The Ultimate Blog Podcast - 2024 in Review: Must-Listen Moments (Part One)

Episode Date: December 24, 2024

Now that 2024 is coming to a close, we’re pulling together our best moments all in one place. In this first part of must-listen moments from 2024, we’re sharing how to grow your email list (and why growing your list is a step you can’t skip to monetizing your blog), how to monetize sooner with Journey, inspiration to pivot through content updates, and a tool to  boost your Pinterest strategy next year. Tune in for a compilation of Amy’s must-listen moments from this year on The Ultimate Blog Podcast! 🔗Click here and check out the show notes for Episode 158!

Hey bloggers, are you serious about turning your blog into a money-making machine? One of the ultimate milestones is getting on an ad network. And let's be honest, figuring out how to get there can feel overwhelming. That's where the ultimate blog roadmap comes in. Our course and membership community are designed to help beginner bloggers like you build a rock-solid foundation for success. For just $97 a month, you'll get access to step-by-step training, all the resources you need,

and a supportive community to keep you accountable and motivated. You'll learn exactly how to create content that works, focus on the right steps to reach your goals faster, and also avoid wasting time on the things that don't really matter. Plus, our membership includes ongoing support and cheerleading and also guidance from other bloggers who have been where you are.

We have three monthly calls and a forum that's always open for collaboration and help. The best part, no more overwhelm. With the ultimate blog roadmap, you'll know exactly what to do and when to do it. It's a monthly membership designed to take the guesswork out of blogging and help you reach your goals for just $97 a month. If you're ready to join us, head over to ultimateblogroadmap.com and let's get started. Welcome to the Ultimate Blog Podcast. This podcast is the podcast we wish we had when we started blogging. I'm Amy Reinicke.

And I'm Jennifer Draper. Our episodes dive deep into how to monetize your blog, sharing unique insights and practical tips. We bring you in-depth interviews with successful bloggers and experts who offer valuable, actionable advice. Our mission is to educate, support, inspire, and empower you in your blogging business. Welcome to The Ultimate Blog Podcast. Merry Christmas, Eve.

And thank you for tuning in today to one of the last two episodes that we are sharing with you here in 2024. And a couple of weeks ago, I had the idea to compile some of our must listen moments. And so that's what the episodes are going to be this week and also next week. I wanted to make sure that we highlighted some of our favorite interviews. They're all our favorites, but we did want to just showcase a couple of different episodes that were really impactful to us and that we want to make sure that you didn't miss out on. So today I'm sharing mine. I have five different clips for you that I'm really excited about

focusing mainly on email mindset and growth are kind of the theme of the clips that I chose in particular for today. If you want to listen to these episodes in their entirety, you can visit our website at sparkmediaconcepts.com and you will be able to get those show notes there on this episode. I will include them in the show notes. I am really excited to share these five clips with you today. I went back through and really did listen to a lot of our episodes again and really pulled some of the key moments that I think are important. Not only to make sure that you guys had listened to them first. If you haven't, I'm glad to share them with you today, but also just to inspire you towards a new year and things that you can focus on in 2025. I think that what you're going to

hear today on this particular episode from these clips are things that will still apply in 2025 and can still support your blogging business. So check these episodes out. In order to listen to the episodes in their entirety, you can also visit the show notes. And there you will find links to each and every episode here that I'm sharing today. and go check them out. I hope that this inspires you and motivates you. And most importantly, I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas tomorrow. I hope that you have a wonderful holiday season and are enjoying some downtime. And I hope this is just a fun episode for you.

And then next week, Jennifer is going to be on and sharing some of her Muscle Send moments from 2024 as well. So thanks for tuning in today. I know it's a really busy time of year, and I just want to say thanks for being a very, very valued listener here at the ultimate blog podcast. We couldn't do it without you and we would want to enjoy this episode. Okay.

To kick us off, I am sharing an episode that we did with Ali Groomert from Duet. The name of the episode was the top three things you can do to build your email list. Ali is the owner of Duet, which is an email marketing agency, and she also is a podcaster at Happy Subscribers. Be sure to check out both those things. Like I said, email has just been so important to us this year.

