Consider WordPress security one of those “hahaha not really important at all” sorta topics…

…until your site gets hack and your content stolen.

So. frustrating.

WordPress security is no joke, and should be taken seriously by anybody with a site!

This is because hackers keep coming up with new means of compromising websites.  It does not matter how large or small your site is, or to which industry domain you belong. And thanks to its global popularity, WordPress websites are increasingly being targeted by hackers.

If website security is something you haven’t really prioritized so far, it’s time you took action. Website hacking can affect your business in many ways – by lowering your website’s SEO rankings, directing away your traffic, affecting sales and conversions and, lastly, leading to a loss of customer trust and hard-earned brand reputation. 

In this article, we have evaluated the best WordPress security measures and shortlisted ten of the most effective ones. :

1. WordPress security plugins
2. Website backups
3. WordPress updates
4. User credentials
5. Two-Factor Authentication
6. SSL certificate
7. Firewall protection
8. WordPress hardening
9. Least privilege principle
10. Country blocking

Let’s now discuss each one of them in detail.

Tip #1: Install a security plugin on your site

Duh.

Security plugins continuously scan your website for any malware and infections, identify any vulnerable areas on your website, and notify you of any failed login attempts. While there’s always the option of manual scanning of malware, you need to be technically proficient in WordPress to understand how and where hackers can hide their malicious code in your WP installation. Besides, doing this on a recurring and regular basis can mean a considerable investment of both effort and time. 

WordPress security plugins like MalCare and Sucuri monitor your site 24/7 for malware threats help you take action by cleaning malware, and offer a host of other security features specially designed for WordPress.  If you have a business that is entirely dependent on your online presence, installing the best WordPress security plugin is one of the most important decisions you can make for your site. 

Tip #2: Backup your WP files regularly

As an online business owner, you would want your website to be functional 24/7 and for 365 days a year. Hence in addition to a security tool, you also need regular website backups. 

How often should you take a backup? 

That depends on how often your website goes through any change or how many new customers do you add to your database every day. Backups are available daily, weekly, monthly, or even in real-time, where a backup is initiated each time, there is any change. 

Real-time backups are vital for eCommerce or WooCommerce sites. For WP sites, you can opt for paid WP backup plugins like

• VaultPress
• BlogVault
• UpdraftPlus. 

These backup plugins automate the entire backup process and store multiple copies of your backup at a safe and independent location. Compared to manual backups, these are far easier to restore through automated workflows on their dashboard. 

Tip #3: Update your site

Many of us install plugins and themes on our site that help improve its overall functionality. To ensure that these add-ons work at optimum performance, you should update all your themes and plugins. Apart from them, you should also update your WP version as soon as there is a new update. 

Why? Like any software tool, WP updates contain fixes for common bugs and security issues found in previous versions. Keeping your site updated protects it from security vulnerabilities that hackers exploit. 

How do you update all your WP components? You can sign in to your dashboard as an admin and install new WordPress updates when available. For plugins/themes, you can view all your installed plugins/themes using the panel and individually update each one of them. 

Or, you could use the WordPress management features offered by WordPress security plugins such as MalCare.  

Tip #4: Strengthen your login credentials

While this tip seems very obvious, many users tend to take this security aspect lightly and use usernames such as “admin123” and “admin” with passwords like “123456” or “password.” 

If you happen to be one of those users, here’s what you should know – you are providing an easy entrance to hackers on your site as such credentials are relatively easy to decode. Hackers deploy bots to guess your usernames using various brute force tactics. 

Always use a unique username, but more importantly, configure a strong password that is at least ten characters long and is alphanumeric in nature.  Even if you set a strong password, follow a practice of changing your password regularly.

Tip #5: Implement 2-factor authentication

Even though strong passwords are effective, they cannot be the only defense against malicious login attempts.  Hence, you need to implement two-factor authentication (or 2FA) for your WordPress login page. With 2FA enabled, when you try to log in, the system sends an additional authentication code on your mobile device to validate the owner. 

To implement this, you can install 2FA plugins such as Two Factor Authentication or check if your security plugin offers this as a feature. 

Tip #6: Obtain an SSL certificate for your website

Take a look at any website URL and check if it displays the “padlock” icon or is marked as “Secure.” If yes, then it is an SSL-certified website. As a practice, SSL (or Secure Socket Layer) certificate is recommended for every site. This is because SSL-certified websites encrypt the transfer of information to and from the user’s browser to the website server.  With encrypted data transfer, hackers find it difficult to steal and then decrypt the information.

While an SSL certificate is mandatory for websites that execute online payments and financial transactions, it can also improve the SEO ranking of your website. Google strongly recommends SSL certification for every site.

To get an SSL certificate for your website, you can either approach your web hosting company or install an SSL plugin like WP Force SSL or One Click SSL.

Tip #7: Set up website firewall protection

Firewalls are the first line of defense against any hacker trying to enter your site. Think of a firewall as a security guard who allows or prevents visitors from entering your premises. Technically, a WP firewall monitors every request that is made to your website and then identifies the “good” or the “bad” ones.

There are primarily two types of firewalls: DNS Level firewalls that route your website traffic through a cloud firewall server or the Application Level firewalls (or plugins) that monitor the traffic only after it has entered your web server. While implementing one for your website, we suggest application-level firewalls as they are popular, easier to configure, and are part of most security plugin tools such as MalCare, Sucuri, and Wordfence.

