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  • How to Do a Year-End Blog Review & Cleanup

    How to Do a Year-End Blog Review & Cleanup
    2022/11/20
    The end of the year is a great time to reflect, examine, and set new priorities for what’s next, which makes it the perfect time to do a review of your blog business.  If the word review makes you shiver and think of your end-of-year teacher eval meeting, where you have to prove to your administrator that you’re an effective teacher, don’t sweat it. This is your business, and you don’t have to prove anything to anyone. If it helps, this is not just a review, but also a clean-up, a chance for you to clear out some digital cobwebs, and spruce up a corner or 2 of your website. And remember, teachers kind of have 2 year-ends, so feel free to do this in December, or June… or both! I start this process with the review part because that informs the cleanup portion. It takes me a few hours if I do it all in one sitting, but it’s also possible to do a little bit at a time. And there’s no rule that says this has to be done by a certain date. Finally, before we jump in, this is a big overview-type of process that I recommend for beginners. If you’re more than a couple years into your blog, check out a more nitty-gitty review process (then come back for the cleanup because he doesn’t talk about that). Gather Your Information Data, Data, Data Yes, we’re all data’d out, but this is your data. And it’s not being used for anything except to help you make informed decisions about your blog. Data is information.  Information is power. Some things you’re going to want data for are your key performance indicators (KPIs) and can be gleaned from your Google Analytics account. Number of page views, sessions, and/or unique visitors per month. Traffic sources.Top posts and pagesTotal email subscribers by month. It’s All About the Benjamins (or Washingtons… whatever) If you want your blog to make money, you need to track where your money is coming from. I can’t stress this enough. Now is the time to dig in to how much you made and how you made it. If you’ve been tracking your income and expenses, this will be easy. If not… well, it’s important. In this step we’re only focusing on income. You’d be amazed how many entrepreneurs don’t know how much money they’re bringing in!  I check in on my blog money once a month to update my spreadsheet and move my money to the proper accounts, but even I was surprised at my income when I looked. I normally just put all the numbers in the right boxes, then close it up. This time I actually looked at the monthly and yearly totals and… wow! I hadn’t even realized I’d already surpassed my revenue goal for the year by October. Sometimes numbers are fun! The two things you need to know are: Your sources of income.How much each source earned. Where Are You Spending Time and Money? Not as much fun as the income, you also need to know where you’re spending money. If you don’t already, I strongly suggest setting up a business bank account and credit card. This not only helps you track your expenses more easily, but it also protects your personal accounts from legal action (provided you’ve set up an LLC). You’ll definitely need to know: What you’re paying for in your businessHow much you’re paying You should also do a time audit for your own information. This involves tracking what you do for your blog and can help provide valuable insight into strengths, weakness, and improvements you can make. The goal is to find out what you’re doing in an average week, and how long you’re spending on it. With the other data you’ve collected, you’ll be able to see if you’re spending your most precious resource, your time, wisely. Break It Down Now that you’ve got all your data collected, you can start to scrutinize it. (You have no idea how hard I worked not to use the word “analyze” there, so as not to traumatize you.) The good news is that you don’t need to make spreadsheets, charts, and tables to get what you need. You really just need to be able to answer these questions: What trends do you notice? Are there particular post types on your blog (or social media, if you track that) that got more engagement via comments, shares, or sales? If so, when planning ahead you want to plan more of that type of content, and try to determine what’s working so you can use those techniques in other content as well. You may also notice that certain times of year are peaks or valleys for your readership and/or sales. This is normal, and nothing to panic about. For example, September is a slow month at Side Hustle Teachers because my audience is focusing on back to school stuff. Knowing this is helpful because not only do I not freak out when my stats drop, I also know not to launch something new at this time. Does your effort match your outcome? Are the places you’re spending your time benefiting your blog? For example, if you’re posting diligently on Instagram every day, are you gaining followers, and more importantly, are those followers...
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    18 分
  • Looking Forward: What I'm Focusing on In 2023

