❌

Normal view

  • βœ‡Do You Even Blog
  • The β€œCopywriting Trifecta” That’ll Help You STAND OUT: Kira Hug
    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
     

The β€œCopywriting Trifecta” That’ll Help You STAND OUT: Kira Hug

22 February 2021 at 10:00

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!

Listen to my episode with copywriter Kira Hug:

or listen on Apple Podcasts \ Google Podcasts \ Spotify

Here’s a few more copywriting resources for you:

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

  • βœ‡Do You Even Blog
  • The Trick to Getting on 1,000+ Podcasts (And Why You Need To): Tom from Interview Valet
    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
     

The Trick to Getting on 1,000+ Podcasts (And Why You Need To): Tom from Interview Valet

1 March 2021 at 10:00

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!

Listen to my episode with Tom Schwab from Interview Valet:

or listen on Apple Podcasts \ Google Podcasts \ Spotify

Other resources for podcast guesting:

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.

  • βœ‡Do You Even Blog
  • YouTube Ads 101: How to Get Started ASAP – Aleric Heck
    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
     

YouTube Ads 101: How to Get Started ASAP – Aleric Heck

8 March 2021 at 10:00

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.

aleric heck

Warning 👇

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

Enjoy!

Listen to my YouTube Ads chat with Aleric Heck:

or listen on Apple Podcasts \ Google Podcasts \ Spotify

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

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

  • βœ‡Do You Even Blog
  • DYEB Basement Office Makeover
    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
     

DYEB Basement Office Makeover

4 August 2022 at 14:15

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.

impromptu shot, 8.4.22!

Furniture & Decor list

Computer Workstation List

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

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 room
Right 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…

  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!

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…

  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.

“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:

  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!
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 cheap
current layout

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.)

poufs are awesome
The right side of the room, my YouTube setup

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.

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 difference
I 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…

  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:

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.

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

Here’s the “after, but still not 100% yet”

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.

  • βœ‡Do You Even Blog
  • The β€œWhat Why What” Formula For Nurturing True Fans
    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
     

The β€œWhat Why What” Formula For Nurturing True Fans

13 April 2021 at 09:00

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?

rosemarie busy budgeter homepage
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.

  1. Authority = People want to know that YOU know what the heck you’re talking about.
  2. 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.

  1. I’ve started over 45+ online businesses and blogs, failed a lot, and have a ton of stories for learning to share.
  2. I might actually be OBSESSED with blogging and online business. My passion for this helps me stand out.
  3. I quit a cushy job to be broke for a while and make this whole online business thing work.
  4. 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].

problogger email opt in
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.

You don’t make tons of money from your blog from brand-new website visitors. You make them over time from loyal fans.

Sharing your “what why what” is the very first step to turning first-time visitors to repeat visitors.

judgment-free finance and friend-making. Their core purpose attracts their core audience.

Random website visitors need to know

  1. what on earth your platform talks about (specifically)
  2. why they should follow you rather than other similar blogs
  3. what they’re going to GET out of being a follower.

So tell them, in as few words as possible, as quickly as possible, all across your blog.

Go forth and nurture true fans.

But before you do, drop me a comment and say hello below!

The post The “What Why What” Formula For Nurturing True Fans appeared first on Do You Even Blog.

  • βœ‡Do You Even Blog
  • How to make (the right) people like you more – Copywriting & Branding Queen Hillary Weiss
    *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
     

How to make (the right) people like you more – Copywriting & Branding Queen Hillary Weiss

19 April 2021 at 10:13

*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 one
  • Exercises for copywriting (to write more good words)
  • Her definition of “influencer”
  • way mo’

Enjoy!

Listen to my episode with Hillary Weiss:

or listen on Apple Podcasts \ Google Podcasts \ Spotify

Other awesome branding and copywriting resources ????

  • Check out Hillary’s site, and opt-in for her Statement Piece (it’s halfway down the page)
  • I recently had Kira Hug on the podcast as well, that was a great episode.
  • It’s an OOOOLD podcast series I did, but check out “Stories That Sell” if you wanna get better at intentionally telling stories.

and yo, if you enjoy this episode, drop us some comment luv below?

