ProBlogger: The ProBlogger Podcast Is Live and We’re Kicking Off with a Challenge!

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The ProBlogger Podcast Is Live and We’re Kicking Off with a Challenge! Posted: 29 Jun 2015 04:13 AM PDT Today I have great pleasure in introducing you to the brand new ProBlogger Podcast and the next incarnation of 31 Days to Build a Better Blog. Over the last couple of years I’ve lost count of the number of people who have said ‘Darren you really should start a podcast’. I’d always nodded my head but quietly list in my mind a long list of excuses not to including ‘I don’t know how…’ to ‘I’m so busy…’ to ‘what if nobody listens…’ But earlier this year something changed when people suggested I start a podcast. I’m not going to tell you exactly why I changed because I tell you that in the first episode (that went live on iTunes over the weekend) – but it was like a switch got flicked somewhere in my mind and I found myself starting to dream about starting one of my own (and as I did my list of excuses began to dissolve). I decided while on a month long break in the US in April to create a ProBlogger podcast and in my presentation at Chris Ducker’s conference in May I announced I was going to create it and after one of the attendees (I’m looking at you Lane) pressured me to put a date on when I’d do it I impulsively said it would be launched within 2 months! Little did I know how much of a job I had in front of me because rather than start off with a steady weekly show I decided that my first month of podcasting would be a daily show based upon the 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Workbook! Episode 0 is Live Today Episode 0 of the podcast went live on iTunes and day 1 of the 31 Days to Build a Better blog series will kick off on Wednesday (1 July)! You can find show notes and listen to the podcast on our podcast site here. In the first episode: I share why I decided to start podcasting I talk about 2 traits of successful blogs that inform how the podcast will work I share my plan for the first action oriented 31 days of short sharp podcasts based around 31DBBB 31 Days to Build a Better Blog Having run this month long challenge numerous times before I know the potential it has to help bloggers bring about transformation on their blogs. Tens of thousands of bloggers have taken the challenge (and many have completed it numerous times) so I’m excited to be doing it again and would love to have you along on the journey. Don’t feel you need to do it daily (it’s designed to do at your own pace) but please do subscribe to the podcast here on iTunes. Please Help Us with a Quick Review and Rating on iTunes Once you’ve listened to the first podcast (it’s only 16 minutes) please take a moment to give us a rating (hint… 5 starts is good) and a review – it helps us get the word out about the challenge and the more on it the better for everyone! A Note about the 31DBBB WorkBook This podcast series is based upon the 31 Days to Build a Better blog workbook and follows the same 31 days in it – however you do not need a copy to follow along. While there’s definitely more material in the eBook (in fact there’s a bonus 7 days includes in that) you will give value from the podcast without it. However if you do want to have your own copy of the 31 days of material (plus the 7 extras) to use on an ongoing basis please use the coupon code PODCAST50 during the checkout from the sales page to get 50% off the workbook for the next month. No pressure though – as I say you can get a lot of value out of the podcast alone if you choose to do so. Originally at: Blog Tips at ProBlogger The ProBlogger Podcast Is Live and We’re Kicking Off with a Challenge! The post The ProBlogger Podcast Is Live and We’re Kicking Off with a Challenge! appeared first on @ProBlogger.

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ProBlogger: 10 PBEVENT Speakers Tell How They Stay Motivated

