Writing Ideas

Fanning the Social Media Flame for Viral Exposure

Tue, 02 Nov 2010 00:30:00 GMT

Are you a content marketer? If so, you have a choice to make.

You can sit around and wait for your content to go viral.

You can hope you'll get sudden bursts of traffic, hope your readers will spread the word, hope your content will catch fire.

Or you can bring your own matches and lighter fluid to set the dang thing aflame yourself.

As bloggers and content marketers, which will you choose?

Sure, sometimes the passion you have for a subject will be enough to ignite a spark and compel your audience to share your content with their network. Being able to unleash something with such conviction and power that it combusts on its own is great.

Over at my SEO consulting firm Outspoken Media, we’ve been able to do it several times.

Sometimes we post something like The Power of the Unexpected, something that goes hot without us lifting a finger. As content writers, we live for these moments.

However, they almost never happen.

What is more common is that marketers need to fan their content to help it ignite and go viral. And sometimes that means stepping in when an accidental hit shows signs of life. How do you recognize those signs to take advantage? Here are some methods we use at Outspoken Media.

Identifying the spark

You know what’s normal for your community. You know how many comments an average post gets, how many tweets, how many shares, etc.

When you start to see activity that is double/triple what you’re used to seeing, act.

For example, early on we published a post called It’s Not The Recession, You Just Suck. Almost immediately after hitting the publish button I noticed the post being retweeted and passed through social media at a velocity that dwarfed anything we had seen prior.

Once we noticed we had a spark, we jumped in to add fuel and fan it.

Adding fuel to the fire

As soon as you notice a post showing signs of life, it’s up to you to keep the momentum going.

On the social Web, that means keeping the conversation alive. Find people who are talking about your post and encourage them. Respond to comments, engage, fan the debate, and keep the conversation on a healthy note.

When we called out Robert Scoble last year for spreading misinformation, he was the first person to come and engage on our post, and he did so negatively and aggressively.

The tone he set could have killed the conversation right there and caused people to be fearful of jumping in. But we weren’t going to let that happen. Instead, we went in there to engage Robert and show the community this was just the beginning of the conversation that would ultimately take place. We made it obvious that we were still in the post listening, and that everyone who commented would be heard and responded to.

No one wants to hang out at a party that’s dead or on its way out. Its important people see you’re still there.

Another way to add fuel is to allow readers to subscribe to comments so that they’re alerted each time a new voice enters the fray. This will keep them in conversation mode. It’s good for debate, but it’s also good in terms of SEO. The more page views the post receives, the more time people spend reading comments, the more it’s going to give off positive toolbar data to the search engines and help the post appear on an Alexa hotlist.

Fanning a positive flame

So, let me fill you in on something you already know — it’s really hard to have an intelligent conversation on the Internet.

Things always start out okay. Someone chimes in to offer an intelligent opinion and then, almost before your eyes, it devolves into threats, accusations and commentary about who still lives with their mother.

While it’s 100 percent entertaining to watch people have emotional breakdowns in public, conversations that get too far off track hurt your chances of going viral.

As the owner of that community, you’re responsible for fanning the flame in the right direction. When you see personal attacks being made, it’s up to you to steer the conversation back. If you think people are going too far, moderate.

Be careful, though. Viral conversations are typically rooted in debate. So you don’t want to discourage or squash it, but do keep things productive. You need to be the adult in the room, regardless of how good it feels to throw things.

Hitting the social streets

Once you’ve helped fan the flame, hit the streets!

Make sure your piece has been properly submitted to all the right social media sites, that it’s been Stumbled, that it’s on Reddit, that niche social sites are aware of it, and that it’s hit all of the communities and blogs you know are friendly to you.

Once you complete that, look outside your bubble to find other networks that may find your content interesting. What you’re trying to do here is pull people in from other networks so they’ll go out and talk about it with their community, one that doesn’t currently follow you.

It’s great that your own readers are passionate and involved in the conversation, but you want to use the natural sparks to pick up on other readers to help grow your blog and authority.

Tipping off mainstream media

You’ve covered your bases on the social networks, now look toward news sites and blog aggregators that may be interested in the conversation happening around your post.

If you’re part of the marketing community, you want to watch aggregators like TechMeme and TweetMeme. If you have a hot social media story, you want to tip off someone at Mashable. If it’s Google or heavily tech-related, tip off TechCrunch. If it’s a broader tech story, tip off more mainstream outlets, as well.

For example, our post about what we perceived to be brandjacking by Seth Godin received coverage from Business Week. My partner Rae Hoffman’s post on Google’s Real Time Spam Problem was noted in USA Today. And my other partner Rhea Drysdale is often featured on CNN.

These don’t happen by accident. They were opportunities created by tipping off the right people at the right time. This is where having a linkerati list comes into play. It helps you know who to contact for what type of story.

Making sure the post is optimized for SEO

The final thing you want to do is properly SEO your post to capitalize on search.

Going back to our Robert Scoble example, when we saw that taking off, we went back and edited the title tag to include Robert Scoble’s name. It was a small tweak that allowed us to take advantage of Google’s freshness factor and appear in his News results.

It’s a temporary rank, but it made sure that anyone who searched for Robert Scoble that day found our post. Sometimes that’s all you’re looking to do, to help keep the momentum going and get eyes to the page. You have to build awareness.

Content marketers don’t have the luxury of sitting back and hoping something goes hot. It’s up to you to help things take on a life of their own, whether it was planned from the start or you picked up on early signs of success.

Savvy content marketers always have the matches and lighter fluid ready for when a spark presents itself.

About the Author: Lisa Barone is Co-Founder and Chief Branding Officer of SEO consulting firm Outspoken Media. You can find her blogging daily on the Outspoken Media blog, as well as over on SmallBizTrends, where she helps small business owners get their feet wet in SEO and Social Media. For the real dirt, follow @lisabarone on Twitter.

P.S.

Want more hot tips on the smartest ways to mix social media, content marketing, and SEO? We've got you covered with the free Internet Marketing for Smart People newsletter. It starts with a 20-part series on the most important techniques and strategies you need to know as an online marketer.

How to Write an Ebook Fast (within 3 Days) – That Sells Fast (Get Sales within a Week)

Mon, 01 Nov 2010 00:52:00 GMT

Recently, InkwellEditorial.com hosted its first ebook writing and publishing tournament. I hosted this tournament because I’ve written almost 20 ebooks to date, and people were always asking me how I manage to publish so many. So, to prove how relatively easy it was to write an ebook fast, I thought, “Hmm, why not have a [...]

How to Write an Ebook Fast (within 3 Days) – That Sells Fast (Get Sales within a Week)

A selection of e-books to help you improve as a blogger. Find out more at www.bloggingtips.com/books/

The Mad Men Guide to Changing the World with Words

Mon, 01 Nov 2010 00:30:00 GMT

Mad Men made writers sexy again.

Donald Draper is dark and moody and mysterious in all the right ways. He's powerful, able to send staff scurrying from his office with a scowl.

And he's a creative genius too, lounging on his office couch, sipping bourbon, and crafting the perfect slogan to capture the minds of America.

He makes it all look so freaking cool.

All of them do. Peggy, Don, even Roger, who does nothing these days but loaf around and spit out hilarious one-liners.

It's not just them. It's their work.

They sit around thinking up the perfect ad.

Then they convince their clients to spend beaucoup bucks on it. Millions of people fall all over themselves to buy the product, shifting consumer culture, spawning billion-dollar industries, becoming household names.

And they do it all with nothing but words. How cool is that? You write something down, publish it, and it changes the world.

Then again, maybe it's more familiar than you think. Let's go through some of the quotes from the show, and I'll show you how some of the principles apply just as much to blogging as they do advertising.

The big idea

A slogan's nothing when you have a good idea.
~ Peggy Olsen

Hang around any type of professional writer, and you'll notice that they're all prodigious collectors of ideas. They're constantly reading, listening, and watching for that next big “Aha.”

They know that once they find it, packaging it is easy. They can wrap it up in a slogan, headline, or a domain name in a matter of minutes.

Amateurs do it the opposite way. They worry so much about their domain names and headlines and slogans that they never get around to finding truly great ideas.

The truth is, all of those things are just wrapping paper. It's the gift inside that counts.

Focus on finding the big idea, and the rest will take care of itself.

Digging for inspiration

A new idea is something they don't know yet, so of course it's not going to show up as an option.
~ Don Draper

So where do you find great ideas for your writing?

It's tempting to look around your niche and think, “Everything important has already been said. What else is there?”

Well, nothing, of course, but that's the point. Great ideas aren't just lying around, waiting for you to use them. You have to search for them.

You have to read books. You have to listen to people. And yes, you can even get inspiration from watching television.

The key is doing the work. The ground may be full of buried treasure, but you have to be willing to grab a shovel and start digging.

Sure, it's hard, but if you're willing to do it, you'll never have a shortage of great ideas. Really, there is an ocean of them down there, waiting for you to tap into.

Doing nothing

I'll never get used to the fact that most of the time it looks like you're doing nothing.
~ Roger Sterling

When you're a writer, sitting by the pool and reading a book is all part of your job.

Sure, it's relaxing. Sure, you enjoy it. Sure, you might feel a little guilty about it.

But if you stop, what happens? I'll tell you: your creativity will dry up, your work will get stale, and you'll lose your edge.

So, stop being ashamed of it.

Personally, I spend about 3-4 hours per day watching television, reading books, and listening to NPR. On average, I also stare into space for about 1-2 hours, just thinking.

If anyone asks what I'm doing, I say I'm working. Because I am.

Healthy fear

Fear stimulates my imagination.
~ Don Draper

Sometimes it's hard to convince your brain of it, but fear is a good thing.

If you're afraid, it means you're working on something important. If you're afraid, it means you're stretching yourself and learning new things. If you're afraid, it means you have a reason to act.

How many stories have you heard of entrepreneurs who were dead broke and had to build a successful business or they would starve to death? It's not a coincidence.

If you don't have a gun to your head, then you're probably not going to get much done. So, put a gun to your head. Intentionally.

For every day you don't write 1,000 words, agree to donate $100 to a political party you despise. If you can't find the time for your online business, turn in your resignation at work. If you can't wake up in the morning, deliberately schedule meetings for 8 AM, so you have to get up.

Sure, it's painful. Sure, it's dangerous. Sure, it's scary.

But that's what makes it so powerful.

