Before we begin…THIS is a long ass post, my friends.  It took me four days to write and format.  Now, I’m aware you are a busy, busy blogger…so you probably don’t have time to sit here for an hour and a half reading…AND you probably don’t want to keep this link open in your browser as you work your way through three tips a day!

SO…with this in mind, I’ve provided the entire text below, but I’ve ALSO put together the entire list into a free ebook!!  You can put it on your phone. You can strap it to a drone.  You can read it on a bus. You can read it to your bestie Gus.

Look, mi amigo(a), this post was NOT written to boost my “re-pins” or get your email.  This post was SIMPLY written to get YOU action on that blog of yours.  For the sake of transparency…this post IS a little bit about showing off my skills that pay the bills. (No…literally they do.)  I recently launched the “Wham! Bam! Business Plan!” a membership site ready to help you create a subscription revenue product (and an audience for it), and I DESPERATELY want to see you inside!!  BUT, in order to convince you to click that “sign up now” button …I should probably prove that I know my shit first, right?

Right.

SO, I’m not going to waste your time with tips like:

“Write great content.”

“Create kick ass downloads.”

and “Engage with your followers.”

Don’t get me wrong…these are ALL great tips, but I’d be a bit…well…STUPID if I thought you hadn’t heard them before.  But THOSE tips are not worth paying for.  These forty tips have given me almost IMMEDIATE boosts in traffic.  Now, since traffic is NOT a one size fits all…there are a few of these that might not work for your audience, and that’s ok!

Traffic Building For Beginners

Tip #1: Keep your social media to 2-3 platforms.  Do NOT think that you need to join every freakin’ platform known to man.  Keep it simple and stick to a few different channels where you KNOW your ideal customer or reader is chilling.  If you’re an artist, try visual platforms like Instagram and Pinterest.  If you’re a B2B…LinkedIn might be more your speed!

Tip #2: BRAND. BRAND. BRAND. I’m telling you right now, blog readers are a SIMPLE lot to impress…but you have to try.  Before you set out to brand or re-brand, take stock of what businesses are doing well in your industry…and what THEIR branding looks like.  You’ll want to marry what’s hot…along with what makes you INSANELY happy.  I want to repeat that last part.  You have to LOOOOOOOVE your own brand!!!  You wouldn’t paint the walls of your house, your neighbors favorite color!

SO, figure out what appeals to your perfect audience…then find a variation that screams to the rooftops who YOU are.

Tip #3: Don’t spend YET! I know…I know.  “You have to spend money to make money.”  I’ve heard that stupid adage before too. There are a TON of things, when you are first starting out, that could get in the way of your blog’s success. That’s the whole point of “being a beginner” after all! Whether you are trying to figure out your message, find your niche, build a fantabulous brand or…hell…you simply don’t have time to keep up with it right now…spending money in the early stages on web design, brand, SEO help, courses or ads is PROBABLY not a great idea.

Instead, in the early stages of your blog, I recommend using sites like Canva.com, Creative Market and Pinterest to research articles and create DIY branding.  After changing your brand 100 times in the first 6 months, you’ll EVENTUALLY land on a style you adore…and you’ll have saved thousands down the road.  In addition, focus on your social media channels and begin building your audience by tweeting your links, other blogger’s links, and behind the scenes fun stuff.

Tip #4: Create a marketing and editorial calendar. I WISH I had done this in the very beginning of my blogging journey…BUT, like most new bloggers, my organization was a LITTLE less than organized. As you are creating an editorial calendar, whether it’s on iCal or Airtable, you’ll FIRST want to take stock of when you CAN’T work.  If you have a 9-5, evening soccer practice, or weekly date night…block those times out on your calendar.

From there, you’ll want to add in a month or two of niched blog topics (see Tip #31 for a little about “buckets”), any launch dates if you have a product in the works, and any events you might have planned.  DON’T OVER TAX YOURSELF!!  Don’t think you need to fit 4 days of work into 4 hours of time!!  You’ll exhaust yourself and end up crashing in front of Netflix.  Instead, create a schedule of 3-4 things a day…with only ONE being a mandatory thing to accomplish.

Next, you’ll want to go in and plan your marketing!  If you have a post set to publish on the 15th, schedule in your time to write it, tweets, Pins and emails.  These can be spread out throughout the week!

Finally, the last week of every month needs to be dedicated to planning out your next month.

TIP: I color code my calendars!!!  My work calendar is blue…but when something is completed, I’ll change it over to the “done” calendar, which is in red.  That way I can easily glance and see what I’ve accomplished for that week! 

Tip #5: Re-read ALL of your content!!!!!!!! I know…I know.  This one doesn’t sound like a “traffic building” tip.  But it’s ACTUALLY one of the best tips incognito.  When I first started blogging, I was struggling to find my voice.  I was trying to write the way my AUDIENCE wanted me to.  Then, one day, I remembered a simple tip my Middle School Shakespeare teacher had taught me (yeah…I was THAT nerd).  Re-read EVERYTHING.  The written word is ACTUALLY meant to be heard!!

