“Day Three: How to Polish and Prepare to Publish Your Content” plus 19 more |  |
- Day Three: How to Polish and Prepare to Publish Your Content
- Day Two: How to Fill in the Details of Your Winning Piece of Content
- Day One: How to Build a “Backbone” for Your Content Marketing
- A System for Easily Publishing Consistently Great Content – A Pamela Wilson Series
- Reading Roundup: What’s New in Blogging Lately?
- How To Make Time To Grow A Successful Blog When You Have A Full-Time Job
- Blogging in 2017: How to Disrupt and Get Noticed
- How to Come up With More Than Enough (Great) Ideas for Your Blog
- Community Discussion: Do You Use a Schedule?
- Reading Roundup: What’s New in Blogging Lately?
- How to Get Traction with Your New Blog
- 5 Ridiculous SEO Myths Every Blogger Should Ignore
- Your Niche Is A Small Village: Here’s How To Become Well-Known In it by Marketing Yourself
- Reading Roundup: What’s New in Blogging Lately?
- 8 Reasons You’re Losing Money On Your Blog
- How Goal Setting Increases Your Productivity
- Why You Should Start a Blog in the New Year
- Community Discussion: What are Your Goals for 2017?
- Start With a Bang – Things You can Do to Set Yourself up For Your Best Year of Blogging Yet!
- New Year Reboot: Make This Your Most Productive Year Yet
| Day Three: How to Polish and Prepare to Publish Your Content Posted: 01 Feb 2017 05:00 AM PST
This is part four in a series on Content Marketing Strategies from Pamela Wilson of Big Brand System. Day 3 is the last day before publishing, so everything you do on this day will be to prepare your content to go out into the world and to give it the best possible chance of being consumed. Need to catch up on the rest of the 4 Day Content Creation System? Here are the previous posts:
Review Your Draft and Clean It UpAt this point, you've seen your content over a couple of days. Hopefully, this extra time has given your mind a chance to mull over your subject and surface new ways of explaining it. That's the beauty of this system — you give yourself time and space to develop your best work. Day 3 TipsStart the day with a quick read-through to see how your content looks today. My favorite way to do this is to read it out loud in a monotone voice. If your content still makes sense and sounds good — even with no inflection in your voice — you're in good shape. If something sounds confusing or unclear when you read it this way, make edits until it is easy to understand.
Consider reading your content from top to bottom and then from bottom to top — sometimes reading it in opposite order helps mistakes to come to the forefront. Keep reading and tweaking until it's just right. Next, spend some time formatting your post for readability. For more on this, read 8 Incredibly Simple Ways to Get More People to Read Your Content. Remember, we read differently online: our eyes scan text. Everything you can do to inject your content with ample subheads, bulleted lists, and block quotes (or call out quotes) will help encourage your readers to consume your information. Be generous with your return key. Break up long paragraphs into shorter, more compact "thought chunks." Every place you see a thought "turn a corner" and head in a different direction, hit the return key. Don't be afraid to to feature a one-sentence paragraph occasionally: when you want to highlight an idea, this is a great way to draw attention to it. Add bulleted lists. Look for sentences that contain lots of consecutive commas. For example, when you think about flavors of ice cream, do you think of smooth vanilla, sweet strawberry, creamy chocolate, luscious caramel swirl, and crunchy rocky road? Instead of the previous sentence, do this: When you think about flavors of ice cream, do you think of:
As you can see, the bulleted list injects a lot of white space into your page. It's fast and easy to skim. Read more about writing easy-to-read bulleted lists in the Main Copy chapter of the Master Content Marketing book. Add excerpts using block quotes. Block quotes or call-outs highlight specific excerpts of text that you'd like your reader to notice.
The beauty of these stylish chunks of text is that they are surrounded by white space, so your reader's eyes go straight to them. Because they're formatted differently from the surrounding text, they stand out. When you're thinking about which text to highlight in a block quote, use the same thinking we use about subheads. When read separately from your content, subheads tell a story all on their own. Block quotes do this, too. So as you pull out a sentence or two to highlight in a block quote, think about the overall message your reader will understand if all they ever read are your block quotes. Your block quotes will stand out as people scan your text — will they invite skimmers to read? Add an image. For more on finding and using images with your content, read How to Fully Engage Your Readers' Brains with Images. On this final day of polishing your post, find an image that conveys the meaning of your content in visual form. Pamela Wilson is a 30-year marketing veteran and is the author of Master Content Marketing: A Simple Strategy to Cure the Blank Page Blues and Attract a Profitable Audience. Find more from Pamela at Big Brand System. *Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. The post Day Three: How to Polish and Prepare to Publish Your Content appeared first on ProBlogger.       |
| Day Two: How to Fill in the Details of Your Winning Piece of Content Posted: 31 Jan 2017 05:00 AM PST
This is part three in a series on Content Marketing Strategies from Pamela Wilson of Big Brand System. If you're a coffee or tea drinker, Day 2 might be a good day to drink an extra cup. You're going to write a lot today, so do whatever it takes to go into the day with your energy high. Need to catch up on the rest of the 4 Day Content Creation System? Here are the previous posts:
The first thing to do on Day 2 is to review the headline and subheads you wrote the day before. You're seeing them with fresh eyes now — do they still make sense? Do they sound intriguing? Do you feel excited about writing what's missing? (If so, that's a good sign.) If you see weaknesses in your basic structure, take some time to fix them before you start to write. Reinforce your structure so it's strong enough to support the words you're about to hang on it. Once you're happy with the headlines and subheads, it's time to fill in the details. Ready? Set? Write! Write Your First Draft … FastI know this sounds ridiculous, but I want you to think of your Day 2 work like a race. And there's a good reason for this. On Day 2, your goal is to write the first draft of your article. This is a stage where you might get stuck: after all, writing a first draft feels like actually writing your content. And it is, but I want you to keep it in perspective at this stage.
What it needs to be — by the end of Day 2 — is done. Done is way more important than perfect at this stage. Remember: no one is going to see this except you. So write, write, write. Do not go back and edit. Don't attempt to polish and perfect what you've written. Write forward, not backward. Day 2 TipsWrite your first sentence. My book contains a whole chapter on writing compelling first sentences. I know — overkill, right? But the first sentence is an important transition element that will pull your reader from your headline into your content, so don't skimp on this handful of words. Write your introduction section. Your introduction section is equally important. Your reader is making a decision about whether he or she should spend time reading the rest of your article. Your introduction section should sell the benefits they'll gain from reading your content. Review the Introduction chapter for help with this section. Fill in under your subheads. You've thought through your content structure and written compelling subheads. Now fill in a first-draft version of the text that will go beneath each subhead to explain the point you want to make. See the Main Copy chapter for guidance. Write your summary. Wrap it all up with a summary that refers to your main points and shows your reader the journey they've taken. The Summary chapter will help you write this part. Add a call to action. Remember, all content includes a call to action, even if all you do is ask for comments. Think through this important interaction and get more information about how to effectively write it in the Call to Action chapter.
Just get your thoughts down, and don't edit anything. You have a full day reserved for editing, and you'll do a better job editing if you leave some time between the writing stage and the editing stage anyway. Whew! That was a lot of work in one day. It's time to walk away from your content. Once you've written your first draft, you can feel satisfied that you've gotten your thoughts down. Do something else and get a good night's rest because you'll need fresh, rested eyes to do the next day's work! Pamela Wilson is a 30-year marketing veteran and is the author of Master Content Marketing: A Simple Strategy to Cure the Blank Page Blues and Attract a Profitable Audience. Find more from Pamela at Big Brand System. *Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. The post Day Two: How to Fill in the Details of Your Winning Piece of Content appeared first on ProBlogger.  |
| Day One: How to Build a “Backbone” for Your Content Marketing Posted: 30 Jan 2017 05:00 AM PST
This is part two in a series on Content Marketing Strategies from Pamela Wilson of Big Brand System. On the first day of your content creation process, you're going to choose your topic and create what I call the "backbone" of your post. Need to review the 4 Day Content Creation System introduction? Read it here: A System for Easily Publishing Consistently Great Content. Hopefully you already have a content idea library. It’s a concept I talk about in my book Master Content Marketing. It’s nothing fancy — just a place where you’ll consistently maintain a running list of content ideas that fit within the already-established categories on your website.
With your content topic in hand, let's create the backbone of your article, which consists of two parts: your headline, and your subheads. Write Your HeadlineYour headline is the most important promotional part of your content. Your headline is what gets people to click on your content and read it.
When I write headlines, I like to think of writing the first 10-20 headline ideas like clearing a clog in a pipe: once you get the "junk" ideas out of the way, the good ideas can flow. So don't worry if your first attempts at headlines are dull, or clichéd, or boring. Just get them out of your system so the good stuff can flow through, and keep writing. Writing great headlines becomes easier and more natural the more you do it, so keep at it. For more guidance on writing headlines, refer to the headlines chapter in this book. Write Your SubheadsAfter you've written your headline, map out the subheads you'll use in your article. Subheads are like signposts that guide your reader through your content. But they're also signposts for you, the writer!
If you're aiming for around 1,500 words for your article, you could write five or six subheads. Day 1 TipsTools to use: I like to keep it simple, and I tend to do everything on my laptop. But because some people strongly prefer to interact with tangible objects like pen and paper, I'll make recommendations for both. My writing life changed for the better when I incorporated mind mapping tools into my process. Any mind mapping software will do: find one that looks good, seems easy to use, and fits your budget (many are free). The reason I love mind maps so much is they allow me to get ideas out of my head quickly and easily, and move them into a format where I can work with them. My ideas don't come to me in a linear or logical order (do yours?). I don't fret about that — I just use the mind map to record them in whatever order they appear. When I'm done thinking, I begin moving things around on the mind map to arrange them into an order that makes sense. As I move things, I notice gaps in my thinking, and I fill those in with more ideas. In the end — once I have my ideas arranged — I can see what subheads are needed. Some of my main ideas can be lightly edited to turn into subheads. If you prefer to work with tangible objects, you could use index cards or sticky notes. I have a friend who makes major decisions by standing in front of a window with a pad of square sticky notes, jotting down short concepts with a marker and sticking the notes to the window, moving them around and grouping them together until she can see what she needs to do. Some people swear by a combination of colored and white index cards arranged on a table top. Remember, you're just jotting down main ideas at this stage, so don't feel like you need to fill the lines on your index cards if you use them. Jot a concept across the top and that's it. Use whatever system works best for you. Remember, the magic isn't in the tools you use — it's in what you do with them. So don't get hung up on trying a bunch of different tools or techniques: find one that works and stick with it.
