How did you get involved in resume writing?

In the mid-90’s I got a job as an Admin Assistant for a major recruiting company.  It was my job to read through dozens of resumes and choose the best ones to be give to the senior recruiters.  I also had to prepare resumes for Graduates who had gone through their traineeship program.  While I certainly wasn’t a resume expert when I first started there, I do remember being absolutely shocked at the poor quality of the majority of resumes that people sent in.

I’d say about 15% fell into the resume ‘horror’ stories category (search ‘bad resumes’ and you’ll see what I mean) and 75% fell into the ‘boring/irrelevant information/ nothing whatsoever that sells you to me’ category.  So the top 10% would really stand out.

Since deciding to start my own resume writing business, I did lots of research on business management etc and was surprised to find that there were actually quite a few books on starting your own resume business, as well as on how to write a resume.  Up until then I thought I had a completely unique idea!

These books were absolutely no help to me though.  It became clear that many of the ‘boring and irrelevant’ resumes that I had seen had either been copied from these books or had been done by a resume writer who had read these books, saw the dollar signs and thought they’d go into business.  Any serious resume writer will tell you that writing resumes is not always easy, and certainly not the ‘easy, money making, work from home opportunity’ that these books imply.  It’s a lot of hard work but the rewards are amazing.  There is no better feeling than hearing a client scream down the phone at me “I got the job!!!”

Why is it important that people have their resume edited?

I recently had a resume client who already had a great looking resume, that she had written herself, but complained it wasn’t working for her.  At first glance, it actually looked really good and I wasn’t sure why she wasn’t getting interviews.  The more I dug around, it actually read as well as it presented.  So what was the problem?

She had an extra digit in her phone number.

If you consider how many copies of her resume she had sent out over the last few months, I shudder to think how many opportunities she lost because the employer could not contact her.

If you have written your own resume and can’t afford to pay for someone to edit your resume, my best advice would be to read your resume out loud to yourself.  This is one of the best ways to pick up any mistakes.  Our eyes can get tired and it’s easy to let a mistake slip by.  Reading out loud makes us sit up and pay attention to what we are doing.

You have listed your phone number on your twitter background. Do you get many inquiries this way?

‘Tweeps’ who contact me to help me with their resumes generally will check out my website first and either e-mail or call my mobile number once they have landed on my web page, rather than my twitter background.

Still, I think it’s important though to list your phone number if you are an internet-based, service business.  While most clients are happy with email contact only, I have quite a few who still like to hear a voice on the phone.  Personally, I’m of the belief that any legit business should list a phone number on their website.

You regularly offer promotions on twitter. Is this an effective way of getting extra business?

Yes and no.  It really depends on what the promotion is, and how I promote it.  However, I have found two things to be true when advertising your product or service, and if I consider Twitter a strong part of that, then the same applies when doing Twitter promotions.

Building strong relationships on Twitter is essential.  I’d say that the majority of my Twitter clients have come through someone re-tweeting a message.  An example of this is that people did like my ‘Half and Half Resume Package’ promotion and I got more re-tweets on this than anything else I’ve ever done.

I also found with Twitter that cross-promotions work well too.  I recently did a promotion with @CustomTees, whereby if you purchased my service, you got a free Twitter t-shirt from him.  While we didn’t get many sales from this particular promotion, it got me a lot of re-tweets and introduced me to new people who have gone on to refer my service, even after the promotion ended, and hopefully did the same for him.

Your half and half resume package is a brilliant idea. Have many people taken you up on this?

Thanks!  Funnily enough, the first week I introduced the ‘Half and Half’ package, I made quite a few sales when offering the ‘Early Bird Discount’.  However, since the package has been fully launched, I’ve actually had no further requests and instead have had an increase of sales of my Full Priced Writing Service!

I think that it did get a lot of re-tweets though because it is a genuine offer to save some money and still get the same results.  It did take me a while to set it all up but I’m really pleased with it and the first round of response has been fantastic and an option I will happily continue to provide.

