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  • How to Create and Sell Your First Online Course (Complete Guide)
    Business, Business, blogging & Money

    How to Create and Sell Your First Online Course (Complete Guide)

    This post may contain affiliate links, meaning if you decide to make a purchase via my links, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. See my disclosure for more info.

    An online course is the classic next step for bloggers and creators: you already teach for free, so packaging that knowledge into something sellable feels obvious. It mostly is — but the way most people go about it (six months of secret building, then a launch to crickets) is backwards.

    This guide walks through creating and selling your first course in the order that actually works: validate first, build small, launch to real people. I use Teachable as the platform in the examples because it is the one I know best and the easiest place to start, but the process applies anywhere.

    Fair warning before step one: a course is a product, and products take work. If you are hoping for passive income by Friday, this is not that. If you are willing to teach something real to people who need it, keep reading.

    What you need before you start

    • Something you can genuinely teach — a result you have achieved or helped others achieve
    • An audience, even a small one — an email list, blog readers, or engaged followers
    • A phone or laptop — you do not need a camera setup or studio
    • A platform budget — Teachable starts at $29 per month billed annually ($39 monthly) with a 7-day free trial

    How to create and sell your first online course

    Step 1: Pick a topic people already pay to solve

    The best course topics sit where your knowledge overlaps with a problem people actively want fixed: get the first freelance client, set up a food blog, pass the exam, organize the small-business bookkeeping. “Introduction to…” courses feel safe and sell badly; specific outcomes sell.

    Check demand the unglamorous way: are there books, YouTube channels, and other courses on this? Competition is evidence of a market. A topic with zero competitors usually has zero buyers too.

    Step 2: Validate before you build anything

    This step saves people months. Describe the course in one paragraph — who it is for, what result it delivers — and put it in front of your audience: a blog post, an email, a story with a waitlist link. If you cannot get even a handful of people to join a free waitlist, the paid version is not ready either.

    Better still: pre-sell. Offer the course at a founding-member price before it is fully built, with an honest “starts on [date]”. Real money is the only validation that never lies. If pre-selling feels too bold for a first round, a waitlist plus a few honest conversations with potential students gets you most of the way.

    Step 3: Outline the shortest path to the result

    Your course competes with YouTube, so its value is not information — it is structure. Outline the five to eight steps between where your student starts and the result you promised, and cut everything that does not move them along that path. A tight three-hour course beats a bloated twelve-hour one, both in completion rates and in reviews.

    Step 4: Record simply

    Screen recordings with your voice, slides where they help, your phone camera for talking-head moments if you want them. Spend your upgrade budget on audio (a basic USB microphone) before video, because people forgive average visuals and abandon bad sound. Record lesson by lesson in short takes; done is the standard, not cinematic.

    Step 5: Set up your course on a platform

    You need somewhere to host lessons, take payments, and manage students. Teachable is my default recommendation for a first course: the builder is genuinely beginner-proof, it handles checkout, EU VAT, and payouts for you, and the Starter plan at $29 per month (billed annually) is enough to sell your first five products. The honest trade-off: Starter takes a 7.5% transaction fee, which disappears on the $69-per-month Builder plan — start on Starter and upgrade only when sales justify it. There is no free plan anymore, but there is a 7-day trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

    Worth knowing: the platform can earn its keep beyond hosting lessons — I wrote about four other ways to use Teachable, like hosting freebies and digital downloads. If you want something simpler that bundles courses, digital products, and email in one flat-priced tool, Podia is the alternative I suggest to people who feel overwhelmed by settings. Thinkific and Gumroad are fine too; do not spend two weeks choosing.

    Step 6: Price it like a product, not a tip jar

    First-time creators almost always underprice. A course that delivers a real outcome is rarely a $19 product — somewhere between $50 and $300 is a sane range for a first, focused course, depending on the value of the result. Underpricing does not just cost revenue; it quietly attracts students who never start the material.

    Offer a payment plan for anything over about $100, and decide your refund policy up front — a clear 14- or 30-day policy builds more trust than it costs you.

    Step 7: Launch to your list, twice

    Sales come overwhelmingly from email, not from announcing once on social media. A simple first launch: one email announcing doors open (with the founding-member price and deadline), one email answering the real questions and objections, one email on the final day. Then close or raise the price — deadlines are what turn “interested” into “enrolled”.

    No list yet? Build one first, even a small one. A hundred engaged subscribers can carry a first launch; ten thousand cold followers usually cannot.

    Step 8: Improve it with real students, then relaunch

    Your first cohort is your product development team. Watch where they get stuck, answer their questions, and fold the answers back into the lessons. Then relaunch to the next group at the regular price. Courses are not launched once; they are refined and relaunched. Platforms run their own trainings on exactly this rhythm — my notes from the Teachable summit cover what that looks like in practice.

    Pro tips and common mistakes

    • Do not build in secret. Every month of silent building is a month of validation you skipped.
    • Small and finished beats big and abandoned. You can always add a module later.
    • Watch the fee math. Transaction fees and payment processing (around 3% plus a fixed fee per card payment) come out of every sale — factor them into pricing.
    • Keep teaching free content. Your blog and emails are the top of the funnel; the course is the deep end, not a replacement.
    • Expect modest first numbers. A first launch that pays for a year of tools and proves the concept is a success, not a failure.

    FAQ

    How much does it cost to create an online course?

    You can realistically start under $100: Teachable’s Starter plan is $29 per month billed annually ($39 month-to-month) with a 7-day free trial, and a decent USB microphone costs around $50. Production quality can grow later out of revenue instead of savings.

    How long should my first online course be?

    As short as the result allows — for most first courses that is one to three hours of focused video across five to eight modules. Students buy outcomes, not hours, and shorter courses get finished, which drives reviews and referrals.

    Can I sell a course without an audience?

    Honestly: it is hard. Paid ads on a first course usually burn money, so build at least a small email list first through your blog or social channels. The list does double duty — it validates your topic before you build and buys from you when you launch.

    Which platform is best for a first online course?

    Teachable if you want the standard, beginner-friendly option with strong checkout tools; Podia if you want courses, downloads, and email in one simple bundle. Both let you start small and migrate later if you outgrow them — the platform is rarely what decides whether your course sells.

    How much should I charge for my first course?

    For a focused course that delivers a concrete result, $50 to $300 is a reasonable range — pick a point where you would feel proud, not apologetic. Launch to founding members at a discount, gather results and testimonials, then raise the price for round two.

    Your first course, honestly

    Create an online course the smart way: validate a specific outcome, build the shortest version that delivers it, and launch it to people who already trust you. The tools are the easy part — start your free Teachable trial here and put your energy where it pays: the topic, the students, and the launch.

  • Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing Review: Is Michelle's Course Worth It?
    Blogging, Blogging + Influencers, Business, blogging & Money, Marketing

    Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing Review: Is Michelle’s Course Worth It?

    This post may contain affiliate links, meaning if you decide to make a purchase via my links, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. See my disclosure for more info.

    TL;DR: Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing is the course I took when I was starting out with affiliate marketing, and it is still the one I recommend to beginner and early-stage bloggers: structured, honest, and focused on strategy instead of hacks. At $197 with a 30-day refund window, it is fairly priced — but skip it if you already earn steady affiliate income or if what you really need is traffic. Check out Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing here.

    There are a lot of affiliate marketing courses, and most of them are sold harder than they teach. So when I review one, I hold it to a simple standard: did it change what I actually do? This one did — it is where I learned to treat affiliate marketing as recommending things honestly to people who trust you, rather than scattering links and hoping.

    Here is my full review: what is inside, what it costs, where it shines, and who genuinely should not buy it.

    What is Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing?

    It is a self-paced online course by Michelle Schroeder-Gardner, the blogger behind Making Sense of Cents. Michelle grew her affiliate income to over $50,000 per month, and the course teaches the exact strategy behind that — with the obvious caveat that her results are hers, not a template for yours.

