1. Content Creation for
Entrepreneurs
to Drive Engagement
• By Laura Lorek
• @lalorek
• @SiliconHillsNew
• #ContentATX
• #ASW2017

2. About Silicon Hills News
• 40,000 unique monthly visitors
• 20,000 + Social Media followers
• Produced six editions of a 32 page print magazine & 3 tech
calendars, weekly newsletter & video show
• Launched the Ideas to Invoices Podcast
• Run by Veteran Tech Reporter Laura Lorek, worked at 5
newspapers, 1 Technology magazine before launching
SiliconHillsNews.com in 2011

3. What We’re
Going to
Cover:
Content
Creation
Blogging
Podcasting
Photos
Video and Livestreaming
Distribution & Hosting Platforms

5. The Key to
Success with
Blogging

6. Why Should
Entrepreneurs
Create
Content?
To Share Your Ideas
To build a community & engage with
an audience
To get exposure for your business
To become a subject matter expert
To express creativity

7. How to Get
Started
Blogging
• Use WordPress.org to create a WordPress site.
Why WordPress? It’s the most popular Content
Management System in the world. It’s free,
open source, flexible and easy to use.

8. Set up Your
Blog
• Buy a Domain Name and Choose a Web hosting
company like WPEngine.com, Bluehost.com,
Network Solutions, Rackspace

9. Pick a Theme
& Design Your
Site
• Choose a theme from sites like
StudioPress.com, ThemeForest.com,
WooThemes.com and others. (Read the reviews
and look at sites that use the theme).
SiliconHillsNews.com runs on the News Theme
on the Genesis Framework by StudioPress.
Learn to code. You’ll need to know HTML to DIY.

15. Where do Blogging Ideas Come From?

16. Google Storytelling Training

17. For More
Blogging Info
Problogger.com – Website & podcast
and an event in Dallas on Oct. 24th
NPR Training: 6 Tips for Catching Your
Typos and Protecting Your Credibility
Ten Tips to Write Like a Journalist:
Medium Post by Laura Lorek
ContentATX on Oct. 21st at Galvanize

19. Podcasting:
Market
Opportunity
Podcasting continues to boom as four in ten
Americans tune in, according to a 2017 report from
Edison Research.
In 2016, Apple surpassed 10 billion podcast
downloads and streaming of episodes, according to
the Huffington Post.
1 in 4 podcast listeners plug their smartphone or MP3
player into their car audio system. And by 2025, 50
percent of cars will have Internet connectivity.

20. More on
Podcast
Market
Opportunity
As of 2017, 77 percent of Americans own a
smartphone, according to Pew Research Center.
67 percent of podcast listeners don’t mind
sponsorship messages and occasionally find them
useful, compared to only 6 percent positive
sentiment expressed for the advertising
approaches of television or commercial radio.
Sources: Search Engine Journal and Damien
Radcliffe, journalism professor University of
Oregon

21. How to Get
Started
Podcasting
Equipment: basic – computer, Blue Yeti Microphone &
editing software
Mobile unit: Zoom H4N PRO Digital Multitrack
Recorder for $200, two Audio-Technica ATR2100-USB
Cardioid Dynamic USB/XLR Microphones $65 each, Mic
stands, cables, SD-Card, Batteries
Editing software: Hindenburg Journalist – 30 Day free
trial, $99 basic version, Pro Version $375.
Hosting Platforms: Libsyn, Blubrry, PodBean, Buzzsprout,
BlogTalkRadio, Fireside

23. Other
Materials for
Launching a
Podcast

24. Silicon Hills
News’
Weekly
Podcast

26. NPR Training Site: Audio

27. Instagram
Marketing
Instagram had just 30 million active users
five years ago, compared to 800 million
active users today
Why the explosion in use? It was an iOS app,
now available for Android and Web
Instagram has rolled out Instagram for
Business. It’s easy to create a profile and
provide business contact information for
free. It ties to your business’ Facebook page.

28. More on
Instagram
Marketing
Number of business profiles on
Instagram: 8 million
Number of advertisers on Instagram:
2 million monthly
A user can have up to 5 Instagram
accounts
7,500 follower limit

29. How to Use
Instagram for
Marketing
Cross promote info across social
media platforms like Facebook,
LinkedIn, Twitter. Focus on photos
and visual content for Instagram.
Post frequency – don’t overwhelm
audience. Post and see how much
engagement the post gets and
decide whether to post once, twice
or three times a day.

30. How to Use
Instagram for
Marketing
Tailor Tailor content to trending hashtag trends
Use
Use a Creative Hashtag to engage the audience
and promote the content. It’s OK to use more
than one hashtag but no more than five.
Respond Respond to comments. Tag people who would
like the content.

39. Pinterest for
Business
Pinterest has more than 150 million
users, 80 percent are women
The site has more than 50 billion
Pinterest Pins
Average Time spent on a Pinterest
visit is 14.2 minutes
Source: Omnicore Report, January
of 2017

41. Other Photo
Sites
Snapchat
Imgur
Flickr
License Photo Sites: iStockphoto.com, Shutterstock,
Creative Commons license on Flickr.
Hire a Professional Photographer: sites with photos
get read and shared more. (Following photos taken
by John Davidson)

51. Video
Livestreaming: Facebook Live, Instagram
Stories
Newtek Tricaster – for professional
livestreaming productions.
YouTube – establish a channel,
whiteboard videos, explainer videos,
funny videos, serious videos and news
videos.

52. Video Tools
Mobile Phone App: Videolicious –
available for both iOS and Android.
Easy way to put together quality
videos on a smart phone combining
voice over, video, photos and more.
Web-based tool: Animoto – easy
way to produce quality videos
online.

54. Livestreaming
“Brightcove statistics indicate that social
video generates 1,200 percent more shares
than do images and text, combined,”
according to Entrepreneur.com
What to share: behind the scenes content,
daily updates and live events.
Equipment: Smartphone, Internet
connection and Facebook or Instagram or
Livestream makes Mevo, a $399
livestreaming camera

56. Content
Hosting &
Distribution
Platforms
Facebook: Pro: reaches millions of active
users. Cons: Facebook makes content
creators pay to reach a wider audience by
boosting posts, which can cost $$$
Twitter: a good way to distribute content
to a global audience directly
Reddit & Hacker News: excellent ways to
reach engaged communities, but sharing
posts must be done in an organic way
that meets the sites’ protocol.

57. Content &
Distribution
Sites
Continued
Medium – free to set up a site
and to blog, easy to use.
Limited audience reach.
Libsyn – podcasting platform
distributes content to other
major sites like iTunes

58. More Content
Hosting &
Distribution
Platforms
Pinterest
Instagram
YouTube
Tumblr
Snapchat
LinkedIn
Slideshare

59. For More Information
• Join us at ContentATX on Oct. 21st,
Saturday, at Galvanize starting at 10
a.m. Tickets available at Eventbrite

61. Thank You
Galvanize
Austin Startup Week Organizers
All of Silicon Hills News’ advertisers,
sponsors, supporters
All of you for coming today!
To contact me:
LauraLorek@gmail.com