    Looking Forward: What I'm Focusing on In 2023
    2022/11/13
    With a new year, comes new possibilities. Looking forward is so important for content creators, but rarely do we give ourselves time to do it. If I’m totally honest, I haven’t been good about giving myself enough white space to think about my business for several years.  When Side Hustle Teachers started, I didn’t expect it to become so popular so fast. I really had to keep my nose to the grindstone and fix the little issues that sprang up… seemingly one right after another. It didn’t leave me a lot of time for reflection, and certainly not for projection. This year, however, I’m not only demanding that I be more deliberate about the choices I make, but also about creating more time and space in my life so I can reflect on where I’ve been and think about where I want to go. I have to constantly remind myself that my business is not school. I can take my time to consider my current situation. I can take my time to examine the options I have. I can take my time making a decision. And I can take my time implementing that decision based on my wants and needs. So this year I’ve been contemplating this business I’ve built, and how I can move it forward in a sustainable way, and grow the company I want. Let’s dive into my key areas of focus for 2023. Some of them might surprise you. Rule #1: Simplicity is King I’ve always been a fan of the KISS rule - keep it simple, stupid - but it’s never as easy to implement as it is to spout to others… or needlepoint on a pillow. In 2023 simplicity is going to be my guiding star. The longer I’m in business, the more I realize that I don’t want to hustle. I want ease. (And yes, I realize the irony of rebelling against hustle when my company is called Side Hustle Teachers.) For a while I’ve been using one question to decide whether or not to take on something new; Is this going to bring ease to my life? This simple question has allowed me to say no without guilt, hire help to get things done that I’ve been putting off for ages, and give my attention to things that are building my business and bringing me joy. To be clear, I’m making simplicity a priority in all areas of my life, not just business. We’re in the (extremely slow) process of getting rid of stuff that’s been piling up, and we’re focusing on creating experiences instead of giving physical gifts. We’re not trying to be minimalists… but clearing physical space allows me to find more mental space…  Aaaaaahhhhhhhhhh. Elimination, Automation, Delegation To aid my search for simplicity, I’m following the eliminate, automate, and delegate model. First - and this part has been happening for a while - I’m on the hunt for things I’m doing that aren’t necessary, or that can wait, or that are just a big ol’ waste of time.  Entrepreneurs in all fields have a habit of taking on more and more to-dos until our lives are completely out of balance. This is very easy for side hustlers to do, especially teachers, because our jobs are already taking up our time and energy. I’ll talk about a few things I’m dropping in the new year in the following sections. The second step of this process is to automate whatever possible. I’ve long been a fan of automation. It’s literally been essential to being able to grow my business while teaching full-time.  I automate my email marketing, my social media posting… even my Facebook “Lives” are pre-recorded because my family schedule doesn’t allow me to be available every Wednesday at 9pm. Just note that before you start automating, you eliminate. There are a ton of tools available to help you automate pretty much anything, but most of them will cost you money, and they require time and energy to set up. Don’t waste your limited time and money on tools that help you with things you don’t even need to be doing. Finally, if there are things that are keeping you from moving forward or making money, it’s time to consider hiring someone to help you.  This person could be someone you work with in person or virtually, and can work as little as a few hours a week. You could also hire them on a project-by-project basis to take care of things you need done, but not on an ongoing basis. In the past I’ve hired people to help me with SEO, graphics creation, email writing, customer support, and more. All In on the Facebook Group While I have a presence on multiple social media platforms, the Side Hustle Teachers Facebook group has been my primary focus for a long time. In 2023, I’m going to go all in on this platform. I’ve even deactivated my Twitter account. Side Note: My deactivation decision was based on the fact that I never use Twitter myself (I find it annoying) and it’s the only platform on which I couldn’t get the handle of Side Hustle Teachers. Elon Musk didn’t factor in at all. Also, though I’m not leaving Pinterest all together, since it’s not a major source of traffic for me, I’m paring back on my ...
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    18 分
  • 10 Years of Blogging: What’s Changed and How to Make it Work for You

