The 10 Best Freelance Websites For Graphic Designers

With a steady stream of projects and deadlines, finding new freelance work as a graphic designer may easily fall to the bottom of your list of priorities.

Despite the fact that you might be happy with your current workload, it’s always good to keep an eye out for new clients or freelance opportunities, so that you have a steady flow of income coming in.

However, with so many job-searching websites to choose from, it might be tough to find one that is right for you.

That’s why we’ve compiled this comprehensive list of 10 websites to help you land freelance graphic design work online.

By creating profiles on the best freelance websites, you can streamline your hunt for freelance work.

Let’s dive in!

Refrens

Refrens is home to over 50,000 B2B freelancers and agencies. It helps you manage your prospects, estimates, bills, and payments.

You may choose Refrens for several reasons. Here are some of them:

• The commission rate isn’t predetermined. They demand between 15% and 20% of the project’s value.
• Registering with them is easy and completely free.
• They assist you in getting quality leads and fill the gap between you and your first customer.
• You can create various documents on Refrens, including creating invoices, quotes, Proforma invoices, GST invoices, and much more.
• They also provide an international payment gateway, so you might use it if you have any clients located abroad.
• You can create a profile that highlights your skills.

If you’re looking for work or a designer, Refrens is the whole package.

Toptal

Toptal is probably the best location to hunt for the internet’s best graphic designers. The website promises to be home to the “top 3%” of talent, hence the moniker.

They’re noted for their thorough screening process when hiring graphic designers, with many skill reviews and test screenings reducing their candidates to the top 3% of all qualified designers. This implies that if you choose Toptal, you will be working with the best of the best.

Toptal works closely with each client to match them with the best candidate or team of candidates for their specific needs. It also features a complete job board where you can find and contact people based on their skills. 

It has you covered with the top candidates available, whether you need a flexible freelance graphic designer, a web design specialist, or an experienced UI/UX.

Designhill

Designhill has carved out a niche in the global industry thanks to its proprietary systems. This site is dedicated to graphic design jobs, and freelance designers are guided by a team of professionals. 

Designers are also expected to develop profiles for themselves and submit portfolios. In-house consultants review and approve the work that has been presented. The designers join the Designhill freelancing team once the project is accepted.

Various contests are held regularly where freelancers can submit their work based on a client’s instructions. The client chooses the best graphic design and pays the creator.

They can also sell their existing models, which the client purchases based on their needs.

Individual graphic design assignments are also available on Designhill, as is a list of tiny design tasks. The company manages the payment procedure, which is done through PayPal or Payoneer.

Guru 

This job platform chooses and emphasizes freelancers and graphic designers by qualification, portfolio, and skills test. They allow designers to upload portfolios that may be viewed by clients.

Every month, freelancers are given 10 bids to apply for assignments. For a nominal cost, they can also purchase more requests. Candidates must pay the exam fee to take the exam.

There are various membership options, each of which increases the chances of winning a project. As the membership value grows, so does the commission %.

Graphic designers who pay for membership get more graphic job bids and can take the skills tests for free.

Payment for the project is made regularly after the client’s approval and the service provider’s request.

The Design Crowd

Look no further than DesignCrowd for solid design at a reasonable price. If you’re looking for a happy medium between low-cost graphic design and high-ticket platforms like 99designs, DesignCrowd could be the answer.

While you won’t find as much information on designer profiles as you would on Fiverr or 99designs, you’ll get a fair sense of each person’s style and ability.

You’ll appreciate the variety of categories that help you choose the ideal designer and how simple it is to build a designer’s wishlist and get started designing right away.

Designpickle

Design Pickle is the largest and most established platform among the infinite design site possibilities. While you’ll only be working with one designer, unlike Many Pixels, most clients quickly see their revision requests fulfilled (typically overnight).

This is a beautiful alternative for businesses looking to expand their design capabilities without incurring high costs, bloggers looking to improve their brand design, and entrepreneurs looking to launch successful marketing campaigns.

99designs

99designs is a design contest website that allows clients to choose from a pool of applicants or collaborate with a single designer.

You can choose from over 90 design work types to start. After that, you’ll provide a brief for the project you’ll be working on, and designers will propose their best ideas for the final product.

You’ll be able to see the designers’ options and their complete profiles, including information about their return customers and how many previous design competitions they’ve won.

Dribble

If you’re ever worried about where your next client will come from or how you’ll land your next assignment, Dribbble’s freelance project board can help.

Fresh, high-quality freelance graphic design jobs are placed daily on the project board. Filter through many design briefs by keywords, skill sets, and even project budgets. You’ll not only start to create a consistent client base, but you’ll also have a continuous supply of new tasks to choose from whenever you need them.

You may find just about any employment targeted to your individual skill sets, whether you’re looking for a remote graphic design job, an entry-level position, or even a senior post.

