Social Media Decoded

Michelle Thames

Social Media Decoded is your go-to podcast for marketing, visibility, and monetization strategies to grow your business online. Hosted by marketing expert Michelle Thames, this show breaks down social media, content marketing, and business growth into actionable steps for entrepreneurs, creators, and brands. Tune in for expert insights, real-world strategies, and inspiring success stories to help you get visible, attract clients, and build a profitable brand. 🎙️✨

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20 episodes
Updated Monday

Episodes20

Newest first

Why Email Marketing Still Matters: How to Turn Subscribers Into Customers with Melissa Seideman
Michelle Thames interviews email marketing strategist Melissa Seideman about why email marketing remains one of the most powerful tools for entrepreneurs. They discuss growing an engaged email list, creating effective welcome sequences, improving email deliverability, and building systems that turn visibility into long-term customer relationships.
Monday · 18 min
The Visibility Strategy That Got Me on TV (It Wasn't Luck)
Getting on TV wasn't luck, it was the result of years of consistently showing up, building relationships, and creating valuable content. In this episode, Michelle Thames shares the visibility strategy behind her recent WGN Spotlight Chicago appearance and explains how anyone can build a personal brand that attracts opportunities through consistency, trust, and intentional relationship-building.
July 20 · 7 min
The Biggest Business Decision I Made This Year (Hint: It Wasn't Social Media)
Michelle shares the biggest business decision she made this year: choosing to build community instead of simply creating content. She explains how focusing on relationships, local impact, and meaningful connections has transformed her business and why she believes community is the future of marketing.
July 19 · 8 min
What I'm Really Building: Why I Chose Community Over Content | CEO Diary
In this CEO Diary episode, Michelle Thames shares the vision behind her evolving business and why she's choosing to build community over simply creating content. She takes listeners behind the scenes of her events, partnerships, agency, and upcoming conference to reveal how meaningful relationships create lasting business opportunities.
July 18 · 8 min
Why I Stopped Trying to Build an Audience | The Power of Community Over Followers
In this episode of Social Media Decoded, Michelle Thames shares the mindset shift that completely changed how she approaches social media, networking, and business growth. After years of chasing followers and viral moments, she realized the real opportunities weren't coming from her follower count—they were coming from the rooms she was creating.
July 13 · 7 min
The Hidden Cost of Visibility: Why Your Business Needs Systems Before More Followers
What happens after the clients start coming in? In this episode, Michelle Thames sits down with Annie Mossbacher, Chief Growth Officer at Dubsado, to discuss why visibility without systems leads to founder burnout and how creating intentional workflows, exceptional client experiences, and sustainable processes can help you grow a business that supports your life instead of consuming it.
July 9 · 35 min
My Visibility Stack: The 4 Business Tools I Use Every Week to Grow My Brand
In this episode, Michelle Thames shares the four tools she relies on every week to run and grow her business—from podcasting and email marketing to client management and website creation. She explains how building the right systems creates more time, stronger relationships, and more opportunities, so you can focus on growing your visibility instead of getting stuck in busy work.
July 6 · 10 min
Why Opportunities Keep Finding Me (And How You Can Make Them Find You Too)
In this episode, Michelle Thames shares how consistent visibility has led to speaking opportunities, brand partnerships, sponsorship conversations, and new clients. She breaks down why your content should be treated as a business asset and how becoming more visible can open doors you never imagined.
July 2 · 10 min
Community Is the New Competitive Advantage: Why Relationships Matter More Than Followers
In this episode, Michelle Thames shares why authentic relationships and community have become the ultimate competitive advantage in business. Through stories from her Summer in the South Suburbs dinner, viral local content, and community-building experiences, she explains why connection—not just content—is what creates lasting opportunities and meaningful growth.
July 1 · 10 min
Why Most People Are Using AI Wrong (And What I’m Doing Instead)
AI is changing the way creators and entrepreneurs run their businesses, but most people are still using it wrong. In this episode, Michelle Thames explains Kit’s new MCP technology in plain English and shares how AI can help you make smarter marketing decisions using your actual audience and subscriber data.
June 24 · 7 min
Why Community Builders Will Win the Next Decade
As AI and automation continue to transform the way we work, human connection is becoming more valuable than ever. In this episode, Michelle Thames shares why community builders will have a major advantage in the next decade and how relationships, trust, and belonging are becoming the new currency of business.
June 22 · 10 min
What Going to the KIT Conference Actually Taught Me About Visibility
In this episode, Michelle shares what attending the KIT Craft + Commerce conference taught her about visibility, relationships, and business growth. From almost not going to giving James Clear her book, she unpacks why the biggest opportunities often happen through proximity, conversations, and getting in the right rooms.
June 16 · 8 min
The Real Story Behind My Pivot in Business Right Now
In this honest and behind-the-scenes episode, Michelle Thames shares the real story behind her current business pivot, why she’s shifting toward local visibility and deeper community building, and what she’s learning about not forcing old strategies. If you’ve ever felt like your business is changing or you’re in a new season, this episode is your reminder that pivoting doesn’t mean failing, it means evolving.
June 5 · 9 min
What Going Viral Actually Taught Me About Visibility
In this episode, Michelle Thames shares the real truth about going viral and why visibility is about so much more than views and followers. From multiple viral moments to local visibility lessons, she breaks down why consistency, relationships, and systems matter more than chasing the algorithm if you actually want to grow your business.
June 1 · 11 min
What Makes Brands People Remember | Behind the Brand with Jayanta Jenkins
In this Behind the Brand episode, Michelle sits down with Jayanta Jenkins, Global Creative Executive and Brand Builder, to talk about what really makes brands unforgettable. They dive into creativity, leadership, storytelling, culture, and the strategies behind building brands people actually remember.
May 26 · 25 min
How To Stay Visible Even When Life Gets Busy
Life gets busy, but that does not mean your visibility has to stop. In this episode, Michelle shares simple, realistic ways to stay visible online during busy seasons like summer, motherhood, travel, and entrepreneurship without burning yourself out.
May 25 · 8 min
The Visibility System I’d Build If I Had 30 Days
If Michelle Thames had only 30 days to rebuild her visibility, audience, and opportunities online, this is the exact system she’d use. In this episode, she breaks down a simple visibility strategy for entrepreneurs who want to stop posting randomly and start building authority, relationships, and real momentum online.
May 19 · 7 min
100K Views in 7 Days… But That Wasn’t the Real Flex
100,000+ views in 7 days sounds exciting, but Michelle Thames shares why the views were NOT the real flex. In this episode, she breaks down how to turn visibility into real opportunities, relationships, trust, and business growth instead of chasing vanity metrics.
May 18 · 6 min
How I Turn Threads Into Clients, Rooms, and Revenue
In this episode of Social Media Decoded, Michelle Thames shares how she’s using Threads to build authority, create opportunities, grow relationships, attract clients, fill rooms, and generate revenue through conversation-driven visibility.
May 13 · 6 min
Why Most People Are Using Threads Wrong
In this episode of Social Media Decoded, Michelle Thames breaks down why most entrepreneurs are using Threads the wrong way and missing out on real visibility, authority, conversations, and opportunities online.
May 12 · 6 min

