The Amy Porterfield Show

Neil Patel, master marketer and SEO genius, joined me on my show today to dive into the the nuts-and-bolts of some simple SEO strategies that will bring you more traffic, conversions, and revenue! He walks us through a 3-month plan that I’ve broken down for you in a free guide that you can grab right here.!

IT’S NOT ROCKET SCIENCE

One thing that Neil dispelled immediately is the fear that so many of us have around the idea of SEO strategy, and that is, that SEO is too complicated and we’ll never understand what exactly to do!

Here’s what he had to say about that:

“SEO is not rocket science...it’s not hard, and as long as you follow this plan, which is broken down into three main steps, you should get results.”

And let me tell you the plan is not complicated...it’s very doable and this guide is going to help!

WHAT IS SEO AND WHY SHOULD I HAVE AN SEO STRATEGY?

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization and Neil explained that it’s really all about making your site compatible for search engines. Now of course we create our content for our audience to enjoy and find useful, but we need to understand the importance of making our content compatible for BOTH users AND search engines.

HOW SEO WILL INCREASE TRAFFIC, CONVERSIONS AND REVENUE

As an entrepreneur, you likely have a strong “why” behind what you’re doing online, but the bottom-line is that you want more people to see or listen to your content, you want to turn followers into customers, and you want to earn a living doing what you love to do. One way to accomplish this is to develop an SEO plan that has the ability to give you these tangible results.

And that’s exactly what Neil shared in today’s show! He broke down exactly what you need to do in order to get a really good, simple SEO strategy running on your website.

THE 3-MONTH SEO PLAN

I’ve outlined some of the key points Neil made in the interview here, but for the step-by-step plan download your free 3-Month SEO Guide here.

MONTH 1 - Research & Competitor Analysis

MONTH 2 - Optimize Your On Page Code and Building Content

Neil also discussed the importance of building quality content on a consistent basis on your blog. You’ve gotta have a place to use that keyword research from month-one research, right? Here are a few pointers Neil suggests you implement when you write your blog posts/articles:

• Write in a conversational tone
• Create thorough content (NOT short)
• Use sub-headings
• Keep paragraphs short
• Use images
• Wrap up your blog posts with a summary conclusion
• End your conclusion with a question

MONTH 3 - Building Links and Getting Social Shares

Part of Neil’s three-month plan also includes a great strategy for gaining social shares to your content. While social sharing will not directly affect your SEO, it sure will indirectly. Social sharing builds social proof, which ultimately builds awareness and your authority.

Make sure to grab your free 3-Month SEO Guide right here, to learn all about Neil’s technique for getting social shares through Buzzsumo.

I hope you listened to the episode because Neil broke all of this down in such an easy to understand and doable fashion. But let’s not leave it at that...I want you to put this plan in action. Here what I’d love for you to do right now:

• Print out the 3-Month SEO Guide
• Schedule time in your calendar to implement the steps in the plan. Remember to be non-negotiable with the time you block out.
• Join my OMME Podcast Facebook group so that we can share our SEO successes in a few months. See you there!

This episode is brought to you by:

Gravy—my very own 24/7 engagement team who contacts my customers within hours of their failed payment, captures updated billing information and saves the customers I worked so hard to acquire. If you have a subscription model business or offer payment plans, you’ve got to check out Gravy!

One thing I love about summer is having a little bit more downtime. This allows me to do some things that I might not always have time for at other times of the year like binge listening to my favorite podcasts.

That usually only happens while on vacation. As a matter of fact, I’m just back from a family vacation in Hawaii and I totally binge listened to a couple of my fave podcasts, The Life Coach School with Brooke Castillo and Oprah’s Super Soul Conversations. They are both soooo good! 

What made this episode extra special for me was to have some of my listeners submit their favorite episodes as well. (I’ve included audio messages from them directly in today’s show!) Let’s dive in!

YOUR ONLINE MARKETING MADE EASY SUMMER LISTENING PLAYLIST TOP FIVE LISTENER FAVORITES

1. Both Michelle from Canada and Sarah from Denmark are fellow megabatching lovers and they recommend episode #182: How To Mega-Batch Your Content. My productivity has skyrocketed since I began mega-batching in my business. 
2. Lyndsey from Asheville, NC (hello Blue Ridge Mountains!) recommends you listen to an episode that helped her to grow her email subscriber list to 50,000 in just one year: Episode #99: How to Build a List-Building Blitz Campaign. Make sure to listen to her audio message in today’s show, she has some great insight on the one thing in episode #99 that made all the difference in her list growth! 
3. Molly from Oregon actually has three favorites to share: Episode #149: Your 90-Day Pre-Launch Blueprint (she really loved the freebie in this episode and if you like a detailed blueprint, so will you!) Episode #150: [Case Study] How to Turn a Pre-Launch Strategy Into a Wildly Profitable Online Launch (This episode is a follow up to episode 149 and will show you what the pre-launch strategy looks like in the real world.) Episode #209: The Surprising Journey of Launching a Physical Product with Lara Casey - I love hearing that Molly learned about a resource in this episode that saved her TONS of money in the production of her own physical product!
4. Gregory from Nashville, TN (you’ve got to tune in to hear his awesome southern accent!) is a fan of the DIY approach and recommends you listen to episode #171: DIYing Your Business: 5 Areas to Focus On When You’re Just Starting Out - I was so happy to hear that Gregory said that this episode really gave him clarity to begin to build his brand and his online business. I’m definitely specific in this episode about what you should and should not be delegating in your business when you’re first starting out.
5. For the 5th spot of my listener favorites list, I had to include a double-whammy because both of the recommendations are so good! Also, I just love how so many parts of the world are represented in the show today!

• All the way from Perth in Western Australia, Neda shares her favorite episode #201: 5 Ways to Make Money (Without Using Webinars). - I love how Neda said this helped her combine her previous experience with what she’s doing now to make more money in her business.
• And finally, from May in Oslo, Norway! May loves how episode #206: Post-it Note Content Creation Mini-Training contains a content creation process that’s easy to take action on! May, you are not alone...I had so much great feedback (and pictures of people’s Post-it Note creations) from this episode! 

I absolutely LOVED hearing from so many of my listeners and how their favorite episodes of Online Marketing Made Easy have helped move their businesses forward! 

So there you have it - you’ve got a nice summer playlist to tune into! I’m guessing there may have been one or two recommendations that really resonated with you and I want you to commit to listening to those in the next 24 hours.

Today you’re going to learn how to use one of the fastest growing social platforms, Instagram Stories, to build your email list, without using the Swipe Up feature. 

I don't know about you, but Instagram is by far my favorite social media platform. Mostly because I love Instagram Stories but also because I think the connections on Instagram feel more real than any other social platform.

If you are on Instagram then you've probably either recorded an Instagram story yourself, viewed one--or several (they are completely addictive), or you've heard someone else talk about Instagram Stories and you weren't really sure what the heck they were talking about.

I had the pleasure of interviewing Tyler J. McCall, an Instagram Marketing Strategist, who has found great success in growing his email list through Instagram Stories. He shared tons of valuable insight, tips and strategies that you will be able to implement starting today! And, don’t worry, as I mentioned earlier this strategy has nothing to do with the Swipe Up feature, which requires you have 10,000 followers to use.

So whether you’re familiar with Instagram Stories or not, we’ve got you covered here! Let’s first dive into the basics around Instagram Stories and then we’ll go ALL in on strategies to grow your email list via this platform! 

WHAT IS AN INSTAGRAM STORY?

How Stories are different than a post in your regular Instagram feed is that the content goes away after 24 hours unless you add it as an Instagram Story highlight in your profile, which is a whole different episode!

WHY YOU SHOULD BE USING INSTAGRAM STORIES IN YOUR BUSINESS:

Tyler tells us that Instagram Stories are taking over as the content of choice, and Instagram likes this, because it gives them another place to run ads. And as business owners, Instagram ads are a very powerful tool, as well. And let me tell you, Instagram Story ads are converting really well for my business right now!

In order to grow your email list through Instagram Stories (we’ll get to that strategy in a minute), you first need to know how to create high quality Instagram Stories that people want to watch. Here’s a quick rundown, but make sure to tune in to the episode for all the details!

1. Create your Stories with purpose and intention
2. Use a good mix of personal and business (Tyler shares information about his business in his Stories, but he also shares his shopping trips to Target! Yes, he loves to walk the aisles and point out some of his favorite products!)
3. Utilize a beginning, middle, and an end to your Story. Just like your elementary school teacher taught you! Download this great 2-page worksheet “The Story Arc Method” to work through an exercise Tyler put together for you to up your Instagram Story game!
4. “Never let the dashes turn into dots!” I love how Tyler put this, regarding being careful to not create painfully long Stories. 
5. I asked Tyler how he always has AMAZING light for his Stories and he shared two tips that money can’t buy!!
6. Use captioning in your Stories for people who want to consume your content but don’t use audio. Tyler said that this technique will help keep retention high, too.
7. Drive interaction with Instagram features like polls and DM conversations. Engage with your followers!

How to Grow Your Email List Using Instagram Stories Without Using the Swipe Up Feature

I’ve found that it’s helpful for me to actually create a task in Asana (my project management tool), to check my DMs daily, and that’s working well at this point.

So here’s what I want you to do, download and work through this 2-page worksheet that Tyler created for you and don’t spend another minute on Instagram without intention and purpose.

A great big thank you to Tyler for providing such great step-by-step teaching in this interview!

Tyler and I would both love to hear from you in our DMs! I’m @amyporterfield and he’s @tylerjmccall.

All my best,

Amy

This episode is brought to you by: LBL

As an entrepreneur, your business is constantly changing—that’s the beauty of being an entrepreneur. 

And here’s the thing: YOU change too. You change your mind about things you used to be adamant about.

I’ve experienced this myself. For example, when it came to creating courses, five years ago I would have said: Concentrate on building your course, don’t worry about the selling.

But since then I have had a change of heart.

I’ve watched my students inside of my training program Courses That Convert, and I’ve seen a need that I did not see years ago. That need is around launching their course before they have 100% completed it.

Now I talk about the benefits of pre-selling your course, or selling it in advance of the course being done, then delivering your content each week via a LIVE workshop to a group of founding members who have already paid.

So this episode is going to walk you through the exact steps that go into pre-selling a course. I am going to walk you through the pieces you’ll need to make your offer, get your first students through the door, and deliver your content.

There are a few reasons I like this strategy:

• #1: Pre-selling is a big validator of your course idea.
• #2: Pre-selling helps you build confidence about your training. Nothing builds confidence more than getting a few PAYING students through the door.
• #3: Pre-selling helps with cash flow! I know that building a course and getting your online course up and running can sometimes be a bit of a pinch on your finances. That’s why pre-selling is great—to bring in a bit of money to help you pay for some of those expenses.
• #4: Pre-selling helps you build momentum and accountability. By selling before your content has been created, you have no choice but to deliver! This helps you avoid the “it’s been a year and my course is still languishing” syndrome!
• #5: Lastly, you get immediate feedback from actual students when you pre-sell. Since it’s more of a live interaction, you can tweak your content based on the feedback before you launch again.

By the way, this episode was brought to you by Courses that Convert…I teach a much more robust version of this process in that course, with step-by-step plans and templates. Learn more by attending my free masterclass “How to Confidently Create Your First Profitable Course in 60 Days.”

So if you’re as excited as I am about pre-selling your course, here are seven steps to get you started.

The 7 Steps to Pre-Selling Your Course

Step 1: Determine Your Course Offer

Step 2: Set Up Your Early Interest Page.

Step 3: Create Your 30-Day Content Blitz

Step 4: Set Up Your Checkout Page

Step 5: Set Up Your Live Workshop Components

Step 6: Promote a 48-Hour Flash Sale Offer

Your 48-hour flash sale offer will include two emails:

1. The first is sent to your Early Interest list and informs them of your limited time offer, what’s included in the program, the number of spots available, and a link to your checkout page.
2. Your second email gives them one more chance to sign up.

In this step, you also have the option to include a webinar training as part of your pre-sell strategy.

