Get In the Hot Spot Getting Hotter
First a massive welcome to everyone who’s come here after reading my guest posts on Zen Habits and Problogger.
My first 2 guest posts several months ago attracted exactly zero new readers to my site. I blame it on a deadly combination of bad targeting, bad choices and bad luck. Plain<!–more–> naivety and blogging inexperience played a part too. It’s been a steep learning curve.
Happily, my latest 2 guest posts encouraged 1000s of new visitors to come and see what Get In the Hot Spot’s about. Best of all, 100s of them liked what they saw and subscribed.
If you haven’t seen the guest posts yet they may prove useful:
On Zen Habits – Low-Stress Ways To Move House and Declutter Your Life
On Problogger – Getting Over the Blogger’s 6 Month Itch – Please leave a comment for me there.
What’s the deal with Get In the Hot Spot?
I decided to call my blog In the Hot Spot back in 2007. I loved writing but had a fear of being read so started blogging to overcome that fear. I’m serious! It seems nuts now but it took a few years for me to really give fear the finger and write regularly.
There are all kinds of ‘hot spots’, not all of them positive either. Judging by the number of results from Google Alert, ‘hot spot’, is a hot phrase too.
My personal favourites are celebrity hot spots, travel hot spots and piracy hot spots which conjures up all kinds of delightful images. Ahoy there me hearties!
One online dictionary defines a ‘hot spot’ as:
“a lively nightclub or other place of entertainment” or “an area of great activity of a specific type”
My Vision for Get In the Hot Spot
I want this blog to be a lively place where people come to be entertained and get actively engaged in improving their life.
Working out what your dream is and trying to achieve it can be hard, lonely and depressing.
Doing it with a friend is more fun and if you have a dedicated buddy to encourage you then you’ll stand a better chance of succeeding.
I aim to be that buddy. It’s a win win situation too, because by visiting my blog you’re encouraging me to keep following my dream of writing full time.
As the blog grows so the number of co-motivators increases and our community will grow stronger. Can you imagine what the world would be like it everyone was following their dream?
Topics Covered
My dream is to make this site a hub for self development, travel, optimism and fun. I write from experience about my ups and downs and share the lessons I’ve learnt, or am starting to learn along the way.
There’s a geographical meaning to ‘hot spot’ too:
“A volcanic area that forms as a tectonic plate moves over a point heated from deep within the Earth’s mantle. The Hawaiian Islands formed as a series of hot spots.
If reading my posts shakes up your life so much the better.
Are You Ready to Shake Up Your Life?
I want this blog to be a place where people come to overcome their fears and put themselves in their own personal hot spot by acknowledging their dreams and working out how to make them come true.
I want Get In the Hot Spot to be a hub for activity to:
- Give you permission to have a dream.
- Help you work out what your dream is.
- Advise you on how to nail your dream life.
- Provide a fun, safe, inspiring place for people with a dream.
If you’re ready to get started and get into your own personal hot spot please subscribe.
Next week I’ll be posting a new article called 10 Ways to Shake Up Your Life to help you get started.
I look forward to sharing my thoughts, adventures and experiences with you and to hearing yours.
Have You Subscribed Yet? It’s Free…
I’ve got over 100 subscribers now but I’d love more – my dream is to have 1000 visitors a day to Get In The Hot Spot a day. Can you help by joining us? Get free updates by email now or with the RSS Feed, if you haven’t already. That way, you won’t miss out.
Another way to support my writing is to tell people about this website, mention it on Facebook, Twitter, or email a friend the link to a specific article.
Thank you! I can’t offer you any incentives, free gifts or prize giveaways but I do promise to keep writing quality articles that I hope will inspire, encourage and inform us all on how we can get closer to living our dream life.
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Photo credit: treyevan
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19 Comments
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Hot Stuff
very encouraging post with great vision!