Social Media Decoded

Why Email Marketing Still Matters: How to Turn Subscribers Into Customers with Melissa Seideman

The Visibility Strategy That Got Me on TV (It Wasn't Luck)

The Biggest Business Decision I Made This Year (Hint: It Wasn't Social Media)

What I'm Really Building: Why I Chose Community Over Content | CEO Diary

Why I Stopped Trying to Build an Audience | The Power of Community Over Followers

The Hidden Cost of Visibility: Why Your Business Needs Systems Before More Followers

My Visibility Stack: The 4 Business Tools I Use Every Week to Grow My Brand

Why Opportunities Keep Finding Me (And How You Can Make Them Find You Too)

Community Is the New Competitive Advantage: Why Relationships Matter More Than Followers

Why Most People Are Using AI Wrong (And What I’m Doing Instead)

Why Community Builders Will Win the Next Decade

What Going to the KIT Conference Actually Taught Me About Visibility

The Real Story Behind My Pivot in Business Right Now

What Going Viral Actually Taught Me About Visibility

What Makes Brands People Remember | Behind the Brand with Jayanta Jenkins

How To Stay Visible Even When Life Gets Busy

The Visibility System I’d Build If I Had 30 Days

100K Views in 7 Days… But That Wasn’t the Real Flex

How I Turn Threads Into Clients, Rooms, and Revenue

Why Most People Are Using Threads Wrong