Are you an expert?
I got an email from an internet marketer (one of the best, his website was highly recommended by some top websites last year as being the best source of free internet marketing information).
Anyway, I'm sure most of you have heard of Tim Ferris and his NY Best Seller "The Four Hour Work Week".
Well Tim was interviewed in relation to internet marketing and using the pricipals within the 4 hour work week, how he would (or does) go about being seen as authoritative or an "expect" like we all strive to be.
To reach expert level, you need 10,000 hours immersed in the subject, that's 5 years with an average 39 hour work week (works out to 10,140 hours) to master a subject and become an expert.
Now I'm sure most people here at WA, especially newbies, don't want to spend 5 years before they become an authority site and before they can be seen as someone people look to for advice on a subject.
There are some very simple short cuts - that have been proven to work.
1. Read the top 3 selling books within your niche
Reading the top 3 books within your niche will give you more information than the majority of people searching for answers related to your niche, it will give you instant authority because the information is coming from a respected source that you can quote in posts.
This approach also gives you a ton of ideas for new posts, 1 post per chapter (most books these days averaging 20+ chapters), that's 60 posts to get you started right there.
2. Make yourself sound official so people think of you as an authority
This might seem like a "Cheat to the top" but it really does work.
Join 2 or 3 official sounding trade organisations to boost credibility within your niche.
If your name was Bob, your niche was fat loss for diabetics and you were a member of Diabetics America, affiliated to Weight Watchers and The Democratic Republican Party for People With Diabetes (yup made that one up) then people visiting your blog would see your affiliations and be like "damn, Bob can be trusted if he's affiliated with real organisations like this, you know, ones that exist and that people know about!"
3. Guest post of others blogs or appear on a podcast
Today if you appear on a podcast - or in fact own a podcast - you are seen as an instant authority on some subject and people interested in that subject will listen to what you have to say (providing it adds value), if you know someone with a podcast or can become a guest on one, this will be a huge selling point that you can point to in your blog posts or on your static blog front page "Check out my interview with so and so".
Guest posts also have the illusion of making you an authority without actually being one.
Having someone ask you to publish content on their website is a huge honour as most people see that as you having some sort of acclaim.
I know I wouldn't let just anyone write a post for my blog, it would have to be up to my standards before I'd even consider it.
Even get friendly with another WA member in a similar niche and then guest post on others blogs, this will also allow for link building.
4. Be a newbie
You're probably thinking "how the hell can being a newbie be a benefit to me? I know nothing about internet marketing and it's really frustrating!!".
Well this is true, as with anything but the advantages newbies have over people that have been in the game for years is you don't suffer from the curse of knowledge.
Often when your new to something you have a fresh set of eyes and you can walk in, look at things subjectively and see pitfalls that experienced people can't see because they are so busy being busy.
This is true as most people that become experienced in something (or think they are) never see anything wrong with their work, even if their standards are slipping, they get into a routine and that's how things go on forever.
This can be illustrated in writing a book (a blog post is no different):
People that write books, do so, then pass their manuscript to someone who checks their grammar, their spelling, their word/line spacing, their chapter length, their engagement through words amongst other things, this is what makes the final print so great.
If it was left to the author to write the book, then publish it, it would be terrible, it would probably be out of sequence, it would definitely have spelling mistakes, would often repeat itself greatly and be a loss less enjoyable to read.
Recent Comments
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Great advice, Aiden! When I think back to people who I thought were an authority on something, they had done 1 or more of the above.
Thanks,
Michael
I came across Tim Ferris' book and started to read the first chapters (for free). Most reviews said that it wasn't worth reading until the end as it is kind of repeating itself so I didn't buy it but I might give it another try.
I like your idea of reading bestsellers in your niche.. Not having a lot of time for that but I might consider.
Great tips! Definitely opened my eyes to new options and perspectives
If you lack time why not pick a podcast in your niche and listen during your commute, exercise, during breakfast, while your in the shower or whatever.
Or you could buy the audio book and do the same thing .
Tim ferris has a podcast that's great also, be warned that the episodes sometimes go for 2-3 hours though..
I'm working on it. Some comments I've gotten back sound like they see me as an authority. I hope they're not just blowing smoke.
I really wish that I had time to read a book but just too busy they have made the days shorter or the time goes quicker!!!!