    The course itself is 6 modules with 30+ lessons, covering the fundamentals: how affiliate marketing works, finding and getting accepted into programs, staying on the right side of disclosure rules, building trust with your audience, and turning existing content into content that converts. You get lifetime access, including future updates.

    If you are brand new to the concept, my primer on affiliate marketing for beginners explains the model itself — this review assumes you know roughly what affiliate marketing is and are deciding whether to invest in learning it properly.

    Pricing

    Option Price
    One-time payment $197
    Payment plan 2 payments of $105

    Both options include lifetime access, all future updates, and the bonuses. There is a 30-day full refund policy if the course is not what you hoped — which takes most of the risk out of trying it. Note that the payment plan costs $13 more in total, so pay once if you can. Current pricing and bonuses are listed on the course page.

    What the course does well

    It teaches strategy that does not expire. Algorithms and platforms have changed a lot since this course launched; the core of it — pick products your audience genuinely needs, build trust first, promote deliberately — has not. That is why I still recommend it in 2026 while plenty of trendier courses have come and gone.

    It takes the legal side seriously. Disclosure rules and FTC compliance get proper attention, including a bonus from an attorney on protecting your blog legally. Most courses skip this entirely; it matters more every year.

    The community is quietly the best bonus. Buying the course gets you into the private Facebook mastermind, plus bi-weekly “Ask Michelle Saturday” group coaching. Getting your specific questions answered is worth a lot when you are stuck at the messy beginning.

    Practical bonuses over filler. The Pinterest traffic training by Lauren McManus, the affiliate-approval guidance from an affiliate manager, and the worksheets are the kind of extras you actually open twice.

    One-time price. $197 once, with updates included, compares well against the subscription-model course platforms that quietly cost more every year you stay subscribed.

    Where it falls short (and who should not buy it)

    It will not solve your traffic problem. This is the big one. Affiliate income is a percentage of the attention you already have. The Pinterest bonus helps, but this is a conversion and strategy course, not a traffic course — if your blog has close to zero visitors, buy this later and spend the next six months publishing instead.

    Experienced affiliates will know a chunk of it. If you already earn consistent affiliate income, understand disclosure rules, and have a promotion system, you are past the target audience. This course is for beginners and early-intermediate bloggers.

    It leans blog-and-email. The strategies translate to other platforms, but the worked examples live mostly in blogging and Pinterest land. If you are a video-first creator with no blog, expect to do some translating yourself.

    The community lives on Facebook. If you have deleted Facebook on principle, you lose a real slice of the value.

    And the obvious one: Michelle’s $50,000-per-month results made this course famous, and they are also the least repeatable thing about it. Buy it for the system, not as a lottery ticket.

    Who it is for — my verdict

    Buy Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing if you have a blog (or are seriously building one), some early traffic, and affiliate links that earn little to nothing. That is exactly the gap this course closes: it turns “I put some links in my posts” into an actual strategy. It is the course I credit with making affiliate marketing for bloggers click for me, and the approach it teaches works well beyond your own blog too — the same thinking applies on newer platforms, like I describe in my post on sharing recommendations with Benable.

    Skip it if you have no content and no traffic yet, or if you are already past the beginner stage. Courses are only worth it when they meet you where you are. If you want to test the waters first, my free affiliate marketing tips ebook for bloggers costs you an email address and nothing else.

    FAQ

    How much does Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing cost?

    $197 as a one-time payment, or two payments of $105. Both include lifetime access, future updates, the bonuses, and the private mastermind community. There are no upsells hiding behind the checkout, which I appreciate.

    Is Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing worth it for beginners?

    Yes — beginners are exactly who it is built for. It assumes no prior affiliate knowledge and walks through the full system step by step. The honest condition: you need content and at least some traffic for the strategies to have raw material to work with.

    Can I get a refund if I do not like it?

    Yes, there is a 30-day full refund policy. That makes the practical risk of trying it low: go through the first modules seriously, and if it is not for you, ask for your money back within the window.

    Do I need a blog to take the course?

    The strategies are taught primarily through a blogging-and-email lens, so you will get the most out of it with a blog. It can work for other platforms, but if you have nothing yet, start the blog first and take the course once you are publishing.

    How fast will I make money with it?

    Slower than the sales page testimonials suggest, for most people. Realistically you are looking at months of applying the system while your traffic grows. The course shortens the learning curve; it does not remove the work.

    The bottom line

    Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing remains my standard recommendation for bloggers who want to earn from recommendations without turning into a walking advertisement. It is honest, thorough, fairly priced at $197, and protected by a 30-day refund policy. Head over to the course page to see everything that is included — and if you are not ready yet, bookmark it and go build the traffic it will eventually multiply.

  • How to Optimize Your Blog for AI Search (ChatGPT, Claude & Perplexity)
    Blogging, Business, blogging & Money

    How to Optimize Your Blog for AI Search (ChatGPT, Claude & Perplexity)

    This post may contain affiliate links, meaning if you decide to make a purchase via my links, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. See my disclosure for more info.

    More and more of my readers do not “google” anymore. They ask ChatGPT, Claude, or Perplexity — and the assistant answers with a synthesis of a few sources it trusts, sometimes with a citation, sometimes without. For bloggers, that is both the threat and the opportunity of 2026: fewer easy clicks, but a real chance to be the source that gets quoted.

    This guide covers what I am actually changing across my own blog to show up in AI answers. Fair warning up front: nobody — including the people selling “GEO services” — has a guaranteed formula here. What follows is the practical, low-regret work that helps with AI search and classic SEO at the same time.

    One thing before we start: none of this matters on a slow, wobbly site. AI crawlers and Google alike need your pages to load fast and reliably, so if your foundation is shaky, fix your hosting first — it is the least glamorous and most permanent optimization on this list.

    What AI search optimization actually means

    When someone asks an assistant “what’s the best email platform for a small newsletter?”, the AI does two things: it retrieves pages from a web index, and it composes an answer from the passages it can parse and trust. Optimizing for AI search means winning at both steps — being retrievable, and being quotable.

    The good news: this overlaps heavily with normal SEO. AI tools lean on existing search indexes to find sources, so a post that ranks has a head start on being cited. The difference is in emphasis: AI search rewards direct answers, clear structure, and specificity even more than Google does.

    Answer the question, then explain

    AI assistants extract passages, and the easiest passage to extract is a direct answer sitting right under a clear heading. So flip the classic blogger habit of building suspense.

    A practical before-and-after. Before: a heading like “My thoughts on pricing” followed by three paragraphs of context. After: a heading like “How much does it cost to start a blog?” followed immediately by “Around $36 for the first year, if you start on a hosting promo” — and then the nuance. Same information, but the second version can be lifted straight into an AI answer with your name attached.

    Do this consistently: question-style H2s and H3s, a one-or-two-sentence direct answer under each, detail afterwards. Readers skim happily; machines quote accurately.

    Add a real FAQ to every important post

    A short FAQ section with the questions people actually ask (steal them from the “people also ask” boxes, Reddit threads, and your own inbox) gives AI systems clean question-answer pairs to work with. Keep answers self-contained — two to four sentences that make sense out of context — because out of context is exactly how they will be reused.

    Structure your posts so machines can parse them

    Assistants parse HTML, not vibes. The posts of mine that get cited share the same traits: proper heading hierarchy, short paragraphs, lists for steps, and tables for comparisons. A comparison table with prices and plan names is far easier for an AI to reuse than the same facts scattered through prose.

    Schema markup (FAQ, HowTo, and Article structured data) helps search engines understand the page, and most WordPress SEO plugins add it with a checkbox. Do not overthink this part — clean headings and honest metadata get you most of the way.

