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Pippa Goulden (00:43)
Hello and welcome back to another episode of PR Made Simple. this one's a bit juicy. I've actually been quite nervous about recording this one and saying this all out loud because I don't want to seem like a party pooper or like I'm judging people because I'm absolutely not. And in fact, I'm guilty of this myself. So part of it is really like a thinking and thoughts for myself to make sure that I'm not falling into things that don't work for me to build my business.

But also I think it's worth having this discussion out loud, right? And I mentioned it on my stories over the weekend and I got lots of feedback from people. So I'm just going to dive in and I'd love to know what you think when you've had a listen. So I'm going to start off by saying, forget brat summer. I think that this year is the summer of the sheep.

have been watching online, in the online space, actually really specifically on Instagram, it's happening less on LinkedIn that I can see. And I think we're all just following each other, like one homogenized group. And I think this is important because I think if, like me, you're a founder who cares about building a real business, rather than just a social media presence, then we need to talk about this. Let's talk about what I'm calling

the flock summer. So what I've been seeing filling my feed over the last few weeks is, you know, the yap challenge. Now, don't get me wrong, the person, Jessie Jean, who created it is amazing. I am in awe of what she created. This, if you don't know, is basically a woman online on Instagram has created a course teaching people how to yap. She's kind of defined, called it yapping.

and she's teaching people how to talk on camera, on Instagram. And the course sounds amazing, to be fair. The effect it's had has been crazy. Like she's had two over million dollar launches in like a really short amount of time. What she's created is unbelievable. I have huge respect for her. And you know, building that muscle of talking on camera, getting more comfortable, being visible, they're all good things, right?

But here's my question. Is everyone doing the Yap Challenge because it's genuinely the best use of their time and energy for their business? Or is it because everyone else is doing it? Because you kind of, see what someone else is doing and you think that you need to be part of it. We almost get like FOMO online. Because when I'm scrolling now, everyone doing it kind of looks the same, sounds the same, says the same kind of things in the same kind of way.

And this isn't just the YAP Challenge. There's lots of things going on online. There's a recent launch from an amazing, again, amazing founder, social media expert selling templates, and she's totally smashed it out the park. Beautiful templates, really well produced. I totally get the appeal. They make content creation easier and faster. But if everyone's using the same templates, everyone's content starts coming from the same place.

Yes, you can put your own voice and your own expertise on it, absolutely, but there is like this homogenized feel to it. And don't get me started with butter yellow. I don't know if you've noticed this, but it's a real thing that people are talking about. My friend Alice from Love Day Social called it out last week as well. Everyone's content has turned butter yellow. I keep scrolling and it's just yellow everywhere. And I am sure that there is design logic behind it.

But what I see is a sea of content that all looks identical and none of it actually sticks out because none of it's standing out. It's all like gone into a melting pot of sameness, right? So we need to think about this, right? Because if we are all just like working in one homogenized group, like a swarm of flies or bees or whatever it is that are all moving in the same direction, it's going to be really hard to stand out.

right? And I did a post last week and I did it myself, like I did a WTF post, it's been a trend going on, partly because it was really hot, it's school holiday juggle, you know, all of that stuff, I wasn't really thinking about my content properly, I was feeling like, God, I need to put a post up, I haven't done a post for a few days, whatever, you know, was my rationale. And as I was posting it, I kind of knew that I was falling into this like, flock trap. I knew it wasn't gonna land, like it did okay, but it

you there was nothing technically wrong with it, but it wasn't really rooted in what I stand for. It wasn't original, it wasn't me. I followed the flock for a moment and I felt it straight away. And like I said at the beginning, I am not here to shame anyone. The flock effect happens for completely understandable reason. And honestly, I think there are a few specific things going on right now that are kind of lending itself to the flock mentality. It's summer, it is so hot. I mean, I know you know that.

But we're running on empty a little bit and school holidays means there's more fractured focus and creative thinking requires headspace that quite a lot of us don't really have. So we default to easy and we follow a trend because the trend is there and it requires almost no thinking about, right? The algorithm isn't happening either. So it actively rewards participation in trends. It pushes content that fits established patterns.

So when you're knackered and you can't be bothered to think properly and the algorithm is nudging you towards a challenge or a template, then, you know, of course you go there. And there is the proliferation of tools, AI content generators, social media templates done for you frameworks. The barrier to actually creating content has dropped dramatically, which sounds like a good thing, but I think that the side effect is that

A lot of us are producing more of the same thing at a faster rate than ever before. So we're getting more content, but we're also getting less originality. We're getting more noise, but we're getting less owned authority. And the other thing, you know, that's worth putting into the mix of all this is the algorithm has made organic reach harder for years. So founders have been working harder and harder at social media and seeing diminishing returns. And it's like we're trying

to double down. I've heard somebody say that online, I'm gonna double down, I'm gonna work harder at social media, when actually I think we should be questioning whether it's the right thing to be working harder on. And actually maybe we should be thinking more about the roots that are actually gonna help us to build our business, to grow in different ways, right? The answer actually might be to diversify completely.

