How to Be Successful Creating Serious Online Content
The creator economy is the world of online business where intrepid entrepreneurs are able to earn income by delivering digital products and services to the global marketplace. But how much of the creators widely publicized work is serious online content?
Viewed through the lens of social media, online content can look like a world of shouting, hijinks, and scams. The most popular influencers swear, dance, act silly, disparage their enemies or wallow in controversy, all on their way to multi-million dollar paydays and millions of followers.
For serious people, who want calm direction and intellectual conversation, social media is a frat party riddled with the obnoxious and narcissistic dominating every camera angle. The opening for those who want to operate as thinking people appears limited.
For aspiring entrepreneurs who are turned off by social media’s worst excesses, but still have an important message to share and value to deliver, the opportunity to be serious lies in staying true to yourself, and knowing your target audience.
What is the Creator Economy?
The creator economy is online entrepreneurs and social media influencers who produce, mostly digital, products and services under their unique brands. Creators are bloggers, podcasters, course creators, vloggers, digital marketers and affiliate marketers who create posts, articles, videos, audio recordings, and advertisements aimed at every niche in the global marketplace.
Creators earn their income from selling their products and services directly to consumers, selling other people’s products and services, endorsements and advertising on their platforms.
For the last decade, the rise of the creator economy has freed thousands of producers from the 9-to-5 grind as they place more and more content online for an audience with an insatiable appetite.
But to gain ears and eyeballs in the crowded Internet space, creators have to be original, funny, interesting or outrageous to attract attention. This can almost automatically lock out those who want to create serious online content from gaining opportunities and income from a waiting global audience.
Does Serious Online Content Sell?
But there is enormous potential for serious online content creators. A thread exists in popular media that not only continues to attract ears and eyeballs, but also dominates the real forces for change in the global marketplace.
Traditional media have sometimes droning, but important conversations about current issues, established magazines publish lengthy articles covering minute details, and university websites offer credit-worthy online courses based on the in-classroom material.
The problem is that many serious-focused entrepreneurs are afraid to go there.
Creating serious online content has come to mean being controversial, a role few are brave enough to take on. For those who just want to make their audio or video content without making goofy faces, swearing or shouting at the camera, there is a much more difficult road to travel.
Serious people online are reluctant to be called to…boring. But the fear is not backed by facts. An audience exists for serious online content. An audience, not of the millions who watch cat videos, but an audience of interested people do exist for serious material.
Examples of Successful Serious Content
Take Joe Rogan. While many see the MMA announcer with a foul mouth and bro-code beliefs, a quick glance of the descriptions of his podcast episodes tells a different story. In a week, Rogan conducts three to four hour interviews to discuss politics, environment, food production, technology and popular culture. His millions of fans find a way to listen to what is sometimes definitely serious, insightful and lengthy audio content.
Some would argue that Rogan is only able to sustain his serious conversations because he is considered controversial. And it’s been the controversy, not the desire for thoughtful discussion, that have driven millions to his podcast. But once there, the listeners have stayed.
Rogan’s ability to make seriousness pay is a clear example that there is demand for his brand of conversation. There is a longing in the global marketplace, an often unfulfilled cry for substance over nonsense.
These are the people that made the 3-hour plus movie Oppenheimer a phenomenon, who devour the military engineering details in a Tom Clancy novel, and who know the perennially relevant teachings of Napolean Hill.
They are not held to a desire to see only cat videos, they recognize there is more to learn and understand, and are open to finding those creators who will deliver value and solutions without the flash and bang.
Serious Online Content is Important
The global marketplace includes those who are introspective and careful in their purchases. They want to hear more, see more and consider multiple variables before buying. Yet they are still driven by emotion. The feeling they have before purchasing will drive their commitment to the product.
The market for serious online content exists because serious people exist. People who go online to look for solutions to their problems use keywords to Google, enter prompts in ChatGPT, and scour Amazon for books with relevant titles they can use.
All consumers are in pursuit of products or services that deliver health, wealth or happiness. Their desire to buy is in correlation with the depth of their pain, and they are looking for relief. In a fast-moving world, many would like to skip the rah-rah histrionics that encircle online marketers, and get to the point.
How Serious Online Content is Generated
To be serious in the online world without courting controversy is to be committed to helping your audience find you.
Creators with a serious message use all the same platforms as everyone else – blogging, podcasting, videos, courses, speeches, marketing – and remain true to the message. Consumers are watching and listening for information that sounds like it will address their problem. If the message is clear – we help X with X – the consumer will hear it and be curious. After that, standard marketing practices apply.
The message must still be surrounded by social proof that provide comforts to a reluctant potential customer. To buy from you, the consumer must trust you, and that will be based on the information they see, hear and believe. If the message clearly addresses the pain point and shows evidence that it can solve the problem, the consumer is usually ready to buy.
If you are a serious creator, worried about competing in a rah-rah online world, focus on your own words.
Whether spoken or written, consumers are looking for a connection that demonstrates you know where they are coming from and can direct them towards the product or service they want.
Who are the Serious Online Content Creators?
If you are an aspiring entrepreneur, who wants to seriously present your product or service to interested customers, then stick to your goal. If you try to be a rah-rah presenter, imitating the worst excesses of online hype, you will come across as inauthentic, and so will your product. By staying true to your own nature and beliefs, you will be more comfortable presenting your product to the world.
However, you still have to find a way to attract attention online. You will need to drive eyes and ears to your pages and feeds to make them offers for the solution they want.
To start, you will need to pick serious platforms for introducing your product. Go to the places where your potential dream customers are gathered. Blogging and podcasting attract millions of readers and listeners every day. Identify the sites where your message may be welcomed and pitch your idea to the site owner. Then use and re-use the content across multiple social media platforms. Guest podcasting will give you both an audio and video file that can be promoted to people who want more information.
Actions for Serious Online Creators
Here are some more ideas for putting your serious content in front of your waiting audience:
- Pick a niche. There are thousands of not-served and under-served niches. Some people want to claim that a lack of discussion means a lack of interest, but that’s not always true. Often, it’s more a lack of courage from members of a community that are afraid to talk about a serious subject they are struggling to manage. But they know they want and need products or services to help them. Step up and speak out, and you will find those who have been hoping you would appear.
- Pick a novelty. Remember the pet rock. Perhaps the most famous fad product of all time, the pet rock was invented by Gary Dahl when he heard friends complaining about caring for their pets. He sold millions of the no maintenance ‘pets,’ to the previously un-served niche of people who wanted a pet requiring no care. To this day, few can explain the phenomenon of consumers paying for a rock, except to credit great packaging, extraordinary word-of-mouth free marketing, and the uncomfortable truth that actions speak louder than words when it comes to what people really think of pet owners.
- Focus on your headlines or ‘hooks,’ including images to encourage potential customers to stop the scroll and listen to or read what you say.
- Get to the point quickly. Make sure your awareness of the problem is front and center in the presentation. If a potential customer does not believe that you understand their issues, they will move on.
- Make a great offer. If you are introducing your product or service, deliver outstanding value at a defendable price to make the offer irresistible even to someone who is superficially searching for a solution like yours. As you grow your community and receive more success testimonials, raise your prices.
- Offer different price points. Some people may buy your core product, but others will need more persuasion. You can use webinars, giveaways or group coaching to encourage people to try the product.
- Align with others. There are entrepreneurs and influencers who are already doing what you want to do. Consider joint webinars, cross guest podcasting and dual promotions to put your product or service on the same stage of an established creator who has a complimentary message.
Serious Creators Should Take Action Now
There is demand for serious content online. Creators who deliver seriously have to still ensure they can catch the attention of their potential dream customers. And you can still get attention without controversy.
Aspiring entrepreneurs do not have to post nearly nude, swear or disparage others to find followers online. Success comes from delivering content that resonates with potential dream customers. But you can only find out if they are receiving what you have to offer when you make yourself, and your ideas available in the places where potential customers are likely to congregate.
If your potential dream customers are on social media, post your serious content with hashtags that lead them organically to your message.
Use paid ads to specifically target potential customers by using their interests to identify similar beliefs.
Join the speaker tour or become an organization member to attend in-person events where you can speak directly to those who are interested.
But most importantly have the courage to be a leader in your field. If you believe in your message, then let people know. Your commitment to your own message must exceed your fear about delivering it into the global marketplace. Although that may be easier said than done now, it is the only way you will ever move forward. An idea in your head is not helping anyone. If you have a solution that works, there is an audience waiting.
Engaged people are excellent and important contributors to the world of serious online content. If you have an online business idea in your head, a message to share with a niche community or the desire to promote a valuable product for the marketplace, you can make a difference as a serious creator delivering value and making a contribution on your own terms.
Three Relentless Actions Aspiring Online Entrepreneurs Can Do Now
An aspiring entrepreneur stays ‘aspiring’ when no action is taken to create an online business.
Many say they do not have the time, money, idea or audience for getting started. But those are all excuses. Anyone who has the desire to become an entrepreneur can change their life forever, by taking relentless action.
The First 3 Action Goals
To get started, an aspiring entrepreneur must have firm control over three key factors and take 3 forward-moving actions:
The factors are: Confidence, Time and Money…
…and the relentless actions are:
- Develop Your Confidence
- Schedule Your Time
- Manage Your Money
Before you dive into the world of online business, make sure you have leveled up your confidence so that you are comfortable executing on the ideas and training you receive, and able to continue to implement until you achieve your goals.
To find the time you need, set a schedule. Even if you have only 15 minutes a day, set that time aside to work on your business and gradually increase the scheduled time.
To finance your business, and as you start earning income, manage your money for success, keep track of your expenses, and set, and expect, a return on investment (ROI) for every dollar you put into your business, events, coaching, tools and resources.
For many, the plan sounds good, but it still does not happen. Relentless action means you start, and continue with implementing the changes necessary to achieve your goals.
But without a radical change in your thinking, nothing is going to happen.