We write the way we think…whether that’s with excessive punctuation marks and smily faces, or with verbose word vomit. The WAY you write will dictate WHO your audience is…and how popular you become.  SOOOO…after you’ve written ANYTHING, whether it’s a blog post, email or sales page, read it out loud!!  Pay attention to how easy it is to read, spelling, punctuation, and if you simply like the way the sentence sounds.   Most importantly, make sure the POINT of your post is easy for your reader to understand.

Also…. 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

TIP: ESPECIALLY if you love to use big words…try your hardest to write for a larger audience with a more simple vocabulary.  This is actually great for SEO…as well as building an audience that doesn’t feel like their being talked down to. 

Tip #6: Don’t be afraid to “make ’em laugh”!  Humor writing is one of the most popular and memorable forms of writing.  If you are given two posts on the same topic, both with the same high-quality information, I can GUARANTEE the one with humor will be the one more recommended and remembered.  SO, don’t be afraid to be crass, dry, punny or witty.  Your audience will adore you to the ends of the earth!

If humor is something you struggle with, you can access the Talk Wordy to Me: How to Write with Humor course in the “Wham! Bam! Business Plan” membership site!  I spend 30 days crackin’ your funny bone and honing your writing skills!

Tip #7: Participate in Facebook Groups. When you are first starting out, the name of the game is to introduce yourself to a BRAND NEW audience.  You are starting from scratch!! Depending on what your niche is, you’ll want to join groups where your perfect audience is chillin’ like villains.  There are a TOOOOOOON of groups that allow you to share your posts, regardless of your topic. Generally, these groups aren’t going to be a great source of consistent traffic.  Why?  Because unless you are writing FOR bloggers in general…someone who focuses on succulent care isn’t going to bother reading your Twilight fan fic post.  0_0 .

SO, you want to join groups where your own audience is hanging out.  Secondly, you’ll want to participate in conversation!!  Do NOT post “check out my new blog post” posts.  Do NOT beg for attention.  In the blogging world…you need to help a million to get a million!  So…answer questions posted by the group and WHEN APPLICABLE, include a link for more info…or a related download for the group members to check out.

Tip #8: Join Pinterest groups and tribes. If you’re new on the scene…you’ve probably STILL heard about the amazing-osity of Pinterest.  The secret to the secret?  Group boards! Again, you’ll want to make sure you are joining boards where YOU’RE READERS ARE HANGING OUT!!!  Pinning to the “all blogs” boards will usually be a waste of time. Pinners only pin pins they wanna pin.  (Say that five times fast.)

In addition, a SUPER key to getting re-pins is going to be actually pinning FROM those group boards to your own!!  Pinterest KNOWS when you are automating everything and not actually using the platform as it was meant to be used.

Finally, you’ll want to focus on Pinterest SEO.  You can check out the “Pinning With Pinache” course inside of the Membership site for more info…but focusing on keywords inside of your profile as well as in your pins and links is TOTALLY key to making it to the top of your niche and reaping the billion re-pin reward.

Tip #9: Be consistent. Now, when I say this…I DON’T mean that you need to be blogging every day…or even three days a week!!  Depending on where you are in the blogging process, how many hours you have in your day, and how much you even LIKE blogging…you might only have time to put up one post a week!!  Hell…that’s what I do!!

SO…what DO I mean by consistency? Primarily, consistency in quality. While it IS better for your SEO if you are posting often…it’s MUCH better for your traffic if you are posting phenomenal quality content.  Don’t blog just because you think you need to…blog because you FEEL THE URGE to write on that particular topic!!  This post, for example, wasn’t even planned!! Although I generally try to plan my posts around a certain monthly theme…I was inspired by a random tv commercial to write this bad boy, and two days later it was done!

Moral of the story? Don’t waste your time writing sub-par content…

Tip #10: Give away the kitchen sink. Ok…so taking Tip #9 even FARTHER, please please PLEASE do not be afraid to give away EVERYTHING!!  For new bloggers, this can sound scary…but want to know what’s even scarier?  No readers…due to no value.

Generally speaking…your average customer is NOT going to read every single post, email, tweet or download you put out.  AND most likely, you won’t be able to provide EVERY angle of information in your niche in ONE place.  (Dear lord that would be a long blog post.).  SO, when a reader runs across an EPIC pillar post, (that’s a post that represents the primary solution you provide to readers)…they’ll be excited to stick around on your blog for a little longer.  After reading a few MORE posts and tweaking a few more problems in their own lives (using your solutions) they’ll be WAY more likely to invest in your product that provides the ENTIRE solution…in order, in one place and for money.

