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 happenEnjoy!
Listen to my episode with Jim Harmer on SEO, Niche Sites, and YouTube!
or listen on Apple Podcasts \ Google Podcasts \ Spotify
ALSO…
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
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
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 difficultHow 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 bui
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).
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 aboutSending sales emailsSales of ANY KIND actuallyway moreThe 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,
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
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 auto
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.
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
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.”)
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 blogFor your podcastFor 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
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
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 podcasti
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.
8.4.22 update: I’m mostly DONE and IN LOVE with my current setup. Final details below.
It’s worth noting that I’ve accumulated all this gear over YEARS. I didn’t go out and blow thouuuuusands of dollars. Ain’t nobody got the budget to get all that at once lol.
Phase 1 – The “Before”
Ok, so here’s the basement room “before” status:
Left side of the roomRight side of the room
(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…
There were no electrical outlets
There was only one horrid light in the middle of the room
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!
Granddad DYEB!
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).
Nailed these into the floor joists.
They’re even dimmable!
THIS MADE A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE, IMMEDIATELY. It’s nuts how important lighting is.
We put 6 of em in!
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???
I had saved these for inspiration–then did a 180 about-face
There were 2 reasons I opted to COMPLETELY change direction after dreaming about my light-filled-bohemian-office…
It’s a damn concete basement
There is SO LITTLE natural light
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.
“Squirrel” didn’t do it for me
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!
Found this randomly and liked it.Then I discovered Becki & Chris on YouTube
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.
more paint samples
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:
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.)
Grab 3 gallons of Benjamin Moore Regal, Black, matte finish
Buy more tarps, as I used 6-7 of them to cover everything.
Lay down tarp, tape off new ceiling lights, outlets, etc.
Buy a respirator mask on Amazon (a MUST-HAVE if you use a paint sprayer, especially indoors in a tiny room with no ventilation)
Figure out how to use the sprayer, and then paint!
GRACO MAGNUM. So much fun.I stole 40-50 plastic bags out of the recycling bin to use like this lol.I also decided to paint the unfinished ceiling the same color as the walls. Makes it feel soooo much more open.I’ll be honest, at this point–I was scared I made a terrible choice in color.
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 moved my old desk in so I could work again. Sweet!
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.
Boom! New rug and Ikea faux-leather couch. It’s actually NOT orange.
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?
I wanted an L-shaped desk, but wasn’t in love with this.
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.)
It’s a hand crank, not electric, but it’s easy and cheapcurrent layout
I’m STILL not convinced I’ll keep this layout forever (I doubt it, actually), but for now it does a few things.
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.
On the other hand, the YouTube desk is NOT against the wall (which I require to have camera, lighting, and mics set up anyways)
I get to face the door when I’m at my main desk
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.)
poufs are awesomeThe right side of the room, my YouTube setup
2 more reasons this setup works well:
I want to shoot videos down the length of the room for more depth of field. (a must for any great YouTube backdrop)
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.
Philips WiZ app lighting from home depot.
I got 2 full RBG bulbs, as well as some string lighting to mount to the back of my main desk!
Subtle, but makes a huge differenceI LOVE the WiZ app so far. Lots of fun color combination templates, presets you can save, and more.This is the “fill light” for my 3-point lighting setup.
So for video…
Key light = the big Godox SL150 with Aperature lightdome mini II.
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
Background lighting = the string light on the back of the desk, and an Ikea floor lamp
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:
so dark and moody and I love it.
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!
felt desk pad + plant + new monitors + laptop stand
Also, it’s worth noting I’ve done a bit of cord management as well.
Here’s the “before”Still a few below to work out–but ABOVE the desk is so much cleaner.
Note the mechanical keyboard…
I’m officially obsessed at this point (and I use different keyboards for work and gaming (Mac and PC)) lol.
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:
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
Find a low, shallow, but long TV stand to use under the window (for storage and decor)
Find a good way to quickly hang up moving blankets and/or sound-absorbing curtains when I want to record
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?
In 2021, bloggers often STRUGGLE to get page views–let alone REAL fans that continue to follow them for months and years.
It’s a busy internet ????
The “What Why What” formula contains the bare minimum of blog “branding” that you absolutely NEED to emphasis if you want to attract long-term fans and readers.
This is a simple copywriting lesson that’ll help you turn random website visitors into people that follow you.
Want to know the real re
In 2021, bloggers often STRUGGLE to get page views–let alone REAL fans that continue to follow them for months and years.
It’s a busy internet ????
The “What Why What” formula contains the bare minimum of blog “branding” that you absolutely NEED to emphasis if you want to attract long-term fans and readers.
This is a simple copywriting lesson that’ll help you turn random website visitors into people that follow you.
