SEO Writing: How to Write Content That Ranks (8 Easy Steps)

When learning SEO content writing, it’s hard to know where to start. 

Should you dive deep into keyword research?

What about Google Analytics?

And how do you build backlinks?

I’ll make it easy for you. 

If you’re looking to increase organic traffic to your site, I recommend starting with one skill: writing an SEO-optimized blog post. 

In this post, I’ll walk you through my 6-step process for doing SEO content writing for my SEO clients. 

By the end, you’ll be able to:

• Conduct basic keyword research and find an attainable keyword
• Create a blog outline based on competitive analysis + unique value
• Write a headlines that make Google happy & get users to click
• Write an authoritative post that meets search intent & stands out in the SERPs
• Fully optimize your post for the target keyword before you publish

Sound good?

Let’s get started! 

Step 1: Conduct Keyword Research

Effective SEO content writing starts with solid keyword research. 

You need to know:

1 – What keywords people are searching for in your niche

2 – Which keywords are attainable for you, and which are too competitive

So how do you do it? First you need to decide on a keyword research tool. 

Pick Your Keyword Research Tool

There are plenty of powerful SEO research tools out there. But not all of them are affordable, depending on where you’re at with your business. 

Keyword research tools like SEMrush and Ahrefs are top-of-the-line, but they’ll run you $100+ per month. 

If you’re just starting out with keyword research, I suggest subscribing to Neil Patel’s tool, Ubersuggest. 

It’s $29 per month for an individual plan, and $49 for a business plan. He also offers lifetime subscriptions that are a helluva deal. 

So for this tutorial, I’ll be using Ubersuggest. 

Find Your Site’s Competitors

The easiest, fastest way to source keywords is to find out which ones your competitors are ranking for. 

Let’s use one of my freelance clients as an example. 

She’s an ADHD coach, so the niche is ADHD, with an emphasis on ADHD in women. 

So my first step when creating her content strategy was to find other popular ADHD blogs and mine them for keywords. 

You can find your site’s competitors several ways:

• You could google [Niche] + blog. So for my client that’d look like googling “ADHD blog” and see which sites rank in the top 20 positions
• Or you could google a popular topic within your niche, and see which sites rank in the top 20 positions. In my client’s case, that might look like searching “ADHD in women”.

For this tutorial, I’m going to use the first method and google “ADHD blog” and examine the search results. 

At this point, I’m looking for niche blogs that focus exclusively on the topic of ADHD (Not big health sites like Healthline or Verywellhealth, or news sites like Forbes). 

Let’s take a look at the search engine results page (SERP) for the query “ADHD blog”:

Right away, a couple of blogs catch my eye.

First, “The Mini ADHD Coach” looks like a blog from another ADHD coach, which is my client’s exact business. 

Same with “Marla Cummings” – I can see she’s an ADHD coach as well. 

Click through to any blogs that catch your eye, make sure they’ve got a lot of high-quality content, and then add them to your list of competing sites (try and get 5-10 of them to start). 

Then you’ll choose one competitor to start your keyword research. 

Find Relevant, Attainable Keywords

To kick off our keyword research, let’s take Marla Cummings’ site and plug it into Ubersuggest’s “Keywords by Traffic” tool, to see what keywords Marla is ranking for:

Once we plug in her domain URL and  hit “search”, we can see all the keywords she ranks for:

I want you to focus on 3 columns, (marked by red arrows):

• The list of keywords: These are all the keywords Marla’s site ranks for 
• Search volume: The monthly search volume for each keyword (“ADHD manager” is searched for on Google 1,300 times per month by users)
• SEO difficulty score (SD): Ubersuggest’s estimation of how difficult it is to rank in the top 10 spots (on a scale of 0-100, with 0 being the easiest). 

We’re going to look for keywords with a low difficulty score that have significant search volume. 

The first thing we’ll do is sort the SEO difficulty (SD) column from lowest to highest, by hitting the little gray arrow a couple of times. 

The keywords displayed here have an SD of 1 – which is super low – meaning these keywords are very easy to rank for (according to Ubersuggest’s data). 

The one that immediately catches my eye is the second keyword on the list, “how to stop procrastinating ADHD”. 

It’s got a search volume of 170, which for my client is significant, since she’s just starting her blog. (If you had an already established, high-authority blog, this volume might be too low). 

Plus the topic is highly relevant to her coaching practice – procrastination is a common struggle for her clients. The “how-to” format is also a great framework for blog posts. 

You want to scroll through the list of low-difficulty keywords and make note of the ones that catch your eye.

Do this with all the competitors you found in the previous step, and you should have a nice list of attainable keywords to choose from for your first blog post! 

Which brings us to our next step…

Step 2: Uncover The Search Intent Behind Your Keyword

I’ve chosen the keyword “how to stop procrastinating ADHD”, as the target keyword for my blog post. 

Now what?

How do I know what to include in my post?

The best way to do that is to figure out the search intent for your keyword. 

Search intent is the “why” behind the search query. 

In other words, what is the searcher looking for when they type the phrase “how to stop procrastinating ADHD”?

That answer = your search intent. 

And why is search intent important?

Because Google will rank your content based on how well it answers search intent. 

There are several types of search intent:

• Informational search intent: The searcher is looking for information on the topic (i.e. blog posts). Examples: “How to grow a garden”, “What is freelance writing” or “Why am I so tired”
• Commercial search intent: The searcher is looking to buy a product or service (so they’re looking for a sales page). Examples: “Iphone 16”, “womens jeans”, “lawncare in Dallas, TX”
• Navigational/Branded search intent: The searcher is looking to navigate to a specific site or brand (They’re looking for a home page). Examples: “Smart Blogger”, “Seth Godin Blog”, “Nike”.

If you’re writing a blog, you only want to target keywords with informational search intent. 

“How to stop procrastinating ADHD” has informational intent, because the searcher is looking for information about how to stop procrastinating. 

We know that by looking at the wording of the keyword and taking a glance at the at the top headlines in the SERPs:

But we can’t stop there – we need to go further and find out: What specific information are they looking for on this topic?

After reading these headlines, we can get even more detailed with our search intent and say “the searcher wants to know if procrastination is associated with ADHD, along with specific, actionable tips to stop procrastinating.”

You can refine search intent even more after reading through all the top-ranking posts, which we’ll cover in the next step.  

Step 3: Do a Competitive Analysis for Your Target Keyword

We’ve established that Google ranks articles that best match search intent for the keyword. 

That means you need to pay attention to what these articles are doing – since they’re clearly doing something right! 

This is where “competitive analysis” comes in – which is a fancy way of saying “read the other blog posts ranking in the top 10 for the keyword and take notes”!

Click through and scan all of the top-ranking posts for your target keyword. 

Take note of:

• Topics covered: What subtopics are being covered most frequently?
• Topic gaps: Are there any points they’re missing about the main topic?
• Dominant post format: What is the most common blog post format being used? Are they mostly step-by-step “how to”-style posts? Are they numbered lists of tips? 
• Angle: Are any of the posts taking a unique “angle” or approach to the topic? For example “for beginners” or “ultimate guide”.
• Word count: How long is each post?

You can grab a notebook or open a new document and take notes as you read through the post, or you can take the easy route and…

Let ChatGPT Do Your Competitive Analysis for You

These days, I always let AI do my competitive analyses. It saves a TON of time. 

If you’re using ChatGPT, which can scan the internet, you can use this prompt:

I’m writing a blog post targeting the keyword:  [INSERT KEYWORD HERE]. 

Please conduct a competitive analysis of the top-ranking posts for this keyword. 

For each post, please include:

• The headline
• Word count
• A summary of the post
• A list of subheadings
• Any unique value the post brings to the table

At the end of your analysis, please let me know about any content gaps among these competitors that my post could fill, and give me some ideas for unique value I can add to my post on this topic. 

It will generate all this information for you in less than 30 seconds! 

If you’re using Claude, which can’t actively scan the internet, you can use the same prompt but add: I’m going to copy/paste each of the top 10 ranking articles. Are you ready?

It’s a little more tedious to do it this way but still saves you a lot of time. 

How Closely Should You Follow Other Posts?

Like I said, top-ranking posts are certainly doing something right – probably a lot of things! 

But you don’t want to be a total copy-cat, and you definitely don’t want to plagiarize their exact content.

You want to generally cover all the topics top-ranking posts are covering, and you should match the dominant format in most cases (How-to, list, etc). 

But other than that, your post should embody your own unique take on the topic. Which brings us to the next step…

Step 4: Decide Your Angle

The angle of your post is your approach to covering the topic. 

Here are a few examples of common angles:

• Beginner’s guides – these posts are aimed at people who are new to the topic. Example: “A Beginner’s Guide to Organic Gardening”.
• Ultimate guides – these posts cover the topic extensively and are often 5,000 words or more. Example: “The Ultimate Guide to Positive Parenting”
• Expert round ups – these posts curate quotes and opinions from experts. Example: “10 Best-Selling Authors Weigh-in on AI Writing”
• Personal case studies – these posts explain how you’ve achieved desirable results. Example: “How I Made My First $1 Million Blogging”
• Contrarian angle – contrarian posts go against the grain of popular thinking on a topic, usually causing readers to raise an eyebrow. Example: “Why Your Goals Don’t Matter”

You can also look to the SERPs for your keyword to get angle ideas. Let’s see if we can find one for “How to stop procrastinating ADHD”:

One common factor here is “tips” – it’s clear that Google likes posts that offer lists of tips. So that’s likely going to be part of my angle. 

Step 5: Write Your Headline

You’ve got your target keyword, and you know what angle you want to take. 

Now it’s time to write a crucial part of your blog post: the headline. 

Headlines are the first thing your readers see, so they need to check a few boxes to make sure they appeal to Google and get readers to click. Here’s how to do it. 

Pick The Right Format

Your post’s format is how you choose to organize and present the information about your topic – and your headline needs to reflect your chosen format. 