Step 7: Deliver Your Content

Links mentioned in this episode:

• SamCart 90-Day Trial
• LeadPages Pro Trial
• Kajabi Free Trial

Course Creation Resources:

Episode #49: How to Know if Your Idea is ProfitableEpisode #107: How Do I Price My Online Course?Episode #133: How to Get Unstuck in Your Course Creation ProcessEpisode #206: The Post-It Content Creation Mini Training

Webinar Resources:

Episode #130: How to Sell on a Webinar (Without Being Overly Salesy)Episode #145: 13 Questions to Nail Down Your Winning Webinar Topic and TitleEpisode #211: 5 Things I Said Yes to In The Early Years (But Say No to Now)

Today we’re going to discover something that has the power to majorly change the trajectory of your business! We’re going to uncover the three main roadblocks that sideline many entrepreneurs (and people in general) and cause them to get stuck in inaction. You will learn specific ways to take massive action, get more done, and get those big results you desire.

“Taking action...” seems easy enough, right? “Just do something!” As you and I both know, it’s not as easy as it sounds!

If right now what you’re doing in your business is not leading you to the results you desire, then this episode is for you!

To shed some light on WHY we’re not taking action and to help us understand how to turn that around and become massive action takers, I had the pleasure of interviewing Brooke Castillo. Brooke is a Life Coach—I actually call her a Life Coach Extraordinaire— who has worked with thousands of people (including yours truly) who have been stuck, are not reaching the goals they’ve envisioned for themselves, or ultimately just need a coach to shine some light on a path that can lead them to the promised land of getting a lot done and achieving big results.

Quick note before we move on: I mention that I’ve worked with Brooke personally; I get more into it on the podcast, but in case you were wondering, I’m part of her Self-Coaching Scholars program. You know I’m on a mission to up-level my life, including my health and my weight, but I’m also on a mission to up-level my mind, and Brooke really gets into this in her program. I know that focusing on how I think about things will change both my personal and business life, and I believe it could do the same for you. Because I stand behind what Brooke does, I have become an affiliate for the program, so if you are interested in joining her program, too, click here, and let Brooke know I sent you!

MANAGING YOUR MIND

Brooke began with the idea that so much of starting and building a business is about managing your mind. She said, “There's no way around it, because you can understand how to do everything, you can study all the material, but until you understand that what you think about is going to create the emotion that either drives the action or the inaction, you're never gonna take the action.”

Did you get that? This is important: What you think about creates the emotion that drives the action or inaction.  If stress, fear and panic are fueling the action, you’re not going to be able to produce results at the level you want to produce.

Brooke shared three entrepreneurial roadblocks—things that are keeping you from taking massive action.  

Reason #1: YOU’RE STUCK IN THE BUSY HUSTLE

Reason #2: YOU’RE GIVING YOURSELF TOO MUCH TIME TO GET SOMETHING DONE

Reason #3: YOU’RE AVOIDING FAILURE AND DISCOMFORT

What would be the activities or non-activities that you’d have in your comfort-time? Schedule it in! And remember: this time is non-negotiable. Agreed? Work hard, play hard! : )

If you’re reading this and have not listened to the episode yet, I highly recommend you do. Brooke gives some great examples, insights, and encouragement that you’ll only hear by tuning in. Plus, Brooke is so fun! I guarantee you’ll not only learn a ton, but will enjoy a few laughs while listening to this episode, too!

Thanks for spending time with me today!

All my best,

Amy

Links to things I think you might be interested in that were mentioned in these show notes and on the podcast episode:

• Brooke Castillo Podcast
• Learn more about the Self-Coaching Scholars (As I mentioned earlier, I’m a member of Brooke’s program and a huge believer in the work Brooke is doing! Check it out—and if you decide to join, tell her Amy sent you!)

I’m the first person to admit when I’ve made a mistake.

But I can promise you this, when it happens: I learn something new every time.

Inside my private Facebook group for all of my students, my students often ask me to troubleshoot their challenges with launching their courses. Our FB Live chats and their questions inspired me to create this specific podcast episode for all of you. Based on my experiences with thousands of students, I’ve uncovered five core reasons why most online courses fail. My goal is to help make sure you don’t make these mistakes, and if you do, I want you to be able to learn from them and turn them into opportunities.

In this episode I also talk about the importance of a validation blitz, and knowing all about your potential student’s hopes and fears, and what may be holding them back. I go into step-by-step detail about how to conduct a validation blitz in my Courses That Convert Program. You can learn more about that program and how to get started with an online course with my free Masterclass—“How to Confidently Create Your First Profitable Course in 60 Days.” It’s a fun and comprehensive training that will help you get well on your way to creating your first training!

Also: if you've experienced any of these mistakes or if you've made a big mistake that I haven't mentioned here, I want you to come over to Instagram and DM me.

Check out these highlights:

• Why your ideal customer avatar needs to be top of mind at all times. [3:48]
• I changed my mind on pre-selling, and you need to also. [8:25]
• The four things to do to make sure you get to the finish line with your course. [12:43]
• What to consider instead of signature courses. [14:42]
• How I had to enlist a colleague to keep me in check and keep out the fluff. [17:34]
• The best online courses are taught by the best teachers. What you need to do to become an engaging teacher. [20:40]

Links mentioned in this episode:

Episode #206: “The Post-It Content Creation Mini Training”

As entrepreneurs, creating multiple streams of revenue should be our goal. After being laid off from a software development company in the year 2000, today’s guest, Jennifer Allwood, discovered firsthand how using her creativity and passion could create not one, but six different revenue streams in her business.

One of the things I love most about being an entrepreneur is how we are able to use our passions and creativity to build a business that has many layers to it—and Jennifer has done just that!

So whether you are just starting out building your online business or are already doing amazing things but looking to up-level, you’re going to find lots of inspiration and actionable tips in this interview!

Never Say Never

Jennifer’s first foray into an online business revenue stream was through creating and selling a handful of short videos teaching people how to do fun DIY painting techniques on cabinets and furniture. After just a year, she had earned six figures...from simple painting videos! 

Jennifer was at first confounded to discover she could sell stuff that could be easily found online for free via YouTube videos; yet she also came to understand that people will pay for shortcuts, and they prefer to pay for something from someone they know, like and trust, rather than go searching for something on their own.

That was the beginning of her online business journey. In the years since, she has launched a couple membership sites, teaches others how to run their online businesses, is writing a book, and is enjoying engaging with her nearly half-million online social media followers.

Jennifer admits that even just five years ago she would never have dreamed she would be where she is today! Let this be a lesson to all of us!  

It’s Not About Working Harder: It’s Working Smarter That Makes The Difference

Jennifer works mostly with creatives: painters, artists, makers, DIYers, and repurposers. She says these type of entrepreneurs have a hard time getting past the idea that they don’t always have to trade time for dollars; yet Jennifer teaches them they can share their gifts in a new way by adding revenue streams to their business. The opportunities she identified (which can work for anyone with an online business) are:

• Info products – ebooks, ecourses, webinars, etc.
• Affiliate income
• Sponsored content
• Membership site
• Ad revenue
• Brand ambassadorship
• Consulting
• Speaking

Where to Start?

If you are just beginning your online journey, Jennifer suggests you begin with something on the simpler side. Test the waters first, to see what you enjoy doing and what works. She highlighted some great examples from the list above that I hope will inspire you with some new ideas!

What I loved about talking to Jennifer was seeing how strategic she was—even from the beginning, when she didn’t even realize she was being strategic!

If you tuned in and listened to today’s episode, I hope you were as inspired by Jennifer’s story as I was. She was following her passion. She was hustling. She was doing what she needed to do to make things work, and look how it came together for her! I hope the same for you!

This episode is brought to you by:

Gravy—my very own 24/7 engagement team who contacts my customers within hours of their failed payment, captures updated billing information and saves the customers I worked so hard to acquire. If you have a subscription model business or offer payment plans, you’ve got to check out Gravy!

Most of you already know I’m all about list building.

In fact, one of my favorite mottos is “always be list building.” But not everyone knows that an indispensable element of any successful list-building effort is an effective lead magnet—a freebie—that’ll stand front and center and draw crowds to opt-in.

But then the question becomes:

How do I know which type of lead magnet to create?

That’s why you can’t miss today’s episode! I’m sharing the ultimate guide to choosing the right lead magnet for your audience, covering the seven types of lead magnets I think are working best right now.

And what I’m sharing is not only from my experience. I’ve prepared a bunch of examples of lead magnets from some of my good friends and peers—all of them list building pros—and I’m also covering the pros and cons of each, to help you decide which lead magnets are right for you and your audience.

To make it even easier for you, I’ve prepared a freebie with every one of the examples of lead magnets I’m going to discuss in the episode, so you can hear about them, but also see what I’m talking about as clearly as possible.

This episode is brought to you by:

My free Masterclass, The Ultimate List-Building Catch-Up Plan. If you are struggling to get started with list building or if you're not attracting new subscribers to your email list every single day, this is the free masterclass for you!

Check out these highlights:

• Why it’s only worth it to look at your conversion rate numbers and not anyone else’s. [3:48]
• The one lead magnet that’s sure to help your audience get to the finish line easily. [6:08]
• The type of freebie that’ll get your audience saying, “I can’t believe this is free—I would’ve paid for this.” [10:55]
• Is there a place for video or audio freebies? [13:33]
• How about challenges? (You know you want to know how to make these lead magnets work—they’re fun!) [16:49]
• The quick, easy (for audiences to process) and increasingly popular quiz. [20:17]
• What kind of free courses you can do and how to get them to work as lead magnets. [24:41]

Several years ago a well-known podcaster that I love, Jess Lively, shared an episode with her audience with this type of format (I think she called it Things I’m Afraid To Tell You) and the honest and raw truth from that post really hit a chord with her listeners, and I believe that even back then, it created a bit of an “online honesty” movement. She still does these episodes and they’re priceless.

In my opinion, there are far too many people in the online world that have created these “everything is awesome” online personas and it really casts a false light on what’s actually going on behind-the-scenes.

I, for one, don’t want to be looked at by those that follow me as this person that has it all figured out, doesn’t have bad days, doesn’t struggle in both my personal and business life (that’s so far from the truth, it’s laughable.) So, I titled this, “10 Things I’m Embarrassed To Tell You” - and I know I shouldn’t be embarrassed by this stuff, it’s just life stuff -- the real stuff, but when I look at social media, I feel embarrassed because it’s not my highlight reel. Although, as an entrepreneur, I believe that what’s personal is business, and what’s business is personal, and I see my business as my baby. This means the personal and business are bound to blend together, especially with a personal brand, and I wouldn’t be being honest and transparent if I were to just show the highlight reel.

I bet you’d be surprised at how much we have in common when it comes to the types of things that make us feel embarrassed, ashamed, or stupid, but we wouldn’t know it unless we talk about it, right?

Here we go:

1. Sometimes I wonder if Hobie and I made the right decision to not have kids together.

2. I work well under pressure so sometimes I let myself wait to the very last minute to finish something, because I know I’ll get it done, however, this causes tremendous stress for my team AND I am not so nice to Hobie in those moments and I hate myself for it.

3. I worry about aging because of my online presence.

4. I sometimes don't like to tell you that I use a copywriter.

5. I don't always love being the one in the relationship that makes the most money.

6. I’m a fierce competitor and want to be at the top of the charts with my podcast and the #1 affiliate in launches that I do.

7. Ok, this next one is super personal …. Growing up I was always afraid of my dad.

8. I am embarrassed about my weight and I don’t like to do video because of it.

9. When I have a big success (like a million dollar launch) I have this weird tinge of guilt thinking I don't totally deserve it - or I struggle with thoughts that it will all go away.

10. I struggle with letting go, even though I have an awesome team.

So there you have it...a bit of me baring my soul. The point of this week’s episode was, as I said, for me to be honest about parts of my personal and business life that you might not know about me yet - I really want you to know me. So when you see me out and about in real life, or better yet, come to one of my events in San Diego, you don’t just know the shiny, social media approved side of me. I want you to know all of me - and know that I am just like you in so many ways. That’s when true connections happen… I also really hope that maybe something I said will help you to not feel so alone in what you’re going through, or maybe even encourage you to be more honest and real with your own online community.

And can I just say, Thank you! Thank you for allowing me to feel safe enough to share these types of things here today. I truly love my community -- you all are such a source of encouragement to me!

Have a great day!

Today I’m bringing back one of my favorites, Facebook ads guru, Rick Mulready.

The difference is today I’ve got him nervous—because he’s here to share with you what he’s NEVER shared before…he’s taking you behind the scenes and letting you in on his process of how he got to a million dollars in just one year (!). He’s also talking about how he reached that number with a decent (but not monster-sized) list of 17,000 (which once upon a time was 30,000).