I’d love to hear what you thought about creating a “statement piece,” or just say hello 😉

The post How to make (the right) people like you more – Copywriting & Branding Queen Hillary Weiss appeared first on Do You Even Blog.

  • βœ‡Do You Even Blog
  • Advanced Blogging Strategies That Are Working Right Now – Robert Farrington Part Dos
    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
     

Advanced Blogging Strategies That Are Working Right Now – Robert Farrington Part Dos

3 May 2021 at 09:00

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 2021
  • Completely outsourcing a podcast for his blog
  • Partnering with affiliates
  • and more!

Enjoy 🙂

.

Listen to my episode with Robert Farrington:

or listen on Apple Podcasts \ Google Podcasts \ Spotify

The post Advanced Blogging Strategies That Are Working Right Now – Robert Farrington Part Dos appeared first on Do You Even Blog.

  • βœ‡Do You Even Blog
  • Jessica’s First Evergreen Funnel [Success Case Study!]
    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’s First Evergreen Funnel [Success Case Study!]

10 May 2021 at 08:59

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:

or listen on Apple Podcasts \ Google Podcasts \ Spotify

Till later my entrepreneur and funnel-building friends! 🙂 🙂

The post Jessica’s First Evergreen Funnel [Success Case Study!] appeared first on Do You Even Blog.

  • βœ‡Do You Even Blog
  • Nurture Sequences 101 – What to say and how to do it.
    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
     

Nurture Sequences 101 – What to say and how to do it.

24 May 2021 at 09:00

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 Grummert (Duett.co) is joining me on today’s podcast to give her best tips for a SOLID nurture sequence!

Enjoy 😉

Listen to this chat about nurture sequences:

or listen on Apple Podcasts \ Google Podcasts \ Spotify

More handy resources for building funnels, etc:

Now go write some emails 🙂

The post Nurture Sequences 101 – What to say and how to do it. appeared first on Do You Even Blog.

  • βœ‡Do You Even Blog
  • 11 Online Business Podcasts You Need to Be Listening To.
    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
     

11 Online Business Podcasts You Need to Be Listening To.

2 August 2021 at 09:00

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 for…

  • 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 😉

Akimbo – Seth Godin

Listen for…

  • sage advice from the world’s top marketer
  • new ideas that’ll make you ponder
  • interesting historical tidbits about our culture

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 – Naval Ravikant

This one’s a bit different…

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.

I highly highly HIGHLY recommend his podcast on wealth building. It’s the single best audio resource I’ve ever found for this particular personal finance take.

Search News You can Use – Marie Haynes

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.

Systems Saved Me – Jordan Gill

Listen for…

  • fun interviews with female entrepreneurs
  • 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!

Online Marketing Made Easy – Amy Porterfield

Listen for:

  • 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!

Oh yeah, and you should probably check out the Do You Even Blog podcast–ever heard of it???

I hear the dude that runs that is firrreeee. So handsome too.

The Side Hustle Show – Nick Loper

Listen for:

  • a variety of guests, topics, and ideas
  • 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 Tim Ferriss Show – Tim Ferriss

Listen for:

  • 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.

Interested in YouTube? Binge these 3 podcasts…

These are specific to YouTube 😉

Comments over Coffee – Nick Nimmin

Nick goes through his own YouTube comments and finds good questions–and then answers them on this podcast. I like Nick a lot!

YouTube Creators Hub – Dusty Porter

Dusty’s is more interview and success story-based, and oh look! I’ve been on his show!

Video Creators – Tim Schmoyer

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!

While listening to these podcasts…

  • have fun, duh
  • pay attention to how THEY create their content!

Learn from them, be entertained by them 😉

In no particular order…

An oral history of The Office – Brian Baumgartner (Kevin Malone)

This will obviously be way better if you’re a fan of The Office–but it’s so well done! Hats off to Brian for his storytelling and narration.

Also, it’s just hilarious.

Twenty Thousand Hertz – Dallas Taylor

It’s a podcast about…sounds. Sound boring? It’s seriously not. Count this podcast as one of the most interesting shows I’ve ever caught.

You don’t have to be an audiophile to find enjoyment here, either. It’s so good.

Hardcore History – Dan Carlin

My official favorite podcast of all time.

