The Reality of Being Trolled as a Small Business Owner with Rhiannon Louden

Has the fear of being trolled ever impacted how you show up online? It definitely has for me, and sometimes I feel like I can't share all the things that I want to in case I attract hate.

Today on the podcast I'm chatting to Rhiannon Louden, who is a brand and wedding photographer, all about an incident where she got trolled and exactly how she handled it.

A big facet of this conversation is about values, and I love that it comes back to something that has been chatted about on this podcast so many times before: the importance of your brand values. Rhiannon shares a candid story about a reel featuring a trans wedding that attracted significant hate, and how she navigated that storm while protecting her clients and standing by her beliefs.

We touch on personal branding, attracting the right clients, running your business with integrity, and why "going viral" isn't always the dream we think it is.

Key Takeaways:

• Viral isn't always a victory: Rhiannon shares how a reel hitting 5 million views brought a wave of hate rather than just "success". It serves as a reminder that visibility without the right audience can be damaging.
• Values act as a filter: Being vocal about your values (e.g., trans rights) effectively repels people who don't align with you. While the trolling was difficult, it ultimately solidified her niche and signaled safety to her ideal clients.
• Client care comes first: When the post blew up with negative comments, Rhiannon's first priority was her couple. She communicated openly with them and gave them the option to delete the post, prioritizing their mental health over the "viral" reach.
• Have a crisis plan: It is helpful to think about how you would handle trolling before it happens. Having a process—like warning clients or knowing when to turn off comments—can help you stay calm in the moment.
• Separating your brands: We also discuss Rhiannon's decision to run two separate brands (Rhiannon Neale for weddings/families and Rhiannon Louden for branding) to ensure her messaging stays clear and relevant to each specific audience.

Episode Highlights:

• 02:00 – Rhiannon's journey from journalism to photography and moving to Scotland.
• 04:00 – The decision to split her business into two distinct brands to clarify her messaging.
• 06:00 – The story of the viral reel: How a post celebrating a trans wedding attracted millions of views and a storm of hate.
• 13:00 – Handling the fallout: How Rhiannon communicated with her clients and gave them the power to decide the post's fate.
• 15:00 – The aftermath: Why repelling bigots is actually a business positive, and how it has led to more aligned inquiries from the LGBTQ+ community.
• 19:00 – The reality of viral fame: Why we need to stop romanticising the idea of "blowing up" online.

About The Guest:

Rhiannon Louden is a photographer and brand mentor based in Scotland. She runs two businesses: Rhiannon Neale, focusing on alternative, documentary-style wedding and family photography, and Rhiannon Louden, where she offers personal brand photography and mentorship for female entrepreneurs. She is passionate about diversity, inclusivity, and helping business owners show up authentically.

You can find her wedding work at https://rhiannoneale.com/ and her branding work at https://www.rhiannonlouden.co.uk/

Mentioned in this episode:

• Rhiannon's Viral Post: The reel discussed regarding the trans wedding (though comments are turned off!).

I would love to hear what you think of this episode, so please do let me know on Instagram where I'm @‌lizmmosley or @‌buildingyourbrandpodcast and I hope you enjoy the episode!

This episode was written and recorded by me and produced by Lucy Lucraft lucylucraft.co.uk

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