Now things are going to look a little different around here and I’m excited to tell you more about it, but before I dive into exactly what that transition is going to look like, I wanted to take a moment to take a step back and tell you more of the story behind this change.

What inspired the transition from coaching to copywriting and brand strategy?

For the abbreviated version of my career story, I launched my coaching business in December 2015, a year into hosting my #createlounge Twitter chat and two years into blogging.

Because of my community, I was able to book out my services for 3 months before I even officially launched my business to the public.

My business was still a baby (basically a newborn!), and I had no idea what it would take to become a true boss, but I was excited to get started as I put in my two-weeks notice.

Q1 and Q2 were incredible. I was working with clients I deeply cared about and some of them even started to gain notoriety and press for their successful communities.

Then Q3 hit and everything changed.

While I’ve always seen myself as more of a strategist than a coach, I found myself aching to help my clients in a more hands-on way.

I noticed how my photographer and designer friends were able to give clients a tangible product at the end of their project and I deeply wanted to do the same in my business. I didn’t know what that looked like yet, but I knew I had to do something because everything felt “off”.

Usually, I’d return to my vision journal and scribble mind maps and goals on a piece of paper until it all made sense, but this time felt different. I found myself called to a season of patience… so I waited.

I decided in this time I would take a step back from making any big decisions about the direction of my business and focus on personal development and inner work instead.

Little did I know that by focusing on other areas of my life, I’d also find the “golden ticket” for my business.

Months later over tacos and queso, which is how all good business ideas are formed, I admitted to a good friend out loud for the first time my deepest desire.

“All I want to do is write.” 

I didn’t know what that would look like then, but after months of reflecting, journaling, reading, and praying, I was already thinking about what I was really good at (writing, community, strategy/planning, serving) and how I could fuse everything together.

Now I’m happy to say I’m returning to my background in marketing with copywriting and brand strategy and it feels SO good.

I’ve collaborated with a few of my coaching clients on copywriting for their websites and every time, I say to myself, “Now THIS is what my business should feel like.”

I get cheerlead for my clients, help bring their vision to life, and hand them that coveted tangible product at the end. Dreamy!

In that waiting season, I thought I was taking a step back but what I was really doing was taking a few giant leaps forward. I just didn’t know it then.

What changes can we expect?

New website design and brand identity

With a new direction comes new brand visuals, of course! I’ve been looking like a heart-eyes emoji for weeks while putting together all of the creative projects. I’m waiting until early February (exact date to be announced soon) to fully launch the new brand and website but you can follow along on Instagram.

This is also the first time I haven’t DIYed everything myself, meaning I’m investing in branding design with AllieMarie Design and portrait photography with Carly Milbrath. Both collaborative partners are in Minneapolis so it’s been great to work with people around the neighborhood.

More copywriting and brand strategy inspired content on the blog

With this transition, it’s probably not a huge shocker that I’ll be focusing more on copywriting and brand strategy (including social media and content marketing) but I won’t be letting go of my creative process or community posts either. Some I’ll post here, others I will be posting on the new createlounge.com website, launching January 11th!

The post My Brand Relaunch: What, When + Why appeared first on Sindie.

Do the colors match the intended mood? Is there enough white space? Do the font pairs make sense? This all matters in web design.

Think of a moodboard as an online vision board. It’s a collection of photos that represent your desired aesthetic.

You may have seen moodboards used for interior design, weddings, and fashion show planning, but they can also be very useful for your website.

Whether you are doing a complete rebrand or just looking to refresh your brand’s look, creating a moodboard can be a great exercise to make sure your design is on point.

Let’s start the fun process!

First, determine your mood

Before you start the inspiration process, you want to make sure you have a good idea of what you’re looking for. To help you, I’ve made a list of adjectives to help you determine what mood is right for you and your visitors. Take a few moments and choose a few words that clearly indicate what you want to convey.

Do you have your adjectives ready? Let’s create!

Make a Pinterest board

Whether you want to make it a private or public board is completely up to you. If you’re rebranding and want to keep your plans secret, private is the way to go. If you want feedback on your board before your launch your new design, keeping it public would make sense.

Have a repinning party

One of the best ways to start curating your Pinterest board is to look at pins that are already uploaded to Pinterest. Don’t worry if you only like a small part of the image. You can always crop it later for the moodboard. Also, make sure you use the description area to write what you were inspired by so when you look back, you’ll know why you pinned it in the first place.

