Archive | April, 2021

I know firsthand how difficult it can be to continually come up with new topics for your emails. The first 20 are easy. The next 30 aren’t too difficult. The next 50 take work. And once you’ve done a few hundred emails, you’re pretty sure you’re just writing the same things over and over again – most likely because you are. If you want to keep your emails fresh, interesting and even exciting for your readers, then it’s time to step up your game and find something new to offer. Which is why I thought of… jokes.

Because who doesn’t love to hear a joke? Even if it’s one that makes us groan, we still enjoy the anticipation of seeing whether or not it’s funny, whether we laugh, and maybe even whether or not it’s good enough to share with others. I know that when I receive an email from an individual or a business that says, “Joke enclosed,” I almost always open it, because… why not? I need more laughter in my life, and I’ll bet your readers do, too.

So how do you turn a joke into a marketing email?

That is the question.

First, let’s find a joke. I just did a quick search and found this one…

“When I asked my 3 year old niece Anna what she wanted for her birthday, all she’d say was “reading glasses.”

Thinking it must be some sort of preschool fashion trend, I bought her a pair with plain glass lenses. A week later, I picked Anna up from daycare and asked where her glasses were.

“I don’t know,” she replied. “But they don’t work anyway.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“Well, I still can’t read,” she sighed.

Ha!

Okay, I thought it was pretty funny.

How do we segue this into an offer? Let’s use the online marketing niche for our examples:

1: We could say something like, “Wouldn’t it be great if you could put on a pair of marketing glasses and suddenly know how to make sales on autopilot? This product is the next closest thing because…”

2: Or we could say, “As you see Anna took ‘reading glasses’ quite literally, which is exactly how I want you to take my guarantee on this product. I 100% absolutely, positively guarantee that when you follow the program, this is what will literally happen for you: …”

3: Perhaps we might go with, “Poor kid. Obviously, the glasses didn’t perform like the name, ‘reading glasses’ promised her. Have you ever purchased one of those, “Make X Money in X Days” programs, only to discover that what they really meant was, IF you have a website and IF you have a list and IF you have a product, then this will work?”

“Well with my $10,000 in 30 Days program, you don’t need any of that in place. In fact, you can be a total beginner and this program will still perform exactly as the name implies, with no catches and no disappointments.”

4: Last example: “I can’t promise you reading glasses, but I can do one better than that. This course will open your eyes to an entirely different way of thinking and doing business, resulting in you being more excited about your future than you have been since you were Anna’s age.”

All 4 examples need a little polish but you get the idea.

I took a random joke, typed it out and then came up with four segues into offers. Of course, there is no right or wrong way to do this and there are an infinite number of possibilities. In fact, if everyone reading this tried this exercise, we would have thousands of examples and no two would be exactly the same.

Here’s your assignment: Go online and find 3 jokes that make you chuckle or even laugh out loud. Copy and paste them into your writing program and then come up with 3 segues into any product you are currently promoting or plan to promote in the future. If you don’t have a product, make one up.

The point is to see that you can indeed use almost anything interesting or entertaining to begin your emails, and then segue that into the message you want to convey. It might not even be to sell something, but rather to teach a tip, make an announcement or simply remind them that you stand ready to help when they need it.

Taking this to the next level: Keep a file of everything that catches your eye, whether it’s humor, news, off-the-wall ideas or whatever, and dig through this file when you need an opener for your next email to your list.

Have you ever driven your car onto a frozen lake, parked, cut a hole in the ice and started fishing? This might sound like a crazy idea if you’re from a warm climate. Why would you sit there on the ice for hours, freezing yourself silly, waiting for a fish to wake up from its cold slumber and bite your hook?

One way to make this sport more bearable is to build yourself an ice-fishing shanty. About the size of a garden shed, this is a small structure that is towed out onto the ice. The structure has one or more trap doors in the floor where you can use an auger to cut through the ice.

You can furnish these shanties with comfortable chairs and a propane heater – just don’t get your shanty so warm that it melts into the ice or worse yet – through the ice.

“What in the heck does this have to do with email marketing?”

Maybe nothing, but let me continue…

A couple in Princeton, Minnesota, decided they’d rather have chicken eggs than fish, and so they converted their ice fishing shanty into a chicken coop. They added nesting boxes to accommodate 80 chickens and use the trap doors to clean out the old bedding and chicken poop before moving the structure – on wheels – to a new location. When a chicken hawk appears in the sky, the chickens can dive under their chicken coop for safety.

Really, I think this is a much better use for the ice shanty than sitting in the cold for hours hoping a fish has had enough living and is ready for the fry pan.

If you’ve been doing online marketing for any length of time then I’ll bet right now you have assets that you aren’t using fully. It’s just a matter of identifying those assets and converting them into a better, higher use.

For example, do you have…

•   Old email lists?
•   Social media followers?
•   Products you’ve created but no longer sell?
•   Content that is languishing with no readers?
•   Special knowledge you’ve gained on how to do certain things?
•   PLR products you’ve purchased but not used?

Any of these assets and loads of others I didn’t list can be repurposed to increase your business. Think about it… if an old ice shanty can find new life housing 80 chickens, couldn’t you…

•   Revive your old email lists by sending a 30-day campaign of emails people WANT to read?
•   Start a new, coordinated campaign to bring your social media followers to your website, your squeeze pages, your products?
•   Update, refresh and re-release your old products, or sell resell rights to them?
•   Update and repurpose your existing content into audios, videos, new posts, books and so forth?
•   Take your own specialized knowledge and turn it into new posts, lead magnets and products?
•   Dig out those PLR products you purchased, find the gold and repurpose those into content and products, too?