The red velvet rope

You wanna be on some people's minds. Some people, you don't.
~ Roger Sterling

Have you thought about who you want reading your blog?

And perhaps more importantly, have you thought about who you don't want reading it?

You probably know that you can't please everyone, so you shouldn't even try, and while that's true, this takes it a step further.

Smart marketers don't just ignore bad prospects. They exclude them.

They publish posts intentionally designed to annoy them. They ignore their emails. They respond harshly to their comments.

To some extent, it's about focusing your attention on the people you can help. But it's also about shaping your tribe. No one wants to be a part of a group anyone can join.

By excluding the wrong people, you make the experience more precious for the right people. No, it's not always pretty, but that's the way we humans work.

The product people can't stop buying

People were buying cigarettes before Freud was born.
~ Don Draper

Pop quiz. Which is better:

A) Starting a blog about a topic you are interested in, and then convincing the world to listen to you?
B) Starting a blog about a topic the world is interested in, and then convincing yourself to write about it?

If you chose B, congratulations. You chose correctly.

Without even realizing it though, most people choose A. They start a blog about a subject they want to write about, and then they use every psychological trick in the book to get people to read it.

And sometimes, it works. If you're a good enough marketer, you can prop up any blog or product, no matter how bad it is.

But why go through the trouble?

People don't buy cigarettes because of the marketing. They buy them because they're addicted. Cigarette companies are obliged to finance millions of dollars on marketing campaigns to convince people to stop smoking, and yet they continue to make billions of dollars anyway.

On the one hand, it's horrifying, but on the other, it's just smart business. The best type of product is the one people can't stop buying.

Can you say the same of your blog? Is your content so important they can't stop reading?

Relationships

You're not good at relationships because you don't value them.
~ Roger Sterling

I'm sick and tired of marketers who see social media as nothing more than a way to score free traffic.

Yes, it works … for a while. Yes, it's profitable … for a while. Yes, no one seems to notice you're a total douche … for a while.

But eventually, it falls apart. Always.

Here's why: those traffic figures in your analytics account aren't just numbers. They're people.

You have to value them. You have to treat them well. Horror of horrors, you might even have to bring yourself to like them.

Because if you don't, they'll leave.

The next time you sit down to write a blog post, envision a stadium full of people. See yourself standing in the middle of them. Feel the anxiety in your stomach, as you get ready to perform.

And then ask yourself: what can you possibly say that would be worthy of the attention of more than 100,000 people?

Whatever it is, that's what you should write. Nothing else.

Happiness

Advertising is based on one thing: happiness.
~ Don Draper

If you want to a big audience, focus on one thing: making your readers happy.

Sure, writing killer content is a part of that. So is building relationships.

You might even say selling people products that improve their lives is a way of delivering happiness, too.

But it's easy to lose sight of it. You can get lost in sharing your expertise, tinkering with the technology, or writing something you enjoy.

All of that's important, sure, but none of it's going to turn people into raving fans, faithfully reading and talking about your blog for the rest of their life. To get that kind of reaction, you need to write posts that touch people.

Give them a reason to laugh. Give them a reason to cheer. Give them a reason to keep fighting, even when they feel like all hope is lost.

Do that, and you won't have to search for readers. They'll search for you. You'll boot up your computer one morning to find thousands upon thousands of them waiting for you, ready to listen, ready to learn, ready to launch into action.

And that's when you'll realize: you're not just a writer anymore. Word by word, sentence by sentence, paragraph by paragraph, you're changing the world.

Maybe you're like Don, lying on a couch, sipping a glass of bourbon, or maybe you're not. Either way, you gotta admit…

It's pretty freaking cool.

About the Author: Jon Morrow is the Associate Editor of Copyblogger and the founder of GuestBlogging.com. Get more from Jon on twitter.

The Gift of Blogging Confidence: Group Writing Project

Sun, 31 Oct 2010 18:07:00 GMT

What has blogging given you the confidence to write or create and then *share*… that you wouldn’t otherwise have done?

A conversation with @bradshorr on Twitter the other week got me thinking about this.

About the things I have written, created and shared that I simply would not, could not, otherwise have done.

I guess that I am not alone

And then thought this might make a good theme for a nearing-the-end-of-the-year group writing project.

It’s a simple way to learn, share, celebrate, and hopefully encourage others to pass on their gifts too.

How You Can Take Part

1. Simply consider this question:

What has blogging given you the confidence to write or create and then *share*… that you wouldn’t otherwise have done?

2. Then post:

Your reflections on the answer plus

An example (or two) of your work*

3. Link back to this post within your own post

4. Share the url of your post (the specific post not the home page of your site, otherwise we have to go hunting for the contribution) in the Mr Linky widget below. The widget invites you to comment too – you're very welcome to, but it's not necessary.

5. Post your contributions by the end of the last day of November, wherever in the world you are

* Feel free to include links to examples of your own work – interlinking within your own blog is a great way to thicken and strengthen it, as well as helping visitors find their way around

PS If you haven’t had the confidence to take that leap yet, perhaps now is the time! Write, create and share… then tell us about it

How A Group Writing Project Works

If you're new to group writing projects, here's (roughly) how they work.

One blogger hosts the project, and invites others to write to a theme, question or topic, normally within a specified time period.

Participants take part, including a reference and link to the originating post, to spread a little bit of link love, and to let their readers know about the project (who can then, in turn, take part if so inclined).

The host blogger posts a round up post of all the contributions, possibly including an excerpt (depending on the scale of the project and amount of time available)

Participants and other interested readers might well then visit and comment on the posts that were submitted. This act of commenting is another simple and effective way to get your name and work known, as well as making new connections and friendships.

Participants enjoy the benefits of more / new readers to their blog, and the awareness of being part of a bigger blogging community.

You can read a bit more here on the benefits of group writing projects for building community

Getting Involved in a Confident Writing Group Writing Project

The principles run something like this:

* You’re very welcome to join in
* Taking part is a good way to attract new readers to your blog
* And to get to know other blogs and bloggers
* Sometimes it can be a way to get past some barriers on the edge of your comfort zone
* Don’t be shy
* You’re very welcome to join in

