Matt Frazier has worked hard to build a loyal community of vegetarian and vegan athletes. His blog, No Meat Athlete, gives his readers fun and accessible information on their favorite topics — training and food!
These days, Matt’s site gets about 600,000 page views a month, and he has more than 20,000 people on his email mailing list.
Matt has now created a successful business around his community, which includes digital training programs, a membership site, and a line of No Meat Athlete clothing.
Matt’s business has also allowed his family to become location independent, enabling them to move to Asheville, North Carolina. His next move? A traditionally published book, which will be published soon.
Let’s catch up with Matt, and find out how he built this successful and satisfying niche business.
What’s your site and what do you write about?
My site is called No Meat Athlete, and I provide ideas and tools to simplify what most people consider to be a pretty extreme lifestyle – that of doing endurance sports on a plant-based diet. I really try hard to keep it light and fun and totally non-preachy, so that people who are just curious feel welcome.
Who are your readers and how do you serve them? Was there a pressing problem you were trying to solve?
They’re active, healthy people who eat a vegetarian or vegan diet or at least have some interest in lessening the amount of animal products they eat, usually for their health, even if they aren’t ready to go 100 percent plant-based.
When I started the blog, I was a serious marathoner who was feeling an “inconvenient” urge to become a vegetarian, and I had no idea if it was possible to be both. (“Am I going to collapse at mile 20 when I run out of protein?”) It turns out that a lot of athletes choose a plant-based diet precisely because of what it does for their performance, but when I started No Meat Athlete, the little information about it that I could find online wasn’t presented well – it was either too wrapped up with the ethical issues or just not reader-friendly … and a lot of it was on webpages that looked like they were built in 1997. So I thought there was room for a fun, friendly, trustworthy alternative.
What kinds of content are most important to your business? Blog? Email list? Podcast?
I use an email autoresponder sequence and recently started a podcast too, but the blog is really the hub of it all. I learned (from Brian Clark, in a Third Tribe seminar) to think of any other types of content, including social media, as satellites that surround the blog and ultimately lead people back to it.
What resources or tools did you find most helpful when you were getting started?
Seth Godin’s book Tribes provided me with an initial vision for what No Meat Athlete could one day be, and that vision still dictates most of the decisions I make about the site. No Meat Athlete shirts, of which we’ve sold something like 10,000 now, are a fun, visible example – they’ve become a sort of cool, not-so-secret handshake among No Meat Athlete fans when they see each other at races.
As far as putting the pieces together, though, just about everything I learned came from the Third Tribe — I joined when it first launched, and I’m still a member! Those early seminars that Brian and Sonia did were so foundational for me when I was learning how to write content, grow an audience, and run an online business for the first time. I would burn the seminars onto CD’s and listen to them over and over while I was driving to and from grad school classes … I had this big stack of them that I listened to so often they eventually got all scratched up and I had to burn them all again! (Then I heard about this newfangled thing called MP3’s that the kids are into these days.)
Jon Morrow’s Guest Blogging course was also a big one for me. I had actually already done some pretty big guest posts, including one for Zen Habits, when Jon launched his course, but I learned so much about blogging in general from that course and some coaching calls I did with Jon that really helped me with choosing post topics and engineering posts to get traffic.
What was your situation before you started blogging? Were you always a business owner, or did you have a more traditional career?
I was in grad school, studying Applied Math. I enjoyed math and I still do, but I remember sitting in a mandatory seminar about how to position yourself for a job after graduation, and thinking, “There’s just no way I’m going to go through this competitive, stressful job-application process in hopes of sitting at a desk working for somebody else for 50 hours a week.” So I was always trying to think of business ideas and ways to spend my time doing something I cared about, and eventually one worked out. (It helped that the cost of getting started was essentially zero, because that’s about all I could afford!)
How do you use social networking in your business?
I use Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.
