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A common desire for humans, once we’ve surpassed our basic requirements for survival, is to be part of something bigger than ourselves, while making a contribution to the world. The huge growth of online sites like Youtube, Twitter and Facebook, which have the potential to give anyone a large audience are a great example of this in action. This same desire is why there are over 100 million active blogs out there, each with authors trying to connect to the bigger whole.
Even though there are thousands upon thousands of micro-niches and active communities discussing the most peculiar topics, there’s still only room for a handful of ‘rockstars’ to emerge from each of them. There are always going to be fewer influencers than there are people to be influenced. That’s common sense, not helped by the fact that gaining a following isn’t some paint-by-numbers process, and it certainly doesn’t happen overnight.
If you’ve read ‘Fooled by Randomness’ then you may believe that most success is just luck. That there are just so many people in the world that there simply has to be a small number who are wealthy, famous and successful.
Maybe my own desire to be part of something bigger is kicking in its defense mechanism, but I like to think success is waiting for the people who most consistently take right action towards their goals. For that reason I believe anyone has the potential to become a Niche Rockstar / Influencer / A-Lister / YouGetTheIdea.
The Benefits of Rockstardom
There are many benefits to becoming a Rockstar in your niche and having some level of influence. The first obvious result of having a large audience is that you instantly have access to connections all over the globe. I could go to most countries in the world now and quickly find people who would be happy to show me around. Before I continue, I want to say that I don’t think of myself as an A-Lister, but the following example is relevant.
When I was in Amsterdam a couple of weeks ago I wrote about it on Facebook and Twitter. Within 24 hours I had five requests for meet-ups, a conference invite, and a woman offering to cook for me. All of which, of course, were much appreciated.
For some people, becoming a ‘Niche Rockstar’ can get them their dream job offers. It happened to me in 2007 and it’s just happened to tech blogger Louis Gray who, this week, announced he is now managing the social team for Google+.
For others, being a rockstar gives them enough of an audience to live from selling their own products or services. This is a path many of you are following, and I have to say…it’s a good time to be walking.
Ultimately, your increasing audience gives you an increasing influence which results in increasing feedback. Increased feedback results in increased opportunities which then continue to present you with a bigger and bigger megaphone in the spaces you want to work. In other words, you just get a lot more of everything.
Now that you can see what you benefits of aiming for rockstar status (or not, as I’ll cover in a second) actually are, I’ll say one last thing before I show you how to do that. Becoming an influencer is not about having 100,000 Twitter followers or constantly getting on the homepage of Reddit. It’s really about having an impact on your own niche community, however small or obscure it may be.
Outside the world of celebrity gossip, it’s nice to see that the true A-Listers are often the people doing the most good.
A recent comment that made me smile was on a Wired article showing how MIT researchers had invented a single drug that could cure most diseases. It said: “These are the type of people we should be getting autographs from.” I agree.
Why I’ll Always Be “Better” Than You…
…and you’ll always be better than me. The greatest mentality I think you can have when it comes to increasing your audience and influence is that of an Underdog. Some people ask me why my Twitter bio, for the last six months, has read “Z-List Blogger with 21 readers”. The answer, is that it’s just a simple reminder for myself that there’s always room to grow and improve what I’m sharing.
It’s important that I emphasise you should only have the mentality of an underdog, because underdogs are thought to have the smallest chance to succeed at something, and you don’t actually want to be in that position. Adopting the mindset of an underdog comes with a number of benefits.
First of all, you can make the mistakes that need to be made on the way to making miracles. Since the underdog obviously doesn’t have some holier than thou view about themselves they’re not going to be so worried about people’s reactions to things. They’re not going to be so worried about screwing up.
For example, the guy who thinks he is perfect with women is actually probably too scared to go and approach the hottest girl in the bar because he doesn’t want to lose the belief he has about himself. The guy that adopts an underdog mentality, on the other hand, looks at everything as a chance to learn and grow. He goes and talks to the girl, and more often than not the interaction will be a good one. If she gives the ‘why are you even talking to me’ look then it makes no difference to him.
For many of you right now, it’s probably easy to mentally view yourself as an underdog as you may literally be one. For those of you who have had some level of success and find this mindset harder to adopt, then I’ll just say that your goals aren’t high enough. If you set a target to do more public speaking this year than Tony Robbins, then I’m sure the mentality will come to you with ease.
My own goal, as I’ve mentioned a few times, is to try and produce the best content available on the topic of internet marketing. Why wouldn’t I set a goal like that? Even if I fall short, the bar is set so high that what I produce is still (hopefully) great work.
Steve Jobs touched on what I think is the core essence of the underdog at his 2005 Standford University Commencement Address:
“Stewart and his team put out several issues of The Whole Earth Catalog, and then when it had run its course, they put out a final issue. It was the mid-1970s, and I was your age. On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath it were the words: “Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.” It was their farewell message as they signed off. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself.”
The underdog mentality helps give you all the characteristics that people genuinely like to see in others. No matter how much of an Apple fan boy you are, you likely wouldn’t mind a young group of impoverished kids in India making the next big thing in the smartphone space. In fact, you’d probably cheer them on without even meeting or knowing anything about them other than their goals and aspirations.
Finally, the underdog mentality ensures that you’re (rightly so) always learning more about your industry, the world around you, and yourself. To the underdog there’s never too much they can know about their niche. In fact, that’s my very next point…
Make Sure You Know More Than Anyone about X
If you see someone ask Tony Robbins a tough personal-development question, he always has a fast, relevant and useful reply. Mark Cuban is watching the streaming and broadcasting space like nobody else, even after making over $1bn from his related projects. Warren Buffett, the world’s richest man, doesn’t even work on a computer, but instead looks though dozens of papers that his assistants hand him on the stock market every single day.
And if that little speech doesn’t convince you that knowing your industry (and who’s in it) is incredibly important then I’ll add that every big company you can think of have staff dedicated to doing nothing but watching their competition and the markets they operate in. Heck, even your local water company are probably paying someone.
As a personal example, I’ve only had my Amazon Kindle for a couple of weeks yet I’ve already taken hundreds of notes on different books that are relevant to my interests:
I’m a total knowledge junkie when it comes to the subject of marketing. I’m mostly looking for the little ‘golden nugget’ ideas or well-written concepts, like the two you see above, rather than overall strategies (which I prefer to form myself). I don’t do this because I feel I have to, but because I just…love it. When you find the industry for you, you’ll feel the exact same way.
And as not so personal example, let me try and do things the ‘ViperChill way’ and get down and dirty with some stats, rather than making any guesses. For this example I’ve picked the totally random niche of ‘Green blogs’ and decided to analyse the market to show you the types of things I look for. I did this a couple of days ago, within a 45 minute time frame, and learned a ton about the industry with ease.
