The Blogger Genius Podcast Jillian Leslie

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In the latest episode of  The Blogger Genius Podcast, I tackle a topic that many bloggers and online entrepreneurs find daunting: the art of being "salesy." I passionately argue that adopting a sales-oriented approach can be transformative, especially those who feel uncomfortable with the idea of being "salesy."

I share eight reasons to be "salesy," encouraging you to overcome their discomfort and recognize the value of your products and services. This episode will break down each of these reasons in detail, offering actionable advice to help you embrace a more sales-focused mindset.

Show Notes:
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1. Stand Out in a Crowded Online Space
The Challenge of Visibility
The online space is incredibly crowded, with countless blogs, businesses, and social media accounts vying for attention. If you don’t actively promote your products and services, you risk getting lost in the noise.

Actionable Tips:
Leverage Social Media: Use platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to showcase your products. Regularly post engaging content that highlights the benefits of what you offer. SEO Optimization: Ensure your website and blog posts are optimized for search engines to increase organic traffic. Collaborate with Influencers: Partner with influencers in your niche to reach a broader audience.
2. Confidence is Key
The Power of Belief
Gillian emphasizes the importance of confidence in sales. If you genuinely believe in your product or service, you should feel proud to share it with others. Confidence can position you as a leader in your niche, attracting more followers and potential customers.

Actionable Tips:
Practice Your Pitch: Rehearse your sales pitch until you can deliver it confidently and naturally. Gather Testimonials: Collect and display testimonials from satisfied customers to build credibility. Mindset Training: Engage in activities that boost your self-confidence, such as public speaking or personal development courses.
3. Transparency Builds Trust
Overcoming the Pushy Misconception
Many people equate being salesy with being pushy. However, Gillian argues that transparency about what you offer and its value can build trust with your audience.

Actionable Tips:
Clear Communication: Clearly explain what your product is, how it works, and the benefits it provides. Honest Marketing: Avoid exaggerated claims and be honest about what your product can and cannot do. Customer Support: Offer excellent customer support to address any questions or concerns promptly.
4. Ask for the Sale
The Importance of the Nudge
If you don’t ask for the sale, you won’t make any sales. Many entrepreneurs set up their sales pages and expect customers to find them magically. Being assertive and encouraging potential customers to make a purchase can significantly increase conversion rates.

Actionable Tips:
Call to Action (CTA): Include strong CTAs in your content, urging readers to take the next step. Email Marketing: Use email campaigns to remind potential customers about your products and encourage them to buy. Limited-Time Offers: Create a sense of urgency with limited-time discounts or bonuses.
5. Maximize Your ROI
The Value of Promotion
Many bloggers spend countless hours developing e-books, courses, or other digital products but fail to promote them effectively. By being salesy, you ensure that your hard work pays off, maximizing your return on investment.

Actionable Tips:
Marketing Plan: Develop a comprehensive marketing

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In today's episode of The Blogger Genius Podcast, I sat down with Petra Atanasova, a Bulgarian vegan and vegetarian food blogger and the creator of Sunglow Kitchen. Petra shared her incredible journey of growing her Instagram followers from 2,000 to over 100,000 in just four months.

The episode delves into the strategies Petra used to achieve this remarkable growth, offering actionable advice and detailed insights for anyone looking to boost their Instagram presence.

Petra's Background and Initial Struggles
Petra's journey began during the pandemic when she decided to start her blog after experiencing burnout from her job as a chef at a plant-based cafe. Initially, she struggled with her blog's growth but found success after learning about SEO and optimizing her content.

However, a Google algorithm update caused a significant drop in her traffic, prompting her to diversify her income streams by focusing on Instagram.

Show Notes:
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Key Strategies for Instagram Growth
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Creating Successful Reels
Petra's primary strategy for growing her Instagram following was through creating engaging and visually appealing Reels. Here are the key elements she focused on:

Length of Reels: Petra's Reels are typically between 20 and 30 seconds long. She noted that shorter Reels tend to have higher watch times, which is crucial for retaining viewer attention.

Number of Cuts: Her Reels often contain 30 to 40 cuts, with each shot lasting less than a second. This rapid editing style keeps the content dynamic and engaging.


Content Focus: Petra emphasizes the importance of showing only the most critical movements in her videos. For example, if she's cutting a cucumber, the reel will only show the knife slicing through the cucumber.

Tools Used: Petra uses CapCut for filming and editing her videos. She shoots in clips rather than long videos to save storage space and make the editing process cleaner.

Providing Value and Engaging the Audience
Petra's approach to content creation is centered around providing value and engaging her audience.

Here are some of her tactics:

Recipe Series: She created a successful recipe series that showcased her expertise as a professional chef. This series not only provided valuable content but also established her authority in her niche.

Call to Action: Petra often includes a call to action in her Reels, such as "Comment 'tofu' for the recipe." She uses ManyChat, an automation app, to send the recipe link to anyone who comments with the specified keyword.


Captions: For recipes that she has blog posts for, Petra includes the ingredients in the caption and directs viewers to her blog for full instructions. For other recipes, she provides the entire recipe in the caption. This strategy has led to higher save rates, which are important for the Instagram algorithm.

Using Trending Music
Petra highlighted the importance of using trending music in her Reels. Trending music can increase the chances of your reel being discovered by a wider audience, as Instagram's algorithm tends to favor content that uses popular audio tracks.

Dealing with Controversy
Interestingly, some of Petra's most viral videos have sparked controversy. For example, one of her videos received comments questioning her credentials as a professional chef. While this initially affected her mental health, Petra learned to view controversy as a way to drive engagement. She now occasionally incorporates controversial elements into h

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In my newest episode of The Blogger Genius Podcast, I sat down with Tammy Overhoff food blogger at Organize Yourself Skinny and digital product shop owner at Reset and Flourish.

Tammy shares her experiences and strategies for transitioning from traditional food blogging to selling digital products, offering valuable insights for anyone looking to diversify their online business. In this episode you'll hear her actionable advice and expert tips to help you succeed in the digital product space.


Show Notes:
MiloTreeCart Book a FREE 20-minute call with me Reset and Flourish Organize Yourself Skinny MiloTree Pop-Up App Personality Quiz: What Digital Product Should I Create? Join My Blogger Genius Email List Become a Blogger Genius Facebook Group All Blogger Genius Podcast Episodes
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The Journey from Food Blogging to Digital Products
Tammy Overhoff's journey began with her food blog, Organize Yourself Skinny, where she shared meal prep tips and healthy eating advice. Over time, she realized the potential of digital products to provide additional value to her audience and generate revenue. Here are the main steps she took to make this transition:

Identifying the Right Digital Products
Tammy started by identifying the types of digital products that would resonate with her audience. She focused on creating products that aligned with her blog's theme and addressed her readers' needs. Some of the digital products she developed include:

Meal Prep Lessons: Using her expertise in meal prep, Tammy created a series of lessons to help her audience plan and prepare meals efficiently.   Ebook Bundles: She compiled her best recipes and meal prep tips into ebooks, offering them as bundles for added value.   Healthy Eating Challenges: Tammy designed a ten-day healthy eating challenge kit, providing her audience with a structured plan to kickstart their healthy eating journey.
Leveraging Existing Content
One of Tammy's key strategies has been repurposing existing content to create digital products. This approach not only saves time but also ensures that the products are relevant and valuable to her audience. For example:

Repurposing Blog Posts: Tammy turned her most popular blog posts into comprehensive ebooks, adding additional content and resources to enhance their value.   Creating Mini Products: She used the Meal Pro app to offer mini products, such as meal prep lessons, which were derived from her existing content.
Building and Nurturing an Email List
Tammy emphasizes the importance of having a robust email list to sustain long-term success in selling digital products. She shares her strategies for building and nurturing her email list:

Lead Magnets: Tammy offeres free resources, such as meal planning templates and healthy eating guides, to attract new subscribers.   Regular Communication: She maintains regular communication with her email list, providing valuable content and updates about new products and offers.   Segmenting the Audience: Tammy segments her email list based on subscribers' interests and behaviors, allowing her to send targeted and relevant content.
Creating a Strong Sales Funnel
A well-designed sales funnel is crucial for converting leads into customers. Tammy shares her approach to creating an effective sales funnel:

Front-End Offers: She uses her ten-day healthy eating challenge kit as a front-end offer to attract new customers and introduce them to her products. Upselling and Cross-Selling: Tammy offers additional products and services, such as yearly memberships and workshops, to existing customers. Retargeting with Facebook Ads: She successfully uses Facebook ads to retarget website visitors and email subsc

In today's episode of The Blogger Genius Podcast, I'm tackling blogger burnout. I share my key insights from talking to many of you about your experience with burnout and share my advice on how to rejuvenate both your passion and profitability.

The Hamster Wheel of Content Creation
Many bloggers find themselves trapped in a relentless cycle of content creation, SEO optimization, keyword research, and posting on social media. This constant push for pageviews, traffic and engagement can lead to a sense of disconnection from your audience and a lack of personal fulfillment.

The need to constantly optimize for search engines can overshadow the original purpose of blogging, and the pressure to produce frequent, high-quality content can be overwhelming.

Show Notes:
MiloTreeLeads Beta MiloTreeCart Book a FREE 20-minute call with me MiloTree Pop-Up App Personality Quiz: What Digital Product Should I Create? Join My Blogger Genius Email List Become a Blogger Genius Facebook Group All Blogger Genius Podcast Episodes
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Rediscovering Your "Why"
This is why it's important to remember why you started blogging in the first place. Most bloggers begin with a desire to connect, share, and solve real problems for real people. Taking time to revisit your initial goals and passions can help you reconnect with your audience. Engage with your readers through comments, emails, and social media to understand their needs and interests. Shift your focus from pageviews to providing genuine value and solutions to your audience.

Diversifying Income Streams
While ad revenue and affiliate income can be lucrative, they are often subject to fluctuations in traffic and market changes. Diversifying your income streams can provide more stability and fulfillment.

Introducing Digital Products and Services
Many bloggers I talk to find a renewed excitement and purpose when they introduce selling digital products and services. This approach not only diversifies their income but also fosters deeper connections with their audiences. Digital products and services can provide a more consistent income stream, and creating products that solve specific problems for your audience can be highly rewarding. Plus, selling products and services allows for more personal interactions and relationship-building with your audience.

Case Study: Nell Foster's Successful Pivot
Nell Foster, a gardening blogger, experienced a significant drop in traffic but successfully pivoted by updating and selling her ebook and now is offering live workshops. She engaged with her audience and found new ways to monetize her expertise.

Be open to pivoting your business model in response to changing circumstances, and regularly interact with your audience to understand their needs and preferences.

Overcoming Self-Doubt and Embracing Growth
Transitioning to selling products and services can be uncomfortable and may trigger feelings of self-doubt or imposter syndrome. So I recommend you begin with a simple product or service to test the waters and build confidence. Ask for feedback from trusted peers or early customers to improve and validate your offerings. View the process as an opportunity for personal and professional growth.

The Power of Human Connection and Community
There is something really important today about human connection and community. Starting a paid membership can be a smart move for bloggers as a way to make a steady income stream, and build a community around you and your brand. Plus, creating products that matter to you and your audience can lead to greater creative satisfaction.

Transitioning to a Customer-Centric Business
As things keep changing and AI becomes more prevalent, my recommendation is to transition from solely focusing on SEO to creating a vibrant, customer-centric business. This shift can lead to you rediscovering joy i

In my latest episode of The Blogger Genius Podcast, I dive deep into the transformative strategy of using email tripwires to convert new email subscribers into paying customers swiftly.
Drawing from my personal experiences and insights, I share how to effectively implement tripwires and build a product ladder that maximizes revenue and customer engagement.

Show Notes:
MiloTreeLeads Beta MiloTreeCart Book a FREE 20-minute call with me MiloTree Pop-Up App Personality Quiz: What Digital Product Should I Create? Join My Blogger Genius Email List Become a Blogger Genius Facebook Group All Blogger Genius Podcast Episodes
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What is an Email Tripwire?
An email tripwire is a low-cost offer presented immediately after a user opts in for a freebie. This strategy leverages the momentum of the subscriber's initial "yes" to entice them into making a small purchase. The concept is simple yet powerful: capitalize on the subscriber's engagement and willingness to buy by offering a compelling product at a nominal price.

Key Elements of an Effective Tripwire
Immediacy: The offer should be presented right after the user opts in for the freebie. This timing is crucial as it taps into the subscriber's current state of engagement.
Irresistibility: The tripwire must be perceived as a steal. It should offer significant value at a low cost, making it an easy decision for the subscriber.
Relevance: The tripwire should be directly related to the original freebie. This ensures that the offer aligns with the subscriber's interests and needs.

Implementing Tripwires: A Case Study from Catch My Party
At Catch My Party, our sister site, we offer a variety of free printable party decorations. After users opt in to receive these free printables, they are presented with an upsell for additional items in the collection, such as personalized banners and invitations, for a nominal fee. This approach not only grows our email list but also generates revenue on the back end.

Steps to Create a Successful Tripwire
Identify a Popular Freebie: Start with a freebie that has high demand among your audience.
Create a Related Low-Cost Offer: Develop a product that complements the freebie and offers additional value.
Set Up the Automation: Automate the delivery of the tripwire offer immediately after the subscriber opts in using a tool like MiloTreeLeads
Test and Refine: Monitor the performance of your tripwire and make adjustments as needed to improve conversion rates.

Building a Product Ladder
I like to talk about this strategy using the concept of a product ladder, where each step represents a product that increases in value and price as the customer progresses. This strategic approach helps in nurturing the customer relationship and guides them through a journey of increasing value.

Crafting Your Product Ladder
Identify a Significant Problem: Start by understanding a major pain point in your niche.
Offer a Freebie: Provide a free resource that addresses a specific aspect of the problem.
Introduce a Tripwire: Offer a low-cost product that provides a more comprehensive solution.
Develop Higher-Ticket Offers: Create premium products such as personalized coaching sessions, memberships, or advanced courses.

Example of a Product Ladder
Freebie: A fitness coach offers a free PDF on morning exercises. Tripwire: A discounted online workout session. Mid-Tier Offer: A monthly subscription to a workout program. High-Ticket Offer: Personalized coaching sessions.
Testing and Refining Your Strategy
It is important to test and refine each step of the product ladder. Experiment with different offers and monitor customer responses to identify what works best. Use email to build the connective tissue between each step, nurturing relationships and guiding customers through their journey.

Tips for Effective Testing
Test different

Today I'm diving deep into one of my favorite strategies for growing your email list: leveraging the power of freebies. But before we get into that, I want to touch on a crucial aspect of your business strategy—diversifying your income streams. If you’re still relying solely on traditional methods like ads and affiliate links, you might be putting your business at risk. This is where MiloTreeCart shines, allowing you to sell unlimited memberships, digital downloads, workshops, coaching, and mini-courses swiftly and seamlessly. We’ve even upgraded to AI-driven sales pages to make the process faster than ever!

Why Email Lists are More Crucial Than Ever
In the current online landscape, where social media algorithms are a moving target, owning your blog and email list provides a stable, reliable platform for business growth. I can't stress this enough: your email list is where the money is. The larger your list, the more potential customers you have for your digital products.

Show Notes:
MiloTreeLeads Beta MiloTreeCart Book a FREE 20-minute call with me MiloTree Pop-Up App Personality Quiz: What Digital Product Should I Create? Join My Blogger Genius Email List Become a Blogger Genius Facebook Group All Blogger Genius Podcast Episodes
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The Power of Freebies
What’s the fastest way to grow this valuable list? Offer something of value for free in exchange for an email address. But it’s not enough to just offer anything; your freebie needs to be like a Hershey's Kiss—small, desirable, and immediately satisfying.

Imagine you're at a manicure salon, and right by the cash register, there's a bowl of Hershey's Kisses. You're likely to grab one and enjoy it right there, rather than saving it for later—because you can’t just put a Hershey's Kiss in your pocket; it will melt! This is the essence of a great freebie. It should be something your audience can consume instantly and leave them wanting more. It’s about immediate gratification.

The Ideal Freebie
Your freebie should be:

Immediately consumable: It should be something that can be accessed and used as soon as it’s downloaded, viewed right on the phone or computer.   Satisfying yet simple: Not a ten-page ebook, but something that provides a quick "sugar rush" of value—solve a problem, answer a question, or satiate a curiosity.   Engaging and desirable: It should make the new subscriber crave more interaction and content from you.
Types of Effective Freebies
Through numerous discussions with you, my audience, we’ve seen that the most engaging freebies aren’t necessarily the most complex. They are:

Guides and cheat sheets: Short, sweet, and to the point.   Interactive content like quizzes: Especially those that offer personal insights or fun revelations.   Done-for-you resources: Templates or printables, like those we offer on Catch My Party, provide immediate utility.
Using AI to Generate Ideas
One tool I find incredibly useful in generating freebie ideas is ChatGPT. You can prompt it to brainstorm freebie ideas that fit within specific categories, like saving time, making money, or raising social status. These are triggers that motivate people to opt into your list.

Chat GPT Prompt: "Generate a list of freebie ideas for [insert niche] that fits into one of these categories: Make somebody money. Save somebody money. Save someone time. Move someone toward happiness. Move someone away from pain. Raises their social status."

Introducing MiloTreeLeads
And speaking of making things easier, I’m thrilled to introduce MiloTreeLeads, a new addition to our product suite. This tool allows you to effortlessly create and distribute unlimited freebies. It integrates with major email service providers, simplifying how you collect and manage your leads. It’s designed to help you set up a freebie in less than five