Behance

Behance is a powerful platform where individuals go to look for work. If you’re a graphic designer, there are plenty of opportunities here.

At this site, graphic designers of various backgrounds and abilities have presented their most excellent work. With them, you can form a network.

This website includes a job board where you may look for work possibilities worldwide. This method can be used to complete a variety of design tasks.

However, make sure to include your best work profile. The strength of your profile will determine how likely you are to be recruited by a customer. So, only show off your most significant graphic design work in your profile.

Graphic designers can search for job openings by category on this website. The position will be filtered out based on your talents and expertise. There are a variety of design job filters available to help you narrow down your search.

Freelancer.com

It’s one of the oldest freelancing platforms, bringing together many outstanding graphic designers in one area online.

When hiring on Freelancer.com, you can utilize search filters to guarantee that the candidates are qualified for the position. You can personally contact designers or submit a job notice to allow for open applications. As an extra bonus, you may conduct contests where freelancers present their ideas and select the best one.

Designers can establish comprehensive portfolios on Freelancer.com, giving you more content to review while you make your choice. They also administer tests to verify the freelancers’ skill sets and report them to you. If you ever have a disagreement, there is a streamlined procedure to help you address it swiftly.

Future of graphic design  

Graphic design jobs are in high demand! 

Graphic designers are needed by business owners to create unique visual identities such as logos, business cards, websites, brochures, and other materials. These are essential identities that aid in developing a brand’s personality. As a result, designers have a significant role in a company’s long-term success.

While the above is not a complete list of all freelance graphic design sites available, it does reflect what we’ve determined to be the most excellent freelance graphic design websites available.

You should be able to pick the ideal freelance design site based on how quickly you need work completed, your budget, and the type/frequency of the work you require.

You no longer need to rely on large sites like Fivver or Upwork to find design employment now that you’ve seen 10 different web platforms. Whatever platform you use, remember that your profile, CV, and portfolio are all essential elements in landing a decent design job. 

Guest Author: Sakshi Baid works as a Product Associate at Refrens.com – Online Invoice Generator & India’s most powerful platform for freelancer growth. She has worked for some renowned companies as a Brand and Digital marketing associate.

The post The 10 Best Freelance Websites For Graphic Designers appeared first on Jeffbullas's Blog.

* This article was originally published here

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How UX Sold 5,000 NFTs in Less Than a Minute

In today’s global marketplace, the battle for a customer’s attention has never been more challenging. Attention spans are shrinking, customer’s demands and expectations are going up and the margin for error is minuscule.

The user experience is so important because it is the gateway between person and product. Whether you use a website, app, software, or sell human-to-human, UX is the most important factor that influences a sale.

When creating a UX journey for a customer, you need to understand that the average buyer has around eight seconds of attention before moving on.

Because of this, it’s vital to hook your prospects attention up front. In this article, I’ll take you through some examples of UX journeys, and outline the elements that make a strong user experience.

What does a bad UX look like?

When Juicero tried to launch a revolutionary new product, their product had all the bells and whistles but failed to capture their customers.

One of the most criticized UX launches ever, it closed in 2017 due to such a catastrophic failure.

The Juicero went all-in on UX that was aesthetically pleasing but had no actual use or function – the high amount of variable conditions (wifi, the app, a certain model of phone) was just too much for the end user.

• Without an internet connection, there would be no juice.
• It had no controls and required the use of an external Apple or Android device to be used.
• It used icons on the machine which meant little to nothing to the customer.
• No noises or sounds to alert the user when the juice was done.

While the idea of Juicero may have been good, they immediately turned customers away through their UX.

Image Source

The complicated UX signaled the end of the Juicero, showing that UX is critical to a product’s success.

What about a successful UX journey?

We were tasked with helping MonkeyLeague break into the hyper-competitive NFT market and sell monkey NFTs in a Play-To-Earn soccer game.

The NFT market is arguably one of the toughest to crack in the world. A young and fast-paced audience combined with a product that can be confusing at the best of times.

We had to construct a UX that would draw them in visually.

Image Source

Moods can be changed by color. Blue is psychologically known to be a calming color whilst red is energetic. Complimentary colors engaged customers as soon as they landed on MonkeyLeague.io.

On the day of release, MonkeyLeague did what Juicero couldn’t and saw a rapid engagement of customers.

In just 22 seconds, 5,000 NFT monkeys were sold.

The UX of MonkeyLeague.io had a host of features that made the UX a hit success in a predominately tough market to crack.

Here’s what worked well for them:

• The landing page was scannable – it did not need mountains of reading and analyzing for the customer to understand what was going on.
• The simplicity and clarity of the text and images meant the customer knew what MonkeyLeague was offering.
• The design catered to their target audience – animations and colorful creative assets did not overwhelm the user but made it a vibrant experience that matched the creativity of the NFT market.
• It was usable, findable, accessible, and contextual – someone could scroll down the page and easily find what they needed or learn about the NFT.

