You can read the entire letter from JR on John Chow’s blog: Why I Just Sold All My Possessions And Killed My Facebook Account

In another interesting announcement, Michelle MacPhearson shared that she was “downgrading her life” in a blog post titled How To Have Freedom. She talks about possessions as responsibilities, and how we’re killing our own freedom.

I found both of their notes interesting – and inspiring. It really gave me pause for thought, and had me analyzing my own lifestyle choices & goals…

Possessions, Obligations, “Stuff” -and even Habits…

One of the things I learned from my Grandmother, a saying of hers that always stuck with me, is this: the more you have, the more you have to take care of. She spoke from personal experience of course, having much to manage. And while I admired her for that, particularly how well she did it, I took her advice to heart and chose to keep things simple in my own life.

I have a conservative home, drive a paid off car, prefer freedom (time) over money, created a career I love, live below my means, have learned to say “no” without guilt, don’t have or live on a budget, and am debt-free outside of my mortgage.

I’m proud of those things, and glad I’m not a slave to my lifestyle. Or at least to possessions and obligations. There is still plenty of room for improvement in other areas of my life. And those are the things that came to mind for me personally as I was reading the notes from John & Michelle.

The clutter in my mind, and in my life, that holds me back.

As you know from my last post, I’ve been making serious lifestyle changes. I quit smoking 4 weeks ago. I also quit a long-term addiction to diet soda, started eating (much) healthier, and am working out several times a week. All in the same month. These are things that have been on my “want to do” list for years.

Don’t ask me if I feel 100% better for it. I don’t. It’s been a crap month. Change is hard, and withdrawal is cruel. I am just now crossing out of pure torture and into bearable. It’s still really hard to talk about, even.

(Don’t ever let anyone tell you that change is easy.)

I would not put myself through this without a reason. These are the things that hold me back, that truly bother me, that take up space in my head – and keep me from being as happy and as productive as I know I can be. As I want to be.

Some people feel like a slave to their job. Or to their bills. Or to their schedule or routine. I was a slave to my habit. In a big way.

I feel encouraged to push harder than ever to achieve my personal goals. To become the woman I’ve always wanted to be. Physically, mentally, emotionally – and even spiritually. No more wishing, no more feeling like things are just outside my reach, no more doubting myself. If there’s anything I’ve learned from the last 4 weeks of turning my life & routine upside down… it’s that I can do anything.

It boils down to having control. Of yourself, your life, your direction. Being in control means you’re a slave to nothing, and to no one. It means you can do anything you please -anytime. It means there is nothing holding you back, or holding you down.

Control is freedom.

An interesting concept really. Seems like an oxymoron, doesn’t it? But… either you’re in control of it, or it’s in control of you.

Some things I’ve learned from the experience: There is never a perfect time. Just do it. Change doesn’t come easy, you have to force it. It’s going to get bad before it gets better (like the huge mess you make trying to clean out a closet -lol). You have the option of doing nothing at all… and getting stuck exactly where you are.

The Power of Less

John Reese mentioned a book in his letter that inspired him, a book by Leo Babauta titled The Power of Less.

Intrigued by John’s drastic lifestyle change, and the fact that Leo is married and father to six children, I decided to check out the book for myself.

I plugged the title in at Amazon.com, and ended up ordering a set of 4 books from him.

The 4 titles I ordered are:

• The Power of Less: The Fine Art of Limiting Yourself to the Essential…in Business and in Life
• The Simple Guide to a Minimalist Life
• Zen Habits: Handbook For Life
• Zen To Done: The Ultimate Simple Productivity System

I just got them in last week, so I haven’t had a chance to read any of them yet. The first and last title appeal to me most, but I chose all 4 books a) because Amazon offered a bundle offer, and b) because I thought I just might take a genuine interest in the concept. The back of The Power of Less really says it all:

I have no intentions of selling my home, and in fact am in the process of several major purchases to complete my ideal set-up. But I love the idea of eliminating the unnecessary and focusing on the things that truly matter to me.

I have plenty of “unnecessary” that is a total time-suck, taking up entirely too much space & time in my brain – and causing me personal stress. Both in my business and in my life. Time to let it go and get focused only on the things that matter…

Which begs the question: If you were forced to eliminate everything in your life except what could fit into a single backpack, what would be in yours? I’ve been giving that a lot of thought this week, and not only considering the material possessions – but also thoughts & priorities that should be sorted as well.

Oh- and before I close, I was just checking out Leo’s blog this morning and found a timely post (timely for me!) on the topic of change:

“Change can be a difficult thing. Most people want to change their lives, in some way, but find it difficult to either get started or to sustain the change for very long.” – The Elements of Change

Best,

p.s. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the letters from John & Michelle, the books if you’ve read them, or what your own challenges are at the moment. And I promise you, this will be the last “lifestyle essay” for awhile – we’ll be back to the usual marketing tips & podcasting series here shortly!

I returned a week ago Monday, in good condition even, but things went downhill from there. In fact, I’m not entirely sure where the last 10 days went at all. On my end, it felt like the last week or so crawled by at a snails pace, and disappeared into thin air at the speed of light, all at the same time.

Blame the vacation, the dog days of summer, the idea of being unplugged for that long (given it was my first true unplugging -ever!). Or maybe it’s just life… and the typical highs & lows for us manic entrepreneurs. Whatever the case, I took it a step further and iced that cake with pure insanity: I quit smoking.

Yes, I was a smoker. 2+ packs a day for more than 20 years.

I quit on June 28th at 4pm, less than 48 hours before I left on vacation. That may seem crazy, but it seemed like a really good idea to me. And it worked. I knew that getting out of my usual environment and routine would be a great help in kicking the habit, and it was. I’ve now been smoke-free for 18 straight days.

That looks real pretty on the screen there in black & white: “I’ve been smoke-free for 18 days”. The truth is, it’s been pure torture and has accounted for several complete meltdowns. They come and go, with mini-meltdowns and long phases of BLAH in between. I can’t sleep, I can hardly eat, and I feel like I’m in some kind of time warp. The other morning it took me 3 hours to get up and ready and out of the house – what normally takes just 45 minutes. I can’t figure it out – I did everything the same as I normally do. Time just feels strangely slow at the moment.

Lifestyle Design: Creating A Life You Love

Why in the world would I put myself through this?? (I’ve been asking myself that every hour -lol) While I have a great life, one many might envy even, I am always in a constant state of growth & improvement.

I’m happier than I’ve ever been -in the grand scheme of things of course, not necessarily in this particular moment (duh- at this exact moment in time I feel like banging my head against the wall!). But happier or not, I haven’t been 100% happy. In fact for most of 2009 I was fairly unhappy, and so I started this year with the intention of making serious changes.

It’s much easier to sit around and complain about how things are, or wish things were different, than it is to step out and make real change.

Last year I did a lot of complaining and wishing. But I’ve learned that the louder that conversation gets in your head, the closer you are to stepping out of your comfort zone and starting the process of real change.

