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E52: Turning Blog Posts Into A BOOK With Amy Morse

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Amy Morse is a restless authorpreneur and the protagonist in the story of her business. She helps authors turn their business book dreams into realities. Amy equips these authors with the tools and confidence to tell the stories of their businesses. Her range of services includes eBooks and advice guides, 1 to 1 support, workshops, and copy editing. With her help, businesses can be better at writing and writers can be better at business.

 

Quotes To Remember:

“Do what you do best and outsource the rest.”

“Always make sure you have a call to action.”

“The key to successful marketing is little and often.”

“If you create something you can sell over and over again, you can make money while you sleep.”

 

Learn How To…

—Repurpose your content in different ways

—Turn your repurposed content into an eBook

—Add more value to your product

—Keep developing content even when you’re in a “dead spot” during the day

—Cultivate a large bank of ideas

—Market your book

 

Key Links From The Show:

www.amymorse.co.uk – Amy’s Site

Twitter: @Amymorse_writer

 

Recommended Books

The Storyteller’s Secret by Carmine Gallo

The E-Myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber

Watertight Marketing by Bryony Thomas

E51: How To Schedule Your Dreams No Matter What Your Schedule Looks Like With Liane R. Grant

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Liane R. Grant has a knack for finding the most efficient way to accomplish a task with excellence. Her experience in fulfilling the responsibilities of multiple roles has helped her hone her planning and productivity skills into a highly efficient personal time management system. She just recently published her new book Schedule Your Dream: 8 Steps To Maximizing Your Time And Mobilizing Your Vision

 

Quote To Remember:

“This ability…it’s like a muscle, it gets stronger the more you use it.”

 

What You’ll Learn

—How to remind yourself of your passions and dreams so you can break free of the monotony taking all of our free time.

—How to keep yourself motivated

—How to unlock up to an hour of more working time

—How to filter out unhelpful processes that don’t get us any closer to our dreams and goals

—How to avoid distractions and delegate work

 

Key Links From the Show:

Lianergrant.com – Liane’s Site

Facebook.com – Search: Liane R Grant

 

Recommended Books:

Take The Stairs by Rory Vaden

Procrastinate On Purpose by Rory Vaden

The ONE Thing by Gary Keller & Jay Papasan

The 5 A.M. Miracle by Jeff Sanders

The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod

The 12 Week Year by Brian P. Moran & Michael Lennington

How To Choose The Best Blog Post Topics

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blog post topics

Each blog post you write involves a time investment. And as you continue along your journey, the time investment you put towards each blog post will most likely grow. To make your time worthwhile, you must choose the best blog post topics.

That way, your visitors love your blog and you love writing the content. To discover the best blog post topics, we’ll start with the basics and then expand upon that concept.

The Basics

First and foremost, choosing the best blog post topics come down to asking yourself this question:

“What do I enjoy?”

I have a strong passion for digital marketing which is why I can effortlessly write about the topic. I once allocated 15 minutes to write about digital marketing for the day but then became frustrated because I wanted to spend more than 15 minutes writing about digital marketing.

I was like the child who didn’t want recess to come to an end. That’s the mentality you must have when you’re writing your content and know that you’re running out of time to do so.

Obviously, we have a range of answers for that question, “What do I enjoy?” We need to narrow our focus on the few things that we can write about for many years to come and that will continue to provide value.

At one point, I enjoyed writing about LEGO Sets. I haven’t written about LEGOs for a very long time because I prefer writing about digital marketing and embracing that topic. It’s also a niche I can provide massive value for given my experience (years of experience means nothing to me. Results determine the quality of those years and if I should care. This is just a teen’s rant 🙂 ).

To determine if your content will thrive, you must finally ask the question, “Is this something people want?” I know people want this blog post because several of my subscribers asked me to specifically write a blog post on this topic.

I like coming up with my own ideas, but if my audience gives me some ideas, I’m more than happy to write about those topics as well.

Pay Attention To Your Audience

As your content attracts more visitors, your visitors will suggest more ideas. Some of them will be direct…“Write about THIS.” These visitors are rare.

The majority of your visitors will indirectly suggest new content ideas. Here are some of the signs you should pay attention to…

What questions do they ask you in the comments? I always invite my visitors to ask questions in the comments. That way, I can answer these questions and write out future blog posts (I copy and paste some comments together to form the skeleton of blog posts). If I see a lot of questions about, let’s say Pinterest, I know my audience wants a blog post about Pinterest.

What’s getting the most engagement. When I first started this blog, I wrote as many Twitter related blog posts as I could. These blog posts by far got the most engagement and each Twitter blog post worked like magic. Now I’ve slowed down on Twitter related blog posts due to the immense library of them on this blog and the over-saturation of “10 Ways To Get More Twitter Followers” type of blog posts. Engagement is like votes, and engagement can take the form of social signals, traffic, clicks, comments, and any other indicator.

