23: Lead Well Live Well with Dee Blick - Episode 2323: Lead Well Live Well with Dee Blick - Episode 23
UK Health Radio Podcast
Social media strategist and author Michelle Betts talks with host Dee Blick about building a sustainable business, writing bestselling fiction and creating a timeless social media guide. The conversation highlights long-term effort over viral hype, creative resilience and making space for meaningful work alongside everyday life.
46:38•18 Jul 2026
From Viral Myths to Lasting Impact: Michelle Betts on Social Media and Storytelling
Episode Overview
- Accidental opportunities can grow into long-term careers when you commit to learning and showing up consistently.
- Viral content means little without the right audience; focused, relevant followers are far more valuable than big, empty numbers.
- A diverse client base and mix of retained work, campaigns and training can make a business more resilient.
- Creative outlets like fiction writing can offer escapism and meaning, especially during emotionally tough times.
- Strong editing, self-publishing skills and control over production help maintain the quality and integrity of a book.
“I would rather have an audience of 5,000 people that are my target audience than 50,000 followers who are just following me for no apparent reason.”
How do people find strength in their journey to sobriety? One way is by hearing from people who’ve built rich, values-led lives they genuinely love, and that’s exactly the kind of energy this UK Health Radio conversation with social media expert and novelist Michelle Betts brings. Hosted by marketing pro and author Dee Blick, the episode has a relaxed, chatty feel, like eavesdropping on two friends who’ve grafted hard and have zero time for hype.
The focus is on building things that last – careers, businesses, creative projects – rather than chasing quick wins or viral fame. Michelle shares how she “accidentally” found her talent for social media while working in an estate agency, turning early experiments with Twitter and Facebook into an award-winning career and an 18-year-old business.
She cheerfully punctures the obsession with going viral, saying she’d rather have 5,000 of the right followers than 50,000 who never engage, and compares viral hits to “a one night stand versus a long term relationship”. You’ll hear how she balances a global client roster, training sessions, and ad campaigns (including for a Mexican rock band), with a thriving second career as fiction writer Michelle Plater.
Her novels Smoke and Mirrors and Famously Festive both hit the top 50 charts, and she talks openly about writing as escapism after the loss of her brother, and about editing, self-publishing and controlling every detail of her books. There’s plenty here for anyone rethinking their life, career or creative ambitions: the power of small, consistent effort; giving yourself permission to shine; and using your spare moments – even “35,000 feet up” – to work on something meaningful.
It’s equal parts practical business chat and creative pep talk, with a gentle nudge to ask: what long-term story are you writing for yourself?
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