Update: The MP3 audio version of the Roadmap report has been added to the download page and it’s free too. Now you can read and listen to what it takes to build a great blog!
I’m very excited to announce that my latest report, co-authored with Gideon Shalwick, my partner in the Becomeablogger.com video site, is now ready for download.
Gideon and I have been working hard for the past few months preparing this report for you. It’s called “The Roadmap To Become A Blogger“, or as I like to simply call it – “The Roadmap“.
You can download the free report right now from here -
Why Another Report About Blogging?
I don’t release new products very often. The reason why is because I prefer to invest time in something to make sure it delivers tremendous value and I like to have the opportunity to develop a product with feedback from active participants.
Back in 2007 I hired Gideon Shalwick to produce a series of videos I had envisioned for a domain name that I acquired called becomeablogger.com. I wanted to have some very basic training presented in video for people new to blogs so they could learn how to begin the blogging process by themselves, no matter what skill they currently possessed with technology.
Fast forward to today and we are nearing 60,000 viewers of those videos. Gideon did a fantastic job and I’m so pleased the site has truly taken off.
Gideon and I both agreed that if the videos were well received we would like to do more. However, in order to devote the time and resources into creating the videos (the free videos we currently give away cost several thousand dollars to create), we would need to make the service a membership site, and hence the idea for Become A Blogger Premium was born.
This new premium video membership site will open December 4th 2008 to invite the first intake of students. I’ll have more news about that soon.
As soon as we decided to launch the new training program I knew we would need something to give away as a teaching tool to introduce people to the concepts we are presenting in the new series of videos. After going back and forwards between delivering the resource in video or text, we decided to use both, but focus our core message in one document – The Roadmap.
What Is The Roadmap Report?
The Roadmap is a completely new guide to successful blogging based on my core strategies for building a great and profitable blog, but with an added dimension, because it’s been interpreted and augmented by Gideon.
Of course I didn’t want to produce *just* another guide to profitable blogging since my Blog Profits Blueprint already does a very good job of that. That’s why the Roadmap deliberately take a different approach, yet still introduces you to the fundamentals of good blogging.
You can look at the Roadmap as an extension of what was started in the Blueprint. Some of the materials overlap, but you will see in particular the second half of the report is a critical update for our current blogging environment. Things have changed and the Roadmap gives you some tools to excel in the current Internet landscape we all operate in.
Rather than me try to explain everything here, go download the Roadmap for yourself and set aside 30 minutes to read it. You will be glad you did.
Here’s the link again (it’s free) – http://www.becomeablogger.com/roadmap/
Gideon Teaches Me Something New
After working with Gideon and becoming his friend, I began to experience what unique talents he possesses. The first thing that was pretty clear to me after our initial collaboration is that Gideon is great at teaching beginners through video. Just watching the free videos at becomeablogger.com is enough to see that.
I joke with Gideon that he’s like a “sesame street” presenter for blogging, teaching people how to use blogs and web tools with a style simple enough that children could follow his instructions. This is a good thing of course, because when explaining what can be complex tasks on computers, you need to clearly present what people need to know without overwhelming them.
As I got to know Gideon better another talent surfaced, and it was something I was very pleased to see as it’s not a strong point of my own (it’s good to surround yourself with people who are good at what you are not).
Gideon has an uncanny ability to keep up with the latest and greatest marketing trends online that use social media and multimedia. It’s no coincidence that Gideon decided to become an expert at video – there’s a passion driving that motivation. Gideon constantly buzzes me on Skype with links to new tools, interesting videos, social media sites and all kinds of resources.
All these resources, when used in the right way, can be powerful marketing tools and I wanted Gideon to teach me and others how to use these tools to promote a blog.
Blogs, as we all know, do not succeed without marketing and it’s getting harder and harder to stand out from the crowd. I came to realize that what Gideon knows is a differentiation factor. By implementing his Web 2.0 techniques your blog becomes a dominant player – and I’ve been using his ideas ever since.
Now it’s time to share them with you.
The X-Factor
The Roadmap really is Gideon’s creation. I wrote the introduction and I advised him on what should be in the document and my advice led to him completely scrapping the first version of the report and writing it again. This turned out to be a very good thing and the latest document is fantastic in my opinion. This is Gideon’s baby and he should be proud.
The first part of the Roadmap is exactly what it describes – a roadmap for going from a standing start, setting up your blog and then completing a set of milestones in a sequence to build a successful blog.