To begin, I went on over to the Green section of Technorati and opened up their list of top blogs. Opening them in new tabs, I could quickly see that Technorati’s top picks were pretty much spot on when it comes to identifying the industry leaders. The only ranking mistake on the part of Technorati was for Inhabitat, which on my quick examination really appears to be the biggest blog in the niche, and not the 8th largest.
I learned that:
- DeSmogBlog, although one of the smallest that I analysed, was chosen as one of Time Magazine’s Top 25 Blogs for 2011. This instantly shows that there’s a positive aura around the niche.
- Hundreds of different industries regularly reference green blogs in news sites, blogs and forums. Three of the five sites I looked at had in excess of 280,000 backlinks.
- All sites had more Twitter followers than Facebook fans, showing how popular the niche is in those networks. Three of the sites actually had in excess of 45,000 Twitter followers.
- CleanTechnica, while appearing small with just 1,665 Facebook fans and a 45K Alexa rank, actually has a very impressive 15,000 RSS subscribers. More signs that this is an industry that people like to follow.
- According to Compete, the biggest of the five is ThinkProgress.org with in excess of 450,000 unique (US) visitors per month with Grist.org in third, reportedly home to 240,000 unique (US) visitors per month.
It’s not just the stats that I want to look at, but the actual websites to see how they’re laid out, what topics they’re covering, how often they post and so on. The simple task of actually going through other sites in your niche should be enough to start giving you a few ideas.
In less than an hour I’m equipped with post ideas, design inspiration, proof that there’s money to be made if I were to operate in this industry and a clear indicator that Twitter should definitely be a social focus of mine. I also know that people in this niche don’t comment on some blogs very often, but there are ways to get some community activity:
I’ll save the contents of that post for those in the Green space who want to do a little research ;]
The most common form of monetisation was definitely ads, with DeSmogBlog being an exception and directing their traffic towards either the owners’ book or an economy report. All of the sites have multiple authors and write quite a few posts per day; something that would be difficult to replicate if you were doing things on your own.
Another job of this market research is to identify gaps that others may have overlooked. Some opportunities that came to mind include:
- Performing the data analysis and making the stats that so many of them quote on a daily basis instead of joining the noise by quoting them.
- Using a comments system like Disqus to stand out (where people can comment with multiple social profiles) instead of using a separate registration page as many of them require.
- Promoting a DIY Green guide which no other blogs are. Just from my observations I can see they’ve been popular on Clickbank.
- Creating pro-bono environment infographics and in return having my site and (possible graphic design services) being promoted
There are many more points I could make, but I’m sure you’re starting to get the idea. If you haven’t done this kind of analysis on the industry you’re in or about to enter, then I recommend you change that as soon as possible. Everything you need to know about the competition is out there in the open; that’s not something you can say in the offline world, so it would be a shame if you weren’t using the data to your advantage.
Do the Thing I’ll Admit You’re the Best At
“Just be yourself” is probably one of the most overused sayings out there but it points to the truth that there’s nobody who’s better at playing you, than you. Tucker Max took his self-entitled “jerk attitude” to the internet in the form of online stories and earned himself not only a book deal, but a Hollywood film actually called ‘Tucker Max’.
Regardless of what you think about Russell Brand’s comedy or acting abilities, you can’t deny that he’s a very unique celebrity character in the way that he presents himself. His writing ability is also incredible. Not just because of his wit, but the way he puts his own persona into the piece.
Naomi Dunford doesn’t hold back from swearing in her articles and I’m sure the same is true in real life. William Ray Johnson is someone I seem to hear more negative about things about then good, yet he now owns the most subscribed to channel on Youtube and can literally influence millions of people. Lady Gaga is one of the most extreme celebrities of our generation, which is partly why I’ve never been a fan (meat costumes? really?). Then I watched this and was blown away.
These examples of people just being themselves are of course going to mean that some people are instantly turned off by who they are and how they do what they do. Then again, I think that can be said for just about any kind of ‘persona’ you can adopt.
I receive plenty of emails from people asking me to write shorter articles, but receive far more comments from people asking me to keep doing what I do. Though both sides are listened to, neither really matter. I’m doing things how I want to see them done and I’ll hopefully continue to build an audience who like the same things. It’s not working out too badly so far.
It’s your quirks and your little differences that people pick up on. It’s the stories that you share passionately about your life. It’s not acting like you’re actually a rockstar. It’s just…doing you. And doing you is exactly what will help you grow your legion of loyal followers.
From My Private Archive: How to Connect With Influencers
All we want to talk about in this space is the tools we use and the results we can get from them, but what really matters of course, is people. Search engine spiders don’t buy your products and doubling your Twitter count with irrelevant followers won’t change your bottom line either. Real relationships are key to helping you grow your own audience, influence and value contributions.
Tamar’s research made it clear to me that influencers want you to keep things short and get to the point. But more importantly than that, they just want you to have something worth sharing. I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again, there are people who are on my radar like crazy, and I want to talk about what they’re doing, but if what they’re producing is nothing new and can be read / watched in hundreds of other places, then people stop trusting my recommendations.
In the Cloud Niche private archives I said:
I recently blogged about two women making over $5K per month from the strategy I share in CloudBlueprint (you can view it here if you missed it). The reason I shared the case study was mostly because I knew people would be inspired by it, but partly because it enables people to see that the CloudBlueprint strategy really works. The people who are making a good income online already know how powerful case studies can be, so we’re always happy to promote them. So, when Justine and Heather came to me about how they were making money online, I couldn’t wait to share it with the world. I also sent their websites close to 1,000 visitors.
For a day of answering emails, they were both able to get hundreds of visitors to their site, and be put right in front of their target audience. What if you could be more like them and seize an opportunity like that in your niche. Who are the influencers online in the health niche? The gardening niche? The personal development niche?
If you don’t know, then you need to find out. It’s likely they’ll have have products that you can use and in turn provide a great case study / testimonial for. If it’s a positive representation of their product, then there’s a good chance they’ll feature you (and your site) in front of their much larger audience.
Since most people haven’t really caught on to this idea – as powerful as it is – you’ll find it easier than you can imagine to be featured on another persons website if you achieve some form of success from their products. Trust me when I say that they’ll want to put your testimonials EVERYWHERE… I know I do when people say good things about my products.
Please, for your own sake, continue doing you when you eventually reach out to people. It’s really…weird…when people are just overly nice to me. Sure I appreciate the respect, but it’s really hard to talk to someone who is gushing over how amazing you are. Even more so when you don’t think that highly of yourself. After speaking to a number of far more successful people than I am, it turns out I’m not alone with that sentiment.
Finally, on my post, Cloud Jacking: 7 Steps to Dominate Your Niche, I had the following to say, which is still as relevant today as it was then:
“Instead of giving very specific advice here, which I can’t because thousands of people will read this and your audience is in lots of different communities, I’m going to share ideas for how you can engage in different platforms and with different people:
- Twitter: I find that the people I engage with most in Twitter a) Retweet my articles b) Ask thought provoking questions or discuss thought provoking topics and c) bust my balls. If you want to get involved with others on Twitter, I can only recommend you do the same. The more human aspects you can bring to the service, the better.
