Podcasts about copyblogger media

E74: Have you ever wondered how a person can flip their life's script from constant struggles to having a multi-million dollar business? Today, host Yong-Soo (@YongSooChung) has a rich conversation with successful entrepreneur Tim Stoddart (@TimStodz), the proud owner of Copyblogger Media.  He discusses his incredible transition from a troubled youth in Philadelphia to a sober entrepreneur with a multi-million dollar Personal HoldCo portfolio.On today's episode, you'll learn:- How to Find Your Purpose- How to Effectively Write Online- Three Criteria for Choosing Businesses- How to Replicate Models to Build and Scale Businesses***SPONSORS: Riverside - If you have a podcast, do yourself a favor and check out Riverside. It's 100% free to start. Get 20% off using code FIRSTCLASS.Spotted by Humphrey - If you have a dog, sniff out the DEAL$ and wag-worthy finds at Spotted by Humphrey. Use code FIRSTCLASS15 to get 15% off your next order. ***EXCERPTS:Foundation: "I write and I delegate. I write because I think being a good writer is the most valuable skill that you could ever really have. And I delegate because I've learned that as you grow a company, it's the most foundational thing you could ever do." — Tim Stoddart (04:03)Wealth Creation: "Here's where my head goes. I'm not bored at all. And there's a part of me that thinks you want to get out before you get bored. Right. Because then like you have leverage that you don't need to sell. Like I never want to get in a position where I need to sell something." — Tim Stoddart (21:45)*** LINKS: CopybloggerTimstodz.com stodzyinternetmarketing.comJOIN: First Class Founders Premium MembershipDOWNLOAD: Hyper-Visuals For Our Episodes (Free)***FOLLOW / REVIEW:- Follow - Leave 5-star review***CONNECT W/ YONG-SOO:- X- Threads- LinkedIn- Newsletter***First Class Founders is a show for indie hackers, bootstrapped founders, CEOs, solopreneurs, content creators, startup entrepreneurs, and SaaS startups covering topics like build in public, audience growth, product marketing, scaling up, side hustles, holding company, etc. Past guests include Arvid Kahl, Tyler Denk, Noah Kagan, Clint Murphy, Jay Abraham, Andrew Gazdecki, Matt McGarry, Nick Huber, Khe Hy, and more. Episode you might like:Future of Newsletters with Tyler Denk, Founder & CEO at BeehiivFrom Zero to 100K Subscribers: How to Grow Your Newsletter like a Pro with Newsletter Growth Expert Matt McGarry...

“Content is the way you get your amazing ideas, visible and audible.” ~ Sonia Simone   In this episode of The Widest Net Podcast, Pam is joined bySonia Simone, a seasoned writer, marketer, and coach, known for her groundbreaking work in content marketing. As the founding partner of Copyblogger Media and a coach to numerous clients, she brings over a decade of experience and has penned more than 1.6 million words. With a teaching approach that emphasizes business strategy, content, and ethical marketing, Sonia's insights have influenced countless small business owners. Her ability to translate complex ideas into actionable strategies makes her an invaluable resource for anyone seeking to align their content with business goals. Through her courses and coaching, Sonia shares her expertise, helping others navigate the ever-evolving landscape of content marketing with clarity and confidence.   Here's what you can expect from this episode:  Maximize your business impact with effective content marketing strategies Unlock the power of aligning your content with your business goals Discover the essential components for successful email marketing Source and recruit top-notch copywriters to elevate your content Streamline your content strategies for maximum efficiency Remember we all need each other - life and work is better together.   Resources mentioned in this episode:  Creative Fierce Website Resources from Sonia Simone - Creative Fierce LinkedIn - Sonia Simone Rachel Allen - Bolt From The Blue {Copywriter} James Hipkin {Copywriter} Copy Blogger Agency {Copywriter} The Widest Net Book by Pamela Slim   Connect with The Widest Net Podcast If you haven't done so already, subscribe to the podcast. Published episodes will come directly to your favorite podcast app.  If you enjoyed the show, please rate it on Apple Podcasts with a short review. Doing so will help me reach more entrepreneurs and small business owners just like you.  Connect with Pam directly on LinkedIn

On this episode, we talk with Tim Stoddart, Co-Owner at Copyblogger Media, about building businesses based on content and the importance of writing about real human experiences. Inspired by a Seth Godin interview, Tim started his first blog more than 13 years ago and didn't tell anyone about it. He wrote about a variety of topics, and he tried to write something every day. Eventually, people found his blog, inspiring him to learn more about content marketing and SEO.He started a different blog about addiction and sobriety, which turned into another content-based business called Sober Nation. He was a big fan of a website called Copyblogger at the time, and he met the founder, Brian Clark. As his content businesses grew, he was eventually able to buy a majority stake in Copyblogger, making a dream come true.He currently has an SEO content company that focuses solely on behavioral health. The foundation of all his businesses is recurring revenue. He believes that a business that has recurring revenue that doesn't require advertising is the holy grail of business. He has an interesting take on the rise of AI tools and how they are going to affect the popularity of human-generated content. He also shares some lessons he learned about building community-based businesses, lessons he learned the hard way. Resources mentioned:Tim Stoddart | LinkedIn -https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-stodz/Tim Stoddart | Website -https://www.timstodz.com/Copyblogger Media | LinkedIn -https://www.linkedin.com/company/copyblogger-media-llc/Copyblogger Media | Website -https://copyblogger.com/Sober Nation -https://sobernation.com/Circle -  https://circle.so/Digital Commerce -  https://digitalcommerce.com/  Ready to get started with Rebar?Head to rebartechnology.com or email info@rebartechnology.com to schedule a call today. #SaaS #Subscriptions #SubscriptionBusiness #Churn #SubscriptionService

From the moment I met Sonia and saw her rocking hot pink hair, I knew she was someone I wanted to befriend. Today, we're diving into topics that are close to our hearts… like embracing your unique self and recognizing you're not going to be everyone's cup of vodka! We're here to harp on the beauty of being YOU, even when people want you to “tone it down” or “be more professional.” If you're wondering if you're doing this authenticity thing right, this one's for you. Listen now!Can't-Miss Moments From This Episode:Teetering on the edge of burnout, trying to conquer the world in a day? If you're a die-hard “gettin' shit done" type (running on a toxic mix of adrenaline fumes, anxiety, and caffeine), Sonia and I will show you how to reach your goals without sacrificing your sanity.  Let's talk about the D-word: Deadlines. They're such a good way to stay motivated and check things off the to-do list… and yet they're also stressful AF. Sonia and I reveal when we've strategically blown deadlines (and how it actually HELPED instead of hurt).  Spending hours on Candy Crush to avoid responsibilities? Doom scrolling for an hour? Stop punching yourself in the face: Sonia and I will show you a better way to escape the day to day… no self sabotage required.  Sonia's Universal Law: Everyone we admire is full of $hit about something (even if we think the sun shines out of their butt). People aren't perfect, but what if we let that be okay?  Reality check: you are the only YOU on this planet, and that's pretty damn special. At the risk of getting a little ranty, do you know how many things had to line up just perfectly for you to exist? If you're questioning your ability to stand out in the sea of competition, Sonia and I are here to guide you in unlocking your unique potential! This one is jam-packed full of advice. Don't miss out - listen now!Sonia's Bio:Sonia Simone is a writer, marketer, and teacher. She was a founding partner of Copyblogger Media when it formed in 2010, and sold her interest in that company in 2019. Today she works closely with digital business owners to help them develop compelling and profitable offers.Sonia estimates she's written more than 1.3 million words over her career as a content marketer. She's been amused to watch as her once "weird" content strategies have become mainstream best practices.Sonia believes that marketing is, very simply, the sum total of what you communicate to your customers — both in words and actions. She also believes the audience is the source of all good things in business, and that's the approach she teaches her audience, clients, and students.Resources and links mentioned:Sonia's Website Sonia's LinkedInCome kick ass with me:Permission to Kick Ass websiteAngie's Facebook PageAngie on InstaAngie on YouTube

“Why not put your best stuff in front of the biggest room?” On this episode, I'm joined by writer, marketer, teacher, and Creative Focus Workshop alumni, Sonia Simone. Sonia goes into detail about her two major career pivots, including how she went from “fan-girl” to founding partner at Rainmaker Digital, formerly CopyBlogger Media. She describes the moment she realized she was “burnt to a crisp”, after years of stretching herself too thin, and her decision to focus on her own business, Remarkable Communication. Sonia talks about her compassionate, human-centered approach to marketing, and her mission to help creative pros craft marketing content that doesn't make them cringe. Plus, Sonia shares how she gained visibility for her personal work by embracing her geekiness (and being a little extra). More from this episode… Sonia describes feeling like a “square peg” at her corporate marketing job, and the drunk Twitter DM that transformed her career. As a founding partner at Copyblogger, Sonia invented her own job. What caused her to invent one that was completely unsustainable? Sonia shares how she divides her time between client work and other creative pursuits, and why it's important for her to keep them separate. Sonia talks about being an early user of the internet, and how bloggers eventually came to terms with content marketing: “There was a group of people saying you could use this internet thing to find clients without just being a villain.” Why so many talented writers hate the work they do for themselves, and what should be at the core your marketing. “So much of coaching is just holding up a mirror and saying, ‘This is how I see you.'” — How Sonia helps her clients harness what makes them unique. We discuss the tendency of creatives to forget the depth of their experience, and the usefulness of reflecting on past work. Why Sonia believes, “If you can find one or two new clients of a month you're in great shape…As long as you're charging enough.” More from Sonia Simone Sonia Simone was a founding partner of Copyblogger Media and is the owner of Remarkable Communication. She's a longtime veteran of social media, having started out in online community in 1989. She's worked for many years in marketing communication, both with startups and established corporate environments. Sonia led the editorial direction on the Copyblogger blog, as well as developing the content and email strategies that supported the company's software and e-learning lines of business. She sold her interest in Copyblogger in 2019. Today, Sonia helps content writers get more writing done at a higher quality standard with her new project, Creative Fierce. She also has a free report on becoming more productive, which you can grab at UnlockYourWords.com Connect with Sonia Simone: https://www.linkedin.com/in/soniasimone/ https://www.remarkable-communication.com http://twitter.com/soniasimone https://copyblogger.com/author/sonia-simone/ Additional Links Katamari DamacyThe Autonomous Creative is brought to you by Authentic Visibility: marketing for creatives who (think they) hate marketing. Learn more here!

Last week, Brian and I discussed the personal enterprise in theory. This week, it's time to discuss the personal enterprise in practice.And who better to lead such a discussion than two people who have each built mature personal enterprises of their own?Brian Clark and Brian Gardner. (Also known as BC an BG to anyone who worked at Copyblogger.)They started out as competitors, eventually became successful partners at Copyblogger Media, and now have moved into that sweetest of entrepreneurial spots where they are letting their passion and enthusiasm guide their choices for what to work on next.What’s it take to get there? Find out this week in the return of 7-Figure Small Live -- which means in addition to our main topic you always get headlines and some Q&A at the end.Headlines:• I’m Stepping Down as Copyblogger CEO (href="https://copyblogger.com/stepping-down/)• Wix Takes On WordPress by Bringing to Life the Frustrations of Website Management (https://www.adweek.com/creativity/wix-takes-on-wordpress-with-ads-that-bring-the-frustrations-of-website-management-to-life/)• Wix Ad: Conflicting Plugin (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tffn1sW1VSg)• Will Gen X Women Rule the World? (https://further.net/gen-x-women/")To access the full show notes, visit: https://unemployable.com/podcast/brian-gardner/

Brian Gardner is the former partner and Chief Product Officer at Copyblogger Media, and also the founder of StudioPress (acquired by WP Engine). He is a designer, a WordPress expert, and in his free time, you can find him frequenting the local Starbucks or running a nearby trail.

    Brian Clark is the founder and CEO of Copyblogger Media and Tangible Digital. Launched in 2006, Coppyblogger evolved quickly from a one man website into an influential trade magazine for the content marketing industry. He is the host of the Unemployable podcast and website, providing advice and support for freelancers and entrepreneurs with the mission to ‘help tiny businesses create an outsized impact’. Brian also created the personal growth newsletter Further, a weekly publication navigating ‘the art of midlife reinvention’ addressing health, weath, and personal growth for those of us entering our 50’s and 60’s.   Brian joins me today to discuss the pivotal moment many of us will feel in our late 40’s when the desire to press the reset button appears to be at its strongest. He reveals the magic age we seem to be when we hit the bottom of our happiness ‘horseshoe,’ and why this is the point we should reevaluate what we need to do to achieve contentment in the second half of our lives. Brian shares his method when adopting new lifestyle habits, and why accepting self identity change is the key to success in your fitness goals. He also discusses the freedom building a freelance portfolio will give you in the next stage of your career, and why it isn't all about Mark Zuckerberg in the startup world.   “Take control of your destiny. Don’t let A.I or automation or your asshole boss do it for you” - Brian Clark   Today on Mastering Midlife:   What Brian discovered when he had achieved ‘everything’ Why Generation X’ers feel overlooked Why new behaviors require a change of self identity How exercising mindfulness towards your family will enrich you Why you should covet a long healthspan rather than lifespan How a passion for travel has allowed Brian to feel freer in his work place Why the start up generation is NOT about the Hoodie Millennial   Resources Mentioned:   Book: Atomic Habits   Connect with Brian Clark:   Brian Clark’s Further website Brian Clark’s Unemployable website Brian Clark on LinkedIn Brian Clark on Twitter     Get FREE Access to the Only 10’s Course   Are you struggling with knowing what, when, and how to focus your efforts to get things done? As a long-time sufferer of severe ADD, I understand the struggle - and that’s why I created the Only 10’s system. This system has helped me and thousands of others clear the clutter and focus their energy on getting the right things done.   The Only 10’s free online course is based on my proven system to help you focus your attention and maintain momentum around your day-to-day life.   Sign up for the Only 10’s free course today!     Mastering Midlife...Together!   Thanks for tuning into today’s episode of the Mastering Midlife Podcast: How to Thrive When the World Asks the Most of You with Mark Silverman. If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts and leave us a review.   Be sure to visit our website and connect with us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube and don’t forget to share your favorite episodes on social media.  

This week I’m excited to have Jerod Morris on the show!  Jerod is the producer of the Unemployable podcast now called the 7-Figure Small podcast with Brian Clark and the community manager of the Unemployable Initiative.  Since leaving his last traditional office job in 2007, he has founded two lucrative sports blog projects, co-founded a hosting company that got purchased by Copyblogger Media, launched a successful six-figures course about podcasting, and is now neck-deep into two exciting startup projects (Unemployable and THINKERS Notebook). On this episode we talk about community in the digital age, the “unemployable initiative” and Jerod’s business backstory. Tune in for more!    The Unemployable Initiative: https://members.unemployable.com/ 7-Figure Small Podcast: https://unemployable.com/7-figure-small/   Connect with Jerod:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jerodmorris/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/jerodmorris   *** EPISODE CREDITS: If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment. He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com 

In this episode, Darrell and Brian share about a new change to Copyblogger Media, and expose some of their exciting plans for the future of Copyblogger in 2020! Brian, Darrell, and Tim Stoddart also explore the future of content marketing. In this episode, Brian, Darrell, and Tim talked about: How Copyblogger's hierarchy and business model... Listen to episode --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/copyblogger-podcast/message

In this episode, Darrell and Brian share about a new change to Copyblogger Media, and expose some of their exciting plans for the future of Copyblogger in 2020! Brian, Darrell, and Tim Stoddart also explore the future of content marketing. In this episode, Brian, Darrell, and Tim talked about: How Copyblogger’s hierarchy and business model... Listen to episode

In this episode, Brian Clark hosts the Copyblogger FM podcast for the first time, and reveals — among other things — why he's returning to Copyblogger and aiming to reinvent it along with new partner Darrell Vesterfelt. Brian shares some exciting news about the future of Copyblogger Media, along with his co-host and new business... Listen to episode --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/copyblogger-podcast/message

In this episode, Brian Clark hosts the Copyblogger FM podcast for the first time, and reveals — among other things — why he’s returning to Copyblogger and aiming to reinvent it along with new partner Darrell Vesterfelt. Brian shares some exciting news about the future of Copyblogger Media, along with his co-host and new business... Listen to episode

Content marketing has officially gone mainstream. It’s a “must do” for most businesses in today’s trust economy. While this increased demand has created huge opportunities for writers, it has also commoditized a lot of our work and given rise to content mills and rock-bottom fees. We’re not doomed. But to succeed, writers have to become a higher-value resource for their clients. In this episode, I speak with Sonia Simone, founding partner of Copyblogger Media (now Rainmaker Digital) and seasoned content marketer. In the course of our conversation, she shares how you can position yourself as a strategic partner and build stronger relationships with clients.

