Can you believe we’re less than a month away from 2026? We’ve talked a lot about marketing strategy going into the new year – but today, we’re talking about what to expect in the year ahead from social media marketing.

We’ve all felt a bit like we’re screaming into the void on social media and well, it’s not just you. You’re not imagining it. But what do we do about it? We’re breaking down the big shifts that are going to shape the social media landscape in 2026 so you as a small business owner can adapt with confidence.

From AI becoming a back office assistant to social platforms doubling as search engines – we’re sharing what matters, what to skip and how to turn this all into a plan you can follow.

Episode Highlights:

• How AI can truly save time
• Social as a search engine and what to know so you can be found for the right terms
• Short form video is growing up - less dancing more speaking and authenticity.
• Communities and owned channels and how to use public feeds for discovery and brand awareness, and closed spaces like Discord, WhatsApp, and online communities for depth and connection
• The challenge with online ads in 2026 - it’s all about the creative baby!
• Mindset chat – keep it all simple and track what actually moves the needle!

Resources & Mentions:

• Book a strategy session
• Workshop Replay
• Connect on Instagram

Subscribe, leave a review, and share Stop the Scroll with a friend or fellow business owner who needs a little more confidence and a lot less overwhelm in their marketing. Your reviews help us reach more creators like you!

Drop a question or a review! We love getting feedback from our listeners!

Connect with me:

Website - https://www.heidijschmidt.com/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/HeidiSchmidtCreative

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/HeidiSchmidtCreative/

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/legallyheidi/

Email - Heidi@heidijschmidt.com

Feeling stretched thin as the year wraps up? You are NOT alone.

In this life-and-business update, we’re talking about why Stop the Scroll is moving to a biweekly cadence and how I’m simplifying my own marketing to finish the year strong. You’ll hear real talk about bandwidth, capacity, and what to do when your pipeline needs love because you’ve been head-down serving clients.

Then we get practical. I walk through a simple end-of-year planning process you can use right now. You’ll learn how to repurpose past wins, package timely offers, and schedule just enough content to stay visible through the holidays without living on your phone.

Episode Highlights:

• Why I’m shifting the podcast to biweekly and how to decide when something has to give
• Bandwidth vs. capacity: a sanity check for service providers before taking on more work
• What to do when you haven’t marketed yourself in a while and the pipeline feels light
• Offer ideas that convert now: bundles, strategy sessions with short-term support, and workshop promos.
• How to reuse what you already have: emails, landing pages, and high-performing posts.
• Pink Friday, Black Friday, and Small Business Saturday: easy ways to tie in your messaging

Resources & Mentions:

• Planning Workshop on 12/5
• [Book a Strategy Session]– includes 30 days of Slack support for extra 1:1 support
• Browse all episodes & show notes

Subscribe, leave a review, and share Stop the Scroll with a friend or fellow business owner who needs a little more confidence and a lot less overwhelm in their marketing. Your reviews help us reach more creators like you!

Drop a question or a review! We love getting feedback from our listeners!

Connect with me:

Website - https://www.heidijschmidt.com/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/HeidiSchmidtCreative

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/HeidiSchmidtCreative/

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/legallyheidi/

Email - Heidi@heidijschmidt.com

Feeling chained to the algorithm? You’re not alone, and it’s not just in your head. This is a challenge I face every day and every week with my clients. Algorithms are increasingly challenging, and the competition to stay ahead and keep up with app features can be exhausting.

In this episode, Heidi makes a bold case: your business can grow without social media, and sometimes, it’ll grow faster when you stop forcing it.

Instead of chasing trends, we’re discussing some smarter, saner alternatives: owned channels, search-friendly content, and partnerships that actually drive results. You’ll also get a quick audit to decide if social belongs on your roadmap right now, or if it should take a back seat.

If you do choose to show up on social, Heidi shares how to make it count with story-led content and genuine engagement (not just more posts).

Episode Highlights:

• Why strategy matters to growth on social media
• Why you should priortize owned channels first: website content, email, SEO, Google Business Profile.
• Why social media isn’t a “set it and forget it” marketing tactic, and the importance of engagement.
• The importance of the shift towards storytelling versus constant selling—show people, process, personality.
• How to use a 4-question audit (traffic, capacity, consistency, revenue tracking) before committing.
• How to let AI assist ideation, but why you need to keep your authentic voice front and center.