Which of your posts are the top performers. Keep providing these types of posts and internally link them together so they each become top performers. You never know how long a post will retain its popularity, so you want to take action as quickly as possible. For instance, one of my most popular blog posts was a blog post about getting Vine followers. Now it’s not doing so well since Vine isn’t a social network anymore. When you’re content is popular, ride that wave. Hope to never see the shore but write as if that shore is coming and you want to capitalize on all of the growth you can get from the final part of the wave.

See What Your Audience Says Off Your Blog

Your visitors spread their time across multiple blogs and social networks. This is valuable knowledge for discovering what your audience wants. During this stage, we observe others and chime in.

Let me tell you a quick story.

One of the policies I adopted is that I will respond to the comments I get from my blog. I knew it would be a tedious process, but I do so anyway. In these comments, my visitors ask questions, share suggestions, and weigh in on the blog post.

I got inspired to respond to every comment because Neil Patel does it. It’s commonplace for Neil to get dozens or even hundreds of comments for each blog post he publishes. He goes through all of those comments to gather more content ideas and discover what his readers want.

If you’re a digital marketer, especially if SEO is your speciality, then why aren’t YOU going through the comments Neil gets? After you leave a comment (yes, you definitely should), look at all of the Qs and suggestions Neil gets. Each of his blog posts (comments alone) offers a treasure trove of ideas, but you’ll only access that treasure trove if you read each one.

I know. It’s tedious, and I don’t read all of the comments for each of his blog posts. However, when I do, I get many ideas from it.

You can take a similar approach via Quora, a social networking site which allows users to ask and answer questions. When people ask questions about social media and blogging, I make it a point to be one of the first people to answer the question.

Not only does the first answer tend to get the most views, but I can also use my answers as the starting points for future blog posts. Quora’s additional advantage is that as a big social network, it’s commonplace for me to find dozens of questions that I could answer in the form of high-demand blog posts.

Sites like Quora, Yahoo! Answers, and Wiki Answers are great for discovering more topics that your visitors want. I prefer Quora because I believe it’s the easiest to use, but the decision is up to you.

In Conclusion

When you choose a blog post topic and start writing, it involves a considerable amount of your time. Not only do you write the blog post from start to finish, but you also need to promote it so that blog post gains traction.

With so much of your time hinging on each idea, it’s important to choose the blog post topics that will resonate the most with your audience.

You can discover which topics work by observing your audience on and off your blog.

What are your thoughts on choosing the best blog post topic? Do you have any suggestions for discovering the best content ideas? Have a question for me? Sound off in the comments section below.

September 2017 Monthly Performance Report

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September 2017 was highlighted by my Productivity Virtual Summit where over 50 speakers shared their insights on boosting your productivity. At the same time, school started and took up more of my time.

Let’s dive right in…

The Usual Script

For some reason, I always find myself saying that I wish I had a more productive month regardless of what I accomplish. This month will be no exception. I tend to view what I didn’t do, and that sometimes results in me forgetting what I did or not taking what I did as seriously. This is an issue I’m striving to fix.

My Decision With Virtual Summits

As much as I love to provide a great experience for my attendees, I need to get smarter when hosting virtual summits.

I only gave myself three months of prep from the Content Marketing Success Summit to the Productivity Virtual Summit, and while I thought about running another virtual summit in March, I am currently holding off on that idea.

There are many moving parts when organizing a virtual summit, and it’s very difficult to run a virtual summit on your own. With the exception of three video editors, I ran the entire summit on my own.

I was an affiliate manager, web designer, interviewer (including prep), the guy responsible for outreach, swipe copy writer, email sender, and more all wrapped into one.

Instead of creating an entirely new summit, I’m going to strengthen CMSS for it’s second year in May 2018. I will have a team behind that launch because I don’t want to put all of the workload on myself anymore. I’d rather focus on doing the interviews and communicating with attendees.

 

I Am Really Close To Hiring A VA

September made me realize how much I need a VA. As you’ll see when I reveal the content I published this month, I didn’t have a solid plan in place to continue publishing content as the summit was running.

I published relatively little content, and I need to revamp my Publishing Calendar to reflect this month’s output.

I’ve mentioned hiring a VA before, but this time, I am very close. One of the speakers for the Productivity Virtual Summit specializes in finding the best VAs, and some VAs reading past Performance Reports directly contacted me.

In the end, I’m looking for someone who can accomplish the majority of tasks I need them to accomplish while being a weekly accountability partner via a Skype call.

 

A New Approach For Writing Blog Posts

I really need to give a shout out to Meera Kothand for this tip she shared in her book The One Hour Content Plan.

She said that instead of writing a blog post from start to finish, you can write several blog posts at the same time.

