If you're tired of playing the algorithm's game, but want to use Instagram to find readers for your work, this is the podcast for you. Listen for Instagram insights, practical tips, and encouraging pep talks, curated especially for writers and authors.
S1 E1: Hashtag, It's Summer - there's not enough time for Instagram!
Wednesday, July 23, 2025 • Duration 13:15
Welcome back to the Too Much Social Podcast and the first full-length episode of Hashtag, It’s Summer, the series I’m sharing weekly for the next six weeks so you can access support with your Instagram in amongst the many other demands of the summer holidays!
When I announced the podcast on Instagram last week some of you took the time to let me know this is exactly what you need this summer, so I’m really excited that this is going to meet you where you’re at in this busiest of seasons.
In this episode I offer you three time-management tips that you can implement immediately but if you want to get into the weeds of the relationship between Instagram and time, check out this free 1 hour workshop:
These tips will work all year round so even if you’re taking a break this summer you can still listen along. If that’s you, make sure you also sign up for the WAKE UP INSTAGRAM CHALLENGE - a free week-long series of emails that will help you get back in front of your favourite online people when you come back:
Coming up in Hashtag, It’s Summer:
I haven’t finalised the full schedule of episodes yet, but at the moment the episodes in the pipeline are about:
* where to start with using Instagram for your book promo or platform building
* why engagement matters, and how to drive it
* what to do if you want to accelerate the growth of your account
* using community - not content - as your book promotion super-power
* and the importance of ‘radical acceptance’ when it comes to using Instagram for your book marketing, platform building, and beyond ❤️
Make sure you’re subscribed here on Substack to receive the episodes straight to your inbox, or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and I’ll support you with your Instagram through the summer ❤️
In the meantime, it would be amazing if you would all rate and review the pod as it helps me reach more listeners! See you next Wednesday with the next episode of Hashtag, It’s Summer ❤️
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nicolawashington.substack.com/subscribe
S1: Hashtag, It's Summer - trailer
Tuesday, July 15, 2025 • Duration 02:58
Hashtag, It's Summer is coming!
What can you expect? Who is it for? Lend me your ears for three minutes and I'll explain it all - this is your invitation to a kinder, calmer way to do Instagram this summer ❤️
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit nicolawashington.substack.com/subscribe
S1 E2: Hashtag, It's Summer - what if every time I post I feel like I might die of Cringe?
Wednesday, July 30, 2025 • Duration 16:36
Hello, and welcome back to the Hashtag, It’s Summer podcast series which is my invitation to you to stay in touch with your Instagram book marketing and platform building in this super-busy season.
This is episode two, and contrary to what I previously said, this episode is about The Cringe!
I was supposed to record an episode about how to get started on Instagram but this question of how to tackle The Cringe would not leave me alone since I watched a clip of Ocean Vuong talking about how ‘Cringe Culture’ is holding back his creative writing students.
I’m sure what he says - I’ve included the clip in the podcast, and you can watch the og video below 👇🏼 - will feel relatable to many of you in the context of your writing, but what also occurred to me is how often this feeling shows up when writers and author have to talk about yourself, and your work, in order to build a platform or promote your book.
So, I’ve done my best to explore why writers and authors might experience cringe when it comes to posting on Instagram, and I’ve made six suggestions for ways you might start to overcome it.
I hope you enjoy the episode!
Next week’s episode is going to be a meaty one about growth on Instagram so, if that’s interesting to you, make sure you’ve subscribed on your podcast provider, or here on Substack, so you’re notified as soon as that episode drops.
Featured in this episode:
* The Wake Up Instagram Challenge - a FREE week-long series of 10 min daily tasks to help you get back in front of your favourite people after you’ve been on a break. Sign up with your email address below. The challenge starts on Monday 25th August 2025.
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit
Introducing... Serving Books: from inspiration to publication, a book's journey into your reader's hands
Thursday, July 2, 2026 • Duration 02:21
The Too Much Social Podcast is back for the summer but this time I’m doing something a little different!
