The real question is, what makes the perfect course? How do you create a product that your readers would just die to have access to?

Obviously, it would have to have information that your readers want, not what you think they want. But how do you know exactly what that is?

It should also present the information in a way that is best suited for their taste. But again, how do you know?

If only your audience could tell you exactly what they wanted. It would be as if they created the product for you. How awesome would that be?

Well, that’s exactly what you should do.

Here’s What I Would Do

I typically don’t like to blog about online business and marketing techniques that I’ve never tried before (since I have yet to release any online courses of my own), however this particular “technique” has been proven by other internet marketers and there’s no reason why it shouldn’t work. One day, when I do launch my own courses, I will most likely take a similar route.

The first step is to sell a coaching course to a limited number of people even before you have details about exactly what you’re going to teach. You work directly with your students to create course material as you go along that is perfectly tailored to the kinds of things they are looking for. At the end of it all, you’ll have the perfect product ready to launch.

Here’s why this model is so genius:

• You get paid upfront before you even create any material. You then have an incentive to really produce great work for your new students to make sure they get their money’s worth, and you may also want to use some of that money for equipment or software to help with your presentations and lessons.
• The curriculum is tailored to your students. You’ll know if you’re going too fast, too slow, or missing any key components, since your students will be there to tell you right away.
• After the “coaching program” is finished, you’ll have a number of recordings, lessons, worksheets, courses, etc. already completed that you can easily turn into it’s own online course or product.
• If your program was well received, you’ll have a number of people who would be happy to give you an awesome testimonial for your online course.
• Your students who have their own websites or email lists may end up becoming an affiliate for your product, helping to boost sales (and buzz) when you end up launching the product.
• If your program has helped your students, then there is no doubt that your online course will help the rest of your audience as well.

Yes, the coaching program will take a lot of your time. You’ll be writing lessons on the fly and possibly doing things like weekly webinars, videos, etc. Hopefully, the interaction you have with your students will inspire you to get things done and hopefully keep things fun for you.

But imagine what it would be like after that coaching program is over. You’ll have these wonderful, fine-tuned lessons that are just waiting to be sold online for whatever price you see fit. You’ve already put in the hard work, so now you can sell on auto pilot and add to your passive income portfolio.

So which would you rather do?

Spend a couple of months creating an online course by yourself which may or may not be what people are looking for?

Or…

Spend a couple of months creating an online course with your audience that you know will be information that they want, and get paid for it?

Hmm…seems like a no-brainer to me. What do you think?

A Limited Number of Students

As I mentioned earlier, the coaching part of the process should be limited to a small number of students. I would say no more than 10 to 12 people at most. Here’s why:

1. Although feedback from your students is vital, you don’t want to get flooded with hundreds of different opinions about what you’ve done and what to do next. Yes – you want different views and opinions, but too many can stress you out and confuse you on what actions to take next.
2. The smaller the number of students, the better chance there is of you developing a real relationship with them, which will in turn help with the quality of the end product.
3. Limiting the number of students will create buzz for your future online course. Those who don’t get “accepted” into your coaching program will be anxious to purchase the online course that is created as a result.

I know it might seem like a mistake to limit the number of students because you’re also limiting the amount of money you make up front. However, at this point in the process, you should be worry more about the quality of your lessons. The real money will come later once you begin to sell your online course.

“Should I offer my coaching program for free?”

My answer is no.

Not because you won’t get paid, but because people who throw down money to learn from you will be more vested into your program and more likely to participate than someone who just joins for free.

A Good Idea, or Bad?

I have not yet put this to the test, but I may in the distant future. As I continue to research how other internet marketers have done something similar, I’m curious to know what you think about it?

Are there any flaws in this product creation model that should be brought to our attention?

I look forward to reading your responses. Have a wonderful week, and congrats to any New Orleans Saints fans out there. What a season!

Cheers!

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How to Create the Perfect Online Course for Your Audience

Bah!

Anyways, as stressful as the move has been so far, one of the things that is driving me forward is that in our new place, I get my own office! It has always been my dream to have my own home office where I can close the doors at times and really CRUSH IT.

Don’t get me wrong – I was able to make things happen in my existing workspace (which is equivalent to the size of a port-a-potty), but my new 9′ x 12′ space will definitely be conducive to making loads of progress on my existing businesses, this blog, and all of the future projects I have in store.

The Idea Room

About a month ago, when I was watching Teen Cribs on MTV (yeah, I’ll admit that…), I saw this huge house which was owned by an internet marketer who I had never heard of before. One particular room had “white markerboard” covering every inch of every single wall, and they called it the “Idea Room”. In it, the internet marketer and his teen son draw on the walls and brainstorm new business ideas and strategies.

Um, awesome!

So, I’m going to install some white markerboard in my office too, probably on at least one entire wall, maybe two. As much as I love brainstorming with online tools such as MindMeister, there’s just something about writing ideas on a wall where I can see them every time I go in the office. It will make me want to follow through and implement. Furthermore, if I ever end up doing video courses for whatever reason, I’ll already have a board behind me that I can write on.

So how much does white markerboard cost?

Not as much as you probably think.

An entire 4 foot by 8 foot sheet will only cost you $13 at Home Depot. Definitely a small price to pay for the amount of progress that could be made as a result of installing these bad boys, in my opinion. Plus, it might be fun to take Keoni into the office and help him with his math homework too.

I’ll definitely keep you updated. You can be sure that once the office is finished, I’ll do a quick video tour for you to check out. Until then, here’s to your online success!

Have a wonderful weekend!

