Q&A: Someone Is Stealing My Content? What Should I Do?

If you find out that somebody has been stealing and reuploading your blog posts or YouTube videos without permission, don’t fret!

Although this can be incredibly alarming to see, it isn’t necessarily a big deal.

So, what should you do?

First, determine whether or not this is actually a problem. If the website or video isn’t ranking above or near yours, chances are you aren’t actually losing any traffic to this person. Google is pretty good at filtering out duplicate / stolen content, so most of the time it shouldn’t matter as long as your content is being properly indexed.

The truth is, most notable sites have their content scraped and reuploaded automatically. Your content has probably already been reuploaded dozens of times, you just haven’t noticed it.

If you’re not losing traffic, just ignore it.

IF it is having a business impact however, I recommend taking the following set of actions:

  1. Contact the website owner. Notify them that they’ve plagiarized your content, and kindly ask them to remove it. Sometimes, this may have been done without them even knowing it (for example, by a new writer who tried to scam the employer by claiming the content they published was original.)”
  2. Report copyright infringement to Google through this form here. It’s a little lengthy to fill out, but a real person from Google will review it and potentially deindex the other website from Google search results. Note that the other party has the opportunity to file a DMCA counter-notice.
  3. File a DMCA notice with their webhost. You can find out their web host by visiting hostingchecker.com. Again, they have the opportunity to file a DMCA counter notice. When this happens, you have to immediately file suit against them. A lot of people know you won’t bother getting legally involved, so the content gets restored. Additionally, some web hosts, especially those based in certain countries in Europe, do not honor DMCA requests, which is why piracy is so rampant on the internet.

If filing a DMCA didn’t work, and the person also hotlinked your images – meaning they are loading them from your server, you can change these on your local server if you wish.

I’ve heard of people changing the pictures to giant banners stating that the website stole your content. This can be done by uploading a new picture with the same name in your servers files, and then renaming the one you actually use in your blog posts.

Of course, if you’ve already filed a DMCA, they’ll already be on to you, and might look out for antics like this.

If you’ve filed a DMCA and it wasn’t honored or they filed a DMCA counter notice, there isn’t much you can do outside of hiring a specialist or actually file suit.

Personally, I find it a better use of your time to continue building yourself up, instead of focusing on competitors – even scummy thieves.

– James McAllister

 

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Q&A: When Is It Okay To Create Content On Multiple Topics?

Context: The asker is interested in a wide variety of topics, and wants to know if it’s okay to publish them as long as they keep them in separate sections of their website, or creates separate YouTube channels for them.

Answer:

This always comes down to a fundamental question you have to ask yourself: Who is the underlying audience you’re trying to serve – and would the content still be applicable to them?

The truth is, it’s never about niches. It’s always about the person you’re trying to serve with your content.

Take a guitar player for example. Even if you started out publishing content about how to play the guitar, there is a whole myriad of other topics this person would also be interested in. For example:

  • Recording
  • Songwriting
  • Performing on stage
  • Starting a band
  • Producing an album
  • Marketing (if they do live shows)
  • Mixing / mastering

…and a whole lot more!

The thing is, each one of these could be there own niche. But, producing content on these topics would still be both relevant and valuable to someone learning guitar – especially once they’ve gone beyond the beginner stage.

This is why instead of thinking in terms of choosing a niche, it’s better to think in terms of what sort of person you want to serve.

That being said, there are a few issues with publishing content in multiple niches. Notably…

  1. You will lose SOME people. If you only ever publish on the same topic, you can be sure everyone will be interested. As soon as you add other content into the mix, at least a small portion of your audience won’t be interested in it – or at least, not interested in hearing it from YOU. They may prefer the same content delivered from someone they deem to be more of an expert in that specific area.
  2. Google may not rank your site as highly if you publish on many different topics, as they deem you less of an authority in them. This is only an issue if you rely on Google for your traffic.

In my course, The Creator Success System, I recommend creators start out by focusing very niche, so people will start binging all of the content you have available.

However, you can certainly branch out over time, as long as you’re serving the same audience!

Of course, if you aren’t creating content for money or views, it doesn’t really matter, and you should just do whatever brings you the most personal fulfillment.

– James McAllister

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Should You Publish Blog Posts Before Editing Them? (Answered!)

Have you thought about publishing your blog posts first, and then going back and editing them later?

Although we typically think to edit first, there are benefits to simply writing and publishing a bunch now, and then editing them after they’ve already been published.

So, which should you do, and what are the benefits of each strategy?

In this article, I’ll cover both viewpoints in detail!

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Is It Worth Upgrading Themes For Increased Blog Revenue?

If you’ve just started making money from your blog, you may wonder how much of an increase you’d get by changing your theme.

Choosing a WordPress theme is not something to be taken lightly, but can in fact have quite an impact on your overall earnings in the long-term – especially if you are monetizing your website using something like display ad revenue, or affiliate marketing.

So, is it worth upgrading themes, and if so, when is the right time to do it?

In this article, I’ll cover everything that you need to know.

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Should Your Blog / Channel Cover The News In Your Niche? (Answered!)

Are you thinking about your content strategy for your blog, podcast or YouTube channel, and are considering covering the news within your niche as well?

While this can be a great way to produce additional content and comes with a whole host of benefits, there are also some drawbacks that you’ll want to be mindful of as well.

So, in this article I’ll be covering both the pros as well as the cons of covering news, and share my personal beliefs on whether or not it is worth doing!

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Can You Use A Press Kit On Your Blog / YouTube Channel? (Answered + Details)

Are you viewing a company’s press kit, and are wondering whether or not it’s okay to use their intellectual property within your content?

Press kits often contain photos, clips, or other media regarding a company or its products.

So, are you allowed to freely use these, and if so, are there any restrictions?

In this article, I’ll cover everything you need to know! Keep in mind however that this shouldn’t be considered legal advice – just information from working with companies that have issued press kits in the past.

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