At the reduced price of $449 for the first year, Project 24 is a steal for many people. But, it still represents half my salary for this month - not a great idea. Ricky, Jim and their followers certainly have made many YouTube videos on Project 24 and I believe that I can apply my marketing and website design skills to reverse engineer the program for free. Reverse engineering project 24 is a great idea if you want to truly understand the mechanics of Ricky and Jim's approach and if you need to save the subscription fee. Reverse engineering does come with many potential pitfalls. While Ricky, Jim and their community certainly have been more than generous with their knowledge, there appear to me many gaps in the process. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. There are many great programs out there, most of which will yield results if adhered to. But, to me, they pale in comparison to what Project 24 has to offer. If you want to read more on my thought of Project 24, please use this link. In the end, my decision to reverse engineer Project 24 stems from 2 viewpoints: I need to understand their approach and tinkering with something, really wrestling it to the ground does allow me to get to grips with the topic.At the same time $449 is a lot of money for me right now. In 6-9 months, if this project is successful, I will join Project 24 - after all, I strongly believe that creators need to be rewarded for their hard work and Jim and Ricky have been pioneers in this field. What do I know about Project 24 that will help in reverse-engineering their process? Ricky and Jim have built and sold several sites.Most people are happy to strike it lucky one. Ricky and Jim seem to be doing this over and over again, roughly once every quarter. This shows that the system works and that they have faith that it will not fail them.The sites are eventually revealed.Normally, SEO experts and marketing gurus do not like to reveal their sites, to avoid artificially inflating their traffic numbers. They tend to develop 1 site and then milk it dry. Ricky and Jim have a slightly different approach, where they either renovate a site and show the results or they start a new site from scratch. Many, if not all sites, are announced by Ricky and Jim once they have had some time to mature. This means that I can compare the YouTube video and the sites to see just how close my assumptions and practices are. I can also check with the new owner if the site performed at least as well under his or her direction.Massive YouTube channel.The sheer size of their channel attests to the value people derive from this program. It would be crazy to reinvent the wheel blind, so why not take advantage of all the videos and extract out all of the meat? Oh, and do you know how much easier it is to reverse engineer a program when most of the components are available at all times, for free?No keyword tools.This is big. Keywords tools can be very confusing, often not reporting the right data in a timely fashion. Keyword tools are nice if you use the free versions to supplement your keyword research, though traffic volumes are a bit hit-and-miss. Keyword tools do become a rabbit warren where each mouse click exposes more of a topic and before you know it, you have lost 5 hours.No link building.Nearly every site mentions the importance of link building, to the point where Neil Patel of Ubersuggest may spend 1 hour making a post and 3 days promoting it. This will yield more links in the short term, but are they great quality? Project 24 sites do gain links, but naturally, which is what Google wants.3 types of posts, each with their own purpose.Response posts. These are brief, 1,200 - 1,500 word posts that cover a specific topic. You might be in the gardening space, perhaps in the vegetable garden space specifically. A response post could be the answer to "can I grow strawberries in a pot?". For a response post to be successful, it has to be specific enough to answer 1 question that has a bit of traffic, say 2,000 queries a month and easy enough for you to rank on the first page, ideally in the top 2. These will target 1 or 2 long tail keywords. They are short, so you cannot cover too much.Staple posts. These are intermediate length, around 1,500 to 3,000 words long filled with cool, shareable content such as "15 tips to..." or "the 21 best ...". Basically, use the headlines that you see on magazines at the checkout counter of your local store. Not quite "7 ways to tell if he is into you", but the same style. This is the type of post that you can use on Instagram or Pinterest or even Twitter to get traffic flow, get some social love, maybe some shares and definitely some natural backlinks. These may target a few long tail keywords as a table or an infographic can easily cover many aspects of a topic. In the vegetable gardening theme, you could talk about "15 things to do in spring before the first thaw". Pillar Posts. These are the ultimate posts, with 3,000 words or so and are basically a massive data-dump of all that you know of a specific topic. Using the vegetable gardening example, this is the type of post where you talk about the benefits of growing your own vegetables, form health to mental health to cost savings. These will add the gravitas required to your website, though it will take a long time for Google to rank them.Develop a schedule. This is important. Google rewards regularity. Posting now and then does little to trigger the algorithm.Posting routinely lets Google know that it is worth investing resources in you. You may be small now, but each week you put out 2-3 posts. That means that you are serious about the stuff you are posting, You are invested and are investing resources into developing an accurate product.Posting routinely also lets you develop the required depth of keywords so that Google knows you exist. There are billions of posts out there. Think of it like background noise. Every post that you put out is like increasing your voice a tiny fraction. Do it often enough and your voice may start to