An aspiring entrepreneur can know many proven approaches to getting started with an online business, and could be absolutely committed to making the entrepreneurship dream come true. But another layer of activity is required before the momentum starts to change, and the vision becomes reality.
Confidence
The transformation begins with how you view your opportunity. Business is a confidence game. Several famous businesses were given little encouragement to keep going. But the entrepreneurs who invented them had other plans…and the confidence to keep going.
But first you have to start working on your business…in any form necessary. Confidence comes from taking action. Any action.
Start by setting up your workspace and getting it organized. Watch videos and listen to podcasts about having the confidence to get started. Research your business idea. Find a successful business you can model, and begin immediately documenting everything you can do to mimic their approach.
Do not steal ideas or infringe on copyrights, but you can look at webpage design, marketing approaches, product styles and messaging to get an idea of how you want to market your business.
Conquer Fear
As you begin to complete activities and document the information you are receiving, you may realize that your fear 🎙️ is starting to fade.
Many aspiring entrepreneurs do not start a business because their lack of confidence is based in fear. Close friends and family say that starting a business is a bad idea, and encourage rising entrepreneurs to ‘just get a regular job.’
But your entrepreneur part of aspiring does not just want a regular job. You want your own online business and all of the value that comes with it.
With all the old statements and comments from others rattling around in your brain, as an aspiring entrepreneur, you must find the confidence to move forward on your own.
Know Why You Make the Choices You Do
You can change your relationship to confidence by learning how to acquire it. But first you must recognize that it’s missing. If you have an idea about starting your online business, but have never actually started; if you bought a bunch of courses but never clicked beyond the first video; if you have listened to several gurus but never implemented their teachings; then you are probably just too afraid to get started.
You might be thinking if you succeed, you will lose friends, stability and security. But at the same time, that is exactly what you want.
If the friends you have are holding you back from your true calling, are they really friends? When the stability you want is in a job where people talk behind your back and you do not know your next assignment, is it really stability? If the security you need has you counting every penny and living paycheck-to-paycheck, is it really security?
Maybe getting rid of false notions is exactly what you need. You want to lose all these incorrect perceptions about your own reality.
To move forward, you must really learn how to build and grow your confidence. Study the teachings of popular personal development gurus – you can find videos and podcasts explaining how to understand your subconscious mind and control your impulse to work against your own goals.
In general, personal development education teaches you to understand how you make decisions. It begins with how you think, followed by how you feel. The way you think leads to the way you feel which leads to the actions you take which leads to the results you achieve.
Change your thinking and you’ll change your life.
That’s not just a saying. It’s the implemented reality of thousands of successful people. And you don’t need to outpace yourself and your own beliefs to begin to change your thinking. You can start small.
Schedule Your Time
Use the organization of your time as a real action goal to manage your schedule and give yourself the freedom to work on your business every day. Many people say they do not have enough time, but everyone has the same amount of time.
The high performance billionaire has the same amount of time as the factory worker. The only difference is in how they use it. You must use your time in productive achievement. If you currently claim to have no time, start getting up a half hour earlier or going to sleep a half hour later. For those who claim to ‘need sleep,’ identify where in your day you are not being productive.
Do you stand in line for coffee? Commute? Lean against the water cooler trading jokes? Binge watch shows?
Maybe you have more time than you have ever thought to consider.
Use Your Digital Devices
And if you do not believe you have one hour, start with 15 minutes. Set a timer and give yourself 15 minutes to work on your business.
Schedule your 15 minutes. Put a reminder on your phone. Experiment with different times of the day, but stick to your goal for at least 21 days (then 90, then 365).
Once you schedule 15 minutes a day at a set time every day, and stick to it, you can start to develop a habit…and habits are hard to break.
Sadly too many of us were not taught good habits. We laughed about sleeping in all day. But we are not laughing now that we are struggling to have a comfortable life and do what we really want to do.
No one is laughing about worrying about money, missing vacations, doing a job you hate or living in fear. But you do not have to stay somber. The habit of working on your business will take you from 15 minutes to 30 to an hour. And before you realize what has happened, your online business will begin to form into reality.
And you will want to start laughing again. But you may face another obstacle that has derailed many aspiring entrepreneurs. You may be afraid to make an investment in growing your business because you fear you do not have enough money.
Manage Your Money
One reason we live in a world where many face poverty and struggle is because most people are not taught how to manage their money. Everyone should have lessons in how to earn, invest, grow and keep their money.
Struggle comes from not knowing how to take full advantage of the time that we have. Most working people trade time for money. The money that others decide to pay us. When you trade time for money, the only way to grow towards wealth is to invest part of the money in appreciating assets. Unfortunately, most do not have that leftover part to invest. Because most assume it will be leftover, after all expenses have been paid. But that formula almost always means there is nothing leftover.
To make sure you can invest what you earn, you have to invest before you spend. And one of those investments is in your own online business.
Nothing Left
Some will say it is not possible to invest first because they do not have the money.
But remember when you first started working, you went from zero to a wage or salary. Prior to receiving that money you were alive, somehow fed, clothed and functioning as a civilized human. Yet when you started to earn money, you started to spend it…all of it.
When you received a raise, you spent that too. Same with bonuses, same with gifts…you spent it all. So now you have to go back in time. Go back to zero.
Either cut out expenses, get a second job, start doing freelance work or start your online business now. Your investment funds have to come from somewhere. You have to create a gap between the money you earn and the money you spend so that you can invest towards the money you grow and keep.
Start at $0
The money you invest in your online business is your initial seed money – a loan from personal you to business you, to pay the hosting fee for your website or landing page or to boost a social media post to reach a larger audience.
Start today
As you put your plans together to start an online business, focus on the activities you can immediately do to give yourself momentum. As your initial actions are completed, you will begin to develop the confidence you need to reach out to your potential dream customers and offer them the product or service that can deliver the solution they have been seeking.
Aspiring entrepreneurs too often wait or never get started because they believe they lack confidence, time or money to start an online business. But each of those factors can be addressed and conquered by understanding the impact on your thoughts, and the most effective approach for moving forward.
Your own online business provides the opportunity to achieve professional satisfaction, financial security and lifestyle freedom. In a rapidly changing world, where having a comfortable life is no longer the common outcome, you must find a new path to the life that you really want, and understand the actions you need to take to complete the journey.
Want a Comfortable Future? Start Relying on Yourself Now
Your value to the forces of society depends on what you contribute to their agenda.
In the past, when rulers needed masses of people, you were valuable if you could do the work they needed or fire the guns they manufactured. Today you are valuable, if you can take care of yourself.
That may sound harsh, but perhaps for the first time in history there is no need for masses of people who can settle lands, farm fields or move widgets in factories.
What is needed are people who can think, innovate, analyze and create, especially for those who are falling behind the rise of technology and the transformation to the digital age.
If you are an aspiring entrepreneur, looking at online business opportunities, you have to move right now to deliver solutions to your potential dream customers. Based on a gap you see in the global marketplace, you probably have a business idea in your head for a product or service that could be valuable to a community you create.
And if you don’t have an idea, you probably are interested in the opportunities of the global online platforms, and are ready to do the work needed to create your next source of income.
In that case, you are ready not just for the future, but also for the present where relying on yourself, changing your thinking, retooling and managing your approach to your own skills is the most important work you can be doing right now.
What does relying on yourself mean?
Relying on yourself means taking a look at your personal resources, the community where you live, and your internal drive to make change. First, you must recognize that no one is going to help you. There is no point in waiting for a handout or a directive to get you the life you want. You have to design the life you want or settle for the one that is handed to you.
If you do not want to settle, you must be proactive and decisive about relying on yourself to get what you really want.
To begin, start thinking only about the life you want. You will be responsible for your health, wealth and happiness. You will have to be ready to act on the opportunities that come your way. You will also have to manage setbacks, as learning experiences. Pull out the best outcomes and forget the rest as you reset to try again.
Also forget about the negativity and those petty fights, real and imagined, that you have with people who you really do not like.
Instead focus on striving for 1000% happiness in all the slices of the circle of life.
Decide exactly how you want:
- Your personal life – select the friends, colleagues and acquaintances you want around you
- Your family life – join with a partner who is aligned with you to build the personal home life of your dreams
- Your business or professional life – do the work you want to do and contribute your value with those who are interested in the same goals
- Your finances – manage your money, learn how to earn, grow, and keep the income you have to cover your expenses, and to secure a cushion for your life and beyond
- Your health – be happy to look in the mirror, eat food that you enjoy, address aliments immediately, get enough sleep and wake up strong, fit and ready to thrive
- Your future – know that you and the people you love, have everything they need today and after you are gone, and that you have so much to look forward to every day.
Build this vision. Now implement it.
How to Make Changes
Envisioning the life you want is the easy part, many people do that every day, but then take no action to make change. If you are finding that’s you, you have to understand why you make the choice to do nothing. There could be many complex reasons, but most begin with ‘fear.’
Many people are afraid to go after what they really want in life because they believe they will fail, and then those around them will laugh or say ‘I told you so.’ Many believe that their dreams are too difficult to realize, or they do not have something – enough time or money, the right friends, the right product or service idea – to do what they really want to do.
Many believe they are too old or too young. Many just do not believe that a person can transform dreams to reality. After all, so many people are taught that you have to be lucky, born in the right place, into the right demographic or get help from the right people.
But none of that is true.
If you study the lives of successful people, you will learn how you can be any demographic, be from anywhere, and know no person of influence, and still fulfill all of your goals.
The common threads that successful people have are desire and persistence. They did the work until they met their goals. It did not matter when, how long, who was around, what the external environment was like, what the news of the day was, the weather, the economy…none of it matter.
They set the goals and worked to achieve them with a focus only on their actions, not on the noise around them.
Set Goals and Make a Plan
To achieve the life you want, you must set your goals and have a plan to achieve them. When you are young, it’s interesting that unless you play sports, you have little exposure to achieving goals. Yet everything we do should be set around goals. After all, we are playing the game of life and there is little point to a game with no goals and no way to measure victory.
