After over a year of wanting to do this, I’m finally just doing the damn thing…and starting a YouTube channel.
When I created my blog, I was deathly afraid of creating videos for my audience. I hated the way my voice sounded, always found a stray hair that bounced around all too arrogantly, and worried how people would perceive me live on film.
But over the years, I’ve grown an intense fondness for video, and really just any way that I can package more of who I am into the content I deliver. I like to think we’re already friends, but sometimes that’s hard to envision when we’re connecting solely through text in a blog post or email, ya feel me?
So, even though I’m currently harboring a serious Vulnerability Hangover for creating this first YouTube vid, I’m also really excited.
Because although this is no masterpiece, I always know that as soon as I simply get started, I’m already 10x farther than I was when I was just watching others from the sidelines.
And watching yourself grow and learn and get better at something is one of life’s coolest gifts. I probably have many more months before that happens. 😉
So, without further adieu, here’s video #1 of my YouTube saga. It talks about several ways you can earn money from your blog (and all the ones I’ve tried), but shares my favorite monetization method and why I think you should use it, too.
(Oh, and there’s also plenty of evidence in this video that I’m a major dork. For example, 5:23 and 6:00. You’re welcome. And yes, that’s how I act on a daily basis).
Now, within the video, I mention a free cheatsheet, which shares my 8-step process for turning a blog into a business. Simply click the button below to download the cheatsheet. 🙂 Enjoy!
Great video and grats on starting your channel! This is exactly how I started blogging… After years of saying I have nothing to write about, I just jumped right in. Now I have a ton of ideas.
I’m in the process of starting a new blog because I’ve finally realized how I can help people, AND I’ve brainstormed ideas and outlines for like 5 potential courses, lol.
Now comes the hard part, focusing on one and actually getting it launched. I’m going to have a very busy 2017 ahead of me!
Your success has definitely been inspirational and a great motivator. Thank you for sharing with us!
Thanks so much for the kind words, Steph! I really appreciate it! Best of luck to your busy 2017 and let me know if you need help with anything at all. 🙂
I know that feeling!
I’ve always wanted to get on video but hate hearing my voice playback or watching how awkward I can be on camera :/ It’s scary putting yourself out there.
In the past couple of days I’ve gained enough confidence to get talking on Snapchat (woohoo), but my goal is to get on YouTube or do webinars!
You’re a real inspiration to me 🙂
Maria
xoxo
Thanks so much for the nice words, Maria! It can be totally scaring putting yourself out there, but the more you do it the easier it gets! Best of luck and please keep me posted on your progress. 🙂
我只是来随便看看！
You have done a great job with this Melyssa! Well done! I honestly commend you for getting into video like this, it’s such a scary, vulnerable thing to do, and you crush it. I could watch you all day!!
And excellent content too 😉 You’re my favourite <3
Thank you so much for the support, Sam! It’s always a bit scary trying new things so your comment really means a lot to me. Have a great day! 🙂
很不错的样子⊙０⊙
Hi! As always you amaze me! Thank you for all your content. I’m really keen to join your blog to biz hive course! When will it be open for enrollment? And will you have a monthly payment option?
Thank you,
Sim
Thanks so much for reading, Sim!
Blog to Biz Hive will open again in early December and we’ll definitely have a flexible payment plan for you to enroll with. Stay tuned! 😉
Yay! I cannot wait! I’ve been waiting since July for it to open. I really think your course can help my blog vision 🙂 Thank you
Hey Melyssa, long time follower here – you rock! I LOVE the new videos/YouTube channel. I’m a travel vlogger myself, so I’m big on videos.
I’m starting to repurpose my Facebook Live videos into mini blog posts/YouTube content to have a wider and more helpful reach.
When you do a post with a video explaining x, y, z (like you did here) do you think it’s best to just introduce the video in the text but then leave out the writing portion of the blog post? )Like it’s redundant to have the post listing the 5 points and then the same content in the video?) Wondering what your thoughts are on this.
Thank you for all the wonderful things that you do!
Great first YouTube video! Love your high energy.
It’s funny how video grows on you isn’t it?
I’m nearing the end of creating my first online course, and recording the videos for it has given me such a boost in confidence! I really never expected that to happen, and it’s incredible how much “just getting started” with something can really get you going.