break through the background noise.Posting routinely also improves your game. A writer is not born, he is made. A journalist takes years to develop the right instincts. Sure, anyone can strike it lucky and stumble onto the story of the century, but practice makes perfect and by writing every day, you get better at it and you can refine the headline, the opening paragraph and the snippet winning section.Reputation is everything. Reputation is big, if not everything. E.A.T. (Expertise Authoritativeness Trustworthiness), as Ricky and Jim so often say on Project 24 videos really does matter. Whether this is a reputation earned through a degree or profession or simply by living and acknowledging experiences, your reputation will help Google to rank you. After all, would you read about the "top 10 ways to improve your cycling time" from an actual biker or from a surgeon? Sure a surgeon is trustworthy, but does he necessarily have the required expertise?Forget about looking pretty. Looking pretty is nice but you want to apply the 80:20 principle. Spend your time doing the bits that get you 80% of the way there. The most stunning post will attract no-one until it is published and while you develop this 1 perfect post, I can generate 10 of my own 80% posts that will rank for 10-15 keywords each and bring me thousands of visitors. This means that I get more opportunities to close my sale.Speed, speed and more speed. This is a big one. It is nice to develop massive posts with dozens of super high quality 4K pictures. If the site is slow though, people will leave before your site has had a chance to load. So, less is more and focus on user experience. Deliver the best quality post that is concise and quick to read while also blisteringly fast to open. If you can answer a question in 1 sentence - do it - maybe put the question into a FAQ list so that it develops more weight, but do it. How will I measure success? As mentioned, I do not actually make use of Project 24. I do not currently have a subscription. My goal is to follow the route I believe is outlined in the project and get to their milestones, as far as I can determine them, according to the following schedule: Project 24 Milestones Successful Launch of Site Description of milestone This is possibly the toughest milestone, where the site is live and has 10 response posts, 10 staple posts and 10 pillar posts. Expected Timeline End of month 1 Curry/Pizza Day This is the easiest milestone, if you had a successful launch. Basically, your site has earned $5 in total, either through advertising, affiliate marketing or any other approach. End of Month 3 $100 per Month This is the 2nd hardest milestone to hit. $100 in one month. This is the point where the site is serious and if this is all it did month in and month out, you'd cover your online expenses and have enough for a few pizzas every month. End of Month 6 $500 per Month As described - $500 in a month. A pretty decent return on investment, a good and steady passive income stream. Might be a good time to dream of a 2nd site. End of Month 9 $1,000 per Month Another bar is hit. At $1,000 per month, you definitely are on the right track. Plough this back into ghost writers or a holiday fund. End of Month 12 Full-time Income ($4,000-5,000) This can be a different end goal for many people. I am aiming to replace MY current monthly income, excluding all the fat commissions and bonuses. End of Month 18 What are the Project 24 Milestones? That is a great question, right? How do I know what these milestones are in the first place if I have not paid for access to the course? Google - it does help to understand how these algorithms work and to be able to do some basic research. As luck would have it, Ricky and Jim were kind enough to provide me with this information on their website. There were no direct links, but Google is a beast when it comes to indexing posts. From the link, this process is like a funnel, with most course attendees in the first few tiers, thus making it to the middle of the road is an achievement indeed.
If you spend any time on YouTube looking for tips and tricks on how to launch a successful website, chances are that you will have come across Income School's Project 24. At $449 for the first year, $199 renewal fee, this program can seem slightly pricey and the question therefore is, whether Income School's Project 24 worth it? Project 24 is absolutely worth every cent. Income School's Project 24 is a great resource for people who want to make a full time income blogging in a niche, developing an authority site or launching a YouTube Channel in a way that avoids Google algorithm changes. Jim Harmer and Rick Kessler have developed a unique approach to launching a successful brand online, which hits it out of the park: Pros A successful programVery few negative reviewsBeginner friendlyNo need to be a website expertNo need to use lots of plugins and toolsIncredible 60-step program with lots of extrasConstantly updatedNo need to use finicky SEO toolsApproach seems to be "Google"-proofLots of free information on the web as proof that it worksCommunity of users to support youRidiculously fast and free theme for project members - replaces most SEO plugins Cons Can be slow to startJim and Rick seem to struggle with very highly competitive nichesTakes time to get used toCan be pricey as it locks you in for a whole year at a time.No refundJim and Rick do not seem to use their own themeLack of technical support for the theme What is exactly is Project 24? Project 24 is a membership. You’ll get access to a library of courses, an active member community, an exclusive podcast and other tools and resources. Project 24 is a roadmap to online success. Jim and Rick will take you step by step through the selection of your niche, to establishing your online presence to launching your first blog or YouTube channel. On the way, you will learn to build content that ranks on Google and ranks for a very long time, pulling in views, increasing your reach. Project 24 is divided into 60 steps, which