Once you have your goals, you need a plan. And history has shown the most effective plan for your career, finances and lifestyle is entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship is a path you control. You do the work, deliver the value, reap the rewards. While you may rely on others to work with you, you are still the boss with the vision.
As an entrepreneur today, you are also at an extraordinary time in history with the Internet and access to the global marketplace providing you with the technology and communication platforms to go far beyond your local community to find your potential dream customers.
You will quickly realize that if you have an idea for a solution, there are no doubt others somewhere in the world who have the need for your product or service, and they are looking for you.
How does online entrepreneurship help?
The fastest, broadest way to find your dream customers is online. You can create an online business in a day and begin marketing worldwide immediately. You will probably get your first ‘look’ from a potential customer on the same day and will quickly find out if anyone is interested in what you have to offer.
Online entrepreneurship is open to any type of person. If you like to write, you can start a blog. If talking is your preference, you can podcast. If you want to be on camera, there are multiple platforms where you can show your face. You only need to understand the platforms and how you can set up and get started.
How do you make the transfer to online entrepreneurship?
Before starting your entrepreneurial journey to self-sufficiency, you should get prepared. Too many people jump in to start a business without accounting for the factors that lead to success – confidence, time, money, value, action and lifestyle.
And there are several foundational activities to take that transform your vision to action by getting started by building your workspace and schedule to suit the vision you have established.
Start today where you are. Take 15 minutes and dedicate the time to doing your first research for your business. If you do not have an idea, start anyway by brainstorming what you like to do and where you might add value. Look at entrepreneurs you admire and see if there is information in their story that you can model to create yours.
When do you get started?
Deciding to prepare first to become an online entrepreneur allows you to start immediately.
Some worry about starting in the spring versus the summer, or on a Monday versus a Friday, or after vacation versus during a busy work week, the real time to start is right now. Many successful businesses were started during historically bad times. Closed doors in one place lead to open doors somewhere else.
The reality to understand is that every human wants health, wealth and happiness, at all times, in all places. If you have a business idea in your head, and you can identify how it addresses one of the core human needs, then you have an opening to start right away. There is no need to wait, especially if you think help is coming.
The only help you’ll have is from your own mind and your own actions.
You just have to get started.
The Real Story Behind Making Money Online With Affiliate Marketing
Somewhere, clever marketers, strategists and designers are assessing marketplace demand, looking at offerings, and creating a range of products for other people to sell.
They specifically put together packages of material – landing pages, videos, banners, images, graphics – intended for promotion and sharing among a community that has no connection, no network and no bond except the product itself.
That is affiliate marketing. A stand-alone multi-billion dollar industry covering every product category imaginable, and providing opportunity for those who have no talent or inclination for upfront creativity or complex investment.
The affiliate marketing opportunity is an open door to online business for the range of entrepreneurs who have yet to define their own unique product, but are prepared to deliver their singular perspective to others.
While starting an online business is an extraordinary opportunity for you to establish a foundation for your own professional satisfaction, financial security, and lifestyle freedom, to get started you have to select an online platform that fits your interests, skills and budget.
Affiliate marketing provides a low cost and diverse entry to online platforms, with an opportunity for a robust revenue stream if you can promote and market to an identified target market.
If you think you would like to promote other people’s products, in the context of an endorsement or recommendation, your online business can be affiliate marketing.
But do you have the tools to creatively promote products you had no role in creating?
If your online platform of choice is affiliate marketing, you need to be prepared for the opportunity and challenges.
In this article, I explain the real story behind becoming an affiliate marketer to make money online.
Affiliate Marketing is For Promoters
Affiliate marketing is the practice of promoting and selling other company’s products in exchange for a percentage of the sale or a commission.
With the number of businesses running affiliate programs increasing every year, the range of products on offer has made affiliate marketing a multi-billion dollar industry.
An affiliate can promote almost any product, using any legitimate method that will drive clicks to their affiliate link, and begin to earn income without worrying about the actual product creation or manufacturing.
For an aspiring entrepreneur trying to learn business models, being an affiliate provides a worthy training ground in marketing techniques and practices…
…and an uphill struggle to separate a product that possibly hundreds or thousands of others are promoting at the same time.
To be successful, the affiliate marketer must establish a strategy that works for any type of product, and repeatedly apply it across different online platforms to achieve results.
The Trick is Your Attention
From travel to gaming, romance to survivalist tools, technology to hobbies and beyond, affiliate marketing products cut across every industry and category. When you become an affiliate, you can almost certainly find products that match your interests and experience.
Affiliate marketing includes signing up to promote a product you already use, linking to a range of products available in stores, and becoming a member of a dedicated affiliate marketing site which partners with thousands of other companies specifically to create opportunities for affiliates.
It is the latter which will be the emphasis of this article, as signing up for an affiliate program is the deliberate form of getting started.
Who Should Start Affiliate Marketing?
If you want to start an online business, but have no idea how to set-up and market a product, affiliate marketing is your direct path in…
If you:
- Enjoy researching products
- Are prepared to promote
- Have or will create a platform for promoting
- Have or will cultivate a consumer community
…you should consider becoming an affiliate marketer.
You can select the products you want to promote, and the platform from which you will be promoting, and then let the funds come to you.
How to Start Affiliate Marketing
The affiliate marketing platforms are sites – including Awin, Clickbank and Flexoffers – that list thousands of affiliate products available for third parties to promote.
On the site, you sign-up for a free account, browse the offerings, get your affiliate links, and begin marketing on your preferred platforms.
When a consumer uses your link to purchase the product, you collect your percentage or commission. The affiliate sites usually have statistics on sales and commissions to let you know which products are the most likely to be selling well.
Some products stay at the top of the list for years, and are marketed by thousands of affiliates. But once you know how you want to proceed, you can put the product in front of your own community.
You must follow the product rules before you start promoting. Some companies do not want direct ads on Facebook or other social media platforms. To avoid being associated with spam, the Amazon Affiliate program does not want direct links from emails to their products. Some companies require that affiliates receive permission to promote, others leave the offers open.
All of these issues must be taken into consideration before you begin placing the product in front of new potential customers.
Where to Market Affiliate Products
Once you understand the rules for marketing a particular product, then the challenge in affiliate marketing is to decide how and where you will market the products. Your strategy may determine your success, and your ability to turn your affiliate marketing into a business.
Affiliates have created a multitude of approaches for marketing, among the most popular are landing pages, product specific content, product tie-ins, and paid ads. And you distribute one or more of these options via social media, email or even in-person.
Landing Pages
A landing page is a stand-alone webpage. On the page, you can create any content you like – videos, text, images – about the product. You give potential customers the page link, which in turn has your affiliate link to the product.
To create the landing page, you can use a service like Click Funnels or Leadpages – both have a free 14 day trial before switching to paid.
The key to a successful landing page is to make the page copy compelling, and targeted to the audience you are trying to reach. You can either write the copy yourself, or outsource it to a freelancer who can create the wording for you.
You drive people to your landing page to create the pre-sell or pre-suasion that prompts them to click on your affiliate link, and purchase directly from the product site.
Product Specific Content
To help your customers decide on the value of a product, you can create informational content – blogs, podcasts, videos – that provide background information, further research, details or data about the product that is not readily available elsewhere.
If you make the content legitimate and not strictly commercial, you are providing future customers with value prior to making the sale.
Creating this content may cost you time and money. You can invest in equipment, record, edit and distribute, and promote the content directly to prompt customers to go indirectly to the product.
But additional content is an excellent differentiator in situations where thousands of affiliates are promoting the same product. If you target the content to niche customer groups, you can also find customers who may be ignored by the other marketers.
Product Tie-Ins
If you have your own products – books, courses, physical products – that can be appropriately connected to an affiliate product, you can promote the affiliate product with your product.
For example, if you offer a book for free in a sales funnel that leads to affiliate product offers on the thank you page. The affiliate products should fit with the story in the book, and the connection can be explained on the landing page.
Look at your own products and determine if any would work well with the affiliate offers that you see listed on the affiliate site.
You can then create a sales funnel or landing page for your product, with the affiliate links on a second page or on the confirmation or thank you page.
The idea is to put the affiliate product in front of your customers as an option, an extension of your main offer. You do not want the affiliate product to overwhelm your main offer, or be in conflict, so select your affiliate product with care, and present it as a natural additional offer.
Paid Ads
If you have money to spend, you can create ad copy and drive customers directly to the product landing page by buying paid ads. Some platforms, and companies, have strict rules about how ads are to run and identified to viewers. Everyone is trying to avoid appearing like a scam. But assuming you follow the rules, ads are a direct and effective marketing tool.
The key to paid ads is to keep your ad costs below your commission payouts. And you can do this through excellent ad copy.
You can learn to write ad copy yourself, or pay a freelancer to do it for you. Developing the skillset yourself gives you more flexibility. You can adapt and change ad campaigns as the market requires without having to be constantly paying a freelancer to do it for you.
To run paid ads, select your preferred ad platform – Google, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter – set up your account, set a budget amount, create your copy, post your ads, and frequently monitor the results.
Many entrepreneurs set up paid ads and let them run without checking for effectiveness. This approach will certainly cost you more than you need to spend. Stay on top of your ads, and protect your investment by making sure your ad strategy is delivering for you.
If the ads are not working, stop running them, and either tweak the ad copy or try another strategy.
Making Money with Affiliate Marketing
Since the only way to make money as an affiliate is to have customers buy the product through your link, you have to make sure you are promoting your link in places where your customers are located online, and that you give them a compelling reason to click and learn more about the product.
The product companies will tell you about the successful conversion rates and high commission values, but it’s up to you to try and duplicate the results for yourself.
Affiliate marketing can be a promising and lucrative business, if you find the right approach for the people you are trying to reach, and consistently present them with a message they cannot resist.
What Makes Affiliate Marketing Successful
Once you have found your community of buyers, you can continue to promote appropriate products to them again and again.