    Be specific, current, and dated

    Vague content is invisible to AI search, because there is nothing concrete to quote. Name the tool, the plan, the price, the step. And date your facts: “at the time of writing (July 2026)” is not just honest, it signals freshness — assistants prefer sources that look current, and readers forgive an outdated price far more easily when you told them when it was true.

    This also means updating old posts. A 2019 tutorial with 2019 screenshots and prices quietly drops out of both Google and AI answers. I treat updating my best posts as seriously as writing new ones.

    Decide what AI crawlers may do on your site

    AI companies crawl the web with their own bots (GPTBot, ClaudeBot, PerplexityBot, and friends), and you control them via your robots.txt file. Blocking them protects your content from being used, but it also removes you from the answers your future readers are reading. For a blog that lives off being discovered, I allow them — that is a deliberate trade, not a default.

    While you are in technical territory: check that your site loads fast on mobile, that your pages are actually indexed, and that nothing important hides inside images or JavaScript. Solid hosting covers a surprising amount of this — fast responses, no downtime during crawls — which is why a dependable host like SiteGround sits in my “foundation” category rather than my “nice to have” category.

    Show up in more formats than text

    AI search interfaces increasingly pull in video, and YouTube is itself a search engine your posts can rank in. I turn my best-performing posts into short videos with Pictory, which converts a script or blog post into a video without me filming anything. Honest framing: this is a layer on top, not a replacement — do it for your proven posts once the writing engine runs, not before. For more of the AI tools I actually rate, see my roundup of the best AI tools for creators in 2026.

    Build signals that you are a real, trustworthy source

    Assistants weight sources that look like real experts: a clear author, an about page with an actual human on it, consistent coverage of your niche, and mentions of your name or site elsewhere on the web. There is no shortcut here — it is the same reputation work that has always mattered, now with a second audience of machines reading it. If you are early in that journey, my ultimate guide to blogging covers building that foundation from zero.

    What not to expect

    Honesty section. AI search sends fewer clicks than classic Google did at its peak — many questions get answered without a click at all. Optimizing for it is about capturing the traffic that still flows and the authority of being cited, not about replacing 2019-level pageviews. Two hedges I recommend: watch your analytics for referrals from AI tools so you know what is actually working, and keep converting one-time visitors into subscribers you can reach directly — my newsletter exists precisely because I do not control any algorithm.

    FAQ

    What is AI search optimization?

    It is the practice of making your content easy for AI assistants like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity to retrieve, quote, and cite when they answer questions. In practice it means direct answers under clear headings, parseable structure, specific and dated facts, and allowing AI crawlers to access your site.

    How do I get my blog cited by ChatGPT or Perplexity?

    Cover specific questions in depth, put the answer at the top of the section, and build normal search visibility — AI tools lean on web indexes to pick sources. Specificity wins: a focused post on one question beats a broad post on ten.

    Should I block AI crawlers in robots.txt?

    That depends on your goals. Blocking bots like GPTBot protects your content from AI reuse but removes you from AI answers entirely. For most bloggers who depend on discovery, being citable is worth more than being invisible — but it is a legitimate choice either way.

    Does traditional SEO still matter in 2026?

    Yes. AI assistants retrieve sources through the same web infrastructure classic SEO optimizes, so rankings, internal links, and site health still feed the machine. Think of AI search optimization as an extra layer on SEO, not a replacement for it.

    How can I measure traffic from AI search?

    Check your analytics for referral sources like chatgpt.com and perplexity.ai, and watch for branded searches rising after your content circulates in answers. Measurement is still fuzzy — some AI visits look like direct traffic — so treat trends as directional, not precise.

    Make your blog quotable

    AI search rewards exactly what good blogging always rewarded: specific, structured, trustworthy answers to real questions — served from a site that loads fast every single time. Start with the foundation and work up: head over to SiteGround to get hosting that keeps your site fast and crawlable, then go rewrite your ten most important posts with the answer first.

  • SiteGround Review: Honest Pros & Cons After Hosting 1,000+ Posts
    Blogging, Business, blogging & Money

    SiteGround Review: Honest Pros & Cons After Hosting 1,000+ Posts

    This post may contain affiliate links, meaning if you decide to make a purchase via my links, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. See my disclosure for more info.

    TL;DR: This blog — over 1,000 published posts — runs on SiteGround, and I still recommend it to bloggers who want fast, low-maintenance WordPress hosting with support that actually responds. The honest catch: the promo pricing (from $2.99 per month) jumps steeply at renewal, so it is not the cheapest choice long-term. Check SiteGround’s current plans and pricing here.

    Hosting reviews are usually written by people who signed up yesterday, ran one speed test, and collected their commission. This one is different in one boring but useful way: I actually host here, at scale, and have for years. A thousand-plus posts, real traffic, real support tickets.

    So here is my honest take on where SiteGround earns its money and where it does not.

    What is SiteGround?

    SiteGround is an independent hosting company that has become one of the go-to names for WordPress hosting. It runs its platform on Google Cloud infrastructure, uses its own control panel called Site Tools instead of the dated cPanel most budget hosts ship, and leans hard on two selling points: speed and support.

    It sits in the middle of the market. Cheaper than managed WordPress hosts like Kinsta, more expensive (especially at renewal) than budget players like Hostinger. That middle position is exactly who it is for — more on that below.

    SiteGround pricing (July 2026)

    Plan Promo price Renewal price Websites Storage Suited for
    StartUp $2.99/mo $17.99/mo 1 10 GB ~10,000 visits/mo
    GrowBig $4.99/mo $29.99/mo Unlimited 50 GB ~100,000 visits/mo
    GoGeek $7.99/mo $44.99/mo Unlimited 100 GB ~400,000 visits/mo

    All plans include a free domain, free SSL, business email accounts, daily backups, a built-in CDN, and 24/7 support. Two things the pricing page says quietly: the promo price requires paying 12 months upfront, and the visit numbers are guidance rather than hard caps.

    Do the honest math before you buy. Year one on StartUp is about $36; year two is about $216 at the current renewal rate. If that difference would hurt, compare the plans with that renewal column in mind, not the promo column.

    What SiteGround does well

    Speed without tinkering. Between the server-level caching, the CDN, and their WordPress optimization plugin, my site is fast without me maintaining a stack of performance plugins. For a non-technical blogger, that is the whole point of paying for decent hosting.

    Support that solves things. This is the real reason I stay. When something breaks at 11pm, chat support responds in minutes and actually fixes the problem instead of pasting help-center links. Over years of hosting here, downtime has never become a story I need to tell — which is exactly what you want from a host.

    Beginner-friendly setup. WordPress gets installed for you during signup, SSL is automatic, and Site Tools is clean enough that you will rarely open it. If you are starting a brand-new blog, the SiteGround signup flow takes care of nearly everything technical in one go.

    Email included. Unlimited email accounts at your own domain come with every plan. Plenty of competitors charge extra for this, and a you@yourdomain.com address is something every blogger eventually needs.

    Daily backups by default. The first time you break your site with a bad plugin update, an included one-click restore pays for the plan.

    Where SiteGround falls short (and who should not buy it)

    The renewal prices sting. $2.99 to $17.99 per month is a big jump, and it is the number one complaint about SiteGround everywhere — fairly. You can soften it by prepaying longer upfront, but budget hosts stay meaningfully cheaper over a three-year horizon.

    Storage is modest. 10 GB on StartUp is fine for a text-and-images blog (this one lives comfortably within its plan), but photographers and podcasters uploading heavy files will feel the ceiling.

    One site only on the entry plan. If you already know you want two or three projects, you need GrowBig, which changes the price comparison.

    Not for high-traffic or complex sites. Shared hosting has limits. If you are running a large store or an application, or pulling hundreds of thousands of visits a month, you will eventually want managed or cloud hosting — that is not a SiteGround flaw, just a category boundary.

    In short: do not buy SiteGround if the lowest possible long-term price is your main criterion, or if you are at a scale where shared hosting no longer makes sense.

