Wednesday, December 27, 2017

Best of 2017: Our Favorite Posts for Writers from the Last 12 Months

2018 is around the corner.

This could be the year you crack your first 1,000 subscribers. This could be the year you get published on that blog you’re dying to write for. This could even be the year one of your blog posts goes viral.

But none of that will happen unless you keep at it.

You not only have to keep writing, you also have to keep honing your craft.

Because the one thing that separates the winners from the losers in this blogging game is that the winners are always trying to improve.

They’re always trying to take their writing chops to the next level.

And they never stop trying. Because there’s always a new level to reach.

Here at Smart Blogger, we publish a ton of content to help you level up your writing, because we want you to become the best writer you can be.

But we’re not the only voice out there. The blogosphere is full of accomplished wordsmiths who have perfected their writing for years and now share their experience.

So today, we want to highlight a few posts that other bloggers published in 2017 — posts that will help you hone your craft and meet your writing goals in the year to come.

Check ’em out below:

We Analyzed 100 Million Headlines. Here’s What We Learned (New Research) – Buzzsumo

Author: Steve Rayson

You know the headline is the most important part of your article, right?

That’s why this is a must-read.

Buzzsumo has aggregated all the share counts of all the content that is published online. And in this post, they analyze that data to determine which headline phrases get the most social engagement, and which get the least.

Use this fascinating data in 2018 to give your headlines a better shot in the social arena.

The 7 Differences Between Professionals and Amateurs – Medium

Author: Jeff Goins

Jeff Goins is an iconic blogger who has five books and over 1,000 blog posts to his name. He’s a pro writer, but he had to start somewhere as well. He wasn’t always as effective as he is now.

In this post, he opens up about his past struggles to make it in the writing field, the mistakes he made along the way, and the mindsets that held him back.

The message is simple: If you want to be a pro, don’t act like an amateur.

Read this post and make sure that you’re not.

5 Writing Techniques that Stir Your Audience to Action – CopyBlogger

Author: Brian Clark

If you want to stir someone to action, you must first stir their emotions.

That is the premise of Brian Clark’s post, and he describes five writing techniques you can use to do so.

If you want your writing to stir your audience, practice these techniques.

Your writing will be more powerful and persuasive for it.

Sentence Structure: How to Make Your Sentences Easier to Read – Doris and Bertie

Author: Clare Lynch

This short post mirrors two sentences against each other. They both say the same thing in the same language, but one is easy to read, and the other is hard.

The difference?

Their structure.

Not enough bloggers review their writing on such a micro level. They don’t analyze their posts sentence by sentence. But this post shows that the way you structure a sentence can make a huge difference.

Give it a quick read because it could open your eyes.

The Anatomy of the PERFECT Article Intro (And How to Reverse Engineer It) – Unsettle

Author:  Sarah Peterson

In this epic post, Sarah goes deep on the art of writing compelling introductions — and make no mistake, this is a must-have skill for bloggers.

After all, your intros carry a lot of responsibility. They must not only convince people to start reading, but they must also convince people to keep reading.

Sarah breaks it down step by step to ensure the next intro you write has the desired effect. If you want people to read your article far enough to discover your brilliant ideas, read this post.

How I Wrote 200 Unique Blog Posts in 200 Days — A Formula for Infinite Creativity – Medium

Author: Barry Davret

Many people think being creative is all about coming up with original ideas. The truth is, creativity comes from knowing how to combine ideas and experience into something that feels fresh.

This author’s formula for creativity gave him 200 unique blog post ideas in as many days. It’s simple but effective.

That’s what earned him a spot on our list.

A List with 99 Strong Verbs to Make Your Content Pop, Fizz, and Sparkle – Enchanting Marketing

Author: Henneke Duistermaat

Henneke is an insanely talented writer with a knack for writing vivid content that jumps off the page.

In this post, she explains how you can create the same powerful effect by choosing strong verbs that paint a picture in your reader’s mind.

