Hey Tori! Answering Your Digital Marketing Questions for Creative Entrepreneurs

Tori McElwain
  • 5.0 (3)
  • Marketing

You've got a quilting business, a craft you love, and a marketing to-do list that makes you want to close your laptop and go sew. Hey Tori! is where digital marketing coach and fellow quilter Tori McElwain answers the real questions creative entrepreneurs are asking - from "where are my customers actually coming from?" to "do I really need to be on Instagram every day?" Each episode breaks down one marketing topic into something you can actually use: a strategy, a framework, a 20-minute assignment, and AI prompts you can copy and paste today. No jargon. No seventeen-step funnels. Just clear, practical guidance built for quilters, pattern designers, teachers, and makers. Sign up with your email to get new episodes delivered straight to your podcast app. You'll also be the first to hear about free resources, live coaching opportunities, and what's happening inside the Digital Marketing Magic Coaching Program.

  1. 2d ago

    Growing Your Audience Organically: Advice and Coaching with Rhonda Canning

    In this special live coaching episode, Tori sits down with a Digital Marketing Magic Coaching Client, Rhonda Canning of Primetime Quilt Co, to answer one of the most important questions creative entrepreneurs face: what do you do after you launch? Rhonda's story is one of resilience. After taking a three-year break from her pattern design business following her husband's illness and death, she decided to come back this year. With Tori's help, she launched her pattern "Twilight" — and now she's ready to grow. In this episode, you'll hear Tori coach Rhonda through the real strategies that build an email list and grow your audience through collaboration, community, and smart reuse of your work. You'll learn: Seven concrete ways to grow your email listHow to reuse contentWhy collaboration beats going solo This is the first live-coached guest episode on Hey Tori, and Rhonda's openness about both her comeback and her real-time questions will show you exactly how these strategies work in practice. Click here for the Free Webinar Sept 2th: Do You Have a Book in You? with Tori and the Self-Publishing Incubator Resources and People mentioned: CELA (Creative's Email Launch Assistant) for launch sequencesRelaunch Video by Tori McElwainDirectories: Craft Industry Alliance, Global Quilt Connection, Academy for Virtual Teaching, Heartland Quilt NetworkElizabeth Chappell Pattern Design Course (running for the last time in 2026)Angela WaltersSelf-Publishing Incubator with Tori McElwain, Whitney Steen, and Kaitlyn Fritsch Connect with Rhonda: Website: PrimetimeQuilt.com Instagram: @Primetime Quilt Co Facebook: Primetime Quilt Enjoying the show? Leave a quick review . Got a question you want answered on the podcast? Click here — I read every one. Resources & Programs Learn more: heytori.tech Digital Marketing Magic Coaching Program — For creative entrepreneurs building a real lead and launch strategy.

    Growing Your Audience Organically: Advice and Coaching with Rhonda Canning

  2. Aug 28

    Hey Tori! How Do I Create More Connection?

    You pour your heart into every post. You share your story, your journey, your design choices. But your engagement stays flat. Here's what's happening: your readers are watching your story, not seeing themselves in it. Today we're breaking down the one-word shift that changes everything—and it starts with YOU. Learn how to reframe your copy so your audience feels like you're talking directly to them. (Spoiler: a DMMC member's reel went nearly viral when she made this one simple change.) Jame's Wedmore's Conversion Cards Chapters 00:00 Introduction to the power of language in marketing 02:02 The impact of shifting from I to you in content 03:19 How this language shift improves audience connection 08:05 Practical framework for applying the I to you shift 12:38 Real-world example: rewriting a social media post 16:54 Results from applying the technique to a reel 17:25 Actionable tip: test the shift in your own copy 18:33 Encouragement to experiment and observe results 19:08 About the Digital Marketing Magic Coaching Program Enjoying the show? Leave a quick review and tell me your favorite episode so far. Got a question you want answered on the podcast? Click here — I read every one. Resources & Programs Learn more: heytori.tech Digital Marketing Magic Coaching Program — For creative entrepreneurs building a real lead and launch strategy. Whether you're just starting or scaling what's working, we work through strategy together. Workshops Unleashed — My book on turning your expertise into live events. Available wherever books are sold. Blog — Monthly breakdown of what's new in social media for creative businesses at heytori.tech/blog

  3. Aug 21

    Hey Tori! How do I use collaborations?

