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Copyblogger

• Want More Readers? Try Expanding Your Internet Universe 6 July, 2010, 7:24 am
  Ever notice how everyone on the blogs you read seems to agree on everything? We all know that content is king, that transparency is good, that sleazy sales pages are bad. We even seem to know the same people: Brian, Sonia, Naomi, Johnny, Dave N, Chris G. What we forget is that this little galaxy we’re occupying is only a tiny sliver of the universe. And if we want to expand our audience, we need to start boldly going beyond our own safe little corner. I was recently exploring some strange new worlds on the Internet, places I hadn’t ever been before. On this particular journey, I wasn’t looking for content, but for patterns and themes. Here’s what I found: Blog and site designs in the rest of the Internet universe are quite different. We might think that Thesis, Headway, and Frugal themes are everywhere — but they aren’t. Their presentation patterns are different. There are many more implementations of left-column, three-column, and, occasionally, one-column layouts. The way they display banners and advertising is considerably different. Highlighter much? The fake yellow highlighter we make fun of here as being ridiculously old hat is a common, accepted tool to focus attention. There are far, far fewer comments on posts, even on “big” sites, than what you’re used to seeing in our galaxy. The blogs you see on “everyone’s” blogroll simply don’t appear. Their trends and pattern are different. They’re not necessarily worse, and they’re not necessarily better. We’re in a hot, flat, and crowded galaxy We often forget that the Internet is a network of data. Instead, we focus on sites that are just individual nodes in that vast network, and we mistake the part for the whole. We don’t really understand what’s going on, because we don’t have a good mental picture of it. It’s too big to get our heads around. The particular galaxy that we’re in is pretty dense, heavily-populated, and interconnected. We read each other’s stuff, link heavily, and have backchannel conversations. This interconnectedness and density creates a strong gravity well of ideas, patterns, and themes. We’re just one galaxy, though. Some galaxies are as tight as ours and others aren’t. But there’s so much space between us that what we do here hasn’t quite reached them yet, like the light from distant stars that takes millions of years to reach the earth. We’re prone to assume that if we don’t perceive something, it doesn’t exist. Bad assumption. Seeking out new civilizations If you’re reading this, you’re probably a bit more on your game. People who write effective copy that’s SEO-friendly do better both in search engine results and in getting readers engaged. If you’re here reading this, it’s probably because you want to make your site better, and because you know where and how to find good information about that. That makes you different than most inhabitants of the other galaxies. Just remember that what’s known and common here isn’t known and common elsewhere. In other galaxies, there’s no launch fatigue as we know it. There’s no third tribe. (Or first tribe, or second tribe.) Hell, there might not even be a Seth Godin. Forget about “fields of opportunities.” There are whole galaxies of opportunities for you out there. While the particular aesthetic styles might be different, the principles of effective copywriting and SEO are universal. You don’t have to lower your standards just because the new galaxies you’re exploring seem to have less-evolved ideas of what makes a good blog. To put it another way, visiting Rome doesn’t turn you into Caligula. Instead of waiting around for the citizens of other galaxies to come to you, go to them instead. Tips for interstellar explorers Instead of using StumbleUpon in the usual robotic way, actually stop at a promising new website and get engaged. Hang around. See who they’re connected to. Be useful, relevant, and helpful there rather than on your own website or in your usual galaxy. Click through to a commenter’s website, then click an interesting, unfamiliar link there. Repeat that a few times. Follow your curiosity and you’ll probably find yourself in a third- or fourth-degree network from yours. Which pretty much puts you in the land of painted green dancing girls and monsters made from scraps of industrial carpeting. It’s in those networks that you’re going to find your new readers. It’s also in those networks that you can really become next years’ A-lister, because A-lists are all relative to particular social networks. If you’re happy where you are, then, by all means, stay put. Keep farming your own home planet. But if your curiosity and ambition aren’t satisfied with that, consider this: Someone out there in the Internet-universe is struggling with something you learned three years ago. What do they need, where are they, and how can you help them? About the Author: Charlie Gilkey writes about meaningful action, creativity, and entrepreneurship at Productive Flourishing. Follow him on Twitter to get bite-sized slices of mojo.