Common formats include:

• How to – a step-by-step guide teaching the reader how to do something. Example: “How to Get More Followers on Twitter” 
• List – a numbered list of items – tips, strategies, or really anything at all! Examples: “10 Tips for Finding High-Paying Freelance Jobs”, or “10 Parenting Podcasts to Listen to in 2024”
• Basic Explainer – these posts explain a topic using straightforward subheadings, answering common questions. Example “How Long Should a Blog Post Be in 2024?”
  “Illuminator” – These posts aim to change your mind about something or open your eyes to a new concept. Example “Why Americans Are So Lonely”
• Case Study – These posts tell the story of a problem and how it was solved with a unique method. Example: “How I Went From Zero to 20k Twitter Followers Using One Simple Hack”

For my post about procrastinating, 2 options stand out to me:

• How to –  The format is built into the keyword itself
• List – Most of the top-ranking posts are numbered lists of tips

I could choose one or the other, but I’m going to choose a third option: both. 

I want to include the full target keyword, but I also want to include the “tips” angle and the “list” format. 

So I’m going with a how-to/list hybrid (a common combo), and I’ve got my working headline:

How to Stop Procrastinating With ADHD: 8 Tips….

Now let’s see how we can spruce it up a bit. 

Include a Benefit to The Reader

The reader needs a reason to click. They may click out of a desire to stop procrastinating, but what if there’s something we could do to add to their desire?

There is: we can add a benefit. 

Some examples of headlines with benefits:

Headline: How to Write a Cover Letter (& Land Your Dream Job)

Benefit: Land your dream job

Headline: 10 Style Tips to Feel More Like Your Authentic Self

Benefit: Feel more like your authentic self

Headline: How to Write a Blog Headline That Converts Like Crazy

Benefit: Converts like crazy

See what I mean?

Now – what benefit can we think of for “How to Stop Procrastinating With ADHD?

The issue here is length – the keyword is already quite long, and we don’t want our headline to get cut off (“truncated”) in the SERPs like this one:

See how the last part is cut off?

So we want to keep our benefits short. Here’s how I’ll do it:

How to Stop Procrastinating With ADHD (8 Simple Tips)

This headline is short enough not to get truncated, and adds a subtle but powerful benefit: Simplicity. Readers know that these tips won’t be complicated and will be easy to implement – a fitting benefit for people with ADHD, who may struggle with completing complex tasks. 

You can check the length of your headline using this SERP Snippet Optimization Tool from Higher Visibility. 

Step 6: Create Your Outline

You’re almost ready to start writing your post! 

But before you start writing, you need a solid blueprint for your post. Otherwise, you could end up getting off course, going off on a tangent, or skipping over an important subtopic. 

Here’s how to create your outline. 

Do a Subtopic Brain Dump

First, open a new document and write a list of subtopics you personally want to cover. These will come from your own knowledge of the topic (if you have any). 

In my case, here’s what I came up with for procrastination:

• Why do people with ADHD procrastinate?
• Tackling projects in smaller chunks
• Addressing perfectionism
• Get over the hump of getting started

I happen to be a chronic procrastinator with ADHD (convenient, right?), so I know I’d want to know why I’m doing it (and how it relates to ADHD), and the last three points are tactics I’ve used myself. 

Check Your Competitive Analysis

Take a look at all the subheadings in competing posts. 

Which topics are covered in multiple, top-ranking posts?

If you used ChatGPT, you can even ask it:

Please make a list of the most commonly covered topics in these top-ranking posts.

In addition to the topics I brainstormed above, which were all commonly occurring topics for this keyword, here are the additional topics ChatGPT offered:

• Using timers
• Rewards and motivation
• Physical activity and breaks
• Avoiding multitasking
• Mindfulness and focus

So, if I add these additional topics, here’s what my list looks like: 

• Why do people with ADHD procrastinate?
• Tackling projects in smaller chunks
• Addressing perfectionism
• Get over the hump of getting started
• Using timers
• Rewards and motivation
• Physical activity and breaks
• Avoiding multitasking
• Mindfulness and focus

Organize Your Points So They Flow Logically

In what order should I present these points?

It makes sense to place the “why” question at the very beginning. 

The rest of the topics are basically tips – so it really doesn’t matter what order they go in. But it may make sense to place “Get over the hump of getting started” and “addressing perfectionism” first, because they occur when the reader is first starting to overcome procrastination.

The rest can stay in the same, arbitrary order. But I need to word my topics as subheadings, and save space for an introduction and conclusion. So let’s do that:

• Introduction
• Why do people with ADHD procrastinate?
• How to Stop Procrastinating With ADHD: 8 Tips to Get You Moving
• 1 – Address perfectionism
• 2 – Get over the hump of getting started
• 3 – Use a timer
• 4 – Give yourself breaks
• 5 – Avoid multitasking
• 6 – Reward your hard work
• 7 – Tackle it in small chunks
• 8 – Harness mindfulness & learn to focus
• Freedom from ADHD Procrastination is Possible

See how I’ve worded my basic bullet points as subheadings – in this case actionable tips?

You’ll also want to include bullet points for what you want to cover in each section, like this:

• Introduction
• Why do people with ADHD procrastinate?
  • Executive dysfunction
  • Anxiety
  • Perfectionism
• How to Stop Procrastinating With ADHD: 8 Tips to Get You Moving
• 1. Address perfectionism
  • Know that not everything needs to be perfect
  • Nothing is final, you can rework things after you get started
• 2. Get over the hump of getting started
  • Most of your anxiety is usually around getting started, so if you get started, sometimes that resolves the issue. 
• 3. Use a timer
  • Pomodoro method
• 4. Give yourself breaks
  • Prevents overwhelm
  • Examples of what to do on breaks – take a walk, etc
• 5. Avoid multitasking
  • Multitasking interrupts focus which is already hard for ADHDers
• 6. Reward your hard work
  • What’s rewarded is repeated
  • Ideas for rewards
• 7. Tackle it in small chunks
  • Prevents overwhelm 
  • Reduces Anxiety
• 8. Harness mindfulness & learn to focus
  • What is mindfulness
  • How it helps you focus
• Freedom from ADHD Procrastination is Possible
  • Conclusion paragraph that ties everything together and gives a call to action

Consider Word Count

How long should your SEO-driven blog post be?

The best strategy is to take the average word count of top-ranking posts, and aim to exceed that by at least a little bit. 

In my case, the average word count for top ranking posts for “How to stop procrastinating ADHD” is 1200. 

So I’m going to take mine up to 2,000 words. 

This tells me, with 12 sections in my outline, I’m shooting for around 166 words per section. 

Step 7: Write Your Post

You made it to the writing stage! 

But your work is just beginning. Here are a few tips for writing your SEO-optimized post. 

Write short paragraphs

Forget what you learned in English class about paragraphs being 3-5 sentences long. 

Make your paragraphs short – some may even be just one sentence. 

If users click on your blog post and see a wall of text, they’ll get overwhelmed and hit the “back button”, hurting your SEO. 

Format Your Post Properly

Speaking of readability, you need to format your blog post to make it easy to digest. Some tips:

• Use bullet lists for longer lists of items
• Include infographics to add visual excitement and increase readability
• Use clear and concise subheadings to divide your content into sections
• Stay consistent with font size and color throughout your post

Don’t Optimize It Yet

You don’t need to focus on how often you’re using the target keyword just yet. Just cover the topic naturally, and you can slide your keyword in when you go back and edit. 

We’ll cover that in the next step!

Step 8: Optimize Your Post

Now that you have your draft, it’s time to go through and optimize it for SEO. Here’s how to do it. 

Add Your Target Keyword

If you’re covering your topic thoroughly, you shouldn’t even have to add a lot more instances of your target keyword to the body of your post – it should be mentioned several times naturally. 

However, you do want to make sure you include your target keyword:

• In your headline
• In at least one subheading
• Once in your introduction
• Once in your conclusion

This sends a strong message to Google that your post meets search intent for your keyword. 

Write Your Meta Description

A meta description is a short summary or snippet that describes the content of a webpage. 

It is included in the HTML code of a page and often displayed in search engine results beneath the page title. 

The primary purpose of a meta description is to give users a clear idea of what the page is about and encourage them to click through to the site.

You’ll usually enter your meta description via the back-end of your site, before you publish your post. 

Meta descriptions should:

• Include the target keyword
• Preview what your post will cover
• Highlight your post’s value
• Be the right length – around 50 -150 characters

A meta description for my ADHD procrastination post could look something like:

Struggling with ADHD procrastination? Discover 8 simple, effective tips to stay focused, boost productivity, and tackle tasks with confidence. 

You can also feed ChatGPT your written blog post, and ask it to write the meta description.

Compress Images & Add Alt Text

Images with large file sizes can slow down your page load times, hurting your SEO. 

Use a compression tool like iloveimg.com to shrink those file sizes before uploading them to your site. 

You also want to add alt text to each image. 

Alt text (alternative text) is a textual description of an image used in the HTML of a webpage. It serves two primary purposes: 

• Accessibility: Provides a description of the image for people using screen readers, making web content more inclusive for those with visual impairments.
• SEO: Helps search engines understand the content of the image, which can improve image and webpage rankings in search results.

Some tips for writing good alt text for images:

• Be descriptive but concise: You don’t need to say “image of” or “picture of”
• Include relevant keywords when they fit: Include relevant keywords where you can, but don’t stuff them in. 

For example, if I include a stock image of a woman looking anxious and frustrated at her desk, the alt text might read “woman sitting at her desk looking anxious and frustrated”. 

Add Internal Links

Internal links are hyperlinks that connect one page on your site to another. 

They’re essential for both user experience and SEO, helping readers navigate your site while signaling to search engines how your content is structured and interconnected.

Internal links keep readers engaged by directing them to related blog posts, cornerstone content, or other pages you want to rank higher in search results. 

For example, if you’re writing about ADHD procrastination, you might link to a post on managing ADHD-related anxiety. 

This not only encourages readers to stay on your site longer but also strengthens your site’s authority with search engines.

Here’s how to do it effectively:

• Use descriptive anchor text: The clickable text should naturally describe the linked page. Avoid generic phrases like “click here.”
• Link to related, valuable content: Choose links that add context or value to your post.
• Keep it natural: Add links where they fit seamlessly into your writing.
• Don’t overdo it: Stick to 2-5 internal links per 1,000 words to avoid overwhelming the reader.

Thoughtfully placed internal links can boost your SEO and nudge readers to explore more of your content.

SEO Content Writing: Go Forth & Dominate The SERPs

There you have it – everything you need to know to write an SEO-optimized blog post with a great chance of ranking. 

Now you know how to do keyword research and find keywords that are both relevant to your niche and easy to rank for. 

