Winter is coming, friends — and if you’re heading into Q4 still relying on Instagram for all your visibility and lead generation, we need to talk about your Q4 marketing strategy.
Your future self called me — she’s exhausted. And honestly, I get it. It’s been such a weird year in business, and I’m extra aware that this season could be the one that finally breaks you if we don’t have some tough-love conversations.
Now, obviously Pinterest and blogging are a big part of what I do — and what I believe helps you build a sustainable business. I’ll talk more about that in this episode. But I also want to be clear: building a sustainable lead-generation system isn’t just about Pinterest or blogging.
You can apply these ideas to whatever works for you. I have clients who use podcasting or YouTube, and both can be great for search-driven marketing. Search-driven is kind of my thing — if it starts with a search, I want to help you show up. Whether they’re searching in Google, on Pinterest, or even in AI tools — that’s your chance to be found.
So yes, I’ll be sharing why I think blogging and Pinterest are powerful, but more than anything, I want you to have a business that works for you.
Let’s get into it.
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Table of Contents
Your Future Self Needs a Better Q4 Marketing Strategy.
Okay, friend — like I said, your future self called me, and she is exhausted. And if you’re listening to this right now on your hot-girl walk or in the car, I’m guessing you’re tired too. You already know another launch cycle is coming.
We’re heading into one of the biggest quarters of the year for small business owners — especially online business owners planning a Black Friday launch or anything like that.
Even if you’re a service provider like me who works with clients doing Black Friday, it’s exhausting just thinking about all the work ahead. But at the same time, I’m also really excited, because this time of year gives us a unique opportunity. We all want to finish strong. We want to give it everything we’ve got this quarter — and secretly, we’re already wondering what we’re going to do in 2026. (Oh my gosh, that feels so crazy to say out loud.)
So if you’re already imagining how exhausted you’ll be trying to juggle client work, family holidays, and still show up online every single day — especially if your business depends entirely on Instagram — just know: it doesn’t have to be that way. And that’s what I want to talk about today.
Your Q4 Marketing Strategy Should Include Building Evergreen Content (And It’s Easy To Outsource)
If we were sitting down over coffee, I’d be begging you to add one thing to your Q4 goals list: set up some evergreen content systems.
Let’s talk about outsourcing for a minute — because obviously, this is what I do for a living. But not all platforms are created equal when it comes to outsourcing. Take Instagram, for example. It’s so personal. Even if you have a social media manager, you’re still the one who has to show up on Stories, record the B-roll, film the talking-head videos. You’re probably still replying to DMs, approving captions, and reviewing content. It’s a lot.
And honestly, I see this all the time: business owners feel desperate to hire a social media manager, thinking it’ll finally take the pressure off. But then, once they hire someone, they realize… the pain point hasn’t gone away.
You still have to give feedback. You still have to communicate with your team member, do recordings, brainstorm new ideas — all the things. And here’s the truth: no marketer you hire, whether they’re a social media manager or any other kind of marketer, will ever know your business, your clients, or your industry as well as you do. So no matter what you outsource, there’s always going to be some level of involvement required.
But I feel like social media is next level — because it’s so personal. You have emotional connections and real relationships with the people seeing your content. You’re naturally more invested in what you post there than you might be with a blog or Pinterest.
Why Blogging & Pinterest Are Easy To Outsource
With blogging, Pinterest, or even YouTube scripts — which I also write for clients — it’s different. Same with podcast scripts or show notes. When clients provide the core content, I can shape it for them. And honestly, because those platforms reach a colder audience, it can actually be an advantage to have someone who isn’t you writing it.
When you’re so close to your own business, it’s hard to see what your audience doesn’t know yet. But an outside writer — like me — can spot those gaps before someone hires you.
That distance can be really helpful for search-based or evergreen content. However, and this is a big however, most of us are less comfortable with that kind of content going out on Instagram, because that’s where our friends and family are watching.
That kind of content has to sound exactly like you — otherwise, it just feels off. And honestly, you can usually tell when someone’s outsourced their social media. Don’t hate me for saying that, but there’s just something about it — a missing nuance, a phrase they wouldn’t quite use — and it feels a little disconnected.
That’s why I think social media is such a hard platform to outsource. It’s so personal, and your voice really matters there.
However, once you reach a certain stage in your business, you can’t do everything yourself. So while hiring for social media might seem like the obvious first move, I’m actually a huge advocate for outsourcing other parts of your marketing first — even if it’s not with me.
Why Q4 Is One Of The Best Times To Start Blogging & Pinterest Marketing
And I want to talk a bit about why I think your Q4 marketing strategy is the perfect time to start planting those marketing seeds. Because like I said earlier, I know many of you are heading into launch season. I know you might be thinking, “I said I was going to do that this year… and now there are only three months left, so I don’t have time to cram it all in.” But here’s the thing: if you wait until 2026 to start, it’s going to take even longer before you see results.