- Facebook: Facebook is a tricky one and to be honest, I don’t spend much time there. What I do recommend though is that if you have a profile, put a link to it on your website. That allows people who are viewing your website already to get in touch and create a deeper connection. I know a number of people who have success with Facebook Fan Pages (rather than Groups) and I think you should start engaging with the ones that are out there already until you build your own.
- Forums: I used to be a forum (message board) junkie a few years ago and definitely built my authority in some. The most important tip I have for forums is to put your website link in your signature (if possible) and then just forget about it. Forget you might get visitors for interacting in the site…just interact. Start engaging threads and provide excellent replies and you might quickly find people naturally starting threads about what you’re working on.
- Bloggers: Bloggers are busy. Well, most of them are. So, instead of trying to get on a bloggers radar by annoying them through email, connect in a way that they will love. This could mean stumbling their articles, linking to their blog posts, commenting on their articles and even retweeting them. Giving before you get applies here more than ever. Once you’ve been giving for a while then start to engage in more personal surroundings like email.
- Offline: If you can meet your audience and the influencers in an offline environment, this will help you more than anything. You can create great relationships online, but they are absolutely nothing in comparison the ones you can create offline. If you can go to conferences, tweetups, seminars or anything of the sort then get yourself there. I’m far more likely to help out someone I’ve met than “some guy I spoke to on the internet some time.”
There are two things you need to remember about the sites listed above. The first is that they have not been built for you to spam an audience. They are there as communication tools that allow you to ethically engage with your market. I recommend you use them as such. Secondly, these networks should not be what you do, they should be thought of like a megaphone to amplify what you’re already doing on your website.
Shine the Light on Others
One thing I always try and do (though could definitely do more of, like most) is highlight other people in the spaces I operate. I don’t want to highlight just anyone of course, but people who I think are doing great work. At least on my small radar, I think the likes of Adam, Kelvin and Rishi deserve a lot more attention for the unique content they’re putting out. I’m happy to give it to them (please do check out their sites).
Not only does sharing the work of others make you feel good, the act is also often reciprocated — though that shouldn’t be your motive for putting the spotlight on others. Sending people to various sites in your niche shows that you know your topic well and you aren’t afraid to join in the conversation.
Also, I always check out blogs that link to me purely out of curiosity in regards to what they’re saying. Sometimes those odd links put new blogs on my radar and start a conversation that leads to a stronger connection down the road.
“Shine the light on all of your friends, ’cause it all amounts to nothing in the end” – Jason Mraz.
At the end of the day, you’re never going to be the only person in your industry, so there’s no point in acting like it.
A Final, Important Point
You have everything you need and you’re going to die. There is absolutely nothing, and I mean nothing, that separates you from the rockstars in any industry. Most likely they had an audience of none one day, and they worked at their craft and consistently networked to get to where they are today. If you think you can’t do the same, then you’ve failed already, so get that out of your head.
Death has always been the biggest motivator in my life. In a positive way, I think about death daily, and how everything I do may be the last ‘thing’ I ever leave behind. For all I know this could be my last ever blog post so I would like to make it one worth reading when I’m gone. I’m not the only one to feel this way, again quoting Steve:
“Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure – these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.”
(Note: It is pure coincidence that I have so many quotes from Steve on the day that he has announced his departure as Apple CEO. I assume the decision is for health reasons, so I wish him the best of luck in his recovery.)
The reason I say the above two points is because I have zero doubt that you’re going to fail at times on your path. Things aren’t all going to come together at once. I spent thousands of dollars having my software affiliateSkin developed, only to be – admittedly – in a poor position to offer support and too slow to react to the competition. This resulted in my closing down the product altogether. I could have adapted, but in all honesty my heart wasn’t in it. For now, I still think customising what people are already used to (WordPress) is the way to go. A lesson I couldn’t have learned so certainly without that ‘failure’.
For that reason I created ViperBar and with over 5,000 installs on blogs in hundreds of different industries, I would say it’s been a great success. By the way, we just updated it with a ton of new features (split-testing (!), hex code customisation, bar themes, sticky bar, etc.) so do check it out if you haven’t already. It’s free, as is the branding removal.
When I made CloudFlood I didn’t know what kind of success people would have with it. “1,000 new opt-ins per day” was the feedback from an initial report, and the site was even mentioned on a Forbes.com article in the last fortnight. If I had let my first software launch bother me, I wouldn’t have gone on to create two things which have helped so many people.
Remember: You are enough. You’re going to die. Start leaving that legacy, please?
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Hey Glen,
Totally awesome post, and you’re a perfect example of being a niche rockstar.
Writing posts like these time after time, filled with valuable information is THE way to go to become a rockstar in your niche. It takes time, effort and dedication, but it’s true that anyone can do it (although not everyone will).
I’ve personally noticed a big increase in traffic and subscribers since I’ve started writing long, detailed posts like you do here on Viperchill.
Thanks for this buddy,
Peace
Hah, thanks buddy.
I’m jealous of your growth
- G
Just a heads up gang, my project launch (free, big, etc) is now happening on September 3rd. Thanks for your patience
Haha I can’t believe Glen has just given us the green light, to “bust his balls” on twitter.
Let the games begin;)
Wow really settled in to that one Glen. Fantastic way to start my evening. “you have everything you need and you are going to die.” Perfect.
Hey Dan,
Firstly, thanks for the comment. This was one of the hardest posts I’ve ever edited as far as ‘flow’ goes so I’m glad you made it through
Sure… it really started getting rolling halfway through. Speaking of editing, you might enjoy this piece of re-writing (by one of my favorite bloggers): http://www.quora.com/What-are-some-tips-for-advanced-writers?q=what+are+some+tips+for+advanced+w
Sounds like my kind of thing. I’ll check it out now
Yeah that first answer is incredible, thanks for sharing that.
Hey Glen!
I’ve been coming back here a lot to so it’s nice to finally see a new post from you. I can’t wait for the launch!
Best of luck with everything
Hey Dave,
Yeah, I’ve been busy working like a mad man behind the scenes. Just 9 days to go
Thanks for the comment!
Wow Glen, that was a long read but definitely worth taking the time out. I totally agree on the underdog theory idea but now see more benefits to it than I had originally thought of…so thanks for that!
Isn’t your launch in two days?
You could have asked me this in person
Nope. Unfortunately the launch had to be delayed a week. It’s now happening on the 3rd of September.
Hey Glen, inspiring post, buddy.
However, here’s one point that I’d challenge your mode of thought on:
Rather than thinking about death and that it’s the definite stop point … think of life as the infinite improbability of existence.
Everything comes to an end but what I find to be the biggest motivator to do something amazing is that we, all of us, are here from the most random occurrences in the universe. We somehow got here after billions of years of the universe forming and generations of human existence – we’re here.
