Category: Social Media

Here are some of the main reasons someone might want to buy How To Market Your Plugin: A Framework for the Sleep-Deprived Developer by Bridget Willard, along with what makes it useful — particularly for people building plugins in WordPress or similar ecosystems.

What the book offers / Why it might be useful

1. Targeted to plugin developers
   This isn’t a generic marketing book. It’s written for developers who are creating plugins, especially in the WordPress environment. The author understands the specific challenges of that scene: distribution, directories, pricing models, community, things like that. Bridget Willard+2Amazon+2
2. Actionable framework rather than abstract theory
   The book gives step-by-step guidance and a framework: from setting up a marketing plan, doing beta signups, landing pages, documentation, all the way to attending WordCamps / meetups and how to budget etc. So if you want something concrete to follow, it seems well suited. Bridget Willard+1
3. Focus on both short-term and long-term work
   It doesn’t just talk about what to do right now (launch, promotion), but also how to build marketing into your plugin development process, how to set pricing, what business model works, how to represent your product, how to budget. That helps avoid the mistake of treating marketing as an afterthought. Bridget Willard+1
4. Written with the constraints of “sleep-deprived” / solo / small teams in mind
   The subtitle “for the Sleep-Deprived Developer” signals that this is meant for people who are already overloaded: writing code, debugging, support, possibly without big marketing teams or big budgets. So the suggestions are presumably realistic for folks who don’t have huge spare time or marketing departments. Amazon+1
5. Good mix of community / ecosystem awareness
   Because WordPress (and plugin markets in general) have special dynamics — plugin directories, reviews, user expectations, supporting documentation, community involvement (WordCamps and such) — the book’s value is higher than something more generic. It’s designed with those realities in mind. Bridget Willard+1
6. Relatively short/readable
   It’s not a huge tome. At ~136 pages, so manageable. If you want something that you can read through without it being overwhelming while still getting usable ideas, that could be a plus. Amazon+1

Who might especially benefit

• Someone building a plugin who struggles with or hasn’t yet done much marketing.
• Solo developers or small teams who need to handle many roles (development + marketing + support) and want to adopt a plan that’s feasible under those constraints.
• Developers who want to build for sustainable growth (not just hack something out, launch, hope for sales) — who want a path forward for increasing visibility, downloads, and possibly revenue.
• People new to the WordPress ecosystem who need guidance on how to do product positioning, pricing, licensing, etc. in that particular space.

Here are a bunch of actual user-reviews, comments, and impressions of How To Market Your Plugin, along with what people liked / found useful, and some things to watch out for. Hopefully this gives you a clearer picture.

What people like / positive feedback

From the author’s site, Goodreads, and community commentary: Bridget Willard+2Goodreads+2

• “Relatively short, but very info-dense. Lots of practical tips we’ll be putting in place on our own projects soon.” — from Keanan Koppenhaver, CTO Alpha Particle. Bridget Willard
• “Good read. Wish something like this would have existed when I started with plugins, 3 1/2 years ago.” — Cristian Raiber. Bridget Willard
• “This is an excellent book. Why? Because most of the men and women developing plugins are technicians. They build a tool to fit a need. … Here is a book for them, by an author who uses the tools, understands the tools, and most importantly, knows how to sell the tools.” — Warren Laine-Naida. Bridget Willard
• From the plugin author community: “Awesome idea, our industry needs this book! You’re def the person to write this and make sure it’s full of goodies.” — Vito Peleg. Bridget Willard
• “This Book really helped me with new plans and idea, which I can execute for better growth of my plugins.” — Aditya Sharma. Bridget Willard

From the Press This podcast interview summary / discussion: Torque

• People appreciated that the book helps clarify monetization models (free, premium, support-only, freemium) and what trade-offs each bring. Bridget is said to explain these clearly. Torque
• The book is praised for being written by someone who has real experience in the WordPress plugin ecosystem, who’s “done the work,” not just theorized. Torque+1
• It’s seen as especially helpful for indie/smaller plugin authors, solo devs, or people without big marketing teams. The strategies are considered practical rather than purely aspirational. Torque+1

Criticisms / things people mention (or potential drawbacks)

While the reviews are generally positive, there are a few caveats or limitations that show up (or that are implicit):