You know I love to talk tips, tricks, and strategies, but I also think it’s important to look at how you are thinking, how you are feeling, what motivates you to make certain decisions and how they actually work for you… which is what Rick is sharing today.

Tips and tricks will only get you so far unless you learn to get your head on straight around everything you’re working on in your business. And Rick is ready to get raw and honest and show you the shifts he made during 2017 and the results these changes had on his life and business. Let’s get all of the scoop.

Check out these highlights:

• Random moment of the episode: my new sauna (I didn’t bring this up myself, but it’s a fun tidbit to hear). [4:40]
• The offers Rick made in 2017 to get to a million bucks. [8:20]
• The issue of quantity vs. quality for your business model. [10:46]
• How Rick changed the way he was thinking about his own email list size. [13:38]
• Shifting your mindset from a lack to abundance as it relates to your team. [27:55]
• Let’s get honest: Are you not growing your team because you’re scared to spend money? [32:29]
• At some point, you might not make it without a team… [37:55]
• Rick’s awesome email list re-engagement campaign. [42:07]

Random moment of the episode: my new sauna (I didn’t bring this up myself, but it’s a fun tidbit to hear). [4:40] The offers Rick made in 2017 to get to a million bucks. [8:20] The issue of quantity vs. quality for your business model. [10:46] How Rick changed the way he was thinking about his own email list size. [13:38] Shifting your mindset from a lack to abundance as it relates to your team. [27:55] Let’s get honest: Are you not growing your team because you’re scared to spend money? [32:29] At some point, you might not make it without a team… [37:55] Rick’s awesome email list re-engagement campaign. [42:07]

Today I’m taking a trip down memory lane to my early days—

the first few years when nothing seemed to go as planned and everything that came my way felt like a BIG deal…I’m getting personal and raw and sharing with you what my business looked like when I first started out, the decisions I made to get where I am, and the most significant challenges along the way. (You asked, and I answered!) More specifically, I’m sharing those things I said “yes” to in the early days—the yeses that got me where I am today, in a multimillion-dollar business with an incredible and engaged audience.

Wherever you are in your own business, you need to know:

The business you have today will look dramatically different a few years from now… but it is the choices you make today—the things you say yes or no to—that will lead you towards where you’ll be tomorrow. And then tomorrow you’ll be able to make different choices, but because you and your business will be in a different place. So here’s a little help to get you to (hopefully) make better decisions...

This episode is brought to you by: My free Masterclass—“How to Confidently Create Your First Profitable Course in 60 Days.” If you’re thinking about creating your online course or have been for a while and don’t know how to get started, this free masterclass is for you!

Check out these highlights:

• The most important question I ask myself every time my business hits a milestone or pivots in some way or another. [2:53]
• Speaking opportunities—yay or nay? [4:55]
• The time for sacrifices. [7:06]
• Trading knowledge and experience. [8:49]
• What to say to coffee chat invites. [11:58]
• And how they’re completely different than “Can I Pick Your Brain” invites. [13:13]
• The right way to collaborate with other people. [17:33]
• And the right way to have other people collaborate with you! [20:14]

Shonda Rhimes, the creative powerhouse behind Grey's Anatomy, Scandal, and How to Get Away with Murder, wrote a book a few years ago called Year of Yes that really resonated with me. I’m sharing five takeaway lessons that have impacted my personal and business life in a pretty major way.

First, let me set the scene for you as to why Shonda even wrote this book. Shonda and her sister were in the kitchen getting ready for Thanksgiving dinner way back in 2013, and Shonda was telling her sister about some parties, talk shows, and conferences that she'd been recently invited to, you know, the Hollywood type stuff. She was talking about how she was too busy to do any of it, and without blinking an eye, her sister said something to her that day that became the wake-up call that Shonda needed to transform her “busy life”, and those words were:

Her sister knew that Shonda was hiding behind being too busy to avoid doing things that scared her and would take her out of her comfort zone. Her sister also knew that Shonda had ZERO balance in her life and she was actually miserable. Now, would the outside world have known that she was miserable? No. However, Shonda knew that her sister was telling the truth. She’d been called out and it was the truth.

This brought on an epiphany that something major had to change in her life. She wrote in her book: "This could not possibly be what having it all was supposed to feel like, could it? Because if it was, if this is what I spent all this time and energy working so hard for, if this is what the promised land looked like, what was success ... was what success felt like, was what I sacrificed for ... " And then she trailed off, telling the reader she didn't even wanna go there.

This was her aha moment! And the reason I bring it up here is because I think many of us are working our tails off, hustling to the core, and if we're not careful, we're gonna work ourselves into the ground, and then one day we're gonna pop up and say, "Wait. Was this what I was working so hard for, to feel burned out and overworked and tired?” We’ve got to be really mindful of this. I know we're creating businesses we absolutely love, but just don’t work yourself into the ground, okay?

So, there you have it! I hope these five lessons I learned from my mentor, Shonda Rhimes, have given you a new perspective on how to live a more fulfilling life and to run your business from a place of empowerment and truth.

Don’t forget to download the freebie I created for you. It’s a worksheet that is going to walk you step-by-step through some exercises that go along with the lessons I talked about today. It's a bit of a journaling type of exercise, but believe me, it will make everything you learned more actionable.

This episode is brought to you by: Master Class: How to Confidently Create Your First Profitable Course in 60 Days www.Amyporterfield.com/courses

Have you ever thought about creating a physical product to sell online, maybe even adding one to your digital line up?

And if you have, have you found yourself overwhelmed with not really knowing where to start in order to bring that product from merely an idea to something your customers can physically hold in your hands?

As most of you know, my business consists of all digital products and I would say 90% of my audience is the same, but I still get questions, pretty frequently, asking me about creating physical products to include in their existing online business. Maybe you’re at a point where you’d like to add a physical product. Questions like: How do I know if I’m ready to add a physical product to my digital mix? Where would I even go to get started? What kind of physical product could I add to the mix?

Since I get a lot of questions around this topic, but I’m not the expert, I thought, “Let’s bring on someone who is.” My guest today, Lara Casey - founder of CultivateWhatMatters.com, has authored two books, Cultivate, and Make it Happen, and has had huge success in launching and selling physical products online. If you’ve ever heard of the famous PowerSheets, she’s the creator!

Lara is going to talk to us about how she knew it was time to launch a physical product; how she figured out and managed all the details around designing, producing, and fulfilling a physical product. And to keep it real, she shares the ups and downs as she created her product along the way.

When I asked Lara to tell my podcast listeners a little bit about herself, this is what she said: “We’re all about planting seeds and helping women to Cultivate What Matters and giving them the tools they need to plant seeds of growing intentional relationships or cultivating their faith...whatever it may be, specific to them.”

Planting seeds...cultivating...intentional… I love this!

Lara continued, “I’m a mom to three, a grateful wife, and I’m really passionate about helping an instant-results culture embrace the power of little by little progress, instead of perfection.”

Head over to www.CultivateWhatMatters.com/Amy to see Lara’s amazing products (and check out that job listing, if they haven’t filled it by the time you’re reading this). When you use that special link, Lara is giving you a special discount because you’re part of my awesome community. Yay for us! And, thank you, Lara!

Also, don't forget to let me know, in the comments below, if you like this longer, more detailed version of show notes. I appreciate your input!

This episode is sponsored by my free masterclass, How to Create Your Ultimate List-Building Catch-Up Plan. You can get it at http://www.amyporterfield.com/listbuilding. If you are not building your email list every single day there is no better time than right now!

It’s time to talk team!

In the last 6 months, it’s been a staffing bonanza: I’ve hired four of the five full-time positions on my team. And boy, has it been a whirlwind, filled with mistakes, wins, fears and A LOT of excitement.

But through the process, I’ve identified 7 big distinctions to help you build your own team. Now, I’m not saying go out and hire right now! At this point, all you might need is an amazing VA, or a part-time contractor to help you out. I’m tackling this subject as well, so stay tuned.

Building your team—the right kind of team—is essential to the growth of your business, to eliminate some of the stress and overwhelm, to make a bigger impact, and yeah, to make more money! So if you’re a business owner growing your business, this will be a must-listen for you. (44:34)

With the right team on your side, the sky’s the limit!

So, join me as I share with you how I built my “Small, But Mighty” team, and how I figured out what I needed and what I didn’t need. I’ve also got an awesome freebie for those of you starting to build your team virtually—you can get my “7 Make or Break Questions When You’re Interviewing for a Virtual Position” here. Let’s get started!

This episode is brought to you by:

Gravy—my very own 24/7 engagement team who contacts my customers within hours of their failed payment, captures updated billing information and saves the customers I worked so hard to acquire. If you have a subscription model business or offer payment plans, you’ve got to check out Gravy!

Check out these highlights:

• Who is on my team—what each team member does—and when I started building my team. [5:29]
• Why I wanted local team members (and how I ultimately changed my mind!). [15:26]
• About those trial periods (yes, they’re a bit corporate, but they work!) [20:39]
• So, what if they’ve got the skill set but not much of the right personality? [23:34]
• When it’s OK to hire even if they don’t have all the experience (and what to do). [31:37]
• My fave hiring tools. [35:17]
• Hiring a referral vs. hiring from an ad. [37:36]
• Getting over the fear of hiring [45:07]

My husband Hobie and I had a great time recording this episode!

It was extra special because a couple weeks before recording the episode, I asked my audience to send in questions for me to answer: business, personal, silly, or whatever. The hook was that I couldn't look at any of the questions in advance. Hobie was the only one that got to look at them. He went through all the questions. He said there were a bunch of great questions and that they were pretty hard to narrow down. Perhaps we’ll have a Part 2 at some point!

Thank you to all of my awesome fans for sending in such great questions. You truly are the best!

Well, as you can imagine, I was a bit nervous because I had no clue what was coming at me. I told this to Hobie and he assured me that I was, and I quote, “definitely going to be uncomfortable on a few of them.” Great! Just great!

Alright, I’m going to list out the questions here and give you a bit of a teaser on each one, but I invite you to tune in to my podcast to hear our full conversation (just press the play button at the top of this page). : )

QUESTIONS: YOU ASKED AND I’M TELLING HOW DO YOU FIND A FAMILY AND BUSINESS BALANCE WITHOUT LOSING YOUR SANITY AND FEELING GUILTY? —NATHALIA MELO WILSON

• My answer has to do with having an understanding husband who speaks up when he needs to.

WILL YOU GIVE IN AND MOVE OR RETIRE TO TENNESSEE? INQUIRING MINDS WANT TO KNOW. —SHANTELL BRIGHTMAN

• Hobie and I dream of a lake house in Tennessee one day!

WHAT WAS THE BEST VACATION YOU EVER HAD? ~ TRACY GREEN CAINES

• Let me just tell you, the mini-pool on the balcony overlooked the ocean! Ahhhh….

CAN YOU SHARE WITH US A CHALLENGING PERIOD IN YOUR LIFE AND HOW YOU GOT OUT OF IT? ~ MYKAO THAO

• A time when I wanted to wrap Hobie up in bubble wrap every morning. I know the suspense is killing you, isn’t it?!

IF A WORK-LIFE BALANCE IS IMPORTANT TO YOU, HOW CAN YOU TELL YOU’RE GETTING IT RIGHT? ~ MICHELLE ONYANGO

• I actually get into this topic in an episode that airs shortly after this one (it will be episode 210...be on the lookout). My answer in this episode has a lot to do with the happiness of my family.

HOW DID YOU PICK YOUR DOG’S NAMES: GUS AND SCOUT? ~ SPURGEON PERKINS

• You'll have to tune in to the show to hear how we came up with their names.

WHAT DOES A TYPICAL DAY LOOK LIKE FOR AMY PORTERFIELD? ~ RACHAEL WATSON

• Doing videos, writing, meetings, family time, exercise. If you’re interested I did an entire “Week in the Life” type episode that you can listen to here.

WHAT’S THE BIGGEST MISTAKE YOU’VE MADE IN YOUR BUSINESS, OR THE SINGLE BEST THING YOU’VE DONE? ~ AMY WARE

• Without a doubt, taking the leap to do what I do now!

HOW DO YOU MANAGE TO NOT RESPOND TO NEGATIVE COMMENTS? ~ NIKOLINA ANDRIC

• I’m pretty good here, but Hobie’s another story. ; )

DOES AMY SHARE THE COVERS, HOBIE? OR IS SHE A COVERS HOG? INQUIRING MINDS WANT TO KNOW. ~ NICOLE WALTERS

• Hobie shares why he nicknamed me “The Alligator” when it comes to hogging the covers.

