When Things Get Quiet, STOP Comparing Your Business!

If your content feels busy but isn’t bringing in the right enquiries, you’re probably missing one of three types of content. Most businesses we audit are nailing one and quietly ignoring the other two.In this episode, I’m sharing the framework we run The Social Collective on: Seen, Trusted, Wanted. It’s simple, it works for any business, and it’s the reason the people booking calls with us now are ready to say yes, not just “gathering some pricing”.In this episode, you’ll learn:Why I’ve moved away from content pillars, even though that episode was one of my most popularThe one question to ask before you post, send an email or run an adWhat my brown TSC car taught me about getting noticed by the right peopleWhy the proof that builds real trust has nothing to do with Stripe screenshotsHow to invite people to work with you without the “only two spots left” pressureA quick homework task that shows you exactly what your content is missingRecorded on the road from a boardroom at the Novotel Christchurch Cathedral Square. Thank you for having us.Listen now, then audit your own content and tell me what you find. Follow Coffees and Content so you never miss an episode.Have a question? Click here to send it to me!Links:Follow on Instagram: @loren.thesocialcollective and @coffeesandcontentpodFind Loren on LinkedIn: Loren TomlinsonVisit us at: www.thesocialcollective.co.nzLoved this episode? Leave a review - it would mean the world!

Media coverage is a moment. It lands, people read it, and the next day there’s another big story. It doesn’t have to end there.This episode is my session from the Comms & PR Conference, recorded live. I walk through how we took one NZ Marketing Magazine feature, landed off the back of a live podcast panel event for 70 people, and turned it into two podcast episodes, newsletters, reels, LinkedIn posts and content we’re still using months later. If you’ve ever had PR land and then watched it disappear, this one’s for you.In this episode:How we landed the feature in the first placeDesigning an event with content and media in mind from day oneWhat we did with the coverage once it landedThe earned, owned and paid ecosystem that keeps a story aliveGetting partners and attendees to share it for youWhere AI helps with repurposing, and the one thing you should never hand over to itLive Q&A: clipping tools, resharing coverage, paywalled articles and goodie box sponsorshipsListen now, and follow Coffees and Content so you never miss an episode.Have a question? Click here to send it to me!Links:Follow on Instagram: @loren.thesocialcollective and @coffeesandcontentpodFind Loren on LinkedIn: Loren TomlinsonVisit us at: www.thesocialcollective.co.nzLoved this episode? Leave a review - it would mean the world!

Your competitors can copy your product, your pricing, your website and your content. There's one thing they'll never be able to copy, and most small businesses aren't using it.This week I'm joined by Britt Austin, founder of State of Brand. Britt has spent 18 years building brands at Chobani, EA Sports, Apple, Rebel, Puma and Who Is Elijah. She's launched a yoghurt brand from the back of a fridge van, helped drive Puma's running comeback, and now helps founders build brands people obsess over.In this episode we cover:The one thing your competitors can't copy, and how to use itWhy your brand is what your customer thinks, not what you thinkThe one-sentence test every brand and founder needs to passThe step most businesses skip, and why it leaves them guessingWhy one spray of perfume beats ten adsWhy reach from trends is rented, not earnedWhy Britt would choose a creator with 500 followers over one with 500,000Your homework for this weekIf your brand feels like it blends in with everyone else's, this one's for you.Find Britt:Britt on IG: https://www.instagram.com/brittaustin/State of Brand on IG: https://www.instagram.com/stateofbrand.co/https://www.statesofbrand.com/Have a question? Click here to send it to me!Links:Follow on Instagram: @loren.thesocialcollective and @coffeesandcontentpodFind Loren on LinkedIn: Loren TomlinsonVisit us at: www.thesocialcollective.co.nzLoved this episode? Leave a review - it would mean the world!

Grab that morning cup of coffee, because this one's a little different, it's live from The Social Summit Sydney.I got to host the final panel of the day, Viral by Design: Building Brands That Break Through, with three women who've each cracked vitality in completely different ways: Lia Georgiantis from Girls with Gems and Sneaky Link, Sarah Forrai from Contour Cube, and Isabella Lynden from VIVE Management.We got into what actually happens after a piece of content goes viral, because getting the views was never the hard part. In this episode:Sarah's "hook trifecta" and how she reverse-engineers vitality from content that's already workingWhat happened the morning Kendall Jenner posted about Contour Cube, and what they did in the 48 hours after to actually capitalise on itLia's $99 "boob job tank" and why she believes a great product without marketing is basically nothingWhy Lia filmed an entire fake trip to Europe before AI made that easy, and why it workedHow Isabella decides which creators have real staying power versus a single viral momentThe uncomfortable truth about Meta ads: "if you think other people are killing it on ads, they're probably petrified too"Why copying a competitor's viral moment is the fastest way to kill your own brand's identityThe line every founder on this panel repeated: nail your founder story, then don't be afraid to repeat itIf you've ever had a piece of content take off and had no idea what to do next, or you're stuck trying to reverse-engineer someone else's success instead of building your own, this conversation is for you.Have a question? Click here to send it to me!Links:Follow on Instagram: @loren.thesocialcollective and @coffeesandcontentpodFind Loren on LinkedIn: Loren TomlinsonVisit us at: www.thesocialcollective.co.nzLoved this episode? Leave a review - it would mean the world!