Instead of focusing purely on the mechanics and mindset of Instagram book marketing, I’m casting my net a little further, partly to satisfy my own curiosity - but hopefully to satisfy some of yours too!
To give you a little context, the inspiration for this latest podcast series is that I have lots of questions about the journey to publication because I’m a publishing industry outsider - I cut my social media teeth in the blogging and ecommerce worlds and there are times when professionally and personally, the inner workings of this industry leave me feeling a little stumped.
A few months ago, I was looking for a podcast that would answer some of my questions and although I could find some answers dotted around the internet here and there, I couldn’t find a podcast that, in one place, would take me through all the steps a book has to go through before it ends up in a reader’s hands. So I decided to make one!
Welcome to Serving Books: from inspiration to publication.
For the last few weeks I’ve been busily recording episodes with some brilliantly knowledgeable and insightful guests from all kinds of niches across the publishing industry. I’ve spoken to book coaches, writing mentors, people who have pursued different routes to publication, agents, editors, book marketing and pr experts, all the way through to book shop owners, book world influencers and some brilliant people who have excellent ideas about how you continue finding new readers once your books are out in the world.
Starting next week, on Weds 8th July, I’ll be releasing one episode every week until the beginning of September which you can listen to wherever you get your podcasts.
I’m excited to share all these episodes with you soon but in the meantime please share this announcement with all of your writerly friends.
To receive the episodes directly into your podcast feed subscribe wherever you listen, or sign up to Too Much by Nicola Washington on Substack and the episodes will land straight in your inbox.
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit
S2 E3: 😱SCREAM-SHOT😱 Taming the twin ogres of visibility and vulnerability
Friday, October 31, 2025 • Duration 48:26
Boo! 👻 Welcome back to the TOO MUCH SOCIAL podcast! 👻 In this Halloween mini-series - 😱 SCREAM-SHOT(yes, I went there) - we’re exorcising the biggest fears that haunt writers and authors when it comes to book marketing and audience growth 🎃
In today’s episode I speak to Lauren Currie about how writers and authors can defeatthe double threat of visibility and vulnerability that you often experience when you have to build your audience or promote your books.
I am super-excited to bring you this episode with Lauren as, not only is she the founder of Upfront - an organisation dedicated to changing confidence, visibility, and power for 10 million women - but just a few weeks ago, she also launched her first book out into the world 🥳
Taylor Meets The Trickis a picture book, designed to be read and understood by primary school age children, that is also a powerful tool for parents and teachers who want to start the conversation about the patriarchy and gender equality but who don’t know how, or are struggling to find the right language.
I remember when Lauren first introduced me to the idea of calling the patriarchy, The Trick and it transformed the way I talk about gender stereotyping with my children so if that sounds like something you, or your family, or maybe your child’s school might benefit from you can purchase your copy of Taylor Meets The Trick by clicking the button below:
In the episode, we talk about:
* where the all-too-common fear of visibility comes from
* Lauren’s own feelings of vulnerability as she steps into a new identity as an author
* specific strategies Lauren has used to increase the visibility of her book that may make some of us shudder, but that we can all learn from
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit
S2 E2: 😱SCREAM-SHOT😱 Going from ghosted to hosted on podcasts 👻
Wednesday, October 29, 2025 • Duration 32:02
Boo! 👻 Welcome back to the TOO MUCH SOCIAL podcast! 👻 In this Halloween mini-series - 😱 SCREAM-SHOT(yes, I went there) - we’re exorcising the biggest fears that haunt writers and authors when it comes to book marketing and audience growth 🎃
In this three-part mini-series I’m talking to experts who’ll help you face down your biggest book marketing fears and slay those audience-growing nightmares 🎃
In today’s episode I speak to producer, writer and presenter, Hannah Loy about preparing for, pitching to, and guesting on, podcasts so you can worry less about being ghosted 👻, or turning into a mumbling, stumbling zombie the second the host hits record 🧟♀️
Listen wherever you get your podcasts and, if you like what you hear, I’d love you to share it with your network, or leave a review so other people can find me 🙏🏻
If you missed Monday’s episode with Productivity Expert, Amanda Appiagyei: Slay the Time Vampire before it drains the joy (and life) out of your book marketing 🧛🏻♀️ - the cheeseball puns are giving me life, can you tell? -you can find it here:
Today’s guest, Hannah Loy is a producer, writer, presenter and creator of Read the Room Productions, an audio production company dedicated to bringing arts and literature to life.