In a consumer society, people always find a reason to buy – to improve their health, wealth or happiness – in a complex world.
Your ability to be successful doing affiliate marketing depends on identifying the desires of your customer base, and delivering solutions to them that they will want to purchase.
The more you can convince people of the value of the products you’re promoting, the better your chance to become a successful affiliate marketer, and make other people’s products, your business.
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The Real Story Behind Making Money Online With YouTube Videos
by Case Lane
You know once seen…a dramatic image cannot be unseen.
We do not say this about information we hear, or notes we write down. But what we see stays with us as an impression we cannot shake.
When you are trying to decide which online platform you want to use to build your online business, if you want to choose videos, you can start a YouTube channel with information, guides or even commentary that attracts an audience.
Being a YouTuber, for lack of a better term, is actually one online business that literally requires no investment. But it also requires the highest level of courage. You have to be comfortable on camera, or artistic or creative enough to create images that do not require you to be on camera.
And you have to be consistent and popular enough to attract the minimum audience that allows you to earn from advertising on YouTube. That may be a challenge, but if you make it work, you can also attract sponsorships, build a community, and become a web search recognizable influencer for your subject area.
While starting an online business is an extraordinary opportunity for you to establish a foundation for your own professional satisfaction, financial security, and lifestyle freedom, to get started you have to select an online platform that fits your interests, skills and budget.
Videoing is a powerful communication medium that only requires a minimum audience to begin earning advertising revenue.
But are you camera ready?
Does the YouTube platform have all the elements you want and need for an online business venture?
If your online platform of choice is to be creating videos, you need to be aware of the joys and limitations of the effort.
In this article, I explain the real story behind starting a YouTube channel to make money.
YouTube is For Creative Imagers
YouTube is a video hosting platform that as a division of Google is also a search engine the second largest in the world, delivering answers to questions asked every second by searchers. While there are other video platforms, and it is possible to build a following on another one, YouTube remains the dominate force for all viewers.
YouTube is the search engine results come to life in picture. You will find content that ranges from short How-Tos, to multi-hour courses, trailers to movies, questions to indepth interviews, book quotes to novel readings, reviews, music, podcasts, speeches, news reports, documentaries, commentaries, comedy routines – from every era of video recording to the present day – from every corner of the globe and outerspace.
Five hundred hours of video uploaded…every minute!
One billion hours viewed…each day!
And what may look like insurmountable odds for getting noticed for the average new YouTuber is actually the opportunity to create a business based on your video recording capabilities.
With tens of millions of viewers scrolling the site every second, looking for new and original content, the videos that will be the next to go viral, are the ones that attract enough attention to convince someone to share.
And the shared videos can skyrocket a YouTuber to success overnight.
Creativity is the Answer
Music videos are the most watched videos on YouTube. The genre defined by the rise of MTV (the Music Television cable network) now has a dominant home on the platform. And it was music videos that transformed from bands standing on stage to opera-worthy movie productions that made the MTV generation take notice.
Luckily, you do not have to compete with music videos.
Because the next level of dominance belongs to How-Tos where viewers will take any step-by-step explanation that they can follow and copy.
And commentaries and reviews, where honest words, clever presentations and solid content pre-dominate.
But to operate in this space, and be recognized, the videos that attract the attention are the most creative. While the content is important, the design of YouTube videos – drawings, special effects, spectacular settings, bright lights, awkward angles, intriguing props – all make for videos that can catch…and hold the attention of viewers.
The creator who can take an instructional or motivational video, or a spoken-word piece or lecture, and turn it into art…will stand out and move forward on YouTube.
Who Should Start a YouTube channel?
Whether you want to unleash your image creativity or simply speak directly to the camera, you will have to find content topics that your potential viewers are seeking.
If you:
- Like to be on camera
- Have enough creative ideas to be behind the camera
- Are prepared to promote
You could consider starting a YouTube channel. And you control the amount of work you do by deciding how elaborate or plain-spoken you would like to make your videos.
How to Start a YouTube Channel
Of all the online platforms, YouTube is actually the only one that really requires no investment. Assuming you have a digital device with a camera, microphone and access to the Internet, you can make videos and post them to the platform.
But on YouTube, you are literally competing with all the media companies, global advertisers, and world-class performers who also use the platform for their promotions. While this may be true with other platforms, the issue with YouTube is that it’s so easy for your potential audience to become distracted by another video.
YouTube constantly feeds viewers suggestions of other videos that they may be interested in seeing, and unless you have a significant library of content, the recommended videos will not be yours.
The challenge with YouTube is getting your potential audience to notice you, and to do that, you need the next level of creativity.
Using YouTube
Technically, uploading videos to YouTube is straight-forward. Once you have recorded, and possibly edited your video file, you can upload. But truly understanding the functions and capabilities of the platform can take you to a new ‘school,’ where you can spend time learning how YouTube really works.
As a beginner, take the time to go through YouTube’s own training videos to learn the basic functions, language and best practices. As you become more comfortable with the platform, you may find there are features you would like to incorporate to extend the impact of your videos, and drive viewers on to your content.
Start with Content
Whether you are explaining How-To, or commenting on the state of the world, your YouTube video must be able to hold the attention of the viewer.
Before you start recording, think through your presentation. If you’re creative and adept with video tools, you might be able visualize a spectacular layout. If you’re thinking only of the words you will use, focus on how you will present them.
You on Camera
If you plan to be in front of the camera, as most YouTubers are, you will have to consider how you want to look.
This is where video can cost you money. You can invest in an external camera, ring lights, stands, green screen (for virtual backgrounds), and stand-alone microphone. Even your clothes, hair and makeup, and room props can be stylized for your intended on-screen presence.
While many rage about the need for authenticity in marketing and online business, it’s hard to imagine that many of the videos you see are spontaneous creations by singular individuals. The polished smiles, cute poses, hand gestures, and clean backgrounds all speak to a level of intention in creating the ‘right’ atmosphere for their presentation.
As you decide what works best for you, consider your audience, who are you trying to reach and why a particular approach might appeal to them.
Props for Your Vision
To separate your videos and establish your creative presence, you are going to want to make an investment in time, money or both.
And your YouTube channel can cost you even more money.
You can differentiate your videos by adding virtual effects like dynamic headlines, or real props that allow you to stand out. Some of these editing options are included with video software, some can be bought separately.
Recording and Editing
Creating your video can be as simple or as complicated as your budget will allow. While high quality, professional videos are great, they are not always what works best on YouTube.
If you are doing an explanation video on your desktop, a screen recording using Screenflow (for Mac) or Camtasia (for PC) would be sufficient for viewers who are looking for information.
But if you want to make an impactful message video about major issues, you will want to separate your work from all those who are doing similar activities. You can record your own live video, or use apps that have pre-cleared live video scenes that you can incorporate with your own words and graphics.
And once you have recorded your video, you can spend time editing to include music, layered images, additional videos or other features that create a polished product.
You can do all this work yourself, or outsource editing, if you have the budget for those costs. Either way, when your video is ready, you can upload directly to YouTube and be live.
Making Money with YouTube
YouTube is the only major platform that enforces minimum interest numbers before allowing you to profit from your content. As of this writing, you need 1,000 subscribers to your channel, and 4,000 hours of viewing to monetize your video channel with advertising.
But prior to reaching those numbers you can still make money if you are able to obtain sponsorships or promote your own products.
Sponsorships
Being a YouTuber is one time when using other people’s products can be particularly lucrative. If you are creating videos that use specific products to tell the story, you may be able to have the products’ companies sponsor your videos.
You will have to show you have an audience, and deliver a sense of the value the sponsor could derive from the video. Sometimes advertisers will only be interested in sending you more free product to promote, but others may be inclined to pay you a fee if you have a niche audience they want to target.
For sponsorships, it does not hurt to ask for the opportunity, and see how the potential sponsor responds.
Product Promotion
You can also be your own sponsor.
If your videos tie in with your own products – books, courses, physical products – you can either incorporate them directly into your videos, or simply place links in your video description.
Promoting your own product can enhance your video’s message, if you are aligned with the message of your video.
Of course, blatant direct promotion with no value will not win you any viewers. But information tailored to help your audience can be seen as integral and effective in reaching out.
Advertising
If you continue to grow your channel organically using messaging that supports your audience’s interests, you will eventually hit the numbers necessary to profit from advertising on YouTube.
At that point, YouTube’s own programs will step in to direct ads to you based on your video content. As your channel grows, with viewers and likes, your advertising revenue can grow also.
Although you can indicate certain preferences for ad placement on you YouTube videos, in general Since YouTube controls the ads, and there is no option to do your own advertising with affiliates like you could with a blog or podcast. But as mentioned previously, you can incorporate any type of advertising directly into your videos, and make them part of the creative process.
What Makes YouTubing Successful
The numbers really are spectacular. If you can drive viewers to your videos, and your videos are shared, you have an opportunity to make more money.
YouTube is part of the search engine, writing your video title and description to include keywords and search terms can help drive discovery. Many people go directly to YouTube when searching for specific information. They want to consume a video rather than read a post with the same details. If you plan to be YouTubing, you should keep that in mind.
Successful YouTube channels have consistent valuable content, usually a lot of it. Once viewers find a look and style that’s appealing, they want to return for more. If you enjoy making your videos and can continue to deliver new and different subjects, your audience will continue to grow.
The real story behind YouTubing to make money online is that while you can start for nothing, you have to differentiate your videos with creativity that you post, share and cultivate for an audience that will keep coming back for more.
YouTube is a huge platform and a key element in search, if you can align your own creativity and ability to attract viewers, you will benefit from the opportunity to turn your YouTubing into an online business.
For Case Lane’s YouTube channel, click here:
How You Really Make Money Online with Podcasting
by Case Lane
This post is part of the Real Stories Behind Making Money Online Series.
Information is valid as of February 26, 2022
The oral tradition has sustained humanity for millennia. Without the spoken word, and the passing of information through speech, our progress would have been severely slowed.
