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The 3 Easiest Way For Nonfiction Authors To Consistently Create A Ton Of Content

May 14, 2019 by Marc Guberti Leave a Comment

Get the exact process I use to write new books each month that generate passive income and grow my business 👉 https://amzn.to/32q2qO8

Creating content allows you to better serve your audience and reach potential customers. That’s no secret.

We know the benefit of creating content and distributing it to our community. However, it’s not always easy to remain consistent. For many creatives, time is the big issue. You only have so much time to create AND MARKET your content.

If you’re creating but not marketing, then what’s the actual point? I don’t want to be the guy who creates great content that never sees a soul.

For all of the nonfiction authors out there, you also don’t want to be the person who cranks out so much free content but can’t find the time to write and market your books.

The biggest block that holds content creators back is creating content without any purpose behind it. And no, serving your audience or being consistent are not viable reasons here.

I’ll put it this way.

I didn’t decide to write a blog post on this topic because I pulled this topic out of a hat. There’s a very intentional reason for me writing a blog post for nonfiction authors which I’ll get into shortly (no $997 course upsell here, but I’d be mighty happy if you grab your copy of The Wealthy Author and left a review).

Anyway, I’ll cover the three reasons here. By the time you read this entire blog post, you’ll know exactly why I decided to write this one.

#1: Hold A 1-2 Hour Workshop

If you can muster more than two hours, then more power to you. However, a one hour workshop gets the job done.

The workshop can either be a webinar or an in-person event. The webinar is definitely easier to organize from a logistics standpoint. Sit in your house and anyone from the world can join your webinar.

The in-person event is more of a hassle since you have to get local attendees and find a local venue, but you can make more money with in-person events AND learn more about your audience than with a webinar.

For the in-person option, it honestly doesn’t have to cost you anything. Reach out to local libraries, restaurants, and co-working spaces. For the majority of these venues, the price point will be somewhere between inexpensive and free. All three of these venue owners want more people in their buildings.

Libraries frequently hold events for authors.

If you can get customers inside of the restaurant during their off hours, they’re game.

If you can get side hustlers and business owners inside of a co-working space (potential customers), the co-working spaces see the need for you to hold a workshop at their place.

Regardless of how you decide to conduct your workshop, the important thing is to record yourself on video. That way, you’ve got a 1-2 hour video.

The cool part is that you can take that 1-2 hour video and turn it into a bunch of smaller videos.

I don’t think it’s farfetched for anyone to do a 1 hour workshop and end up with at least 10 short videos that are ready to be deployed on YouTube, Vimeo, and Facebook.

Imagine if you did a webinar each month and got at least 10 videos from each of those webinars. For most people, that’s almost an entire quarter of YouTube videos done. All of that in just 1-2 hours with some editing to create those separate videos later on.

#2: Get More Intentional With Your Free Content

In this picture, there are two book covers. Guess what the books have in common…

“They’re by my favorite authors?” Yes. Fun fact: I own a pair of the Gary Vee sneakers

“These books have valuable content in them?” Yes. You’re getting warmer.

“They’re successful books?” Yes. That’s also true.

“The both have a lot of paper and black ink?” Yes. That’s also true, but now we’re getting silly

Okay, so there are a lot of things that these two books have in common.

But these two books aren’t like every book you’ll read.

Why?

These books are based off of the free content that the authors have posted online in the past.

You can find at least 90% of the from either of those books if you look in the right places.

Here’s the caveat…who is actually going to do that.

Gary Vee and Seth Godin come out with new content every day. Do you really want to go through thousands of blog posts, videos, podcast episodes, and other fun stuff to find all of the content from each of those books?

Or, if you really wanted to, would you just buy the books instead and save time?

Which brings us to this blog post.

Someday, I will shamelessly place this entire blog post, virtually word for word, in one of my future books.

There are a few reasons the placement will be shameless:

Some readers will first learn about me through my book. This blog post would be new content for them
Some visitors reading this blog post now might forget about it in two weeks. Placing it in the book would reinforce the tactics we’ve covered
It’s a valuable piece of content. I’m not a fan of working so hard on something only to put it on the shelf after its initial promotion
I have two choices for this content. I either include it in the next book and you can’t read it for several months until I release the book (that also implies you buy the book). OR, I release the content, provide you with consistent free value, build my tribe in advance, and then get to put it in my book later on.