She makes crafted and creative podcasts and radio documentaries and is hoping to launch a new audiobook strand to her business very soon, helping authors create professional sounding audiobooks on a budget.
Hannah started Read the Room Productions in 2024, after 20 years broadcast media experience.
She spent 18 of those years at the BBC, working across a wide range of daily and weekly programming, as well as making documentaries for BBC Radio 4, BBC World Service and BBC Radio Wales.
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit
S2 E1: 😱SCREAM-SHOT😱 Slay the Time Vampire before it drains the joy (and life) out of your book marketing 🧛🏻♀️
Monday, October 27, 2025 • Duration 54:08
Boo! 👻 Welcome back to the TOO MUCH SOCIAL podcast! 👻 In this Halloween mini-series - 😱 SCREAM-SHOT(yes, I went there) - we’re exorcising the biggest fears that haunt writers and authors when it comes to book marketing and audience growth 🎃
In this three-part mini-series I’m talking to experts who’ll help you face down your biggest book marketing fears and slay those audience-growing nightmares 🎃
Episode 1 - this one! - will address the fear of never having enough time to do an effective job of your book marketing alongside everything else you do, with Productivity Expert - the parent and neurodivergent-friendly kind - Amanda Appiagyei.
BEFORE WE GET INTO IT THOUGH, I MUST tell you about a ✨new✨ gentle productivity tool Amanda has created that I recommend trying if you find prioritising tasks, demand avoidance, decision-making, or transitioning between tasks a challenge when you’re trying to tackle your to do list.
Amanda let me have a play with STOP THE SPIRAL before she released it into the world last week and I was genuinely blown away by how effectively it disrupted my demand avoidance and eased me through the transitions I usually find so sticky. Sign up with your email to get the tool for free!
Today’s guest is Amanda Appiagyei, a Productivity Coach for parents.
Now, before you all run screaming for the hills at the first sniff of the word ‘productivity’, I promise you Amanda’s approach is something different.
She want to show parents - and other busy people - how we can manage our time better, without 5am alarms, hustle culture or toxic productivity.
One of the main fears writers and authors hold about book marketing and audience building is
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit
BOO! 👻 What scares you most about book marketing?
Wednesday, October 22, 2025 • Duration 01:20
The TOO MUCH SOCIAL PODCAST is BACK this half-term holiday for a brand new three-part podcast mini-series…
A couple of weeks ago I checked the download stats for the first series of the podcast that I started on a whim in July, without a clue what I was doing, and was staggered to see that the 6 episodes have been downloaded over 3.6k times!
I really enjoyed making the first series but didn’t have any expectations about how many people would listen. I just wanted to have some fun while being supportive! This number of downloads was a lovely surprise and I don’t need another reason to have another crack at it!
So, as we approach another school holiday, when it may feel near impossible to stay in touch with book marketing alongside all the other things you’re responsible for, I’d like to introduce…
😱SCREAM-SHOT😱!
warning, incoming, disgusting levels of Halloween-themed wordplay…
🕷️ Spooky season is upon us… and like all the best witches I’ve been creeping around behind the scenes, brewing up something special for you!
I’ve conjured three special edition episodes featuring wickedly smart experts who are here to help you exorcise your marketing fears and banish those book-promo demons once and for all.
Over three fang-tastic episodes, we’ll help you:
🧛🏻♀️ Slay the Time Vampire - before it drains the life (and joy) out of your marketing and writing routines.
👻 Going From Ghosted To Hosted On Podcasts - and avoiding mumbling and stumbling like a zombie the moment someone hits record.
