Build a Marketing Strategy That Fits Your Brain w/Polly Pollock

SPEAKER_01: Hello, Polly. Welcome to the Powerful Women Rising podcast. Thank you so much for having me on. Yes, I'm so excited to talk to you today.

Excited we both got our microphones working. There's no cat butts in the middle of us right now, at least. So we're um two for two. SPEAKER_00: Yeah, we had a we had a few teething issues, but we we got there just springing the chaos, but we got there in the city.

SPEAKER_01: My Adderall will kick in very shortly, and then we'll be good to go. SPEAKER_00: So before we start talking, tell everybody a little bit about you and about what you do. Yeah, so my name is Polly Pollock. I'm a marketing and sales mentor for coaches, practitioners with ADHD who are really in that process of taking their online business full-time and beyond, um, but really mostly building those foundations.

But they feel usually very like just stretched too thin, like they are being told to market, sell, show up online, get visible in ways that either feel completely inauthentic or ways that just drain the absolute life out of them, whether that's just like constant social media posting um or just kind of morphing themselves into someone they're not. Um, and so my my stance on all of this is it really doesn't need to be that way. And you can really lean into your unique strengths to market and get visible and and sell and become successful online and you don't have to change.

And that's kind of that's my thing. So blending that strategy with also that really ADHD friendly um like approach to marketing. SPEAKER_01: I love that so much because one of the things that I talk about a lot, and one of the reasons that I started Powerful Woman Rising three years ago is because I was so tired of like the cookie cutter advice, the one size fits all. Like, here's the plan, like here's how I marketed, and it made me$10 billion in 50 seconds.

And so if you follow this plan, you will also make$10 billion in 50 seconds. And it's so hard, especially I think for people who are neurodivergent because we follow those plans and it doesn't work for us. And then it just creates so much shame because, like, why is it working for everyone else? But it's not working for me.

SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, you're so right. I think that's the the real um ish, like the main problem and issue that I see with new students and just new community members is that lack of self-trust. Because you have that when you're starting a business anyway, because you don't have any evidence there to like compare it to. And, you know, evidence creates confidence.

So it makes sense that, you know, when you start off the bat, you're gonna be like, what the fuck am I doing? I don't know what I'm doing. Like, this is so scary. But I see a lot of people who have been in business also for kind of like a year or so, and they still haven't gotten consistent clients, they're still really struggling, and they end up trusting themselves less after trying these kind of quick fixes and do this strategy because it worked for me and it will definitely work for you.

And that creates the story within us of like you're incapable. And because this person is successful on paper and it didn't work for you, you suck basically. That's the story that gets created, and it just doesn't, it's not true, but we it it's baked in at that point. SPEAKER_01: Yes, absolutely.

And I love what we're talking about today because I know that ADHD entrepreneurs is your jam, that's what you specialize in. But I really feel like everything we're gonna talk about today in terms of marketing is applicable to everyone, whether they're neurodivergent or neurotypical. SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, you're you're definitely right. I feel like so many of us on like online business owners, we have busy brains.

And so a lot of the marketing and sales and business that I teach, yes, it's ADHD specific because that's who I work with. But I've also had people come into my world and work with me who aren't ADHD, but they're like, I've got a very busy brain. Um, I feel like I'm running at 100 miles an hour. And honestly, I feel like that's most entrepreneurs anyway.

So this advice will definitely, I think, be useful to the listeners who don't have ADHD as well, but are feeling like the online business world is just full of noise and you want a more sustainable approach to growing your business. SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's like all the things that make us great entrepreneurs or like that got us on this track to begin with, are also the things that make it really hard. SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, definitely. Like our blessings are curses at the same time, I think.

And especially when you've got a busy brain or an ADHD brain, it's like even when we hyper focus or whatever it is, that's a blessing, but it's also a curse because you've gotten like five hours worth of work done in two, but you so you've also like forgot to eat and you haven't peed in like seven hours. So like it's it's not great. But yeah, there's definitely a lot of uh polarity. SPEAKER_01: I'm laughing because these bags under my eyes are because I was in hyper focus until about 1.

30 this morning. And it made me laugh when you said that because literally like 8 15 last night, my dogs are being so annoying. And I'm like, why are you guys being so annoying? And then I looked at what time it was and I was like, oh, perhaps you would like to eat.

I don't know. Sorry, my bad. I've been existing off half a cookie for the last nine hours. SPEAKER_00: Yeah, you you don't realize how deep you're in a hyper focus until you look at the time and it's like, oh shit, I've literally disregarded all of my um my basic needs and my dog's basic needs also.

Yeah, exactly. Exactly. SPEAKER_01: Okay, so let's talk about some of the big mistakes that you see people making, especially ADHD entrepreneurs, when it comes to marketing and things that they're doing that they may not even realize are draining their energy and are also maybe not all that effective. SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.

Okay, so instantly I am gonna be bold and say social media. I feel like this is something I I feel that people still are in denial about. And I kind of came out very openly about the fact that I was stepping off of social media at the beginning of this year. And some people were like, oh, I've been wanting to kind of, I've been thinking this for so long, like I want to do it.

And um, I feel like the conversation around social media actually not being the most effective way to market in general is only just starting to happen. But I do feel like people are still in denial of like, well, you can't have a coaching business without social media. And it's like, no, you really, really can. Like you absolutely can.

And while I'm not inherently like anti-social media, the basis of the way I teach marketing doesn't focus on social media because it's not the most effective way when you're building those foundations. It's actually the slowest way in 2026. In my humble opinion, I've been in this space for a good few years now and it's definitely changed. It's been really up and down.

It's not how it used to be. And I feel like trust is uh the hardest to build on social media compared to other channels. So, like other ways of marketing online. I feel like, yeah, social media will probably be the main one because it gives you ADHD, is especially that instant dopamine hit and that attachment, even when it's going badly and you complain day after day of like, oh man, my reel only got 20 views, you know, this sucks.

Why do you keep getting out of bed in the morning and doing the same shit? There's and I I am not judging anyone who's doing this because I used to do this, and it's that dopamine, it's that addiction of like, and it's also that drive, it's within us that's like, I'm gonna prove this wrong, you know. That's that's something that we all have in in us, and it's like a mission, but you you get out of bed day after day and do the same thing that's that's not working, and that's literally the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again in expecting change.

So, and I think the reason why it's so um so addictive for people is a just because social media is addictive, but B, it's because the the main conversation in the online business world is around social media marketing, and people don't even know that there's other routes that are way more sustainable and way more like quick results can actually come from those other routes. So that's probably the number one. SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah. I could not agree more.

I it's so interesting we're having this conversation too. I just am in I'm like halfway through reading the book Dopamine Nation. Have you read that? I haven't, no, girl, you gotta read it.

I have the workbook too, but I'm too scared to do it. Um, I will send you. There's actually a podcast that I just listened to. It's like the CE, I don't have it's a popular podcast, CEO something.

And he interviews the lady who wrote the book. So it's like a shorter version of what she talks about in the book. Oh, yeah. And it's just so fascinating to learn about like what is actually happening chemically in our brains on social media and like how it's created on purpose to get us addicted.

And yeah, I mean, it's I woke up this morning and I work part-time at Starbucks, and we've started making these reels. And girl, I've been making reels for my business for three years, and I when I get like 300 views, I'm like, oh my god, I'm so cool. We made this really dumb reel and at Starbucks, and I woke up this morning, first thing I did was check, and we have like 10,000 views. And I'm like, first of all, why have I been working so hard on like business reels?

Because clearly no one cares. And also, like, it was just immediately first thing in the morning was like, oh, 10,000, like, oh, that's so, and then I'm like, why though? Why is that so exciting? Did it get me followers?

Did it get me clients? Did it do anything for me? No, but my brain sure liked it. SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, that's it.

Do you know? I just like so before I focused on non-social media marketing, I'll come on to that story of why. Um, I I learned for years about social media and how it works. So I instantly my like social media brain is is wondering was it like a funny, entertaining reel by any chance?

Yeah, those ones always do the best, and that's why it's so hard for business um that requires revenue to come in and actual trust and clients and and warmth rather than just like a click and a like and a ha ha ha, that was cute scroll. Um, is because those reels they they do best on social media. And when people try and post, and this is such a thing with ADHD um online business owners who want to share their expertise and their depth, they can't do that because Instagram doesn't like that, that doesn't push that type of content out, typically speaking.

And so that's where people feel really stuck. So I'm not surprised, and that's you know, leads me to my point of for a business that's coaching service or you know, you're a coach practitioner or a service provider, social media isn't the place where you're actually going to be able to cultivate trust with people quickly or like as quickly. But yeah, that doesn't surprise me that that did well if it was like a funny reel. SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.

And I feel like social media, like when we're talking about ways to market that aren't social media, um, obviously, one of the things that I would say first and foremost is networking, meeting people, building relationships with people. And I like social media for that purpose of like staying in touch with those people, staying connected with those people. That feels easier than me to me than like having a spreadsheet of like all these people that I've met. And now I have to make sure I have like a coffee chat with all of them every quarter.

Like that, it sounds horrible. So, like I feel like that's part of it too, is like you don't have to get off social media if you don't want to, but also like be clear about what your intention is with it, like how you want to use it. I think I'm one of those people that falls into like, well, if I'm posting it, like if I created it, right? I created this podcast episode.

So I might as well also then post on Facebook about it. And if I'm posting on Facebook about it, then I might as well copy and paste that onto Instagram and I might as well copy and paste that onto LinkedIn. And if I made a little clip from it, I might as well then also put it on TikTok because somebody and like, why am I doing all of this? SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, exactly.

Like, I think that there's a really big difference between I think using social media just to pump out content every day and using it to like connect with people. And like the way I advise to obviously, if a student says, Do you know Polly, I don't want to use social media at all, I'm done. I'm like, let's make it happen. Like, that you're not gonna force you to be on it for any purpose.

But the majority of my my students in my community will say, I like being on social media, but I don't want it to carry my marketing, and it should never carry your marketing anyway. And um, so they'll use it as an amplifier. And what the way I would suggest using social media is to message your new followers and just say, Hey, thanks for following me. Like building relationships, that is what business is about.

And so you really need to be able to actually cultivate trust with the people who do come into your world. Like, even if you're not getting visible on social media, let's say you're doing collaborations and speaker events and podcast guesting and everything like that, people will still follow you on on Instagram if you if you say, Here's where you can find me on socials. That gives you a really, really great opportunity to start saying, Hey, how'd you uh like thanks for the follow?

How do you find my page if you're if you're open to sharing? That's just kind of what I suggest. And you're not selling anything to anyone, you're not saying, hi, I just wanted to let you know about my program. Like, fuck that.

We no, we don't we don't cold sell. No, but it still gives you a really good foundation to connect with people, and so that's what I would suggest using it for. Um, I would suggest using it for, you know, like if you did want to repurpose a podcast clip or share that you're like speaking somewhere, like just what we used to do on social media before it became this like be all and end all business strategy that was based around like you pumping out organic content on just that platform that's like short form content.

So I think that there's um there's definitely uh like two things can be true at once, you know. There's there's bits that you can take from it. SPEAKER_01: Yes, absolutely. One of my favorite humans, she's been a guest on the podcast, and her and I collaborate a lot.

Her name's Deanna Seymour, and she's a designer, and uh she created my I have like a three pinned post on Instagram and she does such a good job. But she all she does on social media is Instagram, and she has a nine grid up there. She never posts on her like actual whatever it's called, her main grid. And she like shares stuff in stories and she DMs people and like has actual conversations and she crushes it that way.