You know how to write a headline that connects with readers and gets them to click. 

You’ve learned how to create a solid outline that makes writing your post easy. 

And you know how to optimize your post to catch Google’s eye. 

All you need to do now is practice. 

You’ll be dominating the SERPs in no time!

The post SEO Writing: How to Write Content That Ranks (8 Easy Steps) appeared first on Smart Blogger.

from Smart Blogger https://ift.tt/XONYM8B
via IFTTT

How to Write a Hook: 7+ Bold Ways to Instantly Grab Attention

If you don’t learn this one skill, your writing is doomed to fail. 

Want to know what it is?

Of course you do. 

That’s because the first sentence in this article made you want to know. 

In the millisecond it took you to read it, you thought about how important your writing is to you. Then you thought about the possibility of failure. Your stomach sank a little bit. 

You couldn’t help but read on, to see what skill you need to master to avoid it. 

You’re still reading, right?

That’s the power of an effective hook in writing – and it’s the skill you need to learn to get people to read your work. 

So don’t worry – you’re not doomed to failure. In this post, I’ll teach you 8 ways to write brilliant hooks, complete with examples from hook-writing masters. 

Ready to rock your readers’ world in a matter of seconds?

Let’s dig in! 

What is a Hook in Writing?

A hook is the first line (or couple of lines) in a written work that grabs readers’ attention and makes them want to read more. 

Your hook can be your first few sentences, but hooks can also be headlines, book titles/subtitles or sales page headers. 

You’ll find hooks in:

• Personal essays
• News articles
• Fiction stories
• Blog posts
• Social media posts
• Sales pages
• Email marketing

Really, any type of writing can benefit from a compelling hook. 

Of course, hooks aren’t limited to writing. You can find hooks in YouTube and TikTok videos, TV and film, and even podcasts. 

So what exactly makes a good hook?

Effective hooks are:

• Short: You need to grab readers’ attention within a few seconds (or less!).
• Relevant: Your hook needs to tie directly into your story, otherwise it’s confusing.
• Attention-grabbing: The nature of a “hook” is that it captures the reader’s interest enough to make them read more.

Thinking about grabbing audience attention in just a short sentence or two may sound daunting, but once you learn a few effective techniques, hook writing becomes second-nature. 

So without further ado…

8 Insanely Effective Types of Hooks (+ Examples)

Lucky for you, writers have been writing hooks for centuries. So the easiest way for you to learn hook-writing is to follow in their footsteps. 

Let’s look at 18 tried-and-true types of hooks for you to try your hand at. 

1. The Promise Hook

A sure-fire way to hook your reader is to promise to deliver something valuable. 

For example:

• “This post will teach you to vanquish writer’s block forever”
• “This 5-step method will help you write a cover letter that lands an interview every time”
• “One simple trick will 10x your social media following”

Promise hooks are super common in blog headlines, book titles and sales headers. 

Let’s look at a couple of promise hooks in action:

Check out the subtitle of James Clear’s book, Atomic Habits: “An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones”.

In just a few words, James is hooking the reader by promising three compelling benefits:

• “Easy” – This process won’t take a lot of effort, and anyone can do it
• “Proven” – The process is backed by some type of proof (so we know it works)
• “Build good habits & break bad ones” – A result everyone wants, but struggles to accomplish

With all those powerful promises on the cover, who wouldn’t want to read it?

Now let’s look at a promise hook from Amy Porterfield’s sales copy:

This copy contains hooks on top of hooks for new online entrepreneurs.  

And they’re all promise-based. 

• “Never start from scratch” – New online business owners won’t have to feel overwhelmed figuring out how to get started (A common pain point for this group).
• “Over 90k online business owners trust my programs” – A promise that the program works. 
• “I’m known for keeping things seriously simple” – This program won’t be complicated. 

To start writing promise hooks, ask yourself these questions:

• What pain points is your reader having and how can you solve them?
• What do your readers’ dream results look like?
• What unique benefits does your content offer?

The answers to these questions should form the basis for your promise hooks. 

2. The Proof Hook

Readers want to learn and buy from people with a track record of success. 

They want to know you’ve been in their shoes, faced the same barriers, and achieved results. 

Otherwise, why should they listen to you?

“Proof” hooks share an achievement you’ve made – one your audience desperately wants for themselves. 

When used correctly, proof hooks build immediate trust and authority. 

Let’s look at an example from our CEO, Jon Morrow:

In this blog post, he’s placed proof hooks in both the headline and the introduction.

“(I Made 15 million)” establishes credibility immediately in the headline, making the reader click to learn how he did it. 

He also repeats the proof hook in the intro, adding the detail that he’s taken three different blogs to over $1 million in profit per year.

If a reader’s goal is to make money blogging, it just makes sense to listen to a writer that has made millions doing it. 

Here’s another awesome proof hook, from Wirecutter Magazine, which is known for their compelling proof hooks: 

Now – whether you’re a bra-wearer or not – ask yourself: Who would I take advice from when it comes to buying bras?

Someone who “tests bras for a living”? 

Absolutely. 

To write your proof hooks, brainstorm a list of achievements you’ve made throughout your lifetime, and ask yourself which ones readers’ would want for themselves.

That’s your proof hook. 

3. The Empathy Hook

People have a natural desire to be seen and understood by others. 

That’s what makes an empathy hook so powerful. 

Empathy hooks connect with readers’ pain points – often speaking directly to them, as if reading their mind. 

Let’s look at an example from Henneke Duistermaat of Enchanting Marketing:

The headline is the first hook – it clarifies the target audience: “anyone who thinks their writing isn’t good enough”. 

Most writers have felt this way at some point. 

The intro continues with more empathy hooks, describing the emotions and habits of insecure writers:

“We despair…”

“We fret. We procrastinate.”

This language builds trust by making the reader think, she gets me! 

Consider another empathy hook example – this time from an X/Twitter thread:

“Threads” on X/Twitter are a series of informative tweets – and the opening tweet must hook the reader into reading the entire thread. 

Here, Dr. Nicole LePera packs a ton of empathy into one sentence, describing the common feeling of an oldest daughter protecting her family while feeling unsafe herself. 

Anyone who has been in this position would feel an immediate sense of being seen and understood. 

They’d want to click into the thread and read the rest of her tweets on this topic.

To write a good empathy hook, brainstorm a list of pain points, and then for each one, write down what your reader might be thinking and feeling about it. The more specific and descriptive you can be, the better! 

4. The Contrarian Hook

If you want to grab your reader’s attention, disrupt the status quo. 

That’s exactly what contrarian hooks do. 

Contrarian hooks state an argument that goes against the grain of popular opinion. 

Let’s take a look at a couple of headlines from the king of contrarian hooks, author Mark Manson. 

Screw finding your passion…huh? 

The self-development world is saturated with content about how to find your passion. It’s one of the most popular growth-related goals of all time. 

And Mark Manson says…screw it. 

It makes you want to click to find out why he takes such a different view from millions of self-help writers, life coaches and therapists. 

Here’s another headline from Mark:

Goals…overrated? Really?

Here we have another massively popular personal-development topic – goal setting – that Mark is turning on its head. 

Good contrarian hooks make readers scratch their head and say “hmm…I wonder why he feels that way”. And that curiosity is what gets them to click. 

Want to write your own contrarian hook? Take a few minutes to write down any opinions you have that would be considered controversial or that fly in the face of popular opinion. 

Also write down any unconventional ways you’ve accomplished a goal. Like “How being lazy helped me lose weight”.

Nothing snaps readers to attention like a little audacity. 

5. The Statistic Hook

Statistic hooks work 60% of the time, every time. 

While you might not get that Anchor Man reference, kicking your writing off with a staggering statistic is a super effective hook. 

Statistic hooks can help establish the importance of a topic – for example, “40% of American adults are obese” would be a good way to start a persuasive essay about food disparity. 

Statistic hooks can also illustrate the writer’s argument right from the get-go, like this one from a Forbes article introduction on ditching New Year’s resolutions:

Statistic hooks also sell products. Look how Slack uses a super compelling statistic hook to lend their product instant credibility:

When writing statistic hooks:

• Choose a Relevant Stat: Find a compelling statistic that directly relates to your topic and resonates with your audience’s interests or needs.

• Prioritize Surprising or Unique Data: Select data that’s either surprising, eye-opening, or confirms an unexpected insight, making it hard for readers to ignore.

• Cite a Credible Source: Use stats from reputable sources (e.g., government reports, academic studies, industry leaders) to build trust and authority.

• Keep It Concise: Present the statistic in a single, clear sentence, avoiding complex language so readers grasp its impact immediately.

6. The Massive Mistake Hook

What could be more relatable than a massive screw-up?

It happens to the best of us, and your readers appreciate and trust you when you’re transparent about it. 

You’re also sparing the reader the pain of learning the hard way. 

For all of these reasons, your mistakes make great writing hooks. 

Let’s look an introduction from marketing CEO Kari DePhillps’ article on The Content Factory’s blog:

This hook works for a few reasons:

• It evokes curiosity – Getting sued for $8k over a crappy photo sounds extreme. How did this happen?
• It evokes fear and urgency – Readers feel the need to know how to avoid making this same costly mistake.
• It builds trust – Readers trust the writer, the agency’s CEO, because of her transparency, so they want to hear her story and advice. 

Take a look another example of a mistake hook from this article in Inc Magazine, from the CEO of a wool company:

“A mistake that almost cost us our business” is a powerful hook that would have any business owner glued to the page. 

To write effective mistake hooks, make a list of all the mistakes you’ve made that you think readers could learn from. Use them as hooks in your blog posts and social media. 

7. The Story Hook

Humans have been telling stories for thousands of years, and our brains have become wired to crave them. 

And the beginning of a story is like an open loop that the reader wants to close. 

Take a look at this story hook from Jon Morrow’s blog post on Copyblogger. 

Right away, Jon paints a dramatic scene. 

There’s a medical issue, and a woman starts to cry. 

Why is she crying? What happened?

The curiosity is overwhelming, and it’s hard to resist reading on. 

Now, let’s look at a persuasive essay on the effects of oil drilling, from the Patagonia blog:

The first line is a powerful hook: “As a child, I never felt safe to breathe”. 

It evokes empathy, concern and curiosity – why didn’t she feel safe breathing? You have to read on to find out. 