IF YOU WERE JUST GETTING STARTED IN SOCIAL MEDIA, WHAT ARE THE THREE TOP PLATFORMS YOU WOULD FOCUS ON BUILDING AN AUDIENCE? ~ TAMMI HARRIS

• YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.

Well, I have to admit, I may have been a little nervous at first, but that was super fun. If there are any Pittsburgh Steeler fans out there, you may want to tune in to the last part of the episode for a good Steelers story.

**********

And that's a wrap! Maybe Hobie does have a future in podcasting after all! 😍

Amy

P.S. If you'd like to hear more from Hobie, listen in to this episode where we talked about how to make love and business work. 

If you have an online business or an email list that you communicate with, you’ve probably heard the rumblings around the internet about the EU’s new General Data Protection Regulation (let’s just call it GDPR, shall we?). This new regulation goes into effect May 25, 2018 and in an effort to understand what it is, what it means to online marketers, and what we need to take action on, I’ve invited Bobby Klinck, an intellectual property attorney, to help us navigate all things GDPR. Bobby is not only an attorney, but he is an entrepreneur himself, so he really has his finger on the pulse of what online entrepreneurs need to do to protect themselves.

Let’s dive in and figure this all out!6 principles of the GDPR

#1: Data shall be processed “lawfully, fairly, and in a transparent manner.”

#2: Data shall be “collected for specified, explicit and legitimate purposes.”

#3: Data processing shall be “limited to what is necessary” for the purpose.

#4: Data shall be accurate, kept up to date, and corrected.

#5: Data shall be kept so it identifies a person “no longer than is necessary.”

#6: Data shall be “processed in a manner that ensures appropriate security.”

Let’s break down all 4 options:

• Opt-in Page:
• You can add a voluntary checkbox/dropdown menu on your opt-in page.
• This would clearly be consent if you do it right.
• It must be voluntary and it cannot be the default. You can’t force them to agree and you can’t have the agreement as the default.
• If you are going to do this, try to use a drop-down menu vs a checkbox. That way they have to choose “Yes or No” - so they have to make a choice and you are not forcing the “Yes.” With a checkbox for “Yes”, they can easily miss it and skip it all together (since it can’t be forced!).
• Sandwich Page:
• Include a one-click upsell page between opt-in and thank you page that asks them to subscribe.
• “Hey! One more thing before we finish.” - It’s essentially a sales page for your newsletter.
• This gives you the chance to sell the benefits of being on your list.
• They are presented with this option all on its own, so it’s compliant.
• Delivery Email:
• You deliver the email as usual that gives them the lead magnet as promised.
• Include language in the email to sell them on joining your list and include a call to action (example below).
• Depending on how your system works, either send them to a separate opt-in or use click to segment the list.
• In the Lead Magnet:
• Add a paragraph at the end of your lead magnets selling them on your list with a clickable link.
• This is sufficient consent and it gives them a reminder if they look back at your lead magnet later.

What’s Next?

Check out Bobby’s Free GDPR Training: I’m breaking my rules a bit here because you all know I’ve had a policy for the last year or so of not sending podcast traffic to someone else’s sign up page - I’ve talked about that strategy on my show before. HOWEVER, this information is important and I want you to protect yourself. So I’m making an exception. I want to encourage you to check out Bobby’s FREE mini-training all about the GDPR. The goal of his mini training is not only to make sure that you, as an online entrepreneur, understand the legal requirements but also to give you the tools and practical advice you need to thrive in a GDPR world.

THANK YOU, Bobby, for your time and generosity in helping us understand GDPR. I truly feel I now have what it takes to move forward and implement to get compliant before the deadline! -- Amy

Biggest Takeaways You Don’t Want to Miss:

• When you’re looking into creating a course—and this is especially true when you’re just starting out—you’ve got a TON of information to choose from. Maybe you’ve been working on this material for 5 or 10 years, or you’ve been consulting a while and you have a ton of stories, examples and exercises.
• Getting all of that out of your head can be difficult, to say the least. Whenever I sit down to create a new course (like I’m doing right now) it can be both exciting, and excruciating.
• Which is why I wanted to bring on Gina Onativia, a content and course expert who is in the trenches every day with her clients, building their courses. Gina has a super practical post-it exercise she’s created to help her clients figure out some pre-details before diving into course creation. I think of her process as kind of like a “prelude” to my own...and I think you’ll find it extremely helpful in your own course creation process.

By the way, if you’re NOT in the midst of creating a course, you can also use this exercise for any type of content creation. AND I want to make sure you download the freebie—which has the exact steps we are going to talk about in this episode. In the freebie, you’ll see a real post-it exercise from one of Gina’s clients that you can use as an example to guide your own process (and I LOVE great examples!). (9:01)

With your freebie at the ready, get ready to dive into your course creation here.

This episode is brought to you by: In my free masterclass: How to Confidently Create Your First Online Course in 60 Days, I will walk you through all of the pieces it takes to create a stellar online course. Save your spot here!

Check out these highlights:

• The first area course creators get tripped up when starting out. [8:42]
• How to start your post-it exercise. (If you’re an office supply junkie like me, get excited!) [9:31]
• Why it’s so important to know what your avatar is feeling. [13:59]
• How to brainstorm your overarching steps. [14:50]
• What to do if you’re stuck. [16:27]
• The final step: Your roadmap. [19:15]
• How do I sell just a piece of my course as a standalone? [24:04]

Biggest Takeaways You Don’t Want to Miss:

• The fear of not being good enough is a tough feeling to shake. If you struggle with this fear, I know it can show up way too often. Now, I can’t promise that it will ever completely go away—but I am proof that you can silence that voice A LOT.
• If this fear comes up for you, then this is the show for you.
• Today I’m going to introduce you to a powerhouse named Rachel Hollis—an amazing entrepreneur who manages a lifestyle website with almost two million readers each year and over 800,000 actively engaged followers on social media. Together, we’re talking about the pressures that you face as mothers and fathers and husbands and wives and employees, and of course, entrepreneurs.
• We’re talking do’s and don’ts for entrepreneurs-in-the-making, and specifically, how to break through some of those major fears that we are constantly up against as you put yourself out there on social media, and in videos, and everything else you do to build your online business. (2:25)

Now, if you read the title of this episode and said something along the lines of, “Well, I’m not really sure I can call myself an entrepreneur…,” this is what I have to say to you: If you’re showing up, if you’re building your business, if you’re working hard toward your goals—you are legit! You are an entrepreneur, so it’s time to own it! So, if the fear of not being good enough, or that you’re not doing enough, or that you’re not doing it right, if those fears come up for you, then this is the show for you. Listen in.

This episode is brought to you by: My incredible and free masterclass, “The Ultimate List Building Catch-Up Plan,” where you’ll learn my proven 3-stack system for leveraging the most powerful, “what’s working now” list-building strategies. You can sign up here.

Check out these highlights:

• Why comparison is the death of joy. [5:39]
• What to do if you’re feeling guilty about taking time for your business.[7:34]
• Here’s the truth: Nobody cares about your dreams (it’s not as sad as it sounds, and it’s actually a good thing!). [10:33]
• Rachel’s story of being a fighter and pushing forward no matter what… [12:01]
• How to find your tribe (a.k.a. those who’ll build you up!). [13:58]
• Installing daily habits to emphasize your goals. [16:45]
• The real magic behind writing down goals. [21:35]
• About finding yourself in (or out) of balance… [24:30]

Links mentioned in this episode:

• Rachel’s book, Girl, Wash Your Face: Stop Believing the Lies About Who You Are So You Can Become Who You Were Meant to Be

Biggest Takeaways You Don’t Want to Miss:

• One question I get asked a bunch: How do I transition from my 9-to-5 to an online business full-time? What are the exact steps?
• There are a lot of different ways to get there, but I wanted to bring in one of my students who did it in a less-scary and less-painful way that you can learn from and model.
• Melissa Norris will share with us ONE roadmap for how she got to where she could quit her day job and live out her dream business.
• Melissa’s story is filled with amazing insights and a-ha moments that many of you will be able to use for your own journeys—especially if you are interested in investing your time and money into webinars! (25:30)

Now here’s the kicker for today’s ep: Melissa’s business is all about the pioneering lifestyle! I’m talking full functioning homestead with pigs and cattle, grinding your own flour, canning vegetables… things you’ll probably NEVER see me doing (and for good reason!). The fascinating thing is she was able to use the same marketing principles and strategies (that you can use, too) to find her tribe, build her business and quit her day job. So if you’ve been wondering how you can ditch your J-O-B, this episode is the right one for you! Listen here to get Melissa’s step-by-step plan.

This episode is brought to you by:

Free Masterclass: How to Create and Deliver Your First Wildly Profitable Webinar (Even If You Don’t Have a List)

Check out these highlights:

• Melissa’s incredible story about a full functioning homestead [4:24]
• The importance of (sustainable) baby steps—and how to find the time to take those first steps. [13:28]
• The inevitability of having to hustle, at least for some time. [17:08]
• What scaling looked like after quitting her day job. [23:06]
• Melissa’s hit “seasonal webinars” and what she learned from them. [25:30]
• How Melissa runs her membership site. [29:44]
• A few amazing sales sequence a-ha moments! [37:47]

Biggest Takeaways You Don’t Want to Miss:

• I’ve been an online marketing entrepreneur for a long time now. I’ve worked with thousands of students and have gotten pretty darn good at finding patterns. Specifically, patterns in limiting beliefs and mindset blocks that often stop promising entrepreneurs in their tracks.
• One common struggle I’ve uncovered A LOT is the fight to stand out when the online world has become so saturated. And here’s the thing—it is tough to stand out. I’m not going to sugar coat it. It can be incredibly frustrating.
• But I’m here to tell you—sometimes it’s not just about the strategies. Sometimes the key to getting noticed is all about...mindset.
• And this all starts with one simple truth about every successful entrepreneur... (2:15)

So, in today’s episode I wanted to make sure you take the time to stop and learn how to shift the way you approach a noisy online world, and in turn, get noticed. Because it’s really the way you think that will ultimately set you apart. Tune in now.

This episode is brought to you by: My incredible, and free masterclass, “The Ultimate List Building Catch-Up Plan,” where you’ll learn my proven 3-stack system for leveraging the most powerful, “what’s working now” list-building strategies. You can sign up here.

Check out these highlights:

• Act like you’ve already nailed it. [5:01]
• How to cultivate a relentless soul. [8:45]
• Just how crowded is the playing field? A few stats. [10:16]
• Why you should dive deep into your DMs. [12:22]
• Are you a flip flopper? It’s time to get honest. [13:06]
• The importance of “closing loops,” especially with your team. [15:23]
• Are you a master at consistency? [16:28]
• Why you should tell true, gritty, messy stories about YOU. [20:36]

Biggest Takeaways You Don’t Want to Miss:

• In the past few years, as Facebook has evolved, I’ve begun to think about Facebook groups in a whole different way. I believe groups—and not pages—are the key to building the kind of communities that allow you to truly connect with and grow your audience.
• And it’s not just me! Many of my peers are having the same experience in discovering the incredible potential of Facebook groups. One superstar, in particular, is my friend Caitlin Bacher—who has grown her private FB group to more than 30,000 members in 3 years!
• Caitlin is with me today to answer the question I get asked all of the time with my students: How do I boost engagement in my Facebook groups when I’m starting from zero?
• Tune in to learn how to make Facebook groups one of your most effective social platforms! And Caitlin shares ALL, including the #1 mistake she sees entrepreneurs make with groups... [6:06]

Yes, I know it sounds like things just got trickier with the Facebook algorithm and the announcement that Facebook is going to focus more on “meaningful social interactions.” But don’t panic! This is actually great news for those of you who are using (or want to use) Facebook groups for your business. There are so many options. From Facebook groups that are tied to your paid content, to free communities that are tied to your bigger messaging and brand. It all begins here.

