Alisa Meredith is obsessed with Pinterest advertising. She’s the content marketing manager at Tailwind, a Pinterest and Instagram scheduling tool. Pinterest is based on images that you “pin” or save, and it’s built to give people ideas, and then do them. MIND SHIFT: Instagram is about projecting an image of...
Author Archives: Daniel
Episode #7 – How To Use Instagram Stories and Go Live with Ladies Roadmap
JoJami and Lana of Ladies Roadmap have found an under served audience and are making content for them. They’re starting a podcast for women over 50, going around the country in a motor home to meet women and inspire them. Here’s some of the recommendations I gave them. On Instagram:...
Episode #6 – How To Create Amazing Visuals for Social Media
Tabitha Carro teaches small business owners and people working on their side hustles how to use their phones to create visual appealing graphics for social media. Are you a small business owner who doesn’t have the time to learn all the social media platforms and tools? Tabitha recommends sticking to...
Episode #5 – How To Become a Freelancer and Get Clients with James Santos
James Santos is a visual artist and designer. He’s done work for major companies as an employee of a company, but now he’s in the process of becoming a freelancer. He’s proud of the experience he’s gained working for larger clients but now he’s looking to build up his own...
I Figured Out How To Build a Mailing List So You Don’t Have To
So many people are obsessed with email lists. “How many people are on your email list?” they ask. “How engaged is your email list?” Email lists are not new. I had an email list back in 1998. I made a fake advice column, and people would email me questions, and...
Episode #4 – Grow Your Instagram Following with these Five Advanced Instagram Strategies from Jen Lehner of Jen Lehner Media
Jen Lehner teaches digital marketing and has built an amazing community on Facebook called “The Front Row”. She has some great social media courses and even has a course on how to make your own course. Jen talks about her Instagram strategies for posts, ads, building a community, stories,...
I Figured Out How to Lose Belly Fat So You Don’t Have To
I remember the exact moment things crossed a line. I was out with my wife on a Saturday night, we’d had dinner, then some drinks, and now I was insisting on pizza. I wasn’t hungry, I just wanted pizza. But I couldn’t get my wallet out of my jeans, because...
Episode #3 – How To Build a Following Based on your Photography from Keeyahtay Lewis of Deadbolt Photos
Keeyahtay has a fulltime photography job. He’s got also got a photography business on the side. Here’s what I learned from him. Subscribe on iTunes! First – if you’re doing something for the fame, you’re doing it wrong. Second, the beauty of Instagram is being able to see other people’s...
I Went to College for Technology So You Don’t Have To
People constantly tell me “I don’t know anything about computers or phones. I didn’t grow up with this stuff.” I feel the same way about cars or anything home repair related. I didn’t grow up fixing cars or houses. I’m constantly trying to figure out how people know how to...
Episode #2 – Building Your Instagram Quickly Using Facebook Friends and Phonebook Contacts
Building Your Instagram Quickly Using Facebook Friends and Phonebook Contacts I wanted to make a podcast where I interview people who know a lot about Instagram. My plan is to get them to spill their secrets (for free!) so you can listen and learn from the best. But this plan...
Episode #1 – Five Beginner Instagram Strategies From Sadie Olsen of Otto’s Cassava Flour
5 Instagram Strategies I Learned From Sadie Olsen of Otto’s Cassava Flour Sadie markets a flour for people who can’t eat gluten or are on the paleo diet. She started her company from scratch 2 years ago and she’s now on shelves in major food retailers. Here are her Instagram...
How Can I Use Instagram on the PC?
If you’re like me, you spend your day in front of a PC. You’re faster at typing on a full keyboard than a phone, and apps that insist on creating a mobile-only experience can be frustrating. Yesterday, my friend Luke sent me a direct message on Instagram with a response...
The Easiest Way to Prevent Your Instagram or Facebook (or Email) from Being Hacked
My screen popped up with a message from a friend. “Help!” it said. “I’m on vacation and I lost my wallet and I’m stuck! Can you wire me $2,000?” I sent a text to my friend to verify this, and it turned out he wasn’t on vacation at all. “People...
