Episodes

Writers love apps. We can waste countless hours testing and researching them. Before apps, it was pens, paper, and especially notebooks. The truth is, the tools we use are not nearly as important as the act of writing. The only indispensable pen, notebook, or app is the one that you will use to do actual writing. In this show, I'll share my personal 7 indispensable writing apps. Other reasons to listen: How to know God's not angry with you. An app that changes your negative thinking into posi...

"So, what do you do every day? What's typical day like in your life?" I am asked this question, or something similar, often enough that I thought it might be worth answering in a podcast episode. This show is entitled, "A Day in the Life of Ray". Other reasons to listen: How to see more good days than bad, from now on. A service that allows you to easily build beautiful process documentation for your business and your team. An encore presentation of the Masterclass, "How To Write A Sales Pag...

Social media marketing is here, it's here to stay, and it's bigger than ever. But who can keep up with the trends, the new networks, and the shifting sands of strategy and tactics? How do you know what to spend your time on, and what's a waste? Who could possibly sort through this mass of possible opportunities or pitfalls? You- that's who! All you really need is the 2015 Social Media Marketing Industry Report. In today's episode, I'll tell you where to get it, why it's important, what to look ...

Have you heard the phrase, "Information is power?" Well, it's not true. It's not even close to being true. The idea that "information is power" is misleading, and causes many people to create roadblocks to their own success. And it's about more than just the distinction that "information applied is power" – even that variation has problems. I'll explain how to transform the lead of "information" into the gold of "transformation" in this episode. Spiritual Foundations You Have Everything You N...

The single most important thing you can do to boost your social media engagement is right better headlines. If you don't get the click, you certainly don't get engagement. Old-fashioned headline templates are no longer enough. You need a smarter, stickier strategy. In today's episode I give you a sample from our brand-new copywriting course-I'll share five amazing tricks for perfect social media headlines. Tip Of the Week COPYWRITING COURSE NOTE: You may be wondering, "Hey Ray, where's that l...

Want to know the secret to writing well? Write a lot. Want to know the secret to writing a lot? Write fast. Not only does writing fast help you write better, it also allows you to make more money (if your income is dependent upon your writing). In this episode… The O.D.E.S.S.A. Secret To Writing 10X Faster (And Better) Tip Of the Week Today we are releasing the first in a free video series called, "Magic Words That Make You Rich" (hat tip to Ted Nicholas). You can watch the first video by cl...

Have you ever written a blog post, one you thought was going to be brilliant, only to read it afterward and realize it falls flat? Have you ever gone back through your library of past posts, and occasionally wondered, "How did I write something this boring? If so, don't despair. I think all of us who write experience this phenomenon. The good news is you can resurrect "dead" blog posts. In this episode, I will describe 5 quick ways you can jumpstart  a dead blog post. Tip Of the Week The Gr...

On March 27, my friend Michael Hyatt started a firestorm with a blog post entitled, How Much Business Is Your Profanity Costing You? One of the most heated debates I've witnessed online ensued. Many people offered the rationale that their profanity was either a way of bonding with their audience, or of using an NLP technique known as a "pattern interrupt" (allegedly getting immediate attention and thus making communication more effective). I think most of the discussion missed Michael's most i...

We often hear success stories of people who go from "rags to riches". We usually hear about the struggles they had when they started. What is uncommon is to hear about the struggles they still endure, and how they are overcoming them in the present moment. I'm very excited about today's show, which is mostly a recording of a conversation between me and my friend Cliff Ravenscraft, also known as The Podcast AnswerMan. During this totally unscripted, off-the-cuff interview, you'll discover: How ...

You're smart. You never believed the people who said "there's no money in Social Media". You thought the people who said Social was all about "pictures of what people had for lunch" or "videos about cats" were missing the point. Yes, those things are popular on Social Media… and it's also true that Social Media is a vital marketing medium that can bring big rewards, monetary and otherwise when done right. Just ask Taylor Swift, Oreo, the folks behind the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, or even Preside...

Cash is the oxygen that lets your business breathe. And just like oxygen, when there is none available it's all you can think about because you need it to survive. Sometimes your business just needs a fast infusion of cash, and today I'll show you 3 ways to get cash quick. Best of all, they are legal, moral, and ethical! Tip Of the Week I have a new friend, and I love him. His name is Edgar. Let me explain. Most of our social media updates go to waste. They're only seen by a fraction of our ...

Many people struggle with getting their online business rolling because they never get around to creating their product. They think it has to be hard and take a long time. But I don't think either of those things are true. In fact, today I'll share 3 easy ways you can create products fast! Tip Of the Week How to read an extra book each month – audiobooks! I use Audible.com to read an extra book a month – some months two books! 3 reasons why this is a good idea: It makes use of what tony Rob...