Monkey League created a positive relationship with the user and taught them about the product. This relationship caused by UX can be infinitely profitable for a business.

That’s why it is so important for any up-and-coming tech or creative business to learn how to fully utilize UX.

What makes a strong UX?

Image Source

The interconnectivity and rapidly-developing technology of today’s world means the standards of UX are always rising too. The way a business acts on this can make or break their entire organisation – deciding whether they go from industry leader to out of business based on a matter of seconds.

Using personal experience and what I have learned, here are some of my tips for what makes strong UX.

1.   Remove any barriers

Take a look at the UX experience you have created – what is getting in the way of your customer doing what they want to in the quickest way possible?

Creating a seamless and fluid experience for your customer will make them love your brand so much more.

The biggest mistakes I see with UX projects come in the form of unnecessarily big UX designs – they make the road from A to B go in loops and turns when it should be straight.

2.   Know your audience

This could be the most important aspect – do you know who you are trying to talk to through the UX?

The target audience will be mixed, each individual with a different need or want, but their collective desire is all the same.

Your UX should convey the simple message that you can be the solution to this overall desire, that you are the jigsaw piece to all their puzzles.

The best UX will also smartly disclaim that they are only going to get better and bigger as time goes on – in other words, if we can’t do what you want now, we will very shortly.

3.   Don’t be scared to go all-in

Designing UX can be like a game of poker – it is risky and about mental processes, and if you get it right you can win big.

A lot of brands think it is safer to go with lots of details. This mitigates risk but ensures you will never win big.

When going with your UX project, you want to think about the big picture of your entire idea – not shoehorning small features for slight improvements.

Think about the industry-changing idea your product can be, and take this on board when creating the UX.

4.   Always ask questions

A lot of UX projects become disasters because people simply do what’s been done before.

The problem with this is they either can’t recreate a unique project or the initial design is not as effective anymore.

Either way, trailblazing UX breaks the norms and shows the user something different.

The best designers are always asking “what?” or “why?” and aim to say no to industry norms. They want to shake things up, and that attitude will always result in projects that change industries for the better.

5.   Avoid complication

Some of my favorite UX projects have shocked, surprised, and wowed me.

If not done correctly, they can become an annoyingly complicated experience.

Going too crazy with tech is a usual cause for creating overly complicated UX – think about the end user and what technology they will have.

Sometimes a simple animation done creatively is better than trying to use all the VR gimmicks.

Simplicity also means usability – if your user can’t load or digest your content, it will cost you money.

UX is impossible to measure when ranking its importance. It is those crucial few seconds your potential audience has with your business, and it needs to be fine-tuned to perfection in order to work correctly.

Regardless of how good your idea is, if you cannot fully leverage your UX to support it, the idea just won’t work. You need to be fully immersed in looking at who your audience is, what you are trying to achieve with this group and making their user experience as smooth and as easy as possible.

At the end of the day, the customer will only care about their experience – not the data gathered or finely-implemented features behind the UX.

When creating your UX, always aim to be solving a problem or achieving a goal. A strong UX does this through simple design, a big idea, and an understanding of who you’re talking to.

Guest Author: Yoval Bar Or is the CEO and Founder of PitangoUX, a well known figure in the Israeli startup nation and an expert in product UX/UI design.

The post How UX Sold 5,000 NFTs in Less Than a Minute appeared first on Jeffbullas's Blog.

* This article was originally published here

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5 Books to Supercharge Your Creativity [Part 2 of 5]

TikTok is a potential Facebook killer.

It’s a social media platform that allows you to express your creativity via video synced to music in just 30-second bite-sized chunks. TikTok currently has over one billion monthly active users worldwide and the app has been downloaded more than 2 billion times.

Why it matters

Social media has changed the game for creators. It’s empowered them to create and share their work without the friction of the mass media gatekeepers that used to be a barrier to reaching a global audience. 

So, creating. It lies at the heart of any entrepreneurial endeavor. 

Products and services that make a difference in the world are at the heart of change. Solve a problem or make it easier. 

Steve Jobs reinvented the music player (1000 songs in your pocket, the iPod) and transformed how we listen to and consume music. Then he gave us the iPhone which made it easier to communicate and create.  

The simplest (and lowest risk) way to start being paid for your creations is with an “online side hustle”.

Social media and smartphones have also reduced friction between creating and attention. Create and hit publish! You’re global and visible. 

Social media provides the reach to be found and start to be paid for your art.

Social media was the start of the game. What happened next was adding a smartphone to the mix. Suddenly you could then create and share from anywhere in the world with text and images and video. 

It’s a perfect storm of opportunity for creators and artists….and entrepreneurs. 

So…. sidebar and context: this has all happened in just over 10 years.    

