Hey Ludvig. Thanks for taking the time to write down all this advice. I am a college student in the situation you describe in the post, very impressive that you have found time to learn this on the side of your studies. I currently don't yet have a blog, I've been afraid/procrastinated starting it. I have some questions about doing that. Could I send you an email perhaps? I really like the hands-on advice, like the pitch to Kyle & Will. And as for that viral article you mentioned, I read it a few months back in Forbes and thought: "WTF? Why is this a big deal?" /Drilon
53 Comments (page 1)
Thanks so much for having me here at StarupBros. I'm a huge fan of the site, and it's helped me a lot over the past few months!
Great post, Ludvig. I really like your style. Bold and straight to the point. It is obvious that technology make us limitless. There is no limit if you work hard and you prove that with your 6-months boom. However, the only limit that cannot be broken by technology is time. I would like to ask you, how is your daily routine to get such a huge result?
Super helpful post, Ludvig! "The guys who aren’t succeeding – like those on novice blogger platforms – don’t see blogging or online entrepreneurship as a long-term process." ==> The key here is seeing blogging / online entrepreneurship as a long-term process. If people did, people wouldn't be doing so much of mutual like / comment exchanges. It can even harm your site at times. When I started my blog about 3 months ago, I decided to use LoA in the way you described in your recent blog post at Start Gaining Momentum. I knew I wanted to accomplish big things and actually get seen, so I naturally looked for ways to do that proactively, and the things I've learnt on getting what I want is actually just by observing the little things fast-growing bloggers are doing. And you're DEFINITELY one of them, Ludvig! A side note on Amy Morin. I don't have anything against her, but you're very right about her being a very "normal" blogger. I've seen her articles, and I was really wondering... Really struck the lottery on that one, haha. Totally sharing this! :)
Ludvig, This is a remarkable article! I think the article from Amy went viral, because she only listed don`ts. Most people are lazy. A list with don`ts is far more appealing than a list with exhausting things to do. It doesn`t take so much effort. At least it seems this way while reading.
Glad to have you Ludvig, keep killing it!
Hey Ludvig, thanks for this great post. This is pure value and to the point. As a blogger, who is just starting out and trying to manage this while working fulltime, this is very inspiring advice! And thanks to Sebastian for recommending this post. Tolga
That's an interesting point! I've found it more effective to remove from life than add. Warren Buffet's philosophy in investing was focused on avoiding dumb decisions... we can benefit in big ways from being slightly less stupid.
Hey Drilon! "I currently don’t yet have a blog, I’ve been afraid/procrastinated starting it." -- Haha. Don't I know that feeling... Send me an email at [redacted] I'd love to help out if possible. If I can't help you, I can probably put you in touch with someone who can. Thanks for reading!
Heck yeah, Ludvig! Couldn't ask for a better addition to the family :)
Yo Davide! You're definitely right about time being the limiting factor. I don't have enough time to do all the things I want to do. But I think the fact that I am constantly feeling "hungry" is great motivation. Even when I work at stuff all day and just fast throughout the day (as I am now), I still have more things to do! Here's my daily routine in a gist: -- Wake up early. Read & write a few hours. (I am most creative in the morning.) -- Go to work on something (school/blog/career related). -- Go to the gym. Eat my first and usually ONLY meal of the day at a buffet, so I eat a lot. That saves much time. -- Continue working/reading/writing. --Come home, do a quick powernap or meditation (max 30 min). -- Do blog related things. Answer emails, etc. --Read a book, meditate, go to sleep.
Great to hear, Jeremy. I'm glad it was helpful. "If people did, people wouldn’t be doing so much of mutual like / comment exchanges. It can even harm your site at times." -- Yeah. It's important to network, comment, etc... But it comes AFTER the process of learning and creating content. Thanks for sharing!
That's an interesting observation. I think you're right. And as you say, a lot of people are lazy. It boost their ego for a brief period of time to read stuff that they don't have to do. Then they can just sit and think "oh, I don't do any of this stuff!" and get that quick fix of good emotions, instead of focusing on what can be improved; and placing their energy on improving it.
Kyle, Speaking of Buffet (and Munger), I would recommend everyone interested in that to read the book "Seeking Wisdom", by Peter Bevelin. It's about many of the dumb (heuristic) decisions we are prone to make as humans.
