There is understandably a lot of chat and concern in the blogging world about the impact of ChatGPT and programmes using Artificial Intelligence to produce content. I strongly believe that while it is right to recognise the threats these advances pose we also need to acknowledge they bring with them opportunities and more importantly, they aren't going to go away. ChatGPT might be the buzzword right now, but there are many other programmes working in a similar way. The point of the internet is to make information easily available which inevitably means others will use that information, combine it and produce something new. 

I asked ChatGPT the same question after writing this post. I think bloggers are safe for now

There are several ways you can calculate your engagement rate on Instagram and while none of them are 'wrong', which one is best to use depends on why you are calculating it. It’s important to be aware that the results will be very different depending on the method used.

What method should you use to calculate Instagram Engagement?

I knew that I had written the best post on the subject. It was more comprehensive than anything else out there and clearly written. It should have performed brilliantly, but I wasn’t getting the expected traffic. After I changed the post's name click throughs from Google doubled overnight. Find out what I did and why it worked below.

Why changing the name of a blog post can increase click throughs from Google

If you have read any posts advising how to get traffic to your blog you should be under no doubt that SEO is really important. It is the best way to reliably get traffic to your site which can ultimately translates into providing an income. Absolutely key to SEO though is choosing the right topics to blog about and that can be a challenge. Fortunately there are lots of apps and tools out there to help. They can help you choose keywords for posts and even plan the content, but are the paid for tools really worth it? Not always. So before you splash the cash find out how to decide if you should invest based on your current blog size and growth strategy.

Will a paid SEO keyword tool make your search traffic grow?

I absolutely love blogging and the flexibility it has given me over the last few years to earn a living, but what advice would I give to someone considering giving up their full time job to blog? “Don't do it!" Or at least not until you have thought very carefully. 

I have been blogging for over 10 years and in that time I have seen many people leave jobs to work on their blog full time, with mixed success. I have also seen many people who have decided that the right thing for them is to go back to work. A blog can earn the same amount or more than a traditional job, but the self employed life isn’t for everyone and it might be an idea not to give up your day job before you are absolutely sure you are ready.

Is giving up your job to blog full time the right choice for you?

Argh I can’t believe I just turned that down. Did I do the right thing? If you find yourself asking these questions then let me reassure you: the answer is probably yes. Everybody loves to be offered money and exciting opportunities and the more you need the money the harder it is to turn down. Add in the social expectation of saying "yes" and many of us feel that we shouldn't turn offers down. But often saying no is the best thing to do. When you get offered opportunities you need to think about whether they are right for you and your business.  If you want to grow a successful business you should only say yes if it's right for you.

Saying "no" to new work opportunities can be the best thing for your business

With a history of working in IT departments and jobs where the majority of my colleagues are male walking into the Women in Business and Tech Expo was an exciting experience. I’ve been to a number of IT conferences in my time and at every one the majority of delegates (and speakers) have been men. That wasn’t the case at Karren Brady’s 4th Women In Business & Tech event.

IN my 20s I went to events from large sales conferences to invite only Gartner management events. I was rarely approached by people wanting to talk to me. Networking sessions? I had to make the first step. What would a young female have that these older men might possibly be interested in (of a work nature). I was dismissed quickly based on my appearance. 

Working in IT it’s not just the events which have an over representation of men. In most meetings at most companies I worked the meetings were male dominated. It wasn’t unusual for me to be the only woman in the room. 

A crowded keynote session listening to Karren Brady OBE

Do you want your content to be more successful? Whether your goal is to help people, grow your customer base or generate ad revenue there are definite rewards when posts get seen by lots of people. High engagement and steady growth underpin success, but a viral post can give you a huge boost. When a post goes viral it is pushed out far beyond your normal audience and it is seen by hundreds of thousands or even millions of people. The challenge is: how do you make a post go viral?  Lots of resources claim to have the formula for creating viral posts, but my approach might be a little different and it is achievable for everyone. Whether you want to be successful on Instagram, TikTok or Facebook the key elements of success are the same.

A viral post can bring a huge boost to your business, but how do you make viral posts that are beneficial?

I have no doubt you are great at what you do, you have a voice and view of the world that only you can bring to your business, but you could be better. We can all be better. We can learn to work smarter, be happier and achieve our goals more successfully and the way to do this is to keep on improving ourselves. While there are endless courses, mentors and programmes we can follow an easy way to make a difference is reading. Can you fit in 15 minutes a day of reading something educational? It quickly adds up and over a month it's the equivalent to a whole working day, but what books should you read? These are some of the books I have read that have really made me think differently about my approach to work and my business.