Get Traffic For Free: 

Tip #11: Create multiple pins per post. Alright, we’ve talked about the basics of generating a strong flow of traffic…now it’s time to take it up a knotch!! One of my favorite methods of generating a FREE stream of traffic to the blog, is to promote my posts through Pinterest!  Sure…you could simply create one pin and call it a day.  BUT, what I recommend doing is to create 3-4 pins with different images, colors and titles that lead back to your posts and sales pages. Why?  Because you NEVER know what’s going to attract the perfect customer!!

Check out Tip #31 on buckets…it’s s a GREAT place to start finding your customer!! On a piece of paper, write down the solution you are providing to your reader with your post or download.  From there, using the bucket method, figure out 3-4 DIFFERENT audiences that can benefit from your solution and create pins geared to THEM!  It takes a little practice and refinement at first….but you’ll get the hang of it pretty quick!!

Tip #12: Start collecting testimonials!! I didn’t think much about these in the beginning of my business…and that was a HUGE mistake.   No matter how many articles you read, courses you take or downloads you download that tell you “how to sell”…the BEST way will always be through word of mouth.  If your followers are LOVING your content and products…they are most likely telling you about it!! Pay attention when they send you those tweets, emails and Facebook tags.  Respond in person, take screenshots (blurring out any private info), and organize them in a spreadsheet like Airtable!

I DO recommend double-checking with your followers to make sure it’s ok if you use their testimonial…especially if they weren’t sending it your way for that purpose.  But I have yet to have someone say no.  🙂

Tip #13: Focus on links.  You MIGHT think that a link is a link is a link in the online world…but here is where you’d be wrong, my friend. I go over it in a TOOOOOON of detail in the SE.O.mg course, but the primary link types to focus on in your blog are going to be interlinks, inbound links and outbound links.

Interlinks are when YOU link to another blog post on YOUR site.  This is great for telling the search engine bots that your older posts still have valuable and related information…as well as lowering your bounce rate for your blog readers.  If they love this post and want more…they will click your link and read that article next!

Inbound links are links provided by OTHER bloggers.  If another blogger writes a post about you or your topic…and then links to a post on YOUR blog, that is LITERALLY the equivalent of them saying to Google “HEY!!! GOOGLE!!  THIS BLOGGER KNOW’S HER (HIS) SHIT!! YOU SHOULD RANK THEM HIGHER!!”.   The more often blogs and websites link to you…the more likely Google (and other search engines) will see you as an authority.  Free traffic, baby!!

Finally, Outbound links are links YOU provide to other bloggers. Think of this kind of like “citing your sources”.  Remember in college when you wrote those GOD AWFUL papers and had to provide sources to the texts and articles you were quoting from?  That’s EXACTLY what this is!! Providing links to outside sources tells Google that you aren’t just a know it all…but are providing information from various sources in your industry.  You are learn-ed and legit.

Tip #14: Guest Blogging/ Podcasts - There a CRAZY amount of posts and “gurus” out there claiming that “Guest Posting is dead.”  Primarily…they are saying this because saying something “is dead” is a great way to get an audience riled up and paying attention.  I’m here to tell you…that guest posting is NOT dead…it’s just changing!!!  First off, remember those links we talked about in Tip #13?  Yeah…those inbound links? Those are still really valuable!! And guest posting provides those!!

In addition, if you are guesting for someone who has a great marketing plan in place and whose audience is even SLIGHTLY bigger than yours…you’ll get those new subscribers!!

Benefits aside, though, the OLD way of guest posting isn’t as strong as it once was.  SO, it’s time to understand exactly what the new wave is!  You can find out HOW to find Guest Posting and Podcasting Gigs inside of the “Guesting Giggity” course of the membership site.  (I giggle every time I say that name.)  Podcasting and video are the new way of blogging AND receiving information for almost everyone in the blogging industry!  Although I don’t host a Podcast (and probably never will) I devour them like chocolate cake on cheat day.

SO, start going through iTunes and YouTube…and begin laying out your master plan to get featured and interviewed!!

Tip #15: Rework old content.  This is one of the easiest methods to free traffic…and additionally one of the most effective.  A big player in the SEO world is “age of the content and how recently it gets updated”.  Google KNOWS when you update old content!!  And it LUUUUUUURVES it!  So, simply going in once a month and updating an older post with a new download, updated text and links, and branding will send traffic your way!!

While you’re there, determine your post’s buckets (Tip #31) and create 2-3 new Pins for each (Tip #11)!!  This will start driving a mass amount of traffic to your post…without you having to lift ALL of your fingers!  (In other words…20 minutes of tweaking for REALLY good ROI.)

