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3 Helpful Habits For Tracking Your Money

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Did you know that what you track is naturally going to expand?

No, checking your bank account every day won’t automatically add more money to it. That’s not the idea.

The idea is that by tracking your money every day, you get more creative with the different ways you can invest your existing money and make more money.

Money is something that I track every day because money gives you more choices. It certainly doesn’t give more happiness, but think about the extra choices a million dollars gives you.

If you want to go to Disney resorts more often, you can. If you want to invest more money and get more in return, you can. If you want to quit your job, you might be able to (depending on if you can consistently continue to make that million or if you just won the lottery).

While not guaranteed, it’s certainly easier to be happy with more money because of that choice factor.

I bring this up because not everyone likes to spend that much time looking at their money. Some people think it’s the root of all evil.

I’ll talk about tracking money shortly, but I want to clear something up.

Money is not the root of evil. The incorrect use of money by a relatively small group of people is the root of evil.

Going back to tracking our money, it’s important for us to do just that if we want to make more of it.

It’s also important for us to approach this with the right mindset. If you track it with the mindset of making sure you never lose too much money, you’re approaching money wrong.

However, if you track it with the mindset of what’s working and bringing in more money, you’re more likely to make more money.

With that said, it’s time for us to discuss the three ways that you can track your money.

 

#1: Log Into Your Money Accounts Every Day

Yes, every day…without missing a day. You should put your net worth right in front of your face every day. It will inspire you to make more money and think about the extra choices you will have.

Logging into your money accounts means logging into all of your bank and investment accounts.

To be quite honest, I almost never have over $100 in the bank. I quickly deploy my money for other uses such as growing my business or investing in stocks and eventually real estate.

This also stems from the fact that I’m 21 right now and it makes more sense for young people to invest more of my money because they can ride more ups and downs right now.

With that said, I still have a small amount of money invested in a Fidelity high yield bond market to act as a hedge for volatility.

And I bring up Fidelity intentionally. I log into Fidelity every day to see what my net worth looks like (note: I will even log in on days that the stock market is closed).

I’m not telling you to invest in the stock market. But I am telling you to have a way to invest your money. Whether it’s something as easy and risk free as CDs or something as risky as Bitcoin (I don’t invest in Bitcoin and don’t feel comfortable with that one), you need to invest your money.

Even if investing isn’t your thing and you’d rather create content for people, investing gives you the chance of making more money.

And more money creates more choices. You can use that extra money to get more exposure for your content or just have the peace of mind that your investments are paying off a chunk of your living expenses.

If you have tangible real estate assets or something similar, I would keep track of the ones you own and know their net worths. That will help you know your total net worth just by checking in each day.

The more you check in on your net worth, the more you’ll want to do stuff to change that number.

 

#2: Keep Track On A Spread Sheet

The biggest game changer for me has been keeping track of my money on a spread sheet. Each time I get extra book sales (or any other kind of sale), it gets added to that sheet as income for the month.

Using software like Apple Numbers or Microsoft Excel is the best way to go for tracking money on a spreadsheet.

I understand that this isn’t an easy skill and one you might not be interested in mastering (life gets super busy).

That’s why I am giving my entire spreadsheet away for free.

No, that doesn’t mean I’m revealing income numbers. Still not at that stage.

Instead, it’s a mock spreadsheet that you can edit to add your own data. You’ll also find instructions for how to use it.

You can get that free spreadsheet here.

 

#3: Track Individual Streams Of Income

No big company ever exclusively tracks money made and money lost…and neither should you. Part of tracking your money means seeing where most of your money comes from and what’s not giving you a big enough payoff.

It’s through tracking my income streams that I learned affiliate marketing is one of my top income streams. I have a few income streams picking up more steam, but affiliate marketing has been a reliable way for me to boost my income.

My free spreadsheet also makes this possible. It has a bunch of rows and columns that allow you to keep track of the monthly income you make from a variety of income streams.

 

In Conclusion

Tracking your money is essential for acquiring more of it. The key thing to understand about tracking money is that it changes your mindset. The people who track their money the most are less likely to spend out of control.

People who track their money become smart spenders and only put their money towards investments and experiences.

What were your thoughts on this list? Do you track your money through additional means? Sound off in the comments below.