• Because the book tries to be actionable and compressed, some people feel it’s dense; you may need to take time to implement the tips rather than skim. “Info-dense” is a compliment but means you might need to invest time to digest. Bridget Willard
• It may not cover every plugin scenario or every edge case. If your plugin/market model is unusual, you might need to adapt the advice.
• Some of the marketing suggestions assume you have at least some bandwidth (even if limited) to do things like content marketing, attending WordCamps or meetups, promotional work, etc. If you are really strapped (time, money, or both), some of the advice may be harder to implement.
• Given the ecosystem (WordPress, etc.), some of the book’s advice may assume familiarity with certain platforms, norms, or community practices; if you’re working in a different environment, parts may be less directly applicable.

A Major Reason to Buy How to Market Your Plugin

One of the strongest reasons to pick up Bridget Willard’s How to Market Your Plugin is the author’s proven track record. Bridget isn’t just writing theory — she’s done the work.

• GiveWP Brand Growth: Bridget played a major role in building the GiveWP brand, which grew into one of the most recognized donation plugins in the WordPress ecosystem. Her hands-on marketing strategies contributed directly to its adoption and visibility across the WordPress community.
• Experience With Other Plugins: Beyond GiveWP, Bridget has worked with and advised other plugin developers, consistently showing how grassroots marketing, community building, and consistent messaging can make a plugin stand out in a crowded marketplace.
• High-Value Expertise at a Fraction of the Cost: Bridget’s current consulting rate is $125/hour. This book distills her knowledge and frameworks into a format that costs less than a single lunch — effectively giving you access to thousands of dollars’ worth of expertise at book-price.

When you combine her insider knowledge of the WordPress plugin ecosystem with her clear, actionable framework, the book becomes more than a marketing guide — it’s a way to tap into professional-level strategy without the agency-level invoice.

Overall takeaway / how people rate it

Readers seem to accomplish something real from reading it — getting new ideas, setting up/adjusting marketing plans, deciding on licensing/pricing, etc. Many say they’ll be using parts of it soon. Bridget Willard+1

On Goodreads, it has very high average ratings (5.00 at last count for a few ratings) among those who have rated it. Goodreads+1

The community seems to view it as filling a gap — there aren’t many books dedicated specifically to plugin marketing (especially for WordPress), so many felt that this book meets a needed niche. Bridget Willard+1

References

• Bridget Willard, How to Market Your Plugin — Author site and reviews. Available at: bridgetwillard.com
• Goodreads: Bridget Willard author page. Available at: Goodreads
• TorqueMag. Press This Podcast: Market Your WordPress Plugin. June 2021. Available at: torquemag.io
• Amazon listing and reviews: Amazon

Research and summary assistance provided by ChatGPT (OpenAI).

If you’re serious about your business, you should own a custom domain name and use that for business email. But keep reading.

I’ve worked in tech for the the last ten years and sometimes I forget that the general population doesn’t think like me. Namely, what does your email address say about you?

So, I’m building this FAQ here on my website to help small businesses and freelancers see the value in:

1. buying a domain name
2. setting up Google Workspace
3. having a basic website

Custom Emails Show Professionalism

Custom emails are professional. Look, I’ll be the first to say that I loved AOL and I had it for years until I switched to Gmail back in 2001(2)?. My AIM handle and Gmail username has always been my childhood nickname: Gidgey. (Bridget, Gidget, Gidgey).

So, my email name is historic and easy and all of my life is run through that Google Calendar, etc. But on my business cards? It’s hello@bridgetwillard.com.

When I first started out, my domain name was taken. So I went by “You, Too, Can Be a Guru.” When I found out that BridgetWillard.com was available, I bought it and transferred my site. (My first host was SiteGround.)

Like, you can’t be a marketer and not have a website. But what about other professions?

Quick FAQ Recap

Do I really need my own domain if I’m just starting out?
Yes — it’s one of the simplest ways to look professional right away and show people you’re serious.

What’s the big deal about a custom email?
Think of it like a business card. you@yourdomain.com builds way more trust than randombiz@yahoo.com.

Why bother keeping DNS and hosting separate?
Because if one breaks, you don’t want everything else to go down with it. It’s just smart insurance.