    10 Years of Blogging: What’s Changed and How to Make it Work for You
    2022/11/06
    As we approach 2023 - man, that sounds weird to say - I realized that I have been blogging for 10 years!  I don’t actually remember the date, so don’t be expecting an anniversary party or anything, but I made my first money as a blogger in 2012. Holy crap, that’s a long time. In those 10 years I was able to grow a successful mom-lifestyle blog that paid off my student loans, let us buy our cars with cash, and put me on track to pay off our mortgage in 15 years instead of 30.  I also sold my blog when I was called to start Side Hustle Teachers and it grew faster than I anticipated. Blogging is a fairly low-key way to make money, but it still requires work, and I just couldn’t do both. Now Side Hustle Teachers is a thriving blog with a highly engaged community, a new signature course that’s helping other teachers build and grow their own blogs, and a clear path to early retirement. Over that time I’ve also discovered and consciously worked towards a more chill lifestyle, even as I continue to teach and my business consistently grows. I have more free time now than I did before I started my first blog! When it comes to the business of blogging, a lot has changed, and that’s what we’ll be talking about today. So let’s dig in. Technology is WAY Easier Let’s start with the best thing on this list. Tech is way more accessible now than it was when I started. Not only is it cheaper (yay!), but the improvements and upgrades have also made it easier for the average non-tech-geek to use, making the internet a much more user-friendly place. When I first started, putting up a website took either a lot of money or extensive knowledge of coding and internet language. Yes, I had access to WordPress and ready-made themes (it wasn’t the really early days), but any changes needed to be done manually or via code… I broke my site many, many times. There are also a lot more tools available to use online. Pretty much whatever you want to do online, there’s a tool you can use to manage it for you. From payment processors to schedulers to customer management to auto-responders… you name it, it’s out there.  And - this is big - they all talk to each other! Your credit card processor talks to your bank, who talks to your business email, who talks to your email management system, who updates your database… It's amazing. You can integrate all your tools, making automation 1000% easier, and taking a ton of work off your plate. There are even tools that help your tools talk to each other if they don’t have built in integration (thank you, Zapier!). And one of the few good things to come out of the Covid-19 pandemic is that, by forcing more people and businesses online, even more programs, platforms, and systems were introduced… and they’re not going anywhere. All this makes starting a blog a totally doable endeavor. I know many teachers are afraid of the tech that’s involved, but if you can handle the tech of a 21st century classroom, a blog is a piece of cake! Social Media has Exploded When I started there was Facebook and Twitter. Pinterest was still new and masquerading as a social network, and Instagram was just barely born. Social media was growing, but it was not the ubiquitous part of everyday life that it is now. Cut to today when social media platforms abound and are some of the most trafficked parts of the internet. For a while, every time a new platform was introduced, bloggers were encouraged to jump in and become founding members before it became big. Side note, this was brought on by Pinterest, whose early adopters gained HUGE advantages on the platform, frustrating those who came after. However, as we’ve seen, not all social media sites are created equally or are built to last… I’m lookin’ at you Periscope, Clubhouse, and Google Plus!  Today, anyone who’s telling you to be on every social platform, especially when you’re new to blogging, is given sideways glances and dismissed as out of touch. This is a very good thing for your content and your sanity. My focus is on the Side Hustle Teachers Facebook group. Everything else is extra. These days it’s better to focus your time, energy, and creative skills on 1 or 2 platforms where you can build authentic connections and engage with your audience. If you want to have a presence on more platforms, you can use tools to automatically share the same content in multiple places so your apparent omnipresence doesn’t take any more work. So when the next big social media app is introduced, don’t feel the need to dive in. Just grab your username so it doesn’t get stolen, and feel free to delete the app. Standards are Higher When I first started my original blog, I published a post every day.  Back then it was way easier to do that (though still crazy) because the internet rewarded quantity over quality. I still cringe when I think about some of the things I shared with the world. But I was trying to “catch up” ...
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    12 分
  • How to Create a Gift Guide Your Audience Will Love