Will we ALL do something incredible? Probably not. However, the mere fact that we’re here and doing something (anything, really) is worthy in its own right. Some do things better than others, it’s a fact, but we all have that ability – we just need to approach it through our own means.
Anyway, excellent to see that you’re going BIG; I know you have a lot of potential now that you’ve really picked up momentum since the launch of VP so don’t let it go to a waste.
Hey Murray,
Good to see you over here, and thanks
I won’t say you’re right or wrong, since it doesn’t matter and nobody really knows.
“Rather than thinking about death and that it’s the definite stop point … think of life as the infinite improbability of existence.”
Well, one of them inspires the hell out of me, stops me from stressing, helps me make decisions, and motivates me to get things done. I don’t feel anything from the latter, but maybe you see things differently?
Thanks again, I always appreciate another viewpoint
Apples and oranges, right
Either way, we’ve all got one shot so like you said, it’s important to find something that motivates and inspires you to achieve greatness (even if you don’t quite make it) because at least you’ll be able to reflect and say you did your best.
I appreciate yours, as well.
Good point!
Dude. You found that pic and then decided to write about rock stars, didn’t you?
Heh, which one?
They actually took me way longer to find than I would like to admit (besides the little white dude).
I think he means the little white dude with the guitar. He just screams make a post about something rockstars! Anyways, love the post as it has a lot of info on how to become the main influencer in your selected niche. You are right you don’t need to have the most followers just need to know what you are talking about and build a loyal following.
Reading those Steve Jobs quotes, it’s hard not to appreciate the man’s wisdom and business savvy – particularly in light of his resignation.
Your blog is phenomenal because you always pour yourself into every post, it reminds me of a post from Jon Morrow of Copyblogger, he had a post entitled, “On Dying, Mothers and Fighting for Your Ideas” which was flat-out jaw-droppingly inspiring.
Sadly it boils down to common sense which is not so common in a dog-eat-dog world of competition, but you manage to give away such astounding value it’s hard not to be hooked. Way to go, z-blogger.
Yeah I read that post by Jon, it was great.
Totally agree with you about Steve, I always loved his attention to detail as well.
Thank you for the kind feedback, it’s much appreciated. To the Z-listers
Hi Glen
Your article reminds me of a poem called the Village Schoolmaster by Oliver Goldsmith where he wrote:
“And still they gaz’d and still the wonder grew, That one small head could carry all he knew. ”
Articles like this are worth collecting into a book. And to think I nearly didn’t read it because the word “Rockstar” put me off!
Oh really? It was supposed to entice you
I like that quote! Thanks for stopping by Sandra.
Hey Glen,
What I did notice since I’ve become your subscriber is that you’ve got your own style. There are almost 100 bkogs in my RSS reader… and If one day all the blognames and branding will disappear I will differenciate new posts from Viperchill with a 99% accuracy!
I must say I’ve learned much from you, and I’m trying to grow my blog using some of your tricks, but of course I interpret them my way, to always be myself.. and maybe one day I’ll be a rockstar too
Thanks!
Tim
Hey Tim,
Found this in spam as you mentioned on Twitter. Are you having that problem with other blogs?
Thanks for the that, very kind of you
I have no doubts.
– G
Yeah.. it happens to me lately.. can’t figure out why.. Using other IP now… Let’s see how it goes this time.
ps: thanks for quick response on Twitter and approving my comment
I think it would have to be approved anyways since I have essentially told my website you’re “Not spam”. I would still get it looked into.
No worries, thanks for the comment!
Tim, I had this problem and contacted Akismet who were helpful and fixed it. G
try that:)
A really humbling post, Glen – thanks. The underdog attitude works in so many different aspects of life and it’s something that I always try to keep in mind, and will do even more so after reading this.
Thanks Sandip, glad you enjoyed it!
Good luck on your journey.
Interesting post – especially because I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the impact of recent Google changes (launch of 1+, personalized search, Panda, etc) on keyword-driven, micro-niche sites. For a long time, I’ve advocated starting with small micro-niche sites (versus the kind of 100% all-in authority sites you describe above), but lately, I think that business model is losing steam – especially when you have people out there investing the kind of time and energy into their sites as you do here.
Definitely some good food for thought here, and an excellent guide to creating an authority site. Thanks for sharing!
I think ultimately, any changes to Google and company, in the long-term, are all going to be focused around sharing the best content and the best resources. It hasn’t happened yet, but it’s a goal of there’s I always keep in mind.
Then again, I think small micro focused sites still have a long future ahead of them.
Good post, Glen. I wish I knew your were in Amsterdam, I am in Europe and I would have sent that 6th request for a meeting. I guess I’ll just wait for you to visit Texas, which is where I live
Hah, then that means you don’t follow me in enough places
One day!
Glen, as usual, your tips are awesome. another guide that should be part of every marketing and social program. I wonder when do you have time to write such posts, because I know you’re working on the other projects and I’m sure a post like this take you at least a full day to write, proofread, format and post it… You’re really an example for me and my friends who I recommended your blog.
Thanks Lulian,
This one took me a good day and a half I would say, but that’s not counting the countless weeks it takes to collect all those little nuggets (links, facts, quotes, etc) I like to include.
Appreciate the comment
Love when you discuss niches Glen, by far some of my favorite writing of yours is in this topic.
That being said, with the amount of info in this post and given the topic… well, this might be one of my favorite VC posts ever, more than enough to make up for waiting for that new project
.
Hah, good to hear!
Thanks Gregory
Glen, slightly off topic – I wanted to but can’t see a way to +1 this post. Maybe that’s something you could incorporate in the future..
I’m actually looking into it right now, I just don’t want to edit the site live and screw up since there are 150+ people online right now, hah.
I like that it now actually counts for something
If a site doesn’t have the social media button you’re looking for, you can always use a toolbar extension in Google Chrome or a social media add-on for Firefox. There is a Google Chrome extension specifically for +1 for any site or article you visit and like.
Thanks for sharing how you research markets. This has been something which I’ve been trying to focus on a lot more and I’ve found a lot of information can be found by joining relevant Yahoo! Groups and signing up to receive emails from the member’s. I’ve learned a lot from there and will check Technorati as well.
Thanks Glenn!
Hey Sean,
That’s a cool idea. Let me know how you get on at Technorati!
– G
Wow really great post Glen. I really appreciate the way you look at things and took a lot away from this post. I also like the way you break down your ideas which makes it much easier to think about and ultimately apply to our blogs and businesses.
I’m going to have to re read your post and take some notes I think.
I thank you for your time and really enjoyed reading many of your posts.
Keep up the great work!
cheers
Marty
Thank you for reading, Marty!
Very kind feedback (which is much appreciated)
– G
Great reminders on how to live Glen.
I’m interested to see what you have coming in 8 short days. I develop software for a living and sympathize with you in this area, building software/products and launching something you are proud of is much more difficult than most people give credit for.
Good luck man
.
