Managing an Online Publication with Dani Stewart

In this episode, Charli, Miguel, and the voice behind ConvertKit’s blog Dani Stewart discuss Dani’s advice for expanding an existing blog, the difference between a blog being your business and your business having a blog, tips for hiring strong writers, what pieces to stop writing once your brand becomes big, and why the best blogs are more than just content hubs.

Show Notes

With practice, anyone can write. But can anyone transform a blog into a full-blown online publication? There’s a big difference between the two, and how you navigate the transition from blog to publication can determine whether your brand develops or your blog stays stagnant. 

Dani Stewart, helmer of ConvertKit's blog Tradecraft, knows what it’s like to write, edit, and make that tricky transition. She began her career writing articles but successfully transformed that traffic-generating blog into a legitimate hub for compelling ConvertKit content. Dani’s expanded the operation, brought on new writers and even a blog manager. While she no longer spends her days writing, she is responsible for Tradecraft’s entire operation — a creative endeavor and an enormous challenge in itself. 

So what steps can creators take if they’re looking to start a blog or take their existing online presence to the next level? What’s it like to hire writers you trust and learn to delegate, project-manage, and make tough editorial decisions? 

In this episode, Charli, Miguel, and Dani discuss Dani’s advice for expanding an existing blog, the difference between a blog being your business and your business having a blog, tips for hiring strong writers, what posts to stop writing once your brand becomes big, and why the best blogs are more than just content hubs that drive traffic and boost SEO.

Key Takeaways

• [01:21] - Have you heard?
  • [01:35] - Instagram is introducing special tags to help elevate black creators and ensure creators receive credit for their original content. 
  • [02:49] - Apple Podcasts is improving access to listenership metrics for podcast creators. 
• [04:18] - Today’s main topic: Managing an online publication. 
  • [04:26] - The difference between a blog and an online publication.
  • [06:11] - Dani’s process for managing content on ConvertKit’s blog.
  • [09:22] - Why would a business whose “main attraction” isn’t a blog choose to create and sustain a blog? 
  • [11:07] - The benefits of outsourcing blog management. 
  • [13:58] - How Dani’s position and type of creativity at work has evolved. 
  • [15:44] - The most difficult part of transitioning a blog to an online publication. 
  • [18:06] - How to handle hectic internal staff transitions and why having that buffer between an article’s completion and its publication is so important.
  • [21:04] - The tools Dani uses to manage the extensive project management behind ConvertKit’s blog. 
  • [21:54] - How Dani strategizes content creation. 
  • [23:42] - How to grow your blog when it’s not in service of a larger entity and is instead trying to grow on its own.
• [32:05] - A sneak peek at next week’s episode. 
• [32:27] - Submit a listener shoutout! 

Quotes

[16:08] - “An underlying fear I always have is that the people that I always trust that are doing such a great job are gonna move on and do something else. So the hardest part is finding people that you trust.” ~ @danileighstew

[30:52] - “If you are planning on doing it, make sure to take time to set up style guides. If you’re starting to hire people and you want the same voice, you need to be able to show them what that is.” ~ @danileighstew

[31:34] - “Why is your audience coming to you? Is it because you're a straight talker? Is it because it sounds like it’s coming from a friend? Do you use Gifs? Do they comment on certain aspects of your blog posts? Make sure that your writers understand that and can flow with that.” ~ @danileighstew

Links

• Dani Stewart
• ConvertKit’s Blog (Tradecraft)
• Tradecraft How-To Guides
• Instagram
• Apple Podcasts
• Apple Podcasts improvements will let creators see follower data, get help with subscription shows, more
• WordPress
• YouTube
• I Am A Creator.
• Charli on YouTube
• The Future Belongs To Creators 119: Working With a Virtual Assistant as a Creator with Chloe Anna
• monday.com
• Charli’s website
• Twitter 
• Why you shouldn’t sell your ebook on Amazon
• Google
• SEMrush
• Marques Brownlee (MKBHD)
• Giphy
• Your Attention Didn’t Collapse. It Was Stolen
• Submit a listener shoutout! 

Connect with our hosts

• Charli Prangley
• Miguel Pou
• Haley Janicek

Stay in touch

• Apple Podcasts
• Spotify
• Twitter
• Facebook
• Instagram

Every week we celebrate a win from a listener.

Tell us about a recent launch, milestone or success (big or small!) right here and we might just shout you out in the next episode: https://convertk.it/listenershoutout. 

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What is The Future Belongs to Creators?

A show for creators, by creators. Every Wednesday, hosts Charli Prangley, Miguel Pou, and Haley Janicek explore the creator economy, discussing the topics and questions facing creators and creative hopefuls alike.