blog writing

24 Nov 2015

6 Types of Content That Will Bring More Readers

Today, on Yahoo’s home page, there were several items in the newsfeed that were certain to get a lot of reads. There was a listing of the top 50 school districts in the nation; there was a video titled “Cheetahs Caught an Antelope and did the Unthinkable;” there were other lists too, such as the top new vehicles of 2016, and a couple of surveys to take.

Perhaps Yahoo knows something that you don’t – the types of content that bring the most readers. So, here are 6 types that you can easily create and use right now.

Lists

Now dubbed “listicles,” many content writers thought that lists would fall by the wayside eventually and that people would tire of them. Not so! “Top” lists of anything are still one of the most popular and shared types of content. And here’s how you do that:

Pick a topic in your niche
Pick a number, any number
Do a bit of research if necessary
Make your post simple in format – short introduction, provide detail about each item, short conclusion (you’re reading one right now)

Infographics

Infographics, if clean, neat, and valuable/interesting are viewed and shared – a lot. You can get your information or data in a visual form that people far prefer to text. From an Olympic star’s record of medals to a map showing the states with the highest number of people in poverty, to data on climate change, a pictorial representation just is much more powerful.

Many businesses contract with designers to create infographics, and that can be quite pricey. Now, however, there are a lot of tools and apps for creating your own. Newer versions of infographics are now interactive. Readers can click on a specific part of one and get further detail, a video, etc.

Videos

If they are done well, videos can be hugely popular and shared a lot. There are all sorts of purposes for videos that will spread your brand – you can film your team at work; you can video a charity event that is a favorite cause of yours; you can create a “how to” video for a product you sell.

Many companies contract out with a professional for good videos, and these can be pricey but probably worth it. Publish your videos on YouTube and Vimeo, or, if sort enough, on Facebook. Except for “how to” videos, shoot for 3-4 minutes and practice your script. The commentary that accompanies a video is really important.

Memes

They’re all over Facebook, and they are a great source of more. Probably the most popular one right now is the character from “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” with hilarious and sarcastic comments. If you just want to entertain your audience every once in a while, these are perfect. People are happy when you share a laugh with them, and they tend to share it.

You need no special skills to create a meme – just a catchy, humorous comment to superimpose on any of the offerings on Quick Meme or Meme Generator. Memes are best shared Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Tumblr, not usually your blog.

Guides

Guides take time to make, because they must be created by a great writer, enhance by photos and other media, and they must be on a topic that is really important to your niche audience. Content quality is really critical as is layout. One of the great things about offering a guide, and that you can request an email in exchange for sharing it.

Surveys, Polls, Quizzes

Readers love to participate and they often share surveys, polls, and quizzes with their friends. And, if the survey or poll gives ongoing tabulation of results, all the better. These used to be tough to design, requiring gobs of code, but now more. You can find lots of tools to design your own quite easily. Your job will to come up with engaging questions.

Any of these types of content you can create or find the expertise to create them for you. The important takeaway here is that they get read and shared more than standard text content. The best thing to do, then, is to incorporate as many of these into the other content you write.

By: Julie Ellis - Blogging - Tags: best content mills, blog writing, blogging, blogging for success, blogging tips, content, content writing, how to run a successful blog

30 Oct 2015

Focused and Productive Writing – 5 Tips to Get You There

The screen is blank. It’s been that way all morning. You have sat in front of it, poured another cup of coffee, sat again, took the dog for a walk, sat again, tried some of the suggestions that are all over the web (I’m really a bit tired of turning on music and dancing), and sat some more. And you have deadlines – panic is setting in. Ideas won’t come.

The 5 tips you are about to read may not solve your current crisis, but if you start using them, you’ll actually write more at a faster pace. (You’ll probably smile more too, and that’s a good thing).

You Have to Have a File of Ideas and Topics

Maybe you have several clients all in different business niches, and you are attempting to meet the terms of your contracts with them – so many posts a month, update on Facebook, and so on. So, where are you getting your topic ideas?

Maybe you are Googling the business niche and seeing what pops up. That’s not a bad idea.
But how much time have you spent researching who your clients’ competitors are? What are they talking about? What’s on their Facebook pages? Are you following them on Twitter? If you haven’t done much of this, it’s time.
How much research are you really doing during non-writing time?
How often do you talk to your client, find out what s/he is doing – any new team members? Any event coming up? Is there a new pet?

Part of your job as a blogger for a client is to grab any new tidbit; part of your job is also to read every news article, press release, and social media source of a business niche. If you do this, you do actually get topic ideas that you can throw into a file. No more searching for topic ideas, if you have a full file.

