When we write we are talking to our reader. While your reader is going through your content they will be responding. They might think "Interesting, I didn't know that", or they might think "So? What's in it for me?" and they might think "So what?". One response I don't think many marketing copywriters are prepared for is the response we have to headlines like  "Make a million dollars while you sleep". It's the "Yeah, right" response. If you get that kind of reaction then any … [Read more...]

All of us have an inner dialog. When you blog, that inner message can be revealed between the lines of your articles, social media messages and forum posts. If you are sitting there doubting what I just said, think about it for a second. That inner voice might be quiet, but it will be there. When someone compliments you, what do you think? Do you say to yourself "You are so right!" or do you think "This is embarrassing, change the subject". When faced with an opportunity do you think "Go … [Read more...]

Obama and Hilary have been a dominant force in the news since they started campaigning. This is saying something, as I am not even American. Their long battle has taught me a couple of related lessons that I wanted to share with you. Attacks and Negativity Damage All While attacks are one way to get attention, and also serve to position yourself relative to your competitor, in the end the damage is not localized and you end up soiling your own reputation. Think about it, what do we say … [Read more...]

When you are writing, what is your first thought? If it is what you are going to write, I expect that would put you in with the majority. "Who for" is perhaps a more important part of the equation. Connecting to your audience, bringing them something value, means addressing who they are. A much overlooked aspect though is "So What?". What should the reader take away? Where is the benefit? Why should we listen to you? Look over your recent posts. Is the "So What" clear or are you … [Read more...]

In the comments of my How to Get More Bookmarks and Better Links article Lucy Dee asks: I'm having difficult assessing how "bookmarkable" content is any different from authority content in general. Yes, bookmarkable content is "optimized" and you want to "get a second look" but that's not far off from pillar content that a good blogger would write otherwise. I guess what I'm missing is, what *distinction* to make it "bookmarkable"? Or is there one at all? It's a great question. How do you … [Read more...]