Hey Jeremy,
Glad you liked the post (and I hope you like the launch just as much).
Thanks! Good luck to you too…
Hey Glen – becoming a rock star is one thing. The real magic is in staying a rock star though
No doubt, you’ve outlined the formula for both here in your post.
I am grateful for being surrounded by people who encourage me to try something different in my business. But I know that there are countless people who are less fortunate and really doubt their rock star-abilities. To those peoples’ lives your encouragement is like gold dust – It makes all the difference.
I keep on following your blue print foot steps in the safe knowledge that whatever happens at the end of it – the journey itself rocks
Ps: Good luck with your launch. See you on the other side; the VIP side
Hah, I love the positivity Sandra!
Thanks for the support, and I have no doubts that you’ll hit your goals on your journey if you can stick with that attitude ;]
Good luck!
- G
““Just be yourself” is probably one of the most overused sayings out there but it points to the truth that there’s nobody who’s better at playing you, than you.”
That works against you when you’re the most dull, boring individual in the room… I’m not talking about myself, obviously
Even then, it’s only a problem until we talk about [that thing you're really passionate about]. Then you start showing what the world wants to see
Wow. ‘You are enough and you’re going to die.’ That pretty much sums it up!
I’ve started posting more personal stories on my blog and I’m hesitant to do that but I have a very strong drive (which I can’t seem to ignore!) to do so.
Not sure if they always tie back in to the main gist of my blog but I try do so.
It feels like I’m taking a risk by doing this and will probably lost fans, but I also feel that I have to be myself in order to find my true fans.
Thanks for this great post, Glenn!
No doubt Jean,
A good saying I heard “If your audience is everybody, your audience is nobody.”
You’re welcome, and good luck!
Thank you for this excellent article Glen.
I shall get to work acting on it!
Good luck
Great post. The info you shared is informative and useful. Thanks Glen
Good to hear.
Thanks!
Your amazing. Your like my personal internet marketing classroom/teacher. And I lover your voice. Peace.
Short and to the point eh? I approve.
Thank you for reading.
– G
Every time I open up my Google Reader I am happy to see a new posting from you. Then I click it open and go “Jeez – that’s sooooo long” but I keep on reading cos you have a great writing style and what you have to say is really interesting.
Keep up the looooong posts, even if you do distract me from my own money making activities (Lol).
Tiptopcat
PS – Did you take anyone up on their offers while you were in Amsterdamn?
That made me laugh, I’m glad it’s not too tedious for you.
I did indeed. It was an interesting experience
Hey Glen, that was such a long post but definitely worth reading 3 times in a row
It does not come as a surprise to me since I has been written by a Rockstar
Haha 3 times? Impressive!
Hope all is well…
I think my biggest problem on the way to my “stardom”, Glen, is suffering from “comparison paralysis”.
While there’s nothing wrong with looking at other bloggers who seem to be doing better than you do and strive to achieve the same and more – after all, what are we without a little motivation, right – dwelling and possibly even regretting all the things you could’ve/should’ve done by now is a dangerous game.
Our goal shouldn’t be to be the next Naomi Dunford or Glen Allsopp (sorry, Glen), but develop our own entirely unique online presence.
As such, we should compare ourselves… well, to ourselves and the goals we would like to achieve in business and life.
Ultimately, rockstarship means different things to different people.
Always looking ahead and ignoring what’s already achieve – the kind of trap I’d like to get out of.
Ana
Fished this out of spam, Ana.
No doubt, that’s why I said:
“It’s your quirks and your little differences that people pick up on. It’s the stories that you share passionately about your life. It’s not acting like you’re actually a rockstar. It’s just…doing you. And doing you is exactly what will help you grow your legion of loyal followers.”
Great post Glen as always. I’ve been following your posts and I must say one is better than the other. Keep up the good work.
Thanks GT, I’ll do what I can!
Glen – YOUR posts are a huge influence on how I’ve set up my strategy, and I continue to learn from you daily. So far this first month of our launch, with the only marketing done during naptime (we have a 12 mo old), we’ve made about $1000 in passive income…without the support of the other heads of the niche in place yet!
Bet you never thought you’d indirectly influence parents to start using infant potty training, stop using so many diapers, help the environment, and help the psyches of their babies….REAL PEOPLE ARE BEING HELPED, AND BABIES TOO….TODAY….THANKS to your guidance!
Thank you for the reminder about how to interact with important people/blog owners/etc in my niche. I am in the process of promoting my new digital book & audiobook on infant potty training and it is so true – give first, before you ask to get. Also, your advice on Twitter is totally timely and helpful.
I am in the process of networking and building long-term relationships with the International organization for my niche, all of the main online shop owners, and all of the other existing book authors (3, to be exact)….I am coming at is as a community member and integrating their support, testimonials, and reviews as a way to strengthen OUR community. It feels GOOD and NATURAL.
So….again….thank you.
Andrea
Hey Andrea
Hah, such an awesome comment! You know how to make someone feel good ;]
It definitely sounds like you know what you’re doing, so I’ll just say…don’t stop.
Thanks for the feedback.
- G
Not stopping anytime soon! Especially as you keep the encouragement & tips coming.
Perhaps some day if you ever parent a little one I’ll give you a copy of my book…so you won’t have to change any dirty diapers. Trust me…you don’t want to do that….
Glen,
That post was excellent…and really made me to start thinking about mortality again. My wife and I could cease living at the drop of a hat. When I first found out about my condition I lived everyday as my last…
I was obsessed with leaving behind something to be remembered for, some small contribution I could make to hopefully help someone out in the process.
Your post today has ” Kick Started” those frozen wheels again…with the new twist of being an underdog. I know now I don’t have to be perfect and I can be who I am, that is so refreshing, uplifting and expressive… I think I can do it now and if you have any suggestions I’m all ears.
Hey Steven,
That’s a really inspiring comment, and I’m happy to have helped.
Best of luck on your journey!
- G
Is affiliate marketing a niche? Is promoting different products a bad idea or doable? How would you approach doing so?
1. Nope. It’s a method. Which industry you sell products in as an affiliate, is your niche.
2. It’s do able.
3. Keep them relevant around a similar product and not branch out into too many different avenues. Be the best resource on at least one of them
Do you suggest multiple affiliate websites or one? If multiple, did you mean keep them relevant in each website or just across the board?
It’s totally up to you. If it’s your first time building sites, I wouldn’t create more than two.
very inspirational words glen!
Inspiring is good. Thanks for the comment!
They really write in and ask for shorter articles, Glen? One of my biggest problems is finding interesting people who take the time to intelligently string together more than a few hundred words while they rush off somewhere else to “be somebody”.
I always enjoy your insight and explanations. Write as long as it needs to be to say what’s on your mind.
Yep, I’m surprised you haven’t noticed people asking in the comment
I have no reason or desire to change just yet. Thanks for the support, Dave!
