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7-Figure Small with Brian Clark
Confessions of a Pink-Haired Marketer
Copyblogger FM: Content Marketing, Copywriting, Freelance Writing, and Social Media Marketing
Get More Clients With Smarter Email Marketing
Hack the Entrepreneur
Members Only
Rainmaker.FM Elsewhere
Site Success: Tips for Building Better WordPress Websites
StudioPress FM
Technology Translated
The Digital Entrepreneur
The Missing Link
The Showrunner
The Writer Files: Writing, Productivity, Creativity, and Neuroscience
Youpreneur with Chris Ducker
Zero to Book
Copyblogger FM: Content Marketing, Copywriting, Freelance Writing, and Social Media Marketing
hosted by Darrell Vesterfelt and Tim Stoddart

The Content Marketing Question You Need to Answer … Now

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Previous Episode:Good SEO is Simple. Really. More Episodes Next Episode:How to Constantly Create Compelling Content

All Episodes:

March 30, 2020

The Advantage of Email Marketing, Featuring Nathan Barry of ConvertKit

March 15, 2020

How to Write Content That Resonates

March 9, 2020

How to Conquer Your Fear of Selling, with Leah Neaderthal

March 2, 2020

How to Build Remarkable Products to Grow Your Business, with Ramit Sethi

February 17, 2020

What You Should Talk about on Your Podcast, with Tara McMullin

February 9, 2020

How to Win at Search in 2020

February 3, 2020

How to Turn Pro as a Freelance Writer

January 27, 2020

Marketing Segmentation and Personalization with Brennan Dunn of RightMessage

January 20, 2020

Podcasting Still Matters, with Pat Flynn from Smart Passive Income

January 13, 2020

The New Look Copyblogger in 2020

January 8, 2020

New Year, New Copyblogger

October 23, 2019

The Self-Reliant Entrepreneur with John Jantsch

October 2, 2019

Consistency Will Take You Further

September 25, 2019

The Past, Present, and Future of Online Learning

September 16, 2019

How to Get More of the Right Things Done

September 9, 2019

Why the Future Is Still Email

September 3, 2019

What’s Next for
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August 26, 2019

How Smart, Nimble Companies Are Using Webinars Today

August 19, 2019

The Clarity Method: A Conversation with Tim Brownson

August 12, 2019

Digital Business Trends and the Latest on the Rainmaker Platform

August 5, 2019

4 ‘Naive’ Business Principles for Enduring Success

July 8, 2019

How to Write an Epic Blog Post, Part 3: Polishing and Promotion

July 1, 2019

How to Write an Epic Blog Post, Part 2: Getting It Written

June 24, 2019

How to Write an Epic Blog Post, Part 1: Thinking and Research

June 17, 2019

3 Almost Magical Headline Ingredients for More Traffic, Engagement, and Shares

June 10, 2019

Lessons Any Business Can Learn from an Impressive Influencer Marketing Fail

June 3, 2019

13 Ways of Looking at a Headline

May 27, 2019

The 7 ‘Bad’ Habits of Incredibly Successful People

May 20, 2019

Writers: How to Move from Making a Living to Driving Revenue

May 13, 2019

Choose the Right Frame to Boost the Power of Your Content

May 6, 2019

How Copywriting Teacher Belinda Weaver Reenergized Her Email List for Massive Engagement

April 29, 2019

3 Reasons Why Really Good Writers Sometimes Can’t Find Great Clients

April 22, 2019

3 Slightly Embarrassing Emotions that Drive Effective Copywriting

April 15, 2019

Get 10 Content Marketing Boosters in 20 Minutes

April 8, 2019

Becoming the ‘Chief Empathy Officer’ of Your Copy and Content

April 1, 2019

One of the Most Important Marketing Decisions You’ll Ever Make

March 18, 2019

What Nobody Wants to Hear about Content Marketing

March 11, 2019

Getting Your Big, Scary Projects Finished: A Conversation about Growing Gills

March 4, 2019

When Is It Time to Bring in a Professional Copywriter?

