The Art of Shameless Self-Promotion
I’ve found it just doesn’t pay to crow too much about what I’ve accomplished. Sure, I celebrate when things go well. But I’ve found that talking too much about my achievements leads not only to criticism, but to disappointment. There's always going to be someone who's done more or worked harder. And until they carve my name into the side of the moon , I see no reason in puffing myself up. The minute you get a big head is the same minute that reality smacks you and you realize that you aren't as cool as you th..
Copyblogger (8 hours ago)
Five Areas to Focus On for Effective SEO Copywriting
When I first started Copyblogger in 2006, I was almost militantly against on-page search optimization. Seems strange, since I’d been a successful student of SEO since 2000. It was because I saw all these people fretting over keywords like it’s 1999, and yet they had no links. Their content was weak. Their sites weren’t trusted. You can’t optimize something that’s dead in the water. So my initial goal was to get people to focus on content that attracted attention and links first. Only then do you have somethin..
Copyblogger (3 days ago)
Landing Page Makeovers 2007-2009: Where Are They Now?
This is another addition to our ongoing series of tutorials and case studies on landing pages that work. It occurred to me late last year, as I was readying yet another Landing Page Makeover, that the end of one year and the beginning of the next was a good time to do a “Where are they now?” post. So first things first, I went back and contacted all makeover participants from the very beginning of the series. Of the more than 20 contacted, I learned that one is no longer in business, MagicPumpkinA..
Copyblogger (4 days ago)
Does SEO Copywriting Still Matter?
If there’s any one thing that can be said about SEO with certainty, it’s that it manages to cause a lot of confusion. For example, it seems like many people’s idea of SEO was formed 10 years ago, and hasn’t bothered to change with the times. Even an online veteran like Robert Scoble is completely clueless about modern best practices for search engine optimization. So, before we go any further, let me answer the question posed by the headline . . . Yes, SEO copywriting still matters. Here’s why. Search is stil..
Copyblogger (5 days ago)
Third Tribe Marketing is Live
Those of you who subscribe to the Internet Marketing for Smart People email newsletter found out on Monday what Brian and I have been up to for the past few months. We knew it would be cool, because, well, we designed it to be cool. We wanted to build something people would really get value from. But still, when we saw what people were doing inside after the first day, we all looked around at one another and pulled a Keanu. Whoa. Third Tribe Marketing has been active for just under two days now. What’s been h..
Copyblogger (5 days ago)
The Alfred Hitchcock Secret to Compelling Content and Copy
The McGuffin has been a powerful storytelling device for a long time. It was Alfred Hitchcock who popularized both its use and the name that sounds like it should be on a dollar menu. The McGuffin has a cool job: to keep the plot, character, or situation rolling along. It draws us into the story and drives the action. The McGuffin is often an object of high value, which everyone covets. It can be ambiguous, entirely undefined, generic, or left open to interpretation. Remember the suitcase in “Pulp Fiction?” C..
Copyblogger (6 days ago)
7 Ways to Stay Connected to Confident Writing
Not quite gone yet… Just a thought in response to some comments – here are 7 ways you can stay connected while I'm taking some time out… especially if you're missing the encouragement to write with confidence. 1. Keep your subscription as it is Whether that's by e-mail or RSS if you do nothing you'll hear from me as and when I pop back 2. Dip into the archives Lots of good stuff in there! 3. Get a copy of the book Based on the blog: 199 Ways to Write with Confidence 4. Come on a writing retr..
Confident Writing (7 days ago)
How to Quit Hitting the Snooze Button on Your Blog
Conversation in social media is supposed to be “open source,” right? We’re supposed to gain energy and excitement from being open to the entire internet, to ideas that come to us from literally every corner of the globe. But too often “social media” turns into a predictably closed circuit of the same people having the same conversation. Finding your own tribe can be a wonderful thing. It can also make your blog unbearably boring. The move from “wonderful” to “boring” happens when we fa..
Copyblogger (7 days ago)
Letting Go and Letting Flow
One of the reasons I blog is to learn what I need to learn. Sometimes I learn through the writing of the post. Sometimes I work through an issue or a problem and then blog some of the things that worked. But the thing about learning is that you need to act on what you learn, as well as learning it. Writing the piece on 10 Things to Start and One Thing to Stop was really penned for myself. It was about things I have learned and need to learn, things I need to act upon now I have learned them, things I need to..
