Side Hustle Teachers

The end of the year is a great time to reflect, examine, and set new priorities for what's next, which makes it the perfect time to do a review of your blog business.  If the word review makes you shiver and think of your end-of-year teacher eval meeting, where you have to prove to your administrator that you're an effective teacher, don't sweat it. This is your business, and you don't have to prove anything to anyone. If it helps, this is not just a review, but also a clean-up, a chance for you to clear out some digital cobwebs, and spruce up a corner or 2 of your website. And remember, teachers kind of have 2 year-ends, so feel free to do this in December, or June… or both! I start this process with the review part because that informs the cleanup portion. It takes me a few hours if I do it all in one sitting, but it's also possible to do a little bit at a time. And there's no rule that says this has to be done by a certain date. Finally, before we jump in, this is a big overview-type of process that I recommend for beginners. If you're more than a couple years into your blog, check out a more nitty-gitty review process (then come back for the cleanup because he doesn't talk about that). Gather Your Information Data, Data, Data Yes, we're all data'd out, but this is your data. And it's not being used for anything except to help you make informed decisions about your blog. Data is information.  Information is power. Some things you're going to want data for are your key performance indicators (KPIs) and can be gleaned from your Google Analytics account. Number of page views, sessions, and/or unique visitors per month.  Traffic sources. Top posts and pages Total email subscribers by month. It's All About the Benjamins (or Washingtons… whatever) If you want your blog to make money, you need to track where your money is coming from. I can't stress this enough. Now is the time to dig in to how much you made and how you made it. If you've been tracking your income and expenses, this will be easy. If not… well, it's important. In this step we're only focusing on income. You'd be amazed how many entrepreneurs don't know how much money they're bringing in!  I check in on my blog money once a month to update my spreadsheet and move my money to the proper accounts, but even I was surprised at my income when I looked. I normally just put all the numbers in the right boxes, then close it up. This time I actually looked at the monthly and yearly totals and… wow! I hadn't even realized I'd already surpassed my revenue goal for the year by October. Sometimes numbers are fun! The two things you need to know are: Your sources of income. How much each source earned. Where Are You Spending Time and Money? Not as much fun as the income, you also need to know where you're spending money. If you don't already, I strongly suggest setting up a business bank account and credit card. This not only helps you track your expenses more easily, but it also protects your personal accounts from legal action (provided you've set up an LLC). You'll definitely need to know: What you're paying for in your business How much you're paying You should also do a time audit for your own information. This involves tracking what you do for your blog and can help provide valuable insight into strengths, weakness, and improvements you can make. The goal is to find out what you're doing in an average week, and how long you're spending on it. With the other data you've collected, you'll be able to see if you're spending your most precious resource, your time, wisely. Break It Down Now that you've got all your data collected, you can start to scrutinize it. (You have no idea how hard I worked not to use the word “analyze” there, so as not to traumatize you.) The good news is that you don't need to make spreadsheets, charts, and tables to get what you need. You really just need to be able to answer these questions: What trends do you notice? Are there particular post types on your blog (or social media, if you track that) that got more engagement via comments, shares, or sales? If so, when planning ahead you want to plan more of that type of content, and try to determine what's working so you can use those techniques in other content as well. You may also notice that certain times of year are peaks or valleys for your readership and/or sales. This is normal, and nothing to panic about. For example, September is a slow month at Side Hustle Teachers because my audience is focusing on back to school stuff. Knowing this is helpful because not only do I not freak out when my stats drop, I also know not to launch something new at this time. Does your effort match your outcome? Are the places you're spending your time benefiting your blog? For example, if you're posting diligently on Instagram every day, are you gaining followers, and more importantly, are those followers becoming readers and/or customers? While it can be a good ego boost to see our follower count go up, it doesn't mean much if those followers aren't clicking over to your blog, signing up for your email list, and making you money. For example, my engagement on Twitter was circling the drain (and I never enjoyed using the platform), so I deleted my account… and it felt great!  What are your income producing activities? Knowing where your revenue is coming from, what specific tasks are moving your audience toward a sale? If 1% of people on your email list buy from you (a very normal statistic, by the way), consider the steps you take to get people on your list. At SHT, a good portion of our sales come from my free training, Profitable Blogging for Teachers, so I would examine the ways people can find this training. If your blog is not making money yet, not to worry. Since email is far-and-away the most cost effective way to get customers, focus on your list. Even if you don't have anything to sell yet, build your list. It is a marketing channel that will pay off big time in the future. In this case, you would address the question; What are my list building activities? Now that you have a big-picture view of your blog, keep the information in a visible place. When you're considering a new project, reflect on the questions above. Is the new project in keeping with the expectations of my audience? Do I have evidence that my audience needs or wants this? Is this going to build my income? Pausing to deliberately weigh the costs (of money and time) and the potential returns of each project can prevent you from chasing shiny objects or procrastinating by taking on non-income-producing tasks. Before we move on, there's two more things to think about in your end-of-year review: What did you love about blogging this year? What did you not enjoy doing this year? Remember that your blog is your business, and you get to design it in a way that makes you happy. If there are things you loved doing, moments that made you feel great, or connections made that you treasure, do more of that! When you look ahead to next year, plan more of what brings you joy. Conversely, if there are things that just drain the life from you, feel really difficult, or you put off for as long as possible, find a way to do less of them. Maybe that means those things just don't get done. Or, if it's something that needs to be handled, like sending welcome emails to new subscribers, automate it with a tool like ConvertKit, or hire someone to do it for you! Your business, your rules! Clean It Up While you've got all your data out and available, let's see if there are some things on your blog that can be tidied up. This is an important part of your year-end processes because it will make for a much better experience for your readers and can help your SEO results, too. Amp up your top posts. Once you know which posts are resonating with your audience over time, you're going to want to maximize them. A few things I recommend is adding more internal links to other blog posts of yours. This will help keep people on your site longer and lead readers through more of your content, building a stronger connection, faster.  Next, do some keyword research to find what people who are interested in that particular content might be searching for, then update your content to include these words or phrases.  Lastly, review your post images. Update them if they're outdated, and make sure you're using a plugin like Social Warfare to make pinning and sharing easy. Update or redirect old posts. If you've been blogging for more than a year, you may have some content that is a little dated, doesn't 100% fit your niche, or you just don't like. As you grow, this is totally normal. You have a couple of options for what to do with this type of content. You can always update or improve upon old posts. That's one of the beautiful things about blogging! If there's a typo, you can fix it. If there's something new you want to mention, add it in! No big deal. But not all content is worth updating or fixing. Sometimes it's better to just scrap it and move on. However, you don't want people who find old links to be taken to get an error when they click, so I suggest you use a free plugin called Redirection. This allows you to point the old URL of the post you don't want shown to another, related post that's more in line with your current blog niche and standards. This way, when anyone clicks on the old post, they'll be automatically taken to the new one. Remove or update dead links. There are few things more frustrating for a reader than clicking on a link and going nowhere (or to an error page). This happens a lot with affiliate links as other sites make updates to their inventory or system. A tool like SEM Rush's website audit will give you a list of links on your site that are dead, then you can fix each one. I actually suggest doing this more than once a year, but life happens… so definitely make it part of your end-of-year cleanup De-junkify your inbox. If you're like me, you may sign up for a lot of free trials, trainings, etc. I also like to sign up for people's email lists just to check out their nurture sequence. All of this means that my inbox gets pretty cluttered. Use this time of year to unsubscribe from things that are no longer serving you. This is another thing I recommend you do more than once a year (like daily), but it's helpful to have a reminder. The end of the year is a natural time to do a review and cleanup of your blog, but it doesn't have to be done then. If you're feeling a little unclear on where you're going with your business, this process can help illuminate where you're at, and what your options are. Remember that in the end, your blog is yours and yours alone. Make informed decisions, but make ones that work for you and your goals, not because it's what you're supposed to do or because that's what anyone else wants.

With a new year, comes new possibilities. Looking forward is so important for content creators, but rarely do we give ourselves time to do it. If I'm totally honest, I haven't been good about giving myself enough white space to think about my business for several years.  When Side Hustle Teachers started, I didn't expect it to become so popular so fast. I really had to keep my nose to the grindstone and fix the little issues that sprang up… seemingly one right after another. It didn't leave me a lot of time for reflection, and certainly not for projection. This year, however, I'm not only demanding that I be more deliberate about the choices I make, but also about creating more time and space in my life so I can reflect on where I've been and think about where I want to go. I have to constantly remind myself that my business is not school. I can take my time to consider my current situation. I can take my time to examine the options I have. I can take my time making a decision. And I can take my time implementing that decision based on my wants and needs. So this year I've been contemplating this business I've built, and how I can move it forward in a sustainable way, and grow the company I want. Let's dive into my key areas of focus for 2023. Some of them might surprise you. Rule #1: Simplicity is King I've always been a fan of the KISS rule - keep it simple, stupid - but it's never as easy to implement as it is to spout to others… or needlepoint on a pillow. In 2023 simplicity is going to be my guiding star. The longer I'm in business, the more I realize that I don't want to hustle. I want ease. (And yes, I realize the irony of rebelling against hustle when my company is called Side Hustle Teachers.) For a while I've been using one question to decide whether or not to take on something new; Is this going to bring ease to my life? This simple question has allowed me to say no without guilt, hire help to get things done that I've been putting off for ages, and give my attention to things that are building my business and bringing me joy. To be clear, I'm making simplicity a priority in all areas of my life, not just business. We're in the (extremely slow) process of getting rid of stuff that's been piling up, and we're focusing on creating experiences instead of giving physical gifts. We're not trying to be minimalists… but clearing physical space allows me to find more mental space…  Aaaaaahhhhhhhhhh. Elimination, Automation, Delegation To aid my search for simplicity, I'm following the eliminate, automate, and delegate model. First - and this part has been happening for a while - I'm on the hunt for things I'm doing that aren't necessary, or that can wait, or that are just a big ol' waste of time.  Entrepreneurs in all fields have a habit of taking on more and more to-dos until our lives are completely out of balance. This is very easy for side hustlers to do, especially teachers, because our jobs are already taking up our time and energy. I'll talk about a few things I'm dropping in the new year in the following sections. The second step of this process is to automate whatever possible. I've long been a fan of automation. It's literally been essential to being able to grow my business while teaching full-time.  I automate my email marketing, my social media posting… even my Facebook “Lives” are pre-recorded because my family schedule doesn't allow me to be available every Wednesday at 9pm. Just note that before you start automating, you eliminate. There are a ton of tools available to help you automate pretty much anything, but most of them will cost you money, and they require time and energy to set up. Don't waste your limited time and money on tools that help you with things you don't even need to be doing. Finally, if there are things that are keeping you from moving forward or making money, it's time to consider hiring someone to help you.  This person could be someone you work with in person or virtually, and can work as little as a few hours a week. You could also hire them on a project-by-project basis to take care of things you need done, but not on an ongoing basis. In the past I've hired people to help me with SEO, graphics creation, email writing, customer support, and more. All In on the Facebook Group While I have a presence on multiple social media platforms, the Side Hustle Teachers Facebook group has been my primary focus for a long time. In 2023, I'm going to go all in on this platform. I've even deactivated my Twitter account. Side Note: My deactivation decision was based on the fact that I never use Twitter myself (I find it annoying) and it's the only platform on which I couldn't get the handle of Side Hustle Teachers. Elon Musk didn't factor in at all. Also, though I'm not leaving Pinterest all together, since it's not a major source of traffic for me, I'm paring back on my use. I'm only creating one pin per post, and everything is automatically posted. It's very hands off - if it weren't I wouldn't use it. Even my Facebook page isn't a priority for me. Meta has been making it harder for pages to reach people organically (read: without paying) for a while, and it's just not worth it for me. Instead, my attention has been on, and will continue to go to the ever growing group of teachers that I've built over the last 3 years. The group includes (mostly) daily prompts for members to share their thoughts, content, and wisdom. There are also weekly videos released on Wednesday that address mindset and common blocks that teachers hit when building a business. My goal is to use the time I've freed up in other areas to be able to interact more with the SHT group members. When I take on too many things, my connections suffer… but the connections made through this business are one of my favorite parts! All Roads Lead to Teacher Blog Academy One of my biggest stumbling blocks as an entrepreneur has been creating too much stuff. This might just be me… or it could be a teacher trait since we're all expected to be prolific in our classrooms. If you've been around Side Hustle Teachers since the beginning, you may remember that I used to have a membership program. On top of that I sold each course from the membership separately… and I just kept making courses! It was exhausting, and a constant struggle. I was creating, and promoting, and delivering digital courses all at the same time. And don't forget about the weekly free content for my website and social media. It took longer than it should have, but I finally figured out that that was a recipe for burnout. The past year (ish) I've had 3 course offerings, with the Teacher Blog Academy being my signature program. In 2023 TBA is going to be my sole course. I haven't figured out exactly how I'm going to make it work, but when I am realistic about my life, I just don't have time to promote 3 different courses. So now all roads are going to lead to Teacher Blog Academy. Practice Self-Promotion Last year much of my time and energy was put towards creating TBA, launching it, delivering it, and creating an automatic system that would regularly promote the course for me. I was also putting out this weekly blogcast, and trying to be as present for the SHT community… and, oh yeah, I have a job and a family. One of the balls I (by choice) dropped was promoting myself outside the SHT bubble. In 2023 I'm going to be reaching out to more podcasters and entrepreneurs for collaboration. Even though I'm a blogger at heart, I love podcasts as a way to reach new audiences… though I'm definitely open to other opportunities, too. Hint: If you'd like to have me as a guest on your show, blog, video series, summit, etc. reach out and we'll see if we can make it happen! While the Side Hustle Teachers community is still growing, I know that there are more teachers out there who I can help.  I just have to reach them first. This is definitely a priority in the new year. Start My Book Last, but not least, I've been thinking about writing a book for a reeeeeeeally long time, and I think this might be the year to make it happen. A book is not only a fantastic way to help more people - especially if Teacher Blog Academy is my sole offering - but it can also serve as a business card and help get my name and this community out to more teachers. Over the last 6 months all the potential topics, names, chapters, and themes I've had in my head for years have started to coalesce, which I'm taking as a sign to get started.  I'll be self-publishing, and I'm hoping to have it ready for release for next Thanksgiving. Stay tuned! And if you're a member of the Facebook group, I'll definitely be asking for stories, experiences, and opinions along the way! If you haven't started to look forward to the year ahead, maybe this will give you a little inspiration. It's so important to pause for a moment and get out of the “plan, craft, distribute” cycle of content so that you can think about where your business has been, how it's changed, and where you want it to go from here. Maybe that means you need to take a break from your blog for a little while. I'm going live in the Facebook group to talk about how I'm taking the month of December off and why giving yourself space to think is so important. Tune in live on Wednesday at 9pm!

As we approach 2023 - man, that sounds weird to say - I realized that I have been blogging for 10 years!  I don't actually remember the date, so don't be expecting an anniversary party or anything, but I made my first money as a blogger in 2012. Holy crap, that's a long time. In those 10 years I was able to grow a successful mom-lifestyle blog that paid off my student loans, let us buy our cars with cash, and put me on track to pay off our mortgage in 15 years instead of 30.  I also sold my blog when I was called to start Side Hustle Teachers and it grew faster than I anticipated. Blogging is a fairly low-key way to make money, but it still requires work, and I just couldn't do both. Now Side Hustle Teachers is a thriving blog with a highly engaged community, a new signature course that's helping other teachers build and grow their own blogs, and a clear path to early retirement. Over that time I've also discovered and consciously worked towards a more chill lifestyle, even as I continue to teach and my business consistently grows. I have more free time now than I did before I started my first blog! When it comes to the business of blogging, a lot has changed, and that's what we'll be talking about today. So let's dig in. Technology is WAY Easier Let's start with the best thing on this list. Tech is way more accessible now than it was when I started. Not only is it cheaper (yay!), but the improvements and upgrades have also made it easier for the average non-tech-geek to use, making the internet a much more user-friendly place. When I first started, putting up a website took either a lot of money or extensive knowledge of coding and internet language. Yes, I had access to WordPress and ready-made themes (it wasn't the really early days), but any changes needed to be done manually or via code… I broke my site many, many times. There are also a lot more tools available to use online. Pretty much whatever you want to do online, there's a tool you can use to manage it for you. From payment processors to schedulers to customer management to auto-responders… you name it, it's out there.  And - this is big - they all talk to each other! Your credit card processor talks to your bank, who talks to your business email, who talks to your email management system, who updates your database… It's amazing. You can integrate all your tools, making automation 1000% easier, and taking a ton of work off your plate. There are even tools that help your tools talk to each other if they don't have built in integration (thank you, Zapier!). And one of the few good things to come out of the Covid-19 pandemic is that, by forcing more people and businesses online, even more programs, platforms, and systems were introduced… and they're not going anywhere. All this makes starting a blog a totally doable endeavor. I know many teachers are afraid of the tech that's involved, but if you can handle the tech of a 21st century classroom, a blog is a piece of cake! Social Media has Exploded When I started there was Facebook and Twitter. Pinterest was still new and masquerading as a social network, and Instagram was just barely born. Social media was growing, but it was not the ubiquitous part of everyday life that it is now. Cut to today when social media platforms abound and are some of the most trafficked parts of the internet. For a while, every time a new platform was introduced, bloggers were encouraged to jump in and become founding members before it became big. Side note, this was brought on by Pinterest, whose early adopters gained HUGE advantages on the platform, frustrating those who came after. However, as we've seen, not all social media sites are created equally or are built to last… I'm lookin' at you Periscope, Clubhouse, and Google Plus!  Today, anyone who's telling you to be on every social platform, especially when you're new to blogging, is given sideways glances and dismissed as out of touch. This is a very good thing for your content and your sanity. My focus is on the Side Hustle Teachers Facebook group. Everything else is extra. These days it's better to focus your time, energy, and creative skills on 1 or 2 platforms where you can build authentic connections and engage with your audience. If you want to have a presence on more platforms, you can use tools to automatically share the same content in multiple places so your apparent omnipresence doesn't take any more work. So when the next big social media app is introduced, don't feel the need to dive in. Just grab your username so it doesn't get stolen, and feel free to delete the app. Standards are Higher When I first started my original blog, I published a post every day.  Back then it was way easier to do that (though still crazy) because the internet rewarded quantity over quality. I still cringe when I think about some of the things I shared with the world. But I was trying to “catch up” with the people who'd been blogging for years, and volume sold. These days not only do readers expect higher quality information, but search engines demand it. I may have ranted about this before, but it bears repeating. Your readers expect and deserve quality posts.  On top of this, Google now considers your site's authority when ranking pages in search results. People and posts who cite facts, give value in their content, and meet other authority based criteria (there are hundreds of factors considered), will be boosted in search results, and therefore discovered by more people. But it's not just content quality expectations that are higher. Internet users expect a beautiful, user-friendly website experience when they land on your site. They expect high-quality images with thoughtful design, and they have a very low tolerance for poor sound quality. Interestingly, while video quality is important, users will watch a video with poor video quality longer than they will watch a video with poor sound quality, according to VTRep. With all the tools available to help, people demand quality. I'll add a side note here, though, and this is important. While people expect high quality, they also understand and are forgiving - even appreciative - of authentic imperfection. In my videos you may see my cat wandering around in the background. In my podcast episodes you may hear my daughter singing or other family life noise. No one complains about it. It actually helps me seem more real and relatable. So, in my early days I would have spent huge amounts of time re-recording or editing, these days I'm happy to leave that stuff in. Saturation is Real The internet was already starting to get crowded when I began blogging, but now it's downright mobbed. There are 600 million blogs on the web today, compared to about 100 million when I started. That's pretty massive growth! The good news is that the number of blogs continues to grow because blogging is a highly effective marketing strategy and way to build revenue. That means that even though you feel late to the game, you haven't missed out.  The bad news is that it can be harder to be noticed online with so many options. There's a lot of noise online and sometimes it feels like you're just waiting for your class to settle down and listen. But the really good news is that if you want to be noticed, it's pretty simple; Show up and be yourself. It may take longer to build an audience, but if you continue to show up as your authentic self (and market your blog), your people will find you and stick with you. So, a lot has changed in the last 10 years, but if I'm totally honest, most of it has made the online world better, more accessible, and more profitable. And while it may seem intimidating to try to get into this space, there has never been a better time to give it a go. The internet has never been more readily available for those who want to form new relationships, build community, and make money.  The time is now! If you're ready to give a go at this incredibly profitable realm, check out Teacher Blog Academy!

With the holidays approaching, you may find yourself noticing lots of posts popping up with gift recommendations and wondered if they really boost revenue (they do!) and how you can make one for your own blog. A well done gift guide can be a fantastic way to increase your affiliate income. But a poorly done gift guide can actually damage the trust you've built up with your audience. So before you go on your virtual shopping spree and start seeing dollar signs in your eyes, let's talk about the right way to put together a gift guide. Before You Start Know Your Audience Creating a gift guide that actually generates income depends on your understanding of your audience and what they need. So before you start, make sure you have a clear picture of who they are and why they're coming to your blog. Their preferences are going to play into every decision you make, from which stores you feature to the price range of the items you select. Consider the following questions: How would you describe your ideal audience in 1 sentence? What is this group looking for help with? What's their budget? It's okay if there's a wide range here, just be sure to select gifts at all levels to appeal to everyone. Where do they already shop? If you want to introduce new stores, that's great, but keep in mind that many people will spend their money at places they already know and trust over someplace new. Choose a Theme When thinking about your audience, there could be a million things they might want or need. Choose a specific theme to narrow your focus and create a through-line for all your recommendations. Don't worry if your theme isn't a typical one. When my daughter was young I would have been thrilled to find a guide called, “Perfect Gifts for Little Girls Whose Moms Need to Get Work Done and Need Said Little Girl to Play Quietly By Herself.” Sadly, I never found such a guide… For this part, focus particularly on why your audience comes to you.  Are you providing gift suggestions that your readers might want (and can forward on to their family and friends), or gifts that they can purchase for others?  Is this guide meant to help them discover new, creative gifts?  Or find bargains or tried and true classics?  Or make gifts themselves with recommendations of where to buy materials and tools? Note: If you're having trouble with this at the start, put a pin in it and come back to this once you've found a few products to recommend. You might find a natural theme, or one may come to you as you're doing your research. Gather Your Affiliate Links If you've dabbled in affiliate marketing, you already have relationships with some stores or brands. Now is the time to review your links and apply to any other programs with products or services you want to recommend. Also take time to review the terms of service that are in place with each company so that you don't violate your agreement and lose your affiliate status. For example, Amazon does not allow offline promotion, so if you create a downloadable PDF of your guide, you must link back to your gift guide post for Amazon products (rather than the item itself). If you're going to use affiliate marketing in your everyday blogger life - and why wouldn't you? - I suggest creating a spreadsheet with all of your common affiliate links in it. It will really streamline the recommendation process and make your life easier. Crafting Your Gift Guide Select Your Products This is the fun part. It's time to go shopping! When choosing what to include and what to leave off your list, be selective. A list of 10 great, spot-on, you-read-my-mind gift suggestions is better than one of 50 generic ideas. When you are curating your picks, always go back to your theme. If it doesn't fit with your theme, or you have to do some mental gymnastics to try to justify how it fits, leave it off. Consider why each individual item should be included and remember the golden rule; value first. Make your recommendations based on the value they provide rather than the commission you can earn.   Grab or Make Eye-Catching Graphics There's a reason the flyers that come in the mail around the holidays are loaded with beautiful, inspiring, colorful, and fun pictures.  Images sell. That's why Target doesn't mind paying the crazy shipping cost of their holiday circular and Harriet Carter always sends a catalog in November… whether you want it or not. We know that products with quality images sell better. Even the color, type, model, etc. in the image will sell better than other variations of the same product. Most affiliate programs allow use of their images for promotion of their products or services, but be sure to check your terms of service agreement before sharing them publicly.  If it's a product you own, I also recommend getting some shots of you or your family using it, or the outcome of your use. This will put an even more personal spin on it, give you graphics no one else has, and your audience will know you're not just blowing smoke. I recommend a program like PicMonkey or Canva to create your graphics. Don't Forget the Text In a printed guide, text is less important, but since this is a blog post, you need to keep the rules of SEO in mind.  Google needs a minimum of 300 words to be able to understand and recommend your post in search results, so don't skip this part.  One simple way to add some text is to introduce your post with a bit about how you put it together and why you selected the items you did. This can help your audience see that you currated your guide with them in mind, not just anyone. Another easy place to add text is to give a brief overview of each item, with specific things you love about it. Explain to your readers why they need this thing and how it will make their lives better. Finally, wrap it all up with a quick summary and even an invitation to comment with their own favorite doo-dad. Here's another question I get a lot about this topic: Should I include my own products or services in my gift guide? Maybe. If what you sell fits into your list, your theme, and solves the problem you're trying to solve with this guide, then yes. If not, leave it off. It's not worth turning people off when they get to your product because if it doesn't serve them at that moment, the rest of the list would be tainted with your product pimping. Last, but definitely not least, make sure that you are disclosing to your audience that the links you're sharing are affiliate links. You don't have to do anything dramatic, or plaster your blog with warning signs, but disclosure is the law. Here's the disclosure that automatically gets shared on all of my blog posts: If you are using affiliate marketing regularly (highly recommended) you should add a disclaimer to every post and have a clear policy. If you need help with this, I suggest using a pre-made legal template that you can just plug your blog information into to cover your bases. Gift guides don't have to be just for December holidays either. You can create one for any gift giving opportunity. Think Mother's and Father's Day, Easter, summer birthdays… you're only limited by your imagination!  In the past I've created lists about how I set up my home office, and books I love and recommend, and I even have a Resources page that lives on my site permanently. Be creative and selective, and your audience will thank you!

Know, like, and trust. You may have heard those words before - you may have heard them from me - and thought, “That's great… how do I do that?” Even though we live in a time when we feel highly connected to people we only know from the internet - I have friends I've never met in my online due date group - you still have to put effort into forming authentic, human-to-human relationships. Today I'm sharing 5 practical strategies to connect with your readers: Be Yourself Nothing turns people off more than a phony. Still a lot of bloggers think they have to be or act a certain way because that's how “everyone else” is doing it. Not true. Your readers come to you because you're you! So be yourself in your blogging. Use conversational language and write the way you speak. If you're an English teacher, this may feel a little (or a lot) wrong, but bloggers don't have to follow all the rules of grammar that you do in formal writing. Blogging isn't formal. It's intimate. Use the words you would use when having a conversation with a friend. Use punctuation in ways that would make your grammar teacher lose. her. shit. Swear if you want to! Don't swear if that's just not how you roll. Call your readers “dearies” or “y'all”… if that's you. Or “peeps” or “home girls”... if that's you. To create a relationship your readers need to feel like they know you. And for them to know you, you have to be yourself. Interact with Your Readers Have you ever had a one-sided relationship? You know the kind where you're always the one calling,  inviting them places, and making an effort?  It's like playing tennis against the drapes. It's frustrating and leaves you feeling used. Don't make your readers feel that way. If a reader takes the time to leave a comment on your blog, respond. If they reach out to you on social media, respond. If they tag you in a post, leave a comment saying thank you and make a little joke, or ask them a question. A blog post - even the most well-written one in the world - can only go so far in building relationships. So when your readers engage with you, let them feel seen, heard, and appreciated. Beyond being a great way to strengthen your audience's bond, this is also an amazing way to get more information on what your audience likes, doesn't like, is frustrated by, and wants more of. Go to Them There's an old saying, “If Mohammed won't go to the mountain, the mountain must go to Mohammed.” Your readers are busy. As much as they love and value what you're putting out into the world, you are not at the top of their minds day in and day out. Sorry. (Not sorry.) Show your audience some love by going to them, instead of insisting they come to you. Social media is a fantastic way to do this. It lets you share your thoughts, ideas, insights, missteps, victories… and in lots of different formats. I love having a Facebook group for the Side Hustle Teacher community because it allows me to get to know my audience, and them to get to know me, in a space that doesn't have a built-in hierarchy. My blog is my site, I'm the expert, and it's my platform. The SHT Facebook group is shared by the thousands of members, and is designed for interaction. Everyone is an expert. Another way I go to my readers is via email. If you're on my list you hear from me regularly because I want to be part of your life. I want to pop up in your inbox and say “Hey! How's it goin'?”  And I loooooooove it when people email me back! It's one of my favorite things! Get Personal Sharing personal stories is another way to make a genuine connection with your readers, and I highly recommend it. Of course, you don't have to share everything - some things should remain personal - but your audience wants to know that there's a real, flesh-and-blood person behind your site.  Stories about your life, mistakes, flaws - all the things that make you a human - helps your audience relate to you. It lets them see themselves in you, which is what we're all looking for. We all just want to know we're not alone. I share with my community members about my anxiety, my story of how I got started in blogging - including my first epic fail side hustle - and my over-the-top love of my pets. I mention my family, but I tend to keep most of our day-to-day life to myself. The personal things I share with my audience not only help me build a connection with them, and them with me, it also lets me show everyone that not everything is sunshine and roses… Things go wrong, I make mistakes… I even had a mild heart attack when my students found my blog.  All these things make me a person, rather than a highlight reel. Value First The golden rule of blogging, always give your audience what it wants, needs, and can use. Provide value and everything else will follow. One of my biggest pet peeves of our current age is the way news outlets rush to publish a story, but don't have any information… so you basically get everything they know in the title. When you click on the article all there is are a couple of hastily written paragraphs that restate the headline and leave you annoyed. There are several sites I won't even click on anymore because I've been disappointed too many times. Don't be like that. When your reader clicks to read one of your posts you want them to feel understood. You want them to say, “That's exactly what I was looking for.” You want them questioning whether or not you have illegal surveillance in their house because you gave them the exact information they needed.  Value builds trust. Consistent value makes you who they turn to when they have a question. It makes you who they refer their friends to. It makes you their go-to person. Regardless of how you choose to connect, making the effort to do so is 100% worth it.

