David Thomas Tao is an entrepreneur, editor, and voice actor based in New York City. He is the Co-Founder and Editor of BarBend,com, a media brand that provides multi-platform coverage of news, analysis, training, and opinion in strength training and sports. One of the largest and fastest-growing fitness sites on the web, BarBend is the Official Media Partner of USA Weightlifting and is also a partner broadcaster for the 2019 Reebok CrossFit Games.
David is a 2019 Forbes 30 Under 30 list maker for Media. A veteran of the health & fitness industry, he has nearly a decade of experience building and running editorial teams in the space. David graduated from Harvard University and served for several years as Editorial Director/Chief Content Officer of Greatist.com. Through BarBend’s numerous media partnerships, he also serves as a color commentator for both National and International weightlifting competitions, along with the Reebok CrossFit Games.
In addition to his work in the health & fitness industry, David has been a writer for Fortune and Fortune.com, as well as a contributor to Forbes.com, Slate, and numerous other outlets across the web and in print. He’s especially passionate about the intersection of strength sports and quality, professional media coverage — overlapping interests shared by the BarBend editorial team and which drive their content strategy each and every day.
David is a proud Kentucky native. In his free time, he is a voiceover actor and can be heard in animated films, independent shorts, music videos, commercials, and podcasts. In the VO world, he loves playing the hero but thinks villains are more fun.
David and I dive into the story of BarBend and how it was built, how to create great content, writing, headlines, monetize, and much much more. This conversation is for coaches and business owners to use and become better at content and content marketing.
IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL LEARN:
What led David from Harvard into writing and content. The two big “AHA’s” David had when it came to content and how you can use these insights to become a more recognized coach. Why SEO still works and the blueprint to create quality content. How BarBend got to 40 million monthly visitors. Great content is word of mouth (and not ad spend based) just like great coaching, discover how one piece of great content can generate a lot of leads. Why viral content is not “lucky” and how to dissect it so you can repeat it and improve your reach. The question “what job did the client hire us to do?” and how to use it to create endless quality content. The power of telling a story and differentiating yourself. How to get started and write for big websites and create positioning and reputation. David and I share some of our best writing principles and strategies so you can avoid some mistakes. How to write powerful headlines that capture attention and the MOST important things you can’t avoid. Why you should spend 50% of your time preparing to create great content. The reason you don’t have content ideas; because you’re not spending enough time in the “lab.” Spreading from one platform to the next and adding more reach, how to do it and what NOT to do!
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LINKS AND RESOURCES:
BarBend Website https://www.BarBend.com