This is an interview with Scott Purcell of Man of Many.

Hey, Scott. Tell us a bit about yourself and what you do.

I’ve always been a curious person, whether it’s exploring technology or discovering the latest in style and whisky. My journey started far from the media world—I began in finance, where I spent seven years as a Senior Financial Analyst at Westpac Institutional Bank after completing my Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Sydney.

While the world of finance was challenging and rewarding, I always felt there was a creative side I wanted to explore.

That’s how Man of Many came into the picture. Alongside my co-founder Frank Arthur, we launched it in 2012 as a side project, initially as a way to share cool products and things we were passionate about with friends.

Fast forward to today, and we’ve grown it into Australia’s largest men’s lifestyle media platform. We now reach over 2 million readers monthly and 820,000 social followers. Our content covers everything from style and gear to culture and technology, always with the same approachable, authentic tone that resonates with our audience.

What makes me most proud is that we’ve built Man of Many as a 100% carbon-neutral digital publisher—something we care deeply about. Winning awards for our work, like the Best Media Platform at the B&T Awards 2023 and Website of the Year at the Mumbrella Publish Awards, is gratifying, but the real magic is in connecting with our readers and staying true to what we believe in.

It’s been an incredible journey from finance to lifestyle media, and I feel fortunate to do what I love every day.

What was your life like before starting Man of Many?

Before starting Man of Many, I was deep in the world of finance, working as a Credit Analyst at Westpac Institutional Bank. It was a very structured 9-5 job, with the focus on assessing the creditworthiness of clients and making detailed financial analyses. While I enjoyed the intellectual challenge of the role—reviewing financial statements, assessing risk, and providing recommendations—it was definitely a corporate grind.

At that time, life was fairly predictable. I’d spend my days in the office, sifting through financial reports, and my evenings decompressing or catching up on personal interests, such as discovering new tech gadgets, cool products, or stylish gear.

It was a steady career path, and one that gave me valuable experience, but I always felt something was missing.

There was a creative itch I couldn’t quite scratch within the confines of my job, and I longed for something more dynamic, something that blended my analytical skills with my passion for discovering and sharing unique finds.

During that period, I also began sending emails to Frank Arthur, my soon-to-be co-founder, about the cool stuff I was coming across online. What started as casual emails turned into an idea—a website that could bring all of those discoveries together for a larger audience.

The routine of the 9-5 life was a necessary stepping stone, but I knew I wanted something more creative, flexible, and ultimately, more fulfilling. That realisation was the seed that grew into Man of Many.

Also read: 50 Lucrative Blog Niche Ideas to Consider

When and how did you come up with the idea and start the website? 

The idea for Man of Many came about fairly organically. It all started with a simple habit between Frank Arthur, my co-founder, and me.

While working my 9-5 job at Westpac as a Credit Analyst, I’d often come across interesting products or gadgets online—anything from the latest tech innovations to stylish accessories. I’d send these finds to Frank, and he would do the same. It became a regular exchange between us, a fun way to share things we both found intriguing and exciting.

After a while, we realised that there wasn’t really a single platform in Australia that catered to our diverse interests—a place that combined technology, style, and lifestyle content all in one spot. There were niche sites covering each area, but nothing brought them together in a cohesive and curated way.

That was our lightbulb moment. If we were passionate about these things, surely others were too.

In 2012, we decided to take the plunge and create Man of Many as a side project. We didn’t have grand ambitions at the start—it was purely a passion project.

We bootstrapped the entire thing, using personal funds to cover basic costs like web hosting and design. I’d spend my nights and weekends working on the site after clocking out of my full-time job.

The name “Man of Many” was born out of the idea that modern men have many interests, and we wanted to be the place where they could explore all of those passions.

In the beginning, it was just one post a day—a carefully curated product that we thought our audience would love. It was slow-going at first, but the positive feedback and growing traffic gave us the motivation to keep pushing forward.