This episode is brought to you by: Master Class: How to Confidently Create Your First Profitable Course in 60 Days www.Amyporterfield.com/free

Check out these highlights:

• Why Facebook groups and why someone would decide to do only Facebook groups? [4:14]
• The importance of getting really good at selling one thing first. [8:55]
• Everything you need to know about closed free groups. [17:57]
• Some of the best type of content you can create for your own communities. [28:00]
• What about Facebook groups created for paid courses? [34:01]
• Using an email series to boost engagement within your Facebook group. [37:08]
• How to use the group to help you solve for buyer’s remorse (for your paid content). [39:48]

Biggest Takeaways You Don’t Want to Miss:

• Yes, today’s topic may seem a bit off-brand for me, since to know me is to know that I love love love webinars.
• However, today I’m mixing things up to present a few different strategies to make money online.
• I STILL think webinars are the most powerful way you can drive your online business…but I wanted to share 5 ways to make money online that do not include a webinar training and that can set you up for bigger strategies to bring in bigger bucks.
• Not only am I dishing out several ways you can make money, but I’m also talking about the actual offers you can craft to then promote the strategies I’m sharing.

I am a big believer in baby steps, and you may not be ready for webinars in your business—YET. So I’m going to talk about some simpler strategies you can use in your business until you’re ready to take the “webinar leap.” Let’s start making some money...

Check out these highlights:

• How I started out with Facebook page reviews (and why). [6:12]
• The right time for creating customized plans for clients. [10:38]
• How to create customers for life. [13:50]
• Hear about my friend Tyler J. McCall’s success with online workshops. [15:40]
• The goldmine of done-for-you plug and play products. [26:10]
• How two friends from Tag Team Party Peeps put together a very successful email campaign. [33:46]
• Challenges that actually lead to sales. [39:55]
• How to successfully market your high-priced offers. [44:53]
• A can’t miss strategy using Facebook Live. [47:33]

It’s the 200th episode! Cue the confetti and champagne! If you have been listening to me since I first aired in 2013, THANK YOU! It’s been 5 AMAZING years and I couldn’t have done it without you!

To celebrate, I have asked some of my closest friends and peers to share quick pieces about something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately…

How do you zig when others are zagging?

How do you “go against the grain”?

When do you take a risk and change things up?

And I couldn’t think of anyone better to tackle this topic than my small group of much-cherished and loved peers. I hope you enjoy listening to these as much as I have. Get ready to make some zigs happen for your own business!

If you’re wondering if it’s a right time to “zig” for your business, listen up to my four scenarios to help you decide.

Want a personalized message from me on instagram? And if you want that new “outtake” of me sharing my personal story of zigging, make sure to 1) take a screenshot of this episode 2) post it on Instagram (feed or stories) and use #200withamy and tag me when you post it. Then I’ll slide into your DM with a link to this clip! That’s right, I will personally DM you...

Here’s a sneak peek of each of my amazing group of peers:

• Jasmine Star gives us the inside scoop into how she invested a year of heart, soul and money into a launch that got her … an underwhelming amount of students. But then she decided to “knock on some digital doors” ... [12:50]
• Ray Edwards shares the personal touch he provided for each person who bought one of his high-end programs. [18:25]
• Pat Flynn starts off with a life-changing story from his childhood, then talks about how giving away a study guide for free became the launching-off point for Smart Passive Income. [20:03]
• Diane Sanfilippo on why you need to be focused on creating paid content and programs. [26:30]
• Julie Solomon offers up her own version of “Pitch Perfect” and how she took the initiative to start monetizing her blog. [32:01]
• Tarzan Kay shares how she broke ALL the rules of launches, and executed a simple (no stress!) promotion that netted her five figures. [39:59]
• James Wedmore gives us multiple examples of zigging, and asks a series of questions to help you come up with your own different “out of the box” ideas. [45:36]
• Russell Brunson talks about how one T-shirt helped to reduce his ClickFunnels churn by 23 percent (!)—and build a powerful community in the process. [51:03]
• Rick Mulready walks his own talk and tries his hand at Facebook Messenger for feedback about this podcast. The results may surprise you—because they surprised him! [56:51]
• Jenna Kutcher gets real (as always) and tells you why she decided to go completely transparent with her messaging. [1:01:18]

Links to learn more about my special group of friends:

• Jasmine Star: www.jasminestar.com/
• Ray Edwards: www.rayedwards.com/welcome/
• Pat Flynn: https: www.smartpassiveincome.com/
• Diane Sanfilippo: www.balancedbites.com/
• Julie Solomon: www.juliesolomon.net/
• Tarzan Kay: https://tarzankay.com/
• James Wedmore: www.jameswedmoretraining.com/
• Russell Bruson: www.russellbrunson.com/hi
• Rick Mulready: www.rickmulready.com
• Jenna Kutcher: www.jennakutcher.com/

Biggest Takeaways You Don’t Want to Miss:

• My dream was to knock it out of the park for my first launch. But to know me and my story is to know that it took me a few tries to get it right. Which is the case for MOST people.
• And that’s why I wanted to bring Michelle Evans on the show. Michelle is one of my very first students, and she’s here to share how she turned TWO complete launch failures into an astonishing success.
• I’ve got a feeling that for some of you, Michelle’s experiences of saving what seemed like a huge mess (including an ice-cold, 6% open-rate email list into a hit), is just what you need to hear.

Michelle and I start at the very beginning (including how she transitioned from her 16-year corporate job at Microsoft to creating online courses). Michelle dives into all of the excruciating details of her two failed launches, and also what she did to turn it all around. I think you’ll get a lot out of the strategies, lessons and insights she’s sharing, including how she used my program Courses that Convert to make her own course dreams come true.

Check out these highlights:

• Michelle and I reminisce about the moments we walked away from our corporate gigs. [4:58]
• The biggest hurdles Michelle faced in her path to online course-creation success. [11:02]
• How Michelle made time to create her course. [19:13]
• Mini-offers and how to use them to do your validation calls. [21:45]
• How sharing her struggles surprisingly interested her audience more than only sharing her successes. [26:58]
• Using quizzes to warm people up for your ultimate offer. [32:29]
• Tiger Time and protecting your time from you own business. [37:38]

Biggest Takeaways You Don’t Want to Miss:

• Keeping up with Facebook updates can (at times) feel like a full-time job. And if you’re not staying on top of everything that’s changing, you can feel like you’re stuck back in 2012.
• I’ve got you covered because today, my Facebook Ads sidekick and dancing machine (more about that in the episode!) Rick Mulready, is joining me to fill us in on some of the most recent, and relevant, updates on Facebook Ads.
• We’re talking everything from the Power Editor going away, to budget optimization, all the way to Messenger Ads. You can’t miss this goldmine of an episode—especially because Rick is introducing us to an amazing new feature to optimizing our budget and get more bang for our buck.

If you’ve decided that this year is THE year to master Facebook ads, you cannot miss out on all the juicy details Rick has for us in today’s ep. Some of you know Rick from previous podcasts, and I love having him back because he’s always making sure you’re on top of your game with Facebook AND Instagram Ads. So let’s get started on the five must-areas Rick says you need to be aware of today.

Check out these highlights:

• Where did Power Editor go? [4:51]
• How Facebook is updating the potential audience reach. [7:39]
• Should you keep your audiences separate? [10:40]
• Budget optimization at the Campaign Level: you want to be ready to optimize this update. [11:45]
• How to choose between manual and automatic bidding. [15:26]
• Customizing ads for different placements in both Facebook and Instagram (this one’s brand new). [19:01]
• Messenger Ads—why Rick thinks they will be BIG in 2018. [25:47]
• Cyber Monday’s billion-dollar payoff and why keeping the mobile user in mind is super important. [31:22]

Biggest Takeaways You Don’t Want to Miss:

• Marie Forleo is back to tell it like it is.
• Today she’s bringing three so-simple strategies that ANYONE can use to amp up their results this year. So no more “I’m never going to make enough money to quit my day job.” No more “My list is stuck at 900.” No more “I can’t connect with my audience.”
• So if you feel overwhelmed or overstretched or maybe, just maybe, like you’re drowning, this conversation is for you.

Marie has this uncanny ability to help you uncover what’s truly holding you back from getting results and on this episode, you’ll be amazed to discover that all of the strategies we’re diving into today require more of you and less of all the tools and gizmos you think you need to succeed online.

And if you let them, these strategies will free you up and open the door to a business you’ve been dreaming of.

WARNING: This one is definitely an “ear-buds episode” (to wear around the kids); Marie’s breaking out the adult language.

Check out these highlights:

• Why running faster and faster and faster and working harder and harder and harder (like a hamster) will not get you the results you want. [10:00]
• What it means to show the raw, real you. [12:02]
• How Marie shook up her longtime video show with a little sumthin’ called Marie Unplugged. [17:23]
• Do NOT spend a lot of money on that production! [20:46]
• A real unscripted moment Marie had on the streets of New York. [22:23]
• Our 24-hour challenge for you. [23:25]
• Forget Social and focus on THIS instead. [25:05]
• One of the most underrated and overlooked traits for creatives and entrepreneurs. [35:43]
• How Marie took her B-School refund rate from 19% to less than 2%. [40:31]

Make sure to check out Marie’s FREE Video Training Series

This is some of the best marketing training out there today (in my opinion!). In Video One Marie covers two burning questions:

• Where should I focus in my business?
• How do I know if I’m working on the right things for my business?

Grab video one here now.

Links I mentioned in this episode:

Exploring B-School: 30 Days of Diving Into the Details For the third year in a row, I’m bringing back my free, 30-Day B-School Pop-up Facebook Group, where I will get laser-focused on my experience with Marie’s B-School program. I’ll share personal business-building stories of how I got where I am today, exclusive live video trainings, and a lot of insights of how I got the most out of B-School. You can request access here.

Biggest Takeaways You Don’t Want to Miss:

• If I know one thing after running hundreds of webinars, it’s this: Connection on a webinar presentation is THE path to higher conversions.
• With that in mind, I wanted to show you three key strategies that may just surprise you—not because they are advanced, or radically different. They may be surprising to you because they are not the typical strategies you talk about when it comes to boosting webinar conversions.
• Which is EXACTLY why I wanted to share these three elements with you, so that you can focus on creating true, real touch points with your audience on your webinar, create those deeper connections, and ultimately see better conversions.

As some of you might already know, I relaunched my List Builder’s Lab program with a series of live webinars. And every time I do a series of live webinars I always learn new strategies or walk away with aha moments about how to do things differently or have a bigger impact. And you know me: I’m holding nothing back. Including sharing an embarrassing story of how I blew off advice from Marie Forleo. So let’s dive in.

Check out these highlights:

• The true path to higher conversions begins here. [2:12]
• How to get your webinar audience thinking “That’s totally me!” [4:58]
• The (strong) case for keeping the chat live and open. [8:35]
• What my team does during live chats to keep attendees engaged. [12:08]
• How to get the most out of your Q&A time. [14:50]
• Increasing the trust factor during every presentation. [17:45]
• Are you asking: At what point in my live webinar do I focus on selling? I’ve got answers. [19:10]
• The importance of reading between the lines and identifying what your audience SHOULD be asking. [20:18]

This episode is brought to you by:

Free Masterclass: How to Create Your Ultimate List Building Catch-up Plan

Biggest Takeaways You Don’t Want to Miss:

• You KNOW you have to create “quality content” for your different outcomes—but how do you make sure that it is relevant and compelling, and the entire process doesn’t feel completely overwhelming
• Today I’m taking the overwhelm out of getting out weekly material plus creating content inside of your programs and promotions plus everything else you’ve got to think about by breaking down every single part of the content-creating process for you.
• Introducing: My six pillars of content creation process and how they help me stay focused with every content piece I produce.

When you start categorizing your content and just hone in on one or two things (versus the 30 things on your project plan!), you can do them much more effectively. With these pillars, I want you to know exactly what you’re focusing on for where you are in your business. No more second-guessing on what kind of content you need to engage your tribe, or build up to a promotion. I’ve put it all out there so you can take immediate action.

Oh and by the way, it may surprise you to know that I will often spend more time and energy working on my free content than on my paid content. And there’s a solid why behind that. (19:33)

Check out these highlights:

• How I create so much content in my business [00:38]
• The type of content that brings in my ideal customer avatars like bees to honey. [6:48]
• To freebie or not to freebie? (Or: How to know if my content will work best with a freebie?) [9:07]
• Content for the masses vs. content for your Tribe. [13:34]
• Who is social media content really for? [16:50]
• When to focus most of your content creation time into your free promo content. [19:33]
• The key lesson for creating paid course content. [25:10]
• The right time for paid bonus content. [27:45]
• Why I’m including paid relationship content in my six pillars (and what that even means!). [31:40]

Here's the '6 Pillars SlideShare' I promised in this episode: www.amyporterfield.com/6pillars

Biggest Takeaways You Don’t Want to Miss:

• Criticism—it’s inevitable as an online marketer and business owner. As an entrepreneur I’ve come across my fair share.
• You’ll run into your own criticism at some point (if you haven’t already!) and yes, it may get uncomfortable. So I want you to be prepared for it.
• Today I’m sharing with you my three-point approach to dealing with criticism in a graceful way (and saving your sanity and overall well-being).
• In the end, it’s all about how you face it. With the right strategies you can actually turn criticism into something powerful (15:19) for you and your business. It can even change HOW you do business.

