[Show Transcript]
I’m Randy Charach from RandyReport.com and THIS is the show that takes you from internet zero to business hero!
In this week’s report you’ll learn how to follow your passion and create a viable online business with a blog. It’s easier than you think…its fun, and it can make you money! So stick around, and we’ll go over some simple steps so you can be you blogging in no time.
Think of a blog as your own personal footprint on the web – a place where you can share all sorts of information with readers: articles, links, videos, photos…A blog, or weblog, as some people call it, can be a source of both personal enjoyment and wealth.
We’ve all heard the phrase “Find something you’re passionate about, and the money will follow.” This is especially true with blogging. If you choose to blog about something that you aren’t really interested in, it’s going to feel like a chore.
The first step to building a successful blog is to find your niche. Whether it’s gardening or Formula One racing, your blog needs to have a central theme. Don’t follow the crowd when it comes to picking a topic to blog about – you’ll be like a little fish in a huge ocean, lost in a sea of many other established blogs.
Now, don’t choose a niche that is so narrow hardly anyone has heard about it. If you choose too narrow a niche, it’ll probably get very hard to find enough to write about after a few weeks. There are probably dozens, if not hundreds or thousands of ideas for your blog that could come from your everyday life. The next time you’re out…driving to work, take a look around you. Open your mind, and take note of what you see. Just remember to keep your eyes on the road.
Think about your hobbies, the music or movies you like, the food you eat, or the sports you watch on TV. There are successful blogs around every topic out there, from designer shoes to bonsai trees, so get creative and the ideas will start pouring in. Remember, there’s no such thing as a dumb idea, so write every last one down!
Your blog needs a home. The simplest option for you is to head on over to a free blogging site like Blogger.com, where you can quickly set up your very own blog. Just enter some basic information, choose a name for your blog, and you’re done. Another nice thing about Blogger is that you can choose from tons of free themes for your blog. Themes are designs, so you can make your blog hot pink if you like, or have a tropical beach layout for your travel site.
You also won’t have to worry about registering a domain name, finding web hosting for your site, getting a web designer to design your theme, or any of the other boring technical stuff that I’m sure you don’t want to have to deal with. You have better things to do, like writing great content for your blog, right?
Okay, so now, listen, you’ve got your blog set up and ready for the world to see. Now comes the most important part of your blog: content! Haven’t you heard, content is king? Or queen, depending on who you are. You could build a fancy looking blog with all the bells and whistles, but if you have boring articles or you never update your blog, nobody’s going to come back for more. Reminds me of my mother’s cooking…hope she’s not watching the show.
Each article you write for your blog is called a blog post. You’re a blogger, blogging away, writing regular blog posts. But I’m not a writer, you might say! If you’re not a natural-born writer, do not despair. It’s more about putting out creative, interesting blog posts, not writing to impress the grammar teachers out there or trying to come up with the next great novel.
You could outsource some topics to professional writers if you really don’t want to write content on your own. You’ll have to spend money to get that content, which can add up when you’re posting several times a week. I highly recommend you create your own content. Think of it like writing to a friend; use a friendly and conversational tone.
I suggest you come up with a blogging schedule and plan for future topics. Update your blog at least two or three times per week. Making a writing schedule will save you the frustration of staring at a blank computer screen while you try to think of something…anything…to write about.
Another great way to get content for your blog is to invite guest bloggers to write posts on your site on a regular basis. If you have a cooking site for example, maybe a local chef would be willing to send you his or her favorite recipe, or answer some questions. Another blogger trying to build a following may be willing to post an article on your site to get exposure. Return the favor by helping other sites out, and you’ll never blog alone once your content gets out there.
Go to your favorite search engine, and search for your blog topic. See what pops up. Wander around other blogs for awhile and be sure to read some of their posts. You’ll find there’s a whole blogging community out there, and a group of people willing to help others learn and grow.
When you’re writing or outsourcing your blog content, you want to keep your posts relevant. Don’t create a blog that covers more than one main idea, or decide to write about your cat one day and the stock market the next. This will confuse your loyal readers, the search engines and your cat. Search engines love relevant content, and when they arrive to index your site – this is called “crawling” or “spidering” – ooh very scary…they want to see totally relevant content.
Unique content is so important when you’re writing articles for your blog. You can’t just take an article or blog post you see on another site, and use it as your own. Not only is this plagiarism, but you’re cheating yourself and your audience by regurgitating content…and nobody likes anything regurgitated!
This is known as duplicate content and the search engines hate it. They hate it so much they’ll give you zero credit for it, which means if you posted 100 duplicate articles on your site; it would be like you’d posted nothing at all! Search engines like to see fresh, unique content, so make sure anything you post on your blog is original and not posted anywhere else. Capiche?
By now you might be asking, but how do I make money? Lots of people make money from blogging; some people make a lot of money. Some people look at blogging strictly as a hobby – they don’t want to try and monetize their site. I have a feeling you might want to, though. Rule number one: content always comes first. You need to build a loyal audience, then start monetizing.
Your goal is to be seen as an authority on your blog topic. Then, and only then, you’ll have the wonderful opportunity to make serious income, and raise the bar of your blog by monetizing it through ads, affiliate promotions, and many other ways that I’ll share with you at RandyReport.com.
Our question this week comes from Rob J. from Eugene, Oregon, who wrote:
I started my blog a few months ago, but I find it takes me forever to write a few posts. I want to be able to write a large volume of content quickly. Is there any way to speed up the process?
Yes, Rob, drink tons and tons of coffee…Look, if your blog is stuck in the slow lane, accelerate the process with something that I’ve used, and continue to use successfully… speech recognition software.
In fact, if I’m writing anything more than a few works, I use a software called Dragon Naturally Speaking. I even used this software when I wrote my books, “Secrets of a Millionaire Magician” and “Niche Magic.”
That’s right; I wrote thousands of words, without typing a thing. So, if you’re the world’s slowest typist like me, or you’re having trouble writing down your thoughts, you can simply speak out your blog post and the software will type as you talk.
The amazing thing is, It can actually types around 160 words per minute, so you can really work efficiently and produce lots of blog posts in a short amount of time. Hey, that’s a lot better than my 1.6 words per minute. Another bonus is it learns your speech patterns over time and becomes smarter, so you’ll have to do less editing as the two of you get more intimate.
Another way to get around typing and to make your writing flow more easily and sound more conversational is to record your thoughts and have them transcribed – that’s what I do now most of the time.
Well, that wraps up this episode of Randy Report. Since company’s websites, prices and quality of service on the Internet change rapidly, for my up-to-date recommendations on resources and for free tools and training, visit me today at RandyReport.com.
Today you learned
How to find the perfect blog niche based on your interests, how to set up a free blog over at Blogger, and some different ways to get lots of fresh content for your blog…things like brainstorming for new ideas, polishing your writing skills, and even getting guest bloggers to help you out.
Remember: follow your passion when it comes to choosing your niche, keep your content unique and relevant, and join the blogging community and make some virtual friends. In no time at all, you’ll be well on your way to building a profitable blog you can be proud of!
Thanks so much for watching. Remember, if you’d like more free reports, resources and training then visit RandyReport.com and join me again next week where you’ll discover
how to recognize a legitimate online business opportunity and how to stay clear away from the far too many shady ones.
I’m Randy Charach, and this is the show that takes you from internet zero to business hero!
[End of Show Transcript]