• We’re Taking the Summer Off… 5 July, 2010, 6:41 am
  Well, not the whole summer. But we are giving ourselves a break. We spend a lot of time teaching people how to build smart, sustainable businesses with content. The kind of businesses that give us enough free time to have some decent work-life balance. After all, working your own schedule, to suit your own life, is one of the biggest benefits of running a business, right? Then it occurred to us — hm, maybe we should take some of our own advice. Many folks in the U.S. are taking today off for the Independence Day holiday, and we’re going to join them. And tomorrow we start our official summer schedule. We’ll post three terrific articles a week: Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Then from Thursday through Sunday, enjoy a long summer weekend. Go for a bike ride, have lunch with friends, go to the zoo with your kids, maybe throw in a picnic or two. Yes, continue to work on and grow your business. But balance that out with all the other great stuff in your life. In other words, have a terrific summer — we only get so many of them. (Special note for our readers in Australia, where it is currently winter. Um, sorry. Maybe go for some relaxing sleigh rides on the beach?) Already pining for your Copyblogger fix? Feed your addiction by subscribing to the free Internet Marketing for Smart People newsletter. It’s all the cutting-edge marketing advice you’ve been craving, delivered hot and fresh to your email in-box. Even if you live in Australia. About the Author: Sonia Simone is Senior Editor of Copyblogger and the founder of Remarkable Communication.
• Johnny’s Copyblogger Wrap-Up: Week of June 28, 2010 3 July, 2010, 11:10 am
  After Brian didn’t run last week’s Wrap-up due to alleged technical issues, I got nervous and decided that I’d better secure my position around here by showing some evil initiative. Eventually, after agonizing seconds of brain-wracking agony, I got the idea to defraud advertisers. So I called Xerox. “This site has nothing to do with copying things,” the Xerox ad rep told me after clicking through a few posts. “Are you crazy?” I said. “‘Copy’ is in the title. We’re running a series this summer on the many joys of having handy multiples of any document. First up: Filing. Then: Passing brochures out to friends.” At that point, the Xerox rep hung up on me. So, while I ponder my next evil plan to secure my position at Copyblogger (and also to rule the entire tri-state area), you might as well read what happened this week: Monday: The Grateful Dead 4-Step Guide to the Magical Influence of Content Marketing I’ve never liked the Grateful Dead, so I laughed out loud at the joke Brian told in the intro to this post. But then I kept reading and realized that those stoned dudes DID in fact know a thing or two about content marketing, as strange as it may seem. It’s enough to make me contemplate the color of the wind in my mind. Woah… heavy. Think about it: Why would you possibly encourage bootlegging the way the Dead did? Because hippies or not, that band made a lot of money doing their thing and gained a ton of notoriety. So either it was chance, or they knew what they were up to from the beginning. Either way, I’ll bet they liked brownies. Read on to find out how you can learn to be just as effective, and also maybe how you can get these huge pink elephants in my office to go away. I tried reading poetry to them, but that only made them turn into tie-dyed screwdrivers that begin disassembling the injustices of the world while Hendrix showed me the true path to zen neuroticism. Read the full post here. Tuesday: Charles Bukowski and the Secret to Immortal Writing As a budding student of diabolical evil, I really related to what Robert Bruce wrote about Charles Bukowski, “I’ve only spent a few minutes with his now 16-year-old corpse lying in San Pedro.” Which is so funny because I was just lying around with several corpses I have here yesterday, albeit ones far less famous than Bukowski’s. What a coincidence! What Robert learned from his chat with Bukowski’s corpse (I’m not totally certain here and may have that detail wrong; I was reading this post while hang gliding into a coral reef while on fire) was one tiny little should-be-obvious maxim that can make all the