Want to know the real reason behind this post?
To help me save time on blog reviews.
I’ve reviewed over 1,000 blogs over the past 5 years–and every single blog I’ve looked at runs into the same problem.
They lack the essential explanation behind “what why what.”
So I’m finally just putting my answer into a blog post format to hand to people ????
So let’s dig into what the heck that means, and why it’s important.
The goal: to collect loyal, trusting, raving fans.
And we want to nurture them starting with random website visitors (i.e. new traffic).
Got it?
People come to your brand from a tweet, pin, click in Google, etc–and you nurture them to raving fans who buy your products and click your affiliate links. The “what why what” conquers the FIRST step in that journey before people bail on your blog
Without nailing this, that journey will never take place for most blog visitors.
1 – “What” is your blog about?
If the name of your blog is “Personal Finance for Dummies” or “Problogger,” people might get a great idea.
But what if you’re domain/brand name is your name?
Or something clever but obscure that explains nothing? (Think ChasingFoxes.com)
What if your name is Busy Budgeter, but you also talk about multiple sub-topics that aren’t budgeting?
Don’t you think you should explicitly tell people EXACTLY what you blog about?
She told us, explicitly, WHAT her blog is about
FYI that’s Rosemarie, founder of Busy Budgeter, a $1M+ blog. Here’s her story!
Your job as a brand-builder and true-fan-magnet is to inform new website visitors EXACTLY what your blog and brand is about. What you teach, share, and sell. Make it easy for people to learn this information.
Where is this most important?
Your homepage, and possibly your about page. Tell people what you do.
Moving on.
2 – “Why” should we follow you–rather than your competitors?
So your name is Bobby and you started a personal finance website called “Millennial Money Man.”
Great!
But there are 1,823 other personal finance blogs out there.
Rockstar Finance says over 1,800 personal finance blogs in their directory…
Why should people follow Bobby as opposed to everybody else?
Bobby sharing “why” people should trust his content and follow him
Apply everything I’m saying to your own niche FYI.
There are tons of other blogs like yours.
There are two main ways to convince visitors why they need to follow YOU: Authority and your unique story.
Authority = People want to know that YOU know what the heck you’re talking about.
Your unique story = something none of your competitors have.
Bobby’s story above is that he paid off $40k of student loans over 18 months on a teacher’s salary.
While there are loads of similar stories now among finance bloggers–there were far fewer when Bobby started his blog, and it allowed him to stand out and make people say “wow.”
Home page, about page, sidebars, email opt-ins. Show people why.
Most of DYEB’s “why” is my story.
I’ve started over 45+ online businesses and blogs, failed a lot, and have a ton of stories for learning to share.
I might actually be OBSESSED with blogging and online business. My passion for this helps me stand out.
I quit a cushy job to be broke for a while and make this whole online business thing work.
I made $18k in my first year, and on track to triple that in year 2.
3 – “What’s” in it for me (a new website visitor)?
The old “WIIFM” thing:
What’s In It For Me?”
Seriously though. What’s it in for me to read your blog post? Literally, what am I going to get?
Knowledge? Laughter? Commiseration?
What’s it in for me to opt-in to your email list–especially since I’m on 10+ other newsletters in your niche?
What do I get?
Tell people, in the most explicit of terms, exactly what they will get out of being a follower of [your-blog-name].
Tell them what’s in store if they stick around.
Go back and remember our goal.
Repeat after me.
My job as a blogger is to turn cold website traffic (new visitors), into loyal repeat visitors, fans, and customers.
*love me love me, say that you love me.
*fool me fool me, go on and fool me!
Ok amazing 90’s pop songs aside–my podcast guest today is a brand strategist, copywriter, and overall hilarious and awesome creator–and she’s gonna help us find true love.
From our audience.
But not in a weird way.
Hillary Weiss and I are gonna chat…
WHAT is a “statement piece” and why you need oneExercises for copywriting (to write more good words)Her de
Ok amazing 90’s pop songs aside–my podcast guest today is a brand strategist, copywriter, and overall hilarious and awesome creator–and she’s gonna help us find true love.
Robert Farrington (The College Investor, a massssssive site at this point) is joining me on the podcast today to answer a simple question:
“What’s working in your business–right now?”
It’s an interesting question, and it brought up a lot of cool stuff!
Although I will say that a lot of what we talk about could be consider “advanced,” but don’t let that put you off completely. There are gems in here!
We chat
SEO in 2021Completely ou
Jessica (http://thefioneers.com/) recently implemented a SUPER simple version of an evergreen funnel–and has already seen some incredible results from it!
Today she’s sharing the juicy details of what she did and how she’s made it work so far!l
I am also proud to say that she’s an Online Impact member and BMF student (technically the first BMF student I think?).
