How to shine online, a talk at TBU Rotterdam travel bloggers conference, delivered by Frankie Thompson of As The Bird Flies blog. http://www.asthebirdfliesblog.com/

1. SHINE ONLINE!
Make your blog (get) work for you!
TBU Rotterdam, May
2013
By Frankie Thompson
asthebirdfliesblog.com
@bushbirdie

2. Welcome...
To a world where
content is king
(But as Game of Thrones has taught us…)
You can make the

3. We’re going to talk about…
The earning potential of bloggers as
freelancers.
Some easy-peasy, lemon-
squeezythings you can do to help
achieve this.
Building a portfolio out of your blog.
The beauty of boasting… a bit.

4. Who is Frankie, anyway?
Blogger*
Travel writer*
Copywriter/Proofreader/Copyeditor*
Corporate researcher*
Self-published author
Digital nomad
“Ripper” girlfriend
Proud auntie
“Professional amateur” photographer
Snowboarder
Wannabe mermaid
Fair-weather city cyclist

5. i HEART blogging
It is thanks to blogging that I…
•Secured my first regular copywriting client.
• Now know there's more to photography
than long-armed self portraits that give me
double chins.
• Have dined in Michelin Star restaurants
for free.
• Had 750+downloads of my first self-
published book.

6. Blogging doesn’t pay my bills
Approx. 10% of my income is from
my blog. 90% comes from
freelancing as a copywriter and
researcher.
But just over 50% of my copywriting
work was "won" thanks to my blog.
So you could say that my blog is

7. The world is now full of professional
bloggers… or is it?
No. In reality the majority of professional
bloggers are professionals ANDbloggers.
They just make blogging part of their
professional life. One may appear to be a
professional blogger, when in reality they are
a “professional who blogs” and actively uses
their blog and social networks to promote
other services and skills.
Can you do the same?
Yes. Abso-fluffing-
Professional Bloggers: The Myth

8. What do bloggers do, then?
Bloggers are…
Writers * Photographers * Videographers * Editors *
Coders * Designers * Researchers * Publishers *
Proofreaders * Communicators * Marketers * Social
Media Strategists * Event Planners * Promoters * PR
Machines * Link Builders * Digital Media Pros *
Stylists * Content Managers * SEO Specialists *
Brand Ambassadors * Negotiators * Administrative
Assistants * Technical Assistants
…and are quick to learn new and multiple
skills.
And don’t forget all the things you do in your

9. Is your blog working for you?
Think about the skills or services
you’re trying to sell and ask yourself
the following questions:
•How many examples of them can I find
on my blog?
•Do I mention them on my About page?
• Do I invite potential clients to get in
touch on my Contact page?
• Do I blog about these topics or do I just
“show off”?

10. Show off what you got!
Blogs are a potential
showcase and portfolio for
almost any skill or service
that you can sell.
If you can't do it on a
blog, you can write about iton

11. Frankie’s Rules for
Showing Off
• Make it fun or make it funky.
Or both.
• Don’t be shy, but be wise!
• Show that you enjoy what
you do… * But not in every flipping

12. Back to (blogging) basics
If you're going to use your blog as part of
your online portfolio or to attract
employers, the basics still apply:
• Good, clean design.
• Quick to load.
(http://www.webpagetest.org/)
•About and Contact pages easy to
find.

13. Work with me.
PLEEEEEEEEEEASE?!
If you choose to have a “work with me”
page on your blog then…
•Be too proud to beg.
• Don’t overwhelm the reader.
• Don’t make claims you can’t
substantiate.
•Short is sweet. (3-4 client names, 1-2 examples of
work, 1 testimonial)
•Leave them guessing, a bit.

14. Mistakes? I’ve made a few
• A Twitter profile that didn't highlight the
work I do.
• Not talking about my work on my blog.
• Not having a Facebook or a LinkedIn
profile.
• Not updating my professional
website/portfolio.
• Not knowing my own content.
• Not promoting my work on all social

15. Totally Social Networking
1. STALK: Find like-minded experts and
people you admire within and outside of
usual online circles.
2. LOVE & LEARN: Observe and “Like”.
3. SHARE: If you liked it then you shoulda
put a RT on it.
4. CONNECT: Approach mid-level “experts”
with a view to collaborating or simply ask
them for advice.
5. MEET: “Eye to eye contact…” learn from

16. Totally Social NOTworking
The good, the bad & the ugly – clients have
access to it all.
“I am a blogger” is becoming synonymous with “I
am social media savvy”so please don’t let the
side down.
• Over-sharing is not caring.
• Social networks are an extension of
you, your blog and your work. And your
potential clients.
• Have fun… but not too much fun.

17. R E S P E C T
Your blog’s potential to shine
online...
Reinterpret, don't copy.
Enjoy what you do.
Stay inspired.
Pursue achievable goals.
Evaluate often… but not too
often.

18. Reinterpret and Reinvigorate
Think about the blogs you love.
Why do you love them? Now, start
doing what they do.
Actually don’t.
Reinterpret what they do.
Add a generous portion of
you.

19. Enjoy what you do.
Clients like that.
You need a new blog designer and two
fellow bloggers are recommended to
you. Which one would you rather hire?
1. The blog designer who moans on
Facebook about being too busy and has
to finish up a project for a difficult client
before swanning off on a blog trip.
2. The blog designer who writes a post
proudly sharing the work that’s kept

20. Stay inspired
If your blog is part of your professional
online presence it’s very likely that
occasionally you’ll become
complacent, tired and overwhelmed by
blogging. So?
Get offline. Get organised.
Get happy.

21. Pursue achievable goals
Your blog is NOTgoing to make you a
millionaire.
(Not this year anyway.)
But your blog (and freelance career) can help
you achieve other personal and professional
goals:
• Travel
• Lifestyle change
• Personal passions

22. Evaluate often
But not toooften…
• In the same way you shouldn’t be monitoring
your blog stats every hour or every day, you
should check in regularly (monthly or bi-monthly)
to see if your “work with me” page and work
related content is effective.
• Check source of traffic on Google
Analytics, demographic data on Alexa and use
monitoring tools like Klout, Follower
Wonk, Facebook Insights to check your social

23. Choose content wisely
…and creatively.
Consider what a client would think of ALL
the content you write. But don’t let this
control what you write… It’s still your blog.
Being careful, doesn’t have to mean boring.
I write about my relationship, my feelings
and some personal stories because it’s what
I enjoy writing about and is in line with my
dream of writing fiction. (That’s more important
to me than a copywriting client not picking me for

24. There’s more to you than travel
You’re a travel blogger.
You love travel.
You love blogging about travel.
But not every potential client loves
travel as much asyoudo and will
probably dismiss your blog if it
doesn’t convey the skills you can
sell.

25. BE BOLD & BE BRAVE
Be different. Be memorable.
Be you.
Any achievement is attractive
to clients.
Think transferable skills.
Have faith in you and the
things you do.

26. Isn’t potential great?!
“Everyone has inside of him a
piece of good news. The good
news is that you don’t know
how great you can be! How
much you can love! What you
can accomplish! And what
your potential is!” Anne Frank

27. ANY QUESTIONS?
Frankie Thompson
www.asthebirdfliesblog.com
www.fmthompson.com/books
www.facebook.com/asthebirdflies
@bushbirdie (Twitter&Instagram)
For productivity & freelancing tips:
http://newsletter.asthebirdfliesblog.com/subscribe
Copy of Presentation & Resources:
http://www.asthebirdfliesblog.com/p/shine-online-tbu-europe-
rotterdam.html
Support for freelancers:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/goingfreelance/