Explore every episode of the podcast Make Marketing Suck Less for Expertise-Driven Solo Businesses

You built the funnel. You wrote the emails. You showed up for every call. And you're still wondering why the weekly newsletter nobody opens has never landed you a single client.

You didn't fail the program. The program failed you. Most programs hand you the playbook that worked for the person selling it — a course creator who needs thousands of buyers — when you're a consultant who needs eight right-fit clients a year and gets hired through referrals, conversations, and "oh my gosh, you need to talk to her."

In this video, I'm breaking down the 3 signs your marketing program was built for somebody else's business.

You'll also hear:

▪ Why referrals die in "she does, like... strategic stuff" — and the messaging fix that makes you instantly referable

▪ Why relationships ARE the marketing (not the thing that happens on the side while "real" marketing runs on the internet)

▪ How Expert Up Club alum Camille Rapacz ditched the newsletter she was told she needed, leaned into personal outreach, and had her best months ever

If you've done everything "right" and you're still feeling the slow quarter you can't explain, it's not a work-harder problem. It's a wrong-playbook problem. And that's fixable.

Book a private tour of The Expert Up Club, and I'll walk you through how the club would work for your business — then you decide: https://expertup.club/

🎯 The Expert Up Club:

The messaging + marketing community for consultants and service providers who are done following advice designed for influencers who market to other online business folks. Inside the Club, you'll nail your message, build a "do less but better" marketing strategy, and finally get hired for your expertise—without selling your soul to social media. This isn't a course. It's a brain trust of 40+ smart business owners who actually know their stuff. Entry is by private tour only: https://drmichellemazur.com/expert-up

Do people buy on emotion? Yes — but for consultants and service providers, it’s usually not because of your “vibe.” Clients buy when your message creates a very specific feeling: “This person understands my situation, and I can stop worrying.”

🔥 Grab the Free Message Reality Check: https://drmichellemazur.com/reality-check/

In this video, I break down what “people buy on emotion” actually means, and how to create that recognition and relief with evidence (not personality), so the right-fit clients can find you faster and trust you sooner.

You’ll learn why emotion isn’t the opposite of logic in decision-making, especially for high-stakes, uncertain hires like a tax strategist or consultant. When your marketing helps someone feel clearly understood, their brain treats that as proof you “get it” — because no one can describe a problem that precisely without real expertise. That’s the difference between being liked and being hired.

Then I’ll walk you through three messaging moves you can apply immediately: lead with empathy by describing the situation your client is already in (not just your services), share a clear point of view that shows judgment, and use specificity so your expertise feels real before the sales conversation. I’ll also share an example of how a consultant’s consent-based philosophy builds trust so prospects show up ready to hire.

This originally appeared on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgjOZzyBDZk&t=293s

Most marketing advice for consultants is built for the wrong business model.

If you want to get consulting clients in as little as two hours per week, you won't be able to do it by posting daily on LinkedIn, building a funnel, or treating your consulting practice like a media company — that's why marketing feels like a second job. It wasn't designed for you.

🔥 Grab the Free Market Like an Expert Course: https://drmichellemazur.lpages.co/mle?v=1785276587729

In this video, I'm breaking down what a realistic two-hour-a-week marketing plan actually looks like for consultants and service providers who want qualified leads without spending their life online.

You'll see why you only need two things: relationships that can lead to clients, and proof that helps those relationships convert faster. I'll show you how to split your time — about 60 minutes on relationship-driven outreach (warm follow-ups, reconnecting with past clients, a few "thought of you" messages) and the rest on strengthening your proof and positioning (your website, case studies, a signature talk).

You'll also hear why most online marketing advice creates overwork: it's built for volume-based models — courses, digital products, consumer brands. If you're a high-touch consultant who needs 3–10 contracts a year, that model isn't just unhelpful. It's actively working against you.

If "niching down" makes you want to run in the opposite direction, you're not alone and there's a good reason you feel that way. It's your brain doing exactly what brains do — resisting subtraction.

🔥 Grab the Free Message Reality Check: https://resources.drmichellemazur.com/reality-check

In this video, I'm making the case that the problem isn't picking a niche. It's that we've been thinking about it all wrong. There's a difference between cramming yourself into a tiny box and specializing in a way that makes the right people immediately recognize themselves in your message — and I want to show you what that actually looks like.

You'll walk away with a different way to think about specialization: getting clear on your people, their problem, and your point of view. And we'll start with the piece most experts avoid naming out loud — who, specifically, you serve best.

(Spoiler: getting specific doesn't shrink your client pool. It deepens your credibility with the people adjacent to your work too.)

If you've been hesitating because you're afraid of leaving money on the table, this will give you a concrete way to move forward — without pretending the fear isn't real.

🔥 Work with Dr. Michelle 🔥

🎯 The Expert Up Club: The messaging + marketing community for consultants and service providers who are done following advice designed for influencers who market to other online business folks. Inside the Club, you'll nail your message, build a "do less but better" marketing strategy, and finally get hired for your expertise—without selling your soul to social media. This isn't a course. It's a brain trust of 40+ smart business owners who actually know their stuff. Entry is by private tour only: https://drmichellemazur.com/expert-up

✍️ Done-For-You Messaging: For experts who want their message handled—fast. In two weeks, I'll create a complete messaging foundation so you know exactly what to say to get decision-makers saying yes. No more staring at a blinking cursor. No more sounding like everyone else. Optional add-on: Your 3 Word Rebellion—the powerful idea that makes you the obvious choice: https://drmichellemazur.com/marketing...

Newsflash: No one gives a crap about what you do. It's why your elevator pitch isn't landing — and it's probably not a credibility problem.

Most consultants start pitching in the middle of the movie. They lead with the offer, the framework, the process — before the potential client or referral partner even knows what problem you solve. That's when you get the polite "sounds interesting..." and the conversation dies.