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10 PBEVENT Speakers Tell How They Stay Motivated Posted: 25 Jun 2015 07:00 AM PDT All secrets are being revealed on ProBlogger this week! We’ve had the morning routines of superstar bloggers and online entrepreneurs, and also their number one life hack (especially for time management). Today, they share how they keep going when the going gets tough. HEATHER ARMSTRONG: Author, speaker, and blogger at Dooce One, I am the sole provider for my children. Keeping them housed, clothed, fed and happy is the highest priority in my life. Two, I love where I am in my life and cherish the experiences that have brought me here to do what I do. I stay motivated so that I can create even bigger and broader experiences.   Heather will be presenting the keynote session: The Courage of Compassion: Transforming Your Experience with Criticism MRS WOOG: Mouthy 40-something housewife from the burbs. Blogs at Woogsworld   Because I have the best job in the world and I want to keep it.   Mrs Woog will be on the panel for: How to monetise a personal blog with Heather Armstrong   BENJAMIN MANGOLD: Director of Digital and Analytics at Loves Data + Google-certified expert for Google Analytics Seeing people learn new things and exploring new ideas keeps me motivated. When you see things 'click' for someone it's extremely rewarding. I also love it when I hear how the work and training we do at Loves Data has helped someone – it's an incredible feeling to receive a card, an email, or a chocogram, from someone saying how much they appreciate what we do. Benjamin will be presenting the session: Metrics that Matter: Google Analytics for Actionable Insights KELLY EXETER: Owner of Swish Design, a boutique web and graphic design company. Habit. I’m very good at negotiating with myself and can talk myself out of doing anything so relying on motivation to overcome this just makes life too hard. Instead, I’ve created habits around the things that are important to me/just need to be done. For example: writing and exercise are super-important to me but it would be so easy to de-prioritise them in amongst everything else going on in my day. So being in the habit of getting up early and doing them as the first order of the day every single day … it means I never have to go looking for motivation. Kelly will be presenting the session: Blogging voice and the art of creating meaningful connections through writing RUTH SOUKUP: Founder of LivingWellSpendingLess.com Honestly, I don't have to try very hard to stay motivated—I LOVE what I do! I can't think of a job that I would enjoy more, or that would allow me to combine all the things I love. I get bored easily, but the blogging world is always changing. I enjoy strategizing & the process of trying to get ahead of the curve. My biggest problem is not getting motivated, but trying to find the time to implement all my ideas. This year my husband made me promise to take Sundays off, which I have, but I often find myself wandering around the house wishing I could work on my latest project! Ruth will be presenting the keynote session The 5 Ordinary Habits of Extraordinary Bloggers, and breakout session Pinterest Marketing 101: The Three Elements of the Perfect Pin NAT KRINGOUDIS: Women's health revolutionist and fertility fixer at natkringoudis.com.au If you are fully aligned to your vision, living and breathing it, it all falls into place without too much effort. It's so important to fully integrate yourself in your message and what you do. The rest then will simply follow and flow. With this in mind, I don't need to stay motivated, I'm generally always motivated. Nat will be presenting the session: How to create your gangbuster e-product   BRANDON COWAN: 21-year-old co-founder and Director of Crazy Dog Apps Simple (sort of)… I live my life using a bit of Steve Jobs' philosophy – if I find that I am not enjoying something in life and know that I can do something better, I will make the switch or adjust my life accordingly. By always doing what I want, I will always be motivated to do what I do. Brandon will be presenting the session: Creating Business Ideas     PAMELA WILSON: Big Brand System and Copyblogger Media I really, really love what I do. My full-time job is Vice President of Educational Content at Copyblogger. I am running the day-to-day operations of the Copyblogger blog, which is an honor and a wonderful challenge, too. Along with Editor-in-Chief Stefanie Flaxman and Chief Content Writer Demian Farnworth, we set the tone and editorial direction of the Copyblogger blog, and plan how we'll complement the written information with editorial images that help tell the story of each post. In addition to that, I'm overseeing the educational content offered at Copyblogger Media, and there's a lot of it! I'm a teacher at heart, so both of these jobs make me feel like I'm contributing to help people make progress in their businesses and their lives. That's all the motivation I need. :-) Pamela will be presenting the session: Design 101: How to Use Design Basics to Polish Up Your Blog, and How to Create a Content Event That Builds Your Email List DAN NORRIS: serial entrepreneur, award winning blogger and the author of the best selling business book The 7 Day Startup I work on what I love and what inspires me at the time so who wouldn’t be motivated to do that? I do lose focus a little bit sometimes so I have a few things that pull me back into line like chatting with other entrepreneurs, listening to podcasts and speaking at and attending conferences.   Dan will be presenting the session: How to use your blog to supercharge your small business CAROLINE MAKEPEACE: Co-founder of y travel blog I think about my old life waking up every morning to an alarm to go to a job I hated and my first words uttered were “Oh F***!”. That memory makes a 15 hour day working on my blog easy to do. I also have a very engaged email communication relationship (which I’ll share more about in my session). Each week, I read stories about my reader’s lives, fears, hopes and dreams and I’m so so inspired to continue working to help them. I seriously would have quit if it were not for those emails. Caroline will be presenting the session: From Blog to Business – the steps you need to take from to create a profitable business online THE EVENT There are a handful of tickets left, so be quick to ensure you don’t miss out! You can go here to purchase. PBEVENT is Australia's biggest and longest-running blogging conference. Our first 400 tickets sold in around 20 minutes this year, firmly establishing it the ‘go-to’ event on the blogging community's calendar for training and networking. In 2015, ProBlogger Training Event is presented by Olympus and will be relocating to the spacious RACV Royal Pines Resort on the Gold Coast, ready for over 650 bloggers on August 14 and 15. Originally at: Blog Tips at ProBlogger 10 PBEVENT Speakers Tell How They Stay Motivated The post 10 PBEVENT Speakers Tell How They Stay Motivated appeared first on @ProBlogger.