Her list of strong verbs is a good resource, but the advice that precedes it could change the way you write.

Hone Your Craft and Meet Your Blogging Goals in 2018

Don’t be one of those writers who hits a plateau and never takes the effort to improve.

You have to strive to become better. You have to try new techniques, and you have to practice until you’ve mastered them.

That’s what will equip you to make it in this blogging game.

The techniques from these posts are a good start. Practice them in 2018 to hone your writing, and when you look back in twelve months, you won’t believe how much you’ll have improved.

Have a happy new year!

Author bio: Robert van Tongeren is the Associate Editor of Smart Blogger, who helps our writers get their posts in tip-top shape. He also runs his own blog that helps guys dress a little sharper at Restart Your Style. You can find him on Twitter here.


from
https://smartblogger.com/best-2017-posts/

Thursday, December 14, 2017

Six Mistakes I’ve Made While Building my Blogging Business

Are you making mistakes when trying to build your blog?

Well – you are not alone.

In this episode, I give you insight into mistakes I’ve made while building my blogging business.

Listen to This Episode

Making Mistakes

failures on social media

Most people don’t write about their failures publicly.

Do you know what’s REALLY easy to do in this online world? Assume that the people we see online have everything together.

Most people don’t write about their failures publicly. We don’t generally go to Facebook to tell people how we messed up.

We post the things we want others to see, so that it paints a good picture of who we are.

I believe that this is natural.

Before the internet, we didn’t create photo albums showing themselves doing boring stuff. And we definitely didn’t create albums of our mistakes.

But this gets amplified with the internet.

As a result, it’s easy to look at others and think they never mess up.

But here’s the truth – we ALL make mistakes.

My Blogging Mistakes

I teach people how to build blogging businesses. But guess what – I’ve made Many mistakes on this blogging journey.

Here are six (of the many)…

1. Not Focusing on Building a Team

I didn't focus on building a team.

When I first started my online business in 2008, things got crazy. I spent so much time on my business that I hardly had any time for anything else.

It got so bad that I decided to quit.

Fortunately, after a break of a month or two, I decided to get back at it. At that point, I decided to get a Virtual Assistant.

This helped me tremendously and I’ve had at least one ever since.

As much as that helped, I never really took it to the next level – I never built a team.

As a result, I have not been able to accomplish as much as I would like.

2. Didn’t Put Enough Emphasis on Growing MY Business

I didn't put enough emphasis growing my business.

One of the areas I’ve had a considerable amount of success with over the last three years is with my one-on-one coaching.

In most of my coaching experiences, I’ve been able to help my clients grow their businesses SIGNIFICANTLY.

In some cases doubling, tripling, and even quadrupling the size of their businesses.

We were able to do this because we FOCUSED on growing their businesses.

But I gotta be honest, I haven’t focused on growing my business as much as I did theirs.

And while my business has experience a LOT of growth, it’s nowhere near where it should be based on the knowledge and experience I’ve had.

3. I Didn’t Take my Finances Seriously

I didn't take my finances seriously.

I HATE dealing with finances. It’s not something that excites me. In fact, money doesn’t excite me.

As a result, I’ve neglected my business finances in ways that I shouldn't.

I hate tax time because I ALWAYS end up spending a bunch of time trying to figure out what happened over the previous year.

And at the end, I’m always surprised by the crazy amount of money I have to give to uncle Sam.

4. I Jumped the Gun on Too Many Ideas

I Jumped the Gun on Too Many Ideas

I don’t know if you’ve noticed this, but I’m easily excited. It’s true.

As a result, I quickly jump the gun on too many ideas. This has happened multiple times in my business.

Some examples are:

  • When I decided to start an audio blog
  • When I decided to write a new post every day
  • When I decided to create a video every weekday

And yes – those are just a few of the ideas.

The problem is that when I jump the gun, I don’t usually come up with a sustainable plan to make it happen.

5. I Didn’t Follow Through on What Worked

I Didn’t Follow Through on What Worked

There are two things I’ve done to date that have been tremendously successful in growing my business.