Tip #8: Implement website Hardening

Based on the techniques that hackers typically use to damage your back-end files, WP has 12 different hardening measures recommended for any website. Here is the list:

1. Limiting the number of login attempts – to just 3
2. Implementing 2-Factor authentication
3. Blocking PHP execution in vulnerable folders of your WordPress installation
4. Disabling the file editor
5. Disabling any plugin installation
6. Maintaining an audit log – to monitor what’s happening on your site
7. Logging out inactive users automatically
8. Changing your security keys regularly
9. Using strong passwords 
10. Configuring alerts for any suspicious logins
11. Setting up a WordPress firewall
12. Installing an SSL certificate

Manually implementing each of these hardening measures requires technical knowledge and can be time-consuming. Thankfully, security plugins like MalCare have in-built hardening measures – that can be easily implemented through a central dashboard. 

Tip #9: Restrict the number of ‘Admin’ users

Did you know? WordPress allows six different user roles to be created; however, hackers are more interested in hacking into user accounts with administrator or admin roles. 

The reason is that admin users have the highest level of authority and rights that allow hackers to have more control over your website.

For this reason, try to restrict the number of users with admin rights for your website, or only assign admin rights to trusted users. For the rest, you can assign user roles such as – editor, author, or subscriber with lower privileges or authority.

To configure user roles, you can use any WordPress management tools like WPManage or WP Remote.

Tip #10: Implement country blocking

Did you know that WordPress allows you to block users from an entire country or region? While blocking multiple countries is not good for website traffic growth, country blocking (or geo-blocking) is useful if most of your cyberattacks are originating from a single country. Some of the leading countries where hackers operate include Romania, Brazil, Russia, and Turkey.  

Country blocking ensures that all users, including hackers, from these countries, cannot access your website. You can quickly implement this security trick by installing a plugin like iQ Block Country or IP2Location or use your security plugin’s firewall to do so.

WordPress Security in a Nutshell:

With the global increase in cybercrimes and malware attacks, website security is among the top priorities for any online business owner.

While website security is ever-evolving, sticking to the fundamentals and getting them right is the best place to start. The ten security tips discussed in this article are highly recommended by security experts, easy to follow, and very importantly, can be implemented by even novice users using easily available and specially designed tools. 

If you still have any queries or suggestions, please let us know in the comments section below. 

The post 10 WordPress Security Tricks You Can’t Ignore appeared first on Do You Even Blog.

“Oh look. Another b l o g.”

That’s probably what the average person is thinking when they land on YOUR website.

The internet is a crazy place now-a-days–and it’s NEVER been more vital to stand out, capture people’s attention quickly, and be memorable.

If you can’t grab your ideal audience’s attention in a positive way–no amount of SEO traffic or Pinterest traffic or snail-mail traffic is going to help you.

Sooo let’s work on that!

Rachael Kay Albers is…

• A hilarious stand-up comic
• An INSANELY talented content creator, designer, and branding person
• A GIF master

(Find her at RKA Ink, Awkward Marketing YouTube channel)

She’s here to help us be funnier (yes, it’s possible to learn comedy and practice comedy), and get more engagement from our audience.

We might even use the word ‘branding’ a time or two.

*gasps in digital marking

Huge takeaway: Talent vs Skill

“I could never be as funny as Rachael!”

“I could never perform on a podcast microphone like Pete!”

“That person is just a natural at…”

Yes, some people are naturally better at things than you are.

• Selling
• Writing jokes
• Podcasting
• YouTube-ing

However, we as creators are CONSTANTLY mixing up skills and talents.

Here’s how Seth Godin defines those:

Here’s the point:

You are capable of much more–if you practice.

• Speaking on a podcast is a muscle you train.
• Writing awesome headlines is a muscle you train.
• Pumping out 3 YouTube videos a week is a muscle you train.

These are skills, and they can be learned, and you can practice them.

Now go build brands that make people laugh (and then fork over their money for your products )

The post How to Stand Out & Be Unforgettable: Business Comedian Rachael Kay Albers appeared first on Do You Even Blog.

Outreach emails be like…

Ew ew ew.

Building a business that GROWS and makes money absolutely requires building relationships with influencers…but there’s an effective way to do that, and then there’s, well…the other ways.

Danielle Desir is a MASTER at this!

(I mean, she pitched me and it apparently worked, right?? Here she is crushing it on my podcast).

If you’re looking to…

• Get more backlinks
• Do collabs
• Interview famous folks
• Get podcast guest spots

This episode is for you, mah friend

More Resources:

If you’re looking for even more on getting podcast guest spots, check out “How to Be a Guest On Podcasts” here as well.

Annnd 2 more resources for new podcasters:

• Grab my free Podcast Launch Checklist
• Here’s my new podcaster training (also free)

Other than that, make sure to go check out Danielle’s Women of Color Podcaster’s group!

Here’s Danielle’s original pitch email to me:

The post How to Send Outreach Emails People APPRECIATE Getting – Danielle Desir appeared first on Do You Even Blog.

Ah yes, blog traffic from Pinterest….

My muse….

I KNOW I should probably be focusing on Pinterest way more…

But omg it’s hard, y’all (at least for me).

That’s why I loooove talking to folks who actually know what they’re doing (and then some!) when it comes to Pinterest traffic.