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The Idea Room – White Markerboard Wall Plan

I’ve recently started to reread one of my all-time favorite books, Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die, and in it there’s an entire section dedicated to the power of storytelling and how it gets people to pay closer attention to what you have to say.

If you think about it, it’s absolutely true. We’re so much more in tune when someone is telling us a story, as opposed to when someone is just “talking at us”, or lecturing. All of my favorite professors from college were ones that were masters of storytelling.

Stories are powerful, and when combined with marketing, the results can be out of this world.

Subway Jared

Do you know who “Subway Jared” is? Chances are, you probably do.

Jared was just a guy who was grossly overweight but lost 245 pounds after going on a strict diet composed of Subway sandwiches. He’s recently become a nationwide hero and celebrity because his story resonates with a lot of people.

Subway was quick to get him on board as a spokesperson for their brand.

Why?

Because they know just how powerful his story is. He’s even a part of their navigation menu on their website, as you can see in the adjacent screenshot.

Online Adwords Campaigns

I’ve noticed a certain trend lately in the pay per click affiliate marketing world. Instead of marketers simply putting an affiliate link into their adwords ads, they are linking over to a site that looks like a blog instead, which have the affiliate links embedded within the posts.

Many traditional marketers would think that this is a huge mistake because we’re in fact adding another step to the entire process. And, as we all should know – the more steps that a customer has to take in order to get through the checkout process, the less chance there is of completing the sale.

Well, it seems like these blogs are cashing, and here’s why:

All the blogs tell a story.

For weight training, we’re seeing stories of Jimmy and Alex who talk about how hours in the gym just wasn’t working for them, and how they finally got their abs chiseled after taking these super supplements or special drink mix, and they have the pictures to prove it.

For teeth whitening (which I know you’ve seen ads for online), the ads click through to blogs that talk about “my mom’s 5 minute teeth whitening trick”.

The products are different, but the idea is the same: stories sell.

People We Know

Tim Ferriss, author of The 4-Hour Work Week, tells stories all of the time. His book is filled with passages of him doing things like racing motorcycles in Europe, skiing in the Andes, scuba diving in Panama, and dancing Tango in Buenos Aires, just to name a few of the awesome things he’s done. It reflects the kind of lifestyle he lives, which goes along with his methods for living such a lifestyle, which he graciously outlines for us in his book.

I mean – one of the first sections in the introduction of his book reads in bold letters: My Story and Why You Need This Book.

Again – stories sell.

The big bloggers have their stories too.

I remember Darren Rowse from Problogger.net saying  that when he started Problogger.net, he had not yet monetized it. It was only after his wife told him that he had 6 months to make it profitable or else he’d have to dump it that he started to really get serious with blogging.

Yaro Starak from Entrepreneurs-Journey.com started blogging back in the 90s about a geeky card game called Magic The Gathering (which I’ll admit that I played too when I was in middle school). That’s where he learned the ins and outs of blogging which he has since taken to a whole new level as he teaches others how to succeed online with blogging and entrepreneurship.

And Then There’s Me

I’m sure that you would agree that a lot of the rapid growth and success on this blog happened because of my story:

Guy gets laid off.

Guy starts an internet business.

Guy makes even more and works much less.

Even on my LEED exam prep blog, I share a story about how I studied for the exam myself, struggled because of the lack of resources, and decided to create my own, which I now keep updated for new test takers a year and a half after I passed the exam.

I think it gives me an edge over my competitors who are only known by their company name, and not the person or any stories behind it.

Do You NEED A Story In Order to Succeed?

I don’t think you need a story in order to succeed, but I can tell you from experience that it absolutely helps. It’s no wonder why I’ve been asked to do more than a dozen interviews since the beginning of the year.

In my opinion, every blog or internet business should somehow incorporate a story. If not for the inspiration and creation of the business or blog, then at least in some of the blog posts that you write, or in case studies and testimonials from your customers.

On this blog, I’ve written a number of “story posts” which have proven to be some of my top articles on the blog. I could have just presented the lessons without the story, but the story makes what I have to say a lot more meaningful:

• How to REALLY Profit From Your Blog – A story about my friend who wanted advice from me about starting an internet business.
• Shadows of Marketing – Are You Paying Attention? – A story about what I learned in a drawing course in architecture school and how I applied it to marketing and business.
• Are People Talking About You Online? Here’s What You Need To Know – A story about a person I found online who was calling me and what I do online scummy.

So how do you get stories?

Well, you should never make them up. People can read right through fake stories, and it’s always good practice to be totally honest online.

Here are two things you can do:

1. Keep your eyes and ears open. Life is already full of stories that are just waiting to be shared, it’s just your job to make sure we realize they’re happening.
2. Put yourself in situations to get a good story. That’s right! Make the awesome stories happen for yourself. This might mean stepping out of your comfort zone, or taking that leap of faith, but hey – that’s how we get ahead.

Share One of Your Stories

If you have a website that has a great story to it, or have written a blog post that uses the power of storytelling, please feel free to share and put a link (that’s one link) in the comments below along with a brief summary of your story to go along with it. If it’s a good story, hopefully you can get some clicks over to your blog from some of the other readers.

I look forward to reading what you have to say!

As always, thank you for your support and contribution to the ongoing conversation. Cheers!

p.s. To reiterate, I really recommend reading Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die if you have the chance. Let me know how you like it!

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The Most Powerful Marketing Tool

Each month, I like to write a detailed report about where my online income comes from, as well as report on the things that I’ve been up to that may have had an impact on my earnings. I do this not only to help myself keep track of how I’m doing, but more so to help you learn what to do (and what not to do) during your online business or blogging adventures. I hope you enjoy this month’s report.

