59 replies
I'm working on a little side project on Sunday afternoons that could be useful for people to follow. For those who don't know, I run a high ticket closing-as-a-service business which takes way too much of my regular time ;-)

Path: Tom Addams' Month One WSO - affiliate blog plan

Setup a Goal: Make $100 in affiliate commissions

Time frame: 3 months of Sundays (thru April 8)


Needs:

-Website setup

-Offer selection from Peerfly & MaxBounty

-Keyword research

-Content creation

-Other marketing per Tom's WSO, eg. FB page

Website Setup

I have the website done from a couple previous Sundays. Waiting on a logo from our designer but that is no reason to hold me back.

What I found most amusing and kind of frustrating so far is that while I have been setting up Wordpress sites since 2008, following someone else's directions really slowed me down. What would have taken me say 2 hours "freestyle" ended up being 6 as I had to figure out what was specific to the theme Tom recommended versus what I was used to--or what the theme I had can actually do.

I had a decent domain lying around (what a shocker) and a premium theme that's suitable. However, I discovered this theme cannot do custom footers with embedded widgets. It can only handle one widget, and that was after some fiddling. That made the navigation Tom suggested impossible. But I don't think it's a big deal...I just reproduced it up top instead.

Offer Selection

I've picked a niche and have my eye on relevant offers from the two networks.

Keyword Research

So far I've done a little keyword research and found a cool tool that displays terms in a visual way: https://answerthepublic.com/

Content Creation

None yet

Other Marketing

None yet, but skipped ahead in the WSO book to find out if it was a FB group or a page that Tom recommended (it was a page).


Time in so far has been about 8 hours: 2 X 3 hour website sessions plus a couple hours reading the WSO book, going through my stuff to see what I had like the premium theme, and looking at tools. I would have probably budgeted 3-4 prior to doing this, and my estimates are usually on target. Having to slow down, interpret and follow directions made things take a lot longer--but of course I want to do them correctly.
#affiliate #blog #ppl
  • Profile picture of the author cooler1
    I look forward to seeing the results of your side project.

    Can you clarify, when using an FB page are you using free traffic or does it involve paid FB ads to boost your post?
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    • Profile picture of the author Jason Kanigan
      Originally Posted by cooler1 View Post

      I look forward to seeing the results of your side project.

      Can you clarify, when using an FB page are you using free traffic or does it involve paid FB ads to boost your post?
      Thanks!

      We'll get there when we get to that spot in the WSO (it's a ways off yet )

      BUT I can say Tom is all about free, organic traffic whenever possible.
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      • Profile picture of the author discrat
        Originally Posted by Jason Kanigan View Post

        Thanks!

        We'll get there when we get to that spot in the WSO (it's a ways off yet )

        BUT I can say Tom is all about free, organic traffic whenever possible.
        And popping corkscrews off cheap champagne using his buttocks only with help and encouragement from Dennis his Monkeyservant standing just a few feet away
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        Nothing to see here including a Sig so just move on :)

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        • Profile picture of the author Tom Addams
          Originally Posted by discrat View Post

          And popping corkscrews off cheap champagne using his buttocks only with help and encouragement from Dennis his Monkeyservant standing just a few feet away
          Ah yes, the old Buttock Pop. The trick (took me years before I figured this out) is to aim the cork away . . . from the buttocks. Yes, you wouldn't believe what happens if you don't. Ideally - aim it at your harpy eagle.

          Cheers,

          Tom
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  • Profile picture of the author Tom Addams
    Jason!

    You've just given me yet another reason to hang out on Warrior Forum.

    (It will cut into Vodka and Masala Time, but I'll forgive you.)

    I love people taking action on my WSO. I'm going to love even more watching it happen!

    Quick tip:

    I think putting together the website yourself is a smart move. You'll pick up valuable (necessary) skills that will serve you well in IM.

    However, to make life easier, you can use the outsourcing chapters. Myself, I prefer to outsource tasks like web design.

    (Well, I prefer to outsource every task, really. For instance? The monkeyservant is typing this post for me. Yes, indeed. I'm currently sat cuddling with Discrat in a beach hammock.)

    I'll be following this journey. Subscribed!

    Cheers,

    Tom
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    • Profile picture of the author Jason Kanigan
      Originally Posted by Tom Addams View Post

      Jason!

      You've just given me yet another reason to hang out on Warrior Forum.

      (It will cut into Vodka and Masala Time, but I'll forgive you.)

      I love people taking action on my WSO. I'm going to love even more watching it happen!

      Quick tip:

      I think putting together the website yourself is a smart move. You'll pick up valuable (necessary) skills that will serve you well in IM.

      However, to make life easier, you can use the outsourcing chapters. Myself, I prefer to outsource tasks like web design.

      (Well, I prefer to outsource every task, really. For instance? The monkeyservant is typing this post for me. Yes, indeed. I'm currently sat cuddling with Discrat in a beach hammock.)

      I'll be following this journey. Subscribed!

      Cheers,

      Tom
      (This is mostly for other readers, Tom, as I know you know.) I have set up hundreds of Wordpress sites, both for myself, commercial clients, and as part of funnel design projects. I could have outsourced ALL of it. As a matter of fact, keeping it to myself was a tough decision. We have two employees who could take care of everything in their sleep including custom css and graphic design.

      But the whole point is for me to learn the traffic skills you bring to the table in the WSO, Tom. And that includes the proper setup so things can happen the way you intend. I also believe in getting new projects to pay for themselves. I do not believe in outsourcing anything until I have done it myself--unless it's of such a deep technical nature I just can't catch up in time, like some kind of nuclear physics thing (which we need for the Tesla death ray, but that's another project entirely). I can then direct subcontractors. Also, it's hard for me to get scammed because I know how long things should take. The time estimate thing is not about "how quickly can I get this done," though; by doing it myself first, I find out where goofy things happen and when people will fall into a rabbit hole--or in between a monkey's buttocks.

      (Jeez they won't have any idea what we're talking about if they haven't gotten the WSO.)

      After I get some steam I will outsource article writing, keyword research, and so on. But for now I will slug..."SLUG, mind you," in the words of Patton immortalized by George C. Scott, through it myself a few hours at a time on Sundays.

      PS. People...REALISTIC TARGETS. Set them. I am no newbie and yet I am not setting grand revenue targets (it's actually a break-even for the WSO, domain, premium theme but not including any value for my time) for this. At $3-something per "sale" on average, I'm expecting to have to make about 30 conversions and most of them will be near the end of the timeline. Enthusiasm is wonderful, and if you've got full time to direct at your project it may happen...but my advice is to set achievable targets, then achieve them...then raise them.
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      • Profile picture of the author Tom Addams
        Originally Posted by Jason Kanigan View Post

        (This is mostly for other readers, Tom, as I know you know.) I have set up hundreds of Wordpress sites, both for myself, commercial clients, and as part of funnel design projects. I could have outsourced ALL of it. As a matter of fact, keeping it to myself was a tough decision. We have two employees who could take care of everything in their sleep including custom css and graphic design.

        But the whole point is for me to learn the traffic skills you bring to the table in the WSO, Tom. And that includes the proper setup so things can happen the way you intend. I also believe in getting new projects to pay for themselves. I do not believe in outsourcing anything until I have done it myself--unless it's of such a deep technical nature I just can't catch up in time, like some kind of nuclear physics thing (which we need for the Tesla death ray, but that's another project entirely). I can then direct subcontractors. Also, it's hard for me to get scammed because I know how long things should take. The time estimate thing is not about "how quickly can I get this done," though; by doing it myself first, I find out where goofy things happen and when people will fall into a rabbit hole--or in between a monkey's buttocks.

        (Jeez they won't have any idea what we're talking about if they haven't gotten the WSO.)

        After I get some steam I will outsource article writing, keyword research, and so on. But for now I will slug..."SLUG, mind you," in the words of Patton immortalized by George C. Scott, through it myself a few hours at a time on Sundays.