Why do you believe Aussies should say NO to centrelink? (feel free not to answer this one )

Oooh, this is going to be a hard one to try and keep my answer short!  (For U.S. readers, ‘Centrelink’ is the government agency that provides Australia’s unemployment benefits).  While the image on my page is a little bit cheeky, it is still something I’m very passionate about.

Let me say straight up though, that I am aware that a lot of people do rely on Centrelink and I think that as an emergency back up it can be essential.  In this case I’m also not referring to single parents, the elderly or those on a disability pension.  I am referring to those who are able to work, regardless of whether they are currently working or not.

If you are working and are unsure of your job security in this time, or have recently been laid off, I would encourage you to do everything that you can, no matter what it takes, to stay as far away from Centrelink as possible.  It is a soul sucking experience that you can definitely do without.  Statistics show that men, who are on unemployment benefits for a long period of time, often end up on disability pension.  Yes, it can shatter your confidence that much and confidence is KEY to being employable.

Many people are finding they need to consider a change career, as certain industries are really starting to suffer.  I certainly don’t take this lightly and can understand the emotional distress that it can cause.  I also think that the advice “don’t be a job snob and just take anything” is the right attitude towards someone in this situation either.  Taking some time out to consider options, in other industries that you might enjoy, as much as you did your previous one, isn’t an impossible task.

If you are in a situation where you are currently working, but know that your particular industry is extremely competitive, in this financial environment, and you are unsure of your job security, now might be a good time to start looking into this, while you have a little bit of money to invest.

What role has your blog had in attracting clients?

Having a blog means you can regularly have fresh information added to your website and keep a reader returning.  I think it’s important to do this because not every client is going to purchase on the first read.  New content will keep them returning.

I do spend quite a bit of money on Adwords and this is where I get the majority of my work from.  While I don’t know that my blog keeps those particular clients returning (it probably would if I was more organised with my email marketing) but it does keep visitors on my site for longer, which definitely has its benefits.  My old website was a traditional web page and visitors used to leave pretty quickly, even though I had a blog.  I changed my ‘landing page’ to my blog as an experiment and found it worked better because visitors would stay longer.  This is why my blog is currently my website in its entirety.

Do you have any special tips on attracting clients through twitter?

Be yourself, have fun but make sure that your online personality does match the type of work you do.  It does amaze me that I have just over 1000 followers (although many would consider that number tiny) because up until recently, I rarely started following people, unless they followed me first, but I’m getting better at doing that now.

At first, I was shy and thought people would think it was strange I was following them.  Now I realise Twitter really is about building relationships and I have a better understanding of how it can help a small business attract customers, I’m not worried about jumping in and joining the conversation.

I do need to give a special thanks though to @RebeccaLange as someone who helped change my attitude towards this.  I noticed often writes something like “Thanks @KirstyWrites for introducing me to @Whoever I’m now following on your introduction” or similar.  I love this style because it gives me a reason to know why someone is following me.  It is cross promotion at its best and takes the ‘follow’ to a much friendlier place.

Was it expensive setting up your website?

Not at all!  Firstly because I’m using a free template from WordPress and I’m lucky enough to have a brother who codes for beer

I would encourage anyone who really wants to start a website to go for it, no matter how small their funds are.  I read an article recently by @SavvyAuntie saying one of the earlier mistakes she made was taking too long to get her website up because she wanted it to be ‘perfect’ and I can relate to this.  Owning a web based business is like any other business.  It is hard work and you are always learning and evolving.  My advice is jump on in, learn what can, be willing to be flexible, listen to the advice of those you admire and go for it!

There are so many options available today for free programs like WordPress and even Blogger that anyone can have a website.  Worst case scenario, remember my brother is happy to code for beer!

1. You have started a personal blog on Posterous. What was the motivation behind this change?

Um… because I wanted a personal blog. When Darren Rowse started his, it got me thinking that maybe some of my readers might be interested in what I might share about topics other than blogging and internet business marketing. But I didn’t want to spend any real time or effort on it. I wanted it to be something simple and easy to use. Posterous is effortless to use. It’s a phenomenal service. I’ve written about separating from my wife, posted videos of upcoming movies I want to see, and some quasi-philosophical bullshit ramblings on life.

