Offline Investing Tips with Gabe Young Blogger @ FreeBlogHelp.com

I had the pleasure to interview fellow blogger and angel investor Gabe Young @ freebloghelp.com about offline investing practices and methods. Money-making secrets revealed inside.
1. You’re an offline investor… when did you start to get into this field
and what comparison do you see with the online industries out there?

As my career success started climbing, so did the number of relationships I’ve built. Inevitably, investment opportunities find me. I don’t distinguish online vs. offline opportunities, I just look at potential ROI and payback periods. The problem with online opportunities is that there are way too many of them. Everyone thinks they can make a quick buck if they could only find someone else’s money to play with. It’s really not that easy.

2. What is an investor should look for before deciding to put his own
money into a project online and/or offline? What it should avoid?
First, ensure that you are in a financial position to actually take opportunities. I’m not a fan of mortgaging your future for small businesses. Your seed money should be excess that won’t impact your ability to live and save comfortably.
Secondly, I would make sure that the person you’re giving money to has skin in the game. If they are playing with only investor money, that’s not incentive enough for me to believe they are truly committed.
3. What top general industries do you find profitable from
your experience (online and offline)?
No matter what you choose, make sure that the company can continuously reinvent itself. For example, one of my businesses sells the hottest trendy products that teenagers look for. They have an incredible disposable income and are willing to splurge on things on a whim. That said, we have to consistently evaluate our lineup to ensure that we have the actual products that they want.
4. What is your opinion on general vs. micro niches? Which one should we tap into? Why?
I would personally choose something that I have either a lot of experience in or have an interest in learning much more about. Don’t jump into something that you don’t know or care about because not only will you lose interest in the long run but you will also be constantly trying to catch up with others who actually love what they do.
From there, choose a sub-niche that market hasn’t already been cornered by someone else. So if you love cars, instead of having a general car enthusiast site, create a community surrounding the love of vintage Jaguars. Early on, it’s better to be big fish in small pond.
5. What tips do you have for investors who are starting out and have some money
to invest in the offline & online world? What markets should they avoid, what
markets should the consider? What else.
A. Invest in what you love
B. Choose a niche or sub-niche that you can eventually own
C. Don’t partner with anyone who doesn’t have at least an equal financial investment
I know those are general rules of thumb that I’ve mentioned but I firmly believe any business can be successful if it has the right foundation.

Blogging for Business: How BloggingJunction.com Started to Get Traffic and Generate Money

Looking to start blogging for business or just want to take your blog to the next level?

Read how BloggingJunction.com started to get traffic and generate money…

I had the privilege to interview its owner (Saksham Talwar) by email about his blogging experience and experiments. Enjoy.

I know you’re only 16 years old. It is quite impressive to see youngsters take the blogosphere by storm and succeed when others are just dreaming about it. So, when (and why) did you start blogging and what is the story behind creating www.BloggingJunction.com?

My blogging story started back in 2008 with a small Blogspot blog where I wrote about wildlife and nature. I had no intentions what-so-ever of making money via blogging before I moved on to a self-hosted domain two months after I created my first blog.

My first self-hosted blog was about computer tips and tricks. For the first year I didn’t make a single dollar, but I learnt a lot about blogging, SEO, advertising, social media, etc. In 2009 I decided to shut down my computer tips blog and start afresh with a new blog – Blogging Junction. I decided to share my experiences; some things that helped me build a better blog and will be helpful for other newbies too.

How did it feel to write in the beginning and how often did you create content to help launch the blog?

In the beginning I was a bit confused about the topics to write on as I had just one year experience in the blogging field and most of the tips I was going to share already existed on many other blogs. Still I decided to give a try and wrote blog posts on what I learnt during my first blogging year and as BJ progressed, I also shared tips on what was making it to progress!

I had made it a point to write at least 1 article a day and sometimes even 2, but due to my high school studies I could just write 5-6 blog posts a week.

As the competition today is a lot higher, for new bloggers I would recommend to write at least 1 high quality article every day and if possible 2 or more than that.

What methods did you use to help promote your blog and attract an audience?

