ok. Turning this over to Susanne. Enjoy her brilliance!

Creating Passive Income

By Susanne Myers from AffiliateTreasureChest.com

Today is the first day of summer break in our neck of the woods, which means we headed down to our beach house right after our daughter got out of school yesterday. We’ll be spending quite a bit of time here this summer, swimming in the ocean, napping in the hammock in the backyard and checking out the local seafood restaurants. It’s something I never thought we’d be able to do, and to be honest, it wouldn’t have been possible just a few short years ago.

The reason we can take off for weeks at a time and spend most of the day playing on the beach is that my husband and I have both spend the past few years creating passive income. We have quite a few different websites, some lists, autoresponder series, reports and ebooks out there that create income for us even when we’re not working.

How’d you like to get started this summer and set up your own little stream of income?

Getting Started

What’s worked well for me is to start small and then keep building and keep working at it, increasing my passive income along the way.

Since you’re a reader of Nicole’s blog, I’m sure you know all about her awesome PLR articles from www.EasyPLR.com.  You may even own quite a bit of it already, so let’s start with that.

Pick one of the PLR article packs and use it as the basis of a new niche site.

I’ll tell you a little “secret”. Nicole does a lot of research before she ever puts out a PLR pack on a topic. She makes sure there’s plenty of traffic, affiliate offers to promote and most importantly that it’s a profitable niche. That’s part of what makes these packs perfect for affiliate niche websites that will make you money month after month.

The basic steps to getting started with your own affiliate website are to choose a niche, set up a website (via a wordpress blog), add content to it (both the PLR from Nicole and some you write yourself), promote it and then monetize it.

Instead of covering each of those steps here (and turning this into a super-long 2000 plus word post), I’ve put together a short 7 day ecourse for you that walks you through each step.

-> Sign up here: Free Affiliate Marketing Fast Start Lessons

Go ahead … go sign up right now – it’s free and I’ll wait till you’re done

All signed up? Perfect!

Work through each of the daily lessons using the PLR article pack you picked as the basis for your niche website. By the end of the 7 days you have your first little stream of passive income set up.

Don’t stop there …

Keep Working At It

Take a minute to give yourself a pat on the shoulder for a job well done … and then get back to work. Add some more content to your new site, build another or set up a list for the first one. Keep working at this and other little streams of passive income. The key is to keep working at it and building more and more income streams, even if it just brings in a few extra dollars per month. Those little dollars all add up.

We weren’t able to hang out at the beach all summer last year and the years before that, but we keep at it. At first the passive income paid for a pizza a week, a few months later we were able to cover our car payments and now we’re able to rent a house at the beach all summer.

How about you? What would you like to be able to do that’s just a bit out of reach financially? Use it as motivation to set up a new niche site this week and keep working on your passive income streams all summer.

Want More from Susanne?

Here are some places you can learn more..

• Free Affiliate Marketing Fast Start Lessons
• EasyLinkLove.com
• Susanne has also shared great information all over my blog. Click here to learn more from her

If you've missed past Expert Briefs, you can click on the undies to see them all –>

I feel that being transparent is really important and shows the “real” person behind the business. So, on that note, this week I asked our panel of experts …

What's one mistake you've made with your blog?
And, what did you learn from it?

I think you'll find the answers this week helpful in developing your blogging strategy over the course of the year.

Connie Ragen Green of ConnieGreen.com says:

I started blogging in 2006, when I was brand new to the Internet. Even though I started taking classes and learning as much as I could, I made lots of mistakes. The biggest mistake I made with my blog was not planning out the categories ahead of time. Instead, I just started posting, and soon I had more categories than you can imagine. In fact, my list of categories looked like an Internet marketing dictionary!

The result was that I had very little search engine ranking for my main topic. As I learned more and more about SEO (search engine optimization) I began to change my ways, and soon people were finding me simply by searching on Google and the other search engines.

What I learned from this experience was that you must take action right away, but always be flexible enough to ‘course correct' along the way. Even though I made mistakes with my first blog, it was still the best way for me to get started online. As I continued to learn, I made small changes here and there to improve what I was doing. Over time, I was able to build my list and increase my income steadily each month.

I encourage you to get started blogging now, and not to wait until you think you know everything before getting started. This is an industry that changes on a regular basis, so even when we think we know everything there is to know, it is very likely that something new is right around the corner.