Tip #16: Feature “quotes” from fave bloggers in your industry.  Quotes are SO in…OMG.  No seriously…but they are!! Last year, when I first started getting into Instagram for biz (I’ve always been a personal user) I noticed a weird trend of people posting images, then a quote from Gandhi, images, then a quote from Madonna, images then a quote from Tim Ferris.  The quotes were getting a HUGE amount of likes and comments!  Why?  Because people could connect with the emotion they represented.

Only problem?  As a business…none of those quotes will actually give you a return on your investment…other than a quick “Love this” comment and thumbs up.  INSTEAD, I began quoting other bloggers and business owners in my industry.  Beginning bloggers.  Growing Bloggers.  Insanely famous bloggers.  If they spoke to the same audience I spoke to.,..I would read their best posts, find their most inspirational quotes, and make a pretty image using a template from Canva.

Once the image was uploaded, I would tag the blogger on Instagram.  NEARLY every time, I would get a like and comment from the original blogger!!  This eventually led to a summit speaking gig!!  This method can be used across the board on Twitter, IG, Facebook, and even Pinterest! (Actually, thinking about it now…Pinterest might get you some INSANE IN THE MEMBRANE results!!)

Tip #17: Video killed the radio star. Well…not REALLY.  But video DID become way more accessible!! If you aren’t using Video in posts, YouTube, Facebook or IG…you’re missing out on a HUGE audience.  There is an entire course on “Going Live and Loving It” inside of the Membership site! Yes…starting your first video is intimidating.  Yes…it will probably be crap and slightly embarrassing when you look back. BUT…it gets easier as you go, and it’s one of THE top methods for generating traffic to your posts and products!!  Better yet???  IT’S FREE!!!  No ads necessary!!! (If you ARE doing video…don’t forget to create Pins for your new videos on YouTube and on your blog!)

Tip #18: Use the Revive Old Post Plugin.  If you’ve never heard of this plugin…get ready to get excited!!  Revive Old Post is a FREE WordPress plugin that will automatically tweet and Facebook your older posts throughout the day and while you sleep.  This is a GREAT way to build traffic to posts you aren’t paying much attention to! Although you shouldn’t rely ONLY on automation when it comes to your social media platforms…ROPP is a great example of how automation can fill in your scheduling gaps.

Unless you are a Cyberman and don’t need sleep…you shouldn’t be popping up at 3AM to post a tweet or Facebook post about your blog’s content.You can set up the plugin to post for specific time periods..  For example, if you want the plugin to ONLY post about articles that are three months or older…you can easily set it up to do that.

ROPP CAN be a little tricky to set up sometimes, but I’ve provided a 20 minute walkthrough on how to do this in the Quick Fix training area of the membership site!

Tip #19: Educate yourself on the difference between keywords and key phrases!  I know…I know, I harp on SEO.  But it IS important!!  In addition to keywords and key phrases being important to Google…these are also carrying into the social media world!!  Keyphrases are recognized by platforms like Pinterest and used to help users find posts on topics they are searching for.  (Pinterest results show up in Google!!!  So if you can rank high on that platform…there is a chance you’ll be promoted in both places!)

So what IS the difference?  I recommend taking the course inside of the membership site, BUUUUUUT….in a nutshell:

Keywords - a simple one or two-word combination that describes a VERY basic search need.  For example, “Surfing” is a keyword.

Keyphrase - a more descriptive phrase that search engine users are more likely to use when searching.  For example, “Surfing off of the PCH in SoCal” is PROBABLY more likely to be searched for anyone looking to ride the waves off of the 101!

In addition, ranking for key phrases is a TON easier…since your competition is going to be a lot lower than with a generic keyword! Winner, winner more reader dinner!

Tip #20: Download Yoast - Finally, if I haven’t harped on SEO enough…I have ONE MORE little nugg of wisdom for you. If you haven’t already…download the YOAST plugin.  It’s completely free (I have NO idea why…0_0) and get it installed. (Surprise, surprise!! There is a walkthrough in the membership site!)

This plugin will BASICALLY give you an SEO best practices checklist for EACH post you write.  In addition, it pretties up your posts for Google…so that readers will actually WANT to click on your URL.  For example, instead of just using the first few sentences to describe your post in search results…you can write your own post description using key phrases (see Tip #19).

Get Traffic Quickly: 

Tip #21: MeetEdgar and other automations.  As business owners, we need to be focusing on our readers, our content and our products…anything else we can get off our list is a blessing!!  THIS, is where automation platforms like MeetEdgar, Hootsuite, Planoly, Tailwind, and Boardbooster come into play.

Before we talk about THOSE, though…PLEASE understand that automation is not “in lieu of” being present in Social Media.  It fills in the GAPS of your social media.  The best uses of social media automation are going to be pins, tweets and Facebook posts about blog posts, launch marketing, and product marketing, and event promos.

You should STILL be getting onto your chosen 2-3 platforms to respond to comments, share other blogger’s links and generally just to participate and start conversations!!