I used blog commenting, forum posting and even invited some other bloggers to read my blog and many of them did that! The way that worked the best for me to attract visitors was blog commenting. Though its power isn’t that high as of today, but the good news is that it still works and will help you get your initial blog visitors.

Blog commentating -> Find 10 “new” blogs belonging to your blog niche -> Comment on their blog posts regularly and even follow back to their replies -> Socialize further via social networks

What was the most powerful traffic-getting method in your opinion and why?

The method that worked for me then was blog commentating. But as I said above, blog commentating is not that powerful as of today. Guest blogging is the method that works like a charm today.

Guest blogging on popular blogs not only helps you attract their audience to your blog but also helps you get useful backlinks which help you rank better in search engines and get more organic traffic. So guest blogging exposes you to two traffic sources – direct traffic from blog where you guest blog and organic traffic from search engines which you get due to increased search engine rankings.

So in order to build traffic the method I will recommend is to guest blog and keep on doing the same!

How often do you publish content on your blog nowadays?

Last month I published at least one post every day. This month I am following a different strategy. This month I am going to publish posts on alternate days so that each post gets proper exposure. Let’s see how it goes!

How do you attract traffic to your blog nowadays?

A.)  Guest blogging

B.)  SEO

These methods are working like a charm for me these days and will work for you too.

Let’s talk about SEO, my favorite topic and the method of smart bloggers around the globe.

Why is optimization important to you and how do you optimize your blog for the search engines? What are you doing special that maybe others are missing?

Optimization is very important and helps us in bring in visitors indeed easily. Optimization has two parts – on-page and off-page optimization. On-page optimization is one in which you optimize your blog internally. This includes using proper titles, descriptions, adding META keywords, ensuring easy navigation, building internal links, etc. Off-page optimization includes link building from external sources like guest blogging, blog commentating, forums posting, guest blogging, etc. On-page SEO is the first step of ranking higher and next comes Off-page SEO.

People these days aren’t keeping up to the trends. It’s time to move on with search engines. There was a time when directory submissions worked, but they hardly matter anymore. But still if you see, people are buying directory submissions, but it’s of no use. Instead guest blogging works these days and hopefully it will work in future too.

As I am writing this, www.BloggingJunction.com shows a Google page rank 4 and an Alexa ranking under 25k. Could you give us a step-by-step walkthrough on what new bloggers should do in order to achieve similar results as you did?

To get a high page rank you just have to build links from good blogs or websites. Try taking the full benefit of commentluv links, dofollow forums to build links and in no time you will have a good PR as mine.

As far as Alexa rank is concerned, it hardly matters in my opinion. Alexa rank depends on your luck I say. If the visitors visiting your blog use the Alexa toolbar or if you have Alexa widget placed in your blog, your blog will have a good Alexa rank and if the visitors don’t use the Alexa toolbar, your blog will find it difficult to rank higher. Don’t focus much on Alexa rank I will say.

How did Google Panda update affect your rankings and what do you suggest bloggers who are worried about their rankings: what should they focus on, and more importantly, what should they avoid?

Google Panda update increased my traffic by more than 60%. If Google Panda update has had a negative impact on your blog, make sure you remove or edit all the duplicate content present in your blog. Also try to reduce the outgoing links from your blog. This doesn’t mean you no-follow all the links, but instead just reduce the number of external links (affiliate links mainly). You can read the following article on my blog, 7 SEO Tips That Might Be Relevant After The Google Panda Update

What else can you mention to help fellow bloggers turn into SEO masters without tricking the search engines or deceiving their visitors?

“Write for your readers, optimize for search engines” is what I will suggest.

Write in a way and language that your readers like and optimize the blog post for search engines by building links and using proper meta details.

Blogging for Money: 22 Pro Bloggers Confess How They Make Money Online

Do you struggle to learn the secrets to blogging for money? Be aware: there are many blogging “gurus” that are not preaching what they’re “teaching”.

In my 5+ years blogging online for a living I learned a ton of things. I know what works and what doesn’t. I discover and test new things on a daily basis.

In my quest to find how other pro bloggers make money online, I’ve dug deep on the Internet through hundreds of Google pages and forums. I even asked my closest friends to refer me top bloggers who are trust worthy.

