The Amy Porterfield Show

Jon Acuff, a New York Times bestselling author and productivity expert, shares powerful insights on overcoming the challenge of finishing tasks. He reveals six secrets, including the importance of cutting goals in half and embracing imperfection. Acuff emphasizes the value of making tasks enjoyable and using data to celebrate progress. He discusses personal stories that highlight the struggle with perfectionism and the necessity of community support in achieving goals. Tune in for strategies to transform from a chronic starter to a consistent finisher!

My guest today, Andrew Warner, tells us that chatbots are the FUTURE of online engagement. Sounds like something we should pay attention to, right? If you’re not familiar with chatbots yet, you will be by the time you listen to this episode.I currently use chatbots to a limited degree in my business, but after this interview I can assure you, I will be using them in a MUCH bigger way. Andrew shared some amazing strategies that are easy to implement and don’t cost much, if anything.Andrew is the founder of Mixergy, a podcast where he interviews entrepreneurs on how they built their businesses. He also started BotAcademy.com, where he trains people to create bots (not something he recommends for the majority of my audience, by the way).In this episode, Andrew breaks down exactly: What a chatbot is (Andrew created this sample chatbot for my audience) How we should use them in our businesses (he blew my mind with some amazing statistics from using chatbots to increase webinar attendance show up rates) How we should NOT be using them (you’ll want to know how to avoid these 5 mistakes) How to begin using them (It’s easy and most are free) Fun bonus: Andrew gives us a look into the future of bots...some fun ways they will be used. Think: being able to order, pay for, and have a beverage delivered for yourself or someone else while you’re attending a pro baseball game! Andrew gives immense value in this episode...he shares great examples and even created a couple videos for us to see a chatbot in action (I’ve got those videos linked up below).Behind-the-scenes funny story: I do most of my podcast interviews in audio-only format and when Andrew asked if we could turn on video because it would be easier for him to engage during our conversation, he was wearing a sports coat! I love that!! Talk about showing up...look how dapper he looks! I on the other hand was in my workout clothes.This episode is sponsored by my free master class, “How to Confidently Create Your First Profitable Course in 60 Days” If you’ve been thinking about creating an online course, or if you’ve had a course idea for awhile but you are just not sure how to get started, this free master class is for you. Click here to sign up.

When just starting out in business (your first year or two) there are a variety of different paths to take, tasks to complete, and shiny objects lurking around every corner. When you’re not sure where to start or what to do next, this lack of focus leads to overwhelm and frustration. That’s why I recorded today’s episode (and created the awesome New Business Focus Worksheet to go with it!).I’m breaking down the FIVE key areas to focus on when you’re just getting started, and these are absolutely crucial for a successful online business.Are you a seasoned entrepreneur? Don’t click away, because this episode is for you, too. I not only focused on these same areas when I first started my business, but I still do today. I use these five areas almost as a check-up checklist for my business every quarter and during my annual planning.Here’s a snapshot of what I’m covering in today’s episode:FOCUS AREA #1: The importance of understanding WHY you’re building your business. I talk about Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle and the #1 foundational question you need to ask yourself as you develop and grow your business. .I also dive into the importance of understanding WHO you are serving - your Ideal Customer Avatar (ICA).While this exercise will take time and some real work on your part, you don’t want to skip over this if you’re not really clear.If you’re listening to the episode and are already clear on your ICA, you can just pick back up around the 21 minute mark to move on to Focus Area #2.FOCUS AREA #2: Why you need a website with a clear message and how to make that happen. These are some of the examples I discuss in the episode:Example from Michael Hyatt’s ABOUT Page.FOCUS AREA #3: The importance of choosing ONE platform to focus on in the beginning and creating original, consistent content there on a weekly basis.FOCUS AREA #4: Authentic engagement - a HUGE factor in whether your business will succeed or not.FOCUS AREA #5: Creating a way to make money in your business while you are figuring things out and building the business of your dreams.I also created a great freebie to help you work through these FIVE focus areas. You can grab that right here.Subscribe & Review in iTunesAre you subscribed to my podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. I’m adding a bunch of bonus episodes to the mix and if you’re not subscribed there’s a good chance you’ll miss out on those. Click here to subscribe in iTunes!Now if you’re feeling extra loving, I would be really grateful if you left me a review over on iTunes, too. Those reviews help other people find my podcast and they’re also fun for me to go in an read. Just click here to review, select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” and let me know what your favorite part of the podcast is. Thank you!

