Ok, so we’re going to do things a little differently now and again. Great news - Businesswoman recieves great news on the phone

I spend hours each day answering emails and giving advice, but here’s the thing:

I know that you guys have a tonne of insight and experience to share. You have innate knowledge and understanding of how things work, what will work, and what to do given a set of challenges.

I think it’s time we tap into that wisdom.

Are You Game?

If you are, then here’s our first mission. This is an email I sent out to the Wire Yourself for Wealth community, seeing if they would rise to the challenge. And my goodness they did!

Keep reading to the end to get the insight from a very well respected authority on the matter we’re discussing. You’ll love what she has to say because she really addresses the problem and gives us hope for how to best tackle it, based on massive amounts of experience in her current role at a very big blog…

The Original Email I Sent To The WYFW Community Last Week

Dear Reader,

I’ve got an email (copied below), which isn’t untypical of the questions I answer for people – and I’m going to hand it over to you to share your insight.

What would you advise our reader, given this challenge?

And to make this a little more interesting – I’m putting up a prize for the best response!

Here’s the question:

Hi Laura,

I’m struggling with something I’d like help with.

I’m not a ‘writer’ as such, but I enjoy writing when I know my subject, and when I get inspiration for an article for my own blog I can usually dash off a reasonable post and polish it within a couple of days.

However, part of my strategy is for me to approach JV partners and / or affiliate partners to start getting my expertise and the video product I’ve created ‘out there’. I am confident that it contains a lot of very useful information, but – and this is where I get stuck – when I think of pitching a blog post to a potential joint venture partner my imagination dries up. Also the bigger and more ‘important’ the host blog is, the worse time I have persuading myself to actually pitch an article to them!

Then I worry that even if the blog post is accepted , I won’t be able to reply to comments the readers may post because (I have a particular blog host in mind here) they are super-intelligent and I feel a bit intimidated!

It’s pretty much the same scenario when I think of approaching anyone to do an ‘affiliate’ venture with me (offering my product to their list in exchange for a percentage of the resulting sales).

Will it be ‘good enough’? What will they think of me? What if they don’t even reply to my pitch or I get rejected – that will make it even more difficult to approach someone else next time.

Any suggestions would be gratefully appreciated.

Many thanks,

Jayne

So, what would you suggest? What would you advise Jayne to do to overcome the writing block and the anxiety so she can start really getting some traction on her business?

Hit reply, and let me know.

The best (most thoughtful, interesting, or even humorous) answer will win access to my Flagship Get Unstuck Now Action Programme. (You can read about it here.)

I’m looking forward to reading your responses! I know you guys are great at thinking outside the box, drawing on what has worked for you, and contributing your knowledge, so I’m quite excited as to what comes out of this. I’ll share a few of the best ones in a few days…

Keep rocking 😉

Laura

a.k.a. the Whole Heart, Whole Brain Business Mentor

Wire Yourself for Wealth

Well, it was tricky to pick just one winner, but here we go.

The Winner Of The Competition

I chose this one because I felt it addressed some of the key points that need to be considered in a problem like this. It’s not just strategy, and not just the inner world approach – it’s a blend of the two. Well done to Yvonne Halling for her contribution.

Yvonne – Congratulations. You’ve won a place on the Get Unstuck Action Programme.

Here’s her response.

Jayne’s “problem” is two-fold:

1. Her perception of herself, her “identity” is getting in her own way. Work on this first and see yourself as the person you want to be known for, so that you can grow into that person. Every time your old identity comes up for healing, just notice that you need to replace it with the thoughts, feelings and actions of the new identity you are in the process of creating.
2. Push marketing v pull marketing – when you become the person you wish to be known for, then you will magnetically attract the blog opportunities you are seeking. Big bloggers are always looking for people to support their blogging, write guest blogs, etc. so be that person for them and you will no longer have to “pitch” for anything. Begin by actively engaging in their blog posts, offering your insights and wisdom. You will soon get noticed. In a world of mediocrity, it’s not difficult to stand out.

It’s really about how we perceive ourselves – little me or a worthy person and everything in-between. Who do you want to become? Hope that helps 😉

Yvonne Halling

There Were Lots Of Really, Really Good Responses

Thanks to all contributors for taking the time to participate. I’ve copied just a few of them below, but if you have your own thoughts and additions do feel free to post/ re-post them into the comments section. We’ve got some very smart people in this community!

“Hi Laura,

Jayne’s anxiety is fuelled by her fear of failure. As a clinical hypnotherapist, I suggest she walk every morning and repeat out loud some positive affirmations such as, “Every day and every way I’m feeling cleverer and cleverer” and, “All I need is within me, now!” In fact, she can chant anything that will give her a more positive view of her life, anything that she wants to ingrain in her mind to give her confidence she can draw upon. Jayne could also consider using hypnotherapy to change how her subconscious is reacting to these stressors.