I'm looking forward to reading all your contributions

~~~

The image, web droplets, is by friend @amypalko who has done a huge amount to boost my own creative confidence.

Copyblogger Weekly Wrap

Sat, 30 Oct 2010 03:35:00 GMT

Two weeks ago in Vegas, I earned a new distinction. While on the stage during a Blogworld Expo keynote, Sonia Simone declared me an expert in something. Something cool. Something I can't repeat here because this is a PG-13 blog — but if you're feeling saucy, this video contains the original R-rated phrasing (somewhere in point #4, which starts at 50:33).

I'm going to get shirts made so that everyone will know what I stand for. I'm going to wear my new distinction proudly. Who's with me?

Now that I have free and authoritative latitude to screw things up, I'm going to start doing it everywhere. Take this introduction to the Weekly Wrap, for instance. I'm writing it last… the summaries below are all done. And I could finish the intro and make it all awesome, or I cou…

Monday:

How to Beat “Invisible Content Syndrome”

If you blog and blog and blog but hear no real response to any of your content — and if you're relatively certain that you don't just suck — then the problem may be that your content is invisible. This post tells you how to make it visible, and to let the world see it. (Also, if I could be invisible, I'd spend a lot of time in gym showers. Don't judge me.)

Read the full post here.

Monday, meanwhile, at stately Wayne Manor:

Join Our StudioPress Affiliate Program and Earn 40% Commissions

Technically, just joining the program won't earn you 40% commissions. Apparently, you should join and then actually promote Genesis… that's the earn part, right? But don't worry, you can read more about how to navigate those persnickety technical details in this post.

Read the full post here.

Tuesday:

Tim Gunn’s Top 5 Tips for More Stylish Content

I'd actually call this “5 classic ways to be awesome on your blog” or something because I distrust fashion and style, but that's just me. I mean, Lady Gaga's meat dress is considered a no-no today, but what about when the Flintstones were alive? Worn meat was the height of fashion back then, despite the risk of mauling by predators. But, meat or no meat, this post has some evergreen fashionable ways to spiff up your blog in ways that Joan Rivers won't mock.

Read the full post here.

Wednesday:

Does Your Site Hold Up to the Window Shopping Test?

This is a really interesting concept that I'll admit I hadn't thought of. Lots of sites have glitzy and polished “window displays,” but you need to be sure that what's inside the store meets the enhanced expectations your window display promises. Is your site great through and through? Or is it like that place where I saw cheap electronics in the window, but inside it was just Ving Rhames sitting under an umbrella reading poetry to a cocker spaniel?

Read the full post here.

Thursday:

How to Put Yourself into an Effortless Writing Zone

Warning: Do not just look at the photo at the top of this post and think meditating will get your stuff written. It's amazing how many times I've made that mistake. No, you need to do some stuff, and this post has three solid steps to getting all Zen so that you can write. And don't forget bonus step #4: Drink heavily. Wait, did I write that down?

Read the full post here.

Friday:

How to Run a Fearless Small Business

Think Halloween and horror movies are scary? Yeah, they can be, but so can day-to-day life as a business owner. This post is full of hang-on-tight-to-your-security-blanket tips for surviving the horrors of entrepreneurship. (Side note: So does this mean that Taylor was never paid to scare people with a chainsaw?)

Read the full post here.

This week's cool links:

The 7 Harsh Realities of Blogging for Bucks: Because I didn't do it justice in the intro, this post and video actually does contain a bunch of great lessons. Seven of them, to be precise.
Why I Deleted My Foursquare Account: This post creeped me out. If you use Foursquare, at least give this a read before making an informed decision about whether or not you want to keep doing so.
Are You Ready for the Best Damn Ride of Your Life?: Logan has become the definitive authority on rock & roll business metaphors, and this post is no exception. Want to wow your customers? Treat them like rock stars.
Think online marketing is a closed loop? Meet Thor.: There ARE ways to create an online business that doesn't teach people how to teach people how to teach people how to make money, and this is one such story. (There's a bit of narcissism in including this one, but I think it's important to point out that it's not one big pyramid scheme.)

About the Author: Johnny B. Truant specializes in selling through stories and would like very much to set you up with a cheap blog or website. (That's “cheap” as in “inexpensive,” not as in “tawdry.”)

Celebrating the Dark: A Postcard for Halloween

Fri, 29 Oct 2010 18:10:00 GMT

The words are from Allen Ginsberg:

Follow your inner moonlight; don't hide the madness

The postcard creation is mine (feel free to download, print, borrow, make use of, and write poems from)

This concludes the week long series on writing and fear. Have a great Halloween!

How to Run a Fearless Small Business

Fri, 29 Oct 2010 00:30:00 GMT

Halloween means exactly three things to me: pumpkin carving, costumes, and everyone I know trying to scare the crap out of me with scary movies.

Doesn’t matter how many times I explain I hate scary movies. Everyone insists that scary movies are part of the Halloween experience and that what I really need on All Hallow’s Eve is to watch a bed swallow up Johnny Depp and his crop-top football jersey.

I don’t know about you, but I have enough fear in my life without Freddy Krueger. I call it “running a business.”

And it took me a long time to get over my big fears. But in the spirit of quenching all fear-related activity this Halloween, here are my strategies for running a fearless small business.

Turn on the light

One of the biggest problems I had when I started my business was being in the dark all the time.

I knew I needed a website. But I had no idea what a website cost, what needed to go into a good website (coding, design, WordPress wrangling), or what would make for a smart URL.

I was completely in the dark, scared out of my mind, thinking that I was surely going to be ruined by everything I didn’t know.

I was so busy hiding with my head under the covers that it didn’t occur to me to turn on the lights.

Instead of thinking that the cost of a website would crush me and that my business would crumble before it began, I started getting quotes from various website designers. I found out what my price point really was and started putting away money toward it.

It was a big number — but it wasn’t an impossible, scary, ridiculous, going-to-die number the way it was in my head.

In the dark, you think everything’s scary as hell. Once you turn on the lights, there might be a few things that are big and intimidating, but they’re no longer creepy. They’re just there. You can deal with them. Nothing to be afraid of.

Hold someone’s hand

I do not understand the internet.

This is something of a shameful admission for someone who makes her living online, but I really don’t get how the beast works.

I can’t tell you how many times Sonia or Naomi or someone else clever like that has told me that I should really work on my keywords or my links or my SEO, and all I can hear is “The apocalypse is here and it has knives.”

As we all learned when we were children, scary things are less scary when you have someone else’s hand to hold. Walking into the dark alone is a bad strategy.

I called up a friend who does search engine marketing. She’s not an SEO expert, but she understands SEO in simple terms that make it easy for her to do her work.

So I get her on the phone and she hand-holds me through every single step I need to take. She says things like, “We’re almost there,” and “It’s okay,” and “See that link? Click on that … now that wasn’t so bad, right?”

This is much less frightening than attempting to wrestle all by myself with six books written for dummies and a 20-part audio series. The next time you’re confronted with a big business decision that you know nothing about, get someone to hold your hand.

If you don’t happen to know someone with knowledge of that field, check Twitter for volunteers, look into the Third Tribe, or even — gasp — hire someone.

Think of it like hiring a bodyguard to fight off all the bad guys. Just be sure to explain that you don’t want them to do everything for you — you want to know how to do it yourself. Appropriately supervised, of course.

Run to Mommy

We’re discussing a metaphorical mommy, here. You are all grown-ups and I’m sure you no longer hide your face in your mother’s skirts (or pantsuit, or jeans, or whatever your mother wears) at this time of life.

But there are business problems that, when they hit you, are so overwhelming and scary that there is just no way you’re going to get your head around them.

You know everything you need to know. You have friends to help explain it. But this particular beast is too big to fight.

You just want to run to someone who’s going to make it all better, who will take the problem away and tell you that everything is all right now.

For me, this particular business fear is taxes.

I can’t handle finances. It has been attempted. But dealing with money freaks me out, dealing with the IRS freaks me out more, and the mere mention of filing papers to become an S corporation makes me long for the relatively pleasant nightmare that merely involves buckets of blood and untimely death.

This is about when I run screaming for mommy. Or, as I like to call her, “my accountant.”

When you know you have certain business problems that honestly scare you, even to think about, find yourself a “mommy” to run to when those monsters appear.

Accountants. Business managers. Marketing experts. Tech wizards.

Whatever your personal deep and abiding fear is, there is someone who isn’t afraid of it at all.

Back to Halloween

I’m going to wind up watching a scary movie this Halloween. There’s always one playing at the pumpkin-carving party, and there’s never quite enough hot buttered rum to make me numb to it. Last year, it was about psychotic sheep. I could not make that up.

But this year, I think it’s going to be okay. After all, it’s not like anything in my business is scaring me these days. I suppose someone has to take up the slack, and if it isn’t psychotic sheep, it’ll probably be something even more frightening, like Lady Gaga.

I wonder if my accountant can handle that one.

Happy Halloween, everyone. Here’s to a less terrifying business year to come.

About the Author: When Taylor Lindstrom isn't wearing her Assistant Editor of Copyblogger Hat, she's wearing her Good Ink, Inc. Copywriting Hat. You can find her on Twitter @GoodInkInc, and rumor has it she will shortly have a blog of her very own. It may also have a hat.

You Can’t Play to Achieve A Nothing

Thu, 28 Oct 2010 17:27:00 GMT

You can't play to achieve a nothing. You have to be playing to create something, even if it seems impossible & out of reach.October 8, 2010 8:25 pm via webjoannapaterson
Joanna Paterson

I said this in relation to a football match.

(It was the 8th October. Scotland were playing Czech Republic. They lost 1-0 after playing, in effect, to try and achieve a nil-nil draw. It was a dispiriting result. It wasn't the loss. Fans are used to the loss; this is a footballing nation that is famed for its ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. It was the absence of any attempt to win… any attempt to play… that got people down.)

But I realised after I wrote it, after I saw a few other people passing the comment around, that it had wider application. For writing, for busines, for life.

You can't play to achieve a nothing.

You have to be playing to create something, even if it seems impossible and out of reach.

~~~

This is a contribution to the mini series on fear and writing.

It was also a chance to try out this Blackbird Pie plugin (it turns the url of a tweeted message into an image of your tweet)

UPDATE: unfortunately it seems the tweet doesn't show up properly in a feed reader, please do pop over if you want to see it

Join Our StudioPress Affiliate Program and Earn 40% Commissions

Thu, 28 Oct 2010 04:00:00 GMT

The best of the best premium WordPress themes ~Mashable

I’d like to invite you to join the new affiliate program for StudioPress, the division of Copyblogger Media devoted to WordPress designs powered by the leading Genesis Theme Framework. The premium theme market continues to grow rapidly along with WordPress, and there’s good money to be made by savvy bloggers and online marketers.

The program is hosted with Share a Sale, and we typically pay out a generous 35% commission to affiliates. Through the end of the year, however, all StudioPress affiliates will earn a whopping 40% on every sale, whether of Genesis, the new Prose theme with point-and-click design controls, any of the turn-key child themes designs, or the popular Pro Plus All-Themes Pack.

Our top affiliates make many thousands of dollars a month, and it’s because they use and believe in StudioPress solutions. This allows them to do high-value reviews and tutorials that naturally result in commissions. I also promote the work of our affiliates to our 62,000+ Twitter followers, driving you more traffic that increases your sales even more.

Sign up for the StudioPress affiliate program here, and also consider optimizing your own site with a Genesis-powered design. At a 40% commission rate, you should be able to easily recoup your investment before the end of the year.

About the Author: Brian Clark is founder of Copyblogger and CEO of Copyblogger Media. Get more from Brian on Twitter.

How to Put Yourself into an Effortless Writing Zone

Thu, 28 Oct 2010 00:30:00 GMT

Writing can be a struggle. But for most writers, the writing isn't the hard part.

Come on, think about it.

You don't struggle (too much) over how to spell words or use proper grammar. You know how to put a reasonable piece of content together.

It might need to sit overnight for that final polish, but you aren't a beginner learning the basics anymore.

The killer is starting.

You get bouts of blank page syndrome, where you stare at the screen and type out a few sentences before hitting delete.

You have a stack of half-finished posts because you never hit the groove while writing them.

If you could just sit down, put your fingers to the keyboard and write … well. That would be heaven. You'd find your pace, fall into a steady rhythm, and hit the finish line before you know it.

Let's see if we can get you off to the races.

First step: Find the time

I bet this sounds familiar to some of you: You get an idea, sit down to write, start that first sentence … and your kid hollers at you. Or your partner comes home from work and wants to spend time with you. Or your email keeps filling up with client stuff.

Your rhythm is interrupted. Your train of thought is lost. And when you settle back down to write?

Your smooth writing flow is gone with the wind, my friend. Sayonara.

No one writes easily when they're being distracted and interrupted. Distractions crush your creativity. You need a quiet time to write — a time where your kid won't holler, your partner won't come home from work, and your email won't light up every three minutes.

You need a window of writing opportunity that stays wide open — and that can't be shut by someone else.

Now, don't tell me that time doesn't exist. Kids and partners eventually need sleep. And there are as many slow periods in a day for email as there are peak hours.

Commit to finding that time. Wake up 30 minutes early every day. Stay up an hour later than usual at night. Send your partner and the kids to grab an ice cream — your treat. Figure out how to carve out the time you need so you can make it your sacred writing territory.

Second step: Get some space

Imagine a master archer about to pull his string and release the bulls-eye-winning arrow on his target. He's determined, he's focused, his arm draws back ….

And his elbow bumps a wall.

He tries to shift his feet, but there's a table in the way. It's a little dark too, so he squints to see the target … it's at a bad angle. He should really tilt his head. Of course, now his wrist is all flexed backwards and his elbow lifts again — bump. There's that wall …

This poor guy would have to be a pretty crack shot to aim well, considering how awkward and uncomfortable he is standing cramped like that. If you were judging his competition, you'd probably tell folks to clear out the stuff and give that guy some room!

Do the same for yourself. Give yourself room to write.

Many writers slouch in chairs that don't support their backs (they may even write in bed), tapping away at tiny keyboards in poorly lit rooms that force them to squint. They're usually bumping elbows into something too, like the arm of a chair. Their heads are forward, their shoulders are hunched, and their wrists … well. Carpal tunnel syndrome, anyone?

This isn't any way to get serious work done. Come on.

If you've carved out time to write, go the distance and carve some space as well. Find a brightly lit room that makes you feel good about being in it. Get a good desk for your computer, and sit straight in a proper chair, with no arms to bump into or rest elbows on.

Be comfortable as you write — so that your writing becomes a comfortable pleasure.