difference for anyone struggling to improve their writing. You don’t need a big instruction manual. You can’t just focus on hooks and structure and whatnot. You need to truly pay attention to one little thing. I forgot what that one thing is, though. You’ll have to read to find out. I’d look for myself, but I can’t right now because I’m writing this while fighting reanimated mummies with nunchucks. Read the full post here. Wednesday: The 7 Essential Steps to Creating Your Content Masterpiece Finally, a handy guide to keep your blog from being used to wrap discarded fish! This post by Mark McGuinness is all about how to make your content last longer, and how to get the most out of your writing. You can write a stream of mediocrity with no real plan for use and have people forgetting your stuff the day after you write it, or you can find ways to use it as part of a whole that becomes your content masterpiece. Just like Bach and that large poodle he wore on his head had going for them. Honestly: How are you going to do any real evil in the world if nobody remembers what you do and instead uses your stuff to wrap fish and chips? Read the full post here. Thursday: Landing Page Makeover Clinic #27: HiddenSoy.com In this latest installment of the Landing Page Makeover Clinic, Roberta Rosenberg turns her watchful eye on HiddenSoy.com, a site dedicated to sniffing out (wait for it) the hidden dangers of soy in everyday foods — soy being something the site’s owner isn’t a fan of and doesn’t exactly think is health food, to put it mildly. In this post, Roberta gives her 10-point critique of the site’s landing page, identifying ways that it can better convert visitors into more sales of the book The Hidden Dangers of Soy. But the bigger question (one that remains unasked and therefore suspiciously unanswered) is “WHO exactly is behind this nefarious soy plot?” Because it’s a sublimely evil plot, on par with a scheme to SET FIRE TO THE SUN! And what’s their purpose? Is it to decrease consumption of animal protein? Is it about eliminating a soy surplus? Does it have anything to do with “big laundry?” (I forgot what that means, but I promise you it’s evil.) Anyway, check this post out if for no other reason than to fight Big Soy. It’s more important than just you or me. Read the full post here. Friday: The Writer Runs This Show Friday’s post was kind of poetic, so it doesn’t lend itself well to me writing a teaser other than for me to say “read it,” so I’ll just offer two quick things before repeating that you should read it: 1. Stephen King said “The book is the boss,” and Brian Clark said, “The writer runs this show.” Coincidence? Or are they the same person? Yet another unsolved and persistent mystery. 2. If I were invited to a dinner party thrown by zombies, I’d never go. Aside from the constant worry over whether I was there FOR dinner or AS dinner, I’ll bet the whole situation would be really awkward. And you know the conversation would be absolutely terrible: “So, where do you and the family summer?” “Brains!” You get the idea. Anyway, read brains Brian’s manifesto on the real importance of writing here. About the Author: Johnny B. Truant is a cartoonish supervillain who blogs at JohnnyBTruant.com and is behind many extraordinarily evil schemes involving space laser-inators and giant baking soda volcanos.
• The Writer Runs This Show 2 July, 2010, 6:46 am
  We have the technology. We have the business skills. We have virtual ink by the barrel. The writer runs this show. We’re the ones who command the attention. We’re the ones who create the engagement. We’re the ones who influence what people think and do. The writer runs this show. We won’t toil in obscurity waiting for a green-light. We won’t submit to “creativity” by committee. We won’t accept meager pay while others cash in our copyright. The writer runs this show. If you won’t read until your eyes blur. If you won’t write more to write well. If you won’t invest the blood, sweat, and tears . . . Then you’ll have to work with real writers. And pay those writers exceptionally well. If they have the time, that is. Because the writer runs this show. About the Author: Brian Clark is founder of Copyblogger and co-founder of Thesis, Scribe, Premise, Third Tribe, Lateral Action and Teaching Sells.
