Liz Nable 0:00
Stephanie Treu never, in her wildest dreams envisaged herself married to a farmer and living on a property in remote central North Tasmania with two small kids. Like many former journalists me included, Stephanie loved her TV career and spent adrenaline fueled days chasing dodgy tradies down the street for A Current Affair, long night shifts on the news desk and enjoying the pressure of the tight deadlines of a 24 hour newsroom and the fast pace of life in a big city, until one day, she interviewed a smart and charismatic brand manager for a story she was working on. They fell in love and got married, moved to a farm in Tasmania, and the rest is history. Well, not quite
by her own admission, Stephanie had a romanticized idea of what life would be like on the land with her first born, six month old son in tow, her husband now working seven days a week to build their family business, isolated and miles from anything and anyone. She didn't know a soul, and she struggled big time, suffering from postnatal depression and loneliness. She was without the village. She knew she needed to raise her young family, and so she set out to build one herself from scratch. The idea started as a simple podcast, and she called it motherland. Turns out Stephanie wasn't alone. The demand for the Motherland style network support and connection conversations quickly exploded as 1000s of rural and remote mums from all over Australia opted into her community, and the business quickly evolved and grew. Stephanie's honest story, the business's Swift, organic growth and her clever communication skills were the ultimate triple threat, with Steph managing to get the business air time across a plethora of the country's top media organizations, in print, radio and TV. She also got the attention of the Australian Government, and it culminated in January this year, when she was awarded 2024 Australian of the Year for Tasmania. Motherland is now a registered national charity on a mission to reduce isolation, improve mental health and the well being of rural mothers around the country. I can't wait to share with you how Steph did it by herself with two small kids in tow. Hello and welcome to medium magnet, the podcast for female founders and women owned businesses, startups and side hustlers who want to learn how to grow their business leveraging the media and free PR, I'm Liz Nabal, and I'm your host, personal publicist. PR, strategist and dedicated hype woman. My goal with this show is to give you a behind the scenes tour of how the media works, to break down the barriers between your business and the big mastheads, so you can see how easy it is to get featured simply by giving journalists what they want. At media magnet, you'll also get access to the top journals, editors, writers and PR people in your industry and beyond, sharing their secrets and expertise on the how, why, what and when of pitching and getting featured in the media consistently, I will share with you how to build your reputation as an industry expert so successfully, the media will be knocking down your door. When I first started in small business 12 years ago, I had no idea what I was getting into. I had spent 15 years as a television news reporter working at several major networks in Australia, and then, as a freelancer in the US and around the world, I spent years dividing my time between working long shifts on a news desk and traveling the world, chasing stories it was unpredictable and exciting until it wasn't anymore. I decided I wanted a life where I was in charge of what happened next and where I was working to build my own empire, not someone else's. There was a lot I had to learn about running my own business, but getting media and great free PR was not one of them. I already knew what the media wanted. I knew the secret formula for what made news, and I knew how to leverage those media outlets to build my business, get more exposure and ultimately make more sales. I was featured in every major media outlet in the country, and I never spent a single cent on PR. I took that knowledge for granted until it dawned on me one day that I could teach what I knew to other businesses, let them in on the secret, and they too could build their brands with organic media and PR, let me help you take your brand from Best Kept Secret to household name. This is media magnet, the podcast, and I'm pretty pumped to have you here. You. Jeff, thanks so much, Steph for agreeing to come on the podcast. Really excited to have you on the show.
Stephanie Trethewey 5:08
Thank you for having me.
Liz Nable 5:09
I am we, Steph and I know each other, just for some context from way back when. I don't even want to age myself by saying how long ago it was, but when I saw you, I think I must have maybe I listened to you, or I saw you on Instagram or something. I was like, I know that girl. We both worked as journalists many years ago at nine, and we've since worked out that's where we know each other from. Well, it's awesome to have another journal, another former journal, on the show. Tell me a little bit about your your life, I guess, since being a journalist back in those days, at nine and your I guess your the short version of your evolution to what you do now.
Speaker 1 5:48
Yeah, so it's been an interesting one. I didn't, didn't think I would end up where I have. I chased a lot of dodgy people down the street for A Current Affair. I worked six o'clock news. I climbed the sort of TV ladder. And basically what happened is I fell in love with a farmer accidentally. I interviewed him for the six o'clock news when I was working for seven actually up in Queensland, and that has changed my life. That man has changed my life. And I didn't realize that when I fell in love with a farmer and when I married a farmer, that you know, what I really married was the land. And that has brought me here to rural Tasmania. We run a beef business. We moved here nearly five years ago, and I had since left media. I worked in corporate comms for a little while, hated it, and was pregnant with my first child. We moved here when he was six months old, to the farm. We bought our own farm. Had to raise money to make it happen, worked our guts out, and all of a sudden I had lost my village. I have always been a very career driven woman. It's always been a big part of my identity. And anyone who's had kids knows that that changes things, particularly when you're on mat leave and you're dealing with this adjustment. So I had a new baby. I was living in a new community. I'd never lived on a farm before. I had no family here, no friends, no access to a mother's group, and my husband was working seven days a week building our farming business. And yeah, it was a baptism of fire, and it I really struggled. I struggled with my mental health, and thankfully, that's where the idea for motherland was born. And motherland is a beautiful national charity that supports rural mums across Australia, and I'm sure we'll talk more about what we do later, but basically, for me, in a nutshell, it was a way to take my journalism experience and my love for storytelling and combine it with my new role of mum and do something that would turn my pain into purpose, because I was so alone Before I started motherland. So here we are, you know, five years later, and, yeah, can't quite believe how life has worked out.
