Stop the Scroll: A social Media podcast with Heidi Schmidt - Social Media and Content Marketing Advice for small business owners and solopreneurs looking to win online

This week we’re celebrating six years in business – and two years of podcasting!  But we’re also marking a milestone in that we’re putting a pause on season one of the podcast. In this reflective episode, I’m sharing the biggest lessons entrepreneurship has taught me about marketing, leadership, authenticity, and growth. We’re having an honest conversation about what it really looks like to grow a...

What if the numbers you’ve been obsessing over are the ones that matter the least? In this episode of Stop the Scroll , I’m breaking down the truth about vanity metrics and why more followers, more likes, and more comments do not automatically mean more leads or more revenue.  We’re taking a candid look at the comparison trap that so many business owners fall into and explains why follower count i...

Everyone wants more views, and more followers in the social media space.  So many business owners have said to me, “I want to go viral.” Hard stop y’all. Going viral is nice, sure, but it’s not a part of a well-rounded social media strategy.  In this episode, we’re talking about the obsession with going viral on social media and why it shouldn’t be a primary goal in your social media strategy. Sim...

If you’ve been staring at your content calendar like… “I literally cannot today,” this episode is for you. Because sometimes the world feels heavy, routines fall apart, motivation disappears, and marketing starts to feel pointless…or impossible. In this honest, real-time conversation, I’m sharing what I’m navigating too: the pressure to keep showing up, the exhaustion of trying to separate “Busine...

Happy 2026! Heidi’s kicking off the year a little later than planned (because the end of 2025 was, in her words, a “complete and utter Schmidt show”)—but with a message every overwhelmed business owner needs to hear: You don’t need to do more this year. You need to do what you can repeat. In this episode, we’re breaking down the three anchors guiding our year: consistency, courage, and balance and...

This year stretched me—in the best and hardest ways. And, if you know what’s to come, this is only the beginning, right? In this unfiltered end of year recap, I’m pulling back the curtain on the wins I didn’t expect, the misses I’d repeat differently, and the pivots that changed our momentum in Q4. You’ll hear why “diversify” became my lifeline, how I navigated client churn and capacity without bu...

Can you believe we’re less than a month away from 2026? We’ve talked a lot about marketing strategy going into the new year – but today, we’re talking about what to expect in the year ahead from social media marketing. We’ve all felt a bit like we’re screaming into the void on social media and well, it’s not just you. You’re not imagining it. But what do we do about it? We’re breaking down the big...

Feeling stretched thin as the year wraps up? You are NOT alone.  In this life-and-business update, we’re talking about why Stop the Scroll is moving to a biweekly cadence and how I’m simplifying my own marketing to finish the year strong. You’ll hear real talk about bandwidth, capacity, and what to do when your pipeline needs love because you’ve been head-down serving clients. Then we get practica...

Feeling chained to the algorithm? You’re not alone, and it’s not just in your head. This is a challenge I face every day and every week with my clients. Algorithms are increasingly challenging, and the competition to stay ahead and keep up with app features can be exhausting.   In this episode, Heidi makes a bold case: your business can grow without social media, and sometimes, it’ll grow faster w...

If you’ve got 10 seconds, you’ve got a clip: the door opening, a notebook flip, keys on the desk, a client thank-you email. String a few together, add a “how I” voiceover or a strong on-screen hook, and you’ve got a reel…without blocking your calendar or your creativity. In this podcast episode, If you’ve been overthinking reels, try this: film life as it’s happening—eight 3–5 second clips—and tel...

If checking your follower count is the first thing you do when you open Instagram… we need to talk. Obsessing over followers and unfollows isn’t “staying on top of your metrics”, it’s a toxic habit that triggers anxiety, imposter syndrome, emotional exhaustion, and desperate content. Even worse? It pulls your focus away from the metrics that actually grow your business. In this episode, I’m sharin...

If it feels like the rules of social media change the moment you find your groove, you’re not wrong. Social media is ALWAYS changing.  In this Quarterly Updates episode, I’m pulling together what actually shifted on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and LinkedIn, what it means for small businesses, and translating those changes into simple actions you can try this week.  No panic, just perspective and...