    How to Create a Gift Guide Your Audience Will Love
    2022/10/30
    With the holidays approaching, you may find yourself noticing lots of posts popping up with gift recommendations and wondered if they really boost revenue (they do!) and how you can make one for your own blog. A well done gift guide can be a fantastic way to increase your affiliate income. But a poorly done gift guide can actually damage the trust you’ve built up with your audience. So before you go on your virtual shopping spree and start seeing dollar signs in your eyes, let’s talk about the right way to put together a gift guide. Before You Start Know Your Audience Creating a gift guide that actually generates income depends on your understanding of your audience and what they need. So before you start, make sure you have a clear picture of who they are and why they’re coming to your blog. Their preferences are going to play into every decision you make, from which stores you feature to the price range of the items you select. Consider the following questions: How would you describe your ideal audience in 1 sentence?What is this group looking for help with?What’s their budget? It’s okay if there’s a wide range here, just be sure to select gifts at all levels to appeal to everyone.Where do they already shop? If you want to introduce new stores, that’s great, but keep in mind that many people will spend their money at places they already know and trust over someplace new. Choose a Theme When thinking about your audience, there could be a million things they might want or need. Choose a specific theme to narrow your focus and create a through-line for all your recommendations. Don’t worry if your theme isn’t a typical one. When my daughter was young I would have been thrilled to find a guide called, “Perfect Gifts for Little Girls Whose Moms Need to Get Work Done and Need Said Little Girl to Play Quietly By Herself.” Sadly, I never found such a guide… For this part, focus particularly on why your audience comes to you.  Are you providing gift suggestions that your readers might want (and can forward on to their family and friends), or gifts that they can purchase for others?  Is this guide meant to help them discover new, creative gifts?  Or find bargains or tried and true classics?  Or make gifts themselves with recommendations of where to buy materials and tools? Note: If you’re having trouble with this at the start, put a pin in it and come back to this once you’ve found a few products to recommend. You might find a natural theme, or one may come to you as you’re doing your research. Gather Your Affiliate Links If you’ve dabbled in affiliate marketing, you already have relationships with some stores or brands. Now is the time to review your links and apply to any other programs with products or services you want to recommend. Also take time to review the terms of service that are in place with each company so that you don’t violate your agreement and lose your affiliate status. For example, Amazon does not allow offline promotion, so if you create a downloadable PDF of your guide, you must link back to your gift guide post for Amazon products (rather than the item itself). If you’re going to use affiliate marketing in your everyday blogger life - and why wouldn’t you? - I suggest creating a spreadsheet with all of your common affiliate links in it. It will really streamline the recommendation process and make your life easier. Crafting Your Gift Guide Select Your Products This is the fun part. It’s time to go shopping! When choosing what to include and what to leave off your list, be selective. A list of 10 great, spot-on, you-read-my-mind gift suggestions is better than one of 50 generic ideas. When you are curating your picks, always go back to your theme. If it doesn’t fit with your theme, or you have to do some mental gymnastics to try to justify how it fits, leave it off. Consider why each individual item should be included and remember the golden rule; value first. Make your recommendations based on the value they provide rather than the commission you can earn.   Grab or Make Eye-Catching Graphics There’s a reason the flyers that come in the mail around the holidays are loaded with beautiful, inspiring, colorful, and fun pictures.  Images sell. That’s why Target doesn’t mind paying the crazy shipping cost of their holiday circular and Harriet Carter always sends a catalog in November… whether you want it or not. We know that products with quality images sell better. Even the color, type, model, etc. in the image will sell better than other variations of the same product. Most affiliate programs allow use of their images for promotion of their products or services, but be sure to check your terms of service agreement before sharing them publicly.  If it’s a product you own, I also recommend getting some shots of you or your family using it, or the outcome of your use. This will put an even more personal spin on it, give you graphics ...
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    13 分
  • 5 Ways to Build Authentic Relationships with Your Audience