    You've mapped out your promotional calendar. You know when you're launching. But as you look at that plan, you realize: every promotion reaches only your own audience. Your own list. Your own followers. How do you reach new people without spending money on ads? The answer is strategic collaborations—and it's one of the most underused leverage tools in the creative business. In this episode, Tori walks you through: Why collaborations belong on your promotion calendar (and why you're leaving money on the table without them)The "Why You, Why Now" framework for approaching potential partnersHow to identify aligned collaborators—not just bigger audiences, but the right audiencesThe exact words to use when you reach outHow to structure collaborations so everyone wins (and how to track results)Why quilting summits are driving hundreds to thousands of new subscribers right now Build a Promo Calender Episode, click here. Enjoying the show? Leave a quick review and tell me your favorite episode so far. Got a question you want answered on the podcast? Click here — I read every one. Resources & Programs Learn more: heytori.tech Digital Marketing Magic Coaching Program — For creative entrepreneurs building a real lead and launch strategy. Whether you're just starting or scaling what's working, we work through strategy together. Workshops Unleashed — My book on turning your expertise into live events. Available wherever books are sold. Blog — Monthly breakdown of what's new in social media for creative businesses at heytori.tech/blog

  4. Aug 14

    Hey Tori! How to Plan a Week of Marketing Content in Just One Hour?

    Stop wasting time wondering what to post. You open your laptop on Sunday night ready to finally "get serious" about marketing. Forty-five minutes later, you've reorganized your Canva folders, watched three reels about hooks, and posted absolutely nothing. Or you panic and post three things that have nothing to do with each other—no thread, no strategy, just noise. Here's the thing: it's not a time problem, it's a decision problem wearing time's clothes. In this episode, Tori walks you through the exact system she uses with DMMC members to plan your entire week's marketing in one focused hour (or batch it into one day per month), then execute in just 15 focused minutes per day. By the end, you'll know exactly what to post before you sit down—no more Sunday night spirals. You'll learn: The three priority questions that tell you what to create each weekHow to pick one anchor piece of content and break it into multiple postsThe rules that keep your daily posting time short and your consistency highHow the Break-It-Up Bot automates repurposing for DMMC members Blog Post Example "How to Add Borders" Click here to see the Blog Post for this Episode. Chapters 00:00 Getting Serious About Marketing 00:46 Understanding Marketing Time Management 02:08 Identifying Common Marketing Struggles 02:41 Setting Clear Marketing Goals 04:09 Diagnosing Marketing Challenges 06:07 Planning Your Marketing Strategy 07:54 Establishing Consistency in Marketing 08:21 Defining Your Marketing Priorities 09:30 Creating Cohesive Content Themes 11:33 Breaking Down Content for Social Media 13:16 Implementing a Monthly Content Strategy 15:05 Taking Action on Your Marketing Plan 15:05 Engaging with Your Audience 17:47 Staying Focused on Social Media 19:19 Using Existing Content Effectively 20:42 Leveraging Blog Posts for Marketing 23:12 Utilizing Tools for Content Creation 26:33 Streamlining Your Marketing Process Enjoying the show? Leave a quick review and tell me your favorite episode so far. Got a question you want answered on the podcast? Click here — I read every one. Resources & Programs Learn more: heytori.tech Digital Marketing Magic Coaching Program — For creative entrepreneurs building a real lead and launch strategy. Whether you're just starting or scaling what's working, we work through strategy together. Workshops Unleashed — My book on turning your expertise into live events. Available wherever books are sold. Blog — Monthly breakdown of what's new in social media for creative businesses at heytori.tech/blog

  5. Aug 7

    Hey Tori! When Do I Do What? (Without Feeling Overwhelmed)