Creating covers many media types and video is just one layer. Writing, audio, painting, and photography are all part of the creative tapestry too.

It’s also about creating products and services that make a difference in the world. And that is the art of the entrepreneur.   

5 books to supercharge your creativity

These are books that have touched my soul and supercharged my creative inspiration.

1: On Writing – Stephen King

Stephen King is known more for fiction books than non-fiction. This book is part memoir (for the first 100 pages) and then he reveals in the last 200 pages the basic toolkit for becoming a great writer.

His passion for writing is obvious and compelling. His life journey is revealing. Three key messages impressed me…the importance of:

1. Simplicity 
2. Starting  
3. Persistence 

That is just the start of what you will find between its covers. 

Find out more: On Writing: 10th Anniversary Edition: A Memoir of the Craft

2: The War of Art – Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Own Creative Battles

If you want to learn more about the art, and the challenges of the creative sphere then this book is packed full of insights. If you are an artist, writer, musician, business person or you are breathing and have a pulse….doesn’t everything involve being creative?

It is about overcoming roadblocks and resistance in life to becoming the best version of yourself. It is about “doing the work” that is congruent with your purpose and destiny.

 

3: Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World

This book by Cal Newport was an inspiring look at creating art that matters. And it requires you to commit to focused deep work. And that is not about superficial pieces like tweets and photo sharing. 

Get that right and your output moves from normal to extraordinary.  

In this book, he discusses two types of work. Shallow work (or busyness) and deep work…where the magic happens.

The habit of making the time for doing work that matters is something I discovered over seven years ago. I discovered on reading the book that it was something I had been doing but by a different name. The reality is that it was a habit I had already formed. Sitting down every day and time blocking the time to create content of consequence.

I wrote more about it in this post, “This One Habit Transformed My Life”

This book discusses and distils the practice of building a legacy and making a difference.

It’s well worth a read if you want to create something that matters or succeed in a world that is sometimes seen through the lens and distractions of a shallow social web.

4: The New Rules of Marketing and PR

I must confess I have read this book more than twice and hence it has a lot of coffee stains. The essence of the book reveals the secrets of success in the social media and Internet age. Let’s sum that up in one sentence. If you create great content the world will show up and pay you.  

What I also loved about this book was its revelations on how to communicate and market in a digital world. I was tired of the old ways of marketing and selling and David Meerman Scott opened up my eyes to a new paradigm. It is about being authentic and talking plainly. It is also social media 101.

This book preceded the launching of my blog but it is woven into its tapestry.

It should be sitting in your Kindle book list or parked on your shelf after it has been consumed and underlined.

5: Smart Brevity: The Power of Saying More with Less

It was a newsletter announcing that Axios Media had just sold its newsletter business for over half a billion dollars that caught my attention!

That means they must be doing something right. And as a subtext, the team behind this had a substantial track record and had also launched and succeeded with another media site prior: Politico.

Amazon’s intro book summary starts with this: 

“Brevity is confidence. Length is fear. This is the guiding principle of Smart Brevity, a communication formula built by Axios journalists to prioritize essential news and information, explain its impact and deliver it in a concise and visual format. Now, the co-founders of Axios have created an essential guide for communicating effectively and efficiently using Smart Brevity—think Strunk and White’s Elements of Style for the digital age”.

In a world of short attention spans and so much noise, the art of communicating has become an art and a science. One of the insights was when they analyzed the data for reading they discovered that most people only read the headline and a sentence and then clicked away. 

The challenge as a creator and writer in a high-noise and distracted world is how to engage fast and then keep them with you.  

In essence, the book outlines 3 key elements to capturing someone’s attention that will get them to click. 

1. Great headline
2. An opening sentence that is relevant to the headline that tells me something new or interesting I haven’t heard before.
3. Next: You need to tell them “Why that matters”

If you get those fundamentals right then your audience and readers will love you because you haven’t wasted their time and you’ve delivered something of value with brevity! 

If they want to go deeper then the rest of the article you create will take them there or links to more in-depth information.

 

Wrapping it up

Whatever your preferred media is as a creator, it is an art and science in a world of information overload to engage, connect and keep them interested.

It is a battle for attention. 

Today the creator needs to produce their content with brevity first.

Read Part 1 of this series: 6 Books That Inspired My Online Side Hustle Success

The post 5 Books to Supercharge Your Creativity [Part 2 of 5] appeared first on Jeffbullas's Blog.

* This article was originally published here

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6 Books That Inspired My Online Side Hustle Success [Part 1 of 5]

Motivation is something I wish showed up every morning, like clockwork. But the truth is that it sometimes takes an extended holiday. 

According to Forbes, wanting to perform well is linked with the desire for good times (and we all like those good times).

And a study by Queens University found those who had an ambition for “legacy”— the goal to make a mark, also had a significant drive for “leisure”—a desire to enjoy all life has to offer.