        PS. People...REALISTIC TARGETS. Set them. I am no newbie and yet I am not setting grand revenue targets (it's actually a break-even for the WSO, domain, premium theme but not including any value for my time) for this. At $3-something per "sale" on average, I'm expecting to have to make about 30 conversions and most of them will be near the end of the timeline. Enthusiasm is wonderful, and if you've got full time to direct at your project it may happen...but my advice is to set achievable targets, then achieve them...then raise them.
        I think this is spot on, Jason; the ideal approach based on the ideal mindset.

        In fact, I take a similar approach myself for different projects.

        Monday to Friday tends to be my time for managing operations. The weekends involve some management, too, but they're also the time when I work on new ventures.

        As you rightly say, I believe, the trick is to set realistic goals and chip away at the work, diligently, from week to week.

        I like to use a system of "phases." I find them motivational.

        With a project like your own, for instance, I'd consider Phase 1 to be a launch-ready business. Phase 2 would come when I have it running smoothly and turning an optimized income. Phase 3 would occur when I farm out operations.

        At that point, I'll often repeat the entire process for another business.

        Project One will have been for Niche A; Project Two will be for Niche B.

        I'll take what I learned from Project One and apply all of it to Project Two. I like to build what I call IM Portfolios. It's mostly about financial security, but it's also partly how I'm wired (and I know you're the same): I don't like to leave money on the table and I just really enjoy the process of working on new ventures.

        Not to sound uncool: I'm thrilled you, of all people, have decided to make a warrior path based on Month One. It took a lot of time and effort to put MO together. I think it's great to see how something I did in the office here is now growing into something else. It's probably the geek in me, but I think that's very cool.

        This is going to be a blast!

        Cheers,

        Tom
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  • Profile picture of the author kendido
    So, who is Tom? Which WSO are you talking about?
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  • Profile picture of the author Jason Kanigan
    I absolutely agree, Tom...once I figure this first one out, I'll have other sites set up in different niches.

    And Oh yeah, the Saturdays are taken with the other business. Sunday is my "day off."

    SUNDAY UPDATE:

    Today was all about keyword sifting using the methods Tom provides. I had a list of 277 from last week's effort and it quickly became obvious this was going to be a slow, laborious process. I googled around for some software to help but didn't find anything readily useful. In this stage you just have to put your time in, like creeping along on a choked highway onramp at the end of the work day to begin your commute home ("20 minutes EVERY DAY, Annacis Island! Yeah, 15 years ago and still I remember--!")...or manually messaging LinkedIn contacts. This would be a good task to outsource. But remember, I WANT to do these steps so I know how they work and how long they take.

    I set aside 2 hours to work on the project today and wherever I got to was fine. Fairly early on I realized for sanity's sake I ought to limit myself to sorting the first 50 results. Dual monitors were very helpful for going back and forth between spreadsheet and google.

    The second, third, and fourth level sorts went faster as out of the 50 phrases 24 passed the first test. An interesting outcome was that those terms that passed Tom's first criterion all passed the second, third, and fourth. I don't know yet whether this will be common (and a serious step-saver if so) or just weird.

    As I want to get to writing ASAP so I have some content, this "Chunk It Up By 50 Keywords" batching approach seemed the best route: get some good keywords and put some posts up. This sifting process, and remember I only got through 50 out of 277 keywords to check, took me about 1-1/2 hours out of the 2 I booked for this project. The other 30 minutes were spent looking for a faster, easier way to do it, and finding some interesting things but nothing immediately useful (this is what we call a rabbit hole, and it can be the biggest time suck on any project. I recommend setting a time limit, ie. "I will look for up to 20 minutes and then stop and go back to what I was doing if I don't find anything.")

    Note that I am about 10 hours in and have not created any content yet. Working continuously on the project could have sped me up and I bet I could easily lop 2-3 hours off with what I know now. Not fussing around the exact navigation layout so much, and just grinding through the keyword filtering would save me 2 of those hours. More would be saved by not having to read the WSO book so carefully as I've already done the steps now, as well as not having to search through my stuff to pick an existing dormant domain and unused premium theme. Stopping and starting up again a week later definitely makes a "brain reboot" necessary. But the moral of the story here is: IM is work.

    Next Up: Content Creation, the Tom Addams Way!
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    • Profile picture of the author Tom Addams
      Originally Posted by Jason Kanigan View Post

      Next Up: Content Creation, the Tom Addams Way!
      The trick is to drink copiously of Smirnoff and dictate the articles to your capuchin monkeyservant. To minimise typos, ensure the monkey has no more than 3 bottles of Smirnoff for breakfast. He'll get quite upset about that, of course, lot of jumping up and down and screeching and belligerently whacking you with a Playboy magazine, so I find the carrot on the end of the stick ploy to be invaluable: tell him that if he does a good job, you'll reward him with extra Smirnoff, Masala, and cigarettes for dinner. That'll sort him right out.

      I'm actually using the exact same approach here and dictating to my very own capuchin monkeyservant, Dennis. As you can see, the carrot ploy is working beautifully: no typos, acceptable grammar, and he hasn't once linked us to a music video of Copacabana, or images of Kim Kardashian's buttocks for that matter, which he would almost surely have done had I relented and allowed him a further bottle of Smirnoff with his breakfast. Just be careful you let him know when dictation has ended. Underline last three words, Dennis. You literally need to say those three words, Jason. Reason being, you obviously don't want everything you say to appear in the article.

      I think that about does it for now. Absolutely great work on the path, Jason!

      Dennis, get the phone, mate.

      Good lad.

      Pass it over here then.

      Hello, dear! Yes yes, just arrived in the office, hard at work on Warrior Forum.

      Uh-huh . . . uh-huh . . . uh-huh.

      Just so we're clear: you'd like me to pee less (underline less, Dennis) on the toilet seat in the mornings, or you'd prefer no peeing at all on said toilet seat?

      Uh-huh . . . uh-huh . . . none at . . . yes, perfect, not a problem.

      Oh, before you go.

      That thing I mentioned we do tonight?

      Any chance more begging on my part would work, or should I up the ante with flowers and Thornton's chocies?

      Uh-huh . . . uh-huh . . . not a sodding chance either way. . . yes, perfect, not a problem.

      Righto, bye-bye, dear. Love you!

      Oh, boll-

      Dennis . . . dictation has ended.

      - Tom
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  • Profile picture of the author AliceWarner
    I think its a great idea. I thought affiliate marketing was very hard thing to do..
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    • Profile picture of the author Jason Kanigan
      Originally Posted by AliceWarner View Post

      I think its a great idea. I thought affiliate marketing was very hard thing to do..
      Well it's hard to be in the bridge engineering and construction business, too! You need to have engineering skills to design something that won't fall down, accounting skills for costing and pricing, project management skills to organize deliveries and how the thing is to be put together, human resources skills to manage the workforce...

      ...wow, why would anyone do it?

      Every single business comes down to two things.

      Just these two things.

      Traffic

      and

      Conversion.

      That's all.

      Whether the business is online or not, traffic and conversion are all you have to concern yourself about.

      Affiliate marketing offers the advantage of not having to make and deliver the solution (that's called "fulfillment") yourself. All I have to do is bring the right people to their offer. It's not as complicated as building a bridge, but it does take some skills.

      Anyone who is not interested in building some skills should not be in this or any business.

      Conversely, someone who realizes an investment of time is going to be needed, and that it's up to them to figure out how to succeed, has a good chance of being a winner.

      People approach IM as if it's a hobby or gambling. That's why they lose.

      I don't view this as "hard". I view it as I need to learn Traffic skills...and Tom is the right person for me to learn from. What is necessary to do that is for me to put my time in. And that process is what we're watching here.

      Are there more advanced things to think about concerning affiliate marketing? Sure. Like margins and the eventual situation of cost of traffic creeping up to payout, when it starts to be a good idea to develop your own product. But that's not what I'm doing this for.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jason Kanigan
    Sunday Update:

    Despite my calendar being clogged with my main business, I found myself glancing at the blog project several times this week.