Q4 is actually the perfect time to set yourself up for 2026. And I feel really close to this right now because I’ve been wrapping up my clients’ Q4 blogging plans this week.
My Process Blogging For Clients (+ Tips For Choosing Blog Topics)
Here’s what that looks like for me: I pitch each client a quarter’s worth of blog post ideas — usually around twelve topics if they’re doing one per week. I base those ideas on keyword potential, and then I provide rough outlines. The clients add their own notes or insights, and from there, I write the posts. It’s a really nice rhythm — we do it quarterly so no one’s constantly chasing approvals or scrambling last minute. Trust me, both my clients and I love it.
Now, when I build these quarterly plans, especially for Q4, I’m not just looking at what my clients are launching for Black Friday. That’s great if they want to tie in a promo or send traffic to a specific offer, but from an SEO standpoint, a six-week runway isn’t going to make a big impact.
Instead, I’m thinking ahead:
- What will their audience be searching for in the new year?
- What might people be looking for at year’s end — maybe even for tax write-offs?
We’re planning two to three months ahead so that content has time to gain traction.
How Fast Will You See Results if You Start Blogging or Doing Pinterest?
Now, how fast you’ll see results depends on how much Google is already recognizing your site — I won’t get too deep into SEO metrics here — but generally, blog posts can take three to six months to rank, sometimes even up to a year.
So if you start in January, you might start seeing results around April… which can be an awkward time depending on your industry. For example, if you’re in the wedding industry, you’ve already missed engagement season and are heading straight into your busiest months.
If you’re a mom running a business, it might take six months to really gain traction — which means your momentum hits right when your kids are home for summer break.
There’s truly no bad time to invest in search-driven marketing — but Q4 is special. It gives you a head start and builds momentum going into early 2026.
Your Q4 Marketing Strategy Should Build You Assets To Repurpose Content
And that brings me to my second point: when you create this kind of content, you’re building marketing assets that you can use everywhere.
People really underestimate how repurposable evergreen content is. If you write one solid blog post in Q4, that’s not just a blog post. That can become:
- a podcast script,
- three Instagram posts,
- your next email newsletter,
- or even the start of a Pinterest funnel.
One high-quality piece of content can easily turn into a week — even a month — of content, depending on how you slice it. I know that can sound a little fluffy — like, “Yeah, yeah, just repurpose your content,” right? But when you actually have a system behind it, that’s when things really start to click.
When you can say, “Okay, on Monday I write the blog post. On Tuesday I share that same idea on Instagram Stories. On Wednesday I send it to my email list. On Friday I tease next week’s topic,” — that’s when you build something powerful and sustainable.
That’s really why I niched down into offering blogging and Pinterest as my core services. My clients know I’ll help with other marketing tasks too — like emails or launch content — but everything comes back to that foundation. Because it all starts with blogging.
So, we’ve talked about the problem. We’ve talked about the solution. Now let’s get into the how.
Ready To Get Started Implementing Your Q4 Marketing Strategy?
1. Start With Keywords To Build Your Quarterly Plan.
If you’re thinking, “Okay, Kara, I’m in. I want to DIY this,” here’s where I’d start:
Create a quarterly plan — just like I do for my clients.
Head to your favorite keyword research tool. You’ve got a few options:
- Ubersuggest — it has a solid free plan and is great if you’re on a budget.
- If you can invest a little, KeySearch is one I’ve really been enjoying lately.
- I’ve also used SEMRush for a long time and still do for some things, but KeySearch has been fantastic for finding keywords and seeing what’s already ranking — which helps you figure out how to make your version better.
Because here’s the thing: finding the keyword is just step one.
2. Build Rough Outlines For Your Topics
Step two is to build a rough outline. And for that, yes — I’d use ChatGPT. Ask it for 10 possible outlines for your keyword, look them over, and tweak whichever one feels most aligned with your business. You know your audience better than anyone.
But here’s the step that most people skip: go look at what’s already ranking for that keyword. Check out the top posts. Then ask yourself, “How can I create something even better?”
That’s what matters most when it comes to ranking on Google.
Google’s algorithm is incredibly sophisticated now. It understands context — it knows who’s searching and what they’re actually looking for.
For example, let’s say you’re a wedding photographer writing a post about whether couples should do a first look or an aisle reveal — something like “First Look vs. Aisle Reveal: Pros and Cons.” Even if you don’t mention your location in the title, Google already knows where you’re based if your SEO is set up well. So your post will naturally show up more for people searching in your local area.
