Creative Marketing When I Don’t Want to Rely on Social Media

The marketing landscape is changing, and to be honest, I’ve never been great at it. I have fun on social media…sometimes. Still, with everything changing so rapidly, I don’t want to solely rely on social media to build my mentorship community or my author/book sales. This fall, I’m going to set myself up to do something different – finally – after over a year of talking about returning to blogging and building up my YouTube, that is my focus this fall.

Why I’m looking at other marketing avenues…

It all started with showing up on my Instagram stories earlier this summer and sharing that I was going on sabbatical…
I didn’t plan it. I didn’t expect any responses. I didn’t know what else to do to set myself up for a long Instagram break in my coaching business. I posted it anyway after making the decision that morning.

It resonated. The pre-burnout break to get my ish together. Others got it. Because summer is when we usually pull back, shut down, and go back to living full, adventurous lives.

In the future, I want something sustainable, and daily social media posting just isn’t that.
Newsletters are sustainable.
Bi-weekly YouTube could be sustainable.
Blogging is sustainable.

Things that don’t require my face, or that I can do at midnight, those are the things that are sustainable.

People are tired of the hamster wheel and not knowing how best to tell the world “hey, I made this thing. I think (it would help you, you would like it, it’s pretty, etc). Please buy it.”
They want a better way to build community around their art or writing or coaching or teaching or whatever skill they do that they are building a life around.

What I’m doing…

I genuinely want to bring you along on the journey of renewing my Author brand and my mentorship community program. I want you to see the behind the scenes and share how the creative marketing is working.

What I’m doing these next few months:

• Blogging: blogging was my first love as far as establishing an internet presence. I love writing (obviously, as an author) and blogging has always been an outlet for me. Blogging is how I managed to start building and connecting with community, and I am kind of kicking myself for not leaning into that. However, no one can go back, so the only way is forward.
• YouTube: I already know weekly videos is a no-go for me, but two times a month once the kids go back to school should be doable. With accountability and willingness to put out less than perfect, I can make it work. I also want to bring back interviews there with others similar to my niche and in a vein those in my community can reach out to. Over there, I’m starting with videos about revamping my author brand and how I’m making it grow in income and joy.
• Newsletters: In the past couple of years, my newsletter has really fallen off. I haven’t known what to write in a blog or what to put in a newsletter. I thought Substack was going to be the answer, but to be honest, I missed my blog. I made some other choices that I sort of regret at this point, but as I said, we move forward. I have plans to do something at least every other week, if I can’t keep up with weekly. In reality, ever other week for each of these long-form contents might be the best, because I have to do double for newsletters and blogs. (If you’re interested in hearing from me about my author journey or more about growing your creative business without guilt, burnout, or imposter syndrome, I’ll have more about my newsletters in future blogs.)
• In person: In person events is where it’s at, and I never thought I’d say that. As a major introvert, in-person events feel overwhelming sometimes, but that networking is actually invaluable. We have lost the art of connection, and when we are trying to build something with a tangible creative product at the end, in person shows and events make a huge difference. From poetry to music to visual arts to even coaching we can find events and places to socially share our work. In the age of short-form content, AI slop, and a lack of trust, in-person events are how we are going to start building that on a real, sustainable basis. In-person and long-form content.
• Social Media: yes, I’m doing all of the above, and not in the absence of social media. As a matter of fact, I’m laying the groundwork for a social media marathon where I return to tiktok for my books and post nearly daily on IG (which then goes to facebook). I’m only doing this for a push. I’m doing it to line up with my cycle so I start the major push when PMDD week ends and my cycle begins anew. This is to get as many eyes to my long-form content and my books as possible. After that, I will go back to my semi-inconsistent (semi-consistent?) posting. The hope is the push will be the foundation to drive eyes and readers so the socials can take a back-drop to the long-form content and the communities I’m building. I’m creating a plan to keep it doable for both channels, and this daily thing may not mean daily for both arms of my creative business (the mentorship community or the author veins). This is just a welcome to fall sales push to get myself back into the marketing rhythms.

Why I need something more creative…and you might too.

As a mom who struggles with multiple chronic illnesses, AuDHD, and PMDD, business as usual doesn’t work for me. I can’t hire a huge team to run my marketing, and I don’t have steady, consistent energy or time. Does any mom have consistent energy or time, even if she doesn’t have chronic illness or neurodivergence?

The reality is as a creative entrepreneur juggling the demands of motherhood with business and my own needs, I need flexible income and a business that ebbs and flows with me. I need low-energy business flow, so that I can also manage the rest of life. If you’re reading this, I suspect you are also looking for ways to do the creative business thing without burning out or without falling apart. I’m here to prove it can be done.

I’m here to prove that business doesn’t have to be 24/7 hustle. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing. While also proving that even with chronic illness or neurodivergence, we can establish sustainable practices in business and beyond that keep us out of burnout.

Part of that is navigating algorithm-free marketing and finding ways to build sustainable income from the business we actually love. Thereby building the life we actually love. One we don’t burnout from. With flexible time and schedule, and with joy each day.

No, my mentorship community won’t be about business, per se. I’m not a business coach and I’m not sure I ever will be. What you’ll actually find there is coaching and mentorship from someone who is actually walking this path. Someone who also has in-depth training on burnout recovery, letting go of guilt, keeping imposter syndrome at bay, and balancing this work-life stuff. Hi, I’m Candice, a trained & Licensed therapist who is looking to help other moms in this crazy, creative journey heal from burnout, let go of guilt, and find their balance.

Starting it all with me and showing you my own come back from a summer sabbatical that kept burnout at bay, allowed me to be more present with my family while also working on a deadline, and how I’m making a big revival in my author leg of my business because writing is in my veins.

If you’re new here, welcome. I’m glad you’re here. I hope you’ll follow along to see how the next five months unfold as we close out 2026 and move into 2027.

Until next time,
Candice <3