I appreciate it, Tolga. That's exactly why I wrote the post. I was very frustrated when I first started, there were so many things to learn. Then when you look back you realize that most of it is unnecessary (I don't do any SEO at all for example). But those are things you can only know when you've gone through enough trial and error, without giving up. And indeed, thanks Sebastian for spreading the word!
The more afraid you are, the more you know you gotta do it, so get down to it man!! There are lots of friendly people in the blogosphere who are willing to help, so don't be afraid to shoot emails in any of their contact pages if you think you like what they're doing on their site. Good luck.
Daily routine? Haha! I have it in my written interview with him which should be published soon! :) I'm sure you'll like it.
Indeed! It's kind of ridiculously friendly industry...
The book Daily Routines is a collection of routines followed (or not followed) by some of the greatest creators in history. I read a couple most days, it's awesome! https://startupbros.com/dailyroutines
Big YES! That book is one of the densest collections of wisdom I've found.
Man, I swear some of our core ideas are very aligned. Like for example I feel exactly the same way about using a free service as compared to hosting on your own domain name, it just screams "This is not a serious endeavor for me. I'm not even willing to fork out 20 bucks for a more professional image." And I love how you took note of that post too. It seemed bland enough, and even missed the most important part about the ability to grow past one's current limitations, and yet it blew up. I studied it and was going to model a post after it, but I thought about the kind of people I want to attract to my blog, and they are unlikely to appreciate run of t I just checked and my most successful post on lifehack is a generic formulaic list post that I wrote about websites that make you healthier. At 9.9k shares it's my most successful post of all time, and it's easily one of the ones I was least happy with. I did try to fit some good advice in there, but man it's not 100% my cup of tea. I think it's important to appeal to the audience of the website first, and your own wishes later if you want to go viral on a specific website. I have written some helpful, comprehensive well researched articles for Lifehack that went basically nowhere, and it's probably because I didn't respect the formula of content that gets shared on Lifehack. But then again, in terms of traffic return for time investment, Lifehack has by far been the worst platform for me. Maybe my author bio isn't compelling enough.. but I feel like it's because people are more concerned with the articles and very little with the writers because there are so many of them. At pick the brain and other sites I've guest posted, I've seen a much higher traffic return from much fewer shares. If you're operating on the same platform, you can manufacture virality by emulating a tested formula. The one I chose was the "x websites that make you x" And spun it for health. And it worked, I didn't think it had, because I saw nothing in terms of traffic, but it did work. But it doesn't matter if it's not aligned with what you're trying to do with your own site. If the overlap between the audience your post reaches, and your target audience is too small then it's basically a waste of traffic. Which I have effectively proven with my own guest posting efforts so far, haha. Great post man. I really need to get back in the saddle.
Great post, Ludvig. This stuff is now must read/absorb/practice for anyone setting out in business. It's not just digital marketing. It is fundamental to business development and is how the internet is brilliant in enabling opportunities for small "Davids" to compete with Goliath. You are on an exciting journey, so enjoy it, and thanks for sharing your learnings.
One of biggest tragedies in making art (or anything I guess) is that what you want people to want is rarely what they want. Joseph Heller thought that Catch 22 was one of his lesser works... but it's the only one we know. The balancing act between core honesty and mass appeal is one of the most difficult things in the world.
I agree with what they're saying. Still waiting for that email, Drilon ;)
Jeremy, I look forward to having that interview published. It looks great. Kyle, I got that book and I've skimmed through it. It seems cool. Thanks for the tip!
Great comment, Ragnar ;) You are back in the saddle, I saw the marketing post you did a few days ago. Great thoughts in that one, I wasn't expecting you to be THAT well-read on the topic! Didn't know about your 9000+ shares post. That's cool, too bad about the conversion. I definitely agree with what you're saying about LifeHack. Here's why: 1. It's a site with a large readership, but incredibly low engagement. Your single post is not going to change the nature of the site. 2. Because of its nature, people instinctively throw all the content on the site into one big mental association, they don't distinguish between it as you or I would. They don't understand the creation process like you or I do. They only see the articles and think "Oh, another one of those..", and the fact that 90% of the content over there is very generic will make people instinctively think that way about your post BEFORE they even read about it. The battle is lost before it even begun.