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Shoemoney - Skills To Pay The Bills

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Should You Sell Products, Use Ads, Or Be An Affiliate? Posted: 25 Jun 2015 12:06 PM PDT There are a lot of different ways to make money online, and it can be hard to know what methods to choose for your specific blog or website. Some say products. Others say ads. Still others insist on affiliate marketing. Is there a right and a wrong, or do all of these models work? More importantly, what’s right for you? At the end of the day, you can go about this in a number of different ways, so here are four different approaches that can help you choose your specific focus. The Viability Approach If you’re a numbers kind of guy or gal, then you might want to consider what monetization models have worked best for others. There’s an older article on Blog Marketing Academy called Top 10 Blog Monetization Strategies, Ranked In Order. From it, we can see which of the three strategies have proven to be the most reliable for other bloggers out there. In order, they are: Products Affiliate programs Advertising This may seem like a fairly sensible and even scientific approach to determining your monetization strategy, but we do have to keep in mind that what works for others may not always work for you. If you sell your own products, you get to keep most of the money. With affiliate programs, you only get a percentage. With advertising, it largely depends on the model, but you usually make significantly less per click and/or impression. If you’re selling ad space to sponsors, that can change things up a bit. But it shouldn’t come as a surprise that products are ranked high, since the $97 product deal is so pervasive across the web. Just remember that, unless you find a deal that converts, it doesn’t really matter how many products you have out there; you won’t make any money. The Case-By-Case Approach Let’s say that you do something really well, and you have a lot of people asking you how you they can get the same results. All they really want to do is download information from your brain into theirs. In that case, there’s already a demand for a product. You just need to spend some time talking to these people to figure out what their challenges are, and listen to the language they’re using. By incorporating those elements into your product, you can ensure that it will reach more people later. Now let’s say that your website visitors really want to know what tools you’re using in your trade or online business. They’re interested in tapping the same resources you are. If that’s what you’re finding, then affiliate marketing could be your cash cow. You could write reviews for individual products and show people how to use them. You could create a resource page where people go to learn about the various tools and click through to buy them. If you like writing reviews, this can be a really lucrative way to go. Now imagine having a site that gets boatloads of traffic. The visitors aren’t always quality, but you consistently see a high number of people visiting your site. They don’t appear to be coming for anything besides your content. This is where advertising can be a good fit. Even if you have a high bounce rate, that’s not a bad thing if your site is primarily monetized with ads. Of course, even within ads, you have a lot of different options, whether it’s clicks, impressions, or sponsors. Regardless, a large amount of traffic helps. So that might be one way to figure out which way to go with your site. The Experts-Know-Best Approach We can look at a post like 26 Expert Bloggers Share Their Favorite Blog Monetization Strategies to figure out what the experts out there are saying, and then determine what they think the best monetization methods are. We have to be somewhat careful in doing that, because sometimes even what the experts say is just opinion, but for now we’ll give more weight to what they’re saying. If you look at the previously mentioned post, you’ll see that most experts are actually talking about one of the three methods we’ve been talking about here: products, ads, and affiliate programs. The good thing about this approach is this; if you resonate with a particular expert, and you find that you’re somewhat of a similar personality, then what works for them probably has a better chance of working for you. It isn’t so much that their thoughts are always right, but it’s more that if you could see yourself doing what they did to get to where they are, and follow their advice, you’ll have a real chance at reproducing their results. If you’re teachable, then you can make a lot of things happen that other people might not even try. The Combined Approach At the end of the day, there’s nothing saying you can’t explore all rabbit holes to find out which one holds the golden egg. Figuring out what works for you might be a matter of experimentation. The tough part is that this makes it hard to keep your website focused. You could end up with a lot of different call to actions in different spots. If you’re too unfocused, you’ll have a hard time converting your visitors with any one offer. Spreading out your income is not bad, and combining different monetization methods can be effective. It’s just that you’re going to have to give some thought to how you’re going to pull it off. It’ll take a bit of planning. One thought might be to launch three different sites simultaneously to test different niches and monetization models. This would be pretty work-intensive though, so don’t do it unless you have the resources, a team, or the resources to hire a team. Final Thoughts What we can see from successful bloggers and marketers out there is that any monetization model can work. It really depends on the situation. There might be those who are vehemently opposed to ads. Others might say affiliate marketing is a waste of time. That stuff doesn’t really matter, because others can’t tell you “it doesn’t work” when you’re holding a big paycheck right in front of their face. Don’t be too swayed by what others say, because you as a website owner always have the best information to act on.