When you are building your online business, you’re opening yourself up to a completely different world for feedback (in contrast to say, the corporate realm). And the fact is that total strangers may be giving you “input.” It can be daunting in the beginning, however if you can learn to face this feedback without taking it personal, then you will become that much stronger of an entrepreneur. Let’s check out those tips now.

Check out these highlights:

• Trolls are the worst, and you have to learn to deal with them. But what about when it’s from your audience, your clients, your students? [5:17]
• That one time I tried to make up for a “mistake” with a disgruntled fan and how it went very, very wrong. [6:13]
• How two of my students handled a flood of negative comments… [12:16]
• Sometimes criticism can actually be really helpful- depending on the delivery. [15:50]
• What I actually learned after that horrible experience dealing with criticism (and what I do now). [16:44]
• What about when you want to give feedback? [17:56]

This episode is brought to you by: Free Masterclass: The Ultimate List Building Catch-up Plan

Biggest Takeaways You Don’t Want to Miss:

• I don’t know it all. That’s an incredibly humbling thing to say, but it’s the truth. I don’t know everything about business, and in fact, I’ve got my share of blind spots.
• That’s exactly why I surround myself with incredible peers, so I can have a go-to resource to solve for business challenges and help make big decisions. And I think a great way to find that sounding board is through a mastermind.
• I know there are no real silver bullets in online business, but a good mastermind comes pretty darn close. I think it can make the difference between success and total failure for you as a business owner.

So today I’m digging into masterminds—

• Why you should think about joining a mastermind
• How you know if you’re ready
• How to pick a great one

Plus I’ll talk about a big decision I just made to join a mastermind for 2018, why I’m signing up, and who’s coming with me.

By the way—if you know me, you know I’m always looking for inspiration. And a big thing about working with a mastermind is that the group members inspire you to take action, partly because you’re seeing them take action, and partly because you’re in this together, and want everyone to succeed. I’ll even share a specific example of how I inspired one member to get some serious things done for her business. (13:19)

Check Out These Highlights:

• The many reasons to join a mastermind. [7:54]
• A really good mastermind has members that do this on a consistent basis. [9:00]
• How do you know when you are ready to join a mastermind? The criteria to consider. [14:17]
• Three steps to help you find the right mastermind for you. [19:51]
• The elements that are crucial for me in joining a peer group. [25:17]
• Your must nots are just as (if not more) important than your musts. Here’s why. [28:44]
• End cap: Let’s talk about money and masterminds. [34:26]

This episode is brought to you by: Free Masterclass: The Ultimate List Building Catch-up Plan

Mastermind/Group Coaching Resources:

Jeff Walker’s Masterminds Jeff has two—a Launch Club and a Platinum group. Currently all spaces are full; for more information, email support@productlaunchformula.com.

Brendon Burchard’s Masterminds (2 levels)

Rick Mulready’s Accelerator Group Coaching Program

The Course for Completion Mastermind (for course creators)

*Note: At this time both of James Wedmore’s masterminds are full and therefore I am not linking to them in the show notes.

Biggest Takeaways You Don’t Want to Miss:

• Today, I’m going to make some confessions about my weaknesses in leadership.
• I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to be a stellar leader, and ultimately, a VISIONARY.
• You’re going to hear me talk about the idea of being a visionary in this episode, and I’m also sharing my own mantra for 2018. Not only what it is, but also specifically how I came up with it, the questions I asked myself and how I plan on using this mantra to drive my year forward.
• Then I’m giving you an easy, three-step strategy (that I call my Three V’s) to embody your theme every year and move forward in the direction you want to go. (5:01)

As you listen to me figure out what I really want to be as a leader I want you thinking about this for yourself, and how you can implement these three steps and transform your business in the next year. Being intentional about setting my vision for each year has shifted the way I think about my business, and I want the same for you! Let’s start to work those visionary muscles...

Check out these highlights:

• See how one of my favorite TV characters inspired my theme. [1:54]
• How this all started with a simple quiz on an airplane ride. [6:58]
• One person I definitely look up to as the iconic visionary leader. [10:46]
• How to find your own visionary role model. [13:00]
• Being real and vulnerable doesn’t necessarily clash with being professional. [13:52]
• When your image online takes over your real-life identity. And how to prevent it. [17:38]
• How to actually manifest your vision. [21:22]

Biggest Takeaways You Don’t Want to Miss:

• If you’re anything like me, you love to see behind the curtain, to what’s really going on with successful entrepreneurs.
• Many of you have been asking me (for a while) to map out my day—what I plan to do, what I actually get done, how I use my time.
• Well I’m taking it one step further and talking through an entire WEEK.
• You’ll hear about my struggles. How I get into the flow. And when I couldn’t get it together. Oh, and the one podcast I’m obsessed with right now.

The truth is, my processes and habits are a big part of what makes my business successful. I’ve got BIG chunks of time carved out where I can stay hyper-focused and get what might take another person weeks to do. And I know that many of my students want to do that too. So I’m hoping you’ll learn a little something about how to optimize your routine with this episode...

Here’s How the Episode Breaks Down: I’ll start the week with my Sunday session.

From there, each day I’ll check in during the Morning and talk about what the day is going to look like.

Then I’ll check back in during the Evening to chat about what actually happened.

Check Out These Highlights:

• My personal and professional goals for the week (including my battle with one food that makes me feel sick). [7:08]
• How I approach a new content project. [18:45]
• My workday shutdown ritual. [24:47]
• All about my co-working space and how it helps my business. [30:50]
• My quality time with the hubby, Hobie. [34:51]
• The 3 roles I play in my business. [38:06]
• My new favorite podcast featuring one of my business idols. [41:23]
• Jasmine Star and my first InstaLive. [43:00]
• Where I ended up at the end of of the week. [1:03:01]

Biggest Takeaways You Don’t Want to Miss:

• Today this dog lover (me!) is talking cat grooming—but it’s not what you think :). I’m highlighting cat grooming as the starting point of what has become a lucrative business empire for my student and new friend, Danelle German.
• Danelle started with one simple question (5:07) —and grew that focus to a business that now generates $12,000 a month on evergreen webinars ALONE. That’s not counting her speaking, curriculum deals, physical products and certification program.
• Danelle is here to teach us: If you really want to make money in this online marketing world, you need to drill down and serve a specific audience.

You never know who you’re going to meet at live events, right? And I am so pleased that I got the opportunity to meet Danelle at a recent event, because she is the perfect example of starting small and scaling slowly and intelligently. (During today’s episode, you’re going to hear me say “genius” A LOT.) I encourage you to “listen beyond the cat grooming” and absorb how Danelle uncovered new opportunities to consistently build her business.

Check Out These Highlights:

• The question that Danelle’s audience REALLY wanted answered. [5:29]
• How difficult it was to focus on a small niche like cat grooming (when starting out)... [7:37]
• Why you don’t need massive amounts of customers. [12:12]
• How Danelle was able to avoid any tough competition. [14:45]
• The secret element that made Danelle’s business so effective in the early days. [18:19]
• Why it’s crucial to shed light on the problems your audience faces. [19:24]
• How Danelle added a non-cat grooming audience to her repertoire. [22:33] And where she found them (so you can add your own sub-audience!).
• Danelle’s experience on how she used Webinars That Convert to lock in her success.[29:05]
• Why she switched to evergreen webinars. [32:30]
• The unbelievable show-up rate Danelle sees on her webinars. [34:43]
• How to find and nail your niche. [41:38]

Danelle on the Value of Staying in Your Zone of Expertise: “If I am 100% confident in what I am talking about and what I am teaching and, ultimately, what I am selling to people, I am going to do a much better job. The further I get out of the scope of my area of expertise and skill set, that confidence begins to diminish. I keep it real tight around that skill set and that knowledge base and then grow from there.” —Danelle German, Online Marketing Entrepreneur, National Cat Groomers Institute

Biggest Takeaways You Don’t Want to Miss:

• This year I made a big decision to open up what is typically a B-School bonus event, and do two one-day live events for ALL of my students.
• There is something incredible about holding live events—the connections with your audience, the relationships you build, the amazing team building.
• Which is exactly WHY I wanted to go behind the scenes and share the big learnings, and a few misses.
• I know some of you are thinking about holding your own events, so I wanted to give you some steps to making sure you hold your own ultra-successful event. And for me, it all starts with the connecting opportunities. (18:02)

So if you have been thinking about using events as a great upsell, or a VIP experience, or maybe a new revenue stream, you will want to listen in to all the takeaways from this episode. For each point I walk through, I made sure to provide a “take action” piece for you so you can immediately apply it to your own event planning.

Let’s get started making events work for your business.

By the Way… I mention Marie Forleo’s B-School and my over the top bonus package (with a free live event!) for those who signed up via my affiliate link. I rarely do live events so if you don’t want to miss it in 2018, click HERE to sign up for the wait list and get all the details once it launches.

Check out these highlights:

• WHY I decided to open my events to all of my students. [2:18]
• The art of layering elements for a fabulous experience (in other words: gifts!). [7:39]
• The feeding frenzy I created—and how to get people to stay in the room and connect. [10:42]
• Thinking about inviting guest speakers? Check out these criteria to help you choose. [16:30]
• Why you should consider including a VIP experience.[20:00]
• There’s always room for improvement… [21:22]
• How to make Q&A time meaningful for everyone (and not have it drag on!). [23:35]

Biggest Takeaways You Don’t Want to Miss:

• At the end of 2016 it hit me: I was working for my business instead of my business working for me. Can I get an “AMEN”?
• So I had to make a BIG decision and explore an entire year of evergreen for my business this past year (2017) and limit my number of live launches.
• In the spirit of pure transparency, I’m looking back on how the year went, and putting it all out there for you: the good, the bad, the (at times) ugly so you know how I made this decision, how I executed, and what I learned from the entire process. And how proud I am of my “bold move.”

Spoiler-alert for this episode: I thought my year of automation would be much easier than it was. I took a leap of faith, and now regret NONE of it. In fact, I’m a better leader and business owner because of it. Today I’ll break down the positive results, and some of the learnings along the way.

To make it truly actionable, I have broken this episode into four parts: Part One: How I approached the year of automation [4:38] Part Two: What happened and the results [10:58] Part Three: What I learned [14:46] Part Four: How I plan to move forward [24:55]

Check Out These Highlights:

• The original vision for going evergreen. [7:54]
• How long it REALLY took to get the funnels where I wanted them. [11:53]
• The factors that slowed us down in building the funnels. [14:45]
• How much the funnels ultimately generated for my business. [16:17]
• Why it’s not always about the money. [18:07]
• The things I didn’t love about my year of automation. [18:32]
• All about my recent launch of List Builder’s Lab. [20:20]
• Let’s talk about product fatigue for a minute. [21:15]
• My big “aha” about my Webinars That Convert program audience. [22:08]

Biggest Takeaways You Don’t Want to Miss:

• What IF instead of looking at Pinterest as just another Social Media platform, you saw it as a powerful search engine that can drive traffic for your business?
• That’s exactly why I invited my guest today—photographer, podcaster and savvy business woman Jenna Kutcher. Because she has experienced the kind of amazing impact Pinterest can have on your business—in fact, Pinterest is the platform that drives the MOST traffic to her site: More than 5,000 unique visitors every single month. (Yeah, I couldn’t believe it at first either!)
• Pinterest also (at times) gets a bad rap because it may not be the first site you think of to reach your core clients, which also couldn’t be more wrong.
• I think first and foremost, a mindset shift around Pinterest is in order, starting here.

Yes, Pinterest can be THAT effective. And what I love about Jenna is that she holds nothing back. She’s the kind of gal that says what she’s thinking, or feeling, at any moment. I feel like this episode is in that same spirit—open, and raw. I think you’ll maybe change your mind about Pinterest, and find a new friend in Jenna.

