Blog to Teach
Use the power of blogging, search, and Pinterest to grow your audience and sell more of your online course.
Even if you haven't launched one yet!!
"Create an online course," they said. "The money will just roll in," they said.
So you poured your heart and soul into creating an online course and.... crickets.
Well, maybe not crickets, but certainly not the sales you were dreaming of.
Or perhaps, it’s the fear of those crickets that keeps you from launching your course in the first place.
Or maybe you had some initial success with your course, but are struggling to fill it the second or third time around.
If any of these sound like you, I invite you to Blog to Teach, my online program that teaches you how to use the power of blogging, search, and Pinterest to grow your audience and sell more of your online course.
Now, I know what you’re thinking. It’s 2020, does blogging still work?
Well let’s get real for a minute...
Facebook and Instagram algorithm changes mean less and less of your posts are getting seen. So you pump more energy into creating more content for less results.
Paid ads cost more and more, meaning you’re investing a lot of your hard earned money just to (maybe) make a few dollars.
Podcasting and YouTube take up a ton of time and energy and mean you’re giving away a lot of your best content for free.
I’m not saying these strategies can't work. But if you aren’t blogging to help sell your course, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity to generate free traffic, build an audience of loyal fans, and sell more of your online course.
That’s because blogging lets you tap into two of the Internet’s most powerful search engines: Google and Pinterest. (Yes, Pinterest is a search engine.)
And when you tap into the power of search, you’re able to find people who are LITERALLY searching for the very questions your course answers. People who are curious to learn the very things you want to teach. That means an audience who is perfectly suited to buying your course!
Plus, when you blog, you own the content. You’re padding your own pocket, not Zuckerburg’s.
All of which is to say blogging is MORE important in 2020, not less!
So how do you find the time, energy, and strategy to blog, especially when you’re struggling to promote your course as is?
That’s where I come in!
Hi, I'm Megan Auman, artist, designer, teacher, and entrepreneur!
I know first hand the power that a blog can have to grow your online influence and drive sales of your course. I started my first blog in 2006 (yep, I’m pretty OG when it comes to blogging) and I’m still using that blog to promote my work in 2020.
In 2009, I started a second blog, called Designing an MBA, to help artists and makers grow their businesses. That blog has generated hundreds of thousands of dollars in teaching revenue, helped me reach thousands of students online, and given me some pretty epic opportunities, like getting paid to fly to Australia to teach workshops. And I’ve run that blog pretty much as the equivalent of a side hustle. (My “day job” is running my eponymous jewelry line.)
Not to mention I’ve started several more mini blogs over the years to help me promote special projects and specific courses. (A technique I’ll show you in the course, because blogging to promote your course doesn’t have to be a full time commitment!) And I’ve harnessed the power of Pinterest to help my blog posts reach more people with minimum effort.
Besides running my own business and blogs, I’ve helped countless online entrepreneurs, from artists and makers to life coaches and personal stylists, develop their own blogging and Pinterest power strategies.
Basically, when it comes to the power of blogging to bring traffic (and sales) into your business, I’m your girl.
So clearly blogging has worked for me. But how do you know if a blog marketing strategy is right for you?
Blogging is the perfect marketing strategy for you if...
- You’re introverted and don’t want to always be sharing your life on social media. (Though I’m an extrovert, and blogging has proved to be a great strategy for me too!)
- You work a day job where video or podcast content creation is just too damn hard and you’re looking for an easier way to build an audience for your online course.
- You want to be able to create marketing content in hours, not days. (Seriously, I’ll show you the strategies I use to write, format, and publish most of my blog posts in under an hour!)
- You create lots of content for Instagram or Facebook (video, photos, and written content) and you’re sick of it disappearing or no longer getting views after 24 hours. (Or you’re constantly asked to share things that you’ve already talked about in IG stories!)
- You’re tired of throwing half your sales (or more) into social media advertising.
- You want to tap into an audience of people who are LITERALLY searching for answers to the things you teach.