Confident Writing (8 days ago)
Setting Out on the Journey: One Last Word
Gosh it's hard for me to stop blogging on a theme! This really is the last one… but I couldn't resist sharing it. It's from the chapter called Setting Out on the Journey, from The Sufi Book of Life The reason we exist – and the reason to begin any journey – is to bring out our full humanity, the unique flavour that we alone can offer to the universe's still-cooking stew. I just love that bit about the still-cooking stew… don't you?
Confident Writing (10 days ago)
Who Do You Trust for Online Business Advice?
Do you know this story? A scorpion needs to cross the river. He asks a friendly-looking frog to carry him across. “Do you think I’m stupid?” asks the frog. “You’re a scorpion. You’ll sting and kill me.” “No I won’t,” says the scorpion. “That would be completely against my self interest. If I sting you, I’ll fall in the river and drown.” The frog sees the sense in this and agrees to carry the scorpion across the river. Halfway across, the scorpion stings him. “Why did you do that?” asks the dying frog. “I’m a ..
Copyblogger (10 days ago)
10 Things to Start, and One Thing to Stop
I can’t wait to see what you recommend a writer “should stop in order to start” writing. I just hope its not one of my darlings. This wonderful comment from ellanbethia has been rumbling at the back of my mind since the launch of the start theme at the beginning of this month. Because, guess what? I'm in no position to tell you what you should stop in order to start … and am certainly not going to recommend killing any of your darlings I'm going to focus instead on 10 things you might want to start : ..
Confident Writing (11 days ago)
Could Your Blog be Ruining Your Business?
Many of you began blogging to get more business. I’m sorry to tell you that many of you are doing the exact opposite. Your blog isn’t getting you more business — it’s actually sending business away. How did that happen? A blog is supposed to create more interest in what you do or what you sell. It’s supposed to bring you more credibility, more readers. It’s supposed to show off your expertise. All that should be great for business. Where did it all go wrong? You forgot that you have a business first and..
Copyblogger (11 days ago)
Are You Going Out of Your Way Not to Repeat Yourself?
Think about That When you sit looking at a blank screen wondering what you’ll write about today. Do you find yourself thinking, “I already said that.” Do you go out of your way not to repeat yourself? Think about that … That single idea will make your job harder and harder the more you [...]
Liz Strauss at Successful Blog (12 days ago)
How to Do 500 Times Better than AdSense
Right around a year ago now, I made my first cent online. It was literally a cent — $0.01 — and it showed up in my Google AdSense account after a certain number of people had viewed an ad for dog food or a shiatsu massager or whatever on my old humor blog. That first cent was exciting, because it proved that you really could make money online in the way it seemed that everyone said you could — by creating sites populated with ads, and then sitting back and letting the earnings pile up. Then,..
Copyblogger (12 days ago)
Now Where Did I Put Those Parentheses?
If you’re like me, parentheses can pose a challenge for your writing, especially if they come at the end of the sentence. Today we’re going to discuss the basic rules and how to punctuate within parentheses and at the end of sentences. Parentheses are basically used to separate nonessential information from the rest of your sentence, [...] Now Where Did I Put Those Parentheses? A selection of e-books to help you improve as a blogger. Find out more at www.bloggingtips.com/books/
Blogging Tips (13 days ago)
Make a Start by Writing it Down
I mentioned in the launch post for the 'start' series that I'd include something on: How writing things down (in a journal, a doodle, a line of a poem, in one word or three words or a series of posts) can help us to get started with new projects, dreams and ambitions Although we have touched on the idea of a word that will last for the year , I haven't yet written the post I wanted to on the idea of writing it down to make it happen . And sadly I don't have enough time to do the reading & write it up properl..
Confident Writing (13 days ago)
Watering Ideas at the Reflecting Pool
A Guest Post by Pamir Kiciman Browser tabs are great. Emails, tweets and feeds update so you can switch tabs and see what it is. But what happens when you switch in the middle of a juicy post, mindmap or other creative jaunt? You break continuity at the mercy of an insatiable beast. And breaking continuity can [...]
Liz Strauss at Successful Blog (14 days ago)
Why You’d Have Found Robert Burns on Twitter
A post in celebration of Burns Night – first posted January 2008 (sometimes it's good to recycle as well as start;-) ) 7 reasons we'd be following @RobbieBurns on Twitter Everyone's equal – one voice, no matter who you are, 140 characters at a time It's funny – don't know quite how, but it encourages you to lighten up, be witty, have fun It hones your writing skills – so they're short, sharp, sweet… to the point It's an opportunity to promote your work – point to a new piec..
