30 Day Blogging Challenge: I Need Your Help
I'm participating in Jeanette Cates' June 2010 30-Day Blogging Challenge.
A 30 day challenge of anything is a really good idea. Even in 2008 I let people follow along in my "30 day video challenge" where I recorded one quick video every day for a month. After that, it was hard to stop creating videos.
If you write every day for 30 days, you'll get used to it and it will be hard to stop writing.
But I do have one roadblock. I still want social proof and comments. In an ideal world I'd like to get 100 comments a day for 30 days, but I'm going to be talking to my list about OTHER stuff aside from my daily blog posts.
My questions to you are:
1. How should I get 10+ comments per day this month without mailing my list?
2. Can I count on you to leave a quick comment on my blog every day for June (yes or no)? I need to decide how many comments to open up.
3. What would you like me to talk about on my blog this month?
Please leave me a comment below answering these three short questions...
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1. Use Twitter – but that might be against the rules? I haven’t seen the challenge (yet).
2. No, I might forget about it, and I don’t work Saturdays, so count me out at least some of the days.
3. How to use PHP to help you make money online (everything from creating easy to use affiliate links, wordpress plugins, etc.)
1. Already using Twitter but it doesn’t get me the traffic I want, even with thousands of followers.
2. Alright, I’ll count you in for the weekdays then.
3. WordPress plugins, got it.
Robert – I’ll put you on my “daily list” and I developed a really good group of people in Connie’s challenge in April-May. I’ve even got a couple of JV’s coming out of that group. So I’ll check out your blog daily. I’d appreciate your doing the same for me.
As far as what to blog about, I like really good techie tips because I’m such a newbie. Word Press programming continues to be a challenge for me. I have a lot of the strategies in place because of being Connie’s student, but some of the tactics are still kind of blurry for me. You’re an expert in areas where I am weak.
I’ve benefited tremendously from your TMOC product.
See you a lot this month!
Jeanne
Well to get people that committed… they’re going to have to be getting some serious value out of it. I know I wouldn’t just come and leave a comment for kicks every single day – even though you’re a great guy Robert 😉
So in my opinion, it probably boils down to lots and lots of value… you deliver a lot and people will come back automagically, without having to be notified or driven every day.
Not so much value, and not so much traffic. That’s my take on it at least.
Jeanne,
What about WordPress programming? Just tweaking or making plugins?
Hi!
Great idea!
1) I agree, twitter is your friend. Or facebook.
2) I’ll do what I can. Crazy schedule.
3) Anything on quality yet free lead generation would be great.
Brad,
1. Are you using Twitter and Facebook to get comments on your blog? I only ask because I see zero comments on your blog URL.
2. That’s all I ask.
3. You got it.
1. Mail to your list one time to let them know about the contest. Of course, that’s how I got here 😉 and then let the first post here do it’s job…I know you don’t like twitter or facebook, but maybe for 30 days it wouldn’t be a bad idea…just do a quick update tweet or something like that…I think you use tweetlater, right? use that
2. I will put it in my schedule to try and get here during the day to read and post.
3. What would I like to see you write about? Maybe go more indepth on the different methods you are using to generate income online? I agree with Brad too on his number 3, but how do you do it for your various sites?
I can’t promise to come and comment every day, unless you email me… and during the AM2 event, which is inside the 30 days… there is no way I can comment.
What you should blog about? Honestly, I have one big challenge: training my list to respond. But I have been struggling with that for months.
Sophie,
You’re in luck… I have a couple of emails already scheduled this month on that subject, about avoiding burnout and why your subscribers hate you. The first step for you personally is to stop building a list using adswaps and giveaways.
I’m surprised you’re doing this, but I agree about the getting used to doing something so it will be hard to stop (easy thereafter to do)
1. Yep, Titter & FB are the way to go without email
2. I’ll do what I can, but like the others, can’t promise a comment everyday
3. I love it when you give us the results/stats of different types of campaigns you’ve tried…those that challege what most of the “gurus” teach, as well as your own “try anything” tactics.
Hi Robert! I am really happy you are joining us for this 30 day challenge! I received more comments then ever just by being in the challenge last month where it was hosted by Connie Ragen Green.
If you leave comments for others they will leave comments for you. Also be sure to post your blog on Twitter with the #blog30 hash tag because I know a lot of us look there first when we have time to go in to make comments and support our fellow bloggers.
I will commit to leaving at least 5 comments a week on your blog.
I’d love for you to talk about your drive and your why for being so driven to success. I’d love to know what behaviors and qualities you believe really make you who you are. The strategies and tactics to how you move forward every day would be a huge cherry on top!