Anywho, Jessica’s brilliant. You’ll get alot out of this one
Listen to my episode wi
Jessica (http://thefioneers.com/) recently implemented a SUPER simple version of an evergreen funnel–and has already seen some incredible results from it!
Today she’s sharing the juicy details of what she did and how she’s made it work so far!l
I am also proud to say that she’s an Online Impact member and BMF student (technically the first BMF student I think?).
Anywho, Jessica’s brilliant. You’ll get alot out of this one
Listen to my episode with Jessica from the Fioneers:
Ah yes, the whole “customer journey” thing.
Taking somebody who JUST took a leap to join your email list…
…and turning them into loyal, DIE HARD “i’ll literally buy anything you ever put out–even if it’s a new chewing gum brand” sort of follower.
(or something).
The problem though?
What on Earth do we SAY to these people?
To earn their trust?To build our authority?To HELP them?
Luckily, email marketing pro Allea Grumm
I know I know…
I have left a void in your podcast player.
Since I’m in-between DYEB podcast seasons–you’ve just been ITCHING for more blogging & online business podcasts, yes??
Well, good news!
Here are some of my all-time favorites (as well as new discoveries!) for creators & online entrepreneurs.
Let’s start with some podcasts you might not have heard of before…
The Not For Lazy Marketers Podcast – Emily Hirsh
Listen
really great strategies for Facebook ads & funnels
short n sweet-ish episodes! Generally 12-16 minutes long (I always skip the first 60 seconds, as it’s the same intro every week.
Emily runs some great solo shows, and is a really good marketer and salesperson herself. Pay attention not only to what she SAYS to do–but what she does within her own business
Seth’s awesome (but only because he was a guest on my podcast here. JK he’s just awesome), and this podcast format is really nice.
He rarely gets specific in terms of strategy, tactics, etc, but that’s kinda the point. He’s helping us THINK about things, and hopefully become better marketers (and humans) in the meantime.
If you’re into the Godin, definitely give it a listen.
Naval isn’t a creator like we typically think of–he’s a startup investor and entrepreneur in his own right–and this podcast is less about online business–and becoming a smart thinking & savvy entrepreneur.
If you’re into SEO (#highfive), you def need this one.
It’s less “how to” kinda stuff–and more news, updates, and the occasional hot take or new idea. Most of the more “pro” SEOs I know tend to listen to Marie.
strategies & ideas on SYSTEMS, automations, integrations, and organization.
It’s kinda like the title says: all about systems in our business!
Just one problem–Jordan actually shut down the podcast in mid-2021. Boooooo. Episodes are still up for now though, so go listen to some of the old ones!
My old tried-n-true business podcast lineup:
These have been around for a while, but I still find myself listening to on occasion!
great interviews. I really like Amy’s interview style
the beginner basics
Solid (but not necessarily unique) perspectives
Amy’s pretty broad–and tends to “dumb down” her message in a lot of ways–but that doesn’t mean any of it is bad advice at all.
In fact, she’s one of my favorite interviewers in marketing (I tend to skip her solo shows). Definitely worth a listen, especially if you’re still pretty new!
success stories in small business and/or solo entrepreneurship
I just love Nick, and always have. He’s also a great interviewer–and I like that it’s not ALL about blogging, or ALL about SEO, or copywriting, etc.
He has a nice variety of interesting guests–both experts and non-experts alike. I don’t listen to every single episode, but I’ve been a regular listener and subscriber for years.
the occasional entrepreneurship episode, otherwise general life-improvement kinda stuff
extremely casual (almost unedited it seems) chats with extraordinary people
good stories
Like him or not (and many don’t), but Tim’s a smart cookie.
This is one of the main podcasts I binged in the years leading up to THIS business of mine (Do You Even Blog), and I can partially attribute all the work I’m doing–to Tim and this podcast.
Tim runs a YouTube consulting agency–and tends do repurpose a lot of livestreams to his podcast.
I personally recommend going and checking out some of his older content–instead of starting with the most recent. The older episodes (1-2 years ago) are usually still relevant, and were better imo.
All business’d out? Here are my current non-business podcasts
I’m going to argue right here and now–that many of these podcasts can ALSO improve your content & business skills!
Speaking of pristine storytelling–this podcast is a work of art.
I personally recommend going back to the OLDEST episodes to start–as the newer episodes include more dialog and discussion. The old episodes are JUST short stories, and Mike is an absolute master.
You can kinda consider this the cousin of the Tim Ferriss podcast–as Tim and Kevin are good friends and tend to talk about some of the same topics. A good listen, especially for those who are into tech.
My buddy Chris runs a personal finance podcast, and you should listen.