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“Reading Roundup: What’s New in Blogging Lately” plus 1 more

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Reading Roundup: What’s New in Blogging Lately Posted: 24 Jun 2015 07:00 AM PDT I’ve seen so much good content lately on the subject of blogging – I always love a downloadable schedule that someone else has taken the time to create, and sneaking a peek into how others make money is such an eye-opener! I’ve curated a couple of links you might find helpful as we try to kick ass on the internet this week. 6 Social Media Templates to Save You Hours of Work // Hootsuite There’s everything from a template to help you create a social media strategy to guide you in your daily online activities, to audit checklists, content calendars, and image size cheat sheets for download to streamline your workflow. Facebook Rolling out Significant Upgrades to Ads Manager and Power Editor // Marketing Land They say big improvements are coming that will increase the congruity of ad creation and editing with data and metrics as well as the usability and searchability within an account. Get excited! 6 Ways to Grow Your Blog Audience // Social Media Examiner Practical tips on the subjects of blog promotion, consistent scheduling, offering subscription points, expanding your content, and finding content through readers. You can also listen to an audio recording of the article. How I Made $132,339 Last Month Blogging // StartupCamp Dale Partridge gives an income report for April, broken down into each revenue stream, and colour-coded to signify whether it was higher or lower than last year. He also includes some links you might find helpful to grow your readership like he has. Why Link Building is NOT the Future of SEO // Quicksprout Neil Patel lays down the law for SEO enthusiasts. Been focusing on link building? You might want to think again!   Have you read something awesome lately? I’d love to see a link and have a chat in the comments. Stacey is the Managing Editor of ProBlogger.net: a writer, blogger, and full-time word nerd balancing it all with being a stay-at-home mum. She writes about all this and more at Veggie Mama. Chat with her on Twitter @veggie_mama or be entertained on Facebook. Originally at: Blog Tips at ProBlogger Reading Roundup: What’s New in Blogging Lately The post Reading Roundup: What’s New in Blogging Lately appeared first on @ProBlogger.