That sounds like wanting it all. And what’s not to love about that?

Why it matters

Motivation and performance do matter. It’s the difference between something happening and nothing. Hiding under the doona is comfortable, but it’s for low achievers.

I’m also sorry to say that unending youthful, energetic enthusiasm will not happen every morning, and there will be famines of joyful passion that will plague your days. Let’s say that perfect motivation is a pipe dream.

But if you can’t find your mojo, you will sign up for someone else’s agenda. You will be industrial cannon fodder for the corporate captains who will chain you to the nine-to-five and the commuting corridor. Sending you forth to the front lines where they will watch your success or failure with detached bemusement. 

They hope you will make them rich. 

But if you stumble then you will be shown the door.  

So how do you get motivated and escape the powerful earth gravity to find your own place in space? 

How do you continue to tap into the deep vein of inspirational drive? 

I wish I could tell you that you could take a pill every morning to fix that. But here are some solutions that others have outlined.

1. The 4 Hour Work Week – Escape the 9-5, Live Anywhere and Join the New Rich 

I read this book by Tim Ferriss when the future promise of the web was starting to become very real as social media took hold. Twitter was starting and Facebook was gaining traction.

The book promises to take you from the drudgery of the day job to the dream of doing what you love doing and monetizing it on the web.

This book inspired me to start my side hustle and blog.

2. Flourish: A Visionary Understanding of Happiness and Well Being 

This book by Martin Seligman outlines a model for wellbeing that he has distilled from his insights as a psychologist.

He poses the question “What is it that allows you to flourish?” He then proceeds to provide his answers.

The structure is built around the acronym “PERMA” that he sees as the 5 pillars for a life of profound fulfillment.

Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment.

This was a book I didn’t want to put down and its pillars resonated with how I have experienced my life’s journey.

3. Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience 

I first read this book 25 years ago. It was recently updated so I decided to re-read it. It was a delight to revisit the insights and discover again what a remarkable book it is. 

4. Now, Discover Your Strengths

The biggest challenge for all of us is discovering what our mission on this planet is.  That is often the journey of a lifetime.

It also means working on your strengths but many of us don’t know what they are.

Or how to find them.

Unfortunately, most of us have little sense of our talents and strengths, much less the ability to build our lives around them.

Instead, guided by our parents, by our teachers, by our managers, and by psychology’s fascination with pathology, we become experts in our weaknesses and spend our lives trying to repair these flaws, while our strengths lie dormant and neglected.

Marcus Buckingham, who was also coauthor of the national bestseller First, Break All the Rules, and Donald O. Clifton, have created a revolutionary program to help readers identify their talents, build them into strengths, and enjoy consistent, near-perfect performance.

At the heart of the book is the Internet-based StrengthsFinder Profile, the product of a 25-year, multimillion-dollar effort to identify the most prevalent human strengths.

This book comes with free access to the web based “Strength Finder Test” that you will find very revealing. I know I did. 

5. Awakening Your Ikigai: How the Japanese Wake Up to Joy and Purpose Every Day

Ken Mogi is a neuroscientist, writer and broadcaster based in Tokyo and in this book introduces the five pillars of ikigai. Ikigai is part of Japanese culture, and helps you make the most of each day to become your most authentic self.

The 5 pillars of Ikigai:

1. Start small and focus on the details.

2. Release yourself and accept who you are.

3. Harmony and sustainability – Learn to work with and rely on others.

4. Embrace the joy of little things and saviour the sensory pleasure of your everyday experiences.

5. Be in the here and now and find your flow.

Weaving together insights from Japanese history, philosophy, and modern culture he provides a book that will make you think and help you learn to embrace the simple and small things in life.

6. The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything 

This book is by Ken Robinson and I have read it more than once. As I was a teacher in a previous life, it resonated with me. It provides an inspiring insight into how finding your passion and combining it with your innate abilities can take a life from drudgery to a masterpiece. 

He calls this intersection “The Element”. Included are examples from famous people that have found the element such as Paul McCartney, Richard Branson and Arianna Huffington.

Want to learn some of the secrets to take your life to another level? Then read it.

Wrapping it up

Discovering your purpose and why you are here on the planet is at the essence and heart of motivation. 

Find that and the magic does happen. 

The post 6 Books That Inspired My Online Side Hustle Success [Part 1 of 5] appeared first on Jeffbullas's Blog.

* This article was originally published here

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6 Books That Inspired My Online Side Hustle Success

Motivation is something I wish showed up every morning, like clockwork. But the truth is that it sometimes takes an extended holiday. 

According to Forbes, wanting to perform well is linked with the desire for good times (and we all like those good times).

And a study by Queens University found those who had an ambition for “legacy”— the goal to make a mark, also had a significant drive for “leisure”—a desire to enjoy all life has to offer.