I’ve listened to probably 200-250 personal finance podcasts over the years, and there are really only 3-5 that I stay subscribed to (even if I don’t listen to every single episode). Chris is one of those!
His are more short n’ sweet, and I just like his voice
Chelsea is also a good friend (and OG Online Impact member woot!), and the work she’s doing in finance (specifically for moms–but I listen anyways) is incredible.
I tend to get the most value from her mindset-focused episodes.
One of the G.O.A.T.s at this point? Brené’s podcast has turned out great I think! (and be sure to grab The Power of Vulnerability on Audible. It’s one of my all-time faves as well).
Also, here are my top-recommended true crime podcasts:
I won’t explain each of these, because if you’re into true crime, well, no explanation needed. They’re about true crimes!
(But these are particularly well done)
Cold
Bear Brook
The Ballad of Billy Balls
The Clearing
Missing on 9/11
(and their first season, Missing in Alaska, is good too!)
Comment below w/ your favorite shows!
I’m all ears. Literally.
Drop me a comment below and promote a show you’ve been digging this year!
Social media has been around for AGES by now…
But when’s the last time you really sat down to review your “strategy?”
Ya know, to grow an audience? Get more view/downloads, whatever?
Do you even HAVE A STRATEGY?
*checks notes–crap, no, I don’t.
Today’s guest is one of my all-time favorite podcasters, entertainers, and genuinely great dude, Joe Saul-Sehy!
And he’s here today to A: have fun, and B: help us think about social media
But when’s the last time you really sat down to review your “strategy?”
Ya know, to grow an audience? Get more view/downloads, whatever?
Do you even HAVE A STRATEGY?
*checks notes–crap, no, I don’t.
Today’s guest is one of my all-time favorite podcasters, entertainers, and genuinely great dude, Joe Saul-Sehy!
And he’s here today to A: have fun, and B: help us think about social media again “for the first time since setting up that TikTok account that we never actually post to and almost hate checking now–and UGH yeah ok I need to think about this again.”
And if you enjoy Joe, be sure to check out everything he’s doing over at Stacking Benjamins! (one of the top personal finance podcasts out there, and one of the few I still listen to ????).
Want to be a next-level freelancer?
Highly-paid? Sought-after?
Want to pick and choose your clients and definite your dream career doing what you REALLY want to do?
Sarah Li-Cain is a world-class podcaster, (and blogger, YouTuber, producer, freelancer–lots of stuff really), and today’s she’s stopping by to chat about partnering with companies to produce content.
She’s also just a genuinely nice & smart person! There’s loads of value in this on
Want to pick and choose your clients and definite your dream career doing what you REALLY want to do?
Sarah Li-Cain is a world-class podcaster, (and blogger, YouTuber, producer, freelancer–lots of stuff really), and today’s she’s stopping by to chat about partnering with companies to produce content.
She’s also just a genuinely nice & smart person! There’s loads of value in this one
In 2021, bloggers often STRUGGLE to get page views–let alone REAL fans that continue to follow them for months and years.
It’s a busy internet ????
The “What Why What” formula contains the bare minimum of blog “branding” that you absolutely NEED to emphasis if you want to attract long-term fans and readers.
This is a simple copywriting lesson that’ll help you turn random website visitors into people that follow you.
Want to know the real re
In 2021, bloggers often STRUGGLE to get page views–let alone REAL fans that continue to follow them for months and years.
It’s a busy internet ????
The “What Why What” formula contains the bare minimum of blog “branding” that you absolutely NEED to emphasis if you want to attract long-term fans and readers.
This is a simple copywriting lesson that’ll help you turn random website visitors into people that follow you.
Want to know the real reason behind this post?
To help me save time on blog reviews.
I’ve reviewed over 1,000 blogs over the past 5 years–and every single blog I’ve looked at runs into the same problem.
They lack the essential explanation behind “what why what.”
So I’m finally just putting my answer into a blog post format to hand to people ????
So let’s dig into what the heck that means, and why it’s important.
The goal: to collect loyal, trusting, raving fans.
And we want to nurture them starting with random website visitors (i.e. new traffic).
Got it?
People come to your brand from a tweet, pin, click in Google, etc–and you nurture them to raving fans who buy your products and click your affiliate links. The “what why what” conquers the FIRST step in that journey before people bail on your blog
Without nailing this, that journey will never take place for most blog visitors.
1 – “What” is your blog about?
If the name of your blog is “Personal Finance for Dummies” or “Problogger,” people might get a great idea.
But what if you’re domain/brand name is your name?
Or something clever but obscure that explains nothing? (Think ChasingFoxes.com)
What if your name is Busy Budgeter, but you also talk about multiple sub-topics that aren’t budgeting?