Liz Nable 7:46
I know it's amazing, isn't it? You probably never thought dreamed of this when you were, you know, 15 and starry eyed about being a journalist at school. Can we talk a little bit more about so when you married or married your husband, did you were you did you know that you were going to be on a farm? Like, Were you prepared for that, or was that something that you decided to do? Like, did you know that when you got when you got married, when you could No, I
Speaker 1 8:10
was, I was really ignorant. Because even though Sam's a third generation Tassie farmer, when I met him, he was actually working on his dad's farm, but he'd also got went on to work in agri politics, agri business. We were living in Melbourne for a period of time. I was working with the current affair. He was starting an ag tech accelerator program. So, very much a farmer in a suit. And so we never really had the discussion about, would he want to go back to the land? You know, that was never a thing, until it was and he, you know, saw all these entrepreneurs building their own businesses, and was helping them. He wanted to do it for himself. And he said, Would you move to the land with me? And I said, Yes. And had no idea what, what that was going to do. So I joke that, literally, the only preparation I did before we moved here was watch Farmer Wants a Wife. And it was not, not remotely helpful, one single bit. It was really difficult. They sold me a bit of a lie, and so I literally moved out here thinking it was going to be this romantic chapter of my life, and all starry eyed, and was very quickly hit with reality.
Liz Nable 9:11
I think when we're younger, one of my son's teachers used the term optimism bias when you're younger, because you don't really know what could go wrong, so you just think you're bulletproof, and you, I mean, I know that's how I felt before I started a business, so I'm just using that as an analogy. But can you give me more of a snapshot into what that like? When did it dawn on you that you were alone, essentially, like, how did those days look for you, and what happened to sort of get you to the point where you're like, I need to do something about my mental health.
Speaker 1 9:42
Yeah, well, I was already struggling with postnatal depression before we moved here, and then when we moved here, add everything I said earlier, lost, losing a village, just socially isolated, isolated from services. I really fell into a really bad black hole, and my husband didn't. Know, it was only a couple years ago I told him how much I was struggling, but he would leave for work in the morning and the front door would close, I would give him a kiss, and he'd think everything was fine, and he kissed my son, and he'd go out in the farm, and I just burst into tears, and I just felt so alone, and I knew that I was in trouble, and I just didn't know what to do about it. I mean, I know so much more now, given the work I do, supporting mums and supporting their mental health. But you know, for me, I'm very lucky that there's obviously some sort of entrepreneur deep within me. And I didn't know, like, now, I call myself an entrepreneur, but I didn't know it at the time. I didn't think of myself as one at the time, but it was literally a moment like I got very upset and very angry. You know, my husband left for another day. My son was, you know, about nine months old, so he'd been on the farm for three months or so, and, you know, I thought, you know, everyone says it takes a village to raise a child. You hear that all the time. And I just thought at the time, it was such a cop out, because I was like, well, where the hell is mine? And that's where I realized, like, I had to do something, otherwise I wasn't going to be in a very good place. And I needed something for me that was outside of being a mum and being a supportive wife, like I just felt. And, you know, the farm always comes first, so I just felt like I needed something for me. So when I started mudland, I, you know, the logo we use today is the same logo that we had back then. It cost me, like 100 bucks or something on a like, a logo maker, and I created the logo myself. I started an Instagram account, and I just thought, I'm going to have a crack. And I didn't really at the time. It wasn't a business strategy. It was, it was a side hustle, and to be honest, it was part of trying to keep sane. And so I never knew back then how it would grow into the business it has, but that's how it started, from my own pain. And as I said earlier, like I really just have, I try as best as I can to take adversity and fuel it into innovation. That's that's the silver lining for me when I struggle, is, how can i What's it telling me? How can I push my business and push motherland and help other people in the process? It really
Liz Nable 11:57
must. I mean knowing what I know about the life of a journalist and a reporter and and that job that we did. And it's weird, because when you think back now, you think about all the skills that taught you, right, but such a huge like 180 in, like an a massive shock to the system, it would have taken, you know, a very tough person, and not even to to weather that storm with no one around for long days and, you know, all those months.
Speaker 1 12:23
Yeah, it was really hard. I feel really sad when I think about Steph back then, you know, like I have a lot of sympathy and empathy for her. And I was so hard on myself at the time. I I thought I had to suck it up. I thought I had to just put up and shut up and get on with it. This is the bed you made for yourself. You chose to have children you chose to move to the farm. You know, you always hear the term resilience thrown around in rural communities. I despise that word when it's applied to rural communities. I was probably guilty as a journalist of using that word to talk about rural communities in times of crisis, and so I went in thinking I had to be this tough, resilient country woman, and it did not serve me. It made my pain worse. I didn't talk about it because I just thought I had to deal with it. And so, yeah, it was really, really tricky, but I'm really grateful for my time in journalism, because I guess ultimately, that's what saved me, really, like my love for storytelling is motherland is at our heart. We tell stories. And so, you know, I'm still a journalist, I still get to use those skills. And I didn't really realize, as motherland was growing, just how much those skills from media would propel this charity forward. So I'm certainly very grateful for that.