So when the podcasting format appeared, with its ease of use and access, no human should have been surprised when everyone decided to start a podcast.
But in fact, although podcasting looks like the ready domain of every talker across all subjects and ideas, today there are over 3 million podcasts, a fraction of which have at least ten episodes, and another fraction of which are considered consistently active.
As the least crowded of the major online platforms, podcasting is an extraordinary opportunity for anyone with a message. But creating a podcast does require production equipment, some technical skill, and quiet time to get your show recorded.
And of course, there is the talking part…
Podcasting is for those who can carry on a conversation, teach, entertain, or facilitate discussion for an audience they cannot see. It is not for those who are turned off by the sound of their own voice, afraid to play with digital files, and have no interest in promotion.
With podcasting, the opportunity to create and join the podcaster community remains a reality for those who want to try it. As each new show emerges, a successful gem brightens, and the excitement over podcasting begins again.
And it’s important to understand how you can monetize your podcast, and use the audio program to your advantage.
Podcasting as Your Online Business
While starting an online business is an extraordinary opportunity for you to establish a foundation for your own professional satisfaction, financial security, and lifestyle freedom, to get started you have to select an online platform that fits your interests, skills and budget.
Podcasting allows you to have open discussions about any subject in the world, share the conversations you want, grow an audience that enjoys listening to valuable information, and earn income through sponsorships, advertising and memberships.
But does the platform have all the elements you want and need for an online business venture?
If your online platform of choice is to start a podcast, you need to be aware of the joys and limitations of the effort.
In this article, I explain the real story behind starting a podcast to make money online.
Podcasting is for Talkers
A podcast is a streaming audio program, usually recorded, sometimes live, that can be supported by advertising, sponsors or listeners.
The term podcast comes from merging the idea of an iPod, a portable audio player, with broadcasting to, in the beginning, play radio programs. The pod part remains a mystery for those who may not know the word iPod was made up by a copywriter.
Although many have tried to develop an acronym for it…the word is just iPod. A word now forever tied to the podcast communication medium. While most iPods remain buried in the back of consumers closets, the podcast holds firm as the legacy creation from the device’s existence.
Today, podcast content has gone far beyond existing radio programs. The range of programming you can listen to includes commentaries, historical narratives, interviews, true crime, sports analysts, fictional dramas and much more.
If you want to start a podcast to make money online, you have to consider the subject you will be delivering to your listening audience. Is there an angle or viewpoint missing from the current offering of podcasts (there always is), and how can you deliver for that audience?
Podcasting is for talkers, and podcasts are for listeners. The content you need to create to make podcasting pay must align with that basic fact. You have to create audio programming that people want to hear.
Become a Podcast Host
When you create a podcast, you are the host. Whether you plan to speak solo on a subject for a half-hour, interview an interesting speaker, or direct a debate between two guests, you are in charge of the show.
When you are thinking about creating your podcast, consider who you want to be, and how you want to run the show.
Podcast Format
Podcasts are found through podcast directories, and all list various categories of related content. But all of the categories are subject…not format, specific.
You are going to want to select a format for your show.
Decide on the type of show you want to host. Some shows sound like parties, others are serious. Some have a lot of adult language, some play music, some are always live…you can do any type of performance to attract your audience.
You can even mix your formats, maybe have a commentary episode , then an interview, then a teaching episode, then back to a commentary.
Podcasting has no rules. You decide on the format, length, content, tone, and pace of your show.
The only basic concept is that the audio must be clear. You are asking listeners to give up their time to hear your show. Poor audio quality creates an unsatisfactory user experience, which typically does not lead to repeat customers.
If there is a question between experimental content and audio quality, choose audio quality all the time.
Should You Start a Podcast?
Once you consider the format that might work for you, you will have to decide if podcasting is going to be your online business.
You can go all in with a podcast..if you:
- Like to talk
- Have a good subject area or topic, or a flair for audio creativity
- Are not afraid to promote your program
- Have the ability to edit and produce digital audio, or pay someone to do the work for you
- Are prepared to be consistently and reliably posting shows
How to Start a Podcast
The technical aspects of starting a podcast creates trepidation for potential podcasters.
The basic approach is:
- Name your show
- Record an audio program, edit as necessary
- Create a show graphic for the cover art
- Upload to a podcast hosting service
The process can be 100% free, which is one reason there are so many podcasts that only post an episode or two. Assuming you have a digital device like a smartphone, and access to the Internet. You can record your audio, download your file, and host your podcast on a free service.
But if you definitely want to build a business out of your podcast, in most cases there will be upfront expenses for a quality external microphone and a dedicated podcast hosting service. If you decide to have a website for your show, your costs increase.
The investment in an external microphone is typically worth the cost. As stated earlier, audio quality is the hallmark of good podcasting, and having a dedicated microphone gives your show a professional characterization that you will want to continue.
No Frills Podcasting
The no-frills, all free road to podcasting would work like this:
- Record your show on your smartphone or laptop using the built-in microphone
- Edit your show using free software like Audacity, or don’t edit at all
- Create a show graphic using a free tool like Canva
- Create an account on a free hosting service like Anchor, and upload your files
In no time, you will be live and broadcasting to the world. As you grow your audience, you can add the other features that would transform your podcast into a business.
Podcast Hosting
A podcast hosting service stores your recorded file and creates an RSS feed that can be distributed widely to ensure you reach your targeted audience.
Today, podcast hosting providers offer free and paid services.
Free Podcast Hosting
Increased competition has opened up opportunities for podcasters as more free services are offered by hosting providers who cover programming needs. In fact, some of the free services are beginning to offer more features than the paid ones!
But typically, there will be a catch – usually related to using the service’s branding and advertising – which constrain your money making options and intentions.
Paid Podcast Hosting
Paid hosting will include features like reporting where you can track your audience growth, and tools for social media or your own website.
Costs typically depend on factors like podcast length. For example, Buzzsprout’s rates are free for up to two hours a month, paid rate starts at $12 a month for up to three hours.
If you plan to do a daily half-hour podcast, you should look for the most affordable rate.
Recording and Distributing Your Podcast
Recording
Once you know where you will be hosting your content, you can create it. Podcast content is created everywhere – from car commutes to Hollywood studios. But if you’re just starting out, your preference is likely to be a quiet corner of your home where no external noises will be picked up by the microphone.
But even intended silence is not assured, as dogs bark, kids laugh, and the delivery trucks drop packages at your door.
You will have to find the best time to record, maybe after trying several times, before you know what will work best for you.
Ad-libbing versus Reading
Some podcasters swear by the natural, free-flowing conversational style that ad-libbing brings to a recorded show. They keep just a few points in mind, and then say what they want to say off the top of their heads.
Others find ad-libbing too unstructured and risky. They prefer to remember everything they want to say by writing it down first, and reading from a prepared document.
If you are doing a commentary show, you may want to have notes to help you remember your best points, and ad-lib only at naturally sounding spots in your dialogue.
For interviews, you have almost the same split between those who read from prepared questions, and those who allow the conversation to flow. Since either option can make for great audio, you just have to decide how comfortable you are with the outcome.
Editing
Uhhh….Ummm…click…long pause…doorbell…Ahhh…long pause…’oh, can you take that out?…’
Editing the podcast can turn a 30 minute project into three hours, it smothers the joy of the production, and can be one of the reasons many podcasters drop off the platform after only a few episodes.
Some podcasters recommend leaving in all the ‘natural’ sounds, but have you ever heard a successful podcast that is not also a clear and smooth broadcast? If your guest takes long pauses that split the flow of the show, that’s where you start editing. If the sounds are just natural conversational speak, you can leave it in.
Either way, even if you are not personally editing the core show content, you may need to add an intro or outro to your show, or if you want to get paid…advertising, which still takes time and requires some production.
Editing can be outsourced, but you must carefully select your editor and provide clear instructions. You will still need to listen to the show to make sure it sounds the way you intended.
If the first editor you select does not work out, keep trying until you find a good one.
If you have no funds to hire an editor, you will have to do the work yourself using free software like Audacity. The app has a lot of features, but you only to need to learn the basics that will help you create a good show. So go ahead and set aside the extra time to get the editing work done.
But remember, editing is not the fun part of podcasting. Be aware that this may the beginning and end of your efforts if you are not realistic about the time and effort it takes to produce a good-sounding show.
Adding Music and Effects
Music is a wonderful addition to a podcast show, especially a consistent intro that becomes your theme. On the Ready Entrepreneur podcast, you can hear the ‘news room’ sound that signals the show is information and discussion oriented.
To add music to your show, you can search for websites that offer free, cleared music.
Clearances
If you plan to use copyrighted music, and make money off your podcast, you must obtain a clearance from the copyright owner. Unilaterally, using someone else’s content to make money is not legal, and not cool.
Send an email to the copyright owner explaining who you are, why you want to use the music, and how you plan to use the music. You might be surprised by the response. Many copyright owners are happy to share their creation, especially since podcasts are offered for free, and an up and coming podcaster who intends a limited use of the product, is not typically a threat to their ownership.
Video Podcasts
YouTube has become one of the top platforms for ‘listening’ to podcasts. And many podcasters make a video version of their show.
If you are doing interviews, and use Zoom or another video communication platform to record, you automatically have another asset when you create the podcast. You can edit the video and put it on your YouTube channel.
Creating a video podcast enhances your web presence, provides more search engine results, gives you an opening to another audience, and provides your guests with another asset to share with their audience.
The video podcast is extra work, but it is also a great option for extending your podcast brand.
Transcripts
Re-purposing podcast material is one of the reasons the medium is a great asset for podcasters. If you write out your show, you have automatically created the transcript that you can also post when you upload the episode and make it available to listeners.
In general, best practice is to include a transcript of your show for the hearing-impaired. While there is limited enforcement of this practice, if you have the material, you should post it. If you wrote out your show but ad-libbed, you can put a disclaimer at the top of the transcript that says it may not be an exact word-for-work transcription of the show.