That sounds like wanting it all. And what’s not to love about that?

Why it matters

Motivation and performance do matter. It’s the difference between something happening and nothing. Hiding under the doona is comfortable, but it’s for low achievers.

I’m also sorry to say that unending youthful, energetic enthusiasm will not happen every morning, and there will be famines of joyful passion that will plague your days. Let’s say that perfect motivation is a pipe dream.

But if you can’t find your mojo, you will sign up for someone else’s agenda. You will be industrial cannon fodder for the corporate captains who will chain you to the nine-to-five and the commuting corridor. Sending you forth to the front lines where they will watch your success or failure with detached bemusement. 

They hope you will make them rich. 

But if you stumble then you will be shown the door.  

So how do you get motivated and escape the powerful earth gravity to find your own place in space? 

How do you continue to tap into the deep vein of inspirational drive? 

I wish I could tell you that you could take a pill every morning to fix that. But here are some solutions that others have outlined.

1. The 4 Hour Work Week – Escape the 9-5, Live Anywhere and Join the New Rich 

I read this book by Tim Ferriss when the future promise of the web was starting to become very real as social media took hold. Twitter was starting and Facebook was gaining traction.

The book promises to take you from the drudgery of the day job to the dream of doing what you love doing and monetizing it on the web.

This book inspired me to start my side hustle and blog.

2. Flourish: A Visionary Understanding of Happiness and Well Being 

This book by Martin Seligman outlines a model for wellbeing that he has distilled from his insights as a psychologist.

He poses the question “What is it that allows you to flourish?” He then proceeds to provide his answers.

The structure is built around the acronym “PERMA” that he sees as the 5 pillars for a life of profound fulfillment.

Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment.

This was a book I didn’t want to put down and its pillars resonated with how I have experienced my life’s journey.

3. Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience 

I first read this book 25 years ago. It was recently updated so I decided to re-read it. It was a delight to revisit the insights and discover again what a remarkable book it is. 

4. Now, Discover Your Strengths

The biggest challenge for all of us is discovering what our mission on this planet is.  That is often the journey of a lifetime.

It also means working on your strengths but many of us don’t know what they are.

Or how to find them.

Unfortunately, most of us have little sense of our talents and strengths, much less the ability to build our lives around them.

Instead, guided by our parents, by our teachers, by our managers, and by psychology’s fascination with pathology, we become experts in our weaknesses and spend our lives trying to repair these flaws, while our strengths lie dormant and neglected.

Marcus Buckingham, who was also coauthor of the national bestseller First, Break All the Rules, and Donald O. Clifton, have created a revolutionary program to help readers identify their talents, build them into strengths, and enjoy consistent, near-perfect performance.

At the heart of the book is the Internet-based StrengthsFinder Profile, the product of a 25-year, multimillion-dollar effort to identify the most prevalent human strengths.

This book comes with free access to the web based “Strength Finder Test” that you will find very revealing. I know I did. 

5. Awakening Your Ikigai: How the Japanese Wake Up to Joy and Purpose Every Day

Ken Mogi is a neuroscientist, writer and broadcaster based in Tokyo and in this book introduces the five pillars of ikigai. Ikigai is part of Japanese culture, and helps you make the most of each day to become your most authentic self.

The 5 pillars of Ikigai:

1. Start small and focus on the details.

2. Release yourself and accept who you are.

3. Harmony and sustainability – Learn to work with and rely on others.

4. Embrace the joy of little things and saviour the sensory pleasure of your everyday experiences.

5. Be in the here and now and find your flow.

Weaving together insights from Japanese history, philosophy, and modern culture he provides a book that will make you think and help you learn to embrace the simple and small things in life.

6. The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything 

This book is by Ken Robinson and I have read it more than once. As I was a teacher in a previous life, it resonated with me. It provides an inspiring insight into how finding your passion and combining it with your innate abilities can take a life from drudgery to a masterpiece. 

He calls this intersection “The Element”. Included are examples from famous people that have found the element such as Paul McCartney, Richard Branson and Arianna Huffington.

Want to learn some of the secrets to take your life to another level? Then read it.

Wrapping it up

Discovering your purpose and why you are here on the planet is at the essence and heart of motivation. 

Find that and the magic does happen. 

The post 6 Books That Inspired My Online Side Hustle Success appeared first on Jeffbullas's Blog.

* This article was originally published here

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How to Get Organic Views and Subscribers on YouTube

So you want to grow your YouTube channel but you don’t want to spend a fortune.

You’re looking for organic YouTube promotion strategies to test.

But figuring out what actually works is a nightmare.

You have to spend countless hours researching, testing, and iterating–all of which can produce ZERO results.

I know firsthand. I used to think the YouTube gods simply blessed certain channels with unlimited favor and condemned the rest.