Liz Nable 13:35
So I want to talk about those storytelling skills. Don't let me forget to ask you about those, because I will. But I want to know was there like a sliding doors moment? Because we talk about this inside the course that I run. We talk about people's brand story. And I can tell, by the way, you speak so beautifully about your story that you've told it many times, but you tell it so well. So you've got that fine tuned to your your it's a very honest and and vulnerable story, which, even if you haven't lived on a farm in rural Tasmania, you can see part of yourself in that at what was there a sliding doors moment when you were like, I'm gonna get I'm gonna do something to not only help myself, but other women. And at what point did you realize, holy shit, this all these women out there who think are thinking exactly the same, like, there's an opportunity here to do good. Yeah,
Speaker 1 14:21
it was definitely a bit of an experiment. I think I knew how I felt, and I just wanted to know that I wasn't alone, that I wasn't the only one struggling, that I wasn't going mad, like, was it just me that was finding this motherhood thing so tough and on the land? And so I started the podcast, and I remember saying to Sam, my husband, I was like, I don't really care how many people listen to this, like, it's not about the volume. I just want to know that I'm not the only one. Like, even if one other real mum's like shit, I feel exactly the same way, and that's going to make me feel better. So it's actually selfishly, it was about helping my own mental health, you know, and then not realizing that I'd stumbled upon this, I guess, area that was so neglected. You know, rural women are some of the most undervalued and under. Celebrated women in our industry, in farming, they're the glue, and they weren't given a platform. There was no organization dedicated to them. And so, yeah, I think it just, it was very organic. It grew very it's grown very quickly. But at the time, it didn't feel like it was just like just kind of snowballed. And you know, as I started to share more of my journey, I feel like that's where the community became stickier. And I realized that this wasn't about being the best marketer, it was about being the best step and using my marketing skills to make the most of that. Because if I tried to be anything but myself, this whole thing would have blown up and just got nowhere. And so, you know, there is not really a secret source. Other than that, I found my sweet spot. I took my skill set, you know, my known skills, my proven skills, and I combined them with my very personal story, and I found a solution to a problem. You know, like I've led the Lean Startup, I encourage any small business owner to read that book, and that's really what I've based motherland around, is, you know, having to be lean, certainly as a charity. But you know, I think a lot of people create businesses for problems that don't exist, and we launch things without testing them, without actually thinking, is, is it there a need for this? Not just it's a great idea, and all my mates think it is, and my business coach says, go for it. Like, have I actually done some market validation? And so for me, I have done that throughout motherland's journey, even with our program, which we can talk about. But yeah, I've really sort of used trial groups, tested things, put my heart out there, you know, just it's, that's how it's grown. And, yeah, it's been a big five years.
Liz Nable 16:33
Wow. So you started with the podcast, and what was, obviously, you've got a small group of listeners to start with, but what was the reaction from the women who were listening
Speaker 1 16:42
validation and just lots of Thank you. Thank you for sharing that story. Lots of people who could see themselves in these stories. I just, I don't think a week went by at the start where I wouldn't get at least a couple of messages from women saying, Thank you so much. That episode really helped me, and that really pushed me forward, you know, I I really, it was, it was hard, you know, I had a baby, and then I had a newborn after that, so I had two under two at one point, and the farm, and there was a lot happening, but these women's messages, I just knew I was onto something. And I just think you got to listen to your customer, and they were telling me that they they craved this, that they wanted this, and and then I started engaging with them in a way that let them help me build motherland. Because I think, you know, you can't just build it and they will come. Doesn't work. You build it with them and they will come. And so I think that's been the foundations of Motherland.
Liz Nable 17:38
So you had the podcast, and the podcast had this organic growth, which you said didn't feel massive at the time, but obviously it was pretty significant. Then. What from there, did you start to see where the need was for the business? Like, how did that work?