What started as a fun side project has since evolved into something much larger than we could have imagined. It took time, dedication, and a lot of late nights, but seeing Man of Many grow into Australia’s largest men’s lifestyle platform has been worth every minute.

Also read: 40 Tips for Beginner Bloggers to Kickstart Your Blogging Journey

What content management system did you use? And is it still the same?

When we first launched Man of Many in 2012, we opted to use WordPress as our content management system (CMS). It was the ideal choice for a couple of reasons.

First, it was user-friendly and allowed us to get the website up and running with minimal technical knowledge. At the time, we were bootstrapping everything, and neither Frank nor I were developers, so WordPress’ flexibility and ease of use were essential. It provided a simple platform where we could quickly upload content, manage posts, and customise the site without needing to dive too deeply into coding.

WordPress also offered a wide range of plugins, which made it easy to add new features as we scaled. Whether it was improving site performance, optimising for SEO, or enhancing user experience, the platform was adaptable enough to grow with us.

We still use WordPress today, although the site has evolved significantly since those early days. Our current version is far more sophisticated, with custom-built features, integrations, and optimisations designed to handle the scale of our current traffic and content needs.

However, at its core, WordPress remains the foundation, and its versatility continues to serve us well as we expand our content, user base, and multimedia offerings.

What did the early days of growing the blog look like?

The early days of growing Man of Many were a mix of excitement, hustle, and a lot of late nights. Frank and I were both working full-time jobs, so Man of Many was a side project in the truest sense.

After my 9-5 as a Credit Analyst at Westpac, I’d spend evenings and weekends working on the site—researching products, writing posts, and tweaking the website. We were both really passionate about curating content, and that passion kept us going, even when it felt like we were burning the candle at both ends.

In the beginning, we aimed to post one interesting product a day. It was a simple formula—find cool, unique, or stylish gear that would appeal to our audience and write up a short, engaging post.

Our content wasn’t overly complicated, but we focused on making it high quality and relevant to the modern man. We wanted Man of Many to be a place where people could come to discover products that enhanced their lifestyle, whether it was tech, fashion, or everyday carry essentials.

Building the audience took time, though.

In those early days, we weren’t spending much on marketing—everything was organic. We relied on social media, word of mouth, and SEO to slowly build traffic. We were posting daily, engaging with our small but growing audience, and trying to learn from what resonated most with our readers.

Growth was slow but steady. We didn’t see an immediate surge in traffic or followers, but the feedback was positive, and we could see there was potential.

What really stood out in those early days was the consistency. By staying committed to producing quality content regularly, we began to see our traffic triple within the first year, and that’s when we knew we were onto something bigger.

It wasn’t glamorous at the start—just a lot of dedication and perseverance. But those early days laid the foundation for what Man of Many has become today. Looking back, that grind was absolutely worth it.

Also read: How Kylie Got into Mediavine in 1 Year & Makes €5K/Month from Her Blog

What were your writing about then, and how have the topics and blog categories evolved?

In the early days of Man of Many, our content was very product-focused. Frank and I were passionate about discovering and sharing cool, unique items that we thought our readers would love—whether it was the latest tech gadget, a stylish piece of gear, or an innovative product that caught our eye.

The format was simple: one product a day with a short, engaging write-up that explained what it was, why it was worth paying attention to, and where to buy it.

The idea was to create a place where people could come to discover things they didn’t know they needed—whether it was a sleek watch, a piece of tech, or something as practical as a backpack.

It was all about curating finds that enhanced the lifestyle of the modern man. We started with what we knew and were passionate about, and it resonated with our audience.

As Man of Many grew, so did the breadth of our content.

Over time, we expanded beyond daily product posts to cover a wider range of lifestyle topics. Today, we produce editorial features, in-depth reviews, interviews, and guides across various categories like fashion, automotive, tech, health, fitness, grooming, and culture.

We’ve gone from just showcasing products to telling stories—whether it’s interviewing a notable figure, reviewing the latest electric vehicle, or offering grooming tips for the modern gentleman.