Shannon Cherry of The Business Building Live Intensive says:

I was one of those ‘early adopters' in blogging. Those were the days when blogging was more about journalling and less about business, so I wrote a lot of different stuff. It was a good time – and I even got media coverage in Entrepreneur Magazine as a result of my blogging.

However, I wasn't seeing any kind of conversion: no growth in my list, let alone sales. And at first, I couldn't figure it out. I knew the content I was sharing was good stuff. But why weren't people even commenting?

Turns out, I hadn't asked them to. You see, I never included a call to action on the blog at all. I made a terrible assumption that if my target market liked the content, they would figure it out. Essentially I was giving them good ideas and tips, but then they were left with a question “Now what?” vs a direction “Here's what I need to do next.”

Some calls to action on a blog can include:

• leave a comment
• share the link on social media
• check it out
• sign up now
• subscribe to the RSS feed
• buy now

What I also learned was to step up the calls to action gradually if you've never included them before. Basically you are training your audience to take action. So first, I asked them to leave comments. After watching the amount of comments I was getting, I stepped it up to ask for them to sign up for something for free (a report, audio, etc), until I felt confident that when I asked for a sale on my blog, I would convert. This strategy worked effectively for me.

Today, I offer a mix of calls to action, but on every post you will see one, no matter what.

Jeanette S. Cates, PhD of JeanetteCates.com says:

I started online in a different time when business was much more formal, and I've had a hard time adjusting to the “transparent” approach. So two mistakes I've made really stand out.

First I put off blogging and social media too long. I was sure it was a passing fad, but now that I've realized this is a whole movement in society, not just online, I'm having to play catch-up. So if you aren't blogging and you aren't actively working social media – get over it! And get on board.

Second is that I sometimes forget to post to my blog regularly. I tend to communicate with my list because they are MY people. But then I'm leaving out new people who I might get to know by not being more visible publicly on the blog. My most consistent blog posts have been when I prescheduled PLR articles (thank you Nicole!) mixed with my original articles, so that there was new content coming out as I worked on the rest of my business.

An observation: Just participating in Expert Briefs provides the opportunity for more transparency, especially when you ask us to reveal our mistakes. Scary!

Nicole Dean of .. here! .. says:

Let's see… so many mistakes… so little time to write them all.

Two big mistakes stand out that I've personally made.

1. Talking to the Crowd & Trying to Please Everyone.

The first one was not knowing who the heck I was talking to – or what the goal of my blog was.  When I first started blogging, it was PAINFUL to me. I didn't know what the heck I was doing, who I was writing to, or what they wanted to know about. At the time, my main site was ShowMomtheMoney.com – so I was alternating between articles about working from home, Direct Sales tips, business ideas, home organization, and internet marketing.

What a nightmare. I had no purpose and didn't know if my readers were interested in working from home, network marketing, internet marketing, or starting an offline business from home, like Tutoring. EH GADS!

About that same time, I started doing some work for Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero as her Affiliate Manager. She's one of the best copywriters on the planet (in my not so humble opinion) and I started to learn from her. The biggest lesson I picked up was a term she coined “Tarket” – which means your one person who is your target market. So, I forced myself to figure out and narrow down exactly WHO the heck that person was.

Now, it's easy as pie for me to blog. I get on here, and I know exactly who that person is. (Actually, I have two. One male coaching client of mine and one is a female coaching client of mine. I know their problems, their concerns, and their wishes and dreams.) And, now blogging is a breeze. I just think of things that they'd benefit from and voila! Done.

You may remember this blog post: Please All, and You Will Please None.

The same lesson applies.

2. Spending too much Time ON my blog instead of OFF of It.

This is one thing that I lecture my coaching clients about now. Get OFF your blog! Go steal someone else's audience. It's much easier to get people to read your blog that way.

What exactly do I mean by that?

Yes, it's important to focus energy on your own blog. But, it won't do you any good if no one sees it. That's why you need to dedicate time every day to getting exposure on other websites.

This can be accomplished in any number of ways, including…

• Article Marketing
• Guest Blogging
• Video Marketing
• Doing Podcast Interviews

Here's a blog post with more information on this topic:  How to Get One-Way Incoming Links

I hope it helps!

It’s Your Turn.

So, now, I’ll pose this question to you. What has been your biggest blogging mistake? Do you have any questions about the answers above that you’d like to ask? Go for it!

