March 11, 2023 – March 15, 2023
Why a blogging masterclass? You might wonder.
When you have a question, you google it. The answers often come from businesses which position themselves as experts.
For example, if you google “does writing pay” the result is this:
This is not an accident. We’ve had the good fortune of learning from a master.
Sumit Bansal quit his job at IBM at the ripe old age of 29 to become a full-time blogger. He runs multiple blogs which get a total of 1.5 Million hits every month. His blogging income is ridiculous (see his profile below).
Once a year, Sumit leads a Blogging Masterclass at the Himalayan Writing Retreat. He explains how blogging works. He is open, transparent, and a great teacher. Because Blogging is all about building niches and owning them, he does not hide or limit what he shares.
Getting traffic to your website helps grow your business. In fact, many people build businesses from scratch, and earn lavish amounts through blogs. Bloggers earn in multiple ways : by selling your own services/products, by selling other people’s products, or by advertising.
Sumit explains how to own your niche, and grow your visibility on the internet. He also explains how you can make money from it. It is a secret that can transform your business, or help you start a new one.
To join this Masterclass, apply now by clicking the button below.
A deeper dive into the specifics of blogging will help you meet your goals. The Blogging Masterclass is perfect for you to grow your business – or create one. We understand Search Engine Optimization (SEO), tools and ways to increase traffic, monetization models and the science of email marketing.
This is a hands-on workshop – we do stuff. We explore and learn specific tools – the nuts-and-bolts to build your business further. You leave with a blog set-up and plan for how to build it. For day-wise program details, scroll down.
The Himalayan Workshop sessions are held in the open or in the book lounge. Some meals maybe served in the open too if the weather is good. The outdoors are a very inviting and inspiring here.
The venue is the 5-star rated Himalayan Writing Retreat (you can read our reviews here).
While you’re here, walk in the wilderness, bask in the warmth of a sublime sunset, and gaze at the stars. Let your eyes feast on the magnificent Himalayan dusks and dawns, your ears on the live birdsong concert, your lungs on clean crisp mountain air, and your taste buds on the delectable, homely fare.
One of our past attendees – Radhika, has beautifully captured her experience of this retreat in her words. You can read her post Here.
We only accept a total of ten applicants in one workshop on a first-come first-served basis. To register for this Blogging Masterclass, please click the blue button below and pay the fees to secure your spot.
About the Instructor
Sumit Bansal
Sumit Bansal leads the Blogging workshop at the Himalayan Writing Retreat. Sumit He has been blogging since 2013, and went full-time into it in 2015. The first blog that Sumit started – titled trumpexcel.com was about Microsoft Excel.
His monthly income ranges between USD 20,000-30,000 only from his new blogs (started after 2019) as he explains on his website www.craftofblogging.com . This does not include the income from his #1 blog named trumpexcel.
www.Trumpexcel.com is amongst the top Excel blogs in the world. It enabled Sumit to quit his full-time job at IBM and live a life of freedom he always wanted. Sumit’s fascinating story was covered by Problogger podcast, IndieHacker, Ideamensch, Side Hustle School Podcast, and many other sites and publications. In 2018, CEO Magazine featured Trumpexcel as one of the “50 Emerging Startups to Watch in 2018”.
Sumit is supported by Chetan Mahajan, the former CEO of HCL Learning Ltd. Chetan is a Penguin published author and the founder of the Himalayan Writing Retreat. He also works as a writing coach independently as well as with the London based the writing coach. He also writes for The Mint, Outlook Magazine, HT Brunch, Reader’s Digest and Hindu Business Line.
Detailed Program – Blogging Masterclass
Reach anytime on Day 0. Rest, relax, get to know your fellow bloggers.
Day 1 – Blogging the Right Way:
- Starting a blog – do this as pre-work.
- Identifying a profitable niche
- How to avoid rookie mistakes, and set-up your blog right.
- Find out what readers / viewers are looking for – and to to create content around those topics
- How to write effective blog posts that your followers will read
Day 2 – How to grow your blog:
- Anatomy of a good post
- Keyword Research – the basic tool for all internet marketing.
- SEO – both on-page & off-page
- Useful tools for bloggers & content creators
- How to write effective blog posts that your followers will read
- List Item
Day 3 – To profitability and beyond:
- The importance of site architecture
- How to get your existing content to rank better in search engines
- How to build an email list quickly
- How to get clients/customers using your blog
- How to write effective blog posts that your followers will read
- Using Facebook/Instagram ads to grow your blog and make money
- Six months business blueprint
On day 4 you can leave after a relaxed breakfast. Or stay on if you would like, to work in solitude on building your blog.
Case Study
Sumit is a master of 3 things:
- Finding Niches
- Building traffic in those niches
- Making money from that traffic
Between Jan 2019 and August 2020, Sumit started six sites. These sites cut across niches and ranged from Kitchens and cooking to tech to keeping Rabbits as pets. Sumit generously shares the stats and income figures of these sites. Sumit has explained the kind of growth his blogs have seen since they began, what they are today, and how much they earn.
Below are snapshots of their actual statistics and earnings:
Stats of six Niche Sites
| SITE | # OF ARTICLES | MONTHLY PVs | INCOME NOV 2022 | INCOME AUGUST 2020 |
| Site 1 | 237 | 77,679 | $ 2,753 | $1,383 |
| Site 2 | 277 | 49,211 | $ 1,636 | $1,843 |
| Site 3 | 357 | 37,702 | $ 912 | $32 |
| Site 4 | 86 | 9,003 | $ 190 | $15 |
| Site 5 | 250 | 258,511 | $ 18,673 | $0 |
| Site 6 | 261 | 16,864 | $ 506 | $0 |
Here’s more detail on each of the sites included in the income report:
Site 1 (started in mid-2019) – This site is in the home improvement niche and relies mostly on display ads and Amazon Associates Program.