Take some photos of your own

Go through your own archive of photos and see if any fit your aesthetic. Maybe you found something while exploring your city and you snapped a quick photo of it to keep for later. Now is when it will come in handy. Feel free to add these original photos to the Pinterest board.

Create a collage moodboard

The final step is to take all of those curated photos and make a beautiful moodboard out of them.

Pick out your favorite images and place them into each of the open spaces. You can also add solid colors to determine your brand’s color palette. All of the photos you choose for your final moodboard should fit your mood.

If you’d rather make a physical moodboard, feel free to do so!

Also, because I’m obsessed with moodboards, I have a collection of moodboards for all color palettes on Pinterest. If you’re looking for inspiration, I’ve got you covered.

The post How to Create an Aesthetic Driven Moodboard appeared first on Sindie.

That blogger you’ve been following forever that feels like your best friend. That blogger who can somehow see into your soul. That blogger who always knows just what to say and when to say it.

We love these bloggers because they connect with us through their personal brand. We know exactly who they are online and know if we met them in person, they’d be the same.

So what is a personal brand?

In essence, it’s you. It’s how you are perceived online by your audience. It’s what others say about you when you aren’t in the room.

How can you make sure your personal brand has not just a voice, but the right voice?

You can start by examining what turns your audience on (and off). Here are a few qualities that I admire. I’m willing to bet these are important to you as well.

Authenticity

The first trait I blurt out when someone asks me what I look for in people that I follow is authenticity. If you aren’t being genuine with me, it’s hard for us to connect. Authenticity breeds loyalty so share parts of yourself with your audience. They will thank you for it.

Transparency

This is a buzzword for a reason. To be transparent is to not hide behind your online persona. Transparent bloggers are willing to open up and be honest with their readers. We need more transparent leaders.

Helpful

We’ve all had to start our online presence from ground zero. It takes years to be seen as an overnight success. My favorite people are those who know they are never too “big” to reach out and help their audience. This quality should be celebrated!

Humor

Laughter is the best medicine. Cliche, but true. With humor, you can tackle anything haters or trolls send your way. You also will delight your audience in the process. We all need more humor in our lives.

Vulnerability

We’ve all experienced failures. We’ve all felt like we weren’t good enough. Bloggers who shed light on these darker themes make a serious impact. They are the ones who aren’t afraid to talk about what no one wants to talk about. Vulnerability is a powerful trait. Use it in your writing.

Friendly

No one wants to talk to someone that isn’t inviting. The people who never comment back or start a conversation are less likely to feel like your friend than the people that do. Invest in your audience as they invest in you.

Don’t be Gretchen Weiner online. You can sit with us. There’s a place at the table for everyone.

And there you have it!

This list could go on forever, but these are some of my top favorite brand turn-ons. Now it’s time to think of yours.

The post Personal Brand Turn Ons appeared first on Sindie.

Whether it’s a side income or your full-time job, many bloggers want to make some serious cash with their online space. While this is an amazing goal, many forget it doesn’t happen in a snap and I would argue that it shouldn’t.

What you need to ask yourself is are you and your blog ready for monetization? In my first year, I wasn’t, but waiting to monetize has been the best thing for my blog. Here are 3 reasons why:

I was able to rebrand freely until I found my niche

Let’s start with my blog history. My first blog, uPRise PR, was aimed to help young PR students and professionals who wanted to make it in the world of corporate PR. I launched uPRise PR with a partner and after we dissolved the blog due to being in different life stages, my partner left the blogging the scene and I quickly launched my own PR blog, exPRession PR.

Because I launched exPRession PR in just a week (call me crazy!), I had to choose my niche rather quickly. I focused more on the creative side of PR but grew tired of the name and categories I was covering.

I was frustrated with how many changes I wanted to make, so I rebranded to focus on all things creativity. I wrote many inspirational and motivational blog posts about incorporating creativity into everyday life. It was fun for a while, but I missed giving my audience actionable content they could utilize to enhance their own online presence. That was my “a-ha” moment, so earlier this year I changed my categories to better suit my niche.

I know I must sound insane for rebranding as often as I did, but without these changes, I wouldn’t have found my true niche.