    "What should I do about content creation?" was the question that kept coming up. Alone, I am the bottleneck in increasing the pace of this project. And my job as a manager is to remove bottlenecks. Thursday I made the decision to start delegating.

    I will write some content, and I will pay for some content. I also considered hiring a contractor to write central content for an article while I write the start and finish. Overall I don't think that's a good idea, though, because of differences in voice and need for a specific structure.

    Fortunately, one of our employees is an experienced article writer. He has also played the game I want to promote in this first article. This is a good combination so I went to him to ask about the How To.

    Current Considerations

    I want you to understand I am thinking about this project from the math perspective first and only. I think like a marketer and so should you. That means Cost of Customer Acquisition (CCA) and Lifetime Value (LTV) should be our concerns. These are the terms that separate the amateur hobbyists from the professional marketers.

    Based on a payback schedule of 8-10 conversions, I feel comfortable investing $50 in an article. Many people are probably afraid to invest "this much" money in content but I was worried it would be too low an amount to get this writer to write. This is the number I shared with him, however.

    His reply is what I figure most readers will get the most out of in today's post:

    "So for content farms, the word count an article should be is pretty rigid, based on SEO guidelines, so how most folk do payout is they determine their budget, and then back-math the pay-per-word that would get them to that amount. [Exactly what I believe. Hooray!] For example, this article should probably be about 650 words, which puts you at a payrate of ~7.6 cents per word.

    For comparison, content farms pay ABSOLUTE MINIMUM 1 cent a word for bad content, while sites like kotaku pay starting at 10 cents a word.

    SO, a 7.5c per word payrate is enough to be as particular as you want to be about markup, properly laying stuff out, and so on, and capture the attention of people who actually want to do this sort of work, rather than people who will do it because it's available."

    This is great! It means I can not only specify quality content, but also the layout. That saves me even more work.

    Future Considerations

    So that I am not flooded with requests to work at the 7.5c per word level, I know this writer and he has been on our payroll for a year. I will not hire you out of the blue. Nor do I have the need at this time, since I am figuring out how I want to proceed and am not scaling up yet.

    I continued through Tom's WSO, into the section describing actually writing the articles, and am a little past the book's halfway point.

    For myself, I mapped out some content that I may not monetize, but am excited to write about. Did you know it is hard to find television networks who have affiliate programs? I want to write about a show and get paid to talk about it and drive qualified leads/viewers...but I could not find anything after a half-hour of searching beyond a specific network's login for commercial ads specifications. Opportunity gap?

    The blog needs content, and unless I give some time to it beyond a couple hours on Sundays I don't see it developing fast enough. Thus my decision to begin outsourcing content creation. I will likely have to find a second writer pretty soon as I know my current one's schedule is FULL with our other stuff. Probably will go through a referral to find that person. I may also have to find time in the evenings to work on content myself. We are usually working on the main business 8AM - 7PM, though.

    I posted this around 10AM local time: it should be obvious the project was the first thing I worked on after getting out of bed. I'm excited about it...and it is, unsurprisingly, work.
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    • Profile picture of the author N4PGW
      (I wrote this before reading your health issue post.)

      This past week, I have been going over the best way to produce content myself. My conclusion is, at least for me, to answer questions.

      I can respond to questions much more quickly and easily than trying to come up with content. As I have been finding the drafts I wrote two and three years ago, I realized that they are all answering someone else's questions or responding to something I heard and either I or someone else disagreed with.

      Just like my answer here, you opened the door wondering about content. I can answer that. I don't actually think you were fishing for answers, but I'll take a moment to toss it in anyway. (If you use my advise, toss me a few hundred, will you? LOL)

      Of course, it all depends on how personal your blog is. Your buying content is quite appropriate unless it is for your personal "me to you" blog.

      I am interested in producing PLR. It happens that when I sit down and try to write an article, nothing happens. But, if I find questions in a field I understand, I find it easy to answer the questions.

      Well, I hope what I said comes in handy for you or one of your readers.

      Don't be discouraged.



      Originally Posted by Jason Kanigan View Post

      Sunday Update:

      Despite my calendar being clogged with my main business, I found myself glancing at the blog project several times this week.

      "What should I do about content creation?" was the question that kept coming up. Alone, I am the bottleneck in increasing the pace of this project. And my job as a manager is to remove bottlenecks. Thursday I made the decision to start delegating.

      I will write some content, and I will pay for some content. I also considered hiring a contractor to write central content for an article while I write the start and finish. Overall I don't think that's a good idea, though, because of differences in voice and need for a specific structure.

      Fortunately, one of our employees is an experienced article writer. He has also played the game I want to promote in this first article. This is a good combination so I went to him to ask about the How To.

      Current Considerations

      I want you to understand I am thinking about this project from the math perspective first and only. I think like a marketer and so should you. That means Cost of Customer Acquisition (CCA) and Lifetime Value (LTV) should be our concerns. These are the terms that separate the amateur hobbyists from the professional marketers.

      Based on a payback schedule of 8-10 conversions, I feel comfortable investing $50 in an article. Many people are probably afraid to invest "this much" money in content but I was worried it would be too low an amount to get this writer to write. This is the number I shared with him, however.

      His reply is what I figure most readers will get the most out of in today's post:

      "So for content farms, the word count an article should be is pretty rigid, based on SEO guidelines, so how most folk do payout is they determine their budget, and then back-math the pay-per-word that would get them to that amount. [Exactly what I believe. Hooray!] For example, this article should probably be about 650 words, which puts you at a payrate of ~7.6 cents per word.

      For comparison, content farms pay ABSOLUTE MINIMUM 1 cent a word for bad content, while sites like kotaku pay starting at 10 cents a word.

      SO, a 7.5c per word payrate is enough to be as particular as you want to be about markup, properly laying stuff out, and so on, and capture the attention of people who actually want to do this sort of work, rather than people who will do it because it's available."

      This is great! It means I can not only specify quality content, but also the layout. That saves me even more work.

      Future Considerations

      So that I am not flooded with requests to work at the 7.5c per word level, I know this writer and he has been on our payroll for a year. I will not hire you out of the blue. Nor do I have the need at this time, since I am figuring out how I want to proceed and am not scaling up yet.

      I continued through Tom's WSO, into the section describing actually writing the articles, and am a little past the book's halfway point.

      For myself, I mapped out some content that I may not monetize, but am excited to write about. Did you know it is hard to find television networks who have affiliate programs? I want to write about a show and get paid to talk about it and drive qualified leads/viewers...but I could not find anything after a half-hour of searching beyond a specific network's login for commercial ads specifications. Opportunity gap?

      The blog needs content, and unless I give some time to it beyond a couple hours on Sundays I don't see it developing fast enough. Thus my decision to begin outsourcing content creation. I will likely have to find a second writer pretty soon as I know my current one's schedule is FULL with our other stuff. Probably will go through a referral to find that person. I may also have to find time in the evenings to work on content myself. We are usually working on the main business 8AM - 7PM, though.

      I posted this around 10AM local time: it should be obvious the project was the first thing I worked on after getting out of bed. I'm excited about it...and it is, unsurprisingly, work.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jason Kanigan
    Pretty disappointed with the views and more importantly the lack of feedback we're getting so far in here.

    I can tell most readers are doing nothing, because when you're doing nothing you have no questions.

    People who take action have specific questions because they run into roadblocks and try to figure their way around those.

    I feel a bunch of newbies are waiting around to hear, "GOLDMINE!" and then they will rush out and buy the WSO. But that's ridiculous because even if you buy it you'll do nothing with it BECAUSE IT IS WORK.

    I am trying to show you the process of working on it, in an extended timeline because that's the time I have available. You could probably get to the stage I'm at in 2-3 full days of genuine effort. I am showing you the thought considerations, roadblocks and how I fix them, and just what is required to set up a real revenue generating affiliate blog. But if that isn't interesting to people, then I'll stop. I can use the time writing here for something else.

