ProBlogger: Why You Need to Make ‘Starting’ a Mindset

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Why You Need to Make ‘Starting’ a Mindset Posted: 26 Nov 2020 03:00 AM PST The post Why You Need to Make ‘Starting’ a Mindset appeared first on ProBlogger. This post is based on episode 88 of the ProBlogger podcast. Whereabouts are you on your blogging journey? You may be the very beginning of your journey, and getting ready to create your first blog post. You might be a little further along, and thinking of taking the next step – a second blog perhaps, or maybe a podcast. You might be thinking of launching a course to teach others what you know, or perhaps putting all that knowledge in an eBook and selling it. Whatever stage you're at, there's one thing you can do that will take you further on your journey as an entrepreneur than anything else. Start. A blogger's journey In November 2002 I received an email from a friend with the subject line "Check out this blog". At the time I didn't even know what a 'blog' was, and it would have been easy to just delete his email and move on. But curiosity got the better of me, and I opened it to find the same four words followed by a link to a website – TallSkinnyKiwi.com. I clicked the link. Two hours later, I was completely hooked. Not only on the blog (written by a guy called Andrew Jones), but also on the entire concept of 'blogging'. So much so that on that same day I started a blog of my own. I'd love to say that I took to blogging like the proverbial duck to water, but I'd be lying. I wasn't a great writer. I'd never designed or set up a website before, I didn't know how to code. I had no money for a domain or hosting. I didn't know any other bloggers. (I'd only just leaned what a blogger was.) I was worried about what people would think of my ideas. I didn't have a niche, or any idea what I would write about. But I started it anyway. And it completely changed my life. A few years later I became a full-time blogger. Soon after that I was offered a book deal. I got to speak at conferences around the world. And I had millions of people reading my words every month. And all because I started a blog. The first of many starts But while that's when by life as a blogger started, I've had plenty of other 'starts' over the years. I started writing a book. I started using different social networks, I started business partnerships. I started writing eBooks. I started creating courses. I started a job board. I started an event for bloggers. I started a podcast. And they all contributed to where I am today. Of course, not everything I started was a success. Some things I started never got off the ground, and others fizzled out soon after launch. But it's amazing how many of my 'starts' have created wonderful opportunities for me. A bright idea in the darkness One of those 'starts' actually started at around two in the morning. I was thinking about what I could write about for ProBlogger when an idea popped into my head. I could write a month-long series of posts where each day I'd give my readers a blogging tip and an activity they could do with their own blog to reinforce the concept. I ended up getting out of bed and writing a post announcing a new series of posts I'd be launching called 31 Days to Build a Better Blog. That first series of posts was so successful that it turned into a second series, and then a third. Later it became an eBook that sold more than 20,000 copies. And then I used what I'd written for the eBook to create a 31-part series of podcasts, which are still the most popular episodes I've ever recorded. And that eBook sparked ideas for other eBooks. I've now created more than 30 of them, and they've sold hundreds of thousands of copies over the years. And all because I started that series of blog posts. A lesson So why am I telling you all this? Because I want you to start paying attention to the ideas that you can't get out of your head. Don't just get excited by those ideas. Do something with them. In other words, start. And don't discount the ideas you get after you've started. That first series of blog posts could have been the last. But instead I kept evolving the idea, and it created opportunities for me that I never would have thought possible in that moment at two in the morning. I'd like to wrap up this post with a tweet I put out a while back that still resonates with me. If you've been contemplating doing something but haven't taken it any further, make a start. And keep making starts when those ideas pop into your head. Starting is the most important thing you'll ever do as an entrepreneur. And next week I'll be talking about the second most important thing you'll ever do as an entrepreneur. But in the meantime, choose something you've been thinking of starting and actually make a start. And then let us know what it is in the comments.   Photo by Start Digital on Unsplash The post Why You Need to Make ‘Starting’ a Mindset appeared first on ProBlogger.