On today’s show, we’re diving into strategies around two things I LOVE to talk about: list-building and evergreen lead automation! However, there’s a twist! I’ve brought on someone to walk us through some really great strategies on these topics on a platform I haven’t covered much here: YouTube!You and I both know video is where it’s at so even if you haven’t thought about the platform much or are not a huge fan of video, this episode is loaded with very doable strategies that I want you to consider using to grow your email list.My guest today is an absolute YouTube boss and she’s going to guide us through her proven three phase method to creating a YouTube evergreen lead machine without using paid advertising.Sunny Lenarduzzi has a YouTube following of over 170,000 subscribers and and has helped her clients to go from zero to 100,000 subscribers and build their email lists from zero to 28,000 in less than 10 months (resulting in multiple 6-figure businesses). HOW BECOMING A YOUTUBE BOSS WAS A HAPPY ACCIDENTTHE POWER OF REVERSE ENGINEERINGWHAT CONTENT IS BEST FOR YOUTUBE?GETTING STARTED GENERATED LEADS ON YOUTUBEYou’ll want to tune into today’s episode to get all the details on Sunny’s 3-phase system to creating an evergreen lead machine, but here are the phases broken down:PHASE 1This phase is all about creating profitable content that increases your reach and revenue without having to rely on paid advertising. The key here is to research before recording and here’s how: Use frequently asked questions for content ideas Look for ideas from your competition and community hubs (Sunny’s not suggesting you steal from your competition, but there’s nothing wrong with getting a little inspiration and putting your spin on an idea that’s resonating with your ideal customer.) Look to provide content on trends within your industry. This is not for the evergreen leads so much, but more more gaining visibility and reach. Research and find the right keywords and key phrases to use when titling your videos. PHASE 2This phase is all about converting your viewers into customers through Sunny’s H.O.T. (Hook, Outcome, Testimonial) formula. She explains how you can use this formula to tweak your video scripts to keep your viewer engaged, which will turn them into a loyal viewer, and ultimately a paying customer.It’s through Sunny’s H.O.T. formula where list-building comes in too! Sunny explains how to work in the ever-so-important conversion calls to action where you provide an opportunity for your viewer to download a guide, checklist, or worksheet.  PHASE 3This is the evergreen traffic machine phase! Now that you’ve got your phase 1 and 2 bases covered, it’s time to publish your video. But you’re not just going to publish and wait...Sunny explains why the first 24-48 hours after posting your video is crucial to actively distribute a link to your warm audience in order to get some engagement going which tells YouTube that your video is one that should be ranking on the first page. Once you’re on that first page, your cold audience is introduced to your video and this begins that evergreen lead machine!You might be thinking, “This is great, but I don’t have any authority on YouTube, so how am I supposed to rank when my competition is so tough?” Sunny explains in detail in today’s episode but the key is to work on getting search rankings in smaller competition pools.So there you have it! I’d love to hear how you’re going to use YouTube as a list-building technique in your business. Head over to Instagram and DM me and let me know. I’d love to hear from you!This episode is brought to you by my free master class, “How to Confidently Create Your First Profitable Course in 60 Days”. If you’ve been thinking about creating an online course, or if you’ve had a course idea for awhile but you are just not sure how to get started, this free master class is for you.

On today’s show I brought on the Integrator on my team, Chloe Euse. The goal of this episode is to help you step into the Visionary role as the founding entrepreneur of your business so that you can do more of the things that you were created to do and that are in your zone of genius.The deal is, in order to be able to fully step into that role, you will need to hire an Integrator (also known as a Project Manager) to work alongside you.I’m taking you behind-the-scenes so you can see how a Visionary and Integrator work together. To give you a hint, you as the Visionary are responsible for deciding on the WHAT of the business, while your Integrator figures out the HOW to make your vision come true.I really want you to take the time to tune in and listen today and hear directly from us, but here are the key areas we cover: The skills that are vitally important for an Integrator to have How specific Myers Briggs types may work better (or worse) together The nitty-gritty of how a Visionary and Integrator work together (you two are going to work VERY closely together so you better like each other!) Whether you should hire a local or virtual Integrator How the Integrator executes on the Visionary’s vision (this is where the other members of your team and contractors come in!) How tension between the Visionary and Integrator is actually a good thing Why an Integrator is NOT an implementer. There is a very important distinction here! What a day in the life of an Integrator looks like Chloe’s TOP 3 tools that she couldn’t live without as an Integrator Chloe gives you (the Visionary) some final words of wisdom for when you decide to take the leap and hire your Integrator (her insight here as an Integrator is GOLDEN!) And to wrap this episode up with a big bow, we’ve got a couple fantastic freebies for you. Both are Google Doc templates that you can take and make your own. The exact Integrator job description I used when I hired Chloe. The pre-hire test-run assignment I used for my top Integrator candidates. This episode is sponsored by my free master class, “How to Confidently Create Your First Profitable Course in 60 Days” If you’ve been thinking about creating an online course, or if you’ve had a course idea for awhile but you are just not sure how to get started, this free master class is for you. Click here to sign up. 