Our blog categories have evolved to reflect the diverse interests of our readers.

While we still focus on product discovery, we’ve also broadened our scope to include trends in culture and lifestyle, providing a richer, more immersive experience. This shift has allowed us to build deeper connections with our audience and position Man of Many as a well-rounded platform that not only showcases products but also offers advice, inspiration, and stories that speak to the interests and aspirations of the modern man.

That evolution has also meant diving deeper into video content, social media, and even live events like Sydney Whisky Month, giving our readers new ways to engage with the brand.

What began as a product-focused site has grown into a fully-fledged lifestyle platform, constantly evolving alongside our audience’s interests.

Also read: How to Start a Lifestyle Blog & Make Money (+ 50 Lifestyle Blog Names)

How long did it take you to make your first money from the website?

It took about a year before we made our first bit of money from Man of Many. In the early days, the site was purely a passion project, so monetisation wasn’t our main focus initially. However, as the audience grew, we realised there was potential to turn it into something more than just a side project.

Our first income came from affiliate marketing. We had been writing about products that we genuinely loved, and as our audience started engaging with that content, we noticed an opportunity.

By linking to these products through affiliate programs, we could earn a small commission if someone made a purchase. It wasn’t a lot—just a trickle of income—but it was enough to show that Man of Many had commercial potential.

At the time, the income mostly came from commissions on products like tech gadgets, watches, and stylish gear that we featured on the site. It was a natural fit because we were already curating and recommending items, so affiliate marketing felt like a logical next step.

That first bit of revenue was a small milestone, but it reinforced that we were building something with real value, not just to us but to our audience and, eventually, to brands as well.

From there, we began to experiment with display ads and other monetisation methods, but affiliate marketing was the first door that opened for us. It gave us the confidence to keep pushing forward and grow the site into the business it is today.

How did the first year of Man of Many go in terms of traffic, income, and site growth?

The first year of Man of Many was all about consistent effort and gradual growth. Frank and I were still working full-time jobs, which meant our time was split between our 9-5 roles and working late nights on the website. Despite the challenges, we were focused on posting daily content—one product each day—to keep the site fresh and interesting for our readers.

In terms of traffic, we saw steady growth throughout that first year. We relied heavily on organic reach, with most of our traffic coming from social media and word-of-mouth.

By December 2016, we were generating over 500,000 page views and had around 250,000 unique visitors per month. This was a significant milestone for us because it showed that people were responding to the content we were curating, and the numbers were only going up.

On the income side, our revenue was modest at first. The bulk of our initial income came from affiliate marketing—linking to products we featured and earning a commission on sales. It wasn’t a huge amount of money, but it was a start and validated that we were on the right path.

We didn’t focus heavily on monetisation in the first year because we were more interested in building a loyal audience, but we made enough to cover some of the basic costs of running the site, like hosting and design.

Site growth was slow but steady. In the early days, we focused on curating one unique product daily, but as we saw traffic increase and positive feedback from readers, we started posting two or three products a day.

We quickly realised we had tapped into a niche that wasn’t being adequately served by other men’s lifestyle sites, and that encouraged us to expand our content offering. By the end of that year, we had built a small but highly engaged audience, and we knew there was potential to scale the site even further.

The first year was a crucial learning period, and it set the stage for our future growth. We began to explore sponsorship opportunities and refined our content strategy, which eventually led to Man of Many becoming Australia’s largest men’s lifestyle platform.

While income and traffic were modest initially, that consistent growth and dedication paid off as we laid the foundation for what would become a multi-million-dollar business.

How much traffic does the blog get now? What are your top traffic sources?

Today, Man of Many attracts over 2 million unique readers each month, and we generate around 15 million social media impressions across various platforms.

Our audience has grown significantly over the years, with a strong focus on expanding both our reach and engagement. We’ve built a loyal readership of style-conscious, tech-savvy men who turn to Man of Many for product recommendations, lifestyle advice, and cultural insights.