Confident Writing (15 days ago)
Is Mobile the way to Run a Business?
Is mobile the way to run a business? This may be more of a pet peeve than good solid advice—but not only do I run a business (from my computer), I’m also a reader of many blogs and I’m a writer. I was recently reading an article about writing for people on mobile devices. This means [...] Is Mobile the way to Run a Business? A selection of e-books to help you improve as a blogger. Find out more at www.bloggingtips.com/books/
Blogging Tips (18 days ago)
Writing Superheroes
Writing is easy: All you do is sit staring at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead~ Gene Fowler If only it were that easy. Oh, so finding the words might not be so hard, but getting beyond the very start , getting to a point where you're willing to: Share Submit Publish Send Put on a website Read out loud Well… that can mean getting past a whole lot of demons. The voices of the inner critic. The doubters inside us and about us. A wild, ridiculous host of fears: Fear of fa..
Confident Writing (18 days ago)
Fear of Failure or Fear of Success?
Are you building an online presence with your blog? Do you hold back when you should be forging onward? Do you question where you plan to go with your blog or your writing career? You do most of the right things, but when it comes down to it, you slack off or stay just under the [...] Fear of Failure or Fear of Success? A selection of e-books to help you improve as a blogger. Find out more at www.bloggingtips.com/books/
Blogging Tips (20 days ago)
Style Versus Content in Your Blog
This is a guest post by Ciprian Ginghina. If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here. The word on the street, or perhaps I should say ‘information superhighway’, is that certain text style options make website content and blogs ‘pop’ and are thereby more appealing to readers. The use of short sentences within short paragraphs decorated with bullet point lists and sub-headers apparently hold our attention in a vise grip, bewitched by the format. Blogging gurus peddle these presentati..
Daily Blog Tips (20 days ago)
A Word to Last the Year
Some of you might have come across the idea of picking a word or words to focus on throughout the year. My friend Jon Swanson picked three words for 2010, inspired by Chris Brogan's practice . Other people have written about the power of one word , something I've read a lot about via singer-songwriter-blogger-coach Christine Kane. (Some articles from Christine on the how and why of working with one word listed below.) This year, I was tempted. And at the start of the year I was tempted by words that made me..
Confident Writing (22 days ago)
The Writing Space on Facebook
Just a quick update to let you know I've created a fan page for The Writing Space on Facebook – it's a chance for me to spread the word about the writing retreats in Scotland , and also to connect with people who are interested in ways to carve out space and time to write… and a way for you to make those connections too. It also provides a way for me to get to know those of you who enjoy the slightly more relaxed and conversational style of Facebook – a medium I still don't find entirely nat..
Confident Writing (24 days ago)
Journaling Your Intentions
On Wednesday I covered Setting Daily Intentions to Achieve Your Goals. I had some nice responses. David Walker even reported that he had used the method for a good night’s sleep and it worked like a charm. It does work, and while it’s not 100% foolproof 100% of the time, I would say it works [...] Journaling Your Intentions A selection of e-books to help you improve as a blogger. Find out more at www.bloggingtips.com/books/
Blogging Tips (24 days ago)
How to Sell More From Your Blog (Blog Critique: Steven Aitchison)
Steven Aitchison has a strong blog. Most people would regard his site as a success (in fact he claims it as the “biggest personal development blog in the UK) .. It looks good (using a slightly customized Thesis install) Steven is a good writer therefore the articles are excellent (in fact freelance writing is one of the [...]
Chris Garrett on New Media (25 days ago)
10 Prompts to Start a Blog Post When Your Screen Is Blank
Start with a Few Words Sometimes a few words can get a whole lot started. Try these prompts when you’re facing a blank screen and don’t know where to go … When I look at all of these social media tools, I think we need . . . Enough of this [...]
Liz Strauss at Successful Blog (26 days ago)
Setting Daily Intentions to Achieve Your Goals
In my post Tips for Success: Begin With the End in Mind I talked about goals and other such things. Today I want to talk about setting intentions and not leaving things to chance. Setting intentions is different than setting goals; intentions are more for the here and now—in the moment—than they are for long term. [...] Setting Daily Intentions to Achieve Your Goals A selection of e-books to help you improve as a blogger. Find out more at www.bloggingtips.com/books/
Blogging Tips (27 days ago)
What Writing Are You Going to Start in 2010?