For experienced bloggers, this may not be something new to you, but it’s definitely worth reading because it will tell you what you are not doing that could be stopping you from building a great blog.
The second part of the Roadmap contains Gideon’s magic – what we call the “X-Factor” techniques that you need to apply to your blogging in order to stand out in the current environment.
Today good writing alone is not enough and the X-Factor is what you apply to your blog in order to take it to a level, where you start to realize all the big benefits of blogging, namely -
- Huge traffic
- Preeminence in your marketplace
- And of course, significant profit
Once you learn the X-Factor techniques presented in the Roadmap, you will have the keys for finally realizing what you want from your blog.
You can download your copy right now from here -
http://www.becomeablogger.com/roadmap/
Why You Should Download The Roadmap
If you like what I have to say about blogging in my newsletter and on this blog, if you have benefited from Gideon’s training videos at Becomeablogger.com and you are a devoted fan of the blogging dream, then you need to pay attention to this report.
For some of you this will be partially old news, but there’s enough in the Roadmap that I believe even seasoned veterans will benefit. If Gideon can teach me something new and I’ve been in this game for four years now, he can definitely do the same for you.
If you are completely new to blogging you are in for a treat. The Roadmap is a fantastic – and most importantly – a basic introduction of the world of successful blogging, plus it has some absolutely killer new ideas that most people won’t know and certainly don’t do, that you can start your blogging journey with a big advantage.
Here’s that download link one last time…
After you finish reading the Roadmap stay tuned for some more great resources coming up. Gideon has some short videos to teach you a couple of the X-Factor techniques and then of course, on December 4th, Become A Blogger Premium is open to new students.
Yaro and Gideon
Become A Blogger Trainers
PS. One last thing – Make sure you leave us your feedback about the Roadmap as comment replies to this blog post. We really love to hear what you think of the new report and the ideas presented within.
I hope this is truly a different blogging product from the ones we see coming out every day.
From a quick skimming of the report, I am a bit disappointed to see that your “X-Factor” is something that not everyone like to do…maybe it’s just me!
Good luck with the launch
Hi Yiorgos – there are so many different X-Factor techniques everyone will have something they can do.
Read the report rather than skim it and you will see that we don’t suggest you do every X-Factor technique, you just find the ones you like and do them really well.
I’ll check it out Yaro!
You’re one of my most favorite bloggers and this new product can maybe push me over the top!
Congratulation for the new report Yaro… i’ll leave a feedback after i read it… cheerSS!
Thanks for the free report Yaro.
Hi Yaro! I think all your reports and course materials are WONDERFUL. I am the one who asked you about two- versus three-column design on your last online call. Thanks for the exhaustive answer, btw!
Your Blog Mastermind course is giving me so much value I can hardly believe it. You are a great teacher, and if you say that your friend Gideon is a great teacher, that’s all the endorsement I need!
I’ll get back to you after I read and watch and listen!
Will becomeablogger be paid for BlogMastermind alumni, or will we have access to the videos for free still?
Cheers!
Llaria – yes I remember your question from the group call. I think you will enjoy the Roadmap report a lot too.
There will be a 50% discount on the Become A Blogger Premium video coaching course for Blog Mastermind members. You will get an email from me later in the week with a special link to order with the discount.
I look forward to your feedback on the Roadmap.
Excellent news … I always enjoy reading your stuff. Heading over there right now to pick up a copy.
I’m already a blogger.. But a pretty bad blogger so I really need this.. You really know what I was thinking Yaro.. =D
Will post my review in the comments after reading it.. Thanks!
Congratulations too!
I just put a brief introduction for this report on my blog, and I will have a detailed review after I finish reading it.
Congratulations Yaro! Looking forward to seeing this become just as successful as BlogMastermind!
Cool new book. I’m hoping this one will be as fanstastic as the first. I have to thank you again thought for “Blog Profits Blueprint”. It was every bit as good as John Chow’s free ebook. It’s open my mind to new possibilities and strengthened and affirmed some of my own ideas.
Take care Yaro.
Thanks again.
I learned many new things from these articles. All my friends read this blog. -))
Hey Yaro,
You guys mention “Joe Blog” in the report, just a heads up, most Americans aren’t familiar with that name. The U.S. versions would be Joe Blow or John Q. Public.
I know Joe Blog from my days teaching for the Princeton Review, where they use Joe Blog as the guy who always answers the questions wrong.
Elaine
congrats on the release! All the best, I’m helping to spread the word. By the way, I saw your video on You Tube- love the scenery. Cheers,
-Miguel
Link in confirmation email doesn’t work for me.