People that are time poor need better time management skills the same as people that are financially poor need better money management skills.
Time is all perception Paul, you'll be amazed at how much reading you'd get done if you committed to 10 minutes per day and I'm sure even you can find a spare 10 minutes? If not get up 10 minutes earlier or read during your lunch break or something :)
Sounds easy when you say it like that but I get up st 8 and sometimes in bed by 2:30 and I do not have a job and there is still not
Enough to time left !!!!
Hah maybe you need a morning routine or something like that? May I suggest the book "The miracle morning". This will help you solve your time problem.
I currently get about 4 hours sleep but my morning routine keeps me sharp and focused on what I need to do
I agree with you about not having enough time to read books that don't relate exactly to your own site, you could read hundreds of marketing books and then get even more confused and then freezing because of information overload
This is true but also untrue.
What people get mixed up on is "I need to read a million books then I'll be as smart as Einstein!", when in fact you could read ONE book and TAKE ACTION on the steps within that book and have as much success as Einstein.
Everyone (including me at some point) has said "yeah I want to be a millionaire" my grandmothers boyfriend who is a millionaire told me to read Rich Dad Poor Dad (when a wealthy person tells you to read a book about money, you fricken do so immediately!).
So I did, it changed my life and I began taking action immediately. (or so I thought).
It wasn't until listening to a podcast last year (nearly 2 years after reading the book) that the podcast speaker said "everyone reads books, then they put them down and move on to the next one saying "yeah I've read it, I know all about it", but when he asked them what the "rules of the rich" were in Rich Dad Poor Dad, not one of them could remember any of the rules, this applied to me also.
So it's not so much how many books you read, it's that you read one book and actually understand it, remember the knowledge and them implement it, a lot of leaders in industry read the same book over and over and over again, sometimes 5-10 times straight until they can explain every single concept to a child in such simple terms (meaning that they absolutely understand it inside and out).
So even if you read one book, 10 pages per day, then keep reading the same book until you get it, you will make tremendous progress.
Another (I know this is getting long and I'm sorry haha) tip that really worked for me was a man said he wanted to improve his sales so what he did was he read for half an hour each day on the subject of marketing or sales but for the last 1 minutes he would read slowly aloud, stopping at every period, pausing at every full stop and speaking slowly and precisely, I've tried this and it makes your mind calmer and able to take in a lot more information faster and it also allows you to remember a lot more of it.
Try these 2 things and I guarantee you'll benefit from them greatly!
gosh have three years to go to be expert eh,, will have to use some good shortcuts then again sharing a journey with someone can perhaps help them better.. great post and got a lot to think on
Wow you've been in the game 2 years? That's great Katie, you must be raking in the cash if you're still at WA.
I think little hacks like this can make everyone seem more legitimate. The same as a business card can make someone who has just started a business seem more professional.
My cashflow is not consistant the first year was up and down with health stuff and as I am so new to this all it has taken me time to learn this year I want to see it taken to the next level and will be trying out new stuff and improving on what I have, I know I am on the verge of something bigger and need to work much harder to get the momentum to stride forward if that all makes sense
It sure does.
I am still trying to find my niche and find my stride. I know I have it within me to take everything to the next level but I am beginning with taking myself to the next level first as for most people this is where the problem lies.
It's not the strategies that don't work it's the people and their mindset, mine needs shifting in a success oriented direction, last year saw a lot of ups and downs for me on my journey of self development (last year was year one in my journey) so this year I plan to take everything head on.
I have enlisted a coach who I have been working with for a few weeks now, she is really helping me come to terms with and understand things about myself and how/why I do things, I think this is an integral part of anyones success - understanding themselves.
Hey Aiden,
Nice blog. You are beginning to sound like an expert yourself. This was a good job. Do you think Tim Ferris is worth reading?
Hey Dick,
Tim Ferris is a leading expert and self proclaimed human guinea pig in many areas of life.
He is young, worth millions and works very little and loves it.
He said when he wrote the 4 hour work week, it was originally going to be called "The 2 hour work week" because that's how many hours he spent on his business at the time, the publishers thought that was a little unbelievable so they went for 4 hours instead.
He also has a book called "The 4 hour body" (I have not read this) but it is about how to get in shape with less time spent and using life hacks that actually work.
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Great advice, I find I learn more with each post I write.