Third step: Build your zone

Musicians warm up before playing. Actors get into character. Parents read bedtime stories. Olympians and professional athletes follow routines that are almost compulsive.

Why don't you?

No one can do anything well when they're coming into it cold. You need to warm up and get into the rhythm before you can write something amazing.

Sure, it might work once in awhile when you're inspired. But it's an illusion to think writing cold will produce a consistent flow of awesome.

Professionals in any field develop a warm-up routine. A good routine puts your mind in the right frame to write well. It lets your brain know what to expect, to predict what’s coming.

And what's coming is you, writing.

Build a routine that you follow each time you want to write. For example, go for a 15-minute walk. Or listen to two rockin' songs as you set up your laptop on the porch. Make a cup of tea or coffee. Put on your special writing hat.

In other words, decide on a few specific actions that you repeat consistently as you make your routine a habit.

Then sit down and write. Anything. Even if it's garbage for the first few weeks.

You're training your brain and teaching it that these steps always lead to writing. It takes time to make it a habit, but eventually your brain will become accustomed to following the pattern. It will learn that break + snack + walk = time to write.

It will put you in that optimal frame of mind for writing automatically.

Here's my routine, just to give you an idea of how this works:

I have a coffee and clear out my email so that I can ignore new ones for an hour or two. No stress. Then I break my mental state from “email processing” by getting up to walk around for five minutes. I loosen up, relax and step outside for a few breaths of fresh air.

Within 10 seconds, ideas for blog posts start flowing. It never fails. My brain knows that coffee, email, walk, and fresh air = writing. And when I sit down to write, my brain is ready to hand me the words I need.

You can use these three easy steps to find your writing zone and build an environment conducive to great work too. All it takes is time, space, and a little preparation — and you'll be on your way to finishing that stack of unfinished posts before you know it.

About the Author: If you want to improve your writing skills quickly, easily and with personal attention, check out Men with Pens and James Chartrand's newly-launched writing coach program today. You'll be on the fast track to writing success!

10 Things It Might Be That Don’t Mean You’re Afraid

Wed, 27 Oct 2010 17:44:00 GMT

Sometimes I get a bit tired of the social media voices going on about how afraid you are to… dream big, get your stuff out there, go to the next level, live the dream, follow your passion, market effectively, sell without hating it, embrace your inner entrepreneur…

You could probably add more of your own to that list.

Sometimes I get a bit tired of the constant message that it’s fear getting in the way. Maybe, just maybe, there are some other things that might be going on.

1. Maybe you’re still getting clear on your message

2. Or teaching philosophy

3. Or medium

4. Maybe you need to shift the way you’re doing things, look at them upside-down or back to front, or with a sort of mental squint*

5. Maybe approaches to marketing and promotion that work for some people will not necessarily work for you

6. Perhaps passing it on is more important to you than selling it. Even if you’d like to find a way to do both

7. Maybe calls to shine and sparkle simply do not resonate. you want to be grounded, earthy, humble, strong.

8. Perhaps your strengths lie in being quiet, and offering space, not adding more noise into the mix

9. Maybe you work better in collaboration with others. And you’re still learning that. And still finding your tribe.

10. Maybe there’s a natural point when your work achieves momentum. And you’re not there yet. And that’s okay.

Maybe there are many things it could be that do not mean you are afraid.

~~~

This is a contribution to a week long mini-series on writing and fear.

The image is one of mine: not so fading beauty.

The mental squint reference is to Alice:

“When you are describing,
A shape, or sound, or tint;
Don’t state the matter plainly,
But put it in a hint;
And learn to look at all things,
With a sort of mental squint.”

Does Your Site Hold Up to the Window Shopping Test?

Wed, 27 Oct 2010 01:00:00 GMT

Window shopping can be a disillusioning experience. A beautiful display can pull you in, only to lead to a shop with a bad selection and lousy customer service. Which makes it less fun to pop back onto the street to continue the search.

Online businesses have window displays too — or at least a good counterpart. If you’re doing business online, you may be surprised to know that your window display could be making promises that your store doesn’t deliver on.

Follow along with me and my daughter as we shop for new rain boots, and you’ll discover what works and what doesn’t when you’re creating an online “window display” to entice your customers to buy.

We were looking for the same things most people do when they shop: good selection, quality products, an enjoyable shopping experience, excellent customer service, and a price point we could afford.

Lots of window displays seemed to promise those things. Like that one over there. Are those the boots we’re looking for?

We ventured into the store.

Store 1: Anybody home?

As our eyes adjusted to the store, we noticed it was dark and a little hard to make out what they were selling. The place seemed abandoned, and no one came forward to help us. We had seen a pair of boots in the window, but now that we were inside, we weren’t sure they even carried boots.

They had shoes, but there was no order to how they were presented. They didn’t seem to be organized by men’s and women’s shoes. They weren’t displayed by size or style. They were just placed around the store randomly, and there was nobody around to help us find what we were looking for.

We backed away and kept looking.

Store 2: Accosted by a hustler

A few steps beyond the first store, we saw another window display. The window display was full of light, and the boots were organized by men’s and women’s styles. It was easy to see they had plenty of inventory.

We headed inside.

This store looked much better at first glance. But the loud music playing in the background was really hard to take. The store’s walls were painted with florescent colors. It was distracting, and hard to focus.

A salesperson approached. He strained to speak over the music, and loudly asked what we were looking for.

We said we were looking for rain boots, and he steered us over to a display of leather boots with 5” stiletto heels. He tried to convince me that these boots would hold up great in the rain, and besides that, my daughter’s legs would look longer.

I noticed the boots were $485.00, and wondered if that had something to do with his recommendation.

I pretended to need to make an urgent phone call, and we hustled out in a hurry.

Store 3: Our luck turns

At this point, we were a little frustrated. The first two stores we visited had made a promise with their window displays. We went inside expecting to find what caught our eyes in the window. Once inside, though, the shopping experience fell apart.

We were getting a little tired at this point, but we kept going, hoping to see another display that caught our attention. And this time, we finally got lucky.

The window display looked organized and appealing. The boots were grouped together, divided into men’s and women’s styles, and organized by color.

A spacious, soothing atmosphere greeted us when we walked inside. There was plenty of room to wander the aisles and look at products more closely. We scanned the merchandise and found the boots section right away.

As we moved to that part of the store, a salesperson appeared. He let us know that all their boots were marked down 50% this week, and that he could help us find what we were looking for. We started to feel lucky we picked this week to wander into this particular store looking for boots.

We found the style she liked, but they didn’t have them in red. My daughter had her heart set on red rain boots.

We asked the salesperson what we could do, and he had a great answer for us. They could special order the boots in her size, in red. They would deliver them at no charge, and she would have them the next day.

We happily handed over the credit card. Victory!

Which store is yours?

If you think this is a lesson in e-commerce sites like eToys or Zappo’s, think again.

Every site gives its readers an experience. And it’s up to you to make sure your site, particularly your homepage, delivers what they want.

When people arrive at your site’s homepage, which of these stores reflects their experience? Is it uninviting and disorganized? Is it bright, loud, and not terribly helpful?

Or does it make your offerings easy to skim, and enticing to sign up for or purchase? Do you have help systems like FAQ pages and contact forms to make it simple for your customer to get their questions answered?

Have you made it easy to find great content that gives them exactly what they’re looking for? Is everything on the page geared to making sure they find just what they want?

Do you track what your customer is looking for so that you can be sure you’re displaying what they’re in the market to purchase?

Your home page makes a promise, just like a window display does. If it’s set up right, customers will click to enter and find out more.

Once they’ve found you, will they buy your boots?

About the Author: Pamela Wilson helps small businesses grow with great design and marketing tips. Learn the basics with her free Design 101 e-course at Big Brand System.

Georgia O’Keeffe on Art and Courage

Tue, 26 Oct 2010 17:34:00 GMT

You might already know this quote. It's very powerful – says such a lot in just a few words.

To create one's world in any of the arts takes courage.

But this line also gets right to the heart of things.

You get whatever accomplishment you are willing to declare.

What are you ready and willing to declare?

This is a contribution to a week long mini-series on fear and writing. The image is one of mine, called willing to stand out.

Blogging In What I’ve Dubbed The We Generation

Tue, 26 Oct 2010 16:30:00 GMT

People born from 1982 to 2002 have been birthed into Generation Me. Unfortunately, my 1984 birthday puts me in the midst of a selfish group. Lisa Belkin, the Motherlode writer for the NY Times, made this quote: “This generation has ‘been depicted … by employers, professors and earnestly concerned mental-health experts as entitled whiners who [...]

Tim Gunn’s Top 5 Tips for More Stylish Content

Tue, 26 Oct 2010 01:00:00 GMT

A little over a year ago, Brian Clark gave us a What Not to Wear guide to blogging.

Brian laid the groundwork for the inherent value in talking about what’s not working. And if you haven’t read the post, clickity-click and get on that — and here’s why:

We don’t change a damn thing when we’re right.

Being “right” makes us do exactly the same thing, time and time again until it become rote. Habit.

But being wrong … ah — dawning recognition.

When we’re wrong, we can change things.

We can change our direction, our strategy.

Or in the case of Tim Gunn, our clothes.

If you don’t know Gunn, he’s the critical eye behind “Project Runway” and “Tim Gunn’s Guide to Style.” He knows what works, and just as important, he knows what doesn’t.

We have to learn to “make it work.”

So in the interests of learning and building a better blog, here are five things that, if I were to channel Tim Gunn (and that would be a fabulous and incredibly stylish stunt), you might be doing wrong with your blog.

1. SEO is not the new black

I’m a huge fan of the Scribe plugin to optimize content, and I use it often on client blogs. It’s a powerful tool that combines SEO and blogging in a single, easy-to-digest package, and it’s a no-brainer for anyone with a blog.

But you don’t optimize every piece of content you create.

If you fill your entire closet with black, you have no versatility and you kinda screw yourself when you're in a mood for a splash of color.

Don’t limit the incredibly powerful tool you have in blogging by binding yourself 24/7 to a keyword-based strategy.

Yes, have an SEO strategy. Yes, create terrific content that’s optimized for search. That’s just smart.

But going on to add to that with something of your own — something that’s not so easily optimizable — is even smarter.

People share great content, not great keywords. If you’ve got a great idea for a post but it doesn’t lend itself to SEO optimization, don’t hold back. This is one case when less isn’t more.

2. Conversation never goes out of style

It seemed like such a good idea at the time.

If you’re going to wear those four-inch purple metallic platform shoes with the mustard yellow tights, you need to be aware that you’re going to cause some buzz.

The blogging equivalent is taking on a juicy topic — and getting some major attention (not necessarily positive) in return.

In the blogging world, buzz mainly finds you in your blog comments. When you hit a hot button, that’s where you first find out.

When you look at great blogs, it’s not uncommon to find that the comments become even better than the post itself — so let them.

If you’ve written something that’s whipping up controversy, don’t hide from your comments.

Embrace the buzz, both positive and negative. Learn from it. Dive in and chat. Your readers will thank you (and become even more loyal on account of it).

3. Engagement is the key to style

Tim Gunn once said,

Perhaps the real secret to style is filling yourself to the absolute brim with engagement.

Engaging isn’t just about asking for retweets and responding to comments.

Engagement is about getting out there and understanding the true lay of the land. Attending conferences, making connections, reading other blogs, building relationships.

Start going through your comments and clicking through to your commenters’ blogs. Read them. Get to know your fans and your opponents. If you’re not doing this now, make it a to-do item a couple times a week.

Showing genuine interest is the least you can do to reciprocate a reader for showing an interest in you.

Engage. It’s the most stylish thing you can do in the blogosphere.

4. Make it accessible

One of Tim’s most famous quotes is from a critique of a Project Runway contestant’s design:

It looks like pterodactyl from a gay Jurassic Park!

While I almost fell on the floor when I heard that one, it reminded me of a simple fact: if no one can figure out what you're trying to do with your content, you fail.

When you invite readers to spend some time reading your content, make sure you're actually making sense.

That doesn’t mean being trite or going face-first into cliché. It means using examples, situations, and metaphors that people can relate to.

If people have to work too hard to “get” your content, they’re going to stop trying.

(And if you can’t live without the occasional cliché, try this cool cliché finder. Because the truth is, sometimes the right cliché is the perfect way to get your idea across.)

Don’t be predictable … but try accessible on for size.

5. Carry on!

Great blogs don’t just happen — they’re built.

A fantastic blog is crafted, just like a fashion collection that shows up on the runways. Designers and artisans spend hours painstakingly creating each piece that makes up the collection, and they all work together.

It amazes me that Tim Gunn isn’t a blogger, because he truly knows how to make it work. So if you’re looking to build a blogging empire (or simply one that makes you proud of what you’ve built), remember that it’s all about community and critics.

Your community needs to be built and nurtured. Your content needs to be shaped around their interests and desires. They're the ones who will buy your stuff and wear it proudly.

Your critics will give you things to think about and ways you can improve. While some will be full of hot air and in love with the sound of their own voice, if you listen hard enough, there will be some pearls of wisdom worth stringing together.

And pearls go with everything.

About the Author: Erika Napoletano is the Head Redhead at RedheadWriting LLC, a Denver-based online strategies consultancy. Her blog, RedheadWriting, is a bastion for “unpopular thoughts and blunt advice — delivered” and consistently strives to say what others won't (but should) about marketing, social media, business integrity, and life in general.

Fear and Loathing in the Archives: 5 Posts on Writing and Fear

Mon, 25 Oct 2010 17:30:00 GMT

As a contribution to the mini-series on writing and fear, here are 5 of my favourites from the archives.

Stop Apologising For the Things You've Never Done

There’s a missing punch: you’ve backed away before you got to the killer blow, the repetition for effect, the slowing down to an unavoidably measured, significant pace, the delivery of the emotional truth. The ker-pow that you recognise when you read it (and when you write it)

10 Ways To Write Without Apology

It’s really hard to write with warmth, power, levity, authority, confidence… if you’re not feeling that way. Get into the habit of managing your state before you start to write. Get into the right frame of mind before you start – whether that’s music, reading, exercise, watching a youtube video or lighting a candle… find what works for you and do it.

Write Like a Black Belt: Guest Post by Lori Hoek

A karate black belt takes about four years to earn, and the process isn’t easy. Black belts must develop tough-mindedness along the way. Training teaches them in a stair-step process how to dig deep and press past pain, plateaus, and personal phobias. Physically, mentally, and emotionally they must face their limitations and overcome them.

To write with a black belt’s tenacity means pushing the envelope of everything related to writing.

(Thank you once again Lori – here's where to go for more of her black belt work)

20 Things That Doubt Will Do, and 3 Things It Can't

Doubt:

can make your stomach turn with nausea at the sight of your own name in print
throws up shadows
prowls
then pounces
is suspicious
is destructive

Heroes, Ripple Effects, and Community

Heroes – in myth, literature, and real life – take journeys, confront dragons (ie problems) and discover the treasure of their true selves. Although they may feel very alone during the quest, at its end their reward is a sense of community; with themselves, with other people, and with the earth ~ Carol Pearson

[And this is why I blog.]