I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Warmly,
Nicole Dean

PS. Here are a few of my favorite Expert Briefs:

• Check out My Home Office… If you Dare!
• How to Decide What to Blog About Next
• How do you get people to comment on your blog?
• Internet Credibility. How to Establish that You’ve Got It?

Friday is the day where I give you free content that you can use on your blog. Hurray!

The  free PLR articles that you can get today are:

• The Real K.E.Y. To Becoming A Successful Ebook Writer
• 3 Idea Hangouts For Finding Red-Hot Ebook Topics
• How To Stand Out From Your Competition For Extra Sales

Since I'm traveling, I'll cheat a bit and send you the note that I sent to my EasyPLR.com customers on Wednesday so you can see the full story and grab the goodies.

Hi. It's Nicole Dean from EasyPLR.com with a gift for you that I know you'll love.

Today I have some free PLR articles to share with you.

Here's the story….

My friend and mentor, Jimmy D. Brown, has, for the past 10 years
provided QUALITY training for internet marketers. I've been his student
myself since 2005, paying every single month to learn from him.

Yes, he's THAT good. And, he's taught MANY of today's present day
“gurus” much of what they know.

So, obviously it's pretty shocking when he releases PLR rights
to that same content.

However, I realize that not everyone is aware of how awesome Jimmy is,
so I asked him for some free PLR samples to share with you.

Of course, being the good guy he is, he said “yes”.

So, here are three totally free PLR articles that you are welcome to use,
written by the man himself:
FREE PLR Articles from Jimmy D. Brown

If you'd like more top notch PLR like this, I strongly recommend that
you head over soon to check out his amazing PLR offer. It will only be
available a bit longer.

Click here to check out this offer.

You can get 10 reports & salespages, plus articles, ecourses and more.

BUT! After you order, be sure to come back to get your bonuses from me, ok?

— HOW TO CLAIM YOUR BONUSES —-

Here's how it'll work.

First, and most importantly, check out the offer and see if it can
make you money in your online business.

Here's my link:
Click here to check out this offer.

IF and only IF the offer is something you can use, then keep reading.

CHOOSE YOUR BONUSES!

After you purchase, email your receipt to helper@easyplr.com and
let us know which *TWO* of the following bonuses you'd like…

Option #1. Credit in EasyPLR Articles.
After you buy, you can choose
any 3 article packs from EasyPLR.com and we'll send them to you.
Note: Reports are not included. Articles must not be marked ‘sold out'.

Option # 2. Blog critique from me.
Yes, I'll personally review your blog in
video format and send you the link to watch. I'll give you my un-edited
thoughts for improving your income from your blog through list-building,
content, monetization, and traffic. (Value? I don't sell it, so no idea.)

Option 3. My Blog Tour Guide.
Learn how to Guest Blog on other high-traffic sites for increased traffic. (Currently sells for $17)
Note: Personal Rights Only, not PLR.

Option #4: How to Get your Product on Clickbank.
Learn how to take the reports you're getting from Jimmy and sell them on Clickbank.
(Currently sells for $27) Note: Personal Rights Only, not PLR.

So, if you want it, go here and get it:
Click here to check out this offer.

Then, follow these steps:

1. Email your receipt to helper@easyplr.com

2. Tell us which TWO bonuses you'd like.
If it's #1 – list the 3 PLR article packs you'd like.
If it's #2 – include the link to your blog and any questions you have.

We'll verify that you purchased the PLR and then send you an email to get the rest.

That's it, guys, except that I'm still thinking about bonuses, so
you may get extra surprise goodies after the fact, too. You know
that's how I roll.

Have a fabulous day. You deserve it!

Warmly,
Nicole Dean
http://www.EasyPLR.com

http://easyplr.com/computer-maintenance-plr.htm

Some of the titles in this pack are:

• 3 Tips for Cutting Down on Screen Glare
• Cleaning Your Laptop or PC
• Anti-Spyware Tools to Protect Your Computer
• Backing up Your Computer Data
• How Many Flash Drives Do You Need?

Also, a quick heads up. I announced the new PLR articles “Positive Attitude for Business Success” last week and nearly
half are of the available packs are already gone. I have a feeling this one will continue to move quickly, so if you planned to buy it, I wouldn't wait too long.

http://www.easyplr.com/positive-business.htm

Thanks so much for reading. I appreciate you.