2. You have released a couple of information products targeting bloggers. Do you have any other products in the pipeline?

Yes, but I can’t tell you what they are. You’ll just have to wait.

3. You review a number of products on your blog. Do you have any tips for bloggers who want their products reviewed?

I’m too busy making my own products to review others very much, although I’ve tried to do one or two a month. There are far too many opportunities to keep up with, it seems. So if a you want to get your own information product reviewed, you should find potential reviewers whose blog and audience is similar or the same as your own. If you already have a relationship with the blogger, so much the better, but an email out of the blue can work. Tell the potential reviewer why you think it will benefit them to review your information product. In most cases, offering to send the reviewer a free copy of the product will sweeten the deal.

4. You offer consulting via phone and I must say, you are awesome at delivering complex information in an easy to understand manner. Do you have any tips for people offering phone consulting?

I think the biggest one is that you have to have a worthy offer that meets a need and is worth paying for. You have to do something that works well as phone consulting. Heart surgery, for example, would not be a good choice for phone consulting. You have to be able to make a solid case for yourself to prospects and clearly state your value and what you can accomplish for people.

You need to be articulate about your subject, and explain things so your clients understand you. What you say has to actually help your clients. You’re not just making small talk. You have to be able to read people over the phone by listening to their words and their tone of voice for cues to their needs. Sometimes you have to be firm with people. I told one client that what she needed to do was all the stuff I told her last time to do, which she still hadn’t done.

You have to have the right set-up. I use Skype with CallGraph software to record calls or I use FreeConference.com teleconferencing service, which also has call recording. Making recordings of the calls available to clients is a value-add to my service. Phone consulting doesn’t do much good if what is said is forgotten. I use simple PayPal buy buttons on my blog so clients can purchase consulting time in advance.

You need to understand what your expertise is worth and charge accordingly. The time and experience of an expert is valuable. If you’re running a business from which you expect to make your living, you need to charge enough to actually make a living.

You need to ask clients for testimonials and use them to allow others to sell for you. It takes a bit of confidence to do this, but without testimonials, how is anyone going to know you’re any good? Just because you have good blog and sound like an expert when you write a post doesn’t mean you have what it takes to help others get past their problems and improve their situation. That’s a totally different set of skills from whatever you’re an expert in.

5. You have recently quit your job. Will this affect the future for Remarkablogger?

I hope so, since the future of Remarkablogger is the reason why I quit my job! I have much more time to devote to activities that build my reputation, get clients, and get paid. You’re pretty hobbled when you can only work a few hours a night and on weekends.

6. You have said you are going to use the Headway theme. Will this improve SEO or usability?

Headway has excellent built-in SEO, and does things no other premium theme can do regarding SEO (plus all the things other themes do). Usability will be tremendous, because Headway has a layout editor built into it that essentially lets you design your blog visually. Headway completely slashes design times. You don’t have to any CSS or programming to do it. If you do have these skills, you can create custom CSS and other code.

If you want to watch demo videos of Headway, you can see them here: http://tinyurl.com/makeheadway .

7. You are very active on twitter. How has this affected your business?

What I do, and the effectiveness with which I do it, would not be possible without social media. Twitter just happens to be my service of choice, the one I like the best. The new friends, opportunities, clients, and sales which have come through Twitter have been amazing. If you’re going to kick ass, you need two legs. Blogging is one leg and social media is the other.

8. Finally, what tips would you have for new bloggers?

• Get off of Blogger or WordPress.com and get your own blog on your own domain. Everyone regrets not doing this sooner, so learn from that.
• Throw as much of your personality as you can into your writing.
• Give your audience stuff that will make them look good to their friends if they spread it around.
• Help others as much as you can and don’t expect anything back (it will come back to you anyways).
• Spend some time at my blog, Remarkablogger, and subscribe if you find my content helpful.