The transcript can also be used to create subtitles if you decide to post a video version.
When you are first getting started with your show, focus on delivering great content. But as you are comfortable with production…and certain you will continue, look at the other services offered by your hosting provider and consider adding features to your show.
Admin and Legal Stuff
DISCLAIMER: This section is provided for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. For all legal issues related to your podcast, you should seek the advice of a legal professional.
When you create a podcast, accessibility is not the only administrative issue that you may encounter.
If you are doing guest interviews, many guests will assume it is audio only. But if you plan to post the video, make sure you advise your guests, that show will include a video version – and get a signed clearance.
Your podcast episodes are assets and you want to be able to use them across platforms as you see fit. While there has yet to be a major case of someone suing over a podcast interview, it’s better to get clearance ahead of time that the guest knows you own the show, and may use the audio, video and guest likeness (photos) for distribution and promotion.
You can obtain this clearance before the interview by including it as a statement on your guest interview form that the potential guest has to check before submitting their request.
You should also be careful about using copyrighted images, quotes, graphics, videos or other content. You want your podcast to stand-alone as your own material, so make sure all the content you include is owned by you, or has an open creative-use license.
Podcast Directories
Once you have completed recording and editing your show, you will post it to your hosting provider.
Most hosts will automatically distribute your show to a number, but not all, of the podcast directories. The podcast directories are the lists of all the podcasts available to listen to on a specific platform.
While the biggest names like Apple, Amazon and Spotify are exactly where you want to be, you will also want to make sure your podcast is listed on every available source.
Being in every directory increases your search presence, and enhances your ability to be found by random listeners. When you search for your podcast online, you want to ‘own’ the first page of search results.
Check your host provider’s list of automatic feeds against the list of all possible directories to confirm that your podcast can be found ‘wherever you listen to podcasts.’
Promoting Your Show
While you can be discovered through a listener directory search, the only successful way to promote your show is word of mouth.
No podcast directory is perfect in its search and information capabilities. And no service is offered that breaks down all the podcast information to help you find the exact type of show you are looking for.
So if you have a podcast, you have to promote, promote and promote again.
The podcast launch is typically the first move new podcasters make to get their show in front of people. You promote directly to your list, friends, organizations, and anywhere you have an audience to let them know that your show is available.
But after the launch, you have to keep growth going by spreading the word through social media, your work or business, speaking, and guest podcasting.
For every episode, create show posts that highlight the content and can be promoted across social media platforms. If you have guests, distribute the posts to them and encourage them to promote on their own social feeds.
If you are speaking about a particular product or person on your show, give them a shoutout on social media also, by tagging, and letting them know they were featured.
And keep talking about your podcast. Mention your show wherever you have a chance. Re-use the content, across platforms, and re-use the promotion materials to re-feature a good or popular episode once or twice a year.
How Podcasts Make Money
The more you can promote your show, get the word out, drive listeners to you, and raise your ranking and popularity, the more opportunities you will have to make money.
There are multiple ways to make money with a podcast, but the four most direct are to promote your own or affiliate products, get paid advertising, get a sponsor or sell a membership to exclusive content.
Promote Products
Your podcast is your platform, and you can choose to promote your own or affiliate products as part of your show.
When deciding to promote, find products that align with the content of your show and integrate them into the discussion or commentary that you are already doing. The transition can be smooth, as you state that you have an affiliate link in the description of the show, or you can do a hard break, and ‘insert’ your own type of advertising.
If you are promoting your own products, especially books and courses, you should be able to clearly connect your content to the content of your podcast (unless they are completely different topics). This actually enhances your authority, and gives your audience more insight into the value you deliver.
You can create your own ads, add music and effects and make it sound like a professional advertisement. But be careful about being too ‘salesy’ or promoting products out of context. You want to provide valuable information to your audience, this includes information about products or services they can use.
But you do not want your show to be just an advertising vehicle, so choose wisely.
State the links in your ad or comment, and put them in the episode description. If your listener is interested they may just click and buy the product.
Paid Advertising
You can also have third party advertisers place ads in your show. For the most part, you have to have minimum audience numbers to attract national brands. But if you are talking about a specific subject, which may be interesting to specialized or local businesses, you can solicit advertising directly from them.
Advertisers are looking to target unique and niche audiences. If you demonstrate how you can deliver ‘ears’ you may be able to attract advertising even if you have a small podcast.
Start by reaching out directly to advertisers you think may be interested. Tell them about your show theme, topic, audience size and frequency. Remember once you commit to delivering a show for an advertiser, you have to deliver the show. So make sure you are comfortable with podcasting as your platform before actively reaching out for ads.
When you have paid ads, you are typically paid upfront, you don’t have to wait for someone to click on the ad. This helps give you some stability and support for your podcast.
Sponsorships
You appeal to sponsors the same way you would reach out to paid advertisers, by telling them how aligning with you would be good for business.
A sponsorship can be for an entire episode, or for the show. Sponsors can request that you read promotional material, or refer to the sponsor in comments, or for a portion of the show.
If you have a video podcasts, sponsors can ask for their product to be displayed behind or beside you, or even on you, if it’s a clothing.
If you have a specialized topic, you may be able to obtain a sponsor to cover your editing, transcribing, hosting and other costs. The only way to find out is to ask.
Memberships
You can also ask your audience.
In recent years, more podcasters are reaching out to their audience to sponsor and financially support the show through paid memberships. The podcasters offer exclusive members only content in exchange for a fixed or open fee.
As a podcaster this will mean providing additional content like the video, snippets, learning guides, exclusive outtakes from interviews, or other material that extends the podcast brand, while building a home for the audience community.
While there can be a lot of extra work in establishing a membership site, it can also be an outstanding opportunity to grow your entire business.
Your podcast community can also become the community that buys your books, courses, products, and services. You can start with membership in a podcast and turn it into membership in your world. And the more you grow your listeners, the more opportunities you have to make money online with a podcast.
What Makes Podcasts Successful?
While the most successful podcasts begin with great content, there are plenty of shows that are able to deliver that initial element. What separates them from the shows that have millions of listeners? A few key factors…
Consistency
When listeners see a show has hundreds, now thousands of episodes, they are more willing to make an investment in the podcaster, because the podcaster has made an investment in them. Consistently posting a show, and building day-to-day or week-to-week gives the listener a sense of security…and FOMO…
If a listener sees the show constantly putting up new episodes, they begin to wonder what they are missing and are more inclined to check and click on the latest information they want.
Specificity
Listeners are searching for people who are speaking about the subjects they care about, and being relevant and interesting in the process. If you can find a topic with a core audience that is currently under-served but available, you will have your successful podcast.
Uniqueness
With three million podcasts, there should be three million unique voices, but far too often podcasters try to copy the work of those that they hear.
The most successful podcasters create a unique voice, one people identify with that person. From the types of questions that are asked, to the shock-value of their commentary, to the revelation style of their facts…these types of speakers have transformed audio programming, and taken the audience along with them.
As you set out to be a podcaster, think about your unique voice, your singular message and your particular style. Be an emergent leader in the space, and promote to those who have been waiting to hear from you.
Podcasting is an extraordinary opportunity for you if you have a message that you want to deliver. There is a spot waiting for you, and you can use podcasting to make money online.
On the Ready Entrepreneur Podcast, I offer information and advice on getting started with an online business, and interviews with outstanding entrepreneurs about their journey, find the show wherever you listen to podcasts:
You can also hear Case Lane interviews on dozens of awesome shows focused on:
Entrepreneurship: https://www.readyentrepreneur.com/podcast-guest-appearances/
Guest Podcasting: https://www.readyentrepreneur.com/podcast-guest-appearances-speaking-about-guest-podcasting/
Awesome Product Offers
If you want to start guest podcasting to promote your product or business, click here to get an extraordinary offer on my Expert’s Guide to Finding Podcasts for An Interview:
If you would like to get the Podcast Directory List of where to post your podcast, click here: https://podcastgueststar.com/podcast-directories-list/
DISCLOSURE: links to Buzzsprout are affiliate links that earn for eligible purchases at no additional cost to you.
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How You Really Make Money Online with Blogging
by Case Lane
This post is part of the Real Stories Behind Making Money Online Series
In the beginning, it was the Internet curious’s first introduction to creating online – starting a blog. Today, it remains the most dominate creative platform – more than 600 million blogs – more than ten times the number of YouTube channels and podcast shows combined.
That fact should make one point obvious…blogs are, arguably, the easiest online platform for launching your online business.
But how many of those 600 million blogs are making money for the blogger?
Blogs operate in a crowded marketplace where you have to be prepared to promote and market your message. So if you’re shy about telling people about your thoughts or creativity, blogging may not be for you.
Blogging as Your Online Business
While starting an online business is an extraordinary opportunity for you to establish a foundation for your own professional satisfaction, financial security, and lifestyle freedom, to get started you have to select an online platform that fits your interests, skills and budget.
Blogging remains an incredible force for delivering a message, creating a community, and earning advertising revenue. But does the platform have all the elements you want and need for an online business venture?
If your online platform of choice is to create a blog, you need to be aware of the joys and limitations of the effort.
In this article, I explain the real story behind blogging to make money online.
Blogging is for Writers
Blogs are websites, almost always supported by advertising, that writers fill with content aimed at their target audience.
At its core, blogging is the written word. For creators, blogging means consistently writing articles online around a specific theme or subject. The word blog comes from ‘web log…weblog’ a phrase used to describe the act of journaling or recording (logging) information online.
To create a blog to start an online business, you must create written content…or have it created for you.
Blogging is for writers, and blogs are for readers. People who want to get their information in written words.
Types of Blogs for Making Money Online
With 600 million options, breaking blogs down into specific categories may be an overreach, but in general there are three popular types of blogs – information, commentary and product-specific.
Information Blogs
The most popular blogs offer information, such as How-Tos and guides. They provide step-by-step processes, and insight into products, services and issues. For many readers, these types of blogs are consistently delivering information they want to learn more about or research.