This week on AMPUP Your Digital Marketing we are brining you another of our favorites from the vault. In this archive episode host Glenn Gaudet sits downs with Jerod Morris. Jerod is a professional podcaster and email newsletter author. Since 2011 he has published over 1,000 podcast episodes on a wide range of topics including podcasting, content marketing, digital entrepreneurship and more. Prior to becoming a full-time podcaster Jerod was VP of Marketing at Copyblogger Media and Rainmaker Digital. Glenn and Jerod explore the various social media channels and the impact your chosen content has on the success of your strategy within each platform. What You’ll Learn About: When you need to start thinking like your audience and how to get to know them better How your content is a conversation with your customers Why not to underestimate the usefulness of your content How to find your ideal customer Why podcasting is a powerful medium people often overlook How to use infographics and repurpose your content To connect with Jerod on Twitter @JerodMorris or on LinkedIn

In this episode of Sites, we revisit a classic post from Sonia Simone that lists and describes 10 content marketing goals that are worth pursuing. Which ones are you already pursuing? Which ones should you add to your mix? Listen and find out. Listen to Site Success: Tips for Building Better WordPress Websites below ... Download MP3Subscribe by RSSSubscribe in iTunes Important links from this episode: @JerodMorris on Twitter Try StudioPress Sites Sites Weekly Newsletter Subscribe to Sites on Apple Podcasts 10 Content Marketing Goals Worth Pursuing The Transcript Jerod Morris: Welcome to Sites, a podcast by the teams at StudioPress and Copyblogger. In this show, we deliver time-tested insight on the four pillars of a successful WordPress website: content, design, technology, and strategy. We want to help you get a little bit closer to reaching your online goals, one episode at a time. I m your host Jerod Morris. Sites is brought to you by StudioPress Sites — the complete hosted solution that makes WordPress fast, secure, and easy without sacrificing power or flexibility. For example, you can upload your own WordPress theme, or, you can use one of the 20 beautiful StudioPress themes that are included and just one click away. Explore all the amazing things you can do with a StudioPress Site, and you ll understand why this is way more than traditional WordPress hosting. No matter how you ll be using your site, we have a plan to fit your needs — and your budget. To learn more, visit studiopress.com/sites. That s studiopress.com/sites. Welcome to Episode 8 of Sites. Last week we talked about technology and did quite a deep dive into SEO. That means that this week we come to the conclusion of our second full cycle through our four pillars of a successful website: content, design, technology, and strategy. And I know what you re thinking from looking at the title of this episode: strategy? But isn t this about content? Yes. It s about strategy and content. Just like last week, when we discussed SEO, it was really about strategy and technology (and, in some ways, content and design too). As I mentioned when we launched this podcast, and first explained these four pillars that will guide our content, overlap is inevitable. And that is okay. The goal is simply to make sure we don t miss anything essential. It s certainly not going to hurt us if we double up or triple up or even quadruple our focus on these important concepts in any one episode. Plus, as you ll see, while some of the 10 goals we re going to discuss in this episode deal specifically with actual blog content, others don t — #7 especially. And that s why I chose to cover this topic for one of our strategy episodes. Because if you aren t pursuing at least one of these content marketing goals, and probably many more, you clearly don t have a defined strategy for your website that is going to lead you in a positive direction. Chances are, you are indeed following one or several of these goals. But might there be a new one you could add to the mix? Or might hearing these ideas spark a new one in your mind? I sure hope so. This week s episode is based on an article that was originally written by Sonia Simone for Copyblogger. It is called 10 Content Marketing Goals Worth Pursuing. Let s get to it 10 Content Marketing Goals Worth Pursuing Ever wonder why content marketing works so well for some businesses but doesn t seem to do anything at all for others? Curious about why some content that seems great doesn t do anything to build a business? Content is king has been an online cliché for years now, but it s not true. It s never been true. Content all by itself even terrific content is just content. It may be entertaining. It may be educational. It may contain the secret to world peace and fresh, minty breath, all rolled into one. But it has no magical powers. It won t transform your business or get you where you need to go, until you add one thing Content marketing is a meaningless exercise without business goals. So what makes content marketing work? To make content work, you need to understand your marketing and business goals. Then you can create content that serves those goals, instead of just giving your audience something to pass the time. Your blog posts, email marketing, ebooks, podcasts, advertising all of it needs to fit into a larger picture. Now, if you blog purely for creative self-expression, go ahead and write as the spirit moves you. But if you re using content to market a business, you need a strategic framework so you can get the most out of your time and hard work. Here are 10 of the business goals that drive our content marketing at Rainmaker Digital. You might focus on just one or two, or you may use all 10. As you listen to this episode, see which of these you can apply to your own content marketing plan. Goal #1: Build trust and rapport with your audience This is the most obvious use of content marketing, and it s a good one. When you create useful, interesting, and valuable content, your audience learns they can trust you. They see that you know your topic. They get a sense of your personality and what it would be like to work with you. Lack of trust kills conversion. An abundance of valuable content builds trust like nothing else. But too many marketers stop there. In fact, it s just the beginning. Goal #2: Attract new prospects to your marketing system We all had it drilled into our heads by Mr. Godin when we were just baby content marketers: You have to be remarkable. Your content has to be compelling enough that it attracts links, social media sharing, and conversation. Why? Because that s how new people find you. No matter how delightful your existing customers are, you need a steady stream of new prospects to keep your business healthy. Remarkable content that gets shared around the web will find your best new prospects for you and lead them back to everything you have to offer. Goal #3: Explore prospect pain No, you re not doing this to be a sadist. The fact is, most enduring businesses thrive because they solve problems. They solve health problems, parenting problems, money problems, business problems, technology problems, What should I make for dinner? problems. When you understand your prospect s problems, you understand how to help them and then you have the core of your marketing message. Strategic content dives into the problems your prospects are facing. What annoys them? What frightens them? What keeps them awake at night? A smart content marketing program leaves room for audience questions. These might come in email replies, blog comments, or you may hold Q&A sessions or webinars specifically to solicit questions. Listen to the problems your market asks you about, and use those as a compass to guide your future content. Goal #4: Illustrate benefits Obviously, we don t dig up prospect problems and leave it at that. We talk about solutions. We talk about what fixes those annoying problems. Techniques, tips, tricks, methods, approaches. If you have a viable business, you have a particular take on solving your market s problems. Your individual approach is the flesh and blood of your content marketing. Your 10 Ways to Solve Problem X post shows the benefits of your approach. It illustrates how you solve problems and shows customers what they get out of working with you. Strategic content doesn t just tell a prospect My product is a good way to solve your problem. It shows them. And that s a cornerstone persuasion technique. Goal #5: Overcome objections Your prospect is looking for ways to solve his problem, but he s also keeping an eye out for potential problems. Strategic content can be a superb way to address prospect objections the reasons they don t buy. Is price a pain point? Write content that demonstrates how implementing your solutions saves money in the long run. Do your customers think your product will be too complicated to use? Write content that shows customers going from zero to sixty painlessly. Understand the objections that keep customers from buying, and then think about creative ways to resolve those objections in content often before the buyer ever gets to that sales page. Goal #6: Paint the picture of life with your product Ad-man Joe Sugarman was one of the great early practitioners of content marketing. He was a master of long-copy magazine ads for his company JS&A (a consumer gadget company) ads that were often as interesting and compelling as the magazine articles they appeared next to. In his Copywriting Handbook, he described how he might approach writing an ad for a Corvette. Feel the breeze blowing through your hair as you drive through the warm evening. Watch heads turn. Punch the accelerator to the floor and feel the burst of power that pins you into the back of your contour seat. Look at the beautiful display of electronic technology right on your dashboard. Feel the power and excitement of America s super sports car. Sugarman isn t describing the car. He s describing the experience of the driver. Sugarman was a master at mentally putting the customer into the experience of owning the product whether that product was a pocket calculator, a private jet, or a multi-million dollar mansion. It works very nicely in an ad. It works even better in your content. Storytelling is one of the best content marketing strategies, and it s a superb way to let customers mentally try out your offer before they ever experience it for themselves. Use content to show what it s like to own your product or use your service. Case studies are terrific for this, as are any stories that show how your approach to problem-solving works. Pick up Sugarman s book for lots of ideas about how to create fascinating content for products that might not immediately suggest a fascinating story. Goal #7: Attract strategic partners Once upon a time, Copyblogger was one writer. No software business. No marketing education business. No Authority, no Rainmaker Platform, no premium WordPress themes from StudioPress, no super-fast and secure WordPress hosting with StudioPress Sites, no Digital Commerce Institute, no Rainmaker.FM you get the idea. From very early days, the quality of the content posted here has attracted strategic partners the partners Brian Clark worked with to create every line of revenue-generating business we have today. Eventually, that evolved into the creation of a new company Rainmaker Digital (formerly Copyblogger Media). The partnership brings together a great complement of skills, and together we can go farther and faster than Brian could have on his own. Whatever your business goals are, partnerships are often the smartest way to get there. When you re passionate about creating excellent content, you ll find that potential partners are attracted to that passion. Goal #8: Deepen loyalty with existing customers This one is probably my favorite. Every company needs to attract new customers. But the biggest growth potential in most businesses comes from building a tighter relationship with your existing customers. A solid base of referral and repeat business is the hallmark of a great business. Even if you never did any content marketing to anyone other than your customers, you could radically improve your business by improving the communication you have with your customers today. Create a richer experience for the people who have already bought from you. Make your products and services work better by pairing them with useful, user-friendly content. Don t treat the waitress better than you do your date. Give great stuff to the people who have already bought from you, and they ll reward you for it. Goal #9: Develop new business ideas Your content stream is a fantastic place to try out new ideas. Thinking about repositioning your key product? Trying to better define your unique selling proposition? See a new problem on the horizon that your customers might want you to solve? Get those ideas into your content, and see how people react. You can watch what excites people and what fizzles out. Business writer Jim Collins talks about firing bullets, then cannonballs. In other words, when you get a new idea for your business, fire off something low-risk to test the waters. Don t start firing your big ammunition until you re sure you can actually hit the target. (And that there s a target there to hit.) Content is an amazing low-risk way to try out your ideas while risking very little. Your audience will let you know with their reactions which ideas fire them up and which ones leave them cold. Goal #10: Build your reputation with search engines Lots of content creators think this is reason #1 to create content but if you put this goal in the wrong place, you ll probably struggle with SEO. That s because search engines find you valuable when readers find you valuable. Search engines are looking for content that s valuable to their users. If you create that type of content, your SEO battle is 9/10 done. So put the first nine content marketing goals first, and the 10th becomes a matter of relatively simple SEO optimization. Stick around this week s hyper-specific call to action is coming up. Again, that was a reading of Sonia Simone s blog post 10 Content Marketing Goals Worth Pursuing, originally published at Copyblogger.com. You can find a link to the original article in the show notes at studiopress.blog/sites08. Now to this week s hyper-specific call to action … Call to action Answer this simple question: What s the main thing you re looking to get out of content marketing? What is your goal? To be more specific, what is your business goal? Because as Sonia said in her post, Content marketing is a meaningless exercise without business goals. And, as with all these goals, don t just think about it. Write it down. In your journal, on a piece of paper, in Evernote, in an email to yourself — that s actually what I usually do when I m listening to a podcast and think of something important. I shoot off a quick email to myself so that I m forced to see the idea again when I process that email. That works for me, it may not work for you, but just an idea. The point is: think about this question, experience your answer through the act of recording it, and then actually take some action on it. So if your goal is #6 from Sonia s post, paint the picture of life without your product, then really work on getting into the shoes of your audience and then telling a compelling story that will help them experience what life will be like with you or without you, depending on the context. Actually write that blog post. Or if your goal is #2, to attract new prospects to your marketing system, then get content out there that will do that and, of course, have a marketing system for them to opt into. Get your email list going, have an autoresponder, make offers, etc. You get the idea. Again, this week s question: What s the main thing you re looking to get out of content marketing? What is your goal? Write it down. And you know what? Do something else with it. Tweet it to me. @JerodMorris. J-E-R-O-D-M-O-R-R-I-S. I want to know. And if you have a goal that we didn t discuss in this episode, all the better! Send that to me too. We re now 8 episodes into this podcast. Let s start to get to know each other a bit, shall we? Send me a tweet. Let me know your answer to this week s CTA. I want to know. Coming next week, we go back to the beginning. After two complete cycles through our four pillars of content, design, technology, and strategy, we re back at content. And that means we take the next step in our series on content marketing strategy that Brian Clark outlined. We ll be exploring how to know exactly WHAT content to deliver to convert more prospects. It dovetails nicely with this week s episode, because who among us doesn t list among our content marketing goals: convert more prospects? Hopefully we all do! That will be a great discussion. Don t miss it. That s next week, on Sites. Finally, before I go, here are two more quick calls to action for you to consider: Subscribe to Sites Weekly If you haven t yet, please take this opportunity to activate your free subscription to our curated weekly email newsletter, Sites Weekly. Here s how it works: Each week, I find four links about content, design, technology, and strategy that you don t want to miss, and then I send them out via email on Wednesday afternoon. Reading this newsletter will help you make your website more powerful and successful. Go to studiopress.com/news and sign up in one step right there at the top of the page. That s studiopress.com/news. Oh, and I should mention, we occasionally include special offers in these emails too — stuff that isn t otherwise marketed publicly. So if you like StudioPress products, keep your eye out for special deals in your Sites Weekly email. Again, it s studiopress.com/news. Rate and Review Sites on Apple Podcasts And finally, if you enjoy the Sites podcast, please subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts (formerly known as iTunes), and consider giving us a rating or a review over there as well. One quick tip on that: to make the best use of your review, let me know something in particular you like about the show. That feedback is really important. For example, here is a recent review we received, from gembrechts: This show came in the exact moment I needed it. Although I have owned and operated a few businesses, this is my first dip into content marketing. So everything they are converting is the information I need to take in and internalize. Funny, I just love the music on this site. It is very uplifting. Thank you gembrechts. First off, it s great to know that you find this show at a time when it can make a huge impact for you. That s the reason we started it. And secondly, can I just tell you how much I appreciate the kind words about the music? I spend an inordinate amount of time trying to identify the perfect songs for every podcast I host. I actually really enjoy the process. And I ve never felt more enthusiastic about the intro and outro music for a show than for this one. So I m so glad you like it! By the way, I found the music at Premium Beat. It s a good resource if you re looking for podcast music and willing to pay a little bit for it. Anyway — to find us in Apple Podcasts, search for StudioPress Sites and look for the striking purple logo that was designed by Rafal Tomal. You can also go to the URL sites.fm/apple and it will redirect you to our Apple Podcasts page. And with that, we come to the close of another episode. Thank you for listening to this episode of Sites. I appreciate you being here. Join me next week, and let s keep building powerful, successful websites together. This episode of sites was brought to you by StudioPress Sites, which was awarded Fastest WordPress Hosting of 2017 in an independent speed test . If you want to make WordPress fast, secure, and easy — and, I mean, why wouldn t you — visit studiopress.com/sites today and see which plan fits your needs. That s studiopress.com/sites.

This week, we are going to talk about an element of your website that will impact every single word and image you publish. It may not be the sexiest topic, but it sure is important. Hosting. Listen to Site Success: Tips for Building Better WordPress Websites below ... Download MP3Subscribe by RSSSubscribe in iTunes Important links from this episode: Try StudioPress Sites Sites Weekly Newsletter High Performance WordPress Hosting The Transcript Jerod Morris: Welcome to Sites, a podcast by the teams at StudioPress and Copyblogger. In this show, we deliver time-tested insight on the four pillars of a successful WordPress website: content, design, technology, and strategy. We want to help you get a little bit closer to reaching your online goals, one episode at a time. I’m your host Jerod Morris. Sites is brought to you by StudioPress Sites — the complete hosted solution that makes WordPress fast, secure, and easy without sacrificing power or flexibility. For example, you can upload your own WordPress theme, or, you can use one of the 20 beautiful StudioPress themes that are included and just one click away. Explore all the amazing things you can do with a StudioPress Site, and you’ll understand why this is way more than traditional WordPress hosting. No matter how you’ll be using your site, we have a plan to fit your needs — and your budget. To learn more, visit studiopress.com/sites. That’s studiopress.com/sites. Hey there, and welcome to episode 3 of Sites. As we continue to rotate through the four pillars of a successful website, we find ourselves at the point of discussing technology. If you missed episode 1 about the fundamentals of content marketing strategy, or episode 2 about how design can impact your content marketing, do take some time and review those episodes at some point. Today, we are going to talk about an element of your website that will impact every single word and image you publish. It may not be the sexiest topic, but it sure is important. Hosting. You may be wondering … is it really THAT important? Aren’t there plenty of cheap $5 per month hosting options out there that I can start with, and upgrade later if my site actually goes anywhere? Seems logical, right? But here’s the problem. Shoddy WordPress hosting will likely keep you from succeeding in the first place, and that’s a big problem. I know. I dealt with this back in the day and it cost me traffic and money — more on that in a bit. The reality is, those cheap WordPress hosting offers — $5 per month! — mean that your site is jammed on a server with hundreds even thousands of other sites. The hosting company is betting that you won’t ever ever get substantial traffic, and that you’ll simply keep paying the paltry fee in obscurity. And what happens if you do manage to get traffic? Your site could crash. Or your traffic might get siphoned off. Or you could be liable for huge overage charges. Or your site could slow to a crawl. And speaking of a slow-loading site … that’s a major issue. Just because your host promotes reliable uptime, doesn’t mean it’s enough. Your site may be “up” … but is it FAST? Because it needs to be. Not only will site visitors reject your site if it’s slow by even a few seconds, but do you know that Google and other search engines will as well? It’s true. Site speed is a ranking factor. And these are two audiences — your hard-earned visitors and search engine robots — that you absolutely do not want to make wait. The quality of your hosting is one of the main factors that will determine whether they have to. The bottom line is this: if you’re serious about building a successful website, then you need serious hosting. You need hosting with impeccable uptime, hosting that can scale when you need it to, and hosting that delivers fast page-load speeds every time a visitor or search engine tries to visit your site. Okay, now, I know what you’re thinking: I work for StudioPress and this podcast is sponsored by StudioPress Sites … so this entire episode is just one big advertisement for our WordPress hosting. Right? I mean, sure, that is obviously true to a point. The entire Sites podcast is a long-term content marketing play to build an audience around useful episodes that will help you get better at content, design, technology, and strategy — no matter where you host your site. In the process, we hope to built some authority, rapport, and trust, and hopefully that translates into you giving StudioPress Sites a spin. As for this episode in particular, I’ll just state the obvious: I wouldn’t outline essential hosting elements, and tell you how important they are, if we weren’t delivering them ourselves with StudioPress Sites. But here’s the thing … this episode is relevant no matter where you choose to host your site. We’re not the only company selling premium WordPress hosting. We think we’re the best, of course, and we’d like the chance to convince you of that, but my purpose in delivering this episode goes beyond trying to convince you to try Sites. I want to convince you that you need premium WordPress hosting, and that it’s worth paying for. Period. Once you’re convinced of that fact, check out all of the different providers, including StudioPress Sites, and see which one fits you best. Each one offers something a little different. For example, if you’re using a Genesis Framework theme, I think you’ll be really hard-pressed to find an option better than StudioPress Sites because it is optimized for Genesis Framework themes. Any WordPress theme will run great on Sites, but there’s a special synergy between Sites and Genesis. And, as another example, if you’re concerned about SEO, then StudioPress Sites has patented SEO tools built right into it, no extra charge. Other providers will have their specialties too. Again, the point is: if you’re serious about your website, then you need to be serious about your hosting. That means you should be ready to pay $30-35 per month for hosting that delivers the reliability, security, and response time you need. Otherwise, you’re setting yourself up for failure. I know, because it happened to me, as I mentioned before. And that’s why I wanted this to be one of the first four episodes of the Sites podcast. I want you to avoid the agony I felt back when I was running my first blog … and didn’t know any better … and went with cheap hosting. The site was MidwestSportsFans.com. I launched it in 2008. It’s still live online, but dormant now in terms of new content. I haven’t posted on it in years. At one time, though, it was one of the most popular sports blogs in world. One post I wrote even got me a guest appearance on ESPN. At its height, Midwest Sports Fans was delivering many millions of pageviews per month — with massive spikes coming for big events like the Super Bowl and March Madness. And with those pageviews came revenue. I wasn’t making as much as I could have made — this was in my pre-Copyblogger days, so I didn’t understand the power of building an email list yet *sigh* — but we were raking in thousands of dollars a month in ad revenue, and thousands more in affiliate revenue. Times were good. This site that I started as a little side project to teach myself WordPress had morphed into a legitimate business. I was proud. Excited about where it was, and enthused about where it could go next. So imagine my disappointment and anger when I found out that a good chunk of my traffic was being siphoned off, and not making it to my site. Even worse, no one alerted me. It seemed that my site had outgrown my hosting plan. And while I certainly share some responsibility in that happening, it sure would have been nice to have a host that looked out for me. But I never got any notices. I wasn’t even overcharged. And I would have gladly paid more! Instead, I was just losing out on traffic month after month. I’m lucky my business partner at the time was smarter about the tech stuff than me and uncovered this. Because I’m a content guy. I want to write my blog posts and produce my podcasts and interact with my community … I have neither the time nor the inclination to get too far down in the tech weeds. You might feel the same way. So we said enough is enough with cheap, crappy, you’re-on-your-own hosting. Instead, we took matters into our own hands. We developed our own innovative hosting stack. Midwest Sports Fans was our first client, and, to no one’s surprise, reported traffic spiked big time after we made the switch. Then we built a small company around it as other serious bloggers and WordPress users decided they were done with bad hosting experiences too, found out about us, and made the switch. Fast forward a couple of years and we joined up with Copyblogger Media, and the latest evolution of the hosting stack and infrastructure we built is what powers StudioPress Sites. It’s what I trust. I’ve seen the other side. I’ve been on the other side. And it sucks. I worked hard for my traffic, and it was being taken away for no good reason. You don’t want anything similar to happen to you. So take it from me, someone who has been in your shoes — and who, actually, is still in your shoes, because I’m in the process of developing a new site right now, and one of the very first bits of research I did was to find the absolute best place to host my content. It’s a simple message: take your hosting choice seriously. Don’t pay less for the cheap stuff. Invest in hosting you can really count on. Your content deserves it. Your audience deserves. You deserve it. Now for this week’s calls to action: I want you to go compare and contrast three premium WordPress hosting providers. Obviously, I think StudioPress Sites should be one of them, but pick whichever three you like. Look at the different plans they offer, look at the price, look at the features, assess whose support your trust, analyze which one is the best fit for your theme (or has an included theme that you like). Etcetera. Do your homework. This way, you can put your best foot forward from the beginning with your new site, or you can ask yourself an important, informed decision about migrating if you realize another provider fits you better. That’s your homework. Take it seriously and it could pay huge dividends down the road for you. Make sure you stay up to date and informed. Sign up for free podcast updates and our curated weekly email newsletter, Sites Weekly. Each week, I find four links about content, design, technology, and strategy that you don’t want to miss and send them out on Wednesday afternoon. Reading this newsletter will help you make your website more powerful and successful. Go to studiopress.com/news and sign up in one step right there at the top of the page. That’s studiopress.com/news. And finally, if you enjoy the Sites podcast, please consider giving us a rating or a review over at Apple Podcasts — formerly known as iTunes. One quick tip on that: to make the best use of your review, let me know if there is something in particular you like about the show — that way I make sure not to remove it as the show evolves! To find us in Apple Podcasts, search for StudioPress Sites. Next week here on Sites, we shift from technology to strategy We’ll be talking about the most dangerous threat to your content marketing strategy. Think you know what it is? Tune in to find out. That’s next week, on Sites. Thank you for listening to this episode of Sites. I appreciate you being here. Join me next week, and let’s keep building powerful, successful websites together. This episode of Sites was brought to you by StudioPress Sites, which was awarded “Fastest WordPress Hosting” of 2017 in an independent speed test . If you want to make WordPress fast, secure, and easy — and, I mean, why wouldn’t you — visit studiopress.com/sites today and see which plan fits your needs. That’s studiopress.com/sites.