Don’t you think you should explicitly tell people EXACTLY what you blog about?
She told us, explicitly, WHAT her blog is about
FYI that’s Rosemarie, founder of Busy Budgeter, a $1M+ blog. Here’s her story!
Your job as a brand-builder and true-fan-magnet is to inform new website visitors EXACTLY what your blog and brand is about. What you teach, share, and sell. Make it easy for people to learn this information.
Where is this most important?
Your homepage, and possibly your about page. Tell people what you do.
Moving on.
2 – “Why” should we follow you–rather than your competitors?
So your name is Bobby and you started a personal finance website called “Millennial Money Man.”
Great!
But there are 1,823 other personal finance blogs out there.
Rockstar Finance says over 1,800 personal finance blogs in their directory…
Why should people follow Bobby as opposed to everybody else?
Bobby sharing “why” people should trust his content and follow him
Apply everything I’m saying to your own niche FYI.
There are tons of other blogs like yours.
There are two main ways to convince visitors why they need to follow YOU: Authority and your unique story.
Authority = People want to know that YOU know what the heck you’re talking about.
Your unique story = something none of your competitors have.
Bobby’s story above is that he paid off $40k of student loans over 18 months on a teacher’s salary.
While there are loads of similar stories now among finance bloggers–there were far fewer when Bobby started his blog, and it allowed him to stand out and make people say “wow.”
Home page, about page, sidebars, email opt-ins. Show people why.
Most of DYEB’s “why” is my story.
I’ve started over 45+ online businesses and blogs, failed a lot, and have a ton of stories for learning to share.
I might actually be OBSESSED with blogging and online business. My passion for this helps me stand out.
I quit a cushy job to be broke for a while and make this whole online business thing work.
I made $18k in my first year, and on track to triple that in year 2.
3 – “What’s” in it for me (a new website visitor)?
The old “WIIFM” thing:
What’s In It For Me?”
Seriously though. What’s it in for me to read your blog post? Literally, what am I going to get?
Knowledge? Laughter? Commiseration?
What’s it in for me to opt-in to your email list–especially since I’m on 10+ other newsletters in your niche?
What do I get?
Tell people, in the most explicit of terms, exactly what they will get out of being a follower of [your-blog-name].
Tell them what’s in store if they stick around.
Go back and remember our goal.
Repeat after me.
My job as a blogger is to turn cold website traffic (new visitors), into loyal repeat visitors, fans, and customers.
*love me love me, say that you love me.
*fool me fool me, go on and fool me!
Ok amazing 90’s pop songs aside–my podcast guest today is a brand strategist, copywriter, and overall hilarious and awesome creator–and she’s gonna help us find true love.
From our audience.
But not in a weird way.
Hillary Weiss and I are gonna chat…
WHAT is a “statement piece” and why you need oneExercises for copywriting (to write more good words)Her de
Ok amazing 90’s pop songs aside–my podcast guest today is a brand strategist, copywriter, and overall hilarious and awesome creator–and she’s gonna help us find true love.
Blogging Tools: The Definitive List for Growth (in 2021)
Below is NOT a huge list filled with every blogging tool under the sun…
These are the battle-tested solutions I use daily for my blog & business.
Important note…
NONE of these companies reached out to me to get featured here, and I’m more than comfortable using my affiliate links! (This means I earn a commission if you decide to purchase through my special link, at no extra cost to you!) Please see my affiliate disclosure to learn more.
I stand behind these blog tools 1,000%.
Looking for a specific blogging tool? Here are some quick links:
We use ActiveCampaign for email automations & funnels! It’s easily as powerful as others like Drip, Keap (formerly Infusionsoft), and Ontraport–but it’s easier to use. We’ve been with them since 2019 and have no plans to switch. HOWEVER, if you DON’T have need for really advanced automations, I actually recommend Flodesk (see below)
DYEB readers get 50% off lifetime using my special link! That’s $19/mo for UNLIMITED subscribers.
Flodesk
#1 for email marketing.
We use Flodesk for our “main” email list, including sending newsletters, simple welcome sequences, etc! Their automations work great, segmentation and subscriber management is great, and their email builder is THE BEST I HAVE EVER USED. Seriously. A++++
I use Bluehost and Namecheap as well for various other projects and websites, and recommend them too (see the hosting section below), but Do You Even Blog is hosted using Siteground. It’s speedy, fits my budget, and their support has always been great.
I’ve tried around 10 podcast hosts over the years–and I’m currently on Buzzsprout for 3 reasons. 1) It’s EASILY the most user-friendly platform ever. 2) They’re constantly releasing GREAT new features, and 3) the price is right
After YEARS of Teachable & Thinkific & LifterLMS & others, I switched to Podia in late 2019, and couldn’t be happier! Unlimited courses, digital downloads, memberships, a great user interface, and pretty-good sales page builder, and most everything else creators need. I’ve been really happy with them!