• Landing Page Makeover Clinic #27: HiddenSoy.com 1 July, 2010, 7:31 am
  This is another addition to our ongoing series of tutorials and case studies on landing pages that work. Most days I just don’t know what’s safe to eat or drink, but I’ve always thought that soy was a better, more nutritious choice for my protein needs — didn’t you? More vegan and all that. Well, that’s not the way Dianne Gregg sees it. In fact, she thinks the stuff is downright dangerous to your health and well-being. Ever wonder how much soy is actually lurking in the food we eat, unannounced and unidentified? Dianne has the goods on that info, too, and she wants to share. She’s got a blog, a newsletter, and a book. She wants more subscribers and she wants to sell more books. For the purposes of this makeover, we want to focus on growing her subscriber base. Grow the subscribers and the book sales will follow. The Goal: Increase subscription rate to 100 new subscribers weekly toward the overall goal of converting subscribers into buyers for her book, The Hidden Dangers of Soy. The Problem: Need more traffic, unable to directly track sales from promotional efforts, including social networking, article writing, blogs, etc. The Current Landing Page (homepage): hiddensoy.com Value: $17.95 (a little cheaper at Amazon) & $10.50 e-book Click image for larger view The Maven’s 10-Point Critique #1 — Focus your readers’ attention with a strong establishing headline. Your content doesn’t offer a clear entry point (I’ve highlighted the different areas where you dance all around it) where you connect the dots for the visitor. You need a strong headline to tie it all together, like: “Could All the So-Called “Healthy” Soy You’ve Been Eating Actually Be Making You and Your Family Sick?” (A variant for moms could be: “Could All the So-Called “Healthy” Soy You’ve Been Giving Your Family Actually Be Making Them (and You!) Sick?”) It’s not enough to just present the danger; you need to make it personal. #2 — Focus your content on the single most important thing you want visitors to do. Here’s a heat map I did for your current site. (Courtesy of Feng-Gui.com.) Notice how your newsletter sign-up area doesn’t light-up at all. The main focus is on your book cover and your headshot. If the goal is to increase newsletter sign-ups, then all content — directly and indirectly — needs to support the visitor from first view to action. Your current content is a disorganized hodge-podge with no clear path from A to B. You need to put your book and its ancillaries in a secondary position and push your newsletter forward. Also, does your newsletter have an actual title? I couldn’t tell from your current content. If not, give it one. Add “Dianne Gregg’s” in front of the name, just like you did the website. #3 — Focus your content on building your authority and credibility for the topic. Since you’re focusing on you and your expertise, you want to give your visitors enough info on your experience, background, quality of information you present, etc. Starting with your personal story is fine, but you want to bring in scientific and medical experts as well as fans to support your expertise in this space. You do this in your book section, but there’s no reason why these kudos wouldn’t apply as general testimonials, as well. Use them that way. Get them on the homepage where they’ll do you some good, as well as a separate section on the navigation. (Please note that a poorly written testimonial from a medical professional undercuts its value to you. All testimonials — from experts and just folks — should be written in clean and properly spelled standard English.) I like the audio player. I might consider doing a video intro, as well. #4 — Provide intuitive paths for your visitor to move around the site. If you’re going to use your homepage as your main landing page, you need to have a navigation strategy that organizes your content for your visitor in a common-sense way. Right now, you have ZIPPO navigation which makes moving through the site a tedious, frustrating exercise, even for the most committed soy-information seeker. Here’s a recommended first pass: HOME PUBLICATIONS Newsletter Book TESTIMONIALS ARTICLES RESOURCES BLOG ABOUT DIANNE CONTACT You have a lot of content on the site that could easily be thrown into these or equivalent buckets. Don’t make your visitors hunt for what they need. #5 — Rethink and reorganize your homepage/website from the ground up. Detecting a theme here? Sites that do a great job of organizing their content through intuitive navigation and clean, supportive design make for a comfortable and pleasant visitor experience. The easier and more pleasant the visit is, the longer the visitor stays on your site and engages with your message. I found this simple WordPress blog template (courtesy of Notepad Theme Demo at IThemes) that provided a reasonably good format as a jumping off point for a possible redesign. Click image for larger view What works well