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Interview with Robb Sutton, on self branded blog RobbSutton.com

Posted on 11. Jan, 2010 by Mohale Muzi in The Interview

Robb Sutton has curved a niche for himself on being the authority in mountain bike product reviews, already having showcased products worth in excess of $100,000 since Bike198.com was launched. Today, however the spotlight is on self branded blog RobbSutton.com…

You’re the owner of oneninety8 blog network and many people know you for your Mountain Bike Review blog Bike198.com, however I’m more interested on your personal branded blog RobbSutton.com  can you educate us about this blog?

RobbSutton.com actually started because I was getting asked the same questions over and over again. How do you get all of those free products to review on the biking blog? How do you start a blog etc? Instead of writing the same emails over and over again, I started RobbSutton.com as my personal experience with blogging and review writing. That has grown into blogging tips, lifestyle design and a platform to launch various ebooks. I have really enjoyed the connections made through that site as I get to be a part of the blogging industry on a more personal level.

You released 3 eBooks for RobbSutton.com in 2009, why so much material within a year and where did you get strength to push the limit?

It was a crazy year for sure! And the number actually climbed to 4 recently with the release of Ramped Riding  on Bike198.com. It was really all about filling a need and growing my business. Ramped Reviews  teaches bloggers how to see the same success with review product as I have through blogging. When you get asked the same questions repeatedly, you need to look at the reason why. In the case of Ramped Reviews, it was because there is not another resource like it on the net. I filled that need with an informational product and the rest is history.

You really have to pull the strength of taking on that many projects in one year from within. I just kept my eye on the ball and continued to pump it out. Determination and focus will get you a really long way if you let it.

From ‘ Laid Back Blogging for Serious Entrepreneurs’ to ‘Making firing your boss a reality’ your new tagline on recently revamped blog, can you share with us the thinking behind new look and why so soon considering the old look was fairly new as well?

The changes at RobbSutton.com were bred out of listening to my audience and combining that with my life. Blogging is extremely personal and you need to find that balance between personal expression and what your audience actually wants. The new redesign speaks a lot more to who I am as a person. Let’s be honest…releasing that many ebooks in one year is not very laid back. I am an intense blogger and individual so the previous tagline…while it worked…did not speak to who I am. The new fit and feel is going to stay for quite awhile now…it feels like home and I have seen increases in both subscribers and visitors…so my audience likes it as well. That is the key…finding something that speaks about who you are and something your audience responds to. You can only find that through testing.

Your blog post ‘My Blogging Revenue Is $0.00 – Details Inside’ best explains the principle behind generating revenue in a blog. There are no private ads on your blog, why?

At this point in time, private ads do not feel right in the business model I have created on RobbSutton.com. I do run private ads on my other blogs as a source of revenue…and I probably will start up direct advertising on RobbSutton.com in the future. When you are considering monetization methods on your blog, you need to weigh the benefit vs. cost in order to determine whether you should try out that method or not. Then…through testing…you can gain accurate results in which to determine your final decision. At this point in time, I wanted to use that screen real-estate to further increase my E-Course and E-Book signups (Ramped Blogging which is free) as I feel that has more value to me in the long run over a monthly fee charged for direct advertising slots. Those priorities can change over time…and they probably will.

I see that you offer Blog Consulting services and you charge a fixed amount, why is your approach a one size fits all?

After being asked by a lot of beginning bloggers on opinions and suggestions on their blogs, I started up the blog consulting to provide a comprehensive look at their blog and goals. It takes a lot of time to do it correctly, so I am testing out that theory as well. Most of the bloggers that request that kind of service fall into the same category. I get asked the same questions a lot and that was the determining factor.

Your first blog post is titled ‘Handicapped without the parking space…’ what inspired it?

My crazy head! I have random lines that hit me like a ton of bricks sometimes and that sounded a lot better than the “hello world” post that is the default Wordpress space filler. The truth is that life is tough. We are constantly at the mercy of others, so…as bloggers…the goal is to limit that dependency and start to write the story of our own lives independent of what people think or what they think we are worth. In essence…until we bread free from that restriction…all of our lives are handicapped without the parking space. We are just waiting to break free and start living instead of just working.

Why have you not updated your brand on twitter account, @robbsutton  it still spotting the old logo?

HAHA! You noticed! Honestly…I haven’t gotten around to it. With multiple blogs and year end tax season and the move of mtbtrailreview.com to Bike198.com, it is low on the list of changes. It will be done very soon though.

Facebook or twitter, what works best in terms of generating traffic for your blog?

Twitter for RobbSutton.com and Facebook for Bike198.com. Different social media outlets work better for certain niches. It is all about testing and seeing what works best for your situation.

What is in store for RobbSutton.com in 2010?

Another ebook…more blogging tips and continued growth of the Ramped Blogging E-Course and Ebook. Also be on the lookout for Ramped Reviews 2.0.

We’re hosting the Soccer World Cup  in a few months time, will you be coming to South Africa to support your national team?

I wish!!! We’ll have to see how the schedule lays out in 2010.

Article By Mohale Muzi
View all articles by Mohale Muzi

I’m Muzi Mohale, 35 years old better known as a travel blogger through Travelwires.com and South African based. AlreadyInspired.com has been created to meet my love for reading on blogger profiles. I enjoy reading on how other bloggers got introduced into the blogsphere and their strategies on making money through blogging.

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