Speaker 1 17:51
Yeah, I think I saw this theme of loneliness and isolation full stop through the podcast. You know, whether it's people had suffered miscarriages or were struggling with fertility or their relationships or mental health, like there was a theme around not talking about that stuff enough, and feeling isolated as a result. And so then I did a survey, because I had my second baby, Evie, she was in the middle of the pandemic, which was super handy, and I had some no access to a mother's group, regardless of the pandemic, didn't have access to a mother's group here, and had one in Melbourne for a short time before we moved and it kind of all just clicked. I was like, oh, what support did I have back then in Melbourne that I don't have here? Mother's group, social connection, pretty obvious stuff. Every city mum that's ever existed would probably have been offered one, if not joined one, and I knew that I couldn't access one, and Tassie is not even that remote, like you, literally 1520 minutes from the nearest town all the time. And so I did a survey, a quick and dirty Instagram poll, and a couple of 100 mums responded. And the question was, you know, do you have access to a mother's group? And you know, at the time, it was like, 60% said no, and that was just a small collection of a few 100 responses. So I knew that nationally, there was obviously a problem. And so I uncovered the problem, and then I thought, well, what's the solution? And the solution was not physical mothers groups, for obvious reasons. Geographically, some of these women live hours from town, and so that's where the idea for motherland village popped into my mind. And motherland village is Australia's first online rural mothers group program. So that's how that started. I started with the Trial Group. There were eight women from different five different states, and that was a successful six week program. I actually asked to join that group after it ended, because I realized I created something that I needed, and that was like my last chance to join, because I wouldn't be able to join the program, you know, later on. And yeah, so I joined, and two and a half years later, we're still, you know, communicating nearly daily. We've gone on a girls weekend away, and I was going to ask that, I was going to say, hopefully you do this weekend away last year, we all flew to Brisbane and met, which was very special. And, yeah, so that's how it started and and then we officially, well, I officially launched it, November 2021, I took the first 90. One mum through the program on my own. And then that came the trigger point for wanting to convert to a charity state status. Because I should have mentioned when I started motherland, I was just a sole trader, tiny, tiny, tiny business owner. Wasn't really making any money or revenue at all, and also, I didn't do it for the money. It was all about the greater good. So charity made sense. That was a no brainer, given our mission, given what I was trying to achieve, given the improvements on mental health. So yeah, July 2022, was when we officially became a charity, and I had to seek a board. And so really, it's only really been not even two years since motherland's been more than the podcast. And so we've grown from podcast to program. We've got a scholarship fund that supports mums who can't access it, so they can access it for free, fundraisers and events. I wrote a book last year called motherland, funnily enough. So yeah, it's kind of grown, grown really beautifully into so much more. Like, it's very strange to talk about, because that was never the plan, like it was not a strategic business plan. It was a very phased go with the flow organic growth, which has worked for us,
Liz Nable 21:08
yeah, and was obviously in dire need because it's been so popular. So explain to me, just quickly a little bit about the program. So motherland, the program is not just a mother's group, right? It sounds like it's quite a specific program, is that? Right? Yeah. So
Speaker 1 21:22
it's not like a traditional mothers group where you sit around with the child, maternal health nurse and talk about breastfeeding and get advice. It's it's focused on the mum. So literally, think of it as like speed dating and blind dating on steroids, for mums online, for real mums. It's all about enabling friendships and connections. I'm at the center. It's not about we don't bring in experts to talk about breastfeeding. We're certainly a referral service to those places, but we're not experts in breastfeeding or solids and or any of that stuff, and that's not what we're there for. We're there to reduce isolation, so that's what the program is about. But what makes us unique, more broadly, not just in rural Australia is that I realized that, Why should women with older kids miss out on a mother's group too? So we offer the program for women in three different age groups, zero to three, so mums with kids aged zero to three, four to 10 and 11 to 18. Because I really wanted to support rural mums with kids of all ages. Some of them are coming into our program, and it's their second chance at a mother's group, because they never had one the first time around, they're still dealing with isolation. Their kids might be in boarding school. They live on a station, you know. So I really wanted, not, like, I mean, really no rural mum left behind, is what we're working towards. So the program to date has supported, you know, nearly 300 rural mums through the program. And
Liz Nable 22:38
it's so true, because I my children are one teenager coming into two more teenagers, and you still have the same it's what do they say? Little kids, little problems. Bigger kids, big problems. And if you are isolated from anyone who can give you feedback or advice or just listen, I can only imagine, I've got a 15 year old daughter. I mean, you can imagine, if you don't have anyone to bounce off problems, or even if you have a relatively free, you know, carefree child, it's so important at each stage of motherhood that's very clever, that you've decided to continue on past that newborn stage. Yeah,
Speaker 1 23:14