Today’s guest is a STELLAR side-hustler and Pinterest trafficker Daniella Flores from I Like to Dabble!

We’re chatting…

• Pinterest changes in late 2020 and beyond
• Pinterest stories (that’s even a thing???)
• SMALL PRODUCTS FOR MONETIZATION.

That last bullet is worth noting…

We chat a lot about monetization at the end of the episode

First, is Pinterest dead as a traffic source?

FIRST OFF, please drop me a comment below–I want to hear if you legit think “Pinterest is dead.”

I personally don’t, but I understand that it’s becoming harder and harder for a lot of people.

So lemme know in the comments.

More Pinterest Resources:

First, go follow Daniella! She knows what she’s doing and is worth paying attention to…

Second, go check out these other posts/interviews on my own site:

• Kate Ahl: How to market your blog on Pinterest (or watch it below)
• Carly Campbell’s manual pinning strategy!

Woot!

Now drop me a comment below with your thoughts on the current state of Pinterest traffic

The post What’s working NOW for Pinterest Traffic – Daniella from I Like to Dabble appeared first on Do You Even Blog.

The man. The myth. The legend (and incredible author, blogger, and podcaster): Seth Godin.

Let’s be clear, I am a total Seth Godin fanboy

Aside from his podcast (Akimbo btw–it’s at the top of my listening queue every week), Seth has one of the most-read blogs on the internet (not hyperbole) and has written books.

And by “written books,” I mean authored SEVERAL of the most influential marketing books of all time…

In this episode we chat…

• How to develop a practice of SHIPPING WORK
• Why Seth does no SEO, no listicles, no sponsored content, allows no comments on his blog
• Why there’s no such thing as writer’s block.

Before you do ANYTHING else, go grab his new book, The Practice! (Transparency alert, that’s totally my affiliate link )

Resources from this episode (and other handy stuff you’ll enjoy):

• Seth’s new book: The Practice
• The War of Art, by Stephen Pressfield (this is a muuuuust read for creators & entrepreneurs)
• [Podcast] Matt Mullenweg on simple productivity and the future of blogging.
• [Free Course] Crush Your Content – A mini-training with some of my favorite blogging/content productivity tips

Takeaway #1: You have to TRAIN to fight resistance

Resistance = anything that keeps you from sitting down to DO THE WORK you should be doing.

(This is from The War of Art btw–see link above)

• All procrastination is resistance
• Support communities can be resistance
• Writer’s block & imposter syndrome are definitely weapons of resistance
• Listening to my podcast can be resistance

Anything that keeps you from the work you were meant to do.

Here’s the takeaway:

You can (and will need to) train yourself to recognize resistance.

Kinda like yoga.

When you start, you’re bad at it. Then you get better.

• You get better at recognizing when you’re procrastinating.
• You get better at realizing when your brain is starting to say “who do you think you are?”

You can become more aware of how you sabotage yourself–so you can fight resistance sooner and be more productive.

Boom.

So what say you?

Feeling inspired to create more? Create better?

Drop me a comment below and weigh in, or just say hello

The post Seth Godin on Getting Unstuck and Publishing 7,500 Days in a Row appeared first on Do You Even Blog.

Tell me if this sounds familiar…

“It’s publish day. Yay! I wrote a thing and published a thing!

DANG that took a while.

Now I gotta...

• create pins
• post on social
• write an email newsletter
• omg

I KNOW email marketing is uber important, but for real…”

Todays podcast is the answer to your email marketing prayers.

Liz Wilcox is here to teach us how to pump out QUALITY email newsletters that get opened, CONNECT with readers…

…and take only a few minutes to write.

Seriously, y’all. 20-Minute Newsletters is so good.

I have it bookmarked–that’s how much I use it

Do yourself a favor and grab it for $22 or whatever she’s charging for it right now.

It’s worth 10x that lol

The post Email Newsletters Made Easy and FAST – Liz Wilcox appeared first on Do You Even Blog.

The craziness of 2020 did bring one very cool opportunity for content creators…

It opened up your audience’s mind to NEW formats.

• Webinar?
• Podcast series?
• Video content?
• Zoom?

More than ever before–your audience is changing WHERE and HOW they consume content, and it’s never been more vital that you learn how to reach people where they want to consume content.

Today, my good friend Talaat McNeely (His and Her Money) joins me to chat about…

• Which platforms to focus on
• How best can we repurpose blog/podcast/videos?
• How to get past a mindset of “being afraid to sell what you know”
• and more.

Talaat is an incredible content creator (and businessman btw), and I KNOW you’re going to dig this episode.

Listen below

Handy resources from this chat:

• Check out Tai & Talaat’s YouTube channel. They’re crushing it over there (187k+ subscribers!)
• If you want to level up your content promotion & repurposing, check out my course CONTENT EVERYWHERE.
• Also, if you’re looking to go hard on YouTube, check out this post: Everything I Know About Growing a YouTube Channel.

Now, let’s dive into 1-2 of my top content repurposing tips:

Repurposing Tip #1 – Find your “lead domino”

Ya know how to make a domino chain? Where you set a bunch of dominos in a line, and then hit that first 1 over? And it hits the next? Etc?

Think of multi-channel content in the same way.

1. You create a piece of content
2. Then use that to create another piece of content
3. Then another
4. Then another
5. etc

So what’s your lead domino? What’s the FIRST piece of content you should create?