Important Going-Ons in January

iPhone Apps

I’m going to start off a little differently this month and talk first about my iPhone apps.

For those of you who don’t know, I am the co-founder of LOLer Apps, a company that my buddy and I started last year. We started the company as an experiement to see if iPhone app development was a viable source of passive income. We knew that if we could get a few apps in the App Store, we could hopefully sit back after all of the work was done and keep earning money month after month.

Although we have yet to develop that “million dollar app”, we’ve been fairly happy with our results. Lately, with no additional work put into it, our apps have seen a nice increase in sales, as you’ll see in the earnings report below. This has amp’d us up to start talking about releasing a few new applications (iPad?) in the year 2010, to hopefully double or triple our earnings.

I’ll definitely keep you updated on our progress.

GreenExamAcademy.com

It looks like I finally have some competition. Last month, the company that actually adminsters the LEED exam has recently come out with their own study guides. I’m not sure if this was done as a direct response to companies like mine, but I wouldn’t be surprised. If it was, then I take it as the ultimate compliment.

So from the outside, it might look like I’m screwed. However, as I suspected, I was still able to maintain an average income from my own study guides last month. Here’s why I think that is:

• My guides have been available on the market for a long time – they are proven and people aren’t afraid to share that with their colleagues.
• I’m just one guy, so I can afford to keep my prices low. They are a huge company, so there are employee and overhead costs that have to be taken into account.
• My guide is electronic, which means it can be delivered immediately after purchase.
• I also have an audio guide available to go along with my eBook.
• I’m the “mom & pop shop” equivalent, non-corporate player in the market, which many people are attracted to.

Of course, I’m sure to highlight these points on my website because they are all things that work in my favor.

Am I worried? No.

Am I pumped? Yes.

Last month, I put in a total of 1 hour of work on this site. Yes – 1 hour during the entire month. That’s how powerful passive income is. However, it’s a double-edged sword. I’ve been so used to putting so little time into the automated business that it makes me wonder whether or not I could of taken it even further. I’ve been happy with the results and did not want to get “greedy”, but there’s a difference between being greedy and being a smart businessman.

It’s definitely something to ponder. I may write a blog post about this and expand on it later.

The Smart Passive Income Blog

This blog just seems to keep growing and growing (thanks to you!), and it’s getting even more fun to work on. Here’s a quick summary of what has happened in just this past month:

• I launched my free eBook, eBooks the $mart Way, which has already been downloaded over 1300 times.
• Finally took my new website design live. From what I hear, people are lovin’ it!
• I was fortunate enough to be interviewed by one of my idols, Darren Rowse from Problogger.net.
• I chatted with Grant and Alan on The Ren Men Show’s 8th Episode!
• I also had the pleasure of being interviewed by Paul Cunningham from Blogging Teacher.
• Answered some excellent questions from Jade Dragon from Innovative Passive Income.
• Answered even more excellent questions from Steve from Better Learning Better Earning.
• Completed a series of 20 tip filled emails for my brand new newsletter.
• Wrote my most commented post ever: How to REALLY Profit From Your Blog
• I surpassed 1000 fans on my Facebook Fan Page.

Seriously though, if you’re reading this report – thank you. All of you (even those of you who don’t comment!) have helped me achieve so much in a relatively short period of time. If you ever meet me on the street or at a conference or something, say hello and ask me to buy you a coffee (or any other beverage appropriate to the occasion), and  Itotally will.

Lastly, I know many of you are waiting for the Smart Passive Income Podcast to help fill those gaps in your day when you just want to listen to some motivational, legit advice to help you get things done. Well – it’s on it’s way. After I finish moving and have my new office all setup, that will be my next big project.

Ok – let’s get to some numbers!

Income Breakdown

GreenExamAcademy.com Product Sales:

• Ebook Only: $1198.00
• Audio Only: $15.00
  
• Ebook + Audio Package: $1,468.35
• Total: $2,689.35
  • Last Month: $2,979.10
  • Difference: -$289.75
    

• eHow Earnings:
  • Total: $131.09
    • Last Month: $135.03
    • Difference: -$3.94
      

• Affiliate Earnings:
  • Total: $4,997.75
    • Last Month: $4,957.78
    • Difference: +$39.97
      

• iPhone Applications:
  • Total: $2,448.44
    • Last Month: $1,927.84
    • Difference: +$520.60

• Gross Total in January: $10,266.63
  • Last Month: $9,999.75
  • Difference: +$266.88

A wonderful month, finally breaking the $10k mark once again. As far as how much time I spent in total to earn this amount, the iPhone apps and the eHow earnings took zero hours of my time and my product sales from GreenExamAcademy took about 1 hour of work (answering emails and responding to comment on the blog). It’s hard to determine the exact time I spent on my affiliate earnings because the time I spent promoting the Smart Passive Income Blog does have an effect on that total, although it’s not a direct correlation. I’ll just ballpark it and say 5 hours total.

It’s kind of crazy to think about, but that comes out to $2,053.33 an hour. Well – it’s not really correct to think about my earnings this way because I did spend a lot of time setting up these income sources in the beginning. The proper way to calculate my per hour rate would be to determine the total amount I’ve earned up to this point, and divide that by the number of hours I’ve worked ever since I started doing stuff online. Unfortunately, I didn’t keep track of those numbers when I started.

Things I Learned in January

1. I Created a “Brand Base”

Thanks to Glen from ViperChill.com, I came across a very handy tool that I’ve been using everyday since the beginning of the year – Netvibes. It’s the first website I open up every morning, and the hub for all of the work I do each day.