Thank you, Hugh. I agree. Doing these things have truly changed my life in the last couple of months, and put me in touch with a ton of intelligent people I wouldn't know otherwise.
Thanks so much for the answer guys!! I really mean it. I have now emailed you Ludvig.
I love that. "What you want people to want is rarely what you want." I need to put that on a wall or something. I'm trying to find the golden spot, but so far I've found it easier to write content that gets shared for other websites. Maybe because there are clear precedents for what makes it and what doesn't. On my own blog I'm probably still a bit unclear on exactly where my core audience lies, and what they care about, so getting through is definitely a balancing act I have yet to master.
Great post Ludvig :) It gave me extra insights to move forward; especially the part about guest posting. I'lll build my list just after I've finished this comment. I'd add myself since I'm running my own website for almost a year now that: 1- Talk about the things you know/ passionate about or willing to learn about. Otherwise your content won't be of good quality and it'll fall into oblivion. 2- Plans, plans plans...have a solid vision of what you want to accomplish. There is no room for "oh maybe...and what if...should I". Planning is a call to action 3- Make it a habit. I know smart people who lack the proper commitment. Years have passed and nothing really moved. For instance my habit is to check the stats on a daily basis; and push a big article on a weekly basis. 4- You want to be a "pro", think like a pro, adopt the lifestyle of a pro and plan like a pro I'd say I'm with you on the schedule, I'm "busy" somewhere else, but keep my website as a priority. So this "business" is not an hindrance at all. By the way, the "wewe calculator" link doesn't work, but I cannot seem to find another version online.
Great additions, Raz. Are there specific triggers you consider when analyzing data daily?
Great post great headline. The part on writing more controversial posts is so true, but so hard. No one wants to ruin their rep by being a jerk, but like you said, if you want viral, its a good tactic. Rob
Hi Kyle, there are couple of things I check. Usually the line goes like this: • If the number of daily users is steady, then I start to check for this day what were the most viewed pages. I compare this days to the same one of the previous week, and try to see the difference; this is where patterns often emerge. In my niche, people hit the internet in the morning (before hitting the gym or simply working) and on Sunday. This is why now for my audience in France, I do my best to push something around 10 PST (07.00 in Europe), and I see it leads to more optin and more visitors. As for the Sunday, (my "biggest" day), this is why I push my "weekly articles" that I talked about. It's usually 3 to 4 times longer than a classical articles, it has pictures, explanations and is usually presented to people in a way I call "just do it"; here is a good example: http://goo.gl/DdYKyK where I teach them how to "cut" in bobyduilding. • When it increases all of a sudden, 90% of the times is because I've prepared it; started to participate online about a given topic, and usually when I come up later with an article, for 2 days, stats increase. It's something more touchy, because in the context of the discussion, many are too serious, and you must show yourself to be a figure of authority; otherwise you just missed the point :) Let me give you a practical example. 3 days ago, there was a polemic about plant-based proteins VS animal-based proteins, comment were fusing; so I just published a piece: http://goo.gl/2HK9Z8 These are my "mini buzz" where I'm juggling with long and interesting (boring) content and small piece of news that keep my website fresh (for instance latest discoveries about vitamin). But, I'm new to this. I think it works because in not even 3 months I've been able to do +300% on the number of daily pages. I have a hard time though to get the users to subscribe to the newsletter, so this is where I'm focusing lately :) Being a technical consultant is a advantage, because site performance, availability, etc... are things I'm expert in, so I can focus 200% of a quality content rather than trying to understand why my website is slow for instance.
Hey Raz, Good stuff. Regarding the "wewe calculator" you're right. It seems they've suddenly removed the website. Maybe it just became commercialized. That's a real pity! "I know smart people who lack the proper commitment" -- Yes. Me too. It's a real waste of talent...
Haha, thanks a lot Rob! I really like the image of the article as well. Good job on that one, Kyle ;) The headline part can be tricky (if you want to be controversial), because the benefit you're selling isn't corresponding to the copy, the reader will get angry. Newspapers always do this, and I HATE it. That's why I've stopped reading them.