February 25, 2019

Using Content to Systematically Move Prospects Toward a Purchase

February 18, 2019

Understanding the Lifecycles of Your Website, with Pamela Wilson

February 11, 2019

5 Ways to Manage a Stress-Induced Creative Slump

February 4, 2019

3 Ways Strategic Content Can Drive Measurable Business Outcomes

January 28, 2019

The Social Media Platform Every Content Creator Should Be Using in 2019 (Nope, It’s Not Facebook)

January 21, 2019

Real Talk about Generating High-Quality Content

January 14, 2019

A Conversation with Paul Jarvis about Staying a ‘Company of One’

October 29, 2018

The 3 Plus 1 Foundational Elements of Effective Persuasion

October 22, 2018

5 Essential Copywriting Techniques from Copyblogger

October 15, 2018

5 Ways to Recover Your Professional and Creative Confidence

October 8, 2018

5 Stinky Sardine Secrets to Make Your Content More Fascinating

September 24, 2018

The Mindset ‘Hack’ that Frees Your Creativity and Makes You Happier

September 18, 2018

How to Kill Your Sales and Mess up Your Business: Lessons from a Used Car Salesman

September 4, 2018

The 7 Things Writers Need to Make a (Good) Living

August 27, 2018

Are You Making These Social Media Marketing Mistakes?

August 20, 2018

Fix These 7 About Page Mistakes for More Traffic and (Possibly) Better SEO

August 13, 2018

7 Ways to Boost Your Creativity

August 6, 2018

A 10-Step ‘Checklist’ for Your Content Marketing Site

July 30, 2018

The 3 Keys to Publishing Strong Content … Even If You Aren’t a ‘Great’ Writer (Yet)

July 23, 2018

Fix These 3 Points of Failure to Get Better Results for Your Content

July 16, 2018

Big Changes at ConvertKit: A Discussion with Founder Nathan Barry

July 9, 2018

3 Skills to Master to Become a Marketing Badass this Year

June 18, 2018

The Quiet Power of Conversational Copy

June 11, 2018

5 Rules of Thumb to Relieve SEO-Induced Stress

June 4, 2018

How to Use the GDPR to Make Your Business Stronger than Ever

May 14, 2018

‘Good Karma’ Selling that Works: A Conversation with Tim Paige

April 30, 2018

How to Get More Comfortable (and Effective) at Selling

April 23, 2018

Privacy and Permission in the Wake of Cambridge Analytica

April 16, 2018

Seth Godin and How to Create Change

April 9, 2018

Email? Chatbots? Social? How Are We Supposed to Reach People?

March 26, 2018

The Double-Edged Sword that Can Make (or Break) Your Content

March 19, 2018

Make More Progress by Getting (Gently) Out of Your Comfort Zone

March 12, 2018

Are You Doing Content Marketing Wrong?

March 5, 2018

Storytelling for Modern Content Marketing (Part 2 of 2)

February 26, 2018

Storytelling for Modern Content Marketing (Part 1 of 2)

February 19, 2018

10 Quality Factors Search Engines Need to See on Your Site

February 12, 2018

A Simple Content Strategy to Make Your Site Massively More Useful

February 5, 2018

How to Avoid a Heartbreaking Business Failure

January 29, 2018

Hey Writers: Let’s Get You Paid What You’re Worth

January 15, 2018

5 Keys to Making Your Content More Shareable

December 18, 2017

3 Observations on Trends (but not Predictions) for 2018

December 11, 2017

3 Tips Now to Build a Strong Foundation in 2018

December 4, 2017

The 3 Success Factors that Help Writers Earn a Great Living

November 27, 2017

How to Recognize a Great Content Idea

November 20, 2017

How to Cultivate a More Meaningful Gratitude Practice

November 13, 2017

Advice for Poets, Advice for Killers

October 30, 2017

Face Your Business Fears on Halloween Week

October 23, 2017

How to Make Smarter Decisions about Your Website

October 2, 2017

A Series of Unfortunate Content Events

September 18, 2017

The Evolution of a Successful Copywriter

August 28, 2017

7 Ways to Improve Your Marketing by Harnessing the Power of Evil

August 14, 2017

Smart Questions from our Brilliant Audience

August 7, 2017

Does the Web Have Enough Patience for Your In-Depth Content?

July 31, 2017

How to Write (Much Better) Blog Comments

July 17, 2017

Which Works Better: Positive or Negative Content?

