Top Guest Blogs of 2019

Last week the top ten most read blogs on this site from 2019 were listed.  Those were drawn from the pool of entries written by yours truly.  This week instead provides a look at the blogs written by guests last year.

This exercise provided an opportunity to observe that only nine such entries were done in 2019, suggesting perhaps a need for greater inclusion in 2020.  Any takers?

Here are the nine guest blogs from last year, listed in order that culminates with the most read.  (Data was calculated as of one week ago today.)

9. “Final Lessons Learned from NOT Playing in Front of Ten Million” (by Natalie Gelman) – Clearly a victim of timing (this was the last blog published in 2019 – specifically, on December 30th), this likely will continue to receive considerable traffic.  The singer, songwriter, guitar player capped off her three-part series about her experience with having been filmed by ESPN for a segment that was to run while going to or coming back from a break on “Monday Night Football” – yet never aired.  This installment dealt with it being gameday and Gelman waiting (and waiting) throughout the broadcast but ultimately going from excitement to disappointment.

8. “Lessons Learned from NOT Playing in Front of Ten Million” (by Natalie Gelman) – The first in the three-part series referred to above, this installment talked about how she got the opportunity in the first place.

7. “Using Emerging Digital Methods to Market Your Music” (by Amelia Harris) – At a time when CDs seem to for all intents and purposes be a thing of the past, audio streaming is here whether you like it or not.  So, this entry provided some resources you can take advantage of to get your music more widely distributed and better position yourself to get into the earbuds of more (new) listeners.

6. “How Video Can Both Make and Break Your Image” (by Dalton Burdette) - An award-winning actor and filmmaker provides insights ranging from why bad videos can destroy your image to working with a videographer to making your own videos, and even the huge importance of the audio in your videos.

5. “The Importance of Good Video – A Follow-Up” (by Dalton Burdette) - On the heels of his entry one week earlier (above), this award-winning actor and filmmaker this time writes specifically about how to avoid bad video if you decide to shoot in your own home or studio - most beneficial for performers doing cover songs and/or entrepreneurs posting video content they're recording on their own.

4. “More Lessons Learned from NOT Playing in Front of Ten Million” (by Natalie Gelman) – The second in the three-part series noted in numbers 9 and 8 above, this installment talked about preparing for and then actually doing the taping with ESPN.

3. “Someone Stole My Song!” (by Chris Tanner) - Written by an artist, musician, inventor, and patent attorney, this post walks creators through the fear of someone stealing your work -- from YouTube or elsewhere -- including who can help you (and what you can even do on your own to help prevent it).

2. “Why ‘I’ve Been Singing Since I Was 3’ is a Stupid Backstory (and What to Say Instead)” (by Mella Barnes) - A session singer, songwriter, voiceover and blogger presents not only a case against why singers shouldn't be saying "I've been singing since I was 3," but offers five suggestions on "newer and better stories to tell your fans."

1. “Simple Strategies to Maximize the Post-Conference Glow” (by Wendy Wheeler) - The head of The World Is Your Classroom writes here that, "It doesn't matter which conference you attended or what your field of expertise is. What matters is what you do next." This entry presents steps on how to take action on all your takeaways from the latest seminar you attended so that your notes don't end up tucked away until it's time to attend the next such learning event.

Despite their order, which of the above really got your attention and why?  What from the above will you put into action (first) for 2020?  Talk about all this in our Facebook group!