    Who SiteGround is for — my verdict

    SiteGround is the right choice for bloggers and small site owners who want their hosting to be a solved problem: fast enough, safe enough, with a human available when something breaks. That describes most people reading a blogging guide, which is why it is my standard recommendation for new and growing blogs.

    I have had years to switch away — every host courts bloggers with cheaper offers — and I keep renewing at the full price. That is about the strongest thing I can say about a hosting company. If speed-plus-support at a fair (not rock-bottom) price is the trade you want, SiteGround is worth it.

    FAQ

    Is SiteGround good for beginners?

    Yes — it is one of the most beginner-friendly hosts I have used. WordPress installation, SSL, email, and backups are all handled for you, and support fills the gaps fast. The learning curve is the blog itself, not the hosting.

    How much does SiteGround actually cost?

    StartUp is $2.99 per month for year one (paid annually, about $36) and $17.99 per month at renewal — roughly $216 per year after the promo ends. GrowBig and GoGeek follow the same pattern from $4.99 and $7.99 per month. Always decide based on the renewal price you will eventually pay.

    Which SiteGround plan should a blogger pick?

    StartUp, for almost everyone starting out — one site and 10 GB go further than you would think. Move to GrowBig when you need a second site or outgrow the resources; check the current plan comparison for the extras on higher tiers before paying for them.

    Does SiteGround include email hosting?

    Yes, unlimited email accounts at your own domain on every plan. Note that this is your inbox, not a newsletter tool — for sending emails to subscribers you still need a proper platform, which I cover in my ultimate guide to email marketing.

    Is SiteGround worth it in 2026?

    If you value speed and support over squeezing out the last dollar: yes. If you want the absolute cheapest hosting for a hobby project, a budget host will serve you fine and save money. I keep my own 1,000-post blog here, which is my honest answer in one sentence.

    The bottom line

    SiteGround costs more than budget hosting and delivers more than budget hosting — fast pages, included email and backups, and support that shows up. That trade has been worth it for this blog for years. Head over to SiteGround to see current plans and grab the promo pricing with a free domain, and start on StartUp unless you know you need more.

  • How to Start a Blog in 2026 (Step-by-Step, the Smart Way)
    Blogging, Business, blogging & Money

    How to Start a Blog in 2026 (Step-by-Step, the Smart Way)

    This post may contain affiliate links, meaning if you decide to make a purchase via my links, I may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. See my disclosure for more info.

    I have started more blogs than I care to admit, and this one — with well over a thousand posts on it — is the one that taught me what actually matters. Spoiler: it is not the perfect theme, the perfect logo, or the perfect name.

    The technical part of starting a blog in 2026 takes about 30 minutes. The hard part is everything most “start a blog” tutorials skip: picking a topic you will not abandon, writing posts people actually search for, and staying patient while traffic slowly builds. This guide covers both halves.

    If you just want the short version: get hosting with a free domain at SiteGround, install WordPress with one click, and publish your first post this week. For everyone else, here is the full walkthrough.

    What you need before you start

    • A niche you could write 50 posts about without running dry
    • A domain name — your own name works fine; mine does
    • Roughly $40 for year one — hosting is the only must-have cost
    • Two to three hours a week, consistently, for at least six months

    That last point is the real filter. A blog is a slow, compounding asset, not a quick win. If you need income this month, freelancing or client work will get you there faster. If you can play the longer game, keep reading — and if you are brand new to all of this, my blogging for beginners guide is a good companion to this tutorial.

    How to start a blog in 2026, step by step

    Step 1: Pick a niche with search demand and buyer intent

    Choose a topic where people type real questions into Google, ChatGPT, or Perplexity — and where products exist that solve those problems. “My life and thoughts” is a diary, not a blog with traffic potential. “Slow travel in Europe on a budget” or “email marketing for Etsy sellers” — those are niches.

    A quick test I use: write down 25 post ideas in ten minutes. If you cannot, the niche is too narrow or you do not care about it enough. Both are dealbreakers three months in. Also check that the niche has products you could eventually recommend — building monetization in from the start beats bolting it on later.

    Step 2: Choose self-hosted WordPress

    This blog runs on self-hosted WordPress (WordPress.org), and if you want to earn money from your blog, I would not choose anything else. You own the site, you can place any affiliate link or ad you like, and you are not renting your audience from a platform that can change the rules.

    To be fair: Squarespace and Wix are easier on day one, and Substack is great if you only want to write a newsletter. But they all limit how you monetize, how you optimize for search, or both. WordPress has a slightly steeper learning curve in week one and far more room to grow in year three.

    Step 3: Get hosting — your only real startup cost

    Your host is the computer your blog lives on. I host my sites at SiteGround and recommend it to beginners because the setup is genuinely simple, support responds fast, and the smallest plan covers everything a new blog needs.

    The numbers, at the time of writing: the StartUp plan is $2.99 per month on the current promo (paid 12 months upfront, so about $36 for your first year) and includes a free domain, free SSL, email accounts, daily backups, and a CDN. Two honest caveats: that promo renews at $17.99 per month after the first year, and the StartUp plan fits one website only. Cheaper hosts like Hostinger exist; I stay because the speed and the support have been worth the renewal price for me — but budget for it either way.

    Check the current SiteGround plans and claim your free domain here — the whole signup takes about ten minutes.

    Step 4: Install WordPress and pick one lightweight theme

    SiteGround installs WordPress for you during signup, or afterwards with one click from the dashboard. Then choose one free, fast theme and move on. Kadence, Astra, and GeneratePress are all fine choices. Do not spend a week comparing themes; nobody reads a blog because of its theme. I wrote a short guide on starting a WordPress blog with zero technical knowledge if you want extra hand-holding for this part.

    Step 5: Create the five pages every blog needs

    Before you write posts, set up an About page, a Contact page, a Privacy Policy, a disclosure page, and a simple Start Here page. The legal pages matter more than most beginners think: if you use affiliate links or ads, disclosure is required, and if European readers visit your site, GDPR applies to you too. Boring, yes. Skippable, no.

    Step 6: Write your first five posts around real searches

    Every post should answer one specific question someone actually types out. Not “10 thoughts on productivity” but “how to plan a blog content calendar in Notion”. Specific posts get found; vague posts do not.

    Two habits that pay off from post one: give the direct answer high up in the post (both readers and AI search tools reward this), and match your title to the words people actually search. Useful and complete beats long. Then keep publishing — consistency over months is what separates blogs that grow from the millions that quietly stall.

    Step 7: Start your email list on day one

    Search traffic and social reach fluctuate; an email list is the only audience you own. Set up a free account with an email platform like Kit or MailerLite, put a simple signup form under every post, and offer a small freebie as a thank-you. Mine is a free ebook with affiliate marketing tips for bloggers — yours can be a checklist or template that takes you one afternoon to make.

    Step 8: Learn how blogs actually make money

    Display ads only pay meaningfully once you have serious traffic, so most new blogs earn their first money with affiliate marketing: recommending products you genuinely use and earning a commission when readers buy. Simple in theory, and surprisingly easy to do badly.

    The resource that shortened my learning curve is Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing, the $197 course by Michelle Schroeder-Gardner — the same strategy she used to earn over $50,000 per month from affiliate marketing. I took it myself as a newer blogger; it is beginner-friendly and focused on recommending things honestly. It is not magic, though: you still need traffic before any strategy pays, so treat it as a way to build correctly from the start, not as a shortcut around the work.

    Mistakes I see new bloggers make (so you can skip them)

    • Buying tools before traffic. You need hosting and an email tool. Everything else can wait until the blog earns it.
    • Writing for nobody. If no one searches for it and you have nowhere to promote it, the post will not be read.
    • Redesigning instead of publishing. Tweaking fonts feels like work; it is not.
    • Quitting at month three. That is usually right before search engines start trusting your site.
    • Ignoring renewal prices. Hosting promos — SiteGround included — renew higher, so budget for year two now.