    Stop scrambling. You have multiple things to promote—patterns, classes, workshops, services—and you don't know what to launch when. So you react, improvise, and feel overwhelmed. Here's a proven planning method I've used in DMMC coaching for years: the promotion calendar. It's not rigid, it builds in rest, and it sets your entire content strategy without the overwhelm. In this episode, I walk you through exactly how I build mine—the framework, the timing, why you keep abandoning planning calendars, and how this one works with your life instead of against it. You'll see how one client went from juggling multiple business arms (subscription boxes, patterns, classes) to following a clear sequence—and how the stress just melted away. Plus, why starting with just 90 days might be exactly what you need right now. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to the Promotion Calendar 02:02 Why Creative Entrepreneurs Need a Promotion Calendar 04:48 What Is a Promotion Calendar and Why It Matters 08:34 How to Build Your Promotion Calendar 10:37 Listing Your Offers and Big Events 12:41 Scheduling Launches and Rest Periods 17:01 Understanding Your Business Rhythm 19:12 Client Success Stories with Promotion Planning 22:55 Starting Small with a 90-Day Plan 24:20 Using Your Promotion Calendar to Guide Content and Marketing Enjoying the show? Leave a quick review and tell me your favorite episode so far. Got a question you want answered on the podcast? Click here — I read every one. Resources & Programs Learn more: heytori.tech Digital Marketing Magic Coaching Program — For creative entrepreneurs building a real lead and launch strategy. Whether you're just starting or scaling what's working, we work through strategy together. Workshops Unleashed — My book on turning your expertise into live events. Available wherever books are sold. Self-Publishing Incubator — An 18-month guided program for craft and fiber arts authors. We handle the publishing side while you focus on writing and platform building.  Blog — Monthly breakdown of what's new in social media for creative businesses at heytori.tech/blog

  6. Jul 31

    Hey Tori! What is a Launch?

    You posted "It's here — link in bio," refreshed your sales page about forty times, and… it was quiet. A couple of sales from the same handful of people who always buy. You didn't do anything wrong. You didn't launch — you announced. And those are two very different things. This week we get clear on what a launch actually is, where the whole idea came from, and why sending one email and calling it done leaves so much sitting on the table. Tori breaks down the launch as an event with a build and a countdown (not a single moment), the two roads you can take — an email launch or a webinar launch — and which one fits teachers and designers best. Then she opens the books on her own Workshops Unleashed Book Club launch: the real numbers, including the parts that didn't go to plan. In this episode: Why announcing and launching are not the same thingThe launch as a countdown, not a liftoff — the rocket metaphor from Workshops UnleashedEmail launch vs. webinar launch, and how to pickHow long your launch should run, based on what you're sellingThe unfiltered numbers from Tori's own book club launch Check out Launch by Jeff Walker Enjoying the show? Leave a quick review and tell me your favorite episode so far. Got a question you want answered on the podcast? Click here — I read every one. Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Launching and Its Importance 02:11 What is a Launch? Defining the Concept 07:59 Common Mistakes: Confusing Announcement with Launch 10:02 The Full Launch: Building a Timeline 15:05 Rocket Launch Metaphor: Building Anticipation 18:50 Root of Launch Strategies: Jeff Walker’s Book 20:14 Pre-Launch, Launch, and Post-Launch Phases 21:55 Choosing Your Launch Method: Email vs Webinar 26:00 Planning Your Launch: Dates and Content 29:58 Case Study: Workshop Unleashed Book Launch Resources & Programs Learn more: heytori.tech Digital Marketing Magic Coaching Program — For creative entrepreneurs building a real lead and launch strategy. Whether you're just starting or scaling what's working, we work through strategy together. Workshops Unleashed — My book on turning your expertise into live events. Available wherever books are sold. Blog — Monthly breakdown of what's new in social media for creative businesses at heytori.tech/blog