Thing 1 – Creating resource centers

Thing 2 – Using Webinars to grow my Coaching club

Here’s what’s embarrassing. As great as they are, I have not done many of them. In fact, I created ONE resource center over two years ago that is responsible for a bulk of my income.

One would think that I would’ve created many of them since it has done so well for me. But nope. I haven’t.

And the same goes for webinars. If they work that well, I should be doing them regularly. Instead, I do them once in a blue moon.

6. I Haven’t Pushed Myself Hard Enough

I Haven’t Pushed Myself Hard Enough

Most of the progress in my business has been the result of external circumstances.

When I left my job, I NEEDED to hustle to get things done so that my family could eat – literally.

So that’s exactly what I did, and I got my business to the level that I needed it to be to take care of my family.

Then I stopped pushing.

The truth is – I’ve pushed mostly when things got challenging. But that push wasn’t internal.

Why I’m sharing these Mistakes

When you read a post like this, you probably expect the author to tell you how they overcame these issues.

The fact is, these are mistakes I continue to make. I have not “gotten over them”.

But here’s the thing – I’ve been able to have an impact in spite of these mistakes.

There are thousands of people all over the world who have gotten value from the content and resources I’ve created.

You don’t have to get everything right in order to have an impact.

What you HAVE TO do is take action.

Infographic

six big mistakes

Six Mistakes I’ve Made While Building my Blogging Business

The post Six Mistakes I’ve Made While Building my Blogging Business appeared first on Become A Blogger by Leslie Samuel.



from
https://www.becomeablogger.com/25717/six-mistakes-blogging-business/

Wednesday, December 13, 2017

How to Use Transitional Phrases to Keep Your Readers Sliding Down the Page

Some writers seem to have a magic touch…

One minute you’re reading their opening, and before you know it, you’ve reached the end of their article.

Their content reads so smoothly, it’s almost impossible to stop.

So how do they do it?

Well, great writers are meticulous about making each line flow seamlessly into the next. They understand how important it is for the reader to have a smooth reading experience, and they make sure to fix anything that would cause friction.

And one powerful way they do so is by using transitional phrases.

So today you’ll learn how to use them yourself. But first, let’s examine why they’re so important.

The Little Secret That Copywriters Have Known for Ages

Copywriters have known this for a long time:

The primary purpose of every paragraph you write is not to make a point, or to build your argument, or to convey valuable information. It’s to get your reader to read the next paragraph.

Famous copywriter Maxwell Ross likened this to a “bucket brigade.” Let me explain why…

In the days before fire trucks and pressure hoses, people would put out fires by forming a human chain. They would pass a bucket of water from one person to the next until the last person finally threw it onto the fire.

In those days, it was vital the chain remained unbroken. If the bucket wasn’t passed smoothly from one person to the next, the water would spill and not make it to the fire.

Likewise, each paragraph (and really, each sentence) you write must pass the reader on to the next. And just like in a real bucket brigade, the chain must be unbroken, or you will “spill” readers along the way, which means they won’t make it to the end of your article.

And that’s where transitional phrases come in.

How Transitional Phrases “Lubricate” Your Writing So Readers Slide from Line to Line 

Have you ever been with a group of friends and someone suddenly makes a random comment that doesn’t follow from anything that anyone else has said?

I bet you have — we all have.

It’s a strange moment — everyone (except the person who made the comment) just looks at each other, bewildered.

Well, writing without transitions is like that.

It causes friction in your reader’s mind and leaves them scratching their head, wondering “How do you get from this to that?”

Any piece of writing is a series of ideas, propositions, and arguments placed one after the other.

But those ideas need to be linked to each other. You need transitional words and phrases to help readers understand how ideas relate to each other. Without them, readers will feel like you’re switching from idea to idea too abruptly, and in most cases, you’ll leave them feeling confused.