Change is hard. You have to leave your comfort zone -which is a truly nice comfy place, even if things within it are not necessarily positive. (We often lie to ourselves about how things really are, and convince ourselves it’s actually fine. We don’t even question the lies in our head, we just believe them.)

I miss my comfort zone.

In the last 6 months I’ve been changing my diet, started exercising regularly again, have been seeking out a church and other social groups, doubled my income, am finally settling in and making home in my new house, started dating someone seriously after a decade of single life, adopted a Great Dane pup… and finally, quit smoking.

A LOT of uncomfortable change. But it was that last one that did me in.

My whole world feels completely shattered at the moment, much like my poor little iPad. I’m in the process of putting all the pieces of my life back together. This time, the way I want them. Healthy, happy – and balanced.

Balance. That’s a tough one. I think everyone struggles with it to some extent. In the process of quitting smoking, I’ve discovered that I’m obsessive to a fault. The reason I can’t just smoke socially, or do anything in moderation really. Also the reason for my success in business, I’m sure. So at the moment I’m putting some serious thought into this (obsessively I’m sure) to figure out a solution. A balance. Between meltdowns, of course. Detox is harsh.

So that’s where I am right now. Somewhere between two places, but definitely on the better side of the line. The fact that I published this blog post is proof – it only took me three days to write it… LOL.

Is it worth it? I’m sure it will be. Right now I feel like throwing myself off a bridge, but I’m holding strong and pushing hard to just get through this phase.

Habits and addictions are evil. -so is complacency.

Positive change doesn’t come easy. Whether it’s quitting smoking, losing weight, creating a successful business, changing your lifestyle, whatever – it’s hard work. You can’t get the highs without the lows, though. You either make the sacrifice, go all in… or stay happily unhappy.

Onward and upward…

Best,

p.s. Earlier today I ordered the Canon Vixia SF20 mentioned in my last blog post about podcasting. It should arrive on Tuesday (7/21). I figure that will give me something new & fun to focus on, and help me get back on track with the series

The main difference is that you’ll need a video camera & video editing software. There are also a few more marketing angles you can use to promote a video podcast.

Keep in mind that you can easily do both. A podcast doesn’t have to be one or other other, but can be a combination of media files. See What is a Podcast? for details.

There are a variety of ways to create a video podcast. You have your traditional “talking head” video where you record yourself talking or giving a demonstration. You can also create screencasts for things like software or web-based tutorials. There’s also side-by-side Skype video interviews. Lots of options!

In addition to the items on the checklist for creating a traditional audio podcast, you’ll need a video camera and video editing software.

How To Create A Video Podcast: Hardware

I have a couple of inexpensive hand-held HD quality video cameras, similar to the Flip Video, which work great for shooting video on the go. Very compact and portable, and super simple to use.

I prefer the RCA EZ300HD Small Wonder for it’s simplicity, but mainly for it’s flip-out screen – which is ideal for self-recording. With a Flip and most other handheld camera styles, which do not have a flip-out lens, you’ll have a hard time framing yourself correctly in the video if you’re on the other side of the camera.

I’m currently looking at upgrading to a higher quality camera to set up in my home office. Not necessarily pro-quality (or pro-price) but a good high quality mid-range HD video camera that also takes quality still pics.

While reviewing Jeff Walker’s free product launch formula blueprint, I noticed that he had a camera listed in the resources section – so I’m checking that out. It’s the Canon VIXIA HF S20 Dual Flash Memory Camcorder – 2010 MODEL and looks like it will fit my needs nicely for high quality video podcasts:

So the first step is a decent quality HD video camera to shoot your video podcasts. And yes, the Flip or similar will work. I’ve even seen people record video podcasts via iMovie on a Macbook Pro.

Tip: You want to record & publish your video podcast in HD format so make sure you have a camera that supports that.

Next is video editing…

How To Create A Video Podcast: Software

I use iMovie on the Mac for video editing, and Camtasia Studio on the PC. There is also an open source video editing software similar to Camtasia called CamStudio.

Anyone can shoot a video and upload it to YouTube, but for a video podcast I recommend you go the extra mile. Create a custom intro, use cool transitions, etc. I’m no video pro myself, but you can study the help files or tutorials for your video editing software. You’ll also find tons of tips & tricks on the web.

If you are not the creative type, you can get a video intro clip created fairly easy. Just post a job request at freelance sites, or ask around for recommendations. You can also purchase a stock video – or a video theme/template to customize yourself. Search Google for “video intro theme”, “video intro templates”, and “introduction video clips” as a start.

Once you create your first video podcast episode, you’ll want to upload it to the web and start building your subscriber base.

Just like with an audio podcast you’ll need a host that offers plenty of storage & bandwidth – at a low price. The ideal hosting solution is Amazon S3.

The PodPress WordPress Plugin, which I recommended for audio podcasts, also supports video podcasts. It will create an RSS Feed for your video podcast which you can then submit to iTunes. It will also allow you to embed your episodes into individual blog posts, which you can optimize for free search engine traffic.

In addition to these basic promotion strategies, with a video podcast you’ll have the added benefit of being able to submit your feed to video podcast directories.

Refer back to the checklist on How To Create A Podcast for links and additional resources for setting up your video podcast.

Have questions – or want to share additional tips & resources for how to create a video podcast? Leave us a comment below!

Best,

p.s. Subscribe for email notification below so you don’t miss a single post in this Podcasting series – which is also where I’ll send you the free report on how to create a podcast. That report won’t be available for free any other way so be sure you are subscribed now if you want to get a copy!

Fortunately it wasn’t nearly as technical or difficult as I originally thought it would be. I think you’ll be surprised at just how easy (and inexpensive) it is to get started.

The process of creating a podcast is fairly simple. You record it, share it, and promote it. I’ll break it down into a simple checklist for each of those 3 tasks…

Recording A Podcast

To record an audio podcast, you’ll need a microphone and a computer. You will also need audio recording & editing software. I use the Audacity software which is free, and both Mac and PC compatible. It’s super easy to use – in fact, it’s simplicity is it’s best feature in my opinion. No complex bells & whistles.

A high quality microphone is ideal for podcasting. I have been using the Plantronics Wireless USB Headset for interviews, webinars, guest appearances on podcasts, audio/video creation, etc – and I love it.

For my podcast, I decided to go to a higher quality mic and chose the Blue Yeti USB Microphone. You can listen to a sound quality comparison of the two at that link.

You’ll simply plug your mic into your computer, open Audacity, and start recording. You can also edit your audio in audacity, and easily add intro music or an intro clip.

For intro music do a search on Google for “royalty free audio” or “royalty free podcast music” as a start. I decided to have a custom intro (a “jingle”) created for my own podcast, for stronger personal branding.

You can hear my new podcast jingle here, as an example:

(created by @GeoffSmith)

Also see: How to create a Video Podcast

How/Where To Upload Podcasts

In order to share your podcast with others, you have to upload it to the web. The most popular and least expensive option is Amazon S3. There is a Firefox Plugin that makes uploading your podcast episodes (media files) to S3 very easy.