Warmly,
Nicole Dean

If you're on any of my EasyPLR.com mailing lists, you know that I LOVE LOVE LOVE giving away free PLR.

If not, well, now you know.

Several of my friends have been giving away free PLR like crazy this month.  So.. in case you're not on my PLR list, I wanted to mention it over here.

Finance (credit cards, saving money) articles (click here)

Health articles (click here)

Complete Marketing Package about Membership Sites (click here)

Personal Development PLR Package (click here)

A Parent's Guide to Medicine Safety: Answers to Common Questions Parents Have When They're Sick (click here)

Each of these PLR freebies is set up to so that you'll be presented with a special offer on the download page. Take a look at the special offers if you need PLR on those topics. It's a great opportunity to try out these services for cheap, cheap, cheap.

Have a great day.

Warmly,
Nicole

We just added a set of PLR articles about Twitter to EasyPLR.com.
Our last two Twitter packs sold out in days, so run over and
grab it if you want these 10 new articles.

Also, today is my birthday (I'm 36, yikes!) so for the rest of
the month, everyone who orders over $36 in EasyPLR will
automatically receive 15% off their entire order. No coupon code
is required. The discount will show in the cart as soon as you
hit the same magic number that I did today.

So stock up and save.
EasyPLR

We also added the following PLR packs last week:
Ways to Save Money
Popular Diet Trends

Have a fantastic week!

Warmly,
Nicole

Here's a super PLR offer (what a perfect way to celebrate the Super Bowl!) and you won't have to log into your PayPal account or whip out a credit card to get it.

All you have to do is go to: FREE Valentine's Day PLR

It's a customizable report entitled:

14 Valentines Fun Ideas for Whole Family… Plus 5 Romantic Ideas for Mom & Dad

You get the full 4-page report plus:

• opt-in page template to build your list with the report.
• 4 ecover graphics to promote your report and give it a professional look
• 3 promotional banners to further spread the word about your fun report

Valentine's Day is right around the corner, so grab yours without delay!

Again, the link to claim your PLR is FREE Valentine's Day PLR

Also, I wanted to remind you that we posted some new PLR last week at EasyPLR.com

The new topics are…

Ways to Save Money PLR articles

Popular Diet Trends PLR articles

Swing by and see what's new:
http://www.EasyPLR.com

Warmly,
Nicole

PS. We'll be posting some new PLR this week. Watch for an email, coming soon.

PS, again. If you're looking for PLR about Online Business, be sure you don't miss PLRSO.com — the deals are incredible! Here's the link: http://www.PLRSO.com <– Free PLR Membership.

PLR articles, recipes, reports, etc. are great for those times when you don't know what to talk about, don't have time to blog, need content to help promote affiliate products, or just want to give your readers more information to devour.

Unfortunately, many bloggers don't realize the power of PLR for their blogs. Many others are under the assumption that PLR is only for other types of online arenas (email, content sites, etc.) but not blogging.

PLR and blogging are a match made in heaven.

If you're wondering how you can spruce up your blog or give yourself a break from writing every so often, check out this free guide from from Alice Seba, Mila Sidman & John Yeo. You'll find out just how PLR can benefit any blog and some great ways to use it on your blog.

Fire Up Your Blog with PLR Content

Have Fun!

Nicole

I weed through them, and many are decent, but it's unusual for one to really catch my attention.

Well, this one did.

As you'll see in a moment, the Personal Development PLR at PLR.me is perfect for

Business mentors,
Marketing teachers,
WAHM blogs,
Success Leaders,
Life Coaches,
Weight loss professionals,
Fitness Trainers,
Speakers,
Managers,
Direct Sellers for Team Training…

and anyone who uses content and basically reaches people — since we all want to improve ourselves.

Check it out: The discount link is here. – No coupon code is required.

You'll get all of the following PLR content:

1. 20 Computer Wallpapers with Inspirational Quotes and Sayings
(in 10 resolutions + a thumbnail image)
2. 30 Inspirational PLR Articles all about Personal Development topics (minimum 500 words)
3. 30 Personal Reflections and Positive Affirmations (great for blog posts!)
4. 5 PDF downloads: checklists, worksheets, reports, handouts, or guides (great for giveaways, upsells, or an expanded product line-up)
5. All eBook covers, graphics and images (use them to promote and sell the PLR materials as your own!)
6. BONUS: Monthly Mastermind Calls (our experts tackle your most burning internet marketing questions… plus get the MP3 audio recording and worksheet!)