    FAQ

    How much does it cost to start a blog?

    Around $36 for the first year if you start on SiteGround’s StartUp promo, since the domain, SSL, and email are included. Expect higher renewal pricing from year two, and add optional costs like a premium theme or a paid email plan only as you grow into them.

    Can I start a blog for free?

    Yes, on platforms like WordPress.com or Medium — but I would not if you plan to make money. Free platforms limit monetization, look less professional, and the platform owns your setup, not you. Roughly $36 is a small price for full control.

    How long until a blog makes money?

    For most people: months, not weeks. Six to twelve months of consistent publishing is a realistic runway before affiliate income becomes meaningful, and anyone promising faster is usually selling something. A solid strategy from day one — Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing is where I got mine — mostly saves you the messy trial-and-error phase.

    Do I need technical skills to start a blog?

    No. Modern hosts install WordPress for you, and themes handle the design. If you can use email and Instagram, you can run a WordPress blog. I answer more beginner questions like this in my blogging questions FAQ.

    Is starting a blog still worth it in 2026?

    Yes, with adjusted expectations. AI search sends fewer easy clicks than Google did five years ago, but it cites and recommends specific, trustworthy posts — exactly what a focused niche blog produces. Blogs that answer real questions in depth still grow; generic content does not.

    Ready to start your blog?

    Thirty minutes of setup, five focused posts, and a signup form: that is genuinely all a smart start requires in 2026. Head over to SiteGround to grab your hosting and free domain, and you can be writing your first post before your coffee gets cold.

  • Best AI Tools for Creators in 2026 (Tested, With Pricing)
    Blogging, Business, blogging & Money, Marketing

    Best AI Tools for Creators in 2026 (Tested, With Pricing)

    TL;DR: You don’t need twenty AI subscriptions — you need one writer, one video-repurposing tool, and one system to turn it all into email. In 2026 my go-to stack is Jasper or Notion AI for drafting, Opus Clip for turning long video into short clips, and Kit (formerly ConvertKit) to turn that content into a newsletter that actually sells. Below is what each costs and who it’s for.

    This post contains affiliate links. If you sign up through them I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend tools I’d genuinely use myself.

    The AI tools worth paying for in 2026

    There are hundreds of AI tools now, and most creators waste money subscribing to five that do the same thing. The trick is to think in jobs, not tools: drafting, repurposing to video, and turning it into email and sales. Here’s the short list I actually recommend, with real 2026 pricing.

    ToolWhat it’s forFree plan?Paid from
    JasperLong-form & brand-voice writingTrial only$39/seat/mo (Creator)
    Opus ClipTurning long video into short clipsYes (60 min/mo, watermark)$15/mo (Starter)
    PictoryBlog / script / URL to videoTrial$25/mo (Starter)
    KapwingBrowser video editing & subtitlesYes (limited)$16/user/mo (Pro)
    KitTurning content into emails & salesYes (to 10k subs)Paid tiers add automation
    Pricing verified July 2026. Free tiers and prices change often — check each tool before buying.

    Best AI writing tools

    Jasper is the most mature option for long-form and on-brand writing — its Creator plan starts at $39/seat/month and it’s genuinely good at keeping a consistent brand voice across blog posts, emails, and ad copy. If you already live in Notion, Notion AI is the cheaper entry point: it brainstorms, summarizes, and drafts right inside your workspace with a usable free allowance. Start with Notion AI if you’re testing the water; upgrade to Jasper once writing is a daily job.

    Best AI video repurposing tools

    Short video is still where the reach is, and repurposing beats filming from scratch. Opus Clip is the one most creators use — it turns a long video or livestream into ready-to-post clips and scores each for “virality.” The free plan gives you 60 minutes a month (watermarked); Starter is $15/month for watermark-free 720p, and Pro at $29/month adds every aspect ratio, a scheduler, and AI B-roll. If you’d rather go from a blog post or script straight to video, Pictory does that from $25/month, and Kapwing is a solid browser editor for subtitles and quick edits from $16/user/month.

    The tool that ties it together

    AI content only pays off if it feeds an audience you own. That’s where Kit (formerly ConvertKit) comes in: it turns your posts and clips into a newsletter, automates your welcome and sales sequences, and tags subscribers so you can actually sell courses or products to them. Kit’s free plan runs up to 10,000 subscribers, so you can build the system before you pay for it. If you’re not sure a newsletter is worth it yet, read how to monetize a newsletter first, then come back and automate it.

    My honest recommendation

    Don’t buy the whole list. Pick one writer (Notion AI to start, Jasper when you scale), one video tool (Opus Clip for most people), and one home for your audience (Kit). That’s three subscriptions doing the work of ten, and it’s the exact stack I’d rebuild if I started over today. Want the email side specifically? I compare the platforms in Substack vs Kit.

    What are the best AI tools for content creators in 2026?

    For most creators the core stack is a writing tool (Jasper or Notion AI), a video-repurposing tool (Opus Clip), and an email platform to turn content into sales (Kit). That covers drafting, short-form video, and monetization without over-subscribing.

    What is the best free AI tool for creators?

    Notion AI has a usable free allowance for drafting and summarizing, Opus Clip offers 60 free video minutes a month, and Kit is free up to 10,000 subscribers. You can build a full workflow on free tiers before paying.

    How much do AI creator tools cost?

    Expect roughly $15 to $40 per tool per month. Opus Clip Starter is $15/month, Kapwing Pro is $16/user/month, Pictory is $25/month, and Jasper’s Creator plan is $39/seat/month. Picking one tool per job keeps the total reasonable.

    Do I need to pay for Jasper if I have ChatGPT?

    Not necessarily. General chat tools are great for ideas, but Jasper adds brand-voice controls and templates built for marketing output. Pay for Jasper when consistent on-brand writing becomes a daily task; otherwise a general tool plus good prompts is fine.

    Which AI tool is best for turning long videos into short clips?

    Opus Clip is the most widely used in 2026. It automatically finds the best moments, adds captions, and scores each clip for viral potential, with a free tier to test before upgrading.

  • Beehiiv Review Pricing, Features & Is It Worth It
    Blogging, Business, blogging & Money, Email Marketing, Marketing

    Beehiiv Review 2026: Pricing, Features & Is It Worth It?

    TL;DR: beehiiv is one of the best newsletter platforms in 2026 if growth and monetization are your priority — built-in referral programs, an ad network, and a genuinely useful free plan for up to 2,500 subscribers. It’s less of an all-in-one “email + funnels” tool than Kit (formerly ConvertKit), so your pick comes down to whether you’re building a media brand (beehiiv) or a creator business with products to sell (Kit).

    This post contains affiliate links. If you sign up through them I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I only recommend tools I’d genuinely use myself.

    What is beehiiv?

    beehiiv was built by former Morning Brew operators, and it shows: everything is designed around growing and monetizing a newsletter rather than running a whole business off it. You get a clean editor, a website for your posts (great for SEO and AI search visibility), a built-in referral program, audience polls, and access to beehiiv’s own ad network so brands can sponsor your sends. If your goal is “grow the list and get paid for the audience,” this is the tool the big newsletters actually use.

    beehiiv pricing in 2026

    Here’s what each plan actually costs right now. The important thing to understand: beehiiv’s paid plans scale with your subscriber count, so the headline price is the starting price for a small list, not what you’ll pay at 50,000 subscribers.

    PlanPrice (monthly)SubscribersBest for
    Launch (free)$0Up to 2,500Testing the platform, small lists
    ScaleFrom $49 (from $43 annual)Scales with list size (to ~$329 at 100k)Monetization, referrals, AI, up to 3 publications
    MaxFrom $109Scales with list size (to ~$419)No beehiiv branding, priority support, up to 10 publications
    beehiiv pricing verified July 2026. Paid tiers scale with your subscriber count.