5 Principles That Will Strengthen Your Mindset

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Your mindset is critical for your success. We all know this, but we need to consciously strengthen them.

Strengthening your mindset isn’t a quick fix. It’s something you do gradually. Some people can have an instant life-changing transformation, but even with that, the mindset determines how long that event affects you.

Some people feel completely transformed during the New Year only to lose that feeling halfway into February.

Strengthening your mindset is continual. It’s something you never stop doing. With that said, here are five principles you can use to strengthen your mindset.

 

#1: Achieve A Daily Or Weekly 1% Improvement

If you gradually improve, you’ll see the exponential gains later on. Improving at 1% every day will result in a 3778% improvement in a year.

If you improve by 1% every week, the improvement is 168% improvement.

I know everyone prefers the 3778% improvement over the 168% improvement, but some goals are different than others. It’s possible to achieve a 1% improvement each day for some of your goals. For others, weekly is the only possible option.

However, a 1% improvement isn’t just based on results. It’s also based on actions. Let’s say I write 1% more words every day for a given time. We’ll set the starting point as 1,000 words.

By the end of Day 1, I am at 1,010 words. It’s not a groundbreaking performance, but look at what compounded growth does…

1 Week: 1,072 words per day
1 Month: 1,347 words per day
1 Quarter: 2,448 words per day
2 Quarters: 5,995 words per day
1 Year: 37,783 words per day

Okay, I know no one is writing 37,783 words every day. You may decide to set that goal if you can build a team of writers around you, but chances are you and your team aren’t writing that many words each day.

However, the rest of those numbers are very doable. And a 1% growth isn’t asking for much. In the beginning, it’s just an extra 10 words. The growth compounds and adds up. When you hit 1,100 words per day, a 1% increase means an additional 11 words per day putting you at 1,111 words per day.

It’s not a consistent +10 each day but instead a consistent +1% each day. That’s a big difference.

So what happens when you reach 5,995 words per day (you might as well write those extra five to hit 6K)? You can continue to grow your word count, but you’ll eventually square off against a limit.

You have to write 14,681 words every day if you continue growing by 1% for a third straight quarter. But do you have time to write that many words? It’s easy to go from 1,000 words to 1,010 words and scale up to the first two quarters.

However, in the third quarter, you’re adding hundreds and sometimes thousands of extra words to your daily routine. You’ve trained for it, but time is finite.

It’s not like I could increase my weekly mileage by 10% all the time. Eventually, I’d have to run 100 miles every day (mathematically speaking).

I’d work towards it gradually, but I still believe it would have a heavy toll on my legs. 100 miles per day is A LOT to ask any runner, and for most of us 24 hours isn’t enough to run that long.

I don’t have to keep proving time is finite. We all know that’s the truth. But what happens when you’re writing 5,995 words every day and you are comfortable writing at that pace?

Pick something else to improve by 1% every day while maintaining the new routine you built.

I listen to audiobooks for 40 minutes each day during the school year during my commute. A 1% increase puts me at 40 minutes and 24 seconds. Sometimes I’ll blow past the 1% limit but set 40 minutes and 24 seconds as the minimum threshold. As long as I improve at the minimum 1% threshold every day, I’m happy with my progress.

 

#2: Live On The Edges

Most people start their day in the middle of it. Anything after 8 am, some people may be awake in your house. Rush hour traffic is building. Your part of the world is awake at that time.

I don’t start my day in the middle. Yes, 8 am is still early in the day, but not early enough to live on the edges. If you live on the edges, you’ll grow your edge on the competition (I had to).

My day starts at 3:30 am. That’s when I wake up and go through eight books. I’ll read a section or two and then march on to the next book.

At 4 am, I’m doing work. I’m writing blog posts, planning out videos (socially, I am not a morning person. I tried doing videos once at 5 am. Never again), marketing my business, and any of my other priorities. I’ll respond to emails later in the day.

Someday, I’ll start staying up until midnight because I have no problem with doing videos late in the day. That’s how I live on the edges. I get to bed at midnight and wake up at three.

I know what you’re thinking. Glaring health problem. Just three hours of sleep. This former teen entrepreneur went crazy at 20.

I get most of my sleep in the middle of the day. I’ll recharge when everyone else is hustling. For me, that’s usually in the afternoon. Productivity drops at that time anyway (What time do you eat your lunch? How do you feel afterward?).