Just a suggestion, can you have a blog archive by the side? something like monthly archive, so I can go through the many valuable posts that you have written
Hi Annabel:
I’m one of the people who came over to Get In the Hot Spot after reading your guest spot on Problogger. I’m excited about your site because its timing couldn’t be more perfect in my life! I quit my job last week and enrolled in school so that I can pursue my passion (nutrition/wellness/helping others reach their goals) So excited to have a new place to read about others following their dreams :)
Ashley
Scheng – Thanks for your many comments on my blog! You mention a monthly archive. You can go through older posts by using the topics menu or by using the calendar both on the left hand side. Hope that helps. Thanks for the feedback, it’s great that you want to read more.
Hi Annabel,
I luv the hotspot analogy. You carry a certain positive energy which resonates with me.
You’re now in my RSS Feed; looking forward to future posts :)
Ryan
Ryan – Brilliant news. I’m so happy I feel as if I’m on fire this week:)
Ashley – What an exciting time of your life. So glad to have you on board. I’ve noticed that wanting to help other people is such a common life dream and it’s wonderful to be able to hang out here with so many giving and adventurous people. If you have any specific questions or things you need help with just ask and I will do my best to advise you.
Sucks having guest posts with and no visitor!
I’m pretty sure I could get successfully published on a lot of blogs, but I’m not yet comfortable fielding a lot of that traffic back, so I’m holding off. My traffic goals are pretty modest though, so I’m not too worried.
What’s your timeline to get to 1000/day?
Dave – It was a bit disappointing:( Not sure why you’re not ready for more visitors… your site looks fine and I like the website in a weekend concept. Good question about the timeframe for getting 1000 subscribers – it’s a year of course! I have over 400 now so I’m in with a chance but still a way off. I definitely have a good idea of how I’d do it better next time but I’m hoping this is the blog for me. I love writing it and have connected with some great people through it.
I just read your guest post on Problogger so I thought I would come and check this blog out. I have to say I think it’s great and I’ll be stopping by on a regular basis. I really liked your article about the 6 month itch.
Chris – Welcome aboard. I have to say I’ve had the itch to give up blogging just about every month! It’s very up and down so it’s great to connect with some other bloggers. I know we can all encourage each other to keep at it and support each other during the blah times. They will happen but as long as we know they don’t last forever we’ll be able to stick at it.
Hey Annabel, first time in your blog and it looks really nice. As you’ve already experienced guest posts are a great way to gain traffic. Also with time they’ll be even more effective.
Hi Annabel .. glad the blogging world is improving and you’re getting lots of action – good for you. The posts are interesting and it’ll be great seeing how it goes.
Hot spots ot me – mean sun spots .. so I was happy to get a bit of warmth – as we all are here inthe UK.
As you say it’s encouraging if we can all share and connect and support .. and your topics of self-development, travel (yes!), optimism and fun – yea for laughter and relaxation ..
All the best – Hilary Melton-Butcher
Positive Letters Inspirational Stories
I look forward to your next post on “Shaking up Your Life.” I have enjoyed reading of your adventures, and look forward to more!
This is my first time on your blog also and I find your blog posts not only interesting but heart-warming as well. I wish you the best of luck with your promotional activities. Publishing guest posts on those two huge blogs is quite an accomplishment, in my opinion.
Hey Annabel! Congrats on your guest posts! (how did you get them?!? lol)
I’m excited to see that your site is growing more and more, and I am also curious and interested to read what you will bring to us in the future. :)
Steven
Greetings from Sunny Dubai. Glad the site is going so well. Things are picking up over here and ive just collected my flight tickets for 20 days of lounging about it Goa over Xmas. I often think of that amazing time we all spent in Varkalla – its 12 years ago now – how time flies!
Not sure if my life can handle being shaken up anymore, but I’ve always been addicted to chaos ;-) Love your writing sister!
Sounds like a good blog to come in, sit down, and relax. A place to re-focus re-energize and get some new ideas! You have a natural, very personal style that is very appealiing! I do believe your content will carry you to much greater heights! Thanks for your obvious dedication! Randall
Waiting to guest post…
I’m not comfortable with my design. I don’t feel it leaves a good first impression. Also, I don’t have a decent newsletter signup which converts. I definitely want to get that converting better first.
That being said, I apparently have a very loyal following of readers, and my newsletter have high (50%) open rates. So I’m doing something right!
Thanx for sharing your guest blogging mistakes and inspiration.