    I appreciate those who have taken the time to comment and Thank.
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    • Profile picture of the author savidge4
      Originally Posted by Jason Kanigan View Post

      Pretty disappointed with the views and more importantly the lack of feedback we're getting so far in here.

      I can tell most readers are doing nothing, because when you're doing nothing you have no questions.

      People who take action have specific questions because they run into roadblocks and try to figure their way around those.

      I feel a bunch of newbies are waiting around to hear, "GOLDMINE!" and then they will rush out and buy the WSO. But that's ridiculous because even if you buy it you'll do nothing with it BECAUSE IT IS WORK.

      I am trying to show you the process of working on it, in an extended timeline because that's the time I have available. You could probably get to the stage I'm at in 2-3 full days of genuine effort. I am showing you the thought considerations, roadblocks and how I fix them, and just what is required to set up a real revenue generating affiliate blog. But if that isn't interesting to people, then I'll stop. I can use the time writing here for something else.

      I appreciate those who have taken the time to comment and Thank.
      I am speaking for myself.. but as much as I understand the process and the pain err uh I mean work you are going through.. I dont have the course so I cant step in and say this or that...

      Maybe I should just buy the course? LOL

      Looks to me like you are on track minus missing a post Sunday to keep us up to date.. Im waiting! LOL
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      Success is an ACT not an idea
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      • Profile picture of the author Jason Kanigan
        Originally Posted by savidge4 View Post

        I am speaking for myself.. but as much as I understand the process and the pain err uh I mean work you are going through.. I dont have the course so I cant step in and say this or that...

        Maybe I should just buy the course? LOL

        Looks to me like you are on track minus missing a post Sunday to keep us up to date.. Im waiting! LOL
        Sorry guys, I had a health issue Saturday that stopped me in my tracks.

        It has forced me to take a hard look at how much time I'm spending at the computer. Even how I'm doing my work. Going to go back to pen and paper for some of it to get away from screens.

        I did get through some of the syndication section of the WSO pdf in preparation on Saturday morning, but that was all brought to a halt around noon.


        Savidge, the big thing this project needs now is content. I do not have time to write...I'm hosting three podcasts and running a business.

        That is *probably* a BS excuse, though. I write like the wind and so the truth is more accurately stated that I do not know how to smoothly produce non-elaborate but still good content. Tom says "simple content" but I am "too smart" for that...I don't think I know how to produce "simple content." Maybe there are examples in the WSO later on but I haven't gotten to that point yet.

        I do not want this to be a low quality blog and there's no rush. I'm going to take some time to figure out what the best way to proceed is. Obviously I do not know everything and am open to suggestions. Throwing up a bunch of mediocre articles isn't the answer. I am pretty certain the way through is by developing a clearer picture of what the content plan looks like before I (or someone else) can start writing.
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        • Profile picture of the author Tom Addams
          Originally Posted by Jason Kanigan View Post

          Sorry guys, I had a health issue Saturday that stopped me in my tracks.

          It has forced me to take a hard look at how much time I'm spending at the computer. Even how I'm doing my work. Going to go back to pen and paper for some of it to get away from screens.

          I did get through some of the syndication section of the WSO pdf in preparation on Saturday morning, but that was all brought to a halt around noon.


          Savidge, the big thing this project needs now is content. I do not have time to write...I'm hosting three podcasts and running a business.

          That is *probably* a BS excuse, though. I write like the wind and so the truth is more accurately stated that I do not know how to smoothly produce non-elaborate but still good content. Tom says "simple content" but I am "too smart" for that...I don't think I know how to produce "simple content." Maybe there are examples in the WSO later on but I haven't gotten to that point yet.

          I do not want this to be a low quality blog and there's no rush. I'm going to take some time to figure out what the best way to proceed is. Obviously I do not know everything and am open to suggestions. Throwing up a bunch of mediocre articles isn't the answer. I am pretty certain the way through is by developing a clearer picture of what the content plan looks like before I (or someone else) can start writing.
          Health.

          Jason, I'm terribly sorry to hear that you've had a health issue. You should have sent me an email. I would have sent you one of my famous twerking videos to cheer you up. (Actually, thinking about it, seeing me twerk on camera is probably not the best way to give a person cheer.) Shoot me an email when you can. I hope everything is A-OK.

          Content.

          You'll find everything you need in Month One, including content examples. You'll also find two example websites that I created just for readers of Month One. On the second example website, you receive private access to the content examples. I'm not sure where you are in Month One at the moment. When you get to the content sections, they walk you through everything, including how to outsource just in case you fancy farming out content, instead.

          You can use simple or advanced content. Personally? I actually prefer simple content. Not just for my readers but for me, as well. The average internet user/ consumer doesn't want to be wowed by clever writing or bogged down by weighty articles. They simply want their quick fix of information. And it isn't just writing they want. Be sure to read through the content sections and use the other types of media in your blog posts. What I'd really suggest - this being your first blog - is to stick to simple. Get the blog up and running. Get earning. You can then evolve your blog and use some of the more advanced content suggestions as you progress. That's what I'd do, matey.

          Approach.

          What I like most about the business model is the simplicity. My other business ventures range from the simple to the advanced. And I have a lot of things in the pan. This means that each working day for me is packed to the brim. I find myself always seeking simple approaches to IM so that I don't turn my hair white. What I'd suggest for you is to start out by reading Month One from start to finish. It'll answer every question you have. Once you've done that, you can then dive into whichever sections you like, and they're going to walk you through the processes. Given the health issue, I'd adopt my approach. A simple blog. Simple content. Then use the traffic procedures and grow your business.

          Fire me an email and let me know you're okay, matey.

          Cheers,

          Tom
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  • Call me shallow, but ima waitin' on more nooz 'bout the buttock pop.

    Meanwhile, gladta see IRL pulse bubbadabummin' outta the WF vapidscape.

    It is like the soul-wrenchin' moment at Granma's funeral ... after the weepin' an' the hymns an' the snarky comments 'bout how summa the floral tributes failed to honor the supremely wizened matriarch ... when the coffin passes from soulful ceremony to monster fahrenheit incineration ... an' a voice cries out ...

    FFS get me outta here! How many episodes of The Crown have I missed?


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  • Profile picture of the author Tom Addams
    Originally Posted by Jason Kanigan View Post

    Sunday Update:

    Despite my calendar being clogged with my main business, I found myself glancing at the blog project several times this week.

    "What should I do about content creation?" was the question that kept coming up. Alone, I am the bottleneck in increasing the pace of this project. And my job as a manager is to remove bottlenecks. Thursday I made the decision to start delegating.

    I will write some content, and I will pay for some content. I also considered hiring a contractor to write central content for an article while I write the start and finish. Overall I don't think that's a good idea, though, because of differences in voice and need for a specific structure.

    Fortunately, one of our employees is an experienced article writer. He has also played the game I want to promote in this first article. This is a good combination so I went to him to ask about the How To.

    Current Considerations

    I want you to understand I am thinking about this project from the math perspective first and only. I think like a marketer and so should you. That means Cost of Customer Acquisition (CCA) and Lifetime Value (LTV) should be our concerns. These are the terms that separate the amateur hobbyists from the professional marketers.

    Based on a payback schedule of 8-10 conversions, I feel comfortable investing $50 in an article. Many people are probably afraid to invest "this much" money in content but I was worried it would be too low an amount to get this writer to write. This is the number I shared with him, however.

    His reply is what I figure most readers will get the most out of in today's post:

    "So for content farms, the word count an article should be is pretty rigid, based on SEO guidelines, so how most folk do payout is they determine their budget, and then back-math the pay-per-word that would get them to that amount. [Exactly what I believe. Hooray!] For example, this article should probably be about 650 words, which puts you at a payrate of ~7.6 cents per word.

    For comparison, content farms pay ABSOLUTE MINIMUM 1 cent a word for bad content, while sites like kotaku pay starting at 10 cents a word.