Glen explains it in far more detail, but it’s basically an organizer for all of the different projects and to-dos that are on my plate. You can setup different widgets on your homepage that can be very helpful for what you do online, such as to-do lists, a calendar, web notes, an RSS subscription reader, a Twitter and Facebook client, Google Alert, etc. – and you can even have separate tabs for each project or site that you have as well.

If you’re having trouble organizing everything you do online, I definitely recommend checking it out.

2. A Good Night’s Sleep Can Go A Long Way

As many of you know, my wife and I recently welcomed the birth of our new son, Keoni. As far as sleep is concerned, some nights are definitely better than others.

On the nights that I do get 6 to 8 hours of sleep, I can easily tell that I’m much more energetic and productive compared to the days when I don’t get very much sleep at all. I know that’s common sense, but sleep really does have an effect on the amount and quality of work that you can get done.

Although – an extra hot, grande white chocolate mocha seems to help a bit.

3. I Was Reminded That Hard Work Does Pay Off

My free eBook guide took a long time to finish (over 2 months), but it was all worth it in the end. The response so far has been nothing less than amazing.

Never give up, and remember why you’re doing what you’re doing. If good intentions are behind what you do, your hard work will definitely pay off.

“The harder you work, the luckier you become.”

Plans for the Future

February is going to be a tough month for me.

Why?

We’re moving!

Yep – we’re moving into a larger home. The cool part is that I get my own office, which is awesome! It’s going to take a while to setup, but once it’s ready, awesome things will happen.

Besides the move, I’m currently working with a few people on separate projects that may eventually have a huge impact on my earnings by the end of the year. Most are still in the planning stages, but I’ll definitely keep you updated on my progress and I’ll reveal more about exactly I’m up to later on in the year.

Wish us luck, and thanks again for all of your support. Here’s to a productive, healthy and profitable February!

Cheers!

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My Monthly Report – January 2010

No offense Darren. I would gladly shave my head if it meant I could get to your level one day. Although, maybe that’s the trick. Think of Seth Godin, ShoeMoney and Leo Babauta – all top level bloggers…all bald.

Hmm…

Anyways, what made our recent conversation really special for me was the fact that Darren was interviewing me! I still can’t believe it, but it’s true. The interview was announced on Problogger.net yesterday, so if you haven’t heard it already, you can listen to it by subscribing to Darren’s newsletter.

If you’ve already listened to it, thank you for the gift of your time, and thanks to any new subscribers coming over here from Darren’s blog.

Side note: I apologize for the low volume on my end. I’m in the middle of a move and was using a backup microphone that apparently made my voice very soft. When my podcast comes out later in the year, I promise the quality on my end will be much better!

At the end of the interview, Darren had asked me to leave one parting tip for bloggers, and this is what I said:

In order to get to that next level, you’re going to have to take bold actions…

This is a followup post to that very statement.

The Routine

Ahh yes – the routine. A lot of what we do in life is simply part of a routine, and it’s not a bad thing. In fact, a routine helps us live a healthy, stress-free and happy lifestyle. We’re comfortable in a routine.

However, when trying to progress online with our blogs or our businesses, falling into a comfortable routine can stop us from ever seeing the influential results that we want to see.

Doing the same thing day in and day out – whether it be simply writing a new blog post, updating your Twitter or Facebook status, or commenting on other people’s blogs – will definitely help us progress, but it won’t take us to that next level. It’s the bold actions that we take outside of the routine that help us get there.

Think of it like a mountain that you wish to climb. There’s a set of stairs that wind all the way around the mountain, circling hundreds of times so that you can slowly make your way up to the top. In order to reach your goal faster, you can get off the stairs and create your own path.

Yes, it’s uncomfortable.

Yes, it’s risky.

Yes, it takes more effort.

Yes, it’s not part of the normal routine.

But that’s what makes it a bold action, one that could help us reach our goals much faster than if we simply relied on the routine.

Bold Actions

So what exactly are the bold actions that you should take?

For me, it was filing papers for my LLC. It was joining a mastermind group and asking hundreds of questions until I understood exactly what I had to do. It was spending 2 months to write an eBook. It was deciding to be completely transparent on this blog down to the penny. It was personally emailing Darren Rowse and telling him my story.

It was doing things that I was not completely comfortable with, but knew I had to do get to me to where I wanted to go.

And you?

I can’t tell you what bold actions you should take. However, I believe that most of you already have an idea of what they are. It’s probably something that you’ve been wanting to do for a long long time.

So why not now?

Thanks again for your support – it means the world to me. Have a great weekend, and stay tuned for my January 2010 Monthly Income Report in my next post.

Cheers!

p.s. Congrats to Stephanie from EmptyNestRenesting for winning a free copy of the new 4-Hour Workweek from my last post! Thanks everyone for sharing your seriously awesome comments!

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Thank you so much!

Up the Ante By Taking Bold Actions

You have a business idea that you could build up and sell in 3 years for $5 million – guaranteed. However, during those 3 years, you will be required to work an average of 75-80 hours a week.

Would you do it? Why or Why not?

I had asked this question to my fans yesterday on my Facebook Page, and the response was incredible. Within a few hours, over 25 people responded with various reasons why they would or wouldn’t go through with it. All had very valid, but different reasons.

What’s the purpose of this exercise?

The purpose of this thought exercise is to get you to really think about what’s important in your life. Thinking about this may put things into perspective as far as the lifestyle that you live now, the lifestyle you’d live while working 80 hours a week, and the lifestyle you’d have after you sold your business 3 years later. What’s important to you? It may have an effect on what you end up doing now.