July 10, 2017

How to Attract the Exact Customers You Want

July 3, 2017

How to Create Stability and Success as an Artist

June 19, 2017

Two Powerful Resources for Life-Changing Growth

June 12, 2017

How to Turn All that Marketing Advice into Action

June 5, 2017

How to Develop a Compelling Marketing Idea in 4 Steps

May 30, 2017

Getting Over the Fear of Selling

May 22, 2017

Talking Community and Digital Business with Tara Gentile

May 15, 2017

Plagiarism, Self-Deception, Bad Sandwiches, and Other Interesting Disasters

May 1, 2017

Professional Writers: Find Out How to Get Certified by Copyblogger

April 17, 2017

The Painful Core Lesson Taught by 3 Astonishing Big-Brand Fails

April 3, 2017

5 Mindset Habits that Actually Work

March 27, 2017

On Grammar, Usage, and Not Being a Great Big Jerk

March 20, 2017

Creative Strategies for Content Writers

March 13, 2017

A New Ultra-Easy Resource for Creating Excellent WordPress Sites

February 20, 2017

Thriving Freelancers and Clients from Hell

February 13, 2017

Politics, Content Marketing, and the 2017 Super Bowl Ads

February 6, 2017

Copyblogger Book Club: Winning the Story Wars

January 23, 2017

3 Content Marketing Strategy Fails (and How to Fix Them)

January 9, 2017

The 2017 Content Excellence Challenge: Your January Assignments

December 19, 2016

Bad Writing Advice: The ‘Post Truth’ Episode

December 12, 2016

Get Ready Now for a Creative and Productive 2017

December 5, 2016

The 4 Pillars Every Online Business Is Built On

November 28, 2016

Orbit Media’s Latest Survey of 1000 Bloggers

November 14, 2016

Have You Already Missed the Podcasting Gold Rush?

November 7, 2016

Getting More Traffic, Links, and Shares to Your Content

October 31, 2016

5 Quick Wins for Content Marketers

October 24, 2016

Announcing: An Intriguing New Tool for Collaborative Content

October 17, 2016

A New Book to Make Content Marketing Easier

October 10, 2016

Behind the Scenes at Copyblogger: Our New Email Approach

October 3, 2016

The ‘Obligatory’ Structure of Effective Content

September 26, 2016

7 Powerful Content Strategies Borrowed from Advertising Masters

September 15, 2016

How to Handle Demographic and Psychographic Segmentation (without Looking Like an Idiot)

September 8, 2016

Ethics, Professionalism, and Good Manners for Content Marketers

September 1, 2016

3 Questions that Can Haunt Creative Professionals

August 25, 2016

How to Give and Get Exceptional Testimonials, Part Two

August 18, 2016

How to Give and Get Exceptional Testimonials, Part One

August 11, 2016

Are You Leaving Money on the Table with Weak Headlines?

August 4, 2016

Content Marketing for Nonprofits

July 28, 2016

The One-Two Punch that Creates the Most Successful Copywriters

July 21, 2016

Pokรฉmon Go: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

July 14, 2016

5 Suggestions When You’re Writing About Controversy

July 7, 2016

Announcing: A Breakthrough Educational Collaboration between Copyblogger and U.C. Davis

June 30, 2016

How to Break Past the #1 Conversion Killer

June 23, 2016

The New Age of Marketing Automation: Powerful, Simple, Cost-Effective

June 16, 2016

How to Make a (Really Good) Living as a Freelance Writer

June 9, 2016

Self-Publishing, Side Hustles, and Doing It All: A Conversation with Linda Formichelli

June 2, 2016

A Process for Content Marketing Success

May 26, 2016

Content Marketing Best Practices: Getting Email Opt-Ins

May 19, 2016

Behind the Scenes: Adventures in Advertising

May 12, 2016

Trump, Apple, and Facebook Advertising: Content Marketing News for May, 2016

May 5, 2016

Sally Hogshead and the Art of Fascination

April 28, 2016

Behind the Scenes at the Rainmaker Digital Company Meeting!

April 14, 2016

Social Media News, Social Media Constants

April 7, 2016

Strategies for B2B Podcasting, with Clark Buckner

March 31, 2016

Content Marketing Success Stories: Fitness Powerhouse Examine.com

March 24, 2016

Behind the Scenes: An Inside Look at the Rainmaker FM Redesign

March 17, 2016

Our Latest Advice and Resources for Digital Business Owners

March 10, 2016

Should Content Publishers Adopt Google’s New AMP?