and I think there's another real reason and a real problem that we have in rural communities, which is also a blessing, is that a lot of rural communities are very tight knit and very close, and everyone knows your business, and that's really beautiful. But what I found, and why we connect mums to other mums from around the country, not in their immediate regional state even, is that, you know, they're actually seeking a lot of them are seeking some anonymity that comes with a fresh set of friendships where not everyone knows, oh, there's, you know, she's married to that farmer. And, oh, did you hear this? And oh, like not being able to share that you're struggling with your mental health or your marriage or with motherhood, because people know you that well, that not you know. And I certainly experienced it like when I tried to get some support from a psychologist. I didn't want people in our local town to know it's just you literally can't. I can't go to the post office. I know that the lady's very well at the post office. Post Office, so hi Donna and Leanne, if you're listening, but you know, like I can't go anywhere locally without bumping into someone I know, or going to the doctor without someone seeing you walk into the doctor. And so I think that's another reason why the program works, is it gives these rural mums that social connection outside of their immediate community. So some mums do have access to like a local play group, but they still have motherland village, and it's very different sacred Friendship Circle to their local one. It's just different. It's so
Liz Nable 24:29
true and free from judgment, because you don't really, you're not in the same communities and you're not it is such a safe space to be able to just be yourself and share what's going on in your life. And that's that's unusual. Talk to me a bit about I mean, two years is not a long time the business has exploded. How did that happen? And how did you use those journalistic media skills to help get the word out there? And how can we sort of help listeners, because women led businesses more. Meeting businesses, if there's a majority of the listeners to the podcast, how to use some of those skills that we have to help grow their businesses as well. How
Speaker 1 25:07
did it happen? Is a really hard question to answer. It's, you know, again, Lean Startup, going back to problems. What are the solutions? So we're about to launch a project, you know, this year called motherland Connect, which is a digital platform that connects rural mums to services that, you know, support their emotional or physical health. The problem is that rural mums don't have services locally. They're turning to Google. That's just a pit of, like, where do you know? Big, Dark Pit of, how do you know where to go? So, again, problem. So, solution, simple, online, platform, free, like, it's, you know, and so that's kind of how we're growing, and kicking goals is again, going back to what our communities need. So like, what do your customers actually need? Not, What do you think they need? Not, What do you hope they need? But have you asked them what they need? So that's sort of a big one as well as just, I know it sounds silly, but just intuition and gut like I just, I feel like female businesses are very different in that a lot of us, when we get it right, we're leading, leading with our hearts, not our heads. And I think your head can get in the way. Your heart can also get in the way too. But for me, leading with heart and tapping back into that is also what has grown motherland, as far as like, the growth and media skills. I had no idea just how much it would help. But, you know, everything from understanding how to write a good media release, you know, I literally smashed one out today in about 40 minutes. And you know, it's the kind of media release that that paper could just copy and paste, you know, literally as an article. And you know that skill is is well worth, like, learning if you're a small business owner that doesn't have the funds to pay for someone you know. So that's been huge. Being able to control our own news and get it out there to the right publications, understanding, understanding how journalists work. I mean, you would know firsthand. I mean, the amount of times in the newsroom you just chuck a media release in the bin, because it's just shit. It's just like, so it's just like, so off topic, it's just, it's almost, you know, and I've actually pushed back, like, I will say that I have had the most random requests to motherland from PR agencies I know, emailing me being like, hey, Steph, would you like to get Dr Joe Blow the vet talking about the latest pet Food and Nutrition. I'm like, I'm sorry. Not only is that, you know, hilariously so off. You know what motherland does, but or I know that that journalist or that PR person has literally hit Send en masse and just sent a media release to every single person in their database. Don't do that ever like don't spam journalists. Nothing pisses them off more. You know, you have to craft it and be personal, and you have to know your target market. You know, not every newspaper or channel is going to be the right fit for your brand or business. And it's really I find it insulting when I receive those, and I usually just block those people straight. I can't be bothered. I'm like, you obviously haven't even bothered to Google My Business to know that that's not the product, placement. So, yeah, exactly. So, yeah, but the media skills, building relationships with journals has helped. Obviously, having those connections, no doubt, has helped. And yeah, like I didn't realize, again, how much being a journal would help me just push those hooks forward, push the need, articulate it in a way that people understand that it's nationally significant. Understand what's unique, like, what is your unique value proposition? Like, you can't be everything to everyone. And sometimes people ask, Oh, would motherland do this? And would we branch out to that? And I always say, Well, no, because you end up being a jack of all trades and a master of none. So we know our place. We found our niche. We're bloody good at it, and we're going to keep growing in that space to support more and more of the people in our community and and so I think that's also something to think as a small business owner, like, what makes you unique? Because that is the way that you market yourself. You know, if you're not unique, well, maybe you need to come come up with a new business idea, you know, like, really sorry, that's brutal, but you've got to find what, what's your unique selling point, and how can you use that? And, you know, relationships like, I love people and I'm good, I believe I'm good with people, and so I've used that to motherland's advantage, everyone from politicians through to the everyday Australian. You know, I've, I've worked hard, and those are skills you learn as a journalist from literally, one day you're sitting down with a politician. The next day you're interviewing, you know, a struggling family, you know, battling away on Centrelink down in the suburbs of wherever in Sydney, and you're really having to dig deep to be, you know, I guess, approachable and human and empathetic. So those skills have been really helpful as well, like pitching motherland, you know, it's been really important.