Walk away and go about the rest of your day. Your mind will continue to work on the content — you may get ideas about it when you're working on completely unrelated tasks. Find a way to save those ideas: you'll need them for the next day's work. Here's the sneaky thing about your Day 1 tasks: by the time you finish, what you've created is an outline of your article. But since most of us are still recovering from having to generate outlines for our term papers in English class, we won't call it an outline. Instead, think about it as the backbone of your content. You've created the main structure you'll hang the rest of your content on. It's the foundation of your article. Good job! Pamela Wilson is a 30-year marketing veteran and is the author of Master Content Marketing: A Simple Strategy to Cure the Blank Page Blues and Attract a Profitable Audience. Find more from Pamela at Big Brand System. *Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. The post Day One: How to Build a “Backbone” for Your Content Marketing appeared first on ProBlogger.  |
| A System for Easily Publishing Consistently Great Content – A Pamela Wilson Series Posted: 29 Jan 2017 05:00 AM PST
This five-part series is a guest contribution from Pamela Wilson of Big Brand System. Content marketing works — you know that. It’s one big reason you read ProBlogger! You like the content here and you want to learn more about how to create it yourself. It's all well and good to talk about how to write content effectively, of course. But at some point, you've got to actually do it. Regularly.
One single piece of well-written content won't turn your business around. It's the act of creating and publishing useful content over time that creates business results. Prospects and customers begin to trust you when you show up and are helpful week after week. You become like a wise friend who's always there to lend a hand. Which, of course, can seem like an incredibly daunting task and an overwhelming commitment. But it doesn't have to be. In this post, I'm going to make the case for creating less content, but better content. And I'll begin to share my system for publishing high-quality content consistently. It's a system I've used for years, and it made content creation faster, easier, and more fun. This is the first of a five post series! It’s has been customized for ProBlogger readers and is an excerpt from my new book, Master Content Marketing: A Simple Way to Cure the Blank Page Blues and Attract a Profitable Audience. Why Creating Your Content Over Several Days is a Genius MoveSome people reading this post will be part of a team that creates content, and that team may include an editor. Lucky you. Most of us, though, create our content without the benefit of input from an editor or other team members. For most of us, content creation is a solo act. That's how it is for me with my content on Big Brand System. I write it myself without any feedback from an editor. And early on, I discovered a way to create that content that allowed my "inner editor" to come to the forefront and improve the articles I was writing. It all starts by spreading the content creation process out over several days. Doing this gives you a chance to:
The process I'll outline here can be adapted to whatever publishing schedule you use. You may find it interesting to know that even though on Copyblogger we publish a new piece of content four to five days a week, no single author writes more than once a week. So when I recommend one strong piece of content per week (as I will below), this advice can apply even to sites that publish more frequently than that. Why You Should Focus on Creating Less Content — But Better ContentIt's true — there's a lot of content on the web already. More is added each day. You may wonder how yours will ever get found and consumed. How can you make your content stand out from the rest? The answer is to focus on creating content that gets noticed because it's written with the highest standards of quality. There's already plenty of badly-written, clumsy content out there. But high-quality content that's written thoughtfully and presented in a way that makes it easy to read and consume? It's rare. Quality content stands out.
High-quality content works, too. It gets read and acted on. It gets passed around and bookmarked. It gets reader comments and people actually remember it — sometimes for years to come. If you are working alone and you're creating several pieces of content each week, consider putting all that effort into creating one ultra-high-quality piece of content that's published on the same day each week. The rest of the week can be spent promoting that piece of content and driving people to read it. And once your content is published, you can re-start the system and begin creating the high-quality content you'll publish the next week. Introducing the 4-Day Content Creation SystemWhen I first started my Big Brand System website, I was running my marketing and design business full time, plus I had two children in high school who were still living at home, and I was keeping a household running. I didn't have a lot of time to spare for content creation, and I certainly didn't have a five-hour (or more) block free to use to create content every week. At the same time, I knew that publishing content on a consistent basis was the most effective way to get both people and search engines to notice my site. It was how I'd build the audience I wanted to develop for my business. So I made a commitment to publish one new piece of content once a week. I knew this was a sustainable schedule that I could stick to consistently. And I suspected that fresh content once a week would be enough. It was. Over the years, my audience grew, slowly but surely. When I first drew back the curtains on my website, there weren't many people out there watching. But that changed quickly as I began consistently publishing helpful, useful, easy-to-read content. Because I didn't have big chunks of time available to write content, I developed a system that entailed spreading the content creation process over a period of days rather than creating content from start to finish in one sitting. It turns out, this adaptive behavior was a highly efficient way to create quality content week after week. In this series, I'm going to present my system for creating content over a period of four days: Day 1: Build Your Article Backbone. Out of sheer necessity, I developed my strange system for getting content created.
In May 2012, a little over two years after I started my online business, I wrote about my weird little content creation system in what has turned into one of the more popular posts on Copyblogger: A Simple Plan for Writing One Powerful Piece of Online Content per Week. The positive response that post received is one of the reasons I wrote my book, Master Content Marketing. It gave me the confidence to think that maybe I could actually teach people how to write content — even though I had just learned myself. I'm going to share it with you here with some additional details that will help you put it into practice. It all starts with deciding which day you want to publish, and working backward from there. What Day Should You Publish Your Weekly Post?This system starts with finding a consistent day every week when you'll publish your content. A few considerations for choosing your publishing day: Think about a convenient day for your reader, not for you. It's tempting to say, "I want to publish on ___day, because that day works best with my schedule. But it's not about you, is it? You're publishing content because you want to reach an audience. Think about what will work best for them, and work your schedule around that. Read on for more about this. If your content is time-sensitive, publish it on the day it will be most useful. Let's say your website features information about the latest happenings for antiques lovers in your region. You talk about sales, events, workshops, and new stores that have opened up in your area. You know that your readers do most of their antiquing on the weekend. When are they making their weekend plans? Probably on Thursday — or Friday morning at the latest. Publish your content on the day it's most likely to be useful to your readers. Think about how they'll apply the information you're sharing and when during the week they most need it. Look for a traffic pattern in your site analytics. If your publishing schedule has been willy-nilly or non-existent, take a look at your site analytics. Is there a consistent spike in visits to your site on a specific day of the week? If so, make the most of existing traffic patterns by publishing a new piece of content that day. In the end, you may find that none of the guidance above helps you choose a publishing day. In that case, it's time to make an educated guess. Think about your audience first, and choose a day you expect will work for them. Plan to review your traffic after a few months to see if it spikes on the day you publish (that's a good sign). You can even do a short audience survey to ask your readers what day they prefer to see new content from you and then look for a pattern in their answers. With your publishing day chosen, work backward three business days. If you're publishing on Friday, you'll start your four-day process on Tuesday. If you're publishing on Tuesday, you'll start your four-day process on Thursday of the week before (take the weekend off!). In the rest of this series, we’ll talk about what to do on each of your three publishing days. For now, choose the day you want to publish. In the next article (update: you can find it here), we’ll talk about what to do on Day 1. Pamela Wilson is a 30-year marketing veteran and is the author of Master Content Marketing: A Simple Strategy to Cure the Blank Page Blues and Attract a Profitable Audience. Find more from Pamela at Big Brand System. *Dislosure: This post contains affiliate links. The post A System for Easily Publishing Consistently Great Content – A Pamela Wilson Series appeared first on ProBlogger.  |
| Reading Roundup: What’s New in Blogging Lately? Posted: 27 Jan 2017 05:00 AM PST
And just like that, January 2017 is almost over. Did you make the most of the first month of the year and the momentum that brings? Were you still on vacation? Did you have to do the school holidays juggle (it’s still summer holidays in Australia for many schools!)? Let’s hit the ground running in February with these tips and things to ponder. 4 effective methods media companies use to drive website traffic | Campaign MonitorAt the end of the day, that’s what you want! These tips are focused heavily on the email list, but if you’re falling behind in that area this will help. Good use of case studies too. The [Adjective] [Number] Things You Need to Know About Clickbait | First RoundClickbait may get readers to your site, but it’s likely they won’t come back. This is why. The new standards for strategy and social media success | Mark SchaeferThings are changing faster than ever before, and while marketing the same way as a few years ago doesn’t have the same result for us any more, there is the added issue of new standards of success. Do you feel overwhelmed trying to keep up? Marketers Speak Out: Which Type of Content REALLY Performs Best? | Meed EdgarI actually found the answer really surprising! I thought this type had been superseded. Blogging Tools: Apps to Better Manage Your Blog | Social Media ExaminerSocial guru Ian Cleary is the guest on this episode of the Social Media Marketing Podcast and he shares his go-to tools to make life easier.  Credit: vanschneider.com The Imposter Syndrome | Van SchneiderI don’t know anyone who doesn’t suffer from this! I really love the tips to help counter it, it’s often the only way to deal instead of trying to banish it altogether. Why Slacking Off Can Speed Up Your Productivity | TrelloSounds right up my alley!7 Ways to Avoid Blogging Overwhelm as a Solopreneur | Afton NegreaWe ALL feel it, truly we do. The only way around it for me is to organise, organise, organise! Should you publish on Medium… or only on your blog? | CopyhackersI’ve seen plenty of advice lately on using Medium to promote your blog, but using Medium instead of your blog? Now that’s different… would you risk it? 40 Leaders That Have Influenced My Entrepreneur Journey | iSocialFanzIt’s true, we don’t get there alone! So many have gone before us, and have golden wisdom to share. What caught your eye this week? The post Reading Roundup: What’s New in Blogging Lately? appeared first on ProBlogger.  |
| How To Make Time To Grow A Successful Blog When You Have A Full-Time Job Posted: 25 Jan 2017 05:00 AM PST