Blog post? YouTube video? Create a podcast first?

Choose the platform that’ll make creating for all the other platforms EASIER and FASTER.

That’s your lead domino.

Tip #2 – Get better at first takes.

Editing makes content better, it’s true.

But it also takes FORRREVVVVERRRR.

The point?

Do everything you can to make your FIRST take as good as it can be. This could include…

• Doing more research ahead of time
• Doing more prep
• Get better at speaking “off the cuff” (YES IT IS A LEARNABLE SKILL YOU CAN WORK AT).

First takes are particularly vital to audio and video formats–where editing takes WAY longer and is more involved.

Tip #3 – Use subtopics as social media topics

In CONTENT EVERYWHERE, I call these your “bullets.”

Basically, any given piece of content you produce will likely include some subtopics.

Use these for shorter form content on different platforms.

Example:

If your 1,900 word blog post has 4 H2 subheaders–you can use each of those for 4 different Instagram stories throughout the week.

For way more, go grab my course and start reaching more people

The post How to Quickly and Easily Repurpose Your Content – Talaat McNeely appeared first on Do You Even Blog.

If you’re anything like me–you probably want to be an “influencer.”

Getting featured on Business Insider, making the rounds on local/national news outlets, getting interviewed on every podcast in iTunes…

#LookMomI’mFamous!

But of course–it’s a long & difficult journey to getting prime media mentions. Annnnd overwhelming.

Well, my friend Jamila Souffrant (Journey to Launch podcast) has had GREAT success getting featured, and today she’s here to help us kickstart our Journey!

(see what I did, there?)

We also chat about strategic job-quitting & earning more income (something I KNOW you probably care about).

Let’s rock

Btw, want to make a plan to quit your job and blog/online business full-time? Watch this video.

4 quick tips to getting more media mentions:

1 – Media begets media

The very first “feature” is always the hardest.

• podcast guest appearances
• TV interviews
• etc

Getting just a handful of “features” or “mentions” ALWAYS creates a snowball effect–making it that much easier to get even more.

The #actionable takeaway?

If you’re brand new to this–just focus on getting one small feature.

Start with smaller channels, sites, and podcasts, and work your way up to the big folks.

This also gives you a chance to hone your skills as an interviewee, AND build out your /about page with social proof.

2 – Use HARO

If you’re into SEO, you’re probably already doing this anyway–but responding to HARO requests, while a wee bit time-consuming, is still a great way to get a few mentions here and there.

(Especially as a great “starting point,” see #1 above)

3 – Keep an eye on Facebook groups

Every time I log into Facebook, I see a notification from the FinCon group with somebody looking for help writing an article.

If I had a finance blog–I’d probably set a calendar reminder every day to check this group and see if there are any opportunities up

(Annnnd you could find these groups for any niche I’m sure!)

4 – Build long-term relationships

Always always always approach “getting featured ANYWHERE” as a long-term game.

The more you can connect with other creators & influencers in your niche–the higher likelihood of developing “inbound” opportunities.

• Join FB groups
• Have people on YOUR podcast
• Attend conferences
• Email creators you look up to just saying ‘thanks’

Start building real friendships and real connections. These could open up “X-Factor” opportunities down the road

**

The post Real-World Strategies for Getting Featured in the Media – Jamila Souffrant appeared first on Do You Even Blog.

Tell me what these have in common…

• MTV
• Paramount Pictures
• Rihanna
• Ikea
• Rock Band
• Taylor Swift

Marketing strategist and author Brendan Kane has helped all of them grow their presence on the internet.

He’s also built a massive following of his own (and once did 1M+ in 30 days).

That’s crazy talk.

Today he’s here to help us GET ATTENTION, stand out in a meaningful way, and grow our following.

Resources from this chat:

• Brendan’s new book: Hook Point: How to stand out in a 3-second world.
• Brendan’s OLD book: One Million Followers: How I Built a Massive Social Following in 30 Days

I’m also going to throw out this podcast chat on Instagram with Kaila Ruan. It’s a must-listen as well

The post How the Social Media Guru Behind Taylor Swift & Rihanna Got 1M Followers in 30 Days – Brendan Kane appeared first on Do You Even Blog.

I feel like most of the creators/entrepreneurs earning OVER $100,000+ a year…

…have business coaches.

But why? Definitely sounds fancy to have a coach–but is it really necessary for YOU?

(and for me? Spoiler Alert: Yes omg)

In this chat I’m joined by a SUPERSTAR coach & money mindset guru (the good kind of guru!) Leisa Peterson.

• Should you hire a coach?
• When? How do you know?
• PLUS: Leisa helps Pete work through some mindset issues regarding pricing, selling, and earning. IT’S SO GOOD.

Seriously, the 2nd half of the episode is straight fire. Leisa is so generous!

Cool stuff:

• Check out Leisa’s book: The Mindful Millionaire
• Speaking of some mindset stuff, check out my interview with Seth Godin here. That one’s more on productivity and imposter syndrome.

And last but certainly not least…

Looking to iron out your plan & strategy for next year? Go check out the 12-week blog planner on this post

The post Inside the Money Mindsets Holding You Back (From Earning More): Business Coach Leisa Peterson appeared first on Do You Even Blog.

It’s what we hear all the time, right?

• Focus
• Focus
• Focus
• Yes, thing are super hard, and things might be working, but focus!