Once you start monetizing, it’s not as easy to change your niche. I’m glad I didn’t start monetizing before I found the niche I’m in right now which includes blogging, social media, branding, community – all the things I love most under the umbrella of PR. It took time (and a lot of patience) to find my niche, but now I know I’m here to stay and ready to monetize soon.

I got to know my audience really well

Instead of creating content to sell right away, I’ve given away a ton of free, actionable content to see what my audience connects with. When I do decide to monetize, which will be coming in the (near) future, I will have a better understanding of what my audience is interested in and what topics they will want to learn about in depth.

Also, giving away some of your best content can help you sell more digital products and services. Seriously. Just look at XO Sarah. She packs a ton of value into her free content so when she launches ebooks and courses, her readers become instant buyers. That’s what you want.

Use the engagement you get from your blog content to decide on what to monetize. Did multiple readers comment on your photography blog post that they want to know how to make professionally branded photos in a few easy steps? That sounds like a great idea for a training video. Listen and produce accordingly.

It allowed me to experiment with content

I’ve interviewed professionals. I’ve created branding boards. I’ve posted link roundups. I even tried vlogging (complete with awkward editing and bad lighting) when I first started. I’ll let bloggers like Maya Elious and Alex Beadon stick to vlogging since they are rockstars at it.

I tried all these different content types until I arrived back at the one I have always loved most: actionable, written content.

You need to allow yourself time to experiment with content. Maybe you’ve been wanting to launch an e-course. I’d suggest hosting a few free webinars on Google Hangouts to practice and see if your audience is interested in this form of content. Or maybe you want to design blogs and websites. Make some moodboards and post them on your blog and Pinterest to get some buzz going.

This post is not to say you can’t be successful with monetizing in your first year but rather to show the benefits of waiting to make money until you and your blog are fully ready. Maybe it will take you a few months to feel ready to monetize. Maybe a few years. No matter your timing, there are always things you can do today to prepare your blog for monetization success in the future.

The post Why I Didn’t Monetize My Blog in the First Year appeared first on Sindie.

Kayla, drink your own Kool-Aid.

You’re right. I drank it, and this what I found.

When I went through my rebrand, I decided to change my social media photos. I was reinventing my brand so I could speak more to creatives than just PR professionals. My photos had to reflect this change too.

After making the switch, within the first few hours I received over a dozen mentions saying how much they loved my new photo, and it wasn’t because I was wearing flannel or some red lipstick.

It was because my picture was more genuine.

People who had connected with me through different social media platforms knew this photo fit my personality much more. It even started more conversations. That’s a win-win if you ask me.

So why are so many people using stuffy, posed professional headshots on their social media profiles and elsewhere? Are we so focused on fitting an image of what we should be for our employers that we forget to showcase who we really are?

Yikes. That is not an online world I want to be a part of.

When we start to censor ourselves online, we take away our authenticity.

Sure, keep a professional headshot for LinkedIn, but then file it away. We (aka all of us on the interwebs) want to see what you really look like.

So replace your posed headshot with one that speaks to who you are. Let’s be real online.

The post Posed Professional Headshots are a Buzzkill appeared first on Sindie.

As a sequel to my blog post last week on how to rock your rebrand, I decided to ask some of my awesome followers on Twitter what they wish they knew about the rebranding process. Totally honest questions with totally honest answers. Let’s start.

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@kayla_hollatz How can a blogger strategically re-brand and not lose initial audience?

— Briea Curington (@BriCurington) July 9, 2014

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This was something I was initially nervous about. Okay, let’s be honest, really nervous about. No blogger or business owner wants to think about losing the audience they’ve worked so hard to build. Although this was naturally a worry of mine, it shouldn’t have been as big of one.

What helped me was that prior to my rebrand, I focused on making authentic connections with my readers through social media channels. My readers stayed with me not necessarily because of my content, but because they felt connected to me. I took the time to build a community that supported me, regardless of the direction I was headed in. This made it a lot easier for me to rebrand because I knew my readers just wanted to see me passionate about what I was writing about, and now I am again.

Here are a few things you can do during your rebrand that can help you not only keep your initial audience, but help you grow your readership further.