here is that it allows you to highlight several different inputs for visitors to interact with, yet still focuses the primary attention on newsletter sign-up and you. #6 — Rework the current banner. Most people, including myself, wouldn’t know a soybean from a chick pea. I don’t think the image of the soybeans underscores the ‘dangerous food’ motif. I’d substitute a new banner that’s clean, clear and forceful about your topic. #7 — Clarify your calls to action. Right now, your call to action focuses on “Send me free stuff.” There’s no connection to the benefits of your topic (I want to stay healthy) or even that I’m getting a monthly newsletter (Subscribe or Join us now). Again, connect the dots for your visitor. Remind me of the value of what you offer and how great it is that I’m going to get this important health information every month — free. #8 — Clarify the newsletter specifics. I read your newsletter page several times and wasn’t sure how the newsletter was formatted or what information/regular features came with it. If this was a print publication, you’d talk in terms of number of pages, size, a number of main articles and a few regular features. So using this as a model, how can you translate this kind of detail to a description of your digital newsletter? Give your prospects specifics. Design a cover visual and pop a thumbnail into the newsletter box on the homepage. Make it real. #9 — Clarify the bonuses new subscribers get. You offer a ton of free information for a sign-up (as noted on one of your interior pages), but I’m not sure what format they’re in. Are they individual reports? Articles? Separate emails? Again, be specific. Don’t just list a title and call it done. Add 1-2 sentences of description and detail. Add a value to each bonus offering, as well. Tally them up, restate the value of good health in the face of lies, and make a strong call to action that makes the prospect ‘gotta have it’ — and wrap it all with a big fat call to action button. #10 – Strengthen your SEO title and description (critical). I did a quick search for “soy risks” on Google and you were nowhere to be found. That’s because your pages are missing those super important SEO title and meta descriptions. Here are your current listings: The Hidden Dangers of Soy; Dianne Gregg Here’s another way of going about it: Health Dangers of Soy, Are You At Risk? Get Free Newsletter | Dianne Gregg Do your keyword research. What are the words and phrases people use to find your info? Those are the words and phrases that will form your site glossary for content as well as SEO and make it easier for people to find you. My thanks to Dianne Gregg for her supreme patience and support of Heifer International. Look for my next makeover in about 4 weeks. Want your own Copywriting Maven landing page makeover? Got a landing page that’s more poop than pop? Need to get better results from your online marketing? If you’re interested in a private page makeover, site audit, or other services, please email Roberta directly. About the Author: Roberta Rosenberg is The Copywriting Maven at MGP Direct, Inc. Find her @CopywriterMaven on Twitter.
• Johnny’s Copyblogger Wrap-Up: Week of June 7, 2010 12 June, 2010, 1:51 pm
  The following is a transcript of the Copyblogger editorial meeting in Austin, Texas, on June 8, 2010. BRIAN CLARK: I’ve had it up to here with Johnny Marr. Having him write the Weekly Wrapup was a big mistake. Always with the scones; constantly with the scones. He ordered five dozen of them to eat with his tea and then still ate my danish. Then he started throwing the stale scones out the window, to knock pigeons off the ledge. SONIA SIMONE: I’m tired of the Smiths references. Jon told a joke the other day and Marr said, “That joke isn’t funny anymore. It’s too close to home and it’s too near the bone.” Then he read one of my posts and commented, “Bigmouth strikes again.” Let’s face it: Time for a new Johnny. JON MORROW: We could get Johnny Thunders. Or Johnny Cash. Or Johnny Bravo. SS: Dead. Dead. Cartoon. JM: Johnny Carson. Johnny Rotten. Johnny Knoxville. Johnny Depp. The Johnny from that weird book about a study about a film about a house. SS: Dead, British, insane, charges $16 million to show up. Don’t know the last one. BC: [Sigh] I’ll just call Truant. Maybe I can keep him in line with those photos I have of him. You know the ones I mean – with the walruses. SS: Okay, next item on the agenda: Adding a “chicken farming” module to Teaching Sells. All in favor? So, to hail the triumphant return of Johnny B. Truant … here’s what happened this week on Copyblogger: Monday: Are You Too Lazy to Write Less? Chris Garrett wrote this short post about the value of brevity in promotional or sales copy. How long should something be? Long enough to get your point across… and that’s it. So if you were writing a teaser about this post, you might say that the post was about why brevity sells, and then stop writing. Read the full post here. P.S: In