Bonus Tip on Filling Your File: One blogger I know has a unique method for getting topic ideas. He goes to a crowded mall, just stops random people and tells them he is taking a survey. He asks them questions about the business niches for which he is writing and always finds topic ideas.

Never Go to Bed without Something on the Screen to Open in the Morning

That blank screen that you stare at? It’s depressing, and it’s psychologically bad. The trick to getting over this is to write just a small amount before going to bed and leave it on your screen. It doesn’t even have to be good. But when you open it up in the morning, you have at least begun. Now your psyche is saying you need to “finish” the thing, not “start” it.

Write a Letter to a Friend

Describe your troubles with your writer’s block; tell him/her about your problems finding topic ideas for a particular niche. Start listing all the posts/articles, whatever you have written already. As you write these down, something magical seems to happen. While you are telling all of these troubles to your friend, a small epiphany happens. Now, you know exactly how you are going to start that next task. You may even have the first sentence and the beginnings of a title in mind.

Never Take a Break After You have Finished a Piece. Take that Break in the Middle.

Remember that blank page? You never want to see it again. You may complain that this schedule of breaks will cause you to lose focus. Actually, it won’t and it can help you move forward. When you take a break in the middle and come back, you will have to spend a few minutes reading what you have written so far. But in reading it, new thoughts may come, or you may discover a much more compelling or creative way to write something. So now finish it and begin your next task before you take another break.

Start Reading

When you’re stuck, start reading. Even if you have read everything about your client’s business and you have checked out all of the competitors, pull up some stuff about a related niche. Suppose you are writing for an interior design company. Think for a minute – what other businesses are related? Home improvement, painting companies, real estate, green residential energy, and so forth. Start reading their blogs. You may end up with several topics. I once wrote for a bed and mattress retailer and my file of topics was empty. I mean, once you have written 10 posts about mattresses, another 10 about bedding, several on pillow types and even more on sleep problems, what’s left? But when I hit upon a blog about going green, all of a sudden I had several topics related to making a bedroom green – I did a whole series and the client loved it.

Bonus Tip:

Where are You Writing?

Are you at your kitchen table? Are you sitting on the couch with a laptop literally on your lap? Then, you are not in a place that is going to get you maximum focus and productivity. You need a dedicated space to write. And that means in a chair with your laptop on a small table or desk. Notice I said small. The reason is that there should be nothing else there – just you, your best friend (your laptop), and your files. It’s a mental thing, really.

Writing for a living is not easy, despite what others may thing. If the ideas and words aren’t flowing, no money is being made. And when you ever get frustrated enough to even think about a “real” job, as they say, just remember what that option is. You won’t still be in your sweats with your coffee at 10:00 a.m.

By: Julie Ellis - Money & Freelance -, - Writing - Tags: article writing, blog writing, blogging topics for teenagers, freelance writing, increase productivity in business, interesting blog topics to write about, writing

26 Oct 2015

4 Productivity Tools Every Freelancer Must Have

If you are self-employed, then you are probably doing several different jobs all at the same time. In addition to doing whatever it is that your business is focused on, you also need to worry about accounts, marketing and general administration. These are all things which can place a significant demand on your time.

The good news is that there are some great productivity tools out there which will make the day to day running of your business easier, here is a few of our favorites.

Expensify

This handy tool lets you snap photographs of your receipts, making keeping track of day to day expenses much easier. The information on the receipts will be processed and recorded in electronic format so you can easily generate reports.

Sidekick

Sidekick is a tool that tells you when your emails are opened, and help you keep track of ongoing conversations. It is great for people who do a lot of their work via email, and is far more powerful than a standard read receipt.

Wrike

Wrike is a team-based, powerful to-do list tool that is also really useful for people who are working alone. You can save web addresses or parts of pages, define tasks, and assign them to specific days. If you struggle to prioritize an ever-growing list of jobs, then this is the perfect way to combat that.

Pushbullet

Pushbullet is the ultimate notification and feed reader tool. Do you need to keep up to date with the latest news in your job? Do you need to control multiple social media feeds? Do you work on more than one device? If so, Pushbullet gets your projects to flow and makes sure that you are always in the know.

If you’re self-employed then you’re probably doing a number of different jobs all simultaneously. Again, these are things which can place a substantial demand on your time and effort.

The good news is that we now have some great efficiency tools out there, as explained above, which can help your business run a bit easier. All of the above tools are available in free trial format , and some have premium options for power users.

What are some of your favorite productivity tools for freelancers? Be sure to share them below.