Want to know how to do it right? Take, for example, this excerpt from Jon Morrow’s post How to Make Money Blogging: How This Blog Makes $100K per Month:

Even if you’re making fantastic money from affiliate marketing or selling services, chances are you’ll want to try your hand at developing your own product at some point. So, where should you start?

My answer: with blogs, the most profitable price is usually the end of the funnel. Here’s what I mean…

You’ve seen a sales funnel, right? A company entices you with a freebie, then they offer you something cheap but irresistible, and then they gradually sweet talk you into buying more and more expensive stuff. It’s a tried and true marketing tactic, and you should absolutely build a sales funnel for your blog.

What you might not know is you should build it in reverse.

A lot of bloggers launch a cheap e-book as their first product, and then they get frustrated when they don’t make much money. Here’s why: the real profit is at the end of the funnel, not the beginning.

 
You might note that these phrases don’t convey any information. All they do is make the ride smoother. All they do is connect one idea to another.

The good news is, you probably already use transitional phrases in your writing to some extent. Most people use them naturally. However…

There’s a special class of transitional phrases that many bloggers don’t even know about.

13 Exceptionally Engaging Transitions That Readers Can’t Resist 

Remember Maxwell Ross, the “bucket brigade” guy?

He had a list of transitional phrases that don’t just help readers transition from one idea to the other, but actively work to keep those readers engaged.

These phrases keep readers glued to the page by either evoking their curiosity or by hinting that something important is about to come.

They give a jolt to readers’ brains, waking them up and demanding they pay attention.

Make no mistake; these phrases are powerful. Backlinko’s Brian Dean credits them for readers staying on his pages for an average of four minutes (which is a lot). Brian uses these transitional phrases in all of his articles (as you can see in the screenshots below).

So let’s dive in.

#1: The “Mind Reader” Transition


How it works: You claim to know what the reader is thinking, or you assume the reader agrees with something you’re about to say. The reader will then want to find out if you’re right.

Examples:

  1. I know what you’re thinking…
  2. And now, you’re thinking…
  3. I can almost hear you thinking…
  4. You guessed it…
  5. I’m sure you’re with me on this one…
  6. Here’s something we can both agree on…
  7. I think you’ll agree with me when I say…
  8. You must be wondering…
The "Mind Reader" Transition

#2. The “Can’t Miss This” Transition


How it works: You literally tell the reader you’re about to share an important piece of information. Nobody wants to miss anything important, which is why this simple phrase will pique your reader’s attention.

Examples:

  1. Now, this is important…
  2. Here’s the interesting part…
  3. Here’s the bottom line…
  4. Here’s why that’s important…
  5. So what’s my point?
  6. And the best part is…
  7. You don’t want to miss this next part…
  8. It all boils down to this…
The “Can’t Miss This” Transition

#3: The “Important Insight” Transition


How it works: You hint you’re about to share an important insight or discovery. Your reader will be curious to find out what it is.

Examples:

  1. That’s when I realized…
  2. And then it hit me…
  3. Here’s what we found instead…
  4. I finally understood that…
  5. Then it finally dawned on me…
  6. But guess what I realized just in the nick of time…
  7. You won’t believe what we discovered…
The “Important Insight” Transition

#4: The “There’s a Catch” Transition


How it works: You hint at a problem or obstacle that might keep the reader from reaching their desired goal. The reader will want to know what the problem is (and they’ll assume you’ll also provide the solution).

Examples:

  1. But there’s a catch…
  2. So what’s the catch?
  3. There’s just one problem…
  4. The problem is…
  5. Here’s the main issue with that…
  6. And this is where people run into trouble…
  7. That’s when you might hit a snag…
The “There’s a Catch” Transition

#5: The “Big Answer” Transition


How it works: As I said, after you identify a problem, you have to offer a solution. That’s where this transition comes in. When you’ve just told readers about a problem they’ll be facing, they’ll want to know how to solve it.