This is a guest contribution from Michelle Schroeder-Gardner of Making Sense of Cents. In August of 2011, I started Making Sense of Cents while working my full-time job. I didn’t have much time to spend on it, as I was working full-time and working towards my Finance MBA, but I used every little minute of extra time that I had so that I could create a successful blog. Now, I’m a full-time blogger and earn around $100,000 a month through my blog, and it was all because I learned how to start a blog on the side of my full-time job. After quitting my job to focus solely on my blog, I am now able to travel full-time with my husband, I have a flexible schedule, I’m my own boss, I get to help thousands of people improve their finances each month, and more. And, like I said, it all started five years ago on the side my full-time job. As you can tell, I absolutely love blogging. If I wouldn’t have started my blog, I don’t know where I would be right now. Even when I was blogging on the side while in a full-time job, I was still able to earn $10,000 a month in income from my blog, and while it was tough, it was well worth it. Now, you may be thinking about starting a blog but you may also be hesitant. After all, your life is probably already pretty busy. Between your full-time job, possibly raising a family, growing relationships, and more, you may feel like you don’t have any extra time to blog. Well, I’m here to tell you that you probably do have the time to learn how to start a blog – you just have to know what to do in order to find that time. How To Make Time To Grow A Successful Blog When You Have A Full-Time JobToday’s post will teach you exactly how to find the time to blog on the side – it's time that you already have! To manage your time better with your blogging tasks, I recommend reading Darren’s blog post 7 Tips for Busy Bloggers on Finding Time to Blog. How bad do you want it?Everyone has the same 24 hours in a day. What you do with your time is up to you, but you may be wasting time throughout the day. Let’s find that wasted time so that you can spend it on your blog instead. First off, you need to want to blog if you’re going to do it on the side of your full-time job. Some people may not want it as badly, and that's fine. However, excuses won't help you. So, if you really want to create a blog, then you will have to reclaim that time in your day. It’s as simple as that. Just think about it: What do you think you could do with an extra 10 hours, or even more, each week? Be realistic about the amount of time you haveLike I said above, everyone has the same 24 hours in a day, but some may be more limited with their time than others. I understand that various situations can make a person quite busy. In the end, though, you always need to be honest with yourself about how much time you have in order to blog on the side. This is because you don’t want to become stressed by working yourself too hard, forget about what actually matters in life, negatively impact your work, and so on. However, you need to get past thinking that spending time on your blog will negatively impact your life, and I don’t want you to use the above as your excuse if it’s not a real reason. Most people have extra time in their days but don't realize it. The average person feels extremely busy but there’s probably a lot of ways that they waste time each and every day. Due to this, for one week, I recommend keeping track of the time you spend on different things in your life and see how much time you waste. If you're like most people, then I’m sure that you’ll find you are wasting a lot of time! Wake up earlierInstead of hitting the snooze button over and over again, you should just wake up earlier and spend anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour (or more!) on your blog. This can be a great way to answer any emails, schedule blog and social media posts, and so on. You may even be able to crank out an entire article with this time. Back when I worked at my full-time job and blogged on the side, I would usually wake up one to two hours before I had to start getting ready for work. I would use this time to work on my blog, which included replying to emails, brainstorming ideas, managing my blog, and more. Sure, waking up early was tiring on certain days, but I wanted to run a successful blog, and it worked. If you're not a morning person, you can always try to fit in time before you go to bed. I would usually even work on my blog for a few hours before I went to bed. If you worked on your blog one hour each day before you went to work and one hour before you went to bed, you would have an extra 10 hours each week for your blog. Eliminate time wasters from your lifeDo you know how much time you waste each day? If you complete the task I recommended earlier, where you track all of your time for one whole week, I’m sure you’ll easily find several hours. I want you to take a second and think about how much time you waste watching TV or by spending time on something like Facebook. According to Neilsen statistics, the average person in the U.S. spends over 30 hours each week watching TV and movies. And, it doesn’t end there. According to AdWeek, adults spend over 10 hours a week on their personal social media accounts. That’s 40 hours right there that you could spend on your blog if you only eliminated these time wasters from your life completely. Even if you just reclaimed half of this wasted time, you would have 20 whole hours! Short gaps are your friendHave you ever thought about all the short gaps in your day and what you do with them? To be more efficient with your time, you should use these short gaps of time on your blog. Short gaps include time before you have a meeting or a phone call, a gap before you pick up your children from school, time while you’re waiting for food to cook, and so on. Stay organizedDid you know that the average person spends 12 days per year looking for things they can't find? Yes, 55% of consumers stated that they would save anywhere from 16 to 60 minutes a day if they were organized. That’s a few hours each week right there for your blog. Strategically use your lunch timeJust like what was discussed in ProBlogger’s blog post How to Make Time for Blogging During Your Lunch Break, a lot of your blogging tasks can be completed during your lunch break if you use your lunch time wisely. When I had my day job, my lunch time was almost always used for my blog. I would often bring my lunch to work, which allowed me to save money on food and to use that whole hour on Making Sense of Cents. Right there, that's five hours every week for side hustles, just by using your lunch hour. Take vacation days to work on your blogHow many vacation days do you get at your job? What if you started using them for your blog? This can be a great way to dedicate a full day to your blog. Doing this every now and then can help make managing both your full-time job and your blog a little more relaxing because you won’t be running around all day trying to manage both. And trust me, this works! I would often use vacation days at my full-time job so that I could work on my blog. Trying this option can be a great idea. Plus, if you have paid vacation days, it's even better because you are getting paid to work on your blog! Outsource certain tasksYour blog doesn’t need you for every little task in order to be successful. So that you can use your time more wisely, you may want to hire out certain tasks that don’t need you to complete them. You may want to think about hiring out tasks related to technical management, editing, social media, and so on. To take this further, you can even outsource tasks in your life as well, especially if you find more value in working on your blog. Tasks to outsource could include mowing the lawn, car or home maintenance, and so on. Find ways to make passive income through your blogYes, you can make somewhat passive income through your blog. Doing this can make blogging a little more enjoyable and relaxing because you won’t be trying to actively make income all day long through your blog. Passive income ideas include display advertising, affiliate marketing, and so on. I am a huge fan of affiliate marketing, because it allows me to earn income while I’m sleeping, on a hike, working on other projects, etc. Finding ways to make passive income through your blog can make it much more manageable to earn blog income while also working a full-time job. Putting all of this time togetherAs you can see, there are many things you can do in order to find the time in your day to run a successful blog on the side of your full-time job. Whether you can only find 10 hours a week by applying these tips or if you can find 50, I’m sure everyone can find some time in their day. What can you do in order to find more time for your blog? Michelle Schroeder-Gardner is the founder and writer at Making Sense of Cents. On her blog, she helps readers learn how to make extra money, save money, and reach their dream life. She currently earns $100,000 a month through her blog and affiliate marketing course, Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing. Michelle and her husband sold their house in 2015 and currently travel full-time in an RV with their two dogs. The post How To Make Time To Grow A Successful Blog When You Have A Full-Time Job appeared first on ProBlogger.  |
| Blogging in 2017: How to Disrupt and Get Noticed Posted: 24 Jan 2017 05:00 AM PST This is a guest contribution from Sam Warren of Rankpay I've got good news and bad news. The bad news is this: that boring content you're probably peddling? It's not worth it anymore. It has its place, but it's not going to take you to that next level. Don't get me wrong, it's not your fault for going about content marketing like this. We all do. We've been taught to. But therein lies the problem doesn't it? If we've all been taught to do something, and we all "follow the rules", it stands to reason that it'd be hard to stand out. And boy, is it ever.
Don't get discouraged though, as promised I have some good news as well. While it may be difficult, it's far from impossible to get noticed. You're just going to have to think outside the box and that's why I'm here. I'm going to show you how to make a difference. From time to time, we all need to brush up on our creative problem solving skills and remind ourselves that it's OK to be disruptive and take risks. But before we get there, let's take a closer look at why we need to think this way in the first place. Content Marketing Has Grown Into a MonsterIt used to be hard to find good writers on the internet. Those that knew how to write an engaging and actionable article made waves quickly and efficiently. Nowadays, good writers are a dime a dozen. In fact, there are far too many of us. Back in 2012 Domo presented research claiming WordPress users alone create 347 articles every minute. The signal to noise ratio is getting worse by the day, and in many cases writers have altogether forgotten why they started down this road in the first place. Was it
Oh well, you probably don't have time to consider such things. Better write another 500 word article to hit that deadline.
There, there, it's all right. You're not alone. Further, this type of "bulk" content you've been taught to produce can still be marginally effective if you're in a small and uncompetitive niche. But for those of us fixing to make headway in existing markets, traditional advice just isn't going to cut it anymore. What Doesn't Necessarily Work in Competitive Markets?Don't worry, I know you're curious about what does work. We'll get there. But let's first take a closer look at a few things you've probably been taught over the years. I'd challenge you to take a good hard look at each of them, and try to determine what measurable impact they've had for you. Skyscraper TechniqueThis was popularized by Brian Dean a number of years ago, and it's still a pretty awesome concept. I don't want to devalue this opportunity for you, but it behooves us to be cautious and realistic.
Image courtesy: Backlinko The problem is, after this technique started to make the rounds, many content marketers began investing serious time putting it to good use. As a result of this, unless you're blogging in an up-and-coming niche, the return on investment often won't usually be in your favor. There are any number of cornerstone and evergreen content pieces out there that you're simply not going to best without putting in an unacceptable amount of time and energy. This is an "extreme" example, but say you run an SEO service, and you want to rank for the term "How to do keyword research." Well, Moz is currently ranking #1 for that term. Spoiler alert: their post already has over 5000 links built to it.
The amount of time you'd need to invest in creating a resource that's actually more useful than a well-established magnum opus with 1k+ referring quality domains, is staggering. It may occasionally border on impossible depending upon your link-building abilities and social capital. Tons of boring "recycled" contentJust take a look on Upwork and you'll see a huge number of gigs looking for "writers" able to produce tons of 500 words articles focused on a small number of keyword variations. If you're working in a space that has no recognizable competition, this could get your site on the map. No doubt. But even under those circumstances, you'd still be missing out on so much of what content marketing has to offer. Guess what? Readers aren't going to click your article if it's the same damn thing they've read a thousand times already. Recycling and spinning content will simply turn readers off. Alienating your existing or potential audience is a surefire way to drive your traffic into the ground. That horrid template you use for outreach emailsGetting published at notable outlets is a big deal for any marketer. It's also a critical component to making sure you're get the most out of your content marketing efforts. But getting a publisher's ear can be easier said than done. Case in point: the blog I edit at RankPay is a relatively low-key affair, but nevertheless I bet you'd be surprised by the sheer volume of pitches I get from writers looking to get published. First and foremost, don't be an idiot when you write these emails. Do us all a favor and avoid the common pitfalls.
But there's more to it than just that. Chances are you've read that personalizing is the way to go. It is. But everyone recommends you say something like "I've been a long-time reader and I loved your article XYZ".