Other tools Pete is currently using (and has added recently):
More info on these can be found below!
Everything’s below, but I just wanted to list off some recent additions!
Dropbox (file storage and collaboration). It only took me 15 years to jump on the Dropbox train…but I’m glad I finally did.
Deadline Funnels (for evergreen timers, used in my funnels)
Morningfa.me (for YouTube keyword research and analytics)
Blogging Platforms - What Website/Software Should I Blog on?
Should you blog on Blogger.com, Medium.com, etc?
Or should you blog on your own website using WordPress, Weebly, Squarespace? Etc?
WordPress.org (hosted on your own hosting account) Price: Free
The absolutely ultimate beginner blogging tool.
WordPress is the actual software that powers this blog, as well as something like 33% of the entire internet!
It is by far the best choice for bloggers, over competitors like…
Wix
Weebly
Squarespace
Joomla?
It offers far more customization (even if that DOES come with a learning curve at first), and comes loaded with the most power.
There’s a reason WordPress is dang-near a household name. They’re awesome. Use it.
Wordoid: Create a new word completely, shows availability!
You can also use the widget below to search right here on this page
DYEB Pro Tip: I really, really, really suggest finding a domain with an available .com, as long as it’s easy to pronounce, spell, and say!!
What's the best WordPress hosting company?
A website is really just a collection of files (like the files on your computer).
A hosting company simply “hosts” your website’s files on their server so people everywhere can access them!
Bluehost – STILL the best hosting for beginning bloggers Price: Starts at $3/month
They have my recommendation–for new bloggers especially.
In the past, I did NOT recommend Bluehost–based on using their product YEARS ago.
However, while doing research for my newbie guide, I gave Bluehost another shot and went through their entire set-up process.
I was blown away by how smooth it went!
I still recommend Siteground for established bloggers who have experience navigating cPanel & installing WordPress, but for new bloggers, I’m recommending Bluehost 110%.
It’s probably the fastest way to get up and running with a new WordPress blog I’ve ever seen, and their user dashboard looks way better than it did 5 years ago.
Siteground – I’ve used them in the past, and they’re fantastic! My top recommendation for bloggers w/ over 20,000 pageviews/month.
I do NOT recommend hosting your site with Godaddy, Namecheap, Bigscoots, or Hostgator (I have used all of these).
Image and Graphic Design Tools
Use these tools to create incredible looking pin, share images, and graphics!
Canva (plus PowerPoint!)- Free and Pro Versions ($10/month)
I’ve used every tool you can imagine, including PicMonkey, Snappa, etc, and Canva wins for 2 reasons:
Their free version is still A+
You can export to PowerPoint!
For those who prefer to edit using software NOT in the browser, or who find Canva a bit clunky, you can now export to PowerPoint for further edits.
Pro Tip: Canva has REALLY great pre-made templates. I stole 10-15 Instagram templates, exported them to PowerPoint, and proceed to edit those as normal.
This tool is a bit more advanced, as it was created with professional designers in mind. However, I’ve found the user interface pretty easy to navigate, especially with their MANY tutorials on the Sketch website.
This is what I use for logos, pins, and other advanced graphics that need a bit more customization than I can get with Snappa.
Keeping my pins organized in Sketch
Where Can I Find Great Stock Photos for My Blog?
There are a metric ton of stock photo sites, but here are my recommendations:
What if there was a way to search several stock photo sites at once?
That’s what this site does. It can be a bit tricky to navigate (click “multi-site search” on the left menu), but if I can’t find it on Pexels, I’ll generally come here next.
What Are the Best Tools for Compressing Images?
In your blogging tool arsenal, you NEED a tool to compress those fancy images you’re creating.
This is important for SEO, as uncompressed images slow down your site!
These also fall under the WordPress site speed optimization discussion.
ShortPixel – Free quota of compressed images a month, paid options available.
This is what I use to compress images these days, as it saves a TON of time compared to the manual upload/download/upload process of using a browser-based compressor.
To use ShortPixel, you
install and activate the plugin
drag-n-drop images to WordPress like you always do
That’s it.
Short Pixel automatically compresses your images to be speedy, and it can even auto-resize large images as well.
Lastly, it’s cheap.
You can get up to 100 images/month for free, and you can also avoid monthly commitments and just pay in bulk (I bought 10,000 images for $10. That’s insanely awesome).
Compressor.io is a browser-based image compression alternative (FREE)
Drag your image in, it compresses it and gives you a download link.