Burnout is nothing to joke about. It's real and it is vicious. Blogger burnout has derailed many potential entrepreneurs and we don't want that to happen to you. The good news is that you can avoid this all-too-common phenomenon with a little planning, and a lot of self-monitoring. Here are 4 tips to maintain a healthy schedule and avoid burnout: Start as You Intend to Continue We all know that when you first start a new venture you want to throw your whole self into it. This is normal, and honestly, it's part of the fun of starting something new. When starting a long-term project like a blog, though, it's important to set boundaries for yourself from the beginning so that your blog doesn't end up taking over your life. I'm not going to tell you to limit yourself from working on your blog when you're super excited about it - that would be silly and counterproductive. What I am saying is that you need to remember that one of the best things about having a business like a blog is the freedom it creates in your life. Yet we teachers (little go-getters that we are) tend to approach blogging like we approach teaching… we're all in, 110%, all day, all night… when we're not giving 110% to teaching. That is a recipe for burnout. Instead, think about the things you had in mind when you started blogging.  If you want to be able to enjoy a work-free movie night with your family every Friday night, give yourself a rule that there's no blog work on Fridays after dinner. If you want to be able to work from anywhere so you can travel with your son's soccer team, then grab a laptop and make use of the time he's at practice (and then put it away afterward so you can hear about the gnarly goal he made). The fact is that nobody starts a business - even a blog - so they can be tied to their computer 24/7. So if that's not your goal, then don't start that way. It will feel like there's sooooo much to do, but honestly, I think that's just life in the 21st century. Start building your blog how you want it to look in the long run. Eliminate, Automate, Delegate If you read blogging advice online, you're going to find a lot of advice on things you “must” do in order to be successful. For full-time bloggers, maybe these things are possible, but as a side hustler, you have to be more discerning with what you take on. I know I'm taking on too much when I start to feel unsure of what to do next. If I'm feeling stuck and procrastinating doing anything, it's usually because I'm trying to do too much. The first thing to do in this situation is to look at your list and take at least one thing off of it. Usually it's something I read about someone else doing and decided that I had to take on, too. (No, that urge doesn't go away as you get further into your journey.) Shift these things over to a Maybe Someday list, or just cross it out and move on. The next thing to do is look for things that you can automate, like emails, social media responses, tagging and segmenting subscribers, your opt-in… automation is a huge time saver and it can keep you from going into burnout. Truth be told, automation also makes your business more appealing to your readers. We expect things to happen instantly, so when people sign up for your email list, they want the freebie you promised right away… not when you get around to it after school, homework, dinner, and soccer practice. The first task many bloggers automate is email delivery. It's inexpensive and easy to use - and it's a great investment because your email list is key in making money from your blog. I personally use and recommend ConvertKit. Another popular option is automating social media posts. I use RecurPost, but for beginners typically recommend CinchShare. The last thing to try when burnout is on the horizon is delegate tasks to someone else.  Some things just need a personal touch, or just need to be dealt with as they happen, but that doesn't mean they need to be dealt with by you! If you notice that you can't get the meaningful items on your to-do list because you're spending all your time answering emails, managing your Facebook group, or doing other non-zone-of-genius stuff, it may be time to delegate to a virtual assistant. But, don't forget that you don't just have to eliminate, automate, and delegate business tasks. You can free up time and energy by applying this same principle at home. If you can't get to your blog work because you're too busy shopping, cooking dinner, and cleaning your house, get your groceries delivered, put Hello Fresh on auto delivery, or hire someone to do the cleaning. Bonus: Hiring for your home is often cheaper than hiring a VA, Repurpose Your Content A mistake many bloggers make at the beginning (including yours truly) is creating new content instead of reusing what they've already got.  You write a blog post, share it once, then move on and write something else… all while trying to think of something else to share on social media. It's exhausting, and can lead to not only business burnout, but also creative burnout. (That's when you're still passionate about your blog, but feel like you have nothing more to say.) Instead, get more mileage from your blog posts and what you've already created. When writing a post, craft a couple of different posts to use to share it, maybe grab a quote, and then share your post multiple times. A common misconception is that once you share a post, everyone has seen it. In fact, only about 1-3% of your followers will see what you share on social media. On top of that, many won't be able to stop and read what you've written at that exact moment. All that's to say, keep sharing your content! By finding ways to go deeper on your content, rather than coming up with new ideas to hit on surface level, you can engage your readers in new ways and promote content you've already created. An example would be doing a weekly Facebook or Instagram live to answer questions about your latest post. You can use a tool like StreamYard to go live in multiple places at once, then download your video to upload permanently to YouTube. Say No - A LOT In my first several years of teaching I worked all the time. Teaching was my whole life, from the time I woke up, to the time I went to bed. From what I've heard, most teachers are the same way. If they needed someone to be on a committee, I was your girl. Schedule adjustments needed? Sign me up to help! We're having a dance? Awesome! I'll chaperone! It's in our nature to do whatever's asked of us, but it's not necessary, and it's not healthy. The problem is that we feel like we need an excuse to say no, as if, “I'm tired and want to go home to want Netflix.” isn't a valid excuse (it is). If you're going to grow a blogging business, saying no is going to have to become part of your vocabulary, because here's the thing: Every time you say yes to something, you're saying no to something else. When you agree to be on that committee, you're taking time and mental bandwidth away from your blog, your classroom, and your family. A few years ago, I found myself a member of 2 district-level committees and serving as a scorer for reflection papers for new teachers… and quickly approaching burnout because I was doing all that and didn't say no to anything in my business either. So - by default - I ended up saying no to rest, family time, and sleep. I wrote to my assistant superintendent and told him I needed to step away from all of it, and refocused my energy. Open committee seat? Administrative something needs to be done? Dance on Friday until 10pm? I'm sorry, I'm busy. No explanation needed And guess what. The world hasn't stopped turning! Boundaries are important in every aspect of your life. It's not always easy to set them - or stick to them  - but if you're going to avoid burnout, they're essential. Consider your priorities, create boundaries for yourself and your blog, and you will find it much easier to avoid hitting burnout. In Teacher Blog Academy, we teach you how to build a blog in a sustainable way, with just the basics, and without any of the excess to-dos that aren't necessary and just add stress to your life. To learn more go to teacherblogacademy.com

This question came to me from someone in the Side Hustle Teachers community, and I wanted to answer it here because it's something a lot of people may worry about. Here's the question: “I want to start a blog, but I'm worried that my students will find it. What should I do?” My question is, why? Honestly, I understand the sentiment, but I also know that there's no reason to be concerned about this. Yes, if we put ourselves out there, our coworkers, students, and families might discover our blogs. But having a blog, even one for profit, isn't anything to be ashamed of.   These days upwards of 30% of teachers have jobs outside of school, and more and more of them are creating those jobs for themselves rather than working for yet another boss. For good reason - it's awesome! So, let's just agree that unless your blog is about something illegal or is just bitching about your boss/ students/ job, you're good. The question I get next is usually, “Have your students found your blog?” Yes. Yes, they have. A few years ago, when I was still working with moms, a student found my Instagram account. (It wasn't hard, my account had my name attached, but one student thought he was really clever for finding it.) He was going up and down the hall outside my classroom saying, “Side Hustle Moms,” in a loud voice, so I asked him what he was doing.  He “confronted” me about my account. (Insert a creepy dun-dun-dun sound here.) It was almost comical to see his face go completely flat when I wasn't horrified to know he'd found me out… I just confirmed I had a business and that I helped moms start businesses. Except for blocking a handful of students who followed my IG account, that was the end of it. This year another group of students found my business. A couple have said they've listened to my podcast, and others have asked what Side Hustle Teachers is.  Truth be told, I think they're just trying to get me to go on a tangent and avoid doing work… or see if they can get a rise out of me… but after a couple days they just drop it. I'm proud of my business. I'm proud of the community of nearly 12,000 teachers I've built. I'm proud of the hundreds of teachers I've helped through my courses and coaching. I'm proud of the money this business brings to my family. All that said, the question still stands.  What should you do if your students find your blog? Or parents?  Or admin? Take a breath.  The first time someone from school finds your blog can bring on different responses from different people. Honestly, when that original kid started shouting my business name down my hallway I thought I was going to throw up. It was an automatic, subconscious response. But once I took a breath, I remembered that I was still me, he was still a student, and my blog was still awesome. Acknowledge your blog Not only is it pointless to deny your blog once someone's found it, it's unnecessary.  A simple, “Yes, I blog at Side Hustle Teachers,” is enough. You don't have to explain, justify, or tell your story. A coworker discovered me on Facebook one time and told her it was my blog and that she should join my group. Move on Most of the time when it's a student who brings up your business, it's because they want to either get a rise out of you or get you off topic.  Confirm that you have a blog so they know you're not embarrassed about it, then carry on. If it's a coworker or admin, simply tell them you don't use school time to talk business… and carry on. Celebrate With all the stuff on the internet, your blog got found! It's easy to miss this fact in the moment when a student is asking about your blog… but this is a good sign.  Your students or coworkers might not be your target audience, but the fact that you are being found and read by people other than your relatives and college roommate means that you are becoming more discoverable by everyone online. So once you're past the initial “oh crap” moment, do a little happy dance! In order to make money online you have to be found by people. Sometimes that means people you wish wouldn't find you.  But don't let the possibility of feeling awkward for 30-60 seconds stop you from building something great. Teacher Blog Academy can help you get your blog up and running and making money faster and easier by following our 5 Step Roadmap. Learn more here.

Guest posting, also called guest blogging, is a process in which a blogger creates content for another site in order to build backlinks, expand their audience, and strengthen their authority.  Early on in the world of blogging, guest posts were a hugely popular way to increase your search engine optimization (SEO) and grow an audience. In fact, anyone could write a 300-word post, share it on any other site, and boost their blog's standing. It didn't even have to be a good post. However, in recent years Google (and other search engines) have updated their algorithms to limit the abuse of guest posts. These days posts need to be both well-written and useful, but also relevant to the blog on which they're posted… and the site should be in good standing, too. Still, guest blogging can be a valuable experience if you do it right. What are the Benefits of Guest Blogging? Broaden your audience. A guest post can get your ideas in front of new people, ideally those who will click over to your site and become loyal, raving fans.  Tip: Include a strong call to action in guest posts, and links to other posts on your site (if permitted). Increase your traffic. When you bring more people into your world, the traffic to your site increases. The return on increased traffic is (usually) proportionate with the amount of traffic the site you're guest posting on gets. B Tip: Look for established sites that accept guest posts to get the most bang for your buck. Build SEO cred. When search engines rank your website, they consider a number of factors - thousands, actually - and backlinks are one such factor. A backlink is any link to your site from another.  Tip: Consider the authority of the sites you're guest blogging on.  Strengthen your authority. When you are granted permission to blog on another person's site, it is an implicit endorsement of you and your business. You are borrowing the authority of the site owner because their audience trusts them to curate quality posts. Tip: Look for bloggers who've built a loyal audience who trust their guidance. Expand your web online presence. The more places you are online, the more likely you are to be found by those you can help. Guest blogging provides more access points to you and your content. Tip: Target your guest blogging efforts on sites that serve similar audiences to yours. When You Should Pass on Guest Posting With all those reasons to guest post, it seems like a no-brainer, right? Not so fast.  Not all guest blogging opportunities are created equal. You need to closely evaluate prospect separately and make sure that the post you spend your precious time and energy creating is going to provide the benefits above. Spam sites. The internet is littered with sites that provide little-to-no value and gain traffic by simply pumping out a constant flow of mediocre content. You don't want to be featured on those sites.  There once was a time when a site was a site, and Google hadn't really figured out the difference, but those days are long gone. Search engines now rank sites for quality using an insane number of metrics. They also rank links leading from one site to another, so creating anything for those content mills isn't going to do much except waste your time. Too close to your products/ services. You don't want to guest post for a blog who serves the exact same market in the same way you do, especially if they're highly established and monetized. The blogs you post on should be related to yours, serving a similar audience, but in a different way. For example, a minimalism coach could work with a home decor blogger (think: How to Embrace Minimalism Without Making Your Home Look Sparse), or a classroom management blogger could partner with a Responsive Classroom blogger (think: 10 Morning Meetings to Reinforce Classroom Routines). You'd neglect your own blog. As a part-time blogger, you have to be careful about giving too much time away at the expense of your own blog. Guest blogging takes time - you have to do your research, pitch the blogger whose site you want to contribute to, and then you have to write a truly kick-ass post that will inspire their followers to click over to your site and find awesome stuff.  If life is too crazy to take all that on AND write a weekly post for your own blog, put a pin in guest blogging until the next vacation. How to Find the Best Sites to Blog For (for your blog) Research. Do your homework before making contact with any bloggers. First, see if they accept guest posts. If not, and they're an established blogger, it's likely their policy not to permit others to share on their site. You can try to reach out anyway, but don't hold your breath. You also want to look at the types of posts they share. If they are a step-by-step how-to website, you want to match your proposed guest blogs to that. Finally, spend some time looking at what has already been written about on their site. Nothing will kill your chances at guest blogging like suggesting post ideas that are already on their blog. Find a Peripheral Blogger. As mentioned above, the best blogs to write for are ones that serve your audience in a different way than you do. This allows you to offer content that's of use to the site's owner, but also guides them towards your blog. Consider niches that are one level broader or more niched down than yours. For example, sustainable living and bee keeping, natural lawn care, canning food, or even alternative energy. Or mom lifestyle and mindful parenting, meal prep, calendar management, money saving tips for families, or homeschooling. Consider the benefit (for both of you). A guest post should provide an upside for both the contributor and the site owner. Before you start planning a post, think about what you hope to gain from sharing on this particular site. Of the many benefits I mentioned above, which are your biggest priorities, and does this site provide opportunities to meet those goals? Similarly, when asking other bloggers to borrow their blog space, you have to answer the question, “What's in it for me?” What can you provide for their audience that they can't? If you've done a thorough job finding someone who writes about a connected, but divergent, topic to yours, this will be easier to come up with. At the end of the day, being a guest on someone else's blog can be a fabulous opportunity, when done right. But it's not the quick and easy path that some purport. It takes time and effort, and remember that any post you write for another blog should be your A+ stuff.  Only you can decide whether or not this is a good fit for you at this time. Please note: Side Hustle Teacher is not accepting guest posts at this time.

Once you tell people you're thinking of starting a side business, you will find yourself presented with all sorts of opportunities. In fact, one of the most frequently asked questions in the Side Hustle Teachers Facebook group is, “what should I do for a side hustle?” And believe me when I tell you, if you post that question, you will get hundreds of responses. In reality, there's more to picking a business model than just picking something other people have found success with, especially for busy teachers. Over my 10 years of blogging, coaching other teachers, and running a Facebook group of thousands I've found that those who are successful not only think carefully about what they'd like to do, but also how their side hustle will work with their teaching lives.  I've determined that there are 4 traits a side hustle must have in order to work for educators.  Let's dig in! 1. Makes Use of Your Teacher Skills Teachers have a ridiculous amount of skills. Beyond the obvious ability to explain difficult concepts to young people, there are countless other skills required to navigate a classroom. Think about the organization, planning, and preparation for each lesson. Consider your communication skills; being able to create analogies out of thin air, talking upset kids off a ledge… or their parents! Let's face it. You have mad skills. That said, teachers have a difficult time identifying their skills because we're too close. We also tend to overlook innate gifts and natural talents because we think they don't count. A skills assessment tool might be able to help you pinpoint not only what skills you possess, but those you enjoy utilizing. After all, when you start a side hustle, it should be something you enjoy doing! The reason this is so important is because building a business requires so much new learning on its own. There's tech stuff, jargon, and other industry-specific stuff you'll need to develop. If your side hustle itself is also something new to you, you're going to struggle… way more than you need to.  Find a hustle that builds on skills you already have AND (I would add) something you love to do. So even if your friend swears that anyone can make a million dollars with their food based-company, it might not be a great fit for you if your idea of workin' it in the kitchen is cleaning up the takeout containers. For me, blogging was a perfect fit because I'm a strong communicator, I'm organized and good at breaking concepts down into bite-sized pieces for my readers, and as a hard-core introvert I prefer to work alone and without a set schedule. I am very self-motivated and I like to help people, so… blogging! 2. Allows You to Work When and Where You Want I know there are people out there that think teachers work a few hours a day and have tons of time off… but they're idiots and we know better. So let's just acknowledge that teacher's schedules are insane, definitely extend beyond the school day, and are often unpredictable. (Like when you plan to leave at 3:30 one day, but can't because a couple kids decided to act up, so now you're at school calling parents and writing reports until 5. Ugh.) Knowing that, building a side hustle that is not dependent on me showing up at a particular time is a big priority for the teachers in the Side Hustle Teachers community. The ability to work on your own schedule is one thing I've found is key to the success of a teacher's side hustle. But not just that, being able to work from wherever you are is equally important. For example, I'm writing this post from the lobby at my daughter's gymnastics class. This just happens to be an hour I have free and is perfect for writing… but I'm not at home. Thankfully, we live in the time of the laptop and wifi. I don't need to be holed up in my office to get stuff done. 3. Be Your Own Boss Teachers have enough bosses. We have principals, assistant principals, team leaders, department heads, instructional coaches, superintendents… and let's not forget parents who like to boss us around, and (more and more lately) their children who do the same. When you're looking to start a side hustle, the last thing you need is another person telling you what you can and can't do, how to do it, and when you have to get it done. One of the things Side Hustle Teachers find most valuable is the ability to run their business how they see fit. This is an extension of being able to work when and where you want, because as your own boss, you can also choose what you're going to work on, and what you're going to ignore. Unlike teaching, which has a million tasks that you'd rather not do, if you don't want to dance around and point at things on Instagram for your business, you don't have to.  Does that mean you won't have to do anything groan-worthy for your business? Sadly, no. Even if you're not big on budgets, you still have to run your numbers. However, there's a lot more flexibility of what “have to” do, AND who has to do them.  Yes! You can outsource things you don't want to do. As a blogger, I get to choose what I write about, and who I get to serve. When I wanted to narrow my focus from side hustles in general to blogging, I just did it. I get to show up for my group on Facebook and ignore TikTok. If I want to sell physical products someday, I can do it, with no restrictions from a company or boss. 4. You Can Earn Multiple Streams of Income The average millionaire has at least 7 streams of income. The average teacher has 1. Why is this important? Well, earning money through multiple sources means that you not only have money coming in from different places, it provides added security in case one of those streams dries up. When it comes to a side hustle, it's important to choose one that will allow you to build multiple streams of income. It doesn't have to all happen at once - in fact, it's probably best that it doesn't - but you should be able to see a clear path to earning in several ways. For example, if you start out selling your time through a coaching service, can you think of some physical products you could offer in the future, or a course… or adding another product? Here's the thing about multiple streams of income as a teacher; You want to make your various streams of income flow through a single business.  This is key. You are a busy teacher. You don't have time to run multiple businesses! And if I'm being totally honest, even if you had time, it's not a good strategy to have several unrelated businesses. With my blog I earn money through ads, occasional private coaching, my courses, like the Teacher Blog Academy, and affiliate marketing. (Blogging provides for other revenue streams, too, that I choose not to utilize.) And everything is managed, marketed, and integrated with my blog, so I don't have to try to juggle 4 separate businesses. The nice thing about many of these sources of revenue is that they are passive. I don't have to be involved in the sales or delivery in order to make money.  Ads are placed on my site, and I make money when people see and click on them. I created my courses once, and make continuous money as people buy them. I add affiliate links to my content and on social media, and earn commission when people buy something through them. Side note: When I was on a recent vacation, standing in line for a ride, I got a notification that someone had bought a course - now that's passive income! Teachers need to think carefully about which side hustle they choose. There are a lot of opportunities around, but not all of them are a good fit for educators. For me, blogging was an easy choice. It checked all the boxes above, and has proved to be a perfect fit for myself and my family. If you're ready to learn more about blogging for money, check out my free training, Profitable Blogging for Teachers.

When you're first building your blog, you'll make some design choices about the aesthetic of your site. You'll choose colors and fonts, and maybe a simple logo, and you'll run with it. But at some point along your journey, you're going to decide that everything about your site is wrong. You'll decide that your colors are hideous and your fonts are unreadable, your logo is annoying… and maybe even the name of your site is all wrong. This is normal. It happens to everyone. The truth is that your site will need a refresh every now and then, and it's good to do so. People expect modern designs and functionality, and in order to provide that, you have to update things. But, you shouldn't give in to every urge to rebrand your site.  While it's a completely normal desire, and an occasionally necessary thing to do, sometimes - oftentimes - there are better things to do with your time. When NOT to Rebrand I would argue that in 9 cases out of 10, especially if you're in your first year of blogging, you should not rebrand your site. In those early years there is almost always something more productive you can do with your time (or money, if you're paying for the rebrand). Here are some of the most common wrong reasons for starting a rebrand I see in students and clients. And let me just state for the record… I have done all of these things.  You're Bored.  As you're starting your blog, there will be lots of things to be done - big and little - and it will feel like you're never going to finish. But you will. And then you'll find yourself with more time on your hands… and it will feel wrong.  But being bored, or feeling like you have too much free time isn't a good reason to shake things up. Instead, take this extra time and dedicate it to tasks that will grow your revenue.  Get your content lined up for the next few weeks.  Craft some social media posts to bring more people to your page.  Network with other bloggers.  Create a freebie to get people on your email list.  Promote your paid offer (if you have one) or an affiliate item. Or just enjoy having some extra time! One of the great things about blogging is that it doesn't require you to hustle and grind every minute. You can take it easy! Changing your colors or even the name of your site isn't going to make you any more money.  You're Avoiding Doing Something Uncomfortable Think about the list of things above. Does the idea of doing any of those things make you want to hide? Well, the digital equivalent of hiding is tinkering with your website. The thing is that rebranding feels productive. You do X and something happens on your website. Instant gratification! Not only does reaching out to other bloggers feel scary - you have to put yourself out there - but there's no instant payoff. It takes time to build relationships and figure out how to build a genuine, mutually beneficial partnership.  When you create a freebie as an offer to entice people onto your email list, it takes time for them to discover it and sign up. Then you have to email them! Again, putting yourself out there. I get it. But your blog will not grow if you don't step outside your comfort zone.  You're Sabotaging Yourself This is a sneaky one because we often don't realize this is what we're doing. The desire to rebrand our site often sneaks up on us just as we get the pieces of our business into place and all we have to do is continue executing our game plan. Sabotage is the cousin of boredom, because it often occurs after we complete a big project, meet a big goal, or finally create a kick-ass strategy to move your business to the next level.  This is when the urge to break everything hits us. I found myself in a self-sabotage moment very recently and actually called on my coach to talk me off the ledge. I launched Teacher Blog Academy in April, created a free training to drive people to TBA, and updated my nurture sequence (and have a VA working on it from this point on).  I had checked off all the items on my list, and had a long-term strategy in place… so naturally I started thinking about blowing it all up. Not literally of course, but in the past my go-to move would be to either create something new (i.e. a new course or program) - which I don't want to do for many reasons - or take my site apart and redo it. This time, however, I scheduled a call with my coach and we figured out what tasks will actually move my business forward the way I want it to work… without me breaking my site! I know it sounds absurd, but fear of success is a very real thing, and it sneaks up on you when you least expect it.  So before you start to “fix” your brand colors, fonts, blog name, overall niche, etc. check in with yourself to make sure you're not simply bored, avoiding the uncomfortable (yet productive) tasks, or trying to sabotage yourself before you reach the next level. When You Should Rebrand Now that we've gone over all the reasons you should leave your site the heck alone, let's talk about when a rebrand is appropriate. Web design doesn't change as frequently as fashion, but your site should evolve with the times and reflect the fact that you are a modern blogger. Does that mean you have to jump on every trend that comes out? Absolutely not. Just keep in mind that websites, like spaces in your home, can get dated. And whether it's fair or not, people will disregard advice from those they don't see as “current.” In order to avoid the pitfalls above and make sure that your rebrand is actually a good use of your time, I recommend giving yourself a rebrand timeline. Decide in advance when you're going to update your site so that when you find yourself bored, or procrastinating, you already know rebranding is off limits. 1-2 Year Refresh Every couple of years schedule yourself some time to do a brand refresh. This does not mean choosing new colors, fonts, and completely redoing everything about your site. This is a good time to update your graphics templates, maybe choose a new script font, and update your professional photographs. Look for some minor tweaks you can make to the look and functionality of your site that will make a better experience for your readers and be more aesthetically pleasing, but don't require you to take a sledgehammer to your site. Consider this the web equivalent of giving a room a facelift with some new paint and a trip to Home Goods for decor items. You're not going to be using power tools, but your time in the room will be elevated when you're done. 5-8 Year Full Rebrand Occasionally - like once every several years - you're going to want to make some major upgrades to your branding and website. To be clear, if you like your brand colors, etc., there's no requirement to change them. Recently Denise Duffield-Thomas, my money mentor, updated her branding and the basic palette stayed the same. Instead of going for a completely new look, she shifted her aesthetics to center more on the deeper blue tone in her established brand colors, and added a peachy accent color. This is also a time for you to update your website by refreshing the structure and setup of your pages, and modernize the user interfaces, menus, etc. This is an extensive project and can take quite a bit of time and/or money to complete, so it's not something I recommend often.  If we go back to our home analogy, this is a major renovation that will disrupt your life (business).  Side note: When you complete a full rebrand, you have to decide whether or not to go back and update the graphics for old content. In my opinion, if you have chosen a new palette for your site, it's suggested to update, which means recreating social media and blog graphics for all your old posts. If you've simply refreshed your existing palette, no need to create new graphics for old content. The Bottom Line Unless your site is literally turning readers off and making them leave in disgust, there are better ways to spend your time than playing with colors and whether your menu should be centered or left justified.  Be honest with yourself about whether or not you're simply trying to make yourself feel busy or avoiding tasks that give you butterflies.  Most of the time, your site is just fine. Use your time to create great content, build relationships, and market yourself to grow your audience. When it's time to update, do as little as possible. Yes, I just said that. Do as little work on your website and branding as possible.  Want to get your site off on the right foot? Check out Teacher Blog Academy! We'll not only get your blog built right, there are bonus modules on choosing your colors and fonts and how to create a simple logo!

We are so lucky to have Denise Duffield-Thomas back with us this week for round two, talking about money blocks that hold teachers back from making money outside of teaching. Of course, there's not a lot we can do about our teaching salaries - that's pretty much set in, well, not stone, but contract -  but we can help ourselves make money in other ways.  Denise says it's understandable that teachers have a tough time making money from a side hustle because we've always been part of a system in which money has always been connected to time. We go to work, we get paid for the time we were there. If we want to make more money, we take on extra duties, which require more time.  And it's not just teaching! Historically, unless you were very wealthy and owned lots of real estate or a factory, or something like that, money has always equaled time. You showed up to a physical location, you put in a certain amount of hours, or you made a pacific amount of widgets, and you got paid a set amount of money.  This is the “law” of work that most of us have grown up with, and we accept it like we accept gravity. So today we feel weird about the fact that we can create a resource one time and people can buy it over and over again. Of course, we've seen this work for other people. We've bought courses or ebooks and we know it works and we have a kernel of hope that we can do that, too. But deep down in our subconscious brain, we feel like we're breaking the natural “law” of money. Denise says she experienced this money block with her first passive income source, a $10 ebook.  “I felt like I had to call them and read it to them over the phone to earn that $10, because I was like, but I didn't earn it. Not realizing that it's a closed loop. I created something of value. Somebody received that value. They gave me money from it. It is a complete relationship. It has been fulfilled. There's not an opening then for me to have to do more work. And it just takes a little while for us to reconcile with that. Not only because of the time that we grew up in, for those of us who had an analog childhood and are now living in digital adulthood. But it's also because most of our friends and family are still in that world of work.” Teaching is very much a time for dollars model. You show up to school, you get paid for it. But while you're there they take every ounce of what you have - between the kids, the admin, and the parents - so how can you possibly come home and make more money? According to Denise, we first need to have compassion for ourselves and understand that we're sort of like space explorers in the sense that we're learning and making the rules of this new world of work as we go. We also need to have appreciation for the value we're providing through our blogs, even though we're not delivering that value in the traditional teacher-in-front-of-a-class model we're all used to. Our blog posts, digital resources, courses, etc. are saving someone time, effort, and money… and that's valuable. Denise has a mantra she uses when she finds herself getting into a time-for-dollars tailspin; I serve, I deserve. It's a reminder that the information and experience she shares have value, and that earning money or other opportunities through her work is valid. This can also be a helpful mantra when your boundaries are being tested.  I serve, I deserve my lunch break I serve, I deserve to be paid for running that after school club I serve, I deserve to take the weekend for myself and my family and not do schoolwork Another money block that teachers often face is the ingrained belief that teacher = poor. This block can be insidious because we often don't realize how it can hold us back in business and actually repel money from our lives. One of Denise's favorite exercises for this money block is to stand in front of the mirror and say to yourself, “This is what a wealthy woman looks like.” And you can change the self-descriptor as needed. You can be a wealthy teacher, or single mom, or coach, or LGBT+ person…  What's really interesting is what comes through your mind after saying those words.  “It's going to feel so weird for a long time even saying those words, because we are so conditioned that they cannot coexist. Wealthy teacher - ha!”  “I did this exercise for myself at the very, very start of my journey. And I remember just thinking no, and listening to those voices going, but you are not wealthy because you are this, this and this. And just listening to that chatter is actually very, very valuable because you'll find things that are big. So you'll be like, oh, I'm just not destined to be wealthy, or I'm not allowed to, or I'm not ambitious enough or I'm too lazy, but then you'll find these little ones, like I was like, but you are too short to be wealthy.” “And I was like, ‘Where did that come from?' But it's really fascinating to listen to. And then I was like, Madonna's my height. Okay. I'm five foot four. I'm just average. But, I remember having a very tall friend who would always talk about people's heights and say, ‘They'll never make it in show business, they're too short. Or they'll never, they'll never make it in politics, they're too short.' And I internalized this.” “You might have stories about your accent, about the color of your skin, about your hair. I've heard people say I can't be wealthy and have curly hair. They've been told, ‘You're so cute. Look at you with your Shirley temple things.' And so they've internalized that thinking. ‘Well, I'm just a cute little baby. I'm not allowed to make money. And that's it. You don't even realize those stories are there until you allow them to come up and then you just go, ‘Wow, that's interesting.'” If left unchallenged, these subconscious beliefs will lead us to sabotage our businesses. When I was first starting out, every time my blog would level up in income, I'd find a way to get in the way.  One day I decided my blog design wasn't contemporary enough, so I took the whole thing apart and rebuilt it. Another time I decided my brand colors needed to be updated, so I spent a couple weeks looking for the colors that were “perfect” for my brand. According to Denise, this is a really common sabotage, she calls procrasti-branding (i.e. procrastinating by obsessing over your branding). “I'll tell you what's really helped me, because I have ADHD. I am an entrepreneur. I'm a creative person. So of course I have shiny objects syndrome as well. I'm a Virgo. I totally understand perfectionism, but what I usually do is try and make it public. If I've got a deadline, I'll magically create more time and space and get it done. And I was like that at school. I was like that at university. I'm like that as an entrepreneur. So I'll set a deadline and say, ‘Hey guys, this is when this course is gonna come out, join the waitlist.' I'll pre-sell something. So I'll have to do it.” “Sometimes you need reverse psychology, like a little kid and you go, ‘I bet you couldn't put all your books away by the time I count to 10,' and they go, ‘Yeah, I can!' Sometimes you have to treat your own self like that, of going, ‘I bet I couldn't create a course in a month. Like nobody could do that.' All right.” Shiny object syndrome is another way entrepreneurs sabotage themselves. We often feel like we have to offer more - make more freebies, create another course - because other people are doing it. And sometimes, let's be honest, we get bored and want to do something different, even if what we're doing now is working. When Denise finds herself wanting to add more, do more, be more, she reminds herself of the purpose of her business and that “All roads lead to Money Bootcamp.” In other words, she can create another freebie, but it has to lead people into a funnel that leads them towards Bootcamp.  I've adopted this mantra myself to keep me from creating new courses - all roads lead to Teacher Blog Academy. It's not only okay, it's highly recommended to keep your business simple! One of the ways both Denise and I keep things simple is by batching. Whether you created a piece of content the day before or two years ago, people are still getting the same value from it. Denise says, “People say to me, ‘It's cheating.' I say it was real when I created it. And when someone consumes it, none of my business. It has to come at a time that's right for them.” We also need to remember to keep things simple for our audience and students, too. A while back Denise noted that her refund rates for Money Bootcamp were going up and she realized it was because she had put too much into the program. “I would add a video on forgiveness as a money practice. But then I was like, here's a video of Oprah talking about forgiveness. And here's a book that this person wrote about forgiveness, and here's a whole lecture. And so people were joining and looking and going, ‘I have to watch four videos for that module and all of those books?!' And that was all of the modules had those extra bonuses. And in my mind, I was like, ‘Of course you don't,' but I'd created this open loop for people. And they felt like they couldn't win. They felt like they had to tick it all off. And they were, ‘I don't have time to do this course!'” “So we stripped everything out and then people were saying, ‘Oh my God, Denise, the course is so rich!' And I'm like, I felt so guilty cuz I was like, I stripped all this stuff out, but it was because I was trying to cover everything.” “And I used to do that on my blog. My first blog had nine tabs, and it was Health and Wellness, Law of Attraction, Career and Money… And I was trying to do all of those things all at the same time. And you end up speaking to nobody. And it can be very, very overwhelming. So it's just so much better if you just go simple, simple, simple. You don't need to solve all the problems of your client's life stage forever.” And teachers are basically trained to give more and more and more. We do it for the kids. We just do it because it's our job. We work beyond contract hours. You know the latest estimate is that the average teacher works 70 hours a week and you know, it's just ingrained. Denise asks how we can use our teacher brains to help keep things simple. “If you had a kindergarten class, you are not trying to teach them kindy, first, second, third, fourth grade math all at the same time, because that would be ridiculous. Yet we try and do that with our clients and go, ‘Okay, well I'm gonna solve this problem, but I'm gonna solve all of these problems that they might have in the future that aren't even a problem yet.' So I think that's a really good distinction. It wouldn't be like that in teaching, so why do I think I have to do this in my business?” The final piece to Denise's simple business strategy is her 2-step marketing formula. “Share what you know, and make offers. And it really is that simple. I have a marketing degree. I've been in this world for a long time, the internet marketing world, and I've geeked out on funnels and automation and deadlines and countdowns and stuff. I love a good funnel. It's so much fun, but I can get really in a tease about it because I think it has to be like that or nothing.”  “And so I realize sometimes that we are really good at the sharing part. And I see so many people writing beautiful newsletters and creating content on social media. They're writing blogs. They're giving, giving, giving, and you would never think they had anything to sell. And all you have to do is just say, here's the next step.” “So every newsletter; If you liked this, here's the next step. If you liked this tip, I've got a whole template for you. If you liked this tip, don't worry, I've done the hard work for you. Join my thing.”  “And when in doubt, sell an hour of your time. If you liked this but you're a bit confused, book in for one of my pick your brain sessions. And it is that simple.” “And I know this has worked because I used to have this freebie that I started 12 years ago, Seven Money Blocks. And I did it as a live webinar, and I just turned it into a freebie and I just remember thinking, ‘Oh, it's a bit crackly. It's a bit too long. It needs to be edited.' But I just thought ‘I'll put it up there.''  “I wanted to unpublish it so many times, but it was published.” “And then I remember getting the stats for it, for it. 23,000 people had listened to it and I was just like, ‘Wow, 23,000 people! Thank God I just left it there!' But I mentioned at the end, I was like, ‘Look, if you want my help with your money blocks, I have a Money Boot Camp. I'll put the link below. If you're interested, come and join.' That was the extent of the sales pitch.” “I literally just said, ‘I've got this thing if you want it. And I'll put the link below.' And 1% of people went ahead and bought bootcamp because I had just made it available for them. And I mean, I'm not good with math, but what's 1% of  23,000 people? It's a lot more than zero. Yeah and at $2,000 a pop.”  “It doesn't have to be sleazy. You're not asking people for a kidney. You're saying, ‘If you liked this, I've got this thing that can help,' and that's all you need. And then you can add funnels and you can do all the sexy things later. I find that I never get around to the sexy things, and I keep on making money.” You can get Denise's new book, Chill and Prosper, on Amazon now. In it she shares her own stories, as well as new case studies of her students.

