What if your email automations could do the heavy lifting of personalisation... without you writing a separate email for every type of subscriber?

That's exactly what we dig into in this hot seat episode with Rachel Smith, freelance journalist, copywriter, and the founder of Rachel's List, a thriving jobs board and membership community for writers of all kinds. Rachel is a Retention Lab member, and came to me with a real headache around her email marketing, and we worked through it together live on the show.

What we cover:

• Why personalisation isn't really about first names (and what to do instead)
• How to use application form data to create conditional content that feels bespoke
• Trigger links and what they can tell you about hot leads sitting in your sequence
• The case for re-engagement flows at the three and six month mark
• How to incentivise feedback so people actually complete your surveys
• Milestone tagging inside your email platform and why it matters for retention
• Activity scoring to spot disengaged members before they quietly cancel

Connect with Rachel Smith:

https://rachelslist.com.au/

https://rachelsmith.com.au/

https://www.instagram.com/rachelslist/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelsmithsydney/

https://rachelslist.com.au/portfolio/the-pay-rates-report/

View the episode transcript here.

Where to from here?

Join Retention Lab🧪, the community to help you build a signature customer experience that keeps people coming back, gets them talking and grows your business without you having to start from scratch every single month. Join here!

Find out how you can get my strategic customer experience brain on your brand here.

Check out my favourite CX tools and resources here.

😍 Love the show?

Hit subscribe or follow so you never miss a new episode.

Submit your question so I can answer it in an upcoming episode (or invite the perfect guest expert!).

Leave a positive review to help the show get found by more small business owners just like you. To leave a review:

👉 Find What Would They Do? on Apple Podcasts

👉 Scroll to ‘Ratings & Reviews’

👉 Tap on the stars to rate the show before writing a review

Post a screenshot with your key takeaway on your IG story and tag me @candocontent and #WWTDpod so I can repost your content.

Most of us think about customer experience as something we do for other people.

But the most intentional brand experiences start with how clear you are about your own direction as a business owner.

In this short and actionable episode, I'm introducing my brand new Love Letter to Future Self concept, a two-minute exercise where you set your intentions today and I send them back to you when you least expect it but probably need it most.

What we cover:

• Why the customer experience you create for others starts with the one you create for yourself
• The one reflection question to sit with today
• How the Love Letter to Future Self works and what happens after you hit submit
• The sneaky on-brand surprise waiting for you on the other side

Write your love letter 💌 to your future self right here.

View the episode transcript here.

Where to from here?

Join Retention Lab🧪, the community to help you build a signature customer experience that keeps people coming back, gets them talking and grows your business without you having to start from scratch every single month. Join here!

Find out how you can get my strategic customer experience brain on your brand here.

Check out my favourite CX tools and resources here.

😍 Love the show?

Hit subscribe or follow so you never miss a new episode.

Submit your question so I can answer it in an upcoming episode (or invite the perfect guest expert!).

Leave a positive review to help the show get found by more small business owners just like you. To leave a review:

👉 Find What Would They Do? on Apple Podcasts

👉 Scroll to ‘Ratings & Reviews’

👉 Tap on the stars to rate the show before writing a review

Post a screenshot with your key takeaway on your IG story and tag me @candocontent and #WWTDpod so I can repost your content.

Last year's State of the Customer Survey fundamentally shifted how I think about what online business owners and their customers need in the online space.

Right now, I'm running it again, because 2026 feels like a very different conversation.

In this short episode, I'm telling you exactly what's in it for you when you take five minutes to add your perspective.

Revisit the 2025 State of the Customer Report in Episode 29 right here.

What we cover:

• Why 2026 needs its own data set and what's shifted since last year
• How the two-hat structure of this survey gives you perspective on your own business
• Why a more diverse respondent group makes the findings more useful for everyone
• What you get for completing the survey and leaving your details
• How your answers shape the conversations happening in the online business space this year

View the episode transcript here.

Where to from here?

Join Retention Lab🧪, the community to help you build a signature customer experience that keeps people coming back, gets them talking and grows your business without you having to start from scratch every single month. Join here!

Find out how you can get my strategic customer experience brain on your brand here.

Check out my favourite CX tools and resources here.

😍 Love the show?

Hit subscribe or follow so you never miss a new episode.

Submit your question so I can answer it in an upcoming episode (or invite the perfect guest expert!).