If you read for 15 minutes a day that adds up to a working days worth of learning a month

I’ve seen a few posts recently which claim that “Influencers” sell a perfect life and this makes “normal” people feel bad in comparison. I understand that the reason for these posts is reminding people that what is shared online isn’t the whole story and that often only the best bits are shared. It can be true, but it seems unfair to blame Influencers. 

Do Influencers make people feel bad by just posting highlights?

I recently read a press release by a company looking for reviews and it set off alarm bells in my head. A quick bit of Googling and I discovered the company didn’t have the history it claimed and wasn’t located where they said they were. I don’t know if everything else was real, but it was enough red flags to stay clear. If influencers work with that company and share the information provided in good faith they would be misleading their audience. It might not be intentional, but they would still be misleading them. 

It is easy to lose heart with your social media. Sometimes you can put in hours and hours of effort and not feel like you are getting anywhere, or worse that you are going backwards. You might be losing followers, your engagement might be down, you might not be getting work or sales coming in. What do you do? How do you get your mojo back? 

It's normal to get disillusioned with social media, but you can start to enjoy them again

If you are looking to reach a new audience then TikTok is a great social media platform to focus on right now. Find out why it is worth putting in the time to grow your TikTok and the tips you need to get you started.

3 Reasons to Focus on TikTok Right Now for Your Business 

1. Your posts can reach a large audience quickly even if you haven’t yet built a following.
2. Posts don’t need to be perfect, in fact raw and simple content often does better.
3. The platform has a huge user base of all ages and it is continuing to grow.

It is widely known that you need to optimise websites and blog posts for keywords, but the importance of choosing the right keyword is often overlooked. Your page can be optimised perfectly for a keyword, but it needs to be one that people are actually searching for and where the competition isn’t too high. So how do you decide what topics to post about and how do you choose the best keywords?

Think about what you write about, your niche, your main topics and start there. Think about what people might be searching for in those areas and make a list. Need help with ideas? That’s ok the internet can help, after all that’s where people are searching for the answers you want to provide.

It's not just about optimising your posts, first you need to choose the right keywords

Making a living as a blogger or influencer is a flexible and rewarding job, but the income often isn't reliable. How bloggers make the most money shifts over time and the opportunities for earning across social media platforms change.  When it comes to being a blogger or influencer it is wise advice not to put all your eggs in one basket. You need to ensure that you are protected against changing circumstances.

Diversifying your blogging income can help make your earnings more reliable

We all know that you shouldn’t believe everything you see on social media, but while it might be expected that people only post the most flattering photos and they might edit out a spot or two, it’s not just the images and caption that aren’t genuine. Fake engagement is common on Instagram and other social media platforms, but does that mean it’s ok?

Don't believe everything you see on social media, it is easy to fake everything including engagement

Social media can be a great way to get your business or blog seen by a huge audience, but it can also take up a lot of time and doesn’t always lead to sales or work. If you find the time you spend on social media is taking over or that you aren’t getting the results you want then you should consider hiring a Social Media Manager. What is a Social Media Manager though and how can you ensure that they benefit your business? 

The right Social Media Manager can hugely benefit your business

There is no denying that people are hugely influenced by what they see on Instagram and there is an ever growing body of research evidencing that people make purchasing decisions based on what they see and hear on the app. Unsurprisingly influencer marketing continues to grow and it can be a successful strategy for businesses to increase sales. Unfortunately it's not uncommon for people to artificially increase their follower numbers and engagement to make them look more successful than they are. Working with "influencers" who fake engagement wont offer the expected return to brands and it is damaging to the reputation of other influencers and bloggers. This post gives ways to identify Instagram accounts who may be artificially increasing their engagement.

There are a huge number of professional bloggers earning money through their blogs and with more people starting to monetise every day one of the questions asked a lot by bloggers is: how much should I charge? This post is a guide to how much you should charge for a sponsored post, guest post or link insert. It doesn’t cover brand work (which you should be paid more for), but rather work where you are being paid to place a link. 

A Guide To How Much To Charge for Guest Posts and What To Consider

The YouTube Shorts feature was made available in the UK last year.  YouTube’s answer to TikTok and Instagram Reels offers the chance to share and consume short videos in portrait mode. YouTube is putting a lot of money into trying to regain it’s crown as King of Video so it’s a great time to get over there and start producing content whether you are an wannabee influencer, business or professional blogger.

Understanding YouTube Shorts