Raise your hand if you could use a little extra cash in your business right now!In the first few years of building my business I certainly could have used some extra money, and had I known what I know today, I would have done something entirely different that would have brought in a nice flow of revenue during those tight times: affiliate marketing. If you don’t have affiliate marketing as a revenue generator in your business, I want that to change for you today.My guest today, Pat Flynn, is going to share his proven system for earning money through affiliate marketing. Why did I choose Pat to be our guide today? Because he has earned three million dollars through affiliate marketing commissions since he started this business! He knows his stuff!   AFFILIATE MARKETING IS A GAME-CHANGER!If you’re new to the idea of affiliate marketing, Pat simply defines it as the process of earning a commission by promoting another person or another company’s product.The great thing about affiliate marketing is that if you love a product or service and have a platform that you’re able to share why you love it with your audience, you can earn a commission from that recommendation at no cost to your audience.Pat shared how he promoted one of his favorite products through a banner ad on his website and was being paid $1,000 per month, but he contacted them and asked about trying out an affiliate relationship instead. They did and he went from earning $1,000/month to $8,000 the next month!TWO TYPES OF AFFILIATE MARKETING TO CONSIDER: PASSIVE & ACTIVEAn example of a PASSIVE way of affiliate marketing is when you include links to products on your website, like my Tools of the Trade page here. This is considered PASSIVE because once you set it up, it’s there and as people come to your website or are linked to it in an email, they can click on the links to make a purchase. Another example is by including a link just like this link right here in the show notes in which I’m sharing my affiliate link to Pat’s 123 Affiliate Marketing program.An example of an ACTIVE format of affiliate marketing would be it Pat and I decided to do a special webinar with a launch sequence where we were actively promoting and selling the product to our audiences and we even offer a special deal that’s only available during a specified time period.A prime example of this is when I promote B-School each year in February. I go all out in promoting Marie’s program because I 1000% stand behind her program, and because of this I promote the program as if it were my own. Being an affiliate for this program has been a game-changer for my business and I definitely use the strategies that Pat teaches in his program.Either way, always be upfront with your audience that you are an affiliate. This is being transparent with your audience, but also protects you legally.TOP MISTAKES TO AVOID IN AFFILIATE MARKETING Promoting the wrong product. Make sure your are promoting relevant products that you have experience with and that WILL help your audience. Not pushing hard enough. Of course you don’t want to be annoying or too pushy, but when you know you’ve got a product that will solve that person’s problem or help them to achieve a certain goal they have, then you can and should push harder. Alright, you’ve got ninja tricks, some mistakes to avoid, and hopefully a plan to either begin earning money through affiliate marketing, or a plan to give your existing affiliate strategy a boostTake a listen to this short one-minute video where Pat tells you a little bit more about how you can earn money through affiliate marketing. 

I just got back from a total immersion weekend retreat in Palm Springs with my Integrator Chloe and in today’s episode I share all the details of what went down! Unlike a typical team retreat we weren’t brainstorming ideas, we were actually cleaning up the messy stuff in our business.Yep, I’ve got messes to clean up just like anyone else. I must say, I do believe my team and I are a gold standard when it comes to setting up systems and processes, but I think no matter how well the backend of your online business looks every single one of us has room to do a little cleaning, don’t you think?FIVE QUESTIONS YOU SHOULD ASK YOURSELF BEFORE YOUR TOTAL IMMERSION WEEKEND RETREATAnswering the following five key questions will help you to set a focus and make sure you’re on the same page (if you will be with someone from your team): What’s your #1 pain point in your business right now? What feels messy, broken, or painfully slow? What needs to be fixed before you can grow? Where are you losing money? Do you have any current leaks in your funnels, or in any system that you’re using to make money right now? What have you been putting off for way too long? What are the important things you’ve been wanting to get to but you know there are just not enough hours in the day? MY TOP TOTAL IMMERSION WEEKEND TIPS Choose a destination you enjoy and that inspires you. It doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive, but if you’re at a place in your business where you can splurge a little, go for it! Just know that your days are going to be long. We worked hard, but it was so worth it! Change up your environment so you don’t go stir crazy. We found fun little places around the hotel property to work throughout the weekend: the beautiful lobby, our hotel room, and we even knocked out a couple of hours of work from the bar while sipping on a refreshing margarita! Take time to eat, drink lots of water, get some fresh air, take walks, and get 7-8 hours of sleep each night. Let your family know that this time away will be focused on work and that you will not be available much throughout the weekend. It’s very important to limit distractions in order to make the most of your time away, and by stating this up front you will make sure no one at home is feeling neglected! Keep a Google Doc noting the big decisions that you’ve made over the weekend and any team communication you want to relay when you return. Get all those action items moved into your project management tool. Chloe always says, “If it’s not in Asana, it’s not happening!” Don’t forget to have a little fun, too! You’re going to be working really hard, so I suggest you treat yourself to a massage or some sort of simple pleasure at the end of your weekend. Upon your return, have a meeting with your team or individual team members to fill them in on some of the decisions you made or changes that may be coming down the pipeline. Repeat your total immersion retreat weekend on a quarterly basis! This episode is brought to you by Audible where you too can listen to the book I mentioned that I’m loving right now: High Performance Habits by Brendon Burchard, for FREE! Members of my audience get a FREE audiobook download and 30-day free trial at www.audibletrial.com/OMME

