Blogging, Branding & Personalized Content Creation with Kelly Glover

On this episode of Rhodes to Success, I interview Kelly Glover, who is an Aussie gal living large in Hollywood, California. She is a plus size blogger, podcaster, and virtual assistant. Kelly has recently taken her personal blog, Big Curvy Love, and launched a podcast. During the show, Jessica and Kelly discuss how to come up with a good brand name, what it takes to start a blog, the art of personal content creation, and tips for podcast interviewers and guests.   Main Questions Asked: <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops:list .5in">-       Talk about choosing a good blog, website, and podcasting name. <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops:list .5in">-       How long did it take to get an episode live on iTunes? <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops:list .5in">-       What’s it been like building out a blog? <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops:list .5in">-       Where did you find a designer to do your logo? <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops:list .5in">-       Is the blog something that generates revenue or a personal passion project? <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops:list .5in">-       What do you do with the Facebook page, and how do you use it to engage with your community? <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops:list .5in">-       Talk about your themed days on the blog. <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops:list .5in">-       Are you incorporating 50 Fat Dates into your podcast? <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops:list .5in">-       Do you think more podcasters and bloggers need to be doing more creative things like this to make their content more interesting? <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops:list .5in">-       Do you prepare questions ahead of time, or do you bring people on who you really like?   Key Lessons Learned: Branding <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops:list .5in">-       When choosing a brand name, select something that is niche, has keywords, and explains what the brand is. <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops:list .5in">-       Create a list of brand names, search the internet to see if the domains are available, and see what names competitors in your field are using. <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops:list .5in">-       If your brand name isn’t searchable in iTunes as the actual podcast show name, change it in Libsyn to incorporate keywords. <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops:list .5in">-       Choosing your brand’s logo is the gateway to your color palette and branding across all media. <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops:list .5in">-       Decide on the domain name, create the logo, lock in the color palette, then select a WordPress template for the website.   Blogging <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops:list .5in">-       Template Monster and Theme Forrest are good sources for WordPress templates that are customizable on self-hosted WordPress sites. These are usually up to around $75. <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops:list .5in">-       The Hex code is the color code that designers use for exact colors e.g. #000000 is black. These can be used when you design on Canva and other platforms to ensure you are matching the exact color. <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops:list .5in">-       Blogs can earn revenue a number of ways, such as through pay per click ads, advertising, affiliates, speaking engagements, and sponsored posts.    Personal Content Creation <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops:list .5in">-       People tend to get caught in boxes where they only create content around what their podcast is about and keep the business and personal life separate. <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops:list .5in">-       When you decide on what part of your personal life to share, you need to be able to ask yourself, “If an employer or client saw my content, would I be happy with that?” <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops:list .5in">-       These days there is no ‘business life’ and ‘personal life;’ it is just ‘life.’   Being Yourself & Communication <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops:list .5in">-       Readers and listeners want to know about the person. <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops:list .5in">-       If your audience trusts you and likes you, then they are more likely to do business with you if they believe in you. <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops:list .5in">-       Improvisation classes help develop quick thinking and decrease self-doubt.   Podcasting <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops:list .5in">-       Record a fake show, listen back to yourself, and transcribe your script to hear what your crutch words are. <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops:list .5in">-       Learning to speak slower will improve your communication. <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops:list .5in">-       If someone can answer ‘yes’ or ‘no,’ then that is a bad question. Also, if that is their only answer, they are bad guest. <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops:list .5in">-       There is an art to being a good interviewer and also to being a good guest. <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops:list .5in">-       Learning not to talk over others and cut people off during an interview is another great skill to learn.  <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:.5in;text-indent:-.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops:list .5in">-       Have at least three questions prepared for your interview.   Subscribe to the show in iTunes or Stitcher Radio!   The music in today's episode was written by The Danger Os and produced by Nick Palmer. Check them out at https://www.facebook.com/thedangerosmakemusic    Links to Resources Mentioned Big Curvy Love