“There's a gravity to shiny new objects and tactics that people can easily fall prey to." As CEO of TopRank Marketing, Lee Odden helps both B2B and B2C clients overcome the obstacles of today's shiny new things. He's also the author of Optimize and an expert on influencer marketing. We discussed all of this and more on this week’s episode of the podcast. About Lee Odden Lee Odden is the CEO of TopRank Marketing, a Minneapolis based digital marketing agency specializing in strategic internet marketing consulting services including: Content Marketing, Influencer Marketing, Organic and Paid Search Marketing, Organic and Paid Social Media, Online PR, Email and Conversion Optimization. Odden and his team have provided digital marketing consulting and services for some of the leading B2B and B2C companies including: McKesson, BT Syntegra, Virgin Pulse, Marketo, LinkedIn, Dell, Henry Schein, HP, Microsoft, Staples, General Mills, Content Marketing Institute, Copyblogger Media, and MarketingProfs. Odden has been frequently cited for his digital marketing and PR expertise by leading industry and business publications including Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, The Economist, Entrepreneur, and Fortune Magazine. Lee is author of, Optimize: How to Attract and Engage More Customers by Integrating SEO, Social Media and Content Marketing. A sought after public speaker, Odden has keynoted numerous digital marketing industry conferences and has given nearly 200 presentations in 13 different countries over the past 10 years. Episode Highlights The trouble with strategy. I'm a huge fan of Lee's book Optimize. The first part focuses on developing a marketing strategy. While most marketers acknowledge the importance of strategy, few devote appropriate time and resources. "Strategy is like the Loch Ness Monster of Marketing. There are sightings but it's hard to find!" Where to start with strategy? With Q4 on the horizon and a strategy deficit, many may be wondering where to start for the new year ahead. "Start by getting some clarity around your organizational goals and your customer needs. Then you can think about how to develop marketing that solves your business problems." How do you know when influencer marketing is a good fit? Lee is also an expert on the topic of influencer marketing. Like strategy, many like the idea of influencer marketing but few know where to begin. "Start with 'why.' Why does it make sense to partner and co-create content? Especially if it's for free?" With the right influencer relations in place, you can find the right people to help you create content that is the "best answer" for your community. What's next in marketing? Lee pointed to Scott Brinker's infographic featuring over 3,800 martech solutions! (Below.) In short, marketers today are overwhelmed but help could be getting closer as Lee points to increases in participatory marketing. "Participation makes marketing more scalable — more efficient and effective." What brand has made Lee smile recently? While in Cleveland, Lee had an amazing Uber experience riding in a BMW 7 series. "It was like getting in a spaceship. That made me smile!" To learn more, go to the Top Rank Marketing website. You can also connect with him on Twitter and LinkedIn. As We Wrap … Before we go, I want to flip the microphone around to our community … This week Lee and I will both be speaking at the Social Media Rockstar Event in Willmar, Minnesota. Come see us both! Big thanks to Sarah Kuglin for putting this great event on! Did you hear something you liked on this episode or another? Do you have a question you’d like our guests to answer? Let me know on Twitter using the hashtag #OnBrandPodcast and you may just hear your thoughts here on the show. Subscribe to the podcast – You can subscribe to the show via iTunes, Stitcher, and RSS. Rate and review the show – If you like what you’re hearing, head over to iTunes and click that 5-star button to rate the show. And if you have a few extra seconds, write a couple of sentences and submit a review. This helps others find the podcast. OK. How do you rate and review a podcast? Need a quick tutorial on leaving a rating/review in iTunes? Check this out. Remember – On Brand is brought to you by my new book — Get Scrappy: Smarter Digital Marketing for Businesses Big and Small. Order now at Amazon and check out GetScrappyBook.com for special offers and extras. And finally a reminder that On Brand is brought to you by the Social Brand Forum. This premier digital marketing experience takes place September 22-23 in beautiful Iowa City, Iowa. Learn from experts like Jay Baer, Joe Pulizzi, and Gini Dietrtich in the heart of the heartland. Listeners of the show get the best rate when they register using promo code ONBRAND at socialbrandforum.com. Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet!

This interview was originally published on February 11, 2015, as HTE 059: Partnerships and the Creativity of Limitations | Brian Clark This conversation revolved around three essential elements of entrepreneurship: creativity, partnerships, and becoming the CEO of your company (even if you are a one person company). --- When I originally sat down to outline the idea for Hack The Entrepreneur, I immediately wrote out a short list of  people that I wanted to interview. I used this list as one of my metrics for success and I am happy to say that today’s guest is number two on that list. To me, the idea that one person could start a blog, not sell anything for 18 months, and turn that blog into an 8-figure media company is endlessly fascinating. He is a former lawyer, serial entrepreneur, writer, and creator. In January of 2006, my guest started a one-man blog called Copyblogger. Copyblogger is now an 8-figure per year media company called Copyblogger Media, of which he is the founder and CEO. He has ranked among the top in the world for social media and content marketing. He's been featured in countless books about business and media, and he has graced many stages. N ow, let’s hack… Brian Clark. What you will learn in this episode: Brian’s unique vision of productivity and why it works How to be wrong and adapting in real time How focusing on your one important task each day can enable you to get more done Allowing your mindset to accept the fact that you can do anything How Copyblogger Media was created in a mere three hours Resources and links mentioned: Copyblogger Further.net Rainmaker.fm  The Rainmaker Platform  Brian on Twitter  Exclusive Sponsor: FreshBooks (30-day Free Trial)

Think about what comes to mind when I ask you to think about a marketer or sales person. Be honest! Did you think of a smart, soft spoken, insightful woman? If not, I hope today’s episode changes that for you. Sonia Simone is a marketing trend setter and founding partner of Rainmaker Digital, formerly Copyblogger Media. Throughout our conversation, she reveals how a risk averse, introverted and insanely curious writer became one of the leading voices in digital marketing today. Ready? Let’s do this!   Key Takeaways: [1:03] Thank you to SaneBox.com for sponsoring episode #89. [2:17] Charlie introduces Sonia and her line of work. [4:22] What is it about marketing that got Sonia involved? [6:34] There is an invisible aspect of digital marketing. Sonia explains. [8:01] Sonia has always approached marketing from the content marketing perspective, even before there was a word for it. [10:25] Marketing and selling are learnable skill sets; you don’t need to be born with them. [12:29] Every human being on this planet has a certain set of assets and a certain set of constraints. [15:28] Barriers are a lot easier to step over in digital platforms. [18:39] Sonia walks us through her journey from corporate to Copyblogger. [25:22] Sonia speaks on folks out there that sell business advice based on the fast outliers. [28:58] Sonia likes Chris Gilbo’s flavor of entrepreneur teaching because it includes a big minimalist component.  [32:06] Sonia talks on Clay Collins’ vision of being a business owner. [34:10] “What’s the shortest line between me and a cheque?” - Naomi Dunford [36:40] Internet Marketing for Smart People vs. Nice People!! [39:49] Sonia has been highly focused on values lately. [44:10] Naomi writes 85% of the things she says in her podcast Confessions of a Pink-Haired Marketer, which she has been her primary focus lately. [48:34] What’s the most unanticipated challenge Sonia is currently facing? [52:05] Sonia’s final words of advice: “Be honest about your own set of Legos and don’t try to build somebody else’s thing.”   Mentioned in This Episode: SaneBox.com/Giant www.copyblogger.com Rainmaker Digital Remarkable Communication Clay Collins Naomi Dunford Internet Marketing for Smart People Confessions of a Pink-Haired Marketer Podcast

Digital entrepreneurship, like anything in the Digital Age, is changing moment by moment. A man who has his finger on the pulse of those changes is our guest for today's episode, Brian Clark. You may know Brian as the CEO and founder of Copyblogger Media, better known today as Rainmaker Digital. He is a thought leader in the world of content creation and digital commerce who has built multiple successful companies; in fact, he generated eight figures online in 2015! Brian is a wealth of wisdom and knowledge, and he's here to share it. On today's episode we talk about what he sees as the future of digital commerce, how you as a youpreneur can tap into that future for greater growth and business satisfaction plus what it takes to build a real digital business in today's landscape. Essential Learning Points From This Episode: Why did Brian change the company name to rainmaker digital in 2015? Is he still an online educator at his core? Where does he see podcasting playing a role in business growth? Live events: what are they doing for 2016 and how it is different. How much was the domain name for Digital Commerce Institute? Much, much more! Important Links & Mentions From This Episode: Rainmaker Platform (http://chrisducker.com/rainmaker) Digital Commerce Institute (http://digitalcommerce.com) Brian Clark on Copyblogger (http://www.copyblogger.com/author/brian/) Unemployable, Brian's podcast (http://rainmaker.fm/series/unemployable/) Brian Clark on Twitter (https://twitter.com/brianclark) Join my first mastermind of 2016! (http://chrisducker.com/london) (http://www.youpreneur.com) Thank You for Tuning In! There are a lot of podcasts you could be tuning into today, but you chose mine, and I'm grateful for that. If you enjoyed today's show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the top and bottom of this page. Also, kindly consider taking the 60-seconds it takes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes (https://www.chrisducker.com/itunes) , they're extremely helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and you can bet that I read every single one of them personally! Lastly, don’t forget to (https://www.chrisducker.com/itunes) , to get automatic updates every time a new episode goes live!

Why Attention Is The New Currency & The 4 Things You NEED To Make A Sale — With Kevin Rogers Kevin Rogers is the founder of copychier.com. He was previously featured in the episode, 9 of this podcast series, and that was called; The Blind Man Driving. One of his many claims to fame is that he successfully conspired with John Carlton and managed to get Dan Kennedy to join him for dinner which was an amazing feat as I understand it, the whole thing was coordinated via fax. Now, entrepreneurs all over the world have used his techniques to grow their business very quickly not least of which is a 60-second sales hook.   Share this episode Share on Twitter Resources Mentioned Click here to download podcast shownotes www.ProductiveInsights.com http://copychief.com http://convertbook.frankkern.com/homepage/ Books Mentioned Help! For Writers: 210 Solutions to the Problems Every Writer Faces Resonate: Present Visual Stories that Transform Audiences No One Here Gets Out Alive Related / Mentioned Podcast Episodes: 009. “Blind Man Driving” With Kevin Rogers — Comedian Turned Copywriter 019. Web Design Success Secrets – With Greg Merrilees 047. Web Copywriting with Demian Farnworth — Chief Content Writer at Copyblogger Media 050: James Schramko on frameworks for Business Profitability And Lifestyle 054. The 3 Keys to Community Building, Authenticity & Long Term Business Success — With Mackenzie Fogelson Key Points (Timestamps) 00:52 — Intro and overview 01:57— Why copywriting is critical to converting browsers to buyers 03:30 — The value of transparency 05:20 — New expectation: How real can you make this? 08:10 — Kevin’s take on the evolution of copywriting in the next 3-5 years 09:20 — Three main elements a sales letter needs to close the deal 11:30 — Attention is the new currency online. 13:00 — Simple framework for “What is it?” 14:56 — Short attention span syndrome 16:12 — Formulas for filling in your “Who are you?” 17:06 — Ash’s “Who are you?” example 19:08 — The scale of severity: Red alert Yellow light Green light 20:40 — Dollar shave club and how they created a desire for a problem to be solved 21:07 — Most of us create products in the ‘yellow light’ section of the ‘scale of severity’. 23:46 — The most popular content online always begins with a number… “7ways to…” 25:41 — The importance of quantification in sales letters 26:30 — How Frank Kern uses transparency in his copy 27:50 — “The thing I care more about than money and the sale is not going to jail!” 28:12 — Why Danny Iny asked his subscribers to unsubscribe from his mailing list 29:21 — Recap of 4 main points to close the sales loop 31:30 — Kevin’s case study “Ye Old Digital Prints” on an Etsy store 34:39 — The four essential elements of a good sales message illustrated in a case study 36:21 — Where the sixty-second sales hook fits into the four essential elements of sales copy 36:31 — Biggest challenges Kevin has seen when it comes to creating effective sales copy 38:20 — How we communicate is different… “get to the point…cut out all the fluff”. 39:10 — The biggest enemy of sales copy is vagueness and the best friend of sales copy is specificity and urgency. 39:28 — Action steps you can take to create great sales copy right now 42:55 — How to hire a good copywriter with Kevin Rogers 44:29 — Kevin Rogers’ most influential books 48:00 — How to get in touch with Kevin

Productivity tools are everywhere and new ones are popping up each day. So how are we to decide which of those tools will help us be most productive and get things done without spending all of our time looking at tools? In this episode, Tony Clark, COO of Rainmaker Digital (formerly Copyblogger Media) and I... Listen to episode

Show notes for this episode: http://brightideas.co/145 Brian Clark is the Founder and CEO of CopyBlogger Media, publisher of CopyBlogger.com, one of the most successful marketing blogs on the internet. On top of their huge audience they have built a very successful business by bringing to market products that their audience wants. In today's interview, Brian shares with us the many strategies and tactics that he's used to build Copyblogger media into the huge success that it is today. Have a question about this episode? Record it at: http://brightideas.co/asktrent

In case you missed it, the company formerly known as Copyblogger Media is now Rainmaker Digital. This rebrand has been in the works for a while, and it became more obvious in the last year or so that we had outgrown our own company name. Even back in 2010 when we formed the company, I... Listen to episode

Copywriting with Demian Farnworth — Chief Content Writer at Copyblogger Media Share This Podcast * Click to tweet * Share on Facebook Resources Mentioned * http://thecopybot.com/ * http://www.ProductiveInsights.com/hire * http://rainmaker.fm/series/draft/ Books Mentioned * Scientific Advertising * How to Write a Good Advertisement * Breakthrough Advertising * Tested Advertising Methods (5th Edition) (Prentice Hall Business Classics) * Reality in Advertising * Confessions of an Advertising Man * Kick-Ass Copywriting Secrets of a Marketing Rebel Related / Mentioned Podcast Episodes: * Episode 001 : Neil Patel (Kissmetrics) On Branding, Investing And Lots More * Episode 003: Jon Morrow (Copyblogger) on How to Use Blogging For Business Success * Episode 006: Chris Garrett (Copyblogger) on Content Marketing For Business Success  * Episode 009: "Blind Man Driving" with Kevin Rogers on Copywriting * Episode 035: How To Use High Leverage Activities To Get Through Your Todo List * Episode 038– Rand Fishkin on How To Create SEO Friendly Content * Episode 044 – Hiten Shah on SAAS and How To Evaluate if The SAAS Model Is For You Key Points (Timestamps) * 1:37  –Demian shares his story as a poet and how it led to copywriting * 3:28 – Why is web copy and copywriting so important for business success? * 4:33 – Writing is involved in all sorts of content including podcasting,

Copywriting with Demian Farnworth — Chief Content Writer at Copyblogger Media Demian Farnworth is an excellent copywriter, and I'm personally a huge fan. He's a chief copywriter of Copyblogger Media where he writes clear, concise and compelling web copy that demands attention, creates desire and compels action. He's also got an excellent podcast called Rough Draft which I recommend you check out. He's the founder of thecopybot.com. Over the last ten years, he's been a content contributor on Copyblogger, Raven Tools, Crazy Egg and Men with Pens. He's the managing editor for a magazine of four hundred and sixty thousand subscribers and is an award-winning blogger for a real estate marketing company. He's learned that ROI is everything as a master of frequent and rigorous testing. Share This Episode Click to tweet Resources Mentioned Click here to download the podcast shownotes http://thecopybot.com/ http://www.ProductiveInsights.com/hire http://rainmaker.fm/series/draft/ Books Mentioned Scientific Advertising How to Write a Good Advertisement: A Short Course in Copywriting Breakthrough Advertising Tested Advertising Methods (5th Edition) (Prentice Hall Business Classics) Reality in Advertising Confessions of an Advertising Man Kick-Ass Copywriting Secrets of a Marketing Rebel Related / Mentioned Podcast Episodes: Episode 001 : Neil Patel (Kissmetrics) On Branding, Investing And Lots More Episode 003: Jon Morrow (Copyblogger) on How to Use Blogging For Business Success Episode 006: Chris Garrett (Copyblogger) on Content Marketing For Business Success  Episode 009: "Blind Man Driving" with Kevin Rogers on Copywriting Episode 035: How To Use High Leverage Activities To Get Through Your Todo List Episode 038– Rand Fishkin on How To Create SEO Friendly Content Episode 044 – Hiten Shah on SAAS and How To Evaluate if The SAAS Model Is For You Key Points (Timestamps) 2:57 –Demian shares his story as a poet and how it led to copywriting. 4:39 – Why is web copy and copywriting so important for business success? 5:40 – Writing is involved in all sorts of content including podcasting, scripts for videos, etc. 5:59 – The two challenges that all content faces online 6:44 – Discussion around the previous podcast interview with Rand Fishkin on how content and SEO are linked 7:15 – Demian on how he writes engaging openings in blog posts 8:17 – Demian shares an example of an opening he created and how he created it. 9:12 – What tools does Demian use to capture openings and ideas when they strike? 10:09 – The "imagine this" opening that Brian Clarke used to really grab the reader's interest 10:31 – The key elements to great web copy 11:34 – The importance of sub-headlines, transitions and fluidity 12:37 – What do you want the reader to feel or accomplish after reading your content? 13:39 – Discussion around the interview with Eric Enge on the art of creating SEO-friendly content 15:10 – James Altucher is a great example of a writer who really has found confidence in his style of writing. 16:20 – You have to be comfortable in not pleasing other people. 16:49 – The Pareto principle or the 80/20 rule 17:47 – The importance of writing things you're passionate about (Readers feel your enthusiasm.) 18:20 –  "Blind Man Driving" as an illustration of passion for copywriting and how it helps you notice it in day to day life 19:03 – What skills and competencies to look for when hiring a copywriter 23:16 – Why copywriters need to have an understanding of good web design 24:24 – What actions can a listener take to get started with finding good copywriters and/or getting good copywriters. 24:53 – Copyblogger Media has a certified accreditation for copywriters. 25:33 — Jon Morrow's site 'boostblogtraffic.com'

Online marketing genius, Brian Clark of Rainmaker Digital (formerly CopyBlogger Media) and host of the Unemployable podcast, joins us this week to talk about online marketing and what it truly takes to grow a wildly successful business.