• Keep your readers in the loop about your brand. Post important updates on your social media channels. It will create some healthy suspense and get your audience really excited about what’s to come.
• Let your readers feel like they are a part of the process. I’m a huge believer in this. Wondering about what categories your readers want to read blog posts about or what services they would be interested in? Who better to ask than your readers? Reach out to those you admire through social media, email, any way that works best for you.
• Offer incentives for readers who stick around. It’s human nature to respond to incentives. Offer a giveaway of your services or feature readers in a blog post to give them exposure.

Don’t let the fear of losing your initial audience keep you from rebranding. When you share how passionate you are about your rebrand and ensure your readers how excited you are about it, they are sure to stay with you in your online journey.

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@kayla_hollatz How to keep the ‘random’ (not always consistant) followers following after a rebrand!!

— Rachel (@rgord) July 9, 2014

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This can be tricky, but there are a few hacks that might help you with these more random followers.

• If you have random followers on just one or a few of your social media channels that you don’t want to lose, be sure to let them know what your new username is. Also, you can go through your old list of followers and follow them on your new account if you wish to start over. Communication is key!
• One place where I have random followers is on Bloglovin and this is pretty common. I was originally worried about losing those followers I had under exPRessionPR because my domain name was changing, but I was able to transfer all of them over easily and quickly. You can learn more about this process here.

I would suggest you focus more on keeping the consistent followers because they keep coming back and will bring you consistent blog traffic.

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@kayla_hollatz I’m in the process of rebranding… so what I want to know is, what does it feel like to know you discovered your brand?

— emily vontom (@emilyvontom) July 10, 2014

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This is a big question. My first instinct is to say, “Whoever really knows if they’ve truly discovered their brand?” I think we are all constantly rediscovering our brands. As we grow, our brand will naturally grow as well.

I think a lot of brand discovery has to do with trial and error. What feels right? I always follow my gut and listen to what my instincts are telling me. Follow where your passions are taking you.

I think the best brands welcome evolution. Your audience will continue to look for different things from you, so growing with your audience’s needs will determine your success. Good luck with discovering your own! I think it’s a lifetime process, but at least it’s an exciting one that keeps us on our toes!

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@kayla_hollatz what inspired you to rebrand? how long was your rebranding journey?

— Lauren (@PRGirlLO) July 10, 2014

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I shared a part of my rebrand story previously, but long story short, I was feeling uninspired with exPRessionPR for two months. I kept getting ideas for blog posts, but quickly was deflated when I realized they didn’t fit my current brand at all.

Along with graduating next semester (WEE!), I’ve started to think about what life will look like when I enter post-grad life. Since I will likely try to secure a job in the PR or marketing field, to blog about it when I come home after work every day about the same subject meant one thing for me – burnout.

I fall into the life of a workaholic a bit too easily, so I knew my blog needed to change to support the work-life balance I want to create. It gives me an excuse to blog about all the creative things I’m passionate about but still keep the community of both professionals in my field and beyond. To me, it’s the best of both worlds. I’m kicking myself for not doing it sooner. It just feels like the perfect fit.

It took me two months of uncertainty to commit to rebranding. I then started the brainstorming process for about two weeks before I hired my blog designer, Mo. We spent about a month in the design making small tweaks here and there to be sure everything was right by the time we launched.

The big takeaway is that every blogger’s timeline is different. Follow what feels natural to you.

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@kayla_hollatz How do you find balance between consistency for your reader & wanting to rebrand your site?I.e. how important is consistency?

— Paige Vaughn (@PRGirlPaige) July 10, 2014

@kayla_hollatz If your content is changing would you keep a similar aesthetic? Is keeping some familiarity a good idea?

— Hannah I Lewis (@alittlevoice) July 10, 2014

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Since these two questions from Paige and Hannah above are very similar, I’m going to answer them both together. Consistency is big, but shouldn’t take over your entire process. There are certain things you can keep consistent without sacrificing your new vision for your rebrand. For me, I kept the same two fonts, my post signature created by the lovely Gera, my accent color, and a similar aesthetic. What you keep consistent is completely up to you.

One of the greatest (but more overlooked) places for consistency is showcasing what hasn’t changed – the person behind the brand, aka YOU! Use headshots your readers recognize from your previous brand. Faces are powerful branding tools. Once your readers see you’re behind the new name, they will put the pieces together.