But after years of experimentation, I finally found a framework that actually drives organic YouTube growth.

One that helped me rank one of my client’s videos for a super competitive keyword and generated 2.7M views:

The framework I’m about to reveal to you is by no means a silver bullet to YouTube success. Countless factors contribute to that.

But this is an 80/20 approach that will start getting you organic visibility so you can generate views and subscribers on autopilot.

3 components of a successful organic YouTube promotion

This framework consists of 3 main pillars that we’ll discuss in detail below:

1. Video strategy

Your videos play a critical role here and there are a few key things you need to get right (that most people miss).

2. YouTube SEO 

You need to master the basics to improve your chances of ranking in YouTube search and recommended videos.

3. View maximization

Using your other channels to maximize key engagement metrics and gain early traction.

Part 1: Video strategy

There is only one thing you need to focus on when it comes to making YouTube videos…

Engagement.

That’s it.

But we both know it’s much more complicated than that.

Engaging videos capture and keep an audience’s attention. And that’s no easy feat.

To actually do that, they have to:

1. Provide unique value
2. Play into elements of human psychology

And while specific ways of accomplishing these two things vary from audience to audience, there are universal principles you can apply to your video creation to set yourself up for success.

How to provide unique value in your YouTube videos

1. Find out what people actually want.

Data trumps opinions–which is why it’s critical to base your video topics on what people actually want to view.

Perform keyword research, analyze the most viewed videos in your industry, and more to figure out what sticks with your audience.

Don’t make videos you think your target audience will want to watch. Make videos you know your target audience wants to watch.

One of the easiest (and free) ways to figure this out is to simply head to YouTube and search some of the main topics in your industry, taking note of view counts for the top few videos.

You, of course, can also use YouTube SEO tools to get search volumes for specific keywords as well.

But looking at the top channels and top videos in your niche is the easiest way to figure out what people in your audience want to watch.

2. Find a way to improve on what already works.

With data in hand on topics that resonate with your target audience, it’s time to research the top 3-5 videos for each specific keyword.

Your goal is to identify why these videos are successful.

Do they have incredible production quality?

Do they cover a topic thoroughly with great advice?

Are they simply really entertaining?

Answering these questions helps you identify gaps you can fill with your videos.

3. Give a unique perspective.

The final step in this framework is finding your unique angle. 

In other words, how can you create a unique video on the same topic that is different enough to stand out?

One of the best ways I’ve tried is by creating a video that either:

1. Covers certain topics way more in-depth than other videos (and includes data and personal anecdotes from experience).

2. Recommends a counter-intuitive approach (i.e. a polarized view, debunking best practice “myths”, or revealing what no one else is talking about).

How to use psychological triggers in your YouTube videos

There’s a reason everyone binges on Netflix.

These shows are designed to appeal to our psychological triggers.

And you can use some of the same triggers in your YouTube videos to keep viewers watching.

1. Dangle the carrot.

People watch your YouTube videos because of what’s in it for them.

They expect to receive valuable information.

If for even a second they doubt they’ll receive value, they’ll bounce to the next video.

That’s why giving quick “dangle the carrot” moments where you allude to something super juicy later in the video will increase the chance they’ll stick around.

I recommend doing this within the first 30 seconds of the video and every few minutes thereafter.

You can add dangle the carrot moments by:

• Alluding to a bonus at the end of the video
• Previewing a few value bombs you’ll drop throughout the video
• Saying you’re sharing something you haven’t shared anywhere else in the middle of the video

Brian Dean has always done these very well.

2. Follow a formula like Problem, Agitate, Solve.

This proven copywriting formula also works for videos.

And I highly recommend using it to write all of your YouTube scripts.

PAS helps you create videos that empathize with your target audience and ensure them you’ll help them solve their biggest problems.

3. Add mic drop moments.

Every video needs a few heavy-hitting tips, recommendations, or theories that viewers can use today.

So, as you create your video scripts, try to plan 3-5 of these moments in the videos (and bonus points if you use them in your “dangle the carrot” moments).

These should be some of the best moments in your entire video and should be simple and actionable.

For example, if I had a video on link building, I could make a mic drop moment where I talk about how traditional link outreach doesn’t work anymore and provide the most effective tactic to use instead.

All of the content in your videos should be helpful, but only a few will be mic drop moments. And that’s okay.

Part 2: YouTube SEO

YouTube SEO is hands down the best long-term organic promotion strategy for your videos.

And luckily with the video strategy above, you’ll be creating videos that align with some of the main ranking factors YouTube’s algorithm uses:

1. Average watch time
2. Engagement (likes, subs, comments)
3. CTR

But there’s still work you need to do once your video is ready for publication if you want to rank in YouTube organic results and recommended videos.

Luckily, that work is pretty straightforward.

