“Jump Starting Your Blog Traffic” Report

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I’m writing a short report on what bloggers can do to quickly start attracting people to their blogs for free. The report will sell for $7 or maybe $10. Am looking for 5 people who could review the report before it is released for sale.

Update: The offer is now closed.A  5 people have already contacted me.A 

Rules:

• You have to be a blogger.
• You have to send your honest opinion to me within a day or two of reading the report.
• Thats it.

If you are interested in reviewing the report, please let me know and I’ll send you a free copy of the report when it is ready.

Guest Blogging To Increase Traffic

A new service that can help you increase your blog traffic:

• Go to Guest-Blogger.com
• Find relevant blogs in your own industry or niche
• Send a note to those bloggers with your guest post idea
• Write for those blogs and add a bi-line at the end of your guest post - that links back to your own blog

Guest blogging is one very good idea to increase your own blog traffic.A  If you don’t want to increase the amount of blog posts you have to write, you can do this too:

• Contact the blog owners and pitch your guest post idea to them
• Then ask them if they would like to write a guest post for your blog too
• In essence, swap blog posts - and you won’t have to increase the number of articles you write

Thats a win-win strategy.

Related: Want to Guest Blog for BlogClout.com?A 

Buy Me a Beer Plugin - Is It Worth It?

Since the release of the “Buy Me a Beer” plugin, lots of bloggers have downloaded the plugin (unfortunately, I didn’t track the number of downloads). Overall, the plugin has been a huge hit and most people have loved the idea.

But there is one group of bloggers who isn’t happy with the plugin. Their complaint: this plugin is over-hyped and “Buy Me a Beer” donation links are just fads.

Is “Buy Me a Beer” Just a Fad?

While I do think that the novelty of it will wear off, and the plugin will lose some of its shine, I don’t think its a fad. And there are 3 very good reasons for that.

3 Reasons Why You Should Install The “Buy Me a Beer” plugin:

1. The Beer Plugin Makes Readers Loyal
Dr. Cialdini talks about the power of commitment in his excellent book “Influence”. He says that its easier to persuade people to commit to a big thing if you first get them to commit to a small but similar thing.

He tells us about a research that shows how people were persuaded to place a large “Drive Carefully” billboard on their lawns even when that billboard covered the view. When they were approached directly to install the billboard, most people answered No.

So then, the researchers switched gears. The people were approached and asked if they would be willing to put up a small 3*3 sticker that read “Be a Safe Driver”. Almost all the people agreed. Three weeks later, the researchers went back to these same people and now asked them to install the billboard on their lawns. Surprisingly, this time, 76% of them agreed to place the billboard!

Another experiment was held during a workshop.

• Workshop 1: At the end of the keynote presentation, the speaker asks the attendants if they would like to attend another more advanced workshop. 27% of the attendants signed up.

• Workshop 2: At the end of the presentation, the speaker asks the attendants to raise their hands if they liked the material presented. Almost all of the attendants raise their hands. The speaker than asks the same question: would the people who have raised their hands attend another more advanced workshop? 64% of the attendants signed up!

Asking your readers to buy you a beer is like asking them to raise their hands. The reader who donates $3 to you will keep on coming back to your blog again and again and will subscribe to your feed and comment on your posts. They will become more loyal to you and stick with you until and unless you screw up.

2. It Helps You Know What People Like
If a few of your readers are willing to pay you $3 or $5 for a blog post, you can be pretty sure that many others will pay $10-100 for a more comprehensive report or an e-course.

The beer plugin works as a signal - showing you which topics you should focus on more often.

3. The Plugin Generates More Money Than Adsense
I tested the plugin for one whole week before it was released to other bloggers. My test results: This blog attracted just a little over 5800 unique visitors. And 3 people out of those 5800 bought me a beer. Total money generated: $11 (Two people donated $3 while one donated $5). I made much less with Google Adsense during the same duration!

Even after the novelty wears off, I think Buy Me a Beer plugin will keep on generating $1 for every 1000 page views a blog receives on average. Which is more than what Google Adsense pays to most blogs.

Download the “Buy Me a Beer” WordPress plugin here.

(Note: For people that prefer non-alcoholic drinks, the plugin has a setting that replaces the beer mugs with coffee cups too.)

Blog Author Vs Reader

If you’ve been visiting this blog regularly since past 25 days, you may have seen the constant changes to the blog theme. We have gone from a ready made theme to a custom theme with various features and functions.

