Site School: Smarten Up Your Blog

Hashtag-Free Monetization with Dalene Heck

Welcome back, site scholars! This week, I'm excited to share an interview with Dalene Heck of Hecktic Travels, HMI Marketing, Road Trip Alberta, and Road Trip Manitoba – with that many projects, you can see why she and her husband Pete are my kind of people!
Dalene and I talk about a grid of monetization strategies you can use on your site (especially travel blogs) based on the kind of visitors you get (locals or non-locals) and how much you want to be an influencer.
It's pretty important you actually see this grid, so be sure to check out the show notes here: https://siteschool.co/travel-blog-monetization-strategies/
If you enjoy this episode, be sure to check out another episode next – how about "Acing Affiliates" with Amanda Williams!
That's it for this week; class dismissed!

Just Keep Sending 🐠 (What to Send Your List in June)

Welcome back, site scholars! It's time for another episode in our series of newsletter ideas to help you get consistent in emailing your community this year.
In this episode, we're focused on ideas for June 2023 – though many of them work for other months and future years. You'll hear about 20 different ideas, which is quite enough to be getting on with, eh?
You can also read the written format of this episode here, which includes one more idea I forgot to mention in the podcast!
Stay tuned for future episodes in this series, and other episodes focusing on how to help you grow and earn more from your site. Class dismissed!

Case Study Update: Jordan Traveler 2-Year Report

Welcome back, Site Scholars! This week's episode is another case study update – why did I start so many sites in the first half of the year?!
In this episode, I'm digging into the details of my Jordan Traveler site (jordantraveler.com) as it has passed the two-year mark. This is an important milestone since it is when I make strategic decisions about the future of my site. If you're curious about this site's performance and what I plan to do next, this episode is for you!
As always, don't forget to subscribe and leave a rating or review on your favorite podcast player. You can also join the Site School community on Facebook to keep the conversation going. Class dismissed!

Facebook Pages are Dead, Long Live Facebook Pages!

Welcome back, scholars! Today we're talking about something a little different: social media... dun dun DUN!
While this isn't a normal topic I cover on the Site School blog, I wanted to share the results of an experiment I've been running on my Facebook Page for the past six months.
In this week's episode, we'll cover my history with Facebook Pages (Facebook Pages are dead!), the Facebook Pages experiment I'm running, and the results so far (Long Live Facebook Pages!). I'll also share a Facebook Pages strategy I recommend if you want to try and revive/start your own Facebook Page to support your site.
Please consider leaving this podcast a rating and review if you're enjoying it – or share it with someone else who thinks Facebook Pages are dead!
As always, you can join the conversation over in the Site School Facebook community. See you next week – class dismissed!

My Pandemic Project, 3 Years On (Follow The Butterflies 3-Year Case Study Update)

Welcome back, site scholars! This week, we're diving into another case study update – this time for my "pandemic project," aka my Harry Potter site, Follow the Butterflies.
I started this site in April 2020 as the world shut down, and it's been a bit of a rollercoaster. In this three-year case study update, we'll look at traffic, blog publishing strategies, taking breaks, and more. 
As always, I appreciate your ratings and reviews, and you can join the conversation about this episode in the Site School Facebook community.
See you next week; class dismissed!

Press Send Already! (Email Newsletter Ideas for May 2023)

Welcome back, site scholars – or should I welcome my self back after a break...
In any case, we're back in session, getting right on the horse with email newsletters. How did you do in sending your list regular emails in April?  Let's do even better in May!
In this week's episode, you'll find two dozen ideas for different newsletters you could send, spreading across literally every niche out there. The only excuse you have for not emailing your list this month? Spell it with me: y-o-u.
If you'd prefer to read this week's episode, you can find it on the Site School blog. You can also join the Site School community on Facebook to level up your game with accountability challenges and extra support.
As always, I welcome your feedback in the form of ratings and reviews on whichever podcast player you're listening on. Thanks for being a part of the community. Class dismissed!

Inspiring Email Newsletter Ideas for April 2023

Welcome back to class, site scholars! Here's the latest installment in the series of "what to send your list" so you can get in the weekly habit of contacting your community by email.
In this episode, we're focusing on the month of April 2023 – though this episode will be helpful even if you're listening in future years, as long as you adjust the dates accordingly.
There are specific ideas for each week, as well as more general ideas in case not everything makes sense for your niche and business.
If you need more ideas, be sure to check out https://nationaldaycalendar.com/, which is a handy website with even more "national day/week/month of" ideas. Additionally, you can read this episode instead of listening, if you head over to the Site School blog.
As always, I welcome your feedback in the form of ratings and reviews on this podcast player, and for you to join me in the free Site School Facebook community. Thanks for tuning in and see you next week – class dismissed!

Sell, Save, or Stop? Two-Year Great Plains Travel Guide Case Study

Welcome to class, Site Scholars! What do you do with a site you no longer love? It's tough to say – and your situation may be different than mine...
In my two-year case study update for my Great Plains Travel Guide (https://greatplainstravel.com/), I'm taking a look at how a six-month winter break affected the site, and what I plan to do next. 
I don't typically cover selling sites as I've never done this before, so let's talk about it and learn together.
As always, you can join me in the Site School Facebook community to discuss this episode and join in our April content challenge. Class dismissed!
 

What to Send Your Newsletter List in March 2023

Welcome back to class, site scholars! We're back for another episode in the series of "what to send your list."
In this episode, we're focusing on the month of March 2023 – though this episode will be helpful even if you're listening in future years, as long as you adjust the dates accordingly.
In addition to providing multiple suggestions for what to send your newsletter each week of March, this episode also covers why to email your list every week. 
If you need more ideas, be sure to check out https://nationaldaycalendar.com/, which is a handy website with even more "national day/week/month of" ideas. Additionally, you can read this episode instead of listening, if you head over to the Site School blog.
As always, I welcome your feedback in the form of ratings and reviews on this podcast player, and for you to join me in the free Site School Facebook community. Thanks for tuning in and see you next week – class dismissed!

3 Years In: A Look at my Super-Niche Destination Site (Discover Sausalito)

Welcome to class, site scholars! January is a busy month for case study updates – both my London On My Mind and Discover Sausalito sites hit milestones in that month, and that means I have case studies to share.
(LOMM is episode 14, if you want to listen to that one too.)
In today's episode, we're focusing on my three-year case study update for Discover Sausalito. I share the origins of this site – why I started it – how it's performed and grown, which content is working, and my strategic takeaways after three years of running a site that I designed to be small... but secretly hoped would be bigger by now.
If you want to read more or see the numbers I share in this case study, you can find a written 3-year Case Study on the Site School blog.
Also, please consider giving this podcast a rating and review on whatever platform you're listening – it helps the pod reach new bloggers looking to learn, grow, and earn more from their sites this year. The free Site School Facebook community is also a spot you can find me, participating in monthly challenges, talking about AI in SEO, and much more. 
That's it for this week; see you next Thursday... and class dismissed!