We have just really honed in on this, and we've seen the fruits of that labor as well. So I'm really excited to share this particular clip with you that we did with Ali talking about that you have to start somewhere. And truly, I hope that you do start somewhere. I know email can be a little overwhelming, but don't let that hinder you from getting started. And also just repurposing the content on your website that you can use for email. So enjoy this clip with Ali. So, you know, you talked about like, oh, if there's 13 people on your email list, do you email them? Well, absolutely, because they don't know they're the only 13 people on your email

list. They don't know how many people you're sending it to. And like you said, this is a fantastic opportunity to practice and hone your skills at writing. Write to those people, find out, you know, what they want, what they need, ask them for feedback, really get to know them. And that will help you, you know, as you're growing that list to even make your content that much better over time, I think. I think it's just a great way to start practicing. Like you said, you're never gonna get better unless you start.

Exactly. And what better time to start than as soon as possible? You know, a lot of bloggers, anything people come to me and they have like their head between their legs and they're like, I should have done this years ago. Like the tail's in their legs. They're like, oh, I'm so sorry.

And I'm like, no, I mean, I'm glad that you're starting now, but nobody ever comes to me being like, man, I wish I'd started my email marketing list later. It's usually always like, oh, this is a really powerful thing that I never really invested in. And like I said, I think that the hang up is because it does feel really technical. And it feels like you're just sending out a broadcast. You're like, what do I say? Do people really care about me? And it's like, it's not about you. It's about how you're going to support them. And like I mentioned, so even just kind of defining what is the goal of my email marketing

for your business. Of course, it's usually traffic to your website or to your products, right? But for your reader, is it I want them to feel inspired. I want them to feel like they're not alone. I want them to know X, Y, or Z, or I want to provide them with resources. Like I love resources. So like here I am creating this like technical walkthrough video and I just think it's so much fun.

Like, let's connect ConvertKit with WPForms. Ooh, like jazz hands, you know? And a lot of them probably don't care, but they also see my excitement for it. They're like, this woman cares about what she's doing and she wants to make sure that I'm equipped with that too. And I'm like, that's true. And I'm glad you feel that way. Even if this email doesn't like completely answer your particular questions, it's supporting the overall brand voice

that I want Duett to have. Like I want us to be, you know, generous with what I know. And then like they can also hire me. They don't want to do it themselves. But usually that's not even in a lot of the emails. But I think you said something really important there and that's being generous with what you know. And I think that that is kind of a requirement

of being a blogger. And in this industry is being generous with what you know. And I think that that is a requirement of being a blogger. And in this industry is being generous with what we know. And whether you're teaching somebody how to organize something, whether you're teaching them a new workout program or a new recipe, whatever that looks like, that's a lot of times what bloggers are is that being generous with what we know and providing that content. So in the same way that as bloggers, we are passing that down to our readers. As bloggers, we also need that support from other people in the industry who are supporting us, which is somebody like you, Ali, who is like... Because you don't have to go out and figure everything out on your own. You really, you don't. You can go to like trusted sources in specific areas.

And if you go back through the podcast, you're going to see the trusted sources that we have in specific areas. For people who have been on multiple times, those are who we recommend. Ali is definitely like our email marketing who we bring on again and again, to make sure that people understand like, this is an approachable thing. Yes, it might feel like you're climbing this mountain that you don't really see the tip of the mountain yet till you get there, but just trust us on the way up that this is a really important part of your business. And like you said, it just takes like maybe like

a landing page and a lead magnet or something. So can we brainstorm like lead magnets for a little bit? Because I know that the person is like, I have no idea how to get anybody on my list. But how do I even get someone to like input their email address to like join my list? Maybe that's been the hold up. So what are some of your recommendations for new bloggers, especially to even get people to join the list? Yeah. So I work largely with food bloggers. So I can get things like a pantry checklist or, you know, there are a lot of like at the

ebook with 25 recipes. Like you can do something big like that. Or like I think a pantry checklist, especially if you have a niche audience, like Italian food. I'm like, I don't know what I am my pantry to make your Italian food. Like what do people need in order to make the most out of your website is one thing. Or like what are their biggest questions and how can you answer them right away? So you can do like a five-day email course to getting started with weight training.