I take my nap when everyone else is hustling but gradually losing productivity. When I wake up, I feel fully recharged. That’s why I can see myself doing videos until midnight during the summer.

My schedule won’t work for everyone, but by using my schedule as an example, you can find yourself less stuck and distracted. If you’re an entrepreneur, it’s better for you to go to the grocery store at noon than at 5 pm. Beat rush hour so you’re not in a long line with a lot of other people rushing to get the same food.

That grocery store reference is just an example that can be applied to many areas. Start grinding before others start their day, and take your rest while everyone else is up and about.  

 

#3: Associate With The Best

You become who you associate yourself with. There are different versions of the same idea, but we need to keep it in mind.

When most people think about who they associate with, they think of about the people in their community. Most people have an “Oh well” mindset if they’re in a bad community.

However, you don’t just associate with the people in your community. You also associate with the people you pay attention to.

One of the people I associate with is Jim Rohn. I’ve listened to his audiobooks and read his books even though he passed away in 2009. I never read or listened to any of Jim’s books while he was alive.

People like Jim live on through their work. Other people who impact people in a big way are still alive, and you can consume their work too. The more of their work you consume, the more you assume their work ethic and mindset.

That’s why I enjoy reading Brian Tracy books. Brian has an excellent goal achieving mindset. Even better, he’s written many books, and that allows me to consume more of Brian’s content.

I can also go through the daily content that Gary Vaynerchuk publishes so I can get a deeper understanding of his mindset.

I know that in some cases, I’ll come across insights that I already know. However, reminding yourself of those insights, but more importantly, forcing yourself to continue associate with the best will allow you to someday surpass them.

I study my role models with the belief that I will and must someday surpass them. When I surpass my role models, I want other people look at my journey and hope to surpass me someday. Assuming we have the right role models in mind, this would make the world a better place.

 

#4: Learn Every Day

This goes in line with associating with the best. Part of that association is consuming content that arms you with new knowledge and ways of thinking.

This isn’t a once in a while activity. This is a daily activity. You should invest at least 3% of your income towards self-education. That’s how you make a fortune instead of just a living.

That’s why I listen to audiobooks during my commutes. It’s also why I read blog posts and books on my smartphone instead of playing the latest video game app.  

 

#5: Continue Taking Action

Just because advice is simple doesn’t mean it’s easy. During good times and bad times, you must continue taking action. Keep on creating new content, promoting your brand, and doing everything else to up level your game.

Living on the edges will give you the uninterrupted time that will help you take massive action. Before you take any action, make sure you set your priorities. What are the three things you need to do today for it to be considered a success?

Keep taking action. If you struggle with taking action, give yourself reachable goals and more reasons to take action. I’ll continue writing down all of the reasons for me to take action just to motivate myself to do more than what I’m already doing.

 

In Conclusion

Your mindset determines your success. There’s no way around it. That means if you strengthen your mindset, you increase the likelihood of your success.

There’s no guaranteed way to become successful, but there are guaranteed ways to increase your chances of becoming successful.

This blog post outlined five key practices that will increase your chances of becoming successful (however you define it).

Now it just comes down to implementation and living based on these principles.

What were your thoughts on the list? Do you have any principles you’d like to share? Do you have a question for me? Sound off in the comments section below.

How To Find More Time In Your Day To Create Epic Content

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epic content

When school is back in session, I always make adjustments my work flow. The long summer hours are getting shorter and I have less time to craft content for my business.

Whether you’re a student, 9-to-5 worker, or even an entrepreneur, it seems there’s never enough time in the day to get everything done.

You may write blog post, promote your content, or respond to an email, but you’ll likely find yourself struggling to accomplish several things in one day.

Some people use this reality as a crutch: “I simply don’t have the time,” they say, but that’s a classic excuse for not getting more done.

The truth is, making excuses allows you to believe that you have more important things to do with your time.

But finding more time isn’t always a solution. There comes a point in which working longer hours results in a decrease in overall productivity, rather than an increase.

So it’s not about the number of hours you spend working. It’s about the quality of those hours, which is another way of saying “work smarter, not harder.”

I no doubtedly work on my brand for far less time than most people each day, but the time I do spend working is far more intense.