Ryan Price demonstrates it in this video:

Sign up for Amazon S3 and get the S3 Firefox Plugin

I am starting with Amazon S3 myself, but ultimately plan to invest in a higher quality podcast host that allows easy insertion and removal of advertising across a series or set of podcasts. Ideal if you plan to monetize your podcast with sponsors or advertising. I’ll share details on that host & the features when I have it myself.

Promoting Your Podcast

Once you have created your media file and uploaded it to the web, you’ll want to share it with the world. The first step is creating an RSS Feed for your podcast.

The PodPress plugin for WordPress is a good solution, as it integrates your podcast with a WordPress blog – and generates an iTunes friendly RSS feed at the same time.

You can now submit your podcast to iTunes so that it can be found by searchers. You’ll also be able to properly optimize the blog posts for each episode, bringing in free search engine traffic.

Also set up a Facebook Page, a Twitter & YouTube account, and a Gmail account for your podcast. Anytime you set up a blog, website, podcast, etc you should set up all of the related social media accounts for personal branding. And of course, start interacting in those spaces.

One other thing you’ll need is Album Art. This is an image that represents your podcast in iTunes, and can also be used across your social media profiles. You want to create this in super high quality, 1280×720 so that it doesn’t look grainy on Apple TV and similar. You can easily outsource this task on freelance job boards if you’re not the creative type.

Now that you’ve generated an RSS Feed and WordPress blog for your podcast, be sure to submit it to both podcast and blog directories!

How To Create A Podcast – Master Checklist

Use this master checklist to get your podcast created, from start to finish:

• Get high-quality mic
• Create Album Art
• Download Audacity
• Record Your Podcast
• Insert intro clip or jingle, and exit clip
• Convert recording to MP3 format
• Sign up for Amazon S3
• Download the Firefox S3 Plugin
• Upload media file to S3
• Install PodPress Plugin on WordPress Blog
• Submit your Podcast to iTunes
• Submit your Podcast to directories

The podcast report mentioned below will contain detailed screenshots, resources and help with each of these steps

Once you have everything set up, continue recording & uploading on a regular schedule. Creating a publishing schedule will help you line up topics and stay on track – consistency is good.

You can tweet when you have a new episode available, and also involve your followers by letting them submit questions or suggest topics they’d love to hear. Your blog and social media profiles can do a lot to grow your listener base and make your podcast successful!

Best,

p.s. Subscribe for email notification below so you don’t miss a single post in this Podcasting series – which is also where I’ll send you the free report on how to create a podcast. That report won’t be available for free any other way so be sure you are subscribed now if you want to get a copy!

Today’s technology makes it easy to brainstorm and create content on the go.

Just look at Lynn’s gadget closet – she’s got a Droid, an iPad, MacBook, a handheld video camera… and certainly plenty more handy dandy tools.

This girl can write it, record it and even publish it from absolutely anywhere!

But the good news is, you don’t need to buy all the coolest tools and gadgets to create content on the go.

You probably have what it takes to put together several weeks of content in the next few days…even if you don’t take a step toward your computer. Personally, I have a busy life and my computer screen time is limited, so I work things in where I can…all the while keeping control of my life, my obligations and having fun too…

Of course, technology helps – so I’ll be talking about a few options, but even if you just pick and choose from what you already have readily available…you’re still golden. And who knows, this increased productivity might earn you enough to indulge in a little gadget you’ve had your eye on.

On the Go Activities:

• Idea Brainstorming: Even if you don’t feel like writing out complete articles, posts or emails…you can come up with ideas wherever you are. Set aside some time for brainstorming during a time where you aren’t productive (think waiting for the kids to come out of school, at the doctor’s office) and challenge yourself to come up with 10 topic ideas.

• Ideas on the Fly: Sometimes ideas strike us when we least expect it. If we something happen in a store or we just had a conversation with someone, we might be inspired with an idea. Then we get home – and we forget. Avoid this, by jotting your ideas down.

• Writing Content: Personally, I tend to be very inspired and focused when I am away from the computer, so I do quite a bit of writing on the go. Often I put together email messages, promotions, articles and blog posts when I’m out and about.

• Audio Recordings: Sometimes we can’t stop to write things down, but we can easily create a recording to share with our readers or have transcribed. It might be a recording of just ourselves or an in-person or telephone conversation that we turn into content.

• Videos: Take a video of yourself talking, demonstrating something you’re already doing or anything that would be of interest in your market.

• Photos: A picture is worth a thousand words. It’s easy to take a quick photo wherever you happen to be. Whether you’re sharing something personal from your own life, a scene or something else relevant to your market – there are many photo ops available if you’re ready for them.

Keep these in mind as you’re out and about next time and see what content you might create while you’re having your car serviced, are lounging by the lake or are waiting for your takeout dinner to be ready.

On the Go Tools:

Again, you don’t have to have all of these…but you probably have a few of them available to use, so get in the habit of keeping them handy.

• Paper & Pen: Ah…the good old classic. A notebook and pen are always with me, wherever I go. If you’re high-tech, you might invest in the Livescribe pen what can turn your written words into audio recordings and transcripts.

• Digital Notes or Smart Phone: A digital device that allows you to take notes makes it easy to later import to your computer and you don’t have to fuss with paper. It really depends on your preference or what is most convenient at the time.

• Digital Audio Recorder or Smart Phone: Carry some type of digital recorder with you and you’re ready to create content at a moment’s notice. Record your thoughts and publish them to your blog. If you’re meeting someone who is an expert in your market or a fan of your niche, record a quick interview and you’ve got content! If you’re talking on the phone, call into a teleconference service that will record your conversion. Try freeconference.com – you just dial a U.S. based long-distance number and pay a small fee for the recording.

• Camera or Smart Phone: Most of us carry a camera around with us at all times, right in our cell phones. The quality of phone cameras is ever-increasing and it makes it easy to load our photos to photo-sharing services and social media sites.

• Mini Video Recorder or Smart Phone: Video is becoming a staple on mobile phones as well, so even if you don’t have a Flip camera or other trendy device, you might just have a video recorder available to create content at anytime.

Hmmm…there seems to be a common theme. How many times did I say “Smart Phone”? It is an ingenious device for online business owners. Whether you already have one or don’t have one yet, let’s talk about…

Embracing the Smart Phone:

As I said earlier, you don’t have to have all the fancy gadgets to create content wherever you are. Even if you’ve just got a digital camera with a notepad and pen, you have plenty of possibilities. But if you’ve got a Smart Phone along for the ride…you have virtually limitless possibilities.

Some people shy away from any type of Smart Phone because they hesitate to be “too connected” or “chained to their business”. I guess it really depends on how you use the phone. There’s no need to load up all your business email addresses and check every stat at every given moment because yeah, that would just mean you’re working 24/7. However, there’s something to be said about being able to get away from the computer for the day or however long you’d like (or need to) and still work on building your business value.

Lynn has her Droid. Many have a Blackberry. I personally have an iPhone and there are countless other options. Many apps (or applications) are available across platforms or you can often find something similar available on different phones…but let me share some of the things I can do with my iPhone.