Great post, thank you!!
xox
Helen
Hi Robert,
1. Submit an article and videos to YouTube about your project and what the benefits might be for those that post, Twitter followers as perhaps not all of them are on your list, Facebook (create a group or event maybe for this specific purpose), offer an incentive for those that post every day, a kind of last man standing would be entered into a draw and then one wins a prize.
2. Unless there’s a prize I’m unlikely to come and comment everyday because I just have too many other things to do in life. I don’t have time to spend commenting on peoples’ blogs irrespective of how good they are, unless I have a specific purpose in mind.
3. You’re on Arman Morin’s coaching and mentoring programme… tell us more about his 90-minute video and his “new” strategy of building a list and THEN offering a product, rather than doing it the other way around. It makes great sense but would like more of the how, not the why.
1. FB and Twitter are the best bets.
I love the idea…after 30 days anything becomes a HABIT…good or bad. This can be a great one!
2. Can you remind us? Also, can you have commenters post their blogs on their comments so we can all get COMMENTS and BACKLINKS?
3. Traffic ideas…how to develop and maintain traffic levels. Also WordPress ideas.
http://AnnSchilling.com/blog
http://facebook.com/annschilling
Ann,
Thanks for the suggestion… I’ve got a post on traffic coming your way on June 22nd, make sure to mark your calendar.
I think, like Ms. Schilling said, FB is a great way to get people to comment every day.
I, for one, will try my darndest to comment every day in June – just because you asked so nicely.
And, I have learned a lot from you already, so…
Kevin,
My only concern about looking at the comments on your blog is they all appear to be bots… saying things like, “nice blog” “am I the first to comment here?” “if I had a buck for every time I visited your site” … those are all automated comment spammers trying to get linkbacks off your site.
If Facebook traffic only gets me bot comments, I don’t want it.
I’ll be honest. For me to visit someones blog every single day for 30 days has never happened! But, I’ll do this. I’ll accept your challenge under one condition. You visit mine every day this month. Deal? LOL
Robert,
I found out about the 30 Day Blog Challenge from you on Google Buzz so I’d definitely keep posting about it there.
And I agree with Ron Barret’s suggestion to let your list know about it once so they can get started in the beginning.
I have another idea though.
Maybe make a sublist of people who are interested in posting daily on the 30 Day Blog Challenge.
If you create that sublist I will join it and post every weekday.
Rodney
Hi Robert,
1. My first response upon reading your list of requests is “Isn’t there some way to automate reminders for your list?’ Getting a “prompt” or invite is the best way to get me do to anything, LOL. That said, you wanted ways without emailing your list, so. . . offer some kind of incentive. (You will write a certain number of quality comments on my blog? For a certain number of comments — per person — you will give a free pass to a paid webinar? I don’t know — something of real value that I can use?)
2. I will if you will 🙂 It’s gonna be a busy month! 30 days go by in a flash. Just saying.
3. Product launches (here I’m including membership sites as a product) that really succeed; what are the steps that get the great results, and why?
Thanks Robert!
Looking forward to reading your blog this month (as usual.)
Nancy
I can’t promise every day. I’m going off the grid for 12 or 14 of them, but I’ll come in when I can.
Why don’t you make it a 30 days of ways to come up with hot news stuf to post to your blog kind of thing? You’re a content genius. This is a great opportunity to share some of the magic, rivet folks to your challenge and launch your next best seller in one nice neat little package with a bow. 😉
Dane,
That’s better than nothing. I look forward to seeing you on here at least 15 times this month 🙂
Ooooh, sorry. I’ve done this kind of thing before. Too busy right now. Good luck, though.
Hey Robert,
1. Use Jeannett’s 30 Day Blog Challenge to connect with other’s who accepted challenge by leaving comments on their blogs. One of the purposes of this is to meet like minded people.
2. I will, but I’m very busy. Can you send a reminder to those who posted. That way you won’t have to use your lists.
3. Word press plugins we should use.
Thanks Connie
Thanks for the ideas George, I have a post coming this month about the top plugins to use to get comments, but not top comments period…
Hey, how about why our photo’s don’t show up sometimes. Using Gravatar.
Thanks guy
HI Robert, This is an excellent idea. 30 days will definitely form a habit–and what a good one. I agree with so many others that posting on FB and Twitter will keep people commenting. A fan page where you post the blog to your notes might be nice.
I will do my best to comment every day. I will also try to blog every day. I’d love to hear how it’s going. Also, anything about entrepreneurship would be wonderful. I believe entrepreneurs are going to save the world economy. You are on the cutting edge here. Bon chance!
Amy,
Here’s my problem with Facebook fan pages…
Armand Morin = 872 fans
Mike Filsaime = 304 fans
Frank Kern = 219 fans
Those three marketers have email lists in the hundreds of thousands and they can’t even get 1000 fans on Twitter? Plus, I’ve never ever clicked on promos sent thru Facebook, I just delete them.