(Also, I am so so so so so so excited about this whole online course thing, you have no idea!)
I had to get over listening to my own voice, but buying a nice microphone has really helped. I’m still not a huge fan of my recorded voice, but it’s bearable to me now. I’m still a bit afraid that people will take one look at me and not take me seriously, but I keep telling myself that that’s an irrational fear. One step at a time I guess!
But after doing this, I’m really excited to start branching out and doing some more video stuff! It really seems like there’s so much potential there. I’m planning on doing a few live webinars and to start doing Instagram stories to start out (I know I’m a little late to the party). Maybe YouTube too in the future! Who knows.
Thanks for the inspiration!
-Brie
你的博客就像冬天里的一把火！
Great article. Just one question about guest blogging. Didn’t google put in on a list of things not to do recently regarding SEO?
They did, and youtube is surprisingly ineffective as an SEO tool.
can i be honest i created my blog 2 year ago and im still lost :/ I dont know to get viewers I read and everything other bloggers say and nothing works Im just losing it with this blog honestly Nobody is viewing and i even need to get a cheap hosting :/
Creating a successful blog takes a lot of time, hard work, and strategy. It sounds like you could use the help and support of a community. Have you joined our private FB group yet? If not, you can do so right here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/blogandbizbffs/
Hope to see you inside. 😀
Hi Melyssa! I really appreciate this information and honestly it is inspiring me to create my own ecourse. My problem is my blog focuses highly on fashion, outfit of the day etc. How can I utilize an ecourse for this type of niche? I launched my blog June 2016, but I was a new mom and nursing full time at the time that I could not focus on producing content. For this year 2017 I made it my “New Years Resolution” to focus on my blog and put up content once a week which I have been doing since the first week of January. I have seen some growth, although small I am very pleased with it. So, back to my question, I want to create an ecourse to share with my subscribers and future subscribers, but is there a way for me to incorporate fashion into it? It would be awesome if you can give me some feedback. Thanks so much.
Hi there! Since jobs like stylists and fashion consultants exist (where you essentially teach people about fashion), then there’s plenty of room for successful e-courses as well. Also, since e-courses haven’t become a huge topic in the fashion blogging niche just yet, there’s a lot of opportunity for fashion bloggers to do really well by launching courses, since you’ll be a pioneer in that industry. It’s very un-saturated in that respect. 🙂
Best of luck and please keep me posted on your progress!
This is another post that enlightens the dim blogosphere purpose, thanks for sharing this vlog, creating a killer content and driving the traffic to other sites is really pointless. Learned much from this post Melyysa! Thank you:)
I’m so glad my blog posts have been helpful for you, Prasanna! Thanks for all of your comments and I’m wishing you the best of luck with everything. 😀
Thank you for this video, Melyssa! It’s giving me even more reason to utilize an e-course as a service I’d offer to readers. I have wanted to do one for quite a while but haven’t gotten around to it because I could never figure out the subject of the course. I now know what I want to do but I’ll have to figure out how to find the time to plan for its creation. lol
That’s awesome, Lisa! Best of luck to you and I hope you find the time to be able to create something really special. 🙂
We are very exited to get more information from here and i know most of the viewers are like this education in here. We found more better suggestion in here those are more important for us.
I’m so glad this video was helpful for you. 🙂
Probably the BEST and the most straightforward blog on the web !
That means a lot, Shubham! Thanks so much for the kind words. 🙂
This is an awesome post and a great video, Melyssa! I’m glad I stumbled upon it on Facebook! Thank you for this proof of your awesomeness.
Woo hoo! Thank you for the kind words, Lisa! 🙂
I don’t recall how I found your web site, but I am elated I did. I ran a successful online business from 2001-2009. Entering back into it now, a major shift I notice is SEO focus has largely shifted to social media focus. That said, I needed to locate one or two excellent folks to get info from and, in the myriad of people out there, your info seems to be the most pertinent and useful for me. I am working now through a lot of your free material and will for sure be buying two of the paid ones: social media superhero and pinfinite growth.