👹👹 Tame the twin ogres of Visibility and Vulnerability - and learn to dance with them instead of running for the hills.
So grab your garlic and your guts - it’s time to face your fears and rise from the marketing graveyard stronger than ever 💀✨
🙈
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit
S1 E6: Hashtag, It's Summer - but what if I don't want to do my own book marketing?
Wednesday, August 27, 2025 • Duration 16:51
Hello, and welcome back to the Hashtag, It’s Summer podcast series, which is my invitation to you to stay in touch with your Instagram book marketing and platform building in this super-busy season.
This week’s episode is the last of this series!
If you’d like me to record more episodes in future, let me know in the comments! I’ve really enjoyed this experiment and would like to record more but, like many of you, my time is limited so I want to focus my efforts on the things you tell me really make a difference to you.
If the podcast is it, then bring it on, but you have to let me know!
This week’s episode is about the concept of ‘radical acceptance’ and how flexing this muscle can help you feel less resistant and resentful about showing up on Instagram. I hope you find it useful!
👩🏻🏫 September is RESET month in the TOO MUCH INSTAGRAM membership
If you’d like to Reset your relationship with Instagram so you feel better about using it, now is the time to join the membership because during September members will receive:
* exclusive access to the RESET series for the whole month - 20 daily 10 minute tasks that will transform how you feel about Instagram and change how it fits into your life (rather than the other way round)
* ‘Speak Out On Social Media Like You Mean It’ training with Siobhan Strode, an advocacy mentor who specialises in helping people make themselves heard. Come along to work on the confidence to create an Instagram presence that aligns with who you really are
* a bank of proven post formatsto use during the autumn, like this one:
* weekly check in group chat
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit
S1 E5: Hashtag, It's Summer - will Instagram work if I only have a small audience?
Wednesday, August 20, 2025 • Duration 24:46
Hello, and welcome back to the Hashtag, It’s Summer podcast series, which is my invitation to you to stay in touch with your Instagram book marketing and platform building in this super-busy season.
This week’s episode is for you if you ‘only’ have a few hundred followers and are wondering whether there’s any point in investing time in your Instagram account, OR if you’re tired of chasing followers and want to focus on the value - and huge potential - of building networks and community instead 🕸❤️
If you’ve taken a break from Instagram and are about to return, join the WAKE UP INSTAGRAM Challenge!
WAKE UP starts on Monday 25th August and is a free seven-day series of 10 minute tasks and exercises to get you back in front of your favourite online people. You can join by signing up with your email below:
This is where I make Instagram feel doable, sustainable, and better than it ever has done before. Expect ideas, encouragement, advice, and - best of all - no more shouting into the void!
Members enjoy:
* weekly check in chats - talk about your post plans (great for accountability) and get advice
* fortnightly Content Create-alongs - ring fence some time to create content and I’ll answer any questions you have
* monthly Ask Me Anything clinics - space for me to give you more in depth advice and guidance
* such as tutorials, post ideas and guest speakers to learn from in your own time, including the and the
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit
Related Shows Based on Content Similarities
Discover shows related to Too Much Social Podcast, based on actual content similarities. Explore podcasts with similar topics, themes, and formats, backed by real data.
In the TOO MUCH INSTAGRAM membership I:✨ hold your hand as you step into a scary new era of publicly claiming your identity as a writer✨ curate post ideas to suit your needs so you stop wasting your time ‘scrolling for inspiration’ and have a clear plan instead✨ offer simple advice and clarity about what you should be doing next
✨ motivate you to engage more in your book marketing than you otherwise would do!
Benefits of becoming a member include:
✅ weekly check-in chats for accountability and advice
✅ monthly lists of trending and proven post ideas for you to add to your planning
✅ monthly Ask Me Anything calls for personalised advice
✅ fortnightly co-working sessions to get your content made in company
* her choices to be radically transparent about the process and the money, despite fears of judgement or ridicule, inspired by Amie McNee, and more!
Huge thanks to Lauren and I hope you enjoy listening to the episode as much as I enjoyed recording it! Please let us know in the comments if there is something that lands particularly close to home for you, or a strategy you now feel braver about trying for yourself.