Glen,
I thought I saw a link to your forum somewhere but I can’t find it now.
http://www.viperchill.com/vip/
How do people know who you are? You don’t have a picture on your site right? So they have to actually know you’re the “guy that runs viperchill”?
Fame comes with is pros and cons, I agree with you about people treating you in a one dimensional way and it is sometimes up to me as a coach to convey quickly to them that I am vulnerable and human and just like them.
There was a newspaper which had my picture which was very popular. Also that about change is fairly recent, I had a clearer picture on there. And finally, about 700 people here were friends with me on Facebook until I decided to keep it friends-only.
Other than that, you’ll just have to take my word for it
Nice man. I like my anonymous status on http://www.godofstyle.com, but I may consider being more public in the future. My fulltime job won’t allow it right now since my pick up life is SO different than my regular “day” life.
What I love about reading your posts is that I feel like I am actually talking to you, like it’s a conversation, because you do not just give advice and explain stuff, you go through real-life examples, images, quotes, jokes which helps people identify with what you say and that just makes reading much more enjoyable and easy to follow.
P.S. I thought you were talking to everyone out there but you totally ignored vampires with that thing about dying. =)
What a great article, Glen!
You ability to put out meaninful content is simply amazing.
Thanks
Thank you Pavel,
Appreciate the comment!
Glen,
Excellent Article, Loved two things
1.Underdog mindset: I think once we have the right mindset, we can make things happen.
2. Anyone can succeed : The following words were inspiring and helps me to keep moving forward. “There is absolutely nothing, and I mean nothing, that separates you from the rockstars in any industry. Most likely they had an audience of none one “day, and they worked at their craft and consistently networked to get to where they are today.
Hey Vijay
Good to see you over here!
Glad you enjoyed the article. Thanks for the comment
- G
Glen, don’t listen to those people who want you to write shorter posts! After all the time I wait for your next post, checking my Reader and sighing when nothing new is there, your long posts well and truly make up for the wait!
I am in a very small niche and would love to gain ‘Rockstar’ status. This post, and your other posts keep giving me invaluable support in navigating that path so keep up the great work.
Haha, I’ll send them your way
Thanks for the support, I’ll do my best!
– G
Awesome post as usual.. Glenn, I don’t know when I’ll be able to write some long kick-ass posts like yours; neither can i steal them or can I
anyways, good stuff and lets see what you have for us on the Sep 3rd. Good luck
I’m amazed at how quickly your surveyed the Green Industry (very trendy in the design/build space) and came up with inisghtful and actionable ideas.
It’s a constant struggle for me to follow the data gathering and analysis methodologies for the social media world. But I’m trying, and you posts are a great inspiration and reference source!!
Thanks Marie,
Feel free to ask me any specific questions about that. I just had all of the services opened in a tab (Compete, Alexa, OpenSiteExplorer) and then kept changing the URL’s while writing down the results. Probably about 10 minutes for that, then 30 minutes scouring the sites
That’s awesome. Sorry I sound clueless, but how were you able to check the no. of backlinks to the sites?
I’m surprised that you thought about checking the difference in number of Twitter vs FB followers in the Green Blogs. Why do you think made the difference?
Don’t get me wrong, some of them had a lot of Facebook followers. Just if I had to pick one network to spend the most time on for that niche, it would probably be Twitter. As far as why the numbers are different, they may have promoted Twitter more heavily, or the audience may simply be more happy to follow from there, rather than on Facebook.
I check the backlinks at http://opensiteexplorer.org
Glen,
How about these guys for the ultimate underdogs…….
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/9573163.stm
…….about some local guys in Uganda (where I used to live) who want to send a manned shuttle into space…….
You have to admire their passion and determination in the face of such high obstacles!
They will probably never get there, but what the heck, like you say, it doesn’t matter, they look like they are having fun and that can be enough in itself, esp in Africa.
Stay well Glen
Good example, though the author doesn’t seem very positive, I admire their goal.
Thanks for sharing
Enjoy reading your post which reminded me the following words:
“Shoot for the moon. even if you miss you will land among the stars” by Les Brown.
Hey Faye,
I’ve heard that before but you’re right, it’s pretty relevant to the post.
Thanks for the comment!
Hi,
Interesting post, I just wondered what you thought about the moral side of a blogger shoehorning themselves onto the ‘Green’ Niche with the aim (or main aim at least) of profiting financially? I think it’s a shame that increasing amounts of people are making money from carbon trading with little interest for the environment or the planet and to have bloggers attempting to make money from a superficial blog on the Green Industry (what an ironic term ‘industry’ is for the environmental ideology) is equally depressing.
Would love to hear your views.
Bruce
Hey Bruce,
My philosophy is that if you give value, you deserve to get it back in return. They don’t have to be the same (e.g. giving content that inspires and getting a book deal or money in return).
I can definitely see your point of view, but on the other hand, they’re putting so much more light onto the economic and environmental crisis that the world is going through. That can only be a huge plus.
I would rather Green blogs were making all of the money (and attracting eyeballs) than celebrity blogs. I guess I’m just happy to see the topic rise in popularity, so I haven’t thought much about the other side of that coin.
Thanks for thinking differently.
– G
Beautiful.
You are wise beyond your years, Glen.
Strategic, philosophical, inspiring.
You managed to transcend your immediate subject matter and address larger issues about how to live life, yet you remained down-to-earth.
Thank you for all you do, and keep them coming.
Hey Roberto!
Sorry for the late reply. Really appreciate the kind words
Thank you for giving me someone to do it for
– G
Hi Glen, I think this goes way beyond creating a niche presences to just creating a presence online! I think you’ve done some amazing stuff – glad to be introduced to you through a friend on twitter. Keep rockin’!
Cathy
I believe that to, that creating an overall ‘presence’ online can be just as important as dominating your niche, and you remember that you are always marketing yourself when interacting online.
Thanks Cathy,
Also, please thank your friend on my behalf.
- G
Your going to fail it’s just what happens, however persistence and realizing you don’t stop for failure you stop for success and smile:) That’s what you do for me Glen. Wow factor awesome post. I have learned so much from you and can’t thank you enough. You are just what this industry needs. I feel blessed your on our side!
Pamela
Hey Pamela,
That was really nice to read, thank you!
Keep well…
– G
Definitely the best post that I’ve read on Viperchill. I love when you add deeper ideas, I think that’s that separates you from other IM blogs – people who aren’t into marketing can read it and still follow. The stats are cool too
Wasn’t sure if you were serious when you said that via email.
Hah, thanks man! Hope all is well at Grinnell
Ha!
I find those thoughts about death very encouraging! I never thought that way, thank you!
What can I say that hasn’t been said by someone else? Nothing:)
Hah
Glen,
Good tips on how to best interact with influencers. It seems to boil down to some creativity, common sense and to paraphrase the dynamic JFK “Ask not what the influencer can do for you but what you can do for the influencer (or their community)
Thanks MK,
Nice quote!