While it's nice that this shows you took the time to copy paste a title as opposed to just bulk-emailing, it still doesn't win you any points these days. Every publisher knows what you're doing, and it just makes you seem washed up and disingenuous. What Does Work Nowadays?Put simply, thinking outside of the box works. Tell a story and be creative. Write about something that nobody else has bothered to yet. Do you know why so many readers are happy subscribers to Seth Godin's blog? It's because they'll never see anything he writes, anywhere else. It's truly original and, even more importantly, it's from the heart. That last part is the key. The internet has made us all a bit more skeptical and increased our awareness of when we're being "sold" or manipulated. Being genuine and honest is the best way to avoid having this problem yourself. Develop a unique and authentic voice Writing in a stiff or unnatural voice is a surefire way to alienate your readers. Let your freak flag fly! Well, to a degree. Let's not get carried away. But the point I'm going to stress here, is that getting noticed demands personality, creativity, and authenticity. With so many talented writers producing quality content, you're going to need to be different. There's often a level of candor that I still "feel" is missing from many popular writers. Perhaps once they reach a certain popularity point they feel they need to button up and follow the rules to be careful not to misstep. I'm not popular enough to be burdened with high-brow concerns. But that being said, time and time again, being original and authentic gets folks to pay attention. We all just want to relate to one another and to be heard, whether we're creating or consuming content. Actually be creativeWhile everyone shouts this from the mountaintops, very few seem to practice it. I don't just mean "don't plagiarize". Honestly that should go without saying. I mean tell a story that your audience hasn't heard before. Screw the rules! Be creative! Be different!
Image courtesy: Derek Halpern If you're in IT, write a cute screenplay about how to better provide tech support. Write a limerick about common troubleshooting solutions. Being original (and often weird) is usually how content goes viral. "If you've ever seen my YouTube channel, one of the first things you might notice is that I look ridiculous in half of my thumbnail pictures. Why would I publish these truly unfortunate freeze frames when I have much better pictures I could be using? The answer is simple: What stands out gets remembered. What blends in gets forgotten." – Derek Halpern People want to be entertained and educated. If you can accomplish both at once in an innovative way, you're truly on to something. Honest outreach emailsInstead of sounding like just another writer looking to grab a link, try being genuine for a change. I've legitimately landed multiple publication opportunities by opening my cold emails with some variation of the following.
If you don't know the publication, try being honest that you don't. Make yourself vulnerable. "Vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity and change." ― Brené Brown It seems risky, but the people on the receiving end of your emails are human beings. In my experience, people respect and appreciate honesty above all else. Trust me, candor is a refreshing treat when you work in marketing and/or publishing. Putting Disruptive Ideas to PaperImagine yourself as a blogging entrepreneur! You're going to have to take some risks. It's scary to put yourself out there like this. But the reality is, you won't get far unless you "dare greatly". That's more wisdom from Brené Brown right there. Seriously, go watch her Ted Talks if you've somehow missed them. It's all too easy to just phone it in and write the same dribble you've been writing for the past few months or years. But let's make 2017 different. Let's make a difference this year. Remember:
You'll be amazed by the opportunities you earn when you begin to bring these goals in focus. Sam Warren is the marketing manager and editor at RankPay, a top rated performance-based SEO service, and the proud father of a 10lb chihuahua mutt.
The post Blogging in 2017: How to Disrupt and Get Noticed appeared first on ProBlogger.  |
| How to Come up With More Than Enough (Great) Ideas for Your Blog Posted: 23 Jan 2017 05:00 AM PST |
| Community Discussion: Do You Use a Schedule? Posted: 22 Jan 2017 05:00 AM PST
Perhaps you’re using a schedule right now? We can’t be everywhere online 24/7 (and really, who would want to be?) but our work benefits from being available for the people wherever they are in the world. I am a huge fan of scheduling, without it I wouldn’t have the work-life balance that I do. I schedule not only my work days, my blog content and my social media, but often my non-work time too (Friday afternoon is Happy Hour and it must not be disturbed!). I actually feel like I have more flexibility and freedom when I schedule. I wouldn’t be caught dead without CoSchedule and other platforms’ scheduling functions! You can read more about what I do and how I handle the ProBlogger content here: 3 Ways Scheduling Will Make You a Better Blogger, and there are more tips here: 5 Ways to Make Your Blogging Life Easier You might also like to check out Darren’s super low-tech editorial schedule, a posting schedule that encourages engagement, and 9 ways you can create a usable blogging schedule. And don’t forget – too much automation can actually be a bad thing: Could Marketing Automation Be Hurting Your Blog-Reader Relationships? Do you schedule? Just your content or your hours too? What kinds of tools do you use? Have you tried scheduling and hated it? The post Community Discussion: Do You Use a Schedule? appeared first on ProBlogger.  |
| Reading Roundup: What’s New in Blogging Lately? Posted: 20 Jan 2017 05:00 AM PST
Lots of changes and some good old-fashioned advice in today’s roundup – when was the last time you gave your email list some love?! The Five Most Realistic Ways to Make a Living as a Writer | Smart BloggerWe want to make real money, right? These are great ideas. LinkedIn Marketing – How It Differs from Marketing on Other Social Networks and the Winning Tactics Your Peers Use | DrumUpLinkedIn is becoming more and more of a great promotional tool (used wisely, of course) so if you’re out of the loop, get wise! Pinterest now offers ad groups to paid campaigns | Marketing LandMore targeted advertising and more specific functionality on Pinterest? Yes please. How to be heard | Seth’s BlogThe rules of blogging – hell, any kind of communication. Listen and learn, the man knows his stuff. Inside Hillary Clinton’s social media campaign for the White House | The GuardianIf you’ve ever wanted to know how teams run such gigantic global campaigns, then now’s your chance to hear tips from behind the scenes. Facebook Pages can now "go live" from the desktop, add live contributors and more | TechCrunchIt was only a matter of time, but it’s here now – no longer do you have to rely on your tiny phone screen to broadcast your every move on Facebook Live – behold the desktop version! More video metrics available for pages with more than 5000 followers among the changes. SEO Fact or Fiction? | YoastThe team behind the popular WordPress SEO plugin debunks the myths surrounding SEO. We also had a chat about that in this recent post 5 Ridiculous SEO Myths Every Blogger Should Ignore. Why Every Writer Needs an Email List | Jeff GoinsJust in case you forgot how important an email list is these days in the race to have the biggest social media following. Please, please don’t forget! From management consultant to hipster blogger | News.com.auSome very thought-provoking bits in this item – especially regarding making money from blogging in Australia. 5 Ways to Repurpose Your Popular Social Media Posts | Social Media ExaminerOne of our favourite “work smarter, not harder” tips! We all recycle our blog content, but why not our social media?! Have a great week! The post Reading Roundup: What’s New in Blogging Lately? appeared first on ProBlogger.  |
| How to Get Traction with Your New Blog Posted: 18 Jan 2017 05:00 AM PST |
| 5 Ridiculous SEO Myths Every Blogger Should Ignore Posted: 17 Jan 2017 05:00 AM PST
SEO scares or confuses most bloggers and for very good reason. Google makes it a challenge for you to understand what they are doing, and they keep changing the rules. If that were not enough, there is also a lot of half-baked information out there and blog posts filled with the wrong information. So, in this post I want to highlight five ridiculous SEO myths you should ignore and, what you should do instead. Only The Big Blogs Can Get Traffic From GoogleIt is true that bigger (more authoritative) websites often rank higher on Google. And naturally, you might take that as a sign that it is impossible to a piece of the Google pie. Believe it or not, everyone has a chance to get lots of traffic from Google. In fact, most of my clients get the majority of their traffic from search because they understand how to play the game. Now you are probably wondering: “Ashley, how can I also get boat-loads of traffic from Google?” There are two big things you need to do:
In short, pick your battles before you create your content. SEO Is Too Hard, Google Always Changes The RulesSure, Google does tweak their algorithm countless times a year. And, they introduce bigger changes all the time knocking many off their perch. Do you want me to let you in on a little SEO secret? If you are doing SEO the right way, none of that really matters! Every time Google makes a change to their search engine, it’s the people who do the “wrong” thing that suffer. That might be you if you trying to trick Google with:
However, if you stick to the following simple rules, you are always good to go:
If you are keen for some more in-depth information on exactly how to write SEO optimized content, you can this more detailed post on the topic. Keywords Are No Longer RelevantA few years ago you could stuff your keywords into your blog posts dozens of times. That ensured Google understood the point of your post. Today, that is no longer a good idea. And because of this, many people are claiming:
The truth is always more complicated that simple quotes. Search engines still need to be given some hints to truly understand what your post is about. And those are your keywords. Today, instead of sprinkling them all over your content like confetti, you only need to put them in a few key places. Do you want to know what those places are? Let me list them out for you:
That is all you need to get your content ranked for a particular keyword. Guest Blogging Is DeadIt’s funny how Google always tells us to stop doing what works. And guest blogging is no exception. Back in 2014, Matt Cutts scared everyone by stating that guest blogging was dead. This stopped a lot of people in their tracks, and lead to a big decline in guest blogging. But don’t let it stop you! Matt was really saying that if you use guest blogging the wrong way (like anything in SEO) Google will punish or ignore you. What is the right way to guest blog? Write a relevant, helpful blog post for a fellow blogger in your niche. That’s it. Take this post as an example. I wrote this like I would any content on my own blog. And the great news is, many top blogs are still accepting guest posts and it’s a great way to do SEO. You also get a link to your website, exposure to a new audience and a chance to network with new people. All great ideas in my book. Google Will Automagically Find My New PostFor bigger and more well known websites, that is certainly true. However, if you have a newer site or have not published something in a long time Google might ignore you for a while. There are a range of ways you can solve this, however I want to bring only the best one to your attention. Google has created Search Console (formerly Webmaster Tools) to help us connect to them, and monitor our websites from a search perspective. There are so many advantages to setting this up, but one of the biggest is informing Google of each and every page and post you have. Including the brand new ones, when they are created. There are a few steps involved in this process, but the basics go like this:
There are some nuances to it, but that is the basics. Once you have it set up, not only will you be able to get your new content on Google faster, but they will keep you informed of all sorts of other useful things too! This one is a must! Ignore The Myths And Thrive With SEOBy doing a few simple things, and ignoring all the bad advice out there, you can quickly gain traffic from Google. Take one or a few of the tips above, and you will soon be wondering how you ever lived with SEO in your life! Ashley is an SEO and WordPress specialist, and founder of Mad Lemmings, who helps bloggers, solopreneurs and small business get more traffic from Google. The post 5 Ridiculous SEO Myths Every Blogger Should Ignore appeared first on ProBlogger.  |
| Your Niche Is A Small Village: Here’s How To Become Well-Known In it by Marketing Yourself Posted: 16 Jan 2017 05:00 AM PST
This is a guest contribution from Victor Idjola. Sometimes, the way many startups become very well-known after a period of oblivion makes it feel like the industries we operate in are actually small villages. And they really are! Have you noticed? Almost every new company that manages to build a great product and use some marketing tactic(s) that works ends up making the headlines within a couple of months. It's not always like that. But it happens many times. Take Buffer, for example. They got 100,000 users in 9 months. That's a lot of subscribers for a startup.