~~~

As a PS, I've been thinking about better ways to showcase some of the good stuff in the archives. I do quite a lot to feature stuff, but I think I could do more.

What kind of techniques either technical or made-by-hand are you using to showcase your work at the moment?

~~~

Photo Credit: Fear of the Dark, by Stuant63

How to Beat “Invisible Content Syndrome”

Mon, 25 Oct 2010 01:00:00 GMT

If you had known how hard it would be when you first started your blog, would you have done it at all?

You had a topic you cared about. You thought you had something to say. And you had $10 to register a domain name.

But you’ve been writing (and writing and writing) and it’s all just words into the void.

No readers. No tweets. No stumbles. No comments.

Just … silence.

I hate to break this to you, but you have Invisible Content Syndrome. Fortunately, this condition is curable.

Invisible Content Syndrome is an equal-opportunity menace. It doesn’t just hit lazy people, or people who don’t care about good content. In fact, every blog starts out this way.

But some grow out of it quickly, while others get stuck there.

And being stuck with Invisible Content Syndrome is amazingly frustrating. So let’s get you out.

Make yourself useful

Sure, the colorful show-offs get the best traffic. But at the end of the day, you’d rather be known for being useful than for attracting attention. We have more than enough useless attention-grabbers.

Even among the hundreds of millions of blogs out there, not enough are useful. Not enough solve problems that people care about.

If you have a solid grounding of the basics in your topic but you aren’t the world’s foremost expert, you’re in luck.

Most people, in any topic, are beginners. So write for beginners. Teach them those basics you’ve just mastered. Go back and teach the newbie that you used to be.

You’ll understand the newbie perspective far better than the 10,000-hour genius can. She’s too far removed from what it’s like to be new.

In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king. Go find a kingdom of blind people to help. Become an expert by helping people who know less than you do.

Be a good friend

Once you’ve built a solid cornerstone of useful content, it’s time to expand your social network.

Figure out five big blogs and ten smaller ones that have the readers you want. All of them, of course, should be writing content you think is very good.

Then start hanging out.

Tweet their best content, but don’t stop there.

Make intelligent comments. (Not lame “great post!” ones.) Describe your own experience, or ask a smart question, or bring up a related point that wasn’t covered.

Use your name, not a keyword phrase. (That, frankly, just makes you look like a spamming asshat.)

Get your picture registered with Gravatar so people can associate a face with a name.

Link to the best posts you find. Create your own content by riffing on their ideas with your own take. Use their posts for one end of an intelligent conversation, with you holding up the other side.

You won't attract attention and links from everyone you cultivate. But you will from some. And as long as you're making yourself useful, some of their readers will become your readers.

I know this sounds like old-fashioned advice. (“OMG that's so 2007.”)

But comments and links are down for many blogs since twitter became so prevalent. They’re still the best tools for building relationships with the folks who can bring you new readers.

Give it some time

It amazes me how many folks start to gripe about being invisible when they have four posts up.

It takes time. No, it doesn’t have to take years (although many ultra successful people had a slow start). But you’ve got to give things a chance to gel.

It helps to cultivate a healthy dose of stubbornness about your goal. (While still being open to changing your approach about how you’ll get there.)

Every successful content marketer started out with an audience of two … yourself and your other email address. How far beyond that you grow depends on how well you can execute these principles.

Be entertaining (if you can pull it off)

It’s important to take your topic and your audience's needs seriously.

It’s fatal to take yourself seriously.

If you’re funny, go ahead and share it. If you tell a great story, share that too.

Yes, you need to make yourself useful. But we already have one Wikipedia, we don’t need your version.

Do what Wikipedia can’t. Find compelling angles on the tried-and-true. Be subjective and opinionated. Have a personality. Be interesting.

And if you’re the most boring person you’ve ever met, make fun of yourself for that.

Speaking of being boring …

Figure out what you’re so scared of

Most boring people have a really scary story they could tell.

If you’re writing and writing and you can’t capture attention, the awful truth is that your content is probably boring. But that’s not the last word on the subject.

No toddler is boring. Maddening, annoying, headache-inducing, sure. But they’re not boring. Humans just aren’t wired to be boring.

You used to be complicated and fascinating. Something made you boring.

Somewhere along the line, you got punished for being interesting. You got ridiculed for being yourself. You got your hands slapped for coloring outside the lines, and you promised yourself you wouldn’t expose yourself to that again.

You might even have had something really heartbreaking happen. Something that stole your spark before you ever really got to share it.

Oprah, if she had never found the courage to tell her harrowing story of triumph over crushing adversity, would have been another Sally Jessy Raphael. A competent performer. A hard worker. Pretty successful.

But not a game-changer. Not a billionaire.

If you’re boring, it’s because you’re scared and you’re hiding your best stuff. Getting un-scared is the hardest thing you’ll ever do, but since you need to do it anyway in order to have a great life, you might as well get started now.

How about you?

Did your blog go through Invisible Content Syndrome? How long did it take you to break out? Or are you still stuck there now?

Leave a comment and let us know your favorite techniques for getting visible again.

About the Author: Sonia Simone is CMO of Copyblogger Media and founder of Remarkable Communication. Make yourself visible by hanging out with her on twitter.

P.S.

Need more advice for beating Invisible Content Syndrome and the Boring Blog Blues? Subscribe to our free newsletter, Internet Marketing for Smart People. It kicks off with a 20-part series on how to be scintillatingly successful, whatever your content goals.

E-mail Newsletter Demons, and One Simple Way to Get Past Them

Sun, 24 Oct 2010 17:50:00 GMT

Writing email newsletters can be a gruesome business.

There are demons aplenty to get past.

It’s not just the time spent writing it, it’s the time afterwards checking and re-checking, to see if it’s fit to send.

There’s all the time you fritter away beforehand trying to delay the point where you have to sit down and write the thing.

And there’s all the gunk you have to listen to and clear out of the way:

Where do you start?
It sounds too pushy
It sounds too formal
It doesn’t sound like me
Where do you finish?
It’s too intrusive
It’s not friendly enough
It doesn’t sound natural
Do I write to everyone? or to one?
I wish it was a blog post
I wish I hadn’t started this list
Why do people say they’re a good idea?
I wish I got feedback from recipients
Why does it always take so long?

And so on…

And I know I’m not alone.

There are a lot of different issues in here of course, including how you’re using your email newsletter and how it fits (or doesn’t) with other things you’re doing via a website and/or other forms of social media.

And getting clearer on the answers to those points will help to get rid of at least some of the gunk.

But the simplest and most powerful change that I’ve made in the way I approach the writing of email newsletters, the one thing I want to pass it on to help make the writing of the beasts easier, quicker and more enjoyable:

Write it in email

Rather than going to the interface of your service provider with all its paraphernalia of tracking and monitoring clicks and double opt-ins and all the rest of it…

Go to your email. Open up a new message to send, and start writing there.

It shifts your writing state, and softens your language to the kind of language you’d be using if you were sending someone an e-mail.

Which is, after all, what you are doing.

Only once your message is 99% done do you then go into the big and scary newsletter service provider, and drop your text into the message boxes there.

All I can say is: it works for me. The last few I’ve written took me a fraction of the time they used to take, and I dispensed with all the angst too.

If nothing else… it’s worth a try as a way of tip-toeing past the beast.

Do you have any other tips and strategies for getting round the email newsletter writing demons?

Photo Credit: Black Painting #9 by CapCat Ragu on Flickr

This post is a contribution to a week long mini-series on writing and fear, in the lead up to Halloween.

Copyblogger Weekly Wrap: Week of October 18, 2010

Sat, 23 Oct 2010 03:00:00 GMT

You probably noticed that ever since I started writing the Wrap again (after my summer vacation at the nice place where the people wear white uniforms and speak very calmly) that we've used a different “wrap” photo each week. You know, bubble wrap, cling wrap, chicken fajita wrap… Hilarity.

You probably also guessed that, sooner or later, we'd run out of wrap references, and then naturally skip over into “rap” references. This, of course, has been a carefully crafted, under-the-radar campaign to post a picture of Flava Flav for no good reason.

So, here you have it. This is what innovation looks like.

Let's now look at what happened this week on Copyblogger:

Monday:

Five Ways to Write Magnificent Copy

As you may have guessed from the title, this post contains five ways to make your average copy a whole lot better, but I got stuck implementing tip #1: “Write drunk; edit sober.” I mean it's good advice but WOW it's loud in here and I'm going to contact all of my high school girlfriends through Facebook and that'll show them who's boss! and NO I WON'T SIT DOWN and also I'll text my old boss, that jerk… What time is it, anyway? I love you, man.

Read the full post here.

Tuesday:

How to Publish Your Book in the iBookstore

So I can have a book published without getting a book published if I can do it in iBook electronic format for the Apple iPad. That's pretty cool, and this post is all nuts and bolts on how exactly to make that happen. But the bigger question is, can I get a jetpack? We were supposed to have those things decades ago.

Read the full post here.

Wednesday:

Does Sex Matter When Scoring Online?

This post isn't about sex in the way you're probably thinking, but rather about gender and whether men or women have an advantage when trying to make it as a blogger. It's an interesting question with a solid, agreeable, sexy answer. My verdict? You can have sex with whomever you want as long as you're consenting adults. It's a free country. And then sure, why not do some blogging after?

