What’s the first thing you want to know when deciding if something’s for you? Maybe you want to know what’s in it for you? Or if it offers good value for money? These are questions I know I’d like answered.

This make cost vital when I create new content for you. There are over 300 posts on The Writer’s Cookbook and more videos on their way. You can read and watch this content at your own pace and at no cost. There’s no obligation to purchase anything.

But a girl’s also got to make a living. 

And while The Writer’s Cookbook is filled with free content, this can’t carry on unless I create some premium content too. One of those things is my new course, How to Run a Successful Blog.

While I’m confident my How to Run a Successful Blog course contains quality content that will help you grow as a writer, marketer, and businessperson, I know you’ve probably still got some questions about it. 

That’s why I’ve put together this FAQ which I hope will help you decide. 

To make it easy to navigate, I’ve organised it into two sections: course content, and sales and cost.

You can always press CTRL + F (or CMD + F on a Mac) to search for your question.

If there’s anything you think I’ve missed, please do email me and ask! After all, you never know unless you do!

Course Content

Who’s the course aimed at?

Anyone who wants to start a blog, improve their blog, or build their content marketing skills. 

This includes:

    • Full-time writers

    • Part-time writers

    • Bloggers

    • Content marketers

    • CEOs

    • Entrepreneurs

    • And so many more!

Writing and marketing skills can benefit just about everyone in the twenty-first century. They’re key skills that will help you to stand out in any career path.

What’s content marketing?

It’s a method of marketing that focuses on helping and teaching first and selling second. Blogs are often part of a wider content marketing strategy that can also include videos, podcasts, and infographics.

What will I learn?

    • How to choose your target audience

    • How to find your writer voice

    • Why a blog can benefit your writing career

    • The best ways to give and receive feedback

    • Ways to format a blog to maximise read through

    • How to write for readability and mobile screens

    • How to make money from your blog…

    • …or how to use your blog to promote a product or service that already exists

What will I know by the end of the course?

    • Who you’re writing for

    • Why you’re writing for them

    • How to teach, educate, and entertain in your writing

    • Ways to generate ideas when you’ve got the dreaded writer’s block

    • How to come up with titles for your posts

    • What SEO is, and why it matters for more than just blogs

    • How to optimise posts for SEO

    • What content marketing is and how you can make the most of it

    • So, so much more about writing, blogging, marketing, and yourself

What if I don’t want to blog? Can it still help me?

Yes! You’ll learn valuable writing, editing, and critiquing skills too. 

Most blogging courses only focus on the business aspects of it. This course taps into my writing and marketing background to give you a balance of writing, marketing, and business content.

You’ll also learn about social media, email marketing, and paid promotions. This combination in the How to Run a Successful Blog course makes it an absolute bargain.

Why are you the best person to teach it?

I’ve been working in marketing for eight years and running blogs for well over a decade. I’ve seen the industry change and am always keeping an eye out for the latest marketing trends.

I created The Writer’s Cookbook in 2014. It’s been through various iterations ever since. Every month it attracts tens of thousands of readers. Some of them even come to content I barely remember writing! That’s the power of great writing and helpful advice – it keeps people coming back over and over.

My writing background gives me a unique perspective on what makes great content and keeps people reading. This course won’t just benefit you as a blogger, but as a writer of other mediums – both fiction and nonfiction – too.

My blog has helped me to sell books, teach courses, get quoted in newspapers and magazines, and land speaking gigs.

When will the course go live?

On a rolling basis from the beginning of April.

Creating it will be a full-time endeavour because it’s so extensive. That’s part of why it’s available for pre-order rather than being sold once everything is good to go.

How much content will there be?

SO MUCH CONTENT. I keep thinking of new things to cover all the time. Right now, there’ll be around 30 videos, at least 10 worksheets, 10 modules, and 2 assignments.

How long will the videos be?

Most will be bite-sized; no more than ten minutes at a time. You’ll be able to dip in and out of them while taking breaks from whatever it is people do during self-isolation.

What feedback will you give on the posts?

I’ll be focusing on structure, not spelling and grammar. Some of the questions I’ll consider when reading through pieces include: 

    • How is the content structured? Is it easy to follow?

    • Does it match your target audience and fit your keyword?

    • How readable is it?

That’s not an extensive list, it’s just designed to give you an idea. This type of critique is the kind of in-depth feedback that I usually reserve for my writing colleagues.