George, if you use an email address to comment that doesn’t have a gravatar, the gravatar won’t show up. Pretty simple.
Hey Robert,
I just stumbled upon your blog and read your about page. As for your questions I’d first ask what are you hoping to gain by doing the challenge?
1. How many RSS subscribers do you have?
2. To what end? I would comment on blog posts where I would ask a clarifying question or have something to add to the conversation. But I don’t comment just to comment.
3. Product launches, sales letters etc. I’d love to hear a back story on how you developed the action pop up sales letter into what it is today.
For me I’ve found that blogging too much can actually be a negative especially since it’s difficult to keep up quality content at all times. Your readers are already accustomed to far less than a blog post a day so why change that?
I’ve found the best results on my blog by posting Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Other blogs I run I post daily and still others I post only once per week. It all depends on what works best in terms of earnings and gaining more readers.
In any case I’d still like to see why you want to do the challenge though.
1. Don’t know and don’t care. I want email subscribers not RSS subscribers.
2. You can always find an extra 2 cents to say or at least have an opinion.
3. Ooh, good one.
I can maintain the quality when I write all the blog posts at once, back to back. Quality only suffers when I force myself to write on days when I don’t want to.
Rob,
I would love to see content on your membership cube product. That is what I am most interested in right now.
Also you youtube marketing is another thing I could use help with.
Thanks,
Rob
Rob,
What else do you want to know about Membership Cube? I’ve already written like 15 blog posts worth of content on the sales letter: http://www.membershipcube.com
Oh, I forgot to include the best time for the webinar. I can be available most any day except Wednesdays, usually. However, I can’t on Tuesday, June 8 at all. My daughter is leaving for Europe with an all state band that day, and she has a concert, etc.
I live in Hawaii– 6 hours before EDT, so sometime after 3 PM EDT is best for me. Thanks.
Robert,
I learned about the challenge through your newsletter, so thanks for sharing that. It motivated me into creating a new blog and participate in the challenge too!
Here’s my answers:
1. Friends on FB and followers on Twitter. Do what you’re doing now… it’s already working.
2. Yes, for the most part. 🙂
3. How you got from where you were, where you are now, and your vision for the future.
Okay – I DID respond, but it didn’t “take” for some reason (unless you’re holding it for moderation – LOL)
1. Twitter, facebook and Buzz sounds like it works for you. Plus I like the idea of a sub-list of commenters, since they are your active participants. Then just email us every day.
2. Yes, I’ll be here for you!
3. Since you’re likely to get a lot of blog challenge commenters – and blogs are ubiquitous nowadays – I’d recommend articles and videos on plugins, tweaks, shortcuts, etc on blogs. You do it almost in your sleep so it will be a natural for you. And of course you have tons of great products related to wordpress blogs, so you can profit as well!
Glad to have you as part of the Blog Challenge!
Jeanette
1. That might be the answer… send blog notification to ONLY people who have never bought, and the usual emails ONLY to people who have bought something.
2. Sounds like the “Friends” theme song.
3. Tweaks on blogs. Got it. I love that kinda stuff.
I tried to sign up for your daily update, but your little box never went away and I finally had to click to get out of it.
Rough first day for me – but I got it done!
New idea to add.. if someone comments to your blog every day for 30 days you could do a mailing for them or a small JV project. (Or something like that of value to the follower)(I think that would be too awesome!!)
I am currently doing a contest and each RT gets a ‘ticket’ and I’ll draw tickets this Friday. Winner will receive a $100 American Express card. You could do something like that as well for each comment, but with a better prize then mine (You are big time which equals bigger prizes, heehee!)
Maybe these ideas will get you thinking….
xox
Helen
Helen,
I’m going to see if I can pull this off without a bribe. My reason for that is, it seems silly to bribe people with a physical gift ($100 card) for doing something free, and not giving that reward to people who pay money.
1. Twitter & Facebook would be my suggestion. I only follow people I like to follow, and your tweets do inspire a follow-up. So you should easily get at least the 10+ from these two sources anyway…
2. I want to help all I can, so I will put your blog in my RSS-feed, and do my best to respond each day.
3. Getting more people to respond with comments even when encouraged to do so, would make my day. You have succeeded in doing so since you started with the concept of “no new blog articles until 10 comments given” – but it doesn’t work for many of us. Even on blogs with three years of built-up readers…
Is your list big enough? What is your traffic source to get people to visit your blog and leave comments?
Have you, by the way, considered taking the HAHD [Hundred Articles in Hundred Days] challenge on EzineArticles that started on May1st 2010?
There are still around 68 days to go, and it seems like a nice way to get backlinks to blogs, affiliate pages etc. 🙂
Henrik,
I thought about it but it’s a pain in the butt to submit to EZA (there’s no way to just dump them in).