Do I have to use Google Workspace?
Nope. But if you do, you’ll unlock helpful tools like Google Analytics, Search Console, and even Google Business Profile.

Can’t I just forward my domain email to Gmail or Yahoo?
Technically, yes. But it kind of defeats the point of looking polished and professional.

Why does email marketing care about this?
Because tools like Mailchimp or ConvertKit need domain authentication (DKIM, DMARC, SPF) so your emails don’t land in spam.

Need help setting up your domain or figuring out email?

Contact me here — I’ll make sure you get started the right way.

If you’re thinking of jumping ship to Bluesky or something, I’d hesitate. People be out here randomly deleting accounts that took them forever to build. This is huge SEO no-no.

Yes, X (Twitter) is very relevant to 2025 B2B marketing.

Heck, it’s even relevant for B2C marketing.

How do you know?

• Google Alerts
• Leads (SEO)
• Google Analytics

Watch The Video

Google Alerts and X (Twitter)

To be honest, the easiest way to find out if X (Twitter) is working is to set up a Google Alert for your name, product, service and set it as an “as-it-happens” update.

You’ll get emails that show you exactly what’s going on and when Google Bots noticed it.

Search (Leads) On X (Twitter)

Any platform that has a search bar is a place for you to optimize how you’re displayed. So, yes, X is good for SEO for on site search. It’s also good for SEO as a result shown in Google for your name or topic. This is why we set up Google Alerts and/or pay attention to Google Analytics.

Dustin had an epiphany that, to be frank, inspired this post/video. He got a lead and did what all smart owners do, he asked where the lead came from. To his surprise, the client searched “WordPress” in the search bar on X (Twitter). That’s some SEO magic right there.

What Dustin did right (to be found on X) is posting about his area of expertise. You could do this for any industry.

“Apparently, I am feeding X properly.

I got a new client over the weekend and I couldn’t figure out where he came from. So, I asked him. This is what he said.

SEO for X is now a thing I guess.” Dustin Hyle

Apparently, I am feeding X properly.

I got a new client over the weekend and I couldn't figure out where he came from. So, I asked him. This is what he said.

SEO for X is now a thing I guess. pic.twitter.com/K0hQugb4w3

— Dustin Hyle (@dustinhyle) December 30, 2024

SEO on X (Twitter)

Check out your analytics on Google. I love real-time analytics. It tells me if someone clicked on a link I posted on X (Twitter). That is, of course, if you’re posting links to your website on X (Twitter).

Just to show you I posted a link to this blog post on X (so meta). You’ll see people on it.

Now, this only works if you’ve not published it elsewhere. Think scientific method.

The first result, for example, was a referral from mail.google.com. So someone subscribed to my blog clicked the link.

The Definitive Guide To Twitter Marketing Paperback

Hire Bridget Willard to Manage X (Twitter)

Yes, I also have plans to manage X for clients.

Custom Marketing Services

Full Transcript

(00:01):
Hi everyone, your friend Bridget Willard here. I wanna talk to you a little bit about the platform X, uh, formerly known as Twitter, which we all loved, uh, for a long time.

(00:14):
It’s 2025, January four, and I just want to remind you that this is a valid social network regardless of what you think about who owns it, who’s on it, the noise. I have many tips in a book called The Definitive Guide to Twitter Marketing.” It’s also a blog post on bridgetwillard.com. It’s like five or $7 on, uh, on Amazon. It’s a good way to support if you like this video. Thank you very much. Um, but also, this is what I do. I manage Twitter for clients.

(00:57):
It’s really important. It was important in 2004, 2003, 2007. Wait, when did it come out? I’m thinking of my miscarriage. Sorry. Uh, I think it was 2006, seven, whatever. I’ll fi I’ll fix it. It’s been, it’s more than 10 years. Okay? So anyway.

(01:18):
It’s funny because I came across this tweet. I’m gonna old school this like a Weekend Update News from Dustin. And he’s saying that like he couldn’t believe that, you know, SEO is a thing for Twitter. It is because there’s a search bar.

(01:35):
So, um, I know this sounds kind of like snicky and witty and kind of snippety, but. Anytime there’s a search bar, I want to remind you, anytime there’s a search bar, Reddit, Pinterest, Google Maps, Apple Maps, bing, Yahoo, Facebook. Anytime there’s a search bar, there’s an availability to optimize the search results, which is what SEO is.