    5 Ways to Build Authentic Relationships with Your Audience
    2022/10/24
    Know, like, and trust. You may have heard those words before - you may have heard them from me - and thought, “That’s great… how do I do that?” Even though we live in a time when we feel highly connected to people we only know from the internet - I have friends I’ve never met in my online due date group - you still have to put effort into forming authentic, human-to-human relationships. Today I’m sharing 5 practical strategies to connect with your readers: Be Yourself Nothing turns people off more than a phony. Still a lot of bloggers think they have to be or act a certain way because that’s how “everyone else” is doing it. Not true. Your readers come to you because you’re you! So be yourself in your blogging. Use conversational language and write the way you speak. If you’re an English teacher, this may feel a little (or a lot) wrong, but bloggers don’t have to follow all the rules of grammar that you do in formal writing. Blogging isn’t formal. It’s intimate. Use the words you would use when having a conversation with a friend. Use punctuation in ways that would make your grammar teacher lose. her. shit. Swear if you want to! Don’t swear if that’s just not how you roll. Call your readers “dearies” or “y’all”… if that’s you. Or “peeps” or “home girls”... if that’s you. To create a relationship your readers need to feel like they know you. And for them to know you, you have to be yourself. Interact with Your Readers Have you ever had a one-sided relationship? You know the kind where you’re always the one calling,  inviting them places, and making an effort?  It’s like playing tennis against the drapes. It’s frustrating and leaves you feeling used. Don’t make your readers feel that way. If a reader takes the time to leave a comment on your blog, respond. If they reach out to you on social media, respond. If they tag you in a post, leave a comment saying thank you and make a little joke, or ask them a question. A blog post - even the most well-written one in the world - can only go so far in building relationships. So when your readers engage with you, let them feel seen, heard, and appreciated. Beyond being a great way to strengthen your audience’s bond, this is also an amazing way to get more information on what your audience likes, doesn’t like, is frustrated by, and wants more of. Go to Them There’s an old saying, “If Mohammed won’t go to the mountain, the mountain must go to Mohammed.” Your readers are busy. As much as they love and value what you’re putting out into the world, you are not at the top of their minds day in and day out. Sorry. (Not sorry.) Show your audience some love by going to them, instead of insisting they come to you. Social media is a fantastic way to do this. It lets you share your thoughts, ideas, insights, missteps, victories… and in lots of different formats. I love having a Facebook group for the Side Hustle Teacher community because it allows me to get to know my audience, and them to get to know me, in a space that doesn’t have a built-in hierarchy. My blog is my site, I’m the expert, and it’s my platform. The SHT Facebook group is shared by the thousands of members, and is designed for interaction. Everyone is an expert. Another way I go to my readers is via email. If you’re on my list you hear from me regularly because I want to be part of your life. I want to pop up in your inbox and say “Hey! How’s it goin’?”  And I loooooooove it when people email me back! It’s one of my favorite things! Get Personal Sharing personal stories is another way to make a genuine connection with your readers, and I highly recommend it. Of course, you don’t have to share everything - some things should remain personal - but your audience wants to know that there’s a real, flesh-and-blood person behind your site.  Stories about your life, mistakes, flaws - all the things that make you a human - helps your audience relate to you. It lets them see themselves in you, which is what we’re all looking for. We all just want to know we’re not alone. I share with my community members about my anxiety, my story of how I got started in blogging - including my first epic fail side hustle - and my over-the-top love of my pets. I mention my family, but I tend to keep most of our day-to-day life to myself. The personal things I share with my audience not only help me build a connection with them, and them with me, it also lets me show everyone that not everything is sunshine and roses… Things go wrong, I make mistakes… I even had a mild heart attack when my students found my blog.  All these things make me a person, rather than a highlight reel. Value First The golden rule of blogging, always give your audience what it wants, needs, and can use. Provide value and everything else will follow. One of my biggest pet peeves of our current age is the way news outlets rush to publish a story, but ...
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    9 分
  • 4 Tips to Avoid Blogger Burnout