Our top traffic sources are a mix of organic search, social media, and direct traffic.

Organic search remains our largest traffic driver, thanks to a consistent focus on SEO and high-quality, well-optimised content. Google is a significant source of traffic, with readers finding us through product reviews, lifestyle guides, and trending news.

Social media also plays a major role, with platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok helping to drive significant traffic. Over the last year, we’ve seen phenomenal growth in engagement across these channels, particularly through short-form videos and high-quality visual content that resonates with our audience.

Pinterest, for example, has become one of our largest traffic drivers, with over 122,000 monthly followers.

Direct traffic is another key component, as we’ve cultivated a strong brand identity over the years. Many readers visit the site directly for our curated content and in-depth features, a testament to the trust and recognition we’ve built as Australia’s leading men’s lifestyle platform.

Overall, our multi-channel approach, combined with a commitment to high-quality content, has allowed us to sustain impressive traffic growth while diversifying our sources to remain resilient in a constantly evolving digital landscape.

What’s your current content strategy like? 

Our content strategy at Man of Many revolves around creating high-quality, engaging, and relevant content that speaks directly to our audience’s interests. We take a data-driven approach to determine what new content to create, constantly analysing reader engagement, social media trends, and search traffic insights to shape our editorial direction.

We’ve built a strong foundation around core categories like tech, style, automotive, health, grooming, and culture, which we know our readers are passionate about.

Each piece of content is crafted with our target audience in mind—primarily style-conscious, tech-savvy men aged 25-44. We keep our finger on the pulse of what’s trending, both locally and globally, to ensure we’re delivering fresh and timely content.

Whether it’s reviewing the latest gadget, exploring emerging fashion trends, or diving into lifestyle hacks, we make sure each post offers value to our readers.

New Content Creation:

Deciding what new content to create is a mix of art and science. We regularly monitor emerging trends and topics that resonate with our audience, often using tools like Google Trends, social media analytics, and SEO insights.

We also keep a close eye on product releases and cultural moments that align with our brand. If a new gadget or fashion trend is making waves, we make sure we cover it in a way that’s both informative and approachable.

Additionally, we maintain close relationships with our partners, which allows us to produce exclusive branded content that fits naturally within our editorial framework. This helps us offer value to both our audience and the brands we collaborate with.

Posting Frequency:

We post new content daily to keep the site fresh and ensure there’s always something for our readers to engage with. We aim for a balance between evergreen content—articles that remain relevant over time—and timely pieces that react to current trends or news.

Typically, we post around 10-15 articles per day across a variety of categories, maintaining consistency to keep our readers coming back.

Updating and Optimising Old Content:

Updating and optimising old blog posts is a crucial part of our content strategy. Given that some of our most popular posts are evergreen, we make it a priority to revisit and refresh older content to ensure it remains accurate, up-to-date, and optimised for SEO.

This might involve updating product links, adding new information, or optimising the content for improved search engine visibility. By doing so, we ensure that our readers continue to get value from our older posts, while also improving their performance in search rankings.

Our focus on content optimisation extends beyond just refreshing old posts. We regularly audit the site to identify content that can be reworked, expanded, or combined to provide a better reader experience and drive more traffic.

This approach allows us to maximise the value of our existing content library while continually growing with fresh, engaging material.

When did you get into SEO? And do you optimize every blog post?

We really started focusing on SEO around 2014, a couple of years after launching Man of Many.

In the beginning, we were primarily driven by our passion for curating and sharing interesting products and stories, so SEO wasn’t at the forefront of our strategy. But as our audience grew, we realised the value of making sure our content was not just discoverable but also as helpful and relevant as possible for our readers.

Today, we optimise every blog post with the reader in mind. It’s less about ticking SEO boxes and more about ensuring that every article delivers real value.

When we create content, we ask ourselves what our audience would want to know, how they would use the information, and how we can make it as clear and engaging as possible.