Sonia Simone is Co-Founder and Chief Content Officer of Rainmaker Digital, which until recently was known as Copyblogger Media. If you’re not familiar with what they do by now, Rainmaker Digital is a highly successful digital commerce company that offers an enormous range of free and paid content, as well as platforms and solutions for digital marketers. In addition to running Rainmaker Digital with co-founder Brian Clark, and blogging on a range of topics that content marketers care about, Sonia is also the host of a podcast she launched earlier this year as part of the new Rainmaker.FM podcast network: Confessions of a Pink-Haired Marketer. In this conversation we cover a lot of ground. Sonia shares her advice on developing your own blogging voice, how to expand your professional network and build your audience by cultivating relationships with other writers, why you should be paying close attention to your email list to see what people are reading and sharing, and so much more.  You can find the show notes to this episode over at writewithimpact.com/episode27. There you’ll find links to Sonia’s podcast and the Copyblogger website.  While you’re there, you can also pick up some writing tips from me and join my newsletter so you can be the first to get updates on new podcast episodes, blog posts, and a number of great offers that I provide from time to time.  Follow Write With Impact on Twitter @impactfulwriter Like Write With Impact on Facebook: facebook.com/WriteWithImpact  

For those of you who have listened previously you're still in the right place, The New Business Podcast has now officially become Youpreneur.FM. I'm changing the name of the show to coincide with the launch of the Rainmaker FM Network (http://rainmaker.fm/) , which is owned and operated by the folks at Copyblogger Media and is your one stop audio shop for everything digital marketing, sales and online business related! I'm very excited about these changes - hope you guys are, too! The format of the show has changed a bit, too - it's even better! Now I'll be coming to you twice a week: on Tuesday there will be a short 'training', or 'mastermind' episode and on Friday we will continue to have the usual interview conversation with a world-class business expert. For our first official Youpreneur.FM show, we have a training session on why getting back to basics for online entrepreneurs is needed more than ever before. I believe there are five key reasons we need to revisit the fundamentals of what we do, including making sure you show up, following through on your promises and getting on the phone with your customers. Essential Learning Points From This Episode: Why you've got to stop hiding behind your website and your microphone! Why your online promises are just as important as your offline ones. When to pick up the phone and actually talk to your customers. Who will tell you what solutions your business should provide? How to provide valuable customer service - and the importance of doing so. Much, much more! Important Links & Mentions From This Episode: Episode 118 w/ Greg Hickman (http://chrisducker.com/episode118)  - Creating your first real email marketing funnel. Virtual Freedom (http://www.virtualfreedombook.com/)  - My book on building a virtual team to build your business. (http://www.youpreneur.com) Thank You for Tuning In! There are a lot of podcasts you could be tuning into today, but you chose mine, and I'm grateful for that. If you enjoyed today's show, please share it by using the social media buttons you see at the top and bottom of this page. Also, kindly consider taking the 60-seconds it takes to  leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes (https://www.chrisducker.com/itunes) , they're extremely helpful when it comes to the ranking of the show and you can bet that I read every single one of them personally! Lastly, don’t forget to  (https://www.chrisducker.com/itunes) , to get automatic updates every time a new episode goes live! 

Demian Farnworth is one of the Chief Copywriter at Copyblogger Media and took a moment to share his creative habits.

Brian Clark is the CEO of Copyblogger Media. He’s also a serial entrepreneur who built three successful professional services businesses using proven content marketing techniques before moving to a completely online business model. I’m excited to have him join me on the podcast today and share his business wisdom and content marketing tips! Founded by […] The post Brian Clark of Copyblogger Shares His Content Marketing Tips For Solo Professionals appeared first on Smart Solo Business.

9 Australian Family Travel Bloggers You May Like to Know My fifth ProBlogger Conference didn't disappoint, with speakers including Jadah from Simple Green Smoothies (you must check out their Instagram) and Pamela Wilson from CopyBlogger Media (a highlight). As well as learning from many experienced bloggers and digital marketers, I met and reconnected with many Australian travel bloggers. I would estimate there were about 50 travel bloggers who attended ProBlogger 2015. In this podcast episode, episode 36, I introduce you to 9 Australian Family Travel Bloggers, each with their own angle. For those Travel Bloggers I didn't get to chat to please feel free to leave your comment and blog link in the comments section below. Thanks for a great #PBEvent 2015 to everyone I had the pleasure of meeting over the two day conference and see you next year! [Tweet "9 Family Australian Travel Bloggers you may want to know"] In this podcast we are introduced to the following 9 Family Travel Bloggers; 1. Seana Smith - Sydney kids food and travel 2. Kate Richards - Adventure Mumma 3. Caz Makepeace - YTravel Blog 4. Linda Fairbairn - Journey Jottings 5. Nicole Avery - Planning With Kids 6. Kate Nelson - Meetoo 7. Annette - World Travel Tribe 8. Kirralee Baker - Escape With Kids 9. Monique Van Tulder - The Urban Mum You my like to check out the Twitter hashtag #PBEvent which has quite a few highlights from the event or my Twitter feed where I live Tweet from the many tourism, travel and social media events I attend. Women In Tourism Leadership Lunch Also we have just announced that tickets are on sale to the third Women In Tourism Leadership Lunch which is held in Sydney, Australia on Friday the 30th October 2015. For more details click here for the event and ticket page and you may also like to join the Women In Tourism (Australia) private Facebook group. Please request to join and one of the members will approve you quick smart, head to https://www.facebook.com/groups/WomenInTourism/ The post 9 Australian Family Travel Bloggers at #PBEvent 2015: Ep #36 appeared first on Holly G.

The post Lead Your Tribe — Brian Clark, Copyblogger Media appeared first on Finely Crafted.