This week is special because I'm joined by money mentor, Denise Duffield-Thomas and we're talking about 2 things that teachers find challenging; maintaining an abundance mindset and applying that to pricing for your business Abundance is something that teachers struggle with in many ways. There never seems to be enough… anything.  Not enough supplies.  Not enough time.  And certainly not enough money. We feel stretched in a million directions and there's not even enough us to go around. And of course, most teachers enter the profession with that understanding, particularly around money, as we discussed in How Teaching is Keeping You Broke. Denise Duffield-Thomas, author of Chill and Prosper and my money mentor, says, that's what teachers get told. We say to ourselves, “While you're in it for the right reasons, you're in it because you love teaching. You love kids. It's almost like, well, if you love what you do, you shouldn't get paid for it.”  Obviously that's a bullshit excuse… …Derek Jeter loved playing baseball, but no one thought anything of him earning $12 million a year from it. …Lady Gaga loves making music, and no one batted an eye when she earned $100 million dollars from a 2-year Las Vegas residency. So, yeah. Bullshit. But, as Denise points out,  the amazing opportunity that we have now for teachers is that they can develop side hustles, that they can create abundance for themselves, so they can recapture their love of the profession until the salary catches up. However, our misbeliefs about money often carry over into our side hustles, leading us to under-charge (or not charge at all), and even repel money because we feel bad about earning it. Instead we say we “just want to help people,” as though you can't help people and make money at the same time. Denise points out that teachers aren't the only ones who struggle with this money block. A student of hers helps people with postpartum, pelvic floor yoga and believes deeply that everyone should have access to it, so she under-charges or gives away her services for free. Another student is a pet photographer who says, “But I love dogs so much, I'd do this for free!” And that's great to love what you do that much, but you don't have to do it for free. Additionally, society frequently reflects these “if you really cared” beliefs back to us.  Have you ever been asked to do something for no pay, “for the kids?” I know I have! Have you ever been offered or given something of no monetary value as a thank you for going above and beyond? Like a jeans pass? Or a mention during morning announcements? That's all fine, but a jeans pass isn't going to pay for my kid's gymnastics class (and I wear yoga pants every day anyway), and a thank you won't fill my gas tank. Or has anyone ever referred to your work (at school or in business) as selfless?  That's not really a compliment, you know. According to Denise, there's often another layer to this money block that makes it particularly hard to clear, and that's the idea that we have to give up something in order to become a person who makes money. Do any of these resonate with you? I can make money or be a good mother I can make money or be ethical I can make money or be very caring I can make money or I can be down to earth I can be a godly woman or I can make money I can be a good teacher and care about my students, or I can be an entrepreneur Instead, try to embrace the power of and. I can make money and be a good person I can make, make money and take care of the earth I can make money and be a nurturer I can make money and I can be the same person I've always been I can be a spiritual person and I can make money I can be a present, engaged teacher and I can be an entrepreneur This often shows up in the Side Hustle Teachers group when it comes to pricing products and services. There are frequent posts about how much to charge for tutoring, or a course, or VA services… In today's interview Denise says, “This is across the board of all industries, to be honest. And I think it's tricky, especially if you've had a job or come from a profession where salaries are kind of just set. It's not like if you work really hard, you know, the department of education goes, wow, let's, let's pay you so much more. It just doesn't happen.”  “But we know that often in the corporate world, women don't negotiate either. Right? And so what I find is that when people then go into entrepreneurship, they're just adrift because they go, ‘I have to put a value on' and we take it so personally, even though in our jobs, they didn't take our personal value into consideration either. They seem to just pick a number arbitrarily.” “But we somehow then take it really personally because we think that the number we choose makes us look like we believe something about ourselves.” “And so it's like, ‘Oh, you think you're so great. You are putting this figure on yourself,' and that's not true. We're just putting a price on the value that we can offer to someone. And we know as well, that pricing is marketing. Pricing can be positioning. Pricing can be this made up construct because price is different for our customers. Sometimes people are suspicious if things are too cheap, sometimes things look better if they're more expensive.”  “It's one of those weird things that we sometimes can't get our head around that pricing is this, this made up thing. And so what I often say to people is you have to, you have to figure out your pricing. You can't ask other people.  “And this is the tricky thing. When you, when you pull together entrepreneurs and people go, ”How much should I charge for this?” it's just this collective money block situation where people could be in different states, countries, professions, and they still ask each other.”  “But also it has to be personal because when you are the one who has to work with your clients, you are the one who has to fulfill that service. And if it's not energetically win-win, you will feel resentful. I'm sure you've experienced it. I know I have. I have, you can feel it, right?” The answer to which is a resounding “YES!” If there's one thing that teachers understand, it's that there's no way to make everybody happy, and no matter what you do, someone will complain. So the question then becomes, how does someone who has been told their entire career (and sometimes through their childhood) when they decided to become a teacher that they are never going to make any money, that they're never going to be given what they're worth - and their paycheck reflects that - start to just pick a number?  “Just start with an arbitrary number. So if it's something that's, you know, under a hundred dollars, you could start with $10 and just go, how does that feel? And then go, how would $20 feel? And you could write it down, have a look at it. How would $30? So you might go up in 10.”  “If you're charging in multiples of hundreds, you could start at a hundred and go up…  same with more… start with a thousand and go up.”  “And what you're looking for, it sounds very unscientific, but it actually does work. You're looking for that number that goes, oh, oh, oh, oh, uh, okay. That's the number you're looking for! (But I have used random number generators, which you can just find online and say should I charge 59 or 79 or 89 or 99?)” When I first started private coaching I radically undercharged and I found myself resenting every minute with those clients. I actually felt icky - like I was being taken advantage of by my own pricing. What helped me was visualization. In my head I'd imagine a new client who paid $X (a little bit more each time). I visualized each piece of the process from getting the reminder on my phone to getting on the Zoom call, to the actual coaching, note taking, summary writing, 2-week follow-up emails… the whole thing.  In the end, it wasn't until I quadrupled my original rate that I felt good through the entire process. So that's what I did. Denise, whose business earned over $4 million last year, went through similar trials. “I would get requests for speaking and they'd say, ‘Oh, what's your rate?' and I'd go, ‘What's your budget?' And then they would say, ‘Oh, $500.' And I was like, ‘Oh, what a coincidence! That's my rate!' because I had no idea what to charge.” “And I realized that when you don't charge that win-win pricing [the extras have] gotta come from somewhere, and it was coming from my life force energy. And you have to learn from that.” “And I mean, teachers are great at this. You see people who've been in the industry for a long time. They can be absolutely in that martyr energy, you know, and they can be bitter and resentful. And that's where I was heading to, instead of just going, no, I have to stop this because it's just eating you up inside and that's not good. That's not good at all.” Next week Denise is going to be back with more great mindset shifts all about keeping your business simple, and embracing the idea of “good enough” when it comes to building a sustainable income. For now, go grab her updated book, Chill and Prosper: The New Way to Grow Your Business, Make Millions, and Change the World. Once you've got it, go to DeniseDT.com to claim your bonuses!

SEO, when implemented properly over time, can provide a major boost to your blog traffic and your overall income. For each blog post you write, you need to have a clear, repeatable, SEO process to make certain that you're maximizing search engines. Follow the steps below to fully optimize every blog post you create. Strategies for improving every post's SEO 1. Write for Your Target Audience It's tempting to try to write posts that appeal to a broad audience - because you don't want to limit the number of people you reach - but focusing on your target audience is key to building strong SEO. Knowing who you're writing for, as specifically as possible, will allow you to craft content that addresses their needs, uses their language, and meets their expectations. 2. Do Keyword Research Find out what your ideal audience is searching for so that you can provide content that answers their questions, and include the search terms strategically in your post. (more on this below). An easy way to do this is to enter a search term into Google and look in 3 places.  Search Autofill. When you start typing your search term, Google will provide options to complete your search. These options are based on your own search history, but also common searches done by others. People Also Ask. Below the first couple of search results you'll find 3-5 other questions that other people with your inquiry have asked.  Related Searches. At the bottom of each page Google provides additional searches that others have done that are similar to what you've searched for. I also recommend that you install a free Chrome extension called Keywords Everywhere. It will provide additional insights on keywords, including long-tail keywords.  A long-tail keyword looks more like a sentence than a typical 1-2 word keyword. For example, if the keyword is “pool cleaning” the long-tail keyword might be “how to start a pool cleaning business.” 3. Add Images Images themselves don't have a direct impact on SEO, they do increase the likelihood that your post will be clicked on, which increases SEO. Be sure to use or create images for your posts that are related to the content in every post. 4. Craft a Great Title Post titles, sometimes called headlines, not only impact your SEO, but they're also a massive factor in whether or not potential readers click on your post. A great post title clearly states what the post is about, asks a question, and/ or creates curiosity in the reader. As I mentioned in the previous post, I recommend using a free tool called Headline Analyzer to create the best possible title. 5. Include Internal Links When ranking content, Google weighs the trustworthiness of websites and individual blog posts. One factor in this measure is how many other pages link to your content as a source. While links from other sites are considered to be more beneficial, links from your own posts also help.  When appropriate, link to other posts you've written. 6. Use Keywords Strategically For each post you're going to determine a primary keyword. This keyword (or short phrase) should be used in specific places and ways to maximize your SEO return. Title. Your keyword should be included in the title of your post, preferably phrased the same way, but there is some flexibility. URL. Like the title, you want to format your url to include your keyword. Meta Description. If you installed the Yoast plugin I recommended last week, there is a space for you to create a meta description. This is the 160 character description that appears in search engine results. Headers. Not only do headers help organize your content and make it easier to read, they're read by Google differently than the body of your post. Headings are assumed to be an outline of your ideas or key points. The largest header, known as H1, should include the post keyword. Typically WordPress sets your post title as H1, so if you've included the keyword in the title, that's set. You can use the keyword in lower level headers as well. In content. Within the blog posts that you create, it's beneficial for your blog post SEO to use your keyword. You can also use variations on that keyword - like those you'd find in a related search - and 1-2 long-tail keywords you discovered during your research. Image Names. When you upload images to WordPress, give each image a title that includes the keyword. This not only boosts SEO, it also makes finding images easier.  Additionally, when you insert an image into a post, be sure to include the keyword in the alt-tag (also called alt-text). 7. Stick to Your Niche Google doesn't like to be confused. If the posts that you publish each week aren't related to the niche you've chosen, it will negatively impact your SEO. When you stay on topic it serves to strengthen your authority with search engines. 8. Build Backlinks As your reach grows and you build relationships with other bloggers you will find your own blog posts being cited as a source for others. This builds your authority with search engines and helps them see you as a trusted source.  Even if others aren't linking to you within their content, you can earn backlinks by guest posting or being featured on other websites.  Search engines also place higher value on backlinks from highly trusted sources, so choose your collaborators wisely. Strategies for improving your site's SEO Try these tricks for getting more bang for your SEO buck site-wide. 9. Update Old Content If you've got content on your site that's more than a year old, review it to see if any data needs to be updated, or if the content is still accurate. Depending on your niche, things can change quickly. You'll also want to check for broken links or other links that don't go where you want them to anymore. Use a free tool like this one to run a site-wide check. 10. Focus on Page Speed Search engines factor in your page's speed when ranking your posts, but that's not the only way speed can impact your SEO. Your bounce rate and the average length of time people spend on your page are also part of the algorithm, and they're affected by page speed as well. Check out this post from HubSpot on how to improve your site speed.  11. Make Your Posts Mobile Friendly With society being increasingly dependent on our phones, is it any wonder that making every aspect of your site mobile-friendly is a necessity. If you have the Divi Theme on your website, be sure to use the tool that allows you to check what each page looks like on mobile devices. Remember that SEO takes time to have a measurable impact on your blog. If you put consistent effort in and focus on Rule #1 (provide value first), your audience, following, and income will grow! If you want to know how to build, grow, and start making money from your blog, check out Teacher Blog Academy. The only program created specifically for teachers, by a teacher, that will show you how to create a profitable blog! Learn more at teacherblogacademy.com

Search Engine Optimization, SEO for short, is an essential piece of any blog growth strategy, but it generally has an air of mystery around it.  There are lots of definitions floating around - some that seem to contradict each other - that use a lot of buzzwords and tech-speak and don't really clarify anything. Add to that the fact that SEO is a long-term strategy, and it gets even fuzzier. It can take months for SEO work to pay off, so there's nothing we can even point to and say, “Aha! That's SEO!” In this post I'm going to clarify what SEO is, and recommend some tools for getting started putting it to use. Why is SEO Important? There's an old joke that says that if you want to hide a dead body, you should put it on the second page of Google. The point being that no one ever looks past page 1 of the search results, so if your site is there, it might as well be dead. I don't know how much truth there is to that - when I'm researching I always go a few pages in to see more results - but I understand the sentiment.  Where you turn up in search results - also known as ranking in search engines - matters. People trust that Google is going to serve them the best possible answers to their queries. As a result,  most take the pages that show up on page 1 as gospel, and don't bother to keep looking.  According to a 2018 survey, 90% of searchers will only click on the results on the first page. So while some intrepid foks, like myself, may look through several pages on our quest for information, most will not. In fact, the average person will enter a new search term before clicking to page 2. This means that the more of your blog posts and pages you can get in the top 10, the better. Enter SEO. What is Search Engine Optimization? According to Search Engine Land, SEO is the process of improving your site to increase its visibility when people search for products or services related to your business in Google, Bing, and other search engines.  The most common misconception about SEO is that it's something you do once, like setting up your website, and then you're done. This couldn't be further from the truth. Search Engine Optimization is a process.  It never ends. The good news is that your SEO can be systematized so that you can embed this work into your blog writing process. In Teacher Blog Academy we cover this practice in Module 3: Grow.  And the even better news is that just having a blog and producing consistent content helps boost your SEO! How? Every blog post you publish becomes a new page on your website, with its own keyword, images, meta description, and data for search engines to crawl. As long as your content is within the scope of your niche, it will continually strengthen your SEO ranking. Google's algorithm includes more than 200 factors, which is a ridiculous number of things to track. Here are the top 7: Quality of Content Mobile Responsive Design User Experience Page Speed Blog Post Optimization Internal Links Backlinks Tools that Can Boost Your SEO Next week we'll dive deeper into specific things you can do for each blog post to help it rank higher in search engines. For now, here are 4 tools you can use to build your search engine mojo. Yoast. This free plugin works on the backend of your website to assist you in optimizing your content and keywords.  Once you install it, a Yoast module will appear underneath each page and post on the backend of your site. This module provides you spaces to customize the title and description that will display on Google, social media sharing presets, and recommendations to improve discoverability and readability. Get Yoast.  Google Site Kit. Another free plugin, Google Site Kit works with Google's tools, like Analytics, AdSense, Page Speed Insights, and more.  The information collected by Site Kit can be accessed elsewhere, like by going directly to Google Analytics, but having it on your site's dashboard, with key points summarized, makes you more likely to read and utilize the data. Get Google Site Kit. Cosechedule Headline Analyzer. This free tool can be used separately or as a Google Chrome extension and it does exactly what it says; It analyzes your headlines (post titles) for word choice and clickability. Headline Analyzer will give each post title a score out of 100 based on the balance of common words, emotional words, power words, numbers, and stop words. Get Headline Analyzer. ConvertKit. The one tool on this list that I recommend you pay for (there's a free version available) because it allows you to automate your email sequence, which is worth waaaaaay more than the $9 a month. ConvertKit allows you to collect emails within your blog posts. This doesn't seem to be directly related to SEO, but Google considers returning visitors to carry more weight, and the best way to get people back to your site is to invite prior readers to come read your new stuff. Get ConvertKit. Remember Rule #1 No matter what tools or strategies you use to bolster your search engine optimization, everything comes down to providing value to your readers. Not only do search engines have algorithms that measure content quality, but readers will not comment on, share, or come back for more crappy content. Get to know your audience and what they want, then give it to them! Register for Teacher Blog Academy at www.teacherblogacademy.com

Last week I shared my system for tracking income and expenses, but knowing where your money is coming from, and where it's going to, is only part of the process. Most likely - if you're like the vast majority of business owners - when you start to track your income and expenses you'll likely notice that very little of your income (if any) is going to you! That's what today is all about. What's Profit? I've mentioned before that in my first month of blogging I made $2.11, but what I didn't share was that, as excited as I was about it, I didn't actually get that money. I left it in my blog accounts and “reinvested” it.  Of course, since we're talking about just a couple bucks, that's no big deal, right? Sure. But what if I told you I continued to reinvest everything I made the first year of my blog?  Essentially, though I made a couple thousand dollars, I didn't actually make anything… Not one penny got put into my family's accounts. This story is incredibly common for new business owners of all kinds - and not-so-new ones, too - and has led many people to give up on their business altogether. After all, if you're in business to make money, and you're not making any actual money… What's the point? I don't remember when I found Mike Michalowicz and his book, Profit First, but when I did it was a game changer. In it he challenges the old notion that profit is what's leftover after you pay all your expenses. Instead, with his system, profit gets taken out first, then you can spend what's left. Like I said Game. Changer. The Basics of Paying Yourself First I'm going to give you the cliff notes version here, but I highly recommend you grab Profit First if you're serious about building a business that actually supports you. Step 1: Get a Business Bank Account It's a good idea to have an account that's just for business expenses for many reasons, but to use this system effectively, it's a must. As a blogger, most of your income is going to be online, so it makes sense to use a digital bank as well. I personally use Capital One 360, but there are many options, just pick one. The one requirement is that they allow you to create multiple sub-accounts. Step 2: Set Up Sub-Accounts Within your account, you're going to want 5 sub-accounts. Income, Owner's Pay, Profit, Operating Expenses, and Taxes. If possible, name these accounts accordingly. If not, make sure you have an easily accessible list of which account number is which. I'll explain the purpose and use of each account a bit later. Step 3: Direct Your Income Lastly, you want all your incoming money to go into your Income sub-account. However you collect payments, whether from Stripe or PayPal or whatever, connect them to that account. Stripe will automatically transfer your funds, but set a reminder to transfer your PayPal money a few days before you do your monthly numbers. Using the System Mark your calendar when you're going to go over your numbers each month. I suggest you do this at the same time you track your income and expenses - truth be told, it takes only a few minutes. Each month transfer your money from the income account to the other sub accounts. Taxes Make sure you're setting aside money each month to pay your year-end or quarterly taxes. Personally, I set aside 30% in my tax account. I have never needed it all to pay my taxes, but it makes me feel better to have it there, just in case. If I don't need it come tax time, I divide it between my pay and profit. Operating Expenses This is the money I have to spend on my business. I take 50% of my income and put it in this account. The key to this system is spending only money you have available to invest in your blog. As you grow your income, you can also grow your investments. Profit I set aside 10% of my monthly income as profit. This money is basically just liquid assets of my company and available for emergencies. It also serves as a savings account for larger investments I want to make, like high-end courses or coaching. I transfer 10% of my monthly income into this account. Owner's Pay Aaaah, the golden goose! This is the money that you get to keep and spend. 10% of my monthly income goes into this account. Don't worry if at first it's just pennies - it will grow - and you can set a threshold for when you pay yourself. At first, I would transfer the money into my personal account when it reached $10. Make It Work for You As you work the system, you can adjust the percentages of what you transfer to each of the accounts. Just because I opt to go with 50-30-10-10, doesn't mean you have to. I suggest you work this process, along with tracking your income and expenses, each month.  In order to grow your earnings, you must know your numbers. Set a reminder, add it to your calendar, and get it done! If you haven't already, grab a downloadable copy of my income and expenses tracker!

When I started blogging I did everything I could to avoid looking at any numbers other than page views. For months I was “too busy” or I “forgot” to update my income and expenses report, so it just didn't get done. This is a very common mistake that a lot of new bloggers make and it's usually for one (or both) of 2 reasons:  You know that in the very beginning you're likely not making as much as you're spending or you're just making a few dollars, so you stick your head in the sand to avoid the topic of money altogether. You have a mindset issue around money, so you stick your head in the sand and avoid the topic of money altogether. This could also show up in other areas of life if you let your partner handle all the money stuff in your personal life, too. In reality, knowing where your money is going, where it's coming from, and how the incoming and outgoing funds balance out is essential.  This is yet another instance where knowledge is power. Tracking your income. Let's say you have 3 streams of income on your blog; ads, affiliate income, and an ebook. Keeping track of your income from each source not only gives you a nice self-esteem boost because you can see the numbers grow, but it allows you to more actively promote things that are making you money.  If your ebook had a few more or fewer sales in a particular month, you can explore why and update your marketing strategy. Maybe you put a widget in your sidebar promoting the ebook and it resulted in more sales. Great! See if there's another place you can link to your ebook on your site to give it more exposure. If you notice your ad income drop because traffic dropped, you can find out why. Maybe you didn't email your list every week or you didn't share as much on social media as the month before, so you need to get back to it. Or maybe you find that it's part of a trend that your traffic drops for a month or two each year, and then you know not to freak out about it next year.  Tracking your expenses. Even if you're on board with tracking your income, you might still hesitate to look at what you're spending. This, too, is very common. We like to see what we're making, but thinking about what we're spending… pass. But income is just part of the profit equation. In order to know what your blog is actually generating for you and your family, you've got to track your expenses, too. For example, if you decided to invest in LeadPages to create gorgeous popups and a beautiful sales funnel, are you getting a return on that investment? Are more people signing up for your freebie, or are more people going through your funnel and purchasing your product? This may take a few months to know for sure, but if you're not seeing a return after 6 months, that's money you don't need to be spending. Conversely, if you're building your blog with the bare minimum of support and are only paying for your domain and hosting, you might find that your income is stagnating because you don't have a quality email service provider and you aren't as present on social media (because you have that pesky job) and need to consider a scheduler to help you grow. There are plenty of programs available to help you track your income and expenses, and if you're looking for a good one, I recommend QuickBooks Self-Employed (click here to save 55% on your first 3 months). You can connect your bank accounts and credit cards so the program will track your incoming and outgoing funds automatically. You just need to categorize each expense. A tool like this also makes tax time easier because they'll create a schedule K-1 form for you. If you are looking to save as much money as possible, or would prefer to track your finances yourself (like me), here's how I do it. Use an Excel Spreadsheet Yes, Google has sheets, but I'm old school and I like Excel. Not sorry. If you want a downloadable copy of my spreadsheet, click here, or you can create it yourself. Column A is your income and expense items (leave an empty box in the top row). Then columns B-M are the months, and column N is a year-end total. Organize your income and expenses by category, with each item listed under its category. I suggest using the categories from the IRS Schedule K-1 form to make tax time easier. Income. Create a row for each stream of income. Software Subscriptions. In this category you'll find your domain and hosting, email service provider, premium theme subscription, podcast host, social media scheduler, etc. Advertising & Marketing. Here is any money you spend on ads, paying influencers to promote you, or any other marketing materials, like hiring someone to design a logo. You can also create a miscellaneous item here for those one-time expenditures. Legal & Professional Fees. In this category you can put any legal expenses, like templates or the services of an attorney. You can also include any professional memberships you pay for as well as any courses or trainings you take. Contract Labor. This includes anyone you hire (other than an attorney) on an hourly basis. A virtual assistant is a common expense in this category, along with graphic designers, social media managers, etc. You may also want a row for miscellaneous contract labor if you hire per job rather than on an ongoing basis. Travel Expenses. Conferences, speaking gigs, and the related expenses are most common here. Also, if you see clients face-to-face, you can track gas and other costs, like a cup of coffee if you meet them at a cafe, networking events, etc. Utilize Formulas and Formatting Excel offers the option of setting specific cells (or a whole sheet) to be formatted a specific way, such as all numbers entered are translated as dollars. While it's not necessary, it does make things a bit easier and I find that seeing the numbers with dollar signs next to them helps me feel more like it's really money we're talking about. I also color code things to make it easier to read, and merge cells to make header rows for the categories. Again, not required, but it makes me feel better. One tool you will want to use is the formula feature. At the bottom of each category I use the SUM formula. Then at the bottom of the month I take the month's income and subtract (or add the negative) each category's subtotal to get the total profit or loss for the month In the year-end column add up each month's cell so you can see how much you made from each income stream and spent on each program, tool, service, or contractor for the year.  Grab a downloadable version of the spreadsheet I use to track my income and expenses here. Gather Your Numbers Once your spreadsheet is set up, it should only take 30-60 minutes a month to update it with your info. Go to PayPal, Stripe, or whatever payment processor you use and determine your income by stream.  Similarly, open the accounts you use to pay business expenses (this could also be PayPal, your business credit card, etc.). I strongly suggest you limit your business payments to specific cards or programs. This not only simplifies things when you do your monthly profit and loss, but also keeps things separate in case you're audited or sued. Enter all your monthly data into the spreadsheet! When you get into the habit of looking at your income and expenses on a monthly basis you will not only have a better handle on how your business is functioning and how you can make it even more profitable, you'll start to notice trends and be able to anticipate changes in your income. This is a process you want to start as soon as possible. Trust me! Next week I'll show you how to set up your accounts to make sure you're paying yourself every month, putting aside money for taxes, saving for large purchases, and only spending money you have. For now, grab my FREE Income and Expense Tracker here.

Passive income is often seen as the holy grail of the side hustle. There are many - especially online - who present themselves as passive income specialists, lying on a beach all day, sipping fruity beverages, and listening to their phone cha-ching to alert them to new sales.  If that sounds too good to be true, it's because it is. For a long time passive income was dangled in front of people as a “set it and forget it” method of making money. Just do X, Y, and Z, then sit back and watch the money roll in. Of course, that's not really how it works. Passive income, in the sense of making money for doing nothing, doesn't exist.  On the other hand, I woke up to 2 sale notifications this morning, meaning I made over $100 while I slept, so passive income is a real thing. And as a teacher who doesn't want to hustle and grind my way into early retirement, it's key to running a side hustle that doesn't make me more stressed out. Let's explore the real world of passive income. What is Passive Income? For today's purposes we're talking about ways to earn money that you can automate or fully delegate to others so that you aren't active in the exchange of goods. There are a number of ways to do this as a blogger because many of the primary streams of income bloggers have available to them are naturally passive. Sell other people's things One easy way to get started with passive income is to sell other people's products or services. Placing ads on your blog is perhaps the easiest thing to do because once you set them up, you don't have to do anything else. If you're using an ad service like AdSense the ads they're shown will even be based upon their search history, making them very targeted. Affiliate marketing is similar, in that you just place links into your content and let people purchase through the other company. Because you have to select appropriate products or services to recommend, there's a bit more work that goes into this than ads, but it's still highly hands-off. Sell premade digital items Items like ebooks and printables are things you can make with software you already have (and know how to use) that you can sell on your website. Courses are similar, but will typically require additional software to build and host. These types of products require an upfront investment of time (and sometimes money for software), but once they're done, you can automate the sales and delivery process with relative ease.  Use other services to help Whatever you sell, whether it be digital or physical products, you can utilize a number of third-party services or tools to allow you to automate or delegate the sales and delivery.  For example, Amazon has a print-on-demand option for authors who want to offer physical books, and if you want to sell through Amazon you can use Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) so they hold, handle, and ship your products. Invest Investing is perhaps the closest you can get to fully passive income. All it takes is a bit of money, choose your investments, then sit back and watch them grow. Of course, not all investments grow, so make sure that you're not investing more than you can afford to lose. Even if that's just a few bucks you can use a service like M1 to get started. Use this referral link to get a $10 credit when you invest $100. Passive Income Misconceptions Regardless of what it may look like on social media, or in ads for passive income programs people are selling, there's no such thing as 100% passive income. Every business requires work to maintain it. Maintenance At a bare minimum, you will need to maintain your website, sales platform, and any other tools you use to run your business. Team management Some business owners choose to be hands-off with their businesses, but you still need to manage their teams, approve decisions, and help steer the company in the direction you, as the owner, want it to go. Customer service It's estimated that about 3% of customers are going to need extra help with your product. They may need help logging into your program, tech support, or to reset their password. Some may even just want you to walk them through things to make them feel more secure about their purchase. Product creation In order to sell an ebook, you have to write the book first. In order to sell a course, you have to build the program first. This seems obvious, but many people forget that passive income is only passive after you've created the product. There is a lot of up front work that goes into passive income! Oftentimes it's suggested that people looking to get into passive income start with a more traditional model, like 1:1 coaching. This can help you get to know your audience, learn what they need support with, find areas where they get tripped up, and internalize their language for use in your marketing. It is possible to jump right into passive income, be prepared to start small, tweak as you go. For example, I created my smaller courses Content Made Simple and Wicked Easy Website a year ago, tested them and got feedback, then moved on to my signature course, Teacher Blog Academy. Doing Passive Income Right There are 3 things every blogger needs to know in order to create sustainable passive income. Give your audience what they want. No matter which path you take to creating passive income, you need to offer things your audience is interested in and likely to buy. If your blog is about crafts and you're trying to sell steak, you're not going to be rolling in the dough. Make it easy for them to buy. Don't bury links on pages that people have to click, click, click through to get to. Put ads and affiliate links in places where people are going to look, and share links to your own digital products in as many places as possible without being obnoxious. This includes in posts, on pages, on social media, and in your emails. Provide value first. Rule number 1 for bloggers is to provide value. Your readers aren't coming to read a website full of ads. They want advice, inspiration, tips and tricks, hacks, information, how-tos, and other helpful stuff. That's what will keep them coming back, believing in you as a source of authority, and trusting the products and services you create and recommend. Remember that passive income takes time to grow and consistent effort to maintain. You will need to build an audience and cultivate their trust before they become loyal customers. You'll then need to continue the cycle of attracting and nurturing new readers again and again. Here's the thing, passive income as it's presented in internet ads may not exist, but there are ways to make earning money easier and less dependent on you for every step. As a teacher, you've got your hands full, so anything you can do to simplify making money is a win in my book.