My thoughts:

1. I was really interested when Michael started his blog. I’d been friends with him on twitter for some time and was glad to get to know more about him. It was around this time that I started to think about hiring him for consulting. Its easier to trust once you see their personal side. Its easier to fork out large sums of money when you trust someone.
2. Many bloggers say this. Talking about products too soon can be detrimental to your brand. I’ve had others, including good friends, keep their work a secret. Personally though, I just ask so I can budget ahead.
3. These were fascinating tips. I’ve yet to launch a product and have bought most of the product I’ve reviewed. But getting a review copy definitely sweetens the deal.
4. These were fabulous tips and shows why Michael is so darn awesome.
5. This is something that really intrigued me. I’ve been unemployed due to severe anxiety and am now seeking job training as part of my recovery. I’m actually working towards turning my blogging and social media work into my full time job. This is made a lot easier by being able to commit large amounts of time to my projects each day.
6. I’ve checked out a lot of wordpress themes in my time – including several premium ones. Headway does seem to be awesome in how easy it is to customize. I can’t wait to see what Michael does with it.
7. I love this quote. Now I am even more inspired to explore the other ‘leg’ of social media.
8. His tips here are, as usual, create. I have many friends that are procrastinating on the first one, which is getting their site off blogger or wordpress.com . I struggled with self hosting for the first few months, but it is definitely a learning curve worth taking.

Regardless of where you were in your blogging career, Chris is someone you should get to know. He:

• has an incredibly useful blog at Chrisg.com
• Offers a range of rockin’ services including blog critiques and articles
• Runs the free forum, Authority blogger.
• Co-authored theReview of the Problogger Book with Darren Rowse
• Runs a paid Authority Blogger course.

The Interview!

1. Do you think guest posting is still as useful now with the advent of twitter?

Yes, even more so because with Twitter it is even easier to get guest posting gigs!

2. You offer blog critiques. Why should bloggers pay for a professional critique, and is there an ideal time?

If you have found yourself stuck or plateauing then a critique is the perfect solution because it is custom advice tailored to your exact requirements. That said, only bloggers who are wanting to earn money from their efforts should get a professional critique. If you are blogging for personal reasons or for fun, you can get a free critique on my forum.

3. You offered a free call with Darren to promote the his new workbook. How successful was this promotion?

Well to be honest I did the call to get more exposure and donations to my favorite charity, heh heh! From that point of view it did very well, but we sold a couple of ebooks too.

4. How can new bloggers get the attention of people, like yourself, who are really busy?

Twitter, blog comments, participate in the blogging forums, and write really good, original stuff. Look at Skellie, she was a member of my forum, wrote some killer flagship content, and ended up posting at Problogger.net. Now she has a following of her own. That is the model to get other bloggers to take notice of you – it’s all about putting out value over and over. Most bloggers think about what they want rather than what they offer

5. What was it like writing a book with someone who lives across the world?

Very cool. My previous books were written the same way though, so I kind of knew what to expect. I do particularly like working with Darren though. Hopefully we are going to get to meet later in the year. The main reason why it worked was we knew each other fairly well to begin with and trust each other. Also Darren is well organized, which definitely helps. I have had some projects not work out good, just because those ingredients were not there, so you can not take it as read that things will always be so rosy!

My thoughts

I’ve always thought that Chris was one of the nicest and enthusiastic bloggers. His comments were so true!

1. Twitter has definitely led to many guest post opportunities. I started my friendship with Darren Rowse through twitter, and was offered my first two Problogger guest posts there. I’ve found it works best when offering to help and when your really focusing on providing value.
2. I love that he mentioned how you should only pay for a critique if you plan on making money from your blog. That is truly ethical marketing. I plan to get a critique as soon as I earn income from blogging. They’ve helped so many good friends of mine.
3. I think thats truly admirable, and something I want to do when I blog. Please considering visiting Childrens Heart Surgery Fund.
4. I idolize Skellie, and was so glad Chris discussed her. I really agree with his statement. I’ve been focusing on helping others and offering value and I’m really surprised at the opportunities that have come as a result.
5. This was fascinating! I knew Chris had written other books and was very interested in what it was like working with someone else. This was really useful as I’m now starting to get joint venture offers.

