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How to Get Bread Orders Without Posting on Social Media | Episode 89

  • Jun 26, 2025
  • 7 min read

Updated: 3 days ago

Listen on Apple Podcasts or watch on YouTube


Some weeks the scroll is all consuming and I just need to turn it off. I have deleted Instagram off my phone for a few days more than once, and the reset was so needed.


I still use Instagram and Facebook. They are wonderful for storytelling and for letting people get to know me. They are not how I sell bread, and I almost never use them to announce that my orders are open, because the systems I built tell my customers without anyone opening an app.


Here are five ways to grow a sourdough microbakery that do not depend on a platform you do not own. Pick the one that feels most doable and start there.


Why social media on its own is a risky sales engine

Algorithms change and engagement drops overnight. Instagram goes down for a few hours and everyone panics, because they have no other way to reach their customers. Remember the TikTok scare.


We do not own those platforms and we have no say in how long they stick around. Most successful microbakeries grow through real life word of mouth, repeat customers and community connection, with social media supporting all of that.


1. Build a text or email list you own

This is the one I would start with. A list is algorithm proof. You own it, and you can reach people when they are nowhere near Instagram.


Email works. Text works better for me, because a text gets opened. Flodesk, Mailchimp or ConvertKit handle email. I use Project Broadcast for text.


Getting people on the list should take about four seconds:

  • I have a QR code that opens their text app with the keyword bread already typed in. All they do is hit send, which puts them on my list, triggers a welcome text, and starts my weekly menu text.

  • At the market, mention it while they are checking out. My spiel is short: do you want to find out every week when my menu opens so you do not miss me if I sell out? Scan here, and I will text you every Sunday until you tell me to stop.

  • If you want, add a small reason to join. A free cookie, $2 off, early access to limited items, pickup reminders.

If you already use Hotplate or the Simply Bread app, both let you build a list inside the app. That is a great start and you should be using it.


I use Project Broadcast alongside Simply Bread because the automated Simply Bread text is short, not customizable, comes from an unfamiliar area code, and customers cannot reply to it. Project Broadcast gives me a local number, lets me write a real weekly message with the menu and the ordering link, and keeps every customer conversation out of my personal phone. My customers still get both, so nobody misses a bake day.


The list math that makes this worth your time

Here is the part worth writing down. About 10 to 20% of my list orders in any given week, and that number holds up reliably.


So if you have 400 people on your list, you can predict roughly how many orders are coming before you open the menu. If you are starting with 25 people, that is 25 people you land in front of every single week, and you can expect a few orders from them.


Growing the list is growing your revenue, in a way you can actually forecast. It compounds over time, and consistency is what makes it work.


And do not panic about the quiet ones. I talked with a woman who has gotten my Sunday text for months and never ordered, because my pickup days do not work for her schedule. She knows exactly where to find me for the week that they do.


2. Ask for word of mouth on purpose

A trusted recommendation beats a boosted post every time. Your customers are already talking about you. They just need a nudge that tells them what to do next.

  • Tuck a small card in the pickup bag. Something like, do you love our bread? Tell a friend. Word of mouth is how my small business thrives. Simple cards from Canva or same day printing at Walgreens are plenty.

  • Offer a referral thank you, $2 off a next order or a free cookie. Tracking it takes a little manual work, so keep the system simple.

  • Ask every new customer how they found you. If it was a friend, get that friend's name and thank them next time they order.

  • Ask your regulars for a Google review. It builds instant trust for anyone searching for sourdough near them, and it helps your local search results.

Do not underestimate asking. Most people will never think to leave a review on their own, and almost all of them say yes when you ask. Try this: I am working on growing my local customer base, would you mind leaving a quick review on Google? Or if you know a neighbor who would love fresh bread, send them my way.


3. Build relationships with other local businesses

You do not need a following. You need a few strategic connections in your town.

  • Partner with a coffee shop. Stock a few loaves if wholesale is allowed where you live, or set up a table for a couple of hours one Saturday a month if it is not.

  • Pair with a local florist on a bread and bouquet bundle for a holiday.

  • Work with real estate agents on a housewarming basket. Bring in someone else for the salt, the olive oil, the seeds, and add your bread.

  • Stock shelf stable items like granola, crackers or dry mixes in a general store or boutique, if your state allows you to wholesale.

  • Use a boutique as your pre-order pickup spot for a week, and bring a few grab and go items for their walk in traffic.

Every one of these is a win for both businesses. You reach people who would never have found you online, and you bring your customers through their door. You do not need a storefront to be visible in your community.


4. Print marketing still works

It is old school and it is effective. People need a lot of touches with your brand before they buy, somewhere between seven and twenty depending on the study. A flyer on the library bulletin board is one of those touches and it costs almost nothing.

  • Flyers or postcards for bulletin boards at libraries, churches, gyms and cafes.

  • A monthly menu card tucked into every order. I make mine in Canva, print four to a sheet of card stock, and cut them apart. Contact information, what is coming this month, done.

  • Stickers, magnets, even door hangers walked around your neighborhood.

Put a QR code and your ordering link on everything so the next step is easy. A magnet on someone's fridge gets seen over and over. An Instagram post gets scrolled past once.


5. Sell through standing orders

The easiest sale is the one you do not have to chase. Invite your regulars into a standing order and you turn one conversation into a month of revenue.

  • Create a prepay product on your ordering platform, one loaf a week for a month, or two loaves a week, their choice.

  • Start a bread club where the same people pick up the same order every week.

  • Offer a small discount for prepaying three months at a time.

Neither Hotplate nor the Simply Bread app has a true subscription feature right now, so this takes a system you build yourself. It is worth it. You have pre-sold the product, the revenue is already in, and all you have to do is tell them when to pick up.


If you are a year or more in, run this

Count how many people are on a list you own right now. If that number is smaller than your Instagram following, that is your project for the next quarter.


Then look at your last month of orders and ask how many came from a repeat customer. Standing orders and word of mouth grow that number without adding a single post to your calendar.


Final thoughts

You do not have to be a content machine to sell bread. Put the bulk of your effort into something lasting that you own, like a text list, and into the local relationships that no algorithm can take away from you.


Share on social when it feels natural and let the rest go. You get to build this bakery your way, and you get to make your own rules about how people hear from you.


Cheering you on,


Caroline


Keep going

If you do want to use social media well, on your terms, these will help.


Links to things you might like!


 
 
 

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