    4 Tips to Avoid Blogger Burnout
    2022/10/24
    Burnout is nothing to joke about. It’s real and it is vicious. Blogger burnout has derailed many potential entrepreneurs and we don’t want that to happen to you. The good news is that you can avoid this all-too-common phenomenon with a little planning, and a lot of self-monitoring. Here are 4 tips to maintain a healthy schedule and avoid burnout: Start as You Intend to Continue We all know that when you first start a new venture you want to throw your whole self into it. This is normal, and honestly, it’s part of the fun of starting something new. When starting a long-term project like a blog, though, it’s important to set boundaries for yourself from the beginning so that your blog doesn't end up taking over your life. I’m not going to tell you to limit yourself from working on your blog when you're super excited about it - that would be silly and counterproductive. What I am saying is that you need to remember that one of the best things about having a business like a blog is the freedom it creates in your life. Yet we teachers (little go-getters that we are) tend to approach blogging like we approach teaching… we’re all in, 110%, all day, all night… when we’re not giving 110% to teaching. That is a recipe for burnout. Instead, think about the things you had in mind when you started blogging.  If you want to be able to enjoy a work-free movie night with your family every Friday night, give yourself a rule that there’s no blog work on Fridays after dinner. If you want to be able to work from anywhere so you can travel with your son’s soccer team, then grab a laptop and make use of the time he’s at practice (and then put it away afterward so you can hear about the gnarly goal he made). The fact is that nobody starts a business - even a blog - so they can be tied to their computer 24/7. So if that’s not your goal, then don’t start that way. It will feel like there’s sooooo much to do, but honestly, I think that’s just life in the 21st century. Start building your blog how you want it to look in the long run. Eliminate, Automate, Delegate If you read blogging advice online, you’re going to find a lot of advice on things you “must” do in order to be successful. For full-time bloggers, maybe these things are possible, but as a side hustler, you have to be more discerning with what you take on. I know I’m taking on too much when I start to feel unsure of what to do next. If I’m feeling stuck and procrastinating doing anything, it’s usually because I’m trying to do too much. The first thing to do in this situation is to look at your list and take at least one thing off of it. Usually it’s something I read about someone else doing and decided that I had to take on, too. (No, that urge doesn’t go away as you get further into your journey.) Shift these things over to a Maybe Someday list, or just cross it out and move on. The next thing to do is look for things that you can automate, like emails, social media responses, tagging and segmenting subscribers, your opt-in… automation is a huge time saver and it can keep you from going into burnout. Truth be told, automation also makes your business more appealing to your readers. We expect things to happen instantly, so when people sign up for your email list, they want the freebie you promised right away… not when you get around to it after school, homework, dinner, and soccer practice. The first task many bloggers automate is email delivery. It’s inexpensive and easy to use - and it’s a great investment because your email list is key in making money from your blog. I personally use and recommend ConvertKit. Another popular option is automating social media posts. I use RecurPost, but for beginners typically recommend CinchShare. The last thing to try when burnout is on the horizon is delegate tasks to someone else.  Some things just need a personal touch, or just need to be dealt with as they happen, but that doesn’t mean they need to be dealt with by you! If you notice that you can’t get the meaningful items on your to-do list because you’re spending all your time answering emails, managing your Facebook group, or doing other non-zone-of-genius stuff, it may be time to delegate to a virtual assistant. But, don’t forget that you don’t just have to eliminate, automate, and delegate business tasks. You can free up time and energy by applying this same principle at home. If you can’t get to your blog work because you’re too busy shopping, cooking dinner, and cleaning your house, get your groceries delivered, put Hello Fresh on auto delivery, or hire someone to do the cleaning. Bonus: Hiring for your home is often cheaper than hiring a VA, Repurpose Your Content A mistake many bloggers make at the beginning (including yours truly) is creating new content instead of reusing what they’ve already got.  You write a blog post, share it once, then move on and write something else… all while ...
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    15 分
  • Help! My Students Found My Blog!