I appreciate the videos tremendously also and it is great you took the plunge on youtube. While I can’t relate to the trepidation of that one stray hair (bald), I do understand comfort zones. But rest assured, we don’t need a person on screen to be perfect, just honest and real and helpful. And those three areas you seem to have well covered and it creates a nice win-win where you help us a ton with great free content and we in turn buy your paid material. Much appreciated.
John, I am so humbled by your kind words and feedback! Thank you for reading and finding value 🙂 You hav been in business for awhile! I agree, the landscape is shifting and Pinterest is an amazing tool to attract and grow a bigger audience online. Keep me posted on your progress! 🙂
Aloha Melyssa. My past, yes – four e-books sold globally, affiliate items sold, and featured in some notable places. But much has changed and I spent a long time designing a new business mind map. On that note, you shifted one big process I am in the middle of. I’m creating 3 e-books (one lead, two back-end), also in audio format, and you forced me toward e-courses. Really, an e-book + audio book is not too different from a slide deck with audio e-course, except the latter is more profitable and much better engages the user, which should provide them better success. So for that I wanted to thank you for that. I will happily update you when I have viable results. As the Chinese proverb says, talk does not cook the rice 🙂 Thanks again for all the awesome info you provide and I hope you have a wonderful day.
I love that proverb, John! 🙂 I think e-courses could be highly profitable for you. I am glad you are giving them a try! Everyone digests content differently, so it’s great to have options. Good luck with everything!
Hi Melyssa ,
Thanks for sharing your detailed post about Earning more from blogs , I have been following Your blogs for keeping me updated , In my opinion Affiliate marketing is an appropriate choice to monetize our blog. But it do require to have talent to sell other’s product through sites.You can Contact https://appsdiscover.com for relevant and better offer.
Just watched your videa and signed up with your emails. I am a new mum in Australia. I have a 10 month old daughter and have had a horrible horrible first year with her, as my own mum was terminally diagnosed with cancer and losing her 3 months ago I vowed to do whatever it takes to be with my daughter as much as possible. I also broke my ankle recently and said to myself, What can I do to ensure that hell or high water I can work from any location no matter what is my barrier. So not more than a month ago I started a website. I am very excited to hopefully be a success story and a great role model for anyone, especially my daughter. I have doubts and fears that it will fail, and I struggle to figure out how I can monetise off of it. I started it with passion as my former life I was a travel agent and our shops specialist in one particular thing. So i look forward to learning and hopefully being a gold star student. Thankyou for also being a fun personality like myself.
Your story is so moving, Amanda. Thank you for sharing it, and I am so sorry to hear about your mum. You’re a strong woman and I’m so excited to watch your journey unfold. You’ve already launched, which is half the battle! Some never even make it to this point. Keep going, I know you’ve got this 🙂
Thanks for your reply. I didn’t expect it though. Thank you for taking the time.
Hi Meyssa, I am scared of creating online course. I started making videos. Made 7 of them, but the content creation stops me. I don’t have enough motivation. I fear no one will buy it and it will fail. What should I do?
Hi Sarfraz, this is a very common situation! Have you signed up for my Blog to Biz Bootcamp? It teaches some strategies about online courses that may help motivate you. http://www.blogtobiztraining.com
Hi Melyssa, amazing work! I’m very lucky to have found you, you are an inspiration.
Where can I find the course for creating online courses? The one that is mentioned in the podcast with the great yoga teacher that took her business totally next level after it?
Many thanks!
So kind of you, Adina! Thank you for your comment. The course that Allie referenced on my podcast is Blog to Biz Hive. It’s currently closed for enrollment, but it generally launches 1 time per year. 🙂
Hi Melyssa, thank you for this video. I love everything that you do and even got myself your Pinfinite course. I haven’t even apply the secret yet but already I am getting subscribers. Thank you so much! From watching this video, your post is not lengthy, so I’m just wondering, do I always have to write lengthy blog post if I have a video because my blog needs lots of videos to show people how to do stuffs. If I don’t write lengthy post but post video instead, will I still be okay with the SEO? Sorry, if this question isn’t so much related to creating online course 😛
Hi there, Kaiyen! 🙂 I do think it’s important for your content to be within the 1,000-1,500 word mark ideally, for SEO purposes, and adding a video to the content is just the icing on the cake 🙂 You can also try experimenting and see how your posts rank with less verbiage.