🔥 Grab the Free Message Reality Check: https://resources.drmichellemazur.com/reality-check

In this video, I break down why this happens and what to do instead. The short version: you're translating your clients' messy, lived experience into clean expert speak — and something important gets lost in that translation. The message stops landing because it stopped sounding like the words already in your prospect's head.

You'll see a before-and-after example of problem-first messaging in action, plus a fast reality check you can run on your own marketing today — starting with your website hero section — to find out whether your copy sounds like you or like them.

If you've been over-explaining what you do and still getting blank stares, this is the shift that helps the right people recognize themselves in your work — and understand it well enough to refer you.

This episode originally appeared on the Make Marketing Suck Less YouTube channel: Subscribe here: https://www.youtube.com/@TheDrMichelleMazur

If you’ve been stuck in the marketing message vs brand message debate, here’s the simplest way to end it: most solo business owners don’t need two separate messages. In this video, Dr. Michelle Mazur breaks down the difference between a brand message (your enduring story and positioning) and a marketing message (your campaign language designed to drive action), then shows you what replaces both.

🔥 Grab the Free Message Reality Check: https://drmichellemazur.lpages.co/rea...

You’ll learn why a beautiful brand message can still fail to get anyone to hire you, and why action-oriented marketing messaging often becomes disposable, disconnected from your point of view, and forces you to rewrite your message every time you launch. Big companies can split brand and marketing across teams, but consultants and service providers don’t have the time or bandwidth to maintain that separation.

Instead, you’ll hear how a “double duty marketing message” positions you and drives action at the same time, attracts the right people, repels the wrong ones, and stays usable for years (not weeks). You’ll also see examples like “consent-based email marketing, automating with heart” and “make marketing suck less” to understand what a strong, values-based core message sounds like.

This episode originally appeared on the Make Marketing Suck Less YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0kR5Y4E1VA&t=8s

🔥 Work with Dr. Michelle 🔥

🎯 The Expert Up Club: The messaging + marketing community for consultants and service providers who are done following advice designed for influencers who market to other online business folks. Inside the Club, you'll nail your message, build a "do less but better" marketing strategy, and finally get hired for your expertise—without selling your soul to social media. This isn't a course. It's a brain trust of 40+ smart business owners who actually know their stuff. Entry is by private tour only: https://drmichellemazur.com/expert-up

✍️ Done-For-You Messaging: For experts who want their message handled—fast. In two weeks, I'll create a complete messaging foundation so you know exactly what to say to get decision-makers saying yes. No more staring at a blinking cursor. No more sounding like everyone else. Optional add-on: Your 3 Word Rebellion—the powerful idea that makes you the obvious choice: https://drmichellemazur.com/marketing...

*****

ABOUT MESSAGING & POSITIONING STRATEGIST, DR. MICHELLE MAZUR

Dr. Michelle Mazur helps solo business owners who sell outside the online bubble market their expertise without the launches, funnels, and Instagram circus. She's the author of 3 Word Rebellion, founder of The Expert Up Club, co-host of Duped: The Dark Side of Online Business, and holds a Ph.D. in Communication. Her mission? Help experts do less marketing and see better results—because when your message works, the right people just lean in.

Do you know why a potential client would choose you over the competition? If you don't, it's time to work on your positioning!

🔥 Grab the Free Message Reality Check to see how well your communicating what makes you different: https://resources.drmichellemazur.com/reality-check

I'm breaking down what positioning actually is (not the watered-down version you've heard before): it's the place you occupy in a future client's mind.  What they think you're the best choice for. Why you're not interchangeable with the person who does something similar.

Spoiler: "picking a niche" and writing a tagline won't get you there.

I'll walk you through a simple 4-part gut check — price, people, problem, and point of view — so you can see exactly where your current positioning holds up and where it starts to blur. Because if any one of those four is fuzzy, your marketing starts blending in with everyone else's. And in a world where AI is cranking out endless "sounds good" copy that all reads exactly the same? Fuzzy positioning is a real problem.

We'll also get into what it actually means to be specific: the world your clients live in, the real problem they're dealing with in context, and the point of view that makes the right person instantly think, "Oh wow — this is exactly what I needed."

This podcast was originally published to the Make Marketing Suck Less YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3gV2DztfjY&t=265s

🔥 Work with Dr. Michelle 🔥

🎯 The Expert Up Club: The messaging + marketing community for consultants and service providers who are done following advice designed for influencers who market to other online business folks. Inside the Club, you'll nail your message, build a "do less but better" marketing strategy, and finally get hired for your expertise—without selling your soul to social media. This isn't a course. It's a brain trust of 40+ smart business owners who actually know their stuff. Entry is by private tour only: https://drmichellemazur.com/expert-up

✍️ Done-For-You Messaging: For experts who want their message handled—fast. In two weeks, I'll create a complete messaging foundation so you know exactly what to say to get decision-makers saying yes. No more staring at a blinking cursor. No more sounding like everyone else. Optional add-on: Your 3 Word Rebellion—the powerful idea that makes you the obvious choice: https://drmichellemazur.com/marketing...

*****

ABOUT MESSAGING & Marketing STRATEGIST, DR. MICHELLE MAZUR

Dr. Michelle Mazur helps solo business owners who sell outside the online bubble market their expertise without the launches, funnels, and Instagram circus. She's the author of 3 Word Rebellion, founder of The Expert Up Club, co-host of Duped: The Dark Side of Online Business, and holds a Ph.D. in Communication. Her mission? Help experts do less marketing and see better results—because when your message works, the right people just lean in.

Are you serving clients who would never dream of impulse buying a course or sitting through a webinar?

Congrats—most marketing advice is completely useless for your world.

If your clients are corporate leaders, professionals, or traditional business owners, they're not looking for you on social media. (And if they ARE on social? They're watching cat videos, not shopping for consultants.)
In this video, I break down:

→ Why the "post more, be everywhere" advice is crap for your business
→ Where your real-world clients actually come from (spoiler: it's not funnels)
→ What actually works: making yourself referable, building real relationships, and showing your authority in the right spaces
→ How to make it frictionless for serious prospects to reach out NOW—not during your next launch

I also share the story of an executive coach who went all-in on funnels, webinars, and LinkedIn content in 2025... and nothing worked. When she shifted to reconnecting with colleagues and building real relationships? She booked new clients. No reels. No midnight emails. No stressing about what to post.