Award-winning designer and marketing consultant Pamela Wilson — who has helped small businesses and large organizations alike create ”big brands” since 1987 — stopped by to chat about what it’s like to run the blog at Copyblogger.com, and her mission to publish impeccable online content. Rainmaker.FM is Brought to You By Discover why more than 80,000 companies in 135 countries choose WP Engine for managed WordPress hosting. Start getting more from your site today! As head of the editorial team for Copyblogger Media, she helps guide an abundance of educational content for one of the top online marketing, blogging, and copywriting sites in the world. Pamela’s unique point-of-view comes from the marriage of design, branding, content, and conversion — something she has coined “Customer Experience Design.” In this file Pamela Wilson and I discuss: How Coming Late to Writing Can Work in Your Favor Why Useful Content Creates Priceless Inroads for Writers The Difficulty of Designing a Remarkable Online Presence How Writing Has Become Her Yoga Practice Why You Should Commit to Writing 750 Words a Day The Hallmarks of Great Online Writing Why Picasso is an Inspiring Model for Writers to Follow Listen to The Writer Files: Writing, Productivity, Creativity, and Neuroscience below ... Download MP3 Subscribe by RSS Subscribe in iTunes The Show Notes Pamela’s Author Page on Copyblogger Big Brand System Blog The Bobby McFerrin Plan for Creating a Remarkable Business The Write Way to Answer Your Most Pressing Questions by Pamela Wilson 750words.com Accidental Genius: Using Writing to Generate Your Best Ideas, Insight, and Content by Mark Levy Pamela Wilson on Instagram Pamela Wilson on Twitter Kelton Reid on Twitter The Transcript How Pamela Wilson (VP of Educational Content for Copyblogger) Writes Voiceover: This is Rainmaker.FM, the digital marketing podcast network. It’s built on the Rainmaker Platform, which empowers you to build your own digital marketing and sales platform. Start your free 14-day trial at RainmakerPlatform.com. Kelton Reid: These are The Writer Files, a tour of the habits, habitats, and brains of working writers, from online content creators to fictionists, journalists, entrepreneurs, and beyond. I’m your host Kelton Reid: writer, podcaster, and mediaphile. Each week, we’ll find out how great writers keep the ink flowing, the cursor moving, and avoid writer’s block. Award-winning designer and marketing consultant Pamela Wilson, who has helped small businesses and large organizations alike create big brands since 1987, stopped by to chat with me about what it’s like to run the blog at Copyblogger.com and her mission to publish impeccable online content. As head of the editorial team for Copyblogger Media, she helps guide an abundance of educational content for one of the top online marketing, blogging, and copywriting blogs in the world. Pamela’s unique point of view comes from the marriage of design, branding, content, and conversion — something she’s coined ‘customer experience design.’ In this file, Pamela Wilson and I discuss how coming to writing late can work in your favor, the difficulty of designing a remarkable online presence, why you should commit to writing 750 words a day, the hallmarks of great online writing, and why Picasso is an inspiring model for writers to follow. If you enjoy The Writer Files podcast, do me a favor and leave a rating or review in iTunes to help other writers find us. Thanks for tuning in. Pamela Wilson, thank you so very much for joining me on The Writer Files. Pamela Wilson: I am so happy to be here. You know, I’ve told you like five times. I’m so happy you invited me to The Writer Files. Kelton Reid: Well, it’s truly a pleasure to have you on, and I can’t wait to pick your brain and get into your file. Pamela Wilson: Awesome. I’m ready. Kelton Reid: Okay. Let’s talk a little bit more about you, the author. For listeners who aren’t familiar with your story — I’m sure that many of them already are — who are you, and what is your area of expertise as a writer? How Coming Late to Writing Can Work in Your Favor Pamela Wilson: So the funny thing is, I actually think I’m probably the least likely writer to appear on this series because I came to writing really late in my career. I like to think that might be helpful for some people who don’t think of themselves as writers. You may have a different area of expertise, but writing really is something that you can learn. We’ll talk about that a lot today because it’s something I learned. It was an important part of my professional development. My history is that I was the person who made writers’ words look great. I was working primarily as a designer, but also as a marketing consultant. In that work, part of what I did was people would give me Microsoft Word documents that had very little formatting in them. It was just basically the words on a page. What I would do is make those documents look fantastic, make people want to read them. I’d pull photos to put with them, format them, give them nice-looking fonts and colors, and all of that to draw people in and make them want to read them. I did that primarily through publication design, magazines, books, newsletters, and things like that. Some online design as well, but primarily print. All my career, that’s who I was. I was the person who made the words look good. I never supplied the words myself. I had this award-winning design business, so I did really well at that part of my career. But no one was asking me to write. Every once in a while, somebody would give me copy and they would forget to give me a headline, so I might write the headline for their copy. That was about the extent of it. That was the most I ever wrote except for emails to clients. That was about all I ever wrote. Back in the late 2009, I started to feel antsy. I had been doing this for a long time, and I felt like I’d figured out this system that worked really consistently for all of my clients to help to build a recognizable brand. It was relatively simple. It wasn’t expensive to implement, and it worked really consistently. Without fail, it always worked. I felt like I had figured something out. I wanted to share it, so I decided to write a book. This was the fall of 2009, and I was obsessed with this idea that I wanted to write a book. Right around that time I found Copyblogger. I don’t know where I had been hiding online. I had not found Copyblogger up until that time, and around that time, I did. Just a few weeks after I found Copyblogger, they launched Teaching Sells. I joined Teaching Sells because I thought, “Maybe this is a way to share my information by teaching it online instead of trying to write a book.” What happened as a result of taking Teaching Sells is, I put together a blog, Big Brand System, and I started writing for it consistently in January of 2010. Really, that was when I started writing. It’s only been a little over five years. Kelton Reid: Wow. I saw you speak at Authority Rainmaker Conference, and it was a truly inspiring session you did there. You talked about customer experience design, which I thought was really, really cool. A lot about content and building that warm, personal relationship. You were doing that online as proof of concept I guess? Why Useful Content Creates Priceless Inroads for Writers Pamela Wilson: I was. One of the things I talked about in that talk was the fact that it was so disconcerting to have this offline business that had worked really well and that I thought relied on having this personal connection with my clients. Then I went online, and I was like, “Well, how am I supposed to have a personal connection with people I can’t even see?” It was a huge revelation to me that, by crafting really useful and approachable and friendly content, you could make that same kind of connection. You could make that connection with your writing. That was a huge eye opener for me. I hadn’t realized that. Kelton Reid: Yeah, yeah. I love that. Where can we find more of your writing? Pamela Wilson: You can find a lot of my writing on BigBrandSystem.com, but nowadays, I’m actually running the day to day Copyblogger blog along with Demian Farnworth and Stefanie Flaxman. I write for Copyblogger a lot more than I write for Big Brand System nowadays, so you can mostly find me there. What happened with that is I got this inspiration when I was at this concert way back in 2010, so it was right after I had started my own blog. I went to this Bobby McFerrin concert, and I got hit by a bolt of lightning. I was like, “What he’s doing in this concert is what I need to be doing with my online business.” I got home from that concert and I told my family, “Okay, I need to do something in the office.” I closed myself in my office. I wrote this post and submitted it to Copyblogger, and it was published on Copyblogger, which was a huge moment. It was a very exciting moment for me. Then I started writing for Copyblogger on a regular basis, developed a nice relationship over time, and now, as you know, I’ve been working with Copyblogger as a member of the team. It’s been just a little over a year now. All of that happened because of my writing, because of this thing that I had never done before. Kelton Reid: Yeah. What projects do you have in the works presently? The Difficulty of Designing a Remarkable Online Presence Pamela Wilson: Well, at Copyblogger, the big thing that I’m working on is helping to tell our story in a more cohesive way. As you know, it’s a very complex company that we work for now. The offer is not something that’s easy to sum up in just one sentence. That’s a lot of what I’m working now — how to tell that story in a way that everyone understands the story right away. The one thing that I’ve kind of zeroed in on is that all of our products — whether it’s StudioPress, the Genesis Framework, or the child themes, or it’s the Rainmaker Platform, Synthesis, or any of our educational products, Authority or anything else that’s really focused on helping to educate people on how to run an online, digital-based business — all of those things are trying to help people to build a remarkable online presence. That’s the story I’m trying to tell about what we do as a company. I think that one story kind of brings everything together. Kelton Reid: Absolutely. That’s really cool. Let’s talk a little bit about your productivity. You’re a busy lady with all of the things that you get into on a daily basis. How much time per day would you say you’re reading or doing research? Pamela Wilson: I’ve listened to a few of these interviews before. You do such a great job, so I enjoy listening to them. They’re very inspiring. I hear people answer this question, and they say like, “Oh I spend two hours researching,” or “I spend four hours reading.” I always think to myself like, “Are those consecutive hours?” Because my day never works like that. I don’t have a chunk of two hours or four hours. It just never seems to work out that way. If I added up all of the little slices, I probably spend two hours total, but it’s divided into a lot of very thin slices. I like to listen to audio books while I exercise. I probably spend 20 to 30 minutes reading throughout the day and probably an hour researching things on websites, but it’s five minutes here and five minutes there. Kelton Reid: Right. Pamela Wilson: I don’t have this research hat that I put on and just close out the world and sit there and do my research. I have this alternate universe where I live where I spent all afternoon sitting in a hammock and reading and researching and thinking about what I’m going to do the next day, but I don’t actually live there. That’s not what my day usually looks like. Kelton Reid: No, no. Mine either, as you can probably guess. Let’s talk about before you kind of get into the writing mode. Do you have any pre-game rituals or kind of warm-up practices? How Writing Has Become Her Yoga Practice Pamela Wilson: The weird thing about this question is that I have thought about it. I’ve realized that my pre-game ritual has to do with my body position. This is going to be a weird answer. What I have found is no matter where I am, because I do travel quite a bit, I seem to do my best, fastest, most productive writing sitting in a chair with my legs crossed under me, and my laptop balanced on my knees. I have no idea why this is, but whether I’m here, at home in Nashville, or I’m travelling somewhere, I always seem to sit in that position. That’s how I write. It’s kind of good to have this body position that works. Then no matter where I am, as soon as I sit down, cross my legs, stick my laptop on my knees, I’m in writing mode. It’s really weird, but it’s very consistent with me. Kelton Reid: You’re like a writing yogi. Pamela Wilson: That’s funny. It is like a meditative position. I hadn’t thought about that. My fingers are not meditating while I’m doing that, I have to say. Kelton Reid: Do you have a most productive time of day or locale? Pamela Wilson: Well, locale doesn’t seem to matter as long as I’m in position, so that’s the good news because I move around a lot. That has worked out well to recognize that seems to be what works for me. As far as time of day, I would say first thing in the morning after a good night’s sleep and after I’ve had my morning caffeine is probably the best. Kelton Reid: Oh, yes. Pamela Wilson: I get the most done. Kelton Reid: Absolutely. Well, you’re kind of a globetrotter, much like Sonia Simone, so I guess you have to find that perfect locale wherever you may be, be it Barcelona or elsewhere. Pamela Wilson: Right, I think so. Speaking of that, the other thing that I’ve noticed is I get so much done when I’m locked on a plane. I don’t know what it is. I think it’s because you may have Internet, but it’s usually spotty, so you tend to just have that off. You want something to do to pass the time. You end up writing. I do anyway. I always get so much done on planes. Kelton Reid: Austin Kleon said the same thing. Maybe I should fly more. Pamela Wilson: I don’t know what it is. It’s like you’re locked in this metal tube, and you need to do something to pass the time. I was on this flight a few months ago, actually I think it was on the way back from Authority, and I was doing the usual thing. I had my laptop open on the table in front of me, and I’m trying to get all this stuff done. It’s a little bit awkward because you have this person who’s right on your elbow next to you, and you’re just trusting that they’re not looking over your shoulder. I did all my writing. I got it all done, and then just as the flight is ending, she turns to me and says — this was the first thing that she had said to me the whole flight — “I’ve never seen someone use a track pad so quickly,” and I’m like “Okay.” Kelton Reid: Compliment or ? Pamela Wilson: I know. Hard to know how to take that. “I guess you were watching,” so that told me everything I needed to know. Kelton Reid: Do you stick on the headphones while you’re writing, or do you prefer silence? Pamela Wilson: I usually prefer silence. It works better for me to not have anything distracting me. That’s actually something I miss from my design days. When I was working on purely visual things, I used to be able to put music on in the background really loud. I could listen to whatever I wanted, and it would inspire what I was doing visually. I really can’t do that when I write. It’s too distracting. I miss that. I miss my music. Kelton Reid: How many hours would you say you put in when you do settle in for a session? Pamela Wilson: I’d say it’s about an hour. Sometimes it ends up being less. I love it when I can put in a full hour. I can get a lot done in an hour. Because I’m writing but I’m doing a lot of other things, it’s usually not much more than that. I wish it was more, but I don’t usually having more than that much time. Kelton Reid: Are you also of the school of writing every day? Why You Should Commit to Writing 750 Words a Day Pamela Wilson: Oh yes. I’m a huge believer in that. Actually, I have a post going up on Copyblogger, I think it’s actually this week that we’re talking about what I do to write every day, which is I use this site called 750words.com. It’s a very cool site. You basically sign up for it. There’s a small fee. I think it’s $5 a month or something. Then you commit to writing 750 words every day. This is a great length in my opinion because 750 words is long enough to be a blog post, so if you’re a content creator, it’s a way for you to get a blog post written. Oftentimes, I don’t use it for that. I just use it to physically write. To sit in front of a keyboard, put my fingers on the keys, make the move, and make words come out. I find the act of physically doing the writing is what makes the ideas flow. That’s what my post is about actually. That has ended up being a very surprising side benefit, to me anyway. That the act of sitting down and writing every day has actually helped me to come up with some amazing ideas and to solve problems that I could not figure out when I just thought about them. There is something about writing about them that — it sounds strange — but it’s like it allows you to tap into this part of yourself that’s really wise, that already knows what to do, and somehow you make that connection. By writing, those ideas can come out. I wrote about it in this post because it was a surprising side benefit that I was not expecting. It works so consistently now for me that, if I have something that I’m puzzling over and I can’t figure it out, I just kind of say, “Well, I look forward to writing about it,” because I have a feeling as soon as I write about it, I’ll know what to do. Kelton Reid: I like that a lot. We’ll link to the post and to the website that you mentioned as well. Pamela Wilson: Great. Kelton Reid: Do you believe in writer’s block? Pamela Wilson: I don’t. I don’t, because for me, the physical act of actually typing words on your keyboard is all you really have to do. I read this book a while back — and I’m sure someone else has mentioned this at this point in your series — there’s a book called the Accidental Genius by Mark Levy. It’s really about the act of writing and being completely unattached to the end product that you get. That made a huge difference for me when I was getting into the rhythm of writing on a consistent basis. It just made me realize that whatever I wrote didn’t have to be great. It’s more about the practice of writing that counts. A site like 750words.com is a huge help as well. They send you these email prompts. The email prompts basically say, “Look, you don’t have to write a masterpiece. Just write. That’s all that matters.” What I find is, when I write consistently like that, it’s almost like you nurture that connection between your brain and your fingertips. You leave that channel open, and you make a strong connection. It’s just easier to tap into your thoughts and easier to write overall. Writer’s block is just not a problem for me. I have that connection reinforced because of my daily habits and my leg crossing and all that crazy stuff. It just seems to work pretty well. Kelton Reid: Nice. We’ll link to Accidental Genius as well. I’m blanking on who else mentioned it, but it has been brought up before. Now I’m going to find it myself. Let’s talk about workflow a little bit. What hardware or typewriter model are you using? I know you’re not using a typewriter because you can’t balance that on your knees while you’re doing yoga. Pamela Wilson: Yes, writer’s yoga. It’s a little tougher with a typewriter. I had a 15-inch Mac Book Pro, and I just recently switched to a 13-inch because of the travel. It’s a little bit lighter. Kelton Reid: Yeah. Pamela Wilson: I know a lot of people at Copyblogger use the Mac Book Airs, but I work enough with images and audio and video that I really needed a little bit more power. I do have a Mac Book Pro just for the processing power. Even just moving from a 15 inch to a 13 inch was a huge relief as far as just walking through airports with the laptop on your shoulder because it’s so much lighter. Kelton Reid: Yeah. Do you have some favorite software that you use most for writing and your general workflow? Pamela Wilson: I do. One of the things I discovered a few years ago was how easy mind mapping software made my writing. What I will typically do is — and not for every post, but a lot of them — if I have some ideas, kind of disparate, random concepts for a post, I’ll open up a mind map and start dropping those onto the mind map. Any connection I make to any of the original ideas, I just build a branch and add that connection. My thoughts don’t tend to be organized when they come in. They just come in, and they’re not in any logical order. They’re not presented to me on a silver platter all organized. They come in randomly. So what I’ve found is, if I can put them on to a mind map, that gives me a place to register everything and then move it around and reorder it until it starts making sense. Typically, what I do is take what’s in the mind map, and then I just paste it into a text document and start fleshing out each section. Most of the posts I write start like that. Kelton Reid: Let’s get into maybe some best practices for staying organized. Do you have any tips, tricks, or hacks for us? Pamela’s Hack: Why Less Is More Pamela Wilson: The biggest hack that I have is something that I discovered a few years ago. I try not to give myself such a long to-do list to do every day. It sounds kind of counter-intuitive that you would actually get more done when your to-do list is shorter. What I’ve found is, when I had a to-do list that has seven or eight or 10 things on it, I didn’t tend to get to everything. I tended to only get to a few things. I always way underestimated how long things would take to do. You write your to-do list, and you think you’re superhuman. Somehow time is going to warp for you. You’re going to be able to achieve all this stuff. You forget about all the interruptions that you know you’re going to have, so you write this super ambitious to-do list. Then, at the end of the day, when you only have a few things checked off, what ends up happening is you feel terribly guilty. I do anyway. I look at all the things I didn’t get to, and I feel terrible at the end of the day. What I ended up doing a few years ago is I switched that around. I try to just have three projects to focus on every day. Kelton Reid: Yeah. Pamela Wilson: Now that doesn’t count things like, of course, I have to deal with email. You and I both end up having to deal with people contacting you on HipChat, for example. At Copyblogger, we use Hipchat to communicate. There are all those things that take time out of your day. But what I’ve found is, counting all those things, I can usually get three other projects done. I try to make a to-do list that’s very realistic and has those three things on it. What ends up happening is, every once in a while, I get to three o’clock and I’m done with all three things. It’s a completely different feeling. You have this list of eight things and you only got three done, so then you felt guilty about the five that you didn’t get to. But when you have a list of only three things and you get them all done, it’s like, “Wow, what am I going to do with this extra time? Maybe I can do something from tomorrow’s list.” You know? Kelton Reid: Totally. Pamela Wilson: That has been a huge attitude shift toward my to-do list. I’ve tried to basically take on less and be very realistic. Kelton Reid: Do you have any best practices for beating procrastination? Pamela Wilson: Deadlines. Kelton Reid: Yeah. Pamela Wilson: Just deadlines, really. Everything I did when I was working as a designer was deadline oriented. I was doing a lot of print design work, and the designer is only one person in a long process. The client gives you the information. Typically, the client needs to get approvals on whatever you submit. Then it has to be finalized and sent to a printer. A printer actually prints the job. The job has to be delivered. Everything in that process has a deadline, and I got very used to having to hit deadlines. If my business was going to make it, I had to hit my deadlines. That was just a thing I had to do. Kelton Reid: Yeah. Pamela Wilson: In order to succeed in business, I had to learn to do that and structure my time so that I would be able to hit the deadlines as promised. Then, the other thing is just not wanting to disappoint people. Kelton Reid: Yeah. Pamela Wilson: You have coworkers or customers, or you have followers. I still write for Big Brand System, and there’s a post that goes up every other Wednesday at 6 am Eastern. Come hell or high water, that post has to go up. I’m sure nobody is sitting there with a stopwatch watching it, but I feel like I don’t want to disappoint anyone. That self-imposed deadline seems to work really well for me. Kelton Reid: Nice. How does Pamela Wilson unplug at the end of a hard day? Pamela Wilson: I work at home, which is always a struggle. You have this siren song of your laptop that’s glowing over there in the corner, and at the end of a long day, a lot of times you end up being drawn back to it. What I do to get away from that is I try to just change location — even if it’s just in my house. I moved to Nashville about a year ago, and we have a house that has a basement. There is actually a space down in the basement that used to be a kids playroom, but now it’s Pamela’s playroom. I have all my art supplies down there. That’s actually a place that I enjoy going, cranking the music, and making artwork and doing stuff with my hands. That’s a huge help — to just go to a different location and do something different than what I’ve done all day long. Kelton Reid: Yeah. Pamela Wilson: I feel the same way about cooking at the end of the day, honestly. After spending all day in front of a screen tapping on a keyboard or working with a stylus pen, it’s great to go into the kitchen, get your hands dirty, and chop things. I enjoy that as well. We have woods behind our house. There’s a little path through the woods, so I like walking through the woods and reading, all the usual stuff. Then I do watch TV. There’s good TV on nowadays. I do watch it occasionally, but it’s usually my last choice of things to do. Kelton Reid: Sure. Pamela Wilson: It usually puts me right to sleep, so it might take me three days to watch a show that’s an hour long. I watch 20 minutes, and then I’m like zonked. I’m not a very devoted TV watcher unfortunately. Kelton Reid: That’s funny because I have that same malady. Pamela Wilson: I think it’s great to put you to sleep. You just turn it on really low, and it’s kind of glowing over there in the corner. It works every time for me. I think my husband gets frustrated because he’s like, “Oh man, this is going to take forever to get this show watched.” He’s very patient about it. Kelton Reid: Significant others do love when you fall asleep during an important scene, without fail. Pamela Wilson: I know. Every once in a while, I’ll say to him, “Just keep watching. It’s okay. Just tell me what happens tomorrow. I’m really sleepy.” It’s like you give them permission to keep going. Kelton Reid: Just a quick pause to mention that The Writer Files is brought to you by the Rainmaker Platform, the complete website solution for content marketers and online entrepreneurs. Find out more and take a free 14-day test drive at Rainmaker.FM/Platform. Let’s talk about creativity since that seems to be such a big part of your life and work. How do you define creativity? Why Creativity Happens Through Action Pamela Wilson: I love this question. I think each person really is going to have their own creative answer. It’s going to be a little bit different. This is very much a designer’s way of seeing creativity. It’s very much about combining things that aren’t normally combined. Combining things in a surprising way or looking at things from a slightly different angle., I’m kind of touching on this theme over and over, but I really believe that creativity happens through action. We have this image of this creative person who’s sitting still under a tree, and this bolt of lightning hits them when they’re sitting there. I don’t think that actually happens. I don’t think we just sit there and suddenly we feel creative. I think creativity happens when we are in motion doing something, like typing on your keyboard, creating some kind of artwork, doing something with your hands, or walking through the woods. I just feel like action is what makes creativity happen. Kelton Reid: Do you have a creative muse? Pamela Wilson: I don’t really have one creative muse I would have to say. I’ve kind of built my whole career out of the ability to tap into creativity all day long. It’s not something that I have to feel inspired about. It’s just a part of what I do. I don’t know if that’s a good answer, but that’s kind of how it works for me for some reason. Kelton Reid: Sure. When do you feel the most creative, personally? Pamela Wilson: That’s the thing, Kelton. I don’t see it that way. I honestly feel like I can be creative all day long. It’s a little bit of an energy thing. Last night, for example, it was getting toward the end of the day. I was finishing up some slides for a webinar that I had to do, and it was going slowly. I walked away, cooked something, had a glass of wine. I relaxed and got away from it. Then I came back to it this morning, and it came right out. It just came together very quickly. Kelton Reid: Yeah. Pamela Wilson: It’s a little bit of you run out of energy, but as far as actually tapping into the creativity, I feel like it’s always there. The whole muse idea, I just don’t see it that way. It doesn’t work that way for me for some reason. Kelton Reid: Let me ask you, what makes a writer great? The Hallmarks of Great Online Writing Pamela Wilson: This is such a great question. It’s something that I’m thinking about all the time now that I’m helping to run the Copyblogger blog. What we are trying to do at Copyblogger is to become the premier resource for content marketing professionals. We want our posts and everything we put together — so our infographics, our ebooks, everything we put together — we want it to be the most clear and helpful resource out there for content marketers. It’s a big goal. When we’re looking at posts, whether they’re our own posts or posts that we bring in from other writers who we’re working with, I’m always looking for clarity. That’s the big thing. I’m not impressed with people who use a lot of big words or people who string together these very complex sentences. In the end, everyone is busy. If your writing is easy to follow, then it’s better. I always think people need to just get to the point. Spit it out. Don’t stumble. Say it as clearly as you can. Try to make a connection with the reader. That’s what’s going to make you a great writer. Don’t try to impress people with complex sentences and long, obscure words. Instead of impressing them, you’ll just end up losing them. Kelton Reid: Yeah. Do you have a few favorite authors at the moment? Pamela Wilson: Well, Mark Levy’s Accidental Genius. It really changed my approach to writing, so he’s a definite favorite. It’s kind of boring because I read a lot of nonfiction. I’m not reading a lot of fiction lately. I’m not sure why. It’s been a long time since I’ve read fiction. I just tend to read nonfiction. There are so many different things I want to learn. One of the things that I’m reading a lot of lately is books on management. In this position at Copyblogger, it’s really a management position. Even though I had my own business before and I had freelance employees, it wasn’t really a management situation. It was my business, and I was the CEO of the business, passing along information to them. It wasn’t the same situation. Now, I feel like I’m in more of a management position, and of course, I want to rock at it. I want to be really, really good. I’m reading a book right now by a Navy captain named L. David Marquette, and he wrote a book called Turn This Ship Around! with an exclamation point. It’s about how he applied these management techniques within the context of the Navy, which is very much a top-down management structure. His technique is basically putting the power back at the bottom of the structure and sending it upwards. It’s a different approach to management. I love it because it kind of empowers the people who know best what your organization should be doing. Then I’m also reading this book called Reinventing Organizations. That is by Frederic Laloux. I don’t know if that’s how you pronounce his name, but it looks like that’s how you pronounce his name. I have this really bad habit of reading two books at once. In the case of these two, they’re both about management. They’re kind of complementary, so I’m not managing to confuse myself, but I have a bad habit of picking up several at once and starting them. Those are the two that are on my night table right now. Kelton Reid: Cool. Yeah, I’m the same way. I will pick up multiple volumes and really just rotate through and have no idea where I am at any one given time in any tome. Do you have a best-loved quote? Pamela Wilson: This is actually a tough question to answer because I collect quotes. I’ve been collecting quotes for years. There’s something about a really well-formed quote that I just love. It’s that clarity thing. It says so much in so few words. Actually, my last set of business cards from my design business, I got them custom printed with 16 different quotes. Kelton Reid: Oh cool. Pamela Wilson: I used to tell my clients, “Oh it’s like a playing card. Let’s see which one you got.” It could be one of 16 quotes. I couldn’t choose between the 16, so I got 16. One of my favorites — and this is like the story of my life because I’ve had so many new beginnings in my life — there’s a quote that just struck me. It says, “The world is round, and the place which may seem like the end may also be only the beginning.” It’s by George Baker. Kelton Reid: That’s a good one. Pamela Wilson: I love that one. Kelton Reid: Let’s do a couple fun ones. Do you have a favorite literary character? Pamela Wilson: Well, as I told you, I read a lot of nonfiction, so there aren’t a lot of characters in that. I think to answer this one I have to go way back in time. One of the first characters that I really related to and I connected to was a character in a book by Beverly Cleary. I think I read it in third grade, Ramona the Pest. I loved that book because she was always getting into trouble. She always managed to get herself out of it, but she was always getting herself into trouble. She had all sorts of spats with her family and her friends. She just seemed very real. I loved that character. It goes way back in my life, but that was the first one that I felt like I really connected to. Kelton Reid: If you could choose one author, living or dead, for an all-expense paid dinner to your favorite restaurant, who would you choose, and where would you go? Why Picasso Is an Inspiring Model for Writers to Follow Pamela Wilson: I have to tell you, Kelton, this is the question I have most been looking forward to answering. I heard your interview with Austin Kleon, and Austin said something like he’d never want to take Picasso to dinner. The first thing I thought when I heard that was, “That is totally who I want to take to dinner.” Kelton Reid: Nice. Pamela Wilson: Picasso wrote books. We know him for his artwork, but he wrote books. He qualifies as an author that you could take to dinner, right? Kelton Reid: Yeah. Pamela Wilson: I would totally take him to dinner because, as a creative person, he is someone I admire so much. I actually wrote a post for Copyblogger years ago about Picasso and about his work ethic. In the process of putting this post together, I did some research. I saw that, in his lifetime, he produced 50,000 unique pieces of art. If you look at his career, if you kind of divide it up over his lifetime, that’s 632 pieces for every year that he was working as an artist. That’s more than a couple of pieces most days, right? Kelton Reid: Amazing. Pamela Wilson: That so inspires me. When you think about the great artists of the world, Picasso is always on that list. If you’ve seen his work in museums, it’s very impressive. But what you’re seeing is just the tip of the iceberg. There are a lot of pieces that we will probably never see. What I realized when I saw those numbers and when I saw his artwork is that it goes back to this idea that creativity is really about taking action. It’s not about the end product. It’s about actually doing the thing. I’ve always been interested in his work and in his life, I tend to kind of gravitate to his pieces if I’m in a museum. I’ve seen a lot of Picasso pieces, and most of them are amazing. When you see them in person, they’re bigger than you expect many times. The colors are more vibrant. You can almost see his movements in the brush strokes. It’s really impressive to see it in person, but the other thing that I notice is it’s not all good. Kelton Reid: Right. Pamela Wilson: Not everything he did was a masterpiece. There’s something that’s weirdly comforting in that for me. You just realize, “Wow, if I produce enough, if I just churn out enough creative work, some of it is going to be amazing.” If you think about it, 50,000 pieces, even if only 1 percent is amazing, that’s still 500 pieces of artwork that you’ve created that are masterpieces, right? Kelton Reid: Right. Pamela Wilson: Nobody’s going to talk about the others, but it’s the act of creating that much work that helps you to create that 1 percent that really, really sticks out. Kelton Reid: To circle back, where would you take Picasso to dinner? Pamela Wilson: Well, I speak Spanish, so this is something that not everyone knows about me. I was an exchange student in between high school and college. I lived in Columbia, South America, and I learned to speak Spanish fluently. I would definitely take him out to dinner, probably in Barcelona. Kelton Reid: Yeah. Pamela Wilson: We could go out for paella. We’d make a reservation for 10:30 because you don’t start eating until really late. It would be somewhere where he felt like he was comfortable and in his own territory, and we would speak in Spanish. It would be awesome. Kelton Reid: That’s cool. Do you have a writer’s fetish? Pamela Wilson: Would an iPhone count? Kelton Reid: Sure. Pamela Wilson: Okay. It’s the only thing I could name it. So I got a new phone last year and I got one of those big ones, one of those 6 Pluses. It’s the most expensive small piece of technology I’ve ever had in my life. Kelton Reid: Sure. Pamela Wilson: Now that I have it, it’s like my favorite way to read books. Because either I can read them on Kindle or on iBooks, and it’s big enough that it feels like you’re reading a small paperback. I used to travel around with my tablet, and I don’t take it anymore because I just use my phone. Then I have Audible, so I listen to books on audio as well. I would say that’s probably it. I don’t know if that counts as a fetish item, but I think that’s the closest I can come. Kelton Reid: Well, you’ve dropped a lot of great knowledge for writers already in this session. Can you offer any additional advice to fellow writers on how to keep the ink flowing and the cursor moving? Pamela Wilson: Stop thinking about it, and just start doing it. Thinking about it is probably your worst enemy. What you really need to do is put your fingers on your keyboard and move your fingers. If you do that, if you do what I was saying earlier — you kind of assume the writing position — it won’t take long for your brain to kick in and start flowing down into your fingertips and giving you ideas about what to write about — but you have to assume the position first. You have to be in position to receive those ideas. Doing that on a regular basis will help you to keep that connection so that you can keep the ideas flowing. Kelton Reid: For sure. So where can fellow scribes connect with you out there or online? Pamela Wilson: Well, I still want to write that book, so at some point, I will write a book. Maybe I’ll bug you so you have me back on here. Kelton Reid: Absolutely. Pamela Wilson: But for now, the best place to find me is on the Copyblogger blog. That’s where I’m writing more than any place else these days. They could also find me on Big Brand System. I’m pretty active on Instagram and Twitter, so I’ll give you both of those accounts. That’s a good place to connect as well. Kelton Reid: Great. Pamela Wilson: I would love to connect with people who’ve heard this and keep talking about creativity. It’s one of my favorite topics. Kelton Reid: Absolutely. Pamela, thank you so much for stopping by The Writer Files and sharing some stories with us. It’s been really, really a pleasure. Pamela Wilson: Thank you, Kelton. I appreciate it. Kelton Reid: Cheers. Thank you for tuning in to The Writer Files. Now go write your 750 words. I’m about to do mine. For more episodes of The Writer Files and all the show notes, or to leave us a comment or a question, drop by WriterFiles.FM. You can always chat with me on Twitter @KeltonReid. Cheers. See you out there.