Basically, if you’re looking for a solid, reliable way to build an audience for your online courses, blogging is for you!
The good news is, if you’ve already been doing other forms of marketing for your online business (like Instagram, podcasting, videos, or email marketing) you don’t have to start from scratch. In Blog to Teach, I’ll show you how you can take the content you’ve already created and turn it into powerful blog content.
Plus, if you've been blogging, but aren't seeing the results you want, Blog to Teach will show you how to tap into the power of SEO and Pinterest to drive more traffic to your blog.
And if you haven’t really been generating content online, I’ll help you brainstorm lots of ideas for blog posts that reflect the EXACT things your future students are typing into Google and Pinterest so they can find you more easily!
With Blog to Teach, you'll get:
- Seven modules featuring video lessons, tutorials, prompts, and resources to help you set up your blog, generate content, and promte your posts, all so you can build an audience and sell more of your online course.
- Lifetime, on-demand access to all the content, so you can work through it at your pace, or skip around to the lessons you need right now!
- Info on setting up your blog, mastering search, and crushing Pinterest, all taught in a non-techy, totally not overwhelming way.
- The benefit of learning from someone who not only uses these practices in her own business, but has well over a decade of teaching experience. (Meaning that each lesson is easy to follow, entertaining, and totally actionable!)
- The ability to ask questions and get answers in a supportive class environment from an instructor who's done it!
- Best of all, the confidence to get started blogging right away so you can grow your audience and sell more of your online course. (Even if you haven't launched it yet!)
What people are saying...
"I first worked with Megan when I took Do/Teach about 6 years ago, and Practical Pinning not long after that. Both those courses have been instrumental in building the business I have now, creating and running online art courses. I've always valued Megan's extraordinary understanding of and clarity around business building. I also love her no nonsense, enthusiastic, practical, tough love approach. More recently I've been working with Megan to help me restructure my business, after many months struggling to do it by myself. Within an hour Megan clarified what I could do to reach my desired goals - major lightbulb moment - and then helped me work out the details of setting it up. Every investment I've made in my business by working with Megan has been worth every penny."
-Tara Leaver | artist and teacher, taraleaver.com
Blog to Teach features seven modules full of videos and resources to help you start your blog (or revive one that’s been dormant), quickly generate content, and amplify that content through the power of SEO (in a totally non-techy way) and Pinterest. Plus, I’ll share key strategies for turning your blog readers into paying students.
In Module 1: Blogging Basics, you’ll learn how a blog works and why it's the lynchpin of your marketing strategy. You’ll also learn how to set-up your blog or revive a dormant blog if you already have one that you’ve been ignoring. And you’ll set up your email list (if you don’t already have one) to make your blog strategy even more powerful.
In Module 2: Generating Content Ideas & SEO Basics, you’ll learn why empathy is the secret sauce to totally non-techy, spot on SEO. I’ll show you my powerful strategies for mining your social media, previous students, Google, and Pinterest for tons of content ideas designed to target the exact people you want to take your course!
In Module 3: Creating Content, I’ll walk you through the strategies I use to quickly and constantly generate new blog content. You’ll learn to stop obsessing over the small details so you can write and publish blog posts (that are totally optimized for search) and get on with your day!
In Module 4: Selling from Your Blog Posts, Lists, and Funnels, you’ll learn proven strategies for using your blog posts to drive sales of your online course or courses. You’ll also learn how to use your blog posts to gauge interest in courses you haven’t created yet and get your audience excited about your course before it’s even available!
In Module 5: Amplify Your Traffic with Pinterest, you’ll learn how to harness the power of Pinterest to drive floods of free traffic to your blog. I’ll share my secrets to creating viral pins easily and quickly, plus my simple daily pinning strategy that you (or your VA) can do in less than 10 minutes a day!
In Module 6: Your Blog to Web Promotion Strategy, you’ll learn how to combine your blog with other forms of online marketing (from social media to podcasts to video to paid ads) to really amplify your reach and grow an audience of raving fans.