Awesome post and I agree that luck does not come into it. Gary Player world famous golfer always used to say “The more I practice, the luckier I become”. You have worded this so eloquently by telling people to align their efforts consistently and in the right direction.
Always good to see someone commenting from SA
Thanks!
How come you don’t use Disqus in your own blog as you recommend in the above post? Does it not index comments for spiders maybe?
Sorry for my picky comment here, but noticed that you suggest a link on your site to you Facebook page. I’d suggest you pull the FB content in to your blog using one of their social plugins instead. This for the simple reason not to send traffic away from your blog to Facebook, but the other way around. The same really goes for all profiles where its technically possible.
There is zero point in duplicating the content imho, if you’re talking about the plugin that shows my ‘top stories’.
It’s such a tiny part of the design, and I can see how many clicks it gets. As far as the Facebook box goes (not my icon) they don’t leave the site for that…
Funny you mention that about Disqus, I’ve actually had it on the blog for 48 hours. I’m just waiting for the comments on this post to die down so I can import this comment thread without missing anything.
Thanks for the comment!
I had to put this one on ice and come back to it when I had a bit more time to read… and I am glad I did come back… Glen, as always, a superb article… incredibly well thought through, tons of golden nuggets here and very engaging…
I even enjoyed clicking out to some of the content you were linking to, like lady Gaga’s solo… who would have thought…
I always appreciate your humble nature, even though I do think you have achieved rock star status in your niche… well at least in my mind… LOL
BTW: I put one of your niche tips from cloud niche into action and I look forward to reporting on the outcome…
I’m glad you came back as well!
Yeah, pretty incredible performance, right?
Thanks for the kind words, Brendon. It’s good to see you over here as always.
– G
Hi Glen
Do you have some software to get all your stats from the blogs on Technorati such as unique Visitors, Twitter Followers, Facebook Fans, Backlinks etc or do you do each one separately. Sorry if this is a dumb question but I’m not sure how to do this.
Hey Joe,
For unique visitors you can put the sites through Compete.com (though it only counts US traffic, it is free) or look at Alexa.com for a general idea of how well they’re doing. Also, if you’re smart you can check out the advertising page on some sites and they’ll reveal how much traffic they’re getting.
For backlinks I ran all of the sites through http://opensiteexplorer.org (make sure you try both the non-www and www variations i.e. http://viperchill.com and http://www.viperchill.com).
As far as Twitter followers & Facebook fans, just click on the links on the blogs, they’ll usually display those two very prominently on their right sidebar.
I hope that helps.
– G
Nothing else I can say but…Fantastic!
Great post. I especially like the last section on connecting with influencers. Of late, I have had the opportunity to connect with some really great people through a guest post contest. I find these writers both intriguing and utterly human. Even though many of them have enormous followings and a wealth of knowledge in their niche, they are just people…using the same number of hours we all have in a day to accomplish, at times, amazing things.
Lofty goals and life as an “underdog,” are excellent points. I meet so many people with the “I have arrived” attitude, even though they have accomplished little. I believe every entrepreneur must have that “there is always something more to be done” spirit. It is not rooted in self-criticism or low self-worth so much as it is an appeal to ourselves to stay motivated. I personally make every effort to find someone who is doing “it” better than I am every day. That spurs me on.
Thanks again for the great thoughts.
Hi Glen,
Great post! I always look forward to your articles that I find chock full of wonderful nuggets of information, as well as loads of inspiration!
This post was very timely since I just attended a Women In Green conference today. As someone who was an environmental studies major before green was the new black, but had to veer off course into marketing until the industry caught up, I have been trying to find my own niche in this growing arena of legit as well as not so legit green enterprises.
I currently have a small agency where I provide marketing and PR services to socially and environmentally conscious companies. I also am the food editor for Healthybitchdaily.com, and will soon start writing for Inhabitat.com/LA.
I’d really like to find my own piece of the green pie where I can stand out, and where I can help the largest number of people (while also making a living!). I was thinking of focusing on the intersection of health and the environment (i.e. how what we put in our bodies, on our bodies and in our homes affects our health), or creating an “eco-mentoring” blog/website that offers resources and guidance for anyone wanting to start a green business. Since you were able to analyse the industry so easily and see the gaps, I wondered what you thought of these ideas and if you had any other suggestions.
Thanks so much and looking forward to what you have in store for all of us on September 3rd!
Susan
@ James St John, I could not agree with you more. As Anthony Robbins and the Japanese say, CANI= constant and never ending improvement. A little progress each day adds up to great results over time.
Excellent and long post Glen! Well worth the read. I especially liked the part about always viewing yourself as an underdog and how you have a reminder on your Twitter bio.
hey! :]
Hello, I didn’t realise this is what you do!
well done
hah, hey cuz
Just one of many things. I’ll show you more in person one day
This post has inspired me greatly and somehow, made me realize even more to what I could have been able to achieved for myself.
“Just be yourself ”
“There’s nobody who’s better at playing you, than you”
I came from a ‘broken’ and ‘controlling’ family with not much friends and not very ‘understanding’ parents to seek advises/comforts from.
Since young, I was never able to ‘just be myself’ when all I ever knew was, “I had never ever wanted to be ME”.
As you may have guessed, nothing was ever smooth sailing; academically, financially, relationships, friendships,life. I tried fitting in, just so I would be accepted but everything would seem so wrong.
However, some years ago, I had the opportunity to live overseas, ALONE. Something changed back then. I began to open myself up more, seeing ‘life’ in a different perspective and setting future goals. I was able to look ahead. Being all alone in a foreign country motivated me to realize what I was able to achieve more for myself.
That was some recent years back. Now, I had achieved matters-little by little, of what I once never knew I could. Even though at times, I still felt the sudden pinch of my ‘past’, I would just brush it all away, focusing on the achievements I had made for myself by ‘Being Just Me’.
Currently, I am at the start of creating my own Blog; expressing my own interest (perhaps driving some profit from it too =] ) in money making and achieving wealth.
This is a start, but I am doing all I can – bits by bits, trying not to rush – to one day achieve stardom as how you have.
Sorry for the lengthy comment but your post has been a powerful motivator for me to continue pushing ahead.
I had subscribed to your Blog and am looking very much forward to reading more from you – at the mean time, I will be going through some of your previous post =]
Awesome post Glen!
I think this is a kind of post every blogger must read once a week (I will do that). Though it was long but up to the point. I am also a kind of information junky when it’s comes to your blog posts or emails.
You have really helped me, I would like to meet you whenever you plans to travel India. Looking forward to your next post.
’1 Woman, 1 blog, 6 months’ ?
I’m rather astounded that you’d actually do this Glen, because it’s a genuinely LIVE case study, which is usually a very risky thing to do in case it fails.
But the chances of succeeding in this case look very high, given the focus, determination and charm of Andrea, your hands-on guidance, the coverage in the Viper Chill blog with its 90,000 monthly visitors, and the publicity in the Guardian. In fact I’m sure the Guardian readers will become totally hooked.