Examples:

  1. So what’s the solution?
  2. Fortunately, there’s a simple solution…
  3. The solution is simple…
  4. Here’s the big secret…
  5. The answer?
  6. The trick is to…
  7. Here’s how you solve this…
The “Big Answer” Transition

#6: The “But Wait, There’s More” Transition


How it works: You use this transition when your strategy or product has two (or more) big benefits. Typically, you’d start with the most important benefit first, and then use this phrase to transition into the additional benefits.

Examples:

  1. But wait, there’s more…
  2. But that’s not all…
  3. It gets better…
  4. And I’m not stopping there…
  5. As if that’s not enough…
  6. And on top of that…
The “But Wait, There’s More” Transition

#7: The “Exemplary Example” Transition


How it works: You introduce an example (obviously). Readers tend to pay attention to examples because they help contextualize the theory they’ve just learned.

Examples:

  1. For example…
  2. Take Billy’s story, for example…
  3. Here’s a little case study of this strategy in action…
  4. Case in point…
  5. Just look at what happened to…
The “Exemplary Example” Transition

#8: The “Lifting the Veil” Transition


How it works: You hint at a clarification or supplementation of the preceding text. Readers will pay attention because they realize it will help them understand the information better.

Examples:

  1. I’ll explain…
  2. Let me elaborate…
  3. Let me walk you through…
  4. Let me lift the veil for you…
  5. Let me break this down for you…
  6. Here’s what I mean…
  7. Let me clarify…
The “Lifting the Veil” Transition

#9: The “How To” Transition


How it works: You transition from the theoretical to the practical. You introduce the steps the reader must take to get the promised result. This is the reason most of them are reading your article in the first place, so it will make them sit up.

Examples:

  1. Here’s how to do it yourself…
  2. Here’s how you can do the same thing…
  3. How?
  4. Here’s how…
  5. You’re about to find out how…
  6. But how do you… ?
  7. Let me tell you how…
The “How To” Transition

#10: The “Stay with Me” Transition


How it works: You command the reader to stay on the page. Use this phrase whenever the reader might have doubts about a bold or shocking claim, or after you’ve doled out some complicated information. Most readers will feel compelled to comply.

Examples:

  1. Stay with me now…
  2. Stick with me here, because…
  3. Keep reading…
  4. Don’t stop reading now…
  5. I know that’s a lot to take in, but bear with me…
The “Stay with Me” Transition

#11: The “Curious Question” Transition


How it works: Questions engage the reader’s brain and make them feel like they’re part of a conversation (rather than being lectured). And of course, whenever you pose a question, the reader will want to know the answer, which means they have to keep reading.

Examples:

  1. But what does that mean?
  2. But what exactly is…?
  3. Why is that?
  4. Why does this work?
  5. How do I know?
  6. Is it true?
  7. But what if… ?
  8. But where can you find… ?
  9. So when do you use… ?
The “Curious Question” Transition

#12: The “Rhetorical Question” Transition


How it works: Rhetorical questions engage the reader’s brain in the same way as curious questions. The only difference is that curious questions hint at an upcoming answer, whereas rhetorical questions assume the answer. This will prime the reader to agree with you.

Examples:

  1. You see my point, right?
  2. Do you see how huge this is?
  3. Don’t you wish… ?
  4. Is that something you’d like for your business?
  5. How awesome is that?
  6. Do you ever wonder… ?
  7. Sound good?
  8. Amazing, isn’t it?
The “Rhetorical Question” Transition

#13: The “Guess What Happened” Transition


How it works: You hint at the conclusion of the events or the result of the activities you’ve covered. Readers understand that this is one of the most crucial parts of your article or story, so they pay attention.

Examples:

  1. Guess what happened?
  2. Here’s what happened next…
  3. Even I was surprised at what happened next…
  4. You won’t believe how the story ends…
  5. These were our results…
  6. The result?
The “Guess What Happened” Transition

Master Your Transitions and Watch Reader Engagement Shoot Up

When you master the art of transitioning, you’ll notice that readers will stay on your posts longer. You’ll notice more of them will read your posts to the end.