Read the full post here.

Thursday:

Should Your Content Aim for Traffic or Conversion?

You can tell it's post-Vegas week around here. We've already had posts on drinking and sex, and this one contains some saucy Cosmo magazine sexual references in the quest to determine whether it's more advantageous to seek traffic or better conversion of the traffic you already have. So check it out; both have their advantages. (NOW: Ten bucks says Friday's post will be about shooting guns.)

Read the full post here.

Friday:

7 Ways Being More Confident Will Make You More Money

Not to get all Tony Robbins on you, but it's true that if you're more confident, you're going to do better in a lot of stuff, and money is high on that list — right up there with improved swordsmanship. This post has a bunch of ways in which you'll end up with more money if you can become more self-assured, but none of them involve tall, smooth-talking men with giant teeth.

Read the full post here.

This week's cool links:

You're famous: I'm talking to several of you in particular now, and by several of you, I mean you know who you are, and by “I'm” I mean Seth is. You're famous. So feel free to act all prima-donna.
5 Techniques to Make Your Next Post Unforgettable: Is reading your blog like riding a roller coaster? You can either read this post to make it that way, or put all of your readers on a roller coaster. I know which one I'd choose.
Compete on Value: This post proves that Chris Brogan and I share more in common than the fact that I once stole his identity. He essentially says, Don't lower your price. Keep prices high, and pack your stuff with tons of value.
Is Social Content Brevity Better? Think Again!: Okay, good. I'm allowed to be long-winded if I want, and the world isn't totally A.D.D. Yet.

Things That Go Bump in the Night: A Week of Posts on Fear and Writing

Thu, 21 Oct 2010 22:16:00 GMT

To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong. — Joseph Chilton Pierce

You can't write about writing, and confidence, for three and a bit years without hitting up, time and again, against our old friend fear.

In honour of the Halloween season I'm going to go off schedule next week and post something each day around fears, writing demons, and other scary things that go bump in the dark.

Stay tuned for what's in store…

Photo Credit: Time Warp Trio by Stuck in Customs

5 WordPress Plugins to Help Connect the Dots

Wed, 20 Oct 2010 17:23:00 GMT

There’s nothing like a bit of blog housekeeping. Beats the domestic sort anyway

Here are some plugins that help do a bit of joining up, within your site, and to other social media.

1. A Facebook ‘like’ button on each post

There are a number of different plugins that let you do this. This is the one that I’m using. I don’t know if it’s any better than the others out there, just that it works which is good enough for me. It's called simply “Like”

You can get it here: Like Plugin

2. Link within

This shows a thumbnail image of 3 linked / associated articles from your blog at the foot of a post. I’ve seen it on various other sites and think it looks really appealing – more enticing than just a link somehow. It’s not a plugin as such – you simply activate the service by going to the Link Within site and adding your details.

3. Twitter on the side

Again, this is something I’ve seen elsewhere: it provides a ‘follow me’ sliding button on the side of your site. Sometimes it’s less than totally easy to find someone’s twitter details from a site. It’s hard to miss this one!

It's called Follow Me.

4. Twitter ID with your comments

This gives a little box at the bottom of your comment where you can add your twitter ID. If you add in your details (no @ just your handle eg joannapaterson) it will then add your ID to the comment, making it easy for others to find and follow you on twitter. (It also adds it to all your comments on the site.)

I probably need to adjust the settings a bit though as only a few of you have spotted it so far without me telling you.

The plugin is here: Twitter Link Comments

5. Twitter style @ reply in the comment box

I am really enamoured with this one.

Maybe it’s because I’m such a fan of twitter.

Maybe it’s because I’m not such a huge fan of threaded comments… I feel like I’m going to get lost in the thread.

Maybe it’s because I’ve been looking for something that will help me get back into a better practice of replying speedily to your comments.

I’m experimenting with keeping an eye on comments from the back of the blog with Better Comments Manager and replying from the front, using this @ reply function.

All you do is click on the arrow to generate a reply. A link to the comment is then built into your reply.

Your reply doesn’t come immediately afterwards a la threaded comments, it comes at the end, but with the link built in it’s easy to dot back to the original comment. And it saves a micro-second or two of name typing!

If you'd like to add it to your own site it's called @ reply

To see how this and the other plugins look in action do pop over to the blog

Have you found any plugins recently that help you connect the social media dots?

Photo Credit: Cuito Cuinavale

A Vacationer’s Guide To Blogging

Tue, 19 Oct 2010 16:00:00 GMT

by Jael Strong —- The sun, the sand, the relaxing rhythm of the crashing waves - this is paradise. The cool drink on a hot day, the delicious food, the nagging feeling in the back of my mind that keeps reminding me that there is something I just have to do! What is happening to my vacation?! Here I [...]

The 5 Reasons Why Your Content Sucks

Tue, 19 Oct 2010 05:48:00 GMT

This is a guest post by Frank Lee. If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here.

So, you’ve set up a blog. You registered a domain that tells the world what your blog is about, and maybe you’ve even hired a professional to design your templates for you. Your blog looks as slick as possible, and yet, you’re still not getting traffic.

There’s one reason that’s very likely to be the problem – your content just plain sucks.

You see, when you start a blog, you have as much chance as anyone to get traffic to your site. However, if that traffic arrives there, and finds nothing even vaguely useful or interesting, then they’re not likely to return. This is why your traffic suffers. People are spending a few seconds on your blog, deciding they’re not interested, and leaving, never to return.

If you want to rectify the problem, and rebuild your traffic, you need to understand why your content sucks. Here are our top five reasons.

1. You Have Nothing New to Say (Or Nothing at All)

Too many bloggers rehash everything they’ve seen on other websites or blogs. What’s worse even than that though are bloggers who really have nothing to say. Find something that YOU would be interested in reading about, before you just write whatever pops into your head. If you’d be interested, other people will be too.

2. You Think Research Is Something Other People Do

Even if you have something great to write about, you still have to research. Giving people the wrong information is a cardinal sin to bloggers, so make sure that you always have all your facts straight. If not, at best, your readers will think you’re a joke. At worst, you could open yourself up for lawsuits. Just avoid it, and do your research before you write and post.

3. Your Writing Style Has All the Sex Appeal of Damp Newspaper

Come on! People want to read blogs that are funny, exciting or interesting. If your posts are dull, gray, and loaded with technical jargon and high brow literary style prose, no one will want to read them! Write as if you were talking to a friend, and you should find people more willing to read your content.

4. You Don’t Believe In Checking Spelling and Grammar

You don’t have to be a potential Pulitzer Prize winning writer to have a great blog. But your content has to make sense. If your posts are garbled, make no sense, and are littered with spelling and grammar mistakes, you make it hard for your readers to finish them. Make sure you check your spelling and grammar and that you preview your post before you upload it.

5. Paragraphs, Lists and Subheadings are Foreign Territory to You

You can be the best writer in the world, and have the most interesting content around. However, if it’s all presented in one solid block of text, I can guarantee you, no one will read it. Break your content up, and make it scannable by using bullets and numbered lists, breaking text into paragraphs, and using subheadings. Make it easy for people to read your content, and they’re more likely to do just that.

Once upon a time, the Internet was a small, elite place. There was even a website that used to list all the new sites on the fledgling World Wide Web. These days, however, it’s less like a small village, and more like a gigantic city, with people from around the world. People have choices about what they follow online, and that means that now, more than ever, your content needs to be great.

Even though the Internet may seem to have an anything goes policy, there are some strict unwritten rules about what makes a good site or blog. The good news is that you, and anybody else, can learn those rules, and apply them to your blog to increase its popularity.

Of course, you still have to have something interesting to say, but understanding the technicalities can help ensure that there are people who will listen. So before you blindly launch your blog or website, take the time to learn the rules. It’ll make building a successful blog a whole lot easier.

About the Author: Frank Lee has a step by step guide to article marketing on BreakthroughInternetMarketing.com. Visit his site today and discover how you too can generate loads of free buying traffic using a simple 5 step unique article writing method.

Original Post: The 5 Reasons Why Your Content Sucks

Introducing The Studio Space

Mon, 18 Oct 2010 17:35:00 GMT

So…

I was talking last week about dreams and plans for different kind of spaces on the web.

Being of impatient disposition, that's as much trailing as I can manage for I'm now itching to tell you what's afoot. What's afoot for the first space anyway; the other will take a little bit longer for me to work out where the nuts and bolts are supposed to go;-)

Without further ado let me introduce space #1….

… drum roll….

Here it is.

The Studio Space

The Studio Space is a virtual studio where you can experiment, test ideas, explore concepts, think out loud and banish fears in a safe and supportive environment.

It's designed for women who are creating on the web.

The Studio Space gives you:

A place where you can share ideas, work-in-progress, and new material within the confines of a small, supportive group (max 50) before you're ready to share with a wider world

The opportunity to get encouragement and support, plus feedback at the points where you need it

A network of other creative women to learn from and with, and to help promote each others' work