My iPhone (or insert your own device here) is a:

• Phone: Great for recording conversations, with permission of course. I can use Skype or regular old-fashioned dialing.

• Note pad: I use the default note-taking program, but there are many other sophisticated apps you can download to create and organize your notes.

• Camera – Still & Video: A quality camera that makes it super-easy to load pictures online. I even have apps to edit my photos for even more possibilities.

• Audio Recorder: This is a device I’ve recently embraced, thanks to Ed Dale. The recorder creates m4a audio files that I can easily load to my server.

• Social Media Device: Sharing content through Twitter and Facebook is a snap.

• WordPress Management System: The Wordpress app allows me to post, edit and manage comments on all my WordPress blogs.

• Feed Reader: Great for content inspiration, sharing and more.

• Dictionary, Thesaurus & Encyclopedia: All the knowledge I need is at my fingertips.

In short, we have so many opportunities available at our fingertips to create content. We don’t have to sit at our computers and say, “I am going to write X blog posts,” or today, “I will write X articles” and then sit there until we’re done. Before you know it, the day is done and we’ve sat there trying to force creativity. Live your life and allow inspiration to come to you…wherever you happen to be.

It’s a sunny day. Forget the computer. Grab a towel and head to the beach instead. You can create content anywhere you go.

About the Author: Alice Seba is the creator of Contentrix.com. With a focus on using content to create relationships, loyalty and results from writing, she loves helping online business owners get more bang out of their content. Click here for your free Profit with Content guide.

When I flew to Portland to spend the day with Paul Colligan to learn how to create a podcast, this was one of my top questions.

I was very direct about it. I asked Paul, “What is the point of podcasting? (He took it very well -LOL) I went on to ask, “Is it all vanity – wanting to broadcast your voice out to the world – or is there an actual business model with profit potential to podcasting?”

He assured me that there were plenty of broke podcasters out there, but also that there was indeed a model – and multiple ways to make money with a podcast…

Obviously, your revenue model begins with your business model and how you plan to incorporate podcasting into your business. In other words, you need an objective – not just starting a podcast for the sake of podcasting.

Podcasting can also be a profitable business model on it’s own. There are several ways you can monetize a podcast, whether it’s integrated into your current business model, or a stand-alone business.

Either way, you need a plan going in. A specific strategy. This is the #1 thing that I took away from my day of learning about podcasts. You need to identify your target market, what they want to hear, and what they should do next.

From that perspective, I found it very much like blogging- in a different format.

How To Make Money Doing A Podcast

Paul explained how to make money doing a podcast by giving me 18 specific strategies, and also taught me about Top of Funnel Strategies and Off Casting Actionizers. He then gave me a blank monetization map to brainstorm my overall monetization & marketing strategy.

For now I’ll condense it into 6 ways to make money with a podcast…

• Sponsorships & Paid Advertising
• Affiliate Sales
• Selling Your Own Products/Services
• Paid Podcast Model, or Premium Content Offer
• Repurposing Content for Physical Product Sales
• Related, Revenue Producing Website

Of course, Paul goes into great detail about these methods (and the others) in his podcasting course, which I believe will be available again in the near future. And the video from our live training session in Portland should be ready soon as well.

That’s where you’ll be able to watch my entire day with Paul Colligan as if you were sitting right there in the studio with us.

In the Podcasting Report that I promised you, I’ll go into detail on these 6 revenue-generating models. Including creative ideas and resources that will spark ideas for any podcast on any topic. You might be surprised at just how easy it is to monetize a podcast, and just how profitable it can really be. I know I was!

Next we’ll look at the software & hardware needed to create your own podcast, and the technical side of podcasting. Fortunately it wasn’t nearly as technical or difficult as I originally thought… *whew* lol

Best,

p.s. Subscribe for email notification below so you don’t miss a single post in this Podcasting series – which is also where I’ll send you the free report on how to create a podcast. That report won’t be available for free any other way so be sure you are subscribed now if you want to get a copy!

I’m one of the lucky few who is truly immune to “shiny object syndrome”. I rarely tune into anything, buy anything, or even read about anything that isn’t directly related to my current task list or goals. Weird, I know.

That being the case, I’d never studied the Product Launch Formula, and rarely participate in any of the major product launches in the Internet Marketing space.

But I am studying it now, and there are a couple of different reasons. I’d like to share those reasons with you, and also open the discussion on what we’re learning from Jeff and from the free material he’s putting out leading up to this big launch.

But I hesitate to and so I’ve really been holding back, which is unfair to us both…

The Backlash

There’s a major backlash in the Internet Marketing space right now regarding product launches. Rarely does a launch happen that I don’t see a fuss across Twitter, Facebook and the handful of discussion forums I read.

I get it. People are sick of product launches. They don’t like the price points, they are sick of all the emails leading up to the launch.

And the hype – oh the hype!
I do get it.

But the fact is, we get a choice in what information we consume. I have filters set up across the board myself, and so I only see the information I’ve specifically requested.

I can filter certain emails into their own folders, set up groups in TweetDeck for the tweets I want to focus on, I can multi-select and mass delete emails in a few short seconds, I can choose what I pay attention to – along with when and why.

So personally I have a hard time justifying a complaint when I subscribed to an email list (or several), followed certain people on Twitter, etc. It’s my *choice*, and I always have the option of changing that choice. I’m in control of what I consume. Nobody is force-feeding me content I don’t want.

That’s me, and that’s how I think.

But the backlash is strong, and I do hear the market. Loud and clear. So even when I have something relevant or interesting to share regarding a particular product or launch, I hesitate. I’m not blaming the market (or you), that’s just my personality.

Plus I have enough critics and negativity streaming my way to keep me cringing as it is. Just yesterday I had an email from one person calling me a “spammer” because I sent them a free report – through an email list they double confirmed they wanted to receive. And another blasting me for letting them know about a $10 report. TEN dollars.

I mean, subscribe or don’t. Read or don’t read. Buy or don’t buy. It’s their choice! Yet, people feel compelled to blast you with nasty remarks – often anonymously. I’ve even had the F-bomb dropped on me via email, for not responding within ONE hour. Seriously.

I fully expect to get some of the same for even so much as mentioning the name Jeff Walker, or the word “product launch”. But so be it. I’m finally studying it myself, and in my usual style I want to share what I’m learning.

Ironically, some of the people that get furious over the mere mention of it, and are absolutely sick of product launch talk, have read this far into my post already… which is beyond my scope of comprehension.

Why I’m Studying Product Launch Formula 3… Now

For starters, there’s the obvious fact that it works. Regardless of the backlash, people buy. The product launch formula works. The strategies involved are worth studying if you plan to promote or sell a product on the internet.

Period.

But the question is: why now?

A few months ago I spent the weekend with Kristen Arnold (right) in DC, friend of mine and Jeff Walker’s brilliant assistant. I also had the opportunity to sit down to dinner with Jeff and his brother Jon.