In Module 7: Blogging, Courses, and Setting Your Business Up for Long Term Success, I’ll share the strategies I’ve used to generate hundreds of thousands of dollars in course revenue, without tons of traffic or a massive list. (It’s easier than you think!) We’ll also talk about strategies for balancing marketing with course creation and how to deal with burnout so you can keep profiting from your blog and courses for years (or even decades!) to come!
Ready to get started?
Get full lifetime access to Blog to Teach for just $399!
What people are saying...
"Megan is the #1 person I trust with my clients' Pinterest strategy, because I know she brings the full package. Not only does she understand what kind of content spreads on Pinterest, she always makes the client's ideal customer and sales targets the first priority. But the best part is explaining to my clients that they don't need to spend a ton of time Pinning content or networking to make Pinterest work for them. Megan's approach is about creating content that others will spread for you, and it's amazing how much traffic you can get to your site with a very small amount of time invested."
-Brigitte Lyons | marketing strategist and founder of Podcast Ally
Is Blog to Teach right for your business?
Blog to Teach is for creative business owners who already have an online course or are planning on launching an online course in the future. (And would prefer to launch to an audience of fans who are anxiously awaiting your course, instead of building a course and hoping people sign up.)
This course is perfect for creative business owners in a variety of niches: business and marketing; lifestyle and coaches; artists, designer, and makers; fitness and wellness; personal style; food; home decor and more! Really creative course developers and online business owners of all kinds looking to build audiences for their courses can benefit from this class!
Wondering if this will help you sell more of your course or benefit your particular business? Email me at megan@meganauman.com with a little about your course and business and I’ll let you know if it’s right for you!
I’m a firm believer that when it comes to blogging, there isn’t a one sized fits all solution. (Because there isn’t a one sized fits all business!) And luckily for you, I’ve experimented with lots and lots of different blog content, from long form written posts to primarily image-based posts to everyone’s favorite, list posts, to video and pretty much everything in between.
In Blog to Teach, my goal is to help you find the right content mix that’s perfect for your skill set and type of business so that you can quickly generate content that works hard for you and get back to running your business, building your courses, and living your life!
What people are saying...
"I took another online teaching class and it didn’t come close to the straightforward, succinct, and effective class you taught. Do/Teach, in my mind and experience, is truly the gold standard for creating online courses. I loved it and it changed my whole business."
– Shelly Leer | founder of online upholstery school, Home Room
Ready to get started?
Get full lifetime access to Blog to Teach for just $399!
Frequently Asked Questions:
Do I need to have a blog set up already to take this class?
Nope. If you’re starting from scratch, I’ll show you how to quickly build a blog and website using my favorite blogging platform, Wordpress.
Do I have to blog with Wordpress?
Nope. Wordpress is my favorite platform, and you’ll see why throughout the class. But you can blog on any platform as long as it’s your own domain. (For more on that, see the next question.) After set up, this course focuses on the strategy behind blogging, so if you’re a Squarespace or Shopify user, you can totally blog on those platforms as well. (And I’ve worked with creative business owners blogging on both.)
Does this course work if I'm on Squarespace or Shopify?
Yes! Even though my favorite blogging platform is Wordpress (and I'll show you why in the class) you can still apply this class to your business if your business is built on Squarespace or Shopify. I have experience with both platforms (in addition to over a decade using Wordpress) and can help you blog to support yor course on any of those platforms.
Can I use my existing blog or website?
Probably. If you already have a website on a platform where you own the domain (as in yourname.com) you’re good to go. If you have a blog under someone else’s domain (like yourname.wordpress.com or yourname.blogspot.com) you’re going to want to switch to something you own. (Don’t worry, it’s not hard. I started both my main blogs under a different platform and moved them both to a Wordpress blog under my own name - something I’ll talk about in the course!)
Or maybe not. If your course idea targets a drastically different audience than your main website or blog, you might find it's easier to spin off a second blog (that's what I did with Designing an MBA) or even create a seperate mini blog to target a specific audience (something I did with my site Modern Metalsmithing). I'll talk about both those strategies in the course and help you decide which blogging solution is right for you!