Some people can only manage to squeeze in brand-building activities for 15-30 minutes a day, while others can handle much more. But anyone should be able to find short bursts of time for creating content each day, working smarter with the time they have.

Now you might be thinking that without knowing your schedule I can’t possibly be sure that you can find more time for content creation.

But even the time people spend rambling about their schedules to friends, family, and themselves is better spent more productively – creating epic content.

If you believe this doesn’t apply to you because your schedule is just too tight, prepare to have your mind blown.

Batch Individual Parts Of The Process

Every blog post contains an introduction, body, and conclusion. For a long time, I wrote entire blog posts from start to finish exactly in that order.

I was surprised to learn that this is an inefficient approach to writing blog posts. Instead of writing one post at a time in a traditional format, it’s better to come up with ideas for several blog posts at once.

After that, write the introductions for all of them. And after you’ve written the introductions, move on to the conclusions. Finally, wrap them all up with research and body copy.

This is definitely something that is rarely taught in the blogging world. The traditional format resembles essay writing, but blog posts are different, and require an altogether different approach.

Choose one day to write all of the introductions and conclusions. And another day to conduct research and write the bodies. Repeating the same bite-sized tasks over and over enables you to maintain a higher level of focus.

Without this batching process, you’re forced to make transitions each time you move from introduction to body, from body to conclusion, and from one blog post to the next.

Each of these transitions takes time that you can save by staying in the introduction mindset as you write the intros for several blog posts. Once you’re in the right frame of mind, you simply extend it to cover more ground.

How Much Time Do You Really Need?

It usually takes me around 30-60 minutes to write a 1,000-word blog post – likely because I’ve written dozens of books and thousands of blog posts. But I’ve been able to reduce this further simply by eliminating those nasty transitions.

At some point, your fingers either fall off or you become a fast typer. Not only will the batching process help you type faster, you’ll also think faster as you write each post. The result is a higher-value blog post in a shorter period of time.

If writing a 1,000-word blog posts intimidates you, there’s nothing stopping you from writing 250-500 word blog posts. Make it as easy as possible for yourself to write and publish content on your blog.

But the next time you write a blog post, keep track of how much time it took. That’s the amount of time you’ll need to make available each day or week, depending on your publishing schedule.

Use Opportune Moments To Write Your Posts

People most often write blog posts on a computer. Nowadays, you have a computer in your pocket. It’s called a smartphone, and while I’m not saying anything new for now, just read the next line.

Use your smartphone to write blog posts.

Anytime you’re waiting for an Uber, sitting on a train, suffering through tv commercials (or any other moment in which you’re waiting in line or for something to happen), add more content to a future blog post.

I’ve written dozens of blog posts from start to finish on my iPhone. That’s several months of additional content without any extra time investment. I wrote these posts during commercials, while waiting for class to begin (college life), or any other moment in which I found myself not doing much of anything.

You can also write blog posts while driving. No, I’m not advocating texting and driving. I’m taking about speaking and driving. Just install an app that transcribes your voice into text and speak out your blog post.

When you are in front of a computer with the transcription, you can then make edits and schedule the blog post for release.

It amazes me how many hours people spend commuting in a given year but how few of people turn those hours into opportunities.

Dictating blog posts is one option, but you can also turn your car into a university on wheels by listening to as many audiobooks and podcasts as possible (if you’re looking for a podcast recommendation, I recommend my Breakthrough Success Podcast with full, complete, and utter bias).

In Conclusion

We all have the same 24-hours in a given day. Your success is determined by how you utilize every one of them. I once heard that the average American spends at least four hours a day watching TV.

With those same four hours, I can write 10,000 words for my latest book, create an entire training course, or read several books.

And that’s just four hours repeated 24/7/365. Maybe you don’t watch TV for four hours a day, but chances are you do something similar that you can adjust.

For instance, I used to play a lot of video games. Then, I went cold turkey after a two week vacation (the vacation helped ease me into it). Now, I only let myself play video games when I’m visiting friends.

Your desire to create epic content must be greater than your desire to do other things.

What are your thoughts on these tactics for finding more time in your day to create epic content? Do you have any other tactics for us? Do you have a question for me? Sound off in the comments section below.

The Best Content Creation Calendar Strategy…PERIOD

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Consistent bloggers often decide between writing all of their content at once, shortly before their due dates, or writing several blog posts in advance.