Just back from Sydney, recording this two days out from The Social Summit while it's all still fresh. Audio only this week, and it's the honest download.We flew over, took the signage, the cameras and the mics, hosted the networking drinks and closed out the day with the final panel. This episode is what I brought home with me.What we're covering:Why the rooms that scare you are the ones worth walking into, and what showing up at that first conference actually turned intoWhat three founders with repeat viral moments know that most brands don'tAI, strategy, and the line between the twoPaid or organic: which lever to pull, and when pulling the wrong one too early tanks the whole thingThe market research step nearly everyone skipsWhat's coming next on the podcast, including Britt Austin from State of BrandHit play, and follow the show so next week's episode lands in your feed.Come say hi on Instagram @coffeesandcontentpod, tell us who you want to hear from next.Have a question? Click here to send it to me!Links:Follow on Instagram: @loren.thesocialcollective and @coffeesandcontentpodFind Loren on LinkedIn: Loren TomlinsonVisit us at: www.thesocialcollective.co.nzLoved this episode? Leave a review - it would mean the world!

Leads slow down. Proposals stall. And we start convincing ourselves that our whole strategy is broken. In the first ever episode recorded at TSC Studios, I'm unpacking what's really happening when business feels quiet, and why our instinct to scroll social media for answers usually makes it worse.In this episode we'll chat through:Why turning to social media in tough moments turns into comparison, not inspirationThe difference between an actual strategy problem and a confidence problemWhy the "highlight reel" we're comparing ourselves to is hiding a much messier realityWhat to do instead when things feel toughIf you've ever panicked when the leads went quiet, this one's for you.🎧 Listen now and follow along for more from inside our brand new studio.Have a question? Click here to send it to me!Links:Follow on Instagram: @loren.thesocialcollective and @coffeesandcontentpodFind Loren on LinkedIn: Loren TomlinsonVisit us at: www.thesocialcollective.co.nzLoved this episode? Leave a review - it would mean the world!

Every founder and marketing manager I talk to hits the same wall eventually. It's not budget. It's not trust. It's not even whether outsourcing is the right call. It's simply not knowing what's actually missing before they go and hire.In this episode, I'm unpacking:Why "should I get help" is the wrong question, and what the real one isThe difference between needing strategy and needing execution, and why most people can't tell which one they're short onWhy hiring one person to do it all almost never works, and what to look for insteadA real story from my own business, including the hire that taught me the hard way why senior and junior support need to be separatedA simple gut-check for figuring out what your business needs before you write the next job adIf you've ever felt like you have too much on your plate but couldn't put your finger on exactly what to hand off, press play.Follow @coffeesandcontentpod for more, and find me at @loren.thesocialcollective.Have a question? Click here to send it to me!Links:Follow on Instagram: @loren.thesocialcollective and @coffeesandcontentpodFind Loren on LinkedIn: Loren TomlinsonVisit us at: www.thesocialcollective.co.nzLoved this episode? Leave a review - it would mean the world!

We opened the floor at our Cocktails and Conversations event and let a room full of business owners ask the panel anything. What came out was way more honest than we expected.This week's episode is that Q&A, in full.What's covered:Choosing between Claude, Gemini, ChatGPT and CopilotWhat actually happens once a client's face or product photo goes into AIHandling clients who think a $40 plan replaces a marketing teamSkill poisoning, and why that free download isn't as free as it looksGetting your business found and recognised by AI, not just GoogleBuilding an AI policy that doesn't need rewriting every monthProtecting creative work from screenshot plagiarismStaying a critical thinker when AI is doing more of the thinkingHave a question? Click here to send it to me!Links:Follow on Instagram: @loren.thesocialcollective and @coffeesandcontentpodFind Loren on LinkedIn: Loren TomlinsonVisit us at: www.thesocialcollective.co.nzLoved this episode? Leave a review - it would mean the world!

It's finally here. The Cocktails & Conversations panel, live and recorded, is Part 1 of a two part drop, and it's everything you were in the room for or heard about after.Karrina Mountfort (The AI Assembly) and Angela March (Brainchild) join me for the full panel conversation. We got into the AI mistake that can wipe your business in seconds, why your brand now needs to be visible and credible to AI systems, not just to people, and where each of us still refuses to let AI anywhere near the decision.This one covers:The full live panel from Cocktails & Conversations, finally on the feedThe AI mistake that can wipe your business in seconds, and how to protect yourselfWhy AI visibility and credibility now matter as much as SEO ever didWhere each of us draws the line on human judgmentPart 2 drops next week: the audience Q&A from the same night.Listen to Part 1 now.This episode is proudly sponsored by Frankly Podcasting, helping female founders, entrepreneurs and creatives launch, grow and manage their podcasts. Head to franklypodcasting.co.nz to find out more.Have a question? Click here to send it to me!Links:Follow on Instagram: @loren.thesocialcollective and @coffeesandcontentpodFind Loren on LinkedIn: Loren TomlinsonVisit us at: www.thesocialcollective.co.nzLoved this episode? Leave a review - it would mean the world!

Fresh off hosting our own event this week, I'm talking through something I think gets dismissed way too often: showing up in person. In this episode:Why in-person is having a real comeback, and why that's not nostalgiaThe four ways we personally get in the room - hosting, sponsoring, speaking and attending - and what each one is actually forWhy the look and feel of your event is the difference between people scrolling past and people sharing itA first look at what's coming with TSC StudiosHave a question? Click here to send it to me!Links:Follow on Instagram: @loren.thesocialcollective and @coffeesandcontentpodFind Loren on LinkedIn: Loren TomlinsonVisit us at: www.thesocialcollective.co.nzLoved this episode? Leave a review - it would mean the world!