Robert, I asked about using twitter, facebook and social media to increase business on your recent webinar. You said social media was an underperformer for you, so why are you doing this 30 day challenge, and what benefits are you expecting?
I can’t promise to comment everyday for 30 days. I’m working to eliminate the distractions of non-productive habits.
Your thoughts?
Christine,
Good question. I’m doing it because: 1. I’m always willing to try new things and be proved wrong, 2. Jeanette said to do it, 3. It only took a weekend to knock out the 30 posts. (I’ll be editing them a little bit according to your guys’s feedback today.)
I’m aware that you’re not much of a twitter user and find other ways to build your list and get folks to your site.
I figure as long as folks are commenting on your site… you should be gracious enough to reciprocate the gesture. For everyone who comments on you site… your should click their link and do the same…. for at least 30 days!
Every single link? So after doing all that work of writing, if I get 100 comments in a day, I have to leave 100 comments for people that day?
Robert, you could outsource the job of submitting them. If you have hundred articles you could get them submitted for something like 4-5$ a piece. 🙂
Except you can’t provide guest access to your EZA account like you can with AdWords or WordPress. I don’t trust someone else to login to my Ezinearticles, even if I can reset the password, and even if they do have a history with odesk.
Trust is an issue that I can understand, but in all business relations, trust is based also on understanding that the karma you send out is the one you get in return.
That being said, they do claim there is a WordPress-plugin that can work to submit for their site, but I haven’t tested it yet – although that could also be a way for you, without having to give out any user names or passwords.
But rest assured we do support you in your June challenge, and will follow up. 🙂
I tried their wordpress plugin a while and it didn’t run. Someone tells me she got it working recently, but it’s not that great… the submission process is still manual, it’s just within WordPress instead of on their web site.
I’d love to discuss how you change the theme format from one page to the next, ie, how to have one column on the front page, with no sidebar, and add the sidebar back in for other pages. Is there already a plugin for this?
It’s better just to hand a theme off to a designer and pay 10 bucks for him to make those changes… too cumbersome to explain in a blog post. But I guess that’s a good idea for a blog post, what to tweak yourself and what to outsource.
I like a guy who’s willing to make a deal! 🙂
I will pledge to stop by every day throughout the blogging challenge and post a comment, Robert. As a matter of fact, I’ve said this a hundred times, but I wish I could make a living reading blogs and posting comments! It’s one of my favorite activities. I know, I know. It’s not really a rock solid business-building activity but I love it nonetheless.
And I appreciate what Helen R. had to share here. Any rewards in this for me by making such a commitment to you? Not to sound selfish or anything. I’m just sayin’
As far as what to talk about on your blog …
If you would PLEASE focus on simple, do-able ways to find my target market to build my list, I might even kiss your feet!
Melanie
#blog30
When I came home, I just checked up and saw you had 163 articles (resulting in 24.250 views), so I guess you already have the benefit of this system.
Maybe supplemental article databases could work wonders. In such a case http://www.articlerich.com/ might be a startup with an outsourced person, and then you could reset the account once the job is done, and then move on to a third database next time you want to release extra articles.
Just an idea. 🙂
By the way, to get back on track, you already have 54+ comments for day 1, so I guess you won’t have any problems getting 10, 20 or even thirty – even on “small” days such as weekends.
I just added you to my RSS-feeds on my home laptop. 🙂
Henrik,
The thing you don’t see is that 1/3rd of those Ezinearticle views are from one article that’s been around for 5 years.
I think it averages out to only 8 clicks (back to my site) from each article.
54 comments is easy if I mail my list, the hard part is getting that same number without mailing my list… I’ll have to see how the sublist thing works out.
I really liked Jeanne’s idea about wordpress look forward to that content. As for membership cube I gress you right about the content on sales page. Really just want to know what takes 8 months to learn and where to find the $800 to pay for it. :).
I just really want to start a membership site that works. 🙁
Rob
Rob,
It’s only $800 if you plan on buying and not doing anything.
The first six $47 payments go towards paying off the $297 Wishlist license in your name. You get the membership software, the drip plugin, and the installation videos instantly when you join.
All you have to do is setup a membership and get one person paying you $47 every 2 weeks. I’m not sure how to make it any more of a no-brainer than that.
It only takes 8 months to do the advanced stuff. You setup the membership right away, you get a new video and a new plugin every few days to do the more advanced stuff like add video, create content faster, track your users, run challenges, keep members in for longer… well you get the idea.
Hi Robert
Do you still use Ezine articles? What is your view on them now in 2021? Do you feel it’s still worth submitting articles to them?
Robert, how are you finding your blog these days? Are you still blogging as often?