November 17th, 2016 | By Tom Woods
If you’re interested in generating income online, that almost certainly begins with a blog.
From there you can promote affiliate products, create products of your own, build a membership site, or do a variety of other things.
The sooner you get started, the sooner things can happen.
But a blog, in addition to being the home base for any future online monetization plans you may have, is important for other reasons.
Here’s one: it will make you a better writer. And you won’t ever regret having that skill.
In particular, writing short pieces on a regular basis forces you to become more concise and disciplined. Wordiness is the downfall of most novice writers.
But Woods, you say, what do I know about any of this? Where do I even begin?
That’s what I’m here for. I’ve already written a step-by-step guide walking you through the whole process. And I’ve included plenty of tips for you advanced folks, too, who have had a web presence for a while.
Your first step begins with this click:
https://www.happyearner.com/how-to-start-a-blog-in-five-minutes/
November 15th, 2016 | By Tom Woods
Worst business decision ever.
In 2012 I launched LibertyClassroom.com, a site for libertarians who’d like to learn the history and economics they didn’t get in school. Members can learn at their convenience, on the go, and from professors they can trust.
It did great.
But I soon decided I wanted to expand beyond my natural audience: libertarians familiar with my work.
For all his faults, Glenn Beck had been good to me. And his audience liked what I had to say. So I thought, why not advertise in his newsletter?
So I set up a beautiful landing page just for his subscribers, offering 30% off Liberty Classroom just for them.
We launched the ad, and I sat and waited.
Number of takers?
Zero.
Not three or four and I’m rounding it to zero. Literally zero.
First conclusion I drew: I guess this product is purchased only by people who are already familiar with my work. So there’s no point advertising it elsewhere.
But that was wrong.
My problem was that I didn’t know or appreciate the difference between warm and cold traffic.
People who already follow and are familiar with me, and have watched my videos or read my books, are warm traffic. They like what I do, and they trust I’ll put out a quality product.
People who have no idea who I am are cold traffic. It’s going to take a lot more work to get them to buy.
Here’s what I should have done:
(1) A much bigger discount.
(2) Given them access to a free course, so they could get to know my product.
(3) Followed up with email to give them a further sense of who I am and why I’m someone they’d want to learn and buy from.
That’s how you convert cold to warm traffic.
I know that NOW, but I sure didn’t know it then. I learned it the hard way.
So….
Let’s suppose YOU wanted to promote LibertyClassroom.com.
Would you just share the link all over the place? Of course not.
You might make a demo video showing people the product.
You might write a blog post about it, giving people reasons to join.
You might tell people about me, the product creator, and why I’m worth listening to.
In other words: make that cold traffic warm.
And guess what: you can try out these tactics yourself in my affiliate contest. In addition to 50% commissions (up to $173.50 per customer), I’m giving away prizes to my top ten affiliates, with the top prize being a new car.
Ain’t no other libertarians giving you a new car.
I’ve never held a contest before. I’m really thrilled about it.
Be a part of it:
November 11th, 2016 | By Tom Woods
Just yesterday, I ran into a guy on Facebook who says he now wants to “get more involved.”
What, more involved in local charities? In philanthropy? In offering pro bono services to people who need them?
Of course not. More involved in politics. We must “shout and demand what we feel people need.”
So more petitions. More candlelight vigils. More sign-waving. More get-out-the-vote activism. More stomping his feet.
I told him: screw that.
Knowing he was a progressive, I spoke in language he might actually hear:
“See, ‘shout and demand’ is the problem. Why not volunteer and actually help real people, instead of shouting and demanding? We have plenty of that. We have precious little of real, honest, sacrificial giving of time and resources.
“Getting involved in the political process is itself the problem. It attracts the very worst in society. And it’s just a middleman. There’s nothing government does that you can’t do with your friends as a volunteer, and much better and with more love.”
His response:
“So the answer is to take no part at all? That seems like a way to not get what you want.”
My answer:
“It seems like a way not to waste huge amounts of time on evil. Go out there and DO SOMETHING.
“Great example: the DonorSee app. Guy just launched it last month. If you want to donate to a good cause around the world, you get to see specific needs. Here’s a guy who needs a wheelchair. Here’s a widow in Malawi who needs a house. Then, when the thing you donate to is complete, you get a notification on your phone with a picture, a note, etc. No corrupt governments involved, no aid agencies taking 40% of your donation.
“See what I mean? DO SOMETHING. Screw the politicians. DO SOMETHING. Don’t sign any more petitions or hold any signs or have candlelight vigils. Those are easy and make you feel good about yourself, and accomplish nothing. Screw that. DO SOMETHING.”
Biggest enemy of independent thought: inertia.
Just doing things the way they’ve always been done. We need something accomplished? Why, let’s turn to the government!
Or how about the people demanding $15 an hour at McDonald’s who say, “I’ve been working here for 10 years and haven’t gotten a raise!”
TEN YEARS at McDonald’s without a raise? Is that even possible?
More importantly, what have you been doing for ten years? Learning a new skill at night? Working your tail off for something better? Having any ambition at all?
Inertia.
If you’re here and/or on my list, you are anti-inertia.
Just because the biweekly paycheck is how we’ve always lived, doesn’t mean it’s how we have to live. At the very least, we can supplement it, as I’ve done for over 15 years.
Even at retirement age, my mom figured out how to earn commissions when people click her Amazon links. That income sure doesn’t hurt.
Here’s how:
https://www.happyearner.com/mom
In two days, that video disappears forever.
November 5th, 2016 | By Tom Woods
We’ve all heard the stories of the college graduates, saddled with debt and unable to find work, who wind up returning home to live with their parents.
We conclude from this: there just aren’t any opportunities out there anymore.
This is ridiculous. No opportunities? In the Internet age? You must be kidding.
A lot of these kids are victims of educational malpractice. They leave high school with no idea what their niche might be, how to brand and market themselves, how to build an email list and an audience, how to use YouTube, WordPress, and social media to spread their message — all of thus stuff may as well not exist.
(They know they should recycle their aluminum cans, though.)
Meanwhile, I myself know plenty of people who are absolutely cleaning up online. They figured all this stuff out for themselves, or they studied people who have mastered it, and they took action.
This is the opposite of the mentality we learn in the education/unemployment complex, which is: sit by the phone and wait for an opportunity to ring.
Example: I have yet to meet anyone who says, “Nah, I’d hate to earn Amazon commissions as an extra income stream. That would be terrible.”
But I’d be willing to bet most people don’t know about this possibility, and the ones who do have no idea how to do it.
Trust me, plenty of knuckle-draggers make a very nice living through affiliate marketing.
My mom (not a knuckle-dragger) learned how to do it earlier this year. Here’s how:
November 3rd, 2016 | By Tom Woods
We’ve all heard it.
“Follow your passion!”
You know what? I’m not so sure.
Of course, all other things equal, who wouldn’t want to work in a field he loves?
But other things are rarely equal.
Here’s my principle: if you start making big money in some field, you’ll get passionate about it real quick.
If you limit yourself only to what you’re “passionate” about, you’re narrowing your options and bypassing potentially lucrative opportunities.
My mother probably wasn’t “passionate” about game room furnishings when she created her Amazon affiliate site, but she’s quickly becoming the master at selling them as an affiliate. And you bet that with every $50 and $75 commission she earns, she gets more and more passionate about it.
Today’s the long-awaited webinar outlining my mother’s strategy for creating a successful affiliate site. Her coaches, Andrew Hansen and Sara Young, will be joining me at 2:00pm Eastern.
Spend some time with us today. Register here:
https://www.happyearner.com/andrew
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