When it comes to your blog audience, there's no denying that size matters. While your blog traffic is not the most important thing when it comes to profitability, you've got to have someone to sell to. And if you've ever felt that your blog isn't growing fast enough, you're not alone. Before we start, remember that you don't need a huge audience to make a profit from your blog. When you have a well-defined, focused niche, your audience might not be as large as others, but they will convert better. That said, here's how to maximize your audience. Retaining Current Readers A lot of advice about increasing blog traffic focuses on getting new readers to your blog. And, yes, that's important. But it's far easier to get someone who's already engaged with and loved your blog to come back and read more than it is to convince someone new to give you a try. So, let's start with some tips and tricks that will increase your traffic by getting one-time readers to become loyal fans. 1. Stay true to your niche There's a reason that Module 1, Lesson 1 in Teacher Blog Academy is all about defining your niche. Your niche - the intersection of what you write about, who you write for, and how you help them - is your guiding star when you make any decision for your blog.  What should I write about this week? Look to your niche. Which social media platform should I use to market my blog? Look to your niche. If your niche is finances for 20-something women with a focus on money mindset, stick with it. Don't suddenly start providing stock tips and your opinion about which Wall St. bankers should be in jail… That's not why your audience comes to you. It will confuse them and Google. And like Donald Miller says, “When you confuse, you lose.” 2. Email your list Your list is a group of people who like what you have to say, and want to hear more. They have self-identified themselves as potential superfans. But even loyal readers are busy. They need to be reminded to go check out your latest post. Think of it this way… I enjoy having a fresh, clean smelling house, but I still have an alarm on my phone to remind me to clean the litter boxes every Monday night. No matter how much people love your content, they need reminders when you put something new out. And by emailing them, you increase the chance that they come back and read your latest post. 3. Write great posts This may seem obvious, but there will be weeks when you feel like just phoning it in and publishing any old thing. While it may take extra time and effort, creating content that truly speaks to your audience's needs is worth it. Answer a question that your readers have. Even if you feel like you've answered it before. (You're a teacher, so you understand explaining things multiple times in multiple ways, right?) Address a mistake you see your ideal audience making. Give them something to think about in a new way… but remember that putting out content isn't the goal - helping your readers is. 4. Tweak your titles A blog title, whether it shows up on social media, Google, or your own website, should entice readers to click and find out more. A great title lives somewhere on that fine line between clearly stating what your post is about without giving it all away… It's a balancing act. Gaining New Readers Once you've done what you can to retain readers and get them coming back to your blog, it's time to think about how to attract new readers to your blog.   5. SEO Search engine optimization (SEO) is a behind-the-scenes process in which you make it easier for search engines, like Google, Bing!, and others to recommend your content to others.  According to Neil Patel, “The main Google keyword ranking factors include search intent, search volume, quality of the content, number of backlinks, domain authority, and page loading speed.”  This means that specific focus on using the appropriate keywords, producing great content that builds your authority, and upping you page speed, with something like SG Optimizer can all increase your visibility on search engines.  6. Market your blog “Build it and they will come.” is a movie slogan, not a growth plan. As of this writing, there are nearly 1.2 billion websites online, with more being shared every day. No one is going to accidentally stumble upon your blog. You have to tell people about it. This is called marketing. Social media is a fantastic - and free - place to start marketing your blog. When you publish a new post, share it on social media. Then, continue to share it on an ongoing basis so that people who are new to you, or didn't happen to see it the first time can find it. You can also make it easy for your readers to share your blog with plugins like Social Warfare. You can also use marketing channels like Pinterest and YouTube, but you can also guest blog, appear on other people's podcasts or shows, and even just updating your email signature can let people know about your site. 7. Expand your network No man is an island, even in the digital age. While you may be a solopreneur, if you want to grow your blog you're going to want help. Get to know other bloggers and build relationships that can further support your readers.  Take advantage of the technology available to network in communities that wouldn't exist in the past, like Facebook groups, and start to build a reputation for helping others in your area of expertise. This is not an invitation to spam - even under the guise of helping - just offer guidance, advice, and support with no strings attached. 8. Give it time.  The internet may be filled with stories of overnight successes, but behind that “overnight” success was a lot of patience and hard work. No one puts up a site and starts raking in millions the next day (unless they're doing some Breaking Bad level illegal stuff).  Time allows Google to know and recommend your blog in searches. Time builds up loyal followers who tell their friends about you. Time lets you create systems and processes to handle more readers and customers.  There's no rush. Again, blog traffic is not the end-all-be-all of blog metrics. You should see your page views go up month over month, slowly. There's only a problem if you're not seeing growth overall. In Teacher Blog Academy, I'll teach you how to make decisions that will help you build a profitable blog in less time, with fewer roadblocks. You can enroll now at teacherblogacademy.com

What should my blog be about?  That's one of the first questions you have to answer when starting your journey into blogging. And it's one that many people get stuck on. Of course, your blog niche can be literally anything. The only limit is your imagination. But this can be a little intimidating, right?  Anything seems like a lot to choose from. So today we're going to talk about the 11 most popular blog niches for teachers. This list is by no means exhaustive, and there's no rule that you have to choose one of these niches. But… they're popular for a reason. They include topics that teachers know and feel comfortable writing about and people want to read about.  You can also mix and match, pairing a couple of different niches together. Let's dig in! Education Is it any surprise that we're starting with education? While teachers can certainly write about anything, classroom-related topics are very popular. It makes sense - people write what they know.  Among the popular education niches are classroom environment and management, subject- or grade-specific lessons, or educational technology. While this is a popular blog niche, keep reading. Writing about teaching and learning isn't always a great idea. Food  Your choices when it comes to food blogs are as varied as the menu at a 24-hour diner. You can share recipes, reviews, gadgets and gizmos… or a multitude of other ideas.  If considering a food blog, the number one stumbling block is casting your net too wide. As food blogs are one of the most common blog types on the planet, you're going to want a clearly defined niche and ideal audience to help you reach the people you want to help. DIY or Crafts Whether it's crochet or Cricut, blogs about DIY projects are a perennial favorite. You can use your expertise to teach others how to create adorable little gifts or build a log cabin like Lincoln did.  Teachers are well suited for this type of blogging since we're already good at presenting steps sequentially and providing instructions.  Travel For those who love to explore new places, a travel blog might be the perfect way to combine passion and income. While we all know teachers don't have summers “off,” the break does afford us the opportunity to work from anywhere.  Specialize in one area of the world, like the Mediterranean, or a type of travel, like luxury or budget, and share your adventures with others! Health and Fitness For those who are interested in personal well-being, there will always be an audience. Health and fitness can include anything from workout routines to naturopathic practices to mental health.  You can share tried and true practices or make your own journey the basis for your blog. Lifestyle A lifestyle blog is often used as a catch-all term for blogs that cover a variety of topics. They're usually unified around a theme, which may or may be one of the other popular blog niches. For example, a lifestyle blog about sustainable living may encompass cooking using food you grow yourself, and upcycling furniture. Those who write lifestyle blogs need to be really clear on who you're writing for so as not to go too broad with your topics. Parenting The parenting space is popular for a reason - having kids is hard! Parents can share stories from the trenches, tips and tricks to make life easier, and everything in between. Bloggers can focus on age groups, gender parenting, or parenting within a specific lifestyle, and there are lots of paths to monetization. Business Since the internet became an easily accessible way to make money, people have been writing about how to make money. These blogs can be written in the style of traditional money magazines or in a more instructional manner. Review business trends and best practices, or teach people how to make money. Personal Finance Similar to business blogs, personal finance helps people who are looking to manage or grow their personal wealth through investing, saving, and other financial systems. Actionable tips are especially popular in this space because people who read these blogs are looking for practical tips they can put to use. Religion More than 80% of people on the planet participate in an organized religion, so it's no surprise that spiritual blogs are a popular choice. Bloggers in this niche can share personal stories, as well as inspiration, and practical ideas for practicing your chosen religion in the modern day Religion-based blogs are often focused on a specific audience, like parents, married people, or Gen-Z folks, narrowing their focus. Personal A personal blog is one where you share your own stories to form connections or inspire others. These blogs may read more like a diary than a typical blog and generally creates a brand around the blogger rather than a specific topic.  Personal bloggers still need to thoughtfully curate stories that serve the goal of the blog and the needs of the audience.  Before we wrap things up, let's talk about the elephant in the room.  These blog niches are popular, and that means there are already blogs out there that cover these topics.  Does that mean you need to choose something else to write about? No! Your unique voice and perspective is just what someone needs to feel connected, heard, and understood.  You have something to contribute! Just because a conversation started before you got to the party doesn't mean that you can't add value to it. Find a topic that lights you up, find the people that you most want to help, and you will be successful! The Teacher Blog Academy is open for enrollment for teachers who are ready to start contributing to the conversation while growing a profitable blog. Get more information and join today at teacherblogacademy.com.

A blog is a quick and ebay way to start marketing an existing business OR start making money while you decide exactly what your business is going to be.  In terms of building authority, establishing and strengthening relationships, and providing a platform through which to sell, blogging is extremely cost effective. That said, one of the biggest questions people have is, “How much is it going to cost me to start a money making blog?” Can I start a blog for free? Let's first start with what they're really asking, which is, “Do I really have to pay to start a blog?”  Well, no… but yes. There are options for starting a blog for free. WordPress.com is a free blogging platform, Wix and Weebly have similar options, or you can take advantage of sites like Medium to publish. There are a few reasons I don't recommend this path.  Your URL will give you away. Free blogging sites include the name of the platform in the web address, which gives your blog an unprofessional feel. When I see myblogname.wordpress.com, I automatically (subconsciously) discount the information I receive and decide not to buy from them. If they're not willing to invest in themselves, why should I invest? There are limited monetization paths. While blogging offers multiple opportunities to make money, when you use a free blogging platform, many aren't available to you. And the ones you can use are more complicated to get up and running. It's a pain in the patoot to switch. Some people think about starting on a free platform and switching to a paid version at a later date. First, let's be honest. Later rarely comes. Especially when you set benchmarks like, “I'll switch when I'm making money.” We've already established that it's harder to make money on the free platforms, and the longer you go without making anything, the less effort and attention you're likely to give your blog. Which means… you'll never make money.  Additionally, switching your blog platform is not an easy task. You're basically starting from scratch on a new system, but you also have to move all your old content over to the news site. It's a lot of work, and oftentimes it just doesn't get done, even if you hit that “when I do X” benchmark. You can pay someone to do this for you, but it's expensive. What do I have to pay for? In my opinion there are 2 essential investments you need to make in your new blog if you intend to use it as a money making vehicle. These 2 systems will allow you to start making money faster and build your know, like, and trust factor with your audience. Domain & Hosting When you pay for your domain and hosting, you fully own your website. Your URL will be simply yourblogname.com, which is much more professional (and trust inspiring), and paying for hosting is like paying rent on your little corner of the internet. It becomes your space to use as you see fit, with no interference from outsiders. Note: There are terms of service for your website and what it can be used for, but those typically prohibit things like running a website like Alex Jones or instructing people on illegal activities. There are a number of hosting companies available, and you're welcome to do your research. The company I use and recommend is SiteGround. Siteground currently charges $17.99 a year for domain registration. While you can find domains (literally) a few dollars cheaper, it's worth having your domain and hosting with the same company for the sake of convenience. When SiteGround upgrades their service or platform, they automatically take care of any back end changes needed for my domain to remain functional without any extra work from me. Hosting through Siteground is typically $14.99 a month. However, because they know that people starting out don't have any money coming in yet, they have a significant discount for your first year of service. When you pay for your first year up front, your rate drops to only $3.99 a month. This makes your initial investment only $48. All together, using SiteGround, your initial investment is $66 for your first year. Email Service Provider The other essential service you need to invest in as soon as possible is email. When it comes to growing your blog readership, nothing is as powerful as email.  When you start putting out content you should have a way to collect and manage email addresses, and email your list whenever you publish a new post. While you don't need to get your email set up the moment you purchase your domain and hosting - it's going to take time to get your site set up -  you should have it ready to go as soon as your blog is live. As with web hosts, there are numerous email service providers (ESPs) to choose from. The email service provider I use and recommend is ConvertKit. There are 3 tiers of service they offer: Free, Creator, and Creator Pro.  I strongly suggest that you invest in the Creator plan. When you pay for the year it's only $9 a month ($15 if pay month-to-month) and it provides you the ability to build automations, which are key for a stress-free business. Automations are what allow you to send a series of messages out automatically when someone signs up for your list. If you go with ConvertKit, the cost for your first year would be $108 (or $180 if you pay monthly). What other expenses are there? There's literally no limit to what you could spend money on when you start a blog. You can pay for programs, tools, and even people to execute tasks for you.  Of course, one of the biggest benefits of blogging is that it's inexpensive to get started, so we don't want to go all in on every shiny new tool that comes across our feeds. Here are 3 things I recommend for new bloggers, but aren't required from the start. A Premium Theme When using WordPress (.org) there are thousands of free themes to choose from, and generally any will do when starting out. Eventually you may decide to switch to a premium theme - I use and recommend the Divi theme from Elegant Themes - for more customization options and premium features.  Switching to a new theme can be a big undertaking (though not as big as moving to a totally new program), so if you'd rather just start with a premium theme, they're typically reasonably priced. Divi is just $89 a year ($249 for a lifetime license). Social Media Scheduler The more of a social presence you have, the harder you have to work to maintain it. Schedulers can take a load off your shoulders and make this task easier. Since you're not allowed to be scrolling your feed and replying to comments all day, schedulers allow you to assign prewritten posts to be published at a certain time. A great beginner scheduling program is CinchShare. At only $100 a year, it's a very affordable option. A Trusted Step-by-Step Program Getting a blog up and running has many steps, and some of them can be overwhelming. While there are lots of sources of information on starting a blog on the internet, not all of them are reliable, and many are even contradictory.  Additionally, the time it takes to sift through all the information available is time that your blog is not published and making money. In many cases this time and frustration lead many would-be bloggers to quit, leaving your potential unmet, and your readers without your guidance. Teacher Blog Academy was created specifically to guide teachers through the process of building, growing, and making money through a blog. You could spend hundreds of hours searching for reliable information and how-to instructions with video tutorials, but who has time for that?  At $497, Teacher Blog Academy saves time, frustration, money (on stuff that doesn't work), and gets you making money faster… and pays for itself over and over (and over). In the end, starting a blog doesn't have to be an expensive undertaking.  We're so blessed to live in a time and place where making money is soooooo accessible. Thank you, internet!  You can sell basically anything from anywhere - including your own knowledge - without a massive investment in equipment, inventory, and staff. You just need the will to do it, a little bit of start up money, and a trusted guide.

At this moment there are an unprecedented number of educators looking to get out of teaching. It's a sad, and more than slightly terrifying, prospect, to be sure. But it's also understandable…  I'm not going to start in on the state of education right now, because that would lead down a pretty dark rabbit whole. So let me just say, I get it If you're one of this group, you might be wondering how a blog can help you in this pursuit. In fact, that's one of the questions I get from community members most often. Truthfully, a blog can serve your exit strategy in a number of ways. Let's dig in to the top 3. Blogging to Replace Your Income Perhaps the one thing that automatically comes to mind when you think of blogging for money is the idea of using a blog to create a new income stream. Then building that income to the point where you can blog full time. Because blogs offer multiple streams of income, there are multiple ways to reach your income target. It can take time to build up your revenue to a point where you can quit, but while you do it you can take the money you're earning and put it aside (or, better yet, invest it). That way you have a financial cushion when you decide to take the leap. Blogging as a Marketing Channel for A Business If you've got an established business, or just an idea for one, a blog can help you reach more people, build your authority, and grow your income faster. Whether you have a brick and mortar business, or are completely online, a blog is still one of the most cost effective marketing strategies around. Use your blog to build a targeted audience of people who are interested in your product or service, then convert them into true fans who come to you first when they have money to spend. A blog can be a great way to start a business, too. If you're unable to leave teaching to just jump into a new business that is, as they say on Shark Tank, pre-revenue, you can build up a following and start making money before leaving. Blogging as a Business Card If you want to leave teaching, but aren't looking to be a business owner or a full-time blogger, you can still use blogging to help. This will work especially well if you want to leave teaching for an unrelated field.  Many teachers who'd like to work in a new field feel that they can't get a foothold because, even though they may have peripheral experience, employers overlook it in favor of those who have more direct experience.  A blog that is properly niched in the field you'd like to move into can serve as a demonstration of your knowledge. It can also show potential employers that you're truly interested in that field, rather than just applying for every position available.  And if you stick with it, and market yourself properly, you can even draw potential employers to you! You never know who will stumble onto it and take notice. Cards on the table, totally honesty; using blogging as a way to get out of teaching isn't an overnight solution. Unless you have the resources to quit and be without a large percentage of your paycheck for a while - and not many teachers do - most of these options are going to start out as side hustles. However, as with most things, the sooner you get started, the sooner you see results and achieve your goals. If blogging sounds like an option for your get out of teaching strategy, check out my free guide, 5 Steps to Start Your Blog Today. It will get you thinking about what you'd want to write about AND walk you through the tech of actually building a site. Download it for free here.

When I started blogging, and told people about it, I heard a lot of, “Yeah, but how do you actually make money with a blog?” At the time, I will admit, I had no idea. But I knew it was possible, so I kept going. Even a couple years later when I was featured in a CNBC article on people making 5 figures through their side hustles, my dad called me up, completely befuddled. “You make $10,000 from that blog of yours?” he asked. When I told him it was actually more than that, I'm pretty sure I heard him fall off his chair. Over the years I've heard the same thing over and over. Most people know that bloggers make money, but very few know how. In truth, bloggers can make money in a number of different ways. That's one of the things that make it such an amazing side hustle. There's something for everyone. And you can mix and match, which is where the magic really happens.  They say the average millionaire has a minimum of 7 streams of income. That means their money is coming from at least 7 different sources, so they're not completely dependent on any single one. Blogging allows for 5 basic streams of income, and you can even create separate streams within the streams… it's pretty awesome. So, let's dig in to the 5 primary ways bloggers make money. Ads You probably saw this one coming, right? We've all been to blogs that have ads on them, and we've all realized that they're not just putting ads on their blog out of the goodness of their hearts. While ads might not be the most lucrative income stream, especially at the beginning, it's a start and it's passive. That means you don't have to do anything beyond putting some code on your site, sitting back, and collecting the checks.  There are 3 methods of using ads to earn: Public Ad Networks like Google AdSense or Media.net  are open to just about anyone with a website. They have the lowest payout, but you can get started right away. (This is how I made my first $2.11.) Private Ad Networks like MediaVine, AdThrive, or Monumetric are available to more established bloggers. They have minimum standards for page views, sessions, etc. before you can apply, but once accepted, they pay much better than public networks. (Before I sold my blog, I was making $500-1,500 a month through ads with MediaVine.) Direct Ad Sales includes any ads that you sell yourself. For example, a local mom blogger may sell ad space to a local indoor play space for $X and X days. This is the least passive way to run ads, but it can pay off big time. Sponsored Content Sponsored content is using the blog posts you write to promote a specific product or service. For example, a food blogger creates a recipe with a specific ingredient, or a person who writes about car maintenance shares their weekly cleaning routine in which they use a particular product.  In both cases, the blogger would be compensated by the featured product's  company. When considering sponsored content you can join a program like Tap Influence or Izea to find businesses that are looking to partner with influencers (that's you!). Or you can reach out to the brands you want to work with directly and pitch them your idea. Sponsored posts can pay anywhere from $50 to thousands of dollars, depending on your experience and blog reach. Another pay booster could be if you've cornered a highly niched market, like Canadian fly fishermen. Of course, I would be remiss if I failed to mention 3 quick things: Always, ALWAYS disclose that a post is sponsored. It's federal law. Limit your sponsored posts to about 20-25% of your content so your blog doesn't become one giant advertorial. The number one rule of blogging still applies to sponsored posts: Value first. Affiliate Marketing Before you have products or services of your own to sell (and after, too), there's affiliate marketing. If you've ever recommended a product or service to a friend, you understand the basics of affiliate marketing. The difference is that with affiliate marketing, you not only recommend products and services you love and trust, but you also get a commission when someone buys via your referral. Links to products or services you recommend can be peppered throughout your content, across social media, and in the emails you send your list.  Alternatively, you can create a full-scale marketing campaign for someone else's product or service, complete with a blog post, email sequence, social media posts, and unique-to-you bonuses that people get if they purchase through your link. An example of this would be a DIY blogger sharing a how-to blog post with links inside to specific tools or materials she used.  Another would be a homesteading blogger partnering with a cheesemaking blogger to promote each other's courses. They would coordinate launches, agree to a specific number of blog posts, emails, etc. and share each other's courses as if they were their own. As with sponsored posts, you must disclose affiliate links, and follow the number one rule, value first. Selling Products Your blog is also a terrific way to sell products of your own, both digital and physical. I won't go into the full list of things you can sell, but here are the most popular 4 categories: Digital Products are anything that can be sold, delivered, and used completely on the computer. This category includes things like e-books, printables, and courses. Direct Sales Products are one of the most popular ways to sell products through a blog. These are products provided by a third-party company, like Mary Kay or Pampered Chef, but credited to you. White Label Products are items produced in bulk (usually in China) that you can customize with your branding and sell under your own label. This is also sometimes called dropshipping and is typically managed through a third-party site like Amazon. Print-on Demand Products are products that you design digitally, but they aren't actually made until someone orders them. It includes branded merchandise, t-shirts, mugs, journals, paperback books, etc. This is managed through a third-party company like Printful and/or Amazon. You are not required to disclose anything about items you're selling for yourself, but like all other methods of selling, don't go overboard promoting your products and remember value first. Selling Your Services A service is anything you do for your clients. It could be an in-person service, like a handyman, or online, like a virtual assistant. Services are quite possibly the easiest way to start making money through your blog because you don't have to do anything up front. Just include a note with each post that says, “Hey I offer this service. Click here to sign up.” You can offer services that match your skill set and your personality. For example, some services require a lot of face-to-face interaction (in person or online), while others can be completely on your own with little to no interaction with people. So if you're killer with a spreadsheet and a hard-core introvert, you can offer bookkeeping services with quarterly update meetings. If you're great at organizing, you can serve as an online business manager (OBM) who's the point person for a business owner's contractors. The fact is that there's essentially no limit to how you can make money as a blogger. Be creative! Similarly, there's virtually no limit to how much you could make if you use multiple methods of earning. Of course there needs to be a balance between providing value without making any offers and selling, but it's completely feasible to use all of these income streams on a single blog. So next time someone questions why you'd want to start a blog to make money… you've got 5 great answers. In Teacher Blog Academy we go into more depth on each of these income streams in Module 4: Earn. If you want to build a profitable blog in less time, with less frustration, Teacher Blog Academy is opening in just 4 days! Learn more and get on the waitlist at teacherblogacademy.com.

As of this writing, there are over 600 million blogs on the internet. That's a lot. However, not all are active and not all are profitable.  Why? There are a number of reasons blogs don't make money, but the most common are these 3: It's a hobby blog. The blogger started it just for fun and never intended to monetize it. Fair enough. Blogfade. In this case the blogger fully intended to monetize their blog but was expecting it to be quick and easy. When it wasn't, they gave up. Bad practices. There's plenty of bad blogging advice on the internet that people are still following. Without a trusted guide, making money is going to be harder. That said there are lots of people making money from their blog, every.. single. day.  What do they have that the others don't?  Here's the good news.  Nothing. There's no special skill or talent that was bestowed upon successful bloggers at birth. Flora, Fauna, and Merriweather didn't bless them with a magical gift, like Sleeping Beauty. Bloggers who build profitable blogs did so by establishing 3 essential habits. And literally anyone can do them. I built my first blog with these foundational habits. They're also why, when I saw the potential of Side Hustle Teacher, I knew I could grow this blog, too. Even though my old blog was making good money, and Side Hustle Teachers wasn't (yet), I didn't hesitate to sell the old to make room to pursue my true passion, helping teachers.  The money would come.  And it did! So what is it that you need to do to ensure a successful, profitable blog? Let's dig in! Show Up The number one thing successful bloggers do is they show up. That may sound ridiculously simple, but this simple thing is truly what separates success from failure. When you have no audience in the beginning, there will be a little voice that says, “You're really busy this week. You can skip your blog post. No one's reading it anyway.”  When I hear that little voice, I say (out loud), “Shut up, Becky!” Yes, I named my little voice Becky - apologies to all the lovely Becky's of the world. Successful people show up. When you're writing blog posts that you're certain only your mom is going to read, write it as though hundreds of people are going to read it - eventually, they will. When you're sending an email to your list of 5 people, write it as though you've got thousands of people on your list - eventually you will. At the beginning you're a beginner. And that's okay. But a beginner doesn't become a novice, and a novice doesn't become a master unless you keep showing up. If you do nothing else, you have to show up. Learn and Apply It goes without saying that in order to grow a profitable blog - or do anything you've never done before - you need to be open to learning new things.  Honestly, teachers have this part locked down. We are natural life-long learners. We seek out new information like a bear seeks out food after hibernation, especially if it's something we really want to learn. Look out world - hungry bear coming through! But don't start patting yourself on the back too soon. Learning is only half the equation. You also have to apply what you're learning. And this is where many people, especially teachers, get stuck. We don't want to get started until we know everything and feel like experts.  This is also a great excuse not to take the scary step of actually getting started. It's called educrasticastion or procrastilearning.  But imagine doing that with our students. Would you teach them the Pythagorean theorem without giving them problems to apply it to? Nope. So don't do that to yourself. In order to build a profitable blog, you have to allow yourself (force yourself?) to apply what you're learning as you go. Don't move on to learning something else until you've practiced and applied what you were just taught. That's why Teacher Blog Academy is designed with workbooks for every lesson, so there are clear action steps to take before you move forward. I'm on to you! However you learn, get into the habit of learning, then applying. Rinse and repeat. Treat Your Blog Like a Business Your blog isn't going to be the profit-making machine you want it to be until you treat it like one. I will admit, I had trouble with this one for a while. I worked on my blog in my “spare time.” (You know, all the free time teachers have.) If something else came up - literally anything else - I would say okay and ignore my blog. I would even minimize my enterprise when people asked me about it. “Oh, it's just a little blog.” Once I started taking it seriously, I saw the returns immediately. What does this look like? Schedule time to work on your blog. In our house, if it's not on the calendar, it doesn't happen. Book time for yourself, tell your family, set boundaries, and enforce them. My daughter knows that when my office door is closed she's not allowed to interrupt unless there's a fire, flood, vomit, or blood. Set goals for yourself. At first it might be a goal to get your blog posts every week. Then it might be to increase your blog traffic. Then it might be to earn a particular amount of money. Or you might just go for a big, audacious goal, like quitting your job, right from the start. Having something to work towards adds purpose to your work, and makes it easier to make your blog a priority. Be consistent. If you commit to putting out a blog post every week, put out a blog post every week. If you go live on Instagram on Tuesdays, do it. The world is full of people who don't do what they say they're going to do. Don't be one of those people.  Show up. Show up. Show up. Yes, it really is that simple. Too often people think that they can't be one of the successful bloggers because they're not expert enough, or smart enough, or that they need to know some secret handshake. Maybe you've thought these things, too.  Maybe you've wondered if you're too old or too young. Not fit enough, or not the right color. But I promise you; the you that you are is the you the world wants to hear from. There's absolutely no reason you can't be one of the people who succeed. There are no skills, talents, personal or physical characteristics that you don't already have in order to make money from blogging. All you need is to develop the habits that others haven't. Treat your blog like a business Learn and apply Show up Teacher Blog Academy, is launching on April 21, 2022. This program is going to take students through my proven 5-step system for creating a profitable blog. You can learn more and sign up for the waitlist at teacherblogacademy.com. You're not going to want to miss this. I'll be offering a once -in-a-lifetime introductory deal on TBA for a few days only!

The internet is full of blogging advice, and a lot of it is really useful. Unfortunately a lot of it used to be useful, but became outdated 20 years ago, and some of it is just plain wrong. So how does a budding blogger discern the difference? Well, it's not easy - because it all looks legit - but I'm going to break down some pieces of advice you may stumble upon that you can just ignore. Bad Blogging Advice #1: Post Every Day I admit, I fully did this, and I very nearly quit blogging early on because I was burnt out after a very short period of time.  Writing a blog post every day, or even 3 times a week, is not sustainable.  It's also bad practice.  Why? First of all, how much time, effort, energy, research, etc. can you put into a post if you're writing one every day? I can answer that. Little to none. And these days, search engines are putting a premium on quality content, so you're digging yourself into a hole with this practice. Additionally, if you're spending all your time creating content, you don't have any time to promote it. It's going to be difficult for you to see any benefit from all that content if you don't tell people about it. You need to give yourself time to share on social media, email your list, and respond to comments, which are all things that will grow your readership.  Bad Blogging Advice #2: Comment on Other Blogs Back in the day (you know, the dark ages of the early 2000s) leaving comments on other people's blogs was a proven method to grow your own readership. Many bloggers used plugins that even posted links to commenter's sites to encourage comments. These comments and links would leave digital crumbs all over the internet and lead people to your site. However, once social media became the behemoth it is, blog comments became less important and most bloggers moved their interactions to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc.  This isn't to say that you shouldn't comment on other blogs, or connect with other bloggers on social media. Making connections and building relationships is always a great idea. But if you've got limited time, don't feel the need to go reading and commenting on other blogs as a traffic building strategy. Bad Blogging Advice #3: Use Giveaways to Grow Your List This is another thing I've done with the best of intentions… and horrible results. You may have seen people giving away an iPad or some other expensive gadget in exchange for people's email lists - sign up today and be entered to WIN BIG! - but this method of list building was pretty well debunked as a myth years ago. Of course, nothing ever dies on the internet, so you'll still come across this never-really-a-good-idea piece of advice every so often. The problem with offering a raffle or other giveaway to get people on your list is that the people who join are low quality leads. They're not likely interested in what you're talking about. They just want free stuff. (There are people who literally scour the internet and enter every contest they can find so they can win stuff and then sell it.) These people aren't going to open your emails, so your deliverability is going to drop. They're never going to become readers or customers. The best case scenario is that they unsubscribe from your list after the contest is over. The worst case is that they sit on your list for years - which you pay for by the subscriber - and suck up your bandwidth. If you absolutely insist on a giveaway, make sure it's something that people who are interested in what you offer would be interested in.  Bad Blogging Advice #4: Be Everywhere There are still people who support this strategy. And to be perfectly honest, if you're a full-time blogger or have a lot of help (like multiple VAs), there's nothing wrong with this advice.  However, if you're reading this, you're likely managing your blog in your “spare time” and are currently the Chief Everything Officer. In that case, this is a really bad piece of advice. There are entrepreneurs who built their businesses and reputations on working morning, noon, and night, operating on 3-4 hours of sleep, and doing all the things. That's not just unsustainable, it's irresponsible. As a solopreneur you have to be more mindful of how you spend your time. Instead of trying to be everywhere - blogging, podcasting, YouTubing, Facebooking, Instagramming, Tweeting, TikToking… you get the idea - you need to be strategic and selective about where to focus your efforts.  I suggest that you choose one primary platform (aka your blog), and one secondary platform (i.e. ONE social media program. Only once you've mastered these platforms, and created systems to make it easy to manage them, should you consider adding something else. And even then it's often best to double down on what's working rather than adding something new. Bad Blogging Advice #5: Posts Must Be Long/ Short If you're confused, you're normal. There's a lot of conflicting advice about how long your posts should be in order to maximize your SEO. Some say that you should keep it brief with a limit of 500-700 words. Others will tell you that if you don't write at least 2,000 words you might as well not bother.  The truth, as it usually is, is much less black and white. Your posts need to be the right length for you and your audience. That's it. You can read more about content length in this post. The only definite rule is that you want your posts to be a minimum of 300 words so Google and other search engines can properly read and index them. Bad Blogging Advice #6: You Must Write Guest Posts Guest posting, writing a post for someone else's blog, can be a great way to build your audience. However, it's not something you should focus on right away. One of the key benefits of guest posting is having people from another, more established blog's audience discover you through the link you place in your bio and (perhaps) in the post you share. If you don't yet have a good reserve of content on your blog, people are going to come to your site and be disappointed, which is not what you want. Instead of spending your creative capital on providing content for others, focus on creating great stuff for your own site. Once you have 6-8 months of posts on your own blog, you can start to think about guest posting.  Remember that guest posting doesn't mean you're skipping writing for your own site. You're writing for your site and the other person's site, too. Bad Blogging Advice #7: Have Big Launch This isn't inherently bad advice, but it can prevent a lot of people from actually launching their blogs. Let's be honest, building your blog, creating content, and getting your social media up and running is a lot. You don't need to take on any more work to convince people you have a “real” blog. If you don't want to share your blog until you've got a few posts published, that's fine. But don't think that you need to have a big launch party, or even make it an event. Telling ourselves that we have to do things like this is one of the issues that prevents people from getting started. It's just too much.  And it's not necessary. Your blog “launch” can be as simple as you sending an email to your friends and family, or posting on Facebook that you've got a blog and giving a link to check it out. Done and done. The fact of the matter is that there are very few things you have to do in order to be a successful blogger. Put out great content, tell people about it, and monetize it in some way. In fact, you'll notice that most of the bad advice I've listed here is about taking things off your to-do list. Blogging isn't easy, per se, but it doesn't have to be complicated. That's the reason I've been able to do it while continuing to teach for 10 years! Especially when you're first starting out, but really throughout your blogging journey, focusing on a few key tasks (3 Fundamental Things to Focus on to Grow Your Blog) is what will make blogging sustainable and the best side hustle for teachers. While we're somewhat still on the topic of launches, I want to let you know that my new program, Teacher Blog Academy, is launching on April 21, 2022. This program is going to take students through my proven 5-step system for creating a profitable blog. You can learn more and sign up for the waitlist at teacehrblogacademy.com. You're not going to want to miss this. I'll be offering a once -in-a-lifetime introductory deal on TBA for a few days only!

One objection I hear over and over again when I talk to people about blogging is that what they do is different, so they don't need to blog. This is a very common misconception. The fact is that I have a hard time coming up with any business that can't benefit from a blog - the most affordable type of marketing on the planet!  Here's why: A home of your own. The first thing every blogger needs is a website, and these days, that's expected of just about any business. Using your space to highlight your work just makes sense. Know-Like-Trust. Every business is different, and every business owner is different. Blogging allows people to see not just what you do, but who you are. That goes a long way to establishing loyal customers. Discoverability. Search engines like Google and Bing use the content on your website to determine when to serve you up in search results and to whom. When you blog, you raise your chances of appearing in searches - which means more people find you!  I even recommend that my students and private clients who want to grow via a podcast or YouTube channel maintain a blog to host their content because blogs remain the most discoverable content on the web. Long-Term Access. Unlike social media, which is controlled by an ever-changing algorithm, and has a life-span counted in minutes, your blog will continue to bring in new people for years to come! But how can you actually utilize blogging in your specific business? Well, let's dig into how the four most popular teacher side hustles can benefit from blogging. Direct Sales Also known as network marketing or multi-level marketing, this is one of the most popular teacher side hustles. When you join a direct sales company - think Pampered Chef, Mary Kay, or Beachbody - you are provided lots of support, content to use, and even a personal website. However, those who really flourish in network marketing are those who make personal connections with potential customers through their own, unique content. Let's think about the examples I gave above of direct sales companies:  A Pampered Chef consultant can use a blog to share recipes, give tips for kitchen organization, and review new tools as they come out. People are much more likely to click on a recipe than a blatant sales pitch, and by creating your own content, you can be certain that customers are clicking through to your sales page, not just the company's main page (which looks exactly like yours). A Mary Kay consultant can share his or her morning routines, techniques for using the makeup, tips for makeup hygiene, updated looks for new seasons and trends… it's limitless. And just as with food, people are more likely to click on something that can help them than something that's only trying to sell them. Beachbody trainers can use a blog to share workout tips, previews and reviews of new programs, inspirational posts for motivation, and success stories of customers. Again, people want to be helped, not sold to.  Digital Service Providers A digital service provider  is a person who helps small business owners manage their time and business. They do this by taking administrative tasks off the business owners' plates, allowing them to focus on the things that are in their zone of genius.  Virtual Assistants, for example, can offer general services like email management and support with paperwork and other behind the scenes basics. Others can be more specialized, like social media managers, podcast editors, or graphic artists. Beyond that there are online business managers or launch specialists that take care of more high-level tasks and manage teams of other VAs. A blog can entice potential clients by offering tips on efficiency, productivity, and even how to do some of the things that they provide as services. Some people worry that creating a blog that gives tips on how business owners can manage their own tasks will cannibalize their business, but it rarely works that way. Most business owners quickly realize that it's much easier, efficient, and cost effective to hire someone than it is to do everything themselves. And if they do it themselves for a while, they often come back to the person they learned from to take over when they're ready. Digital Product Sales A digital product is anything people buy from you that can be accessed online. This huge category includes a few types of digital products, all of which can use blogging to market and attract customers. Downloadable Products. If you want to offer something that people can download and use immediately, like an ebook or teaching resources, a blog is the perfect marketing tool. People who pay for solutions to their problems want to know that the person they're giving their hard-earned money to knows what they're talking about. Your blog can be a teaser for what you offer in your paid content and serve as a way for people to get to know, like, and trust you so they feel comfortable that you have the right solution for them.  Digital Courses. When someone purchases a course, they want to learn from someone who knows their stuff and can teach them in a way they understand. Free content, like blog posts, offer a taste of your personality and teaching style that let's potential students know if you're a good fit for them.  In all situations, a blog is the most cost effective way to set yourself apart from the rest of the marketplace.  After all, what makes you different is YOU! Let your audience know who you are, what you do, and how you can help them so that whenever they're ready to invest, you're the person who comes to mind. I don't know what I want to sell Many people who come to Side Hustle Teachers and think about starting a blog, don't know what they want to sell. In fact, many are dead set against selling anything, especially at first.  The good news is that you can start your blog knowing what you want to write about, the kind of help you want to offer, and just make money through ads, affiliate links, and even sponsored posts. Then, as you grow, you can choose how to grow your income without limits because whatever you choose, your blog will support it.  So, yes, blogging can benefit any business. Not sure how? Come on over to the Side Hustle Teachers Facebook group and ask! Myself and the other 10,000+ members would be happy to help! Have you grabbed your ticket to Edu Side Hustle Con yet? Happening in Hollywood, FL July 12-14 this 3-day event is a cross between networking and learning and should not be missed. This is the conference I wish they'd had when I was starting out. This year I'm thrilled to be a speaker and I want to meet and hug as many of you as possible. Check it out by clicking here!