A chance to explore some of the specifics around creating on the web: either technical issues you're facing (or have cracked), or dealing with the good (and not so good) of social media as a means to promote your work

The opportunity to bounce ideas off me (unlimited email support while you're a member of the studio)

How It Works

The Studio Space is on Ning, which is a social networking site that you can adapt to create small, private group spaces. It's easy to use and if you're already creating on the web and using things like a blogging platform, Twitter or Facebook you'll be able to pick up Ning quickly and easily. (Plus if you have any problems I'll help you out with technical support.)

You will be able to post ideas, reflections, question and new material on the site, and ask for the kind of feedback you'd find useful to you.

There's also a forum where you can explore technical, webby or creative issues with others, and hopefully find the answers you're looking for.

The space will be moderated by me to ensure a positive and constructive environment for everyone who's working within it.

You also get unlimited email access to me while you're a member of the studio to ask questions, explore ideas or just get a bit of moral support (we all need it sometimes!)

What it Costs

Membership of the studio costs $20 a month. Payment is through PayPal. You can join any time, stay for as long as you think it is helpful, and leave when it suits you. Of course you're welcome to come back anytime you need a bit more space, encouragement or support!

Opening the Doors

I'll be opening the doors in mid November. (I'm moving house in early November so want to get that bit out of the way first. Yes, you read it right, moving again.)

I'm taking notes of interest from just now – please just email me at joanna [@] confidentwriting.com with STUDIO SPACE in the title of the message to let me you're interested (and/or, of course, to ask any questions and check things out.)

Why Just Women?

Two main reasons, based on my experience of working and creating on the web.

1 ) women have a particular way of getting themselves stuck, and blocking their creative process

2) women also have a particular way of encouraging and supporting each other, and building phenomenally strong networks

What Kind of Creating?

Let's see… You might be creating:

Music
Writing: non-fiction, fiction, poetry, songs, business blogs, guides
Photography
Art: painting, sketches, greeting cards, collages
Teaching opportunities
Business ideas
New ways of doing things
Dreams
Belief that another way is possible
Communities

I don't know… what are you creating?

The Origins of the Idea

The idea for The Studio Space emerged in part from my own craving for a (real world, offline) studio: somewhere to practice, create, make a mess, explore. In an ideal world it would be part of a bigger community of artists, thinkers, dreamers, writers, poets… but I haven't (yet) found that space. Not in the real world anyway.

Which made me think it might be possible to create at least part of the same effect – the same space, the same chance to work together – in an online setting.

It's an experiment and a work in progress. I have no doubt it will be shaped by the way it is used by those who inhabit the space. Luckily it's easy to make changes and alterations in the online world. No builders required

How To Adjust Your Blog According To Your Visitors

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 16:30:00 GMT

I don’t do this as much as I should, but I think there comes a time when every blogger needs to take a trip to Google Analytics. If you don’t have it installed on your blog, get Google Analytics now. This helpful tool lets you know how many visitors are checking out your blog, where they [...]

You’ve Landed a Blogging Job – Now What?

Tue, 12 Oct 2010 15:13:00 GMT

This is a guest post by Nita Teoh. If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here.

Blogging for other people is a great way to make money online. If you run your own blog and have published regular content, then you are well placed to write for other people or companies.

Each job will have its own set of requirements – i.e. expertise or experience required, specific topics to write about, number of posts required, length of post etc.

Understanding your client’s requirements when you applied for the job doesn’t stop there.

Here are some tips on writing after having landed that blogging job:

1. Understanding the Blog and Its Business

Obtain an understanding of the blog's focus and target audience. Learn as much as you can about the company or website you are writing for – e.g. is it a start up business or well established in the market?

I currently write for The Netsetter at Envato, the brainchild of Collis Ta’eed. The Envato brand is an established player in the industry – it is well known for its suite of websites like Freelance Switch and the Tuts+ network. The Netsetter is targeted to web entrepreneurs who are interested in useful tips and resources on how to make money online.

2. Blog Post Style and Content

Each blog will have its own style and content. Visit the blog and read some of the published articles, taking note of the style, length of pieces, and what topics have been covered in order to gain a better understanding of the style and content of blog posts.

The owner or editor may have already decided what topics he/she wants you to write about, but most blog owners are open to good suggestions. If you are passionate about writing on certain topics, run your ideas past the owner and you may find that he/she is more than willing for you to share your expert knowledge.

Last and not least, pay attention to detail when writing your blog post – check your grammar and spelling, use catchy titles to grab the readers’ attention, and look over the format and clarity of your post.

3. Commit to Write on a Regular Basis

Most blog owners like to hire bloggers on a regular basis, since it makes planning much easier. Typically a blog owner will require a minimum number of posts and articles per month or week, but many owners are happy to pay for extra content!

Aim to deliver quality blog posts on a consistent basis. Like they say, the hardest part comes after you have landed the job!

Aim to impress with your first few blog posts, as first impressions are very important. Many website owners hire bloggers on a trial basis for their first few posts. They will be gauging readers’ reactions to your blog and the popularity of your posts.

4. Relationship Building

The relationship between a blogger and website owner should be business like. Accordingly, it is important to treat your working relationship professionally. Take the time to establish a good rapport with your employer, communicate on a regular basis, and discuss requirements and ideas.

If you are unsure about something, ask questions or seek clarification. There is nothing worse than writing a terrific blog post just to find that you have been off topic. If the website has a Style Guide, read through this thoroughly to understand the requirements.

5. Be a Skilled “Blogger”

Each blogger can bring to the table many skills – whether as a prolific writer, a person who is passionate about blogging on a specific topic, a background as a journalist, or as an SEO expert. Be prepared to make the most of any complementary skills you have.

As bloggers we can offer skills such as knowing where to source images, uploading videos, using screen capture software, using the client's WordPress platform, or knowing about SEO techniques and Internet marketing.

A blogger will thrive if they can offer a broad range of skills. A scan of the job boards like Problogger's one will provide a good idea of the skills and competencies required for modern bloggers.

6. Have Fun
You are getting paid to blog on topics that you are hopefully passionate about. If new to blogging for other people, have a positive attitude and be willing to learn new skills.

Use your blogging talents to contribute to the goals of the company. Strive to go the extra mile once you have landed that blogging job, and your efforts will result in improved marketability of your skills.

About the Author: Nita Teoh is the creator of Wired Web Writer – W3 Writing, Marketing and SEO Solutions, and Perth Walkabout – Your Local Guide to Perth, Western Australia.

Original Post: You’ve Landed a Blogging Job – Now What?

What Makes Real Blogging Success?

Wed, 06 Oct 2010 16:29:00 GMT

What makes a successful blog? What makes a successful blogger? I have been reflecting on these questions as I start planning out the next stage of my Authority Blogger course. It’s important to me that people get real results, and honestly the only way I can do that is by basing my advice on what [...]

Ten Minute Rambles: A Tool To Jump-starting Your Blog

Tue, 05 Oct 2010 16:00:00 GMT

—- A little over a year and a half ago, I decided to take charge of my health. Honestly, I decided to take charge of my weight gain and that blossomed into taking charge of my health. Although I had exercised mildly in high school and had taken the ever-so-vigorous “Walking Class” in college, in the [...]

Building Credibility – The Value Shift

Mon, 04 Oct 2010 14:34:00 GMT

It’s Blogworld coming up in a few days. Another big conference with busy halls, packed sessions, and loud parties. That might sound like heaven or hell to you, and believe me I understand both perspectives. I am doing up to six sessions this year. Around six more than my nerves are built to take. You [...]

Is it Time for a Work Detox?

Wed, 29 Sep 2010 16:11:00 GMT

Have you noticed how most of your day goes to stuff that is not related to what is really important? I am not even talking about the obvious things like dealing with spam, hanging out in Twitter, and people hanging on the telephone too long. There are lots of things that demand our time and [...]

Quality Or Quantity - Which Ranks Higher On Your Blog?

Tue, 28 Sep 2010 16:30:00 GMT

You’re probably staring at your computer, thinking what is this girl talking about? Of course, quality is more important than quantity. I agree that a high quality post, one that is well-written, well-researched, extraordinarily helpful with a dash of entertainment, is more important than pumping out one garbage, cut and paste post after another. Every blogger [...]

Bloggers Mean Business

Thu, 23 Sep 2010 14:03:00 GMT

Here we go again. Another week, another “revolution”, another “rebel” stirrs things up. To paraphrase a line from a movie … “He’s not a rebel, he is a very naughty boy.” Ideas should be free, says the latest link-bait, attack-post, call-to-arms, etc. Whatever. It seems even in 2010 there are still people out there who [...]

5 Mistakes Every Blogger Will Make, Including You

Thu, 23 Sep 2010 02:02:00 GMT

There’s a simple truth to life that every human being will make mistakes. Since every blogger is human, at least the ones that aren’t spambots, then every blogger will screw up inevitably. On BloggingPro, I recently wrote an article about how to recover from the mistakes you make but the question becomes “What kind of [...]

5 Mistakes Every Blogger Will Make, Including You