I have never met a nicer pair of brothers. Genuine,
that’s the word that comes to mind. We had a great conversation over dinner, and I walked away both impressed – and interested in studying their model further. So there’s some disclosure for you. We didn’t actually discuss the Product Launch Formula over dinner, but rather enjoyed a nice meal and discussed business and the industry in general.

Did meeting Jeff Walker in person change my perception of him? Sure it did! I can’t honestly say I had a perception at all prior to that…

But thinking he’s a cool guy, and investing the time into studying his material & methods, are two different monkeys. I place a very high value on my time, and as I mentioned earlier – I don’t buy, read or even tune in to anything that isn’t in line with my current objective. I recommend the same for anyone, of course.

So what am I saying here? Am I coming out with a product I want to give a proper, successful launch? I might be. Maybe. In the near enough future.

Open Discussion: The Product Launch Formula 3 Videos

It’s a well-known fact that I’m not a video person. I prefer to read, and I know a lot of you have said the same when we’ve had this conversation in the past.

But I’m studying the model throughout Jeff Walker’s pre-launch phase as much as the content itself. The videos, the format, the squeeze pages, the opt-in process. All of it. There is as much to learn from watching it unfold as there is to learn in the course.

And like it or not, no matter what our personal preferences, we know that these guys have done the ultimate in testing & tracking. They know what works, and they’re using it. So I’ve been watching every single element of this pre-launch phase, and recommend the same for anyone that is selling online.

I must admit, I had to force myself to sit down to the first video… but then I was glued to it!

In the first video, titled Product Launch Millionaires, Jeff addresses the product launch madness, and talks openly about the “big guru launches” in the Internet Marketing space.

He talks about the misconception that product launches are only for gurus, or only for the “make money online” market. The fact is, this formula has worked for thousands of people in a wide variety of niches – even by ‘unknowns’.

In the video, Jeff states that 95% of the success stories were in “weird little niches”. So this isn’t just for people in the IM space. It’s for anyone that wants to become a “guru” (or a Market Leader) in their niche.

Every niche has its gurus, experts and celebrities.

This is the video where he shares details about the easier type of product launch, that you rarely ever see or hear about. The kind that are simple to pull off and can generate six figures in sales in a week or so.

He also explains “the circle of awesome” and “the launch echo”.

Even if you subscribe to the “guru conspiracy theory”, in fact especially if you do, you’ll get a lot out of this first video. Jeff talks very openly about the syndication and coordination of launches…

That first video is just over 17 minutes, by the way.

In the second video, titled Product Launch Disasters, Jeff talks about things you want to avoid with your product launches. He even uses real life examples, and gives you launch names and details.

This is also the video where he discusses the most important launch ever, and the “Product Launch Parachute”. And of particular interest to most of us, he discusses: how a newbie started from scratch with no list, no product, and no partners.

The second video is also less than 20 minutes.

I got a lot out of watching both videos, and really look forward to the next in his series. If you’re interested at all in the IM space, or in becoming a market leader in your niche, you’ll definitely want to tune in.

So those are my thoughts on Jeff Walker, product launches & the backlash – and the Product Launch Formula 3 pre-launch content. I’d love to hear your thoughts as well – on any or all of these points.

Enough holding back on you already… let’s open this up for discussion!

Best,

p.s. You can access both videos, and the upcoming free content in this series, from this link: Product Launch Disasters. Once you confirm your request, you’ll get access to everything right there on one screen.

The links I’ve given you are my referral links, but the content we’re looking at now is completely free. If you click my link and then choose to purchase Product Launch Formula 3 when it’s released, I’ll earn a commission. That doesn’t affect your price, but it does support the growing ClickNewz team – so thank you!

I had always assumed it was just a trendy new buzz word for an MP3 or audio file. I was wrong. And I wasn’t alone in thinking that’s all it was. I discovered there’s a lot more to it than that actually, so I’ll share the details with you so we can both be up to speed…

The mode of delivery differentiates podcasting from other means of accessing media files over the Internet, such as direct download, or streamed webcasting. -source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcast

As you can see from the wikipedia definition, it’s not about the file format but rather the delivery method. Many people assumed (myself included) that you need an iPod to listen to or subscribe to podcasts. Not the case…

So a podcast is not just an audio file, and is not just for iPods. Which still leaves us asking: Okay, then what is a podcast?

A podcast is a media file – which can be audio, video, or even a PDF file.

A podcast has an RSS Feed, which means that subscribers can receive the media files in a variety of ways. They use a device (iPod, iPhone, etc) or an application (iTunes, feed reader, etc) to receive the files automatically. Meaning the subscription process is automated.

Similar to a magazine subscription which gets delivered to your door every month, versus going to the newsstand and buying a copy, a podcast is delivered to the subscriber automatically every time there is a new episode.

You don’t need to be online, or even in front of your computer, to listen to the latest podcast episode. You simply open your device or application and any new content from that host is already there for you.

To improve on the definition quoted above, this 4-part definition of a Podcast has also been proposed:

A podcast is a digital audio or video file that is episodic; downloadable; programme-driven, mainly with a host and/or theme; and convenient, usually via an automated feed with computer software. -source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcast

My big A-ha! moment

So I now know that a podcast isn’t just a fancy name for an MP3 file. Podcasting is actually a method of delivering content in a variety of formats. Since I already create audio, video and documents for my market… this is simply a means of delivering that content when and where they are.

Instead of hosting a webinar at a certain time on a certain day, people who want to listen in can listen anytime and anywhere. They may do it at 3am or 3pm, in front of their computer or while they’re out for a jog, they may listen all the way through or pause it and finish it later. It removes all the restrictions, and objections people may have for consuming your content!

And they don’t have to come to your website to receive the content. It comes straight to them on the device, or in the application they are already using every day.

The fact that you can offer a variety of content types (audio, video, document, etc) was a real eye-opener for me. I immediately saw huge potential for using a Podcast as a means of growing “a responsive list”. Generally we think of email marketing when we say that, but just imagine how you can increase your reach by offering a multi-media Podcast option instead of (or ideally, in addition to) email marketing!

Delivery Options

Since a Podcast has an RSS feed of it’s own, you can deliver your content (podcast) in a variety of ways. Enough ways to suit anyone and everyone that may be interested in your content:

• via iTunes & other podcast apps
• straight to mobile devices
• streaming/download online, in a blog post for example
• via Email using Aweber’s Blog Broadcast (with the RSS feed)
• in a FeedReader that supports media files

I decided that I’ll offer my Podcast through all of the above.

In an upcoming post we’ll explore the various ways you can subscribe to podcasts, or receive the content. Even if you don’t own an iPod!

But next we’ll talk about the “biz of podcasting”, or answer the question: What’s the point?? Now that we know what a podcast is, and what all we can do with it, we’ll dig in to the objective… Stay tuned!

Best,

p.s. You can subscribe for email updates below so you don’t miss a single post in this series – which is also where I’ll send the download link for the free report on how to create a podcast.

This is the same microphone that we used to record the latest IMTW podcast (episode #45) when we recorded it live in San Diego.