Not as simple as a WordPress plugin compressor like ShortPixel, but still easy and free.
SEO tools (Search Engine Optimization Software)
Looking to grow organic SEO traffic? Use these tools to conduct keyword research, produce epic content that gets backlinks, and grow.
There are several different functions for these tools!
I use it. Everyone uses it. You should too. It’s awesome for on-page SEO.
Will getting all of Yoast’s little green lights guarantee ranking in Google? NO. But it IS still a handy tool for gently optimizing blog posts (especially for beginners).
For a smooth $30/month, you get access to ALL of these tools. Keyword research, domain and keyword tracking, competitor analysis, backlink miner. It’s crazy how good these are, and it’s less than HALF the cost of other SEO tools
keyword research
content planning
backlink analysis
SERP tracking
Site audit tools
way more
SO much more affordable than the big names (even though I actually use Ahrefs. Full disclaimer, but it IS expensive).
There are LOADS of SEO tools out there for keyword research, Google competition analysis, etc. Moz, Ahrefs, Market Samuria, Keyword.io…all these are great (but most are expensive).
Google’s keyword tool is the top blogging tools for beginners. It’s free, (fairly) easy to use, and contains all the data you would ever need.
Use it till you can afford KWFinder or Ahrefs.
Here’s an expensive SEO software pro tip:
99% of bloggers do NOT need these tools 12 months a year.
Instead, spend one month’s worth, and do enough keyword research and content planning for several months–then cancel!
You can always renew for another month down the road.
This tool is incredible! Simply activate the extension, and Keywords Everywhere will start to show you search volume in Google search results, using Soolve, Answer the Public, and more!
Pro tip: you can’t rely on the exact numbers! Paid keyword tools will likely be more accurate–but this is a great starting point considering it’s free!
Site audit and broken backlink tools
We’ll talk more about site speed below, but managing broken links, redirects, etc, is important!
No, it’s not free–but it’s cheap and far superior to other cache plugins I’ve tried (and I’ve tried them all). It’s the most user-friendly cache plugin I’ve found.
WP Rocket is worth it. One of my “mandatory top-5 plugins” for bloggers.
Note: I don’t recommend Hootsuite or Meet Edgar or Social Bee for bloggers. These are great tools, but do not fit the needs of bloggers as well as SmarterQueue and Buffer.
Site Security and Blog Backup Tools
These tools will make sure your website stays nice and safe–free from hackers and bots
Updraft is the ONLY backup plugin I’ve seen that has 3rd-part backups (i.e. Google Drive, Dropbox, etc), available in their free version.
Woot!
P.S. Many premium WordPress hosting providers ALSO include some sort of backup tool. I know Siteground, Bigscoots, and Kinsta provide this!
Email Marketing Tools & ESPs (Email Service Providers)
Grow your email list? Complicated email marketing funnels?
Check
Out of everything I do here at Do You Even Blog, THIS is the blogging tool question I get most often:
“Which email marketing software is right for ME?”
Below are my honest–but controversial–recommendations for bloggers.
The Best Email Service Providers for Bloggers:
Flodesk – $39/month $19/month using my affiliate link for unlimited subscribers!
Flodesk is my new favorite thing EVER.
Why? It’s incredibly easy to use, the email builder is amazing, and everything looks. so. good.
Oh yeah, and they have forms and automations–and UNLIMITED subscribers for one low price??
While it does lack some of the more powerful features for email marketing, it’s definitely a solid choice for new folks.
ActiveCampaign – For advanced email marketers who need powerful automations (starts at $17/mo)
ActiveCampaign’s automations are best in class.
If you have complicated email marketing funnels–your options are Drip and ActiveCampaign.
I used to use Drip.
Then they unexpectedly jacked up their prices without telling anybody. They switched their focus to serving big ecommerce companies, and left the rest of us high and dry.
So I’m moving to ActiveCampaign!
Do you recommend ConvertKit?
If you’re making enough from your blog to cover $29/month, and all you really need is…
Easy to use email editors, and
Landing pages and opt-in forms
ConvertKit is just fine! (but I still like Flodesk better, personally).
Their editor is incredibly easy to use, and you can create as many opt-in forms, landing pages, and email sequences as you desire!
However, their automations are FAR behind those of ActiveCampaign, and the fact that they don’t have a free plan puts them behind Mailerlite.
Hemingway App for crafting short and compelling language (Free)
This software was literally created to be a super fun (and slightly addicting) way to potentially make your writing a lot more crisp, clear, bold, and maybe way more impactful.
Oops, guess that last sentence should’ve been:
A fun (and slightly addicting) software to make your writing crisp, clear, bold, and way more impactful.