Check out these highlights:

• Why it’s so important to be vulnerable with your brand. [8:13]
• Should you care about your number of followers on Pinterest? [19:06]
• The first step you want to take with your Pinterest strategy. [21:35]
• How to look like you are active on Pinterest (and make the algorithm work for you!). [25:12]
• Proven ways to get the most mileage out of your content. [27:54]
• Jenna’s favorite Pinterest tool (for scheduling AND checking your links). [31:16]
• This one tip will guarantee you engagement on Pinterest. [35:11]

Biggest Takeaways You Don’t Want to Miss:

• It’s time to talk about your blog (or even your show notes for your podcast)—are you seeing the traction you really want? If not, today’s special guest has answers.
• I asked expert blogger Julie Solomon to come on the podcast and talk about what’s working, the mistakes bloggers make, and how to make sure you have a truly healthy blog.
• Spoiler alert: Julie doesn’t actually blog every week, which I found VERY intriguing... And you can find out exactly how often she DOES blog. Jump right into that part of our chat right here. [33:00]

In the world of online marketing, all of the people I follow and look up to—and who I know are financially successful in their business—they all have a central hub where they create content on a weekly basis. And for most of them… it’s a blog.

So look no further for the connection between blogging and having a thriving business. Now I want to make sure you are using the strategies that really get results (v. blogging to crickets)—and that’s where Julie is the master. Let’s start your makeover.

Check Out These Highlights:

• Find out why Julie calls her blog “the headquarters”.  [12:17]
• Why it’s so important to know your avatar’s favorite Margarita flavor. [14:06]
• The five core values a great blog post stems from.  [19:22]
• Julie’s steps to stay consistent (it may not be what you think!) [23:13]
• The biggest mistakes bloggers make. [27:10]
• Julie’s favorite tools to promote her blog posts. [35:22]
• How to know if you have a “healthy” blog. [38:02]
• How your mom can help you optimize your blog. [41:53]
• Trigger words: what are they and how you can use them. [45:00]

Biggest Takeaways You Don’t Want to Miss:

• Rick Mulready is back to give the scoop on Social Media ads—but with a TWIST! We’re taking a break from Facebook ads (but don’t worry—much more to come as always on those!) and shining the light on his Social Media sister, Instagram.
• Now just because these two are related, don’t think one size fits all when it comes to working with these platforms. Rick and I walk through the nuances of the difference between the two (especially when it comes to imagery, videos and placement).
• Just in case you don’t think Instagram ads are worth for your business—keep in mind that there are 800 million Instagram users right now that are up for grabs.
• AND if that’s not enough, if you have a product or service, Instagram can be an incredibly powerful platform for you. Just take a listen to these stats that Rick throws out. [7:39]

I gotta tell you, I love Instagram and feel that it’s a great time to grab your audience’s attention. So I’m shifting gears with Rick today so we can help you capitalize on the Insta Opportunity. I want you to dive in...and help me figure out the big question: Emoji or emoticons?

A special Easter Egg for today’s episode: It turns out you DO need 10,000 followers in order to have the swipe up feature. (And on that same note, follow Rick on Instagram @rickmulready so he can get the followers he needs!) If you want to know what I’m talking about, check out our sidebar conversation on this.[21:00]

And a few great Instagram examples (including that story ad I ran):

Check out these highlights:

• Let’s start this off with WHO exactly is on Instagram (so you know if you should be there!). [3:20]
• What are the best days and times to post on Instagram? [5:00]
• Where and how to set up your ads (on Facebook and Instagram). [10:39]
• Which ad type would be best for your business and customers—and the parameters for each. [12:03]
• The big differences between Facebook and Instagram (Here’s a hint: you CAN’T just repurpose one for the other). [13:17]
• With Insta, do you have the same targeting possibilities as Facebook? [19:22]
• How to take advantage of story ads (and what happened after I ran my first one for my List Builders Lab promo). [22:10]
• Why you need to add text and emojis to your InstaStories. [28:16]
• How to choose the right objectives when creating your Instagram ad campaigns. [28:59]

Biggest Takeaways You Don’t Want to Miss:

• I’ve talked extensively about my epic fails with webinars—and I’ve also shared how I picked myself back up, practiced a ton—experimented—and just went for it. It wasn’t any different for my friend, video rockstar Luria Petrucci, who has an incredible webinar success story that you need to hear.
• I want this episode to inspire you to take action on your own webinars. Because if Luria can do it (and spend only $600 on Facebook ads in the process!), you can too.
• If you are a student of my Webinars That Convert program, this is the episode for YOU as Luria (a fellow student) highlights exactly which tips and insights worked well for her.
• And if you don’t have anything to sell yet, you can use the exact strategy Luria used to put an offer out there. 

You may remember Luria from Episode 168 (The Easy Start Guide to Live Video), and I know I don’t usually bring guests back so quickly. But after hearing Luria’s story I knew you had to hear it too! So get ready. I really want you to take everything Luria learned to heart and think about how YOU can stretch yourself with webinars to get to the crazy results she proved weren’t so crazy after all. Also: Make sure you stay until the very end to learn how Luria kept her webinar attendees super engaged!

And one thing I want you to take advantage of...

If you are looking to up your webinar game, I have a must-see training where I take you behind the scenes of my actual webinar creation process: How to Create Your First Wildly Profitable Webinar (Even if You Don’t Have a List). That’s right, I literally open the gates wide open and show you all of my webinar creation secrets, including example after example of my own webinar strategies. I absolutely know this will be incredibly valuable for your own webinar creation process, so make sure to book a time to watch.

Check out these highlights:

• Why Luria was skittish about doing webinars at first. [2:30]
• How “stealing” made Luria thousands of dollars on her webinar. [9:05]
• How to align your content with your offer. [11:14]
• Get a detailed walk-through of Luria’s amazing results after her webinar strategy overhaul (and a little mix-up with conversion rate numbers!). [17:30]
• Our big-game changer webinar strategy. [24:58]
• The best way to get your audience to connect with you on a deeper level and want to take the next step. [29:47]
• Struggling with your own webinars? Luria has a few final thoughts. [36:50]

Biggest Takeaways You Don’t Want to Miss:

• Time to hit the ground running for your 2018 planning. And I mean starting TODAY.
• This episode is meant to be your goal-setting workshop in a box—I’ve got everything you need to plan for 2018: How to do it, the questions to ask, and plenty of examples to inspire you to take action.
• If you have felt like in the last year you are flying by the seat of your pants, or you have been frustrated with your promotions, or you have no idea how you’re going to make money NEXT YEAR, then it’s time to listen up and take action. [1:15]
• By the way, the focus is on the first six months only, because you may want to repeat some of the success you saw in the first half of the year. I’m all about the rinse and repeat! Also: Opportunities will come your way, and I want you to have some flexibility in your planning for those.

Rules of Engagement Upfront:

• I want you to take an entire day to do this process. I know, I know. No bellyaching. I don’t want you to feel rushed or pressured to get it done.
• Pick a “special spot” to do this. If you want extra credit, book out a hotel room or a co-working space. If you’re going to do this at home, promise me you’ll send everyone away so you have the space to create, focus and think.
• Don’t do this alone. Engage your virtual assistant or anyone on your team (either via Skype or fly them out!). I understand that you may be a “one-person show”—I encourage you to then find a friend or a peer that can be your sounding board.
• Grab a whiteboard or a big sticky board. You’ll need a space to put your notes.

The freebie for this episode is EXACTLY WHAT YOU NEED TO PLAN:

You’ll hear me map out this entire process on the episode. Then, when you are ready to do your own plan, grab the step-by-step cheat sheet so you can work through this process for your own business. With this worksheet, you’ll know exactly how to plan for your 2018.

Check Out These Highlights:

• Why your “non-negotiables” are crucial to your business success. [9:48]
• The power of “declaring your number” and why it can drive your entire success for the New Year. [11:54]
• How to get clarity on the past so you can plan for the future. [13:32]
• The metrics you should come to the table with. [14:15]
• What to ask yourself when you calendar your big promotions—a.k.a “the fun stuff.” [18:43]
• Ways to make money in the next six months (to help get those creative juices flowing!). [19:52]
• Don’t make this one mistake when planning out your promotions! [27:38]
• Why you need white space between promotions. [30:45]
• How to not let FOMO take you down in your planning process. [34:58]

Biggest Takeaways You Don’t Want to Miss:

• Do you ever have that feeling like creating your content is taking over your life? That no matter what you do, you are dealing with your podcast, or your blog, or your video series EVERY SINGLE DAY?
• It shouldn’t be this way—and today I have your solution: It’s called Mega-Batching (an idea sparked by Michael Hyatt) and it has transformed the way I deliver this podcast.
• I’m going to walk you through, layer by layer, how I create at least six episodes at a time with my team so you can take advantage of this time- and sanity-saving process. It will also help you fall back in love with creating content (especially if you have had a falling out!)
• Not to mention that once you focus on this strategy, you will have the time to spend on Your Business Wish List and experience that white space to be truly creative.

Now if you’re thinking—this seems like too much work, I don’t know if I can handle this. Trust me, I get it. However, as a business owner, I don’t want you to get bogged down on details that don’t serve you. I want you to have the freedom and flexibility to focus on things that will really move the needle in your business. And I promise that mega-batching will help you get there.

Check Out These Highlights:

• The 5 sessions I use for each batch. [9:35]
• How I break up the recording of my podcast. [13:38]
• Some of my favorite aspects of mega-batching. [16:41]
• Tweaks I want to make for the future with this system. [18:58]
• What I have planned for the podcast in 2018. [19:43]
• Two final thoughts to help you start your own mega-batching efforts. [21:17]

Biggest Takeaways You Don’t Want to Miss:

• There’s more to running a business than just steps and strategies. You’ve got to master your inner game: your core beliefs and thoughts.
• There’s a big (and all-too prevalent) myth when it comes to your time and money: That the secret to success is to work hard and hustle. [6:47]
• No one is exempt from dealing with money issues. So it’s time to face them.

“We gotta talk about money.” That’s what my dear friend and mindset maven James Wedmore said when I told him I wanted him back on the show to talk entrepreneurial mindset. James and I both think that money is a huge block when it comes to your business. So today I want to chat about some of the beliefs or blind spots that just might be holding you back from finding real success for your business. Do me a favor and just see if they feel true for you…

Check out these highlights:

• The real 80/20 percent split when it comes to being an entrepreneur. [7:52]
• We all have a relationship with money just like we all have a relationship with our mom, dad, spouse, friends, etc. [10:08]
• One of my biggest money (limiting) beliefs, which stems from my childhood. [12:46]
• Contrary to popular belief, money does not come from effort. [14:22]
• Why  believing in abundance is an absolute for entrepreneurs like us. [15:48]
• The easiest way to create new beliefs. [20:02]
• How to get “passionately curious” and “play the scientist role.” [21:58]
• This is WHY you really want things in life. [26:17]
• A few ways to practice the power of gratitude. [30:27]
• Final money mindset shifts from James. [32:57]

Biggest Takeaways You Don’t Want to Miss:

• On today’s episode I’m going to walk you through seven collaborations that I’ve done over the years that range from my very first time collaborating, and even feeling a little shy (but learning so much!) all the way to collaborations with some of the biggest names in online marketing.
• I’m giving you the inside scoop into how those actually came to be, and some of the lessons I learned from each of these amazing experiences.
• And here’s a BIG note to remember: The key to successful collaborations is found within your relationship with the person – not on what that person can do for you or what you can do for him or her. [13:24]

I know this from experience: Building your business for the long term is much easier when you can find peers and collaborators that you can build amazing relationships with. When you’re first starting out and you may not have much of a list or presence, you want to find collaborations that can help you find an audience for your business. So I hope you enjoy as I walk through my own experiences, and how I cultivated some of the best business relationships I have to this day.

The freebie for this episode is SO GOOD:

I’ve got the Top 10 questions you should ask YOURSELF if you’re considering any collaboration. It’s a checklist of sorts, where I talk about the criteria I personally use when I think about partnering with someone. If you get honest with these questions, you will save yourself a lot of stress and potential “business heartache” - it’s a thing, trust me.

Download it here and run through them the next time you’re thinking about a collaboration.