“Writing is an exploration. You start from nothing and learn as you go.” ~ Doctorow Starting something is not necessarily the same as setting out to finish something. I know that some of the writing goals, hopes, dreams and ambitions you have for this year are about starting and finishing . Some are about finishing things you have already started. Some are about starting as you mean to go on , and getting into a new rhythm of starting and finishing, starting and finishing so there aren't a thousand loose ends..
Confident Writing (27 days ago)
Why Positive Thinking Doesn’t Work for You and How to Fix it
I was reminded on Twitter by a quote how life coaches and gurus often talk about how sports people visualize victory. They say if you use positive visualization, then your outcome will improve. Then there are the people who tell you that if you use the “Law of Attraction”, that is if you ask the universe for [...]
Chris Garrett on New Media (29 days ago)
Theme-a-Day for Freelance Writers
I recently posted about your writing passion, stepping out of your niche and having a theme for the day. Depending on how many topics you cover each week and how many websites you write for, you may want to consider adding a theme to each day’s writing. Some topics can even be stacked if they’re [...] Theme-a-Day for Freelance Writers A selection of e-books to help you improve as a blogger. Find out more at www.bloggingtips.com/books/
Blogging Tips (32 days ago)
Managing Guest Post Submissions Efficiently
If you started applying the trick I mentioned on this post , I am sure you are already receiving more guest post submissions. As your blog grows, however, you might start getting more submissions than you can handle. I receive 3-4 submissions per week, and I have seem blogs out there getting over 10 submissions weekly! The problem with this is that you might start messing things up. For example, I used to accept some submissions and then I would forget to actually publish them. Sometimes I liked the guest pos..
Daily Blog Tips (32 days ago)
Blogger’s Passion; Outside the Box
I get more daily blog posts emailed to me in a day than I could possibly read, but if the title catches my attention I do stop to read the post. I’m subscribed to several of the most popular blogging sites, as I’m sure you are too. That doesn’t mean you have to read every [...] Blogger’s Passion; Outside the Box A selection of e-books to help you improve as a blogger. Find out more at www.bloggingtips.com/books/
Blogging Tips (34 days ago)
Defeating Procrastination: Become a Finisher
Analysis paralysis is just one of my procrastination challenges. A couple of other things have caused me to have to make an effort with my productivity. See if they are familiar to you and your own productivity issues: I have a compulsion to fix things I never think I have done enough Do you have the same problems? The [...]
Chris Garrett on New Media (34 days ago)
A Writer’s Health and Resolutions
As a writer, how healthy are you? How many days a week do you fall out of bed, stagger to the coffee pot, grab a smoke and then plant yourself in front of the computer? Be honest. Maybe coffee and cigarettes aren’t your vice—maybe it’s a soda and donut—the fact is you’re most likely planting [...] A Writer’s Health and Resolutions A selection of e-books to help you improve as a blogger. Find out more at www.bloggingtips.com/books/
Blogging Tips (39 days ago)
Can We Beat Our Best in 2010?
Can We Beat Our Best in 2010? 2009 has been a great year. By the time you read this it will have ended and we’ll be starting 2010—hopefully with a Bang! Many of us have our goals planned for the New Year, some are still laying out the plans, some are reflecting on the accomplishments of [...] Can We Beat Our Best in 2010? A selection of e-books to help you improve as a blogger. Find out more at www.bloggingtips.com/books/
Blogging Tips (39 days ago)
Go Beyond Blogging in 2010
You might have already seen some of my fellow bloggers talking about this product. So much that I actually avoided posting about it because I felt with my Authority Blogger launch you might have gotten sick of hearing me toot my horn, until Michelle gave me an email bottom-kicking … So here I am telling you [...]
Chris Garrett on New Media (40 days ago)
Third Person Pronouns
In this final article on pronouns I will be addressing pronouns used for third person. Pronouns take the place of nouns which means that third person pronouns do the same thing. They take the place of people, but these pronouns do not include first person or second person forms. Third person singular pronouns are: he, she, and [...] Third Person Pronouns A selection of e-books to help you improve as a blogger. Find out more at www.bloggingtips.com/books/
Blogging Tips (43 days ago)
What If the Social Web Froze Over and No One Came?
about communities and harbors online and off. I like watching the harbor out our window change. A recent snowfall covered it. The foggy diffused sunlight softens it, and tricks my eyes into thinking the whole world has gone black and white. A faint shimmer on the icy snow calls back to last spring [...]