Source: Search Engine Watch We also heard of how Groove got 5,000 subscribers in just five weeks. And those are just two examples, there are several others. So you write a number of pieces of great content and everyone in your space begins to know who you are and what you do. But how can you use content marketing to quickly become well-known like these successful startups? Here are five tips that work great: 1. Use tactics that have worked (and still work) for other businesses.You need proven strategies to make your content reach your target audience FAST. I mean; strategies that other people have been praising because they get returns from them. Sure, you could have techniques that you feel would work. But do you really have the time to start testing tactics that might fail? So what happens if they fail? You'd have wasted time and other resources. We'll use another guest blogging example. This tactic has been working for many brands for quite a long time, but Alex and his team at Groove were hesitant in adopting the strategy. They weren't using it for about two years. But when they finally did, they started getting amazing results––like reaching over one million users (via guest blogging alone).
Source: GrooveHQ Then they quickly figured that they should have been using the tactic sooner. In Alex's words, "If we had known the power that guest posting has two years ago, we would've been doing this a lot sooner." It's okay to have your new ideas that you want to try out, but it's better that you start out with proven tactics (like guest blogging, PPC, etc.) first. For my business (Premium Content Shop), I mainly use guest blogging––because I've seen it work for several businesses. And as a freelance writer, I figured it's one of the fastest, inexpensive and most effective techniques I can use to grow my business. 2. Tell a lot of stories.The type of content that used to work when blogging and content marketing were still a shiny new toy––just a few years ago––don't really work so well anymore. Today, competition has gone quite fierce in content marketing. Everyone is doing content today, and so people are increasingly not having time to waste on content that is boring. People prefer to read stories. When you begin to tell stories to back your opinions up, you take your audience to a new level where they begin to see your ideas as something they have to buy, IF they want to achieve the success or avoid the tragedy in the stories you share. Kim Garst puts it more succinctly in a post on her blog: "Think of the last story that captivated you. Were you interested in the characters? Did you find yourself relating to the protagonist? Did you follow her as she went through a crisis, hoping she'd make it out okay in the end? And when the crisis was finally behind her, did a part of you rejoice? That's the power of good storytelling." Take the VideoFruit blog for example; the average post there gets about 25 comments. The blog is run by Bryan Harris, and guess what? He writes nothing but stories. All the time. As of the time of writing this article, here are the latest posts on VideoFruit (notice the number of comments):
These posts are both stories, and you can see how much they engage readers through the number of comments they generate. The same goes for the Groove blog. They write stories and case studies virtually all the time too and today they've hit 100,000 subscribers. Most pieces of content that are stories tend to perform better than just sharing of tips. The most popular post on Problogger was written by Jon Morrow, and it's a story. Are all these really coincidences? I think not. Telling stories will supercharge your engagement rate and even spread your name. And that's why various surveys, like this one, have proved that case studies are the most effective types of content. Take Robert Mening (the guy behind WebsiteSetup.org), for example, he flaunts his readers' testimonials right at the top of his homepage:
Use tools that can bring out the best in your contentContent is king. That's still true to this day. But you're mostly aware by now that content isn't all it takes to achieve success in any industry. This is something that most brands that succeed with content marketing know. And that's why you see them spending thousands of dollars on marketing tools that can bring the best out of their content. For example, in a recent thread on Inbound.org, a commenter says "In my opinion, if you have awesome content, people will actively search for ways in which they can sign up for future content." And really, it sounds true. But that truism is only in theory. In real-life, you have to use sign-up forms to actually ask people to submit their emails so you can send them your future content. Experienced content experts, Noah Kagan and Bryan Harris, explained to the commenter how it really works:
Source: Inbound.org And sign-up forms are just one example. You need to be using every tool you can get your hands to bring the best out of your content. 4. Learn from others, but be yourself.You can't be another HubSpot. You can't be another Moz either. In fact, in my own experience, the more you try to be someone you're not, the worse you get. Be you. Be transparent. Which word count (for instance) works best for you? We know expert online marketer Neil Patel writes really long posts (about 3000 words each) on his blog. It works for him a lot. But is nailing your point in 1000 – 1500 words what works best for you? Yes? Then, by all means, stick to that. In fact, one of the most respected experts in the marketing today—Seth Godin—writes an average of 100-300 word posts on his blog today and he still gets a lot of readers. Here's a recent post on his blog that got 2,100 Facebook likes and a sum of 809 shares on LinkedIn and Google+. The post is just 96 words long.
Not every reader has the luxury of time to spend hours with Neil's post. So this type of readers might prefer posts in the 1k – 1.5k word count mark. Neil is only able to attract readers who have the time to consume long-form posts. And they read his post because they're happy to. That's Neil's style, you need to find yours. Who says you won't succeed with short form content? Another example is MarketingProfs. They accept not more than 700-word posts on their opinion section. And their content still gets shared a lot. In fact, after writing my first guest post (of 700 words) there, I got someone asking for my writing services.
So it's not really about word count. Just stick to what works for you. However, just so you get on the good side of google, you should make sure your post is at least 1,000 words. Another aspect of being yourself is your tone.What kind of voice do you love speaking or writing with? Is it a casual tone? A professional tone? Whatever kind of tone it is, there are readers who would love you for it. You don't have to copy how someone else talks or writes. Does this mean you can't learn a writing style? Definitely not. But you should ensure that you're learning a writing style that resonates with the way you want to write. That is, if you like to write in a conversational tone, you can learn from an expert who writes in the same tone and is successful with it. The person you're trying to copy succeeds because he's found his style. You need to find yours. 5. Persistence.No great achievement is possible without persistent work.––Bertrand Russell This is almost more important than every other tip in this post. Bertrand is late, but his quote about persistence is still true to this day. What did it take for Buffer to reach 100,000 users in 9 months? Guest blogging? No, it took guest blogging plus persistence. They had to be persistent for those 9 months to reach a hundred thousand users. In Leo's words, "It's been something that was very gradual, though. Within the space of around 9 months, I wrote around 150 guest posts. Of course, the early ones barely drove any traffic and only very gradually did things improve…" In conclusion So if it’s traction you want, it’s traction you have to work for. Look around your niche and be as familiar to them as the milkman is to a small village. Pe persistent, be seen, be useful. Victor Ijidola is a freelance business writer (for hire) and the founder of Premium Content Shop. He specializes in business and marketing related topics but branches out into other topics occasionally. His work has also appeared on sites like The Next Web, Inc.com, etc. The post Your Niche Is A Small Village: Here's How To Become Well-Known In it by Marketing Yourself appeared first on ProBlogger.  |
| Reading Roundup: What’s New in Blogging Lately? Posted: 13 Jan 2017 05:00 AM PST
Hello and welcome to the first Reading Roundup of 2017! May this be the year we make the breakthroughs we want, understand the things we haven’t yet, and have more fun than ever. Let these readings be your guide! The Top 9 Social Media Strategists to Watch In 2017 | EntrepreneurI love these picks because they’re so diverse. They’re not all Digital Whizkids, they’re just people at the top of their game, not matter what the genre. Following them won’t only teach you how to be a better online marketer, but they’ll be entertaining to boot. How to Fix Internal Server Error in WordPress | Web Hosting Secret RevealedWho hasn’t come across one of these? And panicked?! Bookmark for the next time your site returns an error and you have no idea what to do. Plan Beyond January to Achieve Your Goals: A Whole Year of Wins | Potential PsychologyI know, we’re all so motivated RIGHT NOW but a little longevity in our planning never goes astray. Why SEO & lousy content don't mix | Search Engine LandLook, I’m not suggesting any of you are writing lousy content! This is more a reminder to really aim for high standards when it comes to creating your content. How Much Does Facebook Advertising Cost? The Complete Guide to Facebook Ads Pricing | BufferThis was fascinating not only because it explains why Facebook charges what it does, but also how your ad gets chosen (or not) over millions of others to be shown. Essential reading for anyone who relies on FB advertising. Will the buzz continue? Influencer predictions for 2017 | AdNews2016 was arguably the year of the influencer, and I was intrigued to read these predictions from people who have worked with them before. Can you say “video?”! Instagram Looking to Push Ad Content into Stories | Social Media TodayAhem. How to Find and Fix 14 Technical SEO Problems That Can Be Damaging Your Site Now | MozMake 2017 the year you get on top of your SEO game. We have plenty of info here, but you might wanna check these 14 problems to see if they apply to you. Why a Side Hustle May be More Important for Women Than Men | BBCAnd what better side hustle to have than a blog?! Snapchat launches universal search to simplify navigation | TechCrunchThere’ll be plenty of you out there saying “IT’S ABOUT TIME”. The confusion about how to use Snapchat and find friends to follow is a big reason it turns a lot of newbies off. Hopefully this will help. Go forth and blog well! The post Reading Roundup: What’s New in Blogging Lately? appeared first on ProBlogger.  |
| 8 Reasons You’re Losing Money On Your Blog Posted: 11 Jan 2017 05:00 AM PST
This is a guest contribution from Larry Alton. You spend hours and hours of time each week on your blog, but at the end of the month, there's nothing to show for it in your bank account. In fact, after you add up all of the expenses associated with maintaining your blog, you've actually lost some money. What's the problem? Here are some possible culprits and what you can do to overcome them. 1. You Never Researched Your NicheWhile you need to be interested in the blog niche you choose, personal affinities play a minor role in blog profitability. Ultimately, it's the readers of your blog who determine whether or not you're successful. If you never researched your niche prior to launching your blog, then it's likely that your root problem is a lack of demand for the content you're producing. "If you're committed to building a popular and profitable site, you'll have to write, read, and talk about your topic almost every day for the next several years. You'll invest thousands of hours, quite literally gambling with your time," CopyBlogger.com notes. "The question is, how will you approach it? Will you start writing and hope someone notices you? Or will you carefully research your niche, looking for the precise angle that will make your content irresistible?" While CopyBlogger is obviously giving advice to bloggers who are just getting started, it's never too late to consider the questions they ask "after the fact." If you never researched your niche and are merely hoping someone notices you, then consider this your answer for why you're losing money. You'll either need to scrap your blog altogether and launch a new, better researched one in the future or find a way to overhaul your current blog. 2. Your Blog Isn't a PriorityThere are a lot of lazy bloggers out there. Nobody's calling you lazy, but if you're losing money on your blog, you may want to consider the possibility that you aren't ambitiously chasing success. We've all seen article headlines that read "Here's How I Make $24,343 Per Month Blogging from Home" or "I Was Able to Quit My Job After Blogging for Two Weeks." Unfortunately, these articles are highly misleading and designed to generate clicks, not impart actual wisdom. But the negative byproduct of these headlines is that people incorrectly assume that you can make money laying on your sofa and writing a couple of blog posts each week. Successful bloggers work hard. In fact, they work really, really hard. They often put in more hours each week than traditional salaried employees at major corporations. So, if you're only dedicating a few hours per week to blogging, you aren't making it a priority in your life. Perhaps, that's why you aren't making money. 3. You Aren't Willing to Invest Time and MoneyWhen blogging isn't an actual priority in your life, then you fail to commit the necessary resources to make it successful. The most obvious areas where this reality shines through are time and money. We already discussed the fact that blogging takes time in the last section, so let’s turn our attention towards money. You have to think about your blog like an investment. As the saying goes, "It takes money to make money." In other words, if you want to generate revenue, you're going to have to put up some of your own money to get the engine lubricated. (There are obviously some exceptions to this, but for the most part, you'll have to pony up some capital.) The reason you haven't put up money is because you aren't totally confident in your blog. This goes back to pre-launch research. If you do your research and find a niche that you believe is capable of being tapped into, you'll be more than willing to invest your time and money into it.