Please assume that the $5 million is totally guaranteed (don’t ask me how, it just is. This is a hypothetical thought exercise people!), and you must do all of the work yourself (i.e., you can’t outsource any part of it).

Finally, I still have a few new versions of The 4-Hour Workweek to give away. I’ll select one random commenter (I’ll email the winner on Friday, 1/29) to send it to free of charge, so long as you answer the entire question:

Would you do it? Why or Why not?

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How Would You Like 5 Million Dollars?

This is, obviously, something that I’ve come up with for my own blog that may not be suitable for all bloggers. But – as always, I’m happy to share with you the tips, tricks and techniques that I use that have helped me achieve some success. As you read through this, you may want to think about how to adapt a similar approach to what you publish on your blog.

Types of Posts

Before I write a new post, I choose from a variety of post types that all serve a different purpose for this blog. Here’s my list, which I’ll expand upon later in this post:

• How-To / Instructional
• Reports / Case Studies
• Analytical / Rational
• Psychological / Theoretical
• News / Updates
• Ask the Readers
• Linkage
• Personal

The purpose of doing this is to keep my posts fresh and new, as well as to cater to most types of people.

For example, many of you are probably “left-brainers”, which means you’re more of an analytical, rational and numbers type person. As a left-brainer, you probably enjoy my reports and analytical posts more than anything else. For you “right-brainers”, who are generally more subjective with holistic thoughts and creativity, you probably enjoy my psychological / theoretical type posts more.

I guarantee that if all I did was talk about numbers and statistics all day, that I wouldn’t have as many followers and loyal readers as I do. And on the flip side, if all I did was talk about internet marketing theory and creative marketing strategies, I wouldn’t have as many followers and loyal readers as I do today as well. The nice thing is that the types of articles that I write for both sides of the brain can compliment each other very well.

So, when I decide what my next blog post will be, this list is what I turn to first. If I’ve recently written one specific type of post, I normally don’t write the same type again until a few posts later.

Lastly, besides my monthly report, which is typically published on the first Monday of each new month (which I’ll go into why later), I don’t have a hard core calendar that tells me when I’m supposed to write a specific type. I just let it happen naturally, although I do use this list as a guideline.

I do believe in structure, but I also believe in room for flexibility and creativity.

The Post Type Breakdown

As I previously mentioned, each post type serves a different purpose, which goes beyond the whole left-brain / right-brain stuff. Here’s what I mean:

How-To / Instructional

Everyone loves how-to stuff. It’s a format that’s easy to understand, and even easier to write. That’s why sites like eHow.com have taken off, although some may say that eHow is in for a rough landing, but that’s a whole different story.

So, I always make sure to include some type of how-to or instructional blog post that is useful for people. Here are a few examples:

• How to REALLY Profit From Your Blog
• How to Get 25 Hours in a Day
• How to Test Your Online Product Before it’s Even Made
• How to Get the Most Out of Your Custom Website or Blog Designer
• THE Blogger’s Guide to Facebook

Reports / Case Studies

As they say, you can’t “talk the talk”, unless you “walk the walk.” The primary purpose of these types of posts are to show results.

Yes – they are partly used as a means of validation. I’m honest and I’ll admit that. But additionally, I think it’s important (and useful) to show results with some explanation about how to achieve those results as well, which is what I always include in my reports. If you just show the numbers and don’t teach anything, you’ll just come across as being cocky.

Here are a number of my case studies and reports:

• My Monthly Income Reports (page)
• An In-Depth Traffic Stats and Analysis Report
• Keyword Search Engine Position Experiment – Week 1
• eHow Income Reports (page)
• BabyMaker iPhone Application – One Week Later

Analytical / Rational

These posts are about the facts, and using those facts and logic to draw some sort of conclusion about something.

The cool thing is that you can’t deny facts, so no matter what level you’re at (even a beginner with no experience) you can benefit from writing these types of posts because you don’t have to be an expert, and they can be extremely persuasive.

Even though these posts consist of things that people may already know about, if you can reformat it in a way that’s intriguing and interesting, you’ll make a big impact. It’s kind of like why some of the funniest comedy bits are from comedians who just cleverly restate what we already know.

Here are some examples of some analytical posts that I have written in the past:

• The Path to an Audi R8 (Or Anything Else You Want)
• 3 Types of Affiliate Marketing and the One I Profit From
• 6,795,850,072 Reasons Why You Can Make a Successful Living Online
• Passive Income Streams 101
• The Triple Threat of Products You Can Easily Create

Psychological / Theoretical

These kinds of posts, the ones that you read where the author begins to speculate about why things are the way they are, or why you should be doing one thing over another, can be very, very powerful. However, if your readers don’t see you in the right mind, what you write can just be rubbed off and not taken that seriously.

You have to have some kind of authority or leadership in a niche in order to begin theorizing about it. Until you have that authority, you’re not teaching anything. Instead, you’re basically just stating your opinion.

Here are a few of my own:

• The Obvious Part of Online Marketing That Most People are Missing
• Pat’s Three Laws of Business and Success: Law #1
• The One Thing You Absolutely Need if You Want to Succeed Online

News / Updates

It’s nice to step away from all that you’ve been teaching for a while to keep your audience updated on any plans or special announcements that may effect them. I’d advise to keep these kinds of posts to a minimum because they are not “evergreen”, meaning – after a certain point, they are pretty much useless.