By: mcdice18967 - Money & Freelance -, - Writing - Tags: article writing, best blog topics to write about, blog writing, freelance writing, freelance writing for money, freelance writing gigs for beginners, freelance writing sites, freelancers writers, how to start freelance writing

8 Oct 2015

Sound Words Of Advice On Article Marketing

It is easy to get intimidated by the demands of article marketing. This is especially true if you’ve had no experience in this type of work. You need to learn a lot of things, and do a lot of trial and error in order to be good at it. This article can help you remain optimistic about your success.

Research various things to figure out what ads in your campaign will really attract the most attention. Do not hesitate to alternate them occasionally, and make use of differing versions with different looks. Trial and error will help you find the best content for your client base.

As your article marketing resources expand, make sure that your articles are extensively cross-referenced to each other. Do not make links between articles just for the sake of linking, but try to take advantage of every reasonable possibility where one article would support another. A well cross-referenced web of article links will boost your readership significantly.

Have a point and then get to it. Readers want you to do something with your article, whether it be solving problems, answering questions or devising new solutions. Keep this in mind as you write your article to stay on track and give your audience what they deserve, which is a well-written article, helping them with a subject they’re interested in.

For article marketing campaigns incorporating a blog, soliciting guest bloggers can increase traffic. By inviting a respected blogger to post to their blogs, savvy article marketers can draw in fresh readers and increase their overall exposure. Guest blogging works best when both the guest and the host have a reputation for providing helpful, trustworthy articles.

By adding pictures that are relevant to the article one can provide an eye catching addition the the article to increase its marketing potential. However one needs to be sure that the picture does not make up the content but simply supplement the existing article content so the information is still there.

It is important that you stick to the topic that was asked for. Many sites do not want to use an article that rants on and on about a totally different article. If you are unsure of what to write about a specific topic, you can always ask the requester for more information.

After you have written your article, it is important to focus your attention on promoting your article or else you have done all of that hard work for nothing. You can promote your article on Twitter or share a link to it on Facebook. Also, have your friends tell your friends.

Use numbers and/or bullets in your article. This will make the main points easier for your audience to read and digest. It will also help to make your article visually interesting. Readers are more likely to pay close attention and stay with your article until the end.

There are steps that need to be followed in order to achieve success in article marketing. Take the tips described in this article and apply them to further your own business. If you work hard and stay focused, you can make a successful article marketing business happen

By: kevinmclain2 - Blogging -, - Money & Freelance -, - Writing - Tags: "affiliate marketing", article marketing, article writing, blog writing, freelance writing, freelance writing for money, freelance writing gigs for beginners, freelance writing sites, marketing, writing gigs for money

20 Mar 2015

Getting Back the Passion for Writing

Don’t Put that Pencil Down Just Yet!

Several years ago I wrote a novel. My friends and family members read it, loved it, and urged me to get it off to publishers right away. I did. The rejection notices began to show up in my mailbox almost daily – all those self-addressed envelopes with the “canned” letter wishing me well. Undaunted, I sent out at least a hundred more queries – same results. One small nibble, however, excited me so much that I began the sequel immediately. The nibble turned to nothing, and I went back to focusing on my “day job” and said, “I’m done!”

When the Passion is Gone

It’s depressing to lose a passion for something. Rejection was the cause of mine; the cause for yours may be something else. Whatever it is, it can be overcome, and the passion can return if you are willing to take some or all of the steps I did, once I decided to give it another try.

Take a short break from writing, but put a time frame on that break. Mark on your calendar the day that you will begin writing again.
During your “break,” keep a notepad or your mobile device with you. When a thought or an idea pops up, make a note of it. Do nothing more.
Begin a journal, just to write down your experiences of the day and any reactions you have had to those experiences. The nice thing about this activity is that you don’t have to worry about being creative; you aren’t writing for anyone’s approval; you’re not trying to meet a deadline; and your writing is in very short spurts. You will soon be rather surprised how that journal becomes a pleasure each night and how you naturally begin to get back your “voice” and style.
Read a lot. Once I began to really read in earnest again, I began to say to myself, quite often, “My novel is better than what I am reading here,” or “I could have written this much better.” What happens is that you begin to get back the self-confidence that may have been shaken or hidden over the past few weeks or months.
Find some short writing jobs for money. Money will not take the place of passion, to be sure, but it does put you “back in the game,” at least a little. I began by tutoring high schoolers who had to write essays for their English classes. I then took a few tasks writing some guest blog posts and articles. And a funny thing happened. One day, as I was waiting in the dentists’ office and writing up a blog post that was due that evening, it dawned on me that people did find my writing talent and skill valuable – after all, they were paying me for it! That ego boost was huge for me.
If your passion was once fiction, look around you. How many people have you met or do you know who could be characters in a short story or novel? How may crazy and delicious scenes could you imagine? I began doing it in my neighborhood – the couple across the street who were getting a divorce; the single guy a few doors down who had an unending trail of female guests. When I went out to eat, I was an impossible “eavesdropper” on the conversations at neighboring tables. Even family members became fodder for my crazy mental excursions. It was such fun that I began to develop events and people into short stories.
Start your own blog: It doesn’t have to be about writing. What other interests do you have? Mine happen to be gardening and music, so I started two. While they never generated any big following, I was forcing myself to write, and they served that purpose quite well.
Allow yourself not to finish a piece of writing. Of course, if that writing is for someone else and a deadline approaches, you cannot stop. But if you are writing for your own ultimate publication, give yourself the luxury of putting something away, whether you ever get back to it or not. I have files of unfinished writing on my desktop to which I may or may not return. The point is, I am writing.