(02:04):
So he says, apparently I’ve been getting X wrong or apparently, let me, how, how about if I turn around so I can read it? “Apparently I’m feeding X properly. I got a new client over the weekend and I couldn’t figure out where he came from. So I asked him.” Mad props for asking where your referrals come from. That’s a totally different video, but it is underdone. So this is what he said. And then Dustin said, “SEO for X is now a thing, I guess,” to which I replied. It’s always been a thing.

(02:36):
So the person who reached out to him on December 29th, 2024 through his website, said, “Thanks, Dustin, for the great work. I found you by looking up WordPress on Twitter, which is where I found your profile.” It cannot be understated that being online and being prolific and being available and like he said, “feeding the X properly.” Right? Feed me, Seymour.

(03:04):
So if you’re posting and publishing, you’ve probably seen my video about replying. Replying is the power move it always has been. It’s still the power move in 2025. But also there’s been, uh, conflicting data and opinions on whether or not Google, uh, indexes, tweets or posts on X. It does. And the simplest way for you to deal with this is by, um.

(03:35):
Is this mirrored? Is this not? This is, this isn’t mirrored. Oh my gosh, I think you, I think this is backwards, but Google Alerts are the best. It is backwards for you. I’m so sorry. Maybe I could flip this video.

(03:50):
Anyway, Google Alerts, google.com/alerts. You can set them up. I have ’em come to me as, as it happens. Um, this email I got, um, yesterday, maybe the day before from something that was posted on January two. So it, it will come to you. It was actually me, um, saying the social trend in 2025 is replying. So I was posting that. Um, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize this would be backwards, but you get, you get the picture. I didn’t wanna do a whole loom anyway.

(04:29):
Twitter X is super relevant. It’s super important, especially B2B, um, especially, um, for if you have professional services. Um, I, I always remind people that even newscasters are tweeting Carly from, um, the local news service in Corpus Christi tweets out the weather.

(04:55):
Uh, you gotta remember that posting on X is, is like a text message. So when things go down and you have bad storm issues and you wanna get um, kind of emergency things going out, Twitter x it’s the place to be. X marks the spot, it’s the place to be. It’s so important.

(05:18):
And the thing where business owners kind of get wrong is they’ll post something as they’re thinking about it, but they don’t keep up the regular publishing of things from their website to Twitter. Um, and the reason why they don’t do this is because they hop on when it’s convenient for them. Or they’re like, what’s going on in WordPress right now? What’s going on with the Green Bay Packers right now? And that is search, you know, going on there.

(05:51):
One of the main things I think is really important for um, X is super relevant in 2025 is actually knowing user’s intent. You can read their posts and find out exactly what they’re thinking about, exactly what they’re talking about, exactly where they’re, um, getting their who, what vendors they’re using. Are they using SEMrush? Are they using HubSpot, Mailchimp? Are they using BetterCloud? Are they using Dubsado? Are they using Xero? Are they using FreshBooks?

(06:29):
They’re posting about the things that they, like, they’re posting about the things that they don’t. Like. I was posting about hp, I thought that Hewlett Packer was like not letting me use my printer ’cause I didn’t sign up their ink. No, Bridget, you bought HP 64 cartridges instead of 67 because you had bronchitis and you shouldn’t have been ordering on the internet. Right? But I stopped myself before I posted that on Twitter, right?

(06:56):
So the thing is, it’s super relevant. If you want to learn how to use it for business, I have a totally free Twitter course on my website. I encourage you to literally do it in the order, do all the things that I say. I did go to college to be a teacher. I, it’s, it’s that way for a reason because a lot of times with platforms, we start using the app and then we think we know how to use it. So when you think about the strategy behind it and what you’re trying to accomplish, then how you use the program or the app is completely different. So I would encourage you to go get on that free course again.

(07:43):
I do have this book that came out in I think 2021, “The Definitive Guide to Twitter Marketing – I Double Dog Dare You To Try It.” 2021. Yeah, it’s on, it’s on as a free version is on my blog. Again, this is Kindle. This is paperback. This is your manual.