How to Solve the Biggest Problems With hashtags
Hashtags are typically described as discovery tools. “The best discovery method”, you might hear. “The best way to be found,” someone might say. But ask yourself – when was the last time you personally clicked on a hashtag? If you’re like me, you don’t click on hashtags very often. You...
The Instagram 101
I remember hearing about Instagram in 2012, signing up, and being confused at the concept. “Why do we need Instagram if Facebook already exists? Who wants to see pictures of other people’s food?” And this was before the selfie craze was born. Here’s the way to think about it, using...
What Are Your Questions About Instagram? Here Are 10 More Answers (Part 2)
In case you missed it, I recently answered 10 questions about Instagram here. But the questions kept coming in, so I made a second blog post. Here’s round 2! 11. What type of posts encourage interaction, versus which ones get passed over? It depends on your audience, there are so...
What Are Your Questions About Instagram? Here’s 20 Answers (Part 1)
Last week, I started writing a book about social media, to give away for free to you. It’s getting long, but I felt like it might not be addressing the questions that you might be wondering. I asked on a couple of Facebook groups filled with smart people “do you...
How Instagram & Snapchat Stories Can Help You Build Relationships In Ways Blogging & Vlogging Cannot
How Instagram and Snapchat Stories Can Help You Build Relationships In Ways Blogging and Vlogging Cannot Are you too busy to blog? Even if you had the time, you have to write in an engaging way, and you need to write regularly. You need to buy appropriate pictures for the...
How Snapchat Helps You Build Relationships In Ways an Email List, Blogging and Facebook Cannot
Do you have an email list? Do you have a Facebook page? Do you want to reach a younger, wider audience? If so, keep reading. If you don’t like to read, here’s a 45 second video with the highlights. Once upon a time, way back in 2010, I went on...
What Are Your Defense Mechanisms?
I was standing on the train platform, waiting for the subway uptown. I’d been waiting for a few minutes, but no sign on the train. They made an announcement over the loudspeaker and the woman next to me angrily removed her earbuds in impatience. “What did they say?” I could...
How To Hack An Email Account
A few years ago, my wife Lauren, along with some friends of hers, planned a surprise baby shower for her best friend. My wife sent out an email to her pregnant friend with their “pretend” plans to get lunch and BCC’d (blind carbon copied) the other friends she was planning the...
Why Am I Seeing Less “Likes” on my Instagram posts?
I was in a meeting with the CEO and the marketing person. The marketing person doubled as the CEO’s personal assistant. The CEO had just returned from a conference and was upset because he missed a session he wanted to be part of. He blamed the marketing person for this....
How to Use Snapchat
How to Use Snapchat. 1. Download the app. Go to the Google Play Store or iTunes Store, search for “Snapchat”. Install. (Note: there’s no “computer” version – this is phone/tablet only.) 2. Open up the app. It looks like this: 3. Once you’ve installed the app, open it up, and...
Why Snapchat Matters in 2016
In 2010, I went on a job interview with a tech company that made mobile apps. Toward the end of the interview, the interviewer told me one of their clients was a major bank who wanted a Facebook app for their customers to use for transactions. At that time, Facebook...
Podcast #12 – How To Have a Successful Relationship – Melissa Schneider
Melissa Schneider is relationship coach based in New Jersey with some great insights and an excellent book. I heard Melissa on another podcast discussing what she calls the “awesome-ness factor” and knew I had to interview her. Her own interview sessions in China are the subject of her book “An...
Podcast #11 – How To Start Over After A Setback – Tyler Beaty
Tyler Beaty was cruising through life when things took an unexpected turn. He lost his job and had to start from the ground up. He writes consistently about what to do if you ever end up in a situation like that. Listen as we get into his story, we talk...