If you've ever felt like you're bad at marketing, you're not. You've just been handed the wrong playbook.

This podcast was originally published on YouTube on February 19th, 2026: https://youtu.be/zIuK7qkkjNI?si=ujz05H3cP2FG2NhC

🔥 Grab the Free Market Like an Expert Crash Course: https://drmichellemazur.lpages.co/mle/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=no_social

🔥 Work with Dr. Michelle 🔥

🎯 The Expert Up Club: The messaging + marketing community for consultants and service providers who are done following advice designed for influencers who market to other online business folks. Inside the Club, you'll nail your message, build a "do less but better" marketing strategy, and finally get hired for your expertise—without selling your soul to social media. This isn't a course. It's a brain trust of 40+ smart business owners who actually know their stuff. Entry is by private tour only: https://drmichellemazur.com/expert-up

✍️ Done-For-You Messaging: For experts who want their message handled—fast. In two weeks, I'll create a complete messaging foundation so you know exactly what to say to get decision-makers saying yes. No more staring at a blinking cursor. No more sounding like everyone else. Optional add-on: Your 3 Word Rebellion—the powerful idea that makes you the obvious choice: https://drmichellemazur.com/marketing...

*****

ABOUT MESSAGING & MARKEITNG STRATEGIST, DR. MICHELLE MAZUR

Dr. Michelle Mazur helps solo business owners who sell outside the online bubble market their expertise without the launches, funnels, and Instagram circus. She's the author of 3 Word Rebellion, founder of The Expert Up Club, co-host of Duped: The Dark Side of Online Business, and holds a Ph.D. in Communication. Her mission? Help experts do less marketing and see better results—because when your message works, the right people just lean in.

Let's be honest: if your calendar's empty and your inbox is quiet, it's probably not your marketing tactics that are broken—it's your message.

🔥 Grab the Free Message Reality Check: https://drmichellemazur.com/mrc-pod

In this video, I'm breaking down what a marketing message actually is (spoiler: it's not a tagline), why most experts get it wrong, and how everything shifts when you finally nail it. I'll walk you through my GEO Framework—Grow, Engage, Offer—and show you how your message does the heavy lifting for every client you attract, every referral you get, and every opportunity that comes your way.

This isn't about posting more or being everywhere. It's about saying the right thing so the right people lean in and say, "When can we start?"

I'm also sharing a quick client story about what happens when you stop throwing spaghetti at the wall and start leading with clarity. (Hint: she cut her marketing in half and booked better clients.)

If you're not sure whether your message is helping or hurting you, grab my free Message Reality Check GPT—it'll show you exactly what's working and what needs work first.

🔥 Work with Dr. Michelle 🔥

🎯 The Expert Up Club: The messaging + marketing community for consultants and service providers who are done following advice designed for influencers who market to other online business folks. Inside the Club, you'll nail your message, build a "do less but better" marketing strategy, and finally get hired for your expertise—without selling your soul to social media. This isn't a course. It's a brain trust of 40+ smart business owners who actually know their stuff. Entry is by private tour only: https://drmichellemazur.com/expert-up

✍️ Done-For-You Messaging: For experts who want their message handled—fast. In two weeks, I'll create a complete messaging foundation so you know exactly what to say to get decision-makers saying yes. No more staring at a blinking cursor. No more sounding like everyone else. Optional add-on: Your 3 Word Rebellion—the powerful idea that makes you the obvious choice: https://drmichellemazur.com/marketing-message-strategy

*****

ABOUT MESSAGING & POSITIONING STRATEGIST, DR. MICHELLE MAZUR

Dr. Michelle Mazur, PhD, is a messaging strategist and founder of Communication Rebel, a messaging and marketing strategy firm established in 2012. She helps established consultants, coaches, and service providers get recognized, referred, and hired— without relying on social media or influencer-style marketing tactics. She is the creator of the 3 Word Rebellion methodology and the 3 Doors Method framework, and founder of The Expert Up Club, a membership community for established experts focused on relationship-driven marketing and reputation-building. Michelle is the author of 3 Word Rebellion, a TEDx speaker, host of the Make Marketing Suck Less podcast, and co-host of Duped: The Dark Side of Online Business with Maggie Patterson. Her work is grounded in communication research and built on the belief that real expertise, paired with the right message, is the most powerful marketing advantage an independent expert has.

Episode 401: I'm Back from the Podcast Dead — Here's What Happened and What's Next

After hitting episode 400, I went quiet.

No dramatic exit. I just... stopped. I really needed a break.

And now I'm back — but the show looks a little different. In this episode, I'm pulling back the curtain on what happened after that milestone, why I went down the YouTube rabbit hole (even though I swore I never would), and how that decision completely changed how I think about this podcast.

Here's what we get into:

The honest truth about my absence — what actually happened after episode 400 and why I didn't come back sooner.

Why I finally caved on YouTube — I said I'd never do it. I meant it. And then I did it anyway. Here's what changed my mind and what I learned after I went all in.

How the podcast works now — This feed is now the audio version of my YouTube videos. Same content, different delivery format. If you'd rather listen than watch, you're in exactly the right place.

What's coming — the topics, threads, and conversations I'm digging into this season.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Message Reality Check — Not sure where your marketing is losing people? The Message Reality Check is a free diagnostic that shows you exactly where your message breaks down — and which of the three doors is costing you the most. Take it here → https://drmichellemazur.com/mrc-pod

Dr. Michelle Mazur on YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@TheDrMichelleMazur

Connect with Michelle:

Website: https://drmichellemazur.com

The Expert Up Club: https://expertup.club

Make Marketing Suck Less is the podcast for established experts who are done with marketing advice built for influencers. New episodes drop weekly-ish!