Grammarly will pop-up in most applications, browsers, and apps, and tell you what you’re doing wrong (and gives you an easy way to fix grammar errors!).
Grammarly in action
Social Warfare – Social Sharing Plugin (Free and cheap paid version)
This plugin makes it easy for people to share your content–a must-have in blogging.
Blog Organization, Productivity, and Project Management Software
These blogging tools help you get more done, faster, and better.
Tools to manager your content calendar (and various projects)
Trello is INSANELY simple to use, and organizes tasks and projects in a highly visual format (kanban boards!).
I pretty much stink at organizing and planning out operations for my team (and creating a content calendar), but even I’ve found using Trello handy.
Pro Tip: “Butler” is a specific “power-up” you can enable for Trello boards, allowing you to do some helpful automations. Check out a video on that here.
If you like the more “list” visual aspect, Asana is very powerful
Misc. Productivity Tools
TextExpander ($30/year) – If you find yourself typing things repeatedly–email signatures, URLs, phrases, etc, TextExpander allows you to create shortcuts for bunks of text. Example: I simply hit “hhdd” and out pops http://www.doyouevenblog.com.
Freedom.to ($20/year) – This app works on both mobile and desktop, and allows me to selectively block Gmail, Twitter, Facebook, IG, etc, so I won’t even be tempted to be distracted.
Voxer (Free mobile app) – It’s half texting/messaging and half walkie-talkie app! I use this instead of texting for most of my online relationships–including Team DYEB.
Lastpass (Free) – My password manager of choice. It’s absolutely amazing and I think e ery human should use it.
Yoink (Mac & iOS only. Roughly $7 in App Store) – I had NO CLUE I needed something to make dragging-n-dropping files better–but I did. I use this every day.
Scanner Pro ($4 mobile app) – Makes scanning paper-ish things a SNAP–and can also create multi-page PDFs.
Alfred (Mac only. Free & Paid) – It’s like an insanely functional search bar for your Mac. I use it no less than 50 times a day.
Rocket (Mac only. Free) – Makes it easy to insert emojis! ?
Wi-Fi Sweetspots (Free mobile app) – I use this to find the best wi-fi spots when I travel to different coffee shops, public places, etc.
Otter.ai (free) – Hands down the best audio transcription tool on the internet! Great for quickly taking voice notes and seeing transcriptions–or for podcast transcripts
Blog Monetization Tools
These tools make it simple for you to market, sell, and deliver your own products (or help sell affiliate marketing products!)
Gumroad (Free and $10/mo) – Quickly selling any product from your blog.
I used Gumroad to sell t-shirts. Was incredibly easy.
This is NOT an e-commerce or store option–like WooCommerce or Shopify.
Rather, Gumroad is stand-alone software to sell digital or physical products from just about anywhere–from embeddable buy buttons, links, etc.
The reason Gumroad gets my recommendation is because of its simplicity. No reason to stress over software design, APIs, payment processors, etc. Just sign up, create a product, embed buy button, and BOOM. You’re selling something.
I have to mention this for advanced bloggers with established courses, etc. This is what I use to process ALL my transactions these days.
Quickly get product checkout pages set-up and optimized
Upsells
Bump offers
Cookied countdown timers on carts
Affiliate management
GREAT integrations
Full E-commerce solutions:
WooCommerce (WordPress plugin. Free, but not really)
It’s still a great product, but a bit hard to set-up and make “perfect.” Also, while the core plugin and functionality is free–you have to shell out $$ for even basic expansions.
If you can front the $29/month price tag, Shopify is a fantastic stand-alone e-commerce platform. I know several bloggers who have separate Shopify shops in addition to their main site.
This post (and this entire site) was built with Elementor
The Best WordPress Themes for Bloggers
You need a theme that WORKS, looks great, loads quickly, and works with other plugins.
StudioPress (or any Genesis Framework theme) Price: $50-$150
StudioPress makes amazing WordPress themes that are…
fast-loading
clean
easy to design
easy to learn/configure
affordable
YES–there’s a learning curve when you first pick up a Genesis theme, but it’s like riding a bike: If you ever switch themes, you’ll already be comfortable with design, helping you get up and running ASAP.
Alternative – the default WordPress themes (Free!)
At the time I’m writing this, I’m currently on the Twenty-Nineteen theme, and I love it!
You can’t go wrong with a default WP theme. They’re simple, fast, and clean.
WARNING: Stay away from Divi!
Divi is a page builder framework, and also has a broad “theme” that you can highly customize.
The problem?
Divi themes are notoriously slow If you ever decide to switch AWAY from Divi, you are in for a world of hurt. Stay away!
Extra random blogging tools!
These are random tools that add value to my career as a blogger, podcaster, course creator, etc
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