You know, like I skipped anatomy and physiology in high school. Guys, I literally am like, I'm working with a trainer now and I'm like, so what muscle is that? No, I know. And it's like like, the what muscle is that? No, I don't. What comes really easy to you does not come easily to everyone. What we're doing is even if it's content that already exists on your website, you're packaging it up in a way that makes it really easy for someone else to consume.

So it could be like five smoothie recipes to feel know, to feel better at the start of every day. You know, and you might only have 10 recipes on your website. It doesn't matter because you're going to have 20 soon. And these 10 are all related or whatever, like these five. So yeah, it can look like even just like a video tutorial. I know like I've got a tutorial on how to segment your list using ConvertKit. Like I said, email can get very niche as well.

So like, and you know, and that's just gated. If you want that video, you know, coming out of a summit or whatever, like I can, I can promote that to that audience. And like, if you want to go deeper, here's a video, but you have to give me your email. But it is super valuable and people always know that they can unsubscribe. Like you're not forcing anyone's hand. We are not buying email lists and sending emails to strangers. But I think it's super important that from the get-go, you make sure it's really clear

that they know who you are and what all types of content you create. So they might have come in through a segmentation email on ConvertKit, but I'm like, hey, I also talk about other platforms. Hey, I also talk about welcome sequences. So that's where, yeah, like kind of having your unique selling proposition really clear, even in the emails that deliver your freebies. Like, hey, while you're here, you're gonna get X, Y, and Z to make life easier

so you can do more of X, Y, and Z. All right, clip number two is staying with this theme of email marketing. And I couldn't not share Matt Mullen with you again. And the reason being is we have had the opportunity to just connect with Matt this year, and he has been an incredible help to us. And I love his approach. I love the way that he makes me think about email marketing differently. And I just needed to make sure that you guys heard this episode with him. It was so, so good. He talks a lot about how we can't be overwhelmed by email marketing or we

shouldn't be, and that we can just utilize what we have and who is right in front of us in order to connect with them in a deeper way. What problems can we solve for the reader? So Matt Mullen is the owner of email crush and I really hope you enjoy this clip and go back and listen to this episode with him as well. Enjoy. So I'm going to tell you the secret to my business and this is quite literally the whole business and that is that your existing traffic is your best source of list growth. That means the person that's in front of you that is consuming your content wherever that is,

if that is on the pinstagram or the TikToks or somebody Googles you and lands on your website, it doesn't matter. That's your opportunity. And there are things that we know don't work. Never miss an update. Subscribe to my newsletter. In that moment, that person is not there

to sign up for your newsletter. They are there to learn from you to, or maybe it's a transaction between their Google search landed on your blog, they're consuming the content and boom, they're off and on their way because they got what they need to transaction complete, right? So what we need to do, and this is why the concept of lead magnets has been around for

so long. All we're saying with when we say for anybody who is unfamiliar with the word lead magnet, I'm sure that most of you are familiar with it. We're just creating an email hook that says, I will give you some something special bonus if you'll give me your email address and then you'll be committed to receive my emails until you're sick of it. So that's how that works. So quite often what people are trying to do

are create email hooks that are really over the top or they feel like it's this big overwhelming thing. So the whole concept of maybe I've got to make an ebook. Well, the problem with that, well, first of all, I don't, you know, don't get me going on ebooks, but for as lead magnets, they're fine for products, but it is a lead magnet. Who actually keeps it and reads it

and do they actually click on anything in there that brings you back to your blog? And you have to pay somebody to design it, or you got to figure out Canva to make it look pretty or whatever, PDFs just aren't the best format for that. But people do that because they're they feel like they're offering value. I'm going to put my bonus, I'm going to put my recipes in here. I'm going to put my guide in here, and that's my ebook.

You can do the same thing with something that I call a quick start guide. And I've been using this tactic for years and years and years. For example, with that Disney related website, we used to rank number one for Disney Cruise Tips. That was a long time ago. But when you landed on, when you Google Disney Cruise Tips and you land on my website, that is 110 magical Disney Cruise Tips, what do I know about you? Well, you're probably going on a Disney Cruise or you're really evaluating it hard. And it's probably your first one. Otherwise, why do you need tips?