A selection of e-books to help you improve as a blogger. Find out more at www.bloggingtips.com/books/

Man, This is all screwed up…

Wed, 22 Sep 2010 16:37:00 GMT

by Patty Azzarello As a leader how do you deal with with negative energy? Leading in rough times This has come up a lot lately, so I wanted to talk more about this point I often mention as one of my top Leadership Values: It is never the [...]

Cataloguing Creativity: How Do You Organize Your Ideas?

Tue, 21 Sep 2010 16:30:00 GMT

—- Are you a collector? Do you see something on television or while you’re out shopping and just have to have it? Perhaps this scenario sounds familiar: You pick things up, here and there, and over the years you;ve acquired quite a collection. Then, one day, you’re inspired to use one of those handy-dandy items and [...]

Back Up Your Files Now

Mon, 20 Sep 2010 18:56:00 GMT

You know you should back up your computer and your work, but you put it off until something goes seriously wrong and you’re stuck with no files to show for all your hard work, your pictures are wiped out, your music files are gone. This is the time you want to really kick yourself, and [...]

Back Up Your Files Now

A selection of e-books to help you improve as a blogger. Find out more at www.bloggingtips.com/books/

Is This Why Your Sales Suck?

Mon, 20 Sep 2010 12:19:00 GMT

Are you wondering how you can get more people to visit your site or buy what you are selling? People often ask me why some people can get a lot of traffic or business while others struggle along with what seems like the scraps from the table. Why can “over night success” stories break through [...]

Build Your Platform and Leap

Thu, 16 Sep 2010 14:09:00 GMT

The chap in the photograph is called “Chambers”, despite the freezing cold water and the 15c temperature of the dock he enjoyed repeatedly diving and the adulation it bought him. I think there are a lot of folks just like the Chambers dude. We can say he did some things very well. He was getting [...]

The Most Important Step for Reaching Your Goals

Wed, 15 Sep 2010 23:15:00 GMT

I’ve talked a lot about goals and staying focused lately? Why? Because it’s something I often struggle with and I have learned over the years of being a writer that if you need knowledge or understanding of a subject—write about it. Not only is it a great way to learn and motivate yourself, it’s also [...]

The Most Important Step for Reaching Your Goals

A selection of e-books to help you improve as a blogger. Find out more at www.bloggingtips.com/books/

Spice Your Blog With A Dash Of Old Bay Seasoning

Tue, 14 Sep 2010 16:30:00 GMT

I didn’t know what Old Bay was until I saw its name on a bag of popcorn in a Virginia Beach gourmet popcorn shop. (When I reread that sentence, it sounds like the start of a piece of fiction). But, I’m serious. I’m from Ohio, and I had never seen it before. After my trip, I [...]

3 Crucial Elements of Well-Written Blog Posts

Tue, 14 Sep 2010 15:17:00 GMT

This is a guest post by Bamboo Forest. If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here.

The feeling of finishing a great post is without compare. Just before clicking the publish button you’re filled with the ecstasy of newlyweds, anticipating comments will roll in and your trackback list will circle the globe many times.

Your ecstasy vanishes, however, when you notice the low number of click-throughs and tweets your post has received because you didn’t fulfill one of the three requirements that skilled and successful bloggers implement every time.

Let’s take a look at them…

1. Is my headline great?

Those few words at the beginning of your blog post can be the difference between the post being read and spread like a virus through the web like a wild fire and it languishing in your archives, barely noticed. ~Darren Rowse

Never publish before you’re convinced your headline is effective. If you say to yourself, “I think it will do,” then delay publishing your hard work until you come up with one you’re certain is effective.

Here are my three Jedi tricks to help you craft great headlines:

A. Every time you read a post from a blog known for writing great headlines, read the headline aloud. Ask yourself why it’s magnetic and compels you to click it. If you ask this question with enough headlines, the answers will start to pour into your mind and your headlines will soon begin to reflect the tactics that those headlines use.

B. Open your reader and visualize your headline being immersed in all the others. Does it compel you to click it?

Another thing you can do is make a list of effective headlines from blogs and paste them into a word document. Now, sandwich your headline among the proven headlines. If you were scanning these headlines, would yours stand out or at least compete? If not, devise a better one.

C. When I’m having difficulty coming up with a good headline for an important guest post, I sometimes ask a skilled writer for advice on the ones I’ve crafted. He or she will give me an honest critique and then offer some suggestions as well. This strategy is worlds better than relying solely on yourself if that means settling on a mediocre headline.

Now that you’ve checked off having a great headline, let’s move onto…

2. Does my opening draw the reader deeper into my post?

Where the headline is the most important part of your post, the opening is the second most important.

You can have the most awe-inspiring copy in the middle of your post while having an opening that makes the idea of studying the dictionary more appealing. If you want people to continue reading after they’ve finished the first few lines, don’t mess this part up.

A great headline mixed with a lame opening is like inviting someone into your house, only to slam the door in their face as they approach ~Brian Clark

I’ve recently learned that it’s not imperative to write the introduction prior to beginning your post. In fact, being adamant about doing so can compromise your productivity. If you’re having trouble coming up with a killer opening, skip it! First write the rest of your post and then as Carl Natale says, “go back and write the introduction that fits into the whole writing.”

It’s never worth having an amazing post that’s tainted by a lackluster opening. Make your entire post exude greatness.

Now you’ve got the reader by the throat, awesome! But what about the ending…?

3. Does my ending leave pleasant residue?

While the headline and the opening are vital to your post’s success, don’t underestimate the importance of the close. If your whole piece is a work of art and ends with a lame final sentence, you’ve just tarnished what could’ve really wowed your readers.

The positive reason for ending well is that a good last sentence–or last paragraph–is a joy in itself. It gives the reader a lift, and it lingers when the article is over. ~William Zinsser

A good ending leaves residue. Whether that’s writing something unexpected, posing a question, or leaving with a compelling last thought, you know when it’s done right.

About the Author: Bamboo Forest co-founded Wealthy Walrus, a site that begs the question–what would you do for a million dollars? He also created Tick Tock Timer, an online timer that helps make bloggers ridiculously productive.

Original Post: 3 Crucial Elements of Well-Written Blog Posts

Are You Tied to Your Fears?

Sat, 11 Sep 2010 16:52:00 GMT

Fears as Tether by Molly Cantrell Kraig Independence is about paradox. By internalizing the fact that you can, in the most healthy of ways (and on a theoretical level), exist without others you are free to interact with others effectively. This does not mean that you do not [...]

Tips for Staying Focused on Your Goals

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:43:00 GMT

Getting focus and maintaining focus is a difficult task for many people. Learning to have focus is a process and will take time and effort. Stick it out and eventually you will see progress. One of the most important things you need to do is plant your butt in the seat during work hours. Make sure [...]

Tips for Staying Focused on Your Goals

A selection of e-books to help you improve as a blogger. Find out more at www.bloggingtips.com/books/

Blog Struggles: I Need an Eraser for My Old Posts

Thu, 09 Sep 2010 15:04:00 GMT

Online Diary: May 20, 2010 I’d like to go back and erase my old posts. Don’t you feel that way sometimes? Maybe all the time? As I think about talking to the telephone poles out there and reassessing where I am, the urge to purge is overwhelming me. I want to go through all my [...]

5 Things Magicians Can Teach You About Blogging

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 23:53:00 GMT

At some level, blogging is really just a stage show. We, as bloggers, are up on a virtual stage giving a performance that goes on for as long as we run our sites. Whether it is a stand-up comedy routine or a serious academic lecture, we’re talking to the world and hope that our audience, [...]

5 Things Magicians Can Teach You About Blogging

A selection of e-books to help you improve as a blogger. Find out more at www.bloggingtips.com/books/

Escape Your Blog to Grow it

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 13:46:00 GMT

I don’t remember exactly when I first shared my “flagship content” concept at Performancing.com but it came from looking at how we were going to achieve growth. We were hovering around the top 20 blogs on the internet, as ranked by Technorati. Each successful website reaches the same stage, but each gets there in its [...]

A Bird’s Eye View in Google Maps

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 22:00:00 GMT

I may be the last to discover this, but Google Maps has a really cool (and somewhat scary) feature available. It’s a bird’s eye or street view function. You have to zoom in all the way and then double click the map to activate street view mode. I’ve included a print screen image while viewing [...]

A Bird’s Eye View in Google Maps

A selection of e-books to help you improve as a blogger. Find out more at www.bloggingtips.com/books/

Have You Really Tried Everything?

Tue, 07 Sep 2010 16:30:00 GMT

My daughter is so stubborn. In many ways, she is the most stubborn person that I know. In some ways, it’s good. I know that no one will be able to make her do something she doesn’t want to do, and far more important, something she should not do. When it comes to eating, she is [...]

Eat Your Own Dogfood

Mon, 06 Sep 2010 20:37:00 GMT

One of the disgusting but useful phrases in the programming and developer community is “Eat your own dogfood”. I am sure there are people out there who really do have to eat their own dogfood in a literal sense, but the meaning behind the phrase in our context is that you have to experience your [...]

Get Angry: Blogger Sued For Comments On Their Blog

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 18:58:00 GMT

When a blogger believes they are alone and the only one, we all lose. In response to my friend, John Pozadzides’ recent experience outlined in “VistaPrint.com Is Threatening to Sue Me Over a Blog Comment. Really???,” I want him and all of you to know you are not alone when it comes to the threats [...]