For instance, on Day 1, you write out the blog post topic and its outline. On Day 2, you write the introductions and conclusions for all five of those blog posts. On Day 3, you write the bodies of those blog posts. On Day 4 you polish those blog post bodies with some research and SEO juice, and on Day 5 you schedule all five of those blog posts.

I’m more than willing to give this a try, especially after this month’s performance from the blogging standpoint.

 

DATE REVEAL: Content Marketing Secrets

I have put several months of time, attention, and energy towards this book and the Productivity Virtual Summit. Now I can solely focus on the book, and I’m almost done with it.

I will publish the book on November 14, 2017. I know, just two months after the summit, but I have a nice break going into the holiday season and launching a book (in my opinion) isn’t as difficult as prepping for a virtual summit.

Several people have already agreed to provide advanced praise for the book which is really exciting, but there’s a special reason why I chose November 14th, and I need your help!

This book is the last book that I will ever publish as a teenager…

I turn 20 on January 3, 2018. I’ve always wanted a book of mine to land on a bestsellers list while I was a teen because that would help inspire other teens and let them see what’s possible for them. I’ve been putting my heart and soul to making Content Marketing Secrets a bestseller worthy book, but the marketing makes that status possible.

If you want to help me accomplish this goal for my last book in my teenage years, please email me with the subject line “Book Launch Team”

 

Books I Read

I initially started out on a cold streak due to prepping for the summit, but then I got on a hot streak. It turns out I decided to enroll into Kindle Unlimited which offers 1.4 million eBooks for just $9.99/mo.

Many of the top publishing companies don’t put their eBooks through Kindle Unlimited, but I’ve been reading more self-published books lately, and they’ve been amazing.

The Kindle Writing Bible by Tom Corson-Knowles

Schedule Your Success by Tom Corson-Knowles

Rules of the Rich by Tom Corson-Knowles

Instant Focus by Patrick King

The One Hour Content Plan by Meera Kothand

The Content Code by Mark Schaefer (first time audio, second time Kindle book)

Content That Converts by Laura Hanly

Productivity For Indie Authors by David Lee Martin

Million Dollar Habits by Stellan Moreira

Book Launch Formula by Justin Ledford

The Anti-Procrastination Habit by Steve Scott

 

September’s Blog Posts

How To Stay Organized On Your Computer

Case Study: How To Read 30 Books In 30 Days

September’s Podcast Episodes

E49: Building A 7-Figure Amazon FBA Empire With Ryan Grant

E50: Real Artists Don’t Starve With Jeff Goins

 

October 2017 Goals

For this month, I opted against reviewing my September 2017 goals because I’m still working on them. Here are my goals for October:

#1: Get At Least 100 People On The Book Team: I’ll send an email to my list about the book launch soon. I’ve already contacted some people within my network.

#2: Get Interviewed On At Least 10 Podcasts: I’m leveraging my network and expanding it to make this goal a reality.

#3: Finish The Final Draft Of The Book & Pre-Order Page: I’m making great strides in this area by waking up at 4:30 am every morning to write my book.

#4: Create 100 Videos: I might record videos in a different setting, but I’m looking to reduce the amount of steps it takes for me to go from idea to published video.

#5: Hire A VA: This has been a goal for a while, but I’m determined to make it happen.

#6: Write 15 Blog Posts: I only provided my audience with two blog posts this month which I’m not happy about. I’m making up for lost time.

#7: Read 30 Books: I’d set the goal much higher if my iPhone wasn’t messed up (the touch screen has a mind of its own. I only have to hold out a little longer until the iPhone X comes out). For now, I primarily read Kindle books on my computer.

 

In Conclusion

I wish I did so much more in September. The combination of a summit and school starting up again crunched up a lot of my extra time, but I ultimately let it happen.

With that said, I am in a position to get a lot done in October. We’ll have to see what happens.

Did you like this performance report? Have any big goals of your own? Do you 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.

E50: Real Artists Don’t Starve With Jeff Goins

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Jeff Goins is a blogger, speaker, and the author of multiple bestselling books such as The Art Of Work and his latest book Real Artists Don’t Starve. He believes that great ideas can change the world and creates content that allows us to tap into our inner creativity. He has trained tens of thousands of communicators to tell their stories online.

 

Quotes To Remember:

“Books don’t get written, words get written, sentences get written, paragraphs get written…..it starts small.”

“The Story you tell yourself is the person you become.”

“Do your work in some setting where people are likely to notice it.”

 

What You’ll Learn:–How to get your work seen by the right people

–Fighting through the adversity that greets every artist

–How to generate revenue from your work

 

Key Links From The Show:

Goinswriter–Jeff’s website

Real Artists Don’t Starve by Jeff Goins

 

Recommended Books:

Make Art, Make Money by Elizabeth Hyde Stevens

The Agony and The Ecstasy by Irving Stone

 

The Godfather  by Mario Puzo