I got on Twitter as soon as I started the blog back in 2009, and it really helped me to shorten that phase when nobody is reading what you write. But pretty quickly, I made an important distinction — that even though the people I was interested in learning from about blogging and business were on Twitter, the typical No Meat Athlete reader was not. Instead, she was on Facebook, and that’s since become our main social media channel.
I still use Twitter for fun and to connect with other bloggers and authors, but I’m slowly moving to Google+ for that because I think eventually it will be the place to connect with these bloggers and with readers. And since Google owns search, it seems like a bad idea to ignore it.
One thing I learned from Sonia is to focus on doing a few social media channels well instead of trying to do all of them and doing a poor job of it. So I set up accounts on other sites, like StumbleUpon, LinkedIn, and Pinterest, but I really don’t use them much.
What were some of the main tipping points or “a-ha!” moments (if any)? How did they come about?
Without a doubt, the biggest shift came right after I found Copyblogger and learned about the importance of headlines, nine months after I started blogging.
But it wasn’t just the added sharing and traffic that having a good headline brings – it was more fundamental than that. When you force yourself to come up with a strong headline before you start writing a post, you’re performing a litmus test with your topic. If you can’t come up with a compelling headline for the post – like I never could when I was getting ready to blog about what I ate for breakfast – that’s a pretty good sign that the post is too much about you, or just plain boring. The converse, of course, is that headline brainstorms like the Cosmo technique lead to ideas for your best post topics.
Another “a-ha” was something I learned from Jon Morrow, and I think about it every time I sit down to write: If you don’t think a post isn’t going to get tons of comments, links, and traffic, then writing it is a waste of time. A lot of bloggers have the notion that it’s better to publish something boring than nothing at all, and I did too, but that’s a sure way to train readers to ignore you.
What were your biggest mistakes, or biggest wastes of time or money?
I wasted a lot of time in the early days fooling around with coding and design. I’d try to make my own header, and end up spending 8 hours on something that looked way worse than a real designer could have done in 15 minutes. And several times when I tried to mess with HTML and CSS to tweak my blog theme, I screwed something up and the whole site wouldn’t load — I’d panic and think No Meat Athlete was gone forever. It’s just not worth the stress, so now I have a StudioPress theme and leave the design stuff to pros (like my designer, Charfish Design).
I’ve also wasted money on one of those the big, expensive internet marketing courses – it made me realize that the techniques those guys teach, while perhaps effective for some niches and types of businesses, need some serious tweaking (and humanizing) if you’re going to use them with an audience of people that you genuinely respect.
Why do you think you became an independent business owner and blogger, when most people just stick with the career they have, even if it’s unsatisfying? What’s different about you?
Change — especially starting something and calling it yours — feels risky and scary. We’re wired to avoid it. Seth Godin teaches us now that what’s really risky is choosing not to start your own gig, or making the choice not to become essential in your job. But I think for most people, that’s hard to accept on a gut level, even if you believe it intellectually.
The difference for me is that the thought of spending the better part of my life doing work that doesn’t matter to me and for somebody else truly does terrify me at a deep level — way more than the choice to work for myself does (which has its moments). I spent two years after college doing the normal 9-to-5 thing, and I was so miserable. Something just felt very wrong and unsettling about it, like I was on the wrong path. I’d wake up in the middle night with this horrible, “What are doing with your life?” feeling, and my old roommates like to joke about this one night where I was just lying on the floor groaning about how much I hated what I was doing — but it wasn’t funny at all back then, at least not to me.
What does your business look like today?
Things are going really well. I decided to leave grad school with my Master’s degree instead of finishing the PhD, in order to work on No Meat Athlete full-time, and it was the right decision.
The site’s revenue is split between digital training programs — including a membership site side-project that I run with Jason Fitzgerald from Strength Running — and No Meat Athlete gear, like our shirts.
As far as other numbers go, the blog has 16,000 subscribers and the email newsletter another 21,000. And we get around 600,000 pageviews a month now; about 280,000 of those are uniques.