A blog is a really great entry point into the world of online business. It's got a low barrier to get started, and literally anyone with internet access can do it. But you're not just anyone. You're a teacher. And if you're going to do something, damn it, you're going to do it right. And this is exactly what keeps so many teachers from starting their blog. There's an expression of unknown origin that Gretchen Rubin popularized in her book, The Happiness Project, that is quite apt for this situation; The perfect is the enemy of the good.  No doubt you've read about blogging (hello!), watched YouTube videos, or listened to podcasts, and you've discovered that there's more to a blog than slapping up a website and shoving out content. In fact, learning about blogging can take you down quite a rabbit hole… It can lead to procrastilearning or educrastination and prevent you from ever getting started. I wrote about that a while back, and you can read Why Teacherprenuers Should Stop Learning and Start Doing here. But that still leaves you in a bind. You still have all this information and according to internet expert A and blog guru B, it's all important. Well, it is.  But it doesn't all need to be done right now.  It took me years to get my first blog to a place where I felt like all the pieces were in place and working in concert. But even though it was far from perfect, it was good enough to start making money for my family. Instead of trying to do everything, focus on the things that are going to become the foundation of your blogging business. Worry about the rest when these pieces are not only solid, but systematized. So, what are the three things you should focus on?  Let's dig in! Content Pillars If your blog niche is kind of like the subject you teach, your content pillars are the 4-6 units you'd break that subject down into for a particular course.  Content pillars are a great way to narrow your focus so that you can become a go-to resource for one specific niche.  For example, you might be a certified family consumer science teacher (home ec to us golden oldies). You can teach a variety of subjects, but if your course is an intro to cooking class, you're not going to be teaching sewing patterns, money management, or even how to keep your souffle from falling. Because those things are what students in that course are looking for. Similarly, your blog may be about gardening and your niche is people who want to learn how to grow their own food. Your content pillars would reflect the 4-6 big ideas that that audience would be interested in.  The important thing to keep in mind is that aaaaaaallllllll your content, especially at first, needs to fit clearly into one of your pillars. When you stray from your pillars, you confuse your audience. And as Donald Miller says, “When you confuse, you lose.” Read more about content pillars here. Purpose If your blog's purpose is to make money, then the content you create needs to be developed with that purpose in mind.  While your blog can, itself, make money (through ads, affiliate links, etc.), it's also your biggest marketing channel. This is true whether you're selling products, services, or digital downloads. It's also true if you don't sell anything yet and you're just trying to build up readership.  Your blog is a marketing channel for your blog. It's very meta. Create your content to do one of three things: Build authority. Help your readers see you as a go-to source for your topic.  Strengthen relationships. Get to know your audience, and let them get to know you as a real person. Actively sell. Done least often, your content can be a direct conduit into your sales funnel or an affiliate sale. For more on the primary purposes of your content check out 3 Content Purposes: Making Your Content Work for You.  Email List Many beginning bloggers neglect this step and regret it later. Your email list is the lifeblood of your business. It is not controlled by an algorithm. It is not subject to being closed at the whim of a giant corporation.  It is yours.  And that is a very special thing in the world of online business. To get people on your list you're going to have to offer something in exchange, but it doesn't have to be anything huge. In fact, if you offer something too big as your email optin, it can scare people off.  So think simple, straight-forward, and something that will give your new email list member a quick win. I did a Facebook Live on this a while back, which I encourage you to check out. It's 5 Types of Freebies You Can Offer in Exchange for an Email Address. To manage reader emails (and not violate FFC regulations) you're going to need to sign up with an email service provider. The one I use and recommend is ConvertKit. They even have a free plan for those not quite ready to invest.  Once you get someone - yes, even one person - signed up, you want to send out emails weekly. It doesn't have to be much. Just a quick, “Hey, did you see the new blog post? It's about X and you can read it by clicking here,” is enough at first. If you focus on these three things, your blog will grow.  Spend your time creating great purposeful content that clearly fits in your content pillars, and include a call to action to join your email list in every. single. post.  Blogging can be complicated, but it doesn't have to be. That's a choice. Don't let your desire for your blog to be perfect, and have all the bells and whistles, prevent it from being good. And now you can generate 6 months worth of blog post ideas in the FREE 5-Day Content Challenge. Never be stuck for what to write about, and publish great content with purpose every week. Click here to enroll for free!

As a teacher, you may be sick of hearing about data. But as a blogger and business owner, you can't ignore the numbers. If you want to know if your efforts are paying off, you need to track your numbers.  If you want to know what people are responding to, you need to track your numbers. If you want help determining where to reinforce your efforts, you need to track your numbers. You know this. The good news is that, thanks to Google Analytics, gathering data for your blog is much easier than it is in your classroom. You can literally just log in and find out what you need to know! If you've not set up your Google Analytics account, you can find the instructions on how to do so here. Once you set up your account, Google will track your site's activity and you can check on it at any time. It's a beautiful thing! The not so good news is that Google Analytics gives you a ton of data, and it can be overwhelming.  So let's dig into the numbers you really need to know to track your progress. What Are Key Performance Indicators? Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are the data points that are going to help you evaluate whether your blog is growing in the way you want it to.  Over time, these KPIs will also help you  identify trends, like whether or not it's normal for your traffic to drop after Christmas, or that your bounce rate drops when you include at least 3 internal links in your posts. This knowledge will give you insight, inspiration, and peace of mind when you're going through the ups and downs of blogging. Page Views Your page views represent the total number of pages people have viewed on your blog. This is a great number to know as a basic overview of your site's performance. Page views are tallied each time someone views a page on your site. So if a visitor reads a blog post, follows an internal link to another blog post, then clicks to go to a page to sign up for your freebie, that would count as 3 page views. Another data point you can look at are Sessions, which is counted as a single visit, regardless of how many pages the reader views. The example above would be 1 session. There's also Users, which counts the number of unique visitors to your site. The example above would be a single user, and if they returned to your site on another day, it wouldn't add another user to your count. Generally speaking, you want your page views to go up, but don't obsess over them. Your readership is going to have natural peaks and valleys. For example, a health and wellness blog might see a big jump in page views around the first of the year, but November might be a bit of a lull. As long as the numbers are trending up over time, it's all good. Pages Per Session To calculate this number Google takes the total number of page views and divides it by the number of sessions over the same time period. The higher this number is, the more your readers are interacting with your site. Shopping sites tend to have higher average pages per session because people click around looking at different items. Sites that attract more cold traffic, like blogs, have lower pages per session. To increase this indicator provide more opportunities for readers to click to other content on your blog. You might add more internal links to your posts, add a stronger call to action, use a related posts plugin, or add a sidebar that entices readers to click on your opt-ins. Bounce Rate Your bounce rate is the percentage of sessions that include a single page. It indicates that people are coming to your site for whatever content drew them there, but are not engaging past that post. Of all your KPIs, this is the number you want to see decrease. A lower bounce rate means more people are sticking around and clicking through your site. Like above, to improve this focus on encouraging your readers to do something or click somewhere in each of your posts. Inbound Traffic Sources Your blog can get traffic (visitors) from lots of different sources. In Analytics, Google breaks it down into 6 basic categories in the Acquisition Overview: Direct: people who click on a link in an email or just type in your web address Referral: people who find you through a link on someone else's website Organic Search: anyone who finds you through entering a search term in Google, Bing, Yahoo!, etc. Organic Social: those who get to your page via any social media network Organic Video: people who find you through YouTube and click over to your site Unassigned: anyone who finds you in a way that doesn't fit one of the other categories But here's a little tip; In the bottom left corner of this page is a box called Sessions. This box will show you where your traffic came from based on the 6 default categories. But… you can choose to dig a little deeper.  The graphic below shows the Sessions box with the default categories (on the left) and by session source (on the right). I prefer to look at the session source because it tells me exactly where my visitors are coming from.  [sessions image] My focuses for acquiring new traffic are email and Facebook. This information confirms that my efforts are paying off. You can see that direct traffic tops my report, and Facebook (mobile and standard) make up another large chunk. I can also see that my SEO game is on point because I'm getting a very nice amount of traffic via Google. I could also use information about my inbound traffic to determine if a new campaign is working or not. For example, if I had just implemented a new Instagram strategy I'd be pretty disappointed because I have literally no traffic from Instagram. I could then decide to revamp my efforts or just stick with what I can see is already working. Top Posts and Pages This KPI tells you what your most popular posts and pages were over the selected time period, based on page views.  Beyond just feeling good about yourself, there are some big benefits to knowing what posts are driving your blog traffic. First, once you know what type of posts your readers are engaging with most, you can create more of this content. Write a part 2 or follow to that post, or just craft more posts geared to that specific segment of your audience. (This may be part of niching down even further.) This data can also help you decide which older posts to promote in your email newsletter or on social media. If it's something your audience has already told you they liked through high engagement or page views, it can't hurt to put it out there again. Since you originally published the post you've likely gained new followers, and there's a better than decent chance not everyone in your audience didn't see it the first time you shared it. Finally, once you know which posts are your top performers, you can take a bit of time to optimize them. Make sure those posts have lots of internal links in them (we talked about this in the previous post 17 Essential Dos & Don'ts to Get More Traffic to Your Blog), have a really strong call to action, and that you've checked that these posts are well formatted for mobile. New Email Subscribers This is the only metric that you won't find in Google Analytics. Instead, you need to go to your email service provider (I use ConvertKit), to see how many subscribers you've gained in the month. As I mentioned above, my email list is one of my best, and most consistent marketing channels. In order to get the most value from it I need to make sure it's continually growing, with new people being added. Here's what my report looks like for the last 5 weeks. [email image] It's important to note here, that when you check this report you're also going to see the number of people who are unsubscribing from your list.In the image here they're shown in light gray. Don't get discouraged by unsubscribes. As long as over time you're gaining more subscribers than you're losing, it's all good.  New subscribers are a good indication that your opt-in is connecting with your audience. If you want this number to go up faster, there are some things you can do. While you might be tempted to scrap your current opt-in and create a new one, first play around with your call to action, and the placement of your opt-ins. You might even want to try a pop-up if you don't have one. Yes, they're annoying, but they work! (I use OptinMonster, which you can try here.) Once you know the KPIs you want to track, set a date in your calendar every month to review them. You can make a spreadsheet to record month over month, or just write it in a notebook. You don't need a complicated system, especially at first.  Instead, simply make an appointment with yourself once a month to review your numbers and don't be afraid of them. They're just numbers. They're indicators of your blog's growth, not it's success or failure (or yours). Just like your students' standardized test scores or the number you see when you step on the scale, it's just data you can use to continue to grow. And what's the most important thing when it comes to growing your blog? Consistently putting out great content. Now you can enroll in the 5-Day Content Challenge and never be stuck for what to write about. Click here to enroll for free!

You work hard on writing helpful, easy to read posts that your audience will love. So it's frustrating when it feels like no one is paying any attention. I get it. If you want to get more eyes on your content, there are a few things you can do to accelerate your growth. Here 17 dos and don'ts to maximize your blog traffic, even if you're brand new. 1. Do stay true to your niche It can be tempting to cast a wide net with your content, and write about everything connected to a particular topic. However, when your posts are too broad it's difficult to grow your audience because people don't know what to expect from post to post. Maybe last week you wrote about a DIY birdhouse and this week you gave a gluten-free pizza recipe. They're technically both “home” related, but different people are going to be interested in each, with perhaps a little overlap.  You might think that getting different people to your site is a positive, but if someone comes to your site for a specific post, but it's the only one of its kind, they won't be back. You want to keep people who find you coming back AND attracting new people, too. That's much easier to do with a clearly defined niche. If you want to know more about niching down, check this post. 2. Don't forget about your old content One mistake people make when it comes to promoting your content is thinking of promotion as one-and-done. Remember that if you're writing evergreen posts, they're useful to your audience any time, so you can keep sharing them over and over. Make sure there's some space in between when you share the same content. I recommend resharing each evergreen blog post about once a month. You can do this most easily by using a scheduler, like CinchShare, or creating a spreadsheet of each post that includes a link and description. If you want to try CinchShare free for 14 days, click here. 3. Do guest post strategically Guest posting - writing for other people's blogs - can be a great way to expand your audience.  Essentially, when you publish on someone else's site, you're borrowing their clout and getting exposure to more people who can then follow your blog. When writing guest posts, it's important to choose the sites you write for carefully. Find bloggers who would have an overlapping audience with you, but who aren't in the exact same niche. For example, an artist might do a guest post on an interior design blog, or vice versa. Check the guidelines for each site and, if possible, include a link to one of your self-hosted posts within the post you share on their site. And of course maximize the bio at the bottom of the post with a clear description of your blog and a link to find it. 4. Do use internal links An internal link is a link that you include within a blog post that leads to another piece of content you've written. The benefit of internal links is that while someone is reading one post, happily devouring it and discovering your genius, they are naturally led to another post they may find helpful. If done correctly, this can help people stay on your site longer, going from post to post, and increasing your time on page average while decreasing your bounce rate. (More on those later.) 5. Don't spam groups your in with your links I encourage my clients and students to join Facebook groups that contain your ideal audience to build relationships. However, going into these groups and simply dropping links in every thread is not going to help you.  In fact, it can do the opposite. When you use the spray and pray method - spamming groups and pages with your links - can not only get you removed and blocked from groups you want to be in. It can also lead to a reputation as one of *those* people that no one wants to build a relationship with. 7. Do make it easy to share your posts When I read a great blog post, the first thing I do is look for a button to press so I can share it with others. But I'm not going to spend forever looking for it. At the absolute least, you should have sharing buttons at the bottom of each post, but I also recommend installing a plugin like Social Warfare that will display a floating bar on the side of each post. A floating bar follows readers as they scroll down the page, always in view, so they can share with the least amount of effort.  8. Don't try to be everywhere You have a limited amount of time, and trying to post on every platform and network is just going to drain your time and energy. And to be honest, you're going to see very limited returns. Instead, decide on a primary platform (your blog), and one social network on which to focus.  I suggest starting with the social media platform you already use the most and are most familiar with, with a few things to think about:  Since new social media platforms pop up every 6 months or so (remember Clubhouse), choose one that's more established.  Consider the content you want to create. If you love watching TikTok videos, but don't want to make them, don't feel like you have to because it's your favorite platform. Go where your people are looking for you. People are everywhere online, but if your ideal audience group is using Instagram to watch videos of people making cakes and cats riding Roombas, you may have to test the waters to see if they also want to consume your content there. 9. Do get to know SEO According to Search Engine Land, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of improving your site to increase its visibility when people search for products or services related to your business in Google, Bing, and other search engines. The better visibility your pages have in search results, the more likely you are to garner attention and attract prospective and existing customers to your business. I recommend using a free plugin called Yoast to help manage your SEO. It allows you to set a keyword for each post, as well as a meta-description (a summary of your post that web crawlers read as they index your site). It also gives you feedback on how to improve your post's SEO. 10. Don't stuff your content full of keywords Not to state the obvious, but keywords are important. You might say they're *key* (see what I did there?). Keywords are what people enter into a search engine when they are looking for something online. As I mentioned previously, you can set a keyword for your posts, but since Google, Bing, and other search engines read your whole post to determine its subject and value, you can also include related keywords in the body of your post.  When done naturally, this works well to boost your searchability. However, when you simply use all the related phrases in your post without regard for readability or, you know… making sense, search engines don't like that (and neither do your readers). 11. Do email your list Whenever you publish a new post, email your list. Anyone on your email list is already primed to want to read more of your content. You're not bugging them. You're letting them know that you just wrote a new kick-ass post that they're going to love. This is, hands down, the easiest way to get people to return to your page week after week and build your authority with your list. You can even start for free with ConvertKit's free plan! 12. Do put effort into your post titles Your post titles are what people see in big print when they search for something, so they're your best chance to convince people to click on your post as opposed to someone else's. A great post title should clearly state what your post is about. Fight the urge to be clever or wordsmithy.  Not only does your title play a role in SEO, a person who searches for how to save money at Disney is going to click on a post with a title that says “X Ways to Save Money on Your Disney Vacation in 2022,” not, “Save Your Mickeys!” Use a free browser extension called Headline Analyzer to help. 13. Don't be afraid of the competition My philosophy is that other bloggers - even those in my niche - aren't competition. The idea of competition is based on the belief that blogging is a zero-sum game, which it's not. Just because someone follows another person that writes about what I do, doesn't mean they won't read my blog, too. In fact, they're more likely to read my blog because they're interested in what I write about. When it comes down to it, other bloggers are your colleagues. You don't have to crush them. You can collaborate with them, get to know them, and support them! Comment on their posts. join their groups and post helpful responses with no links to your own content or courses, and reach out to them on social media.  14. Do make and follow an editorial calendar An editorial calendar is essentially your blog's scope and sequence. It organizes the topics you plan to cover, and the order in which you plan to do it. Keep in mind one key difference - when you're blogging, you don't have to order your posts like you're sequentially teaching something. In fact, if you're planning on creating a course at some point in the future, you probably don't want your free content to be structured that way. Your editorial calendar is a way for you to make sure that your content is touching upon all your content pillars. It also allows you to plan posts around things you may want to promote (whether they're your own or affiliate products/ services), and tease upcoming content to your readers. And, it takes the pressure off you each week if you know what to write about. Bonus! 15. Do track your blogs key performance indicators When you're getting started it's tempting to sit at your computer and hit refresh over and over to see how many people have read your blog, but it's not particularly productive. (Ask me how I know.) Instead, dedicate one day a month to check in on your key performance indicators (KPIs) to see how things are going. This will let you have enough data in between checks to see progress and set new goals or adjust your old ones. Some things to check on during this monthly appointment are page views, sessions, pages per session, bounce rate, new email subscribers, top posts and pages. Stay tuned for an upcoming episode all about KPIs (which I can tell you about because I use an editorial calendar). 16. Don't copy other people's content This one is obvious, right? It's not okay to copy other people's work. On top of that, it's not going to help your blog traffic (or your reputation) either. It's okay to be inspired by other posts and it's okay to curate ideas, tips, tricks, etc. from other posts. But you must create your own work, in your own words. Otherwise the post is missing what makes your blog posts different - YOU!  Also, if Google has already read and indexed their post, your copycat post will never, ever rank higher than the one you copied. 17. Do be patient Growth takes time. It's tempting to look at people who've got tons of page views and think you're falling behind, but I promise you, you're not. Even the big names started at nothing and had to grow their audience slowly.  In fact, growing slowly is positive in many ways. You can get to know your readers personally, you have a chance to find your blogging voice, and you can work out the technical kinks in your systems all while your audience is small. Take your time, give yourself the same grace and patience you provide your students, and look for progress, not perfection. Ready to jump into your blog? Enroll in my now-free 5-Day Content Challenge! In it I'll show you how to come up with 6 months worth of blog topics in just 20 minutes a day! Click here to join.

Every few months or so something happens and just seems to take over every media outlet and social feed. Betty White's unfortunate passing springs to mind. Inevitably, smaller publishers like bloggers start to jump in on it, too. If you've ever thought about trying to relate your content to a trending topic or event, but thought that your niche just doesn't work that way, think again. What's the point? The benefit to tying your content to what's already being talked about is that you get to ride the wave of public interest. People are interested in this topic and it may introduce new people to your blog You also can use related hashtags and find that people are more apt to share your posts with others. Stories tied to popular events tend to be shared more because people see others in their networks sharing and follow suit. My niche just doesn't connect… Running and the Queen of England. Those are 2 topics you'd probably imagine couldn't possibly be connected, right? But really, those 2 completely unrelated topics are what inspired this post. A few weeks ago, while on a trip to visit my sister a few hours away, my husband started reading a blog post on one of his go-to running blogs. I was driving, so he thought he'd “entertain” me.  I'll be totally honest; I don't care about running. But this caught my attention anyway, and I knew I had to share why. The post was about what world record running times were when Queen Elizabeth II was crowned.  Ummm… what? Exactly. The post shared what times were for popular running events in 1952, and then went on to analyze the changes the sport has gone through in the 70 years since.  There was even a loose tie-in to the Olympics, because the summer games were held in 1952, and the post was published just before the 2022 winter games. If this blog can make a connection between running and the Queen's 70th jubilee, there's no limit to how you can connect trending topics to your blog. With that, let's talk about how you can tap into trending topic traffic. Look for obvious connections Before you go looking for roundabout ways to connect your blog to something on the news or trending on social media, look for natural connections. Even though it inspired this post, there's no prize for most unexpected unrelated-but-related blog post. If your blog is education based, there's plenty of news you can tap into that you can riff on naturally.  If you write about travel, did Kim Kardashian's vacation just make news? If you're a food blogger, maybe the new season of Top Chef is starting. Think about what people who are interested in your niche might be following, and see how you can fill in some blanks. How does x impact y? Another type of association you can make between your blog and trending topics is through impact. In other words, how does something happening in the news affect your audience? Kind of like that old school Weekend Update on SNL with Al Franken, when he would give some news and say, “I bet you're wondering how this affects me, Al Franken.” Maybe you help busy parents, and meal planning is one of your content pillars. You can talk about the impact of food shortages and supply chain issues on meal prepping. Photography blogs can talk about the effect the movements to include more diversity in art are having on your own creative process. Oh how times have changed Like the post about running that tied into the Queen's jubilee, these posts can highlight how things have changed over time. This works best with things like with anniversaries, birthdays, reunions, or long-running events. For example, I recently read that the characters on Golden Girls and And Just Like That, the Sex and the City reboot, were the same age! (It took a minute for that to sink in.) However, there are lots of directions a blogger could go with this: A fashion blogger could talk about the difference in expected wardrobes for 50-somethings from the 80s to today. Interior design could do the same. A financial blogger could discuss how retirement and retirement planning has changed. Someone who writes about politics could write about the political environment for women in the 80s vs now. The downside While using current trends can be a great way to get more people to your blog in the short term, it's not a long-term strategy (unless you're writing a current events blog). Once the buzz of a topic is over, all the attention goes with it, and all the work you put into your post is no longer serving you. This is especially true if you don't jump a trend right away and catch it on its way out. You also run the risk of turning people off because they're sick to death of hearing about Kate and Meghan or this year's Superbowl ads. So while there are some benefits, you don't need to turn your blog into a current events blog, or even attempt to connect to trending topics. And if you're going to, remember to strike a balance between seasonal (time-bound) content and evergreen. You can check out this post on what the difference is, and how to balance them. But perhaps next time you find yourself struggling for what to write about, try searching the headlines to see what's going on out in the big wide world. Of course, if you're struggling to come up with ideas for your blog, you can enroll in my now-free 5-Day Content Challenge! In it I'll show you how to come up with 6 months worth of blog topics in just 20 minutes a day! Click here to join.

When trying to monetize a blog, affiliate marketing is one of the fastest ways to start making money from your site. Affiliate marketing is selling other people's products or services in exchange for a commission on the sale. For more on the basics of affiliate marketing, check out this post. As you get started with using your blog to make recommendations to others, there are a couple of terms you need to know. Affiliate Program vs Affiliate Network There are typically 2 types of options for affiliate marketers. Affiliate programs and affiliate networks.  An affiliate program is when a company manages its own affiliate recruitment, tracking, and payouts. Some large companies, like Amazon, do this. However, this type of affiliate marketing is more commonly used by small businesses and solopreneurs, like Side Hustle Teachers. On the other hand, an affiliate network is a company that manages the affiliate programs for multiple organizations. The networks act as an intermediary and filter for their merchants, as well as managing all the link tracking and payouts. With networks there is often a secondary layer of applying because you will have to apply for the network, then again to each merchant within the network you'd like partner with.   So with that in mind, let's dig in to the 5 affiliate programs or networks all new bloggers should join. 1. Amazon Affiliate Program Amazon is one of the oldest and largest affiliate programs on the web. Because Amazon is so ubiquitous in our 21st century lives, it makes sense for bloggers to join this program. To join, simply click here and then the sign up button. If you already have an Amazon account, you can sign in using that information. If you don't, or you want to keep your personal and affiliate account separate, create a new account. Honestly, part of the benefit of using an affiliate program like Amazon is the ease of use, so I recommend using your existing account, if you have one. Once approved, a gray bar will appear at the top of the screen when you sign into Amazon. There you can check your earnings and easily get affiliate links to share on your blog. Amazon cookies last for 24 hours and apply to anything purchased, whether it was the product you suggested or not. So, if a reader follows a link to a $3 product, but ends up buying a $600 product, you get the affiliate commission on the entire sale. I can tell you from experience! Pros: Amazon sells literally billions of products, so if you want to recommend something… it's probably on Amazon The name Amazon is well known and people feel secure buying from them Easy, free signup Cons: Relatively low commission rates Bank or check payouts only, no PayPal Short cookie life of 24 hours 2. ShareASale Affiliate Program   ShareASale is an affiliate network with more than 16,000 merchants that you can recommend to your readers, and it's wildly popular among bloggers. To join, click here to create an account. Follow the steps provided and then search for merchants you'd like to promote. ShareASale tends to work with small-to-medium businesses, so while you won't find Fortune 500 companies on this platform, there are lots of smaller, highly niched merchants to choose from. Once accepted, you will need to search ShareASale's database and apply separately for each merchant you want to be an affiliate for.  Pros: High acceptance rate for merchants Detailed analytics on each merchant on the platform Great user support for those just getting started Cons: Payout threshold of $50 means it takes longer to get paid Limited links available for each merchant 3. Impact Affiliate Program Like ShareASale, Impact is an affiliate network that was formed by former employees of other affiliate networks, and is quickly becoming a favorite for anyone looking to get started in affiliate marketing. To join, click here. The process to join takes a bit longer than it does on other platforms, but once you're in, getting accepted to a merchant's affiliate program is less cumbersome.  Impact, formerly called Impact Radius, includes many large companies like Best Buy and Home Depot, which is great for building trust with potential buyers. Again, since Impact is an affiliate network, you will need to apply separately for each merchant. When you first join, you may not be eligible to apply for larger merchants, but as you earn commissions, more will open up. Pros: Many large companies work with Impact  $25 payout threshold so you get paid faster Excellent reporting and analytics to track your progress Cons: Many of the larger, more well known merchants are not available to new affiliates Platform navigation is not intuitive 4. Commission Junction Affiliate Program Also known as CJ Affiliate, Commission Junction is another well-established affiliate network that can connect bloggers to numerous companies and products. To join, click here and select “publisher” to let CJ Affiliates know you are a blogger. The application process is relatively straight-forward, however, to become an affiliate (or publisher) you have to apply for each merchant's (advertiser) program separately. CJ makes it easy to find companies that are related to your business by allowing you to search by niche, keyword, or specific business name. When you find a company you'd like to work with, complete their application process. Some will respond instantly, some review each application manually, so it takes a few days, others will never respond. Pros: Well-known, trusted companies are part of CJ Affiliates They serve just about every niche Cons: You have to apply for each company's affiliate program separately, and some are quick tricky to get into Accounts can be cut off for low or no sales Difficult to track payouts for each advertiser 5. Your Personal Choice I know, I know. Insert eyeroll, here, right? But the fact is, the most successful way to make money from any affiliate program is to recommend products or services that are highly specific to your niche and something you use and recommend. To find these programs think about what you use to make life easier, automate tasks, make life more enjoyable, or that are must haves for people in your niche. Go to the websites of those products or services you want to recommend and scroll all the way down to the footer. If they offer a public affiliate program, there will likely be a link to click and register. (This link will often lead to a larger affiliate network, like those we've already discussed… but not always.) If there's no affiliate program available on their website, and it's a product or service you know you want to recommend, reach out to the company or entrepreneur directly and ask. Tell them you love what they do and recommend it to everyone you know. Mention you're starting a blog and would love to partner together to promote their product/service. Pros: Highly niched affiliate programs are less likely to have major competition Your audience is primed to buy these products or services, so sales are often stronger than more general products Working with smaller businesses can often lead to other business partnerships Cons: Not everyone you ask is going to be open to an affiliate relationship Private agreements can be harder to track You're responsible for your own contracts, terms, etc. Putting it All Together There are a gajillion affiliate marketing options out there, and honestly, you can't really go wrong with any of them. In fact, I suggest you join multiple affiliate programs and networks as you learn about how it works.  You will find that some merchants work with more than one network and then you can decide which network fits your goals best. 3 Final Tips: When you join an affiliate network take the time to fill in your profile completely. This will give you the best chance of being accepted to merchants you apply to and help merchants find and reach out to you. Only recommend products or services you truly find useful. Your audience needs to trust that when you tell them to invest in something, it's going to be good. Once that trust is broken, it's hard to get it back. Always disclose that you're an affiliate. This includes affiliate links you share on your blog, in emails, and on social media. Ready to take the next step? Get started with my new free mini-course, the 5-Day Content Challenge. Come up with 6 months worth of post ideas to share your affiliate links in just 20-minutes a day! Enroll for free here!

As a new blogger, you likely have a lot of questions, many of which revolve around getting more eyes on your blog. One of the questions I hear a lot is; What's the best day to publish a new post? What they're really asking is; Is there a day of the week that's better, so if I post on that day, my page views will skyrocket? Sadly, the answer to that is no. The day you publish is not likely to have a massive impact on the success or failure of your post, but there are some things you should consider before you choose a day. So, let's talk about that. Consistency is Key The difference between people who have hugely successful blogs and those who don't isn't a mystery. Successful bloggers show up. Every week. No excuses. That's it. Consistency helps your blog in many ways, including how search engines read, rank, and recommend your blog. When you post sporadically, it's hard to build up a library of posts, which in turn makes it difficult for Google and other search engines to know what your site is about, and get to know you as a trusted source.  With the latest algorithm changes, Google is favoring trustworthy, fact-based sites, and they're now less likely to serve up inconsistent posters in their search results. Consistency is also important to building trust with your audience. When you craft a great blog post, your readers are going to want more. So when you don't show up next week with more quality content, they're going to be disappointed. It's the digital content equivalent of going on a great first date, then ghosting the person. It's also important to remember that people today are inundated with information all day every day… and we as a society have the attention span of goldfish (no offense intended to the goldfish community). You may have the most helpful, creative, inspiring blog on the planet, but the minute you stop showing up, your audience will stop thinking about you. All that is to say that when you're choosing your publishing day, consistency must be front and center in your mind. When to Publish Initially, I suggest new bloggers simply pick a day, and go with it.  The fact is, that there's no perfect day to share new content. This is both good and bad news for you. The bad news is that, if you're looking for a magic bullet shortcut to massive page views, you're out of luck. But the good news is that you can make your blog schedule work for you, and it's not going to impact your success. So how should you pick the day you're going to schedule your posts?  First take a look at your weekly schedule.  As much as people tell you that you need to batch your content, get ahead and write your posts well in advance, there are going to be times you're going to be finishing your post the night before it goes live. (I may or may not be writing this post on Saturday night before it gets shared on Sunday.) If you know that every Monday you've got personal, professional, or family obligations that keep you busy, don't choose Tuesday as your publish date.  And, if you know that by Thursday evening you're too exhausted to put together coherent sentences, Friday's probably not a great choice either. Ideally you want to publish on a day when you've got a relatively duty-free evening prior, and when you've still got the mental capacity to write good well. Remember that even if your post is written, you still need to make the graphics, upload everything into WordPress, schedule social media posts, and write your email to let your subscribers know about your new post. If you're struggling to find any time during your week when you're not bogged down with class work, check out this post on how to make your blog a priority. Other Considerations One of the best things about blogging is that your posts don't have to be read the day you publish them. In fact, some posts I shared years ago are still some of my most popular pages month after month. There's also no law that says you have to email your list or share on social media the same day that your post goes live. Here's where analytics can be really useful to you.  By knowing when your audience interacts with your content (on each platform) you can push out reminders to check out your new post when it suits them. Here are some examples: I can see from my Google Analytics that last week's post got the most views on Sunday, which is the day it went live. However, I can also see that Saturday is popular amongst my readers, even though I hadn't posted anything new for 6 days. When I look at my data from my podcast, there's no clear winner in terms of days people listen. I'm guessing that's because people who subscribe to my podcast listen to it as it comes up in their queue.  On Facebook, it's clear that Wednesday is the most popular day of the week for engagement. Just about every platform provides analytics if you opt for a business account, so if you're focusing on Instagram or Pinterest, you can find the same information there. I can also see when people open my weekly email, but that data is skewed because if an email isn't opened within 24 hours, it most likely won't be opened, sooo… With this information I can choose when to share and promote my post with my audience, so here's how I am choosing to share my posts. Sunday: New post is published on blog and podcast at 4am, email sent to list at 6am. The podcast is automatically shared to my Facebook page, Twitter, and YouTube. Monday: Pin for new post is published in Pinterest Wednesday: Share new post on Facebook Friday: New post is shared on Instagram After a few months I can reevaluate my analytics and see if this schedule is working. Okay, let's recap the basics of how to pick a day to publish your blog posts: Find a day that works for you Publish a new post every. single. week. on that day Share your post via email and social media throughout the week Use analytics to assess and rework your sharing schedule Remember that this is a process that's going to take some time. What's important right now is that you pick a day and commit to publishing new content on that day every week for at least 6 months. Posting consistently - no matter what day of the week - is the fastest, easiest way to grow your audience. If you're looking for more assistance, here's a great resource: The newest offering from Ultimate Bundles, Create, Launch, Convert, includes 41 resources to help you with blogging, email marketing, social media, video content, and creating digital courses. Inside you'll even find my 5-Day Content Challenge that will show you how to come up with 6 months worth of post ideas in just 20 minutes a day! The bundle goes on sale this Thursday, Feb 17 and is only available for 7 days. Click here to get the bundle or to be notified when the bundle is available. There are some amazing bonuses if you buy by Friday!