For example, a post about how I plan to redesign my blog becomes useless after the blog has been redesigned. That is, unless I were to somehow incorporate some lesson or some kind of timeless information that could help people as they redesigned their blogs too, which I always try to do.

Ask the Readers

I love these kinds of posts because they get people involved – which is vital for the growth and expansion of a blog.

Also, an “Ask the Readers” type post is great to publish when you don’t have enough time to write a killer post, and want to stay on schedule. You can get your readers involved and pretty much create the content on their own through the comments, which is awesome.

Here are some examples of times when I’ve asked you for your opinion:

• How Will You Know When You’ve Reached Financial Success?
• Let’s Discuss: Which of These Books Do You Think Would Sell Better?
• What Are Your Un-Goals for 2010?
• Help Me Name my eBook…
• Ask The Readers: How to Motivate the Unmotivated?

Linkage

Every once and a while, I’ll write a post that specifically lists or mentions a number of links that either regurgitate some of my older articles, or highlights some of the better posts around the blogosphere that I’ve been reading.

No matter the age of your blog is, it’s great to resurface some of your older blog posts because you’re always going to have new readers who probably have yet to dive into your archives. Also, it can also be a great “filler” post that you can quickly write if you’re shot for time or can’t think of anything to write about.

One tip is to not just list these posts, but somehow present them in a way that’s useful for your readers. This post that you’re reading now is an example of that, if you haven’t noticed already.

Personal

Lastly, but definitely not least, we have personal posts. These are posts that I write that have nothing to do with what my blog is about. It’s all about me, my family, and what I’ve been up to.

You may be thinking, “Pat – why waste precious space on your blog for stuff that doesn’t have anything to do with internet marketing, blogging, or making money online?”

I hope you already know what the answer is…

The reason is because in order to really engage your audience, especially nowadays with an internet that is constantly being filled with tons and tons of similar looking websites and blogs all talking about the same exact topic, you’re going to have to throw a little bit of your personality into it.

No one in this entire world is like you. Put yourself into your blog, and it truly becomes unique – something that people can easily relate to.

This is why I’m a big advocate for throwing in pictures of yourself and talking about what’s happening in your life every once and a while.

As I’m sure many of you know, I have a dog named Gizmo, and I just had a son named Keoni. And I’m sure some of you have also seen the wedding video of my wife and I, busting out a hip hop routine in the middle of our first dance. I wrote specific blog posts about each of those things. Did it hurt my blog?

Absolutely not.

If anything, they helped me connect with a lot of you in ways that no internet marketing or blogging information could.

• Random Fun Post of the Weekend – Gizmo!
• Gone Fishin’
• I’m Going to Be a Daddy
• It’s a Boy!
• The Best Christmas Gift Ever – Our Son

Of course, some posts that I write can be put into two or more of these categories, but again – I try to mix things up to keep things fresh for everyone.

When I Post

Some of these posts have a bigger impact than others (by impact, I mean a greater response and higher traffic value). Therefore, I try to maximize their use by consciously making an effort to publish on appropriate days.

Mondays, for example, are my most active day. It’s the day of the week that I have the most traffic, both from new and old visitors. Because of this, I typically save my “best” articles for Monday. These are usually my How-To and Report type posts.

Friday, the last day of the week that I publish a post, is reserved for more of the “non-impact” type blog posts: news/updates, ask the reader, linkage, and personal. Again, this isn’t always the case, because I may find some inspiration during the week to write an article that I want to share with you right away.

So, whatever days you publish, give an extra second to yourself to not only think about the type of article you’re writing, but also what day it’s being published as well.

Thanks!

So – that’s a detailed, insider view of my blogging strategy. It may not be the best, but it’s definitely working for me – so feel free to jack any part of it that you wish for your own strategy. If any of you other bloggers out there have anything to add, or would like to share your own strategy, please feel free to leave a comment below!

Have a great week! Cheers!

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Different Posts for Different Folks – Beyond Just Being Consistent

After I hit the 100 comment mark earlier today, I had received no less than a dozen emails from some of you asking me exactly how I get so many people to comment on my posts. Part of the reason is because my community of readers are AWESOME, but also because of certain strategies that I use, which I coincidentally recorded a YouTube video about earlier this week.

Please feel free to watch Tricks to Get More Comments on Your Blog on YouTube (opens a new window):

What Else Can You Do To Get More Comments?

What other strategies or tactics have you used or heard of to get more people readers involved and commenting?

Thanks, and have a great weekend!

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As always, I just wanted to thank you for subscribing. This blog is a success because of you and your support. Here's to your online success!

Become a Fan of the Smart Passive Income Blog on Facebook and join the conversation!

Thank you so much!

Tricks to Get More Comments On Your Blog

I was excited, not only because we were having sushi, but because I love helping people, especially those who I can tell have that drive and passion to succeed. Many people ask me about what I do online, but only a handful actually ask me how to setup an LLC or use Google Optimizer to increase conversion rates.

At lunch, after some catching up and small chit-chat, I finally asked him, “So what’s this business idea of yours?”

Here’s the rest of our conversation:

Friend: I want to start a blog about X.

(X is “code” for his niche of interest)

Me: Sweet. Go on…

Friend: I want to start a blog about X because I’m already considered an expert at it. People come to me for advice all of the time, it’s something I’m totally passionate about, and I can see myself doing this full-time for years down the road.

Me: Nice. Those are all important things to consider when choosing to decide what niche you want to get into.

Friend: Right? So what do you think? Do you think it can work?

Me: So you want to start a blog?

Friend: Yeah. Why, what’s wrong with that?