Well, Rich from Meal Prepify (and PF Geeks!) kinda-sorta did the opposite.

Rich is here to chat about how he…

• Blogged for 3+ years
• SWITCHED TOPICS COMPLETELY, essentially abandoning (kinda) his site
• Proceeded to crush SEO and grow and find success

If you have desires to work on any projects, blogs, or niche sites OUTSIDE of what you’re currently doing, you need to listen to this episode.

Let’s talk about a big takeaway:

There are different kinds of “focus.”

Focusing on what you’re doing right now = close browser tabs. Put down your phone. Take a deep breath and DO THE WORK.

That’s 1 type of focus.

But how about this one?

Focusing on achieving the long-term vision for what you want your life to look like.

That’s different, isn’t it? That’s the focus Rich had.

• Trying this blog or that
• Trying this product or that
• Trying SEO or Pinterest or Facebook ads or podcasting.

All of those are secondary to the overarching focus of “I want to quit my job.”

Or “I just want to make an extra $1k a month.”

The trick is to zoom out–so you can see where the “line” is.

I’m not encouraging you to drop your current endeavor to start a niche site.

I don’t want you to spread yourself thin! The non-vision focus DOES matter…

…but the trick is to find that line.

The line between

1 – I should keep going with this current [blog, strategy, or product]

vs

2 – I should pivot to a new [blog, strategy or product] in order to reach my long-term vision.

Tricky, right???

Welcome to entrepreneurship

**

Watch this video for a bit more on vision planning, and drop me a comment below if you feel inclined!

The post Forget Focus: Switching Topics for Niche Site Success – Rich From Meal Prepify appeared first on Do You Even Blog.

Niche sites? SEO? YouTube?

What channels are hot right now (and for the rest of 2021?)

In today’s little chat, Jim Harmer (Income School) joins me (again, see part 1 here) to chat about…

• YouTube (spoiler alert)
• SEO
• “How to produce good content” I.e. what that means, and ACTIONABLE advice for making it happen

Enjoy!

ALSO…

If you’re seriously looking to go hard on YouTube this year, do the following 2 things:

1. Come check out my own YouTube channel (#subscribe of course)
2. Go listen to this mega podcast episode for how to get started on YouTube.

It’s gold.

<3

The post Jim Harmer shares where the OPPORTUNITIES are for 2021 (Income School) appeared first on Do You Even Blog.

Y’all, it’s time to admit something…

I’m a fanboy of 5am Joel, and have been for quite a while (5am Joel, Budgets Are Sexy).

I was always impressed at his schtick–waking up and sending an email to his newsletter AT 5AM IN THE MORNING. (I mean, are you NOT impressed?).

But aside from that–he’s one of those people who just has a knack for producing content that CHANGES people–and I was thrilled to hear his name announced when he took over Budgets (easily one of the most well-known and biggest personal finance sites in the history of blogging. Luv u J)

In this episode we chat…

• Little silly tips & tricks we do to stay positive and stay motivated (not at all woo woo. Ok maybe a little).
• How to write really, really good emails people want to open
• way more

Enjoy!

Ok here’s more goodness for you…

• Go opt-in to Joel’s newsletter ASAP please
• For more on email marketing, list-building, and funnels–listen to this recent episode with Liz Wilcox
• For some BEGINNER tips on email list-building, read this post.

The post 5am Joel on Rekindling Motivation, Sending Must-Read Emails, and Taking Over Budgets Are Sexy appeared first on Do You Even Blog.

Self-publishing e-books has ALWAYS been one of those “do these really work” things for me.

It just seems odd.

• Do people buy these?
• Are they really that easy to make? Self-publishing just SOUNDS difficult
• How do these generate income? In any decent amounts?

Whelp, lucky for us, there’s awesome creators like Michelle Jackson (Michelle Is Money Hungry).

Aside from being a fun & awesome person–she’s also been around the blogosphere a block or two, and has built up S E V E R A L income streams with her blog/business.

Several meaning like 10+.

We’re here to chat about:

• E-books: How to get started, how it works, etc.
• Is blogging still relevant in 2021?
• How to determine which potential products resonate with your readers.

(That last one is a profitable art & science, and something everything single one of us needs to learn).

Enjoy!

I’d also just like to point out that a few other DYEB Podcast guests have had E-books as a core monetization strategy: Joseph Hogue and Liz Wilcox.

I kinda want to write a book now. (I mean I feel like I could likely repurpose a LOT of existing content I already have).

Now to figure out what to write about

The post How to Grow (Real) Passive Income Through E-Books: Michelle Jackson appeared first on Do You Even Blog.

I’m about to make a big, bold statement:

The single most important skill for successful entrepreneurship is the ability to communicate.

• Writing blog posts people CARE about
• Sending sales emails
• Sales of ANY KIND actually
• way more

The ability to communicate ideas is something we need to train ourselves in constantly.

Poor communication skills = slower audience growth fo sho.

THAT is why I invited my good friend Melissa on today’s podcast (find her new podcast, Her EnterpRISE, here).

Aside from being an inspiring & kind human, she also has some cool experiences that I think can help us become better communicators, speakers, and writers

Enjoy!

ALSOOOOOO.

If you want similar content to binge on, go listen to this chat with Bethany Bayless (who as also been a part of Toastmasters actually).

Ciao blog tribe!

The post Lessons Learned From Joining Toastmasters International: Melissa Neacato appeared first on Do You Even Blog.

