An Honest Review of The Scale with Content Strategy by Paige Brunton
This is actually the very first post I'm writing about a course review here.
If you read my recent Q&A post I wrote that provided you with a behind-the-scenes look at my business, I explained to you there that I am obsessed with learning - aka I am always enrolled in a course (or two sometimes!).
My good business friend and I were talking about this the other day, saying how we constantly are signing up for new courses, workshops, or training.
It’s important for a small business owner to continue learning. Not only will your audience see you as more of an expert, but it will further allow you to specialize and niche in your industry more.
As a nurse, I’m constantly needing to learn and take more courses when it comes to patient care. Educational learning and development is a requirement for my yearly professional registration, hence why I’m constantly specializing in my chosen area of expertise.
If you're like me and are totally obsessed with learning, then this review is for you.
Today, I'm sharing with you my honest review of The Scale with Content Strategy by Paige Brunton.
If you're unfamiliar with Paige Brunton, she is a Squarespace web designer expert turned online educator for entrepreneurs. You can check out the course offerings that she has - they are all awesome.
I first came across Paige when I first started out my journey as a home decor blogger. I had made the switch from WordPress (which I honestly did not like!) over to Squarespace. The only problem was, I needed help with learning this new platform.
Throughout all my Google Squarespace searches, Paige's blog posts would always seem to pop up. And let me tell you, her blog posts did not disappoint.
Paige goes in depth with everyyything and I mean, she's not shy of writing you a 2,500 worded blog post that gives you details upon details of solid “how-to” knowledge.
From learning about Paige and loving the content she was sharing on the regular (Paige posts two blog posts a week — every Tuesday and Thursday), I jumped on her email list and have been in the loop about her business & offerings ever since.
So when I read her email newsletter that she was coming out with a new offer — The Scale With Content Strategy — I knew right away that this course was for me because:
Paige talks about the importance of content marketing, writing blog posts, and growing an email list which in her opinion, is vital to the sustainable health, growth, and authority positioning of your business.
Paige is an expert in blogging & email list building (in my humble opinion) so why not learn from one of the best and stop trying to reinvent the wheel?
Paige genuinely wants to see you succeed in business and live the life you’ve always dreamt by growing your community of dedicated readers who love your content & are excited to purchase what you have to offer.
Now, I know a lot of people think very differently about blogging and building an email list of true followers, but I think otherwise. Everyone that you hear nowadays always talks about making money from Instagram or Facebook, and they say that's the only way you can grow your business in today’s landscape of social media.
I personally know that most of the businesses or influencers that I love have an email list and frequently create some form of blog content or any type of content that can be found on one of the three most powerful search engines we have available to us today: a) Google b) Pinterest and c) YouTube.
And guess what?
Not only am I on their list but I read every one of their emails.
The reason why I love these businesses and influencers so much is because they frequently create content that is evergreen and can be easily found. And to some, they are seen as the experts in their fields because of this.
I know, I know. Some of you who read this may argue this point I made, but the truth is, it's very difficult to search for valuable information on social media.
Even if you created the most epic social media post, it still can't be found through a Google search.
And for me and my business, I WANT to be found on Google.
Did you know that Google and Pinterest work together to grow your domain authority and ranking online?
Yes they do.
Here's the deal: if you are posting high-quality content on Pinterest, and Pinterest is sending qualified leads to your website, guess what Google does? Google takes notice of this social signal and starts to prioritize your website more and more in search queries.
This in my opinion is crucial to the growth of any business and it's definitely where I want my business to be in the next 5 years.
So with this knowledge in mind, I signed up for The Scale with Content Strategy course and jumped right in.
The Scale with Content Strategy Breakdown
Now Paige does recommend that you watch all the course modules first, then implement the strategies after.
What I did when I was going through the course modules, I wrote lots of notes in Notion as I binged watched the entire course in one evening. I like to keep a running log of all the courses I take in Notion because I find it easy for me to reference there and write all my notes.
But enough of me chatting, here’s the breakdown of the course.
Module 1: Content Foundations
This module sets the tone for how the course will be carried out.
