Hello Content Creators!

As a publisher that relies on paid content and advertising, telling you how to do this for free is probably the worst idea I've had. But here's how you can:

• get exposure on major media outlets for free
• builds customer trust and affinity
• builds brand authority
• costs you nothing

Just reply to the comments.

A lot of brands avoid comment sections altogether. They can be scary. They're also one of the best places to reach customers where they're most receptive to hearing from you!

Fair warning, you may need a thick skin. Comments sections can be wonderful, but they can also kinda suck. People are fearless (and sometimes a-holes) behind a keyboard. Just accept that you may not like everything you see, then dive in there.

What am I looking for, exactly?

Reader questions.

Let's say I wrote a story about Brand X's new suspension fork. Suspension is complicated. Maybe I glossed over something and a reader asked about that in the comments.

Maybe Brand X was monitoring that and they chimed in to answer the question.

Guess who's feeling super special and appreciated? The reader. Guess who's more likely to become a customer in the future? The reader. Guess who's...OK, you get it. Everyone wants to feel like they're being heard, and this is an easy way for brands to show customers they care.

Comments don't even have to be specifically about your product or brand, just think about how you can add value to the conversation.

Trolling versus Trawling

Here's the caveat: Keep it top level.

Meaning, do NOT engage in an argument. If someone's upset with your brand, offer an apology and an opportunity to connect offline to resolve the issue. Comments sections should not become customer service forums. And by all means, do not belittle the commenters. You can explain your product or service, clarify confusion, or answer questions. And thank them for their interest.

But do not argue with the commenters. That's just feeding the trolls, and trust me, brands do not win those battles by stooping to their level.

Here's what to do right now:

Set up a daily Google Alert for your brand's name and key product names. Click on anything that mentions you, check for comments, reply to them. Probably a good idea to monitor your industry's primary media at least weekly, too.

A recent content project

I hosted Peak Content Summit in March, just before travel got locked down for a couple months. After the event, I edited and uploaded every session as a video, with notes, bonus materials and free downloadable content for each speaker!

This past Monday, I opened up the entire course for just $99. That's a $1,049 value based on ticket prices, and now you can watch EVERY SESSION for under a hundred bucks. It's an incredible package that's 66% off the original Digital Access price of $299, and you can...

Try it for free!

I've made my Opening Keynote session free to watch. And I’ve made Nzinga C. Blake’s session on Diversity and Inclusion free to watch, too, because it’s super timely for any brand trying to figure out how to go forward with their content marketing. Check it out here, along with a short overview video that includes testimonials from attendees. Let me know what you think!

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Cool stuff I've found recently:

This week, it's all about packing a lot of power when it's time to travel...whenever that might be.

1. Apple Magic Trackpad - If you edit video on a Mac, adding the Apple Magic Trackpad can literally shave hours off your workload each week. I use this for my left hand, a mouse in my right, to make it super quick and easy to scroll, expand and contract the timeline in Final Cut Pro. It's a bit pricy at $149, but the Space Gray is totally worth the $20 upcharge over the light color, right?.

2. HokaOneOne Torrent - Mostly, I like zero drop shoes, but when it's time to head off the pavement, I want both traction and cushion. The HokaOneOne Torrent doesn't look quite as outlandish as some of their road running shoes, but I was still a little skeptical at first. But the rocker shape of their outsoles works, and these are both comfortable and aggressive on trail runs. And there's a Torrent 2 coming soon, so these are on sale!

3. Sendfox - An email marketing provider for content creators, this is what I use for this newsletter. It's just $49 for unlimited sends for life! Not $50 per month, but $49 one time to use it forever. This includes 5000 subscribers, and if you go over that limit, it's just $49 to add another 5,000 subscribers. Compare that to other services that charge more than that per month, and you can see how quickly the savings add up.

Thanks for reading! Question: If you had to forward this to two friends that'd enjoy it, who would they be?

Make it interesting,

Tyler Benedict

*Any items, services, or products mentioned in these emails are provided solely because I think you'll like them. I don't sell this space, but some of links might be affiliate links, which earns me a small commission (beer money, really) if you buy something. This helps support all the free content. Thanks!