I searched for the right (and stumbled on the wrong) blogs. I’ve spent 60+ hours looking for the right candidates. And here’s what I’ve found:

A ton of newbies… some fake “gurus”… a few scam artists.

I dug deeper and found exactly what I was looking for: real bloggers who were blogging for money, directly or indirectly.

I’ve compiled a list of 50+ bloggers and asked them three simple questions:

  1. What is your blog’s best money-maker (method, product or program)
  2. How much it generates for you per month (or week, etc)
  3. Share a comment (or tip) about your method so that others
    can learn from your experience and blog like never before

I selected the best answers and only 22 finalists made it into the list you’re about to read next. You’ll discover bloggers who make money online with…

  • Adsense/ads
  • Affiliate marketing
  • Consulting services/writing
  • Sponsors/reviews
  • And other money-making methods you’ll find interesting. Let’s start…

These guys are making anywhere from $200… $1,000 and up to $6.000 a month from their blogging activities. However, nobody started making this much the next day they setup their blog.

Some are making a lot more either per project or client, as an indirect result of their blogging.

Pay close attention to each word these pro bloggers are saying, and if possible, go beyond that.

Try to understand what they are really saying, and why. Go beyond the concept, and ask yourself how you can adapt what you’re reading to your particular situation or blogging niche.

Alex Fraiser www.blogussion.com

Alex-Mangini

“My #1 money-maker is definitely selling my own blog designs. It makes me about $x,xxx a month, and I am trying to increase that figure big time. I feel that by selling you’ve made personally, something that you really put yourself into and sell with extreme value, will make you money every time.”

Annabel Candy www.successfulblogging.com

“I’ve connected with new clients around the globe because of my blog. Previously I could never get a web design or copywriting job unless I met someone in person. Thanks to my blog I now have clients all over Australia, in the UK and in North America. In fact I am probably better known in California than in my small home town in Australia! Blogging has proved to be a very effective way to market my services. Even though my first blog Get In the Hot Spot was about travel and completely unrelated to what I do for a living, people liked my story and writing style and wanted to work with me because of that.

I can’t put a figure on that but in addition to getting more clients for my services I’ve been able to set up other income streams because of my blog by recommending the best products around and selling my book Successful Blogging in 12 Simple Steps.

Many people like me aren’t comfortable with hard sales techniques but what I’ve learned, purely by accident, is that being genuine, building trust and developing strong relationships is more important than actively selling something.”

Brody Dorland www.allurenewmedia.com

“Method – Using a specific content strategy, my blog makes me money by communicating my level of expertise and building the necessary level of confidence in prospects who are looking to hire an online marketing consultant.

I’d say on average, my blog brings in at least one qualified project per month, which could range from a $10k consulting engagement to a $60k website development project.

We utilize our proprietary content strategy process called “The Publisher Method” that helps us to identify the informational needs of our buyers and produce the ideal content that will resonate with them. “

Cathy Larkin www.WebSavvyPR.com

“My blog, acts as a lead generator helping to sell my services. It is a resource of useful info for my prospects and customers, that also shows my approach to PR, social media & blogging coaching and consulting. How I talk/blog about a topic is a part of what sells my services.  I just launched a “Create a Strategy & Build a Blog in 6 Weeks” coaching program for established small business owners & solopreneurs. I already have my first two clients, so I expect it will become a strong income generator as it fills a need.

The key for service businesses is identifying your client’s or prospective client’s core needs – then developing a program or product around that, along with blog posts that support that core need with useful information. In reality – that program was not the only business my blog helped me generate this/last month, but it is a newer program that codifies what I have been doing into a clear program, which so far seems easier to sell. ”

Dino Vedo www.dinovedo.com

“My best money maker method is affiliate marketing, but in terms of blogging, it is definitely building a list. The list is very important, and if you aren’t doing it, you are leaving money on the table!

I usually am able to get around 1-2K new optins every month from just subscribers to my blog. Imagine sending an email to an offer that is highly targeted to a list of over a thousand loyal readers? Its all a numbers game.