March 3, 2016

7 Ways to Get Smarter with Social Media Listening

February 25, 2016

Content Marketing Shout-Out: Orbit Media and Andy Crestodina

February 18, 2016

The Tactic You Should Steal from Copyblogger

February 11, 2016

Content Marketing News for February, 2016

February 4, 2016

Email Marketing: The Misunderstood Powerhouse

January 28, 2016

The Secret Weapon Behind Great Websites: The Role of the Content Editor

January 21, 2016

Behind the Scenes: The Relaunch and Re-Imagining of Copyblogger.com

January 14, 2016

Trends and Predictions for Digital Commerce: A Conversation with Brian Clark

January 7, 2016

2016 Content Marketing Resolutions

December 28, 2015

The End of The Lede, The Beginning of Copyblogger FM

November 10, 2015

Constraints Can Be Blessings (Plus 2 Other Essential Lessons Jerod Re-Learned This Week)

November 3, 2015

Long or Short? The Content Length Question Answered, Once and For All

October 27, 2015

The Simple Publishing Hack That Gives Old Content New Life (Plus 3 More Tips)

October 20, 2015

The Surprising Truth about Earning a Profit from Your Content

October 13, 2015

How to Move Your Audience From Infatuation to Love

October 6, 2015

3 Things Your Audience Wants You to Know about Useful Content

September 29, 2015

Revisiting Authenticity: What It Is, What Itโ€™s Not, and Why It Matters

September 22, 2015

Publishing Lessons from Dave Pell, the Most Fascinating Email Newsletter Writer in the Business

September 15, 2015

Why Content Creators Should Kiss Their Programmers

September 8, 2015

Finally — A Podcast about the Superiority of Written Content

September 1, 2015

Hot Seat: Grilling Jerod on Using Audio Content to Seed a Content Arsenal

August 25, 2015

How to Optimize Your Headlines for Content Discovery with Vinegar (Before You Die of Cholera)

August 18, 2015

5 Stories That Explain Jerod Morris (Plus One Massive Marketing Lesson)

August 11, 2015

Lede Potpourri: A Big Idea, Talking About Demian Behind His Back, and Lessons from #PM15

August 4, 2015

How to Attend an Industry Conference Like a Boss

July 28, 2015

Getting the Most Out of a Conference When You’re There to Promote, Part 1

July 21, 2015

How Much Does the Modern Content Marketer Need to Know About SEO?

July 14, 2015

Are Podcasters Digitally Sharecropping Without Realizing It?

July 7, 2015

Celebrating Our 101st Episode (with a Special Guest Interviewer)

June 30, 2015

Why The Phrase ‘Leaders Are Readers’ Should Die

June 23, 2015

Why You Should Think Outside the Box About Online Courses

June 16, 2015

The Proper (and Safe) Way to Republish Old Articles

June 9, 2015

How to Grow an Audience on LinkedIn by Repurposing Content

June 2, 2015

Key Takeaways from Three-and-a-Half Hours with Henry Rollins

May 27, 2015

Rapid-Fire Takeaways from Authority Rainmaker

May 19, 2015

The Proper Way to Grow an Audience on Medium

May 12, 2015

The Introvertโ€™s Guide to Launching a Successful Podcast

May 5, 2015

The One Quality All Popular Podcasts Share

April 28, 2015

Proof That Grit Is the Only Way to Reach Your Potential

April 21, 2015

Do We Celebrate Failure Too Much?

April 14, 2015

Choose Yourself Part 2: James Altucher Fights Back

April 7, 2015

Should We Fear Content Shock? (Or Could It Actually Be a Good Thing?)

March 31, 2015

Should You Really ‘Walk in the Direction of Your Fear’?

March 24, 2015

Is ‘Choose Yourself’ Good Advice … or New-Age Phooey?

March 17, 2015

Is Authority Earned or Bestowed?