HOW WEBINARS, CREATING A COURSE, AND A MEMBERSHIP SITE CHANGED THIS TEACHER’S LIFE IN A HUGE WAY! I'm always in awe when one of my students shares with me how they’ve built their million dollar businesses. Anna’s story is one of my favorites and I wanted her to share it with you as well!Anna spent 23 years as a second grade teacher but decided she wanted to make an impact on the education community in a bigger way. This decision to shift her focus led her to my programs and she dove right in, taking action after action until things clicked! She made $10k on her very FIRST webinar and she's NEVER TURNED BACK.You won’t want to miss Anna’s incredible story as she shares her journey to success. She shares the specific steps (and consistent action) she took from making that first $10k selling 2nd grade course curriculum, to creating a membership site for teachers that brings in almost $60k per month, to her latest venture, a course that teaches teachers how to teach guided-math, which at the time of this recording had only been live three weeks and she’d already made $35,000! That’s an entire year’s earnings for some teachers! TWO MISTAKES TO AVOID WHEN GROWING YOUR ONLINE BUSINESS And to wrap it up, Anna shares the two things she would do differently had she known back then what she knows now. I 100% agree with both, so do yourself a favor and take what she says and don’t let those mistakes slow you down from the impact you are destined to make!Alright, if you’ve gotten this far and haven’t listened in to the podcast yet, what are you waiting for? : ) I promise you, you’ll be inspired by Anna’s story and fall in love with her just like I did!If you’d prefer to watch the interview, enjoy that right here...This episode is sponsored by my free master class, “How to Confidently Create Your First Profitable Course in 60 Days” If you’ve been thinking about creating an online course, or if you’ve had a course idea for awhile but you are just not sure how to get started, this free master class is for you.

Neil Patel, master marketer and SEO genius, joined me on my show today to dive into the the nuts-and-bolts of some simple SEO strategies that will bring you more traffic, conversions, and revenue! He walks us through a 3-month plan that I’ve broken down for you in a free guide that you can grab right here.!IT’S NOT ROCKET SCIENCEOne thing that Neil dispelled immediately is the fear that so many of us have around the idea of SEO strategy, and that is, that SEO is too complicated and we’ll never understand what exactly to do!Here’s what he had to say about that:“SEO is not rocket science...it’s not hard, and as long as you follow this plan, which is broken down into three main steps, you should get results.”And let me tell you the plan is not complicated...it’s very doable and this guide is going to help!WHAT IS SEO AND WHY SHOULD I HAVE AN SEO STRATEGY?SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization and Neil explained that it’s really all about making your site compatible for search engines. Now of course we create our content for our audience to enjoy and find useful, but we need to understand the importance of making our content compatible for BOTH users AND search engines.HOW SEO WILL INCREASE TRAFFIC, CONVERSIONS AND REVENUEAs an entrepreneur, you likely have a strong “why” behind what you’re doing online, but the bottom-line is that you want more people to see or listen to your content, you want to turn followers into customers, and you want to earn a living doing what you love to do. One way to accomplish this is to develop an SEO plan that has the ability to give you these tangible results.And that’s exactly what Neil shared in today’s show! He broke down exactly what you need to do in order to get a really good, simple SEO strategy running on your website.THE 3-MONTH SEO PLANI’ve outlined some of the key points Neil made in the interview here, but for the step-by-step plan download your free 3-Month SEO Guide here.MONTH 1 - Research & Competitor AnalysisMONTH 2 - Optimize Your On Page Code and Building ContentNeil also discussed the importance of building quality content on a consistent basis on your blog. You’ve gotta have a place to use that keyword research from month-one research, right? Here are a few pointers Neil suggests you implement when you write your blog posts/articles: Write in a conversational tone Create thorough content (NOT short) Use sub-headings Keep paragraphs short Use images Wrap up your blog posts with a summary conclusion End your conclusion with a question MONTH 3 - Building Links and Getting Social SharesPart of Neil’s three-month plan also includes a great strategy for gaining social shares to your content. While social sharing will not directly affect your SEO, it sure will indirectly. Social sharing builds social proof, which ultimately builds awareness and your authority.Make sure to grab your free 3-Month SEO Guide right here, to learn all about Neil’s technique for getting social shares through Buzzsumo.I hope you listened to the episode because Neil broke all of this down in such an easy to understand and doable fashion. But let’s not leave it at that...I want you to put this plan in action. Here what I’d love for you to do right now: Print out the 3-Month SEO Guide Schedule time in your calendar to implement the steps in the plan. Remember to be non-negotiable with the time you block out. Join my OMME Podcast Facebook group so that we can share our SEO successes in a few months. See you there! This episode is brought to you by:Gravy—my very own 24/7 engagement team who contacts my customers within hours of their failed payment, captures updated billing information and saves the customers I worked so hard to acquire. If you have a subscription model business or offer payment plans, you’ve got to check out Gravy!

