ProBlogger: The One Type Of Blog Post The Will Transform Your Blog Immediately

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ProBlogger: The One Type Of Blog Post The Will Transform Your Blog Immediately

The One Type Of Blog Post The Will Transform Your Blog Immediately

Posted: 29 Mar 2017 06:00 AM PDT

This is a guest contribution from Joe Elliott.

How hard can it be when you start a new blog, you create crazy amounts of content and then you need to start generating traffic?

You bust your butt off to get 20 posts so that you can say you are good to go.

You reach out to influencers only to meet their trashcan. You even submit a ton of pitches for a guest post… again only to get an instant delete!

It sucks!

The truth is this is the old school way of doing this blogging game. Content is still king but your job nowadays is to create content that can generate traffic easily on its own.

Today I am going to share with you the exact strategy I use to create a traffic generating expert roundup post. I will show you the best outreach tips I have to ensure your contributors say yes.

Once this post is live and doing its job you have the social proof I mentioned before and you will get your first few visitors with ease!

Are you ready?

Find A Proven Content Idea That Will Drive Your Audience Wild!

Every topic in your niche that your audience would be interested in has been covered. Having said that, you can still create a better resource that has your very own unique take on the topic.

When you first start a blog you want to create content that has been a success on other blogs. If it has done well before then there is no reason why it can't take off again.

That is if you do the topic justice!

An expert roundup post that is based on a killer topic will blow your readers mind easily. This post type is stuffed with legendary tips, it’s bursting with value.

So how can you find these topics that have proven their worth?

First head over to Google and search for a broad topic in your niche. This will show you the content that has managed to make the first page of Google. It's the best content on Google.

Now take each post on the front page of the search results and enter them into Buzzsumo. This will show you the most shared content from this website.

As you go through each you should see similar topics on multiple blogs. When you see the same topic a few times you are onto a good thing.

That’s your PROVEN topic!

Now all that's left to do is to turn this into a question.

Head over to Quora and type in your hot topic, now pick a question that your audience is looking for and that get’s some traction (how many upvotes does it have). This rocks because the influencers will want to be featured because it's a popular topic and your audience are happy because it's a popular question.

Create A List Of Influencers That Are Desperate To Share Your Expert Roundup Post

Now you have that killer question it is time to create a spreadsheet to input all your influencer buddies into.

The spreadsheet should have a column for their name, blog name, their URL, email and social media accounts. I also add a column for me to write accepted or leave blank. It pays to be organized!

I always start by entering the details for people I know first because you have a track record with them they will be more likely to get involved. Just make sure that they are relevant to the topic. Nobody wants to know what Sports player thinks about SEO, really.

Big celebrity bloggers, these are the ones that every marketer knows, like Darren Rowse, Neil Patel, Amy Porterfield, Pat Flynn etc…

They will be the hardest people to get a hold of because of the sheer amount of email they get daily. Some even have a VA which makes it even harder to get to their inboxes. The best way to get straight to these people is to find someone who knows them and ask them for a connection.

If they fit the bill for your roundup then you should start trying to get on their radar about 6 months out.

Big Audience Bloggers are the bloggers who could still transform your blog because of their big audience. They may still not be at Neil Patel level but they have some decent influence.

You now have a better chance of getting your email read but if you have not taken the time to get on their radar they won't reply. If you form a relationship with these people most will help you with your expert roundup post.

Credibility Building Bloggers, these are the bloggers that know their stuff but are still building their audience. They have some influence and have connections with the big dogs! You will find these bloggers by looking at other roundups. If they have featured one of the big guys you should definitely consider them because that shows there is a connection there!

The little guys, we all gotta start somewhere. These dudes will promote your post like mad because they want to show that they have been featured amongst the big dogs.

Always consider these dudes – if they make it before you, well it's another connection!

So get started by filling out your spreadsheet with all the bloggers you want to feature in your post.

I would always aim for at least a hundred. Not all will get back but it should get you at least 20 if you crack the next bit…

Nail Your Outreach For An Awesome Roundup Post

Now that you have got a big list of bloggers to reach out to it is time to craft a killer outreach email to get their answer. Check out this article by Jason Quey where he shares his best strategy to get in touch with any kind of influencer.