FUNNELS: “We’re awesome and can make you a lot of money.”

YOU:

• “What on earth are you?”
• “Why on Earth do I need to care about funnels?”
• “Are you ever going to be NOT overwhelming and highly technical fancy-pants??”

PETE AND MILES BECKLER:

In this podcast episode with Miles Beckler (go subscribe to him on YouTube! He’s great.), we’re going to talk about building SIMPLE funnels for your business that yield more income on autopilot.

If you haven’t noticed—I’ve been going HARD on funnels in my own business over the past 6 months, and couldn’t be happier.

Income is up. Working hours are way down

The problem?

“You should build a funnel” kinda sorta hits people like “You should kinda sorta start a SpaceX competitor company to take on Elon Musk directly.”

Like no. Overwhelming. Not sure where to start, or if I could (or should?) even do that.

Whelp, Miles is here to help!

Happy listening

More resources for building funnels for your blog or online business:

• I’m building a “Funnel Roadmap ” which you can grab here (it’s free!)
• Here’s my YouTube video that shows behind-the-scenes of my Self-Liquidating Offer funnel (1HR BLOG POST)
• Here’s a GREAT livestream Miles did a few weeks ago–talks a lot about paid traffic and funnels there.

The post How to Build SIMPLE Funnels, For Beginners – Miles Beckler appeared first on Do You Even Blog.

Ah yes, words!

Whether or not you think of words as “CoPyWrItInG” or not–they’re important.

Even SMALL tweaks to words you use in front of your audience could be the difference between…

“zomg I need this. I feel like you’re speaking just to ME.”

or…

“zomg back to Facebook.” *closes browser tab.

Today, I’m joined by Copywriting Jedi Master Kira Hug host of The Copywriter Club podcast, personal branding know-it-all (in a good way), and all-around awesome person.

I sincerely hope this episdode inspires you to go BACK to your “initial touch points of your brand” and change stuff.

(that sounded uber professional didn’t it?? I really just be “go update your damn home page to be more interesting and in line with your BRAND.”)

>_<

Enjoy!

Here’s a few more copywriting resources for you:

• My post/podcast with Spencer was great: How to Get People to Want What You Sell (via Copywriting & Persuasion)
• 1HR BLOG POST: My templates that’ll help you produce content way faster—it’s worth noting that I LOVE using a simple AIDA framework for my intros

The post The “Copywriting Trifecta” That’ll Help You STAND OUT: Kira Hug appeared first on Do You Even Blog.

If I’ve said this once, I’ve said it a million times (and I have btw):

Being a guest on other people’s podcast is one of THE best. ways. to. grow. your. audience.

• For your blog
• For your podcast
• For your business

It’s a very high-ROI activity from a time perspective.

Buuttttt…

Yeah it’s hard. I get it.

Sending pitch emails, following up, getting rejected again and again till you wanna literally sell that $50 USB microphone you bought just for this.

#realtalk

Today, the founder and CEO of Interview Valet, Tom Schwab is joining me on the podcast to help us out!

(Interview Valet is a company that specializes in booking podcast guests btw)

Enjoy!

Other resources for podcast guesting:

• Check out this interview with Danielle! This has an email script or two as an example

The post The Trick to Getting on 1,000+ Podcasts (And Why You Need To): Tom from Interview Valet appeared first on Do You Even Blog.

I’ve spent tens of thousands of dollars on Facebook ads over the past few years, and there’s only ONE thing I’m 100% convinced of:

They’re getting harder :/

I’ve heard through the grapevine blogvine that YouTube ads could be a hot opportunity right now.

But, seeing as how I know NOTHING about YouTube ads–I brought on the founder of AdOutreach (a YT ad agency), Aleric Heck.

Warning

After visiting his site–you’re going to see his ads everywhere

Enjoy!

Other stuff…

If you’re into ads and funnels n’ stuff (sounds like the name of my new kid-friendly 80’s pizza restarautn, am I right??)…you’ll wanna check out

• My YouTube channel, where I’ve been talking a TON about funnels
• My new Funnel Roadmap (it’s free!)

The post YouTube Ads 101: How to Get Started ASAP – Aleric Heck appeared first on Do You Even Blog.

In late December 2019, my family moved to Northern Michigan–and I finally had. my. own. office.

It was ammmmmazing to have my own little place to work (and store camera and podcasting gear lol)–but it was cramped, ugly, and NOT a comfortable place to spend 40 hours a week.

In March 2021, we bought a house and moved–and I inherited a sweet basement room to turn into my office!

This just-for-fun post details the renovation process, gear purchasing decisions for podcasting & YouTube, and other insights have found over creating a productive, comfortable, and happy workplace.