Over to You

Did you learn anything from this interview? How has Chris helped you?

In this interview, Chris talks about some of his product releases. He has released 2 free ebooks, A Brief guide to World Domination and 279 Days to Overnight Success. He has also released four ebooks so far, including the Unconventional Guide to Working For Yourself and The Unconventional Guide to Art and Money.

You get your ebooks designed by Reese. How important is presentation when it comes to information products?

Presentation is very important because it gives new visitors an immediate impression of how serious you are. Of course, you have to have great content – the content is why people buy the product – but good presentation increases trust and shows that you have taken the project seriously.

You released your 279 Days report for free. It is such a valuable resource. Why did you decide not to charge?

I wanted to increase my influence and reach more people. Some of them may go on to buy a paid product from me, but lots of others don’t, and that’s OK. I’m flattered that it’s helped so many bloggers and creative types so far – getting emails from them is just as exciting as the emails that come from PayPal.

You purposely tell readers to avoid buying a product if they think it’s not for them. Do your readers appreciate this?

Yes, it increases trust and credibility, which are really far more important than any one sale. I’m really troubled by false scarcity and scare tactics in marketing.

Do you have plans to release further information products?

Yep! The next one is called the Unconventional Guide to the Social Web. It’s a partnership with Gwen Bell and launches on August 18. After that, more things are in the works.

You always respond to email. Will you continue to do this as your profile grows?

I certainly hope so, yes. In that practice I follow the model of Seth Godin. I figure if he can do it with a network much broader than mine, surely I can too.

Do you think there is an ideal stage for a blogger to release an information product?

The ideal stage is when you have an audience ready to pay for information that you can provide. What that looks like will be different for everyone, but it helps to have a decent base before releasing products. Alternatively, if you create a great product but don’t have much of an audience, you could also see about partnering with someone who has a bigger (but still related) audience to what you’ve developed.

He was lovely enough to talk about his recent ebook, 31 Days to Build a Better Blog.

What motivated you to release this product?

The motivation behind 31 Days to Build a Better Blog was simply that I saw a lot of bloggers struggling for motivation with their blogs. Many bloggers start out with big ideas but a few months in are struggling for ideas to write about or are depressed that no one is reading their blog.

31DBBB is simply a way to kick start your blog – it includes practical 31 daily tasks (although they can be spread out over a longer period) that are all designed with different aspects of growing a successful blog in mind.

>Do you have plans to release further products?

I’m pretty sure I’ll do another one at some point for ProBlogger but my next one (possibly two) will be on my photography site.

You said that bloggers should build their network before they need it. How did this help you?

Having a network established before you want to sell something means that when you’re ready to promote it you already have a network of people who are in relationship with you, who find you useful and helpful and who hopefully trust you enough to buy your product. I see many authors start blogs or jump on Twitter the week before their book launches – unfortunately they’re probably too late to really capitalize on it.

Do you have any tips for new bloggers trying to build a network?

The main thing I’d advise is to spend time working out what type of person you want to read your blog – who is your target audience? This might be answered demographically in some cases but should also include things like ‘what problems and needs do they have?’

If you know WHO you’re looking to attract to your blog you’re better positioned to find them.

Once you know that ask yourself – ‘where are these potential readers already gathering and networking online?’ I could be Twitter, facebook, a forum, another blog. Your task then is to go and become a part of these communities and add value to them.

Your free course was widely publicized. Why do you think people were willing to pay?

In chatting to many people who’ve bought 31DBBB (and there have been quite a few thousand now) the main reasons include:

1. having it all in the one document – the free course was on my blog which was great at the time but all scattered on different posts now.
2. the updates – I added content to each day, extra tips, more teaching etc
3. having their own copy – many people wanted to do the challenge over and over (some have done it 3 times already and are doing it each month) – having their own copy helped this.

You’ve launched a number of things recently. What was the motivation behind problogger deals?