Coral-coiffed marketer and prolific online publisher Sonia Simone stopped by the show this week to share her writing secrets with us. Ms. Simone is co-founder and Chief Content Officer of Copyblogger Media as well as an educator, speaker, and the devious mastermind behind the podcast Confessions of a Pink-Haired Marketer. Sonia appeared in the written series over on Copyblogger.com and stopped by again to drop some writerly wisdom on us. You can also see Sonia Simone live at Authority Rainmaker, a carefully designed live educational experience that presents a complete and effective online marketing strategy to help you immediately accelerate your business. In addition to Ms. Simone you ll have the opportunity to see Dan Pink, Sally Hogshead, Ann Handley, punk legend Henry Rollins, and many other incredible speakers live. Get all the details at rainmaker.fm/event, and we look forward to seeing you in Denver, Colorado, May 13th, 2015. In this 18-minute file Sonia Simone and I discuss: Why You Should Read Outside Your Echo Chamber Sonia s Secret of Reading the Tea Leaves Writer s Block Vs. Deadlines Productivity for Flakes, Head Cases, and Other Natural Disasters The Fetishization of Creativity Sonia Admits Her Most Unwholesome Writer s Addiction Why the More You Care, the More You ll Write Listen to The Writer Files: Writing, Productivity, Creativity, and Neuroscience below ... Download MP3 Subscribe by RSS Subscribe in iTunes The Show Notes Here s How Sonia Simone Writes Copyblogger.com The Authority Community Are You a Talented Professional Writer? Read This Copyblogger Media Certified Content Marketers Confessions of a Pink-Haired Marketer Productivity for Flakes, Head Cases, and Other Natural Disasters Authority Intensive, May 13-15 in Denver, Colorado Sonia on Twitter Kelton Reid on Twitter Rainmaker.FM is Brought to You By   Discover why more than 80,000 companies in 135 countries choose WP Engine for managed WordPress hosting. Start getting more from your site today! The Transcript How Chief Content Officer Sonia Simone Writes Voiceover: This is Rainmaker.FM, the digital marketing podcast network. It’s built on the Rainmaker Platform, which empowers you to build your own digital marketing and sales platform. Start your free 14-day trial at RainmakerPlatform.com. Kelton Reid: These are The Writer Files, a tour of the habits, habitats, and brains of working writers, from online content creators to fictionists, journalists, entrepreneurs, and beyond. I’m your host, Kelton Reid: writer, podcaster, and mediaphile. Each week, we’ll find out how great writers keep the ink flowing, the cursor moving, and avoid writer’s block. Coral-coiffed marketer and prolific online publisher Sonia Simone stopped by the show this week to share her writing secrets with us. Sonia is cofounder and chief content officer of Copyblogger Media as well as an educator, speaker, and devious mastermind behind the podcast Confessions of a Pink-Haired Marketer. Sonia appeared in the written series over on Copyblogger.com and stopped by again to drop some writerly wisdom on us. On this week’s episode, Sonia and I will chat about why you should read outside your echo chamber; Sonia’s secret of reading the tea leaves; productivity for flakes, head cases, and other natural disasters; and why the more you care, the more you’ll write. Welcome back to The Writer Files, Sonia. Sonia Simone: It’s just lovely to be here, Kelton. Always good to hear your voice. Kelton Reid: Thank you so much for blessing us with your presence here on the Files. Listeners may not know or remember that you were on the written series before, but I’ll post a link to that in this show now so that they can find that. Let’s start talking about you, the author. For listeners and writers that don’t know who you are, who are you, and what is your area of expertise? Sonia Simone: My name is Sonia Simone, and I am the chief content officer of Copyblogger Media, which I kind of dig, because two years ago there was no such title as chief content officer. I think that’s kind of cool. I suppose you would say content is my area of expertise. I think more specifically, I have a knack for writing things that create some connection and resonance in other people and then teaching them how to be more awesome at the things they want to do, and more specifically, how to be more awesome at having a business and finding clients and keeping their sanity and all that good stuff. Kelton Reid: This might be a good time to mention that you are a podcaster as well and your show, Confessions of a Pink-Haired Marketer — awesome show, I love it — is over at Rainmaker.FM. The specific URL for that one is? Sonia Simone: I have an easy to remember one, which is PinkHairedMarketer.FM. Kelton Reid: Very cool. Over there, you deliver advice, encouragement, and the occasional rant from outside the drone of the marketing mainstream. I love it. Where else can we find your writing? Sonia Simone: I do show up a few times a month over at Copyblogger at the Copyblogger blog, always glad to connect with people there. A lot of my work these days is audio, the podcast but also audio interviews. I also do in-depth interviews in our community, Authority, which is a community of content marketers — really cool, smart folks. I spend a lot of my time there. Kelton Reid: I know it well. I guess we’ve covered exactly what you’re working on now. Do have any other big projects in the pipeline? Sonia Simone: I’m excited about this year, because we are returning to our roots in education. I am wrapping up a project with Brian Clark that’s a training for freelance writers on how to get a lot more clients and have better relationships with clients, how to deliver more services to clients. That is part of our Certified Content Marketer program. The minute that I’m done with that — actually before I’m quite done with it — we’ll be launching into a reboot of our teaching sales course, which is a course about building a business based on teaching people to do things. I find it endlessly hilarious that when I was an undergraduate and desperately wanted to go to grad school, I didn’t because I couldn’t see myself teaching for a living. Of course, now I teach for a living. I m going to be doing a lot more teaching this year, which is awesome. Kelton Reid: Exactly. Let’s talk about your productivity a bit. How much time per day do you read or do research? Why You Should Read Outside Your Echo Chamber Sonia Simone: That’s a good question. There are no days when I’m not reading at least two hours a day. It can go up from there depending on what I’m working on. Two to four, I would think. It’s a lot of time. I research for the projects that I’m working on professionally, but it’s also very important to me to have reading time in things that have nothing to do, or seemingly nothing to do, with the business. It’s just very important to me to keep putting things on my brain coming from other places, whether it’s a Terry Pratchett novel or an interesting piece of neuroscience or something that comes from outside my echo chamber. It s really important to me. Kelton Reid: Before you actually sit down and start to write — I’m assuming you sit, but I actually don’t know — do you have any pregame rituals or practices? Sonia s Secret of Reading the Tea Leaves Sonia Simone: I have to have some kind of a caffeine-free tea. I alternate between a couple of teas that are important. I think the words are apparently somewhere in the tea bag, and I have to steep the tea and get the words out or they don’t like to come. Coffee works, but it doesn’t work as well as tea for some reason. Kelton Reid: You’re literally reading the tea leaves and then transcribing them? Sonia Simone: That’s right. That’s where I get my wisdom. Kelton Reid: Yeah, sure. What would you say is your most productive time of day and locale for writing? Sonia Simone: Mid-morning, which is weird one. I don’t know if a lot of people are good then, but midmorning. I have to be suitably caffeinated before I start the tea. Like a lot of people who are parents, I have pandemonium in my house until about 8:30 in the morning. Right after that, about 9:00, I get started on my focused productive time. Between that and lunchtime is when I really seem to get the most done. Afternoons are a total dead zone for me, so I usually work out. Kelton Reid: Do you like to listen to music or do you prefer silence while you’re writing? Sonia Simone: It has to be very silent. I can’t have music. Lisa Barone, in her Writer Files, had a great rain — like the sounds of rain. Sometimes I kind of dig that, but usually it’s just dead silence. Kelton Reid: I love that. She uses some apps that do coffee shop noises or rain. Yeah, I do like the rain one, for sure. How many hours a day do you spend writing, excluding email? I know that you do a lot of email too. Sonia Simone: There’s a lot of email. I think I should be able to count the email. It varies a lot. I always write. I write every day. I write something every day. Some days it could literally be 20 minutes, and some days it can be three or four hours. I would say probably average, working on some actual project, it’s probably an hour to two hours. It varies a lot, and also it depends. Some days are heavy audio content days. That’s a 20-minute day. I’ll spend 20 minutes writing a script and then more of my time actually recording it. Kelton Reid: Do you believe in a writer’s block? Writer s Block Vs. Deadlines Sonia Simone: I believe in deadlines. If I don’t have deadlines, it’s not just writer’s block. It’s just nonexistent. I have to have something I’m aiming for. I think it hits people. It doesn’t hit me because I’ve always got a deadline. Kelton Reid: Let’s talk some about your workflow. What hardware or typewriter model are you presently clacking away on over there? Sonia Simone: Did you just put that typewriter in there just for Robert Bruce? Kelton Reid: I did, yes. Sonia Simone: I use a rather elderly MacBook Air. I think it’s the most perfect writer’s device ever created. It is getting old and slow and tired, and I don’t ever want to get rid of it. I don’t want to replace it with another one either. I love this machine. Kelton Reid: Do you have some software that you use most for your writing and general workflow? Sonia Simone: Almost exclusively, I write in Text Editor. I don’t want any dancing baloney when I’m trying to get writing done. I keep things as minimal as possible. If it’s really rough, if I’m really struggling, I will go to pen and paper. Kelton Reid: Do you have any methods for staying organized that you want to drop on us? Productivity for Flakes, Head Cases, and Other Natural Disasters Sonia Simone: I did a full, rather confessional podcast on this. The title of the podcast was Productivity for Flakes, Head Cases, and Other Natural Disasters if that gives you some indication. Kelton Reid: Yes. Yes, please. Sonia Simone: How do I stay organized? I have two modes. I have things that I am extremely crisp about, for example, producing the podcast. If I’m not very crisp and I don’t have a very, very well-defined system, then it’s a disaster. Those are my two. It’s either got to be totally on, or it’s totally off. I have all manner of things. The main thing for me is to keep everything visible. For example, for my podcast, I have a one-sheeter that has the recorded episodes, the episodes that I’m going to record, when I’m going to record them, have they been uploaded to the production team, all that stuff. I can see it at a glance because I can’t keep anything in my head for five seconds anymore. Kelton Reid: Do you have any secrets for beating procrastination? Sonia Simone: Yeah. Wait until you’re just out of your mind with panic on a deadline. That works for me. Kelton Reid: How do you unplug at the end of a long day of writing? Sonia Simone: My favorite way to unplug — some of you who have connected with me on social media know this — I love nothing more than to sit down with my nine-year old, almost 10-year old and play a nice hour of Minecraft. It is my favorite thing right now to just veg out and forget all my troubles. Kelton Reid: Just a quick pause to mention that The Writer Files is brought to you by the Rainmaker Platform, the complete website solution for content marketers and online entrepreneurs. Find out more and take a free 14-day test drive at Rainmaker.FM/Platform. Let’s talk about creativity now. Can you define creativity in your own words? The Fetishization of Creativity Sonia Simone: I think that we fetishize creativity, and we make it into something that only some professional cast of honored creatives can do. I think anytime you bring something into the world that hasn’t been here before, you have been creative. That could be a pie. It could be a sweater. It could be a Facebook post, especially if it’s a Facebook post that maybe reaches out to a friend or somebody and helps them with something. I think we get very high-falutin about creativity. All humans are creative. We’re a creative species. We’re always bringing forth new and interesting things. I think we should get over ourselves a little bit about it. Kelton Reid: Who or what is your muse at the moment? Sonia Simone: Hmm, my muse at the moment I’m very pragmatic about these things. My muse at the moment is an upcoming vacation that I need to get some money in the bank for. That’s my muse. Isn’t that awful? It’s terrible, isn’t it? Kelton Reid: It’s perfect. What do you mean? When do you feel the most creative? Sonia Simone: I feel the most creative when I feel the most in balance. I feel very creative when I’m getting plenty of exercise. The more walking I do, the easier the words will come and the more they seem to be worth reading or listening to. I need to have things going pretty well. My family has to be in good shape. My sleep needs to be in good shape. When everything is in a good balance, then the creativity seems to come a little more easily. Kelton Reid: What makes a writer great? Sonia Simone: Moving other people makes a writer great, moving them to something worthwhile. Kelton Reid: Do you have a few favorite authors at the moment? Sonia Simone: Oh, yeah, I always have lots of favorite writers. I’m really enamored of a book by a guy named Jonathan Haidt. He wrote a book called The Righteous Mind, which has really been ping-ponging around my brain for a couple months now. I am on a jag with Terry Pratchett right now. I am just going through Terry Pratchett novels, and thankfully there’re a billion of them so I can satisfy my jones. Those are two people. Italo Calvino is one of my enduring favorites. Often, if I need a little inspiration, I’ll actually sit down and copy out a couple of pages of one of his books. It’s kind of almost a writerly meditation. Kelton Reid: Yeah, his stuff is powerful. Love it. Sonia Simone: Yeah. Kelton Reid: Can you share a best-loved quote? Sonia Simone: Can I swear? Kelton Reid: Of course. We’ll bleep it out. Sonia Simone: My best-loved quote is something that a friend of mine — she’s a romance writer. She writes as Ann Stuart, and her name is Krissie Ohlrogge. A long time ago she said this to me, and this has been my marching orders for 15, 20 years. It’s on my corkboard right now. She said to me in her wise way, “**** it out, press on.” That’s my favorite quote. Kelton Reid: Let’s do a couple of fun ones. Who is your favorite literary character? Sonia Simone: Commander Vimes from the Pratchett novels. Kelton Reid: If you could choose one author, living or dead, for an all-expense paid dinner to your favorite restaurant in the world — I have a feeling it’s in Italy — who would you choose? Sonia Simone: Let’s see. Unfortunately, I think most of the writers you love the best are not very good company. I bet Calvino would be an exception. I would love to take Italo Calvino to dinner. Kelton Reid: I said Italy, but I probably meant France. Sonia Simone: There’s good options in both places. Kelton Reid: Who or what has been your greatest teacher? Sonia Simone: My family has been my greatest teacher because taking care of my family, in a multitude of ways, has pushed me to do things I never thought I was going to be able to do. Kelton Reid: Do you have a writer’s fetish? Sonia Admits Her Most Unwholesome Writer s Addiction Sonia Simone: I have my fancy fetishy writer tea. I do have a writer’s fetish! I think my fountain pens would qualify as a writer’s fetish. I have an unwholesome and longstanding addiction to fountain pens and good paper. I have a bit of an issue with proliferating pens and inks. I have two drawers full of ink. I have an entire shelf of fancy notebooks and more pens than I’m willing to admit to. Kelton Reid: Can you offer any advice to fellow writers on how to keep the ink flowing and the cursor moving? Why the More You Care, the More You ll Write Sonia Simone: Know who you’re talking to. Know who you’re writing for. Don’t give up on helping that person and care about that person. The more you care about the person you’re writing for, the more writing you’ll do. Kelton Reid: Where can writers connect with you out there? Sonia Simone: Two places I would absolutely love to hang out with people. One of them is just on Twitter @SoniaSimone, and the other is on the podcast, where I would just dearly love to see your comments and questions and anything else. You can actually ask me questions, and I will answer them on the podcast. That is PinkHairedMarketer.FM. Kelton Reid: I’m going to see you very shortly at Authority Rainmaker here in Denver and actually will probably see you a couple of days after this goes live. Sonia Simone: Yes, indeed, yes. I m looking forward to it. For those who don’t know, Kelton and I could fairly easily walk to one another’s houses, so of course, we see each other three times a year at company meetings out of state. Kelton Reid: Exactly. I’ll drop the information about the conference, which will be happening very shortly. I’m really looking forward to hearing you speak there. Sonia Simone: I’m looking forward to it too. It’s going to be exciting. It’s a fun event. It’s an awesome event for making connections. I’m excited. Kelton Reid: Very good. See you out there. Sonia Simone: All right. Take care. Kelton Reid: You can see Sonia Simone live at Authority Rainmaker, a carefully designed live educational experience that presents a complete and effective online marketing strategy to help you immediately accelerate your business. In addition to Ms. Simone, you’ll have the opportunity to see Dan Pink, Sally Hogshead, Ann Handley, and punk legend Henry Rollins as well as many other incredible speakers live. Get all the details at Rainmaker.FM/Event. We look forward to seeing you in Denver, Colorado, on May 13th, 2015. For more episodes of The Writer Files and all the show notes or to leave us a comment or a question, drop by WriterFiles.FM, and please subscribe to the show on iTunes. Leave us a rating or a review, and help other writers find us. You can find me on Twitter @KeltonReid. Cheers. See you out there.

Beth is a nationally known author, speaker and social media expert. Her in depth book on Pinterest marketing, Pinfluence, has been featured in some of the countrys top magazines and websites. Beth is a Senior Staff Writer for Copyblogger Media and works with businesses of all sizes to help them define and implement effective Pinterest marketing strategies.

