First Impressions

I have developed a bit of a blog crush on Ali Hale. I think she’s amazing. I see her guest posts everywhere and am amazed at the quality of her writing.

I bought this product immediately after I read her guest post on Problogger. I was blown away at the quality of the content and was really surprised she was charging so little. Staff blogging is  steal at $19 – but she has been offering it at a discount for $14 if you use a discount code. If your interested – and you should be – the code for my readers is Jade.

The content

Each module is quite short. At first I was disappointment, until I saw the amount of information she was packing into each module.

In the earlier modules she answers common questions on separate pages for easier reading. As someone who was reading on the computer, this was somewhat annoying.  It was definitely worth putting up with as it was a brilliant, comprehensive product.

Unit One: Basics of Staff Blogging

She gave a brief history of her adventures, and then answered 5 of the commonly asked questions

  • What exactly is staff blogging?
  • How much can I expect to earn?
  • Do I need to have my own blog?
  • Do I have to be a good writer?
  • How do I know if staff blogging is for me?

This was a very useful introduction and one that most people would find quite helpful.

Unit two – finding your first job

She talked about four main methods of finding your first blogging gig:

  • The Guest Posting Method
  • The On‐Spec Application Method
  • The Jobs Board Method
  • The Networking Method

This was fascinating unit because most people would just consider the job board method.  For me, it has been the networking and guest posting methods that have led to the most opportunities.

I loved this because she gave a solid overview of each method – just enough so you knew how to proceed. It is also useful to know about all methods so you can combine them when necessary.

Unit 3 – Applying for a blogging job

In this unit, she talks about how to find job in the following three methods

  • Guest Posting Method – Next Steps
  • On Spec Method – Next Steps
  • Job Board Method – Next Steps

This unit is SO useful because it expands on the information included in the previous unit. If you are knew, you may know just enough information on finding the jobs but may not know the next steps – especially when it comes to guest posting.

It was really useful and interesting.

Unit four: Getting Paid

Ensuring you know what you’ll be paid per post

  • Establishing whether this is per post submitted or per post published
  • Using Paypal
  • Whether you need to invoice – and how to do so
  • Keeping track of the posts you write, and what you’re owed
  • What to do if you don’t get paid

I have only done a little bit of work and found that I’d rather go unpaid, than make any mistakes rather than ask about payments. This was the best chapter because she even includes sample invoices. I think they would be worth the course cost by themselves!

The information is solid and comes from months of experience. For instance, are you set up to receive payments? Do you have the negotiating skills to ensure a fair rate?

Honestly, this unit was so helpful. It was one of the reasons I decided to really work towards becoming a staff blogging.

Unit Five: Producing your posts.

Ali calls this producing your posts because there is often far more work involved than just writing. She discusses:

  • Writing for the web
  • Formatting blog posts
  • Finding images
  • Uploading and creating posts
  • Replying to comments

This unit is so helpful, I’d recommend it to those who are just looking for help with their own blog. A lot of people talk about guest posting and staff blogging don’t don’t talk about the other work involved in the post. It can be quite a shock when you realize all the extra tasks you may have to perform; some of which you aren’t able to do.

Unit six: Staying inspired and productive

In this unit, she talks about:

  • Staying organized
  • Maintaining a reasonable workload
  • Generating ideas
  • Handling writers block

Again, these are ideas you can apply to your own blog. Ali writes on productivity and personal development, and really knows what she’s talking about. I’ve had to create dozens of posts for this blog launch and Ali’s advice (especially surrounding writers blog) really helped me get through it.

Why I loved it so much:

She did so many things that I admired:

  • She separated each topic into a different unit. Each unit had accompanying worksheets
  • She included a list of actions at the end of each unit, accompanied by the worksheets
  • She made a complex subject quite simple.

My recommendation.

If you have aspirations to be a staff blogger – or even a successful guest poster – than this product is a must read. I believe Ali Hale is one of the rising stars of blogging. She knows her material and has used it to earn over $1000 a month.

There are a lot of really solid ebooks targeted at freelancers and webworkers, but this was the best ebook I’d read to help with my staff blogging aspirations.