    SO, a 7.5c per word payrate is enough to be as particular as you want to be about markup, properly laying stuff out, and so on, and capture the attention of people who actually want to do this sort of work, rather than people who will do it because it's available."

    This is great! It means I can not only specify quality content, but also the layout. That saves me even more work.

    Future Considerations

    So that I am not flooded with requests to work at the 7.5c per word level, I know this writer and he has been on our payroll for a year. I will not hire you out of the blue. Nor do I have the need at this time, since I am figuring out how I want to proceed and am not scaling up yet.

    I continued through Tom's WSO, into the section describing actually writing the articles, and am a little past the book's halfway point.

    For myself, I mapped out some content that I may not monetize, but am excited to write about. Did you know it is hard to find television networks who have affiliate programs? I want to write about a show and get paid to talk about it and drive qualified leads/viewers...but I could not find anything after a half-hour of searching beyond a specific network's login for commercial ads specifications. Opportunity gap?

    The blog needs content, and unless I give some time to it beyond a couple hours on Sundays I don't see it developing fast enough. Thus my decision to begin outsourcing content creation. I will likely have to find a second writer pretty soon as I know my current one's schedule is FULL with our other stuff. Probably will go through a referral to find that person. I may also have to find time in the evenings to work on content myself. We are usually working on the main business 8AM - 7PM, though.

    I posted this around 10AM local time: it should be obvious the project was the first thing I worked on after getting out of bed. I'm excited about it...and it is, unsurprisingly, work.
    An excellent Sunday update, Jason.

    I think your approach to content is spot on for an experienced marketer.

    Take me, for example.

    (I can imagine my wife calling out, 'Please do, Jason!')

    I tend to promote free offers that pay around the $10 commission mark.
    • 1 free signup and I earn $10.
    • 10 free signups and I earn $100.
    • 100 free signups and I earn $1,000.
    And so on.

    Since these are, in effect, free offers for the consumer, and since we use free sources of traffic in Month One, I'm very comfortable with the prospect of paying for content.

    My overheads are so little.

    For a single business, we simply have to pay for hosting each month and the cost to renew the domain each year.

    And all of this?

    In a nutshell?

    It means outsourcing content is something that we can feel comfortable doing.

    If you don't mind, though, I'll offer some advice to newer (newbie) marketers.

    Everything Jason has said is bang on the money.

    (And I'd expect nothing less from Jason.)

    But 50 bucks to a newbie? That's a lot of money.

    The amount of money itself may not be a lot but it probably does feel a lot when you're new to marketing and working on a business model that may well be entirely new to you.

    Jason has experience. He understands that the investment he makes is probably an extremely safe investment. As Jason points out: a small handful of free signups and Jason is already in profit.

    On the other hand, if you're brand new to marketing? The business model in Month One will also be new to you. And if so? You're naturally going to be cautious about spending money. And you'll feel more cautious the more money you feel that you have to spend.

    I think that's only natural.

    So this is what I suggest. For the newbies.

    If you feel capable, produce the content yourself. You only need very simply content. I produce a range of media myself but, 9 times out of 10, I create simple media.

    Work through the content sections of Month One. Everything is explained in very explicit, step-by-step detail, over the course of around 200 pages or more.

    In terms of articles? Start with simple articles. Use your education in MO to make them very powerful tools, but still - stick to simple, just for now.

    On the other hand (or the other foot, if you prefer), you can indeed outsource. What I would suggest, though, is using the outsourcing sections in MO to find low-price but good writers.

    In general terms (generally), the more you pay a writer? The better the writing.

    But plenty of good writers can be found for a bargain price. Especially if you only need very simple articles.

    To sum up (for the newbie):
    • Produce articles and other media yourself, if possible (saves investment).
    • Stick to simple articles (as I do myself most of the time).
    • Outsource very simple articles for around 5 to 10 bucks apiece.
    • Use what you learn in MO to polish/ improve those articles.
    As your business evolves, you should find yourself in a position to increase your investments into that business. What you'll want to do (as Jason is doing) is have reliable content creators (a writer, say) who are available for you. This way you can easily feed your business with content.

    I hope you don't mind that advice, Jason. I can see some newcomers feeling uncomfortable with larger investments. You and I are both comfortable spending money in order to make money. Newbies (many of them) have yet to come around to that way of thinking.

    So far, Sir J, this is a bloody brilliant Path. I'm really enjoying it!

    Originally Posted by Jason Kanigan View Post

    Pretty disappointed with the views and more importantly the lack of feedback we're getting so far in here.

    I can tell most readers are doing nothing, because when you're doing nothing you have no questions.

    People who take action have specific questions because they run into roadblocks and try to figure their way around those.

    I feel a bunch of newbies are waiting around to hear, "GOLDMINE!" and then they will rush out and buy the WSO. But that's ridiculous because even if you buy it you'll do nothing with it BECAUSE IT IS WORK.

    I am trying to show you the process of working on it, in an extended timeline because that's the time I have available. You could probably get to the stage I'm at in 2-3 full days of genuine effort. I am showing you the thought considerations, roadblocks and how I fix them, and just what is required to set up a real revenue generating affiliate blog. But if that isn't interesting to people, then I'll stop. I can use the time writing here for something else.

    I appreciate those who have taken the time to comment and Thank.
    I don't think the weak engagement is a reflection on yourself, mate. This section of WF is brand new and it hasn't been promoted heavily (or at all?) as of yet.

    Given the quality of your work thus far in this thread (immense) I think the engagement will massively pick up when more people are visiting this area of WF.

    Your thread has the most views and replies in this area of WF. So it's The Warrior Path that needs to pick up, I'd say. Keep plugging away; that's my advice.

    If you build it, they will come!

    Cheers,

    Tom
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  • Profile picture of the author gerstel22
    very good and thoroughly explained plan, will be following your journey, good luck!
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    • Profile picture of the author Jason Kanigan
      So...made some changes to my diet, time at the computer, that kind of thing...

      Did get my logo sorted this week. Our graphic designer kept disappearing about it so I finally threw some money at him, more than he would've been happy with, and Presto! Done in an hour lol

      I need a content plan, like a calendar and topics sheet, and an SOP on how to write them. Yes, Tom has been very clear in the WSO about how to write the blogs...but l'il old Jason has to figure it out for himself, meaning get a simple process written down that he can follow ;-)
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      • Profile picture of the author savidge4
        Originally Posted by Jason Kanigan View Post

        ...and an SOP on how to write them.
        My personal process for writting

        #1 I do "research" be it scouring the web or reading a book, or magazine article. I open a notepad file for each article. I include links a quick 1 or 2 liners about what is on the page of interest. Printed materials I will write the name of the book, or the Mag issue and the page numbers of interest.

        #2 I use a line of " = " signs on the same notepad file, and below I refine the research to an outline.

        #3 again with the line of " = ", I will write the article out. I then copy the text to Word, check for spelling, and make the corrections to the notepad text. Yes I know this sounds silly, why not do all of this in word... BUT Word and Wordpress in terms of formating do not get along... and this is what works for me.

        To be honest.. it has been a bit clunky for years. but it has always worked. I am right now in the process of using https://trello.com/ its free, and it is allowing me to follow the same work flow patern and visually see where each article is at. Seems to be working very well, I am just slow to integrating it. I think more so I have so many articles tied up in the old system, its been very back and forth between the 2. I really just need to get with the program and spend the time to integrate the old with the new.

        A side note to trello.. if you happen to use evernote, it integrates with a " power up " and makes my step 1 much easier.
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  • Profile picture of the author DWolfe
    Jason glad to see you are feeling better. How much time do you figure you have in this project and how far along are you into it now. Is the graphic designer someone you work with or did you hire them from outside.
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  • Profile picture of the author Tom Addams
    Jason - great to have you back!

    I've always said, health, family, and vodka come first.

    (Obviously, vodka is at the top of the list.)

