Renee Frojo Creative Co.

I partner with founders, service providers, and startups who want a content marketing strategy that connects with prospective and current customers on a deeper level. Together with you and your team, we'll hone in on a positioning and messaging strategy that'll help you find your people and place online, as well as within your community.

I currently have two services:

Team Workshops & Content Buildout 
1:1 Storytelling-Led Content Consulting

Content Strategist & Brand Storyteller

Off the Grid

Wore all the marketing hats. Biggest win: United small businesses through storytelling and community building.

Other things:
-> Grew newsletter subscriber base by 10K and increased open rate to 36% from 6% in under 6 months. -> Created, managed and wrote content for weekly B2C & B2B blogs that drove open rates, engagement & leads. 
-> Grew social media following on IG, FB & TikTok by over 10K in under 6 months and increased average engagement by 35% year over year. -> Managed a team of content creation contractors. 
-> Launched PR, Partnership, Advertising & Social Media Marketing campaigns that doubled company’s revenue year-over-year for community markets and drew an estimated 10,000 people the grand reopening of Off the Grid’s marquee weekly Friday night destination market at Fort Mason Center in 2022.

Head of Marketing & Editorial Content

Taavi

Co-Founded a startup for new mothers with a good friend. 

TAAVI (Takes a Village) is a micro-community platform that connects expectant and new parents in small, intimate chat groups based on lifestyle and location. TAAVI helps families find meaningful friendships and build supportive communities.

Co-Founder, Head of Marketing & Content

Renee Lynn Frojo

After having a baby, I decided it was time to freelance. Here's what I did for a handful of companies over the course of four years:
-Researched, wrote and edited strategic SEO-rich content for small companies and brands to grow brand awareness and engage with new audiences. Clients included Amy's Organic, Bi-Rite Market, Tonal, Ziraffe Store, and Kettle & Fire. 
-Managed freelance and contract writers. Heavily edited some pretty bad content. 
-Researched and reported stories on a variety of topics within the hospitality, retail and nonprofit industries. Stories appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco Business Times, Marin Magazine, SF Weekly, Zagat and the SF Bay Guardian.
-Founded a successful a food blog—www.laurelstreetkitchen.com—and gained a 10K following on IG, which quickly became tiring and lame.

Freelance Content Strategist & Creator

Sun Basket

This one needs a list:
- Helped build fast-growing startup's print, online content, and media strategy.
- Responsibilities included managing test kitchen, recipe development, recipe testing and recipe editing for e-commerce organic meal delivery service that enables people to cook healthy meals at home. 
- Developed, researched and wrote online SEO content for company blog and website, as well as created and maintained company’s editorial calendar.
- Managed a team of in-house and remote writers.

Head of Content & PR

San Francisco Business Times

My beats: Restaurants, retail, hospitality and philanthropy. As one does in a newspaper job, I developed original story ideas, wrote breaking news and shot accompanying photographs for daily articles. 
Biggest accomplishment: I helped grow the paper's audience and credibility in the food and hospitality space. I also helped them figure out the social media marketing thing.

Food & Hospitality Reporter

Freelance

I took a gap year to travel the world and did some reporting while I was at it! Published articles on travel and culture in Bay Nature Magazine, BBC Wildlife Magazine, Christian Science Monitor, Global Post, San Francisco Business Times and SF Bay Guardian.

Freelance Writer, Editor & Photographer

Atlantic Information Services

Reported on regulatory, business and legal issues concerning the healthcare industry. Got plenty of insight into the disfunction on Capitol Hill.

Editor

FDAnews

First reporting job covering the pharmaceutical and medical device industries. Wrote breaking news for the daily, and contributed to in-depth weekly and monthly reports.

Reporter

National Student Leadership Conference

Organized and led seminars, workshops and activities on print and broadcast journalism for high school students attending a summer leadership conference. Oversaw and managed a staff of 15.

Head Advisor

The curious content marketer who cares ✨ Partnering with purpose-led small businesses, startups, and entrepreneurs to connect through storytelling and collaboration.

As much as anyone can predict the future, I see a world in which story-driven, human-centered content triumphs over the machine.

It's not only because human connection is a biological need—it's because people increasingly need reasons to care about you (or anything). And your story, your purpose, and your unique point of view all provide that reason. 

So if you need to get clear on what those things are—and how (exactly) they show up in your content—call me. 

I'll help you figure out what you need to say and where you need to say it. Together, we'll grow your business by truly, deeply connecting with your ideal audience.

(But don't take my word for it—check my testimonials down below!)

Can I make a little request on behalf of everyone trying to resonate, connect, and provide real value on here? (Or anywhere, really.)