A blogger who provides information is creating a go-to platform for a topic or idea. Once enough interested readers learn about the blog’s existence, it can jump to the top of search rankings for the topic, and become a popular site.
If you are planning to create an information blog, the key is to be a great resource. You do the research your readers want to avoid, and you put the information together in easily digestible articles.
In this case, you do not have to be a great writer. You just have to make sure you are delivering information that a particular audience is seeking.
Because you already know the information readers are searching for, these types of blogs are the fastest and easiest blogs to create. Spend time researching the topic, then re-organize, re-write, and aggregate the data you find into new articles that address the topic for your target audience.
This approach also allows you to outsource the work. If writing is not your strength, or you have no time to do the research, you can use a freelancer site like Fiverr to find someone who can put together the information based on your ideas.
For example, you may find a subject where most of the existing blogs are aimed at college students, and you decide to do one aimed at the parents of college students. It can be similar information, but re-written for the parents consumption, and interests.
Also, if you can write well (or outsource) in a language other than English, there is extraordinary opportunity available to write about popular blog subjects in other global languages.
As the Internet continues to grow and spread around the world, you may find your ability to deliver information in a language used where online usage is on the rise, provides you with an opening where other bloggers cannot compete.
Commentary Blogs
Another successful blog theme is commentary – the original web log. Some famous bloggers are known only for their comments and observations about society and the world. These blogs can have millions of readers who enjoy the writer’s viewpoint, and learn from their perspective.
If you are writing a commentary blog, then you do have to be a good writer because the blog is directly from you, and your ideas have to resonate with the reader. These types of blog literally hang on the word of the blogger. If the writing is bad, the blog is a non-starter.
That said, the definition of ‘bad’ is relevant to the audience you are targeting. If you want to write a slang-filled, emoji-driven commentary blog aimed at high school students, then you may have a niche. But you still have to make the content valuable to that audience. It has to be ‘good’ to them.
Commentary blogs are the most difficult to launch because everyone has an opinion these days. But if you have a way of looking at the world that is unique, and underserved, you may be able to take a commentary blog to an audience that wants to learn more from you.
Product-Specific Blogs
Another type of blog is a mini-website aimed specifically at marketing a product by providing content-rich articles related to the product’s purpose.
The site will have ten to fifteen articles all leading to the same conclusion – the reader should get the product.
These blogs are advertising and affiliate marketing vehicles designed as information blogs, but the content is legitimate (assuming you are not a scammer).
This is a blog where the idea is to deliver information, but it’s not general information, it’s tailored to the product and all issues related to the product.
For example, if you are marketing a new vacuum cleaner, you could have articles about the perils of dust, carpet maintenance, keeping your family healthy, the exercise benefits of doing household chores, and so on.
These types of blogs are one-and-done. You write the core articles, set-up the webpages, and drive traffic to the site.
Once again, you do not need to be a creative writer, you are aggregating topic-specific information for an audience that is looking for the insight. Your articles must be valuable and useful to them, especially if it is new or misunderstood information.
This is also an opportunity to outsource the writing, but you have to be creative about the topics related to the product. You are looking for products that cross over a variety of different issues, and give you sufficient content to create a legitimate site.
Who Should Start a Blog?
Regardless of your type of blog, you want the content to stay consistent and reliable. So the hard truth about blogging is that you have to keep posting relevant content. You have to find enough content to maintain interest for a growing audience. That is a challenge that many aspiring entrepreneurs do not conquer.
If you:
- Like to write
- Come up with good ideas
- Are not afraid to promote your own writing to strangers
- Have a good subject area or topic
- Have money each month to spend on maintaining your website until you can grow your advertising revenue
- Are prepared to be consistently and reliably posting to your website
…then you are likely ready to move forward with starting a blog.
But blogging can be tedious, especially if you are lukewarm about your subject, and since it’s the most crowded online platform, you have to be creative to stand-out and be counted.
How to Start a Blog
As mentioned earlier, blogs are the easiest online business to start, but one that requires maintenance and has up-front costs to do it right.
The basic approach is:
- Get a domain name
- Set-up a webpage
- Start writing and posting content
Domain Name
Free Domain name
If you decide to use free website hosting, you will also likely receive a free ‘hosting’ domain, which typically includes the name of the website provider in your domain name.
This is a domain name you do not own, and one that may be long and cumbersome to use when speaking or posting about your new blog.
But for some, a free domain may be a necessary option for getting started without any upfront costs, but if you have a few dollars ready, and you are serious about your blog, you should start with a custom domain name.
Custom Domain name
The domain name is the name of your website. For many bloggers, it can be their ownname.com, for others it’s the subject they are discussing. You just have to decide.
Domains can cost as little as $3 a month to start. You can buy the domain from a stand-alone site, or purchase it when you set-up your webpage on a hosting site.
Carefully check the renewal terms for your domain name. Sometimes you can get the domain for a low introductory price, but it renews at ten times that rate, a year later.
Although a great domain name is valuable, like all actions in starting an online business, it is better to move forward than to worry about picking the perfect domain.
If you’re not sure, go with your own name or a made-up-name and move on. You have no online business until your site is live, so getting launched should be your focus.
Website
Free or Paid
Before you create your website, you must decide if you want to use free or paid blog hosting services.
Your blog is hosted on a website, which is hosted on a server managed by a website hosting provider.
‘Free’ means you sign-up and begin writing and posting content without paying any upfront fees. The ‘catch’ with free is there may be limitations on whether or not you can advertise on the platform. Since you are starting the blog to make money, this would be a limitation, but not an obstruction to making money.
But, If you are not sure if blogging is right for you, start with free services, and switch to paid when you are certain you want to move forward with the platform.
If you know you want to be a blogger and start with paid hosting, you have more flexibility to do what you want with the blog.
Your Own Website
Once you select your paid provider, they typically provide basic services aimed at getting you set-up. There are many blogging apps, but the most popular is WordPress, and you can quickly set-up a basic WordPress site through your provider.
Since WordPress provides flexible functionality for a website, for example, you can host an eCommerce store with your blogs, some bloggers find WordPress too complex for their plans, and are comfortable with a ‘blogging’ only app.
If you think you might want to do more with your blog – for example on my website for Ready Entrepreneur, along with the blog, I have my podcast embedded, links to online courses, and a store – and I am able to use plugins to extend the capabilities of the site from inserting landing pages from another app under the same domain, to capturing contact information.
As always, if you are unsure, start with the most basic option and be prepared to build from there.
Third Party Website
Blogging platforms, like Medium.com are websites where bloggers can establish their reputation and build an audience. These sites allow anyone to open an account and posts blogs, for free. Although these sites lead to a variety of subjects, they also attract a variety of readers who want to discover new voices, and learn more.
If you want to access the reader audience on these platforms, you can repurpose the blogs you create on your website. This allows you to gain both the traffic on the platform that is casually browsing, and the followers on your site who could one day become your dream customers.
Writing, Posting and Distributing Your Content
Once you have set-up your domain and webpage or site account, it’s time to write and post content.
Refer back to the Types of Blogs section to pick the direction you want to take your content.
If you are looking for topic ideas, listen to your friends, colleagues and neighbors, check social media, Google trends, and news headlines, and remember how you became interested in the subject in the first place. You probably have stories, ideas and anecdotes from your own experiences that could make the content for a blog.
Take a look at the work other bloggers are doing. Do not copy. Instead use other content as inspiration, and as a springboard for developing your own ideas.
You can post blogs on your own schedule as little or as often as you wish. But the more consistently you post, the more reliable you will appear to your readers. If readers enjoy one article, and they see another one the following week, and the week after, they are more likely to remember you, and maybe even recommend your work to others.
Search Engine Optimization
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process, both technical and creative, that you use to help search engines find your blog. When you distribute your blog online, you should always make sure that you are search optimized, to drive organic traffic doing searches.
You will find many SEO apps and plugins online, and implementing SEO practices is not difficult. But being noticed is a challenge, you will have to do your own work to ensure people click on your blog.
Do Your Own Promotion
While search engines can organically find your blog, you will have to do your own distribution and promotion to drive traffic to your site.
Social Media
You can use social media to drive traffic to your blog by posting about the topic you wrote about and including the direct link to your blog in your posts. Add images or videos to attract attention, and ignite curiosity about your content.
For bloggers, all of the big social media sites are helpful, except Instagram, which does not have links in regular content. So if your content is visual, and insta-perfect, this limitation will be a concern, but you have the work-around of using the other platforms.
If your social media followers are mostly friends and family, include a Call-to-Action for them to share the post with their networks.
Track Your Traffic
If you have your own website, you can set-up analytics to track your visitors and the pages they frequent. This data will help you understand your most popular content, and perhaps give you additional content ideas, or more promotions you can do for specific content.
Track consistently to look for trends and opportunities to grow your blog’s popularity. For example, if you notice more traffic is coming from mobile, you can do a more mobile-friendly layout for those users.
How Blogs Make Money Online
The final part of your blog set-up is monetization…making money from the blog.
For the most part, your revenue opportunity comes from placing advertising on your blog pages. You can have Google ads automatically on your pages, affiliate ads that you place yourself, or links to your own digital or physical products that you sell in your own store or on a third party platform.
Essentially, having a blog works like a broadcast television network that creates lots of content, and drives ‘eyeballs’ to the shows that advertisers are paying to be featured on.
Your opportunity in earning for your blog comes from driving as much traffic as possible to your site, and having a percentage of that traffic click on the ads, and in the case of affiliates, making a purchase.
Google Ad Sense
The fastest way to begin making money with a blog is to set up a free account with Google Ad Sense, and let the search engine automatically post ads on your blog pages. Google’s advertising program pays you for clicks through to the sponsored ad pages.
You can control where the ads are placed, and to which pages, and you can ban content you don’t want associated with your work.
Google is set to match your blog content to related ads, but if subject matter is beyond the translation of Google’s A.I., you might find the ads do not match at all.
