Happy Subscribers

Episode Summary: Amy Reid has cracked the reader-relationship code with her subscribers — and you better bet that I dug in when I got her on the Happy Subscribers podcast this week! As a baking recipe blogger, Amy has locked in on what her readers want, engaged with them 1:1 through email replies, and prioritizes email marketing as her favorite way to connect with her audience. (Dawwww! ❤️) In Fal...

Episode Summary: This is officially a must-listen interview on the podcast.  Mike Nelson — co-founder of Really Good Emails — has nearly two decades of email experience (the kind I seriously envy). In this episode, we cover so much good stuff, including: How many touches (aka emails) it really takes to build trust with new subscribers The KPIs that actually matter when measuring email success The...

Episode Summary: Email has spent years sitting on the backburner. A "just in case" channel.
A safety net.
A maybe I'll deal with this later strategy. But in 2026? That changes. In this solo episode, I'm sharing what I see coming next for email marketing — not from trend forecasts or hot takes, but from years inside creator inboxes, email platforms, and real subscriber behavior. Because hitting "se...

Episode Summary: When it's the end of the year, it's that time to reflect back on your year and take stock of what the last 11+ months held… I love a good moment to record what happened, asking: "What did I learn? What made this year significant?" For me, that looked like writing out a list of 10 (which quickly became 15) of my top moments or wins from the year.  And I'm sharing 7 of those in this...

Episode Summary: My conversation with Paul Gowder, founder of PowWows.com, might be one of my favorite episodes yet on Happy Subscribers. Paul started PowWows.com nearly 30 years ago as a side hustle and today, it's grown into the leading online hub for celebrating Native culture and one of the most engaged email communities I've ever heard of. He gets dozens of replies with each email he sends!!...

Episode Summary: "Going viral is not a business strategy." - Katie Brinkley In this week's episode, I'm joined by social media strategist Katie Brinkley, author of The Social Shift and host of two podcasts: Rocky Mountain Marketing and Marketing Trends Now. Katie helps entrepreneurs simplify their social media strategy so you can spend less time creating social content and more time connecting (wh...

Episode Summary: "AI can predict the next word in a sentence but it can't make meaning. That's our job." - Dan Cumberland This episode of Happy Subscribers features my friend Dan Cumberland, founder of Dan Cumberland Labs .  And while we're still new to the landscape of AI and it sometimes feels like a foreign language, Dan helps creators use it to improve their work and expand their impact in the...

Episode Summary: Is blogging dead? That might be a spicy question but it's exactly where Mike Zielonka and I started in this week's episode of Happy Subscribers. Mike helps online creators get seen, get clicks, and get paid — and he's got strong opinions on why many creators are still following outdated strategies… and what to do instead.  Whether you're writing newsletters, publishing recipes, or...

Episode Summary: When you think about trying something new with your email marketing, does it stress you out? If it feels techy or outside your wheelhouse, maybe your first instinct is to bury your head in the sand. (Honestly, that can feel easier than possibly messing up, right?) But what if "messing up" wasn't the enemy? What if it was actually your best way to gather data, learn about your audi...

Episode Summary: Ever been tempted to "set it and forget it" with your email marketing? Or thought "I'll let this run and go focus on other things?" That mindset (or neglect) of your email potential is costing you traffic, connection, and revenue. Real dollars for your real business. In today's Happy Subscribers episode, I'm breaking down why email isn't meant to run on autopilot forever — and yes...

Episode Summary:  What is "community," really? We toss that word around a lot, but this conversation with Faith Clarke, organizational health & inclusive teams specialist, autism activist, and author, made it click... community isn't a parasocial vibe we hope our subscribers feel. It's something we design together. Community matters for email because people buy when they trust you. And trust come...

Episode Summary: You don't need 100 blog posts to see big results on Pinterest and drive massive traffic to your site. I know this because Nadalie Bardo got 1 million views on Pinterest in her first month with only 10 posts. In this episode we dive into all things Pinterest like: How she leverages trends, design templates, and Pinterest's natural clickability to boost her content's visibility and...

