Brian D. Evans knew that he had a lot to share with the entrepreneur community and that there were people out there willing to listen to him. So, after being rejected from every publication he pitched to, including Inc., Forbes, and Entrepreneur, he decided to take matters into his own hands and created his own online outlet to showcase his writing: Influencive.
Since that fateful day in late 2015, Brain has grown Influencive from a humble personal blog to a veritable media powerhouse with 1 million monthly readers and an expanding group of contributors that includes some of the biggest names in marketing, business development, and entrepreneurship.
No stranger to personal branding, Brain has been named the #7 top marketing influencer in the world by Forbes and is now regularly approached to write for the very publications that once turned him down. In addition to contributing to Forbes, Inc., Entrepreneur, and The Huffington Post, Brian is an Inc. 500 entrepreneur, startup advisor, and growth hacker.
In today’s episode, Brian discusses how his love for video games helped launch his entrepreneurial journey at the age of 16 and how a simple mindset shift led to his eventual success.
Listen in to learn:
- How to pull your readers in with an attention-grabbing headline
- Why you shouldn’t wait for others to tell you when you’re ready for the spotlight
- How a slight change in format can guarantee that your content reaches a larger audience
Listen to this episode on iTunes.
What was your biggest insight from this week’s episode? Let Jay know in the comments or on Twitter: @jaykimmer.
Links from Today’s Episode
- Read the full transcript of Brian’s interview
- Connect with Brian on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn
- Find out more about Brian at BrianDEvans.com
- Get your dose of unconventional wisdom from influential minds at Influencive
- Start writing better headlines today with CoSchedule’s Headline Analyzer
Detailed Show Notes
- (1:42) Brian D. Evans: Inc. 500 entrepreneur and branding sage
- (2:46) Brian struggles at school and turns to entrepreneurship to cope
- (3:50) On starting his first business at 16
- (5:00) Brian teaches himself SEO and affiliate marketing before turning his skills to the online health retail market
- (7:43) On learning to let go and forging your own path
- (9:18) Why you shouldn’t seek to mimic the routines and tactics of others
- (10:42) Brian transitions from freelancer to agency founder
- (12:16) How Influencive was born out of rejection and a desire to grow a personal brand
- (15:26) Should you stick to a schedule when publishing content?
- (16:58) How writing for Forbes helped grow Influencive
- (18:46) On pitching to big-name publications like Forbes and Entrepreneur
- (22:15) Why you shouldn’t aim for perfection when publishing your next blog post
- (22:45) Never underestimate the power of a good headline
- (23:38) Thinking about writing long-form articles? Make sure it’s exceptional!
- (25:54) How a simple mindset shift changed Brian’s life-trajectory (and blew up on his blog)
- (28:22) Brian’s major challenge for 2017 (and how you can score a spot in Brian’s mastermind group)
- (29:59) One piece of parting advice for anyone who feels stuck chasing their dreams
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