YouTube SEO checklist for your videos

1. Create a keyword-driven, click-worthy title.

Just like in standard SEO, having your target keyword in your title is critical with YouTube SEO.

Your titles should always include your target keyword (exactly if possible) and be as intriguing as possible.

You want to not only rank but convince potential viewers to click on your video because the title is so enticing.

My favorite strategy for doing this is adding a direct benefit behind the keyword in video titles.

For example, if your target keyword is “how to make a youtube video”, you could make this the title:

How to Make a YouTube Video That Actually Gets Views

You want to communicate the benefit your viewer will get from watching your video right from the title.

2. Add keyword-driven tags.

As you upload your videos, you have the opportunity to add “tags” that describe what your video is about.

Here is your chance to tell YouTube what you think your video should rank for.

I recommend adding ~5 tags, including:

1. Your exact target keyword
2. The top 4 secondary variations of your keyword

3. Write a detailed description with links to other videos.

Your description is where you tell viewers what your video is about.

This is your chance to convince them to engage with you and watch more videos.

Think of your description as a short social media promo for your new video. You want to quickly allude to the value your viewer will receive in the video and why they should engage with you.

The Remote Closing Academy channel does this really well.

Linking to other relevant videos on your channel is a great idea too, because it will increase your views as a whole.

There are even tools like Writesonic’s YouTube Description Generator that can help you write these descriptions in half the time.

This tool has worked wonders for me.

4. Embed your post on relevant articles.

YouTube embeds can have a significant impact on your ranking ability.

So, make sure you embed your videos in relevant content on your website.

For some of your most important videos, reach out to some warm business relationships and see if they’ll embed them in their content.

This will supercharge your YouTube SEO potential. 

Part 3: View maximization

The final step in this process is utilizing every channel you have to power up your YouTube videos.

I’ve found that getting a quick burst of a few hundred or even a few thousand views within a week of publishing a video can help you rank way faster!

And you can get this rocket fuel for your videos by strategically using your social media accounts and email list to promote them.

Here are the simple view maximization strategies I recommend implementing for each video:

1. SEnd a promo email to your entire list.

Sending a single promo email for each new video you make will give you the fastest boost in views you’ll get (outside of the initial wave from your subscribers).

How should you craft this email?

It’s actually very simple.

Similar to how we talked about creating video descriptions, I recommend writing a short, punchy email that “sells” your audience on watching your video.

~10 lines and a bullet list of benefits they’ll get will do the trick.

When I helped the client I mentioned in the intro build his viewership, we sent email promos that used the AIDA copywriting technique.

This stands for Attention, Interest, Desire, Action, and it works beautifully to promote YouTube videos. 

Here’s an example of how this could look for a video on making a YouTube video:

Hey [NAME],

99% of people who don’t get results on YouTube make this same deadly mistake. (Attention – this makes the reader wonder if they, too, are making this mistake)

But luckily, this mistake is completely avoidable…if you tweak your strategy. (Interest – this turns their attention into interest by suggesting there’s a simple fix to a deadly mistake they are most likely making).

And with this deadly mistake out of the way, you can unleash your channel’s potential and see results beyond anything you thought possible–just like we did (Desire – stoking the desire for more views and connecting the solution to more views).

That’s why we put together this step-by-step framework to make YouTube videos that AVOID this deadly mistake and actually get traction. 

It’ll show you:

• What this deadly mistake actually is and how to easily avoid it
• How to unleash your channel’s organic growth potential so you can get views on autopilot
• And so much more

Simply click here to get our proven process.

(Action – this gives one clear action to take and why you should take it.)

2. Schedule recurring promos on social media.

This is super straightforward.

With every video, promote it on your relevant channels. Once you’ve done that, add it to your regular social media rotation to pick up some ongoing views.

The AIDA framework works great for these promos–whether you’re posting on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, or elsewhere.

3. Utilize partnerships for your best videos.

Like I said before, partners can help you with embedding your best videos and boosting your YouTube SEO.

But they can also help by simply promoting your video.

You have to pick your spots here, but getting partners in your industry to share your best videos on social and email will give you not only a view boost but access to a new audience from the get-go.

Partners will be more likely to do this for you if you offer to return the favor.

It doesn’t have to be immediate, but in every case I’ve seen, partners will always be looking of something of equivalent value in return, so make sure you have your “perk” prepared before you reach out.

This organic promotion process for YouTube will help you maximize your content

Like I said at the beginning of this guide, this isn’t a silver bullet process.

But it is based on proven principles that can work in just about any context.

I’ve used this to help several clients grow their channels and rank on YouTube, and I’m excited for you to do the same.

Guest Author: Hunter Branch is the founder of Rank Tree—a content marketing agency that helps SaaS companies and startups build traffic and lead engines through SEO.

The post How to Get Organic Views and Subscribers on YouTube appeared first on Jeffbullas's Blog.

* This article was originally published here

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