Basically, Google knows everything.
That’s why I say keywords don’t tell the whole story anymore. In fact, a lot of SEO experts are saying keywords matter less than they used to — because both Google and AI tools understand nuance and intent now.
You don’t have to write the perfect phrase like “wedding photographer Los Angeles.” You can say, “I’m a wedding photographer in Los Angeles,” or mix it up with natural language — Google still gets it.
But — and this is key — you still need to choose topics that people are actually searching for. Because no matter how smart the algorithms get, your content strategy still needs to start where your audience’s curiosity begins. That’s what search-driven marketing is all about.
3. Start Writing Your Blogs (Plus Tips For Q4)
So here’s what I’d do. If you can, aim to publish one blog post a week — or one every two weeks if that’s more realistic.
Start by pulling in topics you’d love to rank for in December, January, or February. Now, since I’m recording this in mid-October, ranking for holiday content might be a little tight unless your website already has strong SEO.
Honestly, I was starting Christmas-style content for some clients back in August — September for others, depending on how competitive their niche was. So if you’re a fast-action taker, go for it, but realistically, I’d focus on evergreen topics that will be especially timely for your audience in Q1.
One theme I think will be huge for Q4 — especially early Q4 — is “2026 trends.”
- If you’re a wedding planner, think “2026 wedding trends.”
- If you’re a website designer, “2026 web design trends.”
- If you’re in another industry, brainstorm what people will be searching for as they look ahead to 2026.
Once you’ve got your topics, put together some rough outlines. Then, week by week, sit down and write them. You can batch if that fits your workflow, but honestly — most business owners I know don’t have a full day to write four or five blog posts in a row. And when they try, it just keeps sliding down the to-do list.
So be realistic. How long has “start blogging” been on your list? Probably a while, right?
4. Spend a little extra time on the formatting
Instead, I’d love for you to set aside just one or two hours a week. That’s it.
Spend half of that time writing, and half formatting.
When you format, take the extra care to make it look great:
- Upload it to WordPress or Squarespace,
- Choose your best images,
- Add spacers and digestible headings,
- Include a table of contents if it fits your style.
If you want a full breakdown of my blogging best practices head to episode 66. It’s literally 40 minutes of me talking about what’s working right now for business owners who blog, not full-time bloggers. So take the time to learn the basics, but don’t overcomplicate it.
5. Repurpose That Blog Content (But Start Slowly)
Once you publish your post, commit to creating one or two small pieces of content from it. That’s it to start.
I know how tempting it is to create this big, beautiful content plan — Monday is blog day, Tuesday is newsletter day, Wednesday is Instagram day, and so on — but those workflows often fall apart because they’re too complicated.
What’s working better for me now is adding just one or two micro-steps after each post. For example:
- After I write a blog post, I’ll drop it into ChatGPT and ask it to pull out the best one-liners for Threads.
- Or I’ll ask it to turn it into a carousel post or a newsletter draft.
If you’re not already on my email list, by the way, I send out a weekly newsletter every Thursday — thekarareport.com/newsletter. It’s been so much fun to create, and I’m adding little segments to make it even more valuable. My goal is to be the favorite email in your inbox each week.
Anyway — choose one thing you’ll do with each blog post.
Once that feels easy, stack another repurposing step. It really makes such a difference.
6. Submit The Blog To Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools
And here’s one last thing I want you to do after you hit publish:
Submit your post to Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools.
In Google Search Console, just paste your blog post URL and click Request Indexing. That lets Google know the post exists. It’s not a magic trick — it won’t shoot you to page one — but it helps Google find your post faster.
Then, submit it to Bing Webmaster Tools as well. That’s useful not just for Bing searches, but because ChatGPT pulls information from Bing’s index when it searches. So submitting there helps your content show up in AI-driven discovery too.
How To Make sure Your Evergreen Content Ranks On ChatGPT
Everyone — literally everyone — is asking me, “How do I make sure my content ranks on ChatGPT?”
Here’s your best and easiest first step: make sure Bing has it.
Because if Bing doesn’t have your content, ChatGPT can’t find it. Simple as that.
Now, the other thing I want to mention — and I’ll link this study in the show notes — is something I found fascinating. I double-checked the source because I hate when people misquote stats.
Here’s what I found:
In traditional search, the highest-ranking content wins.
But large language models like ChatGPT don’t work that way — they prioritize the best answers, no matter what page they come from.
According to a study by SEMRush (I think that’s the one I’m referencing here), 90% of ChatGPT citations come from results ranked position 21 or lower — that’s page three or beyond. Basically, SEO Narnia.
Old-school SEO said, “Page one or nothing.”