I have a Plantronics Wireless Headset that I currently use to host my webinars, do interviews, participate in the IMTW Podcast, etc – and I love it. It’s been an awesome headset. It’s great for web-based audio, but I really admired the Blue Yeti mic and asked Paul why I might want that over my Plantronics headset…

An obvious benefit is recording audio live with multiple people. In the IMTW episode, there were 5 of us sitting around a table, for example. And of course the Blue Yeti worked beautifully sitting between Paul and I during our recording session as well.

All I need is my Macbook Pro (or any laptop) and the Blue Yeti, and I can record a high quality interview or podcast live on the spot anywhere. A definite perk!

Paul explained the quality differences to me, something about digital vs analog, and also the hardware differences between something like the Blue Yeti and built-in or headset mics. I can’t remember it well enough to repeat it, but suffice it to say I was convinced to upgrade.

One of the things that convinced me, other than the option to record “on location” with other people in the recording, is the fact that I may want to take my audio off the web at some point – to CD or DVD quality production.

Plus, you gotta admit – the thing just looks good!

I left the Expert Studio that day, and ordered the Blue Yeti USB Microphone from Amazon as soon as I returned to my hotel room.

It arrived yesterday Amazon is fast!

I really expected it to be a high dollar gadget, but I discovered it was barely over 100 bucks. That really sealed the deal for me, as it seemed like a small but great investment into this new podcast that I fully intend to take to pro level.

I just unboxed the Blue Yeti this morning, and I was especially curious how it would perform compared to my Plantronics Wireless USB Headset. So I decided to record from both, and share those two recording with you here so you can check out the comparison as well.

Mic Comparison Audio File:

This one audio file starts with audio recorded from my Plantronics Wireless USB Headset, and leads into audio recorded from the Blue Yeti USB Microphone.

Results…

I turned up the volume and listened to the playback. The first thing I noticed is that the headset is catching my breath and creating an audible noise in the recording, while the Blue Yeti has a much smoother playback.

There’s definitely a difference in the audio quality. I’m sold!

I’m still very happy with my Plantronics Wireless Headset, especially for Skype conversations and other web uses where I can listen & talk without being attached to my desk. But for professional quality recording, the Blue Yeti is definitely IT

Best,

p.s. One of the things I love most about the Blue Yeti USB Microphone so far is that it comes with an extremely long USB cable. This gives you plenty of room to work, and… no limitations!

I only had one day in the studio with Paul, and walked in completely clueless on how to get started podcasting – or why I would even want to.

I know that may shock some of you, considering I’ve been a co-host on the IMTW Podcast for 45 episodes & well over a year now…

Surely I know something about the biz & tech of podcasting then, right? Wrong. All that really means is that I know how to use Skype. Every week the 4 of us meet online at a set time, Paul or Ed initiate a group call, and I simply join in on the conversation. What happened on their end before, during and after the recording – was always a mystery me. Until now.

Of course I understand that it’s a model, just like blogging or email marketing. It’s a means of communicating a specific message to a specific market, with a specific objective. I had just never figured out the tech behind creating and delivering a podcast, or the best ways to monetize it.

This is a good time to confess that I don’t subscribe to any podcasts. I have listened to them, and I do have an iTunes account (an empty one), but I hadn’t figured out that end of it yet either.

So that’s where I started (clueless!) when I flew to Portland to meet up with Paul Colligan. On my flight over, I jotted down 11 questions about how to create a podcast that I wanted to make sure got answered.

I got detailed answers to all 11 questions, and learned A LOT more!

In fact, I came home ready to start my new podcast.

There were video cameras running the entire time, along with audio and screen capture. Everything Paul and I did was documented and recorded. The editors are busily getting that ready for us to share – but in the meantime, I’ll share tips with you from my personal notes.

My Podcasting Questions:

• What is a Podcast?
• What is the point of Podcasting?
• How to make money doing a Podcast
• What software/hardware do I need to create a Podcast?
• How do I edit audio/media files?
• How do you add intro music to a Podcast?
• Do I need a “theme song”?
• How do I get my Podcast into iTunes?
• Are there Podcast stats? Where are they, and what should I track?
• Where are Podcasts actually hosted?
• How do I market my podcast, or get listeners?

We’ll start there, and you can also see the questions posted by others when I blogged from my mobile on the trip. Feel free to add yours as well.

I’ll be sharing answers to the questions in blog posts throughout the week, and compile it all neatly into a sweet little Free Report you can download as well.

Best,

p.s. I’ll update this post with links to each new post as soon as they’re published. You can subscribe for email updates below so you don’t miss out – which is also where I’ll send the download link for the free report on how to create a podcast:

But that’s not the case.

ANYone who is working online needs to be able to convert. Like a blogger who wants to build a strong personal brand, with an active readership and community. Yes, even if you are not directly selling anything to your readers…

Your conversion rate is something you always want to improve. From the opt-in conversion rate, to the conversion rate on a sales letter or affiliate promotion, higher conversions equal more profit. Period.

Getting people to take action – such as clicking a link in your tweet, subscribing to your list, or buying a product – is something you must master to make money online. So today I’m going to give you the 32 most powerful “conversion triggers” of all time. And I’m going to give it to you completely free, with no catch…

Download The 32 Most Powerful Conversion Triggers Of All Time

Before you dive in, let me back up and tell you how this brand new free resource came to life.

3 months ago I met a really cool and interesting marketer. We met at Yanik’s UG6 Seminar in Washington, DC and decided then and there that we would be working together. We weren’t sure on what exactly, just that we definitely would.

His name is Oliver Olsen and we simply hit it off. We spent hours brainstorming ideas and discussing our business models and long term goals. We have continued brainstorming via email & Skype since that weekend in DC, and my opinion has not changed. In fact, my gut feeling has been confirmed accurate – the man is brilliant.

This exclusive free report that teaches you how to increase your conversion rates, improve your influence with your target market, and shows you how to create loyalty and trust… is just the beginning of what you’ll be seeing from us.

You won’t find this report anywhere else online…

And we are giving it to you free!

I just read through the final draft myself, and I got a lot of creative ideas from each of the 32 “conversion triggers”. Everything from increasing the number of subscribers to my mailing lists, to (much) better ways to close a blog post (even when I’m not selling anything at all).

That was my biggest take-away from the report: the fact that conversion strategies are something I can use in more than just sales messages – they are something I can use to build or grow anything I am working on. Whether that be a podcast, a blog, a product, a following on Facebook or Twitter – you name it!

Converting visitors into buyers is the topic of a lot of questions I receive. A lot of people struggle with “asking for the sale”, or the best way to present a “call-to-action”.

Some worry that their marketing message will annoy readers. And done wrong, it often will. But done right, they will actually appreciate you and your offer.

There’s so much more I could say, but this report is free – and it’s a quick & easy read. So I’ll close now and let you get straight to it so you can read over it yourself.

Direct Download Link

After you read The 32 Most Powerful Conversion Triggers Of All Time leave a comment below and share your thoughts with us. I look forward to hearing your biggest take-away from the report.