Me: Nothing is wrong with starting a blog, but what’s the business? How will you make money?

Friend: Well, I thought the blog was the business. Don’t you have blogs that you make money from? I could advertise on it. Then maybe I could start other websites and make money from those too from advertising. How about that?

Me: You can make money from advertising – yes, but think about it. When you advertise, you’re the middle man. Would you rather be the middle man, or would you rather be the man?

Friend: [head nod]

Me: Okay then. So, my question to you is this: after you start this blog, how will you make money? How will this blog turn into a business?

Friend: Um…

Me: What comes next? What comes after the blog?

We actually ended up talking for a couple more hours, mostly about how one can use a blog as a launching pad for a business. I’m happy to share what we talked about with you.

Turning a Blog into a Business

If you’re at all familiar with how I got to this point in life, you know that when I started my exam prep blog, I had no intention of making money from it whatsoever. It was only after I got laid off that I eventually started to monetize it and mold it into a real internet business.

And even then, I started monetizing it by utilizing Google Adsense, which eventually led to selling advertising space on my blog. At this point, could you call my blog a business?

Maybe.

I was directly dealing with third-party companies to fill those advertising spots. I was, in fact, “conducting business” – but I wasn’t seeing the kind of income I really wanted (and needed) at the time. Not even close.

It was only after following the example of some of my favorite bloggers (like Darren and Yaro), and some excellent advice from the Internet Business Mastery Academy that I knew I had to do something more than just blog to make some real profits. Soon after, I formed my LLC and leveraged the authority and trust I had earned on my blog to launch a profitable internet business.

It’s my belief that anyone with a blog, passion, and a good work ethic can do the same thing.

So, as my friend and I sat there eating our spicy tuna rolls, we discussed how we could possibly take his idea of “just a blog”, and turn it into some kind of profitable business. Here’s what we came up with:

Write an eBook

This is the most logical step for many of us “just bloggers” out there. We already write on a blog, so it’s not all that difficult for us to write an eBook too.

In many cases, we can simply reformat what we’ve already written on the blog and turn that into an eBook. Even though our readers could get most of the same information for free, if you’ve established yourself an an authority, people will gladly pay you for a neatly organized and formatted eBook.

Here are some other examples of bloggers utilizing an eBook in their business repertoire:

• Darren Rowse’s 31 Days to Build a Better Blog
• Glen Allsopp’s Cloud Living
• Cookbooks on Cooking During Stolen Moments
• David DeAngelo’s Double Your Dating eBook
• Leo Babauta’s Zen to Done

If you’re interested in writing an eBook, please check out my comprehensive free eBook guide.

Oh, and don’t forget about the audio guides and videos you could add to your product line.

Write a Book Book

Maybe you’re not an eBook kind of person, and that’s okay. Many bloggers use their blog as a stepping stone to get an actual printed book published.

This is something I would love to do someday. I would love to take my son into Barnes & Nobles or Borders, point to a book on the shelf and say, “Look son! I wrote this book.”

Someday.

Anyways, it takes a lot longer to build your reputation as a blogger to have the ability to write and publish an actual printed book (not including those who self-publish via sites like LuLu.com), but doing so can definitely skyrocket ones authority in a niche and income potential as well.

Here are some examples of bloggers who have gone to the next level and have published an actual printed book:

• Ramit Sethi’s book I Will Teach You to Be Rich, from IWillTeachYouToBeRich.com.
• Darren Rowse’s book Problogger: Secrets For Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income, from ProBlogger.net
• Leo Babauta’s book The Power of Less: The Fine Art of Limited Yourself to the Essential…in Business and in Life, from ZenHabits.net
• J.D. Roth’s book Your Money: The Missing Manual, from GetRichSlowly.com (Feb. 18th)

All of these guys were at one point “just bloggers”, and now they’re authors (or in J.D.’s case, a soon to be author – congrats man!).

Why can’t we do the same?

Start a Membership Website

A membership website is probably the most attractive business model for most bloggers who don’t want to be “just bloggers” anymore. Usually, these membership websites have either premium content or exclusive content that cannot be found on the blog and require a recurring payment to access. Here’s what really makes membership websites attractive:

Let’s say we set up our own membership website and charge a $20 monthly fee (which is relatively low, but a nice round number I can use to prove my point).

In the first month, we sell 50 memberships. That’s $1000.

In the second month, we sell another 50 memberships. That’s $1000, plus another $1000 from the 50 members from the first month. That’s $2000 total in the second month.

In the third month, we sell 100 new memberships. Now we have 200 total members, which is $4000. And so on and so forth…

Obviously, people drop out and don’t stay members forever, but still – profits can add up quickly. Setup your membership site once, and just reap the benefits month after month.

Sweet.

Here are some examples of membership websites with premium content:

• Will Hamilton’s Tennis Membership Site (post from Entrepreneurs-Journey.com)
• Cici and Shaun from LearningIndonesian.com
• Darren’s Problogger Community
• Lynn Terry’s Self-Starters Weekly Tips

Create and Sell Courses

Somewhat related to membership websites, you can create a full line of courses to help teach whatever it is you want to teach. The difference between a membership site and selling courses, is that the courses don’t necessarily have to be something that is only accessible online. Think DVD packages and audio CDs.

Here’s a great example from a site that helps people learn how to play the guitar:

• John’s Online Guitar Lessons at LearningGuitarNow.com

Become a Consultant / Start a Service

Many bloggers use their leverage in the blogosphere to actually launch their own consulting or service businesses that are related to their niche. Think about the type of businesses that a successful graphic artist and blogger could create. Or how about a social media expert, or an interior designer?