This blog post is rapidly approaching 1,000 words. That’s 5% of the content for a 20,000 word book (I usually aim for between 20k-25k words per book).

Just by being a little more intentional, I now get to write blog posts and books at the same time.

#3: Quote Yourself

“Some really awesome quote.” — Me

So far, we’ve covered video and blogging. We’ve also indirectly covered podcasting because you can just turn your videos into MP3 files. And just like that, you’ve got a podcast too.

But there’s one form of content we haven’t covered yet.

And that’s pictures.

Sure, you might have a stash of great pictures on your smartphone that you can share with your tribe.

But a steady stream of quote pictures helps establish you as an expert in your niche.

Whenever I share a new podcast episode on Instagram, I always do it as a quote from the episode. Here’s what I’m talking about…

It took me less than five minutes to create that picture in Canva. I have an entire template in there so all I have to do is change the text and episode number.

While this method allows me to provide three great Instagram pictures to my audience each week, it’s not enough for my content schedule.

The ideal target for me is multiple Instagram pictures per day.

Two ways I’m doing this are quoting my content (think blog posts, videos, and podcasts, books, and training courses) and posting thought provoking tweets and turning them into branded Instagram posts.

Here’s what I usually do for the thought provoking tweets…

Pictures like these are super easy to create in Canva. And in one picture, I provide value while subtly promoting my Twitter, Breakthrough Success, and the Grow Your Influence Book Series.

You can do this with the content you already have up. Tweet a quote from it and turn that tweet into pictures for Instagram, Instagram Stories, and/or Pinterest.

In Conclusion

The big idea behind content creation is to provide your existing audience with value and reach more people.

However, if we spend too much time creating free content, we don’t have enough time to create products or promote ourselves.

Getting more intentional with your content and repurposing often will open up a lot more time and likely boost your income.

What are your thoughts on content creation? Do you have any tactics to share or a question for me? Sound off in the comments below.

E347: Healing Your Relationships With Alexandra Stockwell

May 13, 2019 by Marc Guberti Leave a Comment

Alexandra Stockwell is a Physician turned Relationship Coach. After practicing Family Medicine for seven years and helping families to heal their bodies and their relationships, she studied the science and the art of emotional and sensual connection. After creating joy in daily life, emotional connection, and intimacy with her husband, today’s guest began using the best of what she learned to help others create the joy, freedom, and connection they want.

Quotes To Remember

“Write down your values.”

“Live according to your values.”

“We love our work.”

What You’ll Learn:

How to heal relationships
Mastering the work-life balance
Opportunity cost
Determining your values
Removing guilt from your life

Key Links From The Episode:

Email me marc@marcguberti.com if you want me to create your funnel (you must not be on ClickFunnels yet)

Alexandra’s site

Test Your Relationship IQ Test

Love has its highs and lows. If you’re at a low, this post can act as a love addiction withdrawal treatment.

Recommended Books:

Content Marketing Secrets by Marc Guberti

Podcast Domination by Marc Guberti

The Most Common Work-Life Balance Trap

May 12, 2019 by Marc Guberti Leave a Comment

The work-life balance…it’s this thing we’re supposed to pursue…and if we don’t hit it, we’re not supposed to feel happy about ourselves.

That’s how it’s pitched, and for good reason. Spending too much time on your work doesn’t give you anytime to develop the important relationships in your life. Spending too much time on relationships and hobbies prevents you from doing the work that supports that lifestyle and impacts your audience.

I’m all for that, but not the way most people present the work-life balance. The common idea is that you are on a balance beam. Lean too much towards work or relationships and hobbies, and you’ll fall. You’re on this balance beam every day, so you need to spend close to equal time on your work and relationships and hobbies.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t feel like tracking that every day. And I shouldn’t have to feel bad about myself if I do one more than the other two.

If you think about the work-life balance every day, it’s going to stress you out. You’ll be more attentive with your time. If you’re talking with family and friends, you’ll think about the work time you are falling behind on for that day. If you’re grinding and deep in the flow, you’ll cut that flow just because you need to spend more time on relationships for that day.