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ProBlogger: 8 Effective Ways to Wrap up Your Blog Posts

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8 Effective Ways to Wrap up Your Blog Posts Posted: 19 Nov 2020 03:00 AM PST The post 8 Effective Ways to Wrap up Your Blog Posts appeared first on ProBlogger. This post is based on episode 56 of the ProBlogger podcast. You've said everything you wanted to say in your post, and now it's time to quickly wrap things up so you can hit 'Publish'. Sound familiar? If it does, then you're missing out on an opportunity to do even more for your readers—and yourself. Here are eight effective ways to wrap up your blog posts and get as much out of those final paragraphs as possible. 1. Sum up your message Remember the English essays you wrote in high school? Chances are you finished each one them with a summary of what you'd written about. So why not do the same with your blog posts? Think about what you've written, and the overall message you're trying to convey. And then drive that message home in your final paragraphs. You may even want to summarise it slight differently so it doesn't feel like you're repeating yourself. Summarising what you've talked about is especially important when you've written a long post that covers a lot of different points. Chances are your reader has already forgotten some of them, and so a quick summary of those points (perhaps as bullet points) will jog their memory and help them remember each one. 2. Ask a question Another way to wrap up your post is by asking your reader a question and encouraging them to answer it. You could ask them to post their answer as a comment on your blog, or on one of your social media channels. Depending on the type of question you ask, you can even influence and shape the discussion people have on your blog. For example, you could ask something like "Tell us a story about a time when you had this experience" or "What's your experience with this particular area?" But keep your question simple, and make it easy for people to respond. Polls can be a great option here, as people can answer your question with one click. Another option is to ask for a few words describing how they feel about the topic you covered in your post. 3. Ask the reader to share your post Chances are your reader will be more than happy to share your post on social media. But unless you ask them to do it, the idea might not even occur to them. So why not ask at the end of your post? You could ask them to share it on as specific platform you're trying to build a presence on, or just on whatever platforms they're using for social media. But try to make it as easy for them to do as possible. Set up ways for them to share your post at the click of a button (such as installing a 'Click to Tweet' plugin on WordPress). 4. Give your reader more of the same If your reader is reading the final paragraphs of your post, there's a good chance they like what you're talking about. Which makes it the ideal place to point them to other posts you've written on the same topic, or perhaps related topics. Now there are 'related post' plugins that can generate a lit of posts automatically. But while they do work, you shouldn't rely on them. You know your content better than anyone, and so you should check to make sure nothing is being added that shouldn't be and vice versa. And don't be afraid to point them to other sites as well. Sending your readers to another blog might seem counterintuitive, but if it's good content then your reader will thank you for telling them. And moments like that can create connections that last much longer. 5. Talk about your next post This is a great way to build anticipation, and even your subscriber numbers. If your reader enjoyed the post they just finished reading, and you hint that you'll be talking similar content in your next post, they may feel compelled to subscribe so they don't miss out. You could say something like, "I'll be talking more about this topic in my next post. Why not subscribe to my newsletter so you don't miss out?" You may even want to say, "To find out the moment my next post is available, follow me on Facebook". But make sure the post you're wrapping up has just as much value as your next one, or people won't bother. 6. Offer something relevant as an opt-in Another great way to wrap up your post and encourage your readers to subscribe is to offer them an incentive. A blogger who wrote a how-to article finished it by saying, "If you'd like to get this article as a PDF with some bonus information, click here to download". They get a new subscriber, and the reader gets the article as a PDF as well as some bonus information. Could you offer something—some bonus material or perhaps a 'cheat sheet'—that's related to your post? 7. Sell something Okay, this is something you probably wouldn't do at the end of every blog post. And nor should you. The last thing you want is for people to think you're only blogging to sell your products or services. But if you've created something that's closely tied to what you're writing about, it's worth considering. For example, an article on portrait photography over at Digital Photography School is a great place to say something like, "Want to learn more about portrait photography? Then check out this ebook". Sometimes we even offer a discount code to give the reader even more incentive to buy it. 8. Create a call to action the benefits the reader My final tip is to think about adding a call to action (CTA) that will help the reader in some way. Something they could do as homework that will help them learn what you've just talked about or enhance their life in some way. And that's exactly what I'm going to do now. When you've finished reading this post, I want you to look at the ending for your last blog post and see if you can improve it in some way. Over to you So there you have it: eight ways to wrap up your blog posts more effectively. Do you remember what they were? Here's a reminder:  Sum up your message Ask a question Ask the reader to share your post Give your reader more of the same Talk about your next post Offer something relevant as an opt-in Sell something Create a call to action the benefits the reader Now, see if you can use one of them to improve the ending of your last blog post. And let us know what you did and how it went in the comments.   Photo by Adam Winger on Unsplash The post 8 Effective Ways to Wrap up Your Blog Posts appeared first on ProBlogger.