It's not all wishy-washy (granola-eater) stuff.

This month, the articles include:

– Have a Strategy for Losing Weight in the New Year
– 5 Simple Brainstorming Techniques
– 5 Ways to Deal with Negative People
– Single-Tasking: The Sane Alternative to Multitasking

And, that's just 4 of the 30 articles that you'll receive.

For more info, check it out here.

The first month is only $19. After that, you would normally go to regular price, but because you're my readers, you'll get 50% off the regular price, again, it's automatic. You don't need a coupon code. Even if you just try it the first month, I know you'll love the quality content that Ronnie offers.

I wish you well and lots of abundance. Stay healthy and cozy and warm.

Warmly,
Nicole

Serve Up Tasty Recipes for your Blog Readers
by Arika Lewis

Are you looking for a fast way to add appeal to your blog? Try adding recipes! It's an easy way to add content that people will “eat up”. Everyone eats and most people cook, at least a little bit. But, how do you get recipes that you can use on your blog? There are numerous places to find recipes and I'll give you a few ideas in just a bit, but first let's discuss some legalese.

To keep from violating any copyright laws, you can not just take recipes out of cookbooks or magazines and type them into your blog. You'll absolutely want to be sure that any recipe you use does not contain the original directions word for word. Both recipe instructions and recipe collections may be copyright protected. Therefore, you have to use other options.

Now let's cover my favorite ways to find recipes that you can use on your mom blog.

Your Recipes

We all have recipes that we make on a regular basis at home. Maybe a favorite dish that is easy to make and everyone loves? Do you have a specialty? Or just a handful of favorite dishes?

If so, get them on your computer and use them on your blog.

Aunts, Grandma & Friends

Does your mother have a special chili recipe that everyone loves? Ooh, and that spicy dip that your sister always brings to football parties.

Look around the Thanksgiving dinner table and ask everyone to share their recipes. Then, start asking your friends, neighbors and co-workers.

Hire a Writer

Another way to get recipes for your blog is to hire a ghostwriter to write them for you. This is a great way to save time and focus your energy elsewhere be it on your website, marketing efforts, or something else. Keep in mind that hiring someone will cost money. However, for most the cost is worth it when you look at the time and effort necessary to do it yourself. You'll have more time to focus on other aspects of your business. Also, you can assign a project to a freelance writer and have it back quicker than you might on your own. You might check out elance.com or shelancers.com for starters.

PLR Recipes

The fourth (and my personal favorite) way to get recipes for your blog is to purchase PLR recipes. The great thing about PLR recipes is:

1. You aren't stuck coming up with all of the recipes yourself.
2. You don't have to pay someone else to write them for you.
3. You can change the recipes as much or as little as you'd like.
4. You can split them up and add them to multiple blogs. You can pretty much do whatever you'd like with them to create a product, freebie or something else.

You can get a lot of PLR recipes for cheap. Some PLR sites sell them for less than a dollar each.

Of course there are some rules with PLR recipes and depending on where you get your recipes the rules vary. For instance, most PLR content providers will not allow you to submit PLR articles to article directories or offer them as private label rights content elsewhere. So, be sure to check the rules before purchasing any PLR content.

A final tip: I recommend that you edit your PLR recipes so they are unique. Some ways to do this are:

• Modify the directions.
• Make the title sound more interesting.
• Give the reader some additional tips. Maybe a favorite side disk or a way to speed up the preparation.

Now you know how very easy it is to add a recipe section to your blog. I hope you'll consider getting started right away so you can attract hungry readers.

Get yummy PLR recipes each month. Just compile them and Viola! You'll have a ready made cookbook that you can sell from your blog. Need a way to make more with your blog? Check out the Menu Planning Affiliate Program

********

Want a unique version of this article to post on your own blog? Get one here. (Just remember you cannot edit the article in anyway and you must leave the resource box in tact.)

If you're an affiliate of YummyPLR you can of course replace the link with your affiliate link and use this bio instead:

Get yummy <a href=”http://www.YummyPLR.com”>PLR recipes</a> each month. Just compile them and Viola! You've got a ready to sell cookbook that you can sell from your blog. Need a way to make more with your blog? The ladies at www.YummyPLR.com will help you with that, too!

Catch ya later,

Nik