    Originally Posted by Jason Kanigan View Post

    I need a content plan, like a calendar and topics sheet, and an SOP on how to write them. Yes, Tom has been very clear in the WSO about how to write the blogs...but l'il old Jason has to figure it out for himself, meaning get a simple process written down that he can follow ;-)
    This is excellent.

    In the book, I go into meticulous detail about content, as we know, but it's important that the marketer put together a plan that makes them comfortable.

    And simple is the right word to use. I can offer up some advice here, if you like.

    I live and breath simple when it comes to business. And I mean in every element of the business.

    When I'm working on anything business-related, I'm always conscious of wanting to limit how much time the business will need from me on the day and in the future.

    (You'll know all of this, I know. Just working up to my process.)

    So what I do is streamline everything. When I was younger in business, I'd almost always create too much work for myself.

    I'd have grand dreams and, diligently, I'd throw myself into projects. The end result turned out good more often than not, the business worked well, but I always ended up taking on too much work.

    Trouble with devoting too much time to a project is you have increasingly less time for future projects, of course.

    Nowadays, my goal is always to try and take a project to a stage where my involvement in it is either minimal or non-existent.

    The goal is to always have more time on my hands for other projects.

    Which brings me to the content process.

    In our email chats over the weekend, I shared my Sunday EPC for a single PPL offer.


    Each unique visitor sent to the affiliate landing page was earning me $4.75. The conversions/ money was coming from the type of content you're about to make. The articles are simply sending people to free offers.

    This is the process I suggest for you . . .

    1. Use the information about "spikes" and search popularity in the book to decide on the most profitable topics for whichever niche you've chosen.

    2. Let those topics represent 100% of your content plan for launch. That's not only going to help optimize earnings but also audience growth.

    3. Use the full variety of content formats. MO covers 5 different formats. Use them all, and equally. So if you launch with 10 articles, that will be 2 sets of each content type.

    4. The objective is to give Joe and Jane Consumer what they want most and deliver it in the full variety of formats, thereby further appealing to the majority of your audience.

    5. With you being new to this particular type of content and marketing, I suggest you opt for simple content. Focus on simple and short.

    6. Furthermore: forget about Google for now. Think more about your audience. You don't need Google and Google prefers longer content.

    7. Jot down a 2 or 3 line summary of each article and put them in a single file. Either outsource or write them yourself. Given your time? Probably outsource, as you mention in an earlier post.

    8. Add filler then drip-feed your content. You need a few articles on your blog on launch day. This helps with audience perception, PPL conversions, and audience collection.

    9. Even starting with as few as 5 articles is fine. Then you drip-feed on a schedule you can manage. Don't worry about adding content every day. The trick is to feed your business consistently. Every 2 days. Or every 3 days. Or whatever schedule works best for you.

    10. Right from Day 1, focus on traffic. This is where most marketers go wrong. They throw their heart and soul into content that doesn't earn them anything; either right away or at all.

    That example EPC I showed you on Sunday actually comes from content that was syndicated 8 years ago. The definition of passive income. The trick is to setup a simple PPL business that you can manage and always be thinking of how, down the road, you can either limit or remove all of your involvement.

    I hope some of that helps, matey. As you'll appreciate, a lot of the above is mostly intended to help others using my methods, but I hope some of it helps you too.

    Oh, last thing. Stay healthy and put that as your #1 priority. If you want any help with diet, shoot me an email.

    Cheers,

    Tom
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  • Profile picture of the author Jason Kanigan
    Hmm how can I say this...

    The problem is not writing. I produce content for our other businesses every day.

    THIS project has me a bit stumped on how to start, what to write about, because it is a new topic group and style.

    I do have a list of keywords researched with your SEO methods, Tom. But they are general, around the topic, and I need to get specific. The problem isn't writing...it's being clear about the specific topic for an article. I also seem to have a hangup about making the article look pretty and legit. Not like a 15-year-old wrote it in crayon ;-)

    Thanks for the input, Savidge and Tom.
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    • Profile picture of the author Tom Addams
      Originally Posted by Jason Kanigan View Post

      Hmm how can I say this...

      The problem is not writing. I produce content for our other businesses every day.

      THIS project has me a bit stumped on how to start, what to write about, because it is a new topic group and style.

      I do have a list of keywords researched with your SEO methods, Tom. But they are general, around the topic, and I need to get specific. The problem isn't writing...it's being clear about the specific topic for an article. I also seem to have a hangup about making the article look pretty and legit. Not like a 15-year-old wrote it in crayon ;-)

      Thanks for the input, Savidge and Tom.
      The trick for me has always been to choose a niche that I know either pretty well or inside and out. A lot of the time, I stick to my favourite niches (know them like the back of my hand), but the rest of the time I find myself getting into niches where I'm already a member of the audience. That way, I know what I want from an audience perspective.

      The chapter called The Niche is where it all begins, and I'll post a short passage here that relates to my advice above: "Just select a market in which you have an interest, have some knowledge, and where the available PPL offers related to the market meet our criteria and personal assessment."

      So the trick is to combine knowledge and interest with available PPL offers. If you're struggling to think of the right topics, it seems like it could be an issue of selecting the wrong niche. Having said that, read all of the chapters on content, if you haven't already, and you'll learn a lot more than just the SEO techniques.

      MO really isn't about SEO. We employ it and often use SEO tactics but it's more about simply not leaving money on the table by ignoring Google. I rarely ever build a business these days where Google is even a consideration. I'd recommend sticking to some of the keyword tactics for getting topics, that and the spikes, and work in a niche (definitely) where you either have interest or knowledge.

      You may already be doing all that. Thrown it out just in case!

      Cheers,

      Tom
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    • Profile picture of the author savidge4
      Originally Posted by Jason Kanigan View Post

      THIS project has me a bit stumped on how to start, what to write about, because it is a new topic group and style.
      Ahhhh you dont need to know " how " to write... you need to know " HOW " to write... I get it now. ( it really didnt make sense before but I was answering you based on who might be reading this vs towards you. )

      When I enter into a " New " niche, the first things I do is develop a Buyers Profile, and a Sellers Profile. ( A side note - you can look up both of these in google and get a better idea of exactly what they are, and what they are used for ) Both of these play hand in hand, so I develop both of them kind of at once. The first thing I jump into is obviously determining the ideal prospect. My process for this is getting a hold of demographics. You can easily Google this stuff... dont be afraid to dig a bit deep in your reading - meaning get into page 10 and beyond in the serps. ( some of the best technical content can be found buried in the serps, because they may present awesome data.. but they dont know squat about SEO. )

      As I am going through the the first process I am looking for parallel market spaces. As an example. If you were looking at Gambling, really solid parallels would be Adult Beverage consumption, Sports spectators, Video gaming - focussing on 21 and over obviously etc etc. This gives you a scope of targeting options from very narrow and directly on target, to a bit wider to wider.

      At this point you should understand who you are targeting, and have a better idea of the voice you should be using to sell to them.. or in this case presell or direct in the right direction. From this point you want to find your target audience. In google you can search " X blogs " and get results. you can try Blog Search Engine or you can look at: https://blog.kissmetrics.com/alterna...earch-engines/ for a pretty comprehensive list of sites that will help you locate your targets.

      I find this process to be worth the time..not only to understand the pains in what you are targeting, but also gives you locations to start interacting within your actual target... much like we do here on this forum.

      Now you know WHO you are targeting, and you know WHERE to find them, AND you have a better understanding of WHAT type of information they are looking for and WHY.

      Which leads me to my 5 W's and an H. ( Who What Where When Why and How ) Let these 6 simple words guide you in finding who you want to target, and how to write to them.