March 3, 2015

Dan Pink on How to Succeed in the New Era of Selling

February 24, 2015

Here’s How to Answer the Most Important Question in Life (and Make a Living from It)

February 17, 2015

Sally Hogshead on How You Can Unlock Your Natural Ability to Fascinate

February 10, 2015

How to Learn from Your Successes

January 27, 2015

How to Learn From Your Mistakes

January 13, 2015

Lessons Learned from Conducting Two Monster Audience Surveys

December 16, 2014

Adaptive Content: A Trend to Pay Attention to in 2015

December 2, 2014

The Most Important Lessons You Should Have Learned in 2014

November 18, 2014

How We Built Our Careers Online (And What You Can Learn From It)

November 4, 2014

Interview with Brian Clark: How Customer Experience Maps Help You Develop a Smarter Content Strategy

October 21, 2014

How Empathy Maps Help You Speak Directly to the Hearts of Your Audience

October 7, 2014

How to Ignite a Feeling in Your Audience

September 23, 2014

Are You Overlooking This Cornerstone of a Smart Content Strategy?

June 26, 2014

How to Curate Knowledge, Turn it Into Wisdom, and Build Your Audience

June 19, 2014

How Successful Writers Curate Ideas

June 13, 2014

The 5 W’s of Link Curation

June 6, 2014

Why You Should Curate Content (And How to Do It Right)

May 30, 2014

How Freaks and Misfits Can Succeed in Business: A Conversation with Chris Brogan

May 23, 2014

The 2 Reasons People Don’t Click on Your Buttons … And How to Overcome Them

May 16, 2014

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May 9, 2014

How to Be Authentic

May 2, 2014

How to Close With Style

April 25, 2014

The Best of Seth Godin on Copyblogger

April 17, 2014

How to Choose Arresting Images for Your Blog Posts (And Why You Should)

April 11, 2014

Removing Blog Comments: The View So Far

April 4, 2014

How to Use Internal Cliffhangers

March 28, 2014

Hangout Hot Seat with Brian Clark

March 21, 2014

How to Tell a Seductive Story

March 14, 2014

How to Create Exquisite Subheads

March 7, 2014

How to Write Killer Bullet Points

February 28, 2014

How to Write Damn Good Sentences

February 21, 2014

How to Use Persuasive Words

February 14, 2014

Michael Stelzner on Capturing Emails and Committing to Quality

February 7, 2014

How to Nail Your Opening

January 24, 2014

How to Write a Magnetic Headline (in Under 15 Minutes)

May 18, 2012

Seth Godin on When You Should Start Marketing Your Product, Service, or Idea

May 11, 2012

How to Attract an Audience by Integrating Content, Social, and Search

March 30, 2012

Why You Should Build an Audience Before You Build a Business

March 16, 2012

How Chris Brogan Built His Content Platform

March 9, 2012

Jay Baer on How to Turn Interested Prospects into Lifelong Customers

March 2, 2012

A 30-Minute Copywriting Course from a Master of the Craft

February 24, 2012

The Path to a Legendary Copywriting Career

February 17, 2012

5 Tips for Affiliate Marketing Beginners

February 10, 2012

Why Not Sell Physical Stuff With Digital Media?

February 3, 2012

Whether You Call it Blogging or Not, Online Content Still Rules

January 27, 2012

Answers to the 3 Biggest Email Marketing Questions We Get

January 20, 2012

How to Newsjack Your Way to Free Media Exposure with David Meerman Scott

January 13, 2012

Steven Pressfield and the War of Work

November 18, 2011

The Strategy Behind the Copyblogger Redesign

November 11, 2011

7 Ways to Create an Email Marketing "Snowball Effect"

November 4, 2011

Warning: If You're Not a Privacy Nut, You're Losing Sales

October 28, 2011

The 3 Kinds of Writing That Builds a Business

October 21, 2011

The Art of Seductive Writing: A Conversation with Robert Greene

October 7, 2011

Why Content Marketing Doesn't Suck

September 30, 2011

Are You Weird Enough to Succeed at Content Marketing?

September 23, 2011

What Works With SEO Right Now and Why No One Does What You Want

September 16, 2011

Are You Flushing Your Marketing Down the Social Media Toilet?

September 11, 2011

Seth Godin on Blogging, Business Books, and Creating Content that Matters

September 2, 2011

The Return of Copyblogger Radio …

June 10, 2011

Answered: Your Most Burning Content Marketing Questions

June 3, 2011

How to Get All the Clients and Customers You Can Handle

May 20, 2011

Is Content Marketing Worth the Work?

May 13, 2011

How to Write Nearly Undeletable Emails

May 6, 2011

Is the Online Gold Rush Over?