Hi Ludvig, Well done for achieving such a great post on StartupBros. I really do love the way you're not afraid to "toot your own horn". But I guess credit, wheres credit due. So toot away! Your work backs up your word. Thanks for the great advice in regards to aiming for “mini-virality”. Also making it clear throughout this post that serious online blogging is no overnight solution. Think and act often! Thanks Naomi
Hi Dirlon, after I read your comment I thought I would send you two quotes that helped me when I was feeling like you. "In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure" Bill Cosby Don't fear success and don't fear failure. Failure shows your trying and learning at the same time. "The secret of getting ahead is getting started" Mark Twain You will never get where you want to be without taking that first step. Go for it. Do something today that puts you in the direction you want. I hope these help and good luck Naomi
Hey Naomi, Thanks! You're right about blogging not being an overnight solution, but when putting in some intelligent effort the progress is quicker than expected. Of course, there's many reasons to be blogging. Very few people have ambitions of becoming "full time pro bloggers". I would guess that most serious bloggers do it to promote themselvers, their products/companies, or network with people online.
Great post, Ludvig. I would like to add one more point — "Write epic posts, all the time". It is hard but with passion and practice we will get there. Blogging does take time and hard work but momentum is key. Once we get the ball rolling, it'll be extremely hard to back out of it.
Indeed! All Ludvig knows how to do is Epic it seems
Thanks for the extended answer! I love the ideas you've put down... and I even learned something about cutting :) Godspeed! There's money in that list
Ludvig, Loved this post. Putting it into action right bloody now. Come to Copenhagen again soon and we'll get our drinks on. Nicklas
I'd add since I've been trying a tool for a couple of months now: https://hootsuite.com is a must-have. Why? Here is why I think why • You gather all your social place in one dashboard. No need to log in there and that, copy/paste the posts; etc.... from the dashboard you can bulk-post on all your social boards. I have 2 Facebook pages and 2 G+ pages, and this tool saved me hours literally. • You can...schedule messages! Remember my concern about matching my readers timezone (Europe/US); now, I just prepare all my posts, and schedule the adequate time for posting. • You can create "groups" so I have a groupe "France" and a groups "US" - and it's damn easy to dispatch my messages now. • It doesn't just manage the "walls" it manages the private messages per page as well, so there no need to connect to check... •.... and it means, no need to procrastinate on Facebook for hours while you were suppose to check your FB page :) • You can add your private feeds too; like your twitter page. • Finally; it has routines, for instance, extracting a RSS feed and post it to the pages. I extract my Q&A platform questions and auto post them on Facebook. The free version supports up to 5 social medias, which is quite good.
Hey Raz! Thanks for sending this along. I believe Facebook punishes any posts made by third-party software... I think that IFTTT (https://ifttt.com/) gets around this but I'm not 100%. Just something to keep in mind. I do love me some hootsuite though!
Very, very depthful post, Ludvig! Most of this was common sense to me but it was a great reminder! Walt
Thanks for the great tips, aZr! I've used Hootsuite, but i never really loved it. I'm not that big on social media yet. I had to really FORCE myself to even use Twitter. The same is true for Facebook.
Glad you appreciated it, Walt! I learned a lot myself in writing the post. It was a good mental summary for my own sake.
Great post, Ludvig. I'm a total novice to blogging beyond hobbyist level, and I learned a lot from reading this. The other comments about why readers think the 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do post went viral were great. I wonder if another component is that the topic plays on a very common fear. I think that a lot (maybe most) people harbor some sort of fear around being weak. No one wants to be viewed that way. So perhaps it triggered a mass neurosis, where everyone had to check to be sure she wasn't talking about them. ;-) Thanks again for all of the great information. I look forward to reading more of your writing! Mani
Hey Mani, Thanks, that's great! Interesting take on it. It makes sense though. It's a catchy headline for sure.
Nice article! We just started an online clothing company and it's been a bit daunting driving traffic to the site. I feel most of the points you highlighted also apply to not just blogs but any online business so, I will try and put some into use.
Thanks Lyke! And best of luck to you with the business!
Nice article! We just started our blog and it’s been a bit daunting driving traffic to the site. I feel most of the tips on this article will be helpful and I'm happy to apply it on my blog too.
Absolutely massive article, so much good advice. Thanks for sharing.