Hi Evan
Sorry to hear you’re having problems. If you send me an email at support [at] becomeablogger.com I can have a look into it for you…
Gideon Shalwick
Thanks for the guide, but why do I have to fill in my name and email again when I already subscribe to your newsletter?
Because Gideon wants to keep in touch with you via email. If you don’t want him to, unsubscribe after you download the Roadmap.
Congratulations Yaro . I know this will be a great help for me . I wanted to start blogging as a hobby , but now you will be my coach on how to start to blog as a source of income .
I can’t wait to sink my teeth into this. I’m sure it will prove to be more of a GPS than a Roadmap! Thanks!
Yaro,
I finished reading “Roadmap to Become a Blogger”, but I have to say the following first.
I just want to tell you that I believe your Blogging Blueprint report has changed my life, in the sense that I actually found (quite accidentally!) how I can channel a passion I’ve always had through a vehicle that is really very simple to use – blogging! Ever since I read that report, I have viewed all the videos on becomeablogger.com and set up my own web site (theparadiddler.com, a blog about all things drumming) and am very happy (although always looking forward) with it’s progress. All are welcome to take a look and give your opinion!
And now your latest report, along with Gideon Shalwick (who has a great voice for explaining), is even better still. I thought I was excited before, but this report is awesome! I’ll be able to implement some of the items explained in the report right away. My site has been up for about two months, and I think it will just get better.
Thank you very much Yaro for putting in so much time and effort in helping others profit from something they might already be doing, but previously had no channel to publish their interests. I hope to be able to sign up to the premium video service.
One question though: does the Become a Blogger Premium supercede the Blog Mastermind membership if we’re not signed up to that, or will you be recommending subscribing to both, or how will that work?
Anyway, kudos to you. I hope to speak with you personally in the future as my site progresses.
Hi Omar
Thanks for the positive review!
Glad you enjoyed reading the report and found it useful.
Thank you also to all the other comments so far…
Talk soon!
Gideon Shalwick
Co-Author of The Roadmap To Become A Blogger
Hi Omar,
Thanks for the feedback – I’m glad the Roadmap met your expectations too!
Become a Blogger Premium and Blog Mastermind are intended to be complementary programs, not competition. There is some overlap between the two programs, but the differences are quit significant too.
BAB Premium is taught by Gideon through videos that focus very much on the visual steps you need to take to get things done. It’s very much for beginners who want to learn how to do everything on their own.
BM is mostly a text based program (with audios too) and I do not teach the technical aspects the way Gideon does, rather I suggest people outsource all tech work.
The pricing point is different, BAB Premium will open at $27 a month for the launch week. BM was $97 a month.
The content within the courses reflects the different pricing points and you might look at BM as the big brother to BAB Premium, although they are both complete programs.
Hi Yaro, from 1 Aussie to another (I’m in Perth).
Loved your blogging blueprint – it was/is an excellent introduction to successful blogging and I still refer back to it today.
Looking forward to your new Roadmap report (Gideon’s report?) and just wanted to say thanks for making it available to us for free. I’m off to download it now.
Eran Malloch
WCR Internet Marketing
Google Qualified AdWords Professional
Read it. Loved it. Told all my friends about it. Lets face it with 2 blogs being created every 3 seconds you have to do something to stand out. This ebook really got me thinking about the future of blogging. Great suggestions. Thanks Yaro and Gideon. You guys make a great team.
hi yaro
we thank you for all tips given and I am very useful taste
Thank you again Yaro for providing even more resources for bloggers (or wannabe bloggers).
Great to know we all share that common goal of educating as many as we can about the value in this business model.
Yaro,
thanks for the report it was excellent..read it and will definitely put into practice what you recommend. Have twitted about this book in my twitter stream
Hi Yaro,
I am Puspanjali here.
I have just finished downloading “The Roadmap To Become A Blogger”.
I am sure it will have the same high quality information that you have been
giving away free.I am just beginning to learn blogging.In my hurry to learn fast I came across and gathered a lot of information that was beyond my
comprehension.The kind of guidance you give starts from the very basics.
And that is why I get drawn to your videos and ebooks.
I hope to be able to join your coaching program one day.
All the best Yaro.
Puspanjali
Hi Yaro & Gideon
Many thanks for the report – just downloaded!
Good luck with the launch.
Liz
Festival Previews
Hey Yaro,
I’m going to download the ebook right now. Your previous Blog Profit Blueprint provide tremendous value and I believe this time, The Roadmap will too.