    Help! My Students Found My Blog!
    2022/10/02

    This question came to me from someone in the Side Hustle Teachers community, and I wanted to answer it here because it’s something a lot of people may worry about.

    Here’s the question: “I want to start a blog, but I’m worried that my students will find it. What should I do?”

    My question is, why?

    Honestly, I understand the sentiment, but I also know that there’s no reason to be concerned about this.

    Yes, if we put ourselves out there, our coworkers, students, and families might discover our blogs. But having a blog, even one for profit, isn’t anything to be ashamed of.  

    These days upwards of 30% of teachers have jobs outside of school, and more and more of them are creating those jobs for themselves rather than working for yet another boss. For good reason - it’s awesome!

    So, let’s just agree that unless your blog is about something illegal or is just bitching about your boss/ students/ job, you’re good.

    The question I get next is usually, “Have your students found your blog?”

    Yes. Yes, they have.

    A few years ago, when I was still working with moms, a student found my Instagram account. (It wasn’t hard, my account had my name attached, but one student thought he was really clever for finding it.) He was going up and down the hall outside my classroom saying, “Side Hustle Moms,” in a loud voice, so I asked him what he was doing. 

    He “confronted” me about my account. (Insert a creepy dun-dun-dun sound here.)

    It was almost comical to see his face go completely flat when I wasn’t horrified to know he’d found me out… I just confirmed I had a business and that I helped moms start businesses.

    Except for blocking a handful of students who followed my IG account, that was the end of it.

    This year another group of students found my business. A couple have said they’ve listened to my podcast, and others have asked what Side Hustle Teachers is. 

    Truth be told, I think they’re just trying to get me to go on a tangent and avoid doing work… or see if they can get a rise out of me… but after a couple days they just drop it.

    I’m proud of my business.

    I’m proud of the community of nearly 12,000 teachers I’ve built.

    I’m proud of the hundreds of teachers I’ve helped through my courses and coaching.

    I’m proud of the money this business brings to my family.

    All that said, the question still stands. 

    What should you do if your students find your blog?

    Or parents? 

    Or admin?

    Take a breath. 

    The first time someone from school finds your blog can bring on different responses from different people.

    Honestly, when that original kid started shouting my business name down my hallway I thought I was going to throw up. It was an automatic, subconscious response. But once I took a breath, I remembered that I was still me, he was still a student, and my blog was still awesome.

    Acknowledge your blog

    Not only is it pointless to deny your blog once someone’s found it, it’s unnecessary. 

    A simple, “Yes, I blog at Side Hustle Teachers,” is enough.

    You don’t have to explain, justify, or tell your story.

    A coworker discovered me on Facebook one time and told her it was my blog and that she should join my group.

    Move on

    Most of the time when it’s a student who brings up your business, it’s because they want to either get a rise out of you or get you off topic. 

    Confirm that you have a blog so they know you’re not embarrassed about it, then carry on.

    If it’s a coworker or admin, simply tell them you don’t use school time to talk business… and carry on.

    Celebrate

    With all the stuff on the internet, your blog got found! It’s easy to miss this fact in the moment when a student is asking about your blog… but this is a good sign. 

    Your students or coworkers might not be your target audience, but the fact that you are being found and read by people other than your relatives and college roommate means that you are becoming more discoverable by everyone online.

    So once you’re past the initial “oh crap” moment, do a little happy dance!

    In order to make money online you have to be found by people. Sometimes that means people you wish wouldn’t find you. 

    But don’t let the possibility of feeling awkward for 30-60 seconds stop you from building something great.