To get started writing story hooks, think about the topic you’re writing about and if you have any personal experiences you can share. You can also tell the story of someone else’s experience. 

Either way, you’ll leave your reader wanting more. 

8. The Question Hook

Want to know the simplest, most effective way to write a hook?

Ask a question. (See what I did there?)

Question hooks, much like story hooks, open a loop that the reader naturally wants to close. 

Questions are highly engaging because the reader has to answer them. They have to pause, and think, which means they’re sticking around. 

And if your questions resonate with the reader or evoke curiosity, they’ll stick around even longer. 

Check out this blog post introduction from Marie Forleo’s blog:

Her question hook speaks to reader pain points. 

The reader mentally answers, “yeah, that’s me…and?”

It makes them curious about a possible solution. 

Marie also uses empathy hooks to keep the reader glued to the page, as they keep nodding their head to her description of their thoughts and emotions. 

Then she brings back more question hooks at the end of the intro, to tease solutions to the questions the reader has been asking themselves. 

 Your question hooks can be based on:

• Pain points – “Are you tired of feeling stressed and overwhelmed?”
• Goals – “Want to learn how to retire before you’re 50”?
• Solutions – “Ready to kick writer’s block to the curb forever?”
• Curiosity – “Want to know how one man built a 20-million dollar business without a single investor?”

It’s Your Turn to Craft The Perfect Hook

You’ve heard from the hook-writing masters. 

Now it’s your turn to try your hand at writing killer hooks. 

So go ahead, make your audience a promise they can’t resist.

Hit ‘em with a proof hook or a statistic hook so astounding they’ll have no choice but to keep reading. 

Or suck them in with a story hook so compelling they’ll hang on your every word.

Experiment, test different ideas with your audience, and don’t be afraid to get creative.

Just remember: You’ve only got a few seconds to hook your reader. 

So make it count. 

The post How to Write a Hook: 7+ Bold Ways to Instantly Grab Attention appeared first on Smart Blogger.

from Smart Blogger https://ift.tt/A9OQukH
via IFTTT

How to Write Cold Emails That Get Replies (+ Tips & Examples)

If the words “cold email” are enough to send a shiver down your spine, you’re not alone. 

As a writing coach, I’ve had dozens of new freelancers tell me they’d rather have a root canal than email a stranger about their writing services. 

And the fear is understandable. 

Everyone fears rejection – even after 5+ years of freelancing, I still get anxious pitching to new clients. 

But cold emailing shouldn’t feel like you’re in a horror movie and the lights just went out. 

So allow me to soothe your panic.

In this post, I’ll teach you the ins and outs of effective cold emailing, step-by-step, with plenty of examples. 

I’ll even show you a simple cold email that landed me thousands of dollars of freelance work from one client. 

Let’s get started, shall we?

What is Cold Emailing?

Cold emailing is when you send an email to a person you don’t know, usually to pitch a service or sell a product. 

Cold emailing can also be called “cold outreach”.

Personally, I’ve used cold emails to get new freelance writing clients, but there are other reasons to cold email:

• You’ve created a new product and want some beta testers
• You’re offering a new consulting service
• You want to build a relationship with someone in your industry
• You’re trying to reach someone higher up in the company, and you’re looking for an introduction

Cold emailing is different from “warm emailing”, which is sending an email to someone you already know. 

Both emailing techniques are great ways to network and build connections, but today, we’re covering cold emailing. 

Are your hands getting clammy yet?

Don’t worry, I’m about to fix that with a little training… 

How to Write a Killer Cold Email in 6 Simple Steps

So how do you approach writing a cold email? Do you use an email template? Write every email from scratch? 

It’s actually a blend of both. 

Let’s walk through the process, step-by-step. 

Step 1: Identify Your Goals for Cold Emailing

What’s the reason behind your cold email campaign?

The best way to figure this out is to answer this question: What action do you hope the reader will take after reading your email?

Do you want them to book a discovery call?

Answer a quick question?

Sign up for a free trial?

This answer will shape the content of your cold email. 

Step 2: Create a Prospect Spreadsheet

Cold email outreach is usually done in batches. 

Sometimes BIG batches – like dozens of emails in one week. 

So you need a place to keep track of all your correspondence.

Open up a new Google Sheet or Excel document, and start collecting contact information for the people you want to email. 

Create columns for prospect name, email address, and website link. Then add columns to record the dates of first emails and for follow up emails. 

Also create a column for “Notes”. 

Once you’ve collected enough contacts, you’re ready to rock and roll. 

Note: There’s no hard number to shoot for, but the more contacts you collect, the better your chances of getting a response. 

Step 3: Craft Your “Elevator Pitch”

Your elevator pitch is a one to two-sentence description of your offer, and it may include a short bulleted list. 

Here’s an elevator pitch I’ve used before:

I help life coaches like you save time, build authority and book more clients by creating content that converts. I currently offer:

• SEO-focused content strategy
• SEO-optimized blog posts
• SEO keyword research
• Email marketing
• Nonfiction book ghostwriting/editing
• Nonfiction book coaching

Here’s an easy template you can use for your elevator pitch: 

I help [target client/customer] [achieve goal] by [your product or service].

Or:

I help [target client/customer] [avoid pain point] and [achieve goal] by [your product or service].

You might have a couple of different elevator pitches for different types of potential customers, so you should save all of them in a document, so they’re ready to copy/paste into your personalized cold email. 

Note: If you’re writing a cold email simply to build a relationship with your contact, you won’t use an elevator pitch (More on this later).

Step 4: Write Personalized Emails

What’s the difference between an email that gets a response and one that never gets opened?

Personalization. 

In a study of 20 million cold emails by Woodpecker, they found that personalized emails had a 17% open rate compared to a 7% open rate for “basic” cold emails (that only personalized the recipient’s name). 

Now, do you need to mention their favorite underwear brand or the name of their first born child?

No. (Please don’t!)

But you do need to write a personalized greeting as an introduction to each email. 

I’ll give you some examples in a moment, when we break down all of the email components below. 

But first, let’s finish the steps. 

Step 5: Send Follow-Up Emails

Many of your emails are going to sit in the recipient’s inboxes gathering dust. 

It’s not you, it’s just part of the cold-emailing game. 

And while it’s possible they are ignoring you, they also might just be really busy or their inbox is cluttered. 

You can increase your chances of getting a response by sending a quick follow-up email. 

It can be something as easy as:

Hi [Contact Name]! I know you’re probably really busy so I just wanted to make sure you saw my last email. Looking forward to chatting with you soon! 

It’s just a little nudge to get your original email back to the top of their email inbox. 

I recommend sending a follow up email 3-7 days after your original one. 

Step 6: Keep Track of Your Work

Make sure you document every email you send, every follow-up, and every response you receive. 

The last thing you want to do is irritate a potential client by sending them the same email multiple times. 

Use your “notes” section to write about the responses you get, even if it’s a rejection. Feedback (negative or positive) will help you improve your cold email strategy. 

Related reading: How to Write an Email: 15 Tips That Get Results (+ Examples)

The 4 Components of a Cold Email (& How to Nail Them)

Now that we’ve covered the steps in the cold emailing process, let’s break down the different parts of your cold email, and how to knock each one out of the park. 

1. The Subject Line

Your subject line is one of the first things your potential client sees in their inbox, and it’s usually a deciding factor on whether or not they open your email. 

So, no pressure, right?

You don’t need to spend hours coming up with the perfect subject line, but you should put some thought into it. 

Make sure your email subject lines are:

• Short – 60 characters or less, so recipients will see the whole thing
• Interesting – try to provoke curiosity
• Relevant – make sure your subject line is an honest reflection of what’s in your email

Let’s say you’re offering to solve a client’s problem by offering a product or service. 

You could use any of these options:

Need help with [client pain point/problem]? I can help. 

Example: Need help increasing your site’s traffic? I can help. 

Tired of [client pain point]? Let me help you. 

Example: Tired of dates that lead nowhere? Let me help you. 

[Pain point] There’s a better way! 

Example: Paid ads not converting? There’s a better (cheaper) way!

Or, if you’re trying to build a relationship with someone, you could write something like:

You’d love this [blog/article/video] about [topic relevant to them]

Example: You’d love this video about helicopter parenting 

You could also ask them a question about a piece of content they recently posted:

Quick question about your [topic] [article, video, blog post]

Example: Quick question about your intuitive eating video

If you have a mutual contact, you can mention that in the subject line:

[Name of contact] recommended we connect

There are tons of subject line ideas online, and you can also feed your email into ChatGPT and ask it to brainstorm subject lines for you. Use this prompt:

I’m sending this cold email to [name of contact] from [company].

My goal is to get him/her to [desired action]. 

Here’s the email body:

[insert email body here]

Please generate 10 possible subject lines for this email. Make them under 60 characters, make them relevant to the email, and make them curiosity provoking. 

2. Personalized Greeting

This is the introduction to your email – usually the first 2-3 sentences. 

First, make sure you’re addressing the email to an actual name (not a company name). 

So: Dear [name],

Or: Hi [name],

What you say next will depend on your goal for the email. 

Personalized greetings can look like:

• A genuine compliment on their product, service, or a recent piece of content – I really resonated with your blog post about using customer testimonials in your marketing. 
• Empathizing with a pain point – As a former consultant, I understand how hard it is to get leads.
• Name dropping your mutual contact – Nancy Smith told me to reach out and connect with you. 
• Providing them with a resource – I’ve been reading your blog for over a year, and when I saw this video, I immediately thought of you. 

Starting your email with a personalized greeting accomplishes two goals:

1 – It shows them you’re a human, and not a bot.

2 – It shows them you care – that you didn’t just use a template and send out a mass email. 

3. Your Pitch (or Ask)

Once you’ve greeted your prospect, it’s time to transition to your elevator pitch or other “ask”. 

Here, it’s best to get straight to the point. 

This could be where you copy/paste in your elevator pitch (see Step 3 above). 

Or, if you’re making a different type of ask:

• I would really appreciate it if you could introduce me to [contact name], I think I could really help him with [pain point].

• I’d love your opinion on [specific topic or tool] when you get a chance. 

• I have a quick question for you: [your question]

Your ask or pitch should be succinct – no need to elaborate or give a ton of detail. If the prospect is interested in engaging with you, you can give them more details later on, or in a discovery call. 

4. Call to Action (CTA)

What action do you want the prospect to take immediately after reading your email?