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@kayla_hollatz For someone who gets tired of things fast, how often is too often to add subtle facelifts?

— Megan Newton (@_megannewton) July 10, 2014

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You are speaking my language. I am known for growing tired of things quickly. I think it comes with the creative territory. First, know that you are not alone.

I think it’s better to focus your energy on improving some of the smaller things. Rather than feeling bored with your website and feeling you need a new design every month, revamp other parts of your brand. Give a facelift to your email newsletter or start a new column. Add a new about page graphic and tweak your sidebar copy. The possibilities are endless.

Becoming passionate about another area of your brand will shift your focus without raising confusion. See what sticks and what doesn’t. There’s always more to optimize, so just have fun with it!

The post Q&A With Kayla | Rebranding appeared first on Sindie.

See, with most blogs and businesses, all you see is the before and after look of their rebrand, but what about all of the things that go on behind-the-scenes? It can’t be all rainbows, butterflies, and unicorns, right? Right.

Rebranding is tough.

It challenges you in ways you’d never expect, but if you’re willing to embrace the changes, you’ll see the grass is much greener on the other side. Trust me, I now have a nice view on the other side.

So how do you keep (most of) your sanity in the rebranding process? I have a few insider secrets to share with you that you don’t need to keep on the down low.

Don’t get too ahead of yourself

I really struggled with this. When I get started with a project, I usually get so excited that my original plan goes out the window as I become as random as my bursts of inspiration. Making sure you go into rebranding with strategies already laid out is key. It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement, but one day at a time, young grasshopper. You’ll get plenty of time to geek out over all of the awesomeness of your rebrand.

Set realistic goals for yourself

Do you have a full-time job, a family to take care of, businesses to run, or all of the above? Many business owners and bloggers have other responsibilities on their plate when they rebrand, but this is natural. It’s important to consider the required time and effort each of your current responsibilities so you can effectively carve out free time when you can craft your rebranding plan. Rebrands don’t have a standard time formula so don’t worry about being too fast or too slow. Look at what works with your current schedule and follow that.

Write ALL of your ideas down

Yes, even the ones you start to second guess right after they surface. I’ve found that keeping a list of those random ideas helps so much in the rebranding process. Start with aesthetically pleasing words, blog post ideas… the works! It will all help you craft your about page, sidebar copy, and so much more. You’ll thank me later.

Keep one file folder for all of your rebranding resources

Any files you are planning to use in your rebrand should be stored in the same home. Try to be as organized as possible. I’m not a naturally super organized person (oops), but I do know that keeping everything in one place can save you time and energy. There’s no right or wrong organization system so focus on creating one that works for you.

Work toward (loose) deadlines

I know it is difficult at first to determine a date when you’ll be ready to launch your new website, but even having a goal month can be really helpful. Also, if you are investing in outside resources for your rebrand (i.e. a web designer, creative coach, copywriter, etc.), you must take into account not only when you’ll ready to launch but when they will be ready, too.

Consult in others that you trust

As creatives, we crave support and encouragement and definitely need it to get through this process. All of the changes will have you wondering what if you are moving in the right direction. Having professionals you admire to give you feedback can light the way and clear up the confusion by offering their different perspectives. It’s like free advice from your best blog friends – neato!

Get ready for next week when I dive into answering some of your rebranding questions. I’m so excited to have my first Q+A session on the blog. I hope after reading this post, you have a better idea of what goes into a rebrand and if it’s the right time to think about starting the process. Let’s get to it!

Do you have any questions about rebranding? Let me know what you think about rebranding in your future in the comment section below. 

The post Rock Your Rebrand appeared first on Sindie.

Let’s start with a very brief history of my brand so far: I started exPRessionPR last February after my partner and I dissolved our previous PR blog, uPRisePR. My goal in launching my own brand was to bring creativity to the field of PR, something I haven’t seen enough representation of. A few months after I launched, however, I started to feel my creativity stifled.

Don’t get me wrong. I’ve had great feedback about the name of exPRessionPR, but I feel it narrows the kind of content I can post. Studying PR was the major force behind choosing PR as my niche, but now that I am a semester away from graduating, I get to design my own career path. In this enlightenment, I also get to design what I want to blog about.

Some of you may be thinking, “This girl is crazy.” Maybe I am, but I feel strongly about following my instincts and I’ve been outgrowing exPRessionPR for almost two months. It’s time for a change.