My best tip or advice to give someone is to start building a list straight away. This way you will be sure to have something to rely upon when your not getting huge amounts of traffic or just starting out.“

Keller Hawthorne www.fresheventure.com

“My blog’s best money-making method is definitely writing product reviews or recommending products in articles. Each article makes anywhere from $20 to $500 per month. The trick is writing about a product or service you have experience with and that has a great price point (products $100 and under do very well).”

Geno Prussakov www.amnavigator.com/blog

“Most of the money that I make from my blog is not made through ads, product placements or paid posts. Ads do bring in some cash (and I don’t do PP or paid/sponsored blogging), but my biggest money-maker is the brand-building that my daily blogging greatly facilitates in. This brings in clients — in my case, companies interested in having me manage their affiliate programs, or consult for them.

Due to the above-quoted specifics I’ve actually never counted it. I should! You’ll have to ask me again a few months down the road.

The core of my blogging method is simple: respect your readers’ time, and blog about things that are truly interesting and add value. I don’t re-distribute other companies (however large or influential) announcements and press releases. I put myself in the shoes of my readers, and try to be interesting, practical, relevant and thereby engaging.”

Gideon Shalwick www.GideonShalwick.com

“If “best” in your question means what activity I engage in that provides me with the best return on investment, I would say running paid webinars. The return on each hr I spend on that has been as high as anywhere between $2,000 and $6,000 per hr. Obviously this includes only the time that I spend on promoting and running the webinars.

If “best” in your question means making the most amount of money in the shortest possible time for the least amount of work, I would say affiliate promotions. For these, I would often just send out a few emails, and maybe a video as well if I get a bit more behind the promotion. For my best affiliate promotion so far, I sold close to $100,000 worth of product from 4 emails, and one YouTube video. This was only a few hrs worth of direct work from me.

If “best” in your question means making the most money as a whole, I would say launching one of my own products. Not only can this bring in a truckload of money in a very short period of time, but it also allows you to build your email list very fast, which becomes the backbone of your whole business.

I think the key thing to remember for blogging or video blogging, is that it’s essentially a list building and people relationship management tool. If you can use blogging or video blogging to successfully build a responsive email list, you’re going in the right direction.

I’ve now successfully set up three businesses using video and video blogging as the main components. One business is getting around 40 new optins a day, another is getting around 30 new optins a day, and the third one is getting around 80-100 optins a day.

Getting a steady stream of optins allows you to set up a sustainable business for the long term. And while launches are great for setting up new businesses, it’s not a great business model for long term sustainability.

Focus on long term traffic and long term quality lead generation. That way you will set up a long term sustainable business.

To learn how I use video blogging to turn my video views into cash, please download my FREE 92 page report, Rapid Video Blogging, here: http://RapidVideoBlogging.com”

Gabe Young www.freebloghelp.com

“Selling links on existing articles or home page. On average, I make about $300/wk. My best tip: increase your PR for your site.”

Henri Junttila www.wakeupcloud.com

“At the moment I have two courses on my blog, which both sell well. I do not do any promotion or pushing to sell more of them, but the best producer is my Article Marketing course.

It varies between $100-$300 and sometimes over per month.

My tip is to follow your heart and do what feels good. Avoid getting stuck in thoughts of overwhelm and confusion. If you’re just starting out, you’ll probably be scared. The only way to get through that is to take action anyway.”

Ian Lurie www.conversationmarketing.com

“Conversation Marketing makes me money by building potential leads for my company, Portent. It earns about $10,000/week that way. Conversation Marketing’s done well because I write every day. Sometimes I don’t post what I write, but I’m always in-practice and producing ideas, even if only for 5 minutes.”

Jeremy Litwicki www.ProfitAddiction.com

“My blog’s best money-maker: The community

How much it makes per month: The long-term value may just be priceless, it grows month by month though.

Comment or tip: Worry more about building a community than squeezing every dime out of your brand and the money will surely come. This does not mean to forget about monetization, but worry more about creating great content and building a community that cares.”

Justin Germino www.dragonblogger.com

“The single largest earning program for my site is AdSense, I was able to double my AdSense earnings consistently in the last six months.  But I use a variety of programs to make money from my sites.

Currently I earn between $120 and $150 per month in AdSense earnings and  this is increasing as my site traffic increases.