(08:03):
Or you can hire somebody like me. I’d be very happy to create a content calendar for you. Um, I, my, my contracts are an invoice. You pay me, I write your tweets. I can either post ’em for you or not and it’s prepaid. And if you don’t wanna do it any longer then you know, that’s fine. I have three different packages. Go to bridget willard.com/pricing. I’ll put a link, um, to it at the end of this video. Um, actually what I’ll put a link to at the end of this video, yeah, I’ll put a link to that at the end of this video.

(08:39):
But I really want you to know that Twitter is super relevant. And if you don’t trust me, you don’t have to take my word for it. Just go use it. Go use it. Set up Google Alerts and see what happens.

(08:54):
Your friend signing off up from Corpus Christi. Bye!

Everyone tells you to publish content. It’s true. You needed to be blogging in 2011 and 2024 and you still need to in 2025. Call it blogging, writing, posting, or publishing, but it still needs to be done.

Publishing is just the basic move in 2025. It’s expected. It’s the norm. Mid. No cap.

The real power move is to take time each day to comment on posts from other people. (Or hire someone to do that for you.)

Replying gives you access to another audience. Replying exposes your content to other people. Replying helps other businesses see you. 

Replying is the power move. 

And, you can do it in five minutes a day. 

That’s not too much to give in 2025. 

Bonus: 3-2-1 Method for LinkedIn

3 connections

2 comments

1 new post

You can do it in 5 minutes a day.

Watch the tutorial here on Loom.

Full Transcript

(00:00):

Hey everybody, it’s your friend Bridget here. I’m just wanting to talk to you a little bit about replying. Replying to other people’s posts is the power move because all when all we’re doing is publishing, publishing, publishing, publishing, we’re like an RSS feed. An RSS feed is a really, really simple syndication, or real simple syndication, I think. Anyway, it’s publishing, it’s broadcasting. It’s like a radio where you’re just talking, talking, talking, and everybody’s there to just listen.

(00:39):

I just recently watched the movie called Saturday Night, about the 90 minutes before the first episode of Saturday Night Live, and there was like a feature of Milton Berle in there talking about when he was on radio, he had the attention of 97% of Americans. Well, he was in a unique period of time where radio — wireless, the wireless — was the only option besides being in person somewhere.

(01:11):

Now we have the radio — still works. We have, uh, streaming, uh, we have television, television over the air, cable television, various social media platforms, YouTube, um. There’s just so many, it’s almost too difficult to count. And so trying to be the dominant force on any social media platform or any media platform, because it’s all media, is the, is the medium in which you are performing or publishing or broadcasting. So, social media is, is the behavior of being social on that platform.

(02:00):

With Milton Berle being on radio, there was no feedback. There were only advertiser advertisers and purchases, and whether or not there are ratings from Nielsen Company, which still exists. And so we’re constantly trying to monitor and monetize and analyze the metrics by which people are engaging with us, right? If I get a Christmas card from you, therefore I’m still relevant, therefore, my brand is still relevant. You know, if I if I get a present from you or a text on my birthday, then I’m still top of mind. So whether it’s personal connections or small business connections, you only have control of, of so much of everybody’s time because it’s all over the place.

(02:58):

If you, if you’re still watching this three minutes into this video, how many text messages did you have to swipe away? How many, uh, phone calls from robots did you have to get rid of? How many children were tugging at your shirt? Um, this is the reality. So while you have someone’s — speaking of children, how many cats are meowing in the hallway? — But when you’re replying on somebody else’s post, you’re able to engage in a different way, in a different space and an audience that may have an overlap with yours. So I’m always talking about this is the power move is the reply.

(03:43):

Go look for other tweets, posts, whatever they call ’em on Bluesky. I’m just gonna call ’em posts. Look for somebody else’s post and write a comment on it. Or write a comment on that. Or find a comment that you like and like that comment and/or reply to it.

(04:05):

Go on Reddit for the category that you’re talking about and upvote somebody’s comment. Reddit is amazing. It’s been such a good driver of traffic and making actual connections for my handyman friend up in Door County, Wisconsin. I replied to somebody else’s post looking for a handyman in Door County. I said, my friend Michael does this. Here’s his website. Boom. That became a job, which became another job, which became another job.

