If you are a fan of movies from the 1980's you probably watched the cult classic Wall Street.
This flick chronicles the rise and fall of a young stockbroker in New York City during a period of massive financial growth
One of the main characters in the movie – Gordon Gekko – says:
The most valuable commodity I know of is information.
Unfortunately, Mr. Gekko was referring to illegal insider trading, for which he eventually goes to prison.
But as a newbie or struggling blogger this quote is the exact reason why you need to either hire a blogging coach or at the very least follow 1 or 2 respected blogging mentors from your niche. The most valuable commodity really is information to a dyed in the wool, Young Turk blogger or to a struggling, frustrated, lost blogger.
Following the advice of icons like Zac Johnson literally took years off of my learning curve, erasing my struggles and accelerating my success exponentially.
Experienced, skilled mentors offer you valuable information that helps you:
- boost your blog traffic
- increase your blogging profits
- live your dreams through blogging
- identify mistakes you may be making
- uncover the reasons why you are blogging to help you knife through obstacles
As a blogging consultant myself I have helped clients gain clarity, dissolve obstacles and steadily grow their blogs.
I have been on both sides of the fence. As someone who has learned from mentors and has done a fair deal of mentoring myself I want to help you find the right blogging mentor for you.
Look out for these 8 things in a blogging mentor.
Note: for the purposes of this post a mentor can be either a consultant or coach who offers premium services or a blogger who assists you through their free content and advice.
1: A Well-Stocked Blog
The best blogging mentors tend to run well stocked blogs overflowing with free, easy to access and use knowledge.
Darren Rowse at Pro Blogger is a fine example of a blogger who publishes a rich resource.
Jerry Low of this very blog is another shining example of someone who has helped create an incredibly in-depth, thorough blog of free content.
Generous bloggers are usually excellent, thoughtful, generous mentors.
2: Courses
Favor mentors who have created 1 or more online courses.
I created 3 courses solo and a 4th course with my wife Kelli to help my readers while showing off my knowledge.
Think of a course as a tryout for a potential mentor. If someone buys any one of my courses they can see how much I know about blogging and how I can help them tackle their blogging problems in a properly formatted presentation.
3: eBooks
I have written and self-published 126 bite-sized eBooks to:
- provide useful service to readers
- inspire people to test their limits
- entertain readers
- establish my authority
- open a passive income stream
Good coaches should have at least 1 eBook in their blogging library to demonstrate that they have enough knowledge of their discipline to write an eBook.
If the blogger converted the eBook to audio book and paperback it shows a good sign that they are on the ball, reaching out to potential readers through a wider range of online and offline channels.
4: Connections
Scroll down my blog sidebar. You will quickly see I have been featured on:
- Richard Branson's Virgin blog
- Forbes
- Entrepreneur
- Fox News
Since these world famous, respected sites only feature niche leaders I likely know my blogging stuff.
Capable blogging mentors are connected bloggers, appearing on high profile, popular sites within their niche.
Connected mentors can teach you the critical art of building friendships to accelerate your blogging success.
Beware any potential blogging mentor who only seems to appear on their blog. These lone wolves aren't proven, tested bloggers, lacking vetting from established bloggers on authority websites.
5: Social Proof
Readers who scan my sidebar opt in form can see I currently have a 60,000 member Blogging From Paradise community through my:
- Twitter following
- Facebook friend network
- G Plus circle member network
- email list
If a blogger has grown a huge following through social media and their email list they are probably skilled, experienced teachers. It takes time, patience and a devotion to your craft to build a 10,000 member or more community.
6: Professional Promptness
Unless I am flying from New York City to Bali or Bangkok on one of my around the world flights I respond to every email request within 24 hours.
Being professionally prompt and responsive helps me connect with more readers who count me as their mentor.
If a blogger is either super famous offline or perhaps super internet famous you may receive an email response within 2-3 days, a week or perhaps never at all. Tim Ferriss receives 1000 emails daily. He and his staff pick and choose who to respond to. But if a relatively unknown blogger doesn't respond to emails within 1-2 days cross them off of your potential mentor list.
Stick to responsive bloggers. If they respond in a timely fashion they are likely the professional, thoughtful blogger you want to add to your mentor watch list.
7: Sense of Community
Gravitate toward blogging mentors who have built loyal, thriving communities.
These individuals generally have the compassion and empathy to be a heart-felt, caring mentor.
I genuinely care for every one of my readers, commentors, email subscribers, clients and customers. Each of these individuals helped build Blogging From Paradise one cyber brick at a time. Knowing this I express gratitude by rendering the most useful service possible through both my free and premium content offerings.
If you see an active comments section on a mentor's blog and high engagement on their social media profiles you likely have a winner.
8: Results Beyond Your Results
Seek mentors who have achieved results beyond your results to find experienced bloggers who can lay out a framework for your blogging career.
Choose respected experts in your niche to receive insights into how to make your blogging dream come true.
My clients generally want to build a full time income through blogging. Since I have been a pro blogger for many years I can show them how to become a full time pro blogger.
Maybe you want to increase engagement on your blog. Pick a blogging coach who has a proven track record in receiving a high volume of valuable, in-depth, community-building comments.
One Exception
I always enjoy sharing this secret with clients, readers and customers: you mentor just needs to be 1 step ahead of you to teach you how to take that 1 step.
Clients wrongly believe all mentors need year's worth of experience, a world famous name and eye-popping accomplishments to be a skilled, capable, appropriate mentor. Your blogging mentor only needs to have the knowledge and experience beyond your current level of knowledge and experience in the area where you need coaching or mentoring.
Example; if you just want to know how to set up a Wordpress blog from scratch and publish your first post, a newbie tech blogger can likely help you with this task.
Conclusion
Picking a mentor to lead you can be a confusing experience but shaving years from your learning curve is worth the due diligence.
You don't need to check every one of these points off before picking a blogging mentor. Make sure you see at least 1 or 2 of these prerequisites before choosing a mentor to help you grow a successful blog.