Yes, these kinds of businesses aren’t as “passive” because they require your direct services (at first), but it’s definitely a viable way to start earning a profit as a result of who you become on your blog.

Here are some examples:

• Maren Kate from Twitterpreneur.com (A Twitter PR Firm)
• Sergio from SOSFactory.com (Mascot, Logo and Web Designer)

Sell Something You Actually Make

This wasn’t an option for my buddy, but it might be for a lot of other bloggers. Maybe you knit really awesome sweaters, or build record breaking remote control cars. There’s no reason why you wouldn’t be able to develop a following and begin to sell your creations online.

What about food? (Although – I’m sure there are some strict regulations for selling any kind of food online. Better check on that before you sell your Grandma’s cookies online.)

For you software developers and coders out there, maybe you’ve created some type of awesome software or program that does something we all wish we had the ability to do.

How about a Wordpress theme?

Something Innovative That’s Never Been Done Before

When it comes to innovation and blogs, the first thing that comes to mind are Jason and Evan from iwearyourshirt.com. If you haven’t heard of them, they basically get paid to wear company t-shirts. That’s it.

Maybe you’d call it a flash in the pan, or a gimmick, but these guys are making bank. They are pretty much sold out for the year 2010 already. (Today’s date, by the way, is January 20th, 2010…for all of you future readers out there.)

Here’s their “buy your spot” page, where you can see the few spots that are left, which are going between $516 to $538 a day.

Props to Jason and Evan for their success, seriously.

After Our Lunch

At the end of our lunch, my buddy thanked me and said:

Friend: I have a lot of options.

Me: Yep! But keep that enthusiasm you have with your blog, because it can take you places.

Friend: I will. But what should I do after the blog. I mean, what’s my next step? An eBook, like you?

Me: Maybe, but I wouldn’t worry about that right now. If you go into building your blog knowing that you’re going to launch an eBook on such and such date, or start a membership website right away, you’re going to fail. Work on your blog, build it naturally with the primary purpose of helping people. If you do that, you’ll gain authority and by then you’ll know what you should do next. Keep everything we talked about in mind so you’re ready when that happens.

Friend: Cool, thanks Pat.

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How to REALLY Profit From Your Blog

However, I’m still a dude, and dudes love their toys. My dream toy is an Audi R8, a car that I first saw in a commercial during the 2008 Super Bowl. I don’t remember the score of the game, or even where it was played, but I do remember that car. I’ve wanted it ever since.

To quote Left Lane News, the Audi R8 has “…a 420 horsepower high-revving V8 engine and all-wheel-drive. It uses the mid-engine Lamborghini Gallardo platform positioning it squarely against the BMW M6, Porsche 911, and Aston Martin Vantage.”

The base price for this bad boy is $114,200 USD.

How to Get an Audi R8

Using the methodologies of Tim Ferriss, let’s take it step by step:

Step 1: First, let’s figure out the monthly payment:

Assuming $4000 down, the 5-year plan (60 month loan) would cost me a total of $2,341 a month. As Tim would say, we have a TMI (target monthly income) of $2,341 for this particular want.

Step 2: Break down the monthly expense into a target daily income (TDI).

Now that we can see the TDI, the R8 seems much more attainable. It would only cost me an extra $78.03 a day to own my dream car. Putting a dollar value on your dreams helps you to realize that the big things you dream of are in fact not as far away as you think.

Step 3: Increase your income accordingly.

Obviously, this is easier said than than done, but now that we know how much more we need, we can then determine the types of things we have to do (and don’t have to do.)

In other words, $78.03 a day is not $500 a day. Trying to increase my daily income by $500 a day would take drastic measures. But, if I had to make $500 a day in order to get something I wanted, then it would be those drastic measures I would be interested in taking.

$78.03 a day is only four $19.99 products, two $39.99 products, or one $79.99 product. Or, what about a coaching course that costs $1200? Take on two clients a month, and you’ve got yourself an R8. See how it’s starting to come to life?

To add on to the idea of increasing your income, here’s a direct quote from Tim Ferriss’ blog regarding “lifestyle costing” and the Target Monthly Income:

“Even if the total is intimidating, don’t fret. It is possible—case studies in the book prove it—to get to more than $10,000 per month in extra income within three months. This is usually 3 or 4 times more than is needed. Getting to an extra $2,000 or $3,000 is seldom a problem.”

And Tim is right. You can increase your income. I’ve done it myself too, from scratch – and I’m no better, or no more special than you are.

Should You Get an Audi R8?

The answer to that question is up to you.

For me, I definitely have enough room in my income for an extra $78.03 a day. However, as much as I want to get my dream car now, I would much rather spend that money on a house, my kids’ education, and family trips. All of those things are included in an overall “dream sheet” where I break down the costs of each of those things, which I’d love to share with you later.

Priorities are still important to understand. (But don’t get me wrong, I still want the R8!)

Additionally, I think I would much rather “save” $78.03 a day for 5 years and invest that money so I could pay for the car in full. Or, work on new income streams that could help me earn an extra $78.03 a day, so I don’t feel like I’m taking a loss.

In Conclusion

This post isn’t really about an Audi R8. It’s about realizing what you want, and figuring out how to get there.

The true thinking behind this methodology is that what we do should be determined first by what we want in life, not the other way around. What you want in life is what everything else should be based off of.

Have you sat down and determined exactly what kinds of things you want in life?

Or, have you fallen into the trap of just working for work’s sake?

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The Path to an Audi R8 (Or Anything Else You Want)