Ready to find out one of my “secrets” to success? Here’s one way I’ve discovered to build my visibility online, grow my list faster, and create loyal fans?
One of the things I’m known for online is co-hosting blog challenges like the Ultimate Blog Challenge and 31 Days Blog Challenge. I’m a huge fan of creating challenges that motivate and support my readers and tribe to help them accomplish BIG things.
Do challenges work to get your tribe excited and in action? Yes, they do!
And, do they work to build YOUR credibility and authority as the host? I’ll let a few of my LinkedIn recommendations answer that:
Awesome, right? It WORKS. It does take planning, time, and energy, but the results are fabulous!
This time around (January 2013) we’ve got around 900 bloggers signed up for the Ultimate Blog Challenge and receiving daily emails from us with blogging ideas and tips to support them as they blog. We’ve got a Facebook group, G+ Community, and active Twitter #hashtag. After lots of challenges, we’ve got things pretty figured out.
But when Michele Scism and I launched the first Ultimate Blog Challenge several years back, there was no guide to tell us what to do (and what NOT to do). We had to figure out the pieces on our own.
So when Caylie Price approached me with a request to answer a few questions about hosting challenges that she’d be using in a guide, I was intrigued and agreed. Once the guide was complete she sent over a copy for me to peek through and my response was, “Wow, this is cool. I wish I’d had it years ago!”
And now, I’ll let Caylie share more with you about how you can run a challenge to activate and engage your tribe…
Revealed – The Easiest Way To Activate Your Tribe
Guest Post by Caylie Price
Bloggers: What is your passion? Bring it front of mind. What would you leap out of bed for every morning? Got it?
Now what is your biggest fear associated with that passion? What makes you procrastinate, tremble inside and want to curl up under the doona, never to appear again? Got it?
Great.
Feeling that excitement and fear all at once?
Brilliant.
You’ve just identified a fear surrounding your passion that MANY of your fellow bloggers turn GHOSTLY over too.
Guess what!
That’s wonderful news. Congratulations!
You’ve found yourself a group of like-minded people. Now it’s time to activate them. Your fellow bloggers and readers.
(By the way, don’t tell me this doesn’t apply to your passion or niche. I’d hate you to be wrong :-) Everyone has fear and large communities of bloggers have fears regarding particular passions.)
How Do You Activate Your Tribe?
So you want to overcome your fear. You think it would be easier if you had support. But you’re not sure where to get support from.
Hello, OPPORTUNITY!
What if you could get the support you need, grow your tribe and strengthen it all at once? And as a result be recognised as a leader?
Would you jump at the chance? Want to know how?
Excellent.
Host A Blog Challenge
Now I realise that as a reader of Michelle you’ll know about the Ultimate Blog Challenge. What you may not know is the variety of challenges occurring in other niches.
Let’s see some examples:
- Michelle talked about her fear of public speaking. You could host a challenge where participants have to speak in front of a group once a month and share their experiences on their blogs.
- Joel Runyon is currently hosting his impossible New Year fitness challenge running over eight weeks.
- Pat Flynn hosts regular reader challenges on Smart Passive Income to ‘motivate lots of people to do things they wouldn’t normally do on their own.’ Tasks include creating video posts, creating mini-products, case studies and interviews.
- A weekly challenge to learn how to create an incredibly intricate crochet design that beginner crafters would be too nervous to attempt alone.
The key is simply to get your tribe embracing your community’s common fear and reaching a specific outcome as a group.
Of course, as the leader you enjoy the benefits of increased credibility in your niche; amplification of the message you wish to share; and improved sustainability of your blog.
Are You Up For The Challenge?
You should definitely consider hosting a blog challenge.
There are so many other benefits of hosting a blog challenge we haven’t considered here such as increased traffic, improved SEO, exposure to new audiences and quality content for your blog.
Hosting a challenge during the London Olympics I personally doubled my subscribers. If you’d like to know more and avoid the mistakes I made head to How To Host A Blog Challenge…Lessons Learned.
Get started. Be the recognised leader in your tribe.
Caylie Price is the founder of Better Business Better Life. A copywriter, SEO consultant, social strategist and all round great chick, Caylie has just released her first ebook ‘How To Host A Swingin’ Blog Challenge.’ Caylie helps you blast your business to success so you can live the life you want.
Your Turn!
Have you participated in any challenges? Did you find them helpful/motivational?
Have you considered hosting your own challenge?
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Hi Michelle!
Thank you so much for publishing my guest post today! Super thrilled and honoured to have my writing here.
If anyone has anyone questions please ask away.
Best wishes for 2013!
Caylie
Thanks for allowing me to publish it, Caylie, and for creating such an awesome resource to share. :)
Hello Caylie and Michelle, thanks for sharing. How timely, I was pondering doing a 30 days goal achieving program but I never attached the word challenge to it. I’ve been stuck in the “writing content blog challenge” brain when they’re so many other possibilities.
Excellent reminder, for me, anyway, that opportunity already exists for us to accomplish just about anything, we just have to be in awareness and open to possibilities. I really appreciate you both stimulating my creative juices. This sentence says it all “The key is simply to get your tribe embracing your community’s common fear and reaching a specific outcome as a group.” Ideas are already churning and I don’t have to do any research for content, it’s sitting on my hard drive, blog posts, newsletters and in my creative mind.
I’m excited!!
Caylie, I will check out your post.
Yep, lots of opportunities! It’s great that you’ve already identified content you can use. :)
Glad this was good timing for you, Adalia. :)
Hi Adalia,
Thanks for checking out my post! I’d love to hear more of your challenge plans when you’ve decided on a goal!
Cheers, Caylie
Proof that most of us just can’t ignore a challenge!
Thanks for being there, Ms. S!
Something about challenges… just gotta see if we can do it! :)
A challenge… Yes, it’s something I have pondered. Not specifically blog – but something to get small businesses online and actually using the web.
It is a lot of work, being there and support – Kudos to Michelle and Michele for the UBC
Hi Jan, thanks – it gets easier as the system gets into place for sure. :)
And that could be a great challenge. Just figure out what action would get them the biggest results the fastest and where they’re likely to get stuck and work from there.
Great ideas for activating your tribe, Michelle and Caylie. I will get into planning something like that as interaction surely is enjoyed by readers.
Hey Kaye, glad you’re planning something! It’s great fun and the interaction definitely helps build relationships. :)
What a great idea – particularly for someone operating in a niche area. As someone who has participated in the UBC (more than once – in fact, I’m back on board this January), I’ve experienced the value of having the support of a group to encourage, promote and offer ideas. Plus, there’s so much to learn from the variety of bloggers participating – and friendships to forge. Thanks for doing the UBC and for putting forward the idea that others could do this too, Michelle.
Wow! Thank you Michelle and Caylie for this wonderful post! As a life coach with an emphasis on leading Christian women through positive transformation, this has jump started my thinking about my business. I had the ideas, now I have a way to put them to work.
It’s a great strategy to get that community to begin forming and to allow you to step into a leadership role, Cynthia. :)
Well, now I simply can not wait to participate in a blog challenge. You have me all hyped up! I’m not sure I’m ready to actually host one yet, but I would like to down the road, after I participate in a few. Great post!!