Site 2 (started in late-2019) – This site is again in the home improvement/appliances niche and relies mostly on display ad income and the Amazon associates program.
Site 3 (started in late-2019) – This site is in the Pet’s niche and has been a bit slow in picking up. It currently makes a few bucks with display ads.
Site 4 (bought in early 2020) – Sumit bought this site from one of the market places. It was only a few months old when he bought it and wasn’t making any money. It’s in the outdoor/hobby niche. It relies solely on Amazon associate for monetization as of now (and only makes a few bucks).
Site 5 (started in early 2020) – This site is in the tech niche and currently relies on display ads to make money. It’s in a fairly competitive niche and it is expected to take some time before seeing some growth. As of now, it makes a few bucks with display ads.
Site 6 (started in late 2020) – This is the newest of the lot. It’s in a broad niche that can cover multiple different niches.
Sumit freely shares his expertise in blogging on his website https://craftofblogging.com/.
It’s incredible how all these sites which were launched less than 4 years ago are generating good money for Sumit.
So whether your goal is to start an independent blogging business, or to power up your existing off-line business, Sumit’s class will help.
A lot of blogging classes are gimmicky, and overpromise. In this course you spend three full days with a true master of the craft. It is indeed the best blogging masterclass out there, trust us! you can take the word of every HWR Pro team member – we have all taken his class at some point and loved every bit of it.
Travel and Stay
The Himalayan Writing Retreat is built for writing and learning. We are rated 5-star on google and facebook.
Once here, you will be sharing a room with a fellow participant (unless we’ve confirmed a single). All essentials like food, hot water, towels etc. are provided. No hidden costs.
It can snow in winter. Weather can vary and the weather chart of Mukteshwar (12 km from the retreat) is here. A pair of sturdy walking shoes, some rain protection and an extra layer or two are always a good idea.
Our rooms are built to let nature in and inspire you. To see pictures of the rooms click here . To see pictures of the writing spaces click here
Depending upon where you travel in from, you can reach us by road, train or air. Even if flying or taking a train, the final stretch is a drive, and the last 150 metres is a walk.
By Road
The retreat is a 370 km/9 hours drive from Delhi. If driving, we recommend you leave early. Note that parking at the retreat is on the road – we do not have any private parking. We have limited driver accommodation, so please check in advance.
Overnight Volvo buses ply between Haldwani and Delhi, the more reliable of which are government operated. You con book those here. Private Volvos and Sleeper buses also ply between Delhi and Haldwani, which you can book on redbus. Make sure you pick a bus with a high (4+) rating.
By Train
There are three trains a day from Delhi to Kathgodam, the nearest train station. Some others also come in from Kolkata, Lucknow and Dehradun. From Delhi, Ranikhet Express is a convenient overnight train both ways, but finding tickets can be difficult.
Most people prefer to take the Kathgodam Shatabdi (Delhi dep: 6.20 AM, Kathgodam Arr: 11.40 AM). A cab from Kathgodam to Satkhol takes about 2.5 hrs / Rs. 2200 (more for a big car). Cabs are often shared by participants.
By Air
There are daily flights from Delhi to Pantnagar. A cab from Pantnagar to Satkhol takes about 3.5 hr / Approx INR 4K.
There are direct flights from Mumbai and Bangalore to Bareilly 3-4 days a week. Satkhol is a 5hr / INR 5.5k cab ride from Bareilly. (More for a big car). Cabs are often shared by participants.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Why should I choose HWR Blogging Masterclass?
- Personal Attention: We don’t take more than 10 students in a class. You get a lot of personal attention and feedback. No classrooms of 20-30 people or one-way pre-recorded videos here.
- Class Quality: For most courses, we filter our participants. You can’t just pay and sign up. We need to see a writing sample (in our application form) to ensure the class is of a uniform standard.
- Cost per hour: Our courses are long and intense. As an example, the Creative Writing course is 18000 for 24 contact hours (3 days, 8 hours each day). The cost per hour = 750 / hour. That is comparable to many of the “cheaper” courses.
- Quality of faculty: No lightweights here. Many of our faculty are award-winners. All are experts and great teachers. We don’t settle for average.
- Feedback scores: Across courses, we are rated 4.5/5, or higher. You can read our reviews HERE.
- Do I get a certificate of participation?
Yes, certificates are available on request.
- Any discounts for students / other categories?
At the Himalayan Writing Retreat, we follow a strict No-Discount policy.
- Is the workshop fee refundable?
Our cancellation policy is as follows:
- Blogging Masterclass at the Himalayas: 100% refund if cancellation 4 weeks before the event start date, 50% if cancellation two weeks before the start date, 0% if less than two weeks before the start date.
- Is the Himalayan Writing Retreat a business or an NGO?
The Himalayan Writing Retreat is a social enterprise . It works closely and actively with two local NGOs in its community work initiatives : Chirag and Alaap. In 2020, HWR raised INR 6.1 Lakhs to support the Chirag School.
Have more questions? Feel free to write to us at info@himalayanwritingretreat.com or connect with us at +91 73035 16665 (Call/ WA/Signal).