The bottom line is that I’ll be hotly following Andrea’s progress step-by-step plus studying all of your tips, because I’m about to launch my own author’s blog, and like Andrea, I’m starting from scratch.
Best wishes to you both on this extraordinary enterprise.
Jonathan
PS. I’ll Tweet about this project often Glen if you’ll allow? JWG
Hey Glen..Its simply awesome….
I would request you to write another article about the cause of attrition as I am facing this problem highly in my company recently..
Thanks,
Anuttama
Its really wonderful to read your post especially when you say “Just be yourself” just do what you are best at.This is also what our organization lookbeyond resumes believe.For further information you can always visit our site.
Glen,
I just finished reading this post for the third time since you published it. It’s a lot of information to take in!
I think there are just two main things that act as requirements for success in niche blogging:
1) Having something that people want
2) Persisting
Ultimately, if you are trying to analyse why your efforts aren’t working, you need to objectively consider whether or not you are nailing those two key factors. Everything else is secondary.
There are many, many failed blogs that consistently share things that people want.
Just found your blog today after being on the net for years. Have already saved your WordPress SEO post in a tutorial folder
People should look at the success of your blog and your long, detailed posts. They could take something away from that
Glen, I just wanted to tell you that you just inspired me!
“Just be yourself” although much of a cliche really is true and I agree that nobody can else can better play you than you. Now like everyone we all have areas where we need to improve and that’s where personal development comes in. Live your passions and be a niche rockstar!
Tristan
Thankyou for this Great post Glen! Really pumped to begin
wow again nice post…
just a quick question, is there even any link on this page to your forum? because i can’t find a direct link to the viperchill forum on this site.
Is this wanted?
What a great article, very inspiring. ‘You have everything you need’ so true and a welcome reminder especially when the doubts start creeping in. The great and the good all started with nothing. Some great practical tips as well.
Thank you!
wow, what a great post. Thanks!
I think following your passion is perfect if there are others who share your passion. The thing with blogs and niches is that OTHERS have to be in to it as well.
I find that when I write about my passion, I need to still move away from talking about myself and really focus on helping OTHER people.
That’s what you do here. If you talked about your true passions, those would be awesome, but maybe not as helpful because your level is so much higher. Maybe your passion is to help people, so you teach and write what you know because it helps others.
See, you don’t just blog about how teaching people is your passion. Instead, you teach people. If music is a passion, a blogger shouldn’t necessarily write about usic. The blogger should make music.
Niche marketing is one of the best platform for finding the particular type of advertisers easily.We have to optimize our blog for different stuffs those available in our blog.It will be suitable for increasing the earning of the publishers or webmasters.
Really nice post ! The way you structure your post are awesome ! Now its time to become a rockstar !
This was actually one of the best articles I’ve read on the topic in a while haha
Hey Glen I just started to take an active roll in niche sites after a 2 year break. Been building and flipping online businesses and decided to get back in the Niche game. I forgot how fun and challenging it can be. It’s so fun to create amazing content in Niches you enjoy and watch the community just rip through your material and watch your visitors grow each day. Utilizing Facebook, Twitter and Youtube I took my traffic from 1-2 visitors to 100+ visitors in a months time. I’m learning how much more important social media can play a role in the success of your niche sites vs utilizing SEO strategies alone. I wish more Internet Marketers took the stand on building amazing content vs spamming links to their site in hopes of achieving 1st page rankings.
Amazing post friend I plan to come back for more
Hey Glen,
I have to say that for an up-and-coming newbie to the whole Internet/Media/Marketing game, your blog post really inspired me. After stumbling around Twitter looking for new interesting tweeters, I came across a link to your bog article and I have to say that this is probably the most valuable piece of advice to anyone with an interest in anything to do with the web. I will definitely be apply your strategies to my own internet business goals.
As for all the naysayers to your long blog posts, forget them! Your blog seems to be the perfect addition to my coffee break, and without such a long, interesting, and thought provoking article, how am I to properly enjoy my vanilla latte?
Glen,
Thanks again for the all the extremely helpful information. Your posts are not only in depth but also a delight to read. I’m getting to this niche site party a bit late, though I’m excited to see where it may take me. Very rad.
-Zach
Glen,
Such an interesting read. I didn’t mind that it was considerably lengthy just because of the fact that it was enjoyable to read and I loved how comprehensive you are. If there’s one thing that a person needs to be a niche rockstar like you, it’s passion. And yours is definitely evident in this post.
Great article! I really like the comment about the underdog mentality. That fearlessness is what’s keeping me going!
I love the part when you say it’s about giving before you get. This is so true and when I preach this people, they look at me like I’m nuts. They forget that they do not hold top secret info no one has heard before or can’t find. So why not let it all out and tell the world about your discoveries. Keep up the great work Glenn.
One day I’m going to figure out just how your articles can be so brilliant. I stumbled across this mostly by mistake when I considered starting my own blog, but after reading this I’ve become a lot more confident in what I’m going to do. So thanks!
What a great reminder of what is really important, no matter is it a business or personal life.
You are going to die. I am taking this as advantage
Thank you Glen – I love to come back to your older post.
Hi Glen,
My favorite part of the post was when you said everyone always starts at the same place. Some people never stop to realize that everyone starts at the same place and works there way up. If you keep putting an honest effort in the right direction you will succeed beyond your wildest dreams!
Thank you very much for this post! (English is my second language.)
I have just learned about blogging about two moths and I am still looking to choose the niche. You’ve just answered some of my concern questions and encouraged me at the same time.
I’ve read this post many times to keep me motivated and remembered the most important points that you’ve shared. I’ve learned these lessons:
-Being myself (honestly)
-Choose the niche which my heart is in it. (not based on which niches have more chance to monetize)
-Follow my heart because I am going to die someday, so I should do the best to bring value to people.
-Promote other’s good works and appreciate what they did.
-Communicate with other bloggers via comment ( what I am doing right now and this is the first time I do it , just because I am a little shy and my English writing skill)
My biggest concern is that I see there are many good blogs in the niche I love. I wonder if I do it, is it a redundancy? Do you think there is still a chance for new bloggers like me to success and contribute while there are so many blog in the niche they passionate about. Should they just keep doing and do their best or just give up because there are others who do it well.
Again, thank you so much for your knowledge, It has encouraged me greatly.
Hello Glen,
Thanks for the post.
I liked your point about shining the light on others. So many folks who achieve success in their industry all point to this fact; “be giving first”. Like James Clear and Keith Ferrazzi. I’ve also been reading “The Go-Givers” book. It’s great to know that having a considerate and giving demeanour actually works for a lot of successful folks out there, that you don’t have to learn how to become some ruthless businessman or woman to get ahead.
And it makes sense. If you take time to get to know folks and help them, that would be more positive than if you only want to take from folks because no one likes to be taken advantage of. So it’s good to get ideas on how to reach out and be humble.
Gemma