Most newbies screw this bit up because they feel the need to make their email request all about them or they do not get on the radar well enough!

Hard fact, nobody is going to help you if your number one topic is yourself. If you met someone on the street for the first time and asked for $10, what would their response be?

If you do a good deed for someone, however, you are more than likely to get more in return. Work on forming a relationship!

Start by reaching out to the big dogs these bloggers will take a bit more time to get them on your side. The best way to get on their radar is to start commenting on their blogs, or reaching out to them on social media…

This is how I got in contact with Jaime Masters at the Eventual Millionaire. I followed up by sending her a personal email thanking her for all her hard work and started connecting from there!

The first tip for a successful outreach email is to put the name of the influencer in the subject. You would be surprised how many people use templates and don't address the influencers by their name at any point in their outreach.

Epic Fail!

This is just rude! When people see their name in the subject they will be more drawn to the email.

Your number on way to get an expert to contribute is to keep the question super easy…

What is your number one tip for new bloggers to start getting traffic?

This is good because it tells the expert who the audience is and the topic getting traffic. It is an easy to answer the question. One tip is plenty because won’t have to write an essay!

Bad Example…

What are the strategies you use to build a blog, list and make money?

This could be a book and you have not stated who the target audience for the post is!

Now the other reason I told you to get the big bloggers first is so that you can drop some social proof into the email. This will help your outreach efforts immensely.

I have got Darren Rowse, Neil Patel, and Yaro Starak's answers, can I add yours to my list?

When other bloggers see these names they will see that you are working hard to make it a success. This is perfect and will help your efforts to get others involved.

Go The Extra Mile And Let Your Experts Shine

You should be chuffed with your progress, now it is time to put it all together. No matter what keyword you are targeting this post is for the experts to showcase their skills and experience. You have to let them shine.

Create a killer headline that encourages people to click through to your post. I do three things to make sure my headline stands out.

Have the main keyword to tell Google and your readers what the post is about,
Share the benefit the reader can expect from reading the post,
Add some power words that make it impossible to say no. Sarah Peterson has done an awesome job compiling a list of power words on SumoMe.

Lastly, I will ask people what they think. You could ask the experts or create a survey in Facebook groups. Your goal is to make sure it kicks butts but you're not on your own unless you choose to be.

Now to create an intro that captures and hooks your readers in, if you can get them here surely you can keep them through the post. My intros tend to follow a structure but the main thing is to tell the reader what they can expect from your post…

Introduce the problem that the post will cover,
Tell them that your post is going to solve this very problem,
Introduce the experts and away we go…

List your experts with their Name, website, short bio and their answer. Now again we want to let them shine so do not be afraid to head over to their website and grab screenshot examples, you can even create your own examples so you have unique pictures.

You could have a link to their most popular post (you can find this using Buzzsumo). Go the extra mile and your experts will see that you care and that it's not just about you!

Lastly end the post by thanking all your experts for their time. Give a quick summary and ask your readers the question.

This will keep the communication going in the comments, more engagement for your blog!

Don't Be Lazy: Promote Your Post Too

I see a lot of people using these posts to get some exposure for themselves but they leave it all up to the experts. Yes you will get a lot of free promotion, but you have also got a lot of free content, you should thank the experts by getting them maximum exposure.

The first thing that is so simple to implement is Click to Tweet buttons. These make it easy for your readers to share the content. You can download this free plugin for WordPress which makes the job a breeze.

If you want though you can head to ClickToTweet.com and set up a basic link, this gives you a link to add to your roundup where it makes sense.

The next thing to do is to create some social media graphics using Canva or any tool of your choice. Showcase one or two experts in these images. Now schedule tweets, Facebook posts, Google+ posts and even Pinterest Pins with these pictures and tag your experts in them.

The next thing I do is schedule an email out to my list, doing the social media stuff first helps to create some shares and sometimes even comments. This is social proof for your own subscribers to see when they get there.