Liz Nable 29:44
So for anyone listening who might be like, Oh, it's all well and good for you. Liz and Steph, like you were journalists, you went to university to learn that craft, but I know that if you work out some of the basics, you can have good success pitching to the media. Would you agree? And what's a. Some of those tips you would give people that could be transferable if you haven't done a three year journalism degree, yeah, well, I
Speaker 1 30:06
think start by reading the news. I'm not saying that everything. I don't think everything out there is accurate good. And I have, I have bit of gripe with media full stop at the moment in this country. So forget the quality. But read from a just like a structure point of view, like read the headlines, read, you know, specific to your area. So obviously, not everyone's going to be reading the AFR because, you know, their business might not be appropriate for that. But whatever it is, read and learn the language that journalists are using, because that's how you're going to speak their language, right? And you need to speak their language. It's not going to take someone long to get their hands on a few decent media releases and just start to see the structure like, you know, someone could send me an information on their business now, and yes, I've done it for years, but I could, literally, it's like a template on how, you know, how to, you know, set out a media release. So, and that's only a one pager like media release, good one shouldn't be more than one page so I really believe there's a way to educate yourself so that you're in a better position of sending information to journalists in a way that they're likely to have their ears prick up. So that would be the first thing. And I think, yeah, like understanding that unique aspect, so that when you're pitching it, you're leading with that it's not like, Hi, my name is Liz. I run this business for women, and we're amazing and blah, blah. And could you take it? You know, it's like, Hi Liz. I run the only organization in Australia that supports rural mums. 72% suffer from postnatal depression. And then you can go into your like the rest of the pitch. But actually, people are time poor, and we're living in this awful time where people and journalists as well, I think, are more focused on being first, not being right. And that's another discussion. So I think just understanding the new cycle and just doing your research, you know, you don't need a journalism degree to figure out how to write a decent media release or something that it's at least half baked to get your foot in the door and building relationships. You know, in your local communities, is there a local journalist? You know, depending on where you live, obviously, in the guts of the city. It can be hard. But how can you build those relationships? If media is going to be a big part of your strategy and your marketing strategy, well, you better start playing the game. And you know, you might go to some events or something in that space like you do have to build relationships. And that takes time. It's not like just overnight. You can just write a media release and get into all the publications you want. So just understanding that things like that do take time from a traditional, new sense that's very separate to your social media marketing, your EDMS, direct to your consumers and all the other stuff,
Liz Nable 32:30
yeah, from a how important it is to be, I mean, you know this, excuse me, this annoying cough, um, how important is it to be good talent and and can you explain a bit? I mean, I know what good talent is, but explain, from your point of view, how important is it to be good talent and to use because you've obviously pitched the media been successful, and now they're coming back to you. I'm assuming that a lot of the time you're getting requests. Now, how do you set yourself up into that situation, and how important is it in the relationships and in being quality talent to make that happen long term.
Speaker 1 33:05
Yeah, I mean, media will use you again and again if you're good talent, as you say. So that's an opportunity, you know, you see, I don't know, on the Today Show, you'll see, like, the economist that they use over and over again, like there's a reason for that. It's not like that. That person is the best person in the entire country to comment on that issue. It is that they tick the boxes of experience, but they also present, well, can speak in 10 second kind of quotes or grabs and deliver the good. So I think you know, it depends who you're speaking to. Is very different doing a newspaper article interview versus a podcast, radio or TV. But you know, podcast, radio or TV are the hardest to nail, because that's where your voice, your character, your tone, is on show. And you need to be able to speak in a really concise, sexy, punchy way. So you know, what is your key messaging, and how can you kind of narrow that down into, you know, 15 second, you know, grabs quotes so to speak and practice them and get really clear. And, you know, no one hates, you know, journalists hate it when you just ramble on, and it's really hard to edit. And, you know, so just getting really concise and clear and articulate with your messaging. Like, I repeat the same messages over and over. You know, I would have done it a bit today, but that's like, I'm not going to change my messaging. Like you change the way you present it, because you just speak naturally. You're not rehearsing it. You're not memorizing it. But the key messaging of my business and my brand stays the same because I'm not changing that, because that's who we are, that's who I am. So really understanding who you are, what you stand for,
Speaker 2 34:33
and having your key call to actions, your key point of difference, so
Speaker 1 34:37
that when a journalist asks you, Why should people buy your product, or what's so special about you, or why do you feel so strongly about this? You're, you're not there rambling. You're like, yep, straight into that core message that I, you know, have delivered many times and and also not being afraid to, let's face it, like getting attention of media requires you to stand for something, right? And, you know. Not many journalists just interview because they want to talk about your new clothing business, like cool, like a lot of those floating around. So there's got to be that, that hook, that point of difference, but you also have to be prepared to stand for something, otherwise you stand for nothing, and you might get get nothing in return. So preparing those messages. And, you know, I think finally, you know, it's just putting yourself like playing devil's advocate, and looking at your business and just trying to do your own critique of it and your own what are your weak spots, your blind spots, and being prepared for those sort of questions, because depending on what business you have, yeah, journal, some of them will just do great stories, but we all know sometimes there's a competing motive or something pops up and you weren't prepared for it, you know, that sort of thing. So, yeah, yeah, it's
Liz Nable 35:47
interesting that you mentioned repeating the same brand messaging or the same content, because I know a lot of including me, when I first started a brand that was a namesake brand, you feel the need to like be different and say different things and but what you don't realize is is you rarely ever speaking to the same audience. So it's really important you think you're repeating yourself, but more often than not, these people are hearing this for the first time, right?