4. You Have a "Come and Find Me" StrategyOne of the more prevalent issues surrounding unprofitable blogs is what we'll call the "Come and Get Me" strategy. In this strategy (or lack of strategy), bloggers simply publish content and then wait for visitors to stumble upon it. (Hint: This very rarely happens with blogs that aren't already established.) You need to replace this strategy with the "Go-Getter" strategy. Under this approach, you'll proactively go out and draw people to your blog. In other words, you develop a strategic lead generation strategy that draws readers into your content. Thankfully there are plenty of ways to make this happen. Here are a few suggestions:
These are just a few tactics. There are literally dozens of other lead generation techniques for bloggers. Research all of the opportunities and don't be afraid to get creative. 5. You Don't Have a Profit FunnelIf you want to profit from blogging, then you need a plan. Specifically, you need a profit funnel or sales funnel. This funnel provides a step-by-step plan for how you'll move individuals from blog visitor to customer. Every blog profit funnel is different, but you should follow the basic outline of the traditional sales funnel. At the top of the funnel is awareness. At this stage, people are just discovering who you are and what your blog offers. Next, there's interest. At this point in the funnel, the individual not only knows about your blog but is interested in what you're saying. Third, comes a decision. The individual makes the decision that they are going to purchase what you're offering. And finally, there's action. The visitor follows through and makes a purchase. The goal of a profit funnel is to move your blog visitors from awareness to action. It's not easy, but it's necessary to spend some time developing a specific plan that resonates with your audience and customers. 6. You Don't Actively NetworkIf you aren't actively networking with other bloggers and industry leaders, then you're missing out on a major opportunity to get your name out there and forge lasting relationships that will ultimately help you monetize your blog. "Networking with bloggers just like yourself is of the utmost importance. Why? Because it means that you will be able to further promote your website – and they, in return, can further promote theirs," says one blogger. "Building connections and forming relationships is important when it comes to promoting yourself online, but you do have to make sure that you start off by giving them the right impression." The issue most bloggers have is that they confuse the idea of networking with harassment. Sending out generic spam emails to a bunch of bloggers isn't networking, and tweeting at someone a dozen times in two hours isn't networking. In order to successfully network, you need to show the other party that you're interested in who they are and what they do. You can do this by posting thoughtful comments on their posts, sharing their articles on your social media accounts, referencing their articles in your own posts, etc. Then, once you've established that you aren't just a leech looking to take advantage of someone, you can reach out directly and try to spark a relationship. 7. Your Writing is PoorIf everything else seems to be fine, then you may have to turn your attention towards the quality of your writing. While it can be difficult to accept the fact that you aren't the next Hemingway or Twain, the reality of the situation is that many bloggers simply can't produce quality content. Hire a copywriter or send some of your work to a trusted individual and ask for an honest opinion. If you aren't a great writer, this doesn't mean all hope is lost. Blogging is equal parts writing and marketing. It helps to be a good writer, but you can always focus your attention on the marketing portion while partnering with a writer. 8. You Fail to Apply KnowledgeThe final reason you're losing money on your blog is that you don't take action. You'll read an article like this that clearly exposes some of your flaws and you don't feel strongly enough to apply what you've learned. If this article teaches you anything, you need to be calculated and strategic in everything you do. Don't merely consume content. Consume content, digest it, and then apply that energy towards actively improving your situation. It's Time to Reverse Your Approach to BloggingWhether you've been blogging for six months or six years, you shouldn't be losing money on your blog. If you are, then something is seriously wrong beneath the surface. Chances are, one of these eight culprits is to blame. Reverse your approach to blogging and find out how you can start making money. Larry Alton is an independent business consultant specializing in social media trends, business, and entrepreneurship. Follow him on Twitter and LinkedIn. The post 8 Reasons You're Losing Money On Your Blog appeared first on ProBlogger.  |
| How Goal Setting Increases Your Productivity Posted: 10 Jan 2017 05:00 AM PST
By ProBlogger Expert Nicole Avery of Planning With Kids. Back in 2013 the founder of this blog, Darren Rowse, tweeted a question asking Problogger followers to share the biggest challenge that they face as a blogger. I think the majority of us can guess what the most common challenge was. You guessed it! It was time, or more specifically: finding time to blog or having enough time to blog. I am sure Darren could ask this question again in 2017 and he would gain a similar response. Do a quick search for "time management tips for bloggers" and you could spend days reading about tips on how to get more done in your blogging day. While these types of time management tips can certainly help, they will only get you so far. To truly increase your productivity you need to really understand what you are working towards, that is – what is your goal? Goal-setting is a key tool to increase productivity and there are numerous studies to show the significant impact goal setting can have. This study by Asmus, Karl,Mohnen and Reinhart found:
But there is more to it than just setting a goal and wishing for the best. Edwin A Locke, who is frequently referred to as one of the godfathers of goal setting, summarised 30 years of research by himself and others in a paper called Motivation through conscious goal setting, and it provides excellent advice on how we can set goals to increase our productivity. The more difficult the goal, the greater the achievement.When setting a goal for yourself, we have all heard the advice of making it achievable and this is something I also agree with. However it can be very easy to set a goal that is achievable and doesn't actually challenge us. Under those circumstances there is not necessarily any pressure to work as productively as we are capable of. Setting a goal that is achievable but difficult pushes us to focus our attention on the goal, minimise distractions and look for the most efficient ways to complete our tasks. It is similar to Parkison's Law which states "work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion". The more specific or explicit the goal, the more precisely performance is regulated.To be able to impact positively on your productivity your goal needs to be specific and clear. A specific goal can be your decision-making framework; helping you determine where you allocate the time you do have available for blogging. You may have a goal to "write an e-book in 2017" which will tick the first box in being achievable, but it needs further definition to add specificity and clarity. The goal could instead be framed as "write for the first hour of each work day to complete my e-book by June 2017". A goal framed in this way not only tells you what your want the output to be, but it tells you how to do it. So many of us lose time each day procrastinating over what to start work on, losing precious minutes deciding what to do. With a goal like this, your decision is made for you and you can just get to work. Commitment to goals is most critical, when goals are specific and difficult.Stating your goal isn't enough to ensure you will work efficiently towards it, you need to be fully committed to your goal, especially if it is going to be a challenge. Your goal will need to align with your values and be something that you consider to be of worth to work on. If you are simply choosing a goal like writing an e-book or launching a podcast because that is the current trend in the blogosphere, your commitment to it may not be strong enough to get you through the hard slog it will take to achieve your goal. We are also far more likely to procrastinate and become distracted by social media or urgent but not important tasks, if we are not committed to our chosen goal, which dramatically reduces productivity. Goal setting is most effective when there is feedbackWhen you set a goal that is measurable, you will be able to obtain feedback along the way as to how you are progressing. Setting up a tracking and review process so you can monitor the feedback can motivate you to alter your work practices as needed. In the example of writing an e-book, creating a simple spreadsheet to track how many words you write in each one-hour session and dot point notes on the quality, surroundings, mood of the session etc, can help you track how productive you have been. You can use trends observed through this to increase your productivity. You may see that your best sessions occur when you work offline, with headphones on and coffee in hand. Replicating your best working conditions each day would be one easy way to increase your output. Goals stimulate planningPlanning isn't something that comes naturally to all bloggers, but if you have set yourself a challenging goal, there is a consequential pull to start planning how you will achieve it. With a plan in had to act upon, you will always be more productive than running blind. Breaking down a sizeable project into work duration chunks will prevent the feeling of overwhelm that can come with a challenge goal. If you have allocated time on an hourly basis to your goal like in this example, break the work down into hourly chunks. This can become your plan you work to each day, saving you time as you know exactly what task you have to complete in your allotted time. Have you set a goal for 2017? The post How Goal Setting Increases Your Productivity appeared first on ProBlogger.  |
| Why You Should Start a Blog in the New Year Posted: 09 Jan 2017 09:56 PM PST
If you’re one of the millions of people thinking about starting a blog this year, well you’ve come to the right place! People start blogs for so many different reasons (and often continue them for others entirely!). We each get a little something different out of blogging, on top of the benefits that are communal to us all. Our motivations and rewards are often more than the sum of our blog parts on paper – it can lead to so many brilliant new opportunities, friends, and fulfilment. Open your mind to the possibilities, and think about where you want to go that blogging can help take you. Let’s not get to the end of 2017 and wish you’d finally taken the plunge. Don’t be Regretful McRegretson come December 31! Why You Should Start a Blog in the New YearIf you’re on the fence about whether you should start a blog at all, or wondering if this is the year for you: you should. It is. To make connectionsYou’ll make friends you could never even have imagined. Real friends, who can help you and inspire you and support you in not just blogging but other aspects of your life. Not only friends, but people who are interested in the same things you are, people that can broaden your knowledge and your horizons. People who are interesting, people who add insight in your life. You may even meet your next employer, your next romantic interest, or the right person that will pop up at just the right time to help you with a project or goal. To Read: Tips for building Community To share your hobbyPhilatelists, unite! Got a key collection you just can’t wait to share? A love of vintage enamelware? An enviable stack of vinyl? This is your place to really let loose, show us what you’ve got and hook up with people who will love your hobby as much as you do. To inspire othersBlogging can be such a two-way street with you and your readers, but ultimately they come to you for a reason. What kind of change are you hoping to effect in your fellow humans? Are you passionate about sustainability? Exercise? Humanitarianism? Motherhood solidarity? Whatever you’re into and want to help other people learn more about, now is your chance. There’s never been a better time (or a better reason) to blog! To Read: How to Build a Blog that Has Lasting Impact Upon Its Readers To document your lifeThis was such a drawcard from the early days of blogging – those of us with Diaryland or Livejournal accounts documenting our day-to-day, moving into Blogger or WordPress or Tumblr users sharing insights and keeping record of the things that make us tick. Sure, you could keep a real journal or a diary but then you’d lose the connections you make with others. There’s something to be said for snippets of our days, including photos, tucked up on the www. for us to find at the click of a mouse whenever we want in the future. Some of the best parts of blogging for me are the bits where I go back and re-read things I had forgotten, things about the early days of being a mum, the small incidents that I kept tucked away forever. What a great timeline of my life! To Read: Having a Personal Blog: Is it Worth It? To upskillY’all, blogging can be as simple or as complicated as you make it, but I can guarantee you: it doesn’t come without some kind of lesson! You can learn the fine arts of basic code or spend time and energy learning more in-depth techniques for writing, photography, social media strategy, designing, html – the list is almost endless. You will learn something at the very least! Blogging can help you be a better writer, a better marketer, or feel more confident on camera. You can learn video editing skills, podcast production, e-course creation… whatever you want to do, you can learn to be better, all on your blog.