My BIGGEST use of the platform MeetEdgar is to plan out my Facebook Group’s daily prompts and create launch content. SO, make automation an integral, time-saving part of your plan…but do NOT let it take the place of your beautiful punam.

Tip #22: Put ads on your ideal platforms.  HEY PEOPLE!!!  THIS NOT THE FREE SECTION!!  There IS a time and a place where money can be a GREAT resource for your growth.  I want to repeat, this is NOT a technique you want to use if you are just starting out!  Before you put even $10 into a Facebook or Pinterest ad, you need to know 2 things:

A) What you want your reader to ultimately do.  (Sign up for a download and eventually buy a product.)

B) You need to be comfortable with where your business is at.  This means knowing your audience, knowing your message, and knowing your brand.

Once you are at this point, getting those clicks and follow throughs are going to be SOOOOO much easier!

Ok…so, remember how I said you needed to “know your customer”?  That is LITERALLY key for this one!!  You need to know first and foremost where your customer is hanging out. MY customers are on Pinterest, Facebook and Instagram…so better believe I have ads (geared towards my buckets…see Tip #31) on those platforms.  In the last 2 months alone, my list has grown by over 1,500 sign ups…with an even LARGER boost in daily traffic.

Examples of my Instagram Ads:

Tip #23: Write a “best of my industry” blog post, emailing and tagging the featured biz owners.  This is one you MIGHT have heard of before…and if you haven’t, you’ve most DEFINITELY read a post like it!!  Whichever industry you’re in, I can almost guarantee that you are sharing that space with other bloggers and business owners.  If you blog about health, you’ve got company…if you blog about pets, you’ve got company….if you blog about beauty, you’ve got a freakin’ rave with glow sticks and a crap ton of glitter.

Point is…one of the best ways to get QUICK and consistent traffic to your blog is to give back to other bloggers!!  Honestly, you can do this any way you’d like…as long as you’re being genuine.  But what I REALLY recommend doing, and what’s worked for me…is to create a list that’s really niche!  If you are in the beauty and fashion industry, don’t just put together a list of your fave fashion bloggers…put together a list of your fave SHOE bloggers.

And don’t be afraid to step out of the blogging realm!!!  Remember earlier when I told you that podcasting and video are the new “guest” post?  A great way to get noticed by those vloggers is to feature them FIRST!!  The fashion industry is OBSESSED with YouTube right now!!  Find vloggers that you absolutely adore and link to their videos with a paragraph about what helps them stand out in the crowd!  You’ll get mentions, traffic, and MAYBE a super great feature gig!!

TIP: The key here is NOT to feature the work of bloggers with millions of followers.  They might be amazing…and feel free to add them to your list!!  But they probably WON’T have the time to respond to your post.  What you need to do, instead, is reach out to the bloggers that are SLIGHTLY larger and more advanced than you.  They are more likely to return the favor and show the love! 

Tip #24: Host your OWN summit.  THIS is not one for the faint of heart…but the return on it is ENORMOUS!!!  Launching YOUR own summit means bringing together 10-15 of your favorite entrepreneurs on a related topic.  You’ll be responsible for creating their marketing material and marketing plan.  Launching the tech.  Creating affiliate systems. Organizing time schedules.  Putting together digital SWAG bags.  And SOOOOOOOO much more!!  For inspiration on launching your OWN summit,I  recommend checking out Sam Bell’s 7th podcast episode on virtual summit planning or Navid Moazzez who specializes in these seriously epic events.

Launching a summit means you get access to thousands of new email addresses for your list, traffic from over 10+ different speakers…straight to your site, and (if you’re doing your job) a HUGE new sector added to your own audience.

Tip #25: Start your own Facebook group. This is one I almost ALWAYS recommend!!! The Uncork Your Dork Facebook group brings in a huge chunk of post views and sign-ups daily!! Unlike email or your blog, hosting your own Facebook Group gives you the opportunity to communicate in REAL TIME with your audience!!  You can answer questions. Goof off (favorite past time in our group). Poll.  And more!

This is NOT the place to spam and promo to your audience…but it IS the place to build trust and prove your expertise!!  About ONCE a day, I’ll send out a reminder to the group (using MeetEdgar) to join the Free Challenge…but GENERALLY my group works as a hang out spot to discuss traffic and answer questions!

Quick note on getting started!!  GENERALLY, your group will start with you…and one other person.  PARTAY!!!  The thought of talking to an audience of one (who is usually your mom or bestie) can be a little intimidating…but just remember that EVERYONE started there!!  Tell your newsletter about it.  Create marketing for your social media channels.  And DON’T forget…give your members a chance to GAIN something out of the group!!  Give them a daily post that allows them to link to their own blogs and promote their own work!!