The @ProBloggerDeals Twitter account was a flash of an idea that came to me one day that I started within a few minutes. It’s really just a place for me to promote products, deals, discounts and competitions that people have that are relevant to bloggers. I get pitched 3-4 times as many of these as I can use on ProBlogger so thought I’d add them all there. It’s pretty ‘salesy’ but I’m up front about it and people seem to have responded well. I just need to find a little more time to promote it.

Is Darren Rowse.com the natural evolution of living room?

It’s not intentionally that – but in reality I guess it’ll be similar, although probably a little less focused upon Spiritual issues than the LivingRoom blog.

I’ve hung out with you a couple of times at meetups. How much importance would you place on physical networking?

I think it can help a little but it’s not essential. I’ve started businesses and written books with people I’ve never met in person (I still am yet to meet Chris Garrett who I wrote the ProBlogger book with) so it’s very possible to build a successful business in a more virtual way.

I find the ‘face to face’ can solidify relationships a bit (probably more so for some people than others) but there are other ways to do this through using instant messaging, video etc

Plus he’s pretty darn cool

You may be relaunching Online Profits later this year. Is there anything you would do differently during the launch?

Yes there are many things I will be doing differently on this second launch. First of all I will allocate more time for the planning and execution of the launch. Consider that I am already working on it, and the launch date is planned for October.

As for where I will be spending that extra time, here are some examples:

• redesigning the homepage and internal sections
• producing promotional content
• working on the sales page
• improving the course itself

Has the success of Online Profits affected any of your other online
projects?

Yes. I realized that I wanted to build a business around the OnlineProfits.com brand, so I want to focus 100% of my attention and time on that. This means that I will have less time to manage my other projects. Currently I am working to restructure that, either selling the sites or getting people to manage them.

You have had a number of successful bloggers, like Skellie, freelance for your blogs. What tips would you have for aspiring freelance writers?

First of all have your own blog. A blog is the best marketing tool that a freelance writers could have. It will allow him to showcase his work, build a network of contacts and so on.

Secondly, try to make your name before making money. This means that you should write on as many places as possible, even without getting paid for it. For example, I discovered most of the freelancers that I hired in the past through their guest articles on high profile blogs. They weren’t getting paid for those, but it was helping to get their names on the market.

You released Killer Domains prior to creating Online Profits. Would you recommend that people forgo the ebook and focus on creating an online learning environment?

It depends on the topic in question and on the time and resources of the person. I believe ebooks still have their place, but they tend to work better on very narrow niches. For example, if you want to release some premium information about growing orchids, perhaps an ebook would be a better format than a membership site with a structured learning environment.

Moreover, membership sites take a lot of work, both to be created and maintained, so the person needs to figure wheter or not she wants to commit to that.

Do you think its important that bloggers learn about internet marketing?

Absolutely. A blog is just a type of website, so it allows people to easily publish content online. If you want to make your blog popular, and especially if you want to make it profitable, you need to understand the different facets of online marketing. These including search engine optimization, social media marketing, email marketing, pay per click, affiliate marketing and so on.

You receive a number of guest posts for Daily Blog Tips. Do you have any tips to make a guest post really stand out?

Here are some steps that you can use to make sure that your guest post will be accepted and that it will receive a good exposure.

1. Analyze the topics that are usually covered on the blog where you want to guest blog
2. Analyze the writing style of the author
3. Craft a post in one of these topics, trying to match the style of the author
4. Make sure your post will deliver value to his readers
5. Proofread it twice
6. Send it to the blog owner with your first email (i.e. don’t write an email only asking permission to send the post itself)
7. Once published, help to promote it (i.e., tweet it and what not)

Who is Leo?

• He is the creator and blogger at Zen Habits, a Top 100 blog with 80,000 subscribers
• He has written 3 ebooks: Zen To Done, Handbook for Life and The Essential Motivation Handbook
• He has written the bestseller, The Power Of Less.

You have been really focused on simplifying your Zen Habits theme. How will this impact on your long term income?