If you’re heading into 2026 thinking, “I need a better marketing plan,” this episode will challenge that.

Most consultants and service providers assume their slow marketing results are about visibility…consistency…or needing to “do more.”

But there’s a single shift — a foundational one — that quietly determines whether your marketing works or feels like guesswork.

In this short episode, I break down:

• The invisible bottleneck that stalls even the smartest experts
• Why doing more marketing rarely solves the real problem
• The hidden reason your audience isn’t taking the next step
• What changes when you make this one shift heading into the new year
• How 2026 can finally be the year your marketing feels simpler (and more effective)

This isn’t about adding more tactics.  It’s not about learning a new platform. It’s about making one change that supports everything else you do.

Give it a listen — it’s short, sharp, and it might just rewire how you think about getting clients next year.

➡️ Ready to make that shift?

If this episode hits home, your next step is simple:

Book a private tour of The Expert Up Club.

Inside the Club, we help you make this shift and turn it into real marketing assets — things like your sales page, lead magnet, signature talk, or outreach strategy — so your marketing finally works.

And if you book your tour by Thursday, you’ll also get a

1:1 Messaging Strategy Session with me (a $500 value).

Together, we’ll map out exactly how to implement this shift in your business so you’re ready for whatever the market throws at us in 2026.

👉 Book your private tour: https://expertup.club

 

The real talk: After hitting episode 400, I completely disappeared. Not because I was celebrating - but because I was DONE. If you've been marketing for a while, you know this feeling. Here's what happened and why I'm switching things up.

What we're talking about:

• Why I ghosted after episode 400 (spoiler: podcast fatigue is real)
• The question you need to ask when your marketing feels like a slog
• Why the traditional podcast format feels stale AF
• What I'm actually craving in my business 
• The new direction: treating this like a Voxer chat or coffee date with you

Want more make marketing suck less in your life? Join my newsletter: https://drmichellemazur.com/newsletter

This podcast originial aired on Real Business Connections! Thank you, Ben Albert, for letting me publish it here. 

Does marketing suck?

For many experts, yes, it does! In this conversation, Dr. Michelle Mazur joins Ben Albert to unpack why so many experts struggle with marketing. Often, their deep knowledge and skill are overshadowed by louder, less qualified voices who are simply better communicators.

Michelle explains that the core problem is not ability but communication. Experts tend to rely on their expertise to speak for itself, but in today’s noisy digital space, that’s rarely enough.

Instead of pumping out generic “how-to” content (which Michelle says devalues expertise and makes you replaceable), she urges experts to craft opinion-based or diagnostic messaging grounded in their Three Word Rebellion, a powerful concept to communicate unique value and spark curiosity.She also emphasizes identifying your ideal clients, not just choosing a niche. Once you know who you serve, you can speak directly to their needs and create a clear path for them to work with you.

Dr. Michelle Mazur is the founder and messaging strategist at Communications Rebel. Listen in to tap into her wisdom and expertise. 

If your clients can’t clearly see why your services are essential right now — not just nice-to-have — they’ll choose someone else.

In this short, ranty episode, I break down why waiting to fix your message is the riskiest move you can make heading into 2026. The economy is shifting, clients are tightening budgets, and experts who can’t clearly communicate their value are about to feel the squeeze.

You’ll learn:

• The signs your message isn’t working (and what that’s costing you)
• Why “more marketing” isn’t the answer — better messaging is
• How to position your work as essential in an uncertain economy
• What you can do right now to make your business unmistakable

If you’ve been waiting for the “right time” to get your messaging dialed in — this is it.

🎧 Listen now, then book your private tour of The Expert Up Club to fix your message before 2026 hits.

400 episodes.  That number blows my mind.

Most podcasts don’t even make it to episode 10 before vanishing into the internet ether.

But somehow—through algorithm changes, personal crises, recessions, and a whole lot of terrible marketing advice—I’ve made it here. And I’m still going.

To celebrate, I’m not just popping confetti. I’m sharing the four rebel truths this podcast has been built on from day one. 

These are the hills I’ll die on. If you only listen to one episode of my show, let it be this one—because these truths will radically change how you market your business (without hating every second of it.)

Want to hear more about The Expert Up Club? Book Your Private Tour Here

Full show notes and transcript are here.

What if a recession could actually help your business grow?

Sounds bananas, right? But hear me out. In every economic downturn, some businesses thrive. And I believe yours can be one of them—if you position yourself as the expert people are desperately searching for right now.

When budgets tighten, people get picky. They’re not gambling on vague promises or “just one step ahead” service providers. They want someone who knows their stuff. That’s where we come in.

Here’s how to capitalize on this moment—without burning out, selling out, or shouting into the void.

Want to hear more about The Expert Up Club? Book Your Private Tour Here

Full show notes and transcript are here.

Do you ever get that gut-punch feeling when some bro marketer suddenly “finds his zone of genius” and lands clients left and right... meanwhile you’ve got actual results, actual experience, maybe even a degree (or three), and your inbox is quieter than a library on a Friday night?

Same. And I’ve had enough.

Let’s talk about why the flashy fakes keep winning—and what we, the real experts, can do about it.

Want to hear more about The Expert Up Club? Book Your Private Tour Here

Full show notes and transcript are here.

Let’s be real: your offer can be life-changing, your messaging can be tight, and people can tell you they love your work—but when it comes time to buy? Crickets.

I’ve seen it over and over again (and yep, I’ve been there too).

Here’s what’s really going on: you’re saying the right thing… to the wrong person… in the wrong place.

That’s why I keep coming back to something Eugene Schwartz laid out back in 1966. It’s called the Customer Awareness Spectrum, and it’s the foundation for how I help clients inside the Expert Up Club—and in my one-on-one work—create marketing that actually moves people.

Want to hear more about The Expert Up Club? Book Your Private Tour Here

Full show notes and transcript are here.

