You might have spotted her on popular personal development / self-improvement field blogs such as Dumb Little Man, Pick the Brain, The Change Blog, Diet Blog or You On A Diet.
Hi Ali, thanks a lot for agreeing to this interview.
Thanks for interviewing me!
If the people reading this ask, who is Ali Hale, what would you say?
I'd say that like them, I'm not just one thing! Online, I'm primarily known for my blogging, as you mentioned. I'm passionate about touching people's minds and hearts, and finding the potential in everyone.
I don't spend all my time blogging, though. I also write fiction: I'm taking a part-time MA in creative writing (my undergraduate degree was English literature), and I'm working on a novel as part of that.
Could you describe what you do and how you earn your living?
I work as a staff writer for the blogs you mentioned above in the introduction. I have an old blog of my own, www.theofficediet.com, which I don't update much now but which gets some income from advertising.
The project which I get most excited about, though, is my own site www.aliventures.com. I blog there about "getting more from life", and I can write more challenging and experimental content there than I can during my freelance blogging work. The site doesn't make much money yet - though I have had some income from affiliate sales: my plans for Aliventures are quite long-term.
Why is there a demand for your services, and how does your business benefits the blog owners?
I'm sure you've heard bloggers say that "content is king" - without solid content and good writing, no blog is going to succeed. I'm an effective writer, and my posts get lots of positive comments and emails.
In many cases, blog editors and owners aren't necessarily great writers. That could be for a number of reasons -- for some, English isn't their native language, and for others, they simply prefer to focus on the business side of things and outsource the writing to others. That's where I usually come in!
What are the 3 most effective tips you have used to improve your business?
1. Build up relationships with other people in your field: it's easy to feel isolated as a freelancer. Plus, in the blogging world, fellow bloggers (paid or otherwise) are usually more than happy to offer advice or a helping hand!
2. Don't economise too much. I didn't want to spend money on my business when I started out, but I found that buying a few ebooks and taking a couple of courses really improved my bottom line. If you can spend $10 to make $100, it's worth doing!
3. Focus on the areas of business which make you the most money for the least hassle! When I started out freelancing, I did some work for website clients - mostly very small businesses who wanted a website for the first time. I learnt a lot, but there was much more administrative work involved than with my blogging. I also did some editing, which again involved quite a bit of admin. Since then, I've narrowed my focus a lot.
How you manage to create remarkable content consistently? What are your secrets?
I share a lot of my secrets in my Staff Blogging Course (a downloadable, self-study course for anyone who wants becoming a paid blogger). If I had to give a few short tips, I'd say:
1. Brainstorm ideas regularly. Sit down and write a list of 50 ideas for new blog posts (or article marketing pieces, newsletter content, etc). I find it easiest to get ideas in "batches" like this, rather than sitting staring at a blank screen every time I'm trying to write a post.
2. Plan and structure your posts. Don't just start writing with no idea of where you're going: it's easy to run out of steam, or to wander off on a tangent.
3. Read some of the big, popular blogs and learn from what they do well! One of my must-reads is www.copyblogger.com.
4. Write content that you're passionate about. Look for something that intrigues you - or something that makes you angry! If you're bored by what you're writing, your reader isn't going to be gripped!
5. If you don't feel like writing, force yourself to make a start. You'll find that the intitial reluctance fades almost instantly.
Thank you very much for the interview, do you have any future plans for your business that you would like to share with us?
I've pretty much stopped taking on new paid blogging jobs in order to focus on my blog at www.aliventures.com. I'm planning to produce more products of my own - I've got three ebooks and a new ecourse planned at the moment! I'm slowly increasing the percentage of my income that comes from advertising, affiliate sales and other mostly-passive methods: this will give me more time to write high quality, free, content for my own blog.
Read more about Ali Hale:
Ali blogs about "getting more from life" at www.aliventures.com, a blog for thinking people aren't satisfied with easy, glib answers. Readers have described posts as “so true”, “exactly what I need” and “exactly at the right time for me”. If that sounds like something you could do with, click here to grab the RSS feed.
Staff Blogging Course Discount Code for Profits Master Plan readers:
If you are ready to learn how to earn money as a staff blogger, use this discount code: pmpreader to get an exclusive discount for Staff Blogging Course.