Now there should be a bit of traction, so I will reach out to the experts and let them know it's live. Make it easy for them to share by including a click to tweet link in the email. You still don't need to ask them for anything.

Let them decide, most will share anyway because they are featured in the post.

Now before I go I want you to go to your favorite industry publication and find the editor and the most common contributors. Start connecting with these people and make sure the link to your site is easy to find.

If you are using Wisestamp the journalists will see your link in your signature if you email them. If on Twitter they will see your link on your profile. Just be helpful don't ask them for anything, just mingle. If you play your cards right you could get some major exposure from them!

It's Over To You

This kind of post can be the most powerful, if you’re not lazy and deliver value to your experts as well as your readers. If you are struggling to get traction or you have a new blog then this type of post is perfect for you.

It might seem like a lot of work but really if you’re not spending time, how can you expect results. Noah Kagen said this in a webinar of his I attended…

This is so true and I think it is something you should keep in mind, not just for roundups but for any post you create!

Have you created an expert roundup post? What were your results like? Let me know in the comments!

Joe Elliott is the founder of One Man Wiki, his blog that shares tips to help you kickstart your blog. If you are a new or struggling blogger his tips will show you how to get traction in no time at all. Take his exclusive free course that will show you how to leverage the power of influencers so you can skyrocket your traffic and subscribers.

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ProBlogger: How to Earn Extra Money Freelancing While Starting a Blog

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ProBlogger: How to Earn Extra Money Freelancing While Starting a Blog

How to Earn Extra Money Freelancing While Starting a Blog

Posted: 28 Mar 2017 06:00 AM PDT

This is a guest contribution from Kevin Balcker.

You should already know that earning money with a blog does not happen overnight. It takes time, consistent publishing of great content, and unique smart ideas to make a blog take off. Depending on the niche you want to get in, ranking in search engines might be tough, and often requires strong SEO skills.

But what happens if you need money for your daily expenses? Or what if you need money to pay the hosting fees and tools required to run a blog? This is where most people turn to freelancing to help pay the bills.

Freelancing is an excellent way of earning some bucks while you build a blog at the same time. With the money earned, you can then speed up the process of content creation, link building, hiring a pro designer, or whatever you think would be a wise investment of your hard-earned dollars.

I was one of those people who turned to freelancing while I built my blog, and this is how I earned my first $600o

I started my first blog back in 2015. I had no money and no knowledge of how to start a blog, but I had two very important things: Patience and determination. I knew, just from the beginning, that starting a blog was going to be a long journey and that I needed some money to pay tools and hosting fees, so I decided to offer services on Fiverr.com and Upwork (formerly Odesk).

I started as a writer. At that time I had a lot of work, writing for other blogs and for mine but it was very helpful because I learned how to write for search engines (on-page SEO) and a ton about keyword research.

In the first two months, I earned +$600, and that was the jump start of my business. I invested literally ALL the money I earned into my website. I paid premium keyword tools, WordPress plugins, themes, hired writers, etc. That investment produced higher rankings for my website, UX increased significantly, and most important, revenue also increased allowing me to earn money in "almost-passive mode".

So, you get the point – even if you don't have two cents to rub together, you can figure out how to earn extra money and then invest it in your own business. That's my suggestion if you are starting with a low budget.

There are many other ways to get quick cash, but I found freelancing the easiest one and the most legit.

5 Important tips for Starting with Freelancing

It might be a great way to earn extra on the side to fund your blogging passion – but it doesn’t come without a little work on your part.

1. Self-discipline

The most important factor in my opinion. Becoming a freelancer means you are going to need a tremendous amount of self-discipline because you're going to be logging your own hours.

If you're someone who doesn't have a lot of self-discipline, does not pay attention to details and can't keep a consistent schedule, it's going to be really hard on you and going to be even harder for your clients.

This is where I tell you to reconsider your position, especially if you don't meet those qualifications. Someone who is easily distracted could make freelancing a very challenging career. Even if freelancing is something that you will do just for a few months, you need to take it seriously. Remember that your name is your personal brand, and people will remember you in the future.

