profile

The Nugget with Michelle Martello

dropping pebbles

Published 3 months ago • 2 min read

One of my friends gave me an odd request while we were waiting for the knife sharpener guy at the the farmer's market (middle-aged joy=sharp knives).
​
​Could I curate her instagram feed for her?
​
​She's opted out of scrolling for the past few years citing *waves arms everywhere.*
​
But she's missed connecting with people and wants a clean slate. ​
​
This means she's back on my pebble list - now I can send her my special blend of elderly dog videos, time-lapse crocheted frogs and always on-point muppet memes. ​
​
For the unfamiliar, "pebbling" refers to the act of sharing bits of content to show affection and maintain connection. Inspired by Gentoo penguins (the "happy feet" ones) who gift pebbles to their mates, these digital "pebbles" serve as nonverbal "I thought of you" messages.
​
I don't make phone calls. I pebble.​
​
One of my favorite people to pebble? My fellow elderly dog aficionado friend Michelle Warner.
​
She's an expert when it comes to building your network.
​
I've been seeing it more and more in my consulting sessions - everyone needs to build stronger network to buffer up business - and that's exactly what relationship marketing does.
​
Next week Michelle's doing a free training on exactly how relationship marketing works - the daily habits, the time commitment and the metrics you should be tracking to know if it's working.
​
Her free live training is for you if:

  • You're off (or want to be off) social media and can't quite picture what marketing looks like without it.
  • You want to talk to real humans and build real connections, but you need a clearer picture before you commit.
  • You're drawn to relationship marketing but wonder if it's going to swallow your calendar whole.

Sign up here for: Look Over My Shoulder: A Day (and a Month) in the Life of an (almost) Social Media-Free Relationship Marketer.
​
​No affiliate link - I just trust what Michelle has to say.
​
​you've got this,
Michelle
​
p.s. I heard from a ton of designers that loved last week's post - read it here: big files, big problems​

p.p.s. Notice Michelle's landing page she's using to capture signups? Yeah, that's made on Kit - and if you're looking to make the switch from MailChimp, you can save 25% on annual plans AND get migration support from Kit if you signup before April 30th. (Plus if you sign up with my link you know I'll throw in a little sumthin' sumthin.')

upcoming + work with me ​
​​
​Minima Sessions: Need to talk to someone who gets it? From detailed website reviews to program launch planning to getting started online, book a Minima Session and get in-the-trenches knowledge and actionable strategies. Perfect for anyone who wants to sell their knowledge, services or goods online. Inquire here.




​
​tech I love​
​​
​Kajabi* - what I use to host courses and digital products.
​Spring 2026 Special: 3 months for $99 and get a consult with me!​
​
​WisprFlow​* - capture every thought quickly​
​Kit* - my favorite easy-to-use email tool (you're reading it right now!)
​ManyChat* - what I use to automate messages on social media
​Hello Audio* - what I use to create private podcasts

Did this email end up in your promo, junk or spam folder? Do me a solid and drag it to your primary inbox - this tells your inbox you like me, like really like me. ​
*denotes affiliate link. I only promote and recommend products and services I use for myself or my clients.

People who read the fine print are my kind of people. You rock Reader. ​
Did a friend send you this email? Grab your own copy here.

106 N. Boulevard, Richmond, VA 23220
​Unsubscribe · Preferences​

The Nugget with Michelle Martello

Digital Product Design + Online Business Strategy

Get my nugget-filled newsletter every Friday. The never boring, edutaining tech + digital strategy newsletter​ that's always worth the open. Get the latest tech tutorials, behind-the-scenes breakdowns and done-for-you strategic guidance from someone who's actually doing the work (and makes you laugh to boot).

Read more from The Nugget with Michelle Martello

My list of personal pet peeves is long.Dishes left overnight in the sink.Dust bunnies in yoga studio corners.Hour long meetings that could've been an email.People adding me to their random personal Substacks (shudder).But few things rile me up as much as a messy inbox. So when I saw my friend launch expert Brenna McGowan post her biggest email pet peeve (small font size), I knew I had to share mine.I sign up for a LOT of newsletters in the name of industry research. Pro tip: use a separate...

about 4 hours ago • 3 min read

For a hot minute last week I considered shutting everything down. I ever-so-briefly dreamed about quitting tech and opening a trampoline dance studio called tramp stamp. I can already feel all the studio owners on my list shaking their head at me at that really bad idea.What got me in a tizzy?Dealing with a technical grouch who didn't want to give control of a website back to a friend.This comes up more than you'd think.Are you the owner on your accounts? Or is your web designer? Your IT...

23 days ago • 2 min read

In the nebulous world of email marketing, there's surprisingly few important things to track. There's open rates. Click-Through Rates (CTR). Bounce rates. Revenue per email (RPE). And my personal favorite metric, Open to Write Back Rate (OWBR) - thank you Ann Handley for that one. But my new metric has an n-of-1. Getting Laura Belgray to open my emails right away. And as I learned talking with her this week, what gets her to open emails will likely get your readers to open yours too. Watch...

28 days ago • 2 min read