This means structuring posts in a way that’s easy to navigate, providing in-depth insights, and ensuring the information is up-to-date and accurate.

We also revisit older posts to keep them fresh and relevant, often updating them with new information or refining the way the content is presented.

Ultimately, our goal is to make sure that when someone comes to Man of Many, they’re getting the best possible experience, whether they’re reading about a new gadget, style trends, or lifestyle tips. SEO is simply the tool we use to ensure that content is accessible, but the focus is always on helping our readers.

What’s one SEO strategy that has worked best for you, and that you constantly rely on?

One of the most effective SEO strategies for us has been focusing on the readers first and being consistent with our content.

It’s less about playing to the algorithms and more about building a reliable routine that our audience can depend on. We’ve found that by creating valuable content that resonates with our readers, the SEO benefits naturally follow.

Consistency has been a cornerstone of our approach. From day one, we’ve worked hard to ensure there’s always fresh content on Man of Many. Whether it’s a new product review, style advice, or lifestyle tips, we want our audience to know they can come back regularly and find something new and engaging.

By consistently posting content that’s tailored to our readers’ interests, we’ve built trust, and that loyalty has translated into a strong and steady flow of traffic.

While SEO techniques and trends may evolve, the strategy of putting readers first and maintaining a dependable publishing schedule has been something we rely on constantly. When you focus on providing value, your audience responds, and that naturally boosts engagement, which in turn supports better SEO performance. It’s a win-win.

How do you attract new readers? Describe the methods you’ve used and their impact on site traffic.

At Man of Many, attracting new readers is all about building meaningful, long-term relationships through a combination of engaging content, consistent posting, and exploring new channels.

While we’ve seen great success with traditional platforms like Google and social media, we’ve also expanded into new spaces like WhatsApp and direct messaging platforms to diversify our reach.

Key methods we’ve used:

• Focusing on high-quality content: We prioritise creating content that truly resonates with our readers. This involves covering a broad range of topics that align with their interests, from tech and fashion to lifestyle tips and automotive reviews. We maintain a consistent publishing schedule, so our audience knows when to expect fresh content. This reliability has helped build trust and keeps readers coming back, which in turn encourages sharing and engagement. We aim for a mix of evergreen content and timely pieces that are relevant to what’s trending in the world today.
• Huge focus on video: Over the past few years, we’ve significantly increased our investment in video content. Platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram Reels are major drivers of new traffic for us. We create tailored, short-form videos that align with the preferences of each platform’s audience, which has led to a surge in engagement. Our video team, led by dedicated producers, focuses on delivering visually compelling stories that not only capture attention but also drive traffic back to the website.
• Social media engagement: Social platforms have been critical in helping us reach new readers. We’ve tailored our content to fit the unique culture of each platform, whether it’s visually-driven posts on Instagram or community-focused engagement on Pinterest. Pinterest, in particular, has become one of our largest traffic drivers, as our curated pins bring in new visitors who are interested in product discovery and lifestyle content. Similarly, TikTok has become a valuable tool for reaching a younger audience through short-form video content.
• Direct messaging platforms and WhatsApp: Recognising the shift towards more personal, direct forms of communication, we’ve expanded our efforts to reach readers via WhatsApp and direct messaging platforms. These channels allow us to share content directly with engaged users and provide updates in a more intimate, conversational way. This not only helps us reach new audiences but also creates a sense of community around the brand.
• Building community through newsletters and first-party data: We’ve also leaned heavily into newsletters to build a direct relationship with our readers. Our daily newsletter reaches over 150,000 subscribers with an impressive open rate of 45%, highlighting how engaged our audience is with the content we send. By using first-party data, we’ve been able to personalise the content in these newsletters to provide more relevant recommendations and information, helping to drive traffic back to the site.

These strategies have helped us grow Man of Many to over 2 million monthly readers, and by focusing on engagement and community building rather than just traffic numbers, we’ve created a loyal audience that returns for more.