April 22, 2011

The Art of Enchanting Online Marketing with Guy Kawasaki

April 15, 2011

The Market for Something to Believe in is Infinite: An Interview with Hugh MacLeod

April 8, 2011

How to Constantly Create Compelling Content

March 25, 2011

The Content Marketing Question You Need to Answer … Now

March 18, 2011

Good SEO is Simple. Really.

March 4, 2011

Did Social Media Kill the Marketing Star?

February 25, 2011

How to Write (and Execute) a Simple but Powerful Business Plan

February 17, 2011

How to Kick Groupon to the Curb and Become a Local Hero

February 3, 2011

Convert … Or Die

January 27, 2011

Attention: Is Your Headline Getting Any?

January 20, 2011

How to Craft Landing Pages that Work

January 13, 2011

Why Every Smart Business is in the Media Business

January 5, 2011

2011 Content Marketing Predictions

December 15, 2010

Tim Ferriss on How to Reinvent Yourself with Blog Marketing

December 8, 2010

The 6 Elements of an Influential Web Experience

December 1, 2010

Your Staggeringly Unfair Marketing Advantage

November 17, 2010

How to Get Some Action

November 10, 2010

The Foundation of All Marketing that Works

November 3, 2010

Introducing Copyblogger Radio

March 25, 2011

The Content Marketing Question You Need to Answer … Now

One unfailing characteristic of online business is The Latest Bandwagon that’s perpetually rolling down the road toward us.

It’s usually some kind of new, sexy, easy, fast, 1-2-3 fad that will ensure you’re bathing in champagne by 10 o’clock tonight.

As you may well know, a strategic fad fetish can be a very expensive habit, both monetarily and psychologically.

What if you could go a simpler way? A way that fit your personality, that could exploit your natural strengths?

Thankfully, our very own Sonia Simone has broken this very thing down for us. And she’s willing to spill it…

In this episode Sonia and I discuss:

  • The two types of online working style that can determine your success or failure
  • How to execute your business goals based on who you are
  • Why comparing yourself to others might be a sure path to failure
  • The priceless marketing tool that works on your behalf like a mule
  • The critical aspect of business that both types have to master

Hit the flash player below to listen now:

The Content Marketing Question You Need to Answer … NowRobert Bruce
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Want to discover the smartest ways to mix social media, content marketing, and SEO? We’ve got you covered with Internet Marketing for Smart People. It’s a FREE 20-part course and email newsletter that delivers the techniques and strategies you need to know as an online marketer.

Links from the Show:

  • Seth Godin on “The Secret of the Web”
  • Put conversion to work for you with Premise

About the Author: Robert Bruce is Copyblogger Media’s Chief Copywriter and Resident Recluse.

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Comments

  1. Randy Kemp says

    March 25, 2011 at 8:56 AM

    Sonia:

    Today’s headline was good. It forces folks to listen to the radio show – the headline invokes curiosity.

    There’s actually a few variations between marathon runner and sprinter. It reminds me of the old Bugs Bunny cartoons, where Bugs races the turtle. In one case, the turtle used a jet pack. In another episode, the turtle let Bugs win. But he had Bugs brag about how fast he ran. Then Bugs got arrested.

    You mention Jeff’ Walker’s day. I remember when Clayton Makepeace shared his day on occasion. Clayton put in tons of hours each day, let he make over 1 million per year.

    But when is work – work? I remember a quote from the poetry book “The Prophet” by Kahlil Gibran: If you cannot work with love but only with distaste, it is better that you should leave your work.

    But we do need to recharge. Auto-responders still need work to program the message series correctly. Some can do this very well (i.e. Marketer Ben Hart in his marketing membership site autoresponder messages).

    Good food for thought today.

    Randy

    Reply
  2. MKR says

    March 25, 2011 at 10:10 AM

    I think it’s possible to be both a marathoner and sprinter. I set posts to go out every weekday, but usually get most of a week’s worth of posts written (but not fully edited) in 30 minute or hour-long sprints.

    Reply
    • Sonia Simone says

      March 25, 2011 at 10:29 AM

      I agree, there are a lot of great businesses that blend both. I mention Jeff Walker as a sprinter, for example, but he’s also got some marathoner habits that make his business a lot stronger.