Cheers
Vincent
Personal Development Blogger
Well done Yaro and Gideon.
There’s some great information in the report that I can begin applying straight away.
Good luck with the new service – it definately meets a need.
Allan
I am waiting to download the report before commenting on it. I must however provide immediate feedback on the video on the download link.
The way the soundtrack fires up without warning almost provoked a heart attack. I mean this literally being not long out of the cardiac ward. Please reconsider or provide a warning. It is too sudden and too sharp.
Hello Yaro,
Great Download; Fantastic Aids and Tips. Awaiting the launch of the Monthly Membership to Become a Blogger. Here is to Success for my members, me, you and Gideon for a long awaited good product! Am promoting it on all my websites!!
http://www.LondonInternetMarketing.com/
http://www.startawebblog.com/
http://www.start-blogging-online.com/
http://www.ashumer.co.uk/
Thank you. Shall download and leave a comment as well.
Hey there Yaro and Gideon,
Having read your report, I just wanted to leave a comment here saying what a great job you guys have done with it. The pdf flows well, is formatted in a way that’s easily readable and above all, gives great content to the blogging novice.
To give you some more helpful feedback, I wanted to point out that the first half or so of the Roadmap wasn’t really that helpful to bloggers who’ve been around in the game for a bit – I mean simple things like blogging about things you’re passionate about of course seem a bit obvious (although I can appreciate how it might not be for a MMO wannabe blogger).
However, I thought the “X Factor” tips were really great, and have actually given me quite a few new ideas for my new site, and I was impressed by how many ideas you actually gave away.
I definitely wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the Roadmap to any other newbie/veteran blogger, and am hoping that the videos will be along the same lines as what you’ve created here!
Hope you’re well Yaro!
Thanks Adnan and good to hear from you. I see you are still blogging at blogtrepreneur. If I recall, you sold that blog didn’t you? Maybe you are still contract writing for it.
Glad you liked the Roadmap!
Look forward to the new premium video membership site on the 5th inst.
Hey Yaro! You did it again! You and Gideon nailed it right on the head. Your report is spot on regarding the deficiencies that I see on many blogs (including mine) to make them stand out and differentiate themselves from the crowded and overpupulated blogsphere. Well, I guess you should know about these things since you only make 10K plus per month and have a readership of 50K readers! You know how to walk the talk!
Thanks to both of you and much success!
Great job Yaro. I devoured this report ASAP. I’ve been standing at the edge of producing multimedia for my blog. This confirms my belief that this is absolutely the next wave in successful blogging. Gideon’s ability to lay out the information in a straightforward way gives me the confidence to move forward into the multimedia world.
Thanks Gideon and Yaro
Cheers
Brian
http://www.sloan.ca/
Though I skimmed the report as opposed to read it, I was pretty blown away by how much new, useful actionable information was in there including blogs and websites I had never heard of.
I can’t wait to see what the course will look like. Much props to Gideon he did an awesome job with this report.
Cool report Yaro & Gideon. Your show has really moved on since the Blueprint report, and indicates a major shift towards professionally produced content. If this is going to become the standard going forward then I’m going to have to step up a gear as I’ll be left behind otherwise.
What this report does is to show bloggers how to set themselves apart from the ramblers and reporters.
I’ve just blogged about this report…
http://www.startup-blogger.com/the-roadmap-to-become-a-blogger-report-launched/
I’m so excited when i read this blog post at John Chow. i coudn’t just believe how this may affecting our writing and publishing skill. It may give a lot of ideas for starter blog and a big help for nobbies!!
I just downloaded and read the entire report. I realized it is time to focus my blogs by topic and get going with video. Great information and I look forward to being another Yaro success story!
Dear Yaro and Gideon,
Let me start by saying – you both totally rock!!!
I am a long time web designer (from the days of hand-coding before WYSIWYG) who has recently seen the light and converted to WordPress as my main web building platform. And so it follows that with my discovery of WP, I also discovered the world of blogging for passion and profit. I must confess that I am one of those people who is guilty of overanalyzing, overcomplicating, and worst of all — stymied overresearching. So, for what it is worth, my review of your Roadmap and Blueprint eBooks, comes after reading every last detail of close to 200 different blogging for profit websites, courses, and eBooks (both free and paid).