    Two details worth knowing. First, beehiiv takes 0% of your paid subscription revenue — you keep everything minus Stripe’s standard 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. Second, the free Launch plan is genuinely usable (unlimited sends up to 2,500 subscribers), which is rare. Most “free” newsletter plans cap your sends hard; beehiiv doesn’t.

    What beehiiv does really well

    The referral program is the headline feature — it’s the same mechanic that grew Morning Brew, and on beehiiv it’s a few clicks to set up instead of a custom build. The ad network is the other big one: once you hit a certain size, beehiiv matches you with sponsors and handles the logistics, which turns your newsletter into income without you cold-emailing brands. Add the SEO-friendly web version of every post and the built-in analytics, and it’s a strong package for anyone treating their newsletter as a media property.

    Where beehiiv falls short (and when to pick Kit instead)

    beehiiv is a newsletter platform, not a full creator-business platform. If you sell digital products, run automated welcome-and-sales sequences, tag subscribers by behavior, and want your email tool to double as a lightweight CRM, Kit (formerly ConvertKit) is the better fit — it’s built around selling to your list, not just publishing to it. My honest rule of thumb: pick beehiiv if the newsletter is the product and you want ad + referral growth; pick Kit if the newsletter is how you sell courses, coaching, or products. I break the whole comparison down in Substack vs Kit and in how to monetize a newsletter.

    Is beehiiv worth it in 2026?

    Yes — if your priority is growing an audience and earning from it directly. The free plan makes it a no-risk test, and the referral + ad tools genuinely move the needle at scale. If you’re earlier in the journey and still figuring out the newsletter itself, start with my guide on how to start a newsletter first, then choose your platform once you know what you’re building.

    👉 Reader offer: sign up through my beehiiv link and you get a 14-day free trial + 20% off for 3 months. Same platform either way — this just gets you a better deal while you test it.

    Is beehiiv really free?

    Yes. The Launch plan is free for up to 2,500 subscribers with unlimited email sends. You only pay once you outgrow it or want monetization and AI features.

    How much does beehiiv cost after the free plan?

    The Scale plan starts at $49/month (or about $43/month billed annually) for a small list and rises with your subscriber count up to roughly $329/month at 100,000 subscribers. The Max plan starts at $109/month and removes beehiiv branding.

    Does beehiiv take a cut of my subscription revenue?

    No. beehiiv takes 0% of your paid newsletter subscriptions. You only pay Stripe’s standard processing fee of 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction.

    beehiiv vs Kit — which should I choose?

    Choose beehiiv if the newsletter itself is your product and you want built-in referral and ad-network growth. Choose Kit if you sell courses, coaching, or digital products and need automations and tagging to sell to your list.

    Can I move my existing newsletter to beehiiv?

    Yes. beehiiv supports importing your subscriber list and offers migration help from most major platforms, so switching doesn’t mean starting your audience from zero.

  • How Do You Start (and Actually Grow) a Newsletter
    Blogging, Business, blogging & Money, Email Marketing

    How Do You Start (and Actually Grow) a Newsletter in 2026?

    TL;DR: Starting a newsletter in 2026 takes an afternoon: pick a platform (Substack for network growth, Kit or Beehiiv for a business), define one clear promise for one clear reader, and publish weekly. Growing it is the real work — a lead magnet, recommendations/cross-promotion, and repurposing every issue into social content are the three channels that reliably compound. Monetization comes from four stacks: paid subscriptions, affiliate links, sponsorships and your own products.

    Disclosure: this post contains affiliate links. If you sign up through them I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

    Why start a newsletter in 2026 (still)?

    Email is the only audience channel you own. Algorithms throttle reach on every social platform, and AI search is reshaping blog traffic — but a subscriber list lands in inboxes regardless. A blog is your SEO house; your newsletter is the front door key readers take home. The two feed each other: search brings strangers, email turns them into regulars.

    Step 1 — Choose your platform

    The decision comes down to what your bottleneck will be: growth, monetization or automation.

    You want… Best pick Why
    Free start + built-in discovery Substack Notes & Recommendations drive real growth; 10% fee only on paid subs
    Newsletter as a business asset Kit Automations, tagging, funnels; free up to 10,000 subscribers
    Sponsorship-driven newsletter Beehiiv Ad network, referral program, boosts
    Cheapest serious tooling MailerLite Full automation on a small budget

    I break all of these down (with 2026 pricing) in my best newsletter platforms of 2026 roundup, and go deeper in Substack vs Kit and Kit vs Mailchimp. If you want my one-line answer: growth-first, pick Substack; business-first, start free on Kit.

    Step 2 — Nail the promise before the name

    A newsletter grows when a stranger can predict what they’ll get. “My thoughts on marketing” doesn’t grow; “one pricing teardown of a real creator business, every Thursday” does. Write your promise as: [specific reader] gets [specific outcome] every [frequency]. Your name, design and welcome email all follow from that sentence.

    Step 3 — Set up the boring essentials (30 minutes)

    A double opt-in form, a welcome email that delivers your lead magnet and asks one question (“what are you struggling with?”), a custom sending domain if your platform supports it, and an archive page so search engines and AI assistants can find your issues. That last one matters more in 2026 than ever: public, crawlable archives are how newsletters surface in AI search results.

    Step 4 — Your first 1,000 subscribers

    The channels that work, in order of effort-to-result:

    1. A lead magnet that solves one urgent problem — a checklist, template or mini-course beats an ebook. (I cover opt-ins and lead magnets in my ultimate guide to email marketing.)
    2. Recommendations & cross-promotion. On Substack this is built in; on Kit use the Creator Network; elsewhere, swap mentions with newsletters your size.
    3. Repurpose every issue into 3–5 social posts (threads, carousels, Notes). One issue = a week of content.
    4. Your existing surfaces: email signature, blog posts (every post gets an opt-in — see my blogging guide), podcast outro, social bios.

    Paid ads and viral giveaways can work, but they fill lists with cold subscribers — deliverability pays the bill later.

    Step 5 — Growing past the plateau

    Every newsletter stalls somewhere between 1,000 and 5,000. The fixes are unglamorous: prune subscribers who haven’t opened in 90+ days (deliverability beats vanity metrics), double down on the single acquisition channel that brought your best readers, and survey your list twice a year. On Substack, consistency on Notes compounds; on Kit, an evergreen welcome sequence keeps converting while you sleep.

    Step 6 — Turning readers into revenue

    Four monetization stacks, roughly in order of list size required:

    • Affiliate links (works from ~500 engaged subscribers): recommend tools you use, disclose clearly.
    • Paid subscriptions (from ~1,000): Substack makes this one click; Kit charges just 3.5% + $0.30 per transaction. I compare the fee math in Substack vs Kit.
    • Sponsorships (from ~2,500 engaged): price per open, not per subscriber.
    • Your own products (any size): the highest margin — courses, templates, services.

    FAQ

    How much does it cost to start a newsletter in 2026?

    $0. Substack is free until you monetize (then 10% of paid revenue); Kit and Beehiiv have free plans up to 10,000 and 2,500 subscribers respectively. Your only early cost is optionally a custom domain (~$10/year).

    How often should I send?

    Weekly is the sweet spot for growth and sanity. Consistency beats frequency: a reliable biweekly beats an erratic daily.

    How long until a newsletter makes money?

    With affiliate links, some creators earn from a few hundred subscribers. Meaningful income (€500+/month) typically takes 1,000–5,000 engaged subscribers and 6–18 months of consistent publishing.

    Do I need a blog AND a newsletter?

    They compound each other: the blog captures search (and AI-search) traffic, the newsletter owns the relationship. If you must pick one in 2026, pick the newsletter — then add the blog for discovery.

    What’s the biggest beginner mistake?

    Optimizing tools before promise. Platform-switching costs you weeks; an unclear promise costs you every subscriber you almost got.