The problem with writing all of your content just before their due dates is rushing or missing the mark. The problem with writing all of your content in advance is missing out on new trends.

I admit that for the first time in my blogging journey, these problems caused me to be inconsistent.

And not because I was slacking off – I was in the middle of organizing my first virtual summit. In fact, since I’m quite good at planning ahead, I had scheduled the summit’s launch one month before final exams (basically preparing for the summit while studying for my finals).

And now that I am back to blogging — and getting more contributors at the same time — my publishing schedule has become more complicated (when do I post? when do my contributors post?)

Mark Asquith to the rescue!

Mark was one of more than 50 speakers at my Content Marketing Success Summit. And he spoke about consistently creating epic content.

One of the questions I asked Mark was what he considers the best approach to creating a content calendar, addressing the two problems I mentioned above—cramming versus planning ahead.

His response blew my mind. In October of 2016, Mark had identified all of the blog posts he would write for 2017. And by the end of the year, he had written all of them.

Mark began 2017 with all 24 blog posts he’s publishing this year. He publishes one every other week.

But let’s say I pre-wrote all of my content for 2018, and then something significant happens in the industry: SnapChat comes out with another revolutionary feature. Facebook advertising comes out with even more targeting.

How can I write about these major updates if I have all of 2018’s content waiting in the queue? Here’s the answer…

If, like Mark, you schedule all of your new blog posts for every other week, you can simply write new blog posts in between.

For instance, if you’ve scheduled blog posts for October 1st and October 15th many months in advance, you can publish a new blog post about a recent trend on October 8th.

This way, you can incorporate new content while having the bulk of your content scheduled in advance. And if all of the blog posts you write in advance are evergreen, then it doesn’t matter whether you publish them in 2017 or 2027.

For example, a blog post about productivity will be relevant every year because productivity tips do not rely on trends.

So, why is this such a great strategy? Let’s capture the scope of its impact:

#1: You Can Write About Trends Without Content Calendar Conflicts

As mentioned before, you can publish trend related articles in between the content you schedule in advance. You don’t have to tinker around with rescheduling content; you schedule in advance intentionally leaving room for gaps.

#2: You Can Warm Up Your Audience To Launches

I promote several products in any given year. Yet my 2018 calendar remains fairly open apart from a February launch that I’m participating in. I can prepare for that launch now by writing relevant content.

But let’ say Chandler Bolt asks me to promote Self-Publishing School in April, and my pre-written blog posts have NOTHING to do with writing a book (or even writing content)?

I can still write relevant content ahead of time and insert it into my content creation calendar. In fact, writing about content creation, and how to become a successful author, will warm up my audience up to this promotion.

#3: You Can Enjoy More Freedom

I wrote this entire blog post off the cuff without an outline. Of course, I still sent it to my editor, but the post remains a case of “just cuz.”

Not only will you have your content scheduled far in advance, but you will also have the freedom to write and publish additional content anytime you feel like it. Win-win!

I believe too many people miss out on this part of blogging. They are so focused on planning and writing their next blog post that they don’t truly feel free when writing.

This feeling of freedom is based on the fact that you can write about a topic that interests you while not feeling pressured to schedule the post you’re working on.

It’s more of a choice and less of “I need to publish this piece of content so my blog gets new content.”

In Conclusion

Mark’s concept got me thinking about my 2018 publishing schedule …even though we were in May of 2017 when we pre-recorded the interview.

The ability to have all of my content scheduled in advance removes most of the stress associated with being a blogger. And it’s easier to write from the heart because I’ll have so much more time.

Another concept that came up during our interview was batching. This is something also used by John Lee Dumas (discussed in Episode 38 of the Breakthrough Success Podcast).

All Mark needed to do was write all of the blog posts he’d planned for 2017 from October 2016 to December 2016 (with the exception of additional content).

Similarly, John Lee Dumas chooses two days a month to interview the 28-31 guests he has on his podcast every month.

You can choose one week to write blog posts for two months. And if you follow Mark’s posting strategy, you only have to publish one blog post every other week (or two blog posts per month). Then you’re covered for two months!

You can take this concept even further and write 12 blog posts in one week — it’s very possible if you believe in yourself — and that would give you a total of six month’s worth of content!