To use it as a platform for goodWant to highlight ethical clothing manufacturers or shine a spotlight on those working tirelessly on behalf of refugees? Now’s your chance to share with your audience the things you wish got more attention in the media. You have a voice and now you’ll have a platform to ensure it reaches the right people. To Read: Blogging for the Greater Good To show your expertiseI find this happens quite a bit with blogs – people with skills and talents in a particular area start blogs and help spread that awareness to the people who are hungry for that information. Everyone from podiatrists to classical cellists have blogs about their specialist topic, and what fascinating reads they are too! Honestly, there’s something out there for everyone, and there are people out there who want your particular viewpoint about your specialty. Don’t keep them waiting. To build an audienceWant a book deal? Speaking gigs? Freelance writing jobs? This is your time to create your tribe. Anything you want to do, you can self-promote until that huge contract you’ve been waiting for lands in your lap. The battle is half won if you’ve got a ready-made audience just dying for your next big thing. To Read: How to Build Your Blog's Audience with Long Form Evergreen Content To boost your businessThis is particularly useful if you have an online business and the usual advertising options just do not work for you. Personalising your business and providing value for money with your blog posts alongside your products ensure you’re that retailer that goes the extra mile. How else are you expected to stand out in the oversaturated crowd? To Read: 20 Tips for Better Business Blogging: How to Use Blogging to Generate Leads To make moneyYes, it’s true – you can make money blogging. Whether you want to break even for hosting and publishing costs or you want a six-figure salary, there are ways of making that dream come true. It’s not easy work, but it’s rewarding, and can really return some return on investment (both time and money) when you put the hard yards in. To Read: Make Money Blogging for Real: 3 Must-Know Factors and Can You REALLY Make Money Blogging? [7 Things I Know About Making Money from Blogging] To sell your own productsYou’ve written a fantastic ebook or have designed an amazing online course and now you need people to buy them – what better way than to build your own audience based on similar interests and then give them what they want? It’s never been easier to be the captain of your own creative ship and price and sell however you want to. To Read: Create Products Week: 7 Days of Tips To have a creative outletAlways wanted to write a book? Love taking photos? Cinematography your thing but day-to-day you work a checkout? This is where you get to let your inner creative fly with no limits and everything to gain. To be inspiredEvery day I’m inspired by people online doing things. Humble things, grand things, it doesn’t matter – bloggers are blogging what they’re passionate about and it’s hard not to be inspired by that. I find fantastic recipes, life hacks, budget tips, health information, my next read, and just about anything I could possibly ever want to know (or didn’t know I needed to know, thanks classical cellist!) from people sharing it on their blogs. To have an online hubYou may be getting traction on Instagram, or you’re a famous Facebooker, but as we know, we don’t own those platforms. Algorithms change almost before we’ve gotten used to the last change, and it can all be taken away from us at any minute. Having an online home you can direct people to is going to be the most useful thing you can do with your already popular platform. To have funAt the end of the day, we blog because we love it. Because it makes us happy to connect, share, inspire, and be inspired. Parts of it are work, parts of it are less-than-thrilling, but the good outweighs the bad. We’re in control of our own online destiny and we’re having a blast doing it. Come join us! The post Why You Should Start a Blog in the New Year appeared first on ProBlogger.  |
| Community Discussion: What are Your Goals for 2017? Posted: 08 Jan 2017 05:00 AM PST
Ahhh can you feel that? The lively, motivating surge of new year energy. After my beach holiday over the Christmas break, and a recovery from that holiday since (we all need one, amirite?!), I am so ready to crack open the laptop and kick ass for 2017. Are you?! To that end, I have been ruminating over the things I want to do this year, blog-wise. Experiments to try, older posts to update, slightly-high-but-still-hopefully-realistic social media targets – my list of goals is small, but I’m hoping that means they’ll be achievable. Every year I sit down and project where I’d like to be at the end of it, and what kinds of things will get me there. Not only the end result, but how I can break that end result down and make it more manageable for my day-to-day. If this is something you do (or want to start doing), you can find my never-fail goal-setting advice and template here, and Darren and I discuss goal-setting on the ProBlogger podcast here. I’m very nosy, though, and terribly interested in blog goals, so I’d love to hear if you have any and what they are for this year? Do please let me know in the comments! Extra help: PB135: How To Grow Your Blog's Traffic And Income By Setting Goals How to Set Blog-Changing Goals for the New Year Blogging in Brief: Goal-Setting … and Reaching! 5 Goals Every Blogger Should Set Up in Google Analytics
The post Community Discussion: What are Your Goals for 2017? appeared first on ProBlogger.  |
| Start With a Bang – Things You can Do to Set Yourself up For Your Best Year of Blogging Yet! Posted: 06 Jan 2017 05:00 AM PST
There’s nothing like the dawn of a new year to get the adrenaline pumping, the motivation at DEFCON level, and the desire to do everything right like a new year’s resolution on steroids when it comes to our blogs. Maybe this is the year we get our big break if we just work hard enough! I like to do somewhat of a spring clean of my blog at the beginning of the year, while I’ve got a bit of time over the holiday break, and also while I’m in the mood. If you’ve done your end-of-year blog audit, you’ll be in an even better position to kick-start your best year yet, so make sure you’ve got that sorted before you go through this list – it will give you a fantastic indication of where you can improve and what bits need working on the most. I’m excited, and I know you’re super-keen to get moving, so these are my top tips for getting your blog in tip top shape for 2017. Go get ’em tiger! 1. Dream a dreamThis is the bit where I like to go to a coffee shop, get a cup of something nice, and daydream. Where do I see myself in five years? How will my blog help me accomplish that? Where do I want my blog to go? What would I do if money were no object? What would I want to do if there was nothing to hold me back? Think about where you’re headed – not in a practical sense, but in an anything-is-possible sense. Write it down. Mull it over. Brainstorm for a while. See what your heart desires for you and your blog. The answer might surprise you. 2. Make a planNow is the tricky part. How much of those dreams can you accomplish or work towards this year? What is going to be achievable on a practical level? Write a list of all the things you’d really like to see yourself getting done this year.
You get the picture! Write down the things you really want to get done this year, and then jot down next to them three concrete steps you can take this year to work towards that. If you want to get even more technical, break the tasks down to monthly/weekly/daily and make sure you set aside some time each week to review how well you are sticking to your plan. 3. Set a goalThis can be big or it can be small, it all depends on where you’re at in your blogging career. You can have one goal or you can have five (just don’t have too many, trust me!). Goals are excellent for giving us purpose and driving us forward, and also giving us some parameters within which to work so we can decide whether opportunities or projects that become available to us are actually worth our time. Does it get us closer to our goal? Do you really want to do it for another reason? No? Well, “no” is your answer! But I digress. Think of a goal or goals and work out step-by-step how you’re going to get yourself there. Keep yourself accountable and review often. This advice will get you straight on the path to goal-achieving success:
4. Nail that editorial calendarI’ve said over and over again that this was finally the thing that helped me get more done because with a schedule, I was no longer wasting time. Well, I was wasting less time! I could plan out a content schedule, make preliminary notes and ideas for images, and do prior research when I could, so when I would sit down to write there was no faffing about – I had the bones of a post right there in front of me, and I knew when it was due – it felt like the work was already half done. It did wonders for my motivation, too. Blogging spontaneously is fun. I like it. I always keep spots available for when I want to write off the cuff. But when it comes to keeping continuous, excellent content on my blog, an editorial calendar is MAN-DA-TO-RY. If you chafe under such restrictions, think it hampers your creativity, or just need a hand getting started, then you might want to check out these posts:
5. Set a scheduleSpeaking of schedules, I like them for all things – my blog work, my freelance work, my work here at ProBlogger, my housework, our meal plans – all sorts of things! I find they take the stress out of making decisions on the spot, and it allows me to get a head start on things I know are coming up. Everything from dinner to blog post ideas. You can get all my secrets here: 3 Ways Scheduling Will Make You a Better Blogger, and you’ll find yourself with more time than stress this year. I promise. What can you lock into your work week that you can then plan around? Make a note of these. 6. Ditch your bad habitsOh my hand is firmly up here when it comes to doing things the wrong way. But as I said to a bunch of newbie bloggers recently, I think you sort of have to go about things the wrong way to start with, in order to find out what works at what doesn’t. You almost have to get to burnout stage before you make changes that will ensure you’ll never find yourself back there ever again. Laziness and poor time management were my biggest bugbears before I got them straightened out. Assuming things will work themselves out was another problem vying for the top spot in Dumbest Things I Did While Blogging. Thankfully I took a good, hard look at how I was spending my time and what good habits I had to cultivate to make sure I was making the most of what I had and learning to cut away what no longer served me. You can read about that and get some tips for yourself here: Say Goodbye to Bad Habits: Five You Should Ditch in the New Year. What are your bad habits? What do you know you need to reverse or alter before the new year starts in earnest? Be honest, now! It’s the only way!