2. Investment on tools of the trade

Freelancing also requires a significant investment on your part regarding resources. Being able to buy the tools of the trade, being able to replace them at the drop of the hat, all of these things are super important, so you have to be in a position to where financially this makes sense.

Having the best tools will give you a competitive advantage upon other freelancers.

But consider this: just buying these tools, will not be sufficient. You will have to learn how to use them and if you develop a personal strategy with them, there will be a high probability that your success will come true.

Some tools I recommend:

For writers: Grammarly, Buzzsumo, CopyScape
For SEO consultants: Buzzstream, SEMRush, AHrefs, SEOcockpit, Long Tail Pro.
Video Creation: Screencast, screencast-o-matic
Other: Google Analytics, Google Adwords,

Here at ProBlogger there are some useful guides that will help you out to learn about SEO and writing:

3. Personality

If you're someone who is very introverted, it's not that you can't do it, but the challenge for you will be new client acquisition.

If you're introverted but you are a master of SEO or social media, then this could be less difficult for you regarding client acquisition. Or if you are willing to outsource or partner with someone who is very sales and marketing oriented, that could be a great proposition for you. You will have to leave money on the table, but having 70% of somethings is better than 100% of nothing.

If this person can get you deals and close at a higher rate than you could, it is probably for the best. If not, you might have to reconsider doing this full-time because the reality is that the marketplace is very saturated and very noisy. It is going to be tough for someone who can't come outside himself to be competitive there.

4. Work quality. Are you delivering any extra?

Quality work matters, but it's not going to speak for itself, it's not going to sell itself, and if you can't get in front of it, you need someone who can. Otherwise, you are going to lose to your loudest competitor. Remember this: Showing up matters.

People are not hunting you down for this work so you can't be naïve and you can't be romantic about it.

As I said, there are lots of freelancers out there providing excellent services. For example, I have hired my own writers and designers from Upwork and Fiverr with outstanding results.

Just take a look at what other freelancers are selling, and see if you can add any extra to that service.

Always be honest with your clients, set expectations and deliver what you offer. It's very hard to gain the trust of your clients and very easy to lose it all of a sudden.

5. Salespersonship

Salespersonship matters, oh my god it really does. Your talent is not the variable of your success there, it's that actually salespersonship matters because the marketplace decides and showing up is how you get things done.

It doesn't matter if you are the nicest person in the room. If you don't go out to the dance floor and ask a girl to dance, being the nicest guy in the room isn't going to do a lot for you.

Getting money really matters as a freelancer and so instead of waxing poetic about how good you are, it's about how good you are at selling.

If It doesn't make you any money, it doesn't make sense.

I will encourage you to figure out if you are the best person to sell your brand and to get new clients (you can start with browsing the ProBlogger Jobs board), whether you need a partner with somebody, or whether you need to use an agency of some kind.

There are ones like Aquent and Vitamin Talent, that help freelancers find clients or even find full-paid positions if they want that, or even remote telecommuting project based jobs. All these things are an avenue to overcome that particular obstacle or weakness. Then, you can get better at selling if it's in your personality, but if it's not, I would say just outsource that weakness.

If freelancing is right for you, it can be very lucrative. It can be very practical, and it could be the beginning of financial freedom.

If you have a question about freelancing or working with difficult clients, leave that in the comment section. I would love to hear your doubts and help you out.

Kevin Balcker is a digital marketer, entrepreneur and owner of Residual Income Secrets. He writes about starting, growing and managing a blog, SEO, social media and ways of generating passive income. You can follow him on Facebook, Twitter or Google +

The post How to Earn Extra Money Freelancing While Starting a Blog appeared first on ProBlogger.

“Grab Your Earlybird Tickets to ProBlogger Evolve Conference and Mastermind Today” plus 1 more

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“Grab Your Earlybird Tickets to ProBlogger Evolve Conference and Mastermind Today” plus 1 more

Grab Your Earlybird Tickets to ProBlogger Evolve Conference and Mastermind Today

Posted: 27 Mar 2017 06:09 PM PDT

Today tickets go on sale for ProBlogger Evolve – two events in Australia for bloggers.