So stuff that doesn't work to grow that list were never miss an update about a Disney cruise or learn everything there is to know about Disney cruise. That does not work. But what worked great was a quick start guide, what to expect on your first Disney cruise, just that hook right there, that promise. Cause I understood what that audience wanted, I'm able to show a form, show a pop-up, show one of those swoopy slider thingies, whatever, that they signed up for.

And now I've got the perfect solution to their next problem. Therefore making me the subject matter expert and driving them back to my website to consume that content. So that's the glory of that. I don't even have to make a PDF. I'm just sending, I just have to craft some emails. So I get them on the list, send them some emails, bring them back to the blog.

Now they're starting, they went from a Google transaction, a Google search to starting to recognize the logo and recognize our headshot. Oh, maybe Matt and Alicia do know something about Disney cruising. Whereas before, they didn't care. They're just Googling something, right? Yeah. Boy, as bloggers, we do try to overcomplicate that, don't we?

Yeah, and I think that a lot of people are missing the intention of what is the traffic that's in front of you. Somebody is discovering this podcast today for the first time. They don't know Amy, they don't know Jennifer, maybe they just stumbled onto it because somebody said something about it. They don't know Amy, they don't know Jennifer, maybe they just stumbled onto it because somebody said something about it.

They don't know your backstory. What is it that we've got this opportunity right now? What problem can we solve for them? Could we make a real quick, easy hook just to get people onto the podcast newsletter? Using our existing content? I'm guessing that in your back catalog of guests, we probably have stuff

related to other email topics or monetization of your blog or SEO. We can dangle that carrot as a lead magnet, as a email hook, and we could just deliver that through email and, and the emails would simply be, Hey, don't miss when we talked to Joe about Joe's SEO secret. And when we talked to Joe about Joe's SEO secret. And when we talked to Mary about Mary's SEO secret, that was an episode 95 and an episode 32. Boom, we have a lead magnet. The next clip I am sharing with you is Heather Toulouse, who joined us from Mediavine.

This was a really, really impactful episode. We got a lot of emails about this particular episode and we've gotten some really exciting emails too about those of you that listened to this and you put in the practice that she suggested. You downloaded the plugin from Mediavine, the Grow plugin, and you've been able to get on Journey yourself, which is kind of like the gateway into Mediavine Ad Network.

It's like their beginner program. And so it truly is like the gateway into Mediavine Ad Network. It's like their beginner program. And so it truly is like a pathway to Mediavine. And that's what she shares on this episode and within this clip as well. And I hope that you take this and really utilize some of the things that she suggests. In the show notes, I'm also going to share another episode that we did with Heather talking about how to set your blog up for success in regards to getting on an ad network. So I hope you learn a lot from Heather here. It's really a blessing that somebody from Mediavine takes the time to come on and share

and help bloggers understand what does it take to get on an ad network? And it's also truly a blessing that they have this kind of beginner program. And really, she talks about the why behind Mediavine Journey, and it being that we can monetize our blogs while we are growing them and really figure things out. So I hope you learned something from this episode, and don't forget to check out the episode in its entirety as well

We build journey as a as a product that would be a pathway to Mediavine So if you do listen to the other episode, I was really just talking about how to Get to Mediavine like what are the things that you need to do for your website to grow? To meet our minimums to get through our approval process for your website to grow, to meet our minimums, to get through our approval process, meet our application standards, all of those things were what we were discussing that time. And the steps for Journey, honestly, I'm so excited about some of these sites. I've looked at the sites that have applied and there are just some incredibly beautiful blogs full of talented creators and that have put together like really beautiful content. So I'm excited about them. But, you know, Journey was really built as a way for you

to apply all those same best practices and principles and then just help you monetize your content while you're learning, while you're growing, while you're deciding how to diversify your traffic, while you're setting all your other strategies and doing all of those things. So the first step to onboarding with Journey is to install Grow, which I mentioned a little bit earlier. If you're not familiar with Grow, Grow is an engagement suite of tools. So it is, if you have a WordPress site, it's a plugin. If you do not have a WordPress site, it's a script that you install,

and it offers you all of these little features that are things that help you grow your traffic, hence the name. But what Grow also does is it helps you to authenticate your traffic or collect first-party data. And that's a whole like complicated order that we don't need to get into the weeds with. But basically, those are pieces of, you know,

this bigger monetization puzzle that we mentioned earlier that will make sure that advertisers understand your audience and can spend the most on them as we go into the future. So for publishers, Grow is you just install it and then you can set up all the features. If you have been setting up email forms or paying for email forms through another provider,