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I'm a firm believer in fully understanding the essentials (or fundamentals) of any problem you're trying to solve. For instance, you might not be a designer, but you're quoting design work for your digital business. It's imperative you understand the scope of work the design process covers and entails. This will help you formulate better proposals, articulate the pitch to your client, and work seamlessly with a design partner. Rafal Tomal of Copyblogger Media joins us for Part 5: Web Design Essentials & Designing For A Platform. The Matt Report Web Design Series Part 1: Discovery Process Part 2: Setting the budget & expectation  Part 3: Managing the $5 – $15k web project Part 4: Managing the $50k web project Interview with Rafal Tomal I always enjoy talking to my friend, Rafal. I'm a huge fan of his work, but more than that, he's a great guy. He has, what seems on the outside, a very subtle and methodical approach to his career as a designer. His work has a distinct level of detail that you would expect from a company like Apple. So, as you can imagine, I was excited to find out that he was publishing a book about this while I was recording the season. We're going to talk about that, the lessons he's teaching, and what his journey was like selling a new product. Interested to learn what the design process was like for the Rainmaker platform? For Matt Report listeners only: Save 20% on The Essential Web Design Handbook!   Subscribe on iTunes Subscribe on Soundcloud ★ Support this podcast ★

I’m a firm believer in fully understanding the essentials (or fundamentals) of any problem you’re trying to solve. For instance, you might not be a designer, but you’re quoting design work for your digital business. It’s imperative you understand the scope of work the design process covers and entails. This will help you formulate better proposals, articulate the pitch to your client, and work seamlessly with a design partner. Rafal Tomal of Copyblogger Media joins us for Part 5: Web Design Essentials & Designing For A Platform. The Matt Report Web Design Series Part 1: Discovery Process Part 2: Setting the budget & expectation  Part 3: Managing the $5 – $15k web project Part 4: Managing the $50k web project (more…)

Welcome to The Writer Files, a tour of the habits, habitats, and brains of renowned writers — from online content creators, to fictionists, journalists, entrepreneurs, and beyond. Great writing is more vital and in demand than it’s ever been. But sometimes writers get stuck — the right words don t appear, we get distracted, or worse, lose interest in our work — and that s when the solitary nature of writing can become a curse. I m here to remind you that all writers have moments of doubt, feelings of ineffectiveness, and droughts where the words won t flow. For writers like you and I to stay productive, creative, and sane, sometimes we just need to take a look at how other scribes find ways keep the ink flowing and the cursor moving. In this episode, I want share the file of prolific online publisher, Demian Farnworth. Between the writing he does for Copyblogger, his personal blog, and his two podcasts that regularly land at the top of iTunes, he promises to … deliver the essential writing advice you need to succeed online. In this 32-minute file Demian Farnworth and I discuss: Why Demian Loves The Writer Files Interview Series How a Poet Learned to Make a Living Online Why You Should Treat Your Writing Like Music Demian’s Secret to His Prolificness Why You Need to Over-Sharpen Your Axe 3 Timeless Ideas that Lead to Enhanced Creativity Why So Many Writers Quit A Single Word that Will Help You Keep the Cursor Moving Listen to The Writer Files: Writing, Productivity, Creativity, and Neuroscience below ... Download MP3 Subscribe by RSS Subscribe in iTunes The Show Notes The Writer Files Interview Series on Copyblogger Influence by Robert Cialdini Demian’s Author Page on Copyblogger.com The Copybot Rough Draft Podcast The Lede Podcast Journalist Michael Kruse Kelton Reid on Twitter Rainmaker.FM is Brought to You By Discover why more than 80,000 companies in 135 countries choose WP Engine for managed WordPress hosting. Start getting more from your site today! The Transcript How Demian Farnworth (Copyblogger s Chief Content Writer) Writes Voiceover: This is Rainmaker.FM, the digital marketing podcast network. It’s built on the Rainmaker Platform, which empowers you to build your own digital marketing and sales platform. Start your free 14-day trial at RainmakerPlatform.com. Kelton Reid: These are The Writer Files, a tour through the habits, habitats, and brains of working writers — from online content creators, to fictionists, journalists, entrepreneurs, and beyond. I’m your host, Kelton Reid, Director of Multimedia Production for Copyblogger Media. I’ve been there in the trenches — from indie screenwriter to online content creator — and I know the battle of the blank page. I’ll be the first to admit that writers are a pretty weird bunch, but we’ve been looked at as conjurers for thousands of years for our abilities to give meaning to thoughts, tell amazing stories, and even sell things. From Aristotle to Don Draper, great scribes have been hailed as heroes since the invention of charcoal. Lucky for you and I, the art of great writing at this critical time in history is more vital and in demand than it’s ever been, but sometimes writers get stuck. The right words don’t appear. We get distracted, or worse, lose interest in our work, and that’s when the solitary nature of writing can be a curse. I’m here to remind you that all writers have moments of doubt, feelings of ineffectiveness, and droughts where the words aren’t flowing. For writers like you and I to stay productive, creative, and sane, sometimes we just need to step away from our keyboards. That’s where The Writer Files comes in. We’ll take a look around and see how other scribes keep the ink flowing and the cursor moving without losing their minds. We may learn a few things about our own process along the way. In this episode, I want to share the file of Copyblogger’s Chief Content Writer, Demian Farnworth. Demian’s a prolific online publisher who’s storied career has spanned from consultant to senior web copywriter and even managing editor for a print magazine. His mission statement is to write clear, concise, and compelling copy. Between the writing he does for Copyblogger, his own personal blog, and his two podcasts that regularly land at the top of iTunes, he promises to “Deliver the essential writing advice you need to succeed online.” Let’s flip through file of prolific writer and podcaster Demian Farnworth. Greetings, Demian. I thought it only appropriate to have you on the show because of our shared work on The Writer Files written interview series over at Copyblogger.com, where you are still a contributing editor to the series, which is very cool. Now, we both have podcasts here on Rainmaker.FM. Why Demian Loves the Writer Files Interview Series Demian Farnworth: Thank you. Yeah, I love doing The Writer Files because it’s a great set of questions. Every time that I do one, the people whom I interview come back with “that was the best interview I’ve ever done.” I’m like, “I’ve got to give Kelton credit because I didn’t come up with the questions.” Of course, the premise is from the Proust Questionnaire. I love doing them, too, because they’re not your typical questions about business, and because we’re in the field of marketing, you can ask the same questions. For me, because it’s The Writer Files, I always enjoy hearing about people outside of their business: “I know that you are many dimensions, so show me more of that.” So that s the reason I like doing those — people walking away and thinking, “That was a great interview.” So, well done. Thank you for sharing that with me. Kelton Reid: Absolutely. It made perfect sense, and you were a good fit for that, and I really love the work that you’ve been doing on it as well. I think we should get into the file of one Demian Farnworth. What do you say? Game? Demian Farnworth: I’m game. Thank you. Kelton Reid: Let’s talk a little bit about you, the author. Who are you, and what is your area of expertise? How a Poet Learned to Make a Living Online Demian Farnworth: The short answer is that I was, or am, a poet who figured out how to make money writing online so that I could make a living and raise a family. I fell in love with marketing and through Robert Cialdini’s book, Influence, realized that what I loved doing — which was writing — I was capable of continuing to do it. I could sustain it through what I did in that I didn’t have to succumb to a sense of “this is stale business stuff.” I could actually treat it as art but have it still be useful and still be meaningful to people who have problems and are looking for solutions. Kelton Reid: I love Cialdini’s Influence, also, and I’ll link to that in the show notes. Where can we find your writing? Demian Farnworth: Copyblogger.com. I think if you look up ‘Demian Farnworth,’ you could find all my articles there. I also have a personal website called The Copybot. That’s TheCopybot.com. Of course, you can listen to my writing on my podcast, Rough Draft, where it’s a daily short show about the craft of writing online. Kelton Reid: What are you working on right now, Demian? Demian Farnworth: I’m working on the show. My thought behind the show was I want it short. I want it daily. I want it sequential. I’m treating it like, everything that I’ve learned over the years, I want to systematize it — like start from the very beginning and work through as if I was having a conversation with people. About two or three times out of the week, I write scripts for that and then I record on Fridays. Then also I’m working with Jerod on the show The Lede. We’re doing great little series. We’re calling it the Hero Versus Villains series, where we take popular concepts in the business and marketing world and debate those from a hero position or a villain position. That’s been a lot of fun, but it’s a lot of research, too. Of course, I’m also focusing on what they call ‘adaptive content’ this year for the Copyblogger blog, and that’s a work in progress. It’s probably going to be a year-long adventure because it’s very new to me and it hasn’t quite been defined, so it’s a bit complicated. I’m finding my way through it. We’re out in front of that trend, so we’re getting the chance to define it. That’s been a lot of fun to do, too. Kelton Reid: Let’s spin through a little bit about your productivity. How much time per day do you read or do research? Demian Farnworth: I want to say three, four, five hours. I mean, I wouldn’t say there’s defined time, because everything that I do read, whether books or blogs, is research in my mind. But if there’s acute research where I’m working on a project, probably about two or three hours a day. Kelton Reid: Before you fire up the MacBook or typewriter, do you have any pre-game rituals or practices? Demian Farnworth: I like to work in the morning. I’m just genuinely freshest in the morning, most clear in thinking, probably most productive. I like to spend probably an hour, an hour and a half, reading and meditating and just getting my head clear. Then once that’s done, I get up. I eat — probably I’m drinking coffee, of course — and then I just sit down and write. Kelton Reid: That brings me to our next question, which is, what is your most productive locale for your writing? Demian Farnworth: I guess my desk. I feel very comfortable, like I’m a creature of habit. I like routine, so I like writing at my desk, but I can certainly find different places in our house to do that or at the local coffee shop as long as I get headphones on. Probably my favorite location is my desk in my office in my basement. Kelton Reid: Do you prefer any particular music or silence while you write? Why You Should Treat Your Writing Like Music Demian Farnworth: I like music. I guess just it depends. I remember Jon Morrow — his answer to this question is “silence” because there’s a certain cadence to writing, and I agree with him. But I find my productivity sometimes goes up when I’ve got the right music and the right cadence. Like if I’m working on a rough draft or a first draft of something, it’s usually something that’s like a drum-storm, driving type of fast-moving where it’s pushing me forward and I’m moving forward. But then when I’m in that more careful, precision phase where I’m editing, I like to listen to more instrumental work by Richard James, who’s also known as Aphex Twin for some background. I also like — and I may butcher the name — the Icelandic band Sigur Rós. Kelton Reid: Oh, yeah. I like those guys. Demian Farnworth: Right. I like that. I don’t understand what they’re saying, so it s not like it interferes with my thinking, but it’s very beautiful. It’s melodic and beautiful. Which phase I’m in determines what kind of music. Sometimes I will just shut everything off and write in silence, but that’s unusual. I like music, and I think that in a lot of ways, I treat like my writing as music. I think a keyboard — my keyboard, my laptop — is not any different than the keyboard on a piano. Kelton Reid: I’m going to have to steal that. How many hours a day would you say you spend writing, and I’m not including email? Demian s Secret to His Prolificness Demian Farnworth: I try to get started about 8:00, but it’s usually more like 8:30, sometimes 9:00. I’ll push through till 12, to 1, till 2, depending on how much I have to do and to get done. Of course, there are breaks in between there. My prevailing philosophy about writing is — I share this with a lot of people — keep your bottom in the seat. It’s also to just push yourself. I’m not really into this idea of having work for 33 minutes and then take a three-minute break or whatever — the Eugene Schwartz technique where you have prescribed times. I let what needs to be done dictate that. I reward myself, so I’ll say, “Once I get to this section, I can go up and use the restroom,” or “Once I’ve nailed this closing, then I can get up and go get something to eat.” I bait myself to finish certain work and reward myself then. This is the long way of saying — to answer your question — it could be anywhere from two, three, four to six hours a day. It just depends on the demand of what I’m working on. Kelton Reid: Sure. Do you feel like you write every day? Demian Farnworth: I do. I don’t typically write on the weekends, though. I feel like I need that break, and I appreciate that break. Sometimes I will break that rule, but I like to completely separate myself from what I’m working on over the weekend. Kelton Reid: All right, this is the tough one. Do you believe in writer’s block? Why You Need to Over-Sharpen Your Axe Demian Farnworth: No, I don’t. I don’t believe in it because I think that it’s a cop-out to say that there’s writer’s block. I mean, sure, we struggle with the ability to say what we want to say. We all struggle with the idea of like, “This is a dumb idea, so I’m not going to write it.” Or we just don’t have anything to say, so we’re not going to write. I think writer’s block is this idea of, “I need to write something, but I can’t write it.” If I feel like I’m in that position, then I clearly have not done enough research. It s that old Abraham Lincoln saying where he says, “If I’m going to chop down a tree, I’ll spend 90 percent of the time sharpening the saw,” or I think that’s what he said — or the axe, whatever it is. Almost everything comes really easily if you over-prepare, so that’s what I tend to do. So if I feel like I don’t have anything to say about this, it’s clear I have not done my homework. Kelton Reid: Let’s talk a little bit about your workflow. What hardware or typewriter model are you presently using? Demian Farnworth: I think that it’s a MacBook Air, and it’s the 13-inch screen, and that’s the extent of what I know. Kelton Reid: I won’t push you on that one. What software do you use most for your writing work? Demian Farnworth: I like to work inside WordPress. If like I’m working on something for our blog, whether it’s our blog or my own blog, I will work in WordPress so that we automatically have the code behind the links and all that if I need to share the text version of it. That’s the preferred way, to work straight in WordPress. If I need to, I ll work in Word, and of course, sometimes I work in Google Docs and on the platform medium, but that’s more copy/paste stuff than anything. Kelton Reid: Do you have any best practices for beating procrastination? Demian Farnworth: I think the only thing that I can say to that is that I just do it. Procrastination does not discriminate between something I really want to work on versus something I don’t want to work on. It’ll occur, but it’s more, I think, just laziness than anything. I know that I’ve got to do it, and that’s why I’m a routine guy. I need to sit down. I have my time. I ve got to work, and I ve got to do the work. I know that it’s not going to go away, so I just need to deal with it. I just tell myself, “Whether you want to do this or not, you have to do it.” If it’s something I want to do, I’ll do it first so it’s done and I don’t have it hanging over my head. Other than that, it’s just “sit down and do the work.” Kelton Reid: This is a broad question, but how do you stay organized? Do you have any mad science or methods? I know I’ve seen some photos of your office. Demian Farnworth: Well, yeah. When I do research, the process is like this. As I mentioned, over-prepare. So you’ve got notes scattered everywhere, whether they’re written or in Evernote. Then organize. Bring those notes together. Codify them into one platform, like Evernote. Then I transfer them into the whiteboard so that I can start to see them and see them in place and how these pieces are going to fit in together. Typically, that occurs when I’m working on something that’s large and sequential and long-term. For example, when I did the native advertising series or the Google+ series, that was my very precise procedure because I knew that I had six or seven articles to write on that. I had a lot of material, and I wanted to see how everything fit into place. It’s word-based storyboarding, is the way I’d probably describe it. Kelton Reid: Yeah. Demian Farnworth: I can see it, and then I can just move parts around and say, “That’s going to go there,” and then pile it. That’s how I would organize my work. Kelton Reid: Okay. The last question about your workflow is, how do you unplug at the end of the day? Demian Farnworth: That’s a good question. I try to get up and leave my office, and I try to leave my phone behind and everything. Then I go spend time with my son or my daughter or go for a run or go read a book completely unrelated to work. It’s really those three things: run, play with the family, or read. Kelton Reid: I want to take a quick pause to mention that The Writer Files is brought to you by the Rainmaker Platform. If you’re looking to easily build a powerful publishing and marketing website that drives your online business, head over to Rainmaker.FM/platform right now and sign up for a free 14-day trial to see if it might be a fit for you. Rainmaker handles all the technical elements of good online business practices for you, including design, content, traffic, and conversion, and does it all under one roof. Head over to Rainmaker.FM/platform right now, and get back to building your online business. All right, let’s talk a little bit about creativity. How do you define creativity in your own words? 3 Timeless Ideas That Lead to Enhanced Creativity Demian Farnworth: That’s a good one. I think creativity is really just bringing two, divergent ideas together. I mean, being creative is experimenting and putting pieces together until they work. That’s such a hard one. I think it was T.S. Eliot who described what a poem was. His metaphor was a chemical reaction where two different elements come together and create something totally new. I think I’ve always probably defaulted back to that definition of creation, creativity. Implicit in that is that idea of experimentation and play and failure, but at the same time enjoying that until you get to a place like, “Aha, that finally works.” Kelton Reid: Okay, so on that note, who or what is your Muse at the moment? Demian Farnworth: Probably music. As a writer, I can’t get away from the connection that when I’m writing something, I want to create an image in someone’s head that they would see with their mind’s eye that could be compared to the way music appears in people’s heads. When I think about the people who inspire me, it’s almost always musicians. Now, I have my favorite writers, but musicians really inspire me because I think there’s something about music that I would like to be able to do, but create as a writer. I don’t play any instruments, so I have to pretend like I play the keyboard or something. Kelton Reid: Right, back to your initial metaphor, which I love. Can you share a favorite inspirational quote? Demian Farnworth: I don’t think it’s inspirational, but my favorite quote for sure has to be Will Rogers. He said, “Never miss an opportunity to shut up.” I say that’s inspirational in a sense because I need to be inspired to listen to people versus always being forceful and being the first one to speak and being quick to answer. I’m inspired by the idea of being silent and letting other people speak and tuning in on who they are, so you only do that when you’re quiet. Kelton Reid: Well put. What makes a writer great in your opinion? Demian Farnworth: Not giving up. I think that’s cheesy, but the reason I say that is because I go back to this idea. I m like, “So let s define what a great writer is. It s someone who, in my mind, passes the test of time — so has a legacy, has longevity, and what they’re saying applies universally. Now, I know in our field, that’s hard to get to because a lot of times, what we’re dealing with is just superficial, time-dominated issues. We could write something that is really meaningless a year later because the industry has changed in some sense. I think a writer is great when they have legs, and they can write about anything, and they write well about it. It’s meaningful, and it leaves a taste in your mouth. Why So Many Writers Quit Demian Farnworth: I think the only way you can get there is if you persevere and if you don’t give up because in the end, it’s really a war of attrition. The episode of Rough Draft for this day is basically describing the state of affairs online and the fact that most people don’t read what you write, yet you have to be okay with it and you have to write anyway. A great writer, I think, is someone who says, “Okay, that’s the environment in which I have to work, so now I have to ask myself, ‘Am I okay with that?'” They have to ask that ‘why’ question. “Why am I doing this? If things are so bleak, why am I doing this?” Then they persevere through that because eventually, you have to master that and become someone who’s well-read and well-respected. You have to persevere, and you have to continue and — I say ‘war of attrition’ — to rise above the noise. Eventually you gain traction. A lot of times, you see people who start out, and they’ve got great traction, but for one reason or another, they stop or they have to quit. So they just die out. They don’t reach the potential that they can reach because they didn’t persevere for whatever reason. It’s perseverance that ultimately makes a great writer. I mean, I think about Herman Melville and Moby Dick. He died a penniless stock merchant, and it wasn’t until like 70 years later that people realized the genius of Moby Dick. He had said, “I wrote the gospel of the ages but nobody is paying attention.” Yet he still wrote. He still wrote within that. I admire that. I think that’s what makes a writer great. Of course, the quality of the writing has to be good. Kelton Reid: Do you have a couple of favorite writers at the moment, online or offline? Demian Farnworth: I admire people like Joan Didion, William Faulkner, and Christopher Hitchens. I admire people who have taken the language and have used it in such a way that inspires and is beautiful — like Christopher Hitchens, for example. I like him because of the way he challenged the status quo, and he made just as many friends as he made enemies. Yet he wrote, and he wrote well. He studied people. I like to also read a lot of 16th and 17th century writers too — I don’t know if I’m going to get this right, but Montaigne. Then online — that’s a good question about current writers you might enjoy because most of what I do online is all research-related. David Sedaris is another guy — he doesn’t write online, of course — but David Sedaris is another guy that I like a lot. I like his writing. When it comes to online writers, the people who I really admire, I think, are a lot of the long-form journalists who tell really good stories. I always fall into those. There s guys like, I think, Michael Kruse. He’s down in Tampa Bay. He started the website Gangrey, which is promoting the idea of long-form journalism and trying to keep it alive. Those guys who do that stuff, I always admire. Kelton Reid: Let’s finish up with some fun ones. Who is your favorite literary character? I know you mentioned a few. Demian Farnworth: I would have to think of probably the most recent one — Hazel Motes, which is in Flannery O’Connor’s book. I think it’s Wise Blood. The reason I mentioned him is because a friend and I, we discussed what an awful character he is, but I think we could all could relate to him in some sense because he was religious, but he fought. I mean, he did some awful things. I think of memorable characters, and I always think of him as a memorable character. Of course, anything by Dostoevsky — any character that Dostoevsky writes about, I think, is a memorable character. Kelton Reid: If you could have dinner, all expenses paid at your favorite restaurant in the world with one author, living or dead, who would you choose? Demian Farnworth: I would probably choose William Faulkner because I think he is the writer whom I admire the most. He’s probably one of the most difficult writers to read in some cases, too, but he also wrote some very compelling, very clear, very simple stories, too. I am not sure that it would be interesting to have dinner with him because if you meet most writers, I think they’re just not socially agile people unless they get sauced up. Anyway, William Faulkner. Kelton Reid: Let’s go to who or what has been your greatest teacher in writing or life? Demian Farnworth: I have to say probably my wife because of the way she helped me develop as a writer. It’s that, “behind every great man ” And I’m not suggesting by any means that I’m a great man, but any success that I have, I can point back to my wife. She’s been the person who’s encouraged me and been the fire underneath my seat to get things done. I’ve looked at her and her encouragement and teaching me to continue in spite of obstacles and rejection and just doing things. We all deal with this stuff, but you continue to move on and not to be so overwhelmed by that stuff. She’s been a great teacher. Kelton Reid: What is your biggest writer’s fetish? Demian Farnworth: Fetish. My biggest writer’s fetish. Man Kelton Reid: If you need some help, mine is vintage typewriters. Most writers have some secret thirst. They collect first editions or self-help books. I feel like every writer I’ve ever met has some strange collection or writing-related fetish — pictures of great writers over their desks like deities. Demian Farnworth: Yeah, so this is lame, but it would have to be books. I like books, and I like to buy books, and I like to read books, and I can’t think of a better way to spend time. I know that’s not really a fetish, and I’m not really quiet about it, but it is an obsession, so I hope that counts. Kelton Reid: Maybe if they are actually made of paper, that could count as a fetish. Demian Farnworth: It really is, and I do prefer that. I do prefer the paper version. Kelton Reid: I do, too, I will admit. Can you offer any advice to fellow writers on how to keep the ink flowing and the cursor moving? A Single Word That Will Help You Keep the Cursor Moving Demian Farnworth: What’s worked for me is simply to continue to feed that fire. I read a quote the other day by Plutarch. He was an essayist, like 100 to 200 AD, so around early last millennium. He said to think of it more as a fire and that you need to kindle that fire. If you want to keep the ink going, don’t let the well run dry. Continue to read. Continue to research. Continue to be curious. The most fascinating and the best writers are those who are just insanely curious and can’t stop. I don’t offer that as advice because it’s something that you can’t really teach. It s something you couldn’t instill in people. I think it’s something that’s found within people. So they’re just naturally curious. To keep that cursor moving and the ink from going dry is simply to continue to read and to consume. The metaphor that I like to use a lot is about being a renegade sinkhole. Everything around you, observe and absorb it. Sinkholes are those phenomena in places like Florida where just out of nowhere, everything collapses into a deep hole within it. I think that as a writer, as a good writer, as you’re moving through your life, you’re absorbing and observing everything. It’s just falling into that hole for possible material in the future, whether you do it consciously or not. Kelton Reid: Wow. I just fell into a sinkhole listening to you talk about that. Finally, is there anything else that you’d like writers to know about you, including where they can connect with you online? Demian Farnworth: Yeah. Listen to Rough Draft and let me know what you think. I’d love their support. I appreciate their attention, and I do not take any of that for granted. Please find me at Rough Draft. Kelton Reid: Excellent, and that’s RoughDraft.fm on Rainmaker.FM. Thank you so much, Demian. I really appreciate your time and for creating your own writer file. I definitely look forward to seeing you soon. Demian Farnworth: Thank you. I appreciate this. Thanks for inviting me. Kelton Reid: “Give me six hours to chop down a tree, and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe” — Abraham Lincoln. Some great advice from Mr. Lincoln and also from Mr. Farnworth. Thank you. You can never over-prepare or be too curious. Thanks for flipping through Demian’s file with me. If you enjoyed the inaugural episode of The Writer Files podcast, feel free to leave a comment or question on the website at WriterFiles.fm. Please leave us a rating or review in iTunes to help other writers find us. You can find me on Twitter, @KeltonReid. Cheers! Talk to you next week.