Let’s be real: it is maddening to be great at what you do and still feel invisible. Years of experience, glowing testimonials, maybe even a PhD… and still, your dream clients are ghosting you.

Meanwhile, someone with half your credentials and a catchy tagline is booked out and bragging on Instagram. 

If you've ever wanted to yell, “But I’m actually GOOD at this!” — same. And that moment is exactly what led me to a major breakthrough in how I show up in my business.

Want to hear more about The Expert Up Club? Book Your Private Tour Here

Full show notes and transcript are here.

Let’s play a quick game. I say a thing, and you tell me if it’s:

• Essential
• A Treat
• Postponable
• Expendable

Toilet paper? Essential.

Fancy lip gloss? Treat.

A new couch when the old one still works? Postponable.

An app that teaches your cat to manifest abundance? …Expendable (sorry to my kitties cat…you manifest enough Churus).

Here’s the rebel truth:

Your clients are playing this exact same game with your offer.

Right now. Whether they realize it or not.

And if you land in the wrong bucket, guess what? They’re not buying.

So let’s talk about how to make your offer feel like a must-have, not a maybe someday—especially in a shaky economy where “nice to have” just doesn’t cut it anymore.

Want to hear more about The Expert Up Club? Book Your Private Tour Here

Full show notes and transcript are here.

Here’s a strange but true fact: some businesses actually thrive during economic downturns. Weird, right?

But once I really sat with that, I realized it’s not because these businesses have some BS “recession-proof” product. Nope. They’re thriving because they’ve nailed one crucial thing:

They’ve positioned what they do as essential, not optional.

And that’s exactly what I want to help you do too.

Want to hear more about The Expert Up Club? Book Your Private Tour Here

Full show notes and transcript are here.

Three years ago, clients came to me wanting TEDx stages and book deals. Now? They just want to make money, simplify their marketing, and stay afloat in a dumpster-fire economy.

Let me break down how I’m dramatically shifting my message to meet the moment—and why you should too.

Want to hear more about The Expert Up Club? Book Your Private Tour Here

Full show notes and transcript are here.

AI is everywhere in marketing right now, and I get it—it's tempting to let it do all the heavy lifting. 

But if your strategy is just "Hey, Claude, write me 10 LinkedIn posts about email marketing," then we need to talk. Because that approach? It's turning business owners into content-producing robots, all sounding the same. Like the Borg. "You will be assimilated."

So, let’s pull back the curtain. AI isn’t here to replace you—it’s here to amplify your unique thoughts, ideas, and experiences. Here’s how I use AI to make marketing suck less while keeping my voice and message 100% human.

Want to hear more about The Expert Up Club? Book Your Private Tour Here

Full show notes and transcript are here.

It’s a shit show out there. The economy is a dumpster fire, the stock market is on a rollercoaster, and it feels impossible to know what’s coming next. And for business owners? That uncertainty can be paralyzing.

Most people react in one of two ways:

1. Freeze completely and do nothing.
2. Frantically try everything at once.

Neither works. But there’s a third option that does.

Want to hear more about The Expert Up Club? Book Your Private Tour Here

Full show notes and transcript are here.

Whenever I tell someone that I work with business owners to do less marketing while creating more demand, more interest in their programs, their offers, their services, and their expertise, these people look at me like I have lost my ever loving mind. 

Like I have 27 heads because the idea of doing less and getting more, it just doesn't make sense. 

Don't you need to do more marketing in order to get more clients? And, actually, you don't. 

So today, we’re talking about the shocking truth behind doing less marketing and why you'll see better results.

Want to hear more about The Expert Up Club? Book Your Private Tour Here

Full show notes and transcript are here.

Do you freak out a little bit at the idea of narrowing your focus to speak to one specific client? 

Because if you do that, wouldn't that mean you're losing out on other potential clients? 

So today, we are talking about a word that you've heard a lot about that probably makes you roll your eyes. But in 2025, this word is more important than ever. 

I'm talking about niching. 

Through my many years in business, I've seen clients flat out reject the idea of getting radically specific about who they serve. 

Because what if? What if I'm missing out on potential clients, but I love working with so many different types of people? 

Me too, my friend. Me too. 

But here's the deal. There's a truth about niching down and the clients you're actually losing by trying to talk to everyone. 

Want to hear more about The Expert Up Club? Book Your Private Tour Here

Full show notes and transcript are here.

Once upon a time, you created a new offer. 

You launched it, and at first, it sold like gangbusters. 

People are clamoring for it. You have a wait list for it. They're excited, and you feel like this success train is just gonna roll forever. You figured it out, finally. 

Except it doesn't. And at some point, the sales, they just peter out.

It's so easy to blame the offer, to think, “Oh my gosh, I need to tweak this thing to make it more appealing so people want it again.” 

Sometimes, you might even throw the whole offer out the window and think, “It's just not gonna work. I need to create something new.”

But before you do this, I want you to listen to this episode. Because what if it's not your offer at all? What if your struggle to book calls and get people interested in your product, your program, or your service has nothing to do with what you're offering.

Want to hear more about The Expert Up Club? Book Your Private Tour Here

Full show notes and transcript are here.

Here's what makes marketing suck for experts. And it has absolutely nothing to do with how smart you are, your nuanced approach, or that you're not curious enough. 

You're preyed upon by unscrupulous business owners because you are curious. 

You love learning. So when you see that shiny new marketing program, you're tempted to buy it because surely you need to learn more about marketing, right? 

You're not an expert in marketing and learning will get you there. 

But what if that wasn't true? 

What if you don't need to learn anything more about marketing? 

Want to hear more about The Expert Up Club? Book Your Private Tour Here

Full show notes and transcript are here.

You've grown your audience. 

You've nurtured and engaged them by building a case for why they should work with you. 

You've helped them diagnose what problem they're actually having. 

And now it's time for the moment. You know, the one where you have to transition from being helpful to actually inviting people to work with you, and that's when shit gets weird. 

