After starting a blog with a small number of daily readers, Timothy Sykes scaled it to generate $3.3 million in revenue in 2011. It was all done with profitable blogging tactics, so we invited him to teach you how to do it.

Tim is a blogger and founder of TimothySykes.com.

Here are some of the actionable highlights from the course.

1. Mix up your content

Benefit
Publish a mix of content to hook your readers.
How
Write blog posts that combine entertainment, information, and thought-provoking questions.
Example
Tim wrote a post that incorporated facts about Facebook’s initial public offering, spicy language, and intriguing questions about the growth of the Internet.

2. Grab email addresses

Benefit
If you collect email addresses from your website’s visitors, you can contact them later to sell stuff.
How
Give first-time visitors additional content in exchange for their email addresses.
Example
Tim offers seven free video lessons to first-time visitors who sign up with their email addresses.

3. Know your audience

Benefit
Find out what your readers like so you can create content that appeals to them.
How
Use informal polls to learn about your readers, and watch how they respond to your writing.
Example
Tim lost 20 subscribers after he commented on Sarah Palin, and he realized he shouldn’t write about politics.

4. Experiment with format

Benefit
Try many different formats to see which ones get people to buy.
How
Present your content in audio, video, and text form, and use different social media sites.
Example
Tim found that his audience liked blog posts and video lessons, but not podcasts or DVDs.

5. Tell readers about yourself

Benefit
Create an “about me” page for your blog to prove you’re credible.
How
Write about how you started your business and share a success story.
Example
Tim’s “about me” page says that he invested his $12,415 bar mitzvah gift and made $1.65 million within three years.

6. Spread your content

Benefit
If you promote your content around the Internet, you’ll attract more readers.
How
Mention your best blog posts on relevant message boards and chat rooms, and share them on Facebook and Twitter.
Example
When Tim writes a detailed post exposing a scam, he promotes it on stock market chat rooms and forums.

7. Get testimonials

Benefit
If you show testimonials from readers, you can convince people to trust you and buy from you.
How
Ask readers to submit feedback, and use their stories as advertisements.
Example
Tim wrote a blog post featuring a testimonial from a customer who made $100,000 short selling stocks.