It’s about history. It’s about humans. It can get hardcore every now and then.

Subscribe ASAP (and if you’re new to the show–I recommend going and checking out the series on WW1. “Blueprint for Armageddon” or something like that.

The way I heard it – Mike Rowe

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.

Everything is Alive

I mean everything. The Coke Bottle is alive. The newspaper is alive and well, and telling you about her day.

This is the show where inanimate objects take life–and usually end up teaching us an interesting lesson.

The Kevin Rose Show

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.

Popcorn Finance – Chris Browning

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 😉

Smart Money Mamas – Chelsea Brennan

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.

Unlocking Us – Brené Brown

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!

????

The post 11 Online Business Podcasts You Need to Be Listening To. appeared first on Do You Even Blog.

M.I.T.-proven social media strategies, world-class podcasting, and landing national book deals – Joe Saul-Sehy

11 October 2021 at 12:11

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 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.”

Enjoy the chat!

Listen to my episode with Joe Saul-Sehy!

or listen on Apple Podcasts \ Google Podcasts \ Spotify

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 ????).

Also, STACKED.

His book! Grab it here!

And if you really just want to see Joe (I mean, who doesn’t??), watch a DIFFERENT podcast we recorded here:

Joe and I tell fun podcasting stories–and he helps us build confidence with “our voice.”

So…

Are you all pumped up to level-up your TikTok game? Ready to jump into podcasting because of Joe?

Drop us a comment below and say hi!

<3

The post M.I.T.-proven social media strategies, world-class podcasting, and landing national book deals – Joe Saul-Sehy appeared first on Do You Even Blog.

Could you START a podcast/blog for a brand? How Sarah Li-Cain became an in-demand, highly-paid freelance producer.

18 October 2021 at 09:00

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 one 😉

Listen to my episode with Sarah Li-Cain

or listen on Apple Podcasts \ Google Podcasts \ Spotify

Here some fancy-pants resources from today’s show, and related reads/listens!

The post Could you START a podcast/blog for a brand? How Sarah Li-Cain became an in-demand, highly-paid freelance producer. appeared first on Do You Even Blog.

  • βœ‡Do You Even Blog
  • The β€œWhat Why What” Formula For Nurturing True Fans
    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
     

The β€œWhat Why What” Formula For Nurturing True Fans

13 April 2021 at 09:00

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?

rosemarie busy budgeter homepage
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.

  1. Authority = People want to know that YOU know what the heck you’re talking about.
  2. 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.

  1. I’ve started over 45+ online businesses and blogs, failed a lot, and have a ton of stories for learning to share.
  2. I might actually be OBSESSED with blogging and online business. My passion for this helps me stand out.
  3. I quit a cushy job to be broke for a while and make this whole online business thing work.
  4. 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].

problogger email opt in
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.

You don’t make tons of money from your blog from brand-new website visitors. You make them over time from loyal fans.

Sharing your “what why what” is the very first step to turning first-time visitors to repeat visitors.

judgment-free finance and friend-making. Their core purpose attracts their core audience.

Random website visitors need to know

  1. what on earth your platform talks about (specifically)
  2. why they should follow you rather than other similar blogs
  3. what they’re going to GET out of being a follower.

So tell them, in as few words as possible, as quickly as possible, all across your blog.

Go forth and nurture true fans.

But before you do, drop me a comment and say hello below!

The post The “What Why What” Formula For Nurturing True Fans appeared first on Do You Even Blog.

  • βœ‡Do You Even Blog
  • How to make (the right) people like you more – Copywriting & Branding Queen Hillary Weiss
    *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
     

How to make (the right) people like you more – Copywriting & Branding Queen Hillary Weiss

19 April 2021 at 10:13

*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 one
  • Exercises for copywriting (to write more good words)
  • Her definition of “influencer”
  • way mo’

Enjoy!

Listen to my episode with Hillary Weiss:

or listen on Apple Podcasts \ Google Podcasts \ Spotify

Other awesome branding and copywriting resources ????