Resources & Mentions

• Book a strategy session
• Schedule a discovery call to learn about our consulting or DFY services.
• My Favorite Marketing Campaign from Dunkins
• Sprout Social: Pros & Cons of Social Media

Subscribe, leave a review, and share Stop the Scroll with a friend or fellow business owner who needs a little more confidence and a lot less overwhelm in their marketing. Your reviews help us reach more creators like you!

Drop a question or a review! We love getting feedback from our listeners!

Connect with me:

Website - https://www.heidijschmidt.com/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/HeidiSchmidtCreative

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/HeidiSchmidtCreative/

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/legallyheidi/

Email - Heidi@heidijschmidt.com

If you’ve got 10 seconds, you’ve got a clip: the door opening, a notebook flip, keys on the desk, a client thank-you email.

String a few together, add a “how I” voiceover or a strong on-screen hook, and you’ve got a reel…without blocking your calendar or your creativity.

In this podcast episode, If you’ve been overthinking reels, try this: film life as it’s happening—eight 3–5 second clips—and tell one specific story. That’s it. In this episode, I break down five easy reels you can batch in about half an hour, why your audience wants authenticity over perfection, and how to track success beyond views (hint: watch time, saves, shares). We’ll ditch the “faceless” trend, lean into you on camera, and make consistency feel doable today.

Episode Highlights:

• Why consistency beats virality: aim for steady, repeatable reels rather than chasing a one-off 10K view spike.
• Why we need to ditch “faceless marketing”: connection happens when your audience sees and hears you—use B-roll with your voice/story.
• How to lead with “how I,” not “how to” to position yourself as the expert by telling short, specific mini-stories.
• Make a shot list: 3–5 second clips from your day (desk setup, coffee pour, walking into a meeting, closing the laptop) are more than enough to tell a story.
• Batch in micro-bursts: keep an idea bank, capture 8–10 quick moments tomorrow, assemble the edits the next day.
• Always add captions: accessibility matters, and most people watch with sound off—especially on LinkedIn.
• Track what matters: watch time (aim 50–70%), saves, shares, profile views, DMs, and site clicks > raw views
  
  
  

Subscribe, leave a review, and share Stop the Scroll with a friend or fellow business owner who needs a little more confidence and a lot less overwhelm in their marketing.

Resources & Mentions:

• The Leading Lady Business Hub
• Guide to IG Hooks Freebie
• Get your social media audited

Drop a question or a review! We love getting feedback from our listeners!

Connect with me:

Website - https://www.heidijschmidt.com/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/HeidiSchmidtCreative

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/HeidiSchmidtCreative/

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/legallyheidi/

Email - Heidi@heidijschmidt.com

If checking your follower count is the first thing you do when you open Instagram… we need to talk.

Obsessing over followers and unfollows isn’t “staying on top of your metrics”, it’s a toxic habit that triggers anxiety, imposter syndrome, emotional exhaustion, and desperate content. Even worse? It pulls your focus away from the metrics that actually grow your business.

In this episode, I’m sharing why your follower count is not a true indicator of success, how this habit quietly sabotages your strategy, and what you should track instead to build real momentum online. Because when you focus on nurturing your current audience and creating valuable content, everything changes.

Episode Highlights:

• Why tracking unfollows destroys your confidence and creativity
• The psychological toll of “vanity metrics” (and why they keep you stuck)
• Real client examples that prove follower count does not equal success
• The metrics that actually show if your content is working
• How to create engagement-driven content your audience actually wants
• Simple mindset shifts to protect your energy and stay consistent

Resources & Mentions:

• Free Hook Guide
• Strategy Session

Subscribe, leave a review, and share Stop the Scroll with a friend or fellow business owner who needs a little more confidence and a lot less overwhelm in their marketing. Your reviews help us reach more creators like you!

Drop a question or a review! We love getting feedback from our listeners!

Connect with me:

Website - https://www.heidijschmidt.com/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/HeidiSchmidtCreative

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/HeidiSchmidtCreative/

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/legallyheidi/

Email - Heidi@heidijschmidt.com

If it feels like the rules of social media change the moment you find your groove, you’re not wrong. Social media is ALWAYS changing.

