Rhea Freeman

18/06/2026

I mean, most of the comments were lovely and my Clarkson post has done really well on Instagram, but still….

Don’t get me wrong, the success of the Clarkson/vulnerability carousel has made me smile, because social media is a tricky beast and getting traction can feel impossible at times.

But when content goes viral, it will also be shown to people who aren’t your target audience (as well as those who are), and they could well have their own agenda. And maybe they don’t have that internal reality check before they press comment?!

In case you’ve experienced this, or you experience it in the future, just remember it’s a side effect of virality (even mini virality that my post has had). And we mustn’t let this kind of thing stop us from doing what we set out to achieve.

17/06/2026

I didn’t take put this post together as a flippant thought, but I think what Jeremy Clarkson has done through sharing his cancer diagnosis on Clarkson’s Farm needs to be discussed. Because the lessons we can learn are huge.

What Jeremy Clarkson has done for British agriculture over the last few years has been monumental. But by letting us witness the raw emotion of his prostate cancer diagnosis alongside Charlie and Kaleb, he is doing something else massive. He’s saving lives.

We’ve seen this shift happen before with figures like Adele Roberts, Sir Chris Hoy, and Deborah James. When people show up with radical honesty, the ripple effect is immense. Prostate Cancer UK is already seeing a surge in awareness and PSA testing because of it. The charity actually thanked Jeremy on social media today.

But as a founder, business owner, or creator, there is an equally crucial lesson to look at here - sharing scars and not wounds. Stick with me…

Being vulnerable online doesn’t mean compromising yourself or giving up your right to privacy. It doesn't mean live-streaming your crisis while you're still bleeding. Allow yourself all the time you need to move from the fresh and fragile ‘wound’ stage of any experience to the ‘scar’ stage. When you have processed, when you can deal with advice from random corners of the internet, when you’re OK to do that. Waiting for the scar stage also gives you additional perspective which can be hugely beneficial to your audience too.

I’ve always had huge respect for Jeremy and the Clarkson’s Farm team for showing us the highs, lows, and everything in between… and the end of season 5 has made that respect grow even more.

And if you’re a small business owner juggling all the things right now, let this be your stark reminder to get things checked if you’re worried. Take care of your health, protect your peace, and remember that your story belongs to you first. You’re under no obligation, whoever you are, to share anything you’re not ready to…

16/06/2026

Who are you actually talking to?

If your answer is ‘everyone’, I’m about to save you a lot of wasted time and money.

Yesterday, I talked about how, following the release of the U16 social media ban in the UK, brands marketing to U16 need to change their strategy. They need to change who they’re talking to on social media and get really clear on this.

But to be brutally honest, EVERY business needs to be clear who they’re talking to with every marketing activity.

Let’s look at a pair of children’s trainers to show why audience matters… even if the product is the same.

If you’re marketing trainers to a child, they don’t care about durable stitching or arch support. They want to know about the neon colours, how fast it makes them run, and whatever cool "witchcraft" is going on in the sole.

But if you’re marketing to the parent (the one who’s actually spending the money!), you change the conversation entirely. They care about machine-washable fabrics, memory foam for growing feet, and not having to buy a new pair in five flipping minutes.

My porch is like a trainer graveyard… but I digress.

Same exact product. Two completely different messages.

If your social media content or marketing emails are feeling flat, it’s probably because you haven't decided who you’re talking to. When you try to talk to both at the same time, you end up sounding boring to everyone. And people don’t usually buy boring.

Take a breath, think who your target audience is for your next marketing activity, and speak to their pain points in every single thing you do.

I’m thinking of doing a little download about this taking you through how to work out who your audience is in all the detail. It’s not available yet, but if you’re interested, let me know below and I’ll get on it!

15/06/2026

Marketing to under 16s through social media? You’re going to want to read this…

Today, Keir Starmer announced that by next spring, the UK is introducing a full social media ban for under-16s.
If your brand relies on targeting teens through social media, your current marketing model is about to take a massive hit.

BUT you don’t need to panic. You need to pivot. Starting NOW!

Look, we can be cross about the politics of it (and trust me, I have a LOT of thoughts), or we can get on with it. And really, for the sake of your brand and business, you have to do the latter.

Because here’s the truth: Relying on an app you don’t own to sustain your business means building on rented land. You don’t own your followers. Not even a bit. In this case, the government has pulled the plug, but the algorithm can decide not to show your content to everyone you’d like it to, people can even lose their accounts for no apparent reason… it’s never been a truly safe bet.

The good news is, the earlier your start your pivot, the more time you’ll have to hone, perfect, and grow what you’re doing. There is still plenty of time to ensure your brand thrives, you just need to move a few things around in your thinking and your daily efforts.

I’ve put together a quick carousel with five things you can start doing today to help your business thrive when social media gets taken away… but to be brutally honest, everyone should be looking at these anyway, and thinking ‘how can I use that?’. They’re all good ones, promise!�
Are you worried about how the social media ban might affect your business? Are you relieved you won’t have to spend so long on the platforms?! Tell me below…

11/06/2026

HelloFresh has created a bit of a stir... and not with its food. 😳

With its marketing around Pride month, they took a wildly different route than the usual safe, token "rainbow washing."

Instead, they launched a highly suggestive campaign around a specific dietary routine, complete with the promo code "BOTTOMSUP".

Unsurprisingly, opinion is completely split. The comments section on their post is on fire - well over 100k likes and pushing 7k comments!

For me, it comes down to a simple question: Does a campaign belittle or insult the very target audience you want to support?

There’s a massive difference between laughing WITH your customers and laughing AT them.

HelloFresh undoubtedly won the attention war. But did they sacrifice brand trust and customer loyalty for a temporary spike in impressions?