We are tackling the O in the GEO framework, the Offer phase. Because, let's face it, this is where most of us start squirming in our seats. But it doesn't have to be this way. 

Want to hear more about The Expert Up Club? Book Your Private Tour Here

Full show notes and transcript are here.

You do all this work to build relationships. 

Get the word out about your business and grow your audience. 

Then once you have someone's attention and they are finally following you or joining your email list, 95% of the time, they are not ready to work with you. 

Surprise!

After you've got someone's attention, how do you keep them engaged and that relationship going strong? Today, we're talking about what's next. 

Want to hear more about The Expert Up Club? Book Your Private Tour Here

Full show notes and transcript are here.

Let's get real. Growing your audience is a huge pain in the ass. 

Once upon a time in the wild west days of online business, it was super easy.

 Post on social media, run Facebook ads that would cost you a buck, a conversion and instant audience. 

Nowadays, forget about it. Finding new people who don't know you exist and enticing them into your world, it's one of the suckiest parts of marketing. 

It's such a big job, and it also requires special messaging.  I’ll break it down for you today on the show.  

Want to hear more about The Expert Up Club? Book Your Private Tour Here

Full show notes and transcript are here.

Remember the horror movie The Blob? 

Where this big, massive, gelatinous blob just rolls through a city sucking up everything in its path - buildings, people, trees, pets - it doesn't matter because it's the blob. 

Well, marketing can feel exactly like that. 

It’s this huge amorphous thing that, if you are not careful, will suck up all your time, energy, and mental health in the process. 

But here's the good news. 

There is a way to defeat the marketing blob. It's all about putting some structure to it. Because once you understand the structure of marketing, the blob doesn't have a chance. 

Want to hear more about The Expert Up Club? Book Your Private Tour Here

Full show notes and transcript are here.

Here's the dirty little secret about creating a new offer that nobody talks about. 

The hard part isn't creating the offer. 

The hard part is figuring out how to market and sell it after it exists. 

I get why experts don't tell you this little truth. Because “create your signature offer in 4 weeks”, and then spend 21 months figuring out how to market and sell it is a terrible value proposition. 

Every single time I've created something new, whether it was the 3 Word Rebellion or the Expert Up Club, my first thought after finishing was “Shit, now I've gotta figure out how to market and sell this”. 

It's a process. It's full of peaks and valleys. What I've realized is that it is a big 1,000-piece puzzle, and, today, we're gonna talk about the pieces. 

In this episode, you'll hear:

• The marketing challenges experts face when promoting a new offer
• The “Second Launch Fizzle Phenomenon” and why it fizzles
• The four key puzzle pieces to make marketing your new offer suck less

Want to hear more about The Expert Up Club? Book Your Private Tour Here

Full show notes and transcript are here.

What if you could do LESS marketing in 2025 and create MORE demand for your work? 

I know it sounds counterintuitive, but it's possible, and in this episode, I reveal how The Expert Up Club's Marketing Retreat helps established business owners transform their marketing strategy through experimentation and personalized support.

Episode Highlights:

• Why what you do today in your marketing pays off in 3-6 months
• How the Marketing Retreat helps you identify what's working and what to drop
• The power of bringing an experimental mindset to your marketing
• Why personal support matters in transforming your marketing strategy

Resources:

• Book a private tour of The Expert Up Club: https://expertup.club/

“If I could just figure out the right way to market.” 

I hear this all the time from my clients, and maybe you've thought it yourself. 

Because I get it. 

There are so many marketers out there who are promising you that they have the proven formula or that there is some secret to success in marketing that only they have. 

And if you pay them, they will tell you all the secrets, and you'll never have to stress about marketing again. 

But what happens? 

• You buy the course or the program. 
• Do the work 
• Then those results never quite materialize as they promised.

And not only that, what they are teaching is making marketing suck more, not less.

So let's deconstruct why there's no one right way to market and how letting go of that idea is going to help your business. 

And fair warning, I'm gonna get a little ranty on this episode.

Want to hear more about The Expert Up Club? Book Your Private Tour Here

Full show notes and transcript are here.

What if I told you that 95% of marketing advice out there wasn't for people like you? 

If you're following this advice or beating yourself up for not following it, you're wasting time, energy, and resources doing more marketing that doesn't lead to results. 

You're unintentionally making your marketing suck more, not less. So how do you know if you're following the right guidance? 

Buckle up, because this episode will shift how you think about marketing. 

In this episode, you'll hear:

• How much of the commonly available marketing advice doesn't work for solo business owners or those not primarily creators
• The distinctions between being a creator and a business owner and how these identities affect marketing strategies
• How creators need a large audience to monetize their content, whereas business owners need a smaller, targeted audience.

Want to hear more about The Expert Up Club? Book Your Private Tour Here

Full show notes and transcript are here.

Sometimes when it comes to marketing, we are our own worst enemies. 

We are kicking off a brand new series about how we unintentionally make marketing suck more for our businesses. 

And sometimes we don't even realize we are doing these things, but there are these tiny ways that we sabotage our business, our sanity with the choices we make when it comes to marketing.

Let's jump right in with the first big sabotage I see all the time. 

In this episode, you will hear:

• How solo business owners unknowingly make marketing harder for their businesses through certain choices
• The instinct to add more marketing strategies and how it may be more beneficial to subtract instead.
• How to focus on fewer marketing tactics that are more effective, particularly for solo business owners

Want to hear more about The Expert Up Club? Book Your Private Tour Here

Full show notes and transcript are here.

This week, I'm sharing our most recent episode of Duped, discussing how Dr. Robert Cialidini's book "Influence" has been weaponized in online business. 

*******
Do you know what book is one of the most used—and abused—in online business? Many celebrity entrepreneurs and top marketers cite it as influential…which makes sense given its title.  

It’s Robert Cialdini’s Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion.

While we have referenced this book many times on the pod, we have never actually done a deep dive to get into the nitty-gritty of it all.  