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ProBlogger: 7 Productivity Tips for Bloggers

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7 Productivity Tips for Bloggers Posted: 12 Nov 2020 03:00 AM PST The post 7 Productivity Tips for Bloggers appeared first on ProBlogger. This post is based on episode 40 of the ProBlogger podcast. Are you using your time productively? Chances are you've set yourself some goals as to what you'd like your blogging to be. But reaching that point is going to take time. And the less productive you are with the time you have, the longer it will take to reach those goals. So this week I'm sharing seven tips I've developed over the years that have helped me become more productive. But first, I want to talk a little about why I needed them. Showing some personality For those of you who know about the Myers-Briggs Type Indicators, I'm INFP. That means I'm introverted, intuitive, feeling and perceptive. And while being perceptive has its advantages, it can also be a disadvantage when you need to get stuff done. Like a lot of 'perceivers', I like flexibility and spontaneity. I don't always need to know what's happening next. In fact, some of my best work has come from being flexible and spontaneous. But it also means I can spend a lot of my time jumping from thing to another and not getting much done if I'm not careful. And that why I came up with these seven steps to get me back in track. Starting with… 1. Analyze how you spend your time now During one of ProBlogger events, blogger and presenter Nicole Avery suggested using a tool called RescueTime. It's a tool that looks at the applications you use, the websites you visit, etc. and measures how much time you spend on each. It then sorts the information into various categories and shows you the results. I decided to give it a shot. And after running it on my computer for a week, I discovered I was spending 44% of my time on social media. Now as a blogger I have an excuse for spending time on social media. I use Facebook quite a bit to drive traffic to my blogs, and to build a community with my readers. But even I could see I was spending far more time on social media than I should have been. It also told me I was spending 15% of my time in my email account. And so together they were chewing up more than half of my time. Of course, some people might have a perfectly legitimate reason for spending most of their time on social media, surfing the web or watching YouTube videos. It all comes down to your goals, which is why the next step is so important. 2. Compare how you spend your time to your goals You might not think me spending 15% of my time is a big deal. After all, isn't part of blogging about asking questions and increasing your knowledge? Yes, it is. But I wasn't asking any questions. I was answering them. And while responding to people and helping them solve their problems is important (particularly as a blogger), doing it through emails really wasn't the best way to spend my time. And it was the same with social media. I was spending most of my time answering questions and interacting with my readers. Again, that's not necessarily a bad thing. But one of my goals is to create content that helps make the world a better place. And the more time I spent on social media, the less time I had to create that content. After looking at how I was spending my time, and comparing it how I needed to spend my time to achieve my goals, I took the next step which was to… 3. Come up with a schedule that works for you Here's the first schedule I came up (using Google Calendar) for my 'ideal' week. My schedule starts at 8.00 am, and finishes around 8.30 pm. And as you can see, it includes: time with my family at the start and end of each day an hour every lunchtime where I can eat and go for a walk (an important part of staying healthy) time for creating (first drafts in the mornings, edits and revisions in the afternoons) dedicated time to spend on social media (that's nowhere near 44%). This schedule immediately made me more productive because I no longer wake up thinking, What will I do today? A quick look at my schedule is all it takes for me to know exactly what I'll be doing. I even set up alarms on my phone when I first started using it to help me remember when to move on to the next task. Admittedly my schedule has changed a little over the years. These days it has a little more 'white space' like this one does on Monday where I don't schedule anything and can be more spontaneous about what I do. 4. Develop workflows, systems and routines You may have noticed the red strip near the bottom of each column labelled 'Promote'. That's where I schedule Facebook and Twitter posts for the following day. I identify posts in my archive that I want to promote, create graphics for them to put on social media, and then schedule them all. It means I can maintain a presence on social media without having to be on Facebook and Twitter all the time. And I do it every night of the week. The first episode of the ProBlogger podcast was my first attempt at podcasting. I had no idea how to record, edit or upload a podcast. I didn't even have a blog to host it on. But I knew the only way I'd get it done was to do some research and then develop a workflow. And here's what I came up with. Breaking it up into a series of steps made the process seem far less overwhelming. It also helped me master the skills I needed to create a podcast. I quickly go to the point where I didn't need the list anymore because I'd mastered the skills. It also helped me become more productive. Going through the checklist, I soon realized I could work on some tasks at the same time. And when it came time to outsource, I could quickly see what tasks I could hand over to someone else. For example, at around episode 15 I brought someone in to edit the podcast and create the show notes because it was something I didn't need to do myself. 