Swipe through the carousel to see my full breakdown of the risk vs. reward.

I’d love to know what you think below. Marketing masterclass or misfire? 👇

07/06/2026

Let’s be honest about Sunday evenings...

There’s a toxic narrative online that if you truly love your business, you should jump out of bed every single morning bursting with unbridled enthusiasm.

But here’s the truth: you can be completely obsessed with what you do, and STILL get that heavy, familiar pit of dread hitting your stomach on a Sunday night. Can anyone related?

When you run the show, the weight of the week falls entirely on your shoulders. The massive to-do list that waits for you, that Monday morning inbox starts to creep in…it can be a lot, can’t it? And I think in the 24/7 always on mode we live it, it’s a huge amount. We take a break and we feel like we’re behind…

If that’s you, it doesn't mean you're in the wrong job—it just means you're human.

Here is how we reframe it for tomorrow:

That flipping inbox…
I get an absolute avalanche of emails over the weekend. Want to know a secret? A massive chunk of it is pure spam that getsdeleted within 30 seconds of me opening my laptop. As for the legitimate messages? Look, I’ll admit it—I am that person who sends emails at stupid times. But I NEVER expect an immediate reply. Just because someone else decided to work until 10 PM on a Sunday does not mean you are obligated to respond at 10:01 PM. Your boundaries matter.

Kill the Monday Paralysis: Overwhelm thrives when you stand still, leading straight to procrastination. Tomorrow morning, choose your weapon. Go with Option 1 and pick just THREE critical tasks to focus on, or go with Option 2 and "eat the frog" by destroying your most avoided job first thing. (Or, just do whatever works for you!)

The golden rule? Just do something.

Action fixes the problem.

Pick one tiny, simple task and just start. Done is infinitely better than perfect.

Running your own business is hard. It can be brilliant and awesome and overwhelming and a lot ALL AT THE SAME TIME.

What’s the job you’re clearing off your plate first thing tomorrow? I’m here to help in the comments…

Now, off to burn (I mean, cook!) dinner whilst watching Clarkson’s Farm, I am LOVING the new series.

02/06/2026

History was made on Britain's Got Talent this weekend, but the real magic is what happened behind the scenes… and how it’s a PR masterclass for us all.

When the Hawkstone Farmers’ Choir took the crown, it wasn’t just a victory for a choir. It was a lot more than that… it was authentic, made an impact, and everyone won… what more could you ask for?! Let’s take a closer look…

The industry won - Farming was brought straight to primetime TV, humanising an isolated sector for millions of viewers. A lot of people don’t get farming or farmers and base their opinions on seriously outdated stereotypes. Not any more.

Hawkstone won - money can’t buy that level of brand exposure, but that wasn’t the point. The point was bigger. It was showing support for a community and what it stands for, which beautifully sits alongside Hawkstone and its brand values.

Jeremy Clarkson won too. Jeremy Clarkson was a leading voice in this campaign, there was a ‘watch’ party at The Farmer's Dog Pub (complete with Lisa, Kaleb and Charlie). It brought together a lot of the threads we see in Clarkson’s Farm, proving the programme is authentic.

Purpose won. The Hawkstone Farmers’ Choir has been celebrated for providing a community to farmers working in isolation and showing the wider mental health crisis that’s present in the agricultural sector.

When a brand focuses on serving a community rather than exploiting a market, everyone can win. Getting a brand more attention, more column inches, and I am sure more business doesn’t have to be at odds to doing the right thing and supporting the community.

And one last note - the amplification of the story was incredible, particularly through social media. The Clarkson’s Farm stars, the farmers, Jeremy, even Amanda Holden who went and saw the choir when their previous episode aired.

Check out the slides to see why this worked so beautifully.

Tell me what you thought about it all in the comments…

31/05/2026

I feel like I'm on a one human crusade for social media at the moment... and I don't mind a bit!

I was asked to go onto LBC this morning to chat to Matthew Wright (who is an absolute delight- really lovely person to chat to!) to talk about social media. Possible bans, what I think the solution is... and whether or not having a phone is a human right?! Yep, we covered it all!

Are smartphones a human right? Matthew Wright is joined to discuss the topic by Meta lead trainer Rhea Freeman, and communications advisor, Liam Deacon.

30/05/2026

You know when you’ve recorded a longer video and you know there are a few clips within it, that you could use as short form too?

Yep, I’ve been there… and to be honest, I don’t always have the time (patience or skill!) to set about chopping and editing these short bits manually.

And it’s a really missed opportunity. I know that too.

But did you know that Adobe Express can actually do all the heavy lifting if you let it? It can chop up video over 60 seconds long into shorter clips, and it’ll even caption it for you too?

It can also caption longer videos which is perfect for people who watch social media on mute, who double screen, and to make your content more accessible.

Just head over to Adobe Express, select Generate with AI, Clip Maker, upload, and see what it can do and how much time it can save you!

20/05/2026

Can we just talk about the Gemma Collins x DfE videos… they’ve taken a further turn today…🚩

While the memes are everywhere, there are some serious lessons here for every small business owner. Because whether you’re the government or a brand, the “rules of the game” remain the same.

If you miss the alignment, fail to read the room, appear to belittle a situation by how you’ve tackled it, or jump on a trend that’s already left the station, you don’t just lose likes, you lose trust. And let’s be honest, in this case with the DfE, there’s not a lot of either left to lose.

Over the course of the day, I’ve seen more posts from disgruntled/upset/frustrated parents, I saw Bev Turner talk about it on GBNews too. It’s not going away and, actually, the negativity is intensifying.

Swipe through to see the 5 things we can learn from this PR car crash. ➡️

I’m dying to know what you think. Have you seen the videos? Let’s chat in the comments.