Feel free to share this exclusive free report with your groups & friends!

Best,

p.s. Grab this free report now while you can, and then stay tuned – Oliver and I will be bringing you even more cool stuff in the near future!

Boom, boom, boom, one after another. Overwhelming, exciting, confusing, enticing!

The most noticeable coming from Andy Jenkins (Video Boss), Frank Kern (List Control), Jeff Johnson (Traffic Voodoo), Mike Koenigs (Main Street Marketing), John Reese (Outsource Force), Eben Pagan (Guru Blueprint) and now Product Launch Formula 3.0 from Jeff Walker which started pre-launch today…

The launches and the products they promote have many things in common. And that makes sense because the products are all about showing you how to make money with an online business. That much is clear!

Each one, as you can tell by the title has a central focus but all of them teach the bedrock of any online business on how to build a list, create the right kind of relationship with that list, how to produce quality content and products, as well as attracting affiliates and joint venture partners.

And that’s where it starts to get a bit muddy in terms of choosing which one of these to follow. Personally, I don’t think you can go too far wrong, especially if you are new to online business because all of these gurus are currently at the top of their game.

This week is the unveiling of Product Launch Formula 3.0, which is the upgrade from the last version at 2.3. “All new” is the catchword from Jeff and his people in Colorado.

And that’s a big deal and why I’m writing this review.

You see, the latest guru products are the children of Product Launch Formula, which was first released in 2005. You see it in the marketing – all of the gurus use Product Launch Formula to roll out their launch. So it seems to me, that if you want to be sure about getting your online marketing right, listen to Jeff.

The thing that was the biggest surprise for me was that PLF is not just about running launches. Jeff shows you how to create products from the ground up – products for which there is a hungry market. He also goes deep into the how-to of joint venturing which is certainly the quickest way to build a profitable and sustainable passive income for the long-term.

It’s no surprise that PLF 3.0 is coming out at the end of all the big launches. Jeff is being awfully graceful about it – if he were first in line, there wouldn’t be much reason to consider anything that came after.

The best for last, as they say.

So if you’re looking for the definitive how to blueprint on how to sell massively online straight from the guru’s guru himself, then you’ll definitely want to take a look at the free content Jeff puts out for PLF 3.0 this week.

The evidence is clear: there is just one Internet marketing product that you’ll find in every guru’s toolbox: Product Launch Formula.

My plan is to learn everything I need to know to set up a profitable, successful podcast in ONE day.

I expect to learn a lot. Of course I’ll be sharing that with you too. And you won’t even have to make a cross-country trip.

On my flight over, I’m reading a great new report. It’s free, and you’re going to love it! I’ll share the details with you as soon as I’m done with it…

Talk soon!

p.s. If you have a podcast, I’d love to hear your biggest challenges and/or your story. And if you’re interested in podcasting, what questions do you have about getting started?

Next: Learning How To Create A Podcast

(written & published on my Motorola Droid)

“Googling” things has become the default first step in our quest to find answers to any questions we have.

Because those questions include things like “where do I find this product?” and “who can help me fix this?” businesses have recognized that paid search is a great way to connect to potential customers.

Also, paid search allows businesses to easily monitor how effective their Internet marketing spend is.

Noting these advantages many businesses have created Adwords accounts, but due to some common mistakes, they may be unknowingly reducing the effectiveness of their online campaigns.

Here are 7 BIG Mistakes that should be addressed in order to maximize the return from your Adwords account…

1. Leaving the Content Network On

Content targeting, which is active by default, is what Google uses to match the keywords in your adgroups to thousands of publishers within the Google network, known as Adsense.

Instead of relying only on relevant queries in Google to return your ad, it places your ads on sites within the network that contain content it sees as relevant to your keywords.

For example, if you are a snack food company and are targeting “mixed nuts” in Adwords, Google may place your ad next to sites with recipes that require nuts and articles that explain the “health benefits of nuts” which are somewhat relevant, but it may also place your ad on sites with articles about “peanut allergies” which is not relevant at all.

Leaving this feature on is an easy way to spend a lot of money fast without reaching qualified customers. The simplest way to manage the content network is to turn it off.

If you choose to use content targeting it is very important that you create separate campaigns for just the content network so you can adjust the budget (discussed more below). You should also start out with a smaller budget and test the effectiveness before allocating more money to this method.

2. Not Implementing a Geo-targeting Strategy

If you do not create location-specific campaigns, then your ads will be served at the national level by default, and you may lose money from users who click your ads that live outside of your reach.

If you are a local plumbing company based in the Chicagoland area, it would make sense to allocate your budget to people searching for plumbers in that region instead of people all over the country. Needless to say, a Californian with a leaky faucet is not going to be the ideal customer for a Chicago plumbing company.

3. Not Tracking Conversions

The only way to determine if your paid search efforts are successful or not is if you are tracking conversions or the action you want the customer to take on your Web site. This may be obvious, but we see businesses make this mistake more often than one would think. Conversions can be anything from a purchase to a form submission, and you are not limited to tracking just one.

If you are a service company that does not sell anything online, then you want your ads to direct the user to a landing page with a form that they can submit with all of their information. If conversion tracking is setup properly, you will know exactly which keyword led to the form submission instead of just knowing how many total forms were submitted.

Knowing this information then allows you to go back to your campaigns and adjust budgets and bids according to which campaigns and keywords are bringing you the most conversions for the lowest cost.

NOTE: Before going onto Big Mistake #4, it might help to discuss how keywords, ad groups, and campaigns are organized within Adwords.

If you look at the tree structure below, you will see there are multiple keywords within each ad group, and multiple ad groups within each campaign. You can have as little as 1 or as many as 1000 ad groups within each campaign.

You want to group similar keywords together within ad groups to create targeted ads, and you want to group related ad groups within campaigns to allow for proper budget adjustment.

Looking at the example structure below: if you realize that a lot more of the people that are searching for “London homes” are converting compared to the other cities, then you can create a separate campaign for London in addition to the “UK Cities” campaign and add more budget to the London one.

4. Not Having Enough Campaigns

A very common mistake that we see is that all of the ad groups in the account are confined to just one or two campaigns. This is a problem because budget is adjusted at the campaign level. If everything is in one campaign and some ad groups are outperforming others, then there is no way to put more money towards the groups that are converting more without also funding the poorly performing ad groups.

If we see keywords that are performing well, we may even create a campaign just for the one keyword so we can garner the maximum amount of conversions possible from that word.

5. Not Having Enough Ad Groups

Organizing similar keywords into multiple ad groups gives you a better opportunity to have higher click through rates (CTRs) and quality scores.

The quality score is a rating from Google that ranges from 1 (not relevant) to 10 (highly relevant), and the main reason you want that score to be high is that it will enable you to bid lower for higher placements.

If your ad groups have too many keywords that are unrelated, then Google will not know which words it should base its relevancy rating upon and your CTR will most likely be lower leading to a low quality score. Generally if your quality scores are around 7 or higher you are in good shape.