Once you set-up with Ad Sense, continuing monitoring the placement of ads to make sure they are where you expect to see them.
Affiliate Ads
Affiliate advertising is when you align with a third party to promote their product or service, and earn a flat rate or percentage for purchases made by other people through your links.
With many affiliate programs, you can sign-up for free on sites like Swagbucks, and place their advertising images with your affiliate link directly on your page. As more people sign-up, you earn a ‘bounty’ for bringing in new affiliates.
If you join the Amazon Affiliates program, you can also earn a ‘bounty’ for sign-ups to continuity programs like Amazon Prime.
Or you can promote products, including almost everything on Amazon.com, and earn whenever someone purchases a product through your link. As mentioned in the content section, you can even have an entire blog that is linked to affiliate products.
Because there are affiliate programs for almost every product you can think of, you should be able to find products that align with your blog content.
To keep your blog orderly, you want to have ads that support your product, and do not make your site look just like an advertising vehicle for sponsored products, or worse, a scam.
Links to Your Own Products
If you sell your own physical or digital products, you can use a blog to drive people to your products.
Write blogs that align with your product, then promote your product links directly in the blog or in the sidebars of your website.
This is often done with reviews (which you do not write for your own product, but you can post what others write), the review is linked back to the product.
But the real success in using this process is to write the definitive article about the value of your product, and then drive people through the links to your purchase pages.
Extension Products
Advertising is the direct way that blogs make money, but if you have a successful blog you can repurpose it to make money on other online platforms like podcasts and YouTube.
If your blogging positions you as an authority on a subject, you can also create courses, sell coaching, write books, or do speeches or other activities that are related to your blogging content, but are not directly revenue created from the blog.
All of these opportunities come with time, once you make your blog successful.
But when you are starting out, and you have no traffic to your blog, you will have no money from your blog, that’s the reality.
That’s why you must think carefully about how much you are willing to spend up-front, and how much time you will place in promoting your blog.
If your SEO is working, or your topic is unique and sought after, it’s possible for organic traffic to discover your blog, click on your ads, and you make money. But in general, if you are too shy promote your own work, you will not have a chance to earn from your blog.
What Makes Blogs Successful
A successful blog has great content. But that’s only the beginning.
The most popular blogs are delivering a form of comfort to readers. Whether it’s in the form of information or provocative statements or how-tos, a reader is satisfied after reading a great blog. And they’ll keep coming back for more if they feel the content is consistent and always appealing.
To get your blog into a success position, which means it starts paying you, build on the positive comments and reviews you receive.
Try to discover what appealed most to those readers, and why. You don’t have to start trying to tailor every blog to a raving fan, but it helps if you have an understanding as to why a specific blog post resonated with people.
From the beginning, blogging has been about the writing. While many blogs contain great visuals or videos, it’s the writing that brings people back time and again. If you want your blog to stand out and be noticed, that’s where to start.
But all the other activities must be completed also to make your blog a professional and reliable site for return readers. And you must promote the blog to as many people as possible to get the traffic on your site that will make your business profitable.
Choose blogging as your online business platform if you’ve come this far and believe you have the ingredients to make it work. But, ignore blogging if you plan to only do a superficial job of writing and promoting your site.
The real story behind starting a blog to make money is to make an effort marketing and promoting your blog to drive traffic to your site. Because without the upfront effort in creating your own publicity, you are unlikely to make any money. But with it, you give yourself a chance to stand-out among the 600 million and take your place in the online entrepreneur community.
Check out Case Lane’s blogs:
For aspiring entrepreneurs: https://www.readyentrepreneur.com/blog-posts/
For guest podcasting: https://podcastgueststar.com/
For fast, healthy eating: https://food.readyentrepreneur.com/blog/
For travel: https://travel.readyentrepreneur.com/
For Case Lane books: https://caselane.com/blog/
DISCLOSURE: links to Amazon.com, Bluehost and Case Lane’s books on Amazon.com are affiliate links that earn for eligible purchases at no additional cost to you.
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Click the image below to find the Dominate Start Your Online Business course
The Only Fair Trade is from the Value You Add
Inspiration for Starting Your Online Business
The only fair trade in life is to offer your best for the best that others have to offer. As an aspiring entrepreneur, you are constantly on the lookout for where you can add value and be productive. You are participating as a contributor and producer in the world.
That’s the best way to function.
Below is The Only Fair Trade YouTube video, and the video transcript.
Video Transcript
This is the only entity in the world…actually in the universe…that is not sexist, racist, agist, homophobic or discriminatory in any way…
This goes to whoever wants it…
And it knows who wants it…because those who want it demonstrate their desire every day by…adding value
By being contributors…
Producers…
Those who are moving forward…not obstructing the way
And this knows to go to them to because value is what is most appreciated in our world today.
In fact, we are desperate for it.
For those who recognize a need, see a problem, and don’t just talk about it…but actually deliver a solution for it.
We are desperate for those people…
We demonstrate our desperation every day through our searches, our questions, our asks in every way…help…
If you have an idea, a way to solve a problem, to lighten the load, to change the world…you need to get your idea out in front of the people who want it…and you can do that by starting your own online business that is focused on delivering a solution.
Starting a business is not what it used to be. You don’t have to be tinkering in a garage or pitching to stuffy investors or giving up your life savings for a location on a shopping street…
…because you start online, where many resources are free or inexpensive.
You can test your idea, discover your niche market, cultivate your customer avatar…all without spending a lot of these.
And you can find out what works, so that you can build and grow your business idea from that foundation.
This…will come to you if your idea has value
You don’t have to be making millions, or billions…
You just have to find enough people – as you determine by your own definition of success – who want your product…because it’s valuable to them – it’s a solution they have been looking for.
This is the best time in history to start your own business – you have the convergence of two important facts…
The Internet which gives you the resources you need…
And access to the Global Marketplace – through the Internet – which allows you to reach the world with your idea.
It’s all before you…
And this…is all around you…
The next step is yours…
I’m Case Lane, the author of Recast, a book about the first ten actions to take when getting started with an online business.
You recast to play a new role in your own life…this time as an online entrepreneur.
You take practical action to overcome your own doubts and distractions, and do what you have been thinking about doing.
Becoming an entrepreneur and starting your own business is about giving yourself a chance to live the life you have always wanted to live…
Do work that creates value and gives you meaning and purpose in your life…
Make yourself busy, involved and committed to doing something…anything that’s about going forward not backward…
Set yourself up for a future you want to live in…not one that will be handed to you
Entrepreneurship is about being free…
It’s not just about this…although lots of these are a party…
Be active…
Be involved…
Doing what you really want to do…for those you really want to do it for…
That’s the difference when you set out to become an entrepreneur.
And the fastest and best way to do it these days is to become an online entrepreneur.
Take a look at the description for this video to get access to resources you can use right now to get your online business started.
Video Description
Recast Inspiration to Start Your Own Business. This video is called The Only Fair Trade…the value you add for the Benjamins.
FREE // Learn the first 5 Actions to take when getting started with an online business. It’s not what you may be thinking think…but it may be the answer to getting past your procrastination and distractions. Download here: https://www.caselane.net/recast-actions
Maybe like you, I did all the ‘right’ things to end up in all the ‘right’ places only to discover that what I really wanted to do was contribute and add value on my terms. I started out in the online business game chasing all the shiny apples, only to discover that none of them laid out a clear plan for actually getting started with an online business, and working through the details to launch a business.
So I’ve learned the lessons, and now I pass them on to you…
Recast is the path you need to follow FIRST before you take any more confusing steps towards becoming an online entrepreneur.
WHAT TO WATCH NEXT If you have business ideas in your head, but you’re still thinking maybe entrepreneurship is not for you, you must FIND THE CONFIDENCE TO START YOUR BUSINESS, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xstvw…
GET THE RECAST BOOK
Recast is my Practical Guide to Getting Started with Your Online Business. You will learn the foundational actions to take to set yourself up for success, followed by the creative actions that take you towards launching your online business. These are the practical actions no one talks about, but everyone should do BEFORE you start chasing a specific online business ‘magic’ plan. Click here for the book: https://caselane.com/books/recast/
TAKE THE DOMINATE ONLINE BUSINESS COURSE
Already set to get your online business started? Get all the training and information you need to launch your business in the Dominate the Year Start Your Online Business course. This comprehensive program is like no other – it’s total and complete details for you to understand the online business landscape, pick your idea, pick your platform, create your content, find your niche market, launch with confidence…and much, much more. Learn more about the course here: https://www.caselane.net/dominate-course
Get more information…much more about how to move from ‘aspiring’ entrepreneur to online entrepreneur at the Ready Entrepreneur website https://www.readyentrepreneur.com/
CONNECT ON SOCIAL MEDIA
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Podcast: The Ready Entrepreneur podcast available wherever you listen to podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast…
WHO IS CASE LANE?
Hello, I’m Case Lane. I’m a global entrepreneur, writer, traveler and observer to the future.
But to start out, I followed all the traditional paths and ended up as a lawyer, economist, corporate executive, management consultant and diplomat.
Along the way I lived, worked and studied in ten different countries, learned to speak three languages, and became focused on economic development through business enterprise.
In my travels and living in different countries, I observed how entrepreneurs in all economic circumstances take the resources at hand, and build not only thriving businesses, but rising wealth. In the humblest rural small towns, or in the midst of a chaotic unregulated urban centers, action-takers who want to start a business implement their ideas, change their lives, and the community around them.
I decided to bring those similar tactics to a broader audience by creating Ready Entrepreneur as a comprehensive guide for taking your business from IDEA to OPEN.
And I wrote Recast, specifically to help you get started, when you have no idea how to begin your entrepreneurial journey.
I want to make sure you have practical, doable action you can take right now, to get past the obstacles that have been holding you back from pursuing your dreams.
If you think this sounds right to you, subscribe to my channel, and make sure you get your free copy of the Recast First 5 Actions so that you don’t miss more great information that you can use to get started as an online entrepreneur.
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