If you need a little nudge in the right direction, check out the in-depth course inside of the Membership site ALL about creating, launching and building your OWN Facebook Group!

Tip #26: Use a share plugin like social warfare. First off…there are a TON of plugins, both free and paid that work like Social Warfare.  THIS one is my fave though!!  BECAUSE you can brand your social bar to fit perfectly with your own blog’s color scheme, choose from TONS of platforms to include, and….here’s the drumroll…pre-write the text and images your reader will be sharing, I’ve found that my traffic and shares have increased an insane amount since I began using it early last year.

Most share bar plugins allow your reader to simply share the link and write their own share text…which sometimes discourages lazy readers from ACTUALLY sharing.  (C’mon…we’ve all been there.) . With this plugin, you can actually write a description of your post that will attract OTHER readers!!  In addition, you can dictate which image should be pinned, tweeted or Facebooked to go along with it.

Tip #27: Simply ask. C’mon…you’ve SEEN how much it takes to be an entrepreneur!!  Most days you might wake up and have NO freakin’ idea what you need to do first!!  Simply remembering to ASK your followers to visit your most recent post can be the challenge.  Generally, I’ll put a little note at the top of the blog post directing my readers (in a non-pushy way) to hit the pink share bar below!

After the post is published, I’ll let my newsletter subscribers know…as well as my Facebook followers.  Simply ASKING your readers to share the post can result in THOUSANDS of new repins, tweets and Facebook posts in just a few hours!!

Tip #28: Give amazing (non-salesy) answers inside of Facebook groups. No matter HOW big you get, this is actually still a pretty legit method of driving traffic to your posts and downloads?  Why?  Because if you are perceived as being AAAAAAAAALL about the benjamines baby, people won’t touch you with a ten foot pole!!  BUT if you prove your worth with no hidden catch, you’ll grow your fanbase ten fold!!

The key to this tip is to REALLY focus on groups where your readers hang out.  Sticking to the shoe example, if you are a blogger all about shoes…join Fashion and Beauty Facebook groups!!  Spend ONE HOUR…popping into these Facebook groups and participating in the conversation.  Your FIRST goal should be to answer questions with as much helpful detail as possible.  It should NOT be to toot your own horn.  A few times a week, though, you’ll see an opportunity to give amazing info INSIDE of the group…then offer group members MORE info in a recent post.  The best way to do this is to suggest thread followers send you a PM if they are interested.  That way, you don’t seem like you are just fishing for attention.

If they are interested, they’ll contact you!

Tip #29: Write a “steps” post.  One of the highest converting types of posts (in addition to the list post style you are currently reading) is the “10 Steps To _________” style post.  These are SUPER popular because they really tap into the psyche of a reader.  A reader isn’t reading your blog for shits and giggles…they are reading your post because they want to solve a problem they are CURRENTLY struggling with!!

I’m guessing YOU are probably a blogger who is struggling with your traffic and sign up numbers…or are at least looking to break through a bit of a speed bump you’ve hit.

A “steps” post should help your readers walk through solving their problem COMPLETELY!!!  Let me hit that home!!  You WILL give your reader the full solution!! This is not one of those moments where your reader gets to step nine and sees “To get the full solution…pay an addition $15.99!  That is LITERALLY asking for haters.

These posts are here to prove that you know what you’re talking about!!  This post helps your reader to trust you…making it much easier to make a sale later on down the road. In addition, the title of your post attracts your readers by promising they will knock a problem off of their list before the end of the day…and with no cost to them.

Tip #30: Send a weekly email with ONE link back to a related post.  Remember!!  The key to the success of blogging is creating FREE content your readers feel like they should be paying for. SO, after I’ve created my mind blowing blog post…I’ll do one of two things.  I use the ConvertKit platform, which automatically connects to my blog’s RSS feed and creates a new email draft from any post I publish.  SO, sometimes I’ll polish the already created email…and send that out to my readers with a link BACK to the post.

Most of the time, however, I’ll write a NEW…quick email filling my readers in on what’s happening in the office or what bizarre thoughts are going through my head.  This email will be related to the new post…allowing me to seamlessly link to the blog post inside of the email text.  That’s FULLY what I plan on doing with THIS bad boy!!

Email is a totally different beast, so whether you decide sending an email everyday is your goal…or sending an email once a week is the thing, make sure you are providing amazing, problem solving content and valuable links.

BONUS TIP: Practice the art of amazing title writing.  This is one you’ll focus on the most, across the board of your biz. You’ll write titles for blog posts, emails, Tweets, Facebook, Pinterest and more.  THESE are what will pull in your traffic…so out of EVERY tip in this post (and ebook), this is the tip you’ll need to focus the most on. If you’re sighing for lack of enthusiasm right now…breath in instead!!  I have a present for you!!

