Marketing Strategy Academy with Jen Vazquez

Hosted by Jen Vazquez | Pinterest Manager, Marketing Strategist + Brand Photographer

Business Marketing

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Episodes

352

Latest episode

Oct 2026

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About the show

🎙️ Hey there, solopreneurs and small businesses with tiny but mighty teams! Ready to level up your business? Welcome to the podcast where fierce female service providers get the inside scoop on strategic marketing that actually works. Join Jen as she shares the real deal, drops some serious marketing wisdom, and serves up Pinterest tips hotter than your morning coffee. We dive deep into everything from Pinterest mastery to SEO secrets, email marketing strategies that convert, and harnessing the power of AI. Plus, we’re all about repurposing content so you can maximize your efforts across every platform without burning out. We’ll also guide you through smart marketing workflows designed to help you work smarter, not harder, so you can get back to doing what you love. And it’s not just about the strategies—we’re bringing in mindset and organization experts to help you break through roadblocks, get organized, and take action with confidence. Tune in weekly for solo episodes and guest chats with marketing pros who’ve cracked the code and are here to help you do the same. Follow @marketingstrategyacademypod + @jenvazquezmedia on IG to engage with us!

Listen to episodes

60 recent

October 29, 2026Episode 35712 min

357 | Start Pinterest in Q4: Why Waiting Until January Is Too Late

Every year, service providers tell me they'll start Pinterest in January. That one decision can cost you three months of content that could have been working for you all along. In this episode, I explain why Q4 is a smart time to start on Pinterest, a search engine where your future clients are researching who to hire next year. I also walk you through a simple four-week plan you can start this week. In this episode: Why waiting until January pushes your results back How Pinterest timing actually works, and why slow pins are an advantage What your future clients are searching for in Q4 What to pin if you're a coach, photographer, wedding pro, or Pinterest strategist The four-week Q4 quick start, from profile setup to your first pins Why an account started in October is in a different spot by January ALL LINKS MENTIONED Wanna learn Pinterest with an expert there to help for only $47? Pinterest Visibility Sprint is a 2-hour sprint with me live to optimize your Pinterest and create a marketing workflow Sign up for the Sprint Here are some free things I've got coming up: F REE Pinterest + Marketing Tools FREE Pinterest Audits LIVE on YouTube. 🔔 Subscribe to the Marketing Strategy Academy Podcast for a treasure trove of insights from industry experts and visionaries in the marketing industry, all hosted by Jen Vazquez.

October 28, 2026Episode 35631 min

356 | Get Clients to Chase You: Strategic Visibility with Emily Grace

You're showing up, pitching, posting, and following up, and you're still chasing every client. What if the right clients came to you already sold? I'm chatting with Emily Grace, a filmmaker and Sundance Award-winning actor turned visibility coach. She takes the Hollywood playbook and turns it into simple, low-effort ways for service providers to be remembered, not just seen. In this episode: Why a single spotlight moment changes how people see you Two small habits that make women dim their light on podcasts and panels What Hollywood knows about building demand before a launch How stories (even stories about a tool) make people want to work with you Vanity visibility vs. strategic visibility, and how to tell which one you're doing The funnel mistake that wastes a great podcast interview The one thing you can do today to pitch yourself to five podcasts ALL LINKS MENTIONED Wanna learn Pinterest with an expert there to help for only $47? Pinterest Visibility Sprint is a 2-hour sprint with me live to optimize your Pinterest and create a marketing workflow ⁠ Pinterest Visibility Sprint ⁠ Here are some free things I've got coming up: ⁠ Free Pinterest + marketing tools. ⁠ ⁠ Want your account audited? ⁠ FREE Pinterest Audits LIVE on YouTube. 🔔 Subscribe to the Marketing Strategy Academy Podcast for a treasure trove of insights from industry experts and visionaries in the marketing industry, all hosted by Jen Vazquez. Support the show!

October 23, 2026Episode 35514 min

355 | Brand Photos for Pinterest: Turn One Shoot Into 90 Days of Pins

You paid for the brand photos, and most of them are sitting in a folder doing nothing. What if one photo shoot could feed your Pinterest account for the next 90 days? In this episode, I walk through the exact system I use to turn one brand shoot into months of pins that keep finding your ideal clients while you're busy doing literally anything else. Pinterest is a visual search engine, and brand photos are exactly what it was built for. In this episode: Why brand photos often outperform polished graphic pins The four types of brand photos that work best on Pinterest How to turn one photo into five pins with five different keywords How to map a full brand shoot to 90 days of content Why you only need a handful of blog posts, not 50 The 10 minute keyword step to do before your next shoot How board names tell Pinterest who should see your pins ALL RESOURCES MENTIONED Wanna learn Pinterest with an expert there to help for only $47? Pinterest Visibility Sprint is a 2-hour sprint with me live to optimize your Pinterest and create a marketing workflow Pinterest Visibility Sprint Here are some free things I've got coming up: Dear Pinterest Girl: Get your Pinterest questions answered Want your account audited? FREE Pinterest Audits LIVE on YouTube. FREE Pinterest Resources ⁠ Support the show⁠ 🔔 Subscribe to the Marketing Strategy Academy Podcast for a treasure trove of insights from industry experts and visionaries in the marketing industry, all hosted by Jen Vazquez.