Speaker 1 36:12
Exactly. I mean this, this interview is perfect example. You know, this is not my usual rural motherhood, you know, experience where they've heard my story, like people listening to your show never heard of me before. So, yeah, I'm not repeating myself, because everyone's hearing it, you know, fresh as you say. So it's not worrying about that, I suppose, and being aware of that, and also, you know, it does get it is repetitive, like it's repetitive, sure. I mean, I've been sharing my story for nearly five years. I still love it, but my point is, is I still make sure that I get myself in the frame of mind where I'm passionate and remind myself, why am I doing this? Why is this important? Why have I started this so that when I deliver it, it's delivered with charisma and motivation and, you know, energy, not someone who's like, oh, you can tell she's just repeating what she's been talking about for five years. God, she sounds sick of it like I don't think that I have said that in this interview. Liz,
Liz Nable 37:06
it's so true, because I always say, well, we talk about brand story inside the course, and we help people. Your Brand Story is a perfect example, because you still tell it with such pride and such passion. And I always say to any clients or students. If you can hear yourself and you sound if you're bored with what you're saying, you sound boring. So it's important that you feel really proud of that story. And if you need to eliminate parts of that story that you don't feel comfortable sharing or include things, then you should do that and be in charge of that narrative that you share. Because once you nail that story, you will be telling it ad nauseum, on stages in the media, pitching for business, pitching for investors, to government, to lobby. It's really important that that story stays powerful. Can we talk about the approach when you first started to the media? So was it a targeted approach? Because I'm thinking for many women, they might land a few wins in the media. But like, can we talk a bit about the strategy that perhaps you had, or did you have a strategy when you started? And how perhaps could you share some advice on media strategy? Because it sounds quite, you know, fancy to say media strategy, but really, it's quite, can be really simple, right?
Speaker 1 38:18
It can be really simple. And I guess for me, the strategy was just keeping it simple and small and getting a few runs on the board before, you know, putting pressure on myself for overwhelming myself with a bigger media strategy. So, you know, literally, for me, it was like locally, going to our local paper, the Tasmanian country, which is literally the paper that every farmer in Tassie gets. And, you know, I just sent them a little press release around the podcast I'd started, and I think it had hit 40,000 downloads then, like now we're at nearly a million. So, you know, it was very early days, and it was literally just, here's a photo of me and my husband and my kids and my Cobra. And, you know, this is what I'm doing, and I've interviewed a Tassie mom. So it was also localizing it. So, you know, why should the Tasmanian paper care, but it was a Tasmanian founded business who had interviewed a couple of Tasmanians by that point, and it was new. And, yeah, they ran a beautiful little story about it, as did another local paper in Tassie. So, you know, it was just starting in my local region and getting some wins on the board. Because then, when you go and pitch, you can actually sort of say, you know, I've also, you know, been featured here, or I've also talked about something similar here. And, you know, journos love credibility, and being in the media that snowballs, builds credibility. You know, I've put and I've got to update it. Haven't in like, two years, but like on our website, like up, you know, people have it, you know, as featured in and showing where you feature that is, everyone's doing it, but it actually is important, because it shows that you your story and your business is a credible enough that, you know, some credible media organizations have all covered it as well. So, yeah, you know, I think that's another little tip. Is just starting small, getting some small wins, you know. And there's plenty of. Local, small papers in the city too, or platforms, like, it's not just about going all guns blazing to the AFR and the Australian you know, that's great. But, um, those local, you know, I remember being featured, not for motherland, but, like, I think I was still a uni student, but doing something like the Wentworth courier, like, just those, those smaller publications, I'm sure some, not all of them, exist. Does that even still exist? I don't know. But you know what I mean?
Liz Nable 40:21
Yeah. And the beauty of that is, is, and people forget this is because a lot of those papers are now online, you will likely get syndicated. So even if you think you're only being featured in the Tassie database, I don't know if that exists, but often you can get many more eyeballs when that gets syndicated in various different places across the internet. So small seems small, but it's, it's with the Internet. It's the reach is really invaluable. Side question, did you ever worry about being, being new to the farming rural community? It's obviously quite like you said, it was very, can be very black and white. People don't necessarily talk about their problems, open. Problems openly, the subjects that you were trying to demystify and get out in the open. Did you feel any concern or worry about coming into this farming community and blowing it up?
Speaker 1 41:18
No, probably should have, but I'm just, I'm just Sledgehammer step for more optimism bias, yeah, yeah, a bit of everything. Um, no, I was just blinded by passion and belief that this was important. And, you know, yeah, sometimes we're not for everyone. Sometimes we go too deep and it's too much, and that's fine, like, you know you're not my target market. If it's if you know you're not enjoying it like it's it's not about pleasing everyone. For example, you know, jack of all trades, master of none. So just focusing on who is my target market, who do I actually trying to support? I think we've come a long way. Mental Health in the last five years, I've seen a real shift in rural Australia, in the conversations, the podcast, the platforms, how the media is engaging. Four and a half years ago, when I started motherland, it was still very taboo and very new, which sounds hilarious because it's not that long ago, but I feel like the pace is the pace at which we're moving. Media is moving. Social discourse is moving, is actually very quick now. So yeah, it's changed a lot in the last four and a half years. Yeah, I just, I don't know, I wear my heart on my sleeve. I don't always get it right, but I just, I just go in there and have a crack. And, you know, if people don't like it, I mean, tall poppy syndrome is a big thing. Yeah, I've really struggled with that.
Liz Nable 42:33
Have you? Have you had much because of your own inner critic, or other people?