Tip: experiment with banner sizes and placement, leverage the 3 banners per  page but don’t place them so they intrude too much on post content.  It took over a year to find the placement and sizes that worked best for my site.”

Kiesha www.WeBlogBetter.com

“My best money-maker is the services I offer – freelance writing, editing, blog designing and consulting.  I’m able to work from home because it generates enough income to keep the bills paid. Anyone can offer services, almost everyone knows how to do something useful that others are willing to pay for.”

Krizia MissK www.WomenEntrepreneursHQ.com

“Product reviews are the best money-making method on my blog. It makes $2,500-$5,000 per month

It’s amazing how one well written review post about products people are looking for online can generate income and even passive income. Some review posts have brought me revenues on a monthly basis for up to one year.”

Mark Schaefer www.businessesgrow.com

“I do not make any money off of my blog directly, meaning that I don’t carry paid advertising, affiliate advertising, or the like.  My blog strategy is entirely dedicated to sharing insanely great content that will enhance my reputation and attractiveness as an author, speaker and consultant.  This strategy has worked beautifully as my business has doubled each of the last three years without a single penny of paid marketing or advertising to support it. “

Martin Osborn www.finchsells.com

“What is my #1 money-maker?

Regular trustworthy content – so that readers are more likely to listen when I have a genuine product to recommend.

How much do I make?

It’s a snowball effect where each month earns more than the last.

My best tip?

It’s better to promote only the best products, than to sell your word for anything with a commission attached.”

Murray Lunn www.Murlu.com

“At this time, Clickbank has eclipsed my previous revenue (Amazon Associates) which all work around a very specific hobby niche that I’ve been active in for many years. Despite my work on Murlu.com, it’s my other hobby blog that generates the majority of my online income (roughly $900 – $1200 a month). My biggest advice is to pick something that you’re already consumed in (such as a hobby) and find others that equally enjoy what you do – bridge the gap between beginner and advanced levels with great content and appropriate, related products and you’ve got a winner!”

Onibalusi www.youngprepro.com

“I make the bulk of my income online as a freelance writer and I presently make an average of $3000 online from it monthly.

My advice to anyone wanting to make solid income from offering his/her services to others is to focus on providing genuine value to people by offering the best of his/her service – not because of the money. By doing this you will be able to get more results.”

Pradeep Kumar www.HellBoundBloggers.com

“Best Money Maker Method: Sponsored/Paid Reviews

I can’t disclose the exact amount, but it is 3 figure (USD), sometimes 4.

It depends on your interest whether you disclose Paid/Sponsored reviews to your readers or not, but make sure you write those reviews useful to them, because they are citizens of your country (blog)”

Nikki Parkinson www.stylingyou.com.au

“My personal styling one-on-one services are my blog’s best money-maker; but only one part of the income stream for my blogging business.  For the blog to be a successful business, I rely on income from a number of streams, including privately sourced advertising, affiliate advertising, network advertising and affiliate sales

The one-on-one bookings earn me about $2000 per month.

My greatest tip is to blog about what you love (for me, that’s fashion and beauty).  Readers like my information and have a relationship with me before they book in for any of my services.  They understand the way I work and what I recommend before outlaying any money.  A blog does this better than any business card can because the reader (and potential customer) can get to know you first.”

Tyler Cruz www.TylerCruz.com

“My blog’s biggest money maker is private ad sales. They generate between $15K-$20K per year. My tip would be to not worry or focus on monetizing your blog but rather on providing quality content that is consistently updated.”

There you have it.

Blogging for Money: 22 Pro Bloggers Confess How They Make Money Online

Proven money-making models you can follow. Inspiration and motivation. You have zero excuses not to start (or continue) blogging and get paid for your effort.

Today’s tips are useless unless you implement what you’ve read so far. The easy part is to start with just one money-making model or method. Don’t complicate yourself.

What’s next?

Share this post with others. Tell your friends, contacts and colleagues about it.

AUTHOR RESOURCE BOX

Codrut Turcanu (the most productive Internet Marketing copywriter) shares free affiliate marketing tips and product review templates on his super affiliate marketing blog to help affiliates looking for the best ways to earn money online

Email marketing tips from Lynn Terry at ClickNewz.com

Today’s interview features full-time marketer and super affiliate blogger, Lynn Terry…

Right-click here to get a PDF printer-friendly version
of this interview and read it offline!