  7. Jul 24

    Hey Tori! Do I Need Another Class? Why You Keep Buying Marketing Classes

    Four classes on email marketing. A Pinterest course you never finished. And 41 people on your list who haven't heard from you in months. Nothing is wrong with you. But something is going on, and this week we name it. I'm telling on myself a little in this one. I used to sell a course. I pivoted to coaching on purpose, because I watched too many people buy a whole program when what they actually needed was one person telling them which single thing to do next. So we get into why buying another class is the most socially acceptable way there is to avoid marketing your work — and why procrastination isn't a time management problem at all. It's an emotion regulation strategy. Then there's the fluency illusion, which is my curriculum-and-instruction background talking: the study methods that feel best are the ones teaching you the least. Underneath all of it sits one sentence. Marketing requires you to say out loud, in public: I made this, and I think it's worth your money. A class never asks that of you. That's exactly what makes it such a good hiding place. Shownotes for this episode click here Chapters 00:00 Tori's shift from courses to coaching 00:53 What coaching focuses on: next steps and action 01:45 The problem with endless course buying 02:20 Introduction to the podcast and Tori's background in learning 03:10 The common issue: procrastination and learning 07:02 Marketing fears: claiming your work and visibility 08:34 The safety of taking classes versus marketing 10:23 Learning methods that build durable skills 11:26 The importance of action over learning 12:35 Decision fatigue and choosing the right next step 13:26 The five stages of the Digital Marketing Magic Coaching Program 14:46 Why courses can't replace accountability 16:01 The value of training with a date and action plan 17:07 Evaluating whether you need another course 18:05 Using past courses effectively for your next step 21:54 The sequence of action: from learning to implementation 24:21 Success story: shifting from service to teaching 25:47 The importance of taking action before more learning 26:54 Making decisions based on action, not just learning 27:48 Introducing the Digital Marketing Magic Coaching Program 29:59 Final encouragement: take action now Resources & Programs Learn more: heytori.tech Digital Marketing Magic Coaching Program — For creative entrepreneurs building a real lead and launch strategy. Whether you're just starting or scaling what's working, we work through strategy together. Workshops Unleashed — My book on turning your expertise into live events. Available wherever books are sold. Blog — Monthly breakdown of what's new in social media for creative businesses at heytori.tech/blog

  8. Jul 17

    Krista's Five Year Journey from Maker to Teacher and Shop Owner

    Krista Russell went from her first sewing machine to running a long-arm quilting business, writing patterns, teaching classes, and operating a quilt shop—all in five years. She's the kind of person who sees an opportunity and figures it out. But building that fast creates a specific problem: you keep moving without designing. That's where accountability changed everything. In this episode, Krista shares how the Workshops Unleashed book club kept her moving forward during a massive life transition (literally moving provinces mid-move), why deadlines matter more than inspiration for action-takers, and how she went from intimidated by curriculum design to launching evergreen mystery quilt series. If you're juggling multiple income streams, building quickly, or wondering how to scale intentionally instead of just reacting, this episode is for you. Show Note Blog Post for Krista's Five Year Journey Connect with Krista: Visit her Website Follow her on Facebook Join the Book Club: Buy the book Workshops Unleashed Join the Book Club Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Krista's Quilting Journey 03:06 From Hobby to Business: The Evolution of Krista's Quilting 06:02 Building a Community: The Importance of Local Connections 08:46 Joining the Book Club: A Step Towards Growth 11:59 Taking Action: The Impact of the Book Club on Krista's Business 14:55 Designing Workshops: Overcoming Challenges in Teaching 18:08 Creating a Curriculum: Tailoring Classes to Community Needs 21:07 Future Plans: Expanding Online and In-Person Offerings 24:25 The Journey of Teaching and Learning 27:32 Crafting Effective Teaching Strategies 30:00 The Importance of Student Perspective 31:56 Transitioning from Learner to Teacher 34:49 Marketing and Growing a Quilting Business 40:00 Navigating Challenges in Business Development 47:09 Future Projects and Innovations Resources & Programs Learn more: heytori.tech Digital Marketing Magic Coaching Program — For creative entrepreneurs building a real lead and launch strategy. Whether you're just starting or scaling what's working, we work through strategy together. Self-Publishing Incubator — An 18-month guided program for craft and fiber arts authors. We handle the publishing side while you focus on writing and platform building. Workshops Unleashed — My book on turning your expertise into live events. Available wherever books are sold. Blog — Monthly breakdown of what's new in social media for creative businesses at heytori.tech/blog

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You've got a quilting business, a craft you love, and a marketing to-do list that makes you want to close your laptop and go sew. Hey Tori! is where digital marketing coach and fellow quilter Tori McElwain answers the real questions creative entrepreneurs are asking - from "where are my customers actually coming from?" to "do I really need to be on Instagram every day?" Each episode breaks down one marketing topic into something you can actually use: a strategy, a framework, a 20-minute assignment, and AI prompts you can copy and paste today. No jargon. No seventeen-step funnels. Just clear, practical guidance built for quilters, pattern designers, teachers, and makers. Sign up with your email to get new episodes delivered straight to your podcast app. You'll also be the first to hear about free resources, live coaching opportunities, and what's happening inside the Digital Marketing Magic Coaching Program.

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