Small business owners are sleeping on email while chasing social media. Here's what's actually killing open rates in 2026, and how to fix it.

I get asked some version of this question almost every week: 'Dorien, what's the one thing that would fix our social media?' People expect a posting schedule or a new platform. What actually fixes it is your organic foundation — and that starts with your founder story, told before any strategy gets built on top of it.

Most B2B teams write every LinkedIn post for the person who might buy from them — and wonder why their content never travels. On this episode of Strategy Talks, Jason Patterson (founder of Jewel Content Marketing Agency, who grew his own following from 4,000 to 22,000) breaks down a distinction almost nobody says out loud: your fans and your customers are two different audiences with two different jobs. Customers lurk; fans like, comment, and share — and without fans, your fu

Half of Reddit isn't even logged in, and 60-70% of people use it to fact-check what AI tools tell them. So should your small team be there? Reddit agency owner Jonny Waite says yes, but not the way you think: skip the 15-subreddit strategy and start with one branded subreddit, built patiently over 3-6 months. Here's the realistic timeline, the fastest ways to get banned, and why "build it slow, build it everywhere" is the smartest content move for 2027.

Two brothers who built and exited several businesses just launched an AI agent that writes your content, posts it, and adjusts it without you touching a thing. Does that break everything I've taught about organic first, build before you boost? In this episode of Strategy Talks, Zach and Jason Francis explain what actually separates an AI agent from the writing tools you have already tried, and why human judgment matters more, not less, now that anyone can prompt their way to

You're posting consistently, you've got a calendar and maybe even a team, and the premium clients still aren't showing up. Ginna Tassanelli joined Strategy Talks to explain why volume was never the variable. In this episode, she breaks down the content pipeline behind her own six-figure client acquisition, the 7-11-4 visibility rule, and how one long-form video can fuel weeks of content without ever feeling recycled.

Paid traffic doesn't fix a broken foundation, it amplifies it. Liana Ling manages millions of dollars in ad spend and is globally recognized as one of the top Facebook media buyers around. In this episode of Strategy Talks, she breaks down why AI generated ads are starting to fail, the one question she asks every new client before running a single ad, and the tracking mistake quietly costing businesses their entire ad budget.

You hit publish and then nothing, just silence. Podcaster Jen Cole has built two shows past that wall, including one that turned a wine night with her best friend into a real podcast community with its own sponsor and merch line. In this episode of Strategy Talks, she breaks down the KPIs that actually build a podcast community, the exact moment she knew listeners had become fans, and the one thing any podcaster can do this week to get there.

Most people fix their LinkedIn tactics: better headlines, more hashtags, when the real problem is they haven't found their LinkedIn story yet. LinkedIn strategist Anneke van der Voort walks through the exact process she uses with clients: how to separate your story from your credentials, where that story belongs on your profile, and how to stay consistent without feeling like you're performing.

Most small business owners assume PR is only for companies with bigger budgets and bigger names. eReleases founder Mickie Kennedy disagrees. In this episode of Strategy Talks, he breaks down the small business PR playbook behind two wild success stories, a $400 press release that led to a $30 million deal, and a free pandemic era release that generated over $10 million for local restaurants, plus the survey strategy that turns any small business into a recognized industry aut

You hit submit, then someone else decides what happens next: approved, revised, killed, or forgotten in a folder. Fractional CMO Anna Geffert has sat on both sides of that decision. In this episode of Strategy Talks, she breaks down what she is actually looking for when content lands on her desk, why healthcare compliance can wipe out two thirds of a content calendar overnight, and how any creator can start thinking like the person who approves the work, not just the one who

Most small businesses treat organic and paid social as two separate budgets with two separate goals. Big brands know better. In this episode of Strategy Talks, 15-year social media veteran Melissa Dawson — who has built integrated strategies at P&G, Mercedes-Benz, Robinhood, and Western Digital — pulls back the curtain on how the pros do it, what the "boost post" button is costing you, and the one metric that tells you when organic content is worth putting money behind.