Want To Be A Guest Blogger? My Five Minutes To Famous Review

“We take things so seriously. Why not let it be fun?!” life coach, Susie Moore said breezily to Cathy Heller on the Don’t Keep Your Day Job podcast.

Susie was talking about how she’d gotten countless articles published in major online publications over the years. Like anyone who puts themselves out there, she’d been rejected many times along the road to success, but her nonchalant attitude about it was infectious.

‘I like this woman!’ I thought to myself, ‘She’s got some spunk!’

Not to mention, Susie has been a featured writer on websites like Mindbodygreen, Marie Claire, Huffington Post, Elite Daily… just to name a few. And as an aspiring writer myself, whatever she was doing, I wanted to do it, too.

After the episode, I Googled ‘Susie Moore’ and found that she had a course called Five Minutes to Famous where she teaches people how to get featured in major online publications. I’d never paid for an online course before, but I’d been blogging for a year at this point and was intrigued by the prospect of being featured on a popular website.

As fate would have it, she was offering a deal on her course that was ending in 24 hours. I gave myself 23 hours to decide if I was going to sign up for her course or not. I wasn’t making any money from my blog, so I was initially hesitant to invest in it. 

‘Would it be reckless of me?’ I wondered.

I couldn’t stop thinking about it, though. I actually felt an urgency about it and my gut was telling me to just take the chance. I decided if I was going to pay to learn from anyone, may as well be this cool, cheerful woman I actually enjoyed listening to!

By hour 12 of my 23-hour timeline… I signed up.

I’m now part of a community of talented, supportive people.

Once I’d officially enrolled in Five Minutes to Famous, I was invited to join a private Facebook group for members of the course. I was greeted warmly within moments of joining. I scrolled through the page curiously.

‘Who are these people I’m here with?‘ I wondered.

“Oh my gosh, I got published on Thrive Global!” one woman shared. Dozens of supportive comments were below her post.

“Look at this! I was featured on a podcast!” another woman exclaimed to a sea of excited students.

“Hey! Does anyone have any tips for creating a better email opt-in?” a man asked. Again, supportive, useful comments could be found below his post.

‘I’m among my peers,’ I realized. ‘I want to do what these people are doing!’

For my entire (very short) writing career, I’d been doing it all alone. I hadn’t even realized the value of being in a community like this! The people in this group were doing big things; some of them were even getting paid for their articles. I was ready to be a success story, too.

That night, I cozied up with a bowl of Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi, a glass of red wine, and a fresh notepad. I felt a giddy sense of hope like one has before the first day of school. Let’s do this!

I felt like I’d struck gold as I moved through the course.

Blogging is my side-gig; my passion project. I have a demanding, full-time job that requires a lot of my energy, so free time isn’t necessarily abundant in my life. That being said, I knew this course was about to save me many, many hours of Googling and researching on my own. I had a feeling it could help me leapfrog to new heights with my blog.

Between sips of wine, I clicked through my Five Minutes to Famous learning portal to see what I was working with. There were five clearly defined modules, multiple video interviews with media industry experts, and valuable resources like pitch scripts; a headline analyzer; and a tool for finding editor’s email addresses. We also had a PDF workbook with questions to fill out along with each module.

Each of the modules sounded so interesting and I couldn’t wait to dive in.

• Module 1: Celebrity Identity – In this module, Susie teaches you how to position yourself as the expert in your field and clearly define your brand identity.
• Module 2: The Money Spot – Drive results! In this module, you’ll map out your dream client, find contact information for editors to pitch to, and learn which publications will drive the best results for you.
• Module 3: Rejection-Proof Pitching – I was most excited about this module because pitching myself really intimidating me! Susie shares how to effectively pitch to any editor; how to politely-yet-assertively follow up; and how to piggyback on current trends.
• Module 4: Swoon-Worthy Content – In this module, Susie shares the five simple elements your article must include; productivity hacks to make the writing process fun; and how to write a story that gets a ton of clicks.
• Module 5: The Wildfire Factor – This has been super useful to me! In this one, we learned the post-publish checklist; how to 10x your content by repurposing it; and Susie’s million-view trick!

In just one weekend, when I had absolutely no plans and the house to myself, I completed Five Minutes to Famous. I ignored calls, texts, and outside distractions because I was so excited about what I was learning. I gained confidence and clarity as I worked my way through each module steadily and eagerly.

Within a matter of days, I had a list of publications to pitch to, a ton of inspiration, and a clear idea of what my next steps were.

So… what’s happened since completing the course?

Well, a lot of great things! Not only did the course leave me feeling exhilarated, but it also gave me actionable steps so I knew how to put my learnings into motion. In just a few months, here’s what’s happened for me:

• I’ve had dozens of articles published on websites such as Thought Catalog, Thrive Global, Sivana East, and Highly Sensitive Refuge.
• I’ve landed two podcast interviews. Both podcast hosts found me from one of my most popular articles on Thrive Global!
• I’ve grown my social media following significantly just from people finding me through my articles.
• I’ve now gotten two paid articles!
• In just one day, I had over 60 people sign up for my email list because I shared my opt-in at the bottom of an article I’d written.

These wins are just the beginning for me! And, might I add, I did all of these things alongside having a full-time job because I didn’t have to do so much of the researching leg work myself. I can’t stress enough the importance of investing in yourself and your dreams.

On our own, we can accomplish great things. With guidance and support, we can accomplish magnificent things. And, most importantly, we can have fun along the way!

With love,

Alissa