It can be hard to find time to build your business, especially if you have a full-time job. "Moonlighting" to build your business can lead to burnout, problems with your current employer, or the failure of your spare-time startup. I found I had to make five specific trade-offs to make it work. I believe anyone who is leaving a full-time job to pursue their own business can do the same, if you're willing to make these same five trade-offs. Tip Of the Week The easiest way to develop a new habit...

I have written quite a bit about productivity, and done more than a few podcasts on the subject of getting things done. Today, I am taking a departure from the normal recommendations about being productive-including my own. On today's show, I will share five surprising productivity "hacks"- shortcuts that make you more productive. But shortcuts you may be shocked to hear coming from me. Tip of the Week This week's tip I actually picked up from my good friend Pat Flynn. Recently, I was listeni...

Does this sound like you? You hear people talk about "finding their passion" and "discovering your calling", but you don't seem to be able to find yours. You want to do work that matters, and enjoy the process – but you don't know how. The secret, as suggested by Jeff Goins in his new book The Art of Work is to find the intersection between what you care about and the needs of the world. (And, by the way, you can get a free copy of The Art of Work for a limited time here.) Today's podcast is a ...

The time comes for all of us when we have to make big life transitions. In fact, it comes many times over the years… going off to college, getting married, starting a family, starting a business or new job. And there are other big transitions, too, the ones we don't enjoy so much. These can include serious illness, broken marriages, the death of a loved one – and many more unpleasant challenges we'd rather not face. In today's episode, I share surprising conversation with Brian Holmes about how...

I think we can all agree, if you get your writing published on Huffington Post, The Good Men Project, or Entrepreneur.com, that would probably be a good thing, yes? It turns out it may not be all that hard to do… In today's episode, I interview the Amazing Kimanzi Constable, and that's just one of the many fascinating lessons you will learn. Spiritual Foundations: How to Get God to Bless Your Work Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established. Proverbs 16:3 Whatever you do,...

Study entrepreneurs, and you'll find some great behaviors to emulate. Just as useful: study the things they don't do! In today's episode, I'll share 10 Things Successful Entrepreneurs Don't Do. Other Reasons To Keep Listening How to learn a language for free. No, God is not punishing you for some sin! How to get a great design for your website – a conversation with my designer. That's all coming up in today's episode… Tip of the Week: DuoLingo is the way to learn a language for free. Snar...

Donald Miller is one of the most influential Christian writers of our day. His books evoke strong reactions, and for many they strike a chord like no work before. His new book, Scary Close, is available today, and in this interview we discuss how he came to write it, and why the message of this book is so important. Get the book and other neat stuff at Donald Miller's website. You can also buy it at Amazon. How You Can Help Subscribe to the show in iTunes and give us a rating and review. Peo...

Now that you are marketing your products and services online, you have instant global reach. But there's one problem: your marketing now stands shoulder to shoulder with Coke, Ford, the NFL, Oprah, and every other major brand that's online. How do you compete? In this session I'm sharing a conversation with Marshall Wayne, who is breaking new ground for Platform-Builders and Solo Pros… using something I like to think of as "Cinematic Marketing". And the good news is, it doesn't have to cost a f...

How do you start a company with just an idea, a few volunteers, and no budget… and in less than 5 years have a web media property with 15 million readers? That's what Michael Stelzner did with Social Media Examiner, and in today's episode we'll share a conversation with Michael about how he did it. And how you could, too! In this conversation, we'll discover together: Why the smartest promotional strategy might be not promoting. The best way to differentiate yourself from your competitors. M...

I listen to lots of podcasts. And while I have a few core podcasts I don't ever miss, I am constantly trying new shows out, looking for fresh voices I can put into my listening rotation. In today's episode, I'll share my listening strategy: how I selected my "A" shows, which I never miss, how I select my "B" shows, which I selectively listen to, and how I decide what new shows to sample. And of course I will give you my list of 10 fresh new shows you should check out. Other Reasons To Keep Lis...

A young woman has quit smoking, been promoted at work, and run a marathon. An untested CEO takes over one of America's biggest companies and focuses on just one behavior pattern in the company, and very soon Alcoa is at the top of the Dow Jones. A marketer at Procter & Gamble notices a seemingly insignificant pattern while studying videos of how people make their beds. As a result, the company makes a small shift in advertising and Febreze goes from being one of the company's biggest flops t...

As we begin a new year, it's popular for many bloggers and podcasters to make "predictions" about the new year. I prefer not making predictions (unless I feel inspired to do so), but I will point out 7 crucial trends to watch for in 2015. I believe these trends represent some fundamental shifts in the way business is done online, and the way you will continue to build your platform in the new year Other Reasons To Keep Listening I will reveal one of the apps I'm using to help me meet my finan...