A conversation came up recently in the Side Hustle Teachers Facebook group that I knew had to be shared here. What's up with blog comments? Are they necessary to the growth or of your blog, or just an extra thing to do that doesn't really give you anything back? Opinions run the gamut on this issue, and you'll find all sorts of posts about why you should or should not allow comments on your blog.  Some say that comments are good for search engine optimization (SEO). Yes, leaving comments on other blogs can be good for your SEO, because it serves as a linkback to your site. However, there's no data that suggests permitting users to comment on your blog improves your SEO ranking. Another thought is that comments can improve traffic to your blog, but again, the data doesn't bear that out. When Michael Hyatt cut off comments on his blog, his traffic grew 74%, soooooo… (It should be noted, though, that he also decided to turn comments back on after a year.) Really, what it comes down to is your personal decision and what you want for your blog. So let's dig into the pros and cons of blog comments. The Case Against Blog Comments There are a couple of arguments I hear people make for why they turn comments off on their blog, so let's start with the big 2: Spam. In the wonderful world of the interwebs, spam is ever present. For blogs, spam comments can fill up your blog with links to pages with questionable content, or people who just want to promote their own blogs. You definitely don't want links to phishing sites linked from yours, so that is a legitimate concern. Using a plugin like Akismet will help catch those comments and prevent them from posting. And if that's not enough, you can turn on comment moderation, so nothing will get posted without your permission. However, that brings us to the second reason people give for not allowing comments; Time. When you allow comments on your blog, it adds to the time commitment you make to managing that blog. To make the most of comments, you should read them and, whenever possible, respond to them.  This requires time. As a side hustling teacher, time is a precious commodity, and you need to make sure you're using yours on things that will give you a return on your investment. And who has time to moderate and respond to comments? If allowing comments on your blog can lead to spam and take up time to manage, why would you want to give readers the option? The Case for Blog Comments While there is a down side, blog comments can be beneficial as well.  Connection. Your readers come to you for great content, but one of the things that turns readers into raving fans is being able to connect with you. When you allow comments, you give your audience a way to reach out and connect with you. Through comments, and your responses, you can build a relationship with your readers that will engage them further, and build the know, like, and trust factor even faster. Understanding. When a reader leaves a comment on a blog post, they're telling you that they found something useful or that they have more questions. This information can be useful when planning  content for your blog and social media. If there's something that connects with readers, and you find lots of positive comments; do more of that!  On the other hand, if your readers have questions after you share a post, this may be a sign that you need to create a follow-up, or rework the original post to be clearer.  Either way, you now know more about what your audience likes and wants from you. My Recommendation Do I think you should open comments on your blog posts? Get ready for everyone's favorite answer; It depends. I believe that you should provide your audience a way to interact with you. There's no doubt that building relationships and forging connections between yourself and your readers is beneficial for you and them.  That said, where you interact with your readers is completely up to you. For the first 2 years of Side Hustle Teachers I didn't allow comments. Instead, I directed my audience to join the Facebook group to share their thoughts. I was already spending a lot of time there cultivating the group and conversation, so it made sense to keep everything there. Now you'll see that you can leave comments, but it's not a primary part of my content strategy. The long and short of it is that building a rapport with your audience is a great way to grow your business - people buy from people they know, like, and trust - but hosting that conversation on your blog isn't required. Decide where you want people to go to leave comments, ask questions, and get to know you better, and continuously remind them to go there. Have you heard that we have a new community for teacher bloggers? If you have or want a blog to make passive income, check out the Start Your Teacher Blog group on Facebook.

After you've defined your niche, named your blog, and obtained hosting for your new website, you have to choose a theme. Contrary to what you might think, a theme is not the topic of your blog - that falls under the umbrella of your niche. In this case a theme is the frontend design of your site, what it looks like to your audience. It's easy to get overwhelmed when choosing a theme because there are literally thousands to choose from, at all prices, from free to several thousand dollars. And like just about anything out there, there are some that are crap, and some that are fantastic. If you're going to make money from your blog - and isn't that the goal? - I suggest you invest in a premium theme. They are relatively cheap and can make your life as a blogger much, much easier.  At the end of this post you'll find suggestions for premium themes I recommend for new bloggers. However, all the ideas I share today are equally applicable to free themes. You just have to do the research to find out which ones might work for you. Let's dive in! What is a WordPressTheme? Last week we talked about choosing a host for your website, and related your host to the property on which you're going to build your blog home. If we continue that, then you can think of the theme you use as the floor plan you choose for your home. Your theme is the layout of your blog and determines the basic structure of your website. As a home buyer, if you're someone who likes to entertain, you'd choose a floor plan that's good for parties. If you're a blogger, you want to choose a theme that focuses on readability. If you're going to sell from your website, you'd want one that offers e-commerce. And so on. Also like home plans, to extend this metaphor a bit longer, you can find themes that are highly streamlined, and those that offer tons of bells and whistles.  While fancy options like complex layouts, eye-catching animations, and lots of colors are available, I suggest beginners start simple and add features as needed. So what do you need to consider when choosing a theme for your blog? 1. Weight When it comes to websites, load time is a big deal. If you choose a bulky theme with lots of added plugins and extra stuff, it's going to slow down your load time and impact your user experience. If your website doesn't load quickly, then your readers will get frustrated, hit the back button, and probably never return. (Sorry for the doom and gloom, but we are an instant society and your website needs to reflect that.) 2. Mobile Friendly Another must in the 21st century, your WordPress theme must be responsive for people who are reading your blog on their phones.  At Side Hustle Teachers, 48% of our readers are on tablets or smartphones. A mobile friendly or responsive theme will automatically adjust pages and posts for whichever device your audience is using. This means that elements of your page will be shifted to accommodate narrower screens, making a better user experience all around.  Given that more and more page visitors are on devices other than a laptop or desktop computer, this is an absolute essential feature of any blog theme. 3. Plugin Compatible A plugin is a small piece of software or code that can be added to another to enhance its capabilities. For example, I recommend my students use the Akismet plugin to block spam comments on their blog posts and the Yoast plugin to manage their SEO (search engine optimization). These bits of code make running your blog easier and provide a better experience for users. Because themes are available from pretty much anyone with any coding skills, regardless of their blog savvy, you will want to make sure that the theme you choose is compatible with plugins you want to use. 4. Easy to Use Themes can be built using lots of different systems, many of which are proprietary. Themes with proprietary systems, like builders, are often the easiest to use and customize. A builder is a website creation tool that lets you drag and drop site elements, like images, text boxes, and signup forms, into a page or post without having to code. This makes it infinitely easier to make your website look just how you want them to. Another feature of builders is the availability of templates that you can use and customize for your own site. 5. Customer Service No matter how user friendly a theme is, strong customer service is essential for any company you choose to work with. Elegant Themes, the company that created Divi, my WordPress theme, not only has 24/7 customer support, but also an online community where users can ask and answer questions about how to make the most of the platform. As a side hustler who is often working on my website after traditional business hours, 24/7 service is a non-negotiable. What Do I Recommend? The theme I use on all my websites is Divi, by Elegant Themes. I started my first blog with a free theme, but quickly learned that you get what you pay for. It worked, but anything I wanted to do to make it look or function better required me to learn coding to do it. Ummmm, no. Divi has a proprietary builder (the aptly named Divi Builder), a social media plugin, and an email optin, as well as a magazine style theme included. It's compatible with all reputable plugins, and it's got a fantastic customer support system. Additionally, when I create pages or posts in Divi I can preview and adjust them for tablets and mobile. And I can install this theme on as many websites as I want for no extra charge. There's a reason it's the most popular WordPress theme in the world. Divi is $89 per year, with an option to purchase a lifetime license for $249 Other themes that have excellent reputations and customer reviews are: Elementor - $49/year for a single site  Astra - $49/year, no builder function (but compatible with Elementor and Beaver Builder) Ocean WP - $43/year, plus optional upgrades, no builder function Like most things in your business, deciding on which theme to use for your WordPress website is something you should give serious thought to. It's an important decision. However, it's also important to continue making forward motion in your business. Don't overthink it. Just make a decision and go with it.  For next steps, click here to get my free guide, 5 Steps to Start Your Blog Today. In it I walk you through the tech of setting up your blog's website, including how to install your new theme!

It's easy to dismiss the choice of hosting companies for your blog as an unimportant decision. On the surface, all hosting companies seem alike. Isn't one just as good as another? In a word, no. Your blog host is one of those behind-the-scenes tools that you don't want to have to think about - but if you don't choose the right one, it will be a constant thorn in your side. What is a WordPress host? WordPress is an open source website system that is used by more than 40% of all sites on the internet today. And it's popular because it's awesome.  Open source means that WordPress itself is free to use, and you can change, edit, and customize it all you want for no charge! However, in order to get your WordPress site online for everyone to see, you need to purchase hosting through a private provider.  There are tons to choose from, but they aren't all created equal. If you think of your website as a house you're building, the host you choose is the land you're building it on. And what's the number one rule of real estate? Location, location, location! Just like when you're searching for a location for your home, you want your website to be in a safe place that has a good reputation, one that's easily accessible so you can get there fast, and is in a supportive community where you can get help when you need it. So here are 5 questions to ask when you're trying to choose the right host for your WordPress website. 1. Do they have a plan to suit your current and future needs? Some companies offer many tiers of pricing, while some offer just a couple. Before you sign on, take a look at the options and whether or not there are low-cost choices for newbies as well as plans that will grow with you. Another thing you want to check is the features that come with your plan. A good hosting company will offer all the essential features in all plan levels, with the primary difference in service being the amount of traffic your plan can support and the amount of storage space you have. If a company forces you to upgrade in order to get basic service features, like customer support or an SSL certificate, keep looking. SiteGround, the company I use and recommend, has 3 tiers of pricing that are appropriate for new sites all the way up to 400,000 pages views per month. (If or when you need more than that, they'll create a custom package.) Each plan offers the same features, but main differences are the number of websites you can host, the storage space available, and the traffic each level can handle. 2. Do they keep your site secure? The security of your blog is essential to its success. Without a secure site, some browsers or private firewalls won't let potential readers go to your site, which obviously is not what you want. How do you know if a host is going to provide a secure connection? Look for something called an SSL certificate as part of your hosting plan. Some companies, like Siteground, offer this for free, while others charge for it. When your site has an SSL certificate, short for Secure Sockets Layer, you'll see an “S” in the scheme of your web address. If that's too techy for you, here's what that means: The beginning of your URL will switch from http:// to https:// like you see on Side Hustle Teachers, Target, and Wikipedia. That one letter is what tells browsers and firewalls that your site is safe. If you're planning on selling goods or services on your blog - and your website is going to manage the transactions - you can purchase an additional SSL certificate for financial security. However, if you're only hosting a blog, or your products are sold through a 3rd party, like ThriveCart or your direct sales company's site, the extra SSL isn't necessary. 3. Will your site load quickly? When it comes to websites, speed matters.  In this day and age of instant gratification, people aren't going to wait around for your page to load, so you need to make sure that your blog host is built with speed in mind. There are a number of ways that hosts can support site speed.  First, hosts that use a worldwide network of servers provide faster load times because the information is physically stored closer to individual users. This can get your page loaded seconds faster, which in the digital age, is an eternity. Some hosts also include optimization plugins to users that will help pages load faster by prioritizing information and images. Siteground has partnered with Cloudflare to store your blog in more than 150 locations and has a proprietary plugin called SG Optimizer that speeds up page load time. Both are included in all pricing tiers. 4. Do they have features that make life easier? A website has a lot of moving pieces to it, but there are some hosting companies that make it easier to get set up and manage on an ongoing basis. Some of the things Siteground provides that make blogging easier are: Domain Registration - because I get my domain names and my hosting through the same company I not only get to deal with just one company, but when there are updates to WordPress, my hosting, or the servers, Siteground handles it and all the peripheral updates. Website Migration - if you already have a website and you want to transfer it to Siteground, they have a free service that will move it for you. WordPress Installation - when you purchase a managed WordPress hosting plan, Siteground will automatically install WordPress on your site, saving you a step! 24/7 Customer Support - with a real person. This has saved me more times than I can count as I built, transferred, moved, and sold multiple websites over the years. A reputation for quality customer service is a must. 5. Does the price fit your budget? Web hosting comes in all sizes and price ranges. You can pay a few dollars a month or a few hundred dollars a month. You want to find a plan that fits your budget while providing all the features you need. Many hosts also offer massive discounts to new customers at sign up. But be sure to look at the length of the contract before assuming it's a great deal, though. For example, while Siteground offers a rate of $3.99 per month, A2 offers $2.99 a month. However, with Siteground the lowest rate is available to those who pay up front for a year, making your up front investment about $50. To get the lowest rate with A2 you must pay for 3 years in advance, making your initial investment over $100. My recommendation You might notice I'm a big fan of Siteground I started my first blog with Siteground in 2012 and I've never even considered leaving because the price, features, and services are fantastic. So, while you're welcome to look around at the various options, if you just want a quality, reliable hosting company with outstanding customer service, just go to Siteground. And if you want someone to walk you through the setup of your domain and hosting, plus WordPress and your site theme - all the tech stuff you don't need to be scared of - grab my free guide, 5 Steps to Start Your Blog Today!

There's an old saying, “Good fences make good neighbors.” And while I absolutely adore my neighbors, I also absolutely believe this is true. Separation between our homes means that what they do to their house doesn't impact me, and I don't have to care about it. When it comes to the various obligations we have - teacher, family member, and blogger - good fences are just as important.  The problem is that time is harder to delineate. You can plan to quit working at 6pm, then you decide to just do that one thing, and suddenly it's 7pm and your kids are starving, dirty, and permanently glued to their iPad. But that's not the biggest problem. In fact, overwhelm is just a symptom of the real issue; mindset. The problem isn't that there's always something more we can do - there is, but that's not the problem. The problem is that we want to do all the things. And we want to do them well, if not perfectly.  Whether it's part of our inherent personalities as teachers, or that we've been conditioned to do more, more, more, the fact is that it's up to us to set - and enforce - boundaries for ourselves. But how?! Here are some things you can do to set clear boundaries for yourself. Setting Boundaries at School Let's start with the most obvious, and most challenging boundary breaker; school. In the world of service professionals there's something known as scope creep. If you haven't heard of this, it's when a client tries to add things to the job that they hired you for - it could be extra revisions, an additional version, or “just one little thing” - without paying extra for it.  Schools are notorious  for this. There's always something more you're being asked to do, and no money to go with it. We talked about this last week in How Teaching is Keeping You Broke, but let's talk about how to stop it. Stop taking work home. This may seem impossible, but it's absolutely not. There are lots of possibilities - get to work early or stay later to complete your work - but the key is focusing on what's most important. Angela Watson, creator of the 40 Hour Teacher Workweek, has a podcast episode all about how one teacher stopped taking work home that I highly recommend if you're looking for real-life inspiration. If you're unable to set down your giant, stuffed-to-the-gills teacher bag, then give yourself only a specific time to work on school stuff at home. Set alarms on your phone to remind you to stop if necessary.  Say no to unpaid work. At the end of the 2017-2018 school year I found myself on 3 committees and using my prep time to rewrite my curriculum. It had happened slowly, but somehow I had found myself in a swamp of unpaid work, no time to complete my actual job, and burning the midnight oil to work on Side Hustle Teachers.  Before the new school year started, I emailed my assistant superintendent and told him I'd no longer be able to serve on the committees I was on. I also stopped writing curriculum during my prep and started using it only to *gasp* prep for my classes. In fact, my district has curriculum stipends for teachers who write curriculum over the summer! When I applied and was told that the money was being designated for other subjects, I decided my curriculum was just fine as it was and took the summer off. Note: If you're in a school that requires you to serve on committees or do “volunteer” work outside of school hours, those are obviously part of your contract and therefore, are inescapable. However, you can typically choose which committees or events you “volunteer” for, so make sure that you select opportunities that have the greatest impact on you as a teacher, fit your schedule, and are most interesting to you. Get assigned to those tasks as early as possible so that you're not assigned to something else. Setting Boundaries at Home Like school work, house work is never done. There is always something that needs to be cleaned, fixed, cooked, or put away.  Always. If you have kids, the home demands only increase as now you have to keep them alive, too. Also like school work, we often put more pressure on ourselves to keep a perfect home than is necessary. Decide on your non-negotiables. Sadly, you can't let all your housework go. There are some things that have to be done for the sake of your sanity and by order of the health department. So what are the things you absolutely must do? If cooking dinner each night is important to you, then make it one of your non-negotiables, but maybe you can let the bathroom go a little longer in between cleanings. Maybe you spend a lot of time in your car and need it to be a sanctuary. Keep it on your list and do the dishes every other night instead. Get help. There's absolutely no need for you to be the only person who handles housework. If you live with other people, they should be contributing to the care of the home equally, if not more so. Teachers tend to be people who just do what needs to be done, and that carries through to our home life. But it doesn't need to be that way. You may need to accept that things aren't going to be done the “right” way, but done is done. And done by someone other than you, is perfect. You can also hire help. Yes, I know that cleaners cost money and teachers are often living paycheck to paycheck, but you can set it as a goal. When I first started my blog, paying for a bi-weekly cleaner was our first monetary goal and it was sooooo amazing to reach it. Setting Boundaries in Your Business Work for your business is a bit unique because you often may not see it as work. Instead, working on your blog is a relief - an escape from all the things you have to do. Still, it's important to set boundaries so that you don't burn yourself out and also so that your family doesn't become resentful that you're spending all your free time working. Focus on money making activities. Having limited time means that you have to prioritize what you use that time for. While you may not be in love with the design of your website, or the colors in your logo, spending time “fixing” those problems is not going to make you any money.   What is going to make you money? The answer might be slightly different for everyone, but it comes down to 3 things; growing your audience, nurturing your relationships, and refining your offers. Spend your time on those 3 things, and let the other stuff go. Make a schedule. This is beneficial to both your family and your business. For example, you can decide that each night, after you help your kids with their homework, you get 1 hour of time to work on your blog. Or after dinner, while your husband does the dishes (because he helps with the housework now) you get to write a blog post. A schedule is especially helpful at the beginning of your business when you're, as they say on “Shark Tank”, pre-revenue. It's at this stage that it's hardest to prioritize spending time on your blog because you're not getting a return on your time investment yet. Creating a schedule, and sticking to it, will help you build good habits and actually build your business instead of just talking about it. Setting Boundaries for Your Business While we're talking about boundaries, it's important to have some that not only protect you from working too much, but also that set expectations for what happens when you're working. Give yourself a dedicated space. It doesn't have to be a big space. It doesn't even have to be a permanent, stationary space. But providing a location or setup that is associated with your business, and that no one else touches is a great mindset hack for you and helps your family see your blog as a real business. Teach your family how to treat your work. If you're working, you're working. Your family wouldn't come in while you're teaching to ask you to open a packet of fruit snacks (hopefully), and they shouldn't while you're working on your blog either.  Still, working at home, especially while your family is home, can easily wind up being one long sequence of interruptions if you don't address it up front. Here are some things you can try: Use signals. You might use signs on a door or color-coded post-its… In my house, if I'm in my office with the door open my family knows I'm working, but they can come in for quick things, like stuff they'd text me about at work. If the door is closed they should come in for emergencies only. Define emergencies. Especially for kids, the word emergency is flexible. If my daughter couldn't get the tv on to watch “Lion Guard,” she thought it was an emergency. Finally we came up with a clear, easy to remember definition; fire, flood, vomit, or blood. Everything else can wait, or Dad can help you. Enforce your boundaries. Boundaries mean nothing if you don't defend them. If you've got a work space that's just for you, don't let your kid use it to color. If you schedule time to work on your blog, don't let your spouse guilt you into cleaning out the garage during that time. Despite the name of this site and my business, I don't think teachers need to hustle and grind in order to make money outside the classroom.  In fact, using the strategies above, you can actually live a reasonably chill life, get plenty of sleep, and still make money from your blog. Good fences make good neighbors, but healthy boundaries make healthy, happy teachers!

Last week I shared some of the financial aspects of teaching that are contributing to a lack of an abundance mindset among teachers. The money teachers expect and earn for teaching definitely wreaks havoc on our money beliefs, and therefore, our bank accounts.  But there's more to our money mindset than money. Other expectations placed on teachers seep into our subconscious and create doubt about our ability to earn, and even whether or not we deserve to make more money. Here are some non-monetary impacts teaching has on your financial success. Free Labor Without the free labor teachers provide, the American school system would shut down.  Whether we're talking about extra hours before or after school helping students who are struggling, extra hours planning lessons and activities, hours in front of the tv cutting out shapes for a bulletin board, or courses we take on our own time (and with our own money) to improve our classroom skills, working for free comes with the job. It's expected. It's presented as normal. And it's taken for granted. It's also never enough.  Teachers are constantly being asked to do more, for no extra pay, with the ever-familiar call of, “Do it for the kids.” We need someone to chaperone the dance. No, we can't pay you… you're doing it for the kids. In 2020, California governor Gavin Newsom was asked if the small increase in education funding would be enough to bring new teachers into the profession. He responded, “The greatest incentive is the inspiration, that spark that led someone to want to contribute in such a profound and dignified way by educating the minds of the next generation.” In other words, teachers will do it for the kids. But all this free labor is doing a number on your ability to earn more money. How? The free labor expectations that come along with teaching further ingrain some beliefs that many of us are taught early on:  If you really want to help people, you'd do it for free.  It's greedy to ask for compensation when doing something that doesn't cost you anything.  If you truly care about the kids, you'd do it for free. Well, I call bullshit. Apple purports to care about its users, but nobody bats an eye at spending over $1000 on an iPhone.  Car companies care about the safety of the people who buy their cars, but they still raise the price of their cars when a new feature is added. Doctors care about their patients and are still encouraged to charge for their services, and raise their fees based on experience and specialization. No one says to doctors, “Do it for the sick people.” When you accept the premise that doing things “for the kids” means doing things for free, you cement that expectation deeper into the bedrock of your brain. And it doesn't just impact you at school. As a blogger or teacher business owner, these beliefs will lead you to undercharge for your services, sponsored content, and even ad space on your blog. Not to mention the fact that all that free work is taking time and energy away from building your business. I can tell you from personal experience that after teaching all day, running an after school rehearsal, and supervising kids until their parents finally pick them up, by the time you get home, you're mentally and physically exhausted and will not be able to do quality work on your blog. Money Hurdle: I can help people or I can make money. I can't do both. Clear the Hurdle: Remember that every time you say yes to something, you're saying no to something else. So while it doesn't cost you money to chaperone the dance, it keeps you in “school mode” well into your weekend, preventing you from resting after a long week and sapping your energy for other projects. It doesn't cost you money to join another committee, but it does take up space in your brain and requires you to stay late for meetings instead of going home and spending time with your kids. Everything costs something.  Suggested Mantras: There are a few mantras I can suggest for this money hurdle. The first is from one of my favorite money mindset writers, Denise Duffield-Thomas. I serve, I deserve. It's okay to say no to things that don't serve me and my goals. Charging for my time, energy, and expertise doesn't make me a bad person. Toxic Positivity Toxic positivity is everywhere these days, but in few places is it as prevalent as in schools.  So what is toxic positivity? According to Right as Rain, a mental health website run by the University of Washington medical department, toxic positivity involves dismissing negative emotions and responding to distress with false reassurances rather than empathy. It comes from feeling uncomfortable with negative emotions. And while it may be well-intentioned, it can cause alienation and a feeling of disconnection. Expressions of toxic positivity can be anything from the useless, “everything happens for a reason,” and, “it could be worse,” to more targeted banality. When I asked teachers in the groups I participate in for examples of toxic positivity they see, there was no shortage of responses. Here are just some of the replies: Teachers don't teach for the income, they teach for the outcome.  A good teacher is like a candle – it consumes itself to light the way for others. As you stress about having to go back to school soon, just remember… There is a child who hasn't been in an encouraging atmosphere since they left your class - They can't wait to see you. Educators are the only people who lose sleep over other people's children. Great teachers have high expectations for their students, but higher expectations for themselves. If these oft-repeated platitudes make you groan, wince, or throw up in your mouth, you're not alone. They're full of “inspiration” that is unhelpful, counter-productive, and tantamount to gaslighting. They deny teachers the ability to express their true feelings and encourage them to put on a happy face to make others - usually the ones who are imposing unrealistic expectations - feel better. And it's not just one-liners turned into colorful memes that stubborn toxic positivity.  Is there a single teacher in the US who hasn't been shown Rita Pierson's TED Talk, Every Child Needs a Champion? It's practically required viewing for education majors, but what does it really teach us?  Then there's Taylor Mali's poem, “What Teachers Make.” Another example of toxic positivity that encourages teachers to consider the hard work of teaching to be a reward. And don't get me started on inspirational teacher movies. Grrr. Like the expectation of free labor, these expressions lead to a culture in which teachers are expected to work hard for low pay AND consider ourselves lucky to do so. Not only does toxic positivity deny teachers the ability to voice our concerns, fears, and doubts, it attempts to make us feel bad for even having those emotions. Like when your mom used to guilt you into eating spinach because there are starving children in China who would be grateful for that food… it's not helpful. You still hated every bite of that spinach, and probably resented your mom for making you eat it. This toxic positivity is not only bad for your mental health, it can get in the way of you seeking out extra income or even a different career. You don't need to make more money… you're not in it for the income. Feeling burnt out? Well, that's what good teachers do. You want to be a good teacher, right? Stressed out and not sleeping is expected. There's nothing wrong with that. It's fine. Everything's fine. Money Hurdle: Burnout, stress, and financial struggle are normal and they're not that bad. Clear the Hurdle: There's a line in The Big Bang Theory in which Sheldon states, “I know I can feel 2 things at once. I've seen Inside Out,” and this is the key to combating toxic positivity. You can love aspects of teaching, and still desire to make more money. You can value your relationships with your students and colleagues, and also want to build another community online. You can be a great teacher, and still need another outlet for your passion, self-expression, and personal growth. Suggested Mantras: I can be a great teacher and still want more for myself. And that's not all. There are other educational standards that mess with your mind, too. There's a limited amount of money, and how much you get is completely out of your control. This is true for schools, which typically have tight budgets, but not for the rest of the world. When running your own business, there are plenty of readers, clients, and customers to go around. The world is an abundant place. If you want more, you have to beg. Websites like Donors Choose exist to support teacher begging. It's the online equivalent of a “Will work for food” sign and it ingrains the idea that teachers struggle for money and are at the whim of people's generosity. It's never enough. There is always more work. There is always more grading. There is always more to do. And no matter how much you do, it never ends. This can create the illusion that you have no time to blog or make money outside of school, when really a lot of that work doesn't need to be done. While people like to think that the only thing that affects their wallets is the numbers on their paychecks, there's more to it. Next time you start to doubt your ability to be financially successful because you're “just a teacher” take a moment to think about which of the money hurdles you are really facing and take a step back to refocus on what's possible. In my experience, blogging is one of the best ways for teachers to make money. If you're ready to jump into your blog, grab my FREE guide, 5 Steps to Start Your Blog Today!

When it comes to making money, teachers often struggle.  We've all seen the stories of teachers who can't pay their bills, have to choose between putting gas in their car or paying for heat…  And while those stories are necessary to keep the realities teachers face in the public eye, they can actually play a part in keeping teachers broke. One element of anyone's ability to make money is their belief that making money is possible. And no, I'm not suggesting that if you just think hard enough or believe enough that your salaries will suddenly reflect your value. But a salary isn't the only way to make money. Even still, many teachers struggle to make financial ends meet, and it's not just our paychecks that are holding us back. It's also our mindset. If you've been with me for a while, you know I'm not really a woo-woo person, but I do believe that our brains are incredibly powerful. If you believe you can do something, you will find a way. If you don't believe it, you will find an excuse. In this 2-part post, I'll be exploring some of the most insidious ways that being a teacher is impacting your ability to believe that you can be financially successful. Broke Expectations Teachers are poor. Everyone knows that, right? In the 1800s, when what we think of as a modern school system started to take shape, teaching wasn't considered a career. It was something women could do while they waited to find a husband, or men could do when winter prevented them from working their farms.  Women teachers, who were typically 17-24 years old, were paid very little money. They were “paid” in room and board in the homes of their students.  Eventually the room and board part was dropped and teachers were paid real money… but not a lot… and it was dependent on gender and race. I could go on about this, but I won't. In 1897 Margaret Haley formed the Chicago Teacher Federation (CTF) for the purpose of raising "the standard of the teaching profession by securing for teachers conditions essential to the best professional service.” The fight continues as teachers still aren't paid what they deserve - more on that in the next section. All this is to say that teacher salary has been a problem for a long time, and the belief that teachers don't make a lot of money is likely imprinted in your brain. And what you believe, you make happen.  Think of the kid who says, “I'm not good at math.” Until they unlearn that belief - which is a lot harder than learning it in the first place - they will continue to struggle. They unconsciously will look for proof that they are bad at math, and that belief will be reinforced. The same is true when you tell yourself that you're broke because you're a teacher. Money Hurdle: I'm a teacher. Teachers don't make a lot of money, therefore I'll always be broke. Clear the Hurdle: No one goes into education to become a millionaire, but being a teacher doesn't mean you have to take a vow of poverty. Buying into the belief that teachers are poor, broke, strapped for cash, struggling financially, or don't have 2 nickels to rub together makes it more likely that that will become your reality. Suggested Mantra: My ability to earn is not limited by my salary. Low Salary Okay, okay, I know. This is obvious. We already talked about how low salary expectations are sabotaging your ability to make more money, but the realities of a teacher's paycheck are another thing.  According to Business Insider, the average teacher salary in May of 2021 was $61,000. Of course, this varies widely by state, with Mississippi's average salary being a paltry $45k, and New York's being $87k.  This actually represents a pretty big jump over the last few years… but the data suggests that's just because there are fewer new teachers entering the profession, meaning there are fewer people at the lowest end of the salary scales. So… take that gain with a grain of salt. Shannon McLoud wrote an article for We Are Teachers in which she detailed the actual hours she worked in a given school year. Her grand total? 2,200 hours a year. That's the equivalent of 42 hours a week, 52 weeks a year. Or 6 hours a day, every single day of the year. If we put on our math caps, we can see that works out to $27 an hour. Which doesn't sound too bad, right?  But do you know who else earns that?  Concrete pourers, secretaries, and warehouse workers. And no, I'm not saying there's anything wrong with those career choices, but they don't require a college degree, much less a masters, or extensive ongoing professional development. But schools offer ways to make more! When it comes to making extra money, the first thing that comes to mind is running a club, coaching a sport, or taking one of the other stipend positions the school offers. I once ran a ukulele club to make extra money. It was a $500 stipend which, when you add up the 1 ¼ hours per week with the kids, plus prep work, comes out to just about $25 an hour.  Coaching often pays more, but there are more hours required… My husband averages $17 an hour. I know I'm not telling you anything you don't know. So what's the point of this, if not to depress you? Here is it: Teachers work really hard for their money. Really, really hard. When you do this for a while you begin to associate hard work, long hours, mental and physical exhaustion, and self-sacrifice with making money.  And there's only so much of that you can do before you drop. It's no wonder that the mere suggestion of a second job or starting a business gives you hives. Your brain believes that the only way to make more money is to work even harder… but how? Money Hurdle: If I have to work this hard to make only this much, I couldn't possibly work hard enough to make significant money beyond school hours. Clear the Hurdle: The fact is that teaching is one of the most challenging ways to make money. That's not to say it's something you'd see on Dirty Jobs (well, maybe pre-school teaching), but the amount of time, energy, and mental space teaching takes up is far greater than the salary earned.  There are easier ways to make money - and yes, they're legal. In order to make more money one of the first things you have to let go of is the belief that you have to work really hard in order to make money. Suggested Mantra: It's okay to make money in ways that come easily to me. These represent the most direct, obviously money-related ways that teaching can impact your money mindset. Next week I'll go into some of the less obvious things teachers deal with that play keep-away with your belief in your ability to earn. You'll be surprised by some of the other ways school culture is messing with your psyche. In my experience, blogging is one of the best ways for teachers to make money. If you're ready to jump into your blog, grab my FREE guide, 5 Steps to Start Your Blog Today!

