The HeyCreator Show

How one freelance copywriter found his groove, and how you can find yours, too. Lots of our listeners are freelance copywriters — and many more would like to do some writing as a “side hustle,” whether or not you ever want to go full-time. In this 31-minute episode, I chat with freelance writer and content... Listen to episode

Think marketing is evil? Only if you’re doing it right … Every once in awhile, I run across someone who hates me, my job, my website, and my company, because after all, marketing is intrinsically interesting. In this 9-minute episode, I share my favorite techniques for enslaving the wills of others to sell your products... Listen to episode

A collection of great questions from our smart audience! I love audience questions! Thanks to four thoughtful folks this week for asking questions (or leaving their thoughts) to spark this week’s responses. In this 26-minute episode, I talk about: Whether the flood of crummy ebooks is damaging the market The four points that I believe... Listen to episode

A comment from one of our blog readers sparked some thoughts… A reader left a great question as a blog post comment, and the answer took us to some fundamentals about the role of content on our sites. In this 17-minute episode, I talk about: Why I’m not a fan of “monetizing” your site Why... Listen to episode

Seems simple enough, right? Then how come so many people are terrible at it? In principle, leaving a comment on someone’s blog, podcast, or social media account doesn’t seem too tricky. Enter your name and other info, write down your thought, and click Post Comment. In practice, too many folks leave comments that are weak,... Listen to episode

Which works better in content marketing — positive messages or negative ones? Well … it depends. On the one hand, as content marketers, we want to associate ourselves and our content with lots of great feelings — that’s what makes our audience want to spend more time with us. On the other hand, negativity bias... Listen to episode

Being able to visualize a specific and vivid “who” is one of the most important things you’ll ever figure out in your marketing or your business. Digital marketing always offers fun and shiny new tools to tempt us — but it’s wise to keep your eye on the fundamentals. And there’s nothing more fundamental to... Listen to episode

We all know the cliche of the starving artist — but how about the thriving artist? Jeff Goins has some advice on how to “build a bridge in the direction of your dream.” Today we invited our friend Jeff Goins to talk about his new book, Real Artists Don’t Starve. In this 33-minute episode, Jeff... Listen to episode

Can we change who we are? Are we stuck with the aptitudes and habits we have today, or can we make fundamental changes? And if change is possible … are we up to the challenge? It’s funny when you think about it — virtually everyone wants to change. They want to be smarter or richer... Listen to episode

Are you a “training addict”? Wondering how to handle all of the marketing and business information you’re taking in? Allow me to suggest a plan. It’s easy to say, “Just don’t read or listen to any more marketing advice until you implement what you already have.” But digital marketing and business do change. Besides, learning... Listen to episode

Want to be more persuasive? You need to start with a great idea. Here’s how to develop one. We think of ideas as coming in a flash of inspiration … but when you’re talking about the “big idea” that informs persuasive communication, it pays to actually develop your idea systematically. Brian Clark thinks a lot... Listen to episode

Is your fear of selling keeping you from where you want to go? Selling is part of business — but it makes a lot of us nervous (especially writers, I’ve noticed). I think that’s because we have skewed “Glengarry Glen Ross” ideas about what effective selling truly looks like, and we don’t understand the structures... Listen to episode

A business community for the new economy I had a lot of fun talking with Tara Gentile about her new community for digital business owners. In our 28-minute conversation, we talked about: How Tara engineered a community that got past the bias for whining The difference between selling education and delivering educational experiences Why we... Listen to episode

Perception is not reality. Reality is still reality. The great thing about the Internet is, when people do really dumb stuff, we all get to find out about it … and maybe even learn something. Today, I share some lessons from a pair of extremely public missteps. These include: What a great attitude and hard... Listen to episode

Our certification program for content marketers will be opening up again soon. If you’re a professional writer, particularly a freelancer, you’d probably like to know how to get more high-quality clients. Our Certified Content Marketer program exists to connect your high level of skill to the kinds of clients who value it. And that program... Listen to episode

Has the entire business world lost its mind? Some thoughts on interesting disasters … and on how to do your homework for better results. Today’s a bit of a two-parter. First, I talk about some of the recent impressive PR fails committed by giant brands — and what I believe might be at the heart... Listen to episode

There’s so much mindset advice out there to make you more successful … but is it doing you more harm than good? A lot of advice about business and success focuses on mindset — those mental habits we can adopt to make ourselves more productive and effective. In my experience (and my reading of the... Listen to episode

In memory of Washington Post copyeditor, Bill Walsh, and the finer points of grammar and usage peeves. When you write about writing, there are few topics more lively than our favorite grammar and usage mistakes. But how many of them are mistakes, and how many are just differences? And is it actually possible to learn... Listen to episode

This week, I talk with copywriter and content creator Kaleigh Moore about her tips for staying productive and creative. Content marketing isn’t an easy game — and when you create content for clients, you need to develop strong skills and habits to keep the creativity flowing. In this 21-minute episode, I talk with writer Kaleigh... Listen to episode

A conversation with Brian Gardner about the evolution of WordPress and new things happening at StudioPress Self-hosted WordPress is a wonderful thing … except for all the hard parts. Like figuring out hosting, security, design, installation … In this 19-minute episode, I talk with our Chief Product Officer (we sometimes call him our Chief WordPress... Listen to episode

What’s a freelancer’s biggest nightmare? Clients from hell! Guest Bryce Bladon shares his experience on how to cope — and how to avoid problems from the outset. If you haven’t checked out Clients from Hell yet, you’re in for a treat. This entertaining blog pulls together anonymous stories about those clients who give us aches... Listen to episode

Is it wise to get political with our content marketing? We’ve all seen this year’s Super Bowl ads hashed, rehashed, and re-rehashed. The big theme of the year was: Crossing the line into politics. But what happens when the line crosses you? In other words, how should a company respond when a previously non-controversial position... Listen to episode

We love books at Copyblogger! Today, we’re digging into Jonah Sachs’ Winning the Story Wars. Stepping into the world of meaning-making means stepping onto a high-stakes battlefield where important stories compete.”– Jonah Sachs, Winning the Story Wars When Sachs wrote his book in 2012, the phrase “Story Wars” seemed like it might be putting things... Listen to episode

No, content marketing strategy is not “make a whole bunch of spaghetti and see what sticks to the wall.” “How come my content marketing isn’t working?” This is a great question … and the answer isn’t necessarily, “you need to create more content.” Often, you aren’t creating the right kind of content — the kind... Listen to episode

New Year, New You? Or Nah? Woot! This is our first “official” pair of prompts for the 2017 Content Excellence Challenge. (In December we were just getting warmed up …) The January Prompts Creative: Brainstorm 20-30 headlines for possible content. Incorporate as many ideas as you can from the ebook and articles below. Every day... Listen to episode