The key has been staying adaptable, trying new platforms, and consistently delivering high-quality content that resonates with readers.

What social media has worked best for you, and why do you think that is?

Instagram has been one of the most successful social media platforms for us, recently surpassing 300K followers.

We’ve focused on creating highly visual, engaging content that resonates with our audience, and Instagram’s focus on imagery and short-form video content has made it a perfect match for our brand.

The platform allows us to showcase products, fashion, and lifestyle tips in a visually appealing way, which drives strong engagement and encourages our followers to interact with and share our content.

YouTube has also become a huge focus for us because it offers direct monetisation opportunities through ads and partnerships. Our growth on YouTube has been driven by the increasing demand for video content, and it’s a platform where we can deliver longer-form, in-depth videos that our audience loves, whether it’s product reviews, behind-the-scenes features, or interviews.

What’s particularly beneficial is that YouTube’s structure allows us to monetise our content directly, giving us both a platform to reach new audiences and a revenue stream.

These platforms work so well for us because they align with our content strategy—visually driven, highly engaging, and ideal for showcasing the premium lifestyle products and experiences we feature on Man of Many.

Instagram’s rapid growth and YouTube’s monetisation potential have made them indispensable parts of our overall social media strategy.

How much revenue is the website currently generating? 

As a private company, we’re not disclosing our exact revenue figures at this time. However, I can say that Man of Many has experienced significant growth over the past few years, and we continue to see strong commercial success across various revenue streams, including branded content, affiliate partnerships, and direct advertising.

Our focus remains on scaling sustainably while delivering high-quality content that resonates with our audience and providing value to our brand partners.

What are your different income streams and what percentage of the total income is coming from each?

At Man of Many, we’ve developed a diversified revenue model that includes several key income streams:

1. Branded Content: This is one of our largest income sources. We work with premium brands to create custom, high-quality content that aligns with our editorial style and speaks directly to our audience. This includes product reviews, sponsored articles, and social media collaborations. Branded content allows us to maintain authenticity while driving value for both our audience and partners.
2. Affiliate Partnerships: Affiliate marketing plays a significant role in our revenue mix. By recommending products through curated content, shopping guides, and reviews, we earn a commission when readers make purchases via our affiliate links. This model works particularly well in categories like tech, fashion, and lifestyle products.
3. Display Advertising: Traditional digital advertising, including programmatic ads and direct sales, contributes a substantial portion of our revenue. This includes homepage takeovers, banner ads, and other high-impact ad formats that provide premium visibility for our advertising partners.
4. Video Monetisation: With platforms like YouTube, we are able to monetise our video content directly through ads. This stream is becoming increasingly important as video continues to grow in popularity among our audience.
5. Events and Partnerships: Signature events like Sydney Whisky Month allow us to offer sponsorships and brand activations, adding another revenue layer. These in-person and digital events provide brands with a unique opportunity to engage directly with our audience.

While we don’t disclose exact percentages for each income stream, the majority of our revenue comes from branded content and affiliate partnerships, with display advertising and video monetisation growing steadily as we continue to expand these areas.

Events and partnerships are an emerging revenue stream that we are excited to develop further.

Did you actively build backlinks to the blog (if so, how?)

While we didn’t focus on traditional backlink-building strategies, much of our backlink growth has been organic. However, we do engage in active PR and press releases, sharing news and updates about Man of Many with industry press and media.

By promoting our achievements, events, and partnerships through these channels, we naturally attract attention and generate backlinks from relevant, authoritative sources. This helps boost our visibility and credibility within the industry while ensuring our content reaches a broader audience.

The key has always been creating valuable content and ensuring that industry peers are aware of the innovative things we’re doing.

When did you start outsourcing, and what aspects of the business have you outsourced?

We started outsourcing when the business began to scale, and it became clear that we needed additional support to manage the day-to-day tasks effectively.

Currently, we have staff in the Philippines who assist with various administrative tasks, social media design, and social posting. This has allowed us to maintain a consistent online presence and ensure that our social media platforms are well-managed while freeing up time for our core team to focus on higher-level strategy and content creation.