From the introduction to guiding you through knowing your ideal or redefining your ideal client, you'll be given the necessary tools that will help you see that this course is not all about finishing the race quickly but finishing the race sustainably and strategically.
Because as we know, blogging is about long-term gain (something that I teach all my Pinterest clients all the time so this is something that I'm very familiar with).
You cannot think you can post a blog and the traffic will come flooding through your website. You need to share what you are doing, know who you are creating the content for, and stay consistent during it all because, in the end, all the hard work and effort will pay off.
Module 2: Content Prep
This module is about picking the right platform that will help you get people to your website - aka Google!
Paige dives deep into how you can prepare your blog content to be best ranked for SEO (search engine optimization).
Paige also does a good job at diving into the other areas of content creation and marketing such as social media, podcasting, and even YouTube.
Module 3: Content Creation
This module is the meat and potatoes of the course where content creation is discussed. You'll go over the anatomy of writing good blog posts that your audience actually wants to read, to "batch hacks", and Paige's #1 strategy she has used for years that's kept her consistent with her blogging content.
Module 4: SEO for Content Creation
Now, this is the part of the course that I was really excited to learn about. We all want to know a little bit more about SEO without learning all the long, drawn-out, overly complicated stuff.
In this module, Paige really breaks down SEO best practices in a simple, yet the digestible way that I found to be refreshing!
I've taken many courses before on SEO, and I've always walked away feeling unsatisfied or too overwhelmed to continue on with the course.
But Paige's provided such a good explanation of things that I knew I could implement right away. I was able to make a few tweaks to my SEO practices because of what I learned from the course that I actually find SEO fun now.
P.S. I had a few Oprah "A-Ha!" moments in this module, that I'm sure you'll feel the same way about too :)
Module 5: Email Prep
In this module, Paige goes over what you should look out for when it comes to email marketing. I've discovered that not all email marketing providers are the same, and for very good reason!
Paige talks about the importance of building a really good opt-in gift that will grow your email list and shares with you some high converting opt-in gift ideas (especially ones that have worked for her).
Paige also shares with you some pretty good tips when it comes to her preferred email marketing platform - Convertkit.
She screen shares with you the automation abilities and the advanced features you should be used with an email provider if you are serious about growing your email list.
There is an affiliate link located in the course if you are thinking of switching to Convertkit or wanting to use the platform if you're just starting out your business.
For someone who literally has thousands of email subscribers, she is where I truly want my email list to be so I will definitely listen to what she has to say!
Module 6: Email Creation
This module teaches you what to do once you start growing your email list, but also, Paige fills you in on how you can turn your email list into money in the bank (exactly what we all want!).
I'm sure you've heard it all before but it bears to be repeated multiple times.
The Money Is In Your Email List.
Paige talks to you about her experience on what it took her to build her email list in the thousands that allowed her to sell out her services and courses and allowed her to build a multi-six figure business in 5 years.
Module 7: Hacks to actually get yourself to start
In this module, you get a full "To-Do" list of things you should start implementing in order if you are feeling overwhelmed or not sure what area you should start with first.
You also get Paige's "5-second emergency post solution" and tips on how you can expand your blogging growth.
BONUS: Guest Expert Interviews
Because we all love bonuses, you get expert interviews from Alex Beadon for Instagram marketing, Anna Parker-Naples on Podcasting, Louise Henry on YouTube, and Ashlyn Carter on Selling out Your Services Via Email.
UNLOCKED BONUS: Guest Expert Interview with Lawyer Paige Hulse
You get access to an additional bonus interview with Lawyer Paige Hulse who is the owner and founder of The Creative Law Shoppe.
What It's Like On The Inside
From the moment I signed up for Paige's course, I KNEW that I made the right decision.
I dove into the course full of energy to learn something new, but also with an open mind towards new strategies that I could implement right away if I wanted to be found through organic traffic on Google.
I've always wanted to learn what I should do to rank more on Google, but I've always felt a bit...intimidated.
I mean, isn't ranking high on Google what the really big companies with millions of website traffic or millions of dollars in ad spend do?