While our family car is still not a Lamborghini filled with bikini models, we have fulfilled another online business dream: location independence. Last year my wife, son, and I moved from the suburban town where I grew up, to Asheville, North Carolina, a funky, vegan-friendly town in the mountains, with lots of art and music and outdoorsy stuff. It’s like we’re no longer the weird vegans — here we’re the boring, normal people, and we love it that way.
What’s next for you? What are your next goals?
The big news for me is that last month I finished writing my first book with a publisher. It’s called – what else? — No Meat Athlete, and it’ll be in stores this fall. Writing it was an entirely different (harder) process than self-publishing, but I’m so excited about the chance to spread this message to a much wider audience of people who can benefit from it than I can reach with my blog.
Beyond that, I really want to give No Meat Athlete a presence at the local level. To me, having No Meat Athlete groups around the country (and world) that meet up to train together or grab some vegetarian food and hang out would be the completion of the loop that Tribes opened in my mind. I’ve got a community part of the site in the works, with forums and fun ways to connect people, and I’m hoping that will be the first step.
What advice would you give to bloggers and content creators who are trying to build an online audience?
Learn everything you possibly can about writing and blogging and making connections online. Really study it. And then expect six months of sucking at it before you get good.
Get comfortable with (and truly enthusiastic about) giving away your best content for free.
And finally, an approach to blogging that Jon Morrow taught me, which I’ve found leads to a pretty fulfilling life outside of blogging, too:
Figure out something everyone has always wanted to do but they believe is impossible.
And then do it.
And then write about it.
Editor’s Note: We’ve absolutely loved watching Matt’s progress inside the Third Tribe. While Third Tribe is closed to new members, we do have a new resource coming for you that will help you build your authoritative, business-building online presence the same way that Matt did. Keep reading the blog, because we’ll be letting you know about that very shortly.
Reader Comments (35)
Jack says
It’s a worthwhile cause he’s doing it for, promoting vegetarianism, but it’s sad that it needs to be done. Over 400 million people are vegetarians in the world, and they work and run and play perfectly happily. Meat is actually a pretty poor protein source compared to rice+lentils. Anyway, I wish him all the best.
Matt Frazier says
Thanks Jack; you’re right that it’s a shame what misconceptions most people have about vegetarianism and protein (and yeah, rice and lentils is a staple for me!).
But just to clarify something, I never “promote” this diet in the sense of telling people to go vegetarian. I just give people lots of tools to help them eat healthily, and as much as possible I try to do things and highlight readers who are doing things that serve as examples of exactly what you said — working, running, and playing perfectly happily without eating meat. But I never tell anyone they “should” go vegetarian or vegan, and I think that’s actually a big reason for whatever success No Meat Athlete has had.
Hassan says
Another example that if you follow copyblogger and put in the WORK, you can build a profitable business and add incredible value to others. It was a joy reading this interview to see what is possible.
Matt Frazier says
Hassan, yes, no doubt it is work, and at times a lot of it. But it’s almost always exciting, and every day when I wake up I look forward to sitting down to do the work, which is such a difference from the alternative.
Daphne Dangerlove says
I just have to say this was so interesting and incredibly helpful. (It does make me a little bummed that Third Tribe is closed to new members!) Sometimes I feel like I have so many options/ideas and so many things to do, that I have no clue what to focus on, but this helped to clarify a few things. Thanks to Matt for sharing so much helpful information!
Matt Frazier says
Glad you found my answers helpful, Daphne! I still feel like there are always too many things to do and it’s hard to choose which to focus on — and instead of getting easier, it gets tougher as you grow and have more opportunities! I’m just starting to really understand that content is the single most important part, and to carve out time for that every single day. An hour spent working on a new blog post is so much more valuable than three hours spent in my email inbox. Much scarier and harder to actually sit down and do, but that’s a good sign that it’s what actually matters.