7. Be more productiveIt’s everybody’s dream – in the short hours we have to blog, we’d sit down at our computer, and churn out exactly what content we need to, without a wasted moment or an unnecessary break. We’d blog, ninja-style with no human desires to hold us back. Wellll, we are human, things go wrong, we spend 45 minutes on Facebook instead of writing that post we were going to write, the cat is hungry, our mind wanders, we half-write a post and then go off on a tangent with something else… all too often, we get distracted. I’m here to tell you that productive people aren’t accidentally productive. They’ve done things to optimise their environment, manage their weaknesses, and give themselves incentives for staying on task. There’s no reason you can’t do the same! If 2017 is the year you’ve sworn to be more organised and less flighty, we’ve got the goods to help:
I mean, it’s a hot topic, right? None of us are born knowing how to blog efficiently! It’s like the blogger’s great white whale. 8. Let go of self-doubt
I love that quote – it sums up a lot about what it takes to make it in any creative endeavour. Hard work and no real idea what you’re up against. I think success is a curious mix of a willingness to have a go, and a lack of self-consciousness. Everything worth doing is hard, and there are too many people out there doing everything anyone would ever want to do. That doesn’t mean there isn’t any room for you. I’ll bet you’ve heard again and again that nobody can write your story but you. That you have something special the world wants, whether it’s whittling spoons or writing the next Great American Novel. You have every right to follow a passion and see where it leads, regardless of how good you think you are at it. We all start from zero.
9. AutomateHonestly, blogging is on 24-hour time, and can’t (and shouldn’t want to!) be on call that whole time. We need blogging to fit around our life, not the other way around, and that means automating what you’re comfortable with. From blog posts to return emails, socila media, mailouts, anything that can be automated without pissing your readers off, should be automated. Just please – PLEASE don’t do auto DMs on Twitter or bot-like comments on Instagram. They’re obvious, and they’re a turn-off. Don’t farm out your authenticity, sense of community, or personality. Automate everything else. Need some ideas?
10. Find your creativityI always feel a bit wrung out at the end of the year, like a limp rag that has nothing left to give. Therefore, I spend most of my Christmas break reading widely, looking at beautiful, inspiring things, and letting my brain have enough time to daydream and imagine. I think it’s so important to tap into that part of you that creates ideas and fill it to the brim with thing that will spark it up again. Get back to enjoying the things you love and let it naturally seep into your creative side. 11. Batch your tasksWhen it comes time to sit down at your desk and crack open your laptop, you’re going to want to put your newfound new year motivation to good use. Write big lists for every aspect of your blog of things you need and want to do this year, and then batch similar tasks together. Using the schedule you created earlier, see where these tasks can fit in to your day. Say Monday is a writing day, Tuesday is photography, Wednesday is editing, Thursday is scheduling social media, that sort of thing. Doing like tasks together helps you waste less time and uses less brain resources than flitting between tasks, or doing different sorts of tasks all day long.
12. Improve your writingIf you’re feeding your creativity before you get started blogging this year, as I recommended earlier, then one of those things you should be doing is reading. Read anything and everything that you think will help you master the craft of writing. Read classics, re-read books you love, read blogs by people you admire, read writing that sparks emotions in you. Then write. Fill up journals with anything, have a go at different styles, tinker around with how you can make your own writing more emotive. Maybe even take a short writing course, there are plenty to choose from online. No matter how much blogging and social media changes, the ultimate way we connect with our audience is storytelling. Practice the art of it.
13. Take better photosNow also is the time to practice taking photos for your blog. Often if this isn’t where our talent lies, we’re too busy taking care of our to-do list to work on the photography aspect. If you’re still on a break, or you’re in planning mode for your blog, take advantage of these extra minutes to read up on great technique and words of wisdom of those who make excellent photos look effortless. But more importantly, practice! Make time to really get to know your camera, understand lighting, and play around with composition. You can find endless amounts of tutorials and guides over on Darren’s other blog, Digital Photography School.
14. Level up your Social MediaIt’s time to get your game plan on! This is the year you’re going to share excellent content with regularity. Now, how are you going to do that? What I would do if I were you is to make a list of all the sites I like to go to for inspiration and information. Maybe put them in a Bloglovin’ or Feedly reader so you can keep tabs on what they produce so you can share them with your audience. Then I would mine my archives for blog posts that need to be shared again with my audience. After that, I would have a look for a couple of funny things that my readers would like that suit my brand and personality. Then I would write up a schedule for when things are going to be shared (take a look at your insights to see who’s on your page and when, and work around those times for sharing). And above all of that I’d be thinking of how I could serve my readers the best on social media, and how I can allocate my time responding to them and engaging with them. How can I show my personality and be fully present when need be?
15. Write a Mission StatementI think if you haven’t already, now’s the time to sit down and write down in a nutshell what your blog is and what it stands for. What you hope to achieve with it, and how you want people to receive it. It only needs a few lines, but it will the the guidepost and the framework from which all your blog decisions will come. I think one of the best posts about blog purpose or mission statements comes from The Nester, so I’ll let her explain: Why Your Blog Needs a Purpose.
And I wish you well on your new year blogging journey! May you begin it feeling positive, and may the good vibes continue all year long. What do you like to do to ensure your blog is in tip top shape for the year to come? I’d love to hear! The post Start With a Bang – Things You can Do to Set Yourself up For Your Best Year of Blogging Yet! appeared first on ProBlogger.  |
| New Year Reboot: Make This Your Most Productive Year Yet Posted: 04 Jan 2017 05:00 AM PST 2017 is your year! If you’re thinking of starting a blog, levelling up on your blog, or are looking to take your blog in a new direction, we are deep-diving into our content archives this week for the best posts to help you do just that. Nothing stops a blog faster than running out of time to create and market it, but if we take a look at our working style (and *ahem* bad habits), we can easily see where we can cut out what isn’t working and how we can make good habits as automatic as brushing our teeth. If you are working on your productivity for the new year, feel free to look through our Be Productive portal. 5 Ways I Use Habits to Stay Creative and Productive When Working From Home by Gretchen Rubin first appeared on December 13, 2015.
If you're a blogger, and you work from home, it can be tough to stay productive and creative. You can always knock off some household chore – or take a nap on the sofa! 5 Ways I Use Habits to Stay Creative and Productive When Working From HomeIn Better Than Before, my book about how to master habits, I identify the 21 strategies we can use to make or break our habits. I use many of these strategies on myself, to keep myself on track as a blogger. 1. I use the Strategy of Safeguards to put myself out of the reach of temptation.To do the serious work of original writing—my most challenging kind of work—I take my laptop to a library that's a block from my apartment, and there, I don't connect to the internet. It's easier physically to remove myself from the lure of my three monitors than to use self-control. Many people accomplish the same thing by using software to shut down the internet for certain intervals every day. Look for stumbling blocks, plan for failure! 2. I use the Strategy of Scheduling to do certain tasks at certain times.It turns out that working is one of the most dangerous forms of procrastination. So when I tell myself, "at 10:00 a.m., I'm going to write that blog post," at 10:00 I don't allow myself to think that while I'm writing, I can also clean my desk, check email, post on Twitter, go over my calendar, or indulge in my personal favorite, do "research." At the designated time, I do the task that I've identified, or I stare at the ceiling. Even when I don't feel like working, I soon buckle down, out of sheer boredom. 3. I use the Strategy of Foundation to make sure that I move around a lot during the day.Some days I go to the gym, or take a yoga class, or have a strength-training session. We also just got a new puppy, so I'm going for many more short walks during the day. Research shows that exercise helps me stay energized and focused—and for me, it also helps me keep my rear in the chair when I'm working, because otherwise I get very restless. Plus, as Nietzsche wrote, "All truly great thoughts are conceived by walking." I often find that I get a big insight or make an important connection when I'm out for a walk. 4. I use the Strategy of Monitoring to keep track of how much I'm posting.How many posts am I really doing each week? We do a better job with just about everything (exercise, diet, spending, etc.) when we keep close track of what we're doing. Weirdly, I've found, it's easier to post just about every day than to post somedays. I usually post 5-6 times a week, so it's part of my ordinary day. I don't agonize, "Should I write something? I wrote yesterday and the day befofre, shouldn't I get today off? I have a good idea for tomorrow, so should I take today off? I didn't sleep well last night, I'll write better tomorrow", etc. But if I posted, say, three times a week, I'd go through that every time, I'm sure. As it is, I just have to post. If you want a daily time log, to help you monitor how you're spending your time each day, download it here. 5. I use the Strategy of Treats to make plenty of time to read.The Strategy of Treats is the most fun We should load ourselves with healthy treats, because when we give more to ourselves, we can ask more from ourselves. Reading is my favorite thing to do, and when I give myself plenty of time to read for fun, I feel energized and cared for. Also, my reading gives me new ideas, illustrations, and insights, so it makes blogging easier, too. But I spend a good amount of time each week reading exactly what I want to read, not what I think I "should" read. BONUSHere's a strategy that I don't need, but many people do: the Strategy of Accountability. In Better Than Before, I divide people into four categories: Upholders, Questioners, Obligers, and Rebels. (Take the quiz here.) For people who are "Obligers" (which is the largest category, by the way), the Strategy of Accountability is crucial. Key. Essential! If you're really good at meeting other people's expectations, but find it hard to meet your expectations for yourself, you must give yourself outer accountability.Start an accountability group (starter kit here, if you want to start one) where people hold each other accountable. Work with a coach. Find a client. Report to a buddy. Do whatever it takes—because for many people, writing regularly on a blog is something that just won't happen, no matter how much they want to do it, if there's no external accountability. Know yourself, and plan accordingly! If you'd like to read more about how to use habits to make your life happier, healthier, and more productive, check out my book, Better Than Before. It turns out that it's not too hard to change your habits—when you know what to do. The post New Year Reboot: Make This Your Most Productive Year Yet appeared first on ProBlogger.  |
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