take you from 0 to hero over 24 months - on average. Along the way, you meet specific milestones, which Jim and Rick have laid out for you - specific income goals, specific audience views - specific number of published assets. Your only task is to meet those targets, which will take you from a blank slate to "pizza day" - where you get enough from the site to buy a pizza - to replacement income level - all over a brief 2 years. It is also a community filled with other bloggers and YouTubers, all willing to assist you and share their experiences along the way. Having been developed over many years, Project 24 is jam packed with tips and tricks, with very detailed instructions for every single step. How does Project 24 compare with other programs or courses? Simply put, Project 24 is not about using the latest and greatest moves to trick Google or YouTube - sure, these will help in the very short run, but at the same time, an alogrithm change or a decision by the AI that you are "gaming" the system and you can be blacklisted. Other programs tend to offer a get-rich-quick program. "Follow my blueprint" and use these free funnels that I have made for you". If these were truly effective, why would the other person sell these to you or give them away? It is counterintuitive - sure they would love to help you out, but at their own cost? Why are the other programs giving you the resources for free after you spend "only $69 per month" or "$995 on the package", "but wait! there's more!"? I mean, in the introduction they tell you how you can outsource the writing and use these funnels to make money, but then why give them to you? Why should other programs not hire the freelancers and make even more money? Oddly enough, once you sign up to most other programs, all you get is a link to a 3rd party program. The person you came to know and trust is no longer there! Project 24 does not rely on these techniques. Rick and Jim make it clear - no refund, you need to do this for 24 months - hence the name - no "get rich quick" - and best of all, they regularly start a new blog using their techniques to show you that it can and does work. So does it work? Like all other programs Income School's Project 24 only works if you put in the sweat equity. Yes, blogging is a passive income, in that you do not have to be there when the other person makes a purchase, but you do have to put up the facilities for them to buy... Are you: Willing to work along the checklist?Willing to put in an honest effort - 2 or 3 hours a day on average?Somewhat creative? After all, while copying is the truest form of flattery, it does not pay the bills..Consistent enough to do this for at least 1 year and reach "Pizza day"?Ready to face the unknown and risk critique? Every site will have its detractors. Then, Project 24 is perfect for you and you will do great! Who is Project 24 best for? Absolute beginners - these would benefit the most from the program as all uncertainty is removed. Just work your way down the timeline and you will wonder why you were so scared and why so many people struggle with their blogs or YouTube channel.Bloggers or YouTubers ready to walk down the right path. Many of us will have tried our hand at 'the online thing" but did not have great success. Many of the 60 Steps may not be required and the scheduling of these steps may not be correct but overall, the blueprint can be used to set the channel/blog onto the right growth path. Once the first blog/channel is fixed, why not start a second income stream?Bloggers who want to switch over to a YouTube channel. People buy from folks they trust. A YouTube channel allows for a more personal connection with your target audience, which in turns helps info-products sell.YouTube Channels who want to setup a blog. This is definitely the easier path as a channel that is expanding should be getting steady views. However, the trust built up in the channel can evaporate at the click of a button if the blog does not meet expectations.Narrow Niches. Project 24 is aimed at developing authority for your blog or channel. A narrow niche can certainly expand once successful but a broad niche will struggle to gain traction as its message will be too diluted.Those who truly want a passive income. Project 24 aims at replacing your income in 24 months. Once there, to maintain this income as passively as possible. The easiest way is to hire ghost writers and looking at their YouTube feed, Jim and Rick certainly have tried this approach, to the point where they trained high-schoolers to produce content for them! With a stable of well trained ghost-writers, your niche can become passive.Those who want to promote info-products or affiliate products for a fair sum of money. $5 purchases may be made instantly. $20 may require a little trust. Once the price tag is $100, there needs to be a real need or a deep trust in your site. This means becoming an authority in your field and your audience viewing you as an authority - something gained over time. Project 24 is not for the quick Facebook Ads approach where you spend a lot to gain small.Those not hampered by the shiny-object syndrome. Let's be honest, 2 years or 24 months is a fairly long timeframe. One just cannot build up a site and abandon it when fancy strikes. Those who can output 1-2 posts per day will do best. 1-2 posts per week is OK. That is around 100 posts per year at minimum.Those who are happy with "good enough". Project 24 relies on your producing a post in 90 minutes. Let's face it... we are all busy but we can all spare 90 minutes a day. Maybe take 20 during lunch to outline the topic and bookmark sources, then 70 in the evening to knock out the post... Perfection is great, but will prevent your success.Those who are tired of buying programs that do not work. Project 24 works. It has the track record to show that it works. Other programs rely on catching the right wave at the optimal moment. This is risky. If you have neither the cash nor the time to devote to a different premium program, this is the course for you.