You might want to take inventory of everything you have, whether it’s languishing on your website, on your hard drive or in your memory, and make a list. Then after each item, think of 5 ways you can repurpose and reuse it to either build your audience or make more sales.

If you’ve been doing online marketing for any real length of time, then I’ll bet you an ice-fishing shanty that you have thousands of dollars in assets going to waste right now. The challenge is to identify them, decide on a course of action and then get busy.

There are streamers on Twitch earning six and seven figures per year, and who’s to say that you won’t be one of the next ones? At the very least, you could be using Twitch to build your brand and earn a solid side hustle income online. Yes, while Twitch is the go-to platform for gamers, you don’t have to be a gamer to make real money on this platform.

What is Twitch?

Amazon-owned Twitch is the world’s leading live streaming platform for gamers and other lifestyle casters. Communities are built around a shared and streamable interest, with Twitch streamers broadcasting their gameplay or activity by sharing their live screens with fans and subscribers.

Twitch offers free and paid versions, with paid tiers removing ads and offering more features. Activity can be live-streamed from a minute to 8 hours or longer. Users find streams by browsing various categories. Channels can be followed, resulting in activity updates and notifications. Think live-streaming social media and you get the idea.

Twitch isn’t just for gamers, either. There is a wide variety of content that includes live and recorded broadcasts of music, sports, travel, food and talk shows.

How do You Build a Twitch Audience?

In one word… gradually. Like any other platform, it takes time to attract an audience. Successful channels are built up over years by continuously producing material.

The first step is to find your niche, whether it’s gaming, talk show, food, music or whatever works for you. The second step is to differentiate yourself from others. Maybe you’re not the best game player by a long shot, but if you’re funny, helpful or entertaining, you can build an audience.

Create a regular streaming schedule so your fans know when to tune in and watch. Use your existing social media accounts, such as Facebook, YouTube and so forth, to promote your Twitch broadcasts. Make yourself known to other Twitch users by engaging with their streams. Interact with your viewers. Ask them questions, make jokes, respond to their chats and so forth.

The #1 key in Twitch is to be entertaining. If you can do this, fans will tune in time and time again to see what you’re doing.

How to Make Money as a Twitch Novice

You don’t need a huge audience to begin making money with Twitch.

1: Take Donations

Twitch users routinely donate money to their favorite streamers. Add a “donate” button to your channel using PayPal or a third-party app such as Streamlabs to collect donations.

Don’t be shy about asking. In your videos, gently remind people that you gratefully accept donations and that those donations make it possible for you to continue streaming.

2: Find a Brand Partner

Companies use Twitch streamers to promote their products, giving the streamer a kickback in return. This is a partner relationship, not to be confused with Twitch’s Partner and Affiliate Programs which we’ll cover in a moment.

For example, if you’re a gamer, potential partners will be selling items such as hardware, software, headsets, chairs and even energy drinks. If you’re not yet a big time gamer or streamer, you will likely need to find these partners yourself rather than wait for them to find you. Watch to see who sponsors other Twitch Streamers in your genre who have comparable fan bases and approach those companies first.

3: Sell Merchandise

If you have a particularly dedicated audience or even just a super-catchy name, you might sell your own t-shirts, mugs and so forth. Set up shop with any of the t-shirt producers, make the designs yourself or hire a graphic artist, and then promote your wares on your Twitch channel.

How to Make Money as a Twitch Affiliate

When you meet specific criteria, you can become a Twitch Affiliate. Once you reach the following milestones within the past 30 days, you’ll be eligible to receive an invitation to become an Affiliate:

– Minimum 500 total broadcast minutes
– Minimum 7 unique broadcast days
– Average of 3 or more concurrent viewers
– At least 50 followers

Once you join the Twitch Affiliate Program, you can earn money on Twitch through:

4: Subscriptions

Viewers can subscribe to your channel to unlock benefits like exclusive chat rooms, emoticons and merchandise discounts. These monthly subscriptions start at $4.99 and as an affiliate you will receive a cut.

5: Virtual Cheers

Viewers can give monetary support via virtual cheers, called “bits.” Viewers buy bits in different colors and sizes and then dole them out to their favorite broadcasters who receive a cut.

6: Game Sales

Whenever you play games that are sold in the Twitch store, a “buy now” button appears on your channel. When viewers purchase the game and in-game add-ons directly from your channel, you receive a 5% cut.

How to Make Money as a Twitch Partner

This is the top tier for Twitch earners. Anyone and everyone on Twitch who is earning 6 or 7 figures is a Twitch Partner. Partners get:

7: Revenue Sharing

You must apply for partnership, and if accepted, you will receive a share of ad revenue generated from your Twitch page.

Requirements for Partnership include:

– Streaming for 25 hours in the last 30 days
– Streaming for 12 unique days in the last 30 days
– Reaching 75 average viewers in the last 30 days

When you reach these requirements, a button will appear on your dashboard that allows you to apply for Partnership. Twitch usually gets back to you within 7 business days with their decision.

Note: Not everyone is approved for Partnership Status the first time around. If you are not approved, keep trying. Make sure you act professionally on your channel, that you have a content strategy that reflects who you are and that you continue to build your following.

And as a Partner you are also more likely to receive endorsement deals and lucrative brand sponsorships, too.

There you have it… 7 ways to make money with Twitch. Learn more at: www.twitch.tv