The Problem With Designing a Blog Theme

What Readers Want:

• Good content without distraction.

What Bloggers Want The Readers To Do:

• Read the blog posts
• Navigate through the blog and read all my posts
• Subscribe to the RSS feed
• Forward the blog posts to various social websites
• Make comments
• Click on ads
• Buy me a beer
• Buy my products and services

All these to-do functions clutter the blog. Create distractions. Make the readers exit the blog. So I’ve been silently testing the best blog layout that optimizes readership as well as gets readers to perform all the various functions we bloggers want them to. Finding the balance hasn’t been easy. But I think we are 90% of the way there.

I’ll be revealing what you should do to create the most effective blog theme in my next post.

7 Golden Rules for “Getting Noticed” Networking

Today, you will read the first guest post of this blog! Its written by none other than super writing coach - Daphne Gray-Grant.

I first met Daphne in an online membership website and was amazed by her networking skills. She manages to persuade several “influential” A-listers to re-publish her articles on their newsletters and blogs consistently. So I asked Daphne if she would like to share her tricks with my readers.

She obliged - and here is her article…

7 Golden Rules for “Getting Noticed” Networking
- by Daphne Gray-Grant

Ita_Ts been said that the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Thata_Ts also a good metaphor for earning referrals and links to your blog or newsletter.
To receive attention, you have to be prepared to make a noise. But herea_Ts the deal. It needs to be a nice, polite noise. This is not the time to act like a carnival barker or a used-car salesperson.

Without resorting to tactics or hype, Ia_Tve had excellent results promoting my weekly newsletter about writing faster, better. Starting from zero, I reached more than two thousand subscribers in just over a year. And along the way, I developed a number of theories about what works.

Here, then, are my seven golden rules for a_?getting noticeda_? networking:

1. Look for newsletter writers or website owners that publish articles in your specialty.
Then (politely) ask if they would be interested in having you write something for them. I am turned down by about 20% of the people I approach. But guess what a_” 80% go for it! This fits with Woody Allena_Ts comment: a_?Eighty percent of success is showing up.a_? If approaching strangers makes you hyperventilate, start by asking people you know already (through an online forum, perhaps) so you can develop some confidence.

2. Provide valuable, informative material with a content-to-sales ratio of 450 to 0.
Eschew the hype. When I write, I never sell anything except my newsletter. (Hardly a sale, because ita_Ts free!) Even then, I only mention it at the end of the article, in italic type, as Ia_Tve done with this article. I try to write content that sells itself by positioning me as an expert in the field of writing, editing and coaching. The articles I produce always provide true value to the people who publish them.

3. Ask the a_?righta_? people.
I strive to form a_?strategic alliancesa_? with non-competitors in similar lines of work. In my case that means printers, graphic designers, time management experts and copy editors. Thata_Ts because they all have clients who are potentially interested in what I have to say and their customers will appreciate receiving my information (which, in turn, makes them look good.). If youa_Tre a wedding planner, talk to florists. If you produce orthopedic shoes, seek out podiatrists and physiotherapists. Ita_Ts common sense, really.

4. Dona_Tt be a prima donna.
I started my writing life in the newspaper business, so Ia_Tm accustomed to the a_?red pencil.a_? Likewise, you, too, should be prepared to rewrite or have the publisher edit your copy to meet his or her requirements. I have one strategic alliance that asked me to rewrite the same piece about four times. I did it without complaint.

5. Be scrupulously honest and ethical.
I never engage in a_?exchanginga_? promotional mentions just for the publicity. If another party approaches me for a a_?tradea_? Ia_Tm very wary. I need to see for myself that their site, newsletter or blog is something Ia_Tm sincerely prepared to endorse. Ita_Ts never worth compromising your own integrity.

6. Give more than you get.
I have a potential strategic alliance that has not yet come to fruition because a_” my intuition tells me — this person thinks Ia_Tm a competitor. (Instead, I am convinced we have complementary businesses.) I love everything he does and have promoted him relentlessly because I am genuinely impressed by him. He has never reciprocated. And Ia_Tm okay with that.