  • Check out Hillary’s site, and opt-in for her Statement Piece (it’s halfway down the page)
  • I recently had Kira Hug on the podcast as well, that was a great episode.
  • It’s an OOOOLD podcast series I did, but check out “Stories That Sell” if you wanna get better at intentionally telling stories.

and yo, if you enjoy this episode, drop us some comment luv below?

I’d love to hear what you thought about creating a “statement piece,” or just say hello 😉

The post How to make (the right) people like you more – Copywriting & Branding Queen Hillary Weiss appeared first on Do You Even Blog.

Blogging Tools: The Definitive List for Growth (in 2021)

23 April 2021 at 15:11

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%.

Our Top Recommended Tools

The best-of-the-best that we’re actually USING RIGHT THIS SECOND and recommending (this gets updated often as tools change/update.)

This is Pete’s core toolkit (he also used several other tools on this page, but these are the biggest items)

ActiveCampaign

#1 for advanced email marketing.

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)

flodesk

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++++

Siteground

#1 for website hosting

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. 

Buzzsprout

#1 for podcast hosting

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 🙂

Podia

#1 for online courses and digital products

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?
wordpress

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.

If you’re new to blogging and want to learn how to set WordPress up, check out the beginner guide to starting a blog.

Is there a free blogging platform I can use?

If you want 100% free blogging, you can blog on a Medium.com or WordPress.com site.

The downside is that these limit what you can do with your site! Far less customization.

FYI – WordPress is a software. WordPress.COM means that software on THEIR website. WordPress.ORG means the software on your own website.

Tools for Creating Domain Names and Finding Their Availability.

Where can I see if IReallyLikePuppies.com is available?

If it’s taken–where can I generate awesome domain ideas quickly?

Just start typing domain name ideas in–and watch the availability pop up!

NOTE: If you click any of the available domains, you’ll be triggering an affiliate link for Instant Domain Search, and it’ll take you to Godaddy!

instant domain search

I recommend purchasing domains through either Godaddy or Namecheap–even if you’re using another provider for hosting!

Other cool domain name tools:

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!

bluehost dashboard

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.

That said, here is my affiliate link to Bluehost. I’m happy to promote it.

Some other great hosting options:

  • 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:

  1. Their free version is still A+
  2. You can export to PowerPoint!
canva 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.

Sketch – A NON-browser-based tool ($99)

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.

sketch app
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:

Pexels (free)

This is my go-to for pretty much everything. The variety is a bit more than average, and it’s 100% free.

All The Free Stock (free)

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.

shortpixel

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

  1. install and activate the plugin
  2. drag-n-drop images to WordPress like you always do
  3. 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!

  • On-page SEO plugin
  • Keyword & competitor research
  • SERP tracking
  • SEO audit tools

WordPress Plugins for on-page SEO

Yoast – Free! There’s a $90 premium version too.

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).

 

Keyword research and/or competitor tools

KWFinder and SERPWatcher (Free and Pro Versions available)

As far as really well-done keyword research tools go, Moz, Ahrefs, SEMRush, Majestic, etc, all cost over $1,000 a year for their cheapest plans.

Give the Mangools apps a try:

  • KWFinder
  • SERPChecker
  • SERPWatcher
  • LINKMiner
kwfinder
KWFinder is incredible for the price!

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).

ahrefs

Google Keyword Planner (Free)

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.

Soolve –  Free

I love this tool, and use it every time I create content.

It basically suggest keywords (just like the actual Google search bar), but for multiple search engines at once(!). Use it!

Keywords Everywhere – Free Chrome extension!

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!

soolve keywords

Site audit and broken backlink tools

We’ll talk more about site speed below, but managing broken links, redirects, etc, is important!

Broken Link Check – Free

It takes a hot minute to scan your site, but it also provides handy links straight to your content–so you can dive in and fix broken links!

Dr. Link Check – Free

Essentially the same thing.

SEO Web Page Analyzer – Free

This is a cool blogging tool. This little page analyzes a TON of stuff on any page–yours or any other site.

Introducing 60-Minute SEO - A Free Email Course

Looking to start ranking in Google?

Click here to learn more about 60-Minute SEO!

60-minute SEO

Website Optimization and Site Speed Tools

Image compressors (already discussed above), cache plugins, and CDNs!

Tools that’ll make your website load faster and make readers (and Google) happy.