Outsourcing these tasks has been a key part of our ability to scale while maintaining quality across all aspects of the business.

How do you ensure your content remains relevant and valuable to your audience?

To ensure our content stays relevant and valuable, we take a reader-first approach, always focusing on what our audience wants and needs.

We consistently monitor trends and changes in the lifestyle space, from tech and fashion to culture and health, ensuring our content reflects what’s timely and interesting.

A big part of this is actively engaging with our readers—whether through comments, social media, or feedback loops—to understand what resonates with them.

We also conduct regular content audits to update older posts, ensuring the information is current and useful. For example, product recommendations are frequently refreshed with the latest models or trends, and guides are updated to reflect new developments in the industry. This helps us maintain our reputation as a trusted source of high-quality content that’s both informative and engaging.

Additionally, we use data-driven insights to shape our content strategy. By analysing site traffic, reader behaviour, and social media engagement, we can identify what types of content perform best and adjust our approach accordingly. This ensures we’re consistently delivering what our audience finds valuable while staying ahead of emerging trends.

Ultimately, it’s about being adaptable, staying connected with our audience, and never compromising on quality.

Do you use AI tools in any way, specifically for content creation?

At Man of Many, we have a Responsible Artificial Intelligence Usage & Disclosure Policy that governs how we use AI tools within our newsroom.

While AI is not explicitly banned, it’s used strictly for tasks like research, transcription, formatting, and ideation to help our team work more efficiently and creatively. However, when it comes to actual content creation, we do not use AI to generate final written pieces.

All written content is produced by our team of journalists and goes through a rigorous process of human proofreading and fact-checking before publication. We believe in maintaining the highest editorial standards, ensuring accuracy, integrity, and transparency in our reporting.

AI tools are a helpful supplement for administrative tasks, but they do not replace human-led journalism.

In terms of images, we avoid publishing life-like AI-generated images unless explicitly disclosed. AI tools may be used for tasks like image resizing or alt-tag naming conventions, but again, any AI-generated content is clearly flagged and disclosed to maintain transparency.

Ultimately, we embrace AI where it helps us enhance efficiency but remain committed to ensuring all our content meets the quality and authenticity our readers expect.

How have the recent Google core updates affected you?

The recent Google core updates, particularly the Helpful Content Update (HCU), had a significant impact on affiliate sites, including Man of Many. Like many other affiliate-driven platforms, we experienced a downturn in traffic initially.

That said, we’re confident that the work we’re doing—focusing on high-quality, helpful, and original content—will align with Google’s evolving AI algorithms over time.

As Google continues to refine its search and ranking systems, we believe that our commitment to producing genuinely valuable content for our readers will be reflected in improved search performance. It’s all about maintaining a long-term focus and ensuring we’re meeting both our audiences expectations and Google’s guidelines (which are mostly focused on the reader experience and unique original high quality content).

What do you do if you notice a significant drop in traffic?

If we notice a significant drop in traffic or engagement metrics, the first step is to conduct a thorough analysis to understand the root cause.

We look at various factors, including changes in Google’s algorithms, content performance, and potential technical issues on the site. Our approach is methodical, starting with reviewing our Google Analytics and Search Console data to see if there are any patterns in traffic sources, landing pages, or user behaviour that could explain the decline.