Are you treating social media like another task on your to-do list? Do you treat it as a tool to genuinely connect with your audience? For many small business owners, the difference between feeling overwhelmed and seizing an opportunity comes down to one thing: mindset. This week, I’m exploring what it means to adopt a creator mindset in your marketing. This shift isn’t about becoming an influence...

Ever feel like your Instagram content deserves way more views than it gets? The truth is, it might not be your content at all…it’s your hook(s). Without a scroll-stopping first impression, even your most valuable posts will get ignored. In this episode of Stop the Scroll , we’re breaking down the three types of hooks —visual, verbal, and caption —and why they’re key to grabbing attention and keepi...

Scrambling to pull together holiday promotions at the last minute? Let’s fix that. Marketing during this time of year can feel incredibly overwhelming, but with the right plan in place, it can also be your most profitable season.  In this episode of Stop the Scroll , we’re walking you through a practical approach to small business marketing strategy for the final 90 days of the year. From tying yo...

What really happens when you commit to 30 days of Reels? I tested it for myself, and while I didn’t hit all 30, I still walked away with higher reach, more engagement, and some surprising takeaways about what actually works on Instagram. In this episode of Stop the Scroll , I’m talking about my 30-day Reels experiment – from what I posted, what the analytics showed, and the lessons I’ll carry into...

If your answer to “Who’s your audience?” is something broad like “women” or “business owners,” it’s time to dig deeper. If you’re marketing to everyone generally, you’re really marketing to no one.  In this episode of Stop the Scroll , we’re breaking down the questions you need to ask yourself to get clear on who you really serve; and how that clarity can transform your content, messaging, and off...

What’s really holding you back from showing up online? For most business owners, it isn’t lack of strategy—it’s mindset.  In this episode of Stop the Scroll , we’re getting real about the fear of rejection, imposter syndrome, and the pressure to “look perfect” that keeps so many of us from sharing our stories. We’re talking about how authenticity and resilience go hand-in-hand, and why letting go...

Instagram just dropped a wave of new updates, and if you’re feeling a little overwhelmed (or wondering which ones are actually worth your time), this episode is for you. From three-minute Reels to reposting, new editing tools, location tracking (yikes), and DM upgrades, you’ll walk away knowing exactly which features to test, which to skip, and how to use them strategically without burning out. As...

Running a local business means your marketing needs to do more than just “look good” online. It has to bring real people through the door. In this episode of Stop the Scroll , we’re sharing strategies that actually work for small, local businesses that want to stand out in their communities, connect with the right audience, and turn online followers into loyal, in-person customers. Whether you’re...

Feel like content batching is supposed to save time, but instead, it just leaves you overwhelmed, uninspired, and burned out? You’re not alone. In this episode of Stop the Scroll , I’m challenging the traditional advice around batching your content and sharing my alternative: idea batching. I’ll walk you through how this more flexible and sustainable system works for my energy and creative flow, h...

If you’ve ever felt guilty for not posting on Instagram every single day, this episode is your permission slip to let that go. In this solo episode, I’m breaking down what actually moves the needle on Instagram in 2025—and surprise: it’s not posting daily. From building real relationships to creating a simple engagement routine that takes 15–30 minutes a day, I’m sharing the exact methods I use (a...

Wait, Instagram posts can show up on Google now? Yep. And if you’re not optimizing your content for search, you could be missing out on serious visibility. In this episode of Stop the Scroll , we’re unpacking a big shift that’s changing how your Instagram content gets discovered, and why a keyword strategy matters now more than ever. Whether you’ve seen that new pop-up on your app or not, this epi...

Feeling overwhelmed by all the advice about what to post, when to post it, or how to manage your content when life gets busy?  You’re not alone. In this episode, we’re keeping it real with a laid-back Q&A session, answering frequently asked questions straight from clients, DMs, and conversations with fellow business owners. From choosing the right scheduler and navigating TikTok vs. Instagram,...

Everyone wants to go viral, but what actually happens when you do? And more importantly, does it move the needle for your business? In this episode, we’re sharing a real client case study where a short, unplanned Reel unexpectedly racked up over 250,000 views. It was shared thousands of times, saved by hundreds, and sparked major engagement…but the results might surprise you.  Spoiler: more views...