7. Be patient a_” take the long view.
I have another potential strategic alliance whom Ia_Tve been wooing for more than a year. I havena_Tt figured out the obstacle yet a_” but I just keep (politely) chipping away at him. Ia_Tve phoned him and sent him emails with lots of suggestions for articles. He is invariably responsive but vague. But like the waves that gradually turn rock into sand, Ia_Tm sure I will wear him down. Eventually.
In two words, my approach is polite persistence. If you adopt the same mantra, you, too, will get results.

One-Line Bio: A former daily newspaper editor, Daphne Gray-Grant is writing and editing coach who helps people writer better, faster. Each week she produces a free weekly newsletter that can be read in less than three minutes. Sign up at www.publicationcoach.com

Link Clout # 2

1. Get Your Blog Out of the Google Supplemental Index - How using a robots.txt file for Google bots helps you increase your search engine traffic by 20%

2. How To Sell Your Blog’s Advertising (without using Google Adsense and other such ad placement services.)

3. What It Takes To Become an A-List Blogger - Must Read post by Lynn Terry

Related: Link Clout # 1

Blended Un-Intrusive Ads Work 850% Better

(Note: I’d made a mistake in selecting the right word. Instead of writing “Un-intrusive”, I’d written “intrusive” everywhere on this post. The mistake has been corrected. Thanks.)

I tested two different display formats of Google Ads on this blog.

1. One format stood out from the body. It had a yellow background and black border.

2. Second format was more un-intrusive and had the same look and feel with the rest of the body. With white background and border.

The results:

• Yellow-Black outstanding ads had a click through rate of 0.02%.
• White-White un-intrusive ads had a click through rate of 0.17%.

Intrusive ads outperformed the outstanding ads by 850%!

Action Summary:

• If you make your ads stand out from the body of your blog, people will start ignoring it.
• So you’ve got to make your ads un-intrusive. Disguise them to merge with your posts. And your click through ratios and earnings will go through the roof.

Guest Blog at BlogClout.com?

Do you have a blog and have something interesting to say that would help other bloggers? If so, send me an email with your idea and you may be able to see your post featured here on BlogClout.com blog.

If you run a blog for other bloggers, we could even work out a swap deal where I could write a guest post for your blog and you could write a guest post for BlogClout.com.

Easy Trick to Achieve All Your Goals

Today, we have something different. A post that won’t only help you in making your blog a grand success - but will help you be successful in your life too. But you have to conduct a short experiment first… ready?

The Experiment

Are you up for a personal experiment? Dona_Tt worry; ita_Ts a very easy experiment.

All you have to do is take a look around you and count all the things in blue you can see. Could be the jeans you are wearing, a pen, maybe the colour of your chair, the water cooler… count as many things as you can. Done? Now try to remember them while we take a slight detour…

The Detour

In 1953, a survey was conducted with the graduating class of Yale. The question in the survey?

a_?Do you write down your goals?a_?

The response showed that only 4% people wrote down their goals.

In 1973, 20 years after the initial survey, the researchers track down the surviving members of the class of a_T53 to see how successful they were. And what they found astounded them. 4% people who wrote down their goals were worth more than the other 96% put together!

The research showed that writing down goals work like magic. But why does it work?

For the answer, leta_Ts get back to our little experiment…

Back to the Experiment

Remember all the blue things you counted around you in your room? Are you ready to narrate them one by one?

Ok - now, without turning around, can you start naming the “brown” things you saw around your room 2 minutes ago?

If you are like most people and don’t have photographic memory, you won’t be able to name more than 2-3 brown things. But you’ll be able to name 8-10 blue things.

How come? Because before you turned around, you had a goal of counting blue things. And your mind was focused on counting blue things - not brown things. It filtered out all the brown things.

Writing down goals is nothing but a filtering device for your brain. You will focus more on the things you’ve written down as your goals. And you will jump on them when they present themselves as opportunities.

Action Summary:

• Write down your goals a_” monthly as well as long term goals a_” and youa_Tll achieve them.
• Read your goals list every day to help your brain focus better.

Google Buying FeedBurner for $100 Million

Google.com is in the final stages of negotiation to buy FeedBurner.com for $100 million!

What does that mean for us bloggers that use FeedBurner?

1. Google will use Feedburner statistics to rank blogs.

2. Google will make it easier to show ads in RSS feeds - earning bloggers more money.

3. Google may also integrate Feedburner statistics with their Google Analytics application - giving you a better idea of how your feeds perform.

4. Feedburner’s customer support may get as bad as Googles! (Right now, Feedburner offers terrific support for their free as well as paid services!)