How I Went from No-Name Newbie Blogger to International Recognition

A Case Study by Arvind Devalia of Make it Happen

Do you want to go from no-name newbie to international recognition? Read on to see how I did it.

Here’s my story:

I’ve been blogging for almost 3 years. Or I thought I was, but looking back, for most of those 3 years, I was really only dabbling in it!

It was only when I took part in Leo Babauta’s A-List Blogging Bootcamp that my blog took off.

Since August 2009, I’ve had many days with 100s of new unique visitors and 1,000s of page views – which may not sound like a lot, but compared to before August, it’s a massive jump. Plus, I got exposure right around the world.

So what changed and what did I get from the Bootcamp that has made such a great difference?

Well, first let me just cover the key things I have done with my blog:

• 1. Quality content.
  I cannot emphasize just how important this is: content, content, content! I now write with the reader in mind and focus on providing value all the time.
• 2. Regular articles.I now write at least 2 or 3 posts every week. My readers want more than just one post from me – so why not give it to them?!
• 3. Superb headlines.This is now a key part of my article writing – every headline s carefully crafted and memorable.
• 4. New design. In the Bootcamp, my blog was the very first one chosen for the “hotseat”. This is where participants can volunteer for their blog to be reviewed by Leo and Mary. And boy, did my design and content get pilloried by Leo!

It was actually the best thing ever as I now have a new user-friendly and stunning design, which my new and old readers love:
Click on the image to enlarge


• Guest posts.  This is a strategy I have been applying to get many new readers to my blog and is working really well. I have more than doubled my subscribers in the last 2 months and there is a lot more to come still.

Creating Great Connections

However there is one single key to my success which has been more important than any other during this time – creating great connections!

Creating and cultivating new connections since the A-List Bootcamp has resulted in many amazing opportunities:-

• I got the opportunity to connect with and learn from top notch bloggers from around the world. I have made some wonderful new friends and we have a very supportive community with everyone rooting for each other to do well.
• I became aware of cutting-edge technical initiatives such as Apture, which allows you to show multimedia content on your blog dynamically. I used Apture on a post I wrote about Gandhi, and Mary Jaksch used this as a case study for a key post she wrote on ProBlogger, one of the world’s premium blogging websites. Here is my post:  6 Key Lessons in Life from a 140 Year Old Man
• As a result of my Gandhi post, my blog was chosen as the Apture website of the week. This brought a raft of traffic and new visitors to my blog. Apture also featured me on their blog and within their newsletter.
• Mary Jaksch asked me to look after her blog Goodlife ZEN whilst she was away for 3 weeks in South America. I got exposure to her readers and also wrote a guest post for her blog.
• I have just been appointed as the manager of the A-List Blog Clinic which is about to be launched. This is a great opportunity and I am in at the ground level of what promises to become a very exciting project.
• Finally I now have easy access to Mary Jaksch and Leo Babaunta, two of the world’s top bloggers. I have an opportunity to ask them for advice and can also approach them for guest posts.

So, all in all it has been a roller coaster 3 months since the A-List Bootcamp. I have learnt so much, made many new friends but above all I have had a lot of fun too!

The cost of Leo and Mary’s Bootcamp is not cheap but such quality information about blogging is priceless, if you are really serious about blogging.

And as I’ve shown you, you get much more than just learn how to blog!

Read more by Arvind at Make It Happen and connect with him on Twitter.

Note from Leo and Mary: Please go ahead and let us know what you think in the comments. The best commenter will get a FREE place on the upcoming Bootcamp!

We start accepting enrolments from February 8