In this Quarterly Updates episode, I’m pulling together what actually shifted on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and LinkedIn, what it means for small businesses, and translating those changes into simple actions you can try this week.

No panic, just perspective and a reminder to keep your strategy diversified so your content keeps connecting wherever your audience chooses to hang out.

Episode Highlights:

• What changes are happening in Meta (especially important if you utilize shops or ecommerce!)
• Why we need to optimize for watch-through, and lean into credible, conversational content on Instagram.
• Changes in Short-Form Video on LinkedIn.
• Why every brand should diversify platforms and measure what works.
  
  
  

Subscribe, leave a review, and share Stop the Scroll with a friend or fellow business owner who needs a little more confidence and a lot less overwhelm in their marketing.

Resources & Mentions:

• Social Media Today
• Get your social media audited

Drop a question or a review! We love getting feedback from our listeners!

Connect with me:

Website - https://www.heidijschmidt.com/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/HeidiSchmidtCreative

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/HeidiSchmidtCreative/

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/legallyheidi/

Email - Heidi@heidijschmidt.com

Are you treating social media like another task on your to-do list? Do you treat it as a tool to genuinely connect with your audience? For many small business owners, the difference between feeling overwhelmed and seizing an opportunity comes down to one thing: mindset.

This week, I’m exploring what it means to adopt a creator mindset in your marketing. This shift isn’t about becoming an influencer or oversharing. It’s about weaving in stories, values, and moments of connection so your audience feels seen and understood. When you bring the personal into the professional, you create content that resonates….and ultimately, converts which is what we all want, right?

If you’ve ever struggled with making your content feel authentic (without oversharing), this conversation will give you the perspective and practical tips you need to humanize your brand and show up online with confidence.

Episode Highlights:

• Why the traditional “check the box” approach to social media doesn’t work
• What it means to adopt a creator mindset (and why it’s not about being an influencer)
• How storytelling builds stronger audience connections than endless “how-to” content
• Why authenticity and relatability matter more than perfection in your content
• Why treating social media as a creative sandbox helps you experiment, play, and grow

Subscribe, leave a review, and share Stop the Scroll with a friend or fellow business owner who needs a little more confidence and a lot less overwhelm in their marketing.

Resources & Mentions:

• Download our Free Guide to Hooks (updated for 2025!)
• Book an Instagram Audit

Drop a question or a review! We love getting feedback from our listeners!

Connect with me:

Website - https://www.heidijschmidt.com/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/HeidiSchmidtCreative

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/HeidiSchmidtCreative/

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/legallyheidi/

Email - Heidi@heidijschmidt.com

Ever feel like your Instagram content deserves way more views than it gets? The truth is, it might not be your content at all…it’s your hook(s). Without a scroll-stopping first impression, even your most valuable posts will get ignored.

In this episode of Stop the Scroll, we’re breaking down the three types of hooks —visual, verbal, and caption —and why they’re key to grabbing attention and keeping your audience engaged. We’ll talk about why vague hooks fall flat, how storytelling creates stronger connections, and what you can do to make your content irresistible in those first three seconds.

If you’ve been frustrated by Reels that flop or captions that no one clicks “…more” to read, this episode is for you. You’ll walk away with practical strategies (and plenty of examples) to turn your hooks into powerful tools for growth and connection.

Episode Highlights:

• What a hook is and why it’s the most important part of your content
• The three types of hooks: visual, verbal, and caption—and how to use them effectively
• Why generic, vague hooks don’t stop the scroll (and what to do instead)
• How storytelling hooks build connection and keep people watching
• Real examples of strong vs. weak hooks you can apply today
• Why captions matter for engagement signals (like “…more” clicks)

Resources & Mentions:

• Download our Free Hook Guide
• Shannon McKinstrie on IG
• Emily Schwalbach on IG
• Book an Instagram Audit

Subscribe, leave a review, and share Stop the Scroll with a friend or fellow business owner who needs a little more confidence and a lot less overwhelm in their marketing. Your reviews help us reach more creators like you!

Drop a question or a review! We love getting feedback from our listeners!

Connect with me:

Website - https://www.heidijschmidt.com/

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/HeidiSchmidtCreative

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/HeidiSchmidtCreative/

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/legallyheidi/

Email - Heidi@heidijschmidt.com