What’s coming after Third Tribe sounds pretty great, from the little bit I’ve heard … 🙂
Beth Hayden says
Stay tuned, Daphne – Third Tribe might be closed to new members, but the new program we’re announcing next week is going to be amazing! Check back next week for more information!
Chad Kettner says
Way to go, Matt! You’ve done an incredible job with your business and even though I’m a back-and-forth vegetarian/carnivore (man… just one of those things), I’m always following your site and stoked about all the progress you’ve made!
Matt Frazier says
Great to hear from you again, Chad! I really appreciate the kind words.
Ruggero says
Matt – I am Ruggero from runningshoesguru.com.
Great article and I agree on many things: social media (the one where your readers are) as satellites to drive people back to the blog and the notion that many of the techniques preached by the big “make money online” gurus are depersonalized and short-termed. I respect my readers and I think it is a common thing in endurance sports. We truly are a community and only if you help the community honestly and with integrity you can survive.
There’s a program we are thinking about with other large-ish running blogs, give me a shout if you are interested!
Ruggero
runningshoesguru.com
Shane Arthur says
I like your style of teaching people how to not to shove meat down their throats without shoving your position down their throats. Smart business right there.
Matt Frazier says
I like that. 🙂
P.J. Murphy says
As a big fan of No Meat Athlete AND Copyblogger, I was glad to see this case study! No Meat Athlete really is a great resource and example on more than few levels. It shows people how they can thrive on a plant-based diet and push athletic limits, but it also is an inspiration to aspiring bloggers like me.
Amandah says
Thanks for this inspirational post!
No Meat Athlete is the perfect website for me. I became a vegetarian in 2010 and have been struggling with it because I live in what I refer to as a ‘carnivore’ state. I can count on one hand the number vegetarian and vegan restaurants and Whole Foods stores in the state. It’s been challenging. Thankfully spring is here, and I can get outside instead of being stuck in the house during the winter months. 🙂
Mike@WeOnlyDoThisOnce says
Great points! I’m interested to know how you supplement protein intake, as well.
Anthony says
Great work matt, business building is like a marathon. Both need good planning, persistance and the ability to move sideways when necessary (and both can make you go a nuts!)
Tip for Matt: Take the ‘bikini girls’ out of the car before you get into the car with ‘wifey’.:)
Jamie Smith says
By far the best article I’ve read on how to get started and keep going. Love hearing about your journey Matt and wish you continued success!
Matt Frazier says
Thank you, Jamie!
MaLinda Johnson says
I started writing about hypnosis for the same reason that Matt started writing about being a vegan athlete. I noticed a gap in the market and began to offer information to fill it. Very cool.
Katie Broughton says
Hi Matt I’ve just discovered No Meat Athlete and really enjoyed hearing your story. I think the combo of no meat and athlete really works to define your tribe and I guess your products. I’m just starting out with my blog and learning a lot from all you guys. Many thanks!
PS I shared your 11 egg substitutions pic on my site – hope that’s cool!
Matt Frazier says
Of course, Katie! That’s why we make those infographics. 🙂 Another thing I’ve modeled from Copyblogger.
Darnell Jackson says
Awesome interview Beth,
The last few lines is exactly what I found that worked for me.
I went out and did something that I knew other people wanted to learn.
I was shocked to find that the process of getting my CDL was harder than nearly anything else that I had tried.
Once I completed it though I had no problem writing like water. This is also when I discovered why people suffer with writers block. You’re not doing anything. If you do something it’s easy to write.
Nina says
This is interesting! What a huge number of people are interested in vegetarian diet
Ryan Bailey says
Very inspiring story. I think for me one of the key reasons behind the success of your site is that you have combined 2 of your interests (vegetarianism and running) and written about them from your own personal experiences. That comes across very strongly in your site content and means you have credibility with your readers. A lesson for us all…
Matt Frazier says
Brian wrote an article about this strategy for choosing a niche a while ago, with a cool Robert Johnson intro. https://www.copyblogger.com/content-success/
I read the article long after I had started No Meat Athlete, but it’s exactly why it worked. Another example is my friend Steve Kamb’s site, Nerd Fitness (http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog), which mashes up fitness and video game geekiness.