WP Rocket – $49 Cache Plugin

  1. Install and activate the plugin
  2. Switch on a few settings
  3. BOOM. Your website is now WAY faster

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.

Free cache plugin alternative: W3 Total Cache

If you’re a seriously casual blogger and really just want a speed increase on the cheap, try W3.

It’s complicated to set up optimally and has too many features, but it can give speed increases “out of the box” as well.

wp rocket

Cloudflare – Free CDN!

  1. It’s easy to set-up (just requires ONE new cname record added to your cPanel account–tutorials of which are plentiful in a quick Google search)
  2. It’s 100% free for one website
  3. It leads to amazing speed increases

There’s no reason not to use a CDN with your blog! There is no downside at all.

FAQ: What on Earth is a CDN?

Content Delivery Network = a network of servers all over the world.

Instead of your website files (images, etc) being held on JUST YOUR SERVER, some of the files are distributed to multiple servers everywhere.

When somebody lands on your site, the CDN will pull your files NOT from your server, but from the server closest to the reader!

Those files get there quicker = speedy load times!

Here’s a handy guide to setting up Cloudflare as your CDN.

The Best Tools for Social Media Management & Automation

Use these to put your social media sharing on autopilot!

Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and more.

SmarterQueue – Starts at $20/month w/ a 30-day free trial.

I’ve tried Hootsuite, meetEdgar, and Buffer…..and NONE of them compare to SmarterQueue.

I NO LONGER spend 30-60 minutes a week loading up my queues. I set up scheduled times, content groups, and now I ONLY have to add new content.

The rest is done for me. It “recycles” evergreen content. 

  • Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest? Check!
  • Split-testing share images and copy? Check!
smarterqueue social media tool

I HIGHLY recommend you try it out for 14 days (Use my affiliate link for 30 days free!).

(Also, I wrote an entire review of SmarterQueue here)

Free alternative = Buffer.

Given SmarterQueue is paid only, I feel the need to recommendation my favorite free tool for scheduling a social media queue.

The free plan on Buffer is fantastic, and covers the basic needs for 99% of bloggers!

It doesn’t have content groups or evergreen “recycling,” however, so it’s not nearly as powerful as SmarterQueue or Meet Edgar.

Tailwind = $10/mo for Pinterest Sharing and Automation.

Pinterest user? Tailwind is essentially the ONLY tool you need.

  • Automate your pins,
  • Analyze your profile, board, and group board stats
  • Chrome extension to share anything from anywhere (to multiple boards, groups, tribes, etc!)
  • Tailwind Tribes access

(P.S. Use my affiliate link here and we BOTH get $15. That’s a full month free) After you have it, go listen to Alisa from Tailwind on the podcast! She drops awesome Pinterest traffic bombs 🙂

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 😉

WordFence Security Plugin – Free (or $99/year)

Protecting your blog from attacks is a REAL threat.

Luckily, there are free (and cheap) solutions for this, and WordFence is my favorite. It’s largely plug and go, with minimal set-up.

If you’d like to learn a TON more, you should check out my entire blog post on-site security and backups here.

Updraft Plus Site Backup Plugin – Free & paid versions available

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

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
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…

  1. Easy to use email editors, and
  2. 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.

Also, I do NOT recommend Aweber.

Tools to level-up your Gmail (or Outlook, etc)

Outreach, productivity, email tracking, etc:

right inbox

All of these tools do roughly the same thing, but Gmelius is my fave:

  1. email tracking analytics
  2. email scheduling
  3. templates
  4. organizational features

FYI – if you’re looking for some beginner tactics to grow your email list–here’s my full guide.

Blogging Tools to Help Create Better Content

Use these to produce better, more engaging content that’ll have your readers sharing, commenting, and buying 🙂

Writing Apps

Bear –Free Writing App (Mac and iOS only)

Bear is lightweight, pretty, distraction-free, and an AMAZING tool to compose in.

I use this to…

  • Take podcast interview notes
  • Draft blog posts
  • Brainstorm ideas
  • Keep track of my daily to-do’s
  • Save content to read later (the Chrome extension is amazing).

Google Docs – Free

At the end of the day, Google docs is simply to easy, and too FREE to leave out. 

