Entreproducer

Got a Question for Entreproducer? Ask it Right Here.

Brian Clark — Fri, 03 May 2013 06:10:08 +0000

UPDATE: Thanks for your great questions everyone! Looks like there are at least a few episode’s worth here, so we’re organizing them into basic categories right now. We’ll publish the first one soon …

If you haven’t already heard, we’ve been working on something big over at Copyblogger for the last few months.

We’ll get back to our normal schedule over here shortly, but I’ve been wanting to do a Q&A episode of the Entreproducer podcast for a while. So, let’s get to it …

In the comments below, leave your startup, audience building, hyperlocal, entrepreneurial, content, native advertising, and/or general business-type questions, and Robert and I will pick a handful of them to answer on the podcast sometime next week.

NOTE: If you place your full name in the comment, we’ll assume you won’t have a problem with us using your name on the podcast.

Until then, abide …

A Hyperlocal Revenue Model That’s Perfect for Online Content Marketers

Brian Clark — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 17:16:39 +0000

Everyone seems to be struggling making money with hyperlocal websites. Patch is still desperately hoping to hit profitability, and NBC News has shut down it’s hyperlocal site EveryBlock.

We’ve previously explored the real estate brokerage model for hyperlocal websites here at Entreproducer. The ideas in that article evolved into our very first AgentPress live training event, which by all accounts was a smashing success.

We also talked about native advertising as a natural fit for local sites. Are there are models that work where traditional online advertising has failed?

Yes, and Mike Orren has found one. Mike is a hyperlocal veteran who knows first-hand the struggles that come with making local journalism profitable.

Content marketers take note — this local model is right up your alley. And we lay it all out for you.

In this 23-minute talk, Mike Orren and I discuss:

How Mike has thrived building alternative hyperlocal revenue streams
The coming (unlimited) demand for serious content producers
Why we’re waiting for the rise of the next David Ogilvy
Why Facebook just might work for local ad targeting
How Mike developed a powerful partnership with “old media”
What native advertising means for the future of hyperlocal websites

Click here to subscribe in iTunes.

Click here to download the mp3.

Or, listen on the player below …

The Show Notes:

*This week’s show is brought to by Synthesis, managed WordPress hosting for serious online entrepreneurs.

How a Self-Publisher Created a Lean and Profitable Startup … and a Brand New Career

Robert Bruce — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 19:53:55 +0000

A few short years ago Brett Kelly was busy living the good life of an experienced and talented programmer, when he stumbled across a new software service called Evernote.

He quickly became a passionate customer, as well as one the company’s most ardent unpaid evangelists.

What happened next — a truly inspirational story from the front lines of the digital revolution — changed his life, his bank account, and the direction of his professional goals …

In this 35-minute talk, Brett Kelly and I discuss:

Why he decided to write an ebook about Evernote
How he approached the writing process
The surprise call from a CEO that changed his life
The single factor that played a major role in his publishing success
His setup for selling his ebook online
A look into the actual number of his book sales, past and present
His long-game — and very effective — marketing method
What he’d do differently if he could start over today

Click here to subscribe to Entreproducer in iTunes.

Click here to download the mp3 of this episode.

Or, listen on the player below …

The Show Notes:

*This week’s show is brought to you by Premise, the complete sales and lead generation engine for WordPress publishers.

Eric Ries on Lean Startups and Content as a Catalyst for Success

Brian Clark — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 16:12:04 +0000

Eric Ries is on top of the startup world.

He’s the author of the influential book The Lean Startup, and the creator of the Lean Startup methodology. He’s an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Harvard Business School, and has parlayed his ideas into a successful conference series.

But it wasn’t always the case.

Would it surprise you to learn that Eric once considered himself a total failure at starting companies?
That he discovered lean principles by happy accident?
That he started blogging to share his ideas, but was afraid to reveal his identity?
That it took an audience to make him know that his ideas made sense?

In this 29-minute discussion, the incredibly candid Eric Ries and I talk about:

The origin of the lean startup principles
How blogging helped build him an empire
Why Eric blogged anonymously in the beginning
How repeated failure eventually worked in Eric’s favor
Why Silicon Valley hated blogging
The ugly truth of startup journalism
Eric’s uniquely practical ideas on book publishing
How to create a profitable “personal brand” enterprise

Click here to subscribe in iTunes.

Click here to download the mp3.

Or, listen on the player below …

The Show Notes:

*This week’s show is brought to by Synthesis WordPress hosting, managed WordPress hosting for serious online entrepreneurs.

The Lean Entrepreneur, the Power of Audience, and the Book as Startup

Brian Clark — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 00:39:09 +0000

When we first discussed the concept of the minimum viable audience, I led off with some foundational ideas from retired entrepreneur and author Steve Blank.

Mr. Blank was the primary mentor of Eric Ries, the author of The Lean Startup, a blog-turned-book containing a set of ideas and processes that have sparked a global movement among existing and aspiring entrepreneurs.

Mr. Ries was not the only one to be heavily influenced by Mr. Blank. So too was a gentleman by the name of Brant Cooper.

Brant teamed up with another gentleman named Patrick Vlaskovits, and they set out on a mission. They wanted to expand on the ideas of Steve Blank and Eric Ries, and take the concept of lean a giant step forward into mainstream entrepreneurial consciousness.

This week their new book — The Lean Entrepreneur — launched. If The Lean Startup was why lean is the way to go, The Lean Entrepreneur tackles the how through tons of valuable education and case studies (hey, there’s even one about Copyblogger Media and the minimum viable audience).