And the crossroads strategy is good strategy for choosing post topics too, not just a niche.
Justin Keith says
What a cool interview. Sounds like a sweet niche market.
Hearing about someone following their passions and making a business out of helping people with it is always inspirational. Thanks Beth for sharing your interview with Matt.
Dan Erickson says
Thanks for sharing this post. I think “No Meat Athlete” is a great name and a very specific idea. That in itself is a strength and predictor of success. I’m working toward finding a niche as a blogger. It’s hard for me as I’m a creative writer and love a variety of creative endeavors. Any ideas?
Matt Frazier says
Right — the name certainly lends itself well to t-shirts, and is easy to remember. But I’ve heard Seth Godin play down the importance of names, so at times I wonder if the name being catchy really matters or if it’s just a nice bonus.
My advice for choosing a niche is to start really, really narrow. When I chose vegetarian athletes, I thought it was too narrow to ever really amount to anything. I’ve been lucky that the niche itself has grown in the time since I started blogging, but I’ve also found that choosing such a narrow focus at first made it easy to get traction with a small, specific group of people who find you and say, “This is exactly for me.” Then, as you gain traction and your audience grows, you can expand into broader topics.
Tom King says
Wow very inspiring! Sounds like has true passion. Awesome to know that you can eat healthy and still be physically active.
Mark Eichenlaub says
Great stuff Matt! I don’t know which is more impressive, the guts and success with the business or the running and diet. Either way, keep it up, you are really inspiring and helping a lot of us.
FERNANDO says
Amazing post for the day, after thinking so much about at work why I’m at a job which gives me less time to build my own tribe and the blog I always want. Really loved your story Matt and this something i would like to try. Start being an Vegan and keep on my daily running.
Learned a lot and got a good motivation for blogging and make more time to grow the blogs. Well written and thanks for the share Matt.
RobertB says
I think what makes this work is that it is very niche. Be honest, how many of us would associate vegetarianism with running? If Matt had set up a vegetarian blog or a running blog he would have had a lot of competition, which makes it difficult to “stand out from the crowd” and to write fresh content. But by putting the 2 together he can add his own unique personal perspective, write about his own experiences plus attract a core base of followers. The more I look at successful blogs the more I’m convinced you can never be too niche.
Beth Hayden says
Hi Robert – I think a site CAN be too niche….I think entrepreneurs have to be careful that they aren’t picking a topic that is so small and specific that they don’t have an audience. You still need to make sure you have lots and lots of people who are interested in what you’re saying (and that have money to buy your products and services). Matt has done a beautiful job of picking a niche that’s small, but not TOO small.
Liz says
This was a very cool interview! I personally hate reading blogs as I usually find them pretty boring and lacking direction. Reading No Meat Athlete is not boring at all- I love the layout, easy navigation, and personal touches. I often point clients and friends to the site- I am a Registered Dietitian and counsel people with all types of health issues… I live in eastern NC so usually it’s weight loss. NMA provides awesome recipes and ideas to get away from all the bacon fat and butter used to cook in this area. Lastly, I’m so jealous you are in Asheville!!! I hope you’re loving it! 🙂
Brandon Frye says
Hey Matt, it was really great to read your story. I am also a vegan runner and I recently took up blogging as well. It is incredibly inspiring to see how you’ve gotten to where you are. I am a loyal follower of yours and hope that you make a stop in Winston-Salem, NC (right up the road) during your book tour. I hope to be able to build my site (www.forkstofeet.com) as you have done yours. I will be reading the free e-books provided by CopyBlogger. Thanks again for sharing your story and I hope to see you later this year!
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