Teaching and education are popular topics for teacher blogs.  It makes sense.  You're a teacher. You write about what you know. Sounds perfect, right? Well, here's an unpopular opinion. Your teacher blog shouldn't be about teaching… or education… or anything school related. Wait. What? Yep, you read that right. I don't think teachers should start blogs about teaching. That may sound counterintuitive, or even just plain wrong, but there are some very solid, practical reasons not to set up your blog around the topic of teaching and learning. Your Teacher Niche May Change, But Your Blog Niche Shouldn't When you start a blog, finding a niche is important. You need to narrow the focus of what you write about so your audience finds you when they search, and you become highly referable. “Oh you want help learning how to refinish colonial furniture? You've got to check out Jessica's blog!” If you want to know more about niching, check out this blogcast. So let's say your niche is 2nd grade classroom management, or even more broadly, early elementary classroom culture. Both of these would be awesome niches, and could be the basis of a successful business. But… What happens when your partner gets a new job that takes you out of state, and the only teaching job you can find is in 5th grade? You either have to change your blog topic, or create early elementary blog info while you develop 5th grade lessons.  What if you want to loop with a class you really connected with and follow them up to 3rd grade… Would you reconsider staying with your awesome kids because they don't fit with your blog? Or would you again be doubling up on work? What if your principal reads a book that says teachers who stay in the same grade level for more than 5 years become complacent, and decides to arbitrarily change everyone's teaching assignment? (I have seen this happen.) When your blog niche is tied to your job, which you don't have total control of, you run the risk of being put in the tough spot of staying in a grade level, subject, school, or even profession that you feel ready to move on from, or changing the focus of an established blog and setting your business back, or doubling your work trying to keep your blog niche the same while you teach something else. This is just one reason I recommend choosing a blog topic that has nothing to do with your role in the classroom. Here's another… You Need a Break You teach all day.  You probably spend time at home thinking about, and working on, and planning for your teaching. That's enough. Creating a blog that is also about teaching and learning is just more time you have to spend thinking about teaching and learning. Teaching is already a 24/7 profession (if you let it be), and building a business can be a fantastic way to explore other interests and areas of expertise, give your brain a break from thinking about school, and grow in new ways. My first blog was centered on mom life, which was the other major focus of my life, having just become a new mom. It was also an area I felt was suffering due to the amount of time I was working or thinking about work. For me, the blog was a way to force myself to take off my teacher hat, learn news things, and focus on my family. It's hard to admit, but yes,  it took starting a business to get me to refocus on my family. The interesting thing was the impact it had on my teaching. I was more patient with the kids. I didn't snap at them as much. I had more empathy for the kids who were struggling because I was struggling with learning how to run a business. I was more efficient with my time because I really wanted to have time to work on my blog. When I set a hard stop time for all school work at 8pm (and even set an alarm to remind me to stop), I knew I had to focus on the most important things first. All the necessary stuff got done, and I discovered just how much I was doing that I didn't need to do. My burning desire to get out of teaching faded. My blog brought my life back into balance (ish), which helped me see that I wasn't done with teaching… I was just burnt out. I needed a break, not a divorce. Being a teacher in this day and age will consume your life if you let it. Do you really want to base your blog and your business on it, too? Perhaps you're feeling a bit of teacher guilt creeping in for wanting time away from thinking about all things education. After all, we're bombarded with messages of teaching being a calling rather than a career, and that teaching isn't just what we do, but who we are. And I don't necessarily disagree on those points. I was called to be a teacher. It is who I am.  But I don't think that the universe is so particular as to say that I'm only allowed to teach PreK-12 music in the state of Connecticut. Or that one has to be certified by any institution in order to be considered a teacher. I was teaching through my mom blog, and I continue to teach via Side Hustle Teachers. And those outlets are just as valid a place to teach as a classroom. So, if you need someone to tell you it's okay to care about, be interested in, and even make money from something other than what it says on your teaching certificate, you've got it. You have permission to be a teacher plus. What's plus? Plus is whatever you want it to be. You can be a teacher plus, a crafter, a fisherman, a songwriter, or a fashionista, a genealogist, astrologer, or candy maker. You have permission to take off your teacher hat to expand your mind and your bank account. You have permission to believe that you're called to teach and impact the world in other ways. You have permission to identify as a teacher, but still want to be something more. You have permission to want more than your teaching salary affords. What Are Your Long-Term Plans? About half of the teachers in the Side Hustle Teachers Community say that their ultimate goal for their side hustle is to start a business that will help them leave teaching. And while, you may change your mind - like I did - if you're going to start a blog with the goal of ultimately leaving the classroom, it doesn't make sense to build it around education. For one thing, if you don't want to continue in teaching, why would you establish a business that is founded on being a teacher? Logic would dictate that you want to spend less time on school-related stuff, not more. (See the previous section, You Need a Break.) But there's another issue to consider here. Street cred. Have you ever read a teaching book by someone who's no longer teaching? And while reading that book, did you think to yourself, “That's great, but you haven't taught actual students in 20 years, so who are you to tell me what to do,” while angrily closing it and throwing on top of the pile of other books just like it? This is the same problem I have with most professional development because it's run by former teachers turned consultants… and don't get me started on “inspirational” teacher movies. Once you leave the classroom to run your blog business full time, it's difficult to maintain authority with teachers. Because, while I believe blogging is a form of teaching, it's not a classroom, and teachers are quick to dismiss information and advice from people who aren't “one of them” anymore. Now, please note that I'm not telling anyone that teacher blogs about teaching are bad or that teachers who start them are making a mistake.  There are many teachers out there whose businesses are education-based, even though they aren't teaching anymore, and they're killing it!  If you sell on Teachers Pay Teachers, for example, you don't need to be actively teaching to create useful resources for teachers. If you have a connection to your community through your blog, they can tell you what they want! If you consult with schools and work with teachers, your blog can include the real-world examples of the schools and classrooms you visit. It is possible. So if you read this post and are thinking, “I really want to start a blog about teaching, but Stacey told me not to…” Nope. This post came about because a number of clients, students, and community members have reached out recently asking what they should blog about. They were stuck because they felt like the only thing they could write about (as teachers) was teaching. Not true! You can write about anything that lights you up. You can write about anything you're good at. You can write about anything you're learning about, and take your readers on the journey with you. You can write about anything. If you're ready to get your blog up and running, grab my new free guide, 5 Steps to Start Your Blog Today!

No matter what you teach - from kindergarten to AP Chemistry - time is something we teachers all seem to have too little of.  We're all living minute to minute, just dealing with what's in front of us.  So how do you find time for your side hustle when you're already stretched thin? Well… You don't. Time isn't just going to magically appear in your crazy schedule. You have to make the time.  If that sounds impossible, stay with me. When I first started blogging in 2012, I was a 24/7 teacher. I ate, slept, and breathed teaching. I woke up in the middle of the night thinking about my students, I spent my evenings planning, and tweaking, and making worksheets… and I was exhausted. How in the world was I going to add the responsibilities that come along with blogging on top of what I was already doing? Sound familiar? Here's the good news. I didn't. What I did was this:  Decided that my blog was a priority Set a realistic schedule for when I was going to work on it Planned my time  Focused on one thing at a time Stayed ahead of my business tasks (as much as I could) Did something for my business every. single. day.  You may be thinking, “Sure that sounds great… but what about all those teaching responsibilities?” Funny thing, that.  Once I set 8pm as my business-only time, I still got my lessons done. I still had stuff for my students to work on. I still had grades in the gradebook. I was still prepared for PPTs and 504 meetings…  And I stopped waking up at 3am worried about whether or not my directions were clear or wondering if “that kid” was going to derail my plans. (Of course, I still sometimes wake up worried about a student, but that's part of being a caring person.) I was still a good teacher! In fact, I think I got better when I wasn't a 24/7 teacher. So let's dive into the 6 things you can do to make your blog a priority. Make a decision.   Is blog a hobby or a business?   A hobby is something you do solely for fun, with no expectations on the outcome. You don't have to make time for a hobby. You can do it whenever you want.  I never had any luck taking up hobbies when I was a 24/7 teacher. I tried many - painting, guitar, kickboxing - but after I bought all the supplies and had a few days of enthusiastic participation, I'd inevitably allow my 24/7-teacher-brain to take over and tell me I don't have time to paint, or practice, or kick butt. A business is a commitment. To you and your audience. And most importantly, a business makes money. That distinction is what allowed me to make the mental shift needed to step away from being a 24/7 teacher and stop making excuses. If you want it to be a business, and you'd like your business to make money, you need to begin this process with the attitude of a business owner.  That attitude adjustment will have a big impact on how you manage your time. Be realistic.   I work full time, help my husband with his business, and I'm the kind of mom who likes to spend time with her kid, so the times of day I can write and build my business are limited.   Because of these constraints, I may not be able to do as much as others.  And that's okay! I've still built a successful business without spending hours a day on it. Look realistically at how much time you have and start small. If you can only spend 30 minutes a day on your blog, that's fine. Doing something well is always better than doing something more.   And by being realistic, you're much more likely to stick to the schedule you make. Have a plan.   If you don't have a way to organize and plan your time, you will waste a lot of it.  You can find planners on Amazon,  or make your own.  Bullet journals are great for this because you can customize them.  I'm also a BIG fan of Trello.  The important thing is to have a plan and follow it.  This will keep you focused, show you your progress, and help you see the big picture of your business.   Tip: You don't need to plan out every second.  Something as simple as a weekly list and daily dedicated time to work on it is okay.  Don't waste all your time planning or you'll never get to the doing. One thing at a time.  Personally, I like to focus on one thing at a time, then move on to the next.  Others like to batch their tasks, perhaps writing several blog posts at once, then creating all the graphics, for all the posts, then scheduling everything.  Neither is wrong, as long as you're giving the task you're working on your full attention.   Turn off the tv, switch off your phone, and go to a place where you won't be distracted.  There are lots of cheap or free tools you can use to boost your productivity.   Have you ever read an email from someone who was clearly distracted when they wrote it?  That's not how you want your business to come across. Whether you're selling products, services, or just the information you provide, your audience and customers deserve posts that are well thought out, carefully composed, and written with their needs in mind. It's hard to do that when you're trying to help your kids with homework, cook dinner, and buy goodies to keep in your class treasure chest while you're trying to write.   If your side hustle is a priority you will probably have to make sacrifices to make it work.  And that may mean you aren't always up on the latest episode of the latest show. Stay ahead of your tasks.   I try to have posts scheduled 2 weeks out. (I do not always succeed.)  This way if something comes up – like if you have to spend the  whole night cleaning up dog/cat/kid mess – you can handle it without interrupting your blog schedule.   I also use a scheduler to get my social media posts up without my constant attention. This is a huge time saver - not to mention, being on Facebook all day while I'm teaching is frowned upon - and it lets me be present without being present.  Of course, this means I have to have my social posts prepped and ready to go at least a week ahead so I can schedule them. Staying ahead also means that you can make adjustments on the fly.  One time I created a series of posts to share once a month.  When the original post became popular and gained unexpected attention, I simply adjusted my schedule to publish the follow up sooner to take advantage of the influx of new readers.   Having tasks ahead of time also means that you can take the time to look at the big picture instead of just rushing from one thing to the next, always in crisis mode. Accomplish something for your business every day.   Even on my busiest days  I check something off my to-do list.  It might not be everything I want to do, but I will do something.   When you decide to take a day off, it's really easy for a day off to become 2 days, then a week, and before you know it you're behind and have to rush just to get back on track, or you just give up.   Running a business is a habit, like exercise.  Until it's part of who you are, you have to work to stick with it.  No excuses. Having a blog is fun – at least it should be – but it's also work.  If you just wait for a free moment to magically open up in your schedule you're never going to get to it.   You're not going to find time.  You have to make time.  You have to decide that your business is worth giving up something else for.  Set realistic goals and make a plan.  Check off 1 item at a time, but do something every day.  No matter what. Grab your free copy of 5 Steps to Start Your Blog Today here!

Back in 2012 I was desperate to get out of teaching and I joined a network marketing company. It did not go well. As a last ditch attempt to save my failing business, I started a blog.  Well, my blog didn't save my direct sales business - that's a story for another day - but it saved me. My blog allowed me to see that I could make money without feeling icky, that I could be successful at something other than teaching, and it was fun! Side note: I have nothing against network marketing. Done right, it can be a fantastic way to make money. I chose the wrong company, followed outdated advice… I basically did everything wrong. That's on me. If you're in direct sales and want to know how to succeed in a sustainable way, I recommend you check out Brenda Ster of Elite Suite. She not only knows her stuff, she's working with multi-level marketing companies directly to help establish better training and boost the perception of the industry. But I digress. At first my blog posts were just for me. They were a way to share my family's adventures with our far-flung relatives. Then something cool happened. Someone I wasn't related to read one of my posts, they commented on it, and shared it. It was an amazing moment. That was my first light-bulb moment; I could help people I didn't even know through my blog! Okay, that may seem obvious to you, but to me it was an epiphany. I started writing for a broader audience,  and my readership continued to grow. Slowly. Very. Very. Slowly. Right after Thanksgiving I learned how to put ads on my site. And in December of 2012 I made $2.11. You might pooh-pooh that number, but I was ecstatic. Because I knew that if I could make $2, I could make more. And so, my first profitable business was born. Today I teach educators how to start their own blogs in order to earn passive income, support sales of their products or services, and impact a larger community. I truly believe that blogging is a fantastic way to make money and that any teacher can do it. But just because you can make money doing something, doesn't mean it's right for you. So if you're thinking of starting a blog to your existing business - or as the foundation of your future business - here are 8 signs that blogging might be a good fit for you. You love to write.  No matter what you want to blog about, even photography, you'll have to write… a lot.  If that sounds like a drag, you probably want to find another way to build authority.  Blogging is writing.  Period.  And though the writing style in blogs is more conversational (allowing you to get away with things like starting a sentence with “And”), you'll still need a solid grasp of grammar, spelling, and structure.  You can use a tool like Grammarly if you need some support for your grammar game. You're self motivated.  As a blogger you won't have a boss telling you what to do, a schedule to keep to, or colleagues to collaborate with.  This can be a total blessing if you're a self-motivated person who loves what they're doing.  If not, you're going to struggle to meet (or set) deadlines and publish posts, which is going to make it difficult to gain loyal readers.  On the plus side, you can set your own schedule, work during your most productive time, and have the flexibility to live your life. You are open to learning new things.  Blogging is more than just writing.  If you want to make money blogging you're going to have to learn more than you probably think (speaking from my own experience).  You may have to tweak your writing style, or learn about blogging in general. You may have to learn about plugins, SEO, and social media.  That doesn't mean you shouldn't get started, just go into it with the understanding that there's going to be a learning curve. Personally, one of my favorite things about being a business owner is getting to learn about something that's not classroom related. I love to learn, but my professional development was getting stagnant. This is just one of the ways my blog saved me as a teacher. You have something to say.  A blog has to be about something.  Anything, really.  Whatever you're passionate about, there will be other people who share that passion.  Think about what you love to talk about, what you're really good at, things for which other people come to you for advice.   Don't worry about trying to reinvent the wheel – there's plenty of room on the internet for you – even if someone else is writing about the same subject, only you can write about it from your perspective. Once you define your niche, your people will find you. You are willing to dedicate time to blogging.  No matter how frequently you're going to post, you're going to need to set aside time for blogging. You must proactively schedule time to brainstorm, plan, write, edit, and create your graphics.  If you're trying to blog in your “free time” you're never going to get it done. You must make time for your blog. This means you need to tell your family that from when to when you're going to be working on your blog. Write it on the calendar and make that time sacrosanct. If you let people encroach on your time in the beginning, you will have trouble setting that boundary forever.  Pro-tip: Don't let the fact that you're “pre-revenue” (as they say on Shark Tank) make you feel bad about taking time to work on your blog. You don't get from pre-revenue to revenue without putting in the work. You're willing to make mistakes.  And learn from them.  Like anything else, you're going to make mistakes as you learn.  You must be willing to accept your mistakes, figure out what went wrong, and adjust.  You're going to have to redo things you've written, redesign your site, and even delete posts you love because they just don't fit.  It's going to be hard and you're going to stumble, but every mistake is a chance to get better. This aspect of being an entrepreneur has also made me a better teacher. Nothing helps you sympathize with struggling students like crying at 2 am because you broke your site. You'd do it for free.  Truthfully, you will do it for free for a while, and you may even be in the red for a while.  It takes a while to build up an audience and start to turn a profit.  At first you'll feel like you're talking to yourself.  Then you'll get a few loyal readers, then a few more, and a few more.  It will take time, but people will come. As I said above, there will be people - maybe a spouse, a friend, or a family member - who pester you about spending time and money on your blog when it's not earning money yet. You might even be one of those people. But your blog is an investment in your future. I never suggest going into debt for your business - one of the best things about blogs is that it doesn't require a huge financial investment - but there is typically going to be an upfront cost.  You love to write.  Yes, this is on the list twice because this is the beginning and the end.  Nothing else matters if you don't enjoy writing.  When I put my daughter to bed, all I want to do is work on my blog.  On my lunch break at school, I'll edit and revise a post.  When I'm doing chores and running errands, I'm thinking about and looking for things to write about. I love to write. Of course, years ago, if you'd told me I was going to be a blogger, I'd have laughed at you.  The fact is I never thought of myself as a writer until just recently.  It's something that evolved as I worked my way through building my business. If you're considering starting a blog, don't let the fact that you're not a “writer” stop you. Just start writing! Ready to jump into your blog? Grab my FREE guide, 5 Steps to Start Your Blog Today!

One of the great things about blogging is that it doesn't require a huge up-front investment, so just about anyone can get started. Really, all you need is a computer with an internet connection. This makes this platform extremely accessible for everyone and a great way to get started in business.    I get asked all the time what equipment I use, so today I'm going to share some of my favorite gadgets, gizmos, and tools that live in my office. Remember, I've built my office over a number of years (and used more than a few Christmas and birthday gift certificates doing so), and it's up to you to decide what's going to be most useful for where you're at. That said, here's what's in my office. Feel free to copy my setup as much as you'd like! Convertible Desk Riser Our house has enough desks in it, but I really wanted the ability to work standing up. When I get in a groove, it's so helpful to be able to change positions quickly so I can keep working without the damage that hours of sitting can cause. So this Desk Riser is one of my favorite things. It sits on top of my existing desk, and I can easily move it up and down depending on the task at hand. Extra Monitor I actually bought this during the pandemic when I had to teach classes at home. It allowed me to see my whole class on Zoom (does that word still give you chills, too?) on one screen, and whatever I was presenting on the other. And it's proved just as valuable in my business. There are so many times I want to be able to see more than one thing while I'm working… and now I can! I can create graphics on one screen, and pop them into a blog post on the other. I can have a script open on one screen, and my recording software on the other. It's sooooooooooo helpful! Honestly, I'd get another screen if I could, but my husband already is slightly frightened that I'm plotting to take over the world in what he calls my command center, so I'll wait on that. Laptop Stand When I work in my office I want my screens to be level, so I put it up on the top level of my desk on a stand. This makes using 2 screens seamless and also keeps my tired teacher brain from getting confused as to how to get my mouse from one screen to the other. I like this particular stand, because I can tuck my keyboard under it while I'm not working so the cat doesn't walk all over it and break a key. Wireless Keyboard With my laptop mounted on a stand on the second level, it's not exactly practical to use the built-in keyboard. Instead I use this one so I can type comfortably. On a side note, I've only charged it once in over a year… Ikea Rolling Cart Seriously, is there anything these carts aren't good for? I use this cart for cord storage, file storage, and keeping things handy that I don't actually need a lot, like staplers and other paper-based stuff. If you don't already have one, you probably know someone who does. Wall-Mounted Whiteboard One year I had a wall full of post-it notes up on my wall, with everything I needed to do, organized by step, and color coded. It was a thing of beauty… and then the heat came on. And one by one all my post-its began to fall. Ugh. It was then that I realized the power of the whiteboard. I've had one ever since and it helps me keep track of everything from to-dos, to dream projects, to clients to follow up with… it's brilliant. Sharpie S-Gel Pens I know pens aren't exactly office equipment, but I love these pens so much I couldn't not share. They write soooooooo smoothly. And since it felt like I spent years searching for the perfect pens, maybe you have, too. I get them in packs of 36 and don't let anyone - my family or substitute teachers - use them. ATR USB Microphone As a podcast junkie, I decided to turn my blog into a blogcast. I write my blog post each week, then record it for the podcast. It's important to me that the sound quality be good, so I use an external microphone. I tried the Blue YETI as it comes highly recommended, but because it's a condenser mic, it picked up every noise in my house (including from other rooms), so I recommend a cardioid mic like the ATR. I also suggest spending a couple bucks on a windscreen to block out pops and cats rubbing up against your mic. Microphone Boom Arm Sometimes I want to record in my office, other times I just want to work. Having a boom arm for my mic means I can leave it set up, swing it to the side while I work, and just swing it back when I'm ready to record or go live. Saving myself the simple task of setting up a mic makes me that much more likely to get my recordings or videos done.  Ergoal Chair This is my latest office acquisition and it's quite possibly my favorite. This chair is a game changer. It's not only ergonomic, but it's made entirely of mesh material, even the seat, so there's no sweaty back or bum. This is the only chair I've ever loved. It is expensive, but they offer lots of discounts, and if you're signed up for Rakuten, you also get 2% cash back. Lap Desk Confession: I don't always work in my office. In fact, I spend a lot of time on my laptop in the living room, watching tv with my husband. When I do this I use a lap desk so I can use my mouse, and also so I can keep my computer at a good level.    So there you have it. That's what's in my office (and living room). Take your time and build your office one thing at a time. Ask for stuff you want for Christmas, birthdays, housewarmings, etc. and soon you'll have the office of your dreams! Hey, wait! Before you go, don't forget to grab our new freebie, 5 Steps to Start Your Blog Today! Let me walk you through the tech of setting up your website, so you can start putting out content and making money. This guide will take you step-by-step from obtaining your domain name and hosting through publishing and promoting your first post. Get it at https://sidehustleteachers.com/startyourblog

Every entrepreneur I know has a shelf full of business books, some better than others. So just in time for the holidays I've made a list of my favorite books that I recommend every edupreneur read. Profit First by Mike Michalowicz This is the first finance book I read that actually made sense and was easy to follow. Mike gives step by step instructions on how to set up your business accounts to prevent surprise taxes, cover your expenses, and keep your accounts straight without complicated systems or spreadsheets. Where Profit First really sets itself apart, however, is in its basic premise; Pay yourself first!  Most people define profit as: Income - Expenses = Profit. This makes sense on the surface, but there are some problems in practice.  Many businesses who use the traditional method of finance management never turn a profit because they take every penny they earn and reinvest it back into their business. This can breed resentment from business owners and their families because they work, and work, and work, without any financial rewards.  The Profit First system allows even brand new entrepreneurs to start earning money, building a sustainable business Chillpreneur by Denise Duffield-Thomas I first discovered DDT when I found her earlier book, Get Rich Lucky Bitch, earlier this year. If you're looking to improve your money mindset, I recommend that book, too, but for entrepreneurship Chillpreneur is where it's at. The thing I love about Denise - other than her accent - is her dedication to making things easy. While her business is her sole focus, she is enthusiastically pursues ways to make life, family, and business effortless. Denise speaks out against our hustle culture and suggests practical ways ordinary people can simplify their business while maximizing profitability. Her advice is exactly what teachers, who are already busy, need to hear in order to business that doesn't burn them out. Note: DDT is a money coach for women, and her book is geared toward us ladies.  Atomic Habits by James Clear Have you ever read a book that was designed to help you create better habits, only to find yourself overwhelmed by the amount of work required to rearrange your life? Me, too. James Clear's book is the opposite of that. His approach to changing behavior is based on creating new habits and new systems a little at a time. Hence, the “atomic” in the title. My favorite things about James is his way of explaining each step of forming a new habit in a way that seems achievable and his clear belief that success or failure in meeting a new goal isn't personal. It's a reflection of the system you have in place.  This book is extremely well researched and supplemented with personal stories of athletes, artists, business leaders, and others who've applied the Atomic Habits methods in their own lives. Finish: Give Yourself the Gift of Done by Jon Acuff Whether you've got a basement, attic, garage, or hard drive full of half-done projects (like me), or you just want to make sure you get to the finish line of building a successful business, you're going to want to check this book out. I read Jon's earlier book, Start, a while back and, while I enjoyed it and recommend it, I've never had trouble starting projects - I'm a high Quick Start on the Kolbe assessment - but finishing them… yeah.  This book gives practical, actionable advice on how to meet your goals and never again abandon a project before you're done. Some of them may actually make you feel like you're cheating - but you're not! And despite Jon's humorous approach to the subject, everything in Finish is based on research. So go git-r-done! Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen by Donald Miller Donald Miller knows messaging, and is giving you all the good stuff in this book.  Based on the understanding that confused people don't buy, Building a StoryBrand helps you cut through the fluff and discover the heart of what you offer your customers. Once you're clear on what you're selling - it may not be what you think - this book walks you through the seven universal story points, and how they apply to business, so you can craft a message that connects with your potential customers.  And when you purchase the book, you get free access to an interactive website where you can define your own story for your brand. Climb Your Own Ladder: Become the CEO of Your Own Business by Dana Malstaff One of the biggest difficulties new entrepreneurs face is the feeling of Should. As in, “I should be doing this, because others do it.”  “I should be able to perfectly balance life as a mom and entrepreneur without any trouble.”  “I should be further along in my business by now.” Instead of focusing on all the “shoulds,” Climb Your Own Ladder gives you permission to be right where you are, and pragmatic advice on how to reach the next level - in your own time, and on your own terms. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life by Mark Manson Here's an unnecessary heads-up: This book uses curse words. A lot. Moving on. There are a lot of reasons I love and recommend this book. Probably the biggest is that Mark is a realist. He asserts that life can't always be sunshine and roses, and that the key to happiness lies in our acceptance of the shit as well as the shinola. I try to practice optimism as much as I can, but let's face it; Sometimes being a teacher, an entrepreneur, or even just a human being sucks. Life can throw some massive turds at you, and it doesn't help to have people tell you to simply roll them in glitter. The Subtle Art of Not Givng a F*ck helps you understand that there are only so many things you can honestly care about, so choose your f**ks carefully. If you haven't already, add these books to your Christmas list, stat. They'll transform your business and your mindset!

I started blogging in 2013, I had no idea what I was doing.  I made a lot of mistakes. A lot. My mistakes cost me a lot of time and money, and slowed the growth of my business in ways I can't even measure. Last week a client asked what I would do differently if I could go back and start over… and it got me thinking. So here are 8 things I suggest all new bloggers do to avoid my beginner mistakes. 1. Start Before You're Ready No matter how long you wait, how much you learn, how many checklists or spreadsheets you make, you'll never feel ready. The first time you hit publish is going to be scary. Do it anyway. Learning and growth moves much faster when you have a real, live blog. Instead of theorizing about what you need to do, you can put your ideas into practice, see what works and what doesn't, and adapt as needed. When I started my first blog, I hesitated to put myself out there. Even when I finally published a post I wanted to keep it to myself. I was worried about what people would think… what they would say about me…  In the end, it was no big deal. A few people said they liked my posts, some others said they were happy for me, and more often than anything else, they wanted to know how I was doing it. Lesson: Just hit publish. You'll never be ready. 2. Quality Over Quantity One of the most intimidating things when you're starting a blog is when you look at the volume of content that more established bloggers have. It's easy to think that you need to pump out as much as possible to “catch up” with them. Content, however, is a quality craft.  At the beginning of my blogging journey I posted a new blog post every day.  I was trying to show that I was a “real” blogger by having a library full of content to share.  What actually happened was that I started approaching burnout incredibly fast, and, even worse, my content was mediocre. I felt frustrated because I was working all the time and my posts were getting any traction. (It's no wonder… they weren't that great.) Gradually I started to slow down my content production, and spend more time on quality. I went back and upgraded some of my old, blah posts and republished them as new, too. Lo and behold, my page views started to tick up, people started spending more time on my site, and my income went way up. Lesson: More is not better. Put out the best content you can and don't worry about anyone else. 3. Start Your Email List As Soon As Possible Your email list is your most precious commodity. Period. The sooner you start getting people to join your email list, the better.  Your email list is the best way to get in touch with your audience. (Email has an average open rate of 20%, whereas social media posts will only reach 3-5% of your followers.) So, to paraphrase a common expression, you should always be list building. I heard this advice when I started out, and I ignored it. I thought Facebook and my daily blog posts would be enough to get people to my site.  I was wrong. The fact is that people are busy and they won't just go check out your site because it's awesome. They need you not only to remind them, but to make it as easy as possible to see what you're doing.  When I started collecting emails, and sending out weekly messages, I saw a massive jump in my page views. Readers appreciated knowing about my new posts, and I made it easy for them to get there by including a link. ConvertKit, the email service provider I use and recommend, even has a free plan now! So there's no excuse to put it off. Lesson: Put a call to action to get people on your email list in every post, and email them regularly. 4. Stay Within Your Niche When you start a blog it's important to choose a niche. This clarifies the purpose of your blog to your readers and helps you stay on topic when writing your posts.  However, a common mistake new bloggers make - including yours truly - is going off topic or following a new trend that doesn't fit your niche.  My blog was for busy moms who wanted simple ideas for things to do with their kids, meals to make for their kids, and ways to organize their lives to make them easier. But I was so excited about everything I was learning about blogging, I added a new category to my site. The posts didn't bomb, but they also didn't get a lot of attention. Basically, I spent a lot of time and energy on posts my audience didn't care about. In the best possible scenario, a blog post that doesn't fit your niche will just sit there on your site, and no one will read it. On the other hand, random, off topic posts can tank your SEO and confuse your readers, leading them to not follow your future links because they don't have time to go see if you're back to giving them what they want. Lesson: Keep giving your audience what they signed up for. Pick a niche and stick with it. 5. Engage Your Small Audience One of the biggest benefits of having a small audience is that you can really get to know them and what they need. Oftentimes these early supporters will become your most loyal readers and devoted fans… IF you engage with them. When they comment on a post, respond. If they reply back to your email, consider that an invitation to continue the conversation. Ask for their opinions, then go with what they say they want. As your blog grows, you won't have the time to engage on this level, so take advantage of it while you can, In my first year I was so busy creating content. Every. Single. Day. that I didn't allow myself to talk to my followers. I know I missed out on a huge opportunity to build relationships and to develop a solid base of go-to fans that I could always rely on for support, polls, and to spread the word about my blog. Lesson: Embrace your small audience and let them help you make your blog even better. 6. Plan Your Posts in Advance Most blogging gurus will tell you that you should write your blog posts well in advance - many suggest batching weeks of content at once - but that advice is often unreasonable for teachers. It may even prevent some people from getting started because it seems overwhelming. Total honesty: I'm writing this post on Saturday to be published on Sunday. That's the life of a teacher. Sometimes I'm able to batch and get ahead. Sometimes it's a scramble the night before. What you should do, though, is plan your posts in advance. Knowing what you're going to write about for the next 3-6 months is not only good practice, it makes life easier. Having a content plan enables you to make sure your posts are aligned with your business goals, and it takes the pressure off when you sit down to start writing when you know where to start. If I had a content plan when I started blogging, I wouldn't have started writing about blogging and business. Lesson: Even if you don't have time to write posts in advance, create a plan to make life easier and stay on track. Check out the 5-Day Content Challenge to get your content plan together. 7. Ignore the Haters Trolls are a part of life on the internet. While you can use plugins like Akismet to block spam comments on your blog, there's no way to keep 100% of haters out of your hair. The fact is that once you put anything on the internet, someone is going to not like it, take it wrong, or just say mean things because they're sad little people who are deeply dissatisfied with themselves.  That doesn't mean you shouldn't post. It just means that you have to have a thick skin. When I got my first hater, I very nearly quit blogging. They really know how to push buttons. But just like the kids in your class who say horrible things because they are so desperate for attention, I learned not to take their words personally. (And unlike the kid in my class, I don't have to engage with trolls at all. Just delete and move on.) Lesson: Haters gonna hate, hate, hate, hate. Let it go… let it go…  8. Focus on Action, Not Analytics I believe you need to know your numbers. You need to know what posts are doing well, and which aren't. You need to know if the action you're taking is working. But before you can know if what you're doing is effective, you need to take action. In fact, the vast majority of your time should be spent doing things that will actively grow your blog and business. There were days in the beginning when I would just sit and hit refresh on my blog stats page. I'd go start the dishwasher. Refresh the page. I'd grade some papers. Refresh the page. It was kind of pathetic. And all that time wasn't doing anything to grow my blog. Sure, I knew 2 more people had viewed my blog, but I hadn't done anything to help any more people find me. Instead, set a date on your calendar each week or month to review your key performance indicators, and stay off the stats page otherwise. Lesson: There's a fine line between knowing your numbers and obsessing over them. At the end of the day, everyone is going to make mistakes along the way to becoming a blogger. It's normal, and it's how we grow.  But you don't have to make all the mistakes. Now that you know some of my biggest mistakes… go out and make your own!