My feedback has helped other writers build their writing confidence, write blog posts that attract thousands every month, and go on to receive distinctions in their university coursework.

How long do I have access to the course?

Forever! You’ll also get access to any new content that’s added too.

Where is the course hosted?

It uses a host called Payhip. This is used by many course creators, although sometimes they use their own URL so you don’t always notice.

 

Sales and Cost

Why are you selling your course now when so many people are giving away content for free?

The Writer’s Cookbook has 300+ posts on writing and new ones published weekly. There are new videos posted on YouTube regularly too. There’s no way I can keep producing so much free content without funding it with some paid content too.

It’s a cycle: if I stop selling, my business won’t survive, then I can’t buy from other businesses and they’ll suffer too. The economy will come to a halt. Taxes will dry up. More of us will need help from the state. The NHS will suffer. So will patient care. 

It’s important to keep the economy moving as much as possible to help not just ourselves, but each other too. If you want more on why it’s important to keep selling, Janet Murray wrote a really good post on it.

How much is the course?

$119 until 31 March.

How much will it be full price?

$299.

Is there a money-back guarantee?

Yes! You have 30 days to change your mind once the content is live.

What if I can’t afford to pay the full price upfront?

No problem! There are two payment plans available to you: $10 for 12 months or $20 for six months.

You can also save yourself $20 off the cost of the course by using the code 2020.

That means you can get started for as little as $8.25 a month. That’s just two coffees or one paperback a month.

There’s also an affiliate program which will earn you 20% of the price for everyone that signs up. If you tell 5 people about this course and they sign up, your course is then free!

Why should I pre-order now instead of waiting for the finished course?

Unfortunately, without enough pre-orders, the course won’t go ahead.

This is something that’s done across industries – flights without enough passengers get cancelled, concerts without enough attendees don’t happen, the list goes on.

It happens with in-person courses too. They often get cancelled if not enough people sign up to warrant the cost of running it. 

A pre-order helps to gauge interest in a course. Courses can only run if there are enough people who want to take it. It’s unrealistic to invest time creating something not enough people are interested in.

But why now? With everything else that’s going on?

Why not? A lot of us have found ourselves with more free time than we know what to do with. I’m choosing to use mine to help build your writing skills and confidence.

Right now, it’s more important than ever that we help each other. The best way I can do that is by helping you build your confidence and turn your writing into a profitable business.

If you’ve got a day job, these new skills may even benefit that too. I can’t guarantee a pay rise, but when you make yourself indispensable by having lots of useful skills… ?

You’ll also get access to a members only Facebook group. You can meet like-minded people to offer support and encouragement through this difficult time.

It’s often difficult to meet other writers who are on a similar path or whom you can go to for advice. In-person meetups can be the best way to do that. But they’re being cancelled all over the world right now. The community that comes with this course offers an alternative.

How will I know if the course is going ahead or not?

I’ll keep in touch with anyone that signs up via email.

Will the course ever reopen?

Provided it gets enough pre-orders to justify its creation, yes. It will reopen in the summer at the full price of $299.

How can I pay?

You can pay using card or Paypal.

What if I have an account but haven’t purchased yet?

Login to your account then click the pre-order button. It will take you to the payment screen.

What if I still feel the discounted price is too expensive?

Unfortunately, I’m unable to discount the course any lower. If you want to really make a living from your work, you have to invest in yourself. Free content is great, but there will always be things that are only covered in paid-for courses. 

Alongside that also comes the accountability of being part of a community on the same journey as you.

To make money from your skills, you have to treat your writing like a business first and a creative outlet second. We all wish we could create art for art’s sake, but this is my business and the way I earn a living.

What if I really can’t afford it? Can I get it for free?

Sorry, but no. There’s already loads of free content on The Writer’s Cookbook for you to learn from. My first novel is even free. To make a living and keep Millie in puppy treats I have to charge for some things. 

This is the most comprehensive course I’ve ever created. It’s too good to give away! 

You can get a feel for my teaching style on YouTube. This Scrivener video is an example of the kind of product walkthrough you’ll get as part of the course, although the tools will be blogging focused.

If you follow the advice in the course you’ll be well on your way to making money from your writing.

You can get started for as little as two coffees a month. The question is, are you ready to become a profitable writer?

Phew, that was a lot!

Congrats if you made it to the end ?

I hope this has helped to answer your questions about my How to Run a Successful Blog course.

If not, please do reply to this post and I’ll happily answer your queries.

Ready to invest in your future writing career? Head right this way…