Blog - Miranda Birch Media

When you stop short, I’ve done a good job.

I’m a hunter gatherer. I interview business owners about why they do what they do, finding angles from their story that show why they’re special in the eyes of their clients. I have a secret rule. When I’m interviewing clients, I challenge myself to make them stop talking. It sounds weird and it’s not a… Read more

Stuck for ideas? Get a move on!

It’s a cliché, isn’t it? All the best ideas come to you when you’re walking the dog or unloading the dishwasher or in the shower. Anywhere but where you’re meant to be – sitting in front of your computer, being eyeballed by Google. Why is it that when people leave their desks and take a… Read more

Do the stories you tell yourself set you back at work?

It’s not fair. However senior or successful you are, a version of that phrase has probably flitted through your mind at some point. How did you react to that feeling of being thwarted or overlooked? Perhaps it sapped your enthusiasm. Or, as Ishreen puts it, you might have had an “I’ll show them” moment and… Read more

When you stop speaking, how much will your audience remember?

Even in the age of cyber marketing, doing the occasional event – a presentation, speech, workshop – in front of an audience of real human beings, is a good way to promote you and your work. But it has to be worth all the effort – the thinking time, the rehearsal and the nerves. You… Read more

Be a knock-out success with your audience. (When being weak is a strength.)

Does anyone have a question? It’s a question speakers routinely ask at the end of any session. In my experience, it kills the conversation. An irony, because it’s designed to do the opposite. And I understand that. When I go to conferences, I never want to speak up first. It takes me back to the… Read more

A judgement call that makes or breaks your business?

This is how I made mine – and why I’m looking forward to chairing the Difficult decisions and how you make them discussion at the Brighton Summit. When I left the BBC, I had a romantic idea of being a ‘portfolio’ worker. Someone who would offer a range of services, based on my broadcasting background…. Read more

Which comes first, the dosh or the desire – and why does it matter?

Looking ahead to The Brighton Summit 2016. When I was a happy wage slave at the BBC, I used to think that everyone else on the outside – in the commercial world – was just in it for the money. Headlines about corporate fat cats didn’t help. But when I set up my own business,… Read more

How do you show your company’s best side?

Create a visual library that tells your business story. (Not everyone else’s). I issued an intruder alert in my last blog post. I’m not scaremongering, but have a group of strangers gate-crashed your website and your social media? By strangers, I mean the people who crop up in stock business images. Presentable and well turned… Read more

Are beautiful body snatchers depriving you of leads?

Imagine cutting a photo of a model out of a magazine. He or she looks good in front of the camera, with a dazzling smile. The angle is right, the lighting is perfect, the figure is poised in a way that draws you in. You snip it out carefully and then you turn to your… Read more

Don’t dry up #8. Stop. A short break makes you more creative in the long run.

If you, or your team, are into productivity, you might have used the Pomodoro Technique. You split your work into 25 minute chunks – ‘Pomodoros’ – and each of those chunks are separated by 5 minute breaks. Those 5 minutes are short enough to refresh you, without interrupting the flow of what you’ve been doing… Read more