[Tweet ""It's not about who you know. It's who knows what you can do." @chrisgarrett"] Chris Garrett is Co-Author of the ProBlogger book and Chief Digital Officer at Copyblogger Media, responsible for Rainmaker.fm. You can find Chris over at ChrisG.com. Today on Digital Marketing Radio we discuss Digital Marketing Technology & Blogging, with topics including: You registered ChrisG.com back in 1998 – you've been in the digital sphere for a long time! What do you remember about the early years of the web? How did you get into blogging? What about WordPress? When did you start using that? Are you still a coder? Given the development of social media, Is a blog more or less important for a business to have now compared with a few years ago? Over the last couple of years we've seen inbound marketing automation software become more intelligent – what developments in marketing technology are most impacting your workflow at the moment? Is it more difficult for the solopreneur to take on the big boys now? And what marketing technology trends are worthwhile keeping an eye on in 2015? Software I couldn't live without What software do you currently use in your business that if someone took away from you, it would significantly impact your marketing success? GitHub [Online collaboration] HipChat [Private group chat] Skype [VOIP service] Trello [Online workflow management] What software don't you use, but you've heard good things about, and you've intended to try at some point in the near future? Google Hangouts [Group video calls] My number 1 takeaway What's the single most important step from our discussion that our listeners need to take away and implement in their businesses? I go back to what I said about networking being the most important part of my career. It's not about who you know. It's who knows what you can do. Networking should be about being generous to people, helping people and having people remember your value to them. Keep that network happy and positive!

An interview with Copyblogger Media s Chief Content Writer, Demian Farnworth: How the art of editing complements the art of writing. An editor s job could be viewed as a writer s safety net — an opportunity to catch and correct mistakes before the general public views a writer s work. But what if an editor regards a section... Listen to episode

Back in 2005, I came up with the idea for Copyblogger, a site that taught people how to create text content and copy to sell products and services. Right … everyone knows that. But did you know a competing idea was to instead start a podcast? To say that would have been the wrong move... Listen to episode

Blogging for business is a great lead generation tool, but are you making the 3 biggest blogging blunders? I had a conversation wit blogging extraordinaire Demian Farnworth of Copybot, and chief writer at Copyblogger Media, some call it the bible of content marketing. I’m a fan of Demian and Copyblogger, so it was a delight for me […] The post Blogging for business: how to do it right and get more customers appeared first on mindful sales.

Demian Farnworth, chief copywriter for Copyblogger Media talks and gives tips about standing out in the media world with Jason Hartman.   Key Takeaways  02:07 – Nowadays everybody has a voice, so in order to stand out you have to keep shaking things up in your work to keep people interested.  10:34 – Rainmaker is one of the great tool that Copyblogger Media has made. And it's like WordPress  without the things that people hate. 24:52 – Infographics are great tools but until the tools get better, it's best to hire an actual designer for making infographics. 33:28 – www.copyblogger.com for Rainmaker and Synthesis programs and www.thecopybot.com for more info about Demian Farnworth.   Mentioned in this episode How to Stand Out in a World of Boring Podcasts by Demian Farnworth www.copyblogger.com www.thecopybot.com

In a world where everyone is trying to increase and improve their online presence, some insider know-how and a platform that does the hard work for you seems pretty appealing. Today's Speaking of Wealth Show sees Jason Hartman speak to Demian Farnworth, Chief Writer of Copyblogger Media about web hosting, creating the best podcast possible and securing a keen, passionate audience.    Key Takeaways 02.11 – In such a full stage, how do you make sure people hear you? 05.06 – The answers you'll get are only as good as the questions you can ask. 10.00 – Challenge what people think and everyone will come away with a wider, fuller knowledge.  11.30 – Rainmaker is a platform designed for those who want to expand their media presence – hassle-free. 18.49 – Getting a strong following takes time. Stick at it and figure out what works for you. 22.40 – Find a way to monetize any fame you've got and it'll be worth the effort. 24.58 – Infographics – only worth doing when you've got money to invest in the right designer. 31.36 – Make your asset pillars work by showing how versatile they can be through different media. 33.35 – For more information, head to www.Copyblogger.com, or Demian's personal website, www.TheCopyBot.com    Mentioned in this episode www.Dribble.com www.DeepDyve.com

2014 was a pivotal year for Copyblogger Media. We … Launched a Pilot program for our Rainmaker Platform using a podcast Evolved the platform to version 2.0 during the Pilot phase Arrived at the 8-figure level for annual revenue, up 34% For an added twist, we tried things, observed, learned, and made changes on the... Listen to episode

Jerod Morris is the VP of Marketing for Copyblogger Media after having been the content manager last year. He oversees marketing efforts and manages social media and their blog. He started by writing his own blog from home and after a successful and surprising post, saw the effects of social media and content marketing! Jerod recently joined AMP UP Your Social Media’s host Glenn Gaudet to discuss social media and the impact of content on the success of your strategy therein. “Get a good third-party social media service that allows you to be efficient with your schedule.” Jerod discusses tips for content marketing and social media: 1.Don’t overthink it. 2.Start with a conversation. 3.Don’t underestimate your usefulness. 4.Find your ideal customer. . 5.Use visual cues.

Brian Gardner is the founder of StudioPress, which makes WordPress themes based on their Genesis framework. Brian grew StudioPress from nothing into a multi-million dollar business. In 2010, Brian merged StudioPress and several other companies with Copyblogger to create Copyblogger Media. Brian is a founding partner of Copyblogger Media and also its Chief Product Officer. Links & Resources Mentioned StudioPress Copyblogger Rainmaker Platform Synthesis Enjoyed this episode? Subscribe to the podcast Leave a rating and review Follow Omer on Twitter Need help with your SaaS? Join SaaS Club Plus: our membership and community for new and early-stage SaaS founders. Join and get training & support. Join SaaS Club Launch: a 12-week group coaching program to help you get your SaaS from zero to your first $10K revenue. Apply for SaaS Club Accelerate: If you'd like to work directly with Omer 1:1, then request a free strategy session.

Brian Gardner is the founder of StudioPress, which makes WordPress themes based on their Genesis framework. Brian grew StudioPress from nothing into a multi-million dollar business. In 2010, Brian merged StudioPress and several other companies with Copyblogger to create Copyblogger Media. Brian is a founding partner of Copyblogger Media and also its Chief Product Officer.Links & Resources MentionedStudioPressCopybloggerRainmaker PlatformSynthesisEnjoyed this episode?Subscribe to the podcastLeave a rating and reviewFollow Omer on TwitterNeed help with your SaaS?Join SaaS Club Plus: our membership and community for new and early-stage SaaS founders. Join and get training & support.Join SaaS Club Launch: a 12-week group coaching program to help you get your SaaS from zero to your first $10K revenue.Apply for SaaS Club Accelerate: If you'd like to work directly with Omer 1:1, then request a free strategy session.

Brian Clark the Founder and CEO of CopyBlogger Media, publisher of CopyBlogger.com, one of the most successful marketing blogs on the internet. On top of their huge audience they have built a very successful business by bringing to market products that their audience wants. Thank you so much for listening! Please subscribe rate and review on your favorite podcast listening app. To get to the show notes for today's episode, go to https://brightideas.co/xxx...and if you have any questions for me, you can leave me a voicemail at brightideas.co/asktrent

In this episode, Jessica Commins (Executive VP of Ops for Copyblogger Media) and Bri Norcross (Partner at Reaktiv Studios, a StudioPress Third-Party Vendor) joined me to discuss affiliate marketing, the StudioPress marketplace, nachos, bad gang signs, and more.

STARVE106 - Jerod Morris - Advice from the Director of Content for Copyblogger Media (@jerodmorris & @ElguetaLaura) Jerod Morris is the Director for Content for Copyblogger Media. He is also the host and co-founder of The Assembly Call which is a live expert reaction to every Indian University basketball game. Jerod is a writer, an editor, and one of the most creative podcasters that I have come across recently. You can check out his work by going to copyblogger.com & listening to the LEDE podcast (L E D E).Support the show (https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=CQWQVRBGQCK7E&source=url)

Are you getting ready to release a product, book or service? Do you want to know how a podcast can boost your launch? In this episode, I interview Brian Clark and Chris Ducker. Brian is the founder of Copyblogger Media and host of the New Rainmaker podcast. Chris Ducker is the author of Virtual Freedom and host of The New Business Podcast.  Show Notes: https://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/86

Welcome to episode #399 of Six Pixels Of Separation - The Twist Image Podcast. It's hard to argue that we don't live in a world where there is simply too much good content, and it's everywhere. Brands are expected to not only be great advertisers and listeners to their customers, but to be excellent publishers as well. It's not an easy ask. It's something that most brands struggle with. It's something that Brian Clark has been helping companies tackle for a long time. Copyblogger started out as an incredible blog to help people (and brands) figure out what works when it comes to creating online content. The blog still acts as a treasure trove of information and insight on the topic, but Copyblogger is much more than a blog. In the past few years, Clark and his team, have built Copyblogger Media - a company that offers software and training with over 100,000 customers who are doing their best to create better content marketing online. I have known Brian for many years, and we finally managed to schedule a conversation about the changing landscape of blogging, social media and content marketing. Enjoy the conversation...  Here it is: Six Pixels Of Separation - The Twist Image Podcast - Episode #399 - Host: Mitch Joel. Running time: 51:59. Please send in questions, comments, suggestions - mitch@twistimage.com. Hello from Beautiful Montreal. Subscribe over at iTunes. Please visit and leave comments on the Blog - Six Pixels of Separation. Feel free to connect to me directly on Facebook here: Mitch Joel on Facebook. or you can connect on LinkedIn. ...or on twitter.  Six Pixels of Separation the book is now available. CTRL ALT Delete is now available too! In conversation with Brian Clark. Copyblogger. Follow Brian on Twitter. This week's music: David Usher 'St. Lawrence River'. Get David's song for free here: Artists For Amnesty. Download the Podcast here: Six Pixels Of Separation - The Twist Image Podcast - Episode #399 - Host: Mitch Joel. Tags: advertising podcast blog blogging brand brian clark business book business podcast content marketing copyblogger copyblogger media david usher digital marketing facebook itunes marketing blogger marketing podcast podcast podcasting social media twitter video podcast

Mary King IRS Problem Solving Attorney and co- author of the book Protect and Defend. Mary's career as an attorney began in 1993 after graduating from Stetson University College of Law.   Her career in law has primarily focused in IRS problem solving as well as mortgage foreclosure defense  Dr Sue Ferreira creator of the program, Live Your Retirement Dream, which shows you how to reinvent yourself and generate added income to allow you to LiveYour Retirement Dream.Having reinvented own her life following her Grey Divorce and being saddened by how many millions would be financially side-swiped by the financial crash of 2008, Sue realized the need for such a program, which provides you with an individualized realistic plan to reinvent yourself speedily, enabling you to  achieve and enjoy your Second Adulthood, whilst living your retirement dream  Jacqueline Newman managing partner of Berkman Bottger Newman & Rodd, a matrimonial law firm in Manhattan that practices exclusively in divorce law and prenuptial agreements”  Demian Farnworth Chief Copywriter at Copyblogger Media

Do you know how hard it is to craft a headline about a guy who spends his time writing headlines? Introducing Brian Clark, founder of Copyblogger Media, is down right nerve wracking. I don't even want to type anymore, that's how badly I think I'm going to get criticized. I digress. Here are a few headlines that danced around my head: “Episode 30: Watch Brian Clark ride a Unicorn and throw a kitten” or “Episode 30:  Jeff Bridges as Copyblogger founder Brian Clark” and lastly “Episode 30: Guy blogs, builds million dollar WordPress company” Enough! Let's get to the show! Interview with Brian Clark founder of Copyblogger Media Watch on YouTube Listen to the audio version Matt Report - A WordPress podcast for digital business owners Episode 30: The Genesis of Copyblogger Play Episode Pause Episode Mute/Unmute Episode Rewind 10 Seconds 1x Fast Forward 30 seconds 00:00 / Subscribe Share RSS Feed Share Link Embed Download file | Play in new window Know, Like and Trust Know, like and trust. This is the mantra of the Copyblogger team and my takeaway from this interview. It's not your PHP chops, Photoshop skills or the size of your WordPress team — it's that folks know you, like you and trust you. Forget sales revenue for a moment. Forget building a massive WordPress website. It's about forging the relationship of a client that will stay with you and work with you for years to come. Not just a one off project. Here's the way I see it — if you're spending time applying this mantra, chances are you're also going feel the same way about the client. Working together will be frictionless. There won't be awkward talk about payment or timeline. You won't have that weighted feeling when the client e-mails in for a new project update. The relationship you created doesn't have room for negative feelings — this is how you do business now. What's the best way to let client's know about the new you? Content marketing! Copyblogger is different This interview isn't about how StudioPress themes are designed or how they run their support forums — it's a look into their diversified products and services. Personally, I'm really excited to see where they go with the Scribe software they produce. I think it's smart, possibly necessary,  to diversify yourself beyond WordPress to achieve higher levels of scale and growth. There's no surprise that with a recent redesign of their website, they are all in on content marketing. I've said it before and I'll say it again: We're in an interesting phase of the WordPress growth spurt. It's only a matter of time until we see some larger WordPress companies really break away from the pack and follow the traditional path of a silicon valley startup. Could Copyblogger be the first? (I'm speculating here, but someone's gotta do it.) This interview You know I like to pop in from time to time and share my feelings about my progress as the host of the podcast. If you couldn't tell I was nervous in this interview. Brian's just one of those super smart guys that should be on a Wheaties box. Interviewing a guy like him as a newbie podcast host and then having to write about him in this blog post as someone who sucks at writing — not fun. I want your feedback. Did you like this episode? Do you want something different? I'm grossly behind on publishing episodes, but it's because I want the lessons to properly sink in. This was recorded almost 2 months ago and I have 15 to publish. I'm working on it.   ★ Support this podcast ★

Do you know how hard it is to craft a headline about a guy who spends his time writing headlines? Introducing Brian Clark, founder of Copyblogger Media, is down right nerve wracking. I don’t even want to type anymore, that’s how badly I think I’m going to get criticized. I digress. Here are a few headlines that danced around my head: “Episode 30: Watch Brian Clark ride a Unicorn and throw a kitten” or “Episode 30:  Jeff Bridges as Copyblogger founder Brian Clark” and lastly “Episode 30: Guy blogs, builds million dollar WordPress company” Enough! Let’s get to the show! (more…)

Beth is a nationally known author, speaker and social media expert. Her in-depth book on Pinterest marketing, Pinfluence, has been featured in some of the country's top magazines and websites. Beth is a Senior Staff Writer for Copyblogger Media and works with businesses of all sizes to help them define and implement effective Pinterest marketing strategies.

What makes a support team, business, or community successful? Someone with awesome drive, who communicates well, and genuinely cares about the customer. That’s just a small part of what makes Andrea Rennick rock at her job at Copyblogger Media. I want you to watch or listen to this interview (because we had some technical difficulties half way through) and feel the passion that Andrea brings to the table. This is super important for those of us just starting out or even veterans looking to grow our business. You have to be passionate and care about the customer – bottom line. Andrea is going to share that and more about the WordPress community in the latest episode of the Matt Report! (more…)

What makes a support team, business, or community successful? Someone with awesome drive, who communicates well, and genuinely cares about the customer. That's just a small part of what makes Andrea Rennick rock at her job at Copyblogger Media. I want you to watch or listen to this interview (because we had some technical difficulties half way through) and feel the passion that Andrea brings to the table. This is super important for those of us just starting out or even veterans looking to grow our business. You have to be passionate and care about the customer – bottom line. Andrea is going to share that and more about the WordPress community in the latest episode of the Matt Report! Andrea Rennick teaches us the importance of caring for our WordPress customers Click here for YouTube Listen to the audio version Matt Report - A WordPress podcast for digital business owners Andrea Rennick customer advocate at Copyblogger on building a community in WordPress Play Episode Pause Episode Mute/Unmute Episode Rewind 10 Seconds 1x Fast Forward 30 seconds 00:00 / Subscribe Share RSS Feed Share Link Embed Download file | Play in new window Community If you're not building a community for your business or product – what are you waiting for? The competition is too great for you to think you can just sell to one customer and move on to the next. People want more value for their dollar, so start giving it to them. On the flip side, you can't go it alone building your freelance or agency presence. Build a community of other professionals around you. Need another WordPress developer? Connect with one. How about a designer? Discover some on the social web. Community means more than just where you live – it's who you interact with on a daily basis. People that are progressing your career or you as a person without you even realizing it. Take some time this holiday season and brainstorm how you will grow your community in 2013. Whatta' ya think? So far so good? I need more feedback! Are you liking these interviews? Do you want something different? Let me know – Christmas is right around the corner! If you can share this link with someone that would be super. If you could sign up for my newsletter, that would be an awesome present! ★ Support this podcast ★

Steve talks with Brian Clark, the CEO and Founder of Copyblogger Media about his success with content marketing and social media marketing on the Internet.