5. Try to automate as much as possible Remember that 'Promote' strip I talked about earlier? Well, that's one of the areas where I've started using automation. Using an online tool such as CoSchedule I can schedule Facebook and Twitter posts in advance. In fact, the workflow for creating this post includes scheduling five Twitter posts and four Facebook posts. But I don't schedule all of my posts. Those green 'Social' strips in my schedule are when I spend time on Facebook and Twitter interacting with my audience. 6. Try to delegate what you can't automate Of course, you can't automate everything. While artificial intelligence has come a long way, there are some things that should be left to a human. But that doesn't mean you need to be that human. Over the years I've delegated various tasks to other people, and I now have a team of around 10 people. Some are writers and editors. Some help us produce our ebooks. Some help produce the podcast. And some do development work and keep our servers running. Delegating these tasks to other people means I can focus my time on the things I need to do and the things I'm good at. 7. Start with systems and processes, not tools As soon as you mention the word 'productivity', someone is going to talk about tools. In fact, I once sat through a productivity session at a conference where that was pretty much all they talked about. Don't get me wrong. I love learning about new to-do lists and new productivity tools. But if you start with the tool rather than your goals and the systems you've created to achieve them, the tool can be more of a hindrance than a help. And the more time you spend researching the latest tools, the less time you have to actually achieve those goals. I'm a big believer in developing the systems and then finding tools that help you manage them. Here are some of the tools I'm using at the moment. But don't think that because I use them that you should use them too. It depends on what systems you have in place. I use a calendar called Fantastical 2. It's on my computer, my phone and even my watch, which means I always know where I'm supposed to be. I also use Evernote for all my ideas and most of my writing. I've even started interacting with my team on it. But for most of those interactions I use Slack, as does everyone else in the team. It's a great way for us all to communicate with each other. Over to you I hope you found these seven tips useful. But I know some of you are productivity junkies. So if you have any other tips for being more productive, please share them in the comments.   Photo by Caleb Martin on Unsplash The post 7 Productivity Tips for Bloggers appeared first on ProBlogger.

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ProBlogger: Face Your Fears and Become a Better Blogger

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Face Your Fears and Become a Better Blogger Posted: 05 Nov 2020 03:30 AM PST The post Face Your Fears and Become a Better Blogger appeared first on ProBlogger. This post is based on episode 54 of the ProBlogger podcast. This week I want to talk about fear. Not about eliminating it or ignoring it, but rather about recognising, harnessing and overcoming it so you can use it to your advantage. Whether you're a blogger, podcaster, live streamer or social media user, chances are fear has held you back at some point. Here are some of the most common fears I've heard over the years: "What if nobody reads it?" "What if I hurt someone with what I write?" "What if I don't write as well as I think I do?" "What if people laugh?" "What if I say something stupid?" "What if I reveal too much about myself?" "What if I fail?" "What if I'm wasting my time?" "What if people steal my content?" "What if I run out of things to say?" "What if I make a promise I can't keep?" "What if I get attacked or stalked?" "What if my product doesn't sell?" "What if I get criticized for trying to make money from my blog?" And I'm sure you could add a few of your own to the list. When you put yourself and your thoughts out there for other people to read, watch and listen to, it's natural to fear how those people might respond. And believe me, you're not alone. I've faced many of these fears myself, not only with my blogging but also with the ProBlogger events we've run over the years. We invest hundreds of thousands of dollars into those events, and these fears ran through my head every time: What if no one shows up? What if no one buys a ticket? What if our speakers don't arrive? Fear can be useful Fear can be very useful. It helped keep early man alive rather than being eaten