But now, your page four comparison post could get cited more often than a competitor ranking in Google’s top five — if your content provides a better answer.
That’s huge.
And that’s exactly why there’s never been a better time to start blogging — despite what every influencer keeps saying about “SEO being dead.”
Is Evergreen Content Still Worth It? Is Blogging Dead?
Listen, old SEO might be dying. If you’re a full-time blogger relying on ad revenue and need massive traffic to make money, yeah, that model’s changing. Sites that once got millions of pageviews a month are seeing serious drops.
But if you’re a business owner, this is actually great news.
You’re not trying to rich off pageviews — you’re trying to reach the right clients. And the playing field is more open than it’s been in years.
So when I see people asking, “Is blogging still worth it?” — I just want to shake them a little (lovingly). Because if you wait a year or two, you’ll still be asking the same question — and wishing you’d started in Q4 2025, just like I told you to. Kidding… kind of.
Playing the long-game to build sustainable marketing for your business
I get it, though. Blogging is a long game. It takes time, energy, and consistency. And trust me, no one understands that more than I do. I’m trying to rank in one of the hardest industries online — marketing, specifically SEO.
So I’m competing against people who literally do this for a living. If you’re a wedding photographer, a website designer, a business coach, or a social media manager, you’re in a very different position. You might have some competitors who take SEO seriously, but it’s nowhere near as saturated as my space.
And yet — I still do it.
I’m blogging three times a week right now to keep up with the competition. The progress is slow, but it’s working.
So believe me when I say: I know how hard it is. But I also know it’s worth it.
Because right now, you have a massive opportunity.
AI tools like ChatGPT are leveling the playing field — helping quality content surface, even from lower-ranking pages.
Plus, AI can help you execute faster — brainstorming topics, outlines, titles, etc.
Just please, please don’t take that as permission to copy and paste full blog posts from ChatGPT. That’s not going to help you. Those posts won’t be better than what’s already ranking. You still need to put in your own expertise, your perspective, your human touch.
But the good news?
That doesn’t have to mean spending five or eight hours a week on it. You can do this efficiently — and the results will compound over time.
Creating a Q4 Marketing Strategy That Centers Around Evergreen Content
Okay — so this turned into a longer episode than I expected! But I really wanted to drive home how Q4 is such a unique opportunity to embrace evergreen content and start building real marketing assets.
And that’s the mindset shift I want you to make:
What you’re building here isn’t just content — it’s an asset. Something that keeps working for you long after you hit publish. It’s valuable. It’s worth investing in.
So, if this episode has you thinking, “Okay, I get it. I need to stop relying so much on Instagram… but wow, Kara, that sounds like a lot of work” — I totally get it.
You want the benefits of these assets — consistent traffic, visibility, lead generation — but maybe you don’t have the time or energy to do it yourself. And honestly? You don’t have to.
Hiring a Pinterest Manager and SEO Content Writer
Pinterest and blogging are two of the easiest things to outsource. You don’t need to figure it all out on your own. You don’t need to:
- Build a three-month content plan,
- Learn Pinterest SEO,
- Upload CSVs to Metricool to get the right pin cadence,
- Or write a dozen blog posts yourself.
That’s literally what I do for my clients so they can stay focused on their zone of genius while their marketing quietly works in the background.
Even if you already have a solid Instagram system, I can help you drive more traffic to it. One of my favorite strategies is to use blog posts to send readers directly back to your Instagram. It’s such a smart way to run your business — because we know that Instagram, especially Stories, is where your audience really starts to connect and warm up.
So what I want is to help you with your top of funnel — to help more people find you who don’t even know you exist yet.
Right now, I’ve wrapped up Q4 content strategies for my current full-service clients, but I do have a few openings for business owners who want to start this quarter and yes, we can even get started this month.
Fast starts are something I’m passionate about. If you’re ready, I want to help you get moving right away.
If that sounds like you, you can learn more about my services here — everything’s there with full price transparency and details. Just fill out the contact form to inquire.
What happens once you inquire?
Once you reach out, I’ll send you a custom Loom video and proposal. The pricing is straightforward since it’s listed on my site, but the Loom video is where I’ll walk you through what I notice about your current content and where I see opportunities for growth.
From there, you can email me with questions or book a call if you want to chat more.
Bottom line: I’d love to take this off your plate.
I want you to:
- Work less on your marketing,
- Stress less about finding clients,
- And grow your email list while your content works for you.
If that sounds good, head to thekarareport.com or send me a DM on Instagram — and we’ll figure out exactly where you’re at. I’ll walk you through how we can get your content working for you in Q4… so that by 2026, you’re patting yourself on the back because — hello — you did it.
That’s all for me this week. Thanks for tuning in, and I’ll talk to you next week.
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