      Reply
    • Elizabeth Kaylene says

      March 25, 2011 at 2:36 PM

      That’s where I want to be — writing a week’s worth of posts on the weekend and scheduling them so that during my work week, I don’t have to write them after working at my day job all day. I’ve been trying to do one post a week, but would like to do three a week. I’ve been brainstorming post ideas here and there, and now have a ton, so ideally I’d like to even write a couple weeks’ worth of posts ahead of time.

      Reply
      • MKR says

        March 25, 2011 at 7:48 PM

        Something I learned from my fiction writing friends: The more you write, the more you think, the more you write. Writing is an idea generation process in itself. It’s better if you write every day, even if that’s just hammering 2-3 simple outlines out after work.

        Reply
        • Sonia Simone says

          March 25, 2011 at 11:09 PM

          I have found that to be true, although I’m not doing it at the moment. But I’m working on getting back to that (six days a week works well for me), even if it’s just a few paragraphs.

          Reply
  3. Victor Kippes says

    March 25, 2011 at 10:35 AM

    I believe running a business is like racing a bicycle where you have to be both a marathon rider and sprinter. I have yet to bath in champagne but this is the intent.

    Reply
  4. Theresa Delgado says

    March 25, 2011 at 1:20 PM

    Sonia & Robert,

    Thank you for another stellar radio show!

    Question: Sonia, when you say to load your auto responder with messages, so you can have a little downtime, do you mean additional communication than just blog broadcasts will be going out?

    Because if you load your blog and send out blog broadcasts, then you would still be “keep in touch” with your email list while you’re laying on the beach in St. Tropez sipping Champagne.

    So, I guess what I’m wondering is if you are meaning that extra communication should be going out to your list on a regular basis in addition to blog broadcasts?

    Thank you – Theresa

    Reply
    • Sonia Simone says

      March 25, 2011 at 1:25 PM

      If you’re blogging every week, then you’re keeping an open connection with your audience (marathoner strategy), although we also recommend you add an email list/autoresponder that makes a deeper connection with the people who are your most avid fans (like we do with the Smart People newsletter).

      When you say “load your blog and send out blog broadcasts,” do you mean doing a sprint and writing a bunch of posts, then scheduling them to release later? That would be the blog version of the tactic, but with blogs folks pretty much expect you to be there responding to comments, so it’s trickier than it is with email. But if you’re willing to come in off the beach a few times in the morning to reply to comments, it can be functionally the same thing, just using another tool.

      Reply
      • Theresa Delgado says

        March 25, 2011 at 2:08 PM

        Okey-dokey. Thank you for your eply.

        I just took a peek at one of the Smart People emails and noticed how the Comments section (when I click through to read the entire post) is not available, so I see how you don’t have to be checking for comments throughout out the day – and my Champagne won’t get warm.

        Now this brings another question (sorry): With what frequency do you have your autoresponder send out these additional messages?

        If you are sending out blog broadcasts and the extra communication, only for email subscribers, what is a good amount of emails per week?

        If it’s quality content people will value it, but at what point do you overload your subscribers?

        Thank you – Theresa

        Reply
        • Sonia Simone says

          March 25, 2011 at 11:08 PM

          Different people have different rhythms — once a week (in addition to any blog content) is good for awhile to get people used to receiving the emails, and then a lot of folks might drop back to every other week or once a month. If you’re going once a month you run the risk of people entirely forgetting who you are.

          There’s no single answer since much depends on how dense/long your content is, how interested your readers are in the topic, how much email overwhelm your readers deal with, and your ability to create content.

          Reply
          • Theresa Delgado says

            March 26, 2011 at 10:49 AM

            Sonia,

            Thank you for your reply. Sorry, sorry, one more question as I analyze how Copyblogger is set up in respect to email subscriptions.

            You all have the regular email (first level) – and subscribers receive the daily stuff. Than you segment out the Smart People subscribers (second level), why the extra step?

            In the beginning did you all provide the “extras” to your first level subscribers?

            Do you all find that this “second level” of subscribers are a more targeted audience? (I don’t mean this as an obvious rhetorical question, I’m actually interested in the thought process here.)

            Thank you – Theresa

  5. Peter Lawlor says

    March 25, 2011 at 6:49 PM

    You mention Tim Ferriss as a sprinter. Before you mentioned T. Ferriss, I actually thought about him as the quintessential marathoner (to Seth Godin being the ultramarathoner). The reason I say this is Tim developed his very popular blog before launching his first book, 4HWW. He built up an audience over a decent period of time; his book was a runaway hit.