      Hope that Helps!
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      • Profile picture of the author Jason Kanigan
        Originally Posted by savidge4 View Post

        Ahhhh you dont need to know " how " to write... you need to know " HOW " to write... I get it now. ( it really didnt make sense before but I was answering you based on who might be reading this vs towards you. )

        When I enter into a " New " niche, the first things I do is develop a Buyers Profile, and a Sellers Profile. ( A side note - you can look up both of these in google and get a better idea of exactly what they are, and what they are used for ) Both of these play hand in hand, so I develop both of them kind of at once. The first thing I jump into is obviously determining the ideal prospect. My process for this is getting a hold of demographics. You can easily Google this stuff... dont be afraid to dig a bit deep in your reading - meaning get into page 10 and beyond in the serps. ( some of the best technical content can be found buried in the serps, because they may present awesome data.. but they dont know squat about SEO. )

        As I am going through the the first process I am looking for parallel market spaces. As an example. If you were looking at Gambling, really solid parallels would be Adult Beverage consumption, Sports spectators, Video gaming - focussing on 21 and over obviously etc etc. This gives you a scope of targeting options from very narrow and directly on target, to a bit wider to wider.

        At this point you should understand who you are targeting, and have a better idea of the voice you should be using to sell to them.. or in this case presell or direct in the right direction. From this point you want to find your target audience. In google you can search " X blogs " and get results. you can try Blog Search Engine or you can look at: https://blog.kissmetrics.com/alterna...earch-engines/ for a pretty comprehensive list of sites that will help you locate your targets.

        I find this process to be worth the time..not only to understand the pains in what you are targeting, but also gives you locations to start interacting within your actual target... much like we do here on this forum.

        Now you know WHO you are targeting, and you know WHERE to find them, AND you have a better understanding of WHAT type of information they are looking for and WHY.

        Which leads me to my 5 W's and an H. ( Who What Where When Why and How ) Let these 6 simple words guide you in finding who you want to target, and how to write to them.

        Hope that Helps!
        You know what...I got so stuck in the "I'm following the WSO" that I didn't do the stuff that I would do or have anyone I'm working with do when entering a new field. Double Duh.

        A guy messaged me last night he wants to get a job as a host for a horror network...within minutes I knew more than he did about the company, its executives, and what they like. (I've made custom roles for myself 4 times, new jobs with zero competition.) Why didn't I do this for myself here? :-) Thanks for the reminder.
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  • Profile picture of the author shekhar
    Hi Jason,

    I am following you too. I bought the course this sunday based on your strong recommendation. Right now, my first step is to read this 700 pages long manual. It would be nice to read the manual and observe a practical implementation of the same through your journey.

    Regards,

    Shekhar
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  • Profile picture of the author asc
    Purchased also a few days ago and working through the mammoth WSO. Interested to see how you go
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  • Profile picture of the author Tom Addams
    Thanks a lot for your support, Jason; you're a good chap.

    In other news: your Path has become one of the most addictive things for me online. I love the cerebral approach you adopt for IM. It reminds me of the better students at university: they don't just absorb information; they absorb and endeavour to understand it.

    Well, you do that too.

    It's a pleasure to watch this Path unfold. I like how you think everything through and apply your own knowledge to the business as well.

    Brilliant work.

    Cheers,

    Tom
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  • Profile picture of the author asc
    Hi Jason, how are you getting along with the process?

    I have purchased domain, but also not used avada so have some messing to do there still.

    Up to the keyword research for blog ideas now.

    Tom, if you are here....was there talk of an updated version of this wso soon? Not that I need any more information (!!) but would be interested to see what you have added or changed.

    Alan
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    • Profile picture of the author Tom Addams
      Originally Posted by asc View Post

      Hi Jason, how are you getting along with the process?

      I have purchased domain, but also not used avada so have some messing to do there still.

      Up to the keyword research for blog ideas now.

      Tom, if you are here....was there talk of an updated version of this wso soon? Not that I need any more information (!!) but would be interested to see what you have added or changed.

      Alan
      Hey Alan!

      Good morning, matey. Excuse any upcoming typos or mention of attractive sheep. I'm just waking up and knocking back a healthy breakfast of B&H, Smirnoff, and Masala. (Oh, Dennis sends love and kisses.)

      First up, I'm delighted to see that you're taking action. And those are not just words. I really do get a lot of pleasure from seeing marketers setup Month One businesses. Dennis, too. You've made the monkey positively erect. (Thanks for that - not!)

      Thanks for asking about Edition Two. Yes, indeed, with you owning a copy of MO, you'll get ET as well. When it comes out this year, I'll notify all owners of MO on the WSO page, the socials, and probably my signature.

      You can then login and download it.

      Spoiler: I'll be adding around 40,000 extra words and all of them will be about traffic.

      You have a ton of traffic education already in MO, of course, but it's my favourite subject and I love nothing better than writing about it. (Well, I love attractive sheep more, but aside from sheep? Traffic? Top of my charts.)

      Righto - back to breakfast and my pelvic-thrusting monkeyservant. Oh, and thanks again for that - he's just given me a black eye!

      Cheers,

      Tom

      P.S: Motivation!

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  • Profile picture of the author Jason Kanigan
    Switched hosting after 4-6 years with BH ... too many SSL issues in the past 6 months after Google forced compliance. Komodo's fault, really, but guilt by association is a real thing lol.

    Anyway with the new hosting there's a max of 20 SSLs a week that can be set up and no one to bitch and moan to as it's all automated. That means Jason can't get a political decision, which I hate as exceptions to the rule are my jam. And my blog for this project happens to be down at the end of the alphabet when it comes to first letters. No one at the new hosting co. bothered to tell me about the 20 SSL weekly limit despite me informing their people repeatedly that I had over 20 domains. Net result: won't be working on that site for a week as it won't resolve without the cert. D'oh.

    Hear that? That's the harsh sound of brakes as we screech to a standstill.

    Good thing this isn't my moneymaker. Not thrilled with the new host on this account at the moment, though to be fair the transition has been issue-free otherwise and the issuing of SSL certs painless.

    I can still work on content...I just can't post it.

    However, I have seven projects for TCE and paying customers that need to be addressed so it may be a blessing in disguise to have to delay posting content. I may rethink my focus per Tom's suggestions since the ideas are not arriving easily.

    I am limited to about 6 hours a day of computer time and continuing to work out how to reorganize my effort a la Tim Ferris ;-)
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  • Profile picture of the author Tom Addams
    Thanks for the update, Jason!

    The new host just needs to be able to handle a lot of concurrent users. When you deal in social traffic (predominantly) it's less about the trickle and more about big bursts.

    Most hosts, though, are setup so you can quickly and easily upgrade your hosting plan, so I'm sure you won't have continued problems.

    Anyway - cheers for the update!

    Tom
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    • Profile picture of the author Jason Kanigan
      Originally Posted by Tom Addams View Post

      Thanks for the update, Jason!

      The new host just needs to be able to handle a lot of concurrent users. When you deal in social traffic (predominantly) it's less about the trickle and more about big bursts.

      Most hosts, though, are setup so you can quickly and easily upgrade your hosting plan, so I'm sure you won't have continued problems.

      Anyway - cheers for the update!

      Tom
      Oh it's upgraded! And committed to for 3 years in advance heh heh. But the SSL certs are issued by an independent, automated body. I'm mostly annoyed about the host not informing me about the limit, which would have resulted in me selecting which domains to 'arm' in a preferential order rather than alphabetical. And their crap-eating "It's not our problem! Have a nice day!" customer service grin now that they've got my moolah...that annoys me, too.

      In a week and afterwards it won't matter, but I had extensive conversations with them prior to switching and made it crystal clear that not having any hiccups was very important to me.
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      • Profile picture of the author Tom Addams
        Originally Posted by Jason Kanigan View Post

        Oh it's upgraded! And committed to for 3 years in advance heh heh. But the SSL certs are issued by an independent, automated body. I'm mostly annoyed about the host not informing me about the limit, which would have resulted in me selecting which domains to 'arm' in a preferential order rather than alphabetical. And their crap-eating "It's not our problem! Have a nice day!" customer service grin now that they've got my moolah...that annoys me, too.

        In a week and afterwards it won't matter, but I had extensive conversations with them prior to switching and made it crystal clear that not having any hiccups was very important to me.
        Absolute madness.

        I often wonder - of large online companies - what the owners would think if they knew the unprofessional lengths their staff took to bugger-up the business.