We can’t wait to hear from you!
Listen wherever you get your podcasts and, if you like what you hear, I’d love you to share it with your network, or leave a review so other people can find me 🙏🏻
If you’d like to learn more about the work Lauren does, you can find out more
In our conversation, Lauren also references Amie McNee’s ‘radical transparency’ that inspired Lauren to be so open and vulnerable with her own experiences of publishing a book.
Here is a three month update from Amie McNee:
and a six month update. Both are well worth your time and I thank Amie for her incredible generosity in taking these risks:
Don’t miss the first two episodes of 😱SCREAM-SHOT😱
In episode 1, Slay the Time Vampire before it drains the joy (and life) out of your book marketing 🧛🏻♀️, Amanda Appiagyei shares her take on ‘productivity’ and how we can spend less time doing the things we don’t want to do, in order to make more time for the things we do want to do.
And, in episode 2, Going from ghosted to hosted on podcasts 👻, I interview podcaster, presenter and writer, Hannah Loy about preparing for, pitching to, and guesting on, podcasts so you can worry less about being ghosted 👻, or turning into a mumbling, stumbling zombie the second the host hits record 🧟♀️
Listen wherever you get your podcasts and, if you like what you hear, I’d love you to share it with your network, or leave a review so other people can find me 🙏🏻
This podcast is my way of supporting writers and authors during some of the busiest times of the year for many of us: the school holidays!
But, if you’re fed up of shouting into the void, and would like to make more effective use of Instagram for your book marketing and audience building all of the time, TOO MUCH INSTAGRAM is my membership where I keep Instagram as simple and streamlined as it can possibly be.
Members receive monthly libraries of proven post ideas to use, access to weekly check-ins for advice, regular tutorials to keep improving your skills, and more!
She is skilled in sound, documentary making, broadcasting, visual media production, social media and audio editing AND she currently presents an ongoing series on BBC Sounds called The Aberystwyth Book Club.
This podcast is my way of supporting writers and authors during some of the busiest times of the year for many of us: the school holidays! You can find the summer holidays series here for more episodes.
But, if you’re fed up of shouting into the void, and would like to make more effective use of Instagram for your book marketing and audience building outside the school holidays, TOO MUCH INSTAGRAM is my membership where I keep Instagram as simple and streamlined as it can possibly be.
Members receive monthly libraries of proven post ideas to use, access to weekly check-ins for advice, regular tutorials to keep improving your skills, and more!
how much time is it going to take up? And how am I going to fit it into my already bursting day?
So, in this episode, Amanda talks us through how we might do the things we have to do, faster, so there’s more time to do the things we want to do, with the very important caveat that it’s not about doing more, it’s about doing what matters. I hope you find this episode as enlightening and encouraging as I did.
And don’t forget to sign up to try her new, transformational, to-do tool - STOP THE SPIRAL - for FREE!
This podcast is my way of supporting writers and authors during some of the busiest times of the year for many of us: the school holidays! You can find the summer holidays series here for more episodes.
But, if you’re fed up of shouting into the void, and would like to make more effective use of Instagram for your book marketing and audience building outside the school holidays, TOO MUCH INSTAGRAM is my membership where I offer writers and authors simple, easy to implement, but effective, Instagram tools, tips and ideas.
Episode 2 - Wednesday - is all about preparing you for pitching to and guesting on podcasts so you can worry less about rejection, or making a fool of yourself, and really reap the rewards of this route to your readers, with Producer, Presenter and Writer, Hannah Loy
And, in episode 3, released on Friday, I’ll be joined by confidence maven, Lauren Currie who has embraced vulnerability and made a feature of it in the launch and promotion of her new children’s book, Taylor Meets The Trick.
I am SO proud of these episodes - mostly because these guests are epic and offer so much of their wisdom for you to take away with you. Listen wherever you get your podcasts and, if you like what you hear, I’d love you to share it with your network, or leave a review so other people can find me 🙏🏻