The kickass kids as CoSchedule have created a tool called the “Headline Analyzer”.  You pop in your first draft of a headline, and they tell you how you’ve done and where you can make your hook stronger! Maaaaaaaaagic.

Hmmm….looks like I need to work on the title for this post a bit!!!

Increase Traffic and Build Your List:

Tip #31: Create buckets.  Call it a “bucket list” if you will…but a STRONG misconception in the world of traffic is: Once you find your niche, you simply have to market to them.  WRONG!!  One of THE best things I’ve ever done for my list growth is to break that niche down into three to four sub issues.  Don’t get scared!! This is SUPER easy!  Open a new tab in Google and type in “Best _____(your product or service) for…”. (You might need to alter the sentence slightly depending on your industry and product.).

Google will AUTOMATICALLY finish your sentence (kinda like mad libs) with additional results that are already popular searches.  For example…If I sold shoes:

According to these results, I could create buckets for walkers, runners, nurses and even peeps with flat feet issues! This helps you narrow your niche down into categories for easier Pin creation and more defined ads and posts.

Tip #32: Participate in a Virtual Summit - Last year, I participated in THREE summits and added over 3,000 new members to my newsletter list.  MIND BLOWING!!!  Summits are almost always a win, win, win situation.  YOU don’t have to organize them…just plan your own webinar style video lesson.  You get in front of an audience put together by 10+ speakers.  You USUALLY get to sell or promote a product at the end of your presentation.  AND you generally work as an affiliate, selling the recordings of the Summit presentation for a percentage of the sales price!!  (I easily made over a grand on those three summits!)

Summits help to cement you as a professional in your niche!  HUNDREDS of virtual summits happen every year in all sorts industries, so keep an eye out for summits you might be a good fit for!!

Tip #33: Joint Webinars. One step down from the Summit, is going to be a joint webinar!!  These little bad boys are a GREAT way to get your message in front of a new audience!!  When you are looking for a partner in the webinar world, you DON’T want to find someone who has the same message as you!!  Instead, you are simply looking for another blogger with the same AUDIENCE as you.

For example, in early 2017, Andi Smiles and I put on a webinar for bloggers building businesses!!  I covered methods to create your first product…and Andi tackled handling finances from your first sale and beyond!!  (You can see the replay in the Live section of the Membership site!)

Andi and I have the SAME audience, but we have two different messages that work well with each other.  When you find a blogger who mutually wants to work with you, you’ll need to spend a day or two going over your plan for slides, teaching points, and sales.

Tip #34: Create a challenge or masterclass. - THIS. THIS. THIS. THIS!!!!  Currently, my BEST opt-in is a 6-day Video (with transcripts) Masterclass all about creating your OWN subscription product! It’s in depth and advanced…and my readers LOOOOOOOVE it!! Better yet?  Each lesson leads to a free 15 day free trial of the Membership site!

Each lesson walks readers through my methods of creating seriously great content…through Pinterest…Facebook and even creating their first download. It’s allowed me to get a collection of strong Testimonials which will ALSO help me build traffic!!

ONE of the reasons this is so good for traffic, is that EACH of the lessons is hosted on my blog! I use a plugin called “OptimizePress“.  This allows me to connect each page with it’s own video, password protect the content, include videos and downloads…and GENERALLY impress my subscribers.  Better yet, the content is leaked out daily…which means my readers are sent to the next lesson on the blog for 7 days straight!! HELLO LOOOOOOOOOOW BOUNCE RATE!!!!

Tip #35: Launch a product to a bucket. - If you haven’t read Tip #31, this one sounds a little weird.  Once you have your customer “buckets” figured out, though…it’s time to figure out your perfect product for that perfect customer!! From there, you’ll work backwards creating amazing downloads and opt-ins…and writing blog posts to lure them in.

In all honesty, a product launch can be a HUGE pull for new customers!  Think about it…you’re hosting webinars, putting out an insane amount of free content, creating bonus material, upping your social media game…your name is GOING to get out there!!!  You WILL reach a new audience!

So, if nothing else, today you should figure out your sub niches (buckets) and start brainstorming a paid solution you’d know they love!! Once you have that, put your creation and launch dates into that marketing calendar we discussed in Tip #4!

Tip #36: Don’t go download crazy!!!!! Look, readers are SMART people!!!!  Since the beginning of time, readers have been called dorks, nerds and know-it-alls.  So WHY THE HELL do bloggers these days think THEIR readers are dense enough to fall for a “give me your email for a crap download” scam???

If you want your subscriber number to REALLY skyrocket, think about investing your time into 2-3 BIGTIME downloads!! Sure the occasional checklist can be incredibly valuable…but in all honesty, your readers aren’t going to sucker punch each other to get their copy.  Instead of investing your valuable time in creating 10-20 smaller downloads…think about creating 2-3 EPIC downloads that each of your blog posts can focus on!  For example, as of right now, on the UCYD blog I am offering a blog planner, a 7 day Traffic Building Masterclass, and a 4 week walkthrough calendar to build traffic with repurposed content.  (The ebook will be replacing that last one!) .