Grow offers a whole suite of forms that are really slick, they're smooth, they convert really well and they're fast. So that's one of the settings that you can offer. It's got a feature where readers can save. We've got a save button if you've got a recipe site. There's a save button if you've got a how-to card. There are some really cool new features that are coming, but it also offers things like recommended content. If you've ever gotten tangled up in the weeds of site speed and like checking your core web vitals, those third party recommended content plugins will often like pull those numbers down and cause you some problems. Grow does not. It lets you offer recommended content in a way that really converts well. So Grow is basically just like a suite of tools and you can mix and match and use as

many of the features that you want. On the back end, it also has an analytics piece. So while it is, you know, helping you collect email addresses and doing all of these other things, which is the part that you kind of interface with as a publisher and what your readers experience on the front part of your site, on the back end, it lets us collect all the same things that you would collect with Google Analytics. So those analytics inform the Journey application process. So you install Grow.

Once it's installed, you go back to your little dashboard and you say, okay, Grow is all set up. I am interested in working with Journey Ads by Mediavine. And then you just register interest and you go into this list of fabulous sites that I get to look through. And you're a blogger yourself, Heather. So you understand somebody listening who may be, let's say they're a new blogger, might be like, why do they keep like referencing email?

Like why is that so important? And the reason being is that we want to bring these people obviously to our site and to find it, but we also want them to come back. We want them to make sure that it's not just like a one and done deal. So anytime that we are talking about how to grow your blogging business, it's not just getting traffic. Like it's also making sure that it's returned traffic. And the way that Mediavine is doing this to ensure that that's happening is like a huge service to bloggers, I feel like. So that is awesome. I'm so glad. We talk a lot about that, you know, growing your email list because that's what you want.

It's truly like one of the only things that you can actually control, right? You know, like you can't control Instagram, you can't control Facebook, we all know you can't control Google. And so those things can serve you really well for a long time. But once they make a change with their own business in mind, which they do very often, you can't be like, Hey, man, that was really working for me. Can you put it back? be like, Hey man, that was really working for me. Can you put it back? They just, they have their own goals and agendas that don't necessarily align with yours. And that can be super frustrating. So I like to think about my own personal website, but also the websites of all the publishers that I work with. Like if you're running a business, so if your website is your storefront,

if it is your brick and mortar business, like how are you going to make sure that people that are shopping in your store can find what they want really easily, can get to the cash register, and then also you want them to come back. Like that's the trick, right? You have to make them want to come back to your store. What reasons are you giving them to come back. That's the trick, right? You have to make them want to come back to your store.

What reasons are you giving them to return? And so a feature like Grow helps people move around your site or a feature set like Grow. It helps people move around your site. It helps people find more of what they want. It's kind of like when you're at Lowe's and they put all the little things, they hang them on the little aisles in between stuff. So you like went to buy one thing and you're like, oh, I definitely needed a paint scraper. Sure. And that's kind of the approach there. And then, you know, when you connect with people and they connect with your content, and you can can collect their email address, they can come back to your store

and you send them little mailers and ways for them to be like, oh, that business does have things I like. And you give them lots of reasons to return. Hey, Ultimate Blog Podcast listeners, are you ready to take your blog to the next level? We've got something special for you. Introducing Redefine Success, your blogging checklist.

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If you're a blogger or thinking about starting a blog, let's talk about something crucial. Email marketing. It's the backbone of building a loyal audience and growing your business. And that's where Kit comes in. Kit has been the top choice for bloggers for many years who want to connect with their readers and turn casual visitors into dedicated followers. It has a user-friendly design, powerful automation tools, and seamless integrations, making it perfect for bloggers at any stage. Why do we here at the Ultimate Blog Podcast recommend Kit?