These types of questions and so much more would run through my head on the daily, but from what I know about organic traffic from being a Pinterest manager, it takes a loong time to rank for at times and that was something that I was willing to put my money on - to be found via evergreen searches as opposed to riding the trend of something or to put money towards ads in order for my business to gain traction.
For me, I've always enjoyed finding new brands and businesses from a simple Google search, especially when the content I find on their blog to be so good, it leads me down an endless rabbit hole of good quality, high-value information.
When I started with Paige's course, I was so grateful that she really thought through all the touchpoints of this course and laid out all the strategies that she used to grow her business, but also the strategies that are most effective if you want to level up your content marketing gameplan.
Paige took the time to make sure this course was well-thought-out, easy to understand, and most important, easy to implement.
But just because I mention that the course was easy to understand and implement, doesn't mean the course was not full of valuable information.
I found that Paige answered the many questions I had spinning in my mind when I first signed up:
How often will I have to blog? Twice a week? Once a week?
How long do I have to consistently blog in order to start seeing growth in my organic traffic?
How long is it going to take for me to build my email list with blogging consistently?
I don't enjoy going live or "showing up" on Instagram stories, will blogging ultimately replace the need to "show up" on social media?
What email opt-in should I use for my business? A workbook? Quiz? Checklist?
What are the legalities of blogging and how can I protect my content?
How big does my email list have to be before I create or offer a digital product?
Guess what friend?
Paige answers it all in the course!
The Scale with Content Strategy really is the best place to learn what you need if you're seriously thinking about leveling up your evergreen content marketing and building an email list of dedicated subscribers who not only love your content but are engaged and excited to purchase your next offer.
I like to think of Paige's course in two parts:
Modules 1-4 are all about the prep work for your content marketing.
Paige teaches you the tricks of the trade when it comes to creating really good content that your audience loves, finding your authentic voice, learning about your ideal customer or client, relating to them, finding out what their concerns are in business and life, how you can make their life a bit better with what you offer.
In addition to that, Paige also helps you prepare an Editorial Calendar from the templates she provides (by the way, I may have missed adding in this part but she provides you with so many templates! It's honestly one of my favorite parts of the course), and really focusing on YOU, your content writing, and the organic, sustainable growth of your business in the long run.
Modules 5-7 are all about building and growing your email list.
I find Paige takes you step by step through the common mistakes people make with their email marketing and she, provides ample examples of proven email marketing strategies that actually work.
Paige has been in business long enough to test out quite a few email marketing strategies and I love the examples (and templates!!) she provides you in the course that will help you best with your ongoing weekly content and sales emails.
Is It Worth It?
My answer?
Yes because I think personal and professional development is always worth it.
Every year since I've started my business, I'd think back to the many (many) courses I've spent either time or money on, and Paige's course has definitely topped that list.
I use to feel self-conscious about my writing skills and would always think that I had to write in a professional manner in order for me to be taken seriously in my industry as an expert.
But Paige's course has really changed my mindset around what content creation really is.
I've discovered that not only are you writing for your ideal client avatar (ICA) but you are writing in a way that's authentic to you. You don't have to change the way you are in order to share your knowledge, skills, or talents with the world.
You are unique in your own way and people will connect with your message if it comes from a place of helping others to be the best they can be in life + business.
So, no longer do I stress about my content marketing because I know that what I create is value-packed & value-driven.
I'm now been getting double the organic traction to my website, more than I was three months ago, and my email list has also now doubled when I started the course!
I also am receiving emails from subscribers who tell me how much they love reading my newsletters because they feel like they can be relatable to me in so many ways.
So in my opinion, if you are tired of the constant struggle of planning hours of social media content, only to know that your content will never rank for SEO but you dream of your content being found on Google, growing your email list, selling out your services and products & helping others on a greater scale, then yes, the course is 100% worth it and I'm super happy I took it.
This is something I've always dreamt of and something that is always a huge surprise when I see a reply back to my newsletter in my inbox 🙂.
I'm not an affiliate for The Scale With Content Strategy course by Paige Brunton, but I'm hoping to be able to offer you an affiliate link someday soon!
I am continuing to see amazing results from the course and would be honored to promo the course anytime Paige opens her enrollment again.
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