You can fill in the gaps by writing content about trends, inviting contributors, or by not filling them at all. Only fill in the gaps when it’s relevant to do so.

What are your thoughts on Mark’s strategy? Have any advice on carrying this strategy even further? Sound off in the comments section below.

How To Batch Content Creation So You Can Pursue Bigger Projects

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content creation

Consistently providing valuable content keeps your content brand alive, and generating revenue from your efforts allows you to thrive.

Content creators often struggle with generating revenue from their products while continuously creating fresh content.

While I believe both can be interwoven together (maybe the idea for a future blog post?), one proven approach is to batch your content creation so you can dedicate more time, attention, and energy to revenue-generating activities.

What Is Content Batching?

Content batching is as simple as committing one day to producing an extraordinary amount of content.

John Lee Dumas, for example, designates two days a month for conducting interviews (his daily episodes over at EOFire mean he’s interviewing 15+ people on a regular basis). John also dedicates one day per month as an interviewee for more than 20 podcasts.

If you choose one day to write a month’s worth of blog posts, you can then focus on product launches, brand building or other initiatives for the rest of the month.

How To Batch Your Content Creation

Batching content creation begins with nailing down a date to write all of your content.

Prior to writing, set one day aside to come up with ideas. So if you decide to create all of your content on the first Tuesday of each month, you should create a list of topic ideas no later than Monday.

If you want to use the content batching strategy for your podcast guests, start contacting people 2-3 weeks in advance. Booking guests for your podcast is different from batching blog posts because of the time needed for emailing and scheduling the podcasts.

But in either case, you must be hyper focused once you have your ideas clearly in mind.

Becoming Hyper Focused

You may choose one day to create your monthly content, but if you frequently get distracted, you are not fully unlocking your potential.

To succeed, you must be actively engaged in your work for most of the day. This means not only thinking about how you work, but also getting smart about the environment in which you work.

Always choose a commitment-free day for content batching. For example, I enjoy participating in cross country and track meets – which usually take place on Saturdays – so I wouldn’t plan my content batching initiatives on the weekend.

Choose a day that isn’t surrounded by work or outside commitments.

The day before you’ve committed to content batching, remove all distractions from your environment. Since each of us is distracted by different things, it helps if you create a list of potential triggers.

Writing a list of potential distractions will help you prepare in advance: you’ll know what to avoid while working, and what to ignore before you even get started.

Advice On Pursuing Bigger Projects

Once you begin creating content in batches, you’ll have extra time to work on bigger projects. Don’t take that time for granted because your next content-batching day will arrive sooner than you think.

In addition to creating lists to assist you on your content-batching days, create a detailed plan for how you’ll pursue bigger projects.

What progress must you make by the end of the month? How will you plan each week to reach your monthly goals? What will you do each day to accomplish your weekly goals for each week of the month?

If you struggle with keeping yourself accountable, ask someone to help you. In a sea of free information, hiring a coach is one of the most underrated investments you can make for your success.

A coach will steer you away from common mistakes and move you towards success, but in this case, your coach will keep you accountable.

Advice On Content Creation

One of the dangers of content batching is the tendency to consider content creation as a necessary evil.

Viewing content creation as a chore keeps you from content marketing, and always pursuing bigger projects prevents you from enjoying the work at hand.

Once I’d focused so much on content marketing and bigger projects that I saw content creation as an obstacle. This is one of the main reasons my blogging consistency dropped from two posts a day to once per week.

Before I changed my mindset, I was even inconsistent with publishing the weekly post. So if you decide to batch your content 1-2 days per month, never forget to look forward to, and enjoy, those days.

In Conclusion

Content batching allows you to focus solely on creating content 1-2 days each month, giving you the rest of the month to concentrate on promotion and additional projects.

You can also apply the batching method to any time-consuming task in your business to open up more time in your month for other tasks.

But you must be careful not to look at batching activities as a necessary evil. Rather, try to appreciate those days as time to be hyper focused on something that brings you pleasure.

If you see any of your tasks as necessary evils, change your thinking! If you can’t, eliminate or delegate them.

What are your thoughts on content batching? Do you have any suggestions? Have a question for me? Sound off in the comments section below.

5 Hacks For Connecting With Influencers

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influencersRelationships with influencers are critical to your content brand’s success: they help you expand your knowledge as well as open doors to new opportunities.