This common trap for the work-life balance takes a super short-term viewpoint without acknowledging that it’s possible to do all three evenly on each day.

The first half-marathon I ran was in the morning (many races start in the morning). For that day, I was focused on the half-marathon and doing well (I finished off with a 1:25:00 and 2nd place. To this day I’m very happy with that half-marathon but always looking for more).

So, for the rest of the day, after completing a half marathon, did I spend time working to catch up with the hours I just spent running the half-marathon. Did I set a timer to ensure I was working for 1:25:00 and then spending time with the people I care about for 1:25:00?

Of course not. I was horizontal for most of the day after that half-marathon. Walking up the stairs after that half-marathon was challenging enough.

No one has a daily work-life balance, and this is the big trap we fall into. Having that short-term focus.

The solution to work-life balance is to have a long-term view which averages out to your ideal lifestyle. I’ve had some days where I don’t spend as much time with my family. I love my family, but on some days, I’m interviewing 10 people for my podcasts and virtual summits. On other days, I’m working on my upcoming book, training course, and other content for my audience.

But then there’s vacations which last anywhere from 1-2 weeks. During vacations, I do virtually no work. The majority of my work time is just responding to emails so there aren’t too many waiting for me. And that takes maybe 15 minutes of my time each day.

No podcast interviews. No training courses. No nada.

When I’m on vacation, it means I’m doing very little work for my business. And when I come back from that vacation, I’m fired up to grind and grow my business. But during the vacation, I’m spending time with my family.

That’s the more realistic version of the work-life balance that will make you feel happier about yourself. Instead of judging yourself one day at a time, look at entire months and end results.

Some people think they spend a lot of time building their relationships. But if that’s just them being physically present but mentally absent, that’s not building the relationship.

In Conclusion

The work-life balance is a great concept that emphasizes an important truth. Work and play are important, but too much of one creates a bad mix.

However, you’ll fall into a trap of feeling like you’re not doing everything right if you judge your work-life balance performance day by day.

Reassessing this balance each month gives you a better picture and accounts for days when you need to do all-in on your work and days when you’re on vacation mode.

What are your thoughts on the work-life balance? Do you have any questions for me? Sound off in the comments below.

3 Steps To Ensure You Follow-Up With Anyone

May 11, 2019 by Marc Guberti Leave a Comment

The follow-up…a wicked creature that puts our memory and prioritization skills to the ultimate test.

Not now, but later…and a very specific later.

Mess up or forget, and you might not get a second chance.

Dig through your inbox like a junk draw, and you might find a follow-up request from one year ago. Ugh!

Being asked to follow-up isn’t enjoyable. We crave instant gratification, and in a world that says, “Follow-up,” we’ve got to put the instant gratification on hold.

Following up with people at the right time is an essential skill to master. It leaves a solid impression that can open the door to more opportunities.

With that in mind, here are three ways that you can ensure that you’ll follow-up with anyone who asks you to follow up with them.

#1: Set A Reminder On Your Smartphone

If you’re like most people, you spend more time with your smartphone in your pocket or in the same room than time sleeping in your bed.

We’ve become attached to our smartphones, and we can use that to our advantage.

Each smartphone comes with a few apps. One of those apps is the reminder app.

Whenever someone asks that you follow-up with them, set a reminder to follow-up with that specific person on the specific date they asked you to follow-up with them.

This is by far the best tactic of the three, but this isn’t the only one you should utilize.

#2: Get Active On Their Social Media

Grant Cardone knows who I am. Why is that? I’ve been trying to get him on Breakthrough Success since Summer 2017.

I had a brief email conversation with Grant and some back-and-forth with his assistants. I’ve been setting reminders on my iPhone to ensure I reach out to the right people at the right time (this is still in progress).

But someone like Grant Cardone gets so much interaction each day that it’s hard to keep up. We’re talking about a guy who gets over 100,000 views for his IG TV video 5 hours after he publishes it…

And that’s just one post. We’re not even talking about other social networks or his inbox. Think about how many people are reaching out to Grant and requesting an interview or something else.

It would probably take more than a day for him to read every email or comment he receives today. And people like Grant also get super busy with new products and opportunities.