So I love just I just bring that up because there's so many different ways to do it. And okay, so I I feel like we could have this conversation for like 500 years, but let's talk about what you say is energy first marketing, because I feel like this is applicable to what we're talking about here too, in terms of like figuring out what works for you. So, what does that look like in practice? SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so this is where it gets a little bit um, I think people want like a uh like a a canned, like this is the thing that you need to do, but yeah, tell me what to do.

So, this is the truth is that it's gonna look different for everybody. And that's the thing that I enjoy most about working with people because every everybody has different brains and everybody has different ways that they show up best. So some people might be writers, some people might be honestly, the majority of my students obviously are yappers who love to talk like me. So that's the majority.

But based on what I refer to as your unique strengths, that's where it kind of is interchangeable. Also, your life, your capacity, you know, people often don't take into consideration that people might have kids, people might have other responsibilities. Um, you know, not everybody, I hate the phrase everybody has the same 24 hours in the day, because it's not okay. Yeah, don't be lazy and expect things to fall into your lap.

I don't think that we need to be like spouting the rhetoric of like, you don't have to grind at all in business. It's like sometimes you do, like, and you definitely do when you're first starting, but you know, we don't always have the same 24 hours in the day. So, you know, energy-friendly marketing is first about working out like what that means for you and your life. But the way I teach it is rather than focusing on tactics and going viral and getting in front of the most people and just hoping, because that's what most people think marketing is, right?

Is like like saying the right things, saying like bold polarizing content and hoping that it goes viral and gets in front of people and hoping that within that big pool you get some bites. That's not marketing, that's literally putting your business in the hands of luck. Not even luck, it's like it's it's it's like a smaller chance than luck. So we really look at visibility, community, and then a sales system.

That's that's what I teach in my program, and that's the flow that we kind of um we we use as the core. So, visibility-wise, it's like how can you get visible off of social media in ways that aren't gonna require the same output every single day? Because the thing that I think people struggle with with things like social media is like I have to spend an hour or two on content every single day, I have to show up on a reel every single day. I don't want to do that.

And I don't think that there's anything wrong with not wanting to do that because also we're women, we've got a cycle that's interchangeable. If you catch me two days before my period, I'm gonna be a fucking mess. Like it's not gonna be fun for everyone. You don't want to see my reel that day.

You don't want to see anything. Believe me, I don't want, I don't even want to see me that day. I don't even look in the mirror, but it's bad. But you know, it's also, I don't think we were ever meant to to kind of do that.

Just that we're not, we're not like celebrities who like are in front of the paparazzi every day. It's just a little bit um, it's just a bit odd in my in my books anyway. So we look at visibility that you can still be consistent with, like showing up week by week and moving that needle and make sure you're getting in front of the right people and not just like a random audience, um, but in a way that doesn't require the same constant output that's draining every single day. And that works for a lot better for for my community and my students, who funnily enough would before tell themselves that they have a quote unquote inconsistency problem.

You don't, you're just trying to be consistent in a way that's actually not moving the needle very much and actually is draining you. So it's not gonna work for you. Then things like community building, I tend to focus and and really encourage focusing on your email list as uh your main kind of hub for once people find you, they can actually join your email list and then you can warm your community up there. And then it goes into sales.

And I again I love what you were saying earlier about your friend who really focuses on having conversations with people. That's the way that I really encourage um selling. And again, it's a lot more energy friendly because you're not worrying about, you know, the tactics of a big launch carrying you through and and like the whole balance of your business like hangs in the balance of like a successful launch that's really like feels manufactured, and you can do it in a more human-first relationship-driven way.

Of course, that's not me bashing launches, that's just me saying you don't have to do big launches and you don't have to have a thousand offers. You know, we really I would suggest mastering one offer within all of this and and really driving people into that. So that's kind of the main framework that I suggest when it comes to energy-friendly marketing and sales. SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I love that.