Because it makes email marketing easy. It helps you craft beautiful, effective emails, manage your subscribers effortlessly, and track your success with ease. If you are ready to take email marketing to the next level, check out Kit and see how they can help you build a thriving blog. We believe that every great blog starts with a great email list,

and Kit is our number one recommendation. Click the link in the show notes to learn more about Kit today. The next clip I wanna share with you is with Melissa Griffiths. And this was such a powerful episode, The next clip I want to share with you is with Melissa Griffiths. This was such a powerful episode and one that I definitely wanted to make sure that we highlighted. Melissa's been a blogger for a long time and has, in the last several years, like many

bloggers experienced a loss in traffic and it's caused her to have to pivot in her business. And I brought her on specifically to talk about the pivot and to talk about the attitude shift and what has had to change. And I'm so thankful that she was willing to come on and just talk a little bit about what's gone on with her blog and how she is shifting the mindset, shifting the focus and finding that connection again that she had thought that readers maybe didn't want anymore, but what she's finding is that

they actually do. And so this is a super powerful episode. We have had the opportunity to go to some conferences with Melissa. She's just a true gem of a human being. And I hope you really enjoy listening to this clip and also the entire episode because if you're a blogger who's experienced any loss in traffic or maybe a shift in your business, I think that hearing Melissa and a little bit more about her story can motivate and inspire you to keep pressing on and persevere.

And you might just find success next year in 2025. I am pivoting. I'm doing much better on my affiliate marketing. I reopened an Etsy shop. I used to have an Etsy shop for years and years, and then it just wasn't the priority, but I really liked it. I liked having handmade things in people's homes and just these little things.

Like I have pivoted and I feel like it was good for me. Now I have good systems and processes in place for my email and affiliate marketing. And I should work a little bit harder on getting sponsored work. That's kind of next on my list. So I'm just gonna assume my traffic is not going to recover and I'm going to run my business differently

from a profit and income standpoint and also from what I'm doing to drive traffic. If Google is not gonna be it, how am I going to do it? And I think that I used to be really good at providing value to people. I think that I would spend a lot of time thinking about this person or you know kind of my ideal, not client, just, you know, other moms. Like, what would be helpful? What am I struggling with? How are we getting dinner on the table? Are our kids eating enough vegetables?

I'm so tired of buying snacks. Like, I would think about things and I would create content and printables and free e-books. I did that really well in the beginning, like 2016 and 17. I had all these cool e-books and stuff that I made. And so I've gotten them out and I've dusted them off well in the beginning, like 2016 and 17. I had all these cool ebooks and stuff that I made and so I've gotten them out and I've dusted them off and I've been sending them as freebies to my email list and it's been really fun to kind of pivot away from like, okay, we're just driving traffic

from these search terms to let's drive traffic by being a person again. Like how am I being really useful to these people? How am I packaging my existing content? I have 2,000 recipes. How am I packaging that so that it's easier to digest and so that people can use it really simply in their homes because people are busy. So I feel like I'm just like back to the roots kind of vibe right now.

There's something very inspiring about that. And when you were just kind of sharing that whole scenario, the word that just kept coming to my mind is connected. And like you're getting back to that connection with your audience. I don't like to use the word audience very often, but like with your community, with the moms that you're helping, with the families that you're coming alongside. And I hope that that inspires other people listening here. Knowing that that really is what we're doing when we sit down to create content is the goal is that you're helping someone in some way, in some aspect of their life, but you, you're offering a hand say, Hey, I have this like quote unquote, kind of figured out, let me help you too.

And I have to assume that that's felt even though traffic's down, has that alone felt reinvigorating feeling like you're connecting again? Yes, it's so fun. And I feel like the only reason I was somewhat disengaged in the first place is because I felt like people didn't want it. But I think that people want it again. So if people are ready to have me again, I'm ready to show up again. And this content creation and the packaging and being helpful, I did like an Instagram where you can drop like, ask me anything with the questions. And someone was like, why are you so talented?