At the end of your email, give them a friendly nudge to do it. 

This is called a “call to action” (CTA) in copywriting, and all of your emails should include one. 

CTAs could look like:

• If you’re not too busy, hit “reply” and tell me your thoughts, I’d love to hear from you!
• If you’re interested in my [service or product], just reply to this email and we can schedule a discovery call.
• If you’d like to talk about how we can work together, here’s the link to my scheduler – feel free to book a 30-minute call with me. 
• If you’d like to give [product] a try, click this link for a free trial. 

Related reading: 10+ Email Etiquette Rules Every Pro Should Know in 2024

The Cold Email That Landed Me Thousands of Dollars of Freelance Work

To tie it all together, here’s a cold email that I sent to the CEO of a content marketing agency that followed these principles. 

I was still fairly new at freelancing at this time, so I was terrified to send this email. 

Especially since the CEO ran one of the biggest writing-related Facebook groups in existence, and was well-known in the industry.

But the results were beyond my expectations. 

Here’s what I wrote:

Subject Line: Need an experienced freelance writer? I can help. 

Hi Karen!

My name is Ivy, and I’m a freelance writer and editor with a background in SEO strategy. 

I’ve been a member of your Facebook group for about 6 months now, and I want to thank you for creating and managing such a helpful group! I posted a freelancing question last week and your members’ answers and support were extremely helpful. 

I’ve been following your agency for a while now, and all of your content is top-notch. I admire your team’s integrity and true desire to provide value–to your marketing clients as well as the writers in your Facebook group. 

If you need freelance writers, I’d love to be a part of your team. 

I offer:

• SEO-focused content strategy
• SEO-optimized blog posts
• SEO keyword research
• Content editing
• Web copywriting
• Email marketing

If you’re interested in working with me, feel free to reply to this email and we can hop on a call. 

Thanks again for the support and great content!

Ivy Shelden 

Related reading: 12 Best Sites for Email Templates (Both Free & Responsive)

The Results

Her assistant immediately replied and asked to book a call with me and the CEO. 

She ended up hiring me as a freelance editor and SEO strategist (I didn’t even have to start as a writer!), earning me thousands of dollars of income over several months. 

Still Scared to Send Cold Emails? Try This Simple Mindset Shift

You’ve learned everything you need to know about cold emailing. 

But you still feel a little freaked out. 

You’re thinking: What if I’m bothering them? What if they snap at me and tell me I’m the most annoying person on earth?

I get it, and I’ve had those same thoughts. 

Here’s the mindset switch that worked for me: Your email isn’t about getting something from the person. It’s about helping that person solve a problem. 

That’s why you don’t see a lengthy biography or list of qualifications in any of these examples. 

That’s because the email isn’t about you, it’s about them. 

Your intention is to give something, not get something. 

While you eventually want to get paid for your services (because they’re valuable, right?), you’re most likely going to offer your cold email recipient a good deal. 

Whether it’s a free consultation call or a free resource, you’re letting them know about something that can help them. And you’re making it easier for them to solve their problem by reaching out to them directly. 

So if you fear being rejected, remember, it’s not about you! It’s about helping others. 

Go Forth & Cold Email With Confidence! 

Now you know how to write your first cold email campaign, step-by-step. 

We’ve dissected an effective cold email and gone over some strong examples of subject lines, personalized greetings, pitches and CTAs. 

And now you’re ready to put it all together. 

Best of all, you’re no longer terrified of the cold emailing process because you realize you’re helping people instead of bugging them. ‘

All you have to do now is put your new skills and mindset to use. 

So start your spreadsheet and start collecting names. 

One of them might be your biggest client yet! 

The post How to Write Cold Emails That Get Replies (+ Tips & Examples) appeared first on Smart Blogger.

from Smart Blogger https://ift.tt/csDfvp9
via IFTTT

What is a Permalink? (+ Best Practices & Examples)

If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you asked Google, “What is a permalink?”

In this post, we’ll answer your question (and cover all the basics).

Permalink Definition

A permalink (permanent link) is a unique and unchanging URL (Uniform Resource Locator) for a webpage, blog post, or other piece of content published on the internet.

When this URL address is entered into your browser or clicked as a hyperlink, it takes you directly to that specific page.

Whether you’re starting your own blog or need to link to other web pages for any reason, you’ll want to get this ubiquitous element of web architecture right.

Keep reading to understand what permalinks are and how to structure them for best results.

What Does a Permalink Look Like?

Every permalink has two parts:

1. The web domain
2. And the slug

The slug comes after the first forward slash and can include a date, category, post name, or other organizing information.

How Do I Find a Webpage’s Permalink?

Finding (and grabbing) a permalink for a page or post is simple:

1. Go to a website, highlight the entire URL in the browser address bar, and select “copy”
2. Or, hover your cursor over any link, right-click, and select “copy”

Why Permalinks are Important

Permalinks matter for two key reasons:

1. They affect your site’s SEO
2. They influence reader experience

Let’s look at both of these factors.

Permalinks Boost SEO

Search engines use permalinks to index your webpages, affecting those pages’ ability to be found as a search result when someone enters a query into a search engine like Google.

Having a consistent permalink structure will make your site more SEO-friendly and help you capture more search traffic.

We’ll look at some options for link structure below.

Permalinks Improve Reader Experience

Optimizing for search is vital, but don’t forget to consider your readers’ experience.

Well-structured permalinks help your readers navigate your site by giving them a clue about where they will land if they click on the link or paste it into the address bar of their browser.

Look at this logically organized, SEO friendly permalink:

In the example above, there’s no doubt that you’re on the ahrefs blog and you’re going to learn something about SEO.

A clean, simple URL structure always looks better than a jumble of numbers and letters. Don’t let ugly permalinks detract from readers’ perceptions of your brand.

Which URL would you rather click?

This default permalink:

https://ift.tt/POE9WID

Or this custom permalink:

https://ift.tt/zQjwXCu

How To Create a Permalink

If you’re building your own WordPress site or blog, it’s best to choose your custom permalink structure before publishing any pages or posts. This ensures a well-organized and consistent approach while avoiding the need to do any disruptive changes later.

Keep in mind the following best practices to ensure optimal SEO and reader experience when creating your permalinks.

6 Permalink Best Practices

1. Make them unique: No two pages or posts should have the same URL
2. Keep them short and descriptive:
   • Limit or omit unnecessary “stop words” like a, the, on, and, is, of, and you (unless they are part of your page’s main keyword)
   • Only include dates, categories, or tags that are necessary for keeping permalinks relevant and organized
   • Include the main keyword (see #3) but shorten any longer post titles
3. Include SEO keywords: Send a strong signal to search engines, helping your content rank for your page’s main keyword
4. Separate words with dashes (not underscores): Make everything easier to read by humans and search engines
5. Be consistent: This won’t be an issue if you set your WordPress permalink settings ahead of time (instructions below)
6. Use all lowercase: If someone enters an all-lowercase version of a URL that contains uppercase letters, it can lead to an error message (404 page)

Permalink Precautions

Now that you know the best way to structure your permalinks, it’s good to keep in mind a few precautions.

Although it’s best to avoid doing so, sometimes it is necessary to change a permalink.

But be careful.

Done incorrectly, it can cause you to lose precious backlinks and their accompanying SEO juice. Not only that, but if someone linked to your page or post anywhere across the web and a reader tries to click it, they’ll get a 404 error instead of being taken to the correct page.

That’s why, if you’re going to change a permalink, you must let the search engines know.

This is done with a 301 redirect. Read this ahrefs.com guide for a deep dive on the topic.

Also, if you have a well-established site with plenty of content, be very careful about restructuring your permalinks. You may need to consult a professional so you don’t break your site and tank your SEO.

Finally, keep in mind that when creating a new page or post on WordPress, the default permalinks are not optimal. They don’t look professional, are not descriptive of the content, and don’t always contain the best SEO keywords.

Make sure to edit them before publishing.

How To Format Permalinks on WordPress

WordPress will generate default permalinks with dates for all pages and posts you publish.

If you ever update your material, you’ll be stuck with the original date in the URL. This makes your content appear dated to readers.

This link should be optimized for better SEO and readability.

To ensure consistent and optimal permalink structure with all your posts, adjust your permalink settings ahead of time by going to:

Dashboard → Settings → Permalinks

There are a variety of options for you to choose from. Most bloggers find the “Post name” option works best.

Make sure to save your changes after you select your settings.

Even with your permalink presets, it’s still a good idea to manually check them before hitting publish. When added as a slug onto your domain, the post name generally makes your URL very long and unwieldy.

To edit a permalink for a specific page or post, go to:

Dashboard → Page/Post → Title (click on the unpublished page or post with the permalink you want to edit).

Then select Permalink from the dropdown menu and edit the URL Slug:

What is a Permalink? Now You Know!

Now you know what permalinks are and how to make them work for you.

Always review them before hitting publish, and remember to apply the best practices you learned here.

Good luck!

The post What is a Permalink? (+ Best Practices & Examples) appeared first on Smart Blogger.

from Smart Blogger https://ift.tt/FQNhyWH
via IFTTT

How to Build a Niche Website in 2024 (Step-by-Step Case Study)

Ever dreamed of lying on the beach while earning tons of passive income?

I did.

I wanted to build my own business that generated thousands of dollars while I slept, partied, and traveled around the world.

So, in 2015, my friends and I created a niche website to teach beginners how to breakdance.

Sadly, we never made enough money to quit our jobs and move to paradise.

Free Training: Want to know which niche website you should choose? Check out the 31 Most PROFITABLE Niches for Bloggers in 2024.

But here’s the thing…

Though we weren’t successful, the experience taught me a lot about how to build a niche website, market it, and monetize it. And combined with the knowledge I’ve gained working at Ahrefs, I now know the keys to success.

In this post, I’m going to show you what I’ve learned:

What I did right, what I did wrong, and what I would do differently if I created a new niche site today.

Back to Top

We’ll start with a quick definition, followed by a few examples…

What is a Niche Website?

Niche websites are sites that cater to a small segment of a large market by focusing on a common, specific interest.

My website, BreakDance Decoded, was a niche website. It specifically targeted breakdancers, which is a small part of the much larger “dance” market.