Please introduce yourself to our readers…

I’ve been working online and from home for 13 years. My name is Lynn Terry, and I am best known for my candid blog at http://www.ClickNewz.com . I am a Super Affiliate, a seasoned expert at Internet Marketing and a variety of online business models, and am also a single mother to two children. Now teens, they were just 5 months and 5 years old when I started my first business.

When, how and why did you get started with blogging @ ClickNewz.com?

I have been blogging full-time for more than six years. I originally started blogging on blogger.com and then moved to ClickNewz.com and a WordPress platform about 18 months later.

I started the blog to 1) try blogging as a business model and platform, and 2) to share my personal daily finds and challenges with Internet Marketing. In the beginning it was as much the personal journal of an online business owner as anything, but it has grown into a popular Internet Marketing blog with a large readership.

What is your experience with list building so far?

I have over 10 years experience with list-building and email marketing. In the beginning it was easy to build email lists, and many publishers built large (mostly untargeted) mailing lists. Users are more cautious about giving away their email address now than they were then, and publishers are finding that micro-targeted mailing lists work much better than general topic lists.

What are the TOP areas I should concentrate on when building my list first time?

First, you want to make sure you have a good mailing list manager. This is super important when you’re just starting out, as it’s difficult to move a mailing list without losing 90% of your hard-earned subscribers. I use and prefer Aweber, which is the industry leader in mailing list management.

Second, create a targeted topical list. Know exactly who you want to subscribe, and what you are going to offer them in the way of content. Consider your market, and how you can best serve that market. Create an incentive that appeals directly to that market, and keep your mailings on topic as a follow-up to that download.

Do you have a formula for writing subject lines that get opened?

The absolute best thing you can do is split-test subject lines with your list. Every list and every niche is going to be different, and respond to different things, so split-testing subject lines yourself is the only sure bet.

I never, ever use misleading subject lines. While they may get a good open rate (at first) they are deceptive and they create a sense of distrust between you and your reader.

What would you say is the one most important thing you’ve learned about writing openings?

I use specific subject lines that will appeal to the exact person I want to read the email, and I make it personal. Often I will ask a question, or use the word “you” in the subject line.

From there, I open with a personable statement that asks the reader a question, or otherwise draws them into what I want to share in that message. Make it a point to address the reader personally, or use words like “you” and “yours”. Avoid saying “I” or “me” too much, and avoid generalizations like “my subscribers” or “all of you”. ONE person is reading your email.

What about getting clicks?

Getting click-through’s is all about having a strong call-to-action, and one that is a direct match to the expectations you set with your subject line in that email. It starts with the subject line, then the opening, and should end with a highly relevant call-to-action. Don’t just include a link and expect readers to click on it – Tell them what it is, and why they should click on it, and what result to expect when they do (and if they don’t).

So how do you make money with your list[s]?

The best way to make money with your list is to have their best interest in mind at all times. Serving your market. Instead of trying to sell them products all the time, be their niche advocate. Keep your eyes peeled for special offers, coupon codes, deals, exclusive content – something over and above what your competitors are offering. Gain your readers’ trust and interest through these methods, and they will buy from you over anyone else!

Who are you learning from or getting inspiration when it comes to writing your emails?

In most of the niches where I market, I am my target market. Meaning I am a consumer in that market as well. That being the case, I pay special attention to the emails and advertisements, or blog posts and content, that gets my attention. I add that to my personal Swipe File, and use that for inspiration in creating my own high-response content & subject lines.

What are your list building plans for the future? And what do you expect others do once they finish reading your interview?

My plans for the future are to continue to build micro-targeted niche lists, and continue to look for ways to serve those markets. My advice for you, after reading this, is to take a look at what you are doing now and consider ways that you can improve it. And if you haven’t started your own mailing list yet, do it today! ;)

Thank you very much for the great amount of email marketing tips and advice you shared with us today.

We appreciate your insights and invite our readers to comment on the blog and ask any other questions they might have.

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