Refine Your Message

About a month ago, I hosted my 2018 EBA VIPs for our first (of four) two-day strategy session of the year. It was such a great mix of people! There were veteran bloggers who are already pulling in six- and seven-figure incomes from their blogs, and then there were bloggers who are still in the beginning stages. It was so cool to be able to work with so many different types of people! (In case you are wondering, I select members based on mindset, not on income or traffic!) We covered a lot of different topics and strategies that applied to different stages of the blogging journey, and it was hard not to get excited about all the possibilities. But one thing we had to get veryRead More

If you’ve read my book, How to Blog for Profit, or if you have checked out our recommendations for how to prepare to start EBA, you probably already know that the very first thing I recommend for new bloggers is to set up a self-hosted blog on WordPress. And it’s not that there are no other options available–there are–but that WordPress has more or less become the industry standard, which means that it has the most options available, and it is endlessly customizable— really, the sky is the limit. But I’m not going to sugarcoat it — it’s not always the easiest platform to use. There’s definitely a learning curve when you’re getting started — and it can be a steep one! I remember when I firstRead More

Okay, it’s time for some real talk. Do you suffer from overthinkitis? In most areas of our lives, we’re rewarded for being chronic overthinkers — like when we do everything we can to keep our kids safe, planning a big event, or getting ready for the holidays. In those situations, overthinking can help us get more done and do a better job. But when it comes to our blogs? Overthinkitis is a momentum killer! In the interest of full transparency, I can tell you that I am generally NOT an over-thinker. If anything, I struggle with not thinking things through enough (which has certainly gotten me in hot water once or twice)! But I know this is a huge pain point for many bloggers — and asRead More

The new year is always a good time to take stock of where we are, where we want to go, how we plan to get there, and what roadblocks are standing in our way. And, when it comes to blogging, one of the biggest roadblocks can be figuring out how to create consistently stellar content. That’s where the content calendar comes in. Over the years, I’ve found that creating an annual content calendar is one of the best ways to stay organized throughout the year — and save myself a ton of time, energy, and headaches trying to come up with last-minute topic ideas. Of course, coming up with a whole year’s worth of content can feel a little daunting. If you’re anything like me,Read More

Choosing what kind of blog post to write is kind-of like learning to drive a stick shift. When we’re starting out, it’s something we have to consciously think about and focus on in order to keep our blogs moving in the right direction. But after a while, it starts to come naturally. We instinctively know what to do and what type of blog post will connect best with our audience. But before we know which type of blog post is the best fit for our audience, we need to know exactly what those blog post types are. There are plenty of different formats we can use, and depending on what kind of content we’re creating, some formats work better than others. Should we stick toRead More

“Blogging is dead.” “The new Facebook/Pinterest algorithm is killing the blogging industry.” “It’s too late to start a blog. That ship has sailed.” Do any of these sentences sound familiar? I hear things like this all the time. And I have been hearing them for years. But guess what? Blogging isn’t dead. People are launching new blogs — and finding incredible success — every day, no matter what all the haters say. Those naysayers that say it can’t be done, claiming the sky is falling and everything is going to pieces? They’ve always been around, and they’ll always be around. That’s because it’s easier to point fingers and say something can’t be done from the comfort of a chair than to get off your you-know-whatRead More

One of the most common questions I get from new or aspiring bloggers is this: When should I launch my blog? It’s not a dumb question. Blogging, especially in the beginning, can feel pretty overwhelming. There’s so much to learn and do, and we tend to think there’s a million and one things we need to do before we can “officially” launch our blog. Raise your hand if you’ve ever said anything close to the following: “I need at least 30 posts saved up and ready to go before I can launch my blog!” “I just have to do X, Y, and Z… Then I’ll be ready to launch.” “I need to figure out my long-term strategy before I can officially launch.” “I’m waiting forRead More

For those of us who have been blogging for years, it’s safe to say that not only have we changed — but things in the blogosphere have changed, too. I remember when I first started blogging, images in blog posts were an afterthought. Not having an image was no big deal — text was more than enough to keep people interested. Well… not anymore! Today, images are one of the most important parts of a blog post. They are absolutely critical to getting the right kind of readers. And that’s not all that’s changed. Back in the day, blog posts used to be way shorter. A 500-word blog post was considered the norm. Today, people want longer, meatier content — and as such, that contentRead More