Other examples of niche websites are Mr. Money Mustache (focusing on saving and budgeting in the personal finance market), Copywriting Course (focusing on copywriting in the marketing/online business market), and Tone Island (focusing on guitars and related gear such as distortion pedals and amps).

There’s a common misconception that a niche website is a small site. This isn’t true.

“Niche” refers to the segment of the market, not the size of the website.

A site can be niche and still have thousands of pages covering a variety of topics related to the niche.

Nerd Fitness is a niche website that writes about fitness for nerds. Even though it’s only targeting a specific type of persona, the site has hundreds of blog posts ranking for important keywords in Google.

In general, a niche website is an information website. It either produces or sells information that solves problems (e.g. courses, ebooks, etc.).

It may eventually pivot to other monetization models like e-commerce, but the core engine behind the site is information.

Now that you know what a niche site is, let’s take a look at how you create one:

Back to Top

How to Create a Niche Website in 2024 (Step-By-Step)

1. Choose Your Niche
2. Setup Your Site
3. Do Topic Research
4. Create Your Content
5. Promote Your Content
6. Grow Your Email List
7. Experiment With Monetization

1. Choose Your Niche

---

For many aspiring bloggers, niche selection is one of the most challenging dilemmas they face when starting a blog.

They either have too many ideas, or — worse — they have no idea what kind of site they should build.

It doesn’t help that there’s lots of contradictory advice out there: some people suggest you start with your passion, while others say you should choose a niche that’s profitable.

How I Chose My Niche

Personally, I started with my passion.

Not counting my job, breakdancing was the activity I spent the most time doing. So, setting up a niche site that would educate people about breakdancing was a no-brainer for me.

If you’re completely new to building a site and you just want to learn how things work, I would recommend you start with your passion.

Why?

Because growing a website is hard work. Even if you’re creating one of those itty bitty micro niche sites, it still takes time and will power.

But if you’re creating content on a topic you’re passionate about, you’ll be able to find the motivation to persist on those days you feel like quitting.

(And trust me, those days will be frequent.)

How I Would Choose My Niche Today

Today, I would choose a profitable niche.

What’s that?

It’s a niche with a large audience that buys things.

And that’s what you want:

A market where people are buying, buying, and buying.

While it was fun to write about breakdancing, it was a tough market to crack. When we started, there weren’t any other niche sites about breakdancing. Our competing sites were mostly e-commerce stores selling apparel for breakdancers.

In hindsight, that should have been a warning sign.

If there are no competitors in the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages), you should be concerned.

Competitors = Viable Market

Competition is healthy. It’s a sign the market is worth entering. It’s a sign there’s money to be made.

We should have listened.

To help you avoid the mistake we made, here are a couple tips to help you find profitable niches:

Tip #1: Brainstorm + Snooping Around

Sit down and brainstorm some niches you’re interested in pursuing. Then, do a quick Google search to see if there are any sites dedicated to them.

You can search for “best [niche] blogs” to get started (e.g. “best breakdancing blogs”).

And once you’ve found a few potential competitors in your niche, “snoop” around their site and see how they’re monetizing.

If they have a variety of products, it could be a good niche.

For example, let’s say I am interested in the paleo niche. A quick Google search for the “best paleo blogs” brings me to this site:

Looking around, I can see Diane monetizes her site in a variety of ways:

• Books
• Programs/Courses
• Amazon Affiliates
• Certifying other health coaches
• Etc.

Seems like a good niche!

Tip #2: Browse Affiliate Marketplaces

Alternatively, you can also look into affiliate networks like ClickBank and Amazon Associates. These are middlemen networks that connect bloggers and niche website owners with companies offering affiliate marketing opportunities.

You have an audience, they have a product. Perfect match!

Affiliate networks are ideal because:

• These products are being bought by people interested in different niches;
• They have a variety of categories you can browse.

Just go through them until you find products you’re interested in.

Here’s an example:

Right now, I’m learning Russian. So, I might be interested in starting a niche site about the Russian language.

And lo and behold, ClickBank has a category for the Russian language. Cool!

Unfortunately, there is only one product for sale in this category.

That isn’t promising. If it was a profitable niche, there would probably be more options.

However, when I click on “Languages”, I see lots of courses. And if I follow tip #1, searching for “best language hacking blogs” brings back a strong list of competitors, such as Fluent in 3 Months.

So, “Russian” might be too niche.

But “language” learning could be a niche worth pursuing.

Key Takeaways

• If you’re completely new, start a niche website for one of your hobbies or passions.
• If you know what you’re doing, choose a profitable niche.
• To find profitable niches, do a Google search to see if there are any sites ranking in the SERPs for your target topic. If there are, snoop around to see if they’re monetizing.
• You can also use affiliate networks like ClickBank to find interesting niche ideas.

Further Reading

• How To Find A Niche That Is Guaranteed To Be Profitable by Authority Hacker
• Find Your Niche With My Secret To Finding Profitable Niche by Matthew Woodward
• How To Find A Profitable Niche For Your Blog (7 Simple Steps) by Cloud Living

Back to Top

2. Setup Your Site

---

Done with niche selection?

Great. Now it’s time to setup your site.

There are four things you need when you first get started:

• Domain
• Hosting Provider
• Content Management System (CMS)
• Word Press Theme (Plus Some Essential Plugins)

Now, don’t worry if you’re not tech-savvy. I wasn’t great when I started too. I’ll be running through what each of them are, so you can get started fast.

How I Setup My Site (and How I Would Do it Differently Today)

See this?

This is a domain. Think of your domain as the address to your house.

A lot of beginners get stuck on this phase. They procrastinate, hoping to find a perfect domain name.

The hard truth? There’s no such thing.

For us, we wanted a domain that was memorable but self-explanatory. We wanted people to understand what the site was about immediately.

That meant we needed the word “breakdance” in our domain. After brainstorming a few ideas, and consulting the thesaurus, we settled on breakdancedecoded.com.

Don’t spend all your time deciding on the domain. Just make sure it is:

• Short and memorable.
• Easy to spell. Imagine if someone asked you for your domain in real-life. Would it be easy for someone to remember and type it in later, or would they struggle to remember?
• Includes your niche. This tells the visitor right away what your site is about.

If you’re stuck, you can use a tool like Domain Name Brain to give you some ideas:

Once you’re done deciding the name, check if it is available in a domain registrar like NameCheap (affiliate link) or Hover.

Next: A Hosting Provider

To have a house, you need to have the architecture to hold it.

Your host is that architecture.

A hosting provider allows your website to be accessible on the Internet.

Since we weren’t technically-savvy, we followed a friend’s instruction and got our hosting from WPEngine.

In hindsight, that wasn’t a good decision. WPEngine is great, but it is pretty costly for a beginner site that won’t get that much traffic.

If you’re starting out, you probably won’t be getting very much traffic. So, it’s better to get a cheaper host.

There are plenty of hosting providers out there. Take a look around. Smart Blogger recommends SiteGround (affiliate link), so they’re one option to consider.

Editor’s Note:

If you’re keen on SiteGround, check out our fully-fleshed-out review and get an insider look at the service from someone who actually uses it: SiteGround Review: Still the Best (or Not-So-Good) in 2024?

Content Management System (CMS)

A content management system is an online tool that enables you to create and manage your content (e.g. blog posts). WordPress is the most popular CMS, but there are other alternatives too.

Since we were using WPEngine, we turned to WordPress as our blogging platform.

As you’ll see later on, the biggest traffic channel for a niche site will likely be Google. As such, you should choose a CMS that is SEO-friendly.

Most search engine optimization (SEO) experts recommend WordPress, and it’s the CMS I recommend too.

Editor’s Note:

The steps for installing WordPress will depend on your hosting provide and your particular situation.

But don’t worry.

Chances are excellent our massive, step-by-guide on How to Install WordPress in 5 Minutes or Less will be able to walk you through the tricky parts.

Once you’re done with the installation, you’ll need a theme.

A theme is a template that defines the appearance of your site. (Think of it like the design of your house).

For our theme, we chose Genesis.

Genesis isn’t the best-looking theme around, but at the time we were looking for efficiency and ease of use. (Plus, we weren’t that great with design.) We also figured that we could upgrade to a better theme later on, if we got more successful.

With its simplicity, Genesis was a great theme for us. If you’re more design-savvy, feel free to pick another theme.

Smart Blogger recommends Astra Pro (affiliate link), but you can also browse through the selections in ThemeForest. Astra Pro is also fully compatible with Elementor (affiliate link).

Once you’re done, install these two free plugins:

• Akismet. Helps you combat comment spam.
• Yoast SEO. Helps you easily optimize your on-page SEO.

If you want more WordPress plugins to install, check out this list of time savers.

Key Takeaways

• Don’t get analysis paralysis when it comes to your domain name. Choose one that is memorable, easy to spell, and includes your niche.
• Since you won’t get very much traffic initially, start with a cheaper, flexible host, like SiteGround.
• Choose WordPress as your CMS.

Further Reading

• WordPress SEO: A Practical (and EASY) Guide by Ahrefs

Back to Top

3. Do Topic Research

---

Your foundation is set.

It’s time to start getting traffic to your site.

How I Did My Topic Research

Now, at this point, most bloggers make the same mistake:

They write about whatever tickles their fancy.

I know because I did the same thing.

I brainstormed topics I thought would resonate with my audience, and then I wrote about them. The only reason I got away with it was because I was a breakdancer writing to other breakdancers.

I knew the topics that would interest my audience because I was a part of that audience.

But if you’re working in a niche that is unfamiliar to you, you can’t just write about anything you want.

Those topics won’t resonate and you won’t build an audience.

Worse:

Your content won’t rank in Google, which means no traffic will come to your site.

How I Would Do My Topic Research Today

For most niche sites, the best way to get traffic is SEO.

SEO is an acquisition channel that will grow passively. As long as you are ranking well for the keywords you’re targeting, you will get passive traffic.

Compare that with other channels.

You could experiment with paid ads (for example, Facebook ads), but as soon as you stop the campaign or run out of money, your traffic dries up immediately.

The same goes for social media. You have to either build up a large audience (difficult) or bank on viral hits (also difficult). And as soon as you stop tweeting and sharing, whatever traffic you were getting will disappear.

Search engine traffic doesn’t stop. It keeps going. Even when you’re sleeping.

If you want search traffic, you need to write about topics that people are searching for. In other words:

You need to create content for topics with search traffic potential.

In SEO parlance, this is known as keyword research.