Various blogging tools that yield better content:

Coschedule Headline Analyzer for creating amazing headlines (Free)

We all know headlines are important, yes?

This tool is great for working through different headline strategies, and it’s also addicting and fun 🙂

Also, I wrote an entire headline analyzer guide for using the CoSchedule tool, as well as another favorite, the AMI Emotional Headline Analyzer.

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 for spelling & grammar (free)

This is a MANDATORY blogging tool for writing.

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 for bloggers
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 – Free project management tool

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.

trello for bloggers

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.

Asana – Also a free project management tool

My buddy Matt Giovansci–actually has an awesome course on how to use Asana for bloggers–he runs his entire business on the free plan.

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.

gumroad bloggers
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.

 

Thrivecart ($600 lifetime) – Advanced checkout pages!

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
thrivecart

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.

Shopify (Stand-alone. Starts at $29/month)

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.

For more on monetizing your blog, check out our mega-guide here.

Landing Page Software

Quickly build landing and sales pages for your blog!

Elementor (Free and $49/yr) – Drag-n-drop page builder!

There is no better page-building plugin for WordPress.

Period.

You can use it for opt-in pages–like my New Blogger Bootcamp landing page, or even blog posts–like my manifesto–or even widgets/headers/more.

I do NOT recommend Leadpages. It’s too expensive, clunky, and does half of what Elementor does.

Interested in learning how to USE Elementor? Click here to read my comprehensive tutorial!

elementor blogging tool
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 😉

Also, if you’d like to see my HARDWARE tools, you can check out my Blog Bag post here!

Justgetflux.com for adjusting screen colors for nighttime blogging (Free)

Flux helps save your eyes! It prevents strain by altering the natural screen light from your computer, based on the time of day.

Snip.ly for getting a bit of extra traffic when you share other people’s content (Free and Pro versions available)

A fun little traffic tool. Here’s how it works:

  1. You find an article you want to share (someone else’s, not your own!)
  2. You “snip” it, creating a small Call-to-action widget.
  3. You share the article w/ the world
  4. When someone clicks on the link, they see the article you shared w/ YOUR call-to-action on the page.

Feels a little bit like hacking. Try it out and let me know if you see any cool results (seriously. Email me and let me feature you?)

ColorPick Eyedropper for identifying any colors on any website (Free)

Chrome extension that lets you hover over any website page, and snag the color code!

I’m ashamed to say I’ve tried dozens of these tools, and this one is my favorite. (lol)

So what are your favorite tools??

That’s a wrap! Did you enjoy these? Discover something new? Want to add something?

Drop me a comment!

The post Blogging Tools: The Definitive List for Growth (in 2021) appeared first on Do You Even Blog.

  • βœ‡Do You Even Blog
  • Advanced Blogging Strategies That Are Working Right Now – Robert Farrington Part Dos
    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
     

Advanced Blogging Strategies That Are Working Right Now – Robert Farrington Part Dos

3 May 2021 at 09:00

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 2021
  • Completely outsourcing a podcast for his blog
  • Partnering with affiliates
  • and more!

Enjoy 🙂

.

Listen to my episode with Robert Farrington:

or listen on Apple Podcasts \ Google Podcasts \ Spotify

The post Advanced Blogging Strategies That Are Working Right Now – Robert Farrington Part Dos appeared first on Do You Even Blog.

  • βœ‡Do You Even Blog
  • Jessica’s First Evergreen Funnel [Success Case Study!]
    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’s First Evergreen Funnel [Success Case Study!]

10 May 2021 at 08:59

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:

or listen on Apple Podcasts \ Google Podcasts \ Spotify

Till later my entrepreneur and funnel-building friends! 🙂 🙂

The post Jessica’s First Evergreen Funnel [Success Case Study!] appeared first on Do You Even Blog.

  • βœ‡Do You Even Blog
  • Nurture Sequences 101 – What to say and how to do it.
    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
     

Nurture Sequences 101 – What to say and how to do it.

24 May 2021 at 09:00

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 Grummert (Duett.co) is joining me on today’s podcast to give her best tips for a SOLID nurture sequence!