Check out these highlights:

• Collaboration #1: My very “first time”: how I went in, what I learned from it and what I wish I’d done differently [4:14]
• Collaboration #2: When and how I learned the real special ingredient for collaborations (here’s a hint: it’s all about trust) [9:50]
• Collaboration #3: How I landed a key influencer [15:37]
• Collaboration #4: The most successful affiliate marketing relationship I’ve ever had. (Spoiler alert: It’s all about B-School with Marie Forleo!) [20:50]
• Collaboration #5: How I moved things into the real world (think small live event) with a weekend workshop collaboration [24:42]
• Collaboration #6: I get asked all of the time about adding guest experts inside of your paid course…here’s a full explanation of what I typically do, with Jasmine Star as my shining example [32:24]

Collaboration #7: And I just couldn’t leave this one out… If you’ve ever wondered how Rick Mulready and I started working together, maybe you’d like to hear about the coffee date I didn’t really want to go to. [39:10]

I am a firm believer in changing things up, breaking a pattern, switching gears…

Today I’m doing all three.

Because I know it’s time.

The truth is, I’ve been holding back for a while.

I have finally decided that I’ve had enough of the BS, and the fear.

To know me is to know I don’t love being on video. And I have given a lot of excuses around that.

Time to come clean:

I hate video because I’m embarrassed about my weight.

Wow. It felt freeing just typing that.

So this podcast is my very open letter to you, dear listener. Because I owe you this openness—so I can (perhaps) also inspire you to come out and call out what’s been holding you back. And even give it a name.

This episode was a tough one to record. But worth it. 100% worth it.

Here I go.

Amy

Biggest Takeaways You Don’t Want to Miss:

• Right at this moment you should be thinking about your list building efforts. I want you borderline obsessed with list-building! This episode is key to your obsession, as today you’re getting every single one of my tested and tried tips and tricks for list building.
• List building starts with a great idea for a lead magnet, and a great idea for a lead magnet always starts with your ideal customer avatar. And there is ONE big question I ask when I'm thinking about my ideal customer avatar. [6:14]
• There’s a new player in the list building game that’s getting off-the-charts results. It’s VIDEO and when done right, it will boost your list growth—it’s all how you use it—and that’s part of today’s episode.

I know I’ve talked about list-building many times before, but here’s the thing: list building—when done right—can dramatically change your business (I should know, since it completely changed mine). So I want you to listen, then take immediate action of one or two of the strategies I mention.

Stay tuned for a NEW, FREE and LIVE webinar with yours truly ;-) This is a training I’m doing by myself, and LIVE: “The Ultimate List-Building Catch-Up Plan.” If you’ve ever felt behind in your list building, I’m going to show you how to get caught up quickly in terms of what to do inside your business to create a list-building foundation that can run on autopilot.

Check out these highlights:

• How to come up with a great idea for a lead magnet. [5:08]
• How to embrace video when it comes to list building. [10:06]
• Confirmation emails—there’s so much more you can do with them! [17:25]
• The right strategy for your nurture sequence. [21:33]
• How calls-to-actions can make all of the difference with your campaigns. [24:45]
• The tools I use (and how I use them) for my own list building. [27:05]
• How and why I link my original free content to my list-building efforts. [40:11]

The Ultimate List Building Catch-Up Plan: My Proven 3-Stack System For Leveraging The Most Powerful, “What’s Working Now” List Building Strategies (without the stress, tech confusion, or crazy overwhelm)

Biggest Takeaways You Don’t Want to Miss:

• Being productive is really not about “getting things done” and MORE about doing what’s inside your desire zone.
• You’ve got your big “time savers” like productivity software, your smartphone, your hacks—but how is that all working out for you? These “resources” are actually cutting into your time!
• You can transform your entire routine by defining your Ideal Week [26:39] (I know because I did it!).
• There are four rituals you need to set yourself up for success. My guess is you are doing maybe one or two of these (at best) right now. So let’s UP your game.

What if you stopped telling yourself you needed to be more productive, and instead, focused on being free—to focus, be present, spontaneous, to do nothing. I know, kind of crazy, right? But that’s EXACTLY what my very special guest, Michael Hyatt, and I tackle today.

A quick bonus for listening: I wanted you to see how the Ideal Week exercise (listen here to understand the concept of an Ideal Week) is working for me, including my morning and workday rituals. Click play below to watch how I am now planning out my week.

You’ll want to check out Michael’s new training:

So many times you are doing things in the name of “productivity” that are actually making you feel more overwhelmed and discouraged. I want you to start making real progress and feel in control. Michael will talk all about that and more in his free training, “The 7 Deadly Sins of Productivity: The Hidden Habits Undermining Your Performance (And How to Change Them).” Sign up here for free before it’s too late!

Check out these podcast highlights:

• You want to live your life in ONE out of four zones. [5:42]
• How to provide a “positive no.” [12:22]
• Tips to automate tasks (beyond just using technology).  [15:44]
• How to really structure your morning routine. [16:22]
• The first step to optimizing delegation that so many miss. [22:22]
• Your different “stage times” and how to allocate time for each. [26:51]
• The power of “batching your meetings” to create more white space. [27:22]

Why you’ve got to listen to today’s episode:

• A podcast can dramatically change your business by connecting you with your audience in a new and intimate way, each and every week.
• Having a comprehensive system (and proven project plan!) can help you streamline your delivery of consistent weekly content.
• You can truly scale your content efforts—and save a TON of time—if you use a little system called “batching” when planning.
• There’s one list-building tactic that’s on my MUST list: freebies, or content upgrades. There’s definitely an art and science to implementing these the right way. [26:28]

Today I’m bringing together two of my passions—podcasting and systems—in the ultimate behind-the-scenes of my podcast episodes. And I’ve spared no detail. It’s all here—from how I come up with my topics, to how we publish the finished recording, I walk through it all.

And you’ve got to get today’s freebie: It’s too good for words: a complete project plan of our process, ready for you to use at any time. I walk you through each of the six stages of podcast production, and even sprinkle in some insider notes. If you want to streamline your content creation, this one is a must for you.

And another quick bonus for today: I made you a quickie video to walk through my podcasting equipment essentials. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how simple my set-up is! Click play to watch now.

Check out these highlights:

• My star podcast team members, and the roles you need for your own production [4:44]
• One of the best and most prepared podcast guests I have ever hosted [9:36]
• The new strategy I am using to get more content done in concentrated amounts of time [13:37]
• Why your titles are so crucial in your production timeline [20:43]
• How and why I am changing up my show notes [23:54]
• The podcast and social media promotion: How I am experimenting [29:50]
• The lowdown on all of the imagery I use for the podcast [33:55]
• The advanced strategy I employ for Instagram [42:37]

You asked, and I’m bringing it: My story. And I mean ALL the details, of how I went from corporate to consulting to where I am today: courses.

My intention here is not to relive the old days—I’m doing this because you likely can relate to one of the three scenarios:

• You currently are working in a corporate job, with thoughts of starting your own thing.
• Your dream business is currently your #sidehustle and you’re looking to make it your full-time gig.
• You no longer are tied to your J.O.B however your business model is not exactly what you’d like it to be. You want to move into online courses sooner than later.

Anyway you approach it, there are opportunities in front of you right now that you may not see as relevant to where you want to go. But that’s not true. Every step counts.

If I hadn’t taken a job at Harley Davidson, I wouldn’t have seen what building a community, or movement, looks like and thought, “That’s what I want.”

If I hadn’t worked for a matchmaking service, I wouldn’t have figured out that I hate sales.

And if I hadn’t said, ‘yes,’ to working on Tony Robbins’ creative team, I’m not sure any of what followed would have happened.

Speaking of working for Tony, I wanted to share the five core lessons I learned while working for Tony, from creating content, to making big decisions as a business owner, to shaping your mindset. I’ve put the lessons all down in my brand new freebie.

So, I’m breaking down my journey for you in five phases. In each one, I’ll tell you what I learned and the turning point that helped me move to the next phase. This is how each one breaks down:

Phase One: Corporate (or being “on the clock”)

Phase Two: Consulting (or really doing the Corporate thing for multiple bosses instead of just the one)

Phase Three: Courses (without a niche—so this was more of an experimental time)

Phase Four: Courses (with a niche nailed down)

Phase Five: Product Suite (or courses that can scale and ultimately put my business in the fast lane)

The biggest thing I want you to take away from my story is you don’t need to have it all figured out. You just need to move forward in any way you can, and from where you are now.

So let’s get into it … I was born on a rainy night in December … Ha! No, we’re not going that far back.

Let's start from my (career) beginning...

P.S Find out more about my live event, The Entrepreneur Experience at amyporterfield.com/events. The dates are October 21st or December 2nd, so don’t delay!

When it comes to working smarter and not harder, you know the conventional wisdom: Manage your time, take breaks, get enough sleep, tackle the big projects when you feel the most focused, and the list goes on.

You know all this stuff, but why is it so hard to act on it? And even if you are applying some of those strategies (which are all good), you still find yourself with more work than you can possibly get done in a single day.

Enter Carey Bentley. She’s a productivity and accountability expert. Along with her husband, Demir, they founded Lifehack Bootcamp, a program designed to get you working more efficiently so you can create the lifestyle you want.

Now, Carey and Demir weren’t always experts at this—in fact, they once were raging workaholics, but they had to figure out another way because the way they were working was literally affecting their health.

Their secret is practice—hard, intentional, sweaty practice. You know, the way pro athletes practice. So think of productivity less like a class where you’re studying to pass an exam and more like a craft that you’re working to get better at all the time.

Here’s what you’ll learn:

• The four phases of productivity and why you’re ultimately shooting to be like LeBron James. (Check those out at 11:54)
• The four layers of accountability—with a coach, with a team, with a buddy, with your community—where you are closing off all escape routes by making yourself feel the pressure from all sides. (Carey starts to break down those levels at 16:19)
• How to create a “Champagne Moment” that literally has you popping open a bottle every week (metaphorically, but you can take that literally too!).

Download this week’s freebie for a step-by-step walkthrough of this process. (You can think about your own moment at 15:18).

You’ll also hear Carey and I talk about the five limiting mindsets (OK that’s just really a nice way to say “excuses”) people adopt to NOT get things done. Have you ever complained about not having enough time or having too much on your plate? Yeah, me too. It’s time to shut that down. Carey and I talk about the first two on the show. You can get all five (and the “Champagne Moment” exercise) by downloading this week’s freebie.

No more procrastinating—time to move forward.

And as if this isn’t enough, Carey grabbed her hubby, Demir, and filmed an extra special video for your eyes only on steps to beat decision fatigue.

The deep dive into all things Facebook Ads continues with part two of my mini training with Rick Mulready.

In part one we discussed the importance of mapping out a strategy before you jump into scheduling your ads, as well as knowing how to target your ideal customer and build custom audiences using the Audience Insights tool. (Missed Part 1? It was SO GOOD and you can listen here.)

We’re going a little deeper in today’s second part by telling you how to set up your ads using the Power Editor and how to assess your performance by focusing on a few key metrics.

PART TWO Getting to know the Power Editor. A Facebook ad consists of three elements— campaign, ad set and ad. The campaign is where you set the objective of the ad, such as page post engagement or website clicks. The ad set is where you select the targeting, budget and schedule for the ad. And the ad is where you have the image and text for your ad.

How to Create a Campaign:

Using metrics to evaluate ad performance. First, don’t look at anything related to how your ads are doing for 72 hours. Then, take a look at these numbers by going to the ads manager, clicking the performance dropdown menu and selecting customized columns to choose the stats you want to review.

These are the metrics to pay attention to:

Cost per lead (or conversion): In general, shoot for $9 and under on a lead. Sound high? You’ve got to be real about what’s happening with Facebook. It’s super competitive and that means it’s getting more expensive—yet it’s still the most cost-effective ad platform.

Landing page conversion rate: Your goal is at least 20% conversion. If you’re not there, look at the consistency between your ad and the landing page. Are you using the same text, color scheme and other graphical elements? Is the messaging consistent?

Click-through rate: If it’s less than 1%, that’s a sign that your ad is not resonating with your audience.

Relevance score: The closer you are to 10, the better. If it’s low, that means your ad isn’t relevant. The problem could be with your ad or with the audience you’re targeting.

Frequency score: If you’re at a 4 or higher, that means people are seeing your ad too many times and won’t look at it anymore. Try changing up the type of ad you’re showing.

If you’re happy with the metrics, start to scale. If not, use the data to figure out your next step. For example, if you’ve got a 2% click-through rate and a decent relevance score, but your cost per lead is high, that might mean something about your landing page isn’t consistent with your ad. Use the data to troubleshoot your campaign.

Remember: Become a student of Facebook ads! Research the strategy that works for you, and don’t be afraid to dive in and take some risks for your list-building efforts. Now is the time.