And that's something very similar to what I talk about with networking, is I feel like so many people will try a certain format or a certain type of networking or a certain networking group, and they're like, that was terrible. I hated it, I needed a shower after, I needed a three-hour nap after, right? Like, especially us neurodivergent people or like an introvert or somebody who's shy or somebody who just like doesn't want to put on hard pants and leave the house. Like, I get it because I'm all of those things.

Um, okay, maybe not the shy part, but all the other ones. And there's so many different ways to do it, right? Like you can try online networking, you can try in-person networking, you can try a leads group that's very like transactional and surface level, you can try a connection-based group that's very like we want to get to know you as a person first. You can do speed networking, you can do like all different types of formats.

And like, so I feel like part of what you're saying in marketing is like trying these different things and finding the thing that's like, okay, that actually felt good. Like that was actually fun. It wasn't just like a quick dopamine hit that made me think like, oh, I want to keep doing this again, but like I actually enjoyed it, I want to do it again versus the things that we do in marketing that we're like, oh my gosh, that was terrible, but at least I got it done. Check mark.

SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah, exactly. Like the thing with the ADHD brain and again, just busy brains overall, but especially the ADHD brain is that if we don't want to do something, like if we don't find joy and we don't feel in flow with something, we won't do it. And that's why a lot of the work that I do actually involves helping people find a way of doing the thing that they're they're saying like they hate. And then as soon as you do it in the way that you want, it's like, oh, I love this.

This is great. But you know, some things, you know, posting on social media, for example, that's just something that a lot of people hate. And I'd say if that's like that's not a big worry in the grand scheme of marketing, just don't worry about it. Um, or find a way, like, for example, use it to keep in touch with people and you know, build relationships and warm people up through the DMs, you know, use it in that way.

Um, so yeah, and I think with with something like, for example, networking, I think a lot of people go to networking events that are very broad and are very, they feel really like chaotic. And I think that they have one bad experience and then they they kind of um don't give it another chance to actually build a community around them. And I think, at least in my what I've seen with with my own students and my experiences as well, with something like networking, it actually it works a lot better to connect and build your own community and build your own village rather than trying to drop yourself in a big pond of like these other people that may not be at all for you.

They like Like if I tried to go to a big networking event in London, for example, that was full of just like hundreds of people, I'd be like, I'd take one look, I'd be like, fuck this, I'm out, fuck this, like so hard. I'm not doing this because I I'm a picky person. So I need to make sure that my community and the people I have around me, they're gonna be for me and I'm gonna be for them. And that's not to say that I'm not open to like I love meeting new people who are totally different to me because I always love to be taught lessons and learn from other people, but I'm not gonna drop myself in a big ocean of people and hope that I'm gonna have a good experience because I'm gonna get overwhelmed as shit.

So building your own village and building your own community and building that up one by one, I think is really like piece by piece is really important if like traditional networking isn't your thing. SPEAKER_01: Yeah, absolutely. I feel like there's so many more things that we could talk about, even just like for me personally, I'm like, okay, I have 55 more questions, but I don't want to make this too long. So, you know, we got a lot of ADHD brains listening.

They're like, okay, ladies, wrap it up. Uh, we're reaching the end of my attention span. I want to circle back though to what we were talking about in the beginning in terms of like dopamine in social media, because I think it's easier said than done to be like, you don't have to be on social media, right? Like, I've tried, I can't tell you how many times I've deleted the apps from my phone, and then like four days later, the apps are back on my phone.

So, what do you suggest in terms of like how do we break that pattern of like checking our social media constantly and like kind of just that dopamine cycle and get more focused on what is actually going to lead to sales for us? SPEAKER_00: It's such a good question. I think I'm so glad you asked because I could talk about this all day. So there's two kind of parts that I'm I'll split this into.

So, with checking your phone and re-downloading the app and almost feeling like that attachment to it that's almost like second nature when it happens, I totally get that because that was definitely me. Um, and I really felt that the the couple weeks that I came off of social media and I was getting really twitchy, and I felt like I was on crack or something and going through withdrawal symptoms. I was like, what is happening? Yeah, and it was so strange.