Liz Strauss at Successful Blog (44 days ago)
Giving Constructive Criticism
It’s a well-known fact that writers need to develop a thick skin to be in this business. I agree with that, but there are many great writers out there who’ve been demoralized by rude (deconstructive) critiques of their work. In working as a Course Presenter for the Fear of Writing online course, I’ve become extremely [...] Giving Constructive Criticism A selection of e-books to help you improve as a blogger. Find out more at www.bloggingtips.com/books/
Blogging Tips (45 days ago)
The Long Tail: What It Means for Your Content
This is a guest post by Mark Pack. If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here. The least popular posts on my blog are the most important. Sounds like I’ve made a mistake in typing that sentence, doesn’t it? But when it comes to reaching an audience, he top 10 posts in any month on my blog typically only account for between a quarter and third of the total traffic. In other words, it’s not the most popular posts that make or break reaching a good sized audience – it’s the collective ..
Daily Blog Tips (45 days ago)
Writing Down the Blues (and Boredom)
Do you ever feel the lack-luster of the writing life? It can be a lonely profession, especially if you write non-fiction. Fiction writers have it a little easier because they’re always in good company with their characters. I get the best (and worst) of both worlds. Today, I want to do anything but write an article. [...] Writing Down the Blues (and Boredom) A selection of e-books to help you improve as a blogger. Find out more at www.bloggingtips.com/books/
Blogging Tips (47 days ago)
Creating and Launching A Linkbait in 4 Easy Steps
This is a guest post by Vedran Tomic. If you want to guest post on this blog, check out the guidelines here. Having a blog these days it not enough. Nobody will shake your hand when they hear you have a blog, because everybody and their dogs are already blogging. Competition for online attention is fierce. But don't get scared. Even though the blogosphere is crowded, there is always room for remarkable blogs. That is, blogs that have remarkable content, as remarkable content is something people can't resist. ..
Daily Blog Tips (48 days ago)
Pronouns Are Fun Too
Most of us already know how to use pronouns and don’t have any problems writing other than the occasional spelling mistake or the lack of creative words, but some people have a difficult time. Grammar is not very interesting, yes I understand that, but it is what I was hired to write about so [...] Pronouns Are Fun Too A selection of e-books to help you improve as a blogger. Find out more at www.bloggingtips.com/books/
Blogging Tips (50 days ago)
Is Your Newsletter Compelling Enough?
How many newsletters do you sign up for in a month? How many do you unsubscribe from in the same month because the content just isn’t good? I’ve read hundreds of articles about sending out newsletters and the main advice in these articles is that the material must be compelling. It’s often the writer’s of these [...] Is Your Newsletter Compelling Enough? A selection of e-books to help you improve as a blogger. Find out more at www.bloggingtips.com/books/
Blogging Tips (54 days ago)
Blogging and Me, or Is It I?
Pronouns take the place of a noun. When we write our blogs we use pronouns all of the time, but do we use them correctly? Example: At seven years old I said, “Me and Mike want ice cream.” And my grandmother said (just like she did every time I made a grammatical error), “Mike and I.” I was taught [...] Blogging and Me, or Is It I? A selection of e-books to help you improve as a blogger. Find out more at www.bloggingtips.com/books/
Blogging Tips (57 days ago)
Win SEO Audits and Advice from DynamoAsh
If you want lots of free traffic then you are going to need to get your Search Engine Optimization sorted. Most of us are not SEO gurus so we try our best and see what happens. That can never compare with the advice of a true “battle hardened” SEO veteran. Good news everyone! DynamoAsh is offering chrisg.com readers a great set of SEO Consulting prizes ....
Chris Garrett on New Media (67 days ago)
Have You Lost the Human Element in Your Blog?
As I catch up with all the backlog of my life and work after a solid month on the road, I’m still stoked by my amazing time spent with Alan Dean Foster. While preparing for my meeting, I found a fascinating quote by Alan Dean Foster in an interview with Science Fiction and Fantasy News. He [...]
Lorelle on WordPress (68 days ago)
Dude, Tell Me Something I Don't Know!
Have you ever been in a friendly discussion with someone who kept repeating things you already knew over and over again? I am sure you have, and it is freaking annoying. You get that urge to say “Dude, tell me something I don't know!”. I had such an experience this weekend, and I realized that the same principle can be applied to blogging (and to online marketing as a whole). In other words, you need to tell your audience (be they blog readers or prospects of your company) something that they don'..
Daily Blog Tips (70 days ago)