Best Regards,

Andy Abele

www.hypnassist.co.uk”

Here’s another great response that talks directly to the strategy of guest posting.

“You should definitely pay attention to those feelings you have, Jayne.

They aren’t symptoms of being stuck, but more like your intuition kicking in and saying, “Don’t. Stop! Something’s wrong here.”

Listen to that inner voice. You’ve skipped critical steps here and are likely to be ignored or rejected if you go forward at this stage.

“When I think of pitching [my] blog post to potential … my imagination dries up.”
My imagination would run dry and my throat too if I had to do what you’re proposing. There’s a reason they call it “cold” calling. 🙂

Let’s translate this into a dating relationship. You see a guy, he’s very attractive, you think he’d make a great date. And so, you walk up to him and ask him to go out to dinner with you.

Well, this might work, but it’s more likely to backfire. Better to get to know him and show him why you’re a great companion before you ask for that first date.

So … get to know this blogger/JV partner and make yourself valuable to him/her. (Make helpful comments on posts, get on his email list and start a dialogue that’s helpful to him.)

Once you’ve developed a relationship, then you’re ready to approach him for a guest post request.

But before you do, check out the reader’s comments and look for information they don’t have but are asking for and research/write about that topic.

As far as their intellectualness, don’t be afraid to say, “I don’t know, but I’ll get back to you on that.” It shows honesty and a willingness to serve–very attractive to your readers.

But, since it’s a topic they’re asking about, they probably know very little. Coupled with your dynamite research skills, you will have the subject covered and be more than ready to answer their questions, I’m sure. 🙂

In the end, you’ll have a reputation as a thoughtful, real and valued guest blogger. Soon, I imagine, you’ll have bloggers looking for you to write for them.

Cheers!

D’Anne”

Here’s another:

“I struggle with this type of thinking also. I am learning that the story we make up in our heads in anticipation of the conversation or communication is a waste of time and energy we could be putting into the creative process of making the pitch. It is a difficult habit to break, this habit of imagining the worst.

How about trying to imagine the best possible outcome?”

Brenda Weekly

Now, at the beginning of this post I mentioned that we had some very insightful input from someone on the other side of this problem.

Here’s the golden nugget at the end of this discussion, and this comes from (fellow Doctor Who and Joss Whedon fan!), the lovely Megan Dougherty, Content Manager at Firepole Marketing.

Straight From The Horse’s Mouth

From Megan…..

“Here’s what I’d send to Jayne:

You’re right – pitching posts to authoritative blogs is terrifying. No question.

Some of them might reject you, and some of them might ignore you – which is painful and difficult.

But.

Some of them will accept you. I know this to be true.

I manage the editorial calendar for Firepole Marketing – a not huge, but not tiny blog – and you know what I need, all the time, 5 days a week going into the future as far as I can see?

Content!

We write a number of posts ourselves – but there is no way we could fill every spot on our calendar – so when someone pitches me an interesting post, article or bit of information – I’m over the moon about it. It means I get to deliver great things to the audience, AND share our microphone with other voices, who may have insights that we don’t, or new ways of looking at things that we wouldn’t have thought of. (Not to mention a day off from writing!)

Our guest posters and JV partners are contributing value.

So don’t think of yourself as making a one-sided ask. You are making an offer for a mutually beneficial exchange of value.

Sometimes that won’t be a fit, and you’ll get a rejection. That’s okay – in fact – it’s better than okay! If there’s not a fit, it would be a bad exchange for both of you! But if there is a fit, and you don’t “screw your courage to the sticking place” and reach out – you both lose.

Bigger, authority blogs don’t know about you yet – so they can’t know if it’s a fit or not, and as the new kid on the block – it’s your job to introduce yourself. I think you’ll find, however, that many editors and blog owners are friendly, kind, gracious people (ahem 😉 ) who will see the value that you’re offering – if you respect their time and the work they’ve done to build their audience by offering and delivery incredibly high quality.

As for comments – when you’re guest posting on a blog for the first time – the audience won’t know you. They only know the one post they’ve just read – and if it’s well crafted, informative and interesting – THAT is your first impression! So when you’re replying to comments – you’re doing so from the standpoint of authority – the blogger who published you provided a tacit endorsement of your skills and knowledge – which the readers will respect. If you can write a blog post on a topic – you can engage others in discussion about it.

You can do it – and I promise you one more thing:

It gets easier.”

Here’s to your success Jayne, and everyone else who has taken the time to take this on board. And remember Megan’s wise words: It gets easier!

Warm wishes

Laura 🙂