  • Do this every day for a year and you'll be financially free in 365 days
    Business, blogging & Money, Finance

    Do this every day for a year and you’ll be financially free in 365 days

    I didn’t start this Substack because I needed another platform. I have enough to do’s on my marketing plate! I started it because my nervous system couldn’t handle performing online anymore. To working misaligned.

    For years, consistency meant pressure and visibility meant self-abandonment.
    And “just showing up every day” slowly pulled me further away from myself. There is a different way and I’m claiming it in 2026.

    This space is my way back. To writing instead of performing. To building in a way my body can actually sustain.

    Everything below comes from that place.

    When I started my Substack on a whim yesterday, I didn’t realize I’d be so excited. Not in the sense of ‘shiny new object’ but in a sense of finally feeling at home again.

    After 10+ years of being lost in the world of social media. About building a marketing system that works against my own system. This abandonment of self was a lot, especially for someone who had been blogging for over a decade, was chronically ill (without a diagnosis for years) and was educated in marketing. Would this be my future from then on?

    My nervous system hit its max and I’d often crash out. Meaning, I wouldn’t post on my Instagram account. I had built it to several tens of thousands of followers, but the more followers I gained, the more stress and pressure I felt.

    My solution?

    If I could just monetize my lifestyle I’d be happy.

    I would feel at ease because all I would have to do is live my life.

    So I became a digital nomad and traveled full-time.

    For a while that was amazing. Especially because I could bring all my clients with me and I had an influencer agency abroad that would have much more possibilities to work with brands now that I was living on the other side of the world.

    But after a few weeks as my savings got really drained, I must admit I’d enjoyed the backpacker party life meets working in cafes for eating out 3x a day a little too much.

    Top that with the many tourist tours to explore the areas I did that cost over a hundred a day, I needed to get to work.

    And the pressure started again.

    Posts had to be perfect.

    Captions had to be perfect.

    Posts had to have a certain amount of likes (engagement, especially with paid posts). This gave me a lot of stress – did I post at the right time? The right nuance? Not too sales-y but selling the product?

    I would be constantly creating content, when I got a coffee, when I got with friends. Nothing felt fun anymore, everything felt like work.

    I did it and it didn’t feel right.

    I could never enjoy the moment. I didn’t live in the moment anymore at all.

    My nervous system got even more overloaded with stress, pressure, and a lack of rest. It was bad.

    So let’s get back to my title.

    Do this everyday for a year and you’ll be financially free in 365 days

    This is a quote by Russell Brunson. Funnily enough, at that time I also was an affiliate for his company, Clickfunnels. But I found him to be one of the most annoying people on the internet because the product was really good but felt really spammy. Every click would open a new video or funnel sales page. He was ahead of his game.

    So now, ten years later I learned about him again from my business coach. And his books are game changers.

    And okay, I know you’re here to hear how you can become financially free. So I grabbed Russell Brunsons strategy and added the layer of my nervous system work to it, because it’s very important if you want to succeed.

    And I feel like 2026 is the year I’ll also show it to you how I’m doing it. Because don’t do what I say, do as I do.

    Do this everyday for a year

    So all you have to do is publish daily?

    Challenge accepted! But not just posting. You need to know the right framework. Random posting isn’t productive and even harmful.

    Thanks for reading this post. If you’re accepting the challenge, please share the post to help me build my Substack as I’m brand new here! This post is public so feel free to share it.

    It’s quality over quantity. So how do you do this?

    If you ask me, a holistic therapist, it’s feeling safe in being seen. It’s feeling confident in your output. It’s working aligned with your system, soul and body. It’s feeling no pressure. It’s also very practical, how do you do this without losing quality but fitting the time in your already busy schedule?

    I’ll help you. This is the same system I teach my high achieving, burned out business owners clients. It’s a unique combination of holistic & somatic work combined with business & marketing strategies.

    It’s proven to work as long as you’re willing to do the work.

    First one: create a daily routine to create safety in your body

    You do this by doing daily nervous system work. Even if you don’t feel like you have a safety problem, it’s important to do this. As feeling unsafe will show up in ways you won’t immediately recognise as being unsafe. Over time it builds up until your system says: no more.

    Second one: work aligned

    Easier said than done. I would suggest (if I was someone else) that you pick one standard time a day to work on your project. This way, it’s easy to stay consistent and get things done, every single day.

    But the thing is, often this doesn’t work, because life happens. So find a way that works for you. I personally have a hard time staying consistent because life happens, the luteal phase happens and I sometimes have to deal with chronic pain. So doing my best, is all I can do. Finding a way to work aligned with my system is all I can do. And I can’t guide you to your alignment, but I can help you with the framework. Consistency starts with the body, so see the first point I made.

    I personally work in bursts. I think it’s a Projector thing. But also as a woman in tune with her cycle, it’s only natural to not be able to deliver 24/7, 30 days in a row. So what I do is I follow my inspiration and then I take aligned action. So usually I have a few posts scheduled, because I’m only inspired a few days out of the month. If I feel inspired, I know I have to drop everything or I’ll lose it (been there before!). I must admit it’s hard if you have a 9-5 and a business, but I know I’ll lose it if I don’t. So that’s why I always have my phone close to me when I shower, because that’s when my brain truly shuts off all worry and to do’s and activated its creative parts.

    Find out what works for you and honour that (last part is very important and takes some practicing!).

    Third one: strategy that feels aligned for you

    We all heard the story of the influencer with 2.6 million followers that couldn’t even sell 36 shirts to her audience.

    Link.

    This was in 2019, so it’s not new, but it’s an important lesson to always make sure you have a strategy. And not just any strategy, an aligned strategy. This is why I don’t necessarily teach MY strategy to my clients, because while it feels aligned to me, it’s personal and you deserve a custom made marketing strategy that works for you. Having no strategy, just sharing bits of bobs of your life also won’t work. People will follow you for different reasons and will be too broad to sell to. Even lifestyle influencers should have a ‘niche’ if they want to successfully monetize.

    I’m a big advocate to slow marketing and not following algorithms. It’s a losing game if you chase someone else’s speed and rules.

    So figure out what works for you. Reverse engineer your buyer sequence. Start with what you sell, and map out the exact steps buyers follow. Then, come up with the level you want to step in with your content – do you wanna serve people that are orientating and looking for a solution or people that are already on a buyer level ready to purchase looking for the perfect solution? (I recommend the latter). Cater only for those, so don’t create content that will work on awareness, but create content that helps with buyer questions and focus on why your product and not your competition.

    If you have the right strategy, it literally doesn’t matter which platform you pick.

    Fourth: Pick the right platform

    I now feel stronger than ever that writing is my jam. And guys, this is only day 2. It sounds optimistic but it really is. I can now see how misaligned creating videos is for me. I have so much inspiration, I literally explode. But as soon as I try to capture it in a video for TikTok, I’m misaligned. I’m happy when I actually get to filming. When I get my ideas out. But as soon as I need to edit the clips, captionize it (lol) or write the actual caption that goes along with the video, I freeze.

    I have so many videos on my phone that are unedited but not suitable to be posted like this. Such a waste – this makes it so hard for me to be consistent.

    While I’d always already write down my ideas on the go. This should have given me the hint that writing is my thing but, oh well…

    So picking the right platform is very important. I picked podcasting for my first challenge of posting daily, and it was perfect for me. I did 90 days of daily posting then twice weekly because it was a lot of content I was pushing and I noticed that the audience I picked for this business, wasn’t exactly keen to buy, but very interested in listening. So I knew, if I’d continue to post daily I’d start to feel resentment, for putting in all the work with little to no return. So I had to pivot because it took all my joy. I’m good now, now I’m pivoted.

    So pick your platform and audience wisely! This (of course) works much better if you already have a successful business and carved out your niche.

    I just happen to try this out with a new business venture to take some big steps quickly.

    And because I checked myself before I crashed and lost all my joy, I think it was very successful in taking quantum leaps!