Once we have insights, we take a few key steps:

1. Content Audit: We review the performance of existing content to identify which pages have been affected the most. If there’s a specific type of content that’s underperforming, we look at ways to improve it—whether it’s updating outdated information, improving SEO optimisation, or enhancing user engagement with better visuals or multimedia.
2. Technical SEO Check: We ensure there are no technical issues on the site that might be affecting performance, such as broken links, slow page speeds, or crawlability issues. We also check for any penalties or warnings from Google.
3. Refreshing Content Strategy: We refine our content strategy by focusing on producing more relevant, valuable, and timely content. Sometimes, a traffic drop can indicate that the content isn’t resonating with the current interests of our audience, so we pivot based on the latest trends and data insights.
4. Revisit Engagement Tactics: We look at how we’re engaging with our audience across platforms. If engagement is down, we may increase our focus on interactive elements, like polls, quizzes, or more engaging calls to action within our content to drive deeper interactions.
5. Leverage Multi-Channel Outreach: To counteract any dips in search traffic, we lean on other channels like social media, newsletters, and partnerships to keep driving traffic to the site. Diversifying traffic sources is crucial in ensuring we’re not overly reliant on one stream.

By taking a proactive, data-driven approach, we can address any traffic drops effectively and ensure we continue to deliver valuable content that engages our audience.

What was your greatest blogging mistake and what did you learn from that?

One of our greatest blogging mistakes was not prioritising SEO from the very beginning. When Man of Many started, we were driven purely by passion, creating content that we loved and thought our readers would enjoy, without fully understanding the importance of search engine optimisation.

In the early days, we didn’t pay much attention to things like keyword research, metadata, or even optimising our site’s structure for search engines.

While this approach worked for a while, as the blog grew, we realised we had missed out on a huge opportunity to drive more organic traffic. It took us some time to go back and optimise older content and improve the site’s SEO foundations.

It was a lot of work that could have been avoided had we incorporated SEO practices earlier (which is mainly around making things more accessible and helpful for the reader).

What we learned from this is the importance of building with scalability and searchability in mind right from the start. As we grew, we began to take SEO seriously, and now it’s an integral part of our content creation process.

We also learned that while passion for the content is crucial, it needs to be balanced with strategy to ensure long-term growth and sustainability. It was a valuable lesson in the importance of thinking ahead and laying a solid foundation from the outset.

How do you handle setbacks or failures in your business?

Having setbacks and failures is inevitable in any business, but the way we handle them at Man of Many is rooted in collaboration, resilience, and learning. One of the key advantages is having Frank as a co-founder. When challenges arise, we lean on each other for support, offering different perspectives and ideas to assess the situation objectively. We can have open, honest conversations about what went wrong, which makes it easier to find a solution and move forward.

Our process usually involves identifying the root cause, whether it’s a strategic misstep, underperforming content, or an operational issue, and then brainstorming how we can pivot or improve.

Having someone like Frank to bounce ideas off of, problem-solve together, and stay level-headed in tough moments makes all the difference. We view setbacks as opportunities to learn, adapt, and come back stronger.

Rather than dwelling on the failure itself, we focus on finding actionable steps to move forward, constantly evaluating what can be improved. Having a partner to share the weight of the business makes it easier to navigate challenges, and we take each setback as a stepping stone to evolve and grow.

What’s next for you and Man of Many?

Looking ahead, 2025 marks an exciting chapter for Man of Many as we continue to build on our MoMentum. We’re launching our very first Man of Many Upfronts, where we’ll showcase major announcements and developments for the future.

From the relaunch of our website with a focus on enhanced user experience and deeper audience engagement, to expanding our video content, we’re setting the stage for significant growth.

Our focus is on innovating every aspect of our platform, particularly in video production and social media engagement.

YouTube remains a huge priority, offering direct monetisation, while platforms like Instagram continue to drive growth, with over 300K followers and counting.

Additionally, we’re introducing a premium membership program for our most dedicated readers, offering exclusive content, events, and collaborations with our brand partners.

2025 will also see us expanding our partnerships through immersive events like Sydney Whisky Month and launching new video series across fitness, luxury, and lifestyle.

We’re also diving into podcasting, providing a new platform for storytelling and brand integration.

At the core of it all, we remain committed to delivering high-quality, trustworthy content that connects with our audience while offering new opportunities for brands to engage meaningfully with a highly targeted demographic.

The future for Man of Many is about pushing boundaries, continuing to evolve, and ensuring our partners and audience grow with us.