Please don’t make the rest of us suffer through your AI-written content and comments.

Hire a good writer, strategist, or storyteller to help you create something that actually matters instead. 

With gratitude,
Renee & friends

Renee Lynn Frojo ✨

The most collaborative content strategist & storyteller 🧡 Helping purpose-led startups, founders & freelancers build a good reputation and become more memorable online.

I've told a lot of stories. 

As a former business journalist, I highlighted hundreds of passionate small businesses solving real problems and creating cool stuff. I loved telling their stories and working with people who care. 

Now, I help purpose-driven businesses and creators tell their own stories with strategic marketing content that builds brand loyalty, creates community and reaches new audiences. 

If you just want to see what I cook, head to my Instagram @laurel.street.kitchen 👩‍🍳

Archita Fritz 

I'm thrilled to announce that I'm now working with founders who will never start a post with "I'm thrilled to announce" ever again.

LinkedIn community: You. Are. Welcome.

The most collaborative content strategist & storyteller 🧡 Helping purpose-led startups, founders & freelancers build a good reputation with memorable content.

Don’t make this mistake.
Stop doing this thing.
You need to…

So, do you like being told what to do?

I did something over the weekend that I'm confident most people would feel completely uncomfortable doing ever—I told a story on stage.

The theme was “busted,” and I was one of 8 storytellers for a Moth-like copycat event.

While I had prepared and rehearsed the story a dozen times (and even written about it here), telling it on stage felt different—scarier. (Way scarier.)

What if I forgot my lines? Or messed up the timing? Or skipped over important details?

I was fifth in line and struggling to pay attention to the other storytellers as I awaited my turn. But then I noticed something funny: The people on stage before me seemed nervous, too. 

How come?

No one forced us to do this. Through our own free will, we all chose to get up and speak in front of a packed room of complete strangers.

Yet there we were, putting ourselves out in the open, all vulnerable and completely exposed to public criticism and judgment. 

When it was my turn, I took a deep breath and got on stage.

I told a story about the time I started a counterfeit operation out of my bedroom when I was 5 years old because I took the concept of “making money” literally.

It was a hit. The crowd was engaged and laughed throughout. As they gave me a generous round of applause, I stepped down feeling totally energized.

Afterward, people approached me wanting to hear more about my childhood in Mexico. They told me about their experiences and stories from childhood when they took something literally. 

A couple of conversations ended in an exchange of numbers. And one person told me that I inspired her to get up there next time.

That’s when I remembered why I chose to do it—why any of us do it.

Every time we share a story that feels uncomfortable or vulnerable, we're inviting others to connect with us on a deeper level.

When we step into that discomfort, we're giving others permission to do the same. 

Stories have the power to inspire, entertain, and build bridges. And by telling ours, we can create spaces where real connections can happen.

So, I hope you do that uncomfortable thing and tell your story to create a connection—here or somewhere else. You never know who needs to hear it.

I've developed this little habit that’s helped me become a better storyteller and a happier person. It only takes 5 minutes, and it's something anyone—including you—can do. 

I learned this habit from award-winning storyteller and speaker Matthew Dicks. He calls it “Homework for life." In my notes app, where I track it, I call it "Worth noting." 

It goes like this:

At the end of each day, take 5 minutes to jot down something you noticed. It could be the most significant thing that happened, or it could just be something that made you think and feel. 

Write down the most important details that’ll help jog your memory (should you want to come back to it). There's no need to write the whole story—it’s only messy notes. 

Sometimes those messy notes will turn into stories. Sometimes they won't. But that’s not the only point.

Doing this daily exercise will help you pay closer attention. And the more closely you pay attention to your life, the more stories you have to tell. 

For me, it's even more than that. (This is the happier person part.)

By taking a brief moment to jot down something I noticed, I'm reminded that every day—even the mundane or hard ones—has moments that make it worth living. 

And that is a beautiful gift. 

So, not only do you get better stories to tell the world, you get a better story to tell yourself. 

Open to trying it?

I was heading home from dinner in downtown San Francisco with friends when I saw the sign: 

Palm Reading & Tarot  — Only $20.

“C’mon,” I convinced my friends. “It’ll be fun.”

She greeted us at the door smelling like incense and cigarette smoke. “You first,” she said pointing to me. 

It didn’t take long for her to read me like a cliche. 

I put on a good face, she said, but my hands told a different story. 

She told me that I make the best of bad situations (always), but this one wasn’t getting better. A “dark cloud” had entered my world and it was negatively impacting everything—from my ability to earn to my marriage. 

She had me sobbing by the end.