Leave a positive review to help the show get found by more small business owners just like you. To leave a review:

👉 Find What Would They Do? on Apple Podcasts

👉 Scroll to ‘Ratings & Reviews’

👉 Tap on the stars to rate the show before writing a review

Post a screenshot with your key takeaway on your IG story and tag me @candocontent and #WWTDpod so I can repost your content.

Running a virtual event that people actually engage with from start to finish is something a lot of small business owners dream about, and spend way too long sitting on.

In this episode, I'm pulling back the curtain on the Retention Games, my first out-of-the-box virtual event that featured 19 speakers, a crowd voting format, and physical contestant cards.

If you've been thinking about hosting your own standout event and want a real, honest look at what's involved, this one's for you.

What we cover:

• What made the Retention Games format so different from a standard virtual summit
• The results, including reach, list growth, podcast impact, and a conversion rate I'm genuinely happy with
• The tech stack I used (mostly tools I already owned)
• Why and how Airtable basically ran the whole event on autopilot
• What attendees and speakers loved and the honest feedback I'm taking on board
• The popularity contest misconception the numbers totally debunk (full reveal in the Retention Lab debrief on 19 June!)
• Whether I'd do it again (spoiler: absolutely) and what the 2027 edition might look like

Tools I mentioned (some affiliate links):

Showit

Thrivecart

Airtable

Blockbuilder

GoBrunch

Convertbox

Hotjar

View the episode transcript here.

Where to from here?

Join Retention Lab🧪, the community to help you build a signature customer experience that keeps people coming back, gets them talking and grows your business without you having to start from scratch every single month. Join here!

Find out how you can get my strategic customer experience brain on your brand here.

Check out my favourite CX tools and resources here.

😍 Love the show?

Hit subscribe or follow so you never miss a new episode.

Submit your question so I can answer it in an upcoming episode (or invite the perfect guest expert!).

Leave a positive review to help the show get found by more small business owners just like you. To leave a review:

👉 Find What Would They Do? on Apple Podcasts

👉 Scroll to ‘Ratings & Reviews’

👉 Tap on the stars to rate the show before writing a review

Post a screenshot with your key takeaway on your IG story and tag me @candocontent and #WWTDpod so I can repost your content.

What if retention wasn’t about luck, but about how you design your offer from the very beginning?

In this episode, I’m joined by neuropsychologist and systems strategist Dr. Tiffany Shelton, who has built a program with a 95% retention rate (yes, let that number sink in!).

Together, we explore how pricing, psychology, and customer experience work together to create long-term client relationships that actually last.

Spoiler:

People don’t stay because your content is good. They stay because your entire experience is designed for them to succeed.

What we cover:

• How pricing impacts behaviour, commitment, and results
• The concept of “skin in the game” (and why it matters more than you think)
• Why long-term commitment models can increase retention
• The role of psychology in consistency and follow-through
• Why calling in the right people matters more than calling in more people

Connect with Dr. Tiffany Shelton:

Grab her Systems Check Checklist: https://www.modambition.com/pages/success-systems-checklist

Meet Tiffany on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TiffanyShelton

View the episode transcript here.

Where to from here?

Join Retention Lab🧪, the community to help you build a signature customer experience that keeps people coming back, gets them talking and grows your business without you having to start from scratch every single month. Join here!

Find out how you can get my strategic customer experience brain on your brand here.

Check out my favourite CX tools and resources here.

😍 Love the show?

Hit subscribe or follow so you never miss a new episode.

Submit your question so I can answer it in an upcoming episode (or invite the perfect guest expert!).

Leave a positive review to help the show get found by more small business owners just like you. To leave a review:

👉 Find What Would They Do? on Apple Podcasts

👉 Scroll to ‘Ratings & Reviews’

👉 Tap on the stars to rate the show before writing a review

Post a screenshot with your key takeaway on your IG story and tag me @candocontent and #WWTDpod so I can repost your content.

Your audience is opening emails, watching the content, replying in the community and liking the posts.

So why does it still feel like nothing is actually moving forward?

In this bite-sized episode, I unpack a problem that affects memberships, courses, and online programs everywhere:

False momentum.

Because activity is not the same thing as progress.

And just because people are consuming your content doesn’t mean they’re taking action toward the transformation they actually joined for.

This episode explores the difference between engagement and real momentum, why relying on self-motivation is dangerous, and how to design experiences that naturally move people forward instead of keeping them busy.