10 PBEVENT Speakers Reveal their #1 Life Hack Posted: 23 Jun 2015 07:00 AM PDT Following on from the earlier post about what our speakers get up to in the mornings, we also asked them to give us their number-one time management or life hack – how DO they get everything done?! HEATHER ARMSTRONG: Author, speaker, and blogger at Dooce Delegating. I used to have the hardest time asking for help, but now it’s a basic part of survival. One example: I have a babysitter for two hours in the afternoon so that I can get in a full work day, and if I’m running behind on anything in the house she lends a helping hand.   Heather will be presenting the keynote session: The Courage of Compassion: Transforming Your Experience with Criticism MRS WOOG: Mouthy 40-something housewife from the burbs. Blogs at Woogsworld I reward myself for a good days work by lying on the couch from 2-3pm and yell at the political hi-jinks on Question Time. That, or catch up with my Kardashians.     Mrs Woog will be on the panel for: How to monetise a personal blog with Heather Armstrong BENJAMIN MANGOLD: Director of Digital and Analytics at Loves Data + Google-certified expert for Google Analytics Honestly, I'm not the greatest at time management, but simple and short to-do lists help keep me focused. I also keep my work email turned off on my phone (unless I'm traveling) to stay sane – there's always more emails to look at and more work to do, so this is one technique I use to help preserve some balance.   Benjamin will be presenting the session: Metrics that Matter: Google Analytics for Actionable Insights KELLY EXETER: Owner of Swish Design, a boutique web and graphic design company. The one minute rule. If there’s something to be done (wash a dish, send an email, file a letter) that will take less than one minute, I just do it. Otherwise the bloody thing will sit there for weeks and that’s ridiculous! Kelly will be presenting the session: Blogging voice and the art of creating meaningful connections through writing     Ruth Soukup: Founder of Living Well Spending Less I'm a big fan of the book, "Eat That Frog," by Brian Tracy. I read it years ago, and it completely changed the way I structured my day. I try to be very vigilant about doing the big things first—eating my frogs first thing in the morning. I save the easier, fun things, like meetings, phone calls, & editing photos for the afternoon, when I am not quite as motivated. Ruth will be presenting the keynote session The 5 Ordinary Habits of Extraordinary Bloggers, and breakout session Pinterest Marketing 101: The Three Elements of the Perfect Pin NAT KRINGOUDIS: Women's health revolutionist and fertility fixer at natkringoudis.com.au I'm an all or nothing kind of girl – so as far as time management goes, if I know I'm 'off' I don't even bother. For me it's so about quality over quantity, so tuning into this has been such a life saver for me. What it means is if I'm having an off day, I don't even bother, it's counterproductive. If I had to say there was one 'app' or thing that saves me time and time again – it's my google calendar. It means that everything is in the once place, the whole team (and family) has access and it makes life one heck of a lot easier! Nat will be presenting the session: How to create your gangbuster e-product BRANDON COWAN: 21-year-old co-founder and Director of Crazy Dog Apps You asked the wrong person because I am late for everything :) But seriously, I will usually do my best to avoid any type of meeting as they are usually boring, unproductive and the same information can be exchanged faster via a phone call. Of course meetings are sometimes necessary and it will depend on each persons individual situation… Brandon will be presenting the session: Creating Business Ideas PAMELA WILSON: Big Brand System and Copyblogger Media My favorite time management hack is to try not to tackle more than three projects in a day. That doesn't mean I only do three things every day! It means that in terms of projects that will take me more than 30 minutes of work, I try to keep three on my list, and no more. I've found that when I reduce my list to three main projects, I'm able to get them done. And I don't suffer from feeling guilty about "not doing enough with my day." Instead, I'll often finish them with time to spare. When that happens, I look ahead to other projects on my main to-do list, and pick something to get ahead on. That's a completely different feeling than the "look at all I didn't get to" routine I used to put myself through at the end of every day. Doing this has transformed the way I approach my time. Pamela will be presenting the session: Design 101: How to Use Design Basics to Polish Up Your Blog, and How to Create a Content Event That Builds Your Email List DAN NORRIS: serial entrepreneur, award winning blogger and the author of the best selling business book The 7 Day Startup The only time management hack I employ is I ensure that I automate or delegate most of my jobs. Definitely the ones I don’t like and aren’t good at but even the ones I do like and am good at, at least the critical business ones. That way I spend 100% of my time (or very close to it) doing only what inspires me on that day and time becomes much less of an issue than it is for most people. Dan will be presenting the session: How to use your blog to supercharge your small business CAROLINE MAKEPEACE: Co-founder of y travel blog Meditation. It helps bring clarity of thought and a grounded sense of calm. That helps you tap more into flow and when you’re in flow time doesn’t exist. I truly believe that mediation has been the most powerful life hack for me for productivity + so many other things. Caroline will be presenting the session: From Blog to Business – the steps you need to take from to create a profitable business online   THE EVENT There are a handful of tickets left, so be quick to ensure you don’t miss out! You can go here to purchase. PBEVENT is Australia's biggest and longest-running blogging conference. Our first 400 tickets sold in around 20 minutes this year, firmly establishing it the ‘go-to’ event on the blogging community's calendar for training and networking. In 2015, ProBlogger Training Event is presented by Olympus and will be relocating to the spacious RACV Royal Pines Resort on the Gold Coast, ready for over 650 bloggers on August 14 and 15. Originally at: Blog Tips at ProBlogger 10 PBEVENT Speakers Reveal their #1 Life Hack The post 10 PBEVENT Speakers Reveal their #1 Life Hack appeared first on @ProBlogger.

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