{"id":65220,"date":"2022-06-02T22:00:55","date_gmt":"2022-06-02T12:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/problogger.com\/?p=65220"},"modified":"2022-06-02T22:00:55","modified_gmt":"2022-06-02T12:00:55","slug":"turned-one-blog-post-7-figure-business-can-capitalize-going-viral","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/problogger.com\/turned-one-blog-post-7-figure-business-can-capitalize-going-viral\/","title":{"rendered":"How I Turned One Blog Post Into a 7-Figure Business (And How You Can Capitalize on Going Viral)"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"How

Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash<\/p><\/div>\n

In 2013, I experienced a writer\u2019s dream come true. My blog post, 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don\u2019t Do<\/span><\/a>, went viral. And not just a little viral, it went mega-viral.<\/span><\/p>\n

It was read by millions of people in a matter of days. And then Forbes.com picked it up and it reached more than 10 million more readers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Within a week, national radio shows were about talking my article. Major publications were asking to reprint it. News channels were calling to interview me.<\/span><\/p>\n

And if that weren\u2019t enough, in the midst of the viral superstorm, a literary agent called and suggested I turn my article into a book.<\/span><\/p>\n

Up until that point, writing was only my part-time job. My main career was as a psychotherapist and college psychology instructor. So I knew this was my opportunity to change that.<\/span><\/p>\n

But, almost no one knew why I had written that blog post. When people would ask me, I\u2019d say, \u201cI\u2019m a therapist and I\u2019ve learned what helps people become mentally strong through my practice.\u201d But that was only half the story. <\/span><\/p>\n

The rest of the story was that I\u2019d written that article as a letter to myself during one of the lowest points of my life. When I was 23, my mother had died suddenly from a brain aneurysm. Then, on the three-year anniversary of her death, my 26-year-old husband died of a heart attack.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dealing with those back-to-back losses was incredibly painful. But I knew that time heals nothing. It was what I did with that time that mattered.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

So I worked really hard on allowing myself to grieve. It was a slow and painful process and for quite a while, my life was flipped upside down. But eventually, I found my way by putting one foot in front of the other. <\/span><\/p>\n

A few years later, my father-in-law was diagnosed with terminal cancer. And I was overwhelmed at the thought of losing yet another loved one. <\/span><\/p>\n

After a few days of hosting my own pity party, I thought to myself, \u2018mentally strong people don\u2019t feel sorry for themselves.\u2019 And I reminded myself that indulging in self-pity wasn\u2019t helpful. <\/span><\/p>\n

So I sat down and I wrote a list of all the things mentally strong people don\u2019t do. When I was done, I had 13 things that I\u2019d need to avoid if I wanted to stay mentally strong while I faced yet another loss.<\/span><\/p>\n

They were things I\u2019d learned through my previous journey with grief. And they were also the things I\u2019d seen first-hand in my therapy office. They were the bad habits that would rob me of mental strength if I let them.<\/span><\/p>\n

I decided to publish my list online. I thought perhaps if it helped me, maybe someone else would find it helpful too. <\/span><\/p>\n

I never imagined that my post would go viral. I\u2019d written plenty of other articles and none of them had ever struck such a chord.<\/span><\/p>\n

But while I was on one hand celebrating my article\u2019s success, I was also privately dealing with my grief. Just four days before I appeared on Fox News to talk about mental strength, my father-in-law passed away. <\/span><\/p>\n

The Book that Told My Story<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

I spoke to the literary agent who had contacted me and I decided to put together a nonfiction book proposal.<\/span><\/p>\n

I knew nothing about publishing and had no idea what to expect. But within a week of submitting it to my agent, we received multiple offers from big publishing houses. It was a surreal experience.<\/span><\/p>\n

I got a deal with HarperCollins and I spent the next few months writing my book. I was still working as a therapist, but I had three days per week I could devote solely to writing my book. To meet my deadline, I had to write one chapter per week. I spent one day researching, the next day writing, and the third day editing. <\/span><\/p>\n

Then, just 13 months after my article went viral, my book, also called 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don\u2019t Do<\/span><\/a><\/em>, hit the shelves. Incredibly, it\u2019s hit several major bestseller lists, including the Wall Street Journal<\/i> and USA Today<\/i>. I\u2019ve also gotten publishing deals in more than 20 other languages.<\/span><\/p>\n

The biggest questions I received from readers was, \u201cHow do I teach my kids how to be mentally strong?\u201d So in January, my agent and I approached my publisher to pitch a parenting book. And fortunately, they were on board. So my next book, 13 Things Mentally Strong Parents Don\u2019t Do<\/em>, will hit the shelves in the Fall of 2017.<\/span><\/p>\n

Turning a Viral Article Into a Viable Business<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

The challenge I faced in going viral was finding a way to turn it into an ongoing business. Clearly, people were interested in the concept of mental strength, but I needed to find a way to provide them with more information in a helpful way. <\/span><\/p>\n

In addition to the income I received from writing my books, I found several other ways to capitalize on the viral nature of that blog post:<\/span><\/p>\n

I do speaking engagements.<\/b> I\u2019ve spoken at events ranging from TEDx<\/span><\/a> and book clubs, to corporate events and global conferences. Sometimes I appear in-person but at other times, companies hire me to provide webinars on mental strength.<\/span><\/p>\n

Further Reading:\u00a0How to Become a Professional Speaker when You Have No Leads or Experience<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

I created a mental strength eCourse<\/b>. I receive frequent requests from people looking for individual coaching. But, it was impossible to scale my business by providing one-on-one services.\u00a0 <\/span>So I created an online course<\/span><\/a> that provides me with passive income while also giving people an affordable alternative to individual coaching.<\/span><\/p>\n

Further Reading:\u00a0Tips for Creating Your First eCourse<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

I write for magazines and other websites<\/b>. In the past, I\u2019ve accepted some pretty low paying writing jobs, simply because I needed the money. Now, I can negotiate much higher fees. I write for several major publications and magazine editors often approach me with requests for an article.<\/span><\/p>\n

Further Reading:\u00a05 Easy Ways to Improve Your Pitches and Get More Freelance Writing Work<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

I consult with business leaders and executives<\/b>. I provide consultation to major businesses who are interested in knowing how to create a mentally strong culture or who want to know how to become a stronger leader.<\/span><\/p>\n

Further Reading:\u00a0Got a Consulting Gig from Your Blog? Don’t Make this Big Mistake<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

I continue to grow my platform<\/b>. Growing my platform has been an ongoing process. Social media has been a big part of that, but I also continue to do interviews with the media as often as possible. And sometimes, that means reaching out to influencers and pitching my ideas.<\/span><\/p>\n

Further Reading:\u00a0How to Develop the Right Plan to Grow Your Blog’s Readership<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

One Piece of Content Could Change Your Life<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

Quite often, my monthly income is higher than what my annual salary used to be. But, even better than the money, is the freedom that I have to do what I love in a way that I want<\/span><\/p>\n

I never imagined that one blog post could make such a difference, but one blog post could skyrocket your career. It\u2019s important to be ready to capitalize on that opportunity if it happens to you. Here are few tips on how you can be ready:<\/span><\/p>\n