Do I have to be overly technical to have a blog?
Nope. My goal in this class (like all my classes) is to make tech as simple as possible. I’ll show you the minimum you need to get started in a way that’s not super overwhelming!
What if I get stuck?
Fear not! You'll have the opportunity to ask questions in the online classroom and via email and I'll be consistently updating the course material to answer student questions!
What if I’m not a great writer?
That’s ok! First off, writing is a skill that anyone can learn, and I’ll give you a few of my favorite tricks and resources throughout the course. But if your preferred method of communication is podcasting or video, this course will help you take the content you are already creating and re-package it in blog form to help amplify your reach and attract new students to your course!
And if you’re more of a visual person (ie. taking great photos for Instagram is your favorite form or marketing) I’ll show you how to use those for your blog and amplify them with Pinterest (without having to do a ton of writing) to grow your reach.
Do I already have to have an online course created to take advantage of this class?
Nope! Blog to Teach is perfect for anyone thinking about launching an online class in the future. That’s because I’ll show you how to use the power of email marketing in conjunction with your blog to build a list of people who can’t wait for you to launch your first course!
Will this course teach me how to create an online course?
No. This course is focused on growing your audience and marketing and selling your online course. (Or growing an audience for your future online course!) For info on how to launch your online course, check out my program Do/Teach. (Registration for Do/Teach is currently closed, but that just means you have time to focus on building an audience using the Blog to Teach method while you wait for registration to open!)
Does blogging work if I want to teach in-person classes or retreats?
Yes!! Blogging is a perfect marketing activity no matter how or where you teach. And it's especially powerful when you combine it with Pinterest, because people use Pinterest to plan things they want to do in the future. (Like go on a retreat to an amazing location or take an in-person class!) Blogging can also help you get found using search, which is essential if you're teaching in-person classes or workshops in your local area!
What if I want to have an employee or member of my team help me with my blog content?
That is totally fine! I know you’re a busy business owner, and sometimes you want to bring someone on to help you with tasks like this. I’m happy for you to loop an employee or team into this process, just shoot me an email at megan@meganauman.com so I know if you’re going to have someone else from your team accessing the content along with you.
How does the course work?
I use Thinkific, an awesome online course platform, to host my classes. When you purchase, you’ll automatically receive log in info for the class, and you’ll be invited to watch a short welcome video! All the rest of the course content will magically become available on February 13th. (And you’ll get an email reminding you it’s there on that day!)
That means on that day, you’ll get instant access to all seven modules, including videos, resources, downloads, and more! You can watch all the lessons in order or skip around and get the info that’s most pressing for you right now. And you’ll have access to the content for life, so you can go back and watch again and again whenever you feel stuck!
Does it matter what part of the world I'm in?
Nope! You can take this class from anywhere as long as you have Internet access that allows you to stream data. All the lessons are recorded, so you can watch them at a time that’s convenient for you!
What do I need to access the lessons?
You will need a computer or mobile device with Internet. (While you can watch the lessons on your phone, I’d recommend a computer or tablet so you can see the content a little better!)
How long will I have access to the material?
You get lifetime access, so you can go back and watch anytime you need a refresher!
How are payments handled?
You can pay securely using your credit card or PayPal. For the payment plan option, you must use a credit card.
If you are opting for the payment plan, your first payment will be charged immediately, the second one month later, and the third and final payment will be one month after that.
Have other questions? Still wondering if this class is right for you?
Feel free to shoot me an email at megan@meganauman.com with your questions! I’m happy to answer them!
What people are saying...
"I launched yesterday, and I have only one space left in Make Monotypes. I capped the class at 50 students. Thanks for Do/Teach. I have made my investment back more than 15 fold. Doing the dance of joy!"
– Linda Germain | artist and teacher, Printmaking Without a Press
Ready to get started?
Get full lifetime access to Blog to Teach for just $399!