Don’t get me wrong; these phrases aren’t magic. They won’t turn a bad article into a good one.

But they can help turn a good article into a great one.

You still have to write content that’s, you know, of interest to your audience. But if you do, these phrases can help keep your readers glued to the page. One minute they’ll be reading your opening lines, and before they know it, they’ll have reached the end of your article.

So sprinkle transitional phrases throughout your content, and one day, you’ll check your analytics and notice people are spending a lot more time on your posts.

That’s when you know they’re doing their job.

Sounds pretty good, right?

About the Author: Rob Powell shows beginning bloggers how to write blog posts that engage your readers and keep them on the page. Download his list of 517 Transitional Words and Phrases and literally pull your readers down the page.


from
https://smartblogger.com/transitional-phrases/

Tuesday, December 12, 2017

Six Mistakes I’ve Made While Building my Blogging Business

Are you making mistakes when trying to build your blog?

Well – you are not alone.

In this episode, I give you insight into mistakes I’ve made while building my blogging business.

Making Mistakes

Do you know what’s REALLY easy to do in this online world? Assume that the people we see online have everything together.

Most people don’t write about their failures publicly. We don’t generally go to Facebook to tell people how we messed up.

We post the things we want others to see, so that it paints a good picture of who we are.

I believe that this is natural.

Before the internet, we didn’t create photo albums showing themselves doing boring stuff. And we definitely didn’t create albums of our mistakes.

But this gets amplified with the internet.

As a result, it’s easy to look at others and think they never mess up.

But here’s the truth – we ALL make mistakes.

My Blogging Mistakes

I teach people how to build blogging businesses. But guess what – I’ve made Many mistakes on this blogging journey.

Here are six (of the many)…

1. Not Focusing on Building a Team

When I first started my online business in 2008, things got crazy. I spent so much time on my business that I hardly had any time for anything else.

It got so bad that I decided to quit.

Fortunately, after a break of a month or two, I decided to get back at it. At that point, I decided to get a Virtual Assistant.

This helped me tremendously and I’ve had at least one ever since.

As much as that helped, I never really took it to the next level – I never built a team.

As a result, I have not been able to accomplish as much as I would like.

2. Didn’t Put Enough Emphasis on Growing MY Business

One of the areas I’ve had a considerable amount of success with over the last three years is with my one-on-one coaching.

In most of my coaching experiences, I’ve been able to help my clients grow their businesses SIGNIFICANTLY.

In some cases doubling, tripling, and even quadrupling the size of their businesses.

We were able to do this because we FOCUSED on growing their businesses.

But I gotta be honest, I haven’t focused on growing my business as much as I did theirs.

And while my business has experience a LOT of growth, it’s nowhere near where it should be based on the knowledge and experience I’ve had.

3. I Didn’t Take my Finances Seriously

I HATE dealing with finances. It’s not something that excites me. In fact, money doesn’t excite me.

As a result, I’ve neglected my business finances in ways that I shouldn't.

I hate tax time because I ALWAYS end up spending a bunch of time trying to figure out what happened over the previous year.

And at the end, I’m always surprised by the crazy amount of money I have to give to uncle Sam.

4. I Jumped the Gun on Too Many Ideas

I don’t know if you’ve noticed this, but I’m easily excited. It’s true.

As a result, I quickly jump the gun on too many ideas. This has happened multiple times in my business.

Some examples are:

  • When I decided to start an audio blog
  • When I decided to write a new post every day
  • When I decided to create a video every weekday

And yes – those are just a few of the ideas.

The problem is that when I jump the gun, I don’t usually come up with a sustainable plan to make it happen.

5. I Didn’t Follow Through on What Worked

There are two things I’ve done to date that have been tremendously successful in growing my business.

Thing 1 – Creating resource centers

Thing 2 – Using Webinars to grow my Coaching club

Here’s what’s embarrassing. As great as they are, I have not done many of them. In fact, I created ONE resource center over two years ago that is responsible for a bulk of my income.