Like a skilled scam artist, she made a handful of generalized comments that could apply to anyone, and then read my reactions, doubling down when she knew she had hit a nerve. 

The thing is, she wasn’t wrong.

I was an exhausted new mom in an unhappy marriage with another one on the way that I wasn't ready for. At the time, I was also unclear on where I wanted to take my career. I was confused and looking for answers.

“What should I do?” I asked her.

Well, lucky for me, she could perform her witchy ceremony with magic candles and rid my world of that pesky dark cloud. 

Excellent, I said.

Super, she responded. It would only cost me $300. 

“Where’s the nearest ATM?” I asked. I couldn't have been an easier target.

But if not her, it probably would’ve been someone else at that moment in my life who offered some other fake solution to my deeper problems. 

Because when you’re feeling stuck or confused, you’ll pay just about anyone anything to make it better—especially when they're speaking directly to a deeper pain point. 

Advertisers and marketers who have no issue with manipulation tactics bank on it. 

You don’t have to stumble around San Francisco to find your own sneaky palm reader. 

Modern-day scammers using this old advertising playbook to sell you on their solution are everywhere—especially on the internet. (And especially on here.) 

They prey on your fear and desperation. They give you hope that this future self is achievable. And for a modest fee, they’ll unlock the secrets to help you get there. 

How many of us have paid $500 for this course or $1000 for that coaching program hoping it'll solve all of our business problems?

They never do. And they never will if the wrong things are driving our decision-making. 

I've stopped paying attention to the people who make me feel inadequate. I buy from the ones I've developed a relationship with and truly trust. 

It might take some digging (and some are very subtle), but I hope you can spot a scammer when you see them too. (And not listen to the advice that says you need to sell this way to see results.)

Otherwise, you’ll just end up with a bunch of stupid candles and an embarrassing story to tell on the internet.

At this point, I can wake up in the morning and effortlessly create content that results in great engagement. How?

I always start with my takeaway. 

Okay, so what's that?

Your takeaway is nothing more than the "big idea" for the post or piece. It's the "so what?" 

It becomes a "hook" when you structure it in a way that captures attention by sparking curiosity or desire. (You can use fear, too, but I don't like to operate that way.)

I then store these takeaways (formatted as compelling hooks) in a (somewhat) neatly organized content calendar. There they wait for me, ready to pull and fill in with more context. 

Take this post, for instance: 

The takeaway: How you can effortlessly create content that results in great engagement. 

The takeaway written as a hook: At this point, I can wake up in the morning and effortlessly create content that results in great engagement. How?

I sparked curiosity by teasing how I do it and desire with the bit about it being effortless. (Because I know you want this to be effortless for you, too, right?)

In short:

Start with what you want to say.
Learn how to say it in a way that captures attention.
Make filling a content calendar much easier on yourself. 

Standing by if you need more help.

I'm not saying that what you ate for breakfast can't teach me something about B2B marketing, but let's be real:

 It's a stretch. 

You have better stories than that in you. Want to partner up to find them?



For the interested: I'm working with founders and freelancers who want to leverage personal storytelling to stand out on social. DM me if you want to become more memorable by connecting more meaningfully with your audience. (And who knows? Maybe we can find something interesting to say about your first meal of the day.)

I’ve bought and not completed more online courses than I’d like to admit publicly. And no, it’s not because I suck at finishing things. (Mostly.)

It’s because the instructors were dry as a piece of burnt toast. 

Unless you're some sort of magical unicorn, dry educational content—no matter how valuable—won’t keep anyone interested in you or what you’re teaching. (At least not for very long.)

Whether creating a course, writing a newsletter, hosting a podcast, speaking on stage or posting on LinkedIn, your expert insights need some personality—any personality—to capture and keep attention. 

So, how do you show personality?

Well, there are lots of ways. 

You could share your sense of humor. Or give a strong opinion. Or challenge common assumptions. Or dish out unexpected advice. 

My personal favorite: you could share some personal stories. 

And by that, I don’t mean revealing your whole life story. Just talk about something that happened to you that has a valuable (and relevant) takeaway worth sharing. 

Better yet: Tell a funny personal story. 

Here, I’ll help you get started:

What's the most awkward mistake you've made while trying to impress someone in your field?
What’s a quirky habit you have that everyone finds strange but actually makes you great at your job?
What’s a time you learned an unexpected lesson after something went totally wrong?
What’s the funniest or most unexpected feedback you've ever received from a client or colleague?

If you need help mining for these stories, I’m loaded with more questions. 

But you know what would be really fun? Seeing some examples in action in the comments :)

I’d seriously pay good money for a coaching program or course that could teach me how to be this relaxed. 