In this episode, we explore Robert Cialidini and his code of ethics for anyone who uses his work. We then examine three of his seven weapons of influence and cover the next four in the next episode. 

We discuss: 

• Who is Robert Cialdini?
• Dr. Cialdini’s code of ethics.
• Background on the book Influence.
• What Cialdini means by “principles”.
• The first three principles and how they show up in online business.
  • Reciprocity
  • Liking/Familiarity
  • Scarcity
• How to protect yourself as a consumer. 

For detailed show notes and links to everything mentioned in this episode, please visit duped.online. For more Duped, including monthly bonus episodes, join the Patreon: https://patreon.com/duped

One of the things that pisses me off about online business is how people play fast and loose with words. 

A lot of the time, they use words in a way where they don't mean what they think they mean. 

And this past year, I've noticed a lot of people talking about messaging and how they help you with your messaging. 

But when I look at their programs, because, believe it or not, I take a lot of courses on messaging and marketing to keep my own skills sharp, I often find the program isn't about messaging. 

It's about copywriting or content marketing or just straight-up marketing, 

Or it's just a snippet of what messaging is, like an elevator pitch or content buckets. And nothing makes marketing suck more for you as a solo business owner than being confused about what your business actually needs. 

So it's time to revisit what the difference is between marketing, messaging, and copywriting with examples so you know where to focus, and you're not wasting your time or money focused on the wrong damn thing. 

In this episode, you will hear:

• Why online business is confused about the differences between the three
• Defining what the difference is between messaging, copywriting, and marketing
• How to know what your business needs

Want to hear more about The Expert Up Club? Book Your Private Tour Here

Full show notes and transcript are here.

“Figuring out how to explain what you do in ways that resonate with other people and connects them to what they're feeling right now is tricky.”

Have you ever been talking to someone explaining what you do and they're staring at you like you're speaking a language they've never even heard before and don't even know how to begin to comprehend. 

Please know you're not alone. 

So many brilliant business owners struggle to connect with their clients, not because they lack knowledge, but because they're stuck in expert speak.

 It's like we think, if I can just give you all the information, then that will be enough. You'll be wowed, and you'll book a call with me. Unfortunately, that's not how it works. 

And what's really happening is how we can help them, how our expertise benefits them and their lives is getting lost in translation. 

Zoa Conner is a functional health and wellness expert who helps you feel better, not older, through personalized lifestyle guidance and education, knows this firsthand.

When Zoa and I first met, her message was getting lost and she’ll tell you how she overcame it and how it’s making marketing suck less for her! 

In this episode, you will hear:

• The critical role of messaging in getting clients ready for the work you do
• The difficulties small businesses face in competing with larger companies and the emphasis on local SEO.
• How initial consultations are structured to identify client concerns and create personalized plans.
• The importance of continuously revisiting and optimizing marketing strategies for better client alignment and business growth.

Want to hear more about The Expert Up Club? Book Your Private Tour Here

Full show notes and transcript are here.

“If I decide to use social media, then maybe I'm posting all the time and checking for likes and comments in my off hours. What you choose from marketing can affect your life. And for me, it has been really important to figure out a way to do it that works for me and lets me keep on living the life I want to be living and not feeling too stressed out by my work or feeling the need to get in there and do things at all hours of the day.”

Everyone who markets marketing programs is always so damn certain that their approach works for everyone, everywhere, no matter the business. 

They've got the one right way to do it. 

And that certainty makes you doubt yourself and your decisions. It also always has you on the lookout to find that silver bullet that's going to work flawlessly.

But what if there's no one right way to market?

How do you navigate the uncertainty and build your own confidence around marketing? 

This is what Expert Up Club member and career coach for teachers, Laura Litwiller, and I talk about on today's podcast.

In this episode, you will hear:

• The importance of having a clear message in marketing. Laura mentions how refining her message through her "3 Word Rebellion" has boosted her confidence
• Laura’s significant reduction in social media usage and what platform she uses now
• The best platforms to reach Laura's target audience of teachers exploring career changes
• Alternatives to social media, focusing on SEO, strategic partnerships, and one-on-one conversations, aiming to reach her audience more effectively.

Want to hear more about The Expert Up Club? Book Your Private Tour Here

Full show notes and transcript are here.

Let's face it. Experts are made to feel shame about their expertise. 

We too often hear things like:

>>don't be an expert, be an explorer

>>don't be smart, be curious

>>don't be an expert, be a human

And these things are said by the very people who claim to get experts known and hired for their work. 

And it is time, my friend, that we stop shitting on experts because here's the truth. 

The very thing you are told to deny about yourself, about your experience is what will make you great at marketing your business. 

Experts bring three great untapped strengths when it comes to marketing, and I'm gonna tell you all about it on this episode of the podcast.

In this episode, you will hear:

• The pressure and societal messages that make experts feel ashamed of their expertise.
• How expertise can be a superpower in marketing rather than a liability
• The three untapped strengths that experts bring to marketing: insatiable curiosity, willingness to experiment and change course, and humility.

Want to hear more about The Expert Up Club? Book Your Private Tour Here

Full show notes and transcript are here.

“I've been thinking all that time I'm spending over here on social, and I'm not spending really any quality time with the people that voluntarily chose to be in my world by opting into my thing.”

Riddle me this, Batman.

Why do we spend so much time on marketing that leads nowhere vs. focusing on marketing that works to get clients?

 It's probably because everybody on the interwebs is screaming at you to do more marketing and do it on social media, when for so many people, that is just a waste of time. 

At least that's what my guest, Norma Frahn, found out. When she right-sized her marketing efforts, she realized that social media wasn’t better for business. She changed course.
 
Want to hear more about The Expert Up Club? Book Your Private Tour Here

Full show notes and transcript are here.

Marketing feels like a time suck of doom. 

There's all this doubt. 

>>>Is it really working? 

>>>Am I getting it right? Whatever right means. 

And then despite spending so much time on your marketing, you're just not seeing the results you want to see. 

