I admit, I didn’t know what to call this post, and I have not planned exactly what I’m going to write. I just know it’s long overdue and I haven’t been documenting blog income, etc.
In all truth, I should be documenting all online earnings and what’s going on with my multiple streams of income – that would all make for a better read and would be nice to look back on as things continue to develop.
Income reports are very time-consuming, and I know I will regret not keeping up with it in hindsight, but my day to day is already hectic.
My work day has changed a lot this year. I knew it would, but was not prepared for how much.
For instance, I never thought I would become a customer service assistant 😅!
Couple that with running my sites, managing my team, home educating and taking care of a household of 4 other people and a dog…
— The MidJourney prompt was “black woman juggling lots of different balls” thank god for adult filters, lol 😊😇
The Birth Of The Bulk Publishing System
So, in December 2022, I released what I had been working on and using on my main site, (Site 8) to the niche site world; The Bulk Publishing System.
The system is a method to create content at scale using an AI-integrated spreadsheet. I had already been doing this throughout the year, taking a programmatic SEO approach, using my existing articles, Jasper and the love of my life (the concatenate formula 😍).
It is fair to say, the concatenate formula changed my life. If you don’t know much about him, here is what he looks like and what he does…
This is what I (now) call a Prompt Data Cell.
The Google Sheets CONCATENATE formula is a function that allows you to join or combine multiple pieces of text (or strings) together into one single text.
As simple as this function is, the possibilities are endless. I started out using it to join and merge data for posts like “Top 7 Basketball Classes In London, UK” using a combination of scraped Google Maps data and Jasper AI.
Worked like a treat!
It was factual, it was unique, and the companies that stumbled across those pages were ecstatic… (a little soft link-building technique 😉)
I knew that if I didn’t have to copy and paste Jasper responses into the sheet, I could up my productivity a bunch. A temporary fix was the Jasper team creating a Chrome extension.
This sped things up a bit, but I longed for the ability to click and drag! And, to introduce AI to Concatenate.
In October 2022, I went to the Brighton SEO event and there were two talks in particular that suggested this WAS possible – my mind began racing with ideas and things I could do and build when I got back.
After many hours, coffees and sleepless nights, The Bulk Publishing System was born. I put together some how-to’s like a true fish out of water, and released it on Gumroad.
It was well received, to say the least! Within the first week I had done over $10,000 in sales and that didn’t slow down.
Imposter Syndrome almost held me back from releasing The BPS, but I was getting so many emails and interest in what I was doing and sharing on Twitter that I just thought “f*ck it”.
Thank God for that 🤣
💎 Don’t let imposter syndrome rob you of your growth.
Needless to say, I was overwhelmed by support emails but was getting a lot of great feedback to help me learn and improve. Something I am still doing now.
Copy Cats and Pirates
It definitely felt like crap to have my hard-work pirated within the first 2-weeks of release. Knowing they were likely following me and asking questions.
That feeling didn’t last, though. I took it as a sign to crack on and just keep swimming, like Dory taught me.
I’ve been switching things up ever since and overall, I am just committed to producing something truly valuable. I am certain these efforts will pay off.
On this Bulk Publishing journey so far, I have discovered some haters 😂. But more importantly, I have come across some truly amazing people who have been supportive and honest with me, helping me make improvements and adjustments as well as aiding me in my vision.
I’ve thanked you guys personally, so you know who you are 🔥
Open AI, APIs & Google Sheets
When I made the tool, I didn’t know there would be any limitations, and for a long time there weren’t any! I’m not a developer, I am just a woman with a lot going on in her head.
The First Draft Generator, which is simply a sheet designed to simplify creating a basic article from a keyword or outline. Was birthed as a solution to another problem.
Splitting outlines and generating long-form paragraphs for each subheading was ideal. However, the overall meaning could be lost if a subheading didn’t have enough context, as each section was separate.
The First Draft Generator takes the entire outline and generates a basic article from that. This way, it includes all of the subheadings and understands the intent and context.
The problem is, Google Sheets has limitations on how long it can sit and wait for an API, and generating an entire blog post can be a time-intensive activity. After around 20-seconds, it times out.
And, with OpenAI’s servers being as overloaded as they have been lately, the API isn’t the fastest. This results in errors for long-form tasks.
I keep offering workarounds, but the fact is – we have outgrown Google Sheets and all of its limitations!
Very soon The Bulk Publishing WordPress Plugin will be released! Everybody who has already purchased the masterclass or the system will automatically receive a LTD for unlimited sites – that’s just how we do things 😎.
Early adopters are the best – without early adopters you have no direction for your product. Who wants to build something nobody wants? Lol.
Still figuring out the pricing structure, but there will likely be licenses for 1 site, 5 sites and unlimited sites.
WordPress Plugin Vs. Web App
I already knew the majority would go for a plugin, and it was the solution I was leaning towards creating FIRST.
Based on my feedback from group chats and emails, I have way more beginners using the system and enquiring daily than seasoned bloggers.
Between Google Sheets and “Published”, there is an extra step that:
- Involves another tool I have no control over.
- Could be eliminated completely. Actually, it could potentially go from a 3-step process to a 1-step process.
When we are used to something, we forget how challenging some processes are that become second nature to us. The plugin I am designing takes these main functions and puts it right on the platform, it also provides some additional protection for me- I am not going to give too much away now as the cat-pirates are always watching 😏
But the WordPress Plugin actually helps me progress onto the web-app in many ways. So I am doing both. And, as mentioned, from the feedback I have received, I can tell the two solutions, while overlapping, will have vastly different end-users.
The Next Steps: Bulk Publishing Plugin Beta Testers
Wow, I’m sort of building in public, aren’t I?
Putting together a small team of Bulk Publishing Ninja Turtles to bounce ideas off of and test. The team is based on conversations I’ve had so far and the general support I’ve had from people who have been using the tool (this isn’t me putting an application out there).
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