I devoured Roadmap and Blueprint, and chain-watched all of Gideon’s videos. In my opinion, your information is the BEST AND MOST CONCISE FREE GUIDE TO DEVELOPING A BLOG-BASED BUSINESS. The best part about it is that it is presented in a way that imparts a feeling of “you can do this” and “this is exactly what you should do next to get there”! This inspiration and specific guidance was lacking from all the other resources I scraped from the internet!
I also loved reading <A HREF=”http://www.entrepreneurs-journey.com/yaro-starak-timeline/”Yaro’s business timeline. I was starting to think I was the only one who was cursed with the burden and lack of focus that comes with having too many business startups!
I want to thank you both for being the turning point that has inspired me to be ready to ACT.
Yaro,
Awsome ebook! I read half of it last night and realized I was making a ton of mistakes. The roadmap is the ebook all bloggers should read. I can’t wait to read the rest of it. I would also like to say I can’t wait until the premium stuff is released.
Thanks so much,
Chris Holdheide
http://www.stumbleforward.com
Thanks Yaro for this truly helpful resource. I have only been blogging for just over a month but this will encourage me not only to continue but to take it to a whole new level.
Beautifully timed, Yaro & Gideon. I was in the throes of getting involved in videos, and now X-Factor has added a whole raft of complementary activities.
Good to be reminded to keep my focus on the route, too. It’s taken nearly a year to remember that I lived sailing and sailboat racing for over 20 years, and that after 30 years of bringing up a family I want back in – as a commentator rather than a participant this time. First time I’ve had trouble keeping down to one post a day instead of up to one a week – but now I need to find a need to fulfill rather than just chatting about the news…
Thank you Sir
I printed out the report well the last 35 pages I was running late
and my printer starts from the last page and works forward.
I had to go with a friend and sit in a Doctors office a some what depressing place it was crowded Yes I am very grateful for my health
Having your report to read was the best thing that could happen
it was full of excellent information.
Talk about over deliver you have done it again SIR.
I also watched some of the free videos and I can’t wait
for your video training to start.
Now we have no good excuse for not having a blog
even if we do it for others at the cost of making our training FREE.
I really liked Become A Blogger report although I am not quite that
advanced yet. I am actually just trying to learn more about how to blog.
I think when I am ready that this report will definitely come in handy.
I am one of those newbies and really can’t afford to get my feet wet
yet or am technologically advanced in any way. I still have trouble just
getting some advertising done.
But as soon as I can I will get started,
Thank you,
Brenda
Honest review after reading through the copy.
I picked up a couple of new stuffs and learnt about some new sites. But what really blown me away was the 13 X-Factor strategies. Awesome!
Hey Yaro,
Thanks for the report. I loved the Blog Profits Blueprint and I’m sure I’ll get a lot out of The Roadmap as well. One area I’m not fond of is as you put it the X Factor but with your report I should be able to get over that hurdle.
Thanks again
I really like the clean simple straightforward style, the useful links and especially all the new stuff you call the X factor.
Yaro
Read the entire report, it’s beneficial read for everyone- some people need to humble themselves by becoming teachable. I posted more reaction to the report on my site if you’re interested in reading what I had to say. Cheers,
-Miguel
I can’t wait to sink my teeth into this. I’m sure it will prove to be more of a GPS than a Roadmap! Thanks!
Yaro;
A friend of mine told me about you and it was you who finally convinced me to make the switch over to WordPress after 3 years of blogging on Blogger. Transferring all the posts was a snap, (although they need reformatted) and all my content now actually ranks higher than it ever did on Blogger.
What I thought would take months for search engines to find and rank took mere days and I now have more traffic than ever! (And still growing!)
I LOVE your approach and can’t thank you enough for helping me realize that what I had was absolute GOLD. All it took was a tweak here and nudge there and I’m well on my way in less time than I ever thought possible.
I’m very grateful to you and all you do.
Warmest Regards,
Doug Bauknight
AKA: TravelPro
As someone new to blogging, everything is of interest to me. The “Roadmap” did make me realize that I’ll be doing more than just writing, however, in order to have this be a successful income stream.
I did really like the ACTION PLANS for each Milestone. I’m one of those people who likes a step-by-step process spelled out for me. I’m looking forward to actually having my blog up and running soon!
Best regards,
Karen
Hey Hey:)
Yaro and Gideon, thank you for this new report! I just finished reading it and it gave me a TON of new ideas to implement within my blog. I just recently started a blog, so I’m excited to put them to use and see the results! Again, thank you for such valuable information!:)
-Cheri Amour
http://www.youngphotopreneur.com