Some of my biggest successes are directly tied to the relationships I’ve built and fostered along my journey. However, reaching out to influencers and building relationships with new contacts can feel overwhelming.

You may feel uncertain about how to go about it, and even question whether you’ll get a response to your initial efforts.

I’ve been there, believe me.

That’s why I want to share five powerful hacks that helped me build relationships with some of the most influential content marketers and productivity experts on the planet.

#1: Interview Influencers On  Your Podcast

Both my Breakthrough Success Podcast and virtual summits have allowed me to interact with some of my niche’s top influencers. Interviews are a brilliant excuse for asking for an influencer’s time 🙂

Not only do you get to ask questions and interact with top influencers, you also get to provide your audience with valuable content.

Combine that with the fact that podcasting is a growing and less-tapped-into industry than blogging, and you’ll begin to wonder why more people aren’t doing it.

I currently publish an interview every week, but I am formulating a plan for daily episodes. And my knowledge stores will only grow as I interview more and more influencers –  it’s amazing what you can learn from a single interview with a top influencer.

#2: Collaborate With Influencers

As I plan my blog content, I consider which influencers can provide relevant advice, resources or opinions, and contact them well before the publication dates.

I often work on the copy first, and then copy and paste submissions into the post to craft a more engaging article. Once the post is published, many of the influencers I mentioned will end up sharing the blog post to their own audiences, expanding my reach.

If you’re pressed for time, you can simply mention the influencers by name while you’re writing the post, and then let them know you’ve included them in the post once you publish it (and be sure to provide a link).

Some will share it and others won’t, but having at least some influencers share your content is a thousand times better than having no influencers share your content.

#3: Do The Influencer A Favor

The more you give someone, the more willing he or she will be to return the favor. But keep in mind these small favors will change according the influencer.

Some influencers (like me) would love a positive review for their podcasts (here’s mine). Other influencers would prefer you leave a 5-star review for their latest book. Writing a guest posts for the influencer’s site is also a viable option.

Determine which favor holds the most value for a particular influencer, then offer it without expecting anything in return.

If you approach relationships in this manner, it won’t be long before an influencer voluntarily provides you with something in return (if you have to ask, start with something small).

#4: Ask Meaningful Questions

Top influencers love shepherding other people through the path they once traveled.

Gary Vaynerchuk has an entire podcast dedicated to helping others. Want to get on Gary’s radar? Ask him a really good question.

Nearly all influencers recall a time in which they spent countless hours trying to figure things out. When they see other people in a similar situation, they naturally want to lend a helping hand.

Influencers enjoy steering people in the right direction and providing that little nudge to keep them moving forward. And they like it even more when people act their advice.

This is the starting point for repeat interviews and a much greater relationship.

#5: Be Everywhere To Them

You can’t be everywhere for everyone, but you can be everywhere for someone. What’s everywhere for someone mean?

Simply focus on the places where your special someone spends the majority of his/her time. This is why television ads used to work (and why now they are less effective).

Today, people spend more time on Facebook than they do watching tv, which is why social media ad spend has greatly increased over the years.

But that doesn’t mean you should try reaching an influencer with an ad. Rather, you should seek out the places they’re engaging with their readers.

Do they reply to tweets? Do they respond to blog comments? Are they posting a lot on LinkedIn?

These are the places where you need to be. Like, share, and comment on everything they post. Mention their social media handle when you share their content and eventually they’ll notice you.

For example, I notice the people who repeatedly share my content on Twitter more than anyone else in my audience. While I write with my entire audience in mind, I can match names and faces with the people who consistently share my content on Twitter.

Find the platforms most frequented by top influencers who share your mindset.

In Conclusion

Connecting with influencers is as easy or as difficult as you make it. The beginning stage may feel difficult, but as you continue, you’ll have a much easier time connecting with influencers and building relationships.

The ultimate hack not mentioned above is that once you build all of these relationships, you can ask for referrals.

Once I have over 30 speakers for my virtual summits, I ask them if they know anyone else who would also be a great speaker for the summit. They usually make intros and that alone makes relationship building much easier.

What are your thoughts about these hacks for building relationships? Have any tips for us? Do you have a question for me? Sound off in the comments section below.