by sabre-tooth tigers. And even today it stops us from doing things that could endanger our lives (or at least make us think twice about doing them). But it can also stop us from doing things that aren't so life threatening, and may even be good for us in the long run. Fear is a signal that we need to pay attention. But we shouldn't let it overwhelm us to the point where we're too scared to do anything. Instead we should evaluate exactly what's at stake and react accordingly. I once tweeted, "Don't let fear stop you from starting. Let it motivate you to finish". Sometimes you need to push past your fear and almost ignore it. For me it's often when I start a new project, although it can also be a motivating factor at other times. I've learned that when people ask me to do things I need to push my fears aside (or at least to a point in the future) and just do them. Saying "Yes" rather than giving in to my fears and saying "No" has opened up all kinds of opportunities for me. And when I need to face those fears I pushed aside, they become my motivation to do the best job I can possibly do. Think of fear as a sign At one of our ProBlogger events I said, "Fear is a sign that something important is to happen". And I think that's a really important principle to follow. All the important things that have happened in my life so far have been accompanied by fear: when I proposed to Vanessa when my kids were born when I bought a house when I started blogging when I hired my first team member when I launched my first ebook when I accepted my first speaking engagement when I wrote the ProBlogger book when I started podcasting. That's why I think of fear as a signal that something important is about to happen, which can make it seem almost like a good thing. Pay attention to the things you often have fears about, and try to think of them as signs rather than being overwhelmed by them. Three questions to ask Of course, seeing fear as a sign rather than being overwhelmed by it is easier said than done. So here are three questions I suggest you ask yourself whenever you feel overwhelmed by a particular fear. 1. "What's the worst thing that could happen?" This question is all about getting perspective, and trying to bring your fears into some sort of reality. By asking this question, you'll realize the worst thing that could really happen really isn't that bad. When my son started in a new basketball team he was worried that he'd look stupid in front of his teammates. "What's the worst thing that could happen?" I asked. As he went through various scenarios of bad things that could happen, he realized that none of them were bad after all. 2. "How would I recover if the worst thing did happen?" This is an important question to ask, especially if the worst thing that could happen is quite bad. For one of our ProBlogger events, my big fear was that our three international speakers wouldn't be able to make it because of a weather delay or something. And running an event where your three main speakers don't come is a pretty bad thing. So I asked myself how I'd recover if they couldn't make it, and started making some contingency plans, such as: running other sessions instead getting our international speakers to connect via Skype making it up to the attendees in some other way. None of these solutions were perfect. But they did make the 'worst thing that could happen' seem a little less catastrophic. Of course, sometimes the worst thing that could happen is so bad that you could never recover and will need to either change what you're doing or not do it at all. 3. "What's the best thing that could happen?" This final question makes you stop focusing on the worst-case scenario (which we all tend to do) and think about the best-case scenario. Because what actually happens most of the time lies somewhere between these two extremes. Focusing on the best possible outcome can give you the courage to take a step forward. You may not achieve it, but chances are you’ll get closer to it than the worst possible outcome you’ve been fearing all this time. Fear is a good thing I want to finish up by saying you shouldn’t be trying to smash your fear or eliminate it from your life. Fear is important, and not something you should push aside completely. You may need to give it a bit of a shove from time to time, but you should always pay attention to it. It's a sign that something important is going to happen. Whenever you face an important, life-changing event you’re going to feel a little wobbly. But as a friend once said to my wife, "Even wobbly courage is still courage." You don't need to eliminate fear. You just need to get enough courage to move forward. And remember that courage is actually borne out of fear. If you're not scared, you can't be brave. So focus on getting that little bit of wobbly courage up and taking a step forward despite the fear you’re feeling. Over to you I'd love to hear your feedback on this topic, because I certainly don’t have all the answers. I still struggle with fear from time to time. Feel free to share your stories and advice in the comments.   Photo by Alistair Dent on Unsplash The post Face Your Fears and Become a Better Blogger appeared first on ProBlogger.

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