October 15, 2026Episode 35413 min

354 | Pinterest Affiliate Marketing for Service Providers: Do This Instead

You dropped an affiliate link into a pin and nobody clicked. If that sounds familiar, you're in good company. Most service providers try Pinterest affiliate marketing one way, pin the product, add the link, wait, and it barely works. There's a smarter way, and it's hiding in something you're probably already doing. In this episode, I break down: Why direct affiliate pins reach such a small slice of Pinterest The blog post bridge that reaches two types of buyers at once How coaches, photographers, and wellness pros can start with Amazon Niche affiliate programs that fit your ideal client How to write a before and after post people actually trust The one rule that keeps Pinterest from getting confused about who you serve ALL THE LINKS MENTIONED

October 13, 2026Episode 35332 min

353 | Marketing vs Operations: Closing the Gap with Kasandra Murray

You don't have a marketing problem. You have an operational problem. If you're bringing in leads but feeling overwhelmed, behind or stressed trying to deliver what you promised, this episode is going to feel very real. I'm chatting with Kasandra Murray, marketing + operations consultant and founder of Unlucky Umbrella Studio. She bridges two areas that are often treated completely separately and helps businesses line up lead generation with the systems, sales process and customer experience needed to support sustainable growth. In this episode, you'll learn: Where the loop between marketing promises and delivery most often breaks Why every business, big or small, struggles with documentation (and how to start without perfectionism) What effective training looks like, and how to combine visual, audio + hands-on learning How misalignment quietly hurts repeat business and referrals The first operational system to hand off when you feel overwhelmed Kasandra's three growth tips: inbox zero, a negotiation lesson from Never Split the Difference, and documenting everything ALL LINKS MENTIONED

October 8, 2026Episode 35215 min

352 | Pinterest Keywords for Photographers: Get Found by Ideal Clients

You're pinning your best photography work, you're being consistent, and you still aren't getting found on Pinterest. In this episode, I explain why the problem is almost never your photos. It's the words around them. I walk you through how Pinterest search really works for photographers, and how to use the specificity of your business (your services, your city, your venues, your style) as your biggest advantage. In this episode, you'll learn: How Pinterest reads your titles, descriptions, board names and bio to decide who sees your pins My 4-question keyword interview for photographers Why "wedding photographer San Jose" can beat "San Jose wedding photographer" The 5 places your keywords need to live The board structure that works (and why "My Faves" is hurting you) How to turn one photo session into 5 weeks of pins Grab the free Keyword Interview cheat sheet, the Pinterest Foundations checklist and the Organic Pins checklist inside my Visibility Vault at learn.jenvazquez.com/resources. Next week: the Pinterest strategy most service providers overlook that brings in a completely different type of buyer. ALL LINKS MENTIONED

October 2, 2026Episode 35115 min

351 | The Pinterest Strategy Every Photographer Is Missing

I used to be that photographer, grinding Instagram every single day, posting reels, doing stories, engaging in comments. My bookings were fine, but fine isn't why I started a photography business. In this episode, I'm sharing exactly how photographers can use Pinterest to book more clients without being on it every single day, because the way most photographers are using Pinterest is the reason it's not working for them. In this episode: The 2021 deep dive that showed me 80% of my clients actually found me through Pinterest and Google, not Instagram Why Pinterest is a completely different buyer pool than social media The two biggest mistakes photographers make on Pinterest (hint: one is about keywords, not hashtags) How one wedding session can become 40 to 80 pins The exact keyword strategy for location-based photography businesses A real client case study where outbound clicks jumped 315% in six months Shownotes right here Sponsered by Aftershoot: ⁠ Grab six months of Aftershoot Select for $49! ⁠ #cullsmarter

September 25, 2026Episode 35014 min

350 | Pinterest Content Ideas For Service Providers With No Blog

The number one reason service providers tell me they're not on Pinterest is this: "I don't have a blog. I don't have a ton of content. What would I even pin?" Here's what they don't realize. You do not need a blog to succeed on Pinterest. In this episode, I'm walking through exactly what Pinterest accepts as a destination when you don't have one, and why your brand photos might be some of the highest performing Pinterest content you're not using yet. In this episode: What Pinterest actually accepts as a pin destination (service pages, booking links, freebies, videos, and podcast episodes) Why brand photos, especially behind-the-scenes shots, outperform polished headshots on Pinterest How to turn one brand photo into five pins targeting five different keywords Simple content ideas that don't require a blog: FAQ pages, process pages, and testimonial pages Why a Pinterest pin can keep driving traffic years after a feed post disappears ALL LINKS MENTIONED

September 18, 2026Episode 34915 min

349 | Converting Your Pinterest Account To Business The Right Way

If you've been using a personal Pinterest account for years and wondering whether to convert it to a business account or just start over, this is for you. Good news, you don't have to start from scratch. You can convert your existing account and keep everything you've built, but there are a few things you need to do correctly to make sure your account actually works as a marketing tool. In this episode: Why a business account is non-negotiable if you're marketing on Pinterest The exact step-by-step process for converting your existing account What actually happens to your old personal boards (nothing gets deleted) How to set up your profile name, bio, and cover photo to attract your ideal client Why claiming your website is a step most people skip, and why it matters How to set up your first keyword-rich business boards ALL THE LINKS

September 11, 2026Episode 34815 min

348 | Build A Pinterest Pin Template That Saves You Hours Every Week

The number one reason people tell me their Pinterest strategy falls apart isn't keywords, boards, or even consistency. It's the design step. They sit down to make pins, two hours later they're still adjusting fonts and colors, and they've made exactly one pin. In this episode, I'm walking through how to build a Pinterest pin template in Canva that you create once and reuse forever. In this episode: What makes a strong Pinterest pin template (size, background, text zone, URL, and CTA) The 5-step process for setting up your template in Canva How to duplicate one template into a five-pin set targeting five different keywords How to save your template so you never start from scratch again How many template styles you actually need (hint, it's not many) ALL THE LINKS