Speaker 1 42:36
Um, other people? Um, really? Yeah, I feel like, yeah. I feel like, you know, even like the Australian of the Year award winning that for Tasmania was huge. But also it sounds awful, but someone said it to me when I was like, someone was like, criticizing me. And I was like, that's just so unfair. Like, I literally, I run a charity full time while trying to raise two young kids,
Liz Nable 43:01
are they criticizing you publicly or privately to your face, a bit
Speaker 1 43:04
of both. And I asked my a contact of mine. I was like, like, This is so unfair. And they said to me, yeah, Steph, but you're a attractive, young, successful woman in Tasmania. You are a really good target, and that really hurt. But I think we see that in, you know, females, like men and women, are treated very differently in business and killed. Anyone says, you know, when I travel for work, it's like, Oh, where are the kids? Oh, I don't know. They're alone. They're three and five. They're fine on their own. I joke like they're with the they're with their father, other parents, the other competent human being who I went into a relationship with and had children with, like Jesus, my husband travels. Never gets asked about it. And so I feel like as business owners, and when you're a mum as well, there's, it's hard. I think that, you know, I love Tassie, but it's very small, and you can be a big fish in a small pond here, and people don't always like that, challenging the status quo, getting attention. I I have struggled with that, and I don't really, like, I've gotten better at dealing with it, because I actually just want to say, like, what do people want? Do they want you to stay small, like women can't win. You put yourself out there, and you get the attention, and people think you're arrogant, or they whatever they think about you, then you don't do it, and you don't grow your business, or you don't grow your passion or your cause, like you just can't bloody win. And so you know, everything that I do, every award that I've won, every media interview I've done, every social post I've done, has been on purpose to grow this charity. That is my job as CEO, as founder, my job is to get motherland into as many ears as possible, to support as many rural mums as possible, to improve the mental health of as many women as possible. And if that means I'm in your face a bit, well, tough shit, you know, like, I, you know what I mean. Like, it's just really. Frustrating. And I have a lot of friends in business who feel the same. And, you know, when I speak to men about it, it's just not a thing for them. They just don't deal with the same criticism that women do. It's like that whole women get called bossy, you know, versus men just get called leaders. And so that's something I'm really aware of with my kids, because I've got a boy and a girl and just, you know, being really careful with the language around my daughter and Yeah, and so, as you can tell, very passionate gone on a bit of a rant. But yeah, I
Liz Nable 45:28
agree with you completely, because it's, it's so hard, because when you think you're used to being in front of a camera, you're a journalist, you're confident, you're smart, even you feel intimidated to a certain extent, and I feel exactly the same way. People are like, Oh, you'll be all confident. I'm like, I still care about wanting to be liked. It's a human response, right? But it's so interesting, because from a distance, you are very well respected. And I'm not saying that to like, blow smoke up your ass, but it's so interesting how, when you're inside it, how you feel. And then if you ask the majority of people, they would be like, I'm super happy for you. Congratulations on Australia the year. Yeah, you know, and it's that minority that we hang on to, because we have a negative bias as humans as well. But it's important to, you know, to keep doing what you're doing. And you know, what is it? What's the saying a rising tide lifts all boats. It's really important,
Speaker 1 46:24
yeah. And I think also, you know, small business can be a really difficult game. It's, you know, I know a lot of small businesses are struggling now, but, you know, I think that I genuinely believe that the people who criticize you are often not the happiest people. Because if you are happy, if you're fulfilled, if you are kicking goals, if you know, if you're emotionally in a good place, in your life, with your relationships, with your friends, blah, blah, blah, what reason do you have to criticize another business owner or whatever it might be like, you know, you'd have to be a pretty shitty person to do that. So I'm trying, I've tried really hard the last year to kind of shift my thinking. And it doesn't happen often, but if it does come up, or I feel self conscious, I'm like, You know what? That's actually says more about them than me? Yeah, and they're obviously maybe in their their business isn't going well and their marketing is not going well, and their revenue is not going well, or they're about to divorce their husband, like, everyone's got a story. Everyone's going through something, and I really find that happy people, you know, promote you, push you, congratulate you, but they certainly don't try and tear you down. So you know, I think any small businesses listening, you know, if you are struggling with that, just know that it's not you. And keep pushing, keep marketing, get in the newspapers, scream your business from the rooftops. Do it and don't listen to anyone that says otherwise,
Liz Nable 47:46
yeah, absolutely, it's been so good to speak to you. Steph, keep doing what you're doing. You're doing an awesome job. And, I mean, you don't need me to tell you that, like speaks for itself. Million downloads on the podcast that would be nice. Well done.
Unknown Speaker 48:01
Thank you so much. Liz, thanks for having me. It's been
Liz Nable 48:03
a pleasure. This episode of media magnet was brought to you by my signature group coaching program, the media masters Academy. The media masters Academy is a live, online, six week course taught by me and designed to teach you how to become your own publicist and gives you exclusive access to pitch the country's top journalists and editors. Doors open just three times a year. Check it out at Liz nable.com along with a ton of free resources to help you get started taking your business from Best Kept Secret to household name right now, if you love this episode of media magnet, please share it with your business buddies or on social media and tag me at at Liz underscore nable. And if there's a specific guest you want to hear from on the show, or a topic or question you want to know more about, please tell me so I can make sure the show stays dedicated, especially for you.
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