Stephen Johnson is a Staff Writer for Lifehacker where he covers pop culture, including two weekly columns “The Out of Touch Adults’ Guide to Kid Culture” and “What People are Getting Wrong this Week.” Find Stephen at Lifehacker.com Leave a Review: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow Me on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@danielhillmedia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ News Podcast - ⁠The Instagram Stories

Show Notes: Lia Haberman is a social media advisor and educator. She consults for brands such as Google, Robert Half and AT&T; runs social workshops for groups such as Macy's Style Crew and the Costume Designers Guild; and teaches social media marketing and influencer marketing at UCLA Extension. She’s been featured on NPR’s Planet Money and quoted in outlets such as in The Washington Post, Business Insider and Ad Age. And every week, she writes a newsletter for 25K+ marketers and creators called ICYMI (In Case You Missed It) to keep everyone up to speed. Follow Lia: ICYMI Newsletter (Substack) Twitter Threads Instagram News Podcast - The Instagram Stories Leave a Review: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow Me on Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@danielhillmedia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Taylor Lorenz is a technology journalist in Los Angeles, CA and author of the new book Extremely Online: The Untold Story of Fame, Influence, and Power on the Internet. She has written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, the Daily Beast, and many other publications. She is currently a technology columnist for The Washington Post's business section covering online culture and the content creator industry. She was previously a technology reporter for The New York Times business section, The Atlantic, and The Daily Beast. Her writing has appeared in New York magazine, Rolling Stone, Outside magazine, and more. She frequently appears on NBC, CNN, MSNBC, CBS, and the BBC. Lorenz was named to Fortune’s 40 Under 40 list of leaders in Media and Entertainment. Adweek included her in their Young Influentials Who Are Shaping Media, Marketing and Tech listing, stating that Lorenz “contextualizes the internet as we live it.” Town & Country named her to their New Creative Vanguards list of a rising generation of creatives, calling her “The Bob Woodward of the TikTok generation.” In 2023, Lorenz was named tech and media influencer of the year by the World Influencers & Bloggers Association. In this interview, Taylor talks about her new book, Extremely Online: The Untold Story of Fame, Influence, and Power on the Internet - and we discussed: Taylor's goals in writing Extremely Online The most fun part of the book to write (and my favorite parts to read) How she deals with the negativity she receives for her writing and social posts What Taylor thinks will be the biggest trend for online culture 2024 Her thoughts on AI and the impact it will have) on internet culture What Taylor thinks it would take to make online culture fun again Listen to the Daily Show: ⁠⁠The Instagram Stories⁠⁠ Leave a Review: ⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠ Want to support the show? ⁠⁠Buy Me a Coffee⁠⁠

Do you struggle with hashtags or you're never sure what to post? If so, you're going to like this episode. Slay.so is all about hashtags, post ideas, keyword-optimized captions, and insights, using AI. Matthew Pierce cofounded Slay.so (previously known as Hashtag Slayer) with his wife Danica. The husband and wife team have been helping influencers and entrepreneurs take the stress out of Instagram hashtags since 2021, and have recently expanded their platform to help creators tackle content creation and social strategy, too. Slay.so combines AI tools with Instagram data to help you save time and be more creative than you would otherwise. You can find Slay.so on Instagram @getslay.so and get a free 10 day trial. Listen to the Daily Show: ⁠The Instagram Stories⁠ Leave a Review: ⁠Apple Podcasts⁠ Want to support the show? ⁠Buy Me a Coffee⁠

Are you ready to start monetizing your social media accounts? Regardless of what platform you spend the most time on, you're going to like this episode. Adrian, CEO and co-founder of BILI (BecauseILoveIt.com), is a seasoned leader in advertising, media, and technology. With a proven track record in revenue growth and high-performance culture, he's excelled as a board member, speaker, and volunteer. Adrian's diverse experience spans tech, media, advertising, and business development, honed in both startups and corporations. His role at BILI underscores his dynamic leadership. For brands, BILI combines the performance base model with brand awareness. For Influencers, BILI gives them an easy way to monetize their social content across any and all social media platforms. Sign Up for BILI and get a $100 Credit! Listen to the Daily Show: The Instagram Stories Leave a Review: Apple Podcasts Want to support the show? Buy Me a Coffee

Sarah Frier is the author  of No Filter: The Inside Story of Instagram, the winner of the 2020  Financial Times and McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award. She also  runs coverage of the world's biggest technology companies for Bloomberg  News out of San Francisco. Her award-winning features and breaking  stories have earned her a reputation as an expert on how Facebook,  Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter make business decisions that affect  their future and our society. Frier is a frequent contributor to  Bloomberg Businessweek and Bloomberg Television. Purchase No Filter: The Inside Story of Instagram Listen to the Daily Show: The Instagram Stories Leave a Review: Apple Podcasts Want to support the show? Buy Me a Coffee