Podcast #10 – How To Come Back from Failure & Conquer Your Fears – Brandon Grooms
Brandon Grooms is a person who’s honest about his failures. He’s got the greatest LinkedIn profile I’ve ever seen. Brandon helps people conquer their fears. Listen as he talks about his views and what actions he’s taken to come back from failures. Subscribe using iTunes! Show Information: Brandon...
Podcast #9 – How To Become an Idea Machine – Claudia Altucher
Claudia Altucher is a writer who has completely transformed her life by going through a process of creating ideas every day. If you’re exiting school and aren’t sure what to do next, if you’re frustrated at work and wondering if you should go back to school, then this interview is...
Bonus – Gary Vaynerchuk – How To Improve Relationships
Today’s podcast is different from any other I’ve done so far. I’m going to look for different ways to interview people who inspire me, but some are out of my reach at this point. Gary Vaynerchuk is one of those. He’s one of my heroes, but getting on his calendar...
Podcast #8 – Brian Honigman – Content Marketer
Today I interview Content Marketer and Social Media Consultant Brian Honigman, who’s creating some truly amazing content. When I saw the Slideshare presentation on Facebook that Brian made, I knew I had to interview him! Subscribe using iTunes! Show Information: Brian Honigman Facebook Slideshare: Web : Brianhonigman.com...
Podcast #7 – Jennifer Lehner – Social Media Guru
Today I interview social media strategist and marketing guru Jennifer Lehner and we get deep into Twitter! Do you ever wonder why it’s important to be on Twitter? Want to know how to actually be able to follow people in a manageable way? Jennifer shares her secrets in this great...
Podcast #6 – Alexis Guerreros – Comedian
Today I interview comedian Alexis Guerreros, who I’ve known for years. He quit his job to focus on his comedy, which is why I had to talk to him. We discuss interviewing your heroes, setting yourself up to pursue your passion, and the feeling you get when you know you’re...
How Do You Feel About Getting Older?
How do you feel about getting older? Personally, I’m not a fan. Not at all. I can accept it, but I don’t have to like it. I have a good amount of gray hair, which I’m not thrilled with. It’s been a thing people commented on for years. It started...
Podcast #5 – Stephen Thomson – Physiotypes
Today I interview Stephen Thomson, who has created a new way to analyze personality types. We discuss why knowing personality types are important, how to keep improving yourself no matter what personality type you are. and how to keep social media in its place. Subscribe using iTunes! Show Information: Stephen...
Should I have Separate Social Media Accounts for Personal and My Brand?
Short answer: No. Long answer: No. Unless you have a reason you want to keep some things private. In 2015, the best way to gain a following is to have great content and: 1. Be famous, friends with someone who’s famous, or go places with famous people frequently. 2. Engage...
Ideas Are the New Currency
On Thursday night, I went to a “Choose Yourself” meetup, which was titled as an “Idea Mixer”. The point is to come up with ideas – ideas are the new currency – and take one idea and combine it with another idea, until you have a completely new idea baby....
Podcast #4 – Mike Vacanti – On The Regimen
Today I interview personal trainer and online coach Mike Vacanti of On The Regimen (and CEO of Gary Vanyerchuk’s body), discuss how fear before publishing your work online is a good thing, how to write so it’s about your readers and not you, and how important macro-nutrients are to a...
Stories Need To Be Uncovered
“Have you ever ridden in an ambulance before?” That was the EMT’s first question. “No,” I responded. “You’re going to love it. This vehicle costs a quarter of a million dollars, and this thing MOVES.” He was right. We were definitely doing 90 MPH on Route 287, with my wife...
Podcast #3 – Lisa Lopez – Across The Grain Studio
Welcome to the third episode of the TooDifficult.com Podcast! Today on the show, I interview artist Lisa Lopez, discuss how to start a small business and what to charge, how to deal with haters, and why personality types matter! Show Information: Lisa Lopez – Across the Grain Studio...
What Stories Do You Have?
I like to ask people questions. One of my favorite activities is to ask people who are probably ignored by the general population about their day, or for their greatest story while on-the-job.It’s actually reached the point where I do this without realizing. A few weeks ago, my wife and...