Or how can I come and live with you? Or like, how do you get all this stuff done? I'm like, my business, this Instagram that you're watching is literally, I built it on my talents. I am not telling you the outfit of the day, I'm not helping you organize your closet, but I'm really good at helping you get dinner on the table and feeding your kids and enjoying that time,

like taking some of the drudgery out of feeding people because it is all day, every day. And that is what I'm good at. This is what I love. So it's so fun to be like packaging it nicely again and people wanting to know about me, the person too who's doing the packaging. Yeah, I feel like even though there's some really

difficult parts about this whole shift and traffic being quote down and all of that, what you said is so true. Like, hey, I'm gonna take the traffic that I have now and I'm gonna figure out how to make that work with the people that I have and to create an income from that, which I think is such a good perspective to have

because maybe we're just in a time where we're not just gonna be trying to push droves of traffic to our website of all these anonymous people. We have a group of people who want to hear what we have to say, and we're going to create what they want. Then we're going to create even more in ways that we can create an income from it. Like you said, maybe we can do some sponsored work. Maybe we can create some eBooks and all those kinds of things. Since you've've been doing this for so long and you've kind of gone through some of those ebbs and flows of connecting with your audience,

what are some of like your tips or your favorite ways that you are able to kind of connect with those people and get feedback about what's helpful to them or what they're wanting or needing? Because I think that's something that people struggle with. Like, how do I know what people are coming to me to find out? Like, how can you go about creating the kind of content that they want? I think I take two ends to this. I feel like they're almost opposites and I do both.

So in one end, people don't, you need to tell them what you're fixing. Do you know what I mean? I'm just gonna come in like, I know it's Thanksgiving time and I know the pie crust is a little fussy. So you know what I mean? I'm just gonna come in like, I know it's Thanksgiving time and I know that pie crust is a little fussy. So I'm gonna come in and I'm gonna show you and I'm gonna show you how to make the lattice pie crust

and then give you all these awesome pie recipes. So part of me is like, I know your general pain points because my blog, I mean, it's food, there are general pain points, but then it's also like the busy parent aspect because I'm not fussy Like you said, I I don't have fussy food and even sourdough I feel like my cookbook is called sourdough made easy if you have a chia pet for a sourdough

I did I just think you're doing it wrong unless you like it unless you like The habit and the ritual of having a chia pet for a sourdough if you want sourdough because it's delightful and you don't want a Chia Pet, you should come to me. So I'm like fuss free. So I'm gonna tell you what I think your problems are and I'm going to solve them for you. And then on the other end is I love to ask. I love to ask people like, what are you struggling with? What are your pain points?

How can I help you? And people have the best input. So I think like both of those places have room in my business and I do both of them. All right. You've made it to the last clip that I want to share. And this one is a pep talk. And we brought Tony Hill on to talk about pin clicks. And so make sure that you go back and listen to Tony's episode talking about pin clicks, how to use Pinterest to fuel your business. And it kind of goes in alignment with Melissa and having to have that pivot and

that shift. Tony had kind of the same realization about how if Google wasn't going to serve in the way that it used to, then pivoting and creating a product that could serve bloggers in another way. So please make sure to go back and listen to the episode with Tony about boosting your Pinterest strategy using pin clicks. But one of the most important things I took from this episode

was kind of the pep talk that he shared at the end, if I can be honest. And it was just really powerful. I'm not going to give any more details about it. I want you to just go and listen to what Tony had to say, but I am specifically ending with this on purpose because I hope that as we reflect on this year, that you have the opportunity to look at the wins, but also look at some of the losses or the things that maybe didn't go the way that you wanted it to. And come from a place of like gathering data but not judgment and what you can do going into the new year to shift your focus, to get yourself re-inspired,

get yourself re-invigorated. And I know that when we were talking to Tony, that's how I felt. And I hope that this clip inspires you. And please go check out Pin Clicks as well. And Tony actually just launched a podcast too called Pin Talk. So go check that out if you are wanting to create a Pinterest strategy or learn more about Pinterest in a way to promote and market your blog and enjoy this clip.