Furniture & Decor list

• Rug: Riordan Black/Ivory Rug on Wayfair 7’10” x 10
• Couch: Morabo from Ikea
• Main Desk: Husky 52 in. Adjustable Height Work Table from Home Depot
• (Old) YouTube Desk: Gerton solid wood tabletop, sitting on some old Ikea drawers
• Floor lamp: ARÖD from Ikea
• Smart Lighting: All from home depot, these bulbs and string lighting are Philips brand (the Wiz app ones, not the Hue app ones)
• Rolling storage cart: RÅSKOG from Ikea
• Storage coffee table: KVISTBRO from Ikea
• Pouf! COTTON CRAFT – Hand Knitted Cable Style Tweed Dori Pouf – Charcoal/Black

Computer Workstation List

• Computer: 2016 15″ Macbook Pro, almost fully loaded
• Monitor: LG 27″ 4K UHD IPS Monitor
• Speakers (they’re actually monitors): Presonus Eris 3.5″ Near Field Studio Monitor (Pair)
• Keyboard: Keychron K2 Wireless Bluetooth/USB Wired Gaming Mechanical Keyboard, Blue Switches
• Mouse: Logitech MX Anywhere 2S Wireless Mouse (works on any surface. So good)
• Headphones: Hifiman Sundara
• Deskpad: FireBee felt pad, dark grey
• Vertical Laptop holder: OMOTON Double Desktop Stand Holder with Adjustable Dock
• Mount: WALI Extra Tall Single LCD Monitor Fully Adjustable Desk Mount
• Fountain Pen: TWSBI Diamond 580 (clear, bold nib) Wondering if fountain pens are better? Read this. YES, they are.
• Journal: Leuchhturm1917 (dotted)

PSST: I’ve been SUPER into mechanical keyboards. They’re literally life-changing! Wanna learn more? Check out this article: What is a mechanical keyboard? (and why are they better?)

YouTube/Podcast Gear list

• Camera: Sony A6400 with Sigma 16mm lens (they make these for Canon’s as well)
• Podcast Mic: Either the Rode Podmic or Heil PR40, depending on my mood >_<
• YouTube Mic: Rode NTG4 shotgun mic
• Key light: Godox SL150 (soooo much cheaper than the Aperature equivalent, and just as good for my eyes)
• Light dome: Aperature Lightdome mini II – I needed this smaller version in my old office, but now I wish I had the big one lol
• Boom stand (for YouTube mic): Cheap one from Amazon
• Light stand (for key light): This Neweer one from Amazon
• Friction Arm (often used for main camera): Manfrotto Variable Friction Arm w/ camera mount with a Manfrotto 035RL Super Clamp
• Audio Interface: Behringer UMC202

Phase 1 – The “Before”

Ok, so here’s the basement room “before” status:

(Also, the seller left that huge wooden outdoor bar in there. It was almost really neat–almost. It ended up taking up WAY too much space, and it was filthy)

• Dimensions: 9ft by 18ft
• Walls: crazy concrete, recently painted with a sealer (which was a cool white color)
• Floor: Concrete, painted with some crazy flaky paint (by the seller)
• Ceiling: Unfinished, exposed floor joists with random wiring/pipes

There were 3 initial problems with this basement office…

1. There were no electrical outlets
2. There was only one horrid light in the middle of the room
3. It felt like a dungeon. Really cold. Stone. Ugly.

But hey, at least I have one tiny window (and it opens!)

Task 1 – Get power

I called an electrician, who came over and wired in 3 power outlets (with grey plastic conduit). Cost about $80 for parts and labor–I’d call that a S T E A L.

Task 2 – Fix lighting

Nevermind lighting for YouTube (I talk about that below)–but just having NORMAL, GOOD lighting can ABSOLUTELY, 1,000% change the look and feel of any room.

I initially thought I’d have to use lots of lamps, etc, and that recessed lighting would be a HUGE expense, or a HUGE pain.

I thought wrong.

As it turns out, Home Depot (and other places) make these sweet LED faux-recessed lights that can be hardwired into the electrical lines, OR simply plugged into a light socket. And they’re super cheap!

This is where Granddad DYEB came in to save day–he helped me mount the fixtures, and hardwired everything himself (so I could turn these on with the lightswitch).

They’re even dimmable!

THIS MADE A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE, IMMEDIATELY. It’s nuts how important lighting is.

Task 3 – Paint walls (and unfinished ceiling!)

Sooooo for the past several months–I was actually thinking that this office would have a light, natural, bohemian feel to it.

I mean, who doesn’t want a Pinterest-worthy office like these???

There were 2 reasons I opted to COMPLETELY change direction after dreaming about my light-filled-bohemian-office…

1. It’s a damn concete basement
2. There is SO LITTLE natural light
3. GEAR. I have oodles and oodles of black metal, black plastic YouTube and podcasting gear, with cords everywhere.

Can you imagine one of those Pinteresty rooms with MASSIVE YouTube lighting, microphones and cords everywhere, etc? lol no.

But can darker rooms still be cool?

Especially with low-to-no natural light?

I threw on some initial dark brown/grey paint samples.

These did not feel good :/

At this point I did more Googling, Pinterest-ing, and YouTubing, trying desperately to find inspiration….which I eventually did!

Becky & Chris are fantastic YouTubers who talk a lot about home reno, interior design, etc–and they do dark colors REALLY, REALLY WELL.

I mean, I haven’t seen them do a concrete basement room–but maybe Matte Black would work for me??

90% of my wardrobe is either black or grey–and I also listen to Nine Inch Nails.

And now I want a matte black office? I’m apparently emo.

After much debate–I decided that black might actually fit the concrete basement feel a bit better than TRYING to replicate a light, bohemian, Pinterest look.

Plus, it’d hide the black gear soooooo much better.