Now I am allowing myself the freedom to write about various topics that concern creative and multi-passionate professionals. I’ll be focusing on living life as a creative and creating a community of right-brainers (like you!)

For all of these reasons, I consider my efforts to be more of a brand expansion than rebranding.

I will now be known simply as Sindie. This allows me the ability to define my brand without feeling like it can never be changed. Because rebranding is truly inevitable for those of us who are concerned about our brand reflecting our audience’s needs, this is the best option I have for growing with my audience and staying true to wherever my life takes me.

I will have more details coming soon, so stay tuned!

In the end, I have to go with what feels right. This journey has been filled with ups and downs, but I’m embracing the changes and hope you will do so with me. I have a lot of exciting things coming soon and hope you will join me in celebrating all that is to come.

The post My Decision to Rebrand appeared first on Sindie.

I was inspired to write this post after speaking with many bloggers over the past few months who knew they wanted to rebrand their blog but kept getting stuck on their name.

To name a select few, Geraldine was looking for guidance in her rebranding efforts while negotiating with a domain seller. Courtney was set on a name that was already taken while trying to discover a unique way to keep the essence of the name intact. Mariah wanted to change her blog title but keep her URL the same.

All of these up-and-coming bloggers had one thing in common: they were stuck on blog names and weren’t sure what their next move should be.

I also had a difficult time naming my blog. I knew what I wanted my brand to encompass, but finding a powerful name that wasn’t already taken was challenging. Still, there are things you can do to find a name that is available, powerful, and feels like the perfect fit.

This how-to will take you step-by-step through the blog naming process. Let’s dive right in!

Know your brand

Before you do anything, you must discover and define your brand. This is the first crucial step in choosing a blog name. Here are some important questions for you to answer in creating your brand. There is no right or wrong answers here, so follow your instincts in answering each of these prompts.

• What do you want your brand to convey?
• What story do you want your brand to tell?
• What are your values?
• What would others say you are best at?
• What adjectives would others describe you as?
• What kind of personality does your brand have?
• How will you make your brand different from the rest?
• Why should others care about your brand?

You may also look at my two vlogs on creating and implementing your own brand here and here. Now that you are closer to understanding your brand, let’s get to know your audience.

Know your audience

Now you know your brand, what you want to write about, and what services you want to offer.

The next step is knowing how to reach your audience. The most important sector of readers you want to reach is your target audience, which is different for everyone. That’s what makes niche bloggers so successful!

Here are a few crucial questions to ask yourself in order to uncover who your target audience is.

• What is the age range you are writing for?
• What is the demographic of your audience?
• What shared interests do you have with your audience?
• What will your writing tone be?

Brainstorm words

Your next step is to get a blank sheet of paper and a pen (or, if you are like me, your laptop) and start listing the values of your brand. You could even jot down some words that sound aesthetically pleasing. Don’t worry if it doesn’t make sense now. Write down anything and everything that comes to mind.

A thesaurus can be your best friend while brainstorming. There are many fabulous resources all around you, so use them!

Search titles and domains

Now it’s time to do a Google search to check the availability of your blog name. You may also want to search for a domain, which you can do here. Now, this process can have two results. The best outcome is finding that your blog name hasn’t been used and is ready for purchase if you are considering buying a domain name.

But, Kayla, what do I do if my blog name is already taken? 

It’s hard to hear, but you’ve reached a dead end. I urge you to look for another name if your desired name is taken. Your blog title should be as unique as your brand. You don’t want to be confused with another blog or company.

The best advice I can give you is to not be discouraged when the list of possible names you’ve created shrinks because many of them are taken. Revisit the brainstorming step and keep an open mind.

Ask for feedback

Whether or not you decide to publicly announce your blog name before your launch date is completely up to you, but at least reach out to a few professionals you admire and share your blog name.

Is it as catchy to them as it is to you? Do they understand at a first glance how your blog name fits your brand? This will help you determine if your brand is telling the story you want it to. Their feedback will either help you become more confident in your brand, or steer you in another direction that’s even more exciting.

Most of all, remember that this process takes time. If you are faced with a tough decision, sleep on it. Take the time now to save time later. Your blog will thank you.

The post How to Choose a Blog Name appeared first on Sindie.