I create a lot of content across my blog, podcast, online courses, books, and membership site. And sometimes readers and other content creators wonder about my strategy. The other day I heard from a reader who not only follows my blog and podcast, but is also a Platform University member and follows #VirtualMentor. When he […]
Blogging
It’s Not all Bad News: The Upside of Social Media
It’s popular to complain about social media and talk about how it is destroying our culture, but what if the exact opposite is true? I joined Twitter on April 6, 2008. A friend urged me to check it out. He was already using it and loved it. So after some initial eye-rolling, I tried it […]
Blogging Gone Bad: 7 Mistakes You Don’t Want to Make
I follow a lot of blogs. I also stop following a lot. Why? My day is the same length as everyone’s, and frankly life’s too short to read bad blogs. Once I started blogging over a decade ago, I became a student of the art. Through trial and error I learned what worked, what didn’t, […]
How to Blog if You Don’t Have Time
If you want your message to reach the maximum number of people, a blog is hands down the best means I know. But who’s got time? It doesn’t matter if I’m speaking with someone just starting to blog or someone who’s been building their platform for a few years, the No. 1 struggle people face […]
How to Launch a Successful Mastermind Group
Did you know many of your favorite Disney moments from the 1930-1970s were birthed from a mastermind group of animators? Walt Disney referred to them as “Nine Old Men.” While still in their twenties and thirties, when Walt first coined the phrase, this mastermind group brought to the world such classics as Snow White and […]
How a Quick Analysis of Your Top Posts Can Improve Your Blogging Results Next Year
Now is a good time to review your previous year’s blogging results. Here are my top 10 posts and what I learned from evaluating them.
15 Resources for Pro Bloggers (or Those Who Want to Be)
What resources do professional bloggers use? Here are the fifteen I use on a daily basis.
3 Metrics Every Blogger Should Be Tracking
Bloggers often ask me what metrics they should be tracking. It’s easy to get overwhelmed. These are the three I measure and recommend that you monitor.
How to Write a Blog Post in 70 Minutes or Less
If you can learn to write faster, you will write more frequently. Here are eleven tricks I use to write my blog posts in 70 minutes or less.
How to Use Evernote as a Blogger
A few weeks ago, I started using as my primary “blogging workbench.” This has proven to be a remarkably robust solution. Here are the six steps in my workflow.
Anatomy of an Effective Blog Post
How can you be more efficient and effective in writing your blog posts? Use a template. Here are the five component that are part of my template.
Why I Stopped Reading Your Blog
I am a loyal person. Once I let you into my life, I almost never ask you to leave. But I have had enough. I just unsibscribed from your blog. Why? One of six reasons.
10 Ways to Create a Better “About Page” for Your Blog
For most bloggers, their About Page is one of their most visited pages. Yet few bloggers take advantage of this. Here are ten ways to make it better.
How to Keep Your Blog Posts from Dying in Your Archives
About a year ago, I decided to become intentional about promoting my older posts. As a result of the actions I took, my older posts began to account for more and more of my daily traffic. In fact, today it accounts for about 30–40 percent of my total traffic. Here’s what I did—and what you can do—to give your older posts new life.
How Do Busy Leaders Find Time for Social Media?
t is an important question. Why? Because increasingly CEOs, pastors, and other leaders are being asked by their staff, constituents, and even boards about their “social media involvement.” Most leaders I have spoken with, still don’t see the value or, if they do, know how to work it into their workflow. They already feel overwhelmed with their current responsibilities; they aren’t looking for one more thing to do.
A Social Media Framework
I am often asked how it all works together. People say, “Okay, I get the blog thing. I understand Facebook and Twitter—sort of. But how does it all work together?” A good social media strategy has three components.
Five Ways to Comply with the New FTC Guidelines for Bloggers
Last fall, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued new guidelines that require bloggers to “disclose material connections” for product or service endorsements. in fact, according to The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), “People who blog, tweet or use Facebook to post opinions about consumer products could be fined $11,000 for repeat violations of new federal disclosure rules.”
I don’t know how serious the FTC will be in enforcing these guidelines. I have read some reports that indicate they will be primarily focused on advertisers who attempt to influence bloggers without requiring them to disclose that they were either paid or received free goods or services.
Focus on Blog Content Before Traffic
I have heard the blogging experts talk about all kinds of things, from blogging platforms to SEO. But I rarely hear them talk about the one thing that is essential: content. All of these other items are interesting, but none of them will help you if you don’t write great—or at least, pretty good—blog posts.
Beware of the Self-Proclaimed Social Media Experts
You wouldn’t want to attempt to climb Mount Everest, get half way up the mountain, and then discover that this is your guide’s first climb. Neither do you want to follow the advice of someone who is (as they say in Texas) “all hat and no cattle.” Reading a few books and articles on social media is not the same as building a successful social media platform.
What I Have Learned in Four Years of Blogging
I have been blogging for four years. During this time, I have learned a good deal about blogging. I’m sure I still have a long way to go, but I thought I would summarize what I have learned so far.
Twitter-dee, Twitter-dum
Twitter’s home page says it best: Twitter is a service for friends, family, and co–workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing? … So far, I think there are four: It allows family, friends, and others to follow your activity throughout the day and keep up with your life.