Next steps:

1. Purchase a paint sprayer (I could’ve rented one, but that was like 45% of the purchase price just for one day, and I KNOW I’ll use this again. Also, I just really really wanted one. It was a BLAST.)
2. Grab 3 gallons of Benjamin Moore Regal, Black, matte finish
3. Buy more tarps, as I used 6-7 of them to cover everything.
4. Lay down tarp, tape off new ceiling lights, outlets, etc.
5. Buy a respirator mask on Amazon (a MUST-HAVE if you use a paint sprayer, especially indoors in a tiny room with no ventilation)
6. Figure out how to use the sprayer, and then paint!

Pro Tip: Remember that wet paint is always a different color than dry paint. And a COMPLETED room will always feel different than a work-in-progress room.

It took a few hours of work, another hour of clean-up (and showering omg), but then it was done!

It felt really good! Not slam-dunk great, but way better.

I am REALLY happy with how the unfinished ceiling and exposed pipes look. They look incredible with the matte black.

The next phase = outfitting the office (to make that black look a little less awkward lol)

Phase 2 = outfit the office

Soooo I also had lofty dreams of Pinterest-worthy, hearty, real, and EXPENSIVE furniture and decor.

I ditched that dream as well, and went back to my go-tos:

• Ikea
• Wayfair
• Amazon

The trick was searching for new furniture that would go with the black theme.

First, a new rug (on sale for $99 on Wayfair. It’s cheap, but I love the design and it feels great).

Next, Mrs. DYEB and I took a nice day-trip to Detroit (with no kids!!!), and went on a house-related shopping spree.

We FILLED my Ford Expedition to the brim lol.

The biggest purchase was a sofa. I wanted a COMFY place to sit (and so others can come and sit in the office).

I’m a huge fan of the medium-toned leather (it does look a wee bit orange in that photo, but it’s closer to brown in real life).

A note on room layout and Feng Shui

This basement room is NOT laid out well for both Feng Shui and shooting YouTube videos lol.

(Btw – the only Feng Shui I actually care about is NOT having your back to the door. It feels so weird like that, better to be looking at the door from your desk).

But for shooting video, I wanted to have the only natural light working FOR me–so I wanted the window to the side of my desk.

Soooo what to do?

After much debate, and with help from my wife, I opted for a 2 desk approach and picked up a Husky standing workbench from Home Depot ($200, probably the most affordable and simple standing desk you can get.)

I’m STILL not convinced I’ll keep this layout forever (I doubt it, actually), but for now it does a few things.

1. Makes good use of space. I LIKE having a bit of emptiness just next to where I sit at my computer. I don’t like feeling cramped.
2. On the other hand, the YouTube desk is NOT against the wall (which I require to have camera, lighting, and mics set up anyways)
3. I get to face the door when I’m at my main desk
4. The window light works for shooting video (though it’s still behind me when I’m at the YouTube desk. It balances out the shot and illuminates the room just enough)

The only real downside to the current layout is that the window light is DIRECTLY behind me when at my main desk (for Zoom calls, podcast recordings, etc.) Looks really bad.

Here’s the current “left side of the room,” complete with my new pouf as well (I’ve always wanted one of these lol.)

2 more reasons this setup works well:

1. I want to shoot videos down the length of the room for more depth of field. (a must for any great YouTube backdrop)
2. I like NOT shooting videos at my main computer desk. I love having a specific spot for video!

Lighting!

While the recessed lighting is 100x better than the single bulb in the middle of a small room–I also wanted accent lighting for videos (and to feel comfy).

I ended up splurging a few bucks extra for smart lighting.

I got 2 full RBG bulbs, as well as some string lighting to mount to the back of my main desk!

So for video…

1. Key light = the big Godox SL150 with Aperature lightdome mini II.
2. Fill light = small mountable lamp above (from Ikea), with smart lighting to make any color/temperature I want, bounced off a $1 white foam board from Wal-Mart
3. Background lighting = the string light on the back of the desk, and an Ikea floor lamp
4. Also, the window = lights up the room, and I can always cover it with curtains (I got a super cheap black blackout curtain from Meijer, and just hang it up with 2 clamps).

Here’s a shot from the first YouTube video I recorded:

Phase 3 – Decor & Feel

Truth be told, this is the phase I’m currently in as of April 2021!

• I need wall art. I have zero.
• I need a small bookcase (I’m thinking a long n’ short TV stand actually) to put on the wall under the window.
• I need a bit of soundproofing done.

What I HAVE mostly done is get my main workstation the way I want it, completely with a desk pad, fake plant, and vertical laptop stand!

Also, it’s worth noting I’ve done a bit of cord management as well.

Note the mechanical keyboard…

I’m officially obsessed at this point (and I use different keyboards for work and gaming (Mac and PC)) lol.

I wrote up a guide to the best gaming keyboards here, so go read that, too!

FYI – I mounted all that stuff underneath the desk with cheap velcro strips from Home Depot. It was surprisingly fun, but I still have 2-3 more cables to figure out.

What’s next:

1. slowly add wall art! Looking for maybe a print of Picasso’s “The Bull”, or other black-n-white (with a white background) pictures/prints
2. Find a low, shallow, but long TV stand to use under the window (for storage and decor)
3. Find a good way to quickly hang up moving blankets and/or sound-absorbing curtains when I want to record
4. Keep playing with the lighting setup to get it dialed in

Over to you for the comments, what do you think?

What kind of wall art should I get? How could I make it more comfy and cool?

The post DYEB Basement Office Makeover appeared first on Do You Even Blog.