    T. Ferriss continued blogging regularly after his first book. He did slow down blogging about 1 to 2 years after 4HWW (I suspect he was writing the 4 Hour Body). My point is Tim built up a huge and loyal audience over time. Now he can afford to be a sprinter because he has a massive audience, but he started out (in my respectful view) a marathoner.

    But, I see your point about the sprinter aspect of T. Ferriss in that he worked very hard leading up to both book launches and that he does take extended vacations (“mini-retirements” as he calls them).

    Looking at T. Ferriss leads me to wonder if most internet marketers have no choice but to start out a marathoner to build up an audience? Once an audience or tribe is created, then the option to be a sprinter is available.

    I suppose the exception is if you do product launches exclusively and have relationships with other marketers and do JVs. But in order to enter into a JV, one must have something to bring to the table, namely a subscribership. Building that subscribership takes a fair amount of work akin to a marathon.

    Anyway, I really liked your interview because you framed online businesses into two models which is very simple to understand. When I stumbled onto internet marketing, I hoped to be a sprinter, but it’s turning into a marathon. I’ve decided to embrace the marathon and go the distance. Perhaps the option to be a sprinter will be available in the future.

    Reply
    • Sonia Simone says

      March 25, 2011 at 11:06 PM

      That’s a good point — the Tim Ferriss as blogger today, I agree — I was thinking more of the business outlook he described in Four Hour Workweek, which is very sprinty. And also his penchant for long exotic vacations, which I envy. ๐Ÿ™‚

      Reply
  6. Sonia Simone says

    March 25, 2011 at 11:11 PM

    By the way, I completely made up Jeff Walker’s day based on observation. I don’t spend time hanging out with him in Durango, although it looks like it would be a lot of fun. ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
  7. Sathishkumar says

    March 27, 2011 at 1:48 AM

    I like to be marathoner rather than a sprinter, because as a marathoner I can have the stamina and ability to reach my long goals where as a sprinter I will lose both of them after a certain amount of time.

    Reply
  8. Elgin SUBWAYSURFER Bolling says

    March 28, 2011 at 12:13 AM

    I can see how you really need to be a hybrid of both marathoner and sprinter depending on the situation. If I had to choose over the two types it would be the turtle though…He’s not as “sexy” as the Hare, but unlike the Hare, when the going gets tough, he has a shell that he can retreat to in order to rest, regroup and replan before getting back in the race. Anyone who has been on line knows the value of putting time in, making sacrifices, posti g, tweeting, blogging day after day until you finally get a little attention.

    Reply
  9. Zsolt says

    March 29, 2011 at 3:57 AM

    Really great, eye-opening stuff. Thanks so much Sonia and Robert.

    After many trial and errors it’s becoming clear…as much as I’d like to be, I am not a marathoner. The blogs I started testify this. No matter how passionate I was for the topic I just couldn’t carry on with them. Hard to face the reality: blogging is not for me.

    But I’m not the pushy, hypey marketing type of a guy either. What I really enjoy is building systems and automatizing them. That’s more of a sprinter strategy I guess.

    On Copyblogger I keep reading about how content marketing is the way to really make it big in today’s digital brave new world. And I absolutely agree. The slow and steady wins the race eventually.

    So what happens with us, sprinter folks? How can we make it without blogging regularly? Without being hypey? Without trying to shove our stuff down everybody’s throat?

    How can we utalize the power of content marketing and relationship building? Autoresponders? Partnering with marathoners?

    C’mon guys and gals, am I really the only sprinter here? ๐Ÿ™‚

    Zsolt…a sprinter from the middle of ol’ Europa.

    Reply
  10. Svetlana says

    March 29, 2011 at 6:54 AM

    This is a great podcast, Sonia.

    You are right, there are sprinters and there are marathoners.

    I am more like a sprinter by nature. I like to do great amounts of work and then take rest.

    But I realized that in order to have a steady business, I should be both.

    Now I combine both approaches, and it works great for me.

    In between products and content launches, I…

    – study

    – plan

    – maintain relationships with my customers through email and social media

    – improve my website

    I may be wrong, but in case you don’t have the whole team working for you, you should combine both approaches.

    Reply

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