What we cover:

• The difference between fake momentum and real momentum
• Why engagement metrics can be misleading
• The hidden friction stopping customers from taking action
• How to reduce decision fatigue inside your offers
• Why self-motivation is not a reliable retention strategy
• How to design experiences that naturally encourage continuation

View the episode transcript here.

Where to from here?

Join Retention Lab🧪, the community to help you build a signature customer experience that keeps people coming back, gets them talking and grows your business without you having to start from scratch every single month. Join here!

Find out how you can get my strategic customer experience brain on your brand here.

Check out my favourite CX tools and resources here.

😍 Love the show?

Hit subscribe or follow so you never miss a new episode.

Submit your question so I can answer it in an upcoming episode (or invite the perfect guest expert!).

Leave a positive review to help the show get found by more small business owners just like you. To leave a review:

👉 Find What Would They Do? on Apple Podcasts

👉 Scroll to ‘Ratings & Reviews’

👉 Tap on the stars to rate the show before writing a review

Post a screenshot with your key takeaway on your IG story and tag me @candocontent and #WWTDpod so I can repost your content.

Sales have slowed down. Your offers suddenly feel questionable. And now you’re wondering whether it’s time to scrap everything and start over.

Before you retire your offer and spiral into an offer identity crisis, listen to this episode.

This is where I break down one of the most common mistakes online business owners make during a sales drought:

Assuming the offer itself is the problem.

Because often?

The issue is not the offer.

This episode explores the hidden friction points that quietly stop people from buying and how business owner bias, unclear messaging, and missing context create confusion long before someone reaches the checkout page.

What we cover:

• Why slow sales don’t automatically mean your offer is redundant
• How founder bias impacts your messaging
• Why your audience often needs more clarity over features
• The subtle friction points stopping people from buying
• Why people don’t “just get it” the way you think they do
• The key question to ask before retiring an offer

View the episode transcript here.

Where to from here?

Join Retention Lab🧪, the community to help you build a signature customer experience that keeps people coming back, gets them talking and grows your business without you having to start from scratch every single month. Join here!

Find out how you can get my strategic customer experience brain on your brand here.

Check out my favourite CX tools and resources here.

😍 Love the show?

Hit subscribe or follow so you never miss a new episode.

Submit your question so I can answer it in an upcoming episode (or invite the perfect guest expert!).

Leave a positive review to help the show get found by more small business owners just like you. To leave a review:

👉 Find What Would They Do? on Apple Podcasts

👉 Scroll to ‘Ratings & Reviews’

👉 Tap on the stars to rate the show before writing a review

Post a screenshot with your key takeaway on your IG story and tag me @candocontent and #WWTDpod so I can repost your content.

What happens when your audience needs your content, but still doesn’t engage with it?

In this special hot seat episode, I am joined by Retention Lab member Scotti Weintraub, founder of Reframe Parenting, to workshop a real business challenge:

“How do you keep overwhelmed, time-poor members engaged in a low-cost membership?”

Together, we unpack how to design a membership experience that feels like a support system, not another obligation, and how to create engagement without adding more pressure.

What we cover:

• Why great content doesn’t guarantee engagement
• The importance of removing guilt and pressure from your experience
• How to design a membership people actually use
• The power of asynchronous support (and why live calls aren’t enough)
• How to create quick wins that build momentum
• Why engagement (not content) is what drives retention

Connect with Scotti Weintraub:

Website: https://www.reframeparenting.com/

Quiz: https://www.reframeparenting.com/quiz-golden-girls

Instragram: https://www.instagram.com/reframeparenting/

Threads: https://www.threads.com/@reframeparenting

View the episode transcript here.

Where to from here?

Join Retention Lab🧪, the community to help you build a signature customer experience that keeps people coming back, gets them talking and grows your business without you having to start from scratch every single month. Join here!

Find out how you can get my strategic customer experience brain on your brand here.

Check out my favourite CX tools and resources here.

😍 Love the show?

Hit subscribe or follow so you never miss a new episode.

Submit your question so I can answer it in an upcoming episode (or invite the perfect guest expert!).

Leave a positive review to help the show get found by more small business owners just like you. To leave a review:

👉 Find What Would They Do? on Apple Podcasts

👉 Scroll to ‘Ratings & Reviews’

👉 Tap on the stars to rate the show before writing a review

Post a screenshot with your key takeaway on your IG story and tag me @candocontent and #WWTDpod so I can repost your content.