Yes you read that correctly – after 7 previous years of one event per year – we're trying something new by running two events in two cities over two weekends.

We're calling it ProBlogger Evolve because we think the way blogs are monetised really does need to evolve. The time we spend together will really focus in on some of the emerging models people are using to monetise blogs.

Here's what you need to know about ProBlogger Evolve

Firstly where and when:

Brisbane – at Brisbane Rydges Southbank Hotel on 29-30 July
Melbourne – at Melbourne Rydges CBD Hotel on 5-6 August

Secondly – our new format of conference and masterminds

This year we're trying a new format.

Day 1 Conference – in both cities the first day will be a single day conference to examine monetisation strategies through the lens of 4 key pillars of blogging – those of Content, Engagement, Traffic and Conversion. These days will be everyone in a single track for a full day.

Day 2 Mastermind – the second day is mastermind day and will be more intimate (we're limiting it to 32 attendees) and a chance to dive deep into the business model(s) best suited to you and to spend time brainstorming, planning, asking questions about your blog and business.

Day 1 will be pitched at a level that is accessible for everyone but day 2 will be at a higher level for those who want to not only learn some of the great topics we’ll cover on day 1 but who want to talk through how to apply it to their business.

So there will be two ticket types:

Conference only ticket (just day 1)
Conference + Mastermind (both days)

Update: the Melbourne Conference + Mastermind ticket is now sold out and the Brisbane Mastermind ticket has only a few spots left. We will set up a waitlist in case more tickets become available for these masterminds but suggest you pick up the Day 1 ticket in the mean time.

Thirdly – let’s talk about our exciting international keynote presenter…

Last week in San Diego I did a little Facebook live to announce to our Facebook community who is keynoting the event this year.

So this year Pat Flynn is returning to our event for the second time. Pat came out in 2014 an has been one of our most highly rated speakers ever.

Pat will be our closing keynote at the Day 1 Conference in both cities (as well as involved on that day with Q&A) but will be heavily involved in the mastermind days too – so those taking that opportunity will all have an opportunity to sit around a table with him in a small group to ask questions, brainstorm on your blog together and learn from his years of experience.

Earlybird Tickets Available Now for a Limited Time

We're still putting the rest of our lineup for this year's events together but wanted to let you know what we're planning and also today are making Earlybird Tickets available.

These earlybird tickets give you $100 off both ticket types. This will be available for two days only (10pm AEDT on 30 March).

The Earlybird Ticket Prices are:

Conference only ticket – $299 (AUD)
Conference + Mastermind – $1199 (AUD)

There are limited numbers of tickets available in both cities and extremely limited numbers of tickets (and a high interest from what we can tell) in the mastermind tickets – so to avoid disappointment we suggest securing your tickets as soon as possible.

Get full details of what's included in tickets and what we're planning in terms of the agenda on our events page which is where you can also now pick up your tickets.

PS: For those of you in the US – we have an event for you too!

If you're in the USA an want to get to a ProBlogger event you're in luck.

This year I'm cohosting an event called the Success Incubator in Dallas Texas on 24-25 October and you can also pick up an Earlybird ticket to that event until 31 March.

The post Grab Your Earlybird Tickets to ProBlogger Evolve Conference and Mastermind Today appeared first on ProBlogger.

How SEO Can Help Your Blog Rank Well

Posted: 27 Mar 2017 06:00 AM PDT

In the final part of our three-part series on the What, Why and How of SEO and how it can be used to improve your blog's rankings, we'll be exploring how SEO can help your blog rank well.

Ranking well in the major search engines means added visibility for your blog. Visibility should eventually turn into conversions, so you are making money by learning SEO. The rules change often. The major search engines, led by Google, generate somewhere in the neighbourhood of 90% of all web traffic on the Internet. New viewers are much more likely to find your blog through Google than through any other medium, including friendly word of mouth. Obviously, ranking well is of vital importance!