I really have no idea how my income will fare over the long term — like most of my life, this is an experiment to see how simple I can make things and to see what the results will be.

Simplifying the Zen Habits design has long been a desire of mine, just because I have very minimalist tastes. An uncluttered site with lots of space has always appealed to me — it’s just more pleasing to read. And I hoped that it would provide a better experience for the reader — more focus on the content, less clutter, less focus on ads. So I’ve reduced my ads to just one exclusive ad, and I hope that’s better for my readers.

Has writing The Power Of Less changed how you approach blogging?

I’m not sure that it has, in terms of my philosophy. I still have basically the same writing style, I still write about simplicity and changing habits and improving your life, and I still try to provide useful content to my readers.

However, because the book has kept me busier — doing interviews and promoting the book in various ways — it has limited my time. And as I write about in the book, when you have limits, you are forced to choose. So I think my blogging has actually become better because I’ve learned to focus my content into even fewer but more powerful posts. At least, that’s my hope.

You’ve started offering consulting. Why do you only take on one client a month, and why do you charge such a reasonable rate?

I offer consulting to make up for the loss in ads, as I only sell one ad per month now (for the reasons I talked about earlier). But I knew that consulting could easily take up all my time, and that’s not the life I want — I’d rather focus on writing. So I decided to keep it simple and just take one client a month. The focus on just one client also allows me to put more of my attention on that one person.

The rate I’m charging is just an introductory rate, to feel out the market. I’ll probably raise it, especially now that you’ve told me the rate is so reasonable. I hate being reasonable!

You have uncopyrighted your content. Do you think that new bloggers should also do this?

Sure! I think there is all upside and no downside for new bloggers to uncopyright their content. First, they’re giving back to the blogging community by allowing others to share and repurpose their content — and if you think your blog is an island, you’re mistaken. We’re all in this together — we share, we learn from each other, we link to each other, we help each other, and this is a great thing. A beautiful thing.

Second, it really helps spread your brand — if the content is good. If the content sucks, people won’t want to re-use it, but if it’s good, it will be used everywhere, and whenever that happens, it’s a marketing dream — new readers are reading your content and (you hope) seeing your brand with a link back, and they’re being exposed to all of this … without you having to pay someone for advertising! That’s a win for everyone.

Last: what’s the downside? Seriously — there isn’t one. Sure, someone might make a little money off your writing, and all you get is a link or some credit or possibly nothing (though that rarely happens in my experience) … but how exactly does that hurt you? Someone else making money from your writing does not mean you make less money. Someone, for example, is selling my Zen To Done ebook on Amazon as a print book, and I’m not making even a tiny bit on those sales. It sells fairly well, actually. But amazingly, that doesn’t take away from my ebook sales! In fact, I think it helps me overall because now more people have read my work, see my name, and go to my site looking for more. I think it increases my subscriber numbers and sales of my print book and other ebooks.

Guest posting was a really strong element in building your brand. Is it still just as relevant in the crowded blogosphere?

Yes, just as important now as ever. The blogosphere, btw, was already crowded when I started in 2007 — there were thousands of other blogs in my niche, and some well-established brands such as Lifehacker, 43 Folders, Lifehack.org, Dumb Little Man, Web Worker Daily and others. However, I didn’t try to replicate what they were doing, and I used the power of useful content on my site and in guest posts, and it attracted readers who were looking for what I was giving away.

Today, I am nearly as successful as most of those well-established sites that were around when I started (with the exception of Lifehacker, who I’ll never compete with and have never hoped to compete with). The blogosphere is no different today than it was two years ago — good content still shines through.

He is also speaking at Marketing Now in September for you fellow Australians.

You speak at a lot of conferences that have a high ticket price. Do you recommend people new to blogging or small business attend these conferences?

Do you find it hard to manage so many relationships, and demands on your time, as your profile grows?

Initially, I was too intimidated by your success to talk to you. Do you have any tips for people trying to contact with well known bloggers?

You advocate that people give first before asking from others. Is there anything that people can share online that will make them stand out?

Finally, do you think you’ll ever stop using social media.