Merging Expectations and Reality

Welcome back to Copyblogger! Thanks for taking a moment to check in with our community for writers ... I'm Stefanie, Copyblogger's Editor-in-Chief, and below you'll find your weekly dose of tips to help you transform from an ace writer into a full-fledged content entrepreneur. Scroll on! --------------------------------------------------------------- Sponsored Community Powered Marketing (CPM*) is a daily newsletter from Blue Terra. Each edition offers valuable insights on how to organically grow and nurture a loyal community. ​[Click here to learn more and access a free gift when you sign up](). --------------------------------------------------------------- Merging Expectations and Reality We all know the potential trouble associated with expectations: If you expect something to turn out a certain way — and it doesn’t — you likely end up disappointed. Subsequently, traditional wisdom has advised that we let go of our expectations to soften the blow of disappointment and train ourselves to be content with the outcome we get. Even though I hold that outlook to be true most of the time, I wanted to explore how we could use expectations to our advantage in certain situations, rather than try to (unsuccessfully) forget about them. If you struggle with letting go of expectations for your business, I have two steps you can follow to put them to work in your marketing instead. Step #1: Get clear about what you want During this step, you examine each expectation you have and turn it into a goal. - Do you want 1,000 subscribers? 10,000? 100,000? - Do you want to be recognized as a content marketer who drives business results? - Do you want to be booked solid with writing clients? When you don’t deny or downplay what you hope for, you’re free to get specific about what you want. Those specific details can then help you uncover and perform the work you need to do. Step #2: Assess your current routines This step can be tricky because it requires a critical evaluation of your current work routines to see if they support your goals. - Do you have time set aside for creative work? - Are you willing to write like a million people read your words, even if only one person actually does? - Do you have a terms of service and payment policy that respects both your clients and your own business? You want to be open to different options you may have not considered before. A topic I find fascinating is the difference between people who work hard and meet their goals and people who work equally hard but don’t experience the type of success they want. If both types of people work hard, why don’t they both see satisfying results? My hypothesis is that people who succeed are more flexible and acknowledge when something isn’t working for them. They reassess their methods in a timely manner and move toward a similar goal that may be easier. They keep setting and meeting new goals ... until they eventually reach the one they originally wanted or achieve something even better. The work they perform every time they adjust their focus moves them closer to that initial expectation they hoped for. On the other hand, people who work hard but don’t meet their goals may get stuck working hard on the wrong things and ignore their great potential in other areas. At the end of this email, we'll look at how to start working hard on the right things so you get closer to merging your expectations with reality. --------------------------------------------------------------- Lessons From Alex Hormozi's Book, $100M Offers =​ On this episode of The Copyblogger Podcast, Tim Stoddart and Ethan Brooks discuss some key takeaways from Alex Hormozi's book, $100M Offers. Tim also goes into detail about his "no-brainer" offer. ​[Click here to listen to the episode](=). --------------------------------------------------------------- Sponsored by Community Powered Marketing (CPM*) Free Analytics Software for Community Builders When you join the Community Powered Marketing (CPM*) newsletter, you also get access to download Prosper202 for free. It's self-hosted tracking and analytics software for community builders. Start tracking your community powered marketing campaigns to find out exactly which channels/messages drive your best results. ​[You can sign up here](). --------------------------------------------------------------- What Is a Content Calendar? Get Serious About Publishing Your Ideas �€‹ Do you keep a content calendar? While getting comfortable calling yourself a writer is definitely one hurdle new writers face, you must also settle into a regular publishing routine ... which also makes you a publisher. “Publisher” doesn’t sound as glamorous as “writer,” but it’s a vital part of getting discovered as a writer. See, if you don’t share the final drafts you produce, it’s difficult to grow the confidence to declare that “writer” label. You need to publish writing samples first, and a content calendar helps keep you on track. There are a lot of high-tech tools available to plan and organize your content, but once again, you can easily veer off into cart-before-the-horse territory. (You’re going about things in the wrong order.) Writers need to first develop the proper work ethic and discipline before they’ll benefit from any fancy publishing software. Accordingly, your first content calendar can be low-tech — a simple and easy tool to use consistently for your business blogging. The best part is you can start planning and organizing like a publishing pro with supplies you probably already have on hand. ​[Click here to read the article](. --------------------------------------------------------------- Align Your Actions with Your Goals Let’s circle back to your expectations. Rather than strive to have something you don’t currently have, commit to working like your expectation is already a reality. - Don’t save your best ideas; write as if you already have all the subscribers you want. - Learn the skills that enable a profitable writing career. - Know who your ideal clients or customers are and create your content marketing strategy to attract them. When you create your next piece of content, ask yourself: - What is one thing my ideal clients and customers need help with? - What information will help them? - What is the best way to deliver that content? You may decide to write a content series that also educates them about your business or an ebook that becomes part of your business model. The idea is to shift from focusing on what you don’t have (yet) to putting out meaningful work into the world. You get to where you want to go by helping other people get to where they want to go. ​ This week in Copyblogger Academy, our masterclass with Creator Wizard founder Justin Moore addressed this topic in terms of refining your sponsorship pitching strategy. He talked about: - The main reasons companies ghost you - How to use the R.O.P.E. method to pitch lucrative partnerships to brands - Why you should think like a consultant, not just a creator If you missed it, you can find the replay in your Academy dashboard under "Masterclass Presentations." Not a member of Copyblogger Academy yet? ​[Get all of the details here](. Talk with you again soon, ​ ​[Stefanie Flaxman](=)​ EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, COPYBLOGGER MEDIA​ --------------------------------------------------------------- Share with friends, get discounts to The Copyblogger Academy Have friends who'd love our newsletter too? Give them your unique referral link (below) and get MASSIVE discounts to The Copyblogger Academy. [(=) [facebook]( [twitter]( [whatsapp](=) [telegram]() [linkedin]() [email]( PS: You have referred 0 people so far [See how many referrals you have]() ​ ​ This email is sent from Copyblogger Media LLC, 1942 Broadway, Suite 314, Boulder, Colorado 80302 If you would like to stop receiving emails from us you can [Unsubscribe]( Powered by [ConvertKit](=)