I bring this up because these kinds of people are some of the people who may ask you to follow-up. If you set your reminder and reach out 6 months later as told, it’s going to feel like a re-introduction for the other person.

To mitigate this effect, I go on social media and engage with their content.

I like and comment on many of Grant’s posts. He’s liked some of my comments and even replied to some of them. Sadly, I couldn’t find a screenshot of these exchanges, but I did find one I had with Lewis Howes…another great person I will have as a guest on Breakthrough Success someday.

I bring this up because if you engage with people on social media, they remember who you are.

If they remember who you are, the follow-up becomes much easier. When you do follow-up, they know who you are and don’t have to scroll through all of the previous emails to remember (something that few high profile people have the time to do).

#3: Network With People In Their Networks

The easiest way to get on my mom’s good side is if I say you’re a great person, and then when you meet her, you’re still that same great person.

It’s a different dynamic if I reach out and make that kind of a recommendation.

In business, it’s no different. In between now and the follow-up date, you can reach out to people close to the person you’re following up with.

Let’s say you wanted to meet up with Mark Cuban from Shark Tank. If he says, “I’m interested. Let’s follow-up in six months,” you can follow the first two tactics we covered earlier.

However, what if, during those six months, you reach out to all of the other sharks from Shark Tank and they all like you and go on your podcast.

Now you have more leverage with Mark Cuban. You can mention in the follow-up that you’re friends with the other sharks, and they might recommend you to Mr. Cuban.

While this is an unlikely scenario since all of the sharks are super busy working on their businesses and others, it adds meaning to the concept.

A more plausible route would be to build relationships any existing partners, brand ambassadors, assistants, and former employees of the person you’re reaching out to.

Having those people in your network serves as validation. It’s like reaching out to me and saying Seth Godin thinks you’re awesome and you had my brother on your podcast. Seth Godin has been my role model since the very early stages of my entrepreneurial journey.

And if you do something good for my brother first, you’re getting moved up higher on the priority list.

In Conclusion

The more you personalize your emails and the relationships you build from now to the follow-up, the more likely you are to get a positive response.

Depending on who you reach out to, it can take time for the relationship to reach new levels. Almost two years later, I haven’t given up on having Grant as a guest on the show.

Our relationship has grown during these two years. It’s just that in between world tours and organizing one of the biggest business events in the country, he has to be careful with how he uses his time–and with all of the engagement he gets, that means turning down some really good opportunities.

What are your thoughts on these follow-up tactics? Do you have any questions for me? Sound off in the comments section below.

E346: Achieving Major Life Transformations With Shawna Pelton

May 10, 2019 by Marc Guberti Leave a Comment

Shawna Pelton is a Transformational Healer, Mentor, Teacher, and Speaker. She has dedicated her life to making a positive impact on the future of our world through empowering individuals, leaders, and organizations to unleash their true potential.

Quotes To Remember:

“A plan of action needs to be put into place.”

“It’s difficult in the beginning.”

“Gratitude is the secret spice.”

What You’ll Learn:

Achieving major life transformations
Planning your way to a transformation
Building and keeping momentum
Essential habits for success
How to unlock your potential

Key Links From The Episode:

Email me marc@marcguberti.com if you want me to create your funnel (you must not be on ClickFunnels yet)

iAspire To Excel

Shawna Pelton’s site

Recommended Books:

Content Marketing Secrets by Marc Guberti

Podcast Domination by Marc Guberti

E345: Becoming A Bestselling Author Is The Key To Becoming A Highly Paid Authority In Your Space With Michelle Kulp

May 8, 2019 by Marc Guberti Leave a Comment

Michelle Kulp helps women reach 6-figure incomes by following their dreams. She left a 17-year career in the legal field to follow her dreams of writing, teaching, and public speaking. She is the author of books such as Backwards Book Launch and Quit Your Job & Follow Your Dreams.

Michelle has also joined us for The Wealthy Author Summit. You can get your free ticket to see her session and over 30 others here.

Quotes To Remember:

“Find the hook for the book.”

“You can’t put everything in one book.”

“Learn sales and marketing for your book.”

What You’ll Learn: