Rainmaker.FM: Build Your Digital Sales and Marketing Platform

The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug. ~ Mark Twain That Twain guy was pretty smart. But he had to rely on the intuition that comes from years of writing to choose the right word, and even then it was still a guess. Poor guy. Nowadays, weve got technology that allows us to easily know what the right word, phrase, or headline is, at least when it comes to getting people to take the action you want. But all the tech in the world wont help you if you dont know what to test, or test incorrectly. To make sure that doesnt happen to you, I invited Joanna Wiebe of Copyhackers to give us free consulting share her wisdom at the intersection of creative copy and no-nonsense testing. In this 35-minute episode Joanna and I discuss: Her approach to email opt-in button copy What every real copywriter should focus on The starting point for building any new audience Why what you want to write doesnt matter The number of conversions you need to make a good call The type of language you should split-test How to know what site areas to test in the first place The recurring theme of conversion testing that works Listen to Rainmaker.FM Episode No. 27 below ... [player] MP3StitcheriTunes The Show Notes Copyhackers Copywriting 101: How to Craft Compelling Copy 6 Proven Ways to Boost the Conversion Rates of Your Call-to-Action Buttons Is the Seemingly Humble Button More Powerful Than the Headline? *Rainmaker.FM is brought to you by the Rainmaker Platform, the complete website solution for content marketers and Internet entrepreneurs. Transcript Coming Soon ...

Note: This is the third of three core lessons related to content curation based on a case study of my new email newsletter Further. You can listen to the initial two episodes here: Position Your Content Curation for Success 3 Ways to Grow Your Curated Email Newsletter Faster Now we tackle the eternal question: how do you get traffic to your curation site so you can build an email list? Should we start building a war chest for advertising? Not yet. First were going to apply some creativity and sweat into driving traffic. Some of these methods are tried and true, but need to be executed a certain way for a curation project. Others are seemingly a little outside the box, and yet they complement a curated email newsletter perfectly. In this 22-minute episode Robert Bruce and I discuss: What makes curated content shareable and linkable The best audience building strategy on the planet How to borrow (and delight) a massive audience How to get others to share your curated content Why infographics are pure media curation How to take advantage of visual microcontent The true value of iTunes for audience building The podcast interview as valuable curation content The viral catalyst that exploded Copyblogger in the early days Listen to Rainmaker.FM Episode No. 26 below ... [player] MP3StitcheriTunes The Show Notes Media Redefined Brain Pickings Further (current issue) The Essentials of Guest-Blogging Strategy for SEO, Traffic, and Audience-Building 7 Crucial Tactics for Writing a Wildly Successful Guest Post An example of my current image strategy Viral Copy: Trading Words for Traffic *Rainmaker.FM is brought to you by the Rainmaker Platform, the complete website solution for content marketers and Internet entrepreneurs. Transcript Coming Soon ...

Note: This is the second of three core lessons related to content curation based on a case study of my new email newsletter Further. You can listen to the first episode here: Position Your Content Curation for Success With These 5 Essential Elements. A key aspect of last weeks episode was identifying the purpose of any smart content curation project – audience building. Specifically, building an audience asset in the form of an email list. This week we’re focusing exactly on that essential element. After smartly positioning your curation project, you want to do everything you can to optimize your initial sign-up conversion rate before you invest serious time and money in driving traffic. In this 34-minute episode Robert Bruce and I reveal: Why traffic alone isnt enough to build an audience My overall content architecture for Further.net Whether the How To headline is losing effectiveness The stupidly simple way to get your newsletter shared The origin of the modern social share button An unorthodox publishing approach that works How Copyblogger achieved a 400% increase in email signups How to create an unbelievably effective ethical bribe for subscribers Listen to Rainmaker.FM Episode No. 25 below ... [player] MP3StitcheriTunes The Show Notes Further home page Further current issue Marketing Sherpa: Copybloggers email list grows by 400% using free paywall My Copyblogger David Siteman Garland on the Infinite Scalability of Online Courses The Best Damn Copywriting Advice I’ve Found *Rainmaker.FM is brought to you by the Rainmaker Platform, the complete website solution for content marketers and Internet entrepreneurs. Transcript Coming Soon ...

Last fall, Robert and I did an episode of the podcast where we laid out how content curation could be used to build an audience and even a business. It was one of the most popular episodes of 2014. We did that episode based on a personal project I was already planning to do. I quietly launched that project last month, and its called Further. Its a curated email newsletter dedicated to living your best life, with features and news items related to health, wealth, and wisdom. Here are a few sample issues: Three Real Ways to Protect and Enhance Your Brain Power The Epic Food Fight: Plants Versus Paleo Meditate to Dominate in 2015 Given the initial high interest (and several requests), Ive decided to do a behind the scenes case study on myself, revealing what Im doing and why, plus whats working and whats not. This episode and the next two will be the first leg of that case study. If youre interested in the possibilities at the intersection of curation and email marketing, I think youll get a lot out of these episodes. Even if youre not sure about that, there are a lot of fundamental content, copywriting, and entrepreneurial insights throughout. At minimum, you can watch a new project develop in real time, with commentary. Enough said ... lets get started. In this 36-minute episode Robert Bruce and I discuss: The two primary keys to building an audience with curation The element that makes curation a financially viable approach How to make your content curation project unique The design philosophy that works like a charm My explosive new image strategy The kind of copy to use and how to test it How Im positioning Further in a sea of sameness Listen to Rainmaker.FM Episode No. 24 below ... [player] Download AudioSubscribe in iTunes The Show Notes Image by Jonas Lavoie-Levesque Authority Rainmaker 2015 Behind the Scenes: 2014 in Review and the Road Ahead 7 Ways to Find a Topical Market that Will Fuel Your Digital Commerce Business How to Use Content Curation to Create a Recurring Revenue Business Brian Gardners No Sidebar Dan Pinks Drive Copywriting is Interface Design *Rainmaker.FM is brought to you by the Rainmaker Platform, the complete website solution for content marketers and Internet entrepreneurs. The Transcript Position Your Content Curation for Success With These 5 Essential Elements Rainmaker.FM is brought to you by the Rainmaker Platform, the complete website solution for building your online marketing and sales platform. Find out more and take a free 14-day test drive at RainmakerPlatform.com. Robert Bruce: Brian, whats going on? Brian Clark: Busy, busy, man. This year is off with a bang. Robert Bruce: Yeah, whats the quick list of what we have going on right now? Some of which we can not talk about. Brian Clark: Dont make me do that. Ill get stressed out and this whole episode will go down hill. Robert Bruce: No, it will make you feel better to get it all out. Brian Clark: Oh, really. Okay. Robert Bruce: Yeah, isnt that how psychology works? Brian Clark: Thank you, Dr Freud. Robert Bruce: Any time. Weve got Authority Rainmaker, our live event coming up in May, and weve got our super stealth secret project coming up shortly, that we cant talk about but we will be talking about, and actually, we are talking about it, without talking about it. Does that make sense? Brian Clark: Yeah, as far as Im concerned, we gave it away last episode but lets not say anything now. Theyll have to go listen. Robert Bruce: Good point, good point. What else? Brian Clark: Weve got some virtual summits that we are working on, and we have got the Rainmaker Reseller Program thats about to launch. Its crazy. Robert Bruce: And with all this going on, and all the normal stuff going on, you

2014 was a pivotal year for Copyblogger Media. We: Launched a Pilot program for our Rainmaker Platform using a podcast Evolved the platform to version 2.0 during the Pilot phase Arrived at the 8-figure level for annual revenue, up 34% For an added twist, we tried things, observed, learned, and made changes on the fly throughout the year - from content, to format, to development. Which, lets be frank, may have made us look like we didnt know what we were doing. Welcome to the real world. When you play in real time with a real audience, you figure out everything you need to know. But you cant be afraid to adapt based on what they tell you just because it differs from the plan. In this 32-minute episode Robert Bruce and I discuss: Why 2014 was such a strange year around here The big project were working on for 2015 The biggest Rainmaker.FM episode of 2014 I (finally) reveal my new curation project The future of the Rainmaker Platform The content trend you need to focus on in 2015 Listen to Rainmaker.FM Episode No. 23 below ... [player] Download AudioSubscribe in iTunes The Show Notes Image by Bjorn Simon The New Rainmaker training course The most popular Rainmaker.FM episode of 2014 My new project: Further Further on Facebook | Further on Twitter 16 Stats That Explain Why Adaptive Content Matters Right Now *Rainmaker.FM is brought to you by the Rainmaker Platform, the complete website solution for content marketers and Internet entrepreneurs. The Transcript Behind the Scenes: 2014 in Review and the Road Ahead This episode of Rainmaker.FM is brought to you by the Rainmaker Platform, which we will be talking about a little bit later — but you can see more of right now at RainmakerPlatform.com. Robert Bruce: Happy New Year Brian. Brian Clark: Happy New Year to you too. Robert Bruce: Thank you. Its 2015, for those of you who are still in a fog rolling into the days of January here. Brian Clark: That would be me. So, thanks. Robert Bruce: Well you get a lot done, it seems. Some of which we are going to be talking about a little bit today but we have laid out a nice little plan for this episode. Another behind the scenes episode of Rainmaker.FM. The first half of the show we are going to take a look back at 2014 and the second half of the show we will be looking ahead at 2015. We were talking the other day that folks in and around the Copyblogger audience, if you are watching closely, you may have noticed some interesting things going on, you may have even questioned some of the decisions we have made over this last year, wondering why we are doing what we are doing. So we will talk about a few of those things and obviously, what we learned from them. Then will go onto 2015 in the second half of the show and whats coming next for us, which hopefully will be informative and useful to all of you. Why 2014 Was Such a Strange Year Around Here Robert Bruce: Yeah Brian, what do you think about 2014, generally first? Some of these things, turns, decisions we made. Brian Clark: It was a big year. It seemed like a crazy year. We tried a lot of things, we learned a lot of things and we figured out a lot of things, and yet we did it all on purpose as a demonstration. When we launched this podcast at the beginning of 2014 we had a general plan for what we are trying to accomplish but we were really learning as we went, figuring things out, taking in feedback and seeing what worked and what didnt. And of course, that early effort turned into the New Rainmaker training course, which shows that Im still not a jaded old fart. But in our LinkedIn discussion group when they were talking about the best of 2014 from Copyblogger, several people chimed in and said it was the New Rainmaker training course that was their favorite thing from the year.

Seth Godin is the author of 17 bestselling books. Hes the founder of email marketing pioneer Yoyodyne, and the charity-driven publishing platform Squidoo. And hes the selfless dispenser of daily wisdom via the most popular marketing blog on the planet. But if you had to sum Seth up in one word, it might well be impresario. The classical definition of that word refers to a promoter, manager, or conductor of an opera or concert company. The modern definition, set forth by Seth himself when hes teaching others about the prime entrepreneurial role of the connection economy, is as follows: One who gathers others together for creating art--the art of making a ruckus; the art of inventing the future; the art of important work. Whether bootstrapping a startup by building an audience first, curating content to create something vibrant and new, or assembling a tribe that changes the world, its the modern impresarios who best take advantage of the power of the Internet to turn intangible ideas into real things that really matter. Things that change lives. In this 30-minute episode Seth Godin and I discuss: How he sold 40,000 copies of his self-published book (so far) Seths early failure, and what he learned from it His training for the post-industrial connection economy The kind of business that were all in now Why its worthwhile to embrace the impresario concept How to waste your life, one simple step at a time If Seths decision to stop publishing traditionally was worth it Why every bestseller is a surprise bestseller The biggest challenge in producing his latest book The future direction of education Listen to Rainmaker.FM Episode No. 22 below ... [player] Download AudioSubscribe in iTunes The Show Notes Image by Amanda Sandlin Seths Blog The Impresario Institute on SkillShare Seths New Book: What to Do When Its Your Turn *Rainmaker.FM is brought to you by the Rainmaker Platform, the complete website solution for building your online marketing and sales platform. The Transcript Seth Godin on Stepping Up and Making it Happen Rainmaker.FM is brought to you by the Rainmaker Platform, a complete website solution for content marketers and online entrepreneurs. Find out more and take a free 14-day test drive at RainmakerPlatform.com. Brian Clark: Seth Godin, we meet again. How are you sir? Seth Godin: Im fabulous. Its so great to talk to you. Brian Clark: Yes, its great to have you back and its wonderful to see the work that you are doing, which of course we are going to explore a little bit today. Who Is Seth Godin? Brian Clark: Now Seth Godin probably doesnt need much of an introduction to most of you, but just in case, hes the author of 17 bestselling books. One of those books, Permission Marketing, was the first marketing book I ever read, thank goodness. I had nothing to unlearn and that basically set me on the path I am today. I think by far, he runs the most popular marketing blog in the world. Hes founded and sold several companies but mainly I think he thinks of himself as a teacher and hes certainly been one to me. As a reminder, Im Brian Clark, founder and CEO of Copyblogger Media and this is Rainmaker.FM. Today we are going to dig down a little bit with Seth. Hes got a new book out but I think we have got an even bigger scope of things to talk about and how it all ties together with the work that Seth is doing right now. So thats what I hope to accomplish today. How Seth Got His Start Brian Clark: Seth let me start here. I dont think this is something that weve ever specifically discussed, but you spent 15 years as a book packager. And number one, Im not sure everyone knows what that means, so lets start there. But talk a little bit about that period of your life. Seth Godin: Its fair to say

Michael Hyatt is the former Chairman and CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers, the seventh largest trade book publishing company in the U.S. In fact, Hyatt has been involved in the traditional publishing business his entire working life. Not the typical profile of a do-it-yourself blogger, right? And yet, in 2012 when Thomas Nelson was acquired by HarperCollins and Michael left his executive role, it was his 8-year-old blog that opened the door to an exciting and vibrant new chapter of his life. A blog that he toiled in frustrating obscurity for many of those foundational years. It was the blog that provided the launch pad for his New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling book Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World. And it was the book that opened the door to his membership program Platform University. Seems like we can learn a few things from this guy about building our own online marketing and sales platforms. In this 31-minute episode Michael Hyatt and I discuss: His path from traditional publishing to independent media The rough start as a blogger, and what skyrocketed his traffic The dirty little secret of productivity His realization about the power of online publishing What you need in addition to world-class content The critical importance of owning your digital platform The compelling nature of audio vs. text content The interesting way he produces his very popular podcast Almost every authors epic missed revenue opportunity Listen to Rainmaker.FM Episode No. 21 below ... [player] Download AudioSubscribe in iTunes The Show Notes Image by Jonas Nilsson Lee MichaelHyatt.com Michaels This is Your Life Podcast Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World Platform University *Rainmaker.FM is brought to you by the Rainmaker Platform, the complete website solution for content marketers and Internet entrepreneurs. The Transcript Michael Hyatt on Building a Media Platform and Becoming a 10-Year Overnight Success Rainmaker.FM is brought to you by the Rainmaker Platform, a complete website solution for content marketers and online entrepreneurs. Find out more and take a free 14-day test drive at RainmakerPlatform.com. Brian Clark: Hey everyone, Brian Clark here with another episode of Rainmaker FM. Today I have another special guest, someone that Ive admired from afar. And as in this case, sometimes you just dont connect with people even though youre in the same city, at the same conference, or whatever the case may be and thats Michael Hyatt. Now many of you are probably familiar with Michael. He has done some really great work in the last three or four years. He is the former chairman and CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers, which I think was the sixth largest publisher around. He was sprung from that position when it was acquired by Harper Collins in 2012. He did not slow down from that standpoint as you might have noticed. He is a proprietor of MichaelHyatt.com with the tagline intentional leadership. Were going to talk a little bit about that concept today. He has a podcast, This is Your Life and he is the author of many, many books, more than you probably think. Most notably is Platform from 2012. He was nice enough to mention me and Copyblogger in that and we do appreciate that. First of all, join me in welcoming Michael Hyatt to the show. Michael, how are you? Michael Hyatt: Im doing great, Brian. Thanks so much for having me on. As I said to you before the show, Im a total fan of Copyblogger. I recommend it everywhere I go. It has really helped me in my writing. Thank you for what you do. Brian Clark: I appreciate that very much and the feeling is mutual. Like I said, Ive been watching your work and this amazing audience that youve built in not the longest amount of time really. I just love it because effectively youre walk

Its the ultimate Internet dream: create something once that sells over and over again, even while you sleep. And what better product than information itself? Turns out, its not that easy for the idle dreamer. And often, Internet entrepreneurs work 16-hour days in order to make money while they sleep. The good news is that the dream has shifted. Instead of hucksters offering no work Internet cash machine models to gullible business opportunity types, the concept of an online business has become a viable thing that experienced professionals and committed entrepreneurs explore and attain as part of the legitimate business world. David Siteman Garland discovered this for himself thanks to his popular podcast, The Rise to the Top. He was constantly asked by his audience for the secret to creating a popular and profitable show, and Davids answer was always the same -- its the art of the interview. So he created a course on the topic, and the rest (including his podcast!) is history. In this 35-minute episode David Siteman Garland and I discuss: His non-entrepreneurial path to online business How he decided to build The Rise to The Top The continuing rise of the mediapreneur Why you dont need to produce new content forever Why he quit his incredibly popular podcast The power of the podcast interview format The infinite scalability of online courses His very best advice on creating an awesome interview How to start developing your own online courses Listen to Rainmaker.FM Episode No. 20 below ... [player] Download AudioSubscribe in iTunes The Show Notes Image by Tim Mossholder The Rise to The Top How to Use Content Curation to Create a Recurring Revenue Business Create Awesome Online Courses Create Awesome Interviews Create Awesome Online Courses Course Creation Cheatsheet *Rainmaker.FM is brought to you by the Rainmaker Platform, the complete website solution for content marketers and Internet entrepreneurs. The Transcript David Siteman Garland on the Infinite Scalability of Online Courses Rainmaker.FM is brought to you by the Rainmaker Platform, the complete website solution for content marketers and online entrepreneurs. Find out more and take a free 14-day test drive at RainmakerPlatform.com. Brian Clark: Hey everyone. Welcome to yet another episode of Rainmaker FM. I am Brian Clark, Founder and CEO of Copyblogger Media. And today we have another special guest making my life easy with all of these interesting people that weve decided to interview. I think making your life better is the important part. Today we have David Siteman Garland, a gentleman I have known for several years now and he has been doing some interesting stuff for quite a while. His path is similar to some of the other people that we featured on the show recently. And yet, it deviates in its own special way, which goes to show you there are way more than one path to succeeding online. David Siteman Garland, how are you? David Siteman Garland: I am wonderful. Brian, not only am I excited to be here, but how about this one? It is the Rainmaker podcast and it is literally raining outside right now. We could not have made this any better. Brian Clark: Ive heard it is always raining at your place metaphorically. David Siteman Garland: There you go, perfect. Brian Clark: So you are the proprietor of The Rise To The Top, which is at therisetothetop.com. You started out, if I have this correctly, with that site doing a very cool interview podcast format tied with video. Right? David Siteman Garland: Yep. Brian Clark: And then you said, Forget that, Im not doing that anymore. Im into online courses now and Im the guy who can help you create and sell digital products and programs online. Not both necessarily, but one then the other. I think that is fascinati

In 2008, Pat Flynn was happily employed by an architectural firm. And then, like a lot of people in 2008, just like that ... out of a job. It was the best thing that ever happened to him. Since that point, Pat has built a business that supports his family through blogging and podcasting. And hes just getting started. Rather than some Master of the Universe type, Pat shares with you that (like most of us in this industry) he was initially scared and winging it. But it wasnt long until he had the confidence to take the next step, and then the next ... all by simply putting in the work and being consistent. Listen in to Pats story and the specific steps he took to go from broke and unknown to running his own new media business. This was my first conversation with Pat, and I was impressed by not only his knowledge and business savvy, but how genuine he is. In this 42-minute episode Pat Flynn and I discuss: His primary (and very simple) content strategy Why getting laid off was the best thing that happened to him The critical role of mindset in business (online or off) The podcast that inspired him to start up Why he started a second, 5 day-a-week podcast How much he makes from each of his podcasts The real power of a podcast-centered content strategy Listen to Rainmaker.FM Episode No. 19 below ... [player] Download AudioSubscribe in iTunes The Show Notes Image by Ramiro Checchi Pat Flynns Smart Passive Income Jay Baer on “Generosity Marketing” and the Power of Business Podcasting The Ask Pat Podcast Pat’s Complete Step-By-Step Podcasting Tutorial The Podcast Answer Man *Rainmaker.FM is brought to you by the Rainmaker Platform, the complete website solution for content marketers and Internet entrepreneurs. The Transcript Pat Flynn on Entrepreneurial Inspiration and His Profitable Content Strategy Rainmaker.FM is brought to you by the Rainmaker Platform, the complete website solution for content marketers and online entrepreneurs. Find out more and take a free 14-day test drive at RainmakerPlatform.com. Brian Clark: Hey everyone, Brian Clark. We are here again today with another episode of Rainmaker FM. Today is another one of our special interview episodes and I am very pleased to have today as a guest Pat Flynn of Smart Passive Income. I was kind of ruminating with Pat before we started the interview that Ive been aware of him forever and yet weve never met. Weve never really had a chance to talk. And I decided what better way to end that dry spell than to have him on the show? I think his story is inspirational. I think it is instructive and I think it is fascinating. I also think it is in line with the theme of these interviews of people who have successfully built audiences, but what do you do then? Whats next? And how did they get here in the first place? I think for many of you that is key. So join with me in welcoming Pat Flynn. Pat, thank you so much for being on the show. Pat Flynn: Thanks for having me Brian. Im super stoked to be here on Rainmaker FM. I think its really cool that we finally got to meet on a podcast of all places. Podcasting has been huge for me lately. Well get into that Im sure, but amongst other things its just a fantastic way to share with people so Im truly honored to be here. Thank you. Brian Clark: Yeah, its interesting. At Copyblogger we have kind of this mantra that everything is content. So if you want to get to know someone, in my mind, why not also share it with everyone else? Robert and I always have these conversations where well reflect back and were like, We should have been recording this, this is good stuff. For example, our last show was with Jay Baer, and Ive been friends with him forever, but rather than just getting on the phone with Jay and saying, Hey, what are you doing, where

Youd expect a guy whos started five multi-million dollar businesses from scratch to know a thing about marketing that works. And then, of course, hed write the book on it. In this case, the guy is Jay Baer, and the book is Youtility, a guide so useful for effective marketing its becoming a franchise unto itself. In his spare time, Jay is a highly sought-after keynote speaker, podcaster, angel investor, new media personality, and restless entrepreneur who cant help but add just one more project to his portfolio. I asked Jay to be the first in a series of Rainmaker.FM interviews that illuminate the path of content marketing into the future. Youll notice some common themes that turn up time and again among those who have already successfully built audiences, and Mr. Baer sets the stage perfectly. In this 33-minute episode Jay Baer and I discuss: Jays path to a bestselling business book Why podcasting could be the future of content The wonders of Geographically Agnostic businesses The strategic basis of my entire career How startups can profit from the concept of Youtility Why Jay doesnt write as much as he used to How to turn one piece of content into seven The long bet that Jay is making on podcasting Listen to Rainmaker.FM Episode No. 18 below ... [player] Download AudioSubscribe in iTunes The Show Notes Image by Todd Quackenbush Jay Baers Youtility MarketingPodcasts.com Jay Today Convince and Convert *Rainmaker.FM is brought to you by the Rainmaker Platform, the complete website solution for content marketers and Internet entrepreneurs. The Transcript Jay Baer on Generosity Marketing and the Power of Business Podcasting Rainmaker.FM is brought to you by the Rainmaker Platform, the complete website solution for content marketers and online entrepreneurs. Find out more and take a free 14-day test drive at RainmakerPlatform.com. Brian Clark: Hey everyone, Brian Clark here with another episode of Rainmaker FM. Today were breaking our normal programming just a bit to bring in a very special guest. Were going to have more guests periodically, but this is a guy and a friend that I really thought should be the first one. So Jay Baer, you know him most likely as the bestselling author of Youtility, which if you have not read is one of those few bibles of content marketing. And as someone who has been doing this a while, I feel like my opinion on that has some credence. Definitely pick it up and take a look if you havent read it. If you have read it, you know and are familiar with Mr. Jay Baer. Im going to ask Jay to bring us up to speed on his path to best-selling author and content marketing celebrity in his own right. But in general, Jay has managed five marketing service firms, which is amazing. And in the process of that he has worked with over 700 brands, 30 in the Fortune 500. Thats kind of ridiculous. I want to find out and I know his shop is growing, I know theyre doing interesting things but it is better to hear it from him than me. Jay, how are you? Jay Baer: Hello my friend. Thanks very much for having me. Greetings to everybody out there at Rainmaker FM Nation. Brian Clark: Very nice. So as I warned you, Id love for you to give us more details. So you were born and youre here today, please fill in the gap. Jay Baer: I feel like what Chris Brogan said a few years ago, It took me ten years to become an overnight sensation. I started in online in 1994 so pre-browser, pre-Yahoo, and way pre-Google. I was originally in political consulting. I ran political campaigns. I went from there to corporate marketing and from there I had a brief, and I mean brief, a foray working for the Government as a spokesperson for the Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections. My job was essentially to give tours of the juvenile prison, which isnt even

Its no secret that Im a tireless advocate for the creation of original content to fuel business growth. My next online project, however, is based on ... curation. You read that right. Im starting a new site, and the centerpiece of my content strategy will be locating and making sense of the smartest articles, audio, and video I can find in that topical market that are created by others. Sound strange? Listen in and check out the three-part process Im following, so you can start building your own profitable content curation strategy: In this 49-minute episode Robert and I discuss: Why my new project is based on simple content curation The critical centerpiece of your content curation strategy Three ways to get traffic to your curation-based website The counterintuitive power of guest posting What you can learn from the initial failure of the TED Conference The impresario approach to building an online business A simple way to generate word-of-mouth growth How I plan to monetize my curation-focused platform Listen to Rainmaker.FM Episode No. 17 below ... [player] Download AudioSubscribe in iTunes The Show Notes Image by Edith Soto 7 Ways to Find a Topical Market that Will Fuel Your Digital Commerce Business Maria Popovas Brain Pickings Dave Pells Next Draft Jason Hirschhorn’s MediaREDEF LOHAS: Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability MindBodyGreen Coudal Partners The Drudge Report Leo Babautas Zen Habits TED: Ideas Worth Spreading Jim Kukrals Author Marketing Live *Rainmaker.FM is brought to you by the Rainmaker Platform, the complete website solution for content marketers and internet entrepreneurs. The Transcript How to Use Content Curation to Create a Recurring Revenue Business Robert Bruce: Welcome to Rainmaker.FM. Today, were not going to answer any questions. Were going to dive deep into a very specific topic … this content curation thing and how to build revenue from it. Brian Clark: On one hand it is not an abstraction because this is my blueprint for a site that I am just giddily working on that Ive hinted about in past episodes. This is the real plan that Im actually following to create Brians new site. It is not Copyblogger Media. Its just me and its something Ive wanted to do and its something that interests me. Im not really worried about it making money right away. But you know me, I havent done something that doesnt generate revenue. That is generally something that I dont do so Im going to map out what Im going to do including the monetization and the revenue aspects. You could follow the first two parts of this blueprint with any business model and I think thats whats so cool. Lets talk about what I am actually trying to accomplish myself and that will make it real. Then, as we go forward and I get this thing going, I guess we could turn it into an ongoing case study. Thats because as weve discussed Robert, you throw it out there into the void and then you start figuring it out. Robert Bruce: Right. Brian Clark: Ive got a plan and I think its solid, but there are certainly going to be nuances. The cool thing is because of this podcast, Ill be able to share them with you. Thank goodness for our meta-teaching nature. Robert Bruce: Alright, so heres what were going to do. The title of this episode is How to Use Content Curation to Create a Recurring Revenue Business, and its got three parts. Were going to go over content, number one. That will include how to find it, where to look for it and the basic ideas around that. Number two, well talk about traffic. That will include several ways of how to get it. And number three, well talk about your product, or what it is that you can sell. This is really interesting in the con

Before you get down to business online, you need to find the topic(s) and market(s) that can support that business. And, after answering your questions on digital sharecropping and content curation, thats exactly what Brian and I get into on this weeks episode of Rainmaker FM. Listen in and check out the seven-part process for finding the topic market that can fuel your online business ... In this 43-minute episode we discuss: Why you need to be the market youre serving The innovative power of the traditional magazine rack How to achieve niche positioning within a big topic The critical difference between fads and trends Why you shouldnt fear big competition The right way to conduct audience surveys The minimum viable membership site strategy Listen to Rainmaker.FM Episode No. 16 below: [player] Download AudioSubscribe in iTunesDownload Transcript The Show Notes Image by Sylwia Bartyzel via Unsplash Tumblrs Image Size Changes Dave Pells Next Draft Trend Watching Trend Hunter Springwise The Power of Repeating Yourself *Rainmaker.FM is brought to you by the Rainmaker Platform, the complete website solution for content marketers and internet entrepreneurs. The Transcript 7 Ways to Find a Topical Market that Will Fuel Your Digital Commerce Business Robert Bruce: This is Rainmaker FM, the broadcast that provides you with the knowledge you need to build your own digital marketing and sales platform that works. I am Robert Bruce here with Brian Clark. Today were going to answer a couple of your questions before we get into the main topic, which is seven ways to inexpensively find a topic market that will fuel your digital commerce business. Brian, heres our first question. Jane Doe asks, Is it really that big of a deal to build an online platform on properties you dont own? She says she sees lots of successful people doing it in places like Tumblr, Squarespace, Twitter, and Facebook but whats the true danger here? Understanding the True Danger of Digital Sharecropping Brian Clark: Were still getting this question. Robert Bruce: How many years has it been? Brian Clark: I dont know. The evidence keeps mounting and we dont have to do anything because youve got the big Silicon Valley platforms that are constantly screwing people over. And people still wonder, But whats the harm? I will say that she included Squarespace. Squarespace is a website suite of tools, so its your site, its just the way you build it, so I wouldnt include Squarespace. We distinguish between Squarespace from Rainmaker in that Rainmaker is way, way, way more sophisticated and powerful. Most of the people were talking to especially on the topic of membership sites and digital commerce and all this, theyve graduated beyond Squarespace. But otherwise, I dont consider that sharecropping. Robert Bruce: Well, we know the stories of Facebook. And you just brought something about Tumblr this morning to me that I hadnt heard about yet. Brian Clark: Facebook of course, did the biggest bait and switch on people ever. They basically let people build audiences there, and you had a lot of bad advice from short sighted social media consultants who said, You dont need a website, just build on Facebook. Effectively, Facebook has changed the rules so many times since that time that its ridiculous. The biggest thing of course is that the audience that you built, you now have to pay to reach. And youre still missing out on all the value of owning your own media property, which has real value. You can sell a site. Youre not going to sell your Facebook page. No one is going to buy that. They may buy it in conjunction with your overall media business, but no, youre not going to sell your Facebook page. Im still a little perplexed abou

We laid the groundwork with 10 audio episodes of the New Rainmaker podcast. Then we launched the Pilot program of the Rainmaker Platform, and over 1,000 people took us up on it. Now, you guessed it ... it’s webinar time! That means it’s time to take a deep dive into the “how to” of developing your own media-first marketing strategy, as well as the tactics that will help you successfully execute on it. If you are reading this and are already on the New Rainmaker email list, youve heard about the three intensive webinars Im producing next month. If you are not on the New Rainmaker email list, make sure you scroll down to the bottom of this page and sign up today. I asked Robert to record a short audio invitation containing the details of the three webinars, listen in below ... Download AudioSubscribe in iTunes

The absolute best way to experience the new Rainmaker Platform is to: See it Play with it Build a site with it And in just a few days, you get to do that, as long as youre signed up on this invitation list. All at no charge. But, in the meantime, youre more than welcome to listen to me talk about it. This overview will answer most of the questions that people asked about the platform. This is not a sales pitch. Beyond the laid back approach, I think I actually try to talk some of you out of it. ;) In this episode of New Rainmaker, youll get an overview of the Rainmaker Platform. Plus, youll get the details about the Pilot program, and what that means as far as the deal youll get. Listen to New Rainmaker Episode No. 10 below ... Download AudioSubscribe in iTunes The Transcript ... Master Your Domain: The Technology Solution for New Rainmakers Robert Bruce: The absolute best way to experience the Rainmaker Platform is to see it, play with it, and actually build a site with it. In just a few days, youll get to do that at no charge as long as youve signed up to our invitation list over at newrainmaker.com/platform. In the meantime, this episode of New Rainmaker is an overview of the platform itself. Brian Clark gives you all the details, including the Rainmaker pilot program and what that means regarding the deal youll get. Stay tuned … Answers to Your Questions About the Rainmaker Platform Brian Clark: Hey there everyone. Its Brian Clark, founder and CEO of Copyblogger Media coming to you from beautiful downtown Boulder, Colorado. I just want to give you an overview of whats coming this week with the Rainmaker Platform and the pilot program that we are soft-launching it with. There seems to be a lot of anticipation out there. There were a ton of questions when we asked you what you wanted to know. So this podcast, audio, or whatever you want to call it, is essentially just a very laid back way of explaining what this thing is. Hopefully, well do that in a way that I think will answer about 98% of those questions. At a minimum, it will narrow your questions down to the point where we can quickly answer those in a follow-up session, or with a follow-up comment if you have that. More importantly, Im not trying to sell you on anything. What I really want you to do is try Rainmaker out for yourself — free of charge — and decide for yourself. See what it can do and see if its the right thing for you. That will all be in conjunction with helping us evolve the platform rapidly to the next level. Well be able to share things that we already have in mind and things that youre going to tell us that you want or need. It is a collaborative thing. Weve always launched our products this way. This is the most serious thing in our history that really requires your participation. We want you to tell us what we got right and what we could do better. So, What is the Rainmaker Platform? So starting off, what is the Rainmaker Platform? Essentially, it is a turnkey hosted website builder. It allows you to build a very powerful sales and marketing website. It includes content production tools. It includes the reporting that you need to run whatever it is youre trying to accomplish with your site. Whether your goal is your lead generation, running a membership site or whether that is selling digital goods, Rainmaker includes it. What the Rainmaker Platform Is Not Lets talk about what its not. In the questions that we asked for, there were a lot of people who said Hey, I assume this is like The Lead Pages. Or we heard Its like Unbounce, or even Its hosted Premise. No, those are just parts. What were delivering is a complete solution. LeadPages and Unbounce are hosted software-as-service that allow you to create really great landing pages. Rainmaker

What do the actors Laurence Fishburne and Alec Guinness have in common? Aside from being very good -- and very successful -- at what they do, theyve both played a very particular kind of role in their careers. You might know them better as Morpheus and Obi Wan Kenobi, respectively. These are roles that strike at the very heart of our desire for adventure and change. They also happen to strike at the heart of what makes a business truly great and profitable. In this episode of New Rainmaker we follow an ancient thread that began thousands of years ago, but has critical relevance to how you can build your audience -- and your business -- today. Stay tuned ... In this 19-minute episode youll discover: What every prospective buyer really wants from your business A new way to think about a classic marketing metaphor What The Matrix and Star Wars have to do with making it rain The nerdy book from 1949 that spawned a four billion dollar business The central power (and role) of the content you produce Why concentric defeats egocentric every time The opportunity to proceed (and succeed) with your own journey Listen to New Rainmaker Episode No. 9 below ... [player] Download AudioSubscribe in iTunesDownload Transcript The Transcript The New Rainmaker as Magical Mentor on the Buyer’s Journey Robert Bruce: What do the actors Laurence Fishburne and Alec Guinness have in common? Aside from being very good -- and very successful -- at what they do, theyve both played a very particular kind of role in their careers. You might know them better as Morpheus and Obi Wan Kenobi, respectively. These are roles that strike at the very heart of our desire for adventure and change. They also happen to strike at the heart of what makes a business truly great and profitable. This is New Rainmaker, from newrainmaker.com. I am Robert Bruce and today Brian Clark follows an ancient thread that began thousands of years ago, but has critical relevance to how you can build your audience -- and your business -- today. Stay tuned … Brian Clark: Thomas has a problem. His problem has come to define him. Night after night, he searches relentlessly online, looking to solve the dilemma that occupies his mind and robs him of sleep. Despite the impressive search tools at his disposal, it’s social that starts him down the correct path. A friend of a friend leads Thomas to a new social hub, where a mysterious woman named Trinity seems as if she knows him. Trinity turns out to be the person that leads him to the man who would become his mentor, a man named Morpheus. Thomas knows this is what he needs. Morpheus makes Thomas Anderson – also known by his online handle “Neo” – a proposition. Stay in his ordinary world, or discover the answers and solutions he’s sought for so long and be utterly transformed. Neo decides to make the commitment. Not just because he trusts Morpheus … But because he believes in Morpheus even more than he currently believes in himself. Thanks to the help he receives, Neo eventually comes to also believe in himself, and that is the true goal of his journey. Yes, this is the how the film The Matrix begins and develops. It’s one of the most beloved science fiction movies of all time, and it’s a classic example of a story that follows the timeless Hero’s Journey paradigm as outlined by mythologist Joseph Campbell. Yeah, that’s cool Brian … so what? Well, hold that thought for a bit, as we take a quick look at how the classic sales funnel works in a media-first strategy. The New Rainmaker Funnel Brian Clark: The concept of the sales or purchase funnel dates back to 1898, when a guy named Elias St. Elmo Lewis mapped a theoretical buyer’s journey from attention to the point of purchase. Surprisingly, no one seems to call it St. Elmo’s Funnel, whi