If you have noticed a common thread among all of these suggestions, you should – it is that you must just write. You cannot get your passion back by feeling sorry for yourself; you cannot get it back by avoiding it; and you can’t get it back if don’t pick up that pencil!

I can happily state that my novel eventually did get published, and I am now deep into its sequel. Had I not forced myself to “stay in the game,” however, that book would still be just a file on my desktop!

By: Julie Ellis - Money & Freelance -, - Writing - Tags: article writing, blog writing, freelance writing, make money writing, Motivation, writing passion

4 Oct 2014

Simple Tips to Write Attention-grabbing Content

Creating content that attracts eyeballs is all you desire to achieve as a blogger, right?

But how is this made possible and how do you manage to provide your community of readers with new content?

It has happened to me on several occasions, and I am sure no one wants to encounter writer’s block!

You strive to get ideas that help you create intriguing or informative blog posts or articles.

But wait. How do you manage to write attention grabbing content each day?

Like an experienced writer or journalist, I maintain a swipe file and a list of categories on my blog that I require to write. This helps me organize content while focusing on my editorial calendar.

But what happens when none of them fail to help create sparkling content that informs or entertains readers?

Here is a list that will help you create thought provoking content that will keep your readers coming to your site or blog.

1. Interview industry experts in your niche. Everyone appreciates recognition in one way or another. Interviews will help you leverage the power of influencers in your niche. You can choose to conduct an interview face-to-face, by phone, via chat or email. Once you are done, you may use excerpts or full transcripts as content.
Proven Tip: Remember to highlight your influencer to readers using an image and a link.

2. Curate third party content. If you don’t understand what this means, you can find more on how to curate content here. This is a great way to provide interesting and valuable information to your community. You can curate content regularly through products or sharing a roundup of the best content from around your niche.
Proven Tip: Add a link to the author’s name in your blurb and let them know about it. This allows them to help you in the promotion thus maximizing the reach of your content.

3. Engage your readers in discussions. Martin Reed will always tell you this. Your readers are your community. Utilize them to make the most of what they can possibly contribute, since the best ideas always won’t come from you. Your community readers will always have questions or contribute to discussions related to your post or a product on your blog – you don’t need to sit and help them think about what they need to say. You only need to collect their discussions or questions and respond.
Proven Tip: Ensure you add a link to your email where your clients can get back to you with their questions. This enables you to carry on with the discussion.

4. Inform or provide value to your prospects. It’s no fuss, but most readers online conduct online research before taking further action. For this reason, write content that informs or provides value to your readers while highlighting your product or service at the same time. Make them understand more about your services or products through enhancing your content with images and videos. Some community members are more likely to understand you better through visuals. Don’t underestimate this aspect, which may seem obvious to you.

5. Provide useful resources. It may take time to come up with a resource list, but it’s worth it. People love the idea that everything that they are looking for is contained in one place. Collect all the information about your products or services that you consider to be necessary and offer your readers.
Proven Tip: Create a list of information that is long as it gives the impression that it is comprehensive.

6. Write reviews. Your opinion about a service or product is important to your readers. Opinion can either be positive or negative. Try sharing useful information with your community readers about services or products. This is easy if you are a blogger or own a community website such as forums.
Proven Tip: Disclose to your readers if you benefit in any way from the content they are reading. This could be revenue you earn from advertising or affiliates.

These steps are related in a way that they try to help you derive ideas outside the box. At one point, you are likely to face challenges and get stuck with your writing. But don’t panic, sometimes you only need to look at things from a different perspective to be able to move on.

What do you do when you encounter writer’s block? Share your ideas by leaving me a comment below.

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By: Enock Machodi - Blogging - Tags: best blog topics to write about, blog writing, blogging topics for students, blogging topics for teenagers, freelance writing, good blog topics to write about, interesting blog topics to write about, personal blogging topics, popular blogging topics, Searches related to blogging topics to write about