One thing I love about summer is having a little bit more downtime. This allows me to do some things that I might not always have time for at other times of the year like binge listening to my favorite podcasts.That usually only happens while on vacation. As a matter of fact, I’m just back from a family vacation in Hawaii and I totally binge listened to a couple of my fave podcasts, The Life Coach School with Brooke Castillo and Oprah’s Super Soul Conversations. They are both soooo good! What made this episode extra special for me was to have some of my listeners submit their favorite episodes as well. (I’ve included audio messages from them directly in today’s show!) Let’s dive in!YOUR ONLINE MARKETING MADE EASY SUMMER LISTENING PLAYLIST TOP FIVE LISTENER FAVORITES Both Michelle from Canada and Sarah from Denmark are fellow megabatching lovers and they recommend episode #182: How To Mega-Batch Your Content. My productivity has skyrocketed since I began mega-batching in my business.  Lyndsey from Asheville, NC (hello Blue Ridge Mountains!) recommends you listen to an episode that helped her to grow her email subscriber list to 50,000 in just one year: Episode #99: How to Build a List-Building Blitz Campaign. Make sure to listen to her audio message in today’s show, she has some great insight on the one thing in episode #99 that made all the difference in her list growth!  Molly from Oregon actually has three favorites to share: Episode #149: Your 90-Day Pre-Launch Blueprint (she really loved the freebie in this episode and if you like a detailed blueprint, so will you!) Episode #150: [Case Study] How to Turn a Pre-Launch Strategy Into a Wildly Profitable Online Launch (This episode is a follow up to episode 149 and will show you what the pre-launch strategy looks like in the real world.) Episode #209: The Surprising Journey of Launching a Physical Product with Lara Casey - I love hearing that Molly learned about a resource in this episode that saved her TONS of money in the production of her own physical product! Gregory from Nashville, TN (you’ve got to tune in to hear his awesome southern accent!) is a fan of the DIY approach and recommends you listen to episode #171: DIYing Your Business: 5 Areas to Focus On When You’re Just Starting Out - I was so happy to hear that Gregory said that this episode really gave him clarity to begin to build his brand and his online business. I’m definitely specific in this episode about what you should and should not be delegating in your business when you’re first starting out. For the 5th spot of my listener favorites list, I had to include a double-whammy because both of the recommendations are so good! Also, I just love how so many parts of the world are represented in the show today! All the way from Perth in Western Australia, Neda shares her favorite episode #201: 5 Ways to Make Money (Without Using Webinars). - I love how Neda said this helped her combine her previous experience with what she’s doing now to make more money in her business. And finally, from May in Oslo, Norway! May loves how episode #206: Post-it Note Content Creation Mini-Training contains a content creation process that’s easy to take action on! May, you are not alone...I had so much great feedback (and pictures of people’s Post-it Note creations) from this episode!  I absolutely LOVED hearing from so many of my listeners and how their favorite episodes of Online Marketing Made Easy have helped move their businesses forward! So there you have it - you’ve got a nice summer playlist to tune into! I’m guessing there may have been one or two recommendations that really resonated with you and I want you to commit to listening to those in the next 24 hours.