The internet is crowded and it can be hard for a new blogger to get noticed online.  And if you're just starting out it seems like there's so much to… how do you know where to put your time and energy so that your posts get found, read, shared, and engaged with? While it's not enough to just write great posts, you also don't have to do all the things to stand out. It's all about using your time and energy on the right tasks - ones that will give you the best returns - and not overwhelming yourself with trying to do everything. Here are 5 things you need to do for each blog post that will help people find you and grow your business. 1. Graphics Social media where the majority of people get their information these days, which means our feeds are full. In order to stop people from scrolling, you need graphics that get their attention. The other benefit of graphics is that they take up more space in people's feeds, so they have more time to see your post and stop scrolling. For each post I recommend you create 3 graphics: 1280 x 720 px for Facebook and/ or Twitter 1080 x 1080 px for Instagram and/or Facebook 1000 x 1500 px for Pinterest If you use a program like PicMinkey or Canva Pro, you can create templates for yourself, so each week you can simply enter your current post info and save yourself time. Using a template also helps you have a consistent look for your blog posts - people will start to recognize your work! 2. SEO Search engine optimization, commonly known as SEO, is what allows search engines like Google and Bing, and Yahoo! To understand what your blog post is about and recommend it to people when they enter search criteria.  Yes, search engines do crawl your content to “read” it, but to help them get a better idea of the focus of your post you need to set an SEO keyword, meta description, and URL slug. I recommend using the free plugin Yoast to make managing all of this as easy as possible. Yoast will scan your post and give you an SEO rating, as well as recommendations as to how to improve your SEO. Once you review and follow Yoasts recommendations a few times, you'll start to build the techniques into your posts automatically. 3. A Great Title For your blog posts you want to craft a title that is both catchy and clear. A potential reader should know what they're going to get when they click on your post. When bloggers try to get cute with post titles, it leaves readers confused as to what the post is about. Since we all have an extremely limited amount of time, people are far less likely to click on an unclear post title. As Donald Miller of Business Made Simple says, “When you confuse, you lose.” Instead of clever, aim for clear.  The free Headline Analyzer tool will read your post title and give you a score based on a set of criteria. You can pay for deeper analysis, but I've always found the free version to work just fine. As an added bonus, a great title can also boost your SEO by making your posts primary idea even more clear! 4. A Concise Description When your post comes up on Google or social media, an easy to understand description will give viewers a clear idea of what your post will contain. This further helps them decide to click on your link or not. In this case, brevity is your friend because Google will clip your description at 155-160 characters, so it's important to have a succinct 1-2 sentence summary of your post.  To save time, you can use the same description for Twitter. Once you add a link to the post, you'll be close to the 280 character count. When it comes to other social media, you typically have more space to use for your post description, so play around with various lengths to see what works best for you.  Pinterest limits you to 500 characters, Instagram to 2,200, and Facebook to just over 63k.  Another bonus, a clear description can boost your post's SEO even more! 5. Distribution Strategy Last, but certainly not least, you need to have a plan to distribute your blog post so even more people can find it.  Before I even get to strategy, let me state that there is no need to create a complicated distribution schedule. In fact, as you get started, I suggest that you choose a single platform on which to share your content, then expand slowly once you get your system down. Email. Every time you publish a new post you should email your list. These are the people who value what you have to say so much that they gave you their email address! They want to know when you're sharing more good stuff, so let them know! Social Media. Pick a social media platform to start with and decide when you're going to share your new content. It might feel excessive at first, but share your post more than once. People are busy and social media feeds move fast, so you can't assume that people will see your initial share. In fact, only about 3-5% of your social followers will see your post at all thanks to the algorithms that control the feed. Pinterest. Not a social media platform, Pinterest is a visual search engine and another place for you to share your content. Like social media, you're going to want to share on Pinterest more than once because the website has stated that they want “fresh pins,” meaning unique descriptions and images each time you share. Interestingly, getting your post into more hands via social media and your email list can boost your SEO reach even further! More visits to your site, especially if they stay there for a while and read multiple posts, tells Google that you're an authority and people find your site valuable… making them more likely to recommend you! Remember that you don't have to focus on all of these tasks at once. Just do one thing at a time, give yourself time to master it, then add in the next task. With time and continuous effort, these small changes will add up and your blog will grow. Ready for the next step? Check out Content Made Simple and learn my proven 3-step system for planning, crafting, and distributing your content!

Every so often some new internet guru proclaims to the world that blogs are dead. (Spoiler alert: they're not.) They (you know… “they”) have also tried to declare email, Facebook groups, and static images dead, so they don't have a great track record here. The fact is that blogs are still an amazing way to make money, whether you use them as an income producer on their own or you use them to market products or services. And to prove it, here are some pretty mind blowing statistics provided by Optin Monster: Every month, 409 million people view more than 20 billion blog posts Blog readers post 77 million comments per month Companies who blog get 97% more links to their site Blogs have been rated as the 5th most trustworthy source for gathering online information. 77% of internet users read blogs. Businesses that blog experience twice as much email traffic as businesses who don't. Marketers who prioritize blogging are 13x more likely to have a positive ROI on their efforts. But perhaps the most compelling evidence that blogs are still effective is that so many people are still using them! With all the options available to companies - from solopreneurs to massive Fortune 500 companies - the fact that so many still blog regularly as a way to grow their revenue is telling.  The Blog is Dead. Long Live the Blog. What most people mean to say when they say blogging is dead, is that blogging isn't what it used to be… But let's be honest; what is?  I started blogging in 2012 which, in internet years, was a million years ago. What I did back then to build my business isn't what I teach people to do today. Just like my mentors couldn't teach me to blog like they did back in the 1990s and early 2000s. There are lots of things that have changed about blogging over time - more about those changes in a future post - but the biggest thing we have to think about today is intention. When blogs first started they were a means of connection and communication. It was easy to start a blog, but more challenging to monetize it, and honestly that wasn't the point. People shared about their day-to-day lives, swapped stories, and built connection and community in a less formal way. Bloggers were thought of as outcasts, and they formed their own online Island of Misfit Toys.  A big turning point for bloggers was 2003 when 2 major developments happened. WordPress released their open-source blogging platform and Google launched AdSense and AdWords Those 2 tools allowed bloggers to create their own websites and monetize their content much easier than they'd been able to in the past. This is when blogging became a business.  The intent of blogging had shifted. It wasn't just about connection, now it was also about capitalism. Even still, the content of blogs didn't change a whole lot. Yes, they were on self-designed websites and there were ads on the page, but the posts were still very personal and informal. Now there were 2 other platforms having an impact on blogging: Google Analytics and the popularity of email. Google Analytics allowed bloggers to see data on what readers were reading and sharing, which meant that bloggers started to plan content around what their readers wanted, as opposed to what they wanted. Also at this time, email was becoming an essential service, but because it was still new, people happily gave their email address out to anyone who asked for it. All bloggers had to do was ask people to join their newsletter mailing list. (Ah, the good ol' days.)   Once blogging was established as a viable, sustainable way to make money, the floodgates opened.  By 2010 just about every news outlet had a blog.  Blogs weren't just for outcasts, college kids,  and stay-at-home-moms anymore! Now What? These days there's a lot more to blogging than there was even 10 years ago.  Social media became a massive force, not just in blogging, but in society as a whole. YouTube became a thing (enough said about that). Podcasts got started.  And people guard their email addresses with more fervor than they do their social security numbers. But, while it's not as easy as the olden days, it's still totally worth it. To stand out on the noisy, crowded internet, especially if you want to make money, you need more than a website with some words on it. You need to solve a problem, build relationships, and become a consistent go-to source for your audience. Some tips for doing blogging right in 2022: Stay in your niche. Once you choose a niche and decide on your content pillars, make sure your content stays true to your vision. It's tempting to follow trends and do what others are doing, but you'll see the fastest return and growth when you become an authority in your niche rather than a generalist. Need help choosing your niche? Grab my freebie, The Ultimate Guide to Choosing a Topic for Your Blog, Podcast, or Video Show. Design matters. If you read blogs that were first published on WordPress in the early 2000s, you may have noticed that they were, well… ugly. These days your blog needs to be visually appealing and easy to navigate to keep people from clicking away. Make thoughtful design choices and frequently check your website for broken links to ensure a greater user experience. Be yourself. With the vast internet at everyone's fingertips, the biggest factor that will get people to choose you as their go-to source is YOU! Let your personality shine through on your website and you will attract people who like who you are (and repel people who are just going to give you agita). Repurpose your content. Here at Side Hustle Teachers I call my blog a blogcast because I repurpose this blog into a podcast. You can also save yourself a ton of time by repurposing blog posts into social media posts, and these days you must continually promote your blog, so do it without creating extra work for yourself. So, no, blogging is not dead. It's evolving, just like everything else.  For your investment (money and time), blogging is still the easiest way to get started with content marketing and start building your business. There's an extremely low barrier for entry and just about anyone can be successful!

I recently had a conversation with a student I wanted to share. She had just finished the 5 Day Content Challenge and had a long list of blog post topics she wanted to write about. She was so excited about this list and was just about to enroll in Content Made Simple, but… She hesitated in enrolling because she was worried about signing up and making the official decision to start her blog because she had a sudden burst of anxiety about having to create tons and tons of content.  In the blink of an eye she had convinced herself that in order to be a “real blogger” she'd need to write a thousand blog posts, spend all day on social media, and be chained to her computer all day, every day. This is a common fear among people who want to start a content channel. When we look at the “big names” in our areas of expertise we find content going back years and a huge social media presence. Naturally, we feel that in order to “compete,” we have to match their volume of work, which would be, to say the least, intimidating. I will freely admit that I fell victim to this trap when I was a new content creator, too.  When I first started my mom-lifestyle blog, I posted every day. Yes, you read that right. I wrote a blog post every day. For months.  It didn't take long to realize that creating that much content was unsustainable. But, it wasn't just unsustainable, it wasn't the most efficient way to grow my blog. More Isn't Better When first starting out, it's common to want to fill out your content library so that your website looks more impressive. However, just like with chocolate, pizza, and tequila, oftentimes more is just… more. Instead, focus your efforts on creating high quality content that your audience will find value in and that makes people want to like, comment, and share.  When you spend your time trying to pump out new blog posts, podcasts, or videos, you typically end up with a large bank of mediocre content. This doesn't serve your audience or your business.  Actually, it can hurt your standing as a go-to authority on your subject to publish half-baked content. You'll also rank lower in search engines, making it more difficult for people to discover your site. If you think of my original blog schedule - also known as the fast track to burnout city - I was drafting 5 blog posts per week. That's 5 posts, plus graphics, plus social shares, plus SEO and meta descriptions, plus… the list goes on. If instead of publishing 5 posts per week, including all the additional tasks above (and more I've likely forgotten about), I had published a single post I would have not only saved myself a ton of time, the post I put out would have been of a much higher quality, and I would have had the time and energy to do other tasks that would have benefited my business. Promote Your Content When you spend all your time creating new content, you leave no time to promote your posts or episodes, which is essential to growing your audience. After all, your content could be fantastic, but if no one knows about it, it's not helping anyone. The generally accepted rule is that you should spend 20% of your time creating your content and 80% of your time promoting that content. So why do many of us focus so much of our attention on creation when promotion is where it's at? To a certain extent creating less feels counterintuitive, right? I mean, how can we promote our content if we don't have a lot of content to promote? Well, for one thing, we don't have to take the 80/20 rule completely on its face. Start by rebalancing your time so that, even if you're not spending 4 times as much of your time on promotion, you're at least spending slightly more time promoting than on creating. This will help develop the mindset of promotion, and you can gradually increase your promotion:creation ratio. According to Derek Halpern; “If you spend time writing a piece of content, and that content only gets 1,000 readers, chances are there are one million other people in the world who can benefit from what you wrote. Why, then, would you spend more time creating content when you already have something that your ideal customers can benefit from?” And he has a point. It's far easier to find 10,000 more people who are interested in what you've already published than it is to write 10 more posts and get 1,000 people to read each of them.  At the end of the day it comes down to 2 essential ideas: Quality over quantity. A single piece of content that is fully flushed out, well researched, and thoughtfully composed is more valuable than multiple thrown together pieces - to both business owner and audience. The 80/20 rule rules. Finding new people who can benefit from your high-quality, proven content is easier than trying to draft new compelling content.

When you make the decision to start a blog, podcast, or video show, you do so with the understanding that you're committing to regularly create new content to share with your readers, listeners, or viewers. But sometimes the best laid plans… you know. We all have busy lives, and creating content can easily get pushed aside if you don't have a plan to make it happen. I shared about the importance of regularly updating your content, so I won't spend too much time beating that drum.  Content is important. Plan, craft, and distribute it every. single. week.  There. I'm done with that now. However, I completely understand that it's not always easy to set aside time to get it done. Teachers are busy. Families require our time, too. There's that self-care thing people are always talking about and, what am I missing? Oh, right. Sleep. So, what's a busy teacher with a blog, podcast, or video show to do? The common expression would be to find the time. Others say you have to make the time. But I like Jon Acuff's way of describing it. In his book, Finish, he said what you really have to do is rescue your time.  What does that mean? To put it bluntly. We waste a lot of time. Like… a lot of time. And I'm not just talking about time spent on Facebook or learning the latest TikTok dance. We do a lot of things that just don't need to be done.  We grade every piece of work our students turn in. We spend hours searching on Pinterest for the perfect bulletin board. We stay up to tweak the slide show we're presenting to our class tomorrow because the picture on slide 6 is not quite right. We learn something new for our businesses even if we haven't implemented the last 4 things we learned. We tweak the colors in our logo. We hand wash the dishes instead of using the dishwasher. I've used this analogy before, but it bears repeating. Time is like a house. If you have a small house, you will have enough furniture, decor, and possessions to fill it. If you moved from that house to a multi-million dollar mansion, it might take a little while, but you'd eventually fill that space, too. We fill our time in much the same way.  If we find ourselves with free time, we will find a way to fill it. Therefore, we are “always busy.” In order to rescue your time so that you can create content, you have to identify things you're currently spending your time on that don't necessarily need to be done, or that can be done in a more efficient way. If that idea makes you want to fling your planner in my face, stay with me.  We're not talking about rescuing hours at a time. Small bits of time can make a big difference. So let's take a look at the 2 primary strategies for your  Daily Tasks Creating a blog post, podcast, or video episode is not a single to-do list item. Rather, there are many small things that need to be done, in order, so that your content can go out on time. If you list out those smaller tasks, approximate how long they take to do, then assign them to a particular day of the week. For example, for a blog post you might need to do the following: Decide on a topic (10 minutes) Write a title (10 minutes) Write your promise (15 minutes) Craft your post (1 hour) Create your content upgrades/freebies or downloadables (30 minutes) Write the email promoting your new post, schedule (30 minutes) Draft social media posts (20 minutes) Create your graphics (30 minutes) Upload the post onto your website, with graphics and descriptions, schedule (30 minutes) Schedule your social media posts (15 minutes) Using this timeline, you could set a schedule that looked something like this: Monday - Steps 1-3 Tuesday - Step 4 Wednesday - Step 5 Thursday - Step 6 Friday - Step 7-8 Saturday - Step 9-10 Following this schedule means that you never have to rescue more than 1 hour at a time and your post goes out on time! Power Through If breaking tasks up isn't your style, you can always set aside one larger chunk of time in which to write your post.  If you're doing some mental math (or you used a calculator like I did) and discovered that everything listed above takes just over 4 hours. That might seem like a lot of time, but when you do the work all at once, the tasks often go faster. Also, there are systems you can put in place to help you work more efficiently. For example, come up with your topics (and even titles) for several months at one time. This not only saves you time, but also helps make sure that your content is on point for your audience, and saves the frustration of not knowing what to share this week. If possible, design a system that not only supports your task list, but assists in making it easier. You could build a template for your content creation (or use the one I provide students in Content Made Simple) or create graphics templates to use and reuse each week. If this is a schedule you think would work best for you, you can still rescue little bits of time throughout the week rather than trying to free up 4 hours on a Saturday. The difference is that you'd use the rescued time to move some of your Saturday responsibilities to weekdays.  For example, you can go to the grocery store on your way home on Monday instead of on the weekend. Maybe you already drive past the grocery store on your way home, so you save the time it would take you to drive there on a weekend. Plus, Monday afternoon isn't peak time for shopping, so you'll likely breeze through the store in less time. Of course, sometimes our schedules aren't static enough to choose one strategy or another and you may have to go week to week; one week you break up the process, the next you set aside a Sunday morning. There's no one way to make time for your content creation. The important thing is that you decide, without any ambiguity or room for negotiation, that your content will go out every single week. Content is the easiest, cheapest, most efficient way to reach new people, and creating it on a consistent basis is the easiest, cheapest, most efficient way to increase your revenue.  Rescue your time. Repurpose this time to work for you and your business. Go forth and create.

Let's start this blogcast with an important statement: You are enough. Right now. Today. You are enough. I say this because there are a large number of side hustlin' teachers who want to start a blog, podcast, or video show, but don't because they feel they're lacking… something. Whether it's education, experience, age, or something else all together, let me reassure you that there is nothing you need to get started on the journey of content creation that you don't already possess. But, I know that understanding that may not be enough, so today I'm sharing with you 3 reasons that you should start publishing your content now… even if you don't feel ready. Action Begets Growth As teachers, we know that the best way to get better at something is to do it… over and over again. Imagine teaching a student how to write in cursive, but never asking them to practice. They'd never get better at cursive, right?! The same is true for your blog, podcast, or video show. When you put your content out to the world, that's your practice.  Why can't you just practice on your own?  Some clients wonder why they can't just write a blog post and keep it for themselves, or record a video and never upload it.  Well, you can. But it's far less effective. If we go back to our cursive analogy, imagine again giving your students opportunities to practice their cursive, but never giving them feedback or guidance on how to improve. They may get better, but some will actually develop bad habits and learn things incorrectly, making it even more difficult to get it right later on. By sharing your content you're opening yourself up for feedback. Your audience will help you get better through their comments, questions, reaching out, and sharing. They will tell you what they want more of, and what they need less of.  Without their feedback it will take longer for you to be your best, and you may get into some nasty habits that will be hard to break later. Newton's First Law Full confession, I had to look up the order of Newton's laws. Just in case you're in the same boat, Newton's first law states that an object in motion will stay in motion until acted on by an outside force.  What's true in physics is also true in business. It's hard to get into the habit of building a business if you don't take the first step. Once you start putting your content out into the world, you can establish a routine that will help you hit publish every week. If you need some help with your routine I encourage you to check out Content Made Simple, in which I walk you through my 3-step content creation process and give you the Content Planning Worksheet I spent years refining. The other thing that happens when you start sharing your content on a regular basis is that your audience expects and looks forward to it.  At a conference I went to, Pat Flynn shared that one time he forgot to schedule a podcast episode to go out he got an email from a fan that read, “Hey Pat, it's Wednesday, where the f@$k Is today's show? Love your show. Thanks!” The expectation of other people - people who look to you for information and expertise - is kind of trippy. But it's also great motivation to keep going and put out new content. Of course, the first thing you have to do before you form these habits is to hit publish for the first time. Cultivate Your Confidence Have you heard the expression, “Fake it ‘til you make it”?  That's it. That's everything. One of the biggest reasons many teachers don't put their content out to the world is because we think that we're not enough.  If you've ever hesitated to publish on a blog post, podcast, or video show, because you thought: I'm not an expert in this.  There are plenty of others who are better at this than I am. Who's going to listen to me, I'm just a _______. If I write this post/ record this episode, people will see that I'm a fraud. I don't have the right degree/ certification so no one will listen to me. You're not alone. Those thoughts are completely normal, and while they don't ever completely go away, putting your content out helps you push past them. The first time I stood in front of a class full of students, I just knew they were going to ask me a question I couldn't answer, tell me they didn't have to listen to me because I wasn't a real teacher, or just fully devolve into a Lord of the Flies style tribe. But every time I stepped into a classroom and successfully survived, my confidence grew.  Now, after 20 years, I know that I can handle whatever the kids can dish out. The same is true with content.  Once you put out your first piece, you realize that the only one putting you down is you. Fake it ‘til you make it isn't about faking success and putting on a show so others will believe in you. It's about acting as if you are what you want to become… and then, one day, you are that person. Fake confidence until you feel confident. Theodore Roosevelt once said, “By acting as if I was not afraid, I gradually ceased to be afraid.” (Of course, Teddy was talking about Grizzly bears, but the principle still holds.) You came to Side Hustle Teachers for a reason.  You're looking for more. More money, more growth, more personal fulfillment. To quote another great president, “Things do not happen. Things are made to happen.” So if you want more, you're going to have to make it happen.

One question that comes up all the time with my clients and members of the Side Hustle Teachers community is how I manage to consistently put out my blogcast week after week.  There are 2 things I rely on; systems and tools. I'll address my systems in a future blogcast, but today let's talk about tools. I'm going to walk you through my complete content creation process and tell you which tools I use for each step. Some are free, some have a modest fee, but all of them are indispensable in my business. Google Business Suite I use Google in a myriad of ways, but when it comes to content creation, I use it in 2 key ways. First I maintain a spreadsheet of blogcast topics. Every 6 months or so I draft a list of ideas to share, then organize it into a spreadsheet, organized by planned date of publication.  When it's time to craft my content, I have created a Content Planning Worksheet that provides spaces for every aspect of my content, from title to the actual blogcast, to social media shares. (The Content Planning Worksheet is available to students enrolled in Content Made Simple.) I make a copy of the CPW for each blogcast, then craft my content in the doc.  I pay for Google Business Suite for the extra storage (it's $1.99 a month), but it's also available for free until you reach your storage limit. WordPress Once the blogcast is crafted, it gets pasted into a new post on my website.  My website is built on WordPress and it allows me to host all my content, sales pages, and everything else I need for an online presence. If you don't have a website already, I recommend getting your domain and hosting through Siteground. I've been with them since I started my blog many, many years ago and have yet to be disappointed by their service. Siteground also makes it easy to install WordPress on your site for free. I use the Divi theme on my site, but there are many free themes to use as you get started. Each year WordPress releases a new theme of the year, which are typically well designed and audience-friendly. PicMonkey My next step in the process of crafting my content is to create my graphics. I make 6 graphics for each post, but that is not what I'd recommend when you're starting out. Before deciding what graphics you need, consider what platforms you're going to use.  I suggest you create a square and horizontal image for each post or episode. If you also want to utilize Pinterest, you also need a vertical image. For my graphics I use PicMonkey. It lets me save my brand colors, add videos to images, and I get access to a massive library of stock photos. Another option that many people love is Canva. You can try PicMonkey free for 7 days here. Social Warfare Within my website I use the plugin called Social Warfare. It allows me to create prepopulated shares for Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and more, for each post. It also gives me the floating bard on the side of my website that allows people to share my blogcast with just one click.  Using this tool, when someone clicks the share button, let's use Pinterest as an example, their new pin will populate with the image I've selected and the description I've created. They can edit the description, of course, but it gives me more control over the way my brand is presented. Adobe Audition There are hundreds of programs that let you record your voice for a podcast, but the one I like best, and use every week, is Adobe Audition. It's part of the Creative Cloud program, so you may have access through your school.  I like Audition because it's fairly easy to learn and it enables me to edit my own blogcast in minimal time - because anything that saves me time is awesome. I know it has a lot of features I don't use, but the ones I do use save me time and money. Adobe offers a discounted rate for teachers. Scroll to the bottom of the linked page to find it. Libsyn Once the sound is recorded, I upload it to my podcast host, Libsyn (short for Liberated Syndication). I recommend using a paid hosting company like Libsyn (only $5 a month) over the free platforms because of the ease of use, customer service, listener stats, and multiple distribution channels. Libsyn also allows me to embed my episodes on the blog post page, making it easier for people to listen and helping to grow my listenership. ConvertKit Once the content is created, I draft an email to those signed up for my list. The email text is included in the Content Planning Worksheet, so I can simply copy and paste it into ConvertKit. One way I make my weekly emails easier is to duplicate the email from the week before, then adjust the sections as necessary. This also ensures that the correct people on my email list get the Side Hustle Headlines email. Those who are new to my list are in what's called a nurture sequence, and to prevent them from getting an overload of emails I don't send them the weekly messages. The ability to create nurture sequences, tag subscribers, and segment my list are what makes ConvertKit my email service provider of choice for 7 years now! Use ConvertKit for free until you have 1,000 subscribers! CinchShare The last step in my content creation process is to schedule my posts for social media. In my personal opinion a good scheduling program is essential for all business owners, but especially teachers. We aren't available to post on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Linked In all day long.  Just imagine, “Hang on class, I just have to post this prompt to my Facebook group.” Ummmmmm. No. Each Sunday night I get all my posts for the week loaded into CinchShare, use their auto-scheduler to set up times for everything to go out, and click “schedule.” So before I go to bed I know that all my prompts, stories, posts, questions, quotes… you get the idea… will go out on time. Try CinchShare for 14 days for free. Using the right tools can have a massive impact on your business. It can take stress off of you and make running a business while teaching much more manageable. While it may take a small investment to get access to some tools, the time, energy, and effort you save will be well worth it. For a complete list of all the tools and programs I recommend, check out the resources page on my site.

Last week I suggested that you start creating and sharing your holiday content well before the holiday season actually begins, but what kind of content should you share? Oftentimes, the types of content you create at this time of year is going to mirror what you create throughout the year, but with a slightly different focus. Holiday content may also not have the evergreen nature of most of your posts, but remember that the holidays come every year, which means you can update and continue to promote this content year after year. So let's dig into the types of posts and episodes you can share with your audience. Gift Guide Almost every side hustle can benefit from producing a list of gift ideas your audience might enjoy. This could be ideas your audience might want to give as gifts, or gifts your audience might want to receive from others. In your gift guide you can include both your own products and products for which you're an affiliate, making every item on your list an earning opportunity. Here are some examples: Crochet or knitting specialists could create lists of homemade gifts their audience could give to their friends and family or a list of recommended supplies for those hoping to start crocheting or knitting on their own. Social media managers could share a gift list of social media tools like selfie sticks, clip-on ring lights, and possibly a gift certificate for a social media audit. Essential oil sellers could share gifts people could give that feature essential oils, like wreaths, diffusers, and jewelry. Holiday How-To Always a popular type of content to share, holidays provide an additional opportunity to teach your audience how to do something, this time with a holiday or end-of-year theme. You can teach a holiday craft or skill that your audience would enjoy, or take them through a process that will make their lives easier during this busy time, or even how to do end-of-year/ new year tasks related to your area of expertise. These types of posts or episodes can be another way to share your products and affiliate links as you share your products and those of others that you use in your how-to. Examples include: A cookware seller could share how to prepare Christmas dinner in advance so you can enjoy the day. An educational designer could show teachers how to design their own holiday lessons, and how to include all students in the holiday season in respectful ways. A photographer could share how to take a great family photo! 12 Days of YOU As a holiday special, you can create a series of posts centered on a specific theme that you share over 12 days. (Or 5 days, or 7 days… you do you.) Here are a few ideas: A bookkeeper could share 12 ideas for getting your finances in order before year end. A clutter coach could share 12 tips for getting rid of unneeded stuff before the glut of Christmas. An arts and crafter could share 12 holiday crafts to do with your kids. A tutor could provide educational activities to do over the holiday break. You can deliver this content through your blog, podcast, or video or via an email series, and even offer it as an opt-in to get people on your list each year! Extra Freebies Who doesn't love free stuff around the holidays? There's so much selling going on, people are extra appreciative of anything that doesn't cost money, and are more willing to trade their email addresses for them. You can create downloadable guides, checklists, lists, instructions, etc. for people to use through the holidays or after. Examples of extra bonuses might be: A step-by-step guide to using CBD oil to reduce holiday stress. A checklist for what to bring with you on your holiday travel. Printable tips for how to boost your everyday beauty routine for holiday celebrations. Charity Drive One of the best things about the holidays is the fact that people are more generous and willing to give to others. With a platform like a blog, podcast, or video channel, plus your social media channels you can shine a light on charities that are important to you. You can run a straight-up charity drive, or give a percentage of your sales to a non-profit.  Share your connection to that particular charity and why you support them with your audience and encourage people to donate or up their purchases to support the cause. Holiday Favorites You've probably heard of Oprah's Favorite Things, right? You can create something similar for your business! Holiday favorites could be something related to your business, or it could be something completely unrelated, like your favorite holiday traditions or Christmas carols. If you're going to be sharing non-business faves. You likely want to keep that to social media so as not to confuse your blog, podcast, or YouTube audience. Year in Review Content engagement tends to drop in the weeks between Christmas and NewYears, so a good option is to create a year-in-review post or episode. This type of content is fairly low pressure to create and it also serves a good touchpoint for those in your audience who may have joined you mid-year, or find you after the fact. In your year-in-review you can share business stats, new things you've tried, tools you've used, wins and lessons learned, and other behind the scenes information. You can also share a roundup of your most popular posts or episodes. What's Next? As an authority in your niche, your audience looks to you to know what's trending in your world. What trends are on the upswing and are going to be even more popular in the new year? What trends are on the way out? If you're in a fashion or design field, think colors, textures, styles, etc. If you're in business, what social media trends do you see and how can your audience get a head start on them? For those in real estate, share what's trending in home buying, what buyers are looking for, and tips for getting ready for sale. Whatever you choose to share this holiday season, remember that as you make suggestions your number 1 job is to support your audience. Yes, you want to increase your sales and you may be adding more sales links than usual to your content, but if your content isn't useful, it won't do you or your audience any good.

It's Labor Day weekend, and that means, if you haven't started thinking about your holiday content, you should! While it seems a bit early, this is the time you need to be preparing for the upcoming holiday season. So if you're one who gets upset when Target sets up its Christmas section before Halloween, take a deep breath, and just go with me. Even if your business doesn't seem like a good fit for holiday content, keep an open mind. Because while you may not be selling traditional gifts or services, it's hard to ignore the fact that most people are in a spending frame of mind and have their credit cards at the ready during Q4. Why create holiday content now? There are lots of reasons to start prepping your holiday content well in advance. First, the holidays are a notoriously busy time of year for everyone, so it's just good practice to get your content ready in advance. This way you have everything planned, crafted, and scheduled and have no excuse not to publish. Beyond that, however, you're going to want to strategize about how you're going to utilize the holidays to grow your business, then craft content that will serve your goals. Just like brick and mortar stores put out holiday items well in advance, you want to publish and share your holiday content ahead of time, too. Search engines need time to crawl and index your content before they can recommend it to people, and it takes a while for your loyal readers, listeners, or viewers to share, so putting out your post or episode earlier than you think it would be most useful is a good strategy.  Determine your holiday goals Depending on what you sell, your goals for the holiday season are going to be different, so your strategy is going to be different. Of course, you might be working on a variety of different goals, in which case, it's even more important to be strategic. Sell your stuff. The most obvious goal for the holidays is to sell your products or services. Use this time to create content that is more directly sales based, share tips on how to use or gift your stuff, and include links to buy. Sell other people's stuff. If you're an affiliate for a person or company that offers holiday specials, you can create content around those items or services and encourage your followers to purchase. You may also use this time to increase your rates for promotional content and ads. Prep for what's next. Maybe you don't have holiday-related content that goes with the major end-of-year holidays, but you do offer products or services that are perfect for the new year. Use the last few months of the year laying the foundation for a new year's sale. Plan your content around your goals Once you decide what you want your holiday content to do for you, you can start to plan your posts or episodes. Keep in mind the first rule of content marketing is to serve first. If your blog post, podcast, or video episode is not useful to your audience on its own (whether they purchase something or not), it's not going to be consumed, engaged with, or shared. With most posts or episodes, you're going to want a single call to action. Choose a single product or service to promote, and craft your content around it. There are some exceptions to this rule, like round up posts or lists, but for the most part, one post = one promotion. Promote your holiday content throughout the season I've mentioned before (and I'll say it many times in the future), it's not enough to just create good content. You must have a strategy to promote that content and get people to read, listen to, or view it.  Even if you don't have a lot of holiday content to promote, you will want to make a schedule on which to share it across various social media platforms, including in your email, and encourage others to share it as well. If you're new to holiday content, I suggest sharing one piece of content on each platform per week, even if you've already promoted it there. Let's say you create 3 holiday-specific posts this year, and publish one a week starting in mid-October, and for the sake of argument, let's say you publish on Mondays and your social platforms of choice are Facebook and Instagram. Here's an example of how you could schedule and promote your new holiday content. October 11: Publish post #1, email list October 18: Publish post #2, email list, promo post #1 on FB October 25: Publish post #3, email list, promo post #2 on FB, promo post #1 on IG November 1: Include a link to post #1 in your weekly email, promo post #2 on IG, promo post #3 on FB November 8: Include a link to post #2 in your weekly email, promo post #3 on IG, promo post #1 on FB November 15: Include a link to post #3 in your weekly email, promo post #1 on IG, promo post #2 on FB November 22: Include a link to post #1 in your weekly email, promo post #2 on IG, promo post #3 on FB November 29: Include a link to post #2 in your weekly email, promo post #3 on IG, promo post #1 on FB December 6: Include a link to post #3 in your weekly email, promo post #1 on IG, promo post #2 on FB December 13: Include a link to post #1 in your weekly email, promo post #2 on IG, promo post #3 on FB It might feel like a lot of posting the same thing over and over, but remember that it's likely that less than 5% of your audience is actually seeing your posts because of the algorithm. And you'll be sharing other content, so don't worry about people getting bored. Just mix up your graphics and descriptions, and you'll be fine! Start thinking about your holiday content strategy now, and you'll be all set when the busiest time of year rolls around! Next week I'll be sharing different types of holiday posts or episodes you can share with your audience!