Here are a few ways you can do it:

Use a Keyword Research Tool

The easiest way to get started is to use a keyword research tool.

Enter any seed keywords related to your niche into a keyword research tool, and it will generate hundreds of different ideas you can target.

For example, here’s a free keyword tool called AnswerThePublic:

AnswerThePublic generates ideas for you based on different categories: questions, prepositions, comparisons, alphabeticals, etc.

There are plenty of other free tools out there, like:

• Google Keyword Planner
• Wordtracker Scout

Take your pick.

One of the most important metrics SEOs look at when doing keyword research is search volume. Essentially, search volume is the amount of monthly searches for a keyword.

The problem with a free tool is that, while it’s free, it usually has either missing or incomplete data.

As such, you might want to consider using a professional keyword tool like Ahrefs’ Keywords Explorer (affiliate link).

You can access it using the Ahrefs’ $7 for 7-days trial.

Enter a seed keyword into Keywords Explorer, and it will generate thousands of keyword ideas, plus all sorts of relevant SEO metrics:

Here’s a quick explanation of everything you’re seeing in the above screenshot:

• Keyword Difficulty (KD). Ahrefs’ Keyword Difficulty metric gives you an estimate of how hard it would be to rank in the Top 10 search results for a given keyword.
• Search volume (volume). This shows you how many times per month, on average, people in a given country search for your target keyword.
• Clicks. This shows you the average monthly number of clicks on the search results that people make while searching for the target keyword.
• Cost-per-click (CPC). This shows you the average price that advertisers pay for a click on their ad in Google’s paid search results for a target keyword in a given country.
• Clicks-per-search (CPS). This shows you the average number of clicks people perform after searching for a given keyword.
• Return Rate (RR). This shows you how often the same person searches for a given keyword over a 30-day period.
• SERP Features (SF). This refers to how many Google’s SERP Features appear in the search results for this keyword.
• Parent Topic. This shows you a better topic you can target as opposed to the keyword you’re entered.

Lurk in Communities

The internet is jam-packed with communities for every imaginable topic out there.

Love the TV show Brooklyn Nine-Nine? There’s a subreddit for that. Enjoy discovering new products? Well, that’s how ProductHunt was formed.

Whether it’s a bunch of bloggers exploring rhetorical devices or a royal rumble of renaissance crafting pros arguing about basket weaving you name it, there’s a community for it.

People gather in these communities to ask questions, discuss trending news, get recommendations, and so on.

Translation: these communities offer a wealth of topics for your niche site.

When we started, we hung out a lot on r/bboy, a subreddit for breakdancers. This was where we got our initial list of topics:

You can do the same too.

Do a search and find all the communities related to your niche. You can find them in places like:

• Reddit;
• Quora;
• Facebook;
• Slack;
• Forums (yes, they still exist);

And much more.

To find out if these topics have search traffic potential, you can install the Chrome/Firefox extension Keywords Everywhere on your browser.

You can also enter these topics into Keywords Explorer.

Ahrefs will show you all the SEO metrics, plus suggest a better topic for you to target (“Parent Topic”).

Figure Out What Your Competitors are Ranking for

Your competitors have done the hard work for you. They’ve been blogging and ranking in Google.

Your job? Borrow generously.

Find out what’s working for them, and then replicate those topic ideas.

Most sites feature their best-performing posts on their blogs, usually in a sidebar:

You can easily see which keywords they’re optimizing for.

For example, the post 595 Power Words That’ll Instantly Make You a Better Writer is obviously optimizing for the keyword “power words.”

If you’re unsure, you can click through to the post. If they’re SEO-savvy, they would have optimized their URLs for the target keyword.

Of course, the best way is to use a tool like Site Explorer.

Enter your competitor’s domain into the tool and go to the “Top Pages” report, where you’ll see all the pages sending them the most search traffic:

Key Takeaways

• To get search traffic to your niche website, you need to target topics that people are searching for. To do this, you need to do keyword research.
• You can either use a free keyword tool or a paid, professional version.
• The paid version will also allow you to check all the keywords your competitor sites are ranking for.
• To find out what your readers are searching for, you can also lurk in communities to find widely-discussed topics.

Further Reading

• What to Blog About: 3 Steps to Mapping out Your Ideas in a Logical Way by Jon Morrow
• Keyword Research: The Definitive Guide by Backlinko
• How to Do Keyword Research for SEO by Ahrefs

Back to Top

4. Create Your Content

---

Jon Morrow is right:

“The best content is king.”

If you want to rank in Google, build an audience and compete with others, you have to create epic content.

You have to publish the best article ever written about those topics with search traffic potential.

The posts have to be detailed.

They have to be in-depth.

They have to answer every single question about that topic.

How I Created My Content

When we began our niche site, we were already huge fans of the detailed, long-form articles published by Smart Blogger and Backlinko.

So, we sought to emulate them.

We even published a 17,000-word article on how to get started with breakdancing.

It was our most successful article, but it took us almost a month to write.

You might be wondering:

“If you’re writing such long articles, how can you publish something every day?”

Answer: you don’t.

Publishing every day is a fool’s game.

What you should do is to focus on quality, not quantity.

If you have to publish less, so be it. Don’t sacrifice the depth of your article on some arbitrary content schedule.

(For us, it was impossible to stick to a schedule, as we had full-time jobs.)

You want to be known for the quality of your work — not how quickly you pump out new articles.

That being said, what does it mean to create great content?

When we started, all we knew was we needed to create something in-depth. We weren’t writers and had no blogging experience.

In short, we had no way to measure and define “great content.” We just went with our instincts.

Today, things are different. After reading and writing so many pieces of content, I can see which articles can be classified as great, and which can’t.

How I Would Create My Content Today

I no longer need to rely on my instincts. I know what “great content” is and what it must embody. It needs the following three characteristics:

Characteristic #1: Quality

Quality is subjective, of course.

How then do you know you’ve created something worth shouting about?

In my experience, quality consists of three factors:

1. Design. Is the website design great? Is it easy-to-read? Are the images beautiful? Or is the site cluttered with hundreds of banner ads, each distracting your reader from the main purpose, which is to consume the content?
2. Content. Does the article flow? Is it interesting, entertaining, and useful? Or is the article full of grammatical and spelling errors that makes reading it off-putting?
3. Usefulness. Does the article actually solve a problem? Does it discuss the topic in-depth? Or is it merely beating around the bush?

If the content you produce meets these three factors, it’s great content.

Characteristic #2: Uniqueness

There are thousands, if not millions, of articles published on similar topics each and every day.

Why would someone choose your article over the others?

The best way I’ve found to create unique content is to write from personal experience.

Pro Tip: This is how Smart Blogger became such a powerhouse in the blogging world. When Jon writes about blogging, it comes from his years of experience. When a guest author is invited to write about a topic, they’re chosen because they have had experience in those areas.

Characteristic #3: Authority

Do you want to learn astrophysics from a Caltech physicist, or your next-door neighbor?

Of course, it’s the Caltech physicist. (Unless, you once lived next to Richard Feynman.)

Your readers are the same way.

No matter the topic, they want to learn from an authoritative source.

If you’re the expert, great! Carry on.

But what if you aren’t?

Get the experts to help you. Be the journalist. The scribe. There are plenty of experts with great knowledge, but insufficient ability to communicate that knowledge.

You can be the go-between.

Interview them. Curate their thoughts, research and expertise. You can even invite the expert to write an article for you.

For example:

Tim Ferriss. Tim doesn’t have expertise in every topic in the world, but he touches lots of topics. He does this by inviting experts to contribute to his books.

Pro Tip: This is also the reason why Smart Blogger succeeded when many failed. If Jon doesn’t have experience in something (e.g. Kindle Publishing), he doesn’t write the article. Instead, he invites someone with experience to do it. We’re an authority site because we use (and have) authority sources.

If you read our epic guide to breakdancing, you’d see it checked all three aspects we just covered:

• Quality. While it wasn’t the best-designed post, we formatted it well and added a header image (done on Canva). We even added a Table of Contents!
• Uniqueness. We wrote the entire thing based on our years of experience in dance. We told plenty of stories that were highly unique to what we had seen and observed.
• Authority. All of us had at least 7-8 years of breakdance experience.

Key Takeaways

• If you want to rank in Google, make sure you create great content.
• Focus on quality — not quantity or satisfying some “content calendar.”
• Great content has three characteristics: quality, authoritativeness, and uniqueness. You need to do all three.

Further Reading

• How to Write a Blog Post in 2024: The Ultimate Guide by Liz Careathers
• How to Write a Blog Post in 9 Steps (That People Actually Want to Read) by Ahrefs

Back to Top

5. Promote Your Content

---

Do you want to know the greatest lie in the content marketing world?

It’s this adage:

“If you build it, they will come.”

Nothing can be further from the truth.

Think about it.

According to the latest stats, there are 4 million blog posts published every single day. That’s a lot of noise.

That also means there is an extremely low chance that somebody will randomly stumble upon your site.

If you want traffic, you have to be proactive. You have to promote your content. You have to build links.

How I Promoted My Content

We focused on three promotion techniques:

Technique #1: The “Eager Sneezers” Technique

In a post published in 2015, Bryan Harris shared how he started an email list from scratch and got 205 subscribers in 48 hours.

The technique he used? “Eager Sneezers.”

Ignoring the fancy name, it’s essentially reaching out to your friends and inviting them to join your email list.

Bryan’s biggest takeaway was your friends want to help you (so let them).

We used a variation of this idea to get our early traction.

After publishing a post on breakdance music, we reached out to multiple friends to help share it.

Fortunately, as we were breakdancers ourselves, we had a number of breakdancer friends who were more than happy to help:

Technique #2: Community Content Promotion

Remember the communities you joined earlier (where you were “lurking” for ideas/niche markets)?

They’re great for content promotion too.

Here’s one example of what we did:

Now, this is not an excuse for you to strut into someone else’s community and start spamming links to your content.

Online communities exist for people to have meaningful conversations about a particular topic. Link spam defeats that purpose.

Plus, you’ll likely get booted out of the group.

The only reason I was able to promote my content in a group like this was because I was already an active member. I was participating in discussions, asking questions, and commenting.

I knew what kind of content the community would appreciate, which was why I was able to share it.

So, before you start dropping links to your content in a group, make sure you are active and understand the group’s rules.

