Tor Refsland helps online entrepreneurs network with influencers and position their brand so they can attract the right clients fast. Want to skyrocket your blog? Get his free course How To Blog Outreach Like A Boss . But he only has 100 spots (seriously). Click here to reserve your spot now, so you can receive some of Tor`s BEST tips (that no one else uses).
Tor Refsland
How I Know Tor
Tor Refsland showed up in my inbox a couple years ago asking me for an interview. I obliged, of course (and yes, if you ask me a question or want to interview me for a post, I’d be happy to help you as well!); but we continued to talk well after the interview was over. And it turns out Tor is a pretty cool guy!
Tor is not only an incredibly charming individual — he’s a great example to fellow freelancers on networking done right. Seriously. This dude is big into blogger outreach, and he does it with finesse.
Check out my e-mail interview with Tor below to find out how this fascinating freelancer got his start, what’s next for his career, and how you can follow in his footsteps.
My Interview with Tor Refsland
What do you do?
I help online entrepreneurs NETWORK with influencers and position their BRAND so they can attract the right CLIENTS fast.
Say what?
Let me explain…
But first we need to crush two deadly myths that are ruining your business.
When most people start online, they are mainly focused on two things: write a lot of blog posts and get a lot of email subscribers.
And that is EXACTLY why most bloggers and freelancers are failing.
Deadly myth #1: You DON´T need a big email list to earn money
The biggest problem for most writers and bloggers is that they have been fed the lie about needing a big email list in order to make money online.
You are probably familiar with the big wet dream about 10 000 subscribers, right? The magical number that sometimes keeps you up at night.
You tell yourself “If I only can hit 10 000 subscribers with my email list, EVERYTHING will change. I will be set for life, I can finally provide for my family with my online business, and get the freedom I have always dreamed about.”
It´s time for a hard question.
Why do you believe that you need 10 000 subscribers in order to be successful?
Because a gazillion of so called experts have been telling you the same thing over and over again.
Heck, you might even have heard the following sentence “a good marketer can earn an average of $1 per subscriber per month”.
Yes, and you can feel that your heart just started to race now.
Why?
Because you KNOW thanks to basic calculation skills that 10 000 subscribers could equal…
…$10 000 per month!
Do you know what I say to all of the above?
Two words.
Bull sh*t.
10 000 subscribers will get you NOWHERE, unless you have been able to crack the code.
It´s quite simple.
If you can´t freakin´ sell your products and services to an email list of a few hundred people, thousands of subscribers won´t make ANY DIFFERENCE.
Sad, but true.
I experienced that the hard way, but I will tell my story in the next section. Lauren wanted me to stick to the questions, and I pinky sweared to both her and my baby daughter Luna that I wouldn´t do any spoilers.
In order to stand out and attract the right clients you need to narrow down your niche. But more on that later.
Then over to…
Deadly myth #2: You DON´T need to write a lot of blog posts to get traffic
First of all, you don´t need to write a lot of blog posts (especially not on your own blog) to get a lot of traffic and build your brand fast.
When I published my blog post, 80 Productivity Tips From Incredibly Busy Experts, it generated 20,231 page views in 6 days; 1,600+ social shares; and 94 comments. And it´s now ranked on first page of Google.
I know it sounds a bit crazy, but now I know that my blog posts will go viral BEFORE I start writing them.
How?
Because I am using a specific strategy. And it works every single time.
Let me ask you a question.
What´s the best way to get your content in front of 200 000 people: to build an email list of 200 000 subscribers, or to build a genuine relationship with someone that already has 200 000 subscribers?
The answer is the latter.
How do I know?
Because I managed to build a good relationship with a huge influencer that has 306,000 people on his email list.
And guess what?
He is willing to promote my stuff to his email list if it´s a good fit.
Networking and building genuine relationships with influencers is the FASTEST way to get traffic, subscribers and clients whenever you want.
That being said, when you build genuine relationships with influencers, it´s a long-term game.