In this 24-minute discussion, Brant Cooper, Patrick Vlaskovits, and I talk about …

How The Lean Entrepreneur was born
Hacking the production and marketing of books
How Brant and Patrick are building a minimum viable audience
The myth of The Great Idea that Spreads Itself
The power of live content iteration
How to “move the needle” of your business
How to profit from real-time audience feedback

Click here to subscribe in iTunes.

Click here to download the mp3.

Or, listen on the player below …

The Show Notes:

*This week’s show is brought to by Synthesis WordPress hosting, managed WordPress hosting for serious online entrepreneurs.

The Resurgence and Rebranding of Affiliate Marketing

Brian Clark — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 01:17:43 +0000

So far this year, we’ve discussed the irony of the advertorial being rebranded as native advertising.

Now it seems that a huge segment of the online industry that had been previously vilified by “respectable” online “journalists” (use of quotation marks intentional and appropriate) is also finally being seen as another savior of online content.

Some are even trying to call it “commerce journalism.”

It’s actually called affiliate marketing. And it’s been around online at least since Amazon launched in the late 1990s, but never given proper credit as a “respectable” monetization avenue.

Until now.

In this 25-minute discussion, Robert Bruce and I discuss:

What is affiliate marketing?
The ancient origins of affiliate marketing
The Great Internet Marketing Conversion of 2013
Why affiliate marketing can make a great baseline revenue model
The difference between native advertising and affiliate marketing
The basics of affiliate disclosure
The simple Copyblogger business model

Click here to subscribe in iTunes.

Click here to download the mp3.

Or, listen on the player below …

The Show Notes:

*This week’s phone call is brought to by Synthesis Managed WordPress Hosting. Performance. Security. Expertise. Synthesis is WordPress hosting that means business.

Brad Feld on the Start Up Life, Blogging, and the Power of Community

Brian Clark — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 05:45:01 +0000

Brad Feld is one of the most respected venture capitalists on the planet. He got there by being true to who he is and what he believes.

Like many of us, Brad bootstrapped his first business, Feld Technologies. After selling that business, he didn’t rest on his laurels. He became an angel investor, and ramped up his “sleep at night money” into a whole different realm of wealth.

And yet, he’ll tell you a familiar story. Value, community, generosity.

In this 37-minute conversation, Brad and I discuss:

Who should (and shouldn’t) take venture capital
Why Brad was forced to moved to Boulder, CO
How a startup culture can transform any community
The perils and pleasures of the entrepreneurial life
Why Brad and the Foundry Group are dedicated bloggers
The difference between “Sleep at Night” and “F*ck You” money
Why traditional marketing makes Brad sick

Click here to subscribe in iTunes.

Click here to download the mp3.

Or, listen on the player below …

The Show Notes:

*This week’s phone call is brought to by AgentPress.com. Head over and sign up (free) to grab the recording of my webinar “A Step-By-Step Guide to Building a Local Website that Works.”

Native Advertising: What Does it Mean for Content Producers?

Brian Clark — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 04:04:52 +0000

We’re 22 days into 2013, and we’ve already got a new buzzword that’s burning up the Interwebs. It’s called native advertising, and it just may signal the cure for why online advertising models have sucked so far.

In this 25-minute audio conversation, Robert Bruce and I discuss:

What is native advertising?
Will it save newspapers and online journalism? Maybe.
The difference between content marketing, affiliate marketing, and native advertising.
What dead copywriters knew about the Internet (before the Internet existed).
How the legacy of Paul Harvey could fund the future of professional podcasting.
A type of website that the native advertising model works particularly well in.
An invite to learn how build those types of websites — step-by-step.

Click here to subscribe in iTunes.

Click here to download the mp3.

Or, listen on the player below …

The Show Notes:

*Make sure you head over to AgentPress.com and sign up for tomorrow’s free webinar “A Step-By-Step Guide to Building a Local Website that Works.”

Entreproducer is Back (Listen in)

Brian Clark — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 12:00:22 +0000

Last week, I ‘fessed up to the disappearing act we pulled with Entreproducer middle of last year. This week, we resume as promised.

So far, so good. We’re batting 100% for 2013 … woo hoo!

In this 19-minute audio chat, Robert and I discuss:

Three great excuses why Entreproducer fell silent for 6 months
What’s next for Entreproducer (and what’s in it for you)
Is it really worth your time to write a book?
The continuing critical importance of content marketing
A quick look at coming conversations with Brad Feld, Dave McClure, and more
The book that changed my professional life

Click here to subscribe in iTunes.

Click here to download the mp3.

Or, listen on the player below …

The Show Notes:

*This episode of Entreproducer is brought to you by our fine folks over at Synthesis Managed WordPress Hosting.

How a Simple Blog Became an Ecommerce Company

Brian Clark — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 22:48:06 +0000

Sheila Viers, proprietor of LiveWell360.com, stops by Entreproducer today to talk blogging, content creation, and how to finally figure out what to sell once you’ve built a minimum viable audience.

Sheila and her husband Ryan started a blog almost two years ago, and the business that it powers recently hit $100,000 in revenue in June of 2012. If you’re less than impressed by that number, keep in mind that it’s a bit more than Copyblogger made in its first full two years.

What will four more years bring Sheila and Ryan?

With 1,200 unique visitors currently coming to their site every day, Sheila and Ryan continue to lay the foundation (and make money along the way) for a business that revolves around their passion for health and living well.

In this 29-minute audio case study, you’ll learn:

How Sheila and Ryan developed their initial content strategy
The crucial importance of passion in content publishing
How they solved the “but I’m not a professional” content problem
How they finally figured out what to sell
How they balance content creation and physical product distribution
What Sheila would do if she could do it all over again

Click here to subscribe in iTunes.

Download the mp3 here or listen on the player below.