1.5 million a year.
That’s roughly how many pageviews my blog got at its peak.
Before a Google update killed it.
Here are 5 things building that site (and watching it fall apart) taught me about successful content creation:
1. It Takes Longer Than You Think
Some creators grow at lightning speed.
But they’re the 0.01%*.
Try not to judge your progress against theirs.
Building anything worthwhile takes time.
As the old saying goes, you will overestimate what you can do in a year and underestimate what you can do in five.
I thought it would take me 6 to 12 months to hit my blogging goals.
It ended up taking 5 years to get anywhere close.
Don’t beat yourself up. Enjoy the process as much as possible. Keep working and improving.
Also…
Think about climbing a mountain.
The summit is the goal. You wouldn’t climb it if it wasn’t there.
But the joy comes from the climb itself. The point is the process – the journey. Enjoy that, and the view from the top is just a bonus.
*They also often have an unfair advantage.
From paying for ads and buying followers to teaming up with other creators, things aren’t always what they seem!
2. Success Happens Exponentially
There’s a slow burn to goal pursuit that culminates in a big bang.
Nothing happens for ages. Then it all happens at once.
My first 4-5years of creating content was just hard work. It was two steps forward, one step back.
But then, in my 6th year, I started earning 5-figure months, with a decent chunk of it being passive income.
I think that’s how this stuff works.
You put in the work for years. Then you look like an overnight success.
Keep that in mind if things feel slow right now.
You might be a stone’s throw from the results you want.
3. Investing in help expedites everything
The thing that changed in my 6th year of blogging was simple:
I joined a mastermind group. The tools, calls, community, and resources inside all helped me level up.
More importantly (from a financial perspective), it gave me access to a major publisher that shared a percentage of the ad revenue.
Yet that wasn’t even the main benefit…
Joining that group normalized investing in my business.
Until then, I’d taken a “DIY” approach.
I’d always taken pride in being “self-taught”, but it was to my detriment. It slowed everything down without me realizing.
I’ve now spent thousands on learning and upskilling.
It’s the most efficient way to get where you want to go.
If you’d like help with your content or coaching, reply to this email to enquire about The $2k Creator, and I’ll send the details.
4. You must own your audience
At the end of 2023, Google made some changes that prompted a 95% drop in traffic to my blog.
And because my monetization strategy (ads) relied on getting traffic, my revenue plummeted with it.
I learned the hard way that you should never rely on a rented audience.
A rented audience is one that exists on third-party platforms.
Take social media.
Having thousands of followers is great.
But imagine getting kicked off Instagram. Or hacked.
Or the company going bust or away (like what happened with TikTok recently).
Lose the account, lose the audience.
The opposite is an owned audience.
In practice, it’s just a simple email list.
If you haven’t already started one, do so today.
It gives you direct access to your audience, and you can download the addresses. In other words, it can’t be taken away from you.
5. You win with health, not money
I came across a fascinating talk recently entitled “How to Win”.
It was delivered by a hugely successful entrepreneur to a room full of other founders and business owners.
I was expecting insights on running a business.
I suspect they were, too.
Instead, it was all about prioritizing your health. The whole thing was about actionable advice on sleep, diet, and exercise etc.
Having burnt out quite badly last year, I thought this was on point.
For most ambitious people, “winning” involves hitting your goals quickly and getting lots of money in the process.
But is it really a “win” if you’re a shadow of yourself by the end?
Here’s my two cents:
Set big goals. Work hard to hit them.
But keep your priorities straight. Remember the importance of balance. And look after yourself.
Time, wellness, and close relationships are far more valuable than money.
Hope this helps,
Danny