6. Not Having Multiple Ads

It is best practice to have two or three ads per ad group to allow for A-B testing and optimization. If you only have one ad you are missing out on the opportunity to test different messaging, and to serve more relevant ads based on search queries.

For example: There is a sporting goods store and they have a 50% off sale on baseball bats, and are also offering free shipping on all of their products. If someone searches for “discount baseball bat” they know to serve a text ad that has copy about their “50% off discount on bats” whereas they may want to place a text ad with “free shipping on all bats” for the search query “baseball bats with free shipping.” If they find that one of the two ads is receiving more clicks and conversions, then they may want to modify the other ad to try and increase its effectiveness as well.

7. Using Only Broad Match Type for Keywords

When you are setting up the keywords in Adwords, you can choose between three different match types: broad, exact, and phrase. Google uses the match type to determine when to serve your ad.

Broad matches will give you the most placements because your ad will be served any time your key word(s) appear in a search query in any order. Exact match will serve your ads only when the query matches your keyword, and Phrase match looks for your keywords in the exact order they appear within search queries even if the queries have other words in them.

In most cases you can safely avoid the broad match type altogether, but it should never be the only match type you are using. If someone is searching for “red laces for shoes” and you have “red shoe” as your keyword using broad match type, you will serve an impression and potentially pay for a click if the unqualified user decides to browse your site at that point. It is very unlikely that the click from that user will lead to a sale.

If you do elect to use broad match type for some of your keywords, then you must use negative keywords (like “laces” going back to the example above) to prevent your ad from being served to unqualified users.

Addressing these seven big Adwords mistakes will enable you to
run an effective paid search campaign for your business.

It is important to remember that you must continually optimize your campaigns, ad groups, text ads, and keywords based on your return on ad spend (ROAS) and conversion goals.

About the Author
Jon Morris was recognized as one of Chicago’s top 30 entrepreneurs under 30 by the Chicago Sun-Times, and was the recipient of the Outstanding Academic Award for graduating first in his class at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Over the last 14 years Jon has become a thought leader in the Internet marketing industry, and is currently the CEO of Rise Interactive, a company he founded in 2004. Rise Interactive is a Chicago SEO and Internet Marketing company that is focused on finding innovative ways to keep its clients ahead of the competition.

Most people know I’m a bit video challenged. I definitely do my best work in plain text. I’m working that out though, and still actively testing equipment & mediums.

The live broadcast was inspired by Gary Vaynerchuk, and specifically his book – Crush It! which was the topic for the event. I did it as a test, on several levels, and walked away with some interesting results…

The Ustream Broadcast

The live broadcast on Ustream was a complete disaster, but not a total loss. The connection was terrible, causing a lot of stalling & buffering. We had close to 200 people join in live at one point, but many dropped off due to the poor quality.

We had around 150′ish stick it out. (you guys rock!)

As the host, it’s hard to tell how bad the stream is lagging. I caught on by watching the text chat, and realizing they were responding to things I said 10 minutes ago.

The text chat is really hard to watch, by the way, while you are simultaneously trying to frame a video and coordinate PIP screencasting. You really need a dual-monitor setup to do it properly. I have that, but I was on my Macbook Pro (with built-in web cam) for the broadcast…

I just went with the flow, tested things out, and had a little fun with it.
What else can you do, right?

The purpose of the broadcast was to do a live
book review of Crush It! to go along with my
written Crush It! review and 9-book giveaway.

The actual video review portion was about 6 minutes, give or take, where I shared some significant take-aways from the book.

I (mistakenly!) assumed that the recording would take place on my end. Instead, it seemed to be in time with what viewers were seeing – which meant it was synced to the good 5-minute or so lag. Ack!

The actual recording started way before the review, and ended just into the beginning of it. LOL – Lesson learned! When broadcasting live on Ustream, record the entire session – then edit the video later if you want to keep a certain segment. Another smart option would be to do a back-up recording with a video camera.

So the live event was painful to watch, and the end result is a recording of me making weird faces and then cutting you off right as the review starts. Nice, huh?

Thank You!

I really appreciate those of you that tuned in live, and even stuck it out with me to the end.

Thank you for the feedback, for laughing with me through it, for your patience, and for the tweets & comments. You guys truly do rock!

Those of you that stuck it out, by the way, are the only ones that will ever know what all I shared in that review…

The Objective

One of my goals is to always teach by example. So when I decided to write a review on Crush It!, it only made sense to use the methods that Gary teaches in the book.

I used Facebook, Twitter, blogging, a live video broadcast, a Poll and give-away, and even email. Normally I would just write a book review on my blog, and maybe share the link on Twitter & Facebook. But everybody does that, right? I wanted to go the extra mile using the things that I learned in the book.

If you were online between 6am and 1pm Eastern on Friday, you got to see this all happening live. So instead of just reading about how much I enjoyed Gary’s book, you got to see some of his best tips in action. There’s nothing like a visual example, except maybe a live visual example, right?

Of course, there was no real pitch involved. I did use my affiliate link in the review post, but that’s pennies in commission if any at all – because the main “call to action” was to win one of the 9 copies I was giving away for free!

My primary objective was to see whether I could engage people in more active participation, in various formats, and to see whether the ROI was worth it.

I took the opportunity to set up a Poll to go along with the give-away, so that I could really get a feel for where everyone is with their online business.

I’m currently in the process of setting up a new podcast, creating new reports & guides, and setting up my publishing calendar for the rest of the year – and I wanted to make sure I’m putting out exactly what my readers want & need most…

The Results

As I mentioned earlier, almost 200 people logged in to view the live video broadcast, and we had about 150 or so who actively participated.

So far, 239 people have completed the Poll and entered to win a copy of the book.

There were over 900 views to the blog post. This is maybe 2-300 more than usual for one of my posts.

I gained -zero- Twitter followers. There was no growth to my Social Media reach at all, even though several people re-tweeted my updates (thank you for that!).

Probably the most disappointing of the experiment, was the lack of social media interaction. I could definitely work on the ‘buzz’ aspect…

In the future I’ll plan to do more things, like: guest blogging, a live webinar or teleseminar with the author, give people incentive to spread the word, etc.

All said and done, it was a fun experiment and I learned a lot in the process. I have over $300 and more than 8 hours personally invested, so obviously there is not a monetary return with this particular event. And it’s hard to put a price on a good laugh, but I’d say we’re definitely in the black!

The one thing I have been incredibly impressed with, is the quality of responses to the Poll. Those responses are invaluable, and will go a long way towards helping me create awesome new content… and take my business in the right direction. That was easily worth 10x what I have invested here.

I hope you learned something from all of this. I know I did. I think there are a lot of great take-aways from this that we can all use going forward. I have to give props to Gary Vaynerchuk – the book is truly inspiring, and has me motivated and stepping way out of my comfort zone. Love it!

And no – I’m not giving up on video OR live video broadcasting yet…

Best,

p.s. You can still enter to win one of 9 copies of Crush It! by Gary Vaynerchuk. I’ll be mailing them out on Monday morning!

-Thanks again, you guys are awesome!

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