    Fifth: Make it your lifestyle (against my previous advice and experience)

    So if you’ve read until here, you know that making it your lifestyle isn’t ideal. You’ll never feel well rested because everything can be monetized and used for work.

    So what I mean here, is document, don’t create (excellent quote by GaryVee). I recommend you watch this video to learn more:

    So how I’m bringing this to practice is sharing my holistic healing, up-leveling and business lessons as I go. Reflection is something I already need to do for my life and business, why not share it?

    Think about what you can document and share, that will save you time creating.

    Make it your lifestyle by adding a daily creation/publishing time slot into your day. Make it a priority. I prefer to do it first thing in the morning.

    Sixth: Build in disappointment

    Move slow. Build in disappointment if things don’t (immediately) go as expected. This is the test. The test that only winners will overcome. If you don’t get traction quick enough, keep going. You’ll most likely need a lot of holistic healing like limiting beliefs work and nervous system work. I offer a breakthrough digital NEI session, that takes max. 90 minutes and you don’t need to do anything but give me permission. I offer it via Whatsapp and it’s my best selling offer, because it doesn’t take any talking about your traumas or history but it helps you breakthrough your limits (and I do all the work energetically!).

    Neuro Emotional Integration (NEI) is a holistic approach that helps individuals identify and overcome emotional roadblocks and limiting beliefs that may be affecting their lives. It combines techniques from psychology and energy medicine to restore balance and promote personal growth. I’ll share more on that later.

    But doing the work in advance before disappointment hits is a must if you want this challenge to succeed to become financially free!

    So how is this making you financially free?

    The way I look at it and experienced it, it’s never a bad things to be visible. Opportunities will come your way. Your audience will most likely grow. You’ll build discipline that will spill through all the other areas of your life. You won’t immediately make more money. But it will open doors you never knew existed. You show up. And by doing so, your confidence will grow. You’ll get really good at something, instead of being medium at a lot of things. These are skills for life! So pick your platform, whether that’s audio, video or text and just start creating (read: documenting!). Finetune your audience and message and see how your life changed in just 365 days.

    Come back to this post on January 4th 2027 to check-in?

    Fall in love with your craft (all over again!) and accept the challenge in the comments!

  • Selling to manufacturers: a modern playbook for entrepreneurs
    Business, Business, blogging & Money

    Selling to manufacturers: a modern playbook for entrepreneurs

    If you sell B2B and want larger, steadier contracts, few buyers are as attractive as manufacturers. They buy in repeatable cycles, value long-term partnerships, and pay for reliability.

    The catch? They’re allergic to fluff (LOVE THIS, because, same!). Winning these deals isn’t about shouting louder; it’s about speaking the language of throughput, uptime, and risk.

    Below is a practical playbook to help entrepreneurs land (and expand) accounts in the manufacturing world without bloating your sales team.

    Lead with a line-stop problem, not a product

    Manufacturing leaders prioritize issues that halt production or drain margin. Frame your offer around a measurable pain:

    • Downtime: minutes saved per line per month
    • Yield & scrap: percentage improvement and cost recovered
    • Cycle time & throughput: units/hour gained
    • Safety & compliance risk: incidents prevented or audit time reduced

    Impact statement formula:
    “In Plant X, we reduce unplanned downtime on Line Y by Z minutes/month, worth €A in recovered capacity within 90 days.”

    Use this (everywhere): website hero, first slide, cold email, and procurement summary.

    Map the buying committee early

    Most manufacturing purchases involve a small committee:

    • Operations/plant manager: cares about uptime and labor efficiency
    • Quality/EHS: cares about defects, recalls, audits, and safety
    • Engineering/Maintenance: cares about integration, spare parts, MTTR
    • Procurement/Finance: cares about total cost, contract risk, and payback

    Book three short stakeholder huddles instead of one long demo. Your goal is to surface hidden blockers (IT security, calibration schedules, union rules) before they derail the deal.

    Make your proof stack bulletproof

    Manufacturers trust what’s documented and repeatable. Build a simple “proof stack”:

    1. 90-day pilot plan: scope, KPIs, responsibilities, and exit criteria
    2. Before/after data: real baselines, not modelled estimates
    3. Process validation: how you maintain accuracy, traceability, and change control
    4. Service plan: response times, spares, training, and preventive maintenance
    5. Risk & compliance notes: CE/UL/ISO references, data security, and liability

    Package this as a one-pager that procurement can forward without you in the room.

    Price to land, not to scare

    Large quotes die in procurement. Use a two-step model:

    • Step 1: Pilot/limited scope. Low friction, clear KPI target, fixed timeline.
    • Step 2: Scale plan. Pre-priced options to roll out by line, plant, or region.

    Add a “self-funding” clause: if pilot KPIs are hit, a portion of the savings funds the rollout. It reframes cost as risk-managed investment.

    Be integration-friendly

    Nothing earns trust faster than playing nicely with the stack they already have.

    • Offer lightweight data connectors (CSV/OPC UA/API) before pushing heavy IT work.
    • Document security posture in plain language.
    • Provide offline workflows for low-connectivity areas on the shop floor.
    • Keep your training hands-on: line-side SOPs beat long manuals.

    Speak the language of kaizen

    Manufacturing cultures embrace continuous improvement. Show how your offer fits kaizen rhythms:

    • Daily Gemba: quick win the team can see on the board
    • Weekly standup: one metric you help improve (e.g., OEE, first-pass yield)
    • Monthly review: simple Pareto chart showing where your value concentrated

    When your value shows up in their existing rituals, expansion feels inevitable.

    Use partners to shorten the trust gap

    Distributors, system integrators, and niche consultants already have plant-floor credibility. Partner with them to co-sell and implement. A single trusted introduction can replace months of cold outreach.

    (Link opportunity) If helpful for your readers, you can add one relevant resource here that curates reputable [manufacturers] for partnership research and market mapping.

    Create three assets that actually move deals

    Skip the glossy brochure. Build these instead:

    1. ROI worksheet (one page): lets a plant manager plug in downtime rates and see payback by line.
    2. Pilot success memo (template): a short internal note your champion can send to their VP with results and the scale plan.
    3. SOP card (front/back): a laminated quick-start for operators or techs that removes adoption friction on day one.

    These documents sell when you’re not in the room.

    Set expectations like a pro

    Manufacturing buyers reward honesty about constraints.

    • What you won’t do: name one thing outside scope to signal clarity.
    • What you guarantee: one KPI with a conservative floor.
    • What could go wrong: list two risks and your mitigation plan.

    Mature posture > shiny promises.

    Measure what predicts renewals

    Track a short list, weekly:

    • Pilot velocity: days from first call → signed pilot
    • Time-to-first-win: days to the first visible result on a line
    • Operator adoption: % of shifts using your SOP correctly
    • Expansion ratio: revenue from the initial plant vs. other plants in the same group
    • Support load: tickets per 100 active users (declining = product-market fit)

    These are the numbers execs care about—share them proactively.

    Email and meeting scripts you can steal

    Pilot close (email):
    “Based on last week’s walk-through, we can remove ~42 minutes of unplanned downtime/month on Line 3 within 60–90 days. Attaching a 2-page pilot plan with KPIs, roles, and a Friday start date. If we hit the goal, we roll to Lines 1–2 on the same pricing. Does anything here make this a ‘no’?”

    Expansion nudge (post-pilot):
    “We hit 47 minutes/month on Line 3, worth ~€18,600/quarter. Running the same playbook on Lines 1–2 gets you ~€41k/quarter. Want me to pencil that into the maintenance window next Wednesday?”

    Final thought

    Manufacturers don’t buy buzzwords; they buy certainty. If you anchor your message to uptime, yield, safety, and risk—then prove those gains in 90 days—you’ll build the kind of recurring revenue most entrepreneurs dream about. Keep it practical, keep it measurable, and make it easy to say yes.

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