But the thing we got to remember is that especially as ADHD is where we crave that dopamine, like it is literally crack, um, that's our system being attached, and our nervous system has been attached to social media for so long and it's almost been like a comfort blanket. So when we try and get off of social media, that's obviously gonna feel really, really dangerous to our system. And we're gonna want to attach, it's like we get grabby. So when that happens, the thing that I would really suggest is try and train your body and your brain to go and seek some real dopamine.

So obviously, like fake dopamine is social media, like, you know, you check the views on your real, all of that stuff is fake dopamine. Um, you know, smoking, drinking, all of it. When you feel that urge, it's so hard, but you've got to force yourself sometimes. It's so difficult.

Try and put the phone down and do something that's really natural and real dopamine. So whether that's like go and get some fresh air. Um, even if you need to be on your phone, even like um watching something on the TV is honestly better than scrolling on your phone. Um, take a cold shower, like literally hose yourself off.

That's the thing that I would recommend doing on the inner level. And then if you're finding it difficult to pry yourself away from social media from a business point of view, even though you know it's not bringing in sales, even though you know it's not being like effective for you, because that's what most people are experiencing. Um, I would really, really recommend replacing that time with needle-moving things that are actually going to get you visible in other places because that struggle stops being a thing for a lot of the people that come into my world when they replace it with something else and they start getting the like the real dopamine from like an achievement that means a lot more than a like on a reel, but they're also getting sales come through and they're actually growing their community because it's it's it's they're showing up in places where their people already are.

It doesn't feel like such a stretch, they can really see it in front of them. And so, yeah, the thing that I think makes it more of a struggle for people is when they're saying, Oh man, I'm I feel really anxious about, you know, I need to download social media again, but they're not doing anything else to replace that and actually move the needle with visibility and sales. SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that makes sense. That's so smart.

So if people want to continue this conversation with you, if they are like me, I always get halfway through my interviews at some point and I'm like, okay, I need to hire this person. I don't know. I have like zero thought about ever being interested in SEO. And I'm like halfway through that interview and I'm like, I need to hire her.

Like it doesn't matter what it is. I'm like, okay, I need to hire her. So how do we connect with you? What's the best way for us to get into your world?

SPEAKER_00: Yeah, no, definitely come and chat to me on socials. I mean, like I said, I'm not there posting, but I love T Apps. So come and talk to me there at Polypollock Official. And then if you do want some support and you do uh feel like you want to work with me or explore that option, um, there is my signature four-month marketing mentorship program, which is literally the only program that I run.

It is my baby, it's where I spend most of my time. You pretty much get me in your back pocket. So it's a one-to-one hybrid program where I pretty much walk you through everything that I've spoken about here, which is the visibility, the um email community warming and building and the sales process. And then wrapped in that is that ADHD specific support around focus, productivity, um, and the yeah, emotional roller coaster of running a business with a spicy brain.

Um, and then if you so I'll I'll give you that link. Um, and then if you want to come and join me in my weekly drop-in sessions for free, you can join my free community, which I'll also leave the link to. Um, which is called the procrastination station. Very, very ADHD coded.

SPEAKER_01: That's why I was like, you gotta say the name. Because as soon as I heard the name, I was like, what? That's not for me. Weird.

SPEAKER_00: It's it's very, yeah. I I kept saying it and uh I was like, man, I need to create something that has this name in it because it's just so it's just so relevant to us, I think. SPEAKER_01: It totally is. Well, thank you so much.

This has been really, really helpful and so much good stuff to think about. I have to force my brain now to not be like, I'm ready to like go to all the social medias, be like, I'm leaving, goodbye. This is the air, the airport where I need to announce my departure. I'm off of everything.

Uh so we'll think that through for a good 24 hours. Maybe I'll have sleep before I sleep before I do anything crazy. But thank you so much. This has been an awesome conversation.

Thank you so much for having me on. I've really enjoyed it. SPEAKER_00: Thank you.