Technique #3: Outreach to People You’ve Mentioned in Your Content

If you’ve written an epic piece of content, you’ve likely linked out to sources or quoted experts.

Let them know!

For example:

In our post, we listed 157 songs a breakdancer must listen to. This meant 157 different people we could email.

So, we did. And it resulted in one of the featured artists sharing our post on Facebook:

How I Would Promote My Content Today

According to a survey of 1,117 bloggers, higher-income bloggers put more emphasis on promoting their content than lower-income bloggers.

Translation: if you want to succeed, you have to keep on promoting your content.

If I were to create a new niche website, I would add these content promotion strategies into my toolkit.

Strategy #1: Outreach to People Who Published Articles on the Same Topic

Since they’ve written on that topic before, there is a higher probability they’ll be interested in seeing your post.

To find these people, simply enter the topic of your article (remember to try variations!) into Google. Collect the list of articles that appear in the SERPs.

Then find their email address and reach out.

Alternatively, you can use a tool like Ahrefs’ Content Explorer, a search engine for web content.

Enter the topic into Content Explorer, do some filtering (like “English only”), and export the list.

You now have a huge list of sites to reach out to.

All that’s left is to write the email.

Here are a few tips to help you write a compelling email:

• Keep it short. Most people are busy. You improve your chances of getting your emails read if it’s short and to the point.
• Tell them what’s in it for them. Everyone looks out for #1. Provide value upfront and let them know what they can get out of it.
• Personalize the email as much as possible. People can tell when an email is a template. If they think it’s a template, they’ll delete it without reading.
• Ask wisely. People dislike being told to do something. Don’t be pushy. If you’re asking for a link, suggest the idea gently.

You can also read this in-depth guide about blogger outreach.

Strategy #2: Guest Blogging

Guest blogging is a tactic where you write a post for another website (instead of yours).

In exchange for your “free” article, the owner gives you:

• A few links back to your site (either within the body content or inside the author’s bio);
• Exposure to their audience;
• Referral traffic.

Those are just the immediate benefits. Guest blogging also allows you to build relationships with influencers, or even grow your email list.

The biggest challenge with guest blogging is finding blogs willing to accept your guest posts.

To increase your chances of being accepted, look for sites that are already accepting guest posts.

You can find these sites via Google search operators. Here are a few examples:

• [your_topic] “write for us”
• [your_topic] “become an author”
• [your_topic] “guest post”
• [your_topic] “guest article”
• [your_topic] inurl:contribute

These sites usually have a “write for us” page, so all you have to do is to follow their instructions.

You can also look for these opportunities in Content Explorer. The reasoning: if a niche blog has written about a topic before, there is an increased probability they would cover it again.

Enter any word/phrase from your niche into Content Explorer.

Check the “one article per domain” box to get a list of unique domains you can potentially write for:

Some of these sites may not have an obvious “write for us” page. But, most blogs will accept a guest post if your pitch is good enough.

Key Takeaways

• If you want traffic, you have to promote your content.
• To kick-start your site and get some initial traction, try the “Eager Sneezers” technique.
• You can also promote your content in communities.
• If you’ve mentioned anyone in your posts, reach out and let them know.
• To take it to the next level, try guest blogging and reaching out to people who’ve written about similar topics.

Back to Top

6. Grow Your Email List

---

Study the best sites in any niche, and you’ll notice one thing:

They all build an email list.

An email list is powerful because you can do almost anything with it. You could:

• Survey your subscribers to get quality content ideas;
• Ask them for feedback;
• Test monetization ideas;
• Sell something.

The possibilities are virtually endless.

How I Built My Email List

Because we were observing these huge sites, we understood the power of the email list very early on. In fact, we obsessed over collecting as many emails as possible.

We tested all kinds of strategies on the site.

Welcome Mats:

Content Upgrades:

We even turned our homepage into an email collection machine:

How I Would Build My Email List Today

In hindsight, we were too aggressive with our email collection.

We were so concerned with the number of emails on our list, the quality of our list suffered.

We should have focused on user experience and only placed email sign-up forms where relevant.

Over the years, Jon and the rest of the Smart Blogger team have written tons of guides on email list building, so I won’t delve too deeply into this topic.

You can check out the different resources here:

• 9 Irresistible Incentives That’ll Grow Your Email List Like Crazy
• 10 Creative Places for Opt-In Forms That’ll Supercharge Your Signups
• The Quick and Dirty Guide to Creating Your “Bribe to Subscribe” in Record Time

Key Takeaways

• Build a list! It’s the most important thing you need to do.
• Test different methods for collecting emails on your site.
• But don’t neglect user experience. Don’t cram 100 pop-ups on your site just so you can get a few more subscribers.

Back to Top

7. Experiment with Monetization

---

What’s the purpose of a niche site?

To make money online (duh).

As you start gaining traction on your site, and gaining a few subscribers, you can start to look into monetization.

How I Monetized My Site

At BreakDance Decoded, we experimented with a few different strategies.

Strategy #1: Patreon

Patreon is a membership platform where fans can “fund” content creators. You can create separate tiers on Patreon to reward different levels of loyalty.

Back then, Patreon was a relatively new-ish platform. We saw that a few legitimate artists and creators were generating significant amounts of money on the platform, so we gave it a shot.

This was our Patreon page:

No matter how hard we marketed ourselves, the best we did was $50 per month on Patreon.

That’s not to say Patreon doesn’t work.

There are plenty of successful Patreon artists, like Kurzgesagt, who has over 12,000 patrons supporting his work:

Your results may vary.

Strategy #2: YouTube/Google AdSense

In addition to our website, we were also running a YouTube channel. So, we decided to see if we could make enough money from YouTube.

Yes, we dreamed of being the next PewDiePie.

These were our results:

It was decent, but it wasn’t enough for a “passive income” source.

Plus, our niche was too “specific”, so we probably didn’t generate enough views to make financial sense.

Strategy #3: Coaching

One of Jon’s recommendations was to sell video or phone coaching as a quick way to monetize your site.

We took it seriously.

We sent an email to our list, telling them we were available for personal breakdance coaching. At the time, this was a relatively new concept to the niche, so we weren’t sure if it would work out.

Surprisingly, someone took us up on it.

Strategy #4: Online Courses

By 2025, the e-learning industry will grow to about $325 billion in size.

This probably explains why most popular blogs monetize via online courses.

However, our biggest concern (back then) with an online course was the time and effort it took to create a great one. Plus, we weren’t sure if there were any demand for an online breakdance course.

The notion of spending considerable time, effort, and money into creating a course no one wanted didn’t sound appealing.

But after testing all the different strategies listed earlier, creating an online course seemed to be the most viable option.

So, we decided to launch a MVP (Minimum Viable Product).

We sent a survey to our email list, asking them for their #1 challenge.

From there, we came up with a hook we thought would interest our audience:

Hey friend,

Don’t you feel like breaking has limited support and not enough is done to help you improve?

Sure, there are tons of studios out there, and jams have become widespread.

But not every breaking tutorial fixes the problem effectively. Not everyone gets access to the information and knowledge from other bboys. Not every country or state has a strong breaking scene.

This lack of environment for growth sucks, because so many potential bboys and bgirls around the world deserve a chance to learn breaking.

Ideally, a bboy/bgirl’s progress should only be ‘limited’ by their own effort. Not the environment.

As a first step to tackle this problem, I’ve created a 1-minute survey to get to know you better (don’t worry it’s 5 simple questions, no right or wrong answers here.)

So click this link to fill up our quick survey!

Thanks for helping me to understand your breaking views. It will go a long way for both you and me 🙂

While we waited for feedback, we created an outline for a potential 9-week course.

Using the email hook and the outline, we crafted a 5-day email sequence modeled after Ramit Sethi’s successful launches.

Not knowing what to charge, we decided on an arbitrary sales price of $37. For the test to be successful, we told ourselves that we needed at least 10 sales.

As we weren’t technically savvy, we had no idea how to collect orders online. We also didn’t have money to invest in a shopping cart software.

So, we kept it simple:

We created a PayPal link.

Then we activated the 5-day campaign by sending our subscribers a launch email.

To our surprise, we actually managed to sign up 12 students.

Our test was successful!

The only issue? We now had to actually create the course.

Once again, instead of investing in some complicated course software to launch it, we decided to do it the easy way:

Facebook had just launched its “Live” feature and was heavily promoting it.

We decided to use it.

We created a closed Facebook group, sent an email to our 12 students, and invited them to join the group:

Our Closed Facebook Group

Then we filmed each lesson by using Facebook’s Live feature.

Besides some technical issues (like audio), we received rave reviews for our course.

Takeaway:

Don’t let perfectionism stop you from launching. People buy courses for the information, not the software you use or how perfect it looks.

What I Would Do Differently Today

I wouldn’t change a thing.

Online courses worked for me then, and it’s the monetization strategy I would use today.

That said…

Your results may vary.

It’s a good idea to play around with different monetization methods to see what works best for you. Even if you find a cash cow, always be looking at different ways you can diversify your income stream.

Otherwise, you’re asking for trouble.

Nomadic Matt has a blog that receives 1 million visitors each month, but as shared in his interview on Noah Kagan Presents, if he had continued with the same business model he had when he started (i.e. selling links), his business would have been dead in the water by now.

Key Takeaways

• Test different monetization strategies and see which one works out best for you.
• Patreon, online coaching, and online courses are all viable methods to generate revenue.
• You can also consider other methods like affiliate or niche marketing, selling eBooks, and so on.

Further Reading

• How to Make Money Blogging (I Made 14 Million) by Jon Morrow
• Affiliate Marketing for Beginners: Go from 0 to $1,000 In Passive Income by Leanne Regalla

Back to Top

Are You Ready to Create a Profitable Niche Website?

This wasn’t a case study about how successful I am or how many Lamborghinis I now own.

It’s the opposite.

My site wasn’t successful by any means.

Instead of sipping mojitos at the beach, I’m still working out of an office.

But that’s because I didn’t know then what I know now.

Now I know better. Now I know what to do. And now so do you.

It is possible to build a successful niche website and monetize it

So what are you waiting for?

Paradise is waiting.

The post How to Build a Niche Website in 2024 (Step-by-Step Case Study) appeared first on Smart Blogger.

from Smart Blogger https://ift.tt/kJycr5t
via IFTTT