And you need to focus on giving value, some more value and even more value WITHOUT expecting anything in return.
Do that in a polite, genuine and non-sleazy way without them calling the cops, and you are set up for success.
It´s all about having a strategy.
My strategy was…
blogger outreach and it helped me to get featured on 158 top blogs in my first 14 months of blogging.
How did you start?
I have always had a big passion for marketing. However, I didn´t want to become one of those fake experts that teach people to do stuff they haven´t done themselves.
Because that would have looked quite stupid, right?
“Listen, I will teach you how to get 10 000 subscribers, but I have only 2 people on my own email list (my mother and myself).”
I started with the productivity niche, since I am really good with productivity. When I used to work for one of the biggest companies in Norway earning six-figures, I was able to increase my own productivity by 4 times.
After 12 months I had been featured on 85+ blogs and gotten 3000+ email subscribers (without spending a dime on advertising), and even though that is all cool and all that…
I felt like a total FRAUD.
Why?
Because despite of influencers and my peers perceiving me as successful, there was one BIG problem…
I wasn´t earning the money I felt that I should compared to all the hard work I had put in.
So what did I do?
I pivoted.
I transitioned from the productivity niche and over to the marketing niche.
But I choose a very narrowed niche…
blogger outreach A.K.A. network with influencers online.
And it changed EVERYTHING.
Long story short…
I got testimonials on my blogger outreach skills from influencers like Evan Carmichael, Yaro Starak, Jon Morrow, Jaime Masters (Tardy) and John Lee Dumas.
How cool is that?
I created something that I call The Pre-Free Technique, which is basically to get people on a highly targeted email list BEFORE you have created your free product. Then you create your free product based your subscribers needs, and later you create the premium product.
Does it work?
I decided that I would create the free course How To Blog Outreach Like A Boss, if I got 100 subscribers on a highly targeted email list.
How long did it take to hit the 100 subscribers?
8 hours.
I know what you are thinking “Tor, getting targeted email subscribers to your email list sounds cool and all that. But can you really earn money on a small email list?”
Good question.
Well, I just made $6000+ in my first launch to a very small email list without spending a dime on advertising.
But I wanted to take it even further.
So what did I do?
I turned myself into a human guinea pig and used my blogger outreach techniques to test if I could turn cold leads into paying clients.
And the result?
I built a coaching business from 0 to $3000 per month in less than 3 months. My clients are paying me from $500-1500 per month.
It´s not rocket science, just a very smart strategy that works. And I am teaching my clients to do the same.
What’s your favorite part of what you do?
My favorite part is that I am blessed to be able to wake up every single morning doing what I LOVE the most…
…to help writers, bloggers and online entrepreneurs to get more traffic, subscribers and clients.
And do you know what´s even more awesome?
That they are paying me a descent amount of money to do so.
What advice do you have for someone looking into doing what you do?
If you want to take your skill and turn it into an online business, you need to do three things:
1. Hire a coach
2. Shut up and LISTEN to what the coach advises you to do
3. Apply massive action.
It´s not a strike of luck that I am where I am today. Over the last six years, I have spent about six-figures on coaching and high-end courses, and I have applied massive action and tons of hustle.And the most important part? I continue to do so – every single day.
What’s next for you?
This year I will be published in a book together with the biggest marketers and bloggers in the world (Seth Godin, Chris Brogan, Brian Clark, Yaro Starak and Evan Carmichael).
I will also be interview on the biggest business podcast in the world, John Lee Dumas´s EOFire.
Besides that, I will continue to build genuine relationships with influencers, get a few more high-end clients, set up a new email sequence for high-end coaching and get highly targeted leads (subscribers) from targeted Facebook Ads.
LINKS for More TOR REFSLAND
How To Blog Outreach Like A Boss
Follow Tor on Twitter @TorRefsland
And get Tor’s free gift for LittleZotz Writing readers at http://timemanagementchef.com/lauren