Learning the nuances of how SEO helps the search engines rank pages can be incredibly helpful for SEO noobs. Once you learn the basic rules of why other blogs are winning, you can modify your strategies to win as well! Here are the ways that SEO can help your blog rank well.

Natural Organisation / The Macro theme

The major search engines are always looking to provide the most relevant results to its audience. To this end, Google created an unofficial 'trust' system, that takes into account a site's trust, authority and expertise. The purpose is to give greater visibility and rankings to sites that are widely acknowledged as leaders or authorities in their chosen fields. While it has to be said that no one can say with certainty the metrics used to determine 'authority' it is thought to be based on aspects such as your social presence and quality of links that your site receives. It is Google's way of recommending a site, or piece of content, that it determines would best answer a search query.

Part of SEO is learning how to organise your blog around relevant keywords so that the search engines associate your entire blog with an overall theme. Blogs that skip around from dog food to beach living to auto parts will find it difficult to rank for any of those subjects.

In Australia we have a saying: "jack of all trades, master of none." The same applies to your blog. The blog that picks one subject and talks about every nuance of it will gain more visibility by becoming an authority on the subject. Creating a theme (the macro theme) is your first discipline when learning SEO.

Relevant Keywords in Individual Blogs

Within a macro theme, the search engines are looking to drill down even more. In order to provide even better results for their audiences, the search engines will place special relevance on blogs that answer a specific query. What are people asking about? Local topics and specific questions. As you write your blogs, you should look to answer specific questions in each of your pieces. This is what people are looking for, and if the search engines match your topic to a popular question, you will gain a great deal of visibility and may even achieve a Featured Answer position.

You signal the topic of your blogs to the search engines through keywords. Keywords are words that are the focus of your blog. For instance, if you are blogging about cat food, you are likely to use the terms “chicken” or “flavouring” more than “ignition” or “light fixture.”

Google has been around long enough to have accumulated masses of data regarding search terms and the predictive nature of searchers. Their algorithms can accurately predict relevant keywords associated with previous searches, making it easier for searchers to find relevant content that answers their query. It is imperative that you include accurate keywords relevant to your content, as the search engines will be looking for those keywords and phrases when determining the relevancy of your blog. Matching your keywords to the search engine's assumptions of what your blog should contain is great SEO technique and boosts the visibility of your blog post.

Bringing Relevant Traffic to Your Blog

While the search engines are checking for keywords and other technical aspects of your writing, you should also check what real human traffic is doing. Search engines have the ability to track how long a visitor stays on your page with a metric known as the bounce rate. A high bounce rate means a visitor has left the page quickly, while a low bounce rate means the opposite. While the question of whether the bounce rate affects your rankings has long been dispelled (it doesn't!), you can still use it to your advantage.

Bounce rate is not an accurate metric in the first instance, as many sites don't utilise Google Analytics, leaving Google unable to track bounce rate information across the board. In other instances, a high bounce rate may be good for one page and bad for another. For example, if a contact page has a high bounce rate, then it may simply be that it is fulfilling its purpose; visitors complete the contact form before leaving.

What you can use bounce rate for is to monitor the quality of your site. Bounce rate can be an indicator of quality, but not as a weighting factor. A high bounce rate doesn't equate to low rankings, but you can monitor pages on your site for a high bounce rate. That high rate may be due to low quality pages that you can improve to lower the bounce rate and improve your overall ranking.

Search engine optimisation is a complex discipline that people have written entire books about. There are entire blogs dedicated to the subject and the nuances of the process are only becoming more complicated as time goes on. However, the basics of SEO will never change.

Your main job is this: Create content that people want to see, and market it to them honestly! Do this, and SEO will work in your favour to make your blog rank well!

Jim Stewart, CEO of StewArt Media, is a recognised digital marketing expert. Jim is ProBlogger's SEO expert and will share his vast SEO knowledge to equip you with the systems and skills to optimise and monetise your blog using tried and tested techniques. What Jim doesn't know about SEO and blogging isn't worth knowing.

The post How SEO Can Help Your Blog Rank Well appeared first on ProBlogger.

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