Enjoy 😉

Listen to this chat about nurture sequences:

or listen on Apple Podcasts \ Google Podcasts \ Spotify

More handy resources for building funnels, etc:

Now go write some emails 🙂

The post Nurture Sequences 101 – What to say and how to do it. appeared first on Do You Even Blog.

  • βœ‡Do You Even Blog
  • 11 Online Business Podcasts You Need to Be Listening To.
    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
     

11 Online Business Podcasts You Need to Be Listening To.

2 August 2021 at 09:00

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 for…

  • 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 😉

Akimbo – Seth Godin

Listen for…

  • sage advice from the world’s top marketer
  • new ideas that’ll make you ponder
  • interesting historical tidbits about our culture

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 – Naval Ravikant

This one’s a bit different…

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.

I highly highly HIGHLY recommend his podcast on wealth building. It’s the single best audio resource I’ve ever found for this particular personal finance take.

Search News You can Use – Marie Haynes

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.

Systems Saved Me – Jordan Gill

Listen for…

  • fun interviews with female entrepreneurs
  • 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!

Online Marketing Made Easy – Amy Porterfield

Listen for:

  • 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!

Oh yeah, and you should probably check out the Do You Even Blog podcast–ever heard of it???

I hear the dude that runs that is firrreeee. So handsome too.

The Side Hustle Show – Nick Loper

Listen for:

  • a variety of guests, topics, and ideas
  • 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 Tim Ferriss Show – Tim Ferriss

Listen for:

  • 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.

Interested in YouTube? Binge these 3 podcasts…

These are specific to YouTube 😉

Comments over Coffee – Nick Nimmin

Nick goes through his own YouTube comments and finds good questions–and then answers them on this podcast. I like Nick a lot!

YouTube Creators Hub – Dusty Porter

Dusty’s is more interview and success story-based, and oh look! I’ve been on his show!

Video Creators – Tim Schmoyer

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!

While listening to these podcasts…

  • have fun, duh
  • pay attention to how THEY create their content!

Learn from them, be entertained by them 😉

In no particular order…

An oral history of The Office – Brian Baumgartner (Kevin Malone)

This will obviously be way better if you’re a fan of The Office–but it’s so well done! Hats off to Brian for his storytelling and narration.

Also, it’s just hilarious.

Twenty Thousand Hertz – Dallas Taylor

It’s a podcast about…sounds. Sound boring? It’s seriously not. Count this podcast as one of the most interesting shows I’ve ever caught.

You don’t have to be an audiophile to find enjoyment here, either. It’s so good.

Hardcore History – Dan Carlin

My official favorite podcast of all time.

It’s about history. It’s about humans. It can get hardcore every now and then.

Subscribe ASAP (and if you’re new to the show–I recommend going and checking out the series on WW1. “Blueprint for Armageddon” or something like that.

The way I heard it – Mike Rowe

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.

Everything is Alive

I mean everything. The Coke Bottle is alive. The newspaper is alive and well, and telling you about her day.

This is the show where inanimate objects take life–and usually end up teaching us an interesting lesson.

The Kevin Rose Show

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.

Popcorn Finance – Chris Browning

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 😉

Smart Money Mamas – Chelsea Brennan

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.

Unlocking Us – Brené Brown

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!

????

The post 11 Online Business Podcasts You Need to Be Listening To. appeared first on Do You Even Blog.

M.I.T.-proven social media strategies, world-class podcasting, and landing national book deals – Joe Saul-Sehy

11 October 2021 at 12:11

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 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.”

Enjoy the chat!

Listen to my episode with Joe Saul-Sehy!

or listen on Apple Podcasts \ Google Podcasts \ Spotify

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 ????).

Also, STACKED.

His book! Grab it here!

And if you really just want to see Joe (I mean, who doesn’t??), watch a DIFFERENT podcast we recorded here:

Joe and I tell fun podcasting stories–and he helps us build confidence with “our voice.”

So…

Are you all pumped up to level-up your TikTok game? Ready to jump into podcasting because of Joe?

Drop us a comment below and say hi!

<3

The post M.I.T.-proven social media strategies, world-class podcasting, and landing national book deals – Joe Saul-Sehy appeared first on Do You Even Blog.

❌