ALL of these downloads fit with my audience and the final product (the membership site) and ALL of them provide a solution for my audience from beginning to end!!

Tip #37: Write an ebook.  Ahem.  Cough. Cough.

Look…at this point, I haven’t even launched this bad boy yet.   BUT, I have launched an ebook before and I know thing or two . about the process!!  First thing that needs to be mentioned…an eBook is NOT the best download for a freebie.  In all honesty, readers are looking for easy to consume materials when they sign up for an opt-in.  An ebook takes WORK for the reader!!!  It does NOT provide an immediate solution.

BUT, you can still create free ebooks that do REALLY well.  For example, if this book were titled “How to Increase Traffic to Your Blog in 7 days”, it might do OK…but the reader STILL knows there’s a chance they won’t read the entire thing!!  Instead, however, I’ve taken the same topic and broken it up into a list format….and have even included a way for readers to digest it (no strings attached) in a blog post format!!  This is SUPER important, since my readers might WANT to read the whole post…but see the portable ebook as being a bit easier on their time and browser.

SO, break your ebook up into steps, almost like a recipe book!  Additionally, you could also turn your ebook into a workbook! Look at promoting it through other channels like Amazon’s free ebook program.

Tip #38: Add your opt-ins EVERYWHERE. -  This one might seem like a little bit of a “duh” moment, but a lot of bloggers struggle with this…PRIMARILY because they are focusing on 20 opt-ins instead of 2-3.  (See Tip #36).  Depending on your primary product and which opt-in should REPRESENT that product, you’ll want to put your sign up forms in a few different places.  You can see an example of most of these on the UCYD blog!! (There is an epic download inside of the membership site that breaks down over 15 different places to put our opt-on!)

Place #1: Above the fold.  This is the area above the bottom of your computer screen!! If you show your reader you have a download the second they land on your page…they’ll be more likely to take advantage of it.

Place #2: In your side bar.

Place #3: One to two times in the text of your blog post.

Place #4: A footer bar.

Place #5: Featured in the Pinterest Sidebar Plugin.

Place #6: Resources page.

Place #7: Start Here Page

Tip #39: Create a niched download library. - So…you have a collection of downloads that you’d like to turn into ONE huge opt-in, huh?  YOU ARE GENIUS, MY FRIEND!!  I actually created a download library to streamline my PDF’s last year, and it’s been one of my biggest opt-ins to date!!  My suggestion, is to give your library a theme. If you blog about fashion, create your library about clothing, makeup or skincare! This makes it REALLY easy to know exactly what your subscribers are interested in.

If you’d like to learn how to create your own library on WordPress…click here for the blog post! 

Tip #40: Spend time finding your perfect email client. - Last but NOT least…you need to find that email client that you are IN LOVE WITH!!!  I’ve been through them all…MailChimp, Active Campaign, Mad Mimi, Aweber….ALL OF THEM.  Last year, I fell head over heals in love with ConvertKit.  To be honest and transparent…I’ve heard folks say “It’s the best thing since bon bons!”  BUUUUUUUT I’ve heard just as many say “I just don’t get the platform”.

I’m not trying to sway you either way!!  What I AM saying, is you need to take stock of what YOU need in a newsletter platform. Do you need robust funnels?  Advanced tagging and exclusion abilities? (That’s why I went with ConvertKit and haven’t looked back.) Or are you beginning and simply need a way to send a friggin’ email!?  Dive in…and figure out what system works best for you!

Do. Your. Research!!

Well ladies and gents…we made it.  We powered through some seriously crazy awesome tips for getting those analytics numbers up.

Want to know something even MORE seriously crazy awesome, though??  THERE IS SO MUCH MORE TO GO OVER!!!

Ugh…it makes my brain hurt.

From understanding analytics to diving into major detail on the topics we’ve already discussed…traffic is a CRAZY and always evolving game.

At this point in the book, it should come as NO surprise to you that my last and FINAL tip for you is to join us in “The Wham! Bam! Business Plan!” membership site!!  With full blown courses (worth more than $500 a piece), live trainings and webinar replays, 20 minute Quick Win videos and seriously amazing downloads…these tips are fleshed out into traffic building machines that will your perfect audience hanging on your every word.

Want to check it out before you buy it??  NO PROBLEM!!  I’m giving you guys a 15 day FREE trial to the entire site…no holds barred!  You can work through a course you’ve had your eyes on.  Tackle the downloads.  Or get some quick wins in the video library!!

Even better…you can pause or cancel your membership at ANY time from your own dashboard!!  You won’t need to send ANY awkward or apologetic details (unless that’s your thing…).