I hope you enjoyed this episode. It's been a lot of fun to go back through and just listen to episodes again. And it's been a fun year here at the Ultimate Blog Podcast. So thanks for tuning in today and all of 2024. Yeah, I love it because anybody listening today can be like, I don't have to feel overwhelmed at this moment. I don't have to go out and create 20 new blog posts to be able to, you know, up my Pinterest strategy and put a little more investment and time into Pinterest. I can take what I already have. I can use this tool. I can see, you know, can I target some keywords a little more specifically on Pinterest for content that I've already created and start

working on bringing some more traffic to my site, to things that I already have. I think it's just a fantastic opportunity and a great time for bloggers. We talk about trying to maintain some positivity when things are getting hard, when people are feeling discouraged. And I think that everybody could take this as a great opportunity to find that creativity. Use this tool, use ChatGPT in the ways that you've described, bring them together and come up with some ideas to repurpose the content that you already have. Yeah. You know, one of the things that I've been thinking about is, I've been hit by Google

updates for a long time over the years and I've kept going. And like that's what you were talking about earlier, Amy. Like I've been wondering what makes me different from a lot of other people who I know have been hit by the health content update and they're struggling to turn things around. They're kind of stuck in some ways. And for me, like I am the, I'm the provider for my family. My wife doesn't work And so we are relying on me to make money And so like I've got a family support and so it's a huge motivation for me I know I've been connecting with a lot of bloggers especially from pen clicks and having lots of conversations and I recognize a lot of the Pinterest community and blogging community are

Our part-time like this is a part-time thing for them, or they're just getting started. But when it's a part-time thing and it's, or maybe it's full-time, but they still have a spouse or significant other that they are also relying on their income to provide. And I'm just thinking that, I think that's just an element for me and my motivation of I've got to figure this out because otherwise like we're not going to have money coming in and we can't pay for things. And so there's nothing more motivating than that. And so I think that's just my encouragement for other people who maybe this is just part time income for you. Not relying on it. Like find that deeper motivation, whatever that

may be. I think we can all kind of search within a little bit more to figure out what really is motivating us. I don't know, maybe it's like that next Disney cruise that you really want to take your kids on and being able to save up for that. And from this part-time blog that you have, that's great. Just keep that in mind, plan something in the head, put it if you need to create a vision board or whatever, but using that as a huge source of inspiration, but also what will happen if I don't accomplish this and thinking that through. I don't know. So that's my, that's my advice of like, why I think why I've been able to, to weather a lot of these updates and figure it out. Just because I just felt like I had no choice in the matter. I wanted to survive. Yeah.

I hope what people heard there too is that you have survived it. Like you've been doing this for 20 years and you've survived every single one. And so that's, I want that to be a key takeaway from this episode too is that, you know, the only way to fail is to totally give up and, you know, shut the laptop for the last time and say,

I'm done doing this. But I do know that there's usually a way around whatever it is that we're going through, whether we're talking about business or life or whatever, you know, but there's generally a way through and we might have some like really dark valleys. And I think there are a lot of people who have had those quite honestly in the last year or more, you know, that their their business has taken a turn and it might not be doing what what what it used to.

But just knowing that we are in a day and age that we have resources that are coming to light that that weren't created before because of what we're going through or what we've been through. before because of what we're going through or what we've been through. And so leaning into those and Pen Clicks being one of them. And so if you want to try Pen Clicks, I would just encourage you to check it out. And Tony, can you tell people how they can get signed up for Pen Clicks and start using this tool to reinvigorate their blogging business? Yeah, for sure. So penclicks.com, head over there. There's a five-day free trial. It's a full featured trial. You can try all the tools that we have there.

One of the tools I haven't mentioned, and I'll mention it real quick, is the top pens tool. So you can put in any keyword, and it's going to show you all the top-ranking pens. And we're going to show you the number of saves they have, which is a metric that Pinterest has stopped showing visually to the public. But we've figured out how to get it from the back end. And we'll show you that and how recent a pin is.

So those are important factors to understand. Pay attention to the pins that have a lot of saves. There's something special about them. And so I'm not saying copy them exactly, but pay attention to the aesthetics. That was something we talked about earlier, like the pen title and the description, the blog post topic. Is there a unique angle they're approaching it with? Just paying attention to those details. That's a really helpful tool that it's going to be the first thing you actually come to when you create an account and log in. So you won't miss it.

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