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by Digital Director | Kate

on Jun 12

Moments with marketers: Darren Rowse

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Marketingmag.com.au chats to Darren Rowse aka ProBlogger – founder, editor and blogger. If you would like to see a certain marketer profiled, please email your suggestion to Kate Kendall, online editor, on kate.kendall@niche.com.au.

1. What do you do?

I'm the founder, editor and sometimes blogger of three blogs – ProBlogger.net (blog tips), Digital-Photograhy-School.com (photography tips) and TwiTip.com (Twitter tips).

I'm also a co-founder of the blog network b5media and co-author of the book ProBlogger (Wiley).

2. What was your first job?

I worked as a 'shelf technician' (I stacked shelves at night in a super market) while I was at high school, worked selling stationery and office products during uni and as a minister (church, not governmental) after university.

3. What did you study?

Out of high school I studied Marketing at RMIT and then Theology at Whitley College (Melbourne Uni).

4. Describe a typical day?

  • 6-6.30am: One or both of my boys wake up and the day begins with the normal routine seen in most households with kids (utter chaos).
  • 8.30-9am: I head to work (which involves a 15 meter walk to our front room).
  • 9am: The day starts with checking for anything urgent, angry emails, crashed servers, injury list at Carlton Football club etc. – this time of day I sometimes schedule US-based interviews and meetings.
  • 9.30am: Most weekday mornings I head to a local cafe and spend 1-2 hours writing or editing posts for my blogs.
  • 11am: Back home, the rest of my morning is spent uploading and scheduling posts on blogs, 'networking' on Twitter, interacting with readers in comments or via email
  • 1pm: Lunch.
  • 1.20pm-5pm: Afternoon activities vary from day to day and can include more writing and editing of blog posts, recording and editing of video posts, marketing/promotional activities, networking and Twitter.
  • 5-7.30pm: Chaos resumes as the dinner/bath/bed routine begins.
  • 7.30-11pm: More work (as above, a mixture of activities). In the evenings (depending how timezones/daylight savings lines up) I also spend time on calls with US partners.
  • 11pm: Bed.

5. What is on the agenda for 2009?

This year I'm working hard to expand the two main blogs that I have both in terms of content, mediums and income streams. It has seen me release an e-book on ProBlogger, expand DPS with two new areas/blogs and will see the development of a new area on ProBlogger in the coming months.

While the economy has hit many hard I see it as an opportunity for growth and diversification and am working hard to position my web properties as more significant players in their niches as things bounce back.

6. What brand do you love the most? Hate the most? Why?

Google – I greatly admire their growth, their innovation and their vision. I also love that they send me a tonne of traffic each month and deposit enough cash in my account each month to pay my mortgage (and some). I also can't imagine my day without some of their products. Of course there's also moments of 'hate' (or maybe frustration would be a better word) with Google – they're such a big company which can make interacting with them as a solo-entrepreneur difficult at times.

7. What do you believe has been the most significant moment in the history of marketing?

I think we're living in it. The development of the internet and the opportunities it opens up are mind boggling (and we're still right at the beginning).

The fact that an ordinary guy like me living in the burbs and working from his front room (and local cafes) can be communicating with three million people a month while making a living gets me pinching myself every day.

8. Where can people find you?

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7 Comments

Bethany
  • Wrote on 13 Jun, at 03:04AM
Great marketing moment! Darren is so down to earth. He is one of my inspirations as I move forward with taking my freelancing to new levels. Cheers to your success!
Barry
  • Wrote on 16 Jun, at 07:28PM
Great interview. It was interesting to see how Darren spends his days. It is clear that he works hard and not one of those guy who claim to make thousands of dollars with only a couple of hours work a day. I give hope to the typical Joe Bloggs ( no pun intended) that if we choose to do something we love we can make a living from it and have a successful life.
Girish
  • Wrote on 16 Jun, at 10:45PM
Darren is always my motivation, always thinks why I am not thinking as he does. Most of the simple things he thinks first . that make the difference for him ..

Nice to read an interview with him..
ramaraobobby
  • Wrote on 16 Jun, at 10:59PM
This interview is a true inspiration for me and all the blogger out there who would dream of becoming a pro bloggers like Darren, Yaro, Jeremy schoemaker etc.,

My best wishes to Darren Rowse for all his future efforts and agendas.....


Regards,
ramaraobobby
http://twitter.com/ramaraobobby
http://facebook.com/ramaraobobby
Somone
  • Wrote on 17 Jun, at 09:33AM
Problogger is a great Australian made site that Americans look to for inspiration and excellence. While we might be a little slow on the uptake sometimes Down Under, Darren is showing the world that when it comes to technology and making the most of entrepreneurial opportunities, we are strong competitors. Well done! You are one of my role models.
Harrison Schmidt
  • Wrote on 17 Jun, at 04:35PM
Interesting to see Darrens daily routine. Pretty simple when it comes right down to it :). Great interview.
Editor | Kate
  • Wrote on 17 Jun, at 06:11PM
Thanks to all for your comments and hope you like the site if you are a first-time visitor. I was interested to see Darren profiled as I have a huge amount of respect for what he has created and his global reach is a testament to his success.

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