#137 - How to Become a True Authority With Kevin Espiritu
Feb 18, 2019
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Kevin Espiritu, an expert in gardening, shares his journey of building Epic Gardening into a successful site. They discuss topics such as compounding audience growth through social channels, brand sponsorships and custom affiliate deals, and becoming an authority in your niche. They also explore strategies for saving time and resources, the benefits of using Facebook groups to enhance content, and negotiating commissions with affiliate sites. Additionally, they touch on starting a daily podcast, efficient time management, and improving website content.
Building trust and loyalty with an online audience by engaging personally and actively in social media groups and responding to comments is a competitive advantage.
Utilizing different social media platforms, each with a unique purpose, such as Instagram for sharing lifestyle content and YouTube for in-depth knowledge, allows for effective audience engagement.
Leveraging existing website content to create YouTube videos and embedding podcast episodes in articles helps maximize website traffic and growth potential.
Deep dives
Growing an Online Community
Kevin built a successful online community by putting his face on his website and engaging with his audience. He believes that humans connect with humans, and having a personal touch can be a competitive advantage. By actively participating in his Facebook group and responding to questions and comments, Kevin was able to build trust and loyalty with his audience. The group also provided valuable market research and a ready audience for new products and launches.
Social Media Strategy
Kevin utilizes various social media platforms including Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Pinterest. Each platform serves a unique purpose in engaging with his audience. He shares gardening tips, plant photos, and lifestyle content on Instagram, while leveraging the visual nature of the platform. On Facebook, he participates in the Launchpad program to cross-post his videos and boost reach. YouTube allows Kevin to create longer-form videos and share in-depth gardening knowledge. Pinterest is used to curate and share visually appealing content related to gardening and plant care.
Lessons from Instagram Growth
Kevin's Instagram account started with a hashtag community strategy, where users who used his hashtag would have their photos featured on his account. This built a viral loop where more people used the tag to get featured and attract more followers. The follow-unfollow strategy also worked in the early days of Instagram growth. However, as the account grew, organic viral content and collaborations with other accounts became the main drivers of follower growth.
YouTube Channel Strategy
Kevin leveraged his existing website content to create YouTube videos, focusing on high-performing blog posts. By supplementing his website content with video content, he was able to increase traffic flow between his website and YouTube channel. Kevin also emphasized the importance of providing accurate and valuable information in videos to build trust with viewers. He rejected most brand deals to maintain authenticity and prioritized creating helpful and engaging content for his audience.
Maximizing website traffic through targeted content
In the podcast episode, the speaker discusses how they focused on growing their website traffic by creating targeted content. They identified the top landing pages on their website and created podcast episodes and videos around those topics to drive more traffic. By embedding the episodes and including links to the podcast in their articles, they were able to capitalize on the popularity of their website content. This strategy allowed them to maximize the potential of their website as the primary platform for growth.
Diversifying income through brand sponsorships
The podcast episode also delves into the speaker's experience with brand sponsorships on YouTube. They charge a flat fee for creating sponsored videos and negotiate contracts to have full creative freedom. By offering different options, like straight reviews or incorporating products into informative content, the speaker aims to provide more value to their audience and optimize the reach and impact of the brand collaborations. They highlight the importance of working with brands that believe in their product and are willing to support the creative process, ensuring a mutually beneficial partnership.
What You will Learn The story of how Epic Gardening grew into the site that it is today How Kevin uses his various social channels to compound his audience growth The magical world of brand sponsorships and custom affiliate deals Kevin’s philosophy on becoming an authority in your niche We ran a little poll in …
