Blog With Purpose by Melanie Biehle
It seems like everyone has a personal blog these days and your favorite retail stores and small town shops and businesses are dipping into the blogging pool along with the rest. With so many blogs out there already, where do you begin and what is the right way to go about all this blogging anyway?
In Melanie’s e-workbook you will get straightforward advice, thought provoking exercises and real life examples from someone who has been on both sides of the blog. What you won’t get is mundane chatter telling you how to design a layout or who should host your domain. Don’t worry, Melanie generously offers plenty of resources for all aspects of blogging to help you in those areas as well. Designed as a hands-on workbook, you are actively engaged and come away feeling more confident with your intentions for blogging. Brilliant!
I know Melanie personally and can attest to her knowledge on the subject matter. Along with her witty persona and charm, she is pretty darn smart, and was kind enough to make a stop here at TerraSavvy on her E-Book Blog Tour to answer a few of my question.
Q. What was your motive behind creating Blog With Purpose?
To create a sinister diversion so I can get closer to my real job of ruling the world. Or maybe because I wanted to teach bloggers, business owners, and marketing departments how to take blogging advice and apply it to their own brands.
Q. You recommend the reader figure out their “why” before they begin blogging. With all you have on your plate currently, from family to business clients, what is your “why” for blogging these days?
At this point, I can’t imagine not blogging. I love being able to incorporate all the things I love to do into one outlet – writing, graphic design, and photography. I love the community aspect of it. I love sharing cool art, design, photography, and stories with other people. It’s like it’s part of me now. Blogging is part of who I am.
Q. Throughout the workbook, you encourage your reader to stay focused. Can you tell us one of your favorite tricks that help you stay on task, either while engaged in a specific project or working toward a long term goal?
Ha! What’s that phrase? The cobbler’s children have no shoes? Focus is a constant struggle for me. I’m learning that having so many interests is both a blessing and a curse. During a “normal” workday I try to set limits for myself on social media and email. It doesn’t always work. I have used a timer to keep myself on track which, weirdly enough, provides enough of a structure that actually tricks my brain into doing what I tell it to do.
Q. When choosing a business collaboration for your blog and weighing its value, do you have a go-to formula or set of guidelines you rely on?
Not really – a lot of it is based on feeling and interest. If it involves working with sponsors for Inward Facing Girl and I’m pitching the idea, it’s only going to be something that I’m super interested in doing and that would be relevant and interesting for my readers.
Q. You are offering an online workshop starting mid-April. Can you tell us a little more about it, and where we can sign up?
Sure! It’s a six-week online workshop about the “fun” part of creating content – not a bunch of “rules” about how many days to post, how many times to tweet your post, and how many pictures of your lunch you should take in a week. I had such great response to the exercises in Blog with Purpose that I wanted to do more with that form of teaching, but this time I wanted it to be interactive so I could be more involved. We’re going to spend time on exercises that show us how to access the part of our brain where creativity lives. There will be assignments and an interactive community where we can chat and give each other feedback on our work. Participants will learn how to create meaningful, original content, as well as the types of exercises they can use to get things going when the creative well runs dry. If you’d like to learn more about the workshop be sure to sign up for my email list! I’ll be sending out registration information soon.
Q. One last question. What is your obsession with antlers anyway?
Oh, antlers…they’re a symbol I use to affectionately mock my industry. They’re as ubiquitous as striped shirts, ombre, and instagrams of our lunch and feet.
Thanks Melanie, for stopping by and sharing insight into your easy to use and fun to read, workbook! And I think I will start using a timer for my own daily productivity – great advice!
Download your copy here and start to Blog With Purpose today.
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