    Teacher Blog Academy can help you get your blog up and running and making money faster and easier by following our 5 Step Roadmap. Learn more here.
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    7 分
  • To Guest Post or Not to Guest Post

    To Guest Post or Not to Guest Post
    2022/09/18
    Guest posting, also called guest blogging, is a process in which a blogger creates content for another site in order to build backlinks, expand their audience, and strengthen their authority.  Early on in the world of blogging, guest posts were a hugely popular way to increase your search engine optimization (SEO) and grow an audience. In fact, anyone could write a 300-word post, share it on any other site, and boost their blog’s standing. It didn’t even have to be a good post. However, in recent years Google (and other search engines) have updated their algorithms to limit the abuse of guest posts. These days posts need to be both well-written and useful, but also relevant to the blog on which they’re posted… and the site should be in good standing, too. Still, guest blogging can be a valuable experience if you do it right. What are the Benefits of Guest Blogging? Broaden your audience. A guest post can get your ideas in front of new people, ideally those who will click over to your site and become loyal, raving fans.  Tip: Include a strong call to action in guest posts, and links to other posts on your site (if permitted). Increase your traffic. When you bring more people into your world, the traffic to your site increases. The return on increased traffic is (usually) proportionate with the amount of traffic the site you’re guest posting on gets. B Tip: Look for established sites that accept guest posts to get the most bang for your buck. Build SEO cred. When search engines rank your website, they consider a number of factors - thousands, actually - and backlinks are one such factor. A backlink is any link to your site from another.  Tip: Consider the authority of the sites you’re guest blogging on.  Strengthen your authority. When you are granted permission to blog on another person’s site, it is an implicit endorsement of you and your business. You are borrowing the authority of the site owner because their audience trusts them to curate quality posts. Tip: Look for bloggers who’ve built a loyal audience who trust their guidance. Expand your web online presence. The more places you are online, the more likely you are to be found by those you can help. Guest blogging provides more access points to you and your content. Tip: Target your guest blogging efforts on sites that serve similar audiences to yours. When You Should Pass on Guest Posting With all those reasons to guest post, it seems like a no-brainer, right? Not so fast.  Not all guest blogging opportunities are created equal. You need to closely evaluate prospect separately and make sure that the post you spend your precious time and energy creating is going to provide the benefits above. Spam sites. The internet is littered with sites that provide little-to-no value and gain traffic by simply pumping out a constant flow of mediocre content. You don’t want to be featured on those sites.  There once was a time when a site was a site, and Google hadn’t really figured out the difference, but those days are long gone. Search engines now rank sites for quality using an insane number of metrics. They also rank links leading from one site to another, so creating anything for those content mills isn’t going to do much except waste your time. Too close to your products/ services. You don’t want to guest post for a blog who serves the exact same market in the same way you do, especially if they’re highly established and monetized. The blogs you post on should be related to yours, serving a similar audience, but in a different way. For example, a minimalism coach could work with a home decor blogger (think: How to Embrace Minimalism Without Making Your Home Look Sparse), or a classroom management blogger could partner with a Responsive Classroom blogger (think: 10 Morning Meetings to Reinforce Classroom Routines). You’d neglect your own blog. As a part-time blogger, you have to be careful about giving too much time away at the expense of your own blog. Guest blogging takes time - you have to do your research, pitch the blogger whose site you want to contribute to, and then you have to write a truly kick-ass post that will inspire their followers to click over to your site and find awesome stuff.  If life is too crazy to take all that on AND write a weekly post for your own blog, put a pin in guest blogging until the next vacation. How to Find the Best Sites to Blog For (for your blog) Research. Do your homework before making contact with any bloggers. First, see if they accept guest posts. If not, and they’re an established blogger, it’s likely their policy not to permit others to share on their site. You can try to reach out anyway, but don’t hold your breath. You also want to look at the types of posts they share. If they are a step-by-step how-to website, you want to match your proposed guest blogs to that. Finally, spend some time looking at what has already been written about on their site. Nothing will kill...
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    17 分