And then there's the beating yourself up of feeling like you're never doing enough despite your best efforts. 

And what I want for you is to stop the doubt, the worry, the beating yourself up. I don't want you to feel like you're wasting your time, energy, and money on marketing. 

Because as a solo business owner, you've got too much going on for any of that nonsense. 

• But how do you stop? 
• How can you make marketing suck less?

I've got something brand new just for you. 

Want to hear more about The Expert Up Club? Book Your Private Tour Here

Full show notes and transcript are here.

“I went down a whole path that was completely not right for my business, and it was very frustrating, and I wasted a lot of time doing a lot of stuff that wasn't really helpful.”

You know what really sucks about marketing? 

When you're told to market in a certain way that works for every business. And only after you've done all that work, invested all that money, you find out that ish was never gonna work for your business. 

Over the years, I've worked with so many B2B consultants who've gone down this exact path only to find out what works to market for them doesn't look like any of that online BS. 

And this is why I wanted to talk to Camille Rapacz about how she corrected the course and found out that marketing could actually be, dare I say, fun?
 
In this episode, you will hear

• Camille’s approach to meeting people and the importance of building relationships with fellow business owners.
• The need to tailor marketing strategies to specific businesses and the importance of understanding industry differences.
• Camille’s realization that traditional broadcasting marketing (social media posts, blog posts) did not work for her B2B consulting business.
• The importance of using one's unique personality and strengths, especially as an introvert, in shaping effective marketing strategies.

Want to hear more about The Expert Up Club? Book Your Private Tour Here

Full show notes and transcript are here.

“And then it kinda dawned on me last year, I don't need a lead magnet or an opt in. I think you talked about how every time you create something, even if it's free, you still have to “sell it”. I'm just selling my newsletter. It was like a weight lifted.”

Think fast. How many lead magnets have you created for your business? 

For this iteration of my business, I have created at least 6 different lead magnets. Rarely have I created one that I was really satisfied with.

I've spent so much time and energy trying to devise an irresistible opt-in that would lead people to my work. 

And it's hard to do, but know there is a different way. 

This is what Bev Feldman is here to talk about because trying to find that unicorn lead magnet was making marketing suck more for her and not less. So she went a different way. 

In this episode, you will hear:

• The pressure of social media and the overwhelming task of creating appealing lead magnets
• Frustration with the conventional approach to creating lead magnets and opt-ins
• Bev’s decision process to “sell” her newsletter
• The significance of creating engaging emails that encourage responses and conversations.

Ready to Market Like an Expert: Grab the Free Course

Full show notes and transcript are here

“I want to make sure that if someone happens to find me when I'm not posting content, that they have a way to hear about me, learn about me - without me having to pump out content to the feed.”

Nothing makes me want to dive head-first into a vat of lava like the thought of making a 7-second video to post on Reels or TikTok. And if you feel that way too, please know that you are not alone.

And today, I'm talking to Jessica Lackey, who, like me, hates short form content, so she decided not to do it.  

If you wanna know what she does instead, you'll just have to listen.

In this episode, you will hear:

• The challenges of short-form content creation for experts and its impact on long-form content
• Why the difference between feed based content vs playlist based content is important for experts
• The interconnectedness of content creation, repurposing, and business programs
• Marketing approach focusing on transparency, consistency, and offering free resources
• The importance in building personal connections and relationship-building in marketing

Want to hear more about The Expert Up Club? Book Your Private Tour Here

Full show notes and transcript are here.

This week on the podcast, we're doing something a little bit different. A pod takeover. I invited my friend, Michelle Warner to take over my podcast feed. 

Her podcast Sequence Over Strategy is the only business podcast that I religiously listen to. Michelle and I are incredibly aligned with how we approach business (and she's also the opening speaker for the Make Marketing Suck Less virtual event).

Aligning Marketing and Growth

Do you struggle to decide your marketing strategy? Do you know if you want to reach as many people as possible or just your target audience? Michelle Warner, a business designer and strategist, discusses a shift in her marketing strategy. Previously focused on one-on-one work and relationship marketing, she’s now transitioning to teaching more bootcamps, which requires a higher volume of leads. This shift means she needs to balance her marketing strategies, incorporating more traffic marketing alongside relationship marketing to align with her new product mix.

Michelle explains the difference between relationship marketing (deep, authentic connections) and traffic marketing (mass outreach) and stresses the importance of aligning marketing strategies with your business model. She also highlights her involvement in Michelle Mazur’s summit, "Make Marketing Suck Less," which aims to help businesses find suitable marketing strategies.

For more details and to join the summit visit: https://drmichellemazur.com/event

A special invite to the Make Marketing Suck Less Virtual Event!

Social media feels like a 20-lb weight choking all the joy out of my business.

All the "shoulds." All the rules. All the head trash around having the "perfect" hook." Maybe you feel it, too?

Here's the deal: you don't have to RELY on social media for audience growth.

You've got a ton of options. Finding what works for you is freeing.

I'm hosting a virtual event, Make Marketing Suck Less to help you do just that. I'm gathering 10 business owners to reveal their  BEST marketing method to book more business this year beyond likes & shares.

Because this is a conversation that the industry needs to have, as there is no ONE way to market your business.

Your way is unique based on your strengths, who you serve, and how you want to show up.

Join us here: https://drmichellemazur.com/event

“I know that there's this unicorn idea that you can preschedule things months in advance, and preschedule all of your content, and, like, sit down for 8 hours in one day, and record 17.6 reels. But that is a lie unto me, and it never worked for me. And so for me, it had to be. It sucked even worse if I tried to batch content.”

Marketing is relentless. 

It is something that is never done and dusted. 

Yet, it's a core pillar of what you need to do to have a sustainable business. So when marketing is relentless, how do you make it suck less? 

That's exactly why I am talking to Expert Up Club member and my dear friend, Michelle Markwart Deveaux.

Want to hear more about The Expert Up Club? Book Your Private Tour Here

Full show notes and transcript are here.