P.S. New kitty life is going great. I take back everything I ever said about not being a cat person.

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When a creator or thought leader I love takes a break from their regular publishing schedule I breathe a sigh of relief. 

Because even though I appreciate hearing or learning from them, their break means I get a break, too.

I recently said this to someone who publishes a newsletter I read religiously. Even though she's struggling with a major life event that's making it hard for her to keep up, she's stressed about people unsubscribing.

You won't lose me, I told her. I'll be just as excited to hear from you when you get back.

So, if you need a break and are worried about that whole "staying consistent" crap you keep hearing, stop stressing.

You won’t lose followers. And you certainly won’t be missed. (That much.) 

We, your loyal fans, are over in our own busy little worlds trying to keep up with all the brilliant writers, experts, communities and ideas. 

Ultimately, consistency in how you show up is more important than how often.

If you can't show up consistently because you're drained from this arbitrary publishing schedule you've created, we'll notice that more. 

So go ahead and take your break. We’ll be here when you get back. Right?

I played this little game with myself on an interview for a podcast yesterday that I’m convinced made the conversation go much better than any others I’ve done. 

I tried to answer as many questions as I could with a good story. 

It worked in that it made the conversation (and talking about my experiences) so much more interesting. 

So good, in fact, that we went over by 30 minutes. (And we would’ve gone even longer had my computer not run out of battery.)

For instance, when he asked me about why I became jaded after a year as a reporter on capital hill, I could’ve said something like, “I realized that our representatives don’t know what they’re talking about—they’re just good at getting elected.”

Instead, I responded with a story about the moment when I noticed an intern whispering the answer to his representative during a congressional hearing about an issue he clearly knew nothing about—even though he was the one in charge of making the decision. 

Anyway, all that’s to say: If you have any podcast opportunities coming up, I challenge you to try this and see how it goes.  

A huge thanks to David for having me on his show. 

If you don’t know it, his whole premise is all about showing up as yourself. It’s a topic that deeply resonates and, if you follow me, will likely resonate with you, too. 

The episode airs mid-Novemberish. I’ll share any interesting nuggets when it’s out :)

What’s a good one you’ve been on (or hear) lately?

I’m just a business owner, standing in front of her kids, asking them to go back to school already.

Being an entrepreneur means you get to design the game and the rules. So, please tell me, why do so many of us keep building our businesses using other people's playbooks?

(I'll stop with the sports references now.) 

I started my freelance business the way most entrepreneurs do—by winging it. 

Even though I knew a thing or two about content strategy, I didn’t know much about business strategy. 

I made sure I had clients and a steady income, but that was it. 

At the start, I didn’t have a long-term plan, systems to work sustainably, standard practices for delivery, or any kind of process for onboarding and offboarding clients. 

The problem with that? 

My business was inefficient, which meant I was overworked and questioning whether I made the right decision going independent in the first place. 

Not only that, I put my reputation at risk by leaving my client experience to chance. 

I know I’m not alone. Most new business owners (especially freelancers) make this same mistake. 

But one freelancer I recently met realized she had an opportunity to take a different approach and build her ideal business​. 

This approach proved successful. (And she has the results to prove it.)

As an independent experience design agency of one, Sarah makes over $200K in annual revenue and has worked with over 100 clients in the eight years she’s been in business. (For reference: that’s a helluva lot for a one-person agency.)

What’s even more remarkable is that the vast majority of her new clients have come through word-of-mouth referrals. 

Her secret? 

Thinking like a designer.

Get her story (and my takeaway) in this week's issue of A Good Reputation.

In addition to freedom, flexibility, and finding purpose, there’s one thing most entrepreneurs agree on as the holy grail of owning your own business:

Figuring out how to create some passive income.

Now, I’m not going to get into the debate of whether or not passive income is ever truly passive, because it’s irrelevant to this story.

Let’s just say that there is such a thing. And I’ve met plenty of people who’ve built it into their business model—including the subject of today’s issues of A Good Reputation, Alexis.

Alexis is a productivity and time management coach who’s built a multi-six-figure business teaching individuals and teams how to do more while stressing less.

She’s led workshops at big tech companies, including Lyft, Upwork, and Google, and has been featured in fancy publications like Fast Company and Oprah Magazine.

In short: she’s the real deal.

And for those of us who don’t want to spend the rest of our lives trading all of our time for money, she’s also #goals.

While Alexis still spends plenty of time selling her services, she did something early on that transformed her business and gave her a sweet little passive income cushion—she created a course.