One would think that I would’ve created many of them since it has done so well for me. But nope. I haven’t.

And the same goes for webinars. If they work that well, I should be doing them regularly. Instead, I do them once in a blue moon.

6. I Haven’t Pushed Myself Hard Enough

Most of the progress in my business have been the result of external circumstances.

When I left my job, I NEEDED to hustle to get things done so that my family could eat – literally.

So that’s exactly what I did, and I got my business to the level that I needed it to be to take care of my family.

Then I stopped pushing.

The truth is – I’ve pushed mostly when things got challenging. But that push wasn’t internal.

Why I’m sharing these Mistakes

When you read a post like this, you probably expect the author to tell you how they overcame these issues.

The fact is, these are mistakes I continue to make. I have not “gotten over them”.

But here’s the thing – I’ve been able to have an impact in spite of these mistakes.

There are thousands of people all over the world who have gotten value from the content and resources I’ve created.

You don’t have to get everything right in order to have an impact.

What you HAVE TO do is take action.

The post Six Mistakes I’ve Made While Building my Blogging Business appeared first on Become A Blogger by Noemi M.



from
https://www.becomeablogger.com/25715/six-big-mistakes/

Wednesday, December 6, 2017

How to Make More Money with Your Blog in 2018

Do you want to make more money with your blog in 2018? I know, silly question.

We all want to make more money with our blogs.

Well, in today’s episode, I share some practical tips you can use to do just that.

Listen to This Episode

The Pareto Principle

Pareto Principle

Pareto Principle

When I started blogging back in 2008, I learned about the 80/20 principle, a.k.a. The Pareto Principle.

It’s a very simple concept that states that 80% of our productivity comes from about 20% of our effort.

When it comes to blogging, that generally says that 80% of my results come from 20% of what I actually do.

Here’s the good news – if I can figure out what that 20% is and focus on those things, I will have a bigger impact.

As you think about 2018, I want you to think about what that 20% is for you. First, let's start with content.

Do a Content Analysis

The content you create is the fuel of your blog. But the fact is that not all content are created equally.

Some of your content will do very well and others won’t.

How do you determine what works and what doesn’t? By looking at what has and hasn’t worked in the past and by asking your audience.

Here are 4 ways to do that…

In Google Analytics:

Check most performing content in Google Analytics

Use Google analytics to see which content performed well (go to Behavior > Site Content > All Pages).

Set the time range to all of 2017.

This will tell you what blog posts received the most visits.

In Google Search Console:

Use the Google Search Console to see what search queries resulted in the most visits to your blog (go to Search Traffic > Search Analytics).

Make sure to select Clicks, Impressions, CTR and Position.

Set the time range to the last 90 days (that’s the maximum you can do).

This will give you a very detailed report of how people are finding you in Google.

On Buzzsumo (optional):

Optional tool for checking which content gets the most shares on Social Media.

Buzzsumo is a great (but expensive) tool for checking to see which of your content has been shared the most on social media.

There are ways to drill this down in Google Analytics, but it’s a bit complicated. Buzzsumo makes it easy.

Fortunately, you can see your top five pieces of content without signing up. That gives you some decent info for free.

If you wanted more, you can also check their 14 day free trial.

Conduct a Survey:

Conduct a survey.

One of the best ways to know what your audience wants is to ask them.

If you already have an audience, send out a survey and see exactly what they are struggling with.

This will give you ideas for content you can create to provide them with more value.

External Analysis:

What if you don’t have an audience. Is there any hope for you? Of course there is.

If you understand who you’re targeting, you can find out what content they are looking for.

Visit other blogs in your niche and see what content is working for them. Or visit Facebook groups and see what questions people are asking.

Take Action on Content

Now that you know what content performs well for your audience, it’s time to take action on that data.

Optimize your top-performing content

Optimize your top performing content.