        I see it on the daily, as we say.

        You have a digital property with all the potential in the world - and doing pretty well already - and then you have staff who seemingly go out of their way to either hinder growth or out-and-out kill it altogether.

        Again - absolute madness.

        The thing is, you're on the ball, but you have to wonder at how many regular people are effected.

        A lot - that's my guess.

        Anyway, good that you have it sorted. I was so honoured when you decided to make this thread (not that it's cool to admit that, so tell no one - and the thousands reading this? tell no one) and it's become a real addiction checking in on your progress.

        I can't wait until we get into the full swing of things and we're . . .

        KICKING IM BUTTOCKS!

        Cheers,

        Tom
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  • Profile picture of the author Ben Lim
    Hi Jason,

    Thank you for taking the time to make this journey on the PPL Affiliate Blog. Thanks to your high praise of Month One, I got my hands on it no questions asked. I mean if an expert conversion guy is recommending people to get an expert traffic guy's book, it's a no brainer Traffic + Conversion = Money

    I've been following the processes written out in the book like a maniac. But I have come to a problem and I'm wondering if you had the same problem. If not maybe Tom can help me when he sees this post.

    When trying to edit the category page, I can't seem to find the "Edit Page" anywhere. The only thing I see remotely similar is "Edit Category". And inside the Edit Category, there's no Use Fusion Builder to make a container for the category page. (I'm using the Avada theme).

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Edit:
    Never mind. I found the problem. Between following Professor Clone's lecture on free theme and eating pig scrotum, I completely missed that you said to create a page for each category. My bad.
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    • Profile picture of the author Dan Riffle
      Originally Posted by Ben Lim View Post


      -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      Edit:
      Never mind. I found the problem. Between following Professor Clone's lecture on free theme and eating pig scrotum, I completely missed that you said to create a page for each category. My bad.
      Um, Tom, is eating pig scrotum a required step in your process?
      Signature

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    • Profile picture of the author Jason Kanigan
      Originally Posted by Ben Lim View Post

      Hi Jason,

      Thank you for taking the time to make this journey on the PPL Affiliate Blog. Thanks to your high praise of Month One, I got my hands on it no questions asked. I mean if an expert conversion guy is recommending people to get an expert traffic guy's book, it's a no brainer Traffic + Conversion = Money

      I've been following the processes written out in the book like a maniac. But I have come to a problem and I'm wondering if you had the same problem. If not maybe Tom can help me when he sees this post.

      When trying to edit the category page, I can't seem to find the "Edit Page" anywhere. The only thing I see remotely similar is "Edit Category". And inside the Edit Category, there's no Use Fusion Builder to make a container for the category page. (I'm using the Avada theme).

      -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
      Edit:
      Never mind. I found the problem. Between following Professor Clone's lecture on free theme and eating pig scrotum, I completely missed that you said to create a page for each category. My bad.
      I'm not using Avada, I'm using a premium theme I had lying around. That cost me a couple hours learning its syntax.

      Edit Page is probably, I'm 99.99999% sure, the "Edit Page" function on a page. Not in the Categories area.
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  • Profile picture of the author Tom Addams
    Originally Posted by Dan Riffle View Post

    Um, Tom, is eating pig scrotum a required step in your process?
    Dan, what do you take me for - a madman? Any scrotum will do. Whatever you have to hand.

    Originally Posted by Ben Lim View Post

    Hi Jason,

    Thank you for taking the time to make this journey on the PPL Affiliate Blog. Thanks to your high praise of Month One, I got my hands on it no questions asked. I mean if an expert conversion guy is recommending people to get an expert traffic guy's book, it's a no brainer Traffic + Conversion = Money

    I've been following the processes written out in the book like a maniac. But I have come to a problem and I'm wondering if you had the same problem. If not maybe Tom can help me when he sees this post.

    When trying to edit the category page, I can't seem to find the "Edit Page" anywhere. The only thing I see remotely similar is "Edit Category". And inside the Edit Category, there's no Use Fusion Builder to make a container for the category page. (I'm using the Avada theme).

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Edit:
    Never mind. I found the problem. Between following Professor Clone's lecture on free theme and eating pig scrotum, I completely missed that you said to create a page for each category. My bad.
    Ben, give Colin a kick for me. I'd do it myself, but I have both feet lodged in his rectum.

    Cheers,

    Tom
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  • Profile picture of the author Jason Kanigan
    It's back, baby!!

    The week has gone by, and the 20 SSL cert install limit has expired. The blog is back up.
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  • Profile picture of the author oppyeaunome
    I bought the guide and I'm following it too. Looking forward to reading about your progress.
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  • Profile picture of the author Tom Addams
    Sir J!

    Mrs. A is heading into the city with the daughters this weekend. Meaning that TA here will be left to his own devices over the weekend. Aside from raiding the fridge - and eating anything bad for me in sight - I want to hang out in this thread. I hope you'll be working on the business! If not I'll be in here with nothing to do except post my twerking videos!

    Cheers,

    Tom
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    • Profile picture of the author Jason Kanigan
      Originally Posted by Tom Addams View Post

      Sir J!

      Mrs. A is heading into the city with the daughters this weekend. Meaning that TA here will be left to his own devices over the weekend. Aside from raiding the fridge - and eating anything bad for me in sight - I want to hang out in this thread. I hope you'll be working on the business! If not I'll be in here with nothing to do except post my twerking videos!

      Cheers,

      Tom

      Alas, I'm onboarding clients at TCE (the most complex part of that particular puzzle, and worth a good $100K a year) and have a mid 4-fig copywriting project that's due...maybe the stars will align, though?
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      • Profile picture of the author Tom Addams
        Originally Posted by Jason Kanigan View Post

        Alas, I'm onboarding clients at TCE (the most complex part of that particular puzzle, and worth a good $100K a year) and have a mid 4-fig copywriting project that's due...maybe the stars will align, though?
        Time for Tom to whip out the camera then - and get twerking!

        No, I understand. Come back to it when you have the time.

        Cheers,

        Tom
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  • Profile picture of the author asc
    I will be still working through the guide and adding progress if that is ok with OP? I think it would be good to throw some questions and approaches around, especially if the author is offering to kick around the thread also?
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    • Profile picture of the author Tom Addams
      Originally Posted by asc View Post

      I will be still working through the guide and adding progress if that is ok with OP? I think it would be good to throw some questions and approaches around, especially if the author is offering to kick around the thread also?
      I'm just here to twerk. If I say anything sensible? Blame it on the vodka!

      Cheers,

      Tom
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      • Profile picture of the author asc
        Originally Posted by Tom Addams View Post

        I'm just here to twerk. If I say anything sensible? Blame it on the vodka!

        Cheers,

        Tom
        Hey Tony, did that update come about on month one?

        Alan
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        • Profile picture of the author Tom Addams
          Originally Posted by asc View Post

          Hey Tony, did that update come about on month one?

          Alan
          Hey Alan!

          It arrives this year, good sir, and it'll be bigger than expected.

          - Tom
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          • Profile picture of the author asc
            Originally Posted by Tom Addams View Post

            Hey Alan!

            It arrives this year, good sir, and it'll be bigger than expected.

            - Tom
            Great, cant wait! Do you have a date in mind for completion?
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            • Profile picture of the author Tom Addams
              HEY ASC!

              Originally Posted by asc View Post

              Great, cant wait! Do you have a date in mind for completion?
              The main chunk is complete. I need to add a few other surprises and give the entire book a proofread and a minor redraft here and there. I do the bulk of the work on weekends (between Smirnoff and sheep buttocks) so I'm shooting for November/ December, but sooner if possible.

              I'm glad you like MO. Stay tuned!

              - Tom
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  • Profile picture of the author affmarketer101
    How is your result? Hope everything is awesome.
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  • Profile picture of the author asc
    Still on your heels Tom!

    Been implementing some things, some traffic and building but need to re-kindle my motivation. Get the revised one out!!!
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