And it wasn’t some big, shiny, expensive course, either. It’s a 2-hour, $94 course that—six years later—still brings in loads of new leads and accounts of over a quarter of her annual recurring revenue.

Like most people who spend any time on the internet, I’ve heard the spiel on how online courses are the path to financial freedom. And I'm actively drinking the Kool-Aid.

But just like everything I “could” do for my business, I didn’t know if I “should” invest the time in building a course. 

After hearing Alexis’s story, I’m convinced I’ve been dwelling on this decision for too long for no good reason at all.

Building a course, I learned, doesn’t have to be a heavy lift. You can simply test the waters with something short and sweet to see if it works.

And if it doesn’t? Well, I’ll get to that.

If you want the full story, you'll have to sign up for my newsletter. The issue drops later this morning.

In the meantime: To create a course or not to create a course? What's your take?

Creating engaging content that aims to connect with (not just convince) your audience may not be the fastest way to sell your offer. 

But, in my experience, it’s a helluva lot more fulfilling.

If you're an expert (or trying to expert) I'm going to tell you something that should take some pressure off:

You don't need to have all the answers. 

I see you. In attempting to build your authority and reputation, you feel compelled to share what you know and how you can help. 

But this approach will only work against you. If you're always the expert and never the explorer, you'll start to question yourself and your abilities. 

And, if you're attempting to build a personal brand, it'll also make you feel and sound like everyone else.

Believe me, I’ve been there. And I understand the impulse to expert all over the place as a way to build credibility.  

When I first started building my reputation online, I tried to teach storytelling. And I got crickets. 

Because you know who else can teach you about storytelling? Anyone who paid $99 for a Udemy course or read an article about it on the internet.

But then I shifted to actually telling stories—about my business, my challenges,  my wins, my experiences, my assumptions—and everything changed. 

I started developing credibility while also capturing attention and building trust. 

I stopped pretending to have all the answers and started asking more questions. 

Because when you ask questions and explore rather than expert, you invite people to come along for the ride. 

Not having all the answers all the time is not only more fun, it’s effective. 

Have you tried it?


****************************************
P.S. I'm experimenting with a new offer for startup founders and service-based business owners interested in building a good reputation online. In a nutshell: I interview you, mine your brain for your best stories, and deliver enough ideas to fill your content calendar. DM me if you're interested in the details.

The most collaborative content strategist & storyteller 🧡 Helping purpose-led founders, startups, & small businesses create honest content that attracts forever fans—not followers.

There are lots of people who want to grow an audience but are too embarrassed to admit it. And I don’t blame them—it's weird here. 

Figuring out how to show up in a way that captures attention and keeps people engaged is embarrassing—especially if you're following any of the conventional wisdom from well-known names with massive followings. 

I started by listening to all that advice, too. Things like: 

“See what’s working for others and copy that—but put your own spin on it!”
“Format your posts so that they’re snackable.”
“Position yourself as the expert.”
"Post all the time."
“Fill in this template.”
"Make reels. Dance, monkey!"
“Engage, engage, engage.”

I mean, it can work. But the problem for a lot of us is that it doesn't feel good. It feels performative. 

And if it doesn’t feel good, it’s hard to start. It's also hard to keep at it. 

It took me a minute to figure out how to make it feel better—more authentic. As authentic as showing up online can be. 

I realized that the more I pulled from my lived experiences and stopped trying to prove myself, the more honestly I could show up. 

I focused more on resonating with personal stories rather than worrying about the perfect posting time or copying "what works" from other people. 

Sharing your story in a way that captures and keeps attention is still a learned skill. (But one that everyone has access to.)

Ultimately, "what works" is you. It’s about what makes you interesting and relatable to someone else. 

You (and your stories) are the best competitive advantage you have to stand out and build an audience online without worrying about all that other icky stuff.

It can still feel cringy at times, but at least you know you're coming at it honestly.

View company: Mornings in the Lab with Keith & Friends

Most people post to get attention.


Renee Lynn Frojo? 

She posts to make a difference.

Today, Keith Bilous, Christopher Martin (CMartyFit), Jon Andersen and Kristina Flynn were joined by guest Dominic Watts to celebrate Renee Lynn Frojo in our Mornings in the Lab with Keith & Friends Creator Spotlight

Here’s why Renee is killing it as a content creator:

- She doesn’t post daily.
- She ignores the “perfect” formulas.
- And she’s built a brand around what matters to her.

Her strategy? 
1. Tell stories that connect on a human level.
2. Skip the fluff. 
3. Focus on impact over impressions.

In a world flooded with AI-generated noise, authenticity is the ultimate hack.

P.S. Tag someone who’s mastered the art of real, human content.

Taplio

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