It’s already performing well, so lets milk it for what it’s worth. Here’s how you would do that:

  • Revise and expand: Do an analysis of your top content. Is it thorough? Are there ways to provide even more value? If so, revise and expand on that content.
  • Include a call to action: Is there a next logical step for the reader to take? Why not include a call-to-action for them to get a free resource by joining your list?
  • Promote affiliate product: Is there a product or service that’s highly relevant to that post that you can promote as an affiliate? If so, make it happen.
  • Promote your own product/service: They’ve already consumed your content and hopefully love it. If you have a product or service to offer, let them know about it. Don’t hold back all that value.

Create more of that kind of content

This one’s a no-brainer. If that kind of content is performing well, create more of it.

It’s tested and proven. By doing more of the same, you’re creating content that you know works.

This will bring more people to your blog and give you more opportunities to promote what you have to offer.

Do a Better Job at Selling

Now that we’ve spoken about the content, let’s talk about selling. To make more money in 2018, you will have to sell more (and/or raise your prices).

Here are some ways to do that:

Double down on what worked in the past

Have you tried something in the past that worked very well? If so – do MORE of that.

It’s so easy to move on and try something else before fully taking advantage of what actually worked for us. Avoid that urge.

Do less of what hasn’t worked in the past

If you’ve tried something that didn’t work, don’t focus on trying to make that process better. Instead, focus that energy on what you know works. Remember the 80-20 principle.

Optimize your sales page

Do you have a sales page for your product/service? If not, create one.

If you do, is it converting? If it isn’t, then revise it.

A great framework for doing that is the P.A.S.T.O.R. framework by my friend Ray Edwards.

Raise your Prices

Raise your prices.

Did that make you nervous? When I’ve suggested this to my coaching clients, they usually get nervous.

Can you guess what makes them feel better about it? Seeing more money come in, lol.

Raising your prices can be a great way to increase your revenue. Try it out and see how it works for you.

Create Funnels

Create Funnels

Create Funnels

Having a product or service to sell can be a great thing. Selling it is better. Selling it on autopilot is even better.

Create a lead magnet that solves a specific problem. Then have an autoresponder sequence that provides even more value and leads to the sale.

Create Resource Centers

The most successful affiliate campaign I’ve ever run on this blog is for promoting GetResponse.

Why was it so effective? Because I created an entire GetResponse Resource Center.

This resource center provides all kinds of training to help someone use GetResponse. But it also includes my affiliate link.

Resource centers are great for selling without being pushy.

Get more eyes on your content

We’ve looked at creating the right kind of content. We’ve also looked at creating a better sales process.

There’s one thing missing – you have to get more people to actually see that great content. How do you do that?

To be honest, I can create an entire blog series on the topic. There are so many things you can do. Here are a few basic tips:

Connect with the right people

Connect with the right people.

One of the best ways to get traffic to your blog is by getting it from people who already have an audience.

This is why it’s important for you to connect with other people in your niche. Reach out to them online and provide value to them.

Or attend events in your niche to connect with them in person. Those relationships can go a long way to getting you in front of the right audience.

Go live

Go Live!

Go Live!

I know I know – Everyone’s talking about live video. Why? Because it actually works (if you do it right).

Go live more often and do it consistently. This can help you grow your audience over time.

Join the conversation

Join the conversation. Connect with the right people.

There are conversations happening every day in your industry. Look for trending topics and cover them from a unique perspective.

The more you do that, the more you will show up as someone who’s relevant in your niche.

Let’s wrap this up baby

There you have it – my tips for making more money with your blog in 2018.

I know it’s a lot of stuff. The good news is that you don’t have to do it all at once. In fact, you can literally choose one main thing to focus on for all of 2018 and it can make the world of difference.

The important thing is this – TAKE ACTION.

So my question for you is – what will you be taking action on to help you make more money in 2018? Let me know in the comments below.

Resources Mentioned

  • Buzzsumo – a great (but expensive) tool for checking to see which of your content has been shared the most on social media.
  • The P.A.S.T.O.R. framework by Ray Edwards – a great framework for revising and optimizing your sales page.

Infographic

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