How We Grew Brand Awareness by 150%

I still love social media. I really do. In fact, I started my career in social media and community building long before people even saw it as a career.

But as I've been growing my school, I’ve realised that while social media has its place, its impact on reach and discoverability isn’t what it used to be.

The platform has changed, and its role in growth has shifted. That doesn’t mean we should ignore it, but it's not the main driver of our success anymore.

Over the past year, we’ve seen a staggering 150% growth in brand awareness and a massive increase in new users. That’s no small number, but it also tells you how little we were doing before.

The truth behind that growth? It’s tied to my personal brand and a consistent focus on partnerships, collaborations, podcasts, and free events.

I've made this a daily practice (a core part of my personal leadership and business journey) rather than something I only tackle occasionally. And this is what I want to share with you today.

Before starting the school, my career started outside of selling chicken at Nando’s (yes, that’s real). I landed an internship at a music PR company, and I had no idea I’d learn so much about marketing, brand awareness, and growth just by seeing how PR worked in the music industry.

Musicians’ careers at the time would be made by the right feature on the right magazine, or the right interview at right the time.

PR is a powerful tool for any brand, not just musicians - whether it's podcasts, magazine features, or website mentions.

But for me, building organic connections and exploring partnerships has been the most effective way to amplify the school in 2024, accounting for most of our brand growth.

How did I get to 20 podcast appearances, 10 guest events in less than 9 months?

At least once a week, I reach out to new people or reconnect with those I think could be a great fit for partnerships.

LinkedIn has been a key platform for this, and tracking these conversations is essential. I make a habit of going back to those connections after a couple of weeks to reignite the conversation.

I use our 5/25/150 networking tracker to simplify and spees up the networking process, taking the guesswork out of who to connect with and when. With automatic reminders and prioritisation features, it has been a life saver.

I’ve found it much easier to suggest collaborations, like podcast swaps or guest blogging, rather than going in with a hard sales pitch. Viewing every new connection as a potential collaborator rather than just a sales opportunity has been a game-changer.

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I keep a tracker of all my features, the contacts involved, and, where possible, the impact of each collaboration. This helps me stay organised and ensures that I follow up effectively.

You can grab a version of our actual PR tracker straight from the school’s shop - it’s also a great way to update my media kit and build more social proof.

After any appearance (whether it’s a podcast or an event) I make sure to share the content, tag the hosts, and amplify it in as many ways as possible.

A week or so after the collaboration goes live, I reach out again to say thank you and ask if there’s anyone else they recommend I connect with.

This simple habit has saved me loads of time and led to even more opportunities.

Before we wrap up, a different kind of spotlight. Our marketing proposal template is now live in collaboration with the amazing team at Semrush! This partnership opens up a whole new audience for our school, and it’s a perfect example of how cross-promotion works.

We’re tapping into an audience that’s completely new to us, introducing them to what we do, and expanding our reach.

This is what brand awareness and amplification are all about—building meaningful partnerships that bring value to both sides.

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This has been the key to our growth: developing consistent habits, tracking opportunities, and always looking for ways to amplify our message.

The compound effect of these small actions has been huge - hopefully this can inspire you to start building similar habits in your own business!

Always cheering you on,

Fab ✌️