But I think what is reassuring, and we've seen this with online trends, is it always writes itself, okay? So every time content becomes this homogenized feeling, there is a backlash to it. The algorithm shifts,

comes back into fashion. Think about how raw, unpolished, authentic content became popular as a direct reaction to those overproduced, perfect feeds. The pendulum does swing back.

And I think that the founders who hold their nerve and stay original during these periods, even start looking for other ways to grow their business, to get known for what they do, they're the ones who are gonna benefit most when it does swing back the other way. And I also think it's not just about aesthetics, it's not just about butter yellow, but it's about business growth strategy, right? The flock effect gets you visibility briefly.

People scroll past, right? Maybe they save it, but they're probably saving it because they like the template. You're not building authority with this type of content. You're not demonstrating specific expertise. You're not giving anyone a reason to choose you over the person in the butter yellow square next to you, right? Think about how your ideal clients are actually making buying decisions right now. Are they scrolling Instagram for someone who did the YAT Challenge? Or are they?

Googling your name, looking for podcasts you've been on, checking whether you've been featured in the press, looking at what you've said in other places, asking an AI tool even who is the go-to expert in your field. And if you're not coming up in those searches in those other places, then they are going to move on to find other people that are, okay? AI search does not pull from Instagram grids. It pulls from credible third-party sources, press features, podcast appearances, expert commentary.

it pulls from reputable sources. The content that other people have referenced and shared that includes you, okay, it's not pulling from your own content. And so the founders that build that kind of authority right now are the ones who are going to win as AI search becomes more dominant, not because they paid for it, because they've earned it.

one accelerator clients has just extended working together for another six months. We've already worked together for nine months. She did a three month initial, then six months and now she's just resigned for another six months, which I'm so excited about because not only do I bloody love working with her, she's so great at what she does, but it's just.

testament to the impact that she can see this work having on her business. She's incredibly original. She's brilliant at what she does. And the work we do together allows her to own that expertise in a way that a buttery yellow template simply never can. know, her clients like quote things she said on podcasts back to her. Discovery calls, people know that they want to work with her because...

They've seen her out there. They've seen her in the wild talking about the things that matter to them. She is not following the flock. She's building something that has momentum and has growth opportunity for her. So I am not telling you to delete Instagram or stop making content. It is absolutely one fundamental layer of my business. know, there's no, I'm not going anywhere from Instagram, but what I will do is question.

whether the next trend is the right thing for me to jump on. I will do it. I will make sure that it is, know, anything that I'm doing in the business, including Instagram trends, need to come back to whether they are gonna help me build towards my business objectives, towards my business growth. Is it moving me towards getting known for what I actually do or am I just doing it because everyone else is doing it and it's actually a bit easier for me to just default?

Because the founders who will look back on summer 2026 feeling proud and the end this year with those amazing highlights are not the ones who've used Butter Yellow on their content. They're the ones who've pitched for the podcasts that they want to be on. They've written the article that they've been putting off. They've reached out to the journalists they've been meaning to make contact with for four months. They've pitched themselves for speaking opportunities that are going to line up for them towards the end of this year and into next year.

The algorithm will keep changing, right? The trends will keep coming, but those press features will still be working for you next year. The podcast episode you record now will still be building trust with people in many months to come. And that's what strategic PR does. It builds something that lasts beyond the next algorithm update, beyond an eight second reel. So whilst everyone else is doing butter yellow content, I want you to send the fucking email.

Pitch the opportunity, build the authority. That means when your ideal client goes looking, they find you and they know that you're the one that they want to work with. Forget the brat summer. Like I said, this year it has been the summer of the sheep, but it doesn't have to be your summer. If you are ready to stop following the flock and start doing the work that actually builds authority, trust, credibility for your business, you know where I am.

You can join my DIY PR membership where you get everything you need to do this work with my support behind you. Use the code pod 50 to get 50 % off your first month. Or if you want me in your corner directly, my one-to-one accelerator is where we do this work together. I'm booking in people now for September start into Q4 and I've been having conversations for 2027 as well. So if you do want to do this work with me, then let's have a chat.

You can book a call with me in the show notes or you can find out more about my one-to-one accelerator there too. And come and find me on Instagram. Let me know what you think about Flock Summer. Are you taking part in it? Is it working for you? How is it working for you? Challenge me on this. I am all ears. But also if you know that this aligns with you, please tell me too because I'm really interested to hear. So let's get out there. Let's send the fucking email and I will see you again next week for another episode of PR Made Simple.