Episode Summary: Hey, food bloggers: your Instagram traffic doesn't have to get stuck on Instagram. What if every comment on your Reel could send followers straight to your blog (and your ads)? What if they could save recipes to their email or even shop the recipe with one click? Enter: Grocers List. Ben, the founder of this amazing tool, is on the podcast to share how his food-blogger-specific pl...

Episode Summary: This doesn't usually show up in email marketing conversations… but might be the real reason your email strategy isn't moving forward… Not time. Not tools. Not templates. But trust. In this episode of Happy Subscribers, I'm sharing how I went from doing everything myself as a freelancer — email strategy, copywriting, tech setup, copyediting, project manager, you name it — to leadin...

Episode Summary: In this episode, you get to meet my friend Ally Anderson of Akari Digital and she is a freaking WHIZ. I mean that with all of the air in my chest. I learned so much on this call with her that I cannot wait for you to hear and learn about it too!   Whether you're a content creator, blogger, course creator or service provider, join us as we go deep into the stats and numbers of emai...

Episode Summary: Today kicks off part one of a two-part series all about defining and creating your personal brand — not just on your website, but in your emails, too.  Because in a world of content overload (and AI!), your brand is what makes you recognizable, relatable, and worth remembering. Establishing a clear brand helps you differentiate yourself online — for your audience and for yourself....

Episode Summary: The way this episode SURPRISED me… 😮 Kayla Burton — food blogger, food blog coach, and kind-hearted tech tutorial queen — joined me on Happy Subscribers, and y'all, I've got to spill the beans: She nurtured her email list weekly for two years with massively helpful, no-fluff content helping other food bloggers. Then she launched her first webinar… and ended up with THIRTY new coa...

Episode Summary: Q4 is like the Super Bowl for most content creators.  Shopping deals, food, holiday decor, food, entertainment ideas, FOOD. Tis the season for more site traffic! Yay!   When I think of people visiting to your site in droves — coming in HOT from Google and Pinterest — my immediate thought is: How do we turn those page visits into email subscribers?  In this week's episode of Happy...

Episode Summary: Being a publisher is HARD WORK. There are ways to make it easier, but the reality is: Your to-do list will never be done Your content will never be perfect A new social platform will pop up (will you join it?!) But it's also WORTH IT.  In this episode, I'm joined by Colin Devroe of NerdPress for the permission slip you didn't know you needed to embrace the ever-changing landscape...

Episode Summary: Two things need your attention right now: 1. Your relationship with caffeine... who, me? 2. The way you write and send emails Because while you may be sending emails… are you actually building relationships? In this episode, Matthew Smith — founder of Really Good Emails and Wimp Decaf Coffee Company — is here to challenge our thinking on both fronts. And let me tell you… he's conv...

Episode Summary: This one feature from Kit has helped 44% of my email list find me... no pop-ups, paid ads, or consistent social promos required. And it's so promising (and proving) results for creators that even big name bloggers are switching platforms just to access it.  If you're already a Kit user, I want to help you leverage the Creator Network to recommend (and be recommended) to potential...

Episode Summary: With SEO algorithm changes impacting website traffic and social media reach feeling unpredictable, it's more important than ever to build parts of your business you truly own.  In this episode, I'm joined by copywriter and marketing strategist Emily Baksa, who helps food bloggers turn what they already have into profitable digital products. Emily guides clients through simple, str...

Episode Summary: If you've ever felt like paying for ads is the only way to grow your audience, this episode is your permission slip to stop handing your money over to The Big Guys. Because there's another way — a more reliable, personable, and profitable way — and Tracy Beavers joined me on Happy Subscribers to talk us through it. I'm thankful she did because I learned a LOT about what's possible...

Episode Summary: Most food bloggers try to monetize with ads and affiliates.
 Adam built a system that pays him before the traffic even shows up.
 Now he uses his blog as a funnel to sell cooking classes, grow a thriving membership, and support a mission he genuinely believes in — and his email list is doing a lot of the heavy lifting. In this episode, Adam Sobel, award-winning vegan chef and foun...

Episode Summary: Feeling like marketing your business means doing all the things, all the time?  In this episode, I'm joined by friend and client Tayler Cusick Hollman — marketing strategist, founder of Enji, and longtime business owner with marketing WISDOM to share! She and I talk about how to make marketing feel less overwhelming and more effective… especially when you don't have time to waste....