(04:39):

Do you remember me talking about, uh, making a video explanation of epoxy injection for Riggins Construction with a point-and-shoot camera a hundred million years ago, three years after that terrible video? Well, it’s not terrible. It’s just like not the best quality. It was me just doing it, right? It explains, it’s still on the internet. You know, look for epoxy injection, Riggins Construction if you want to see how it works. But that video — three years old — that video filmed on a point-and-shoot camera edited by me, you know, roughly very, very raw, brought in one job. That one job was from a customer who owned 12 more buildings. That one small job became $97,000.

(05:32):

We, we forget that the content that we’re putting out matters. So go back into the context of a reply. I know this week I just saw it. I wish I could find it. Somebody was posting on X that they, they, they got a DM from someone after they re um, tweeted some — I’m just gonna say tweeted — after they posted and they got a new customer because they were replying.

(06:01):

Also, when you reply to a post, it helps that post get more visibility. And so you’re helping your fellow small business person while also giving yourself more visibility in that audience. Sometimes those replies get likes, like on Reddit, they’ll be upvoted. On Instagram, they’ll be liked with a heart. Um, sometimes they can be taken outta context. Sometimes that context, you know, it’s just, it’s important. But still, like that reply I on on LinkedIn.

(06:40):

Replying is such a power move because you’re giving yourself, you know, access to a totally different audience. And so when somebody posts on LinkedIn that they just got a new speaking gig or they just got a new promotion, how hard is it for you to say congratulations? In fact, it’s not even that hard on LinkedIn. There’s always these prompts that say, congrats somebody with, you know, you can either press that button or you can add to it. Um, when, when people are, um, posting about this topic or that topic, you adding kind of your take on it is such a huge thing because of that, I’ve been invited, um, to comment, um, or to add my thoughts to running articles on LinkedIn. And the thing is, I don’t even spend that much time on LinkedIn. It’s that we’re always holding our phone in our hand waiting for something to happen. But in addition to publishing your regular content, and I, I for one am getting back to being what I was doing and just going forward, right? Um.

(08:00):

You, you have to do the boring work. ’cause sometimes the boring work is spending an extra five minutes on each platform looking for something to comment on. I have a 3, 2, 1 method. Um, there’s a, a little video I did for, um, uh, on Loom that I could definitely, um, post in the comments or the description of this. But, um, you know, look for three things to comment on or look for. I forgot the exact order, but I’ll, I’ll have to go look it up. ’cause I, you know, I forgot my own advice. But basically I, it was like one new post, two replies, and three connections that you can either follow or, um, connect with, you know, so you can mix that up. Like you can find three things to comment on, one thing to post one friend to like, but either way make it a routine that’s part of your daily function so that you don’t get lost.

(09:04):

I mean, how many people have you forgotten? You know, that Dunbar number of 150 people that we can only keep track of? How many people would be like, oh yeah, who’s that one guy that not, he doesn’t just build websites, he makes a recipe app. Or who’s that one lady that teaches Pinterest? Gosh, I forgot. Because you’re not interacting with them and you’re not interacting with them ’cause you are not replying. They’re not replying. And we’re all beholden to some algorithm that constantly changes, changes.

(09:38):

Anyway, why don’t you just be, take the behaviors you would have in a mixer at a party, at a Christmas party and chamber event and just do that same thing. Go up to somebody, be part of the conversation. It’s really not difficult, but it’s not sexy, it’s not fancying, it’s not something that I’m gonna send you a guide on. It’s just something you have to do. You know, if, if you wanna make videos every day, then sit down at your desk, clean it off and make your videos. If you wanna send an email out to your people, get a MailChimp account and do it. But I would suggest that you stop making excuses. Don’t get stuck in the weeds of how is this gonna happen. Use the tools you already have and that’s why reply is such a power move. You don’t have to create the content, you just reply to it.

(10:38):

Anyway, my name is Bridget Willard. If you haven’t seen me before, or if you’re seeing me now, I write content for websites, articles, long form, short form. I rewrite your web pages, I do social media content strategy one-on-ones, and I’m here for you in the Corpus Christi, Texas area. Um, or online. Put the Zoom consultation and hey, reply to this video. Tell me what you’re working on. What do you need help with, what could I help you with? We’ll see if, bye.