person, Chris kind of sounds like Ringo Starr, so this post is even more fun if you hear it in Ringo’s voice. Tuesday: How to Use Stories to Change the World Cheers go to Maggie Lemere and Zoë West for their project to share the stories of the people of Burma (who can’t efficiently share their own stories). On the other hand, jeers go to Maggie Lemere and Zoë West for writing a post that I can’t joke about while writing about it for the Wrap-Up. I could possibly go the Ralphie May route and say something stupid and then say how I understand, that a lot of people died in that joke. But instead I’ll say that I’m pretty happy to be able to make my stupid jokes freely and to not worry too terribly much about being shot for no reason. Then I’ll say that you should read this post, and that if you have any more thoughts about spreading the stories of the voiceless, you should really hop in on the comments and share them. Read the full post here. Wednesday: How to Rescue Your Readers from Purchase Paralysis There must be some seriously scared people around here recently. I mean, I got fired for missing the second of a 2-part fear post, and now this one by James Chartrand about frightening your customers. Or I guess helping them out of their fear — although I prefer to jump out at them wearing goblin masks and wielding a a bloody machete, which is basically the same concept. Whether you’re a firefighter trying to get someone out of a burning building or a marketer trying to get someone over their hesitation to buy, the concepts are the same. You have to acknowledge their fear and help them to move anyway. Then you have to dangle several stories above a raging inferno from the arm of Kurt Russell while he says, “You go, we go!” in a heroic fashion*. You want your customers to move out of paralysis and buy? Then set a building on fire. You heard it here first. * “You go, we go!” is distinct and different from Yu-Gi-Oh!” Read the full post here. Thursday: Play Connect-the-Dots to Win at Online Marketing In this post, Sonia Simone cleverly tries to act as if she doesn’t spend hours each day doing connect-the-dot pictures by talking about it in the past sense. But the thing she says about connecting the dots in order to create a REAL pony? Yeah, she’s literally hoping that’s going to happen. She’ll deny it, but it’s true. In an online marketing context, connecting the dots is all about taking free stuff and putting it together to form a cogent marketing or business strategy without spending any (or much) money. You can get a great education from free stuff tossed out by smart content marketers, but you’ve gotta know how to go from one to the other as if you were turning dots into a picture of SpongeBob Squarepants, so read on. (Incidentally, this post made me think of Pee-Wee Herman singing “Connect the dots, la-la-la-la-la,” and now it’s stuck in your head, too. You’re welcome.) Read the full post here. Friday: What All Content Creators Need to Learn From Roger Ebert Just to show how totally out of the loop I am, I had no idea that Roger Ebert had a bout with cancer until I read this post by Mark Dykeman. And when I read the line about how he can’t talk, eat, or drink, I thought, “Wow, that would really suck.” But then you get an analysis like this one and you kind of walk away getting the impression that while it almost certainly DOES suck sometimes, losing a lot of his jaw doesn’t really keep a dude like Ebert down. Which leads to the lessons for the rest of us. You know, most of us being able to talk, eat, and drink, but still not pulling off what Ebert does, or even giving it nearly the effort that he has. If you’re creative in any way (or trying to be) or if you develop any kind of content (or are trying to do so), you should really read this to see what you can learn from a survivor. Read the full post here. About the Author: Johnny B. Truant has a dumb blog at JohnnyBTruant.com and is one of the guys behind Question the Rules. You should also really check out his Jam Sessions with Charlie Gilkey, because they’re filled with tasty informational nuggets that will make your business better.
• What All Content Creators Need to Learn From Roger Ebert 11 June, 2010, 6:18 am
  Roger Ebert’s name is synonymous with movie reviews. Many of us remember him bantering with Gene Siskel on the TV shows Sneak Previews and At the Movies. But he doesn’t banter much anymore. He lost his ability to speak due to complications of thyroid cancer in 2006. Ebert may have lost the lower part of his jaw, but he hasn’t lost his voice. He continues to receive new acclaim and appreciation for the quality and feeling of his writing in books, newspaper reviews, and criticism. It shows a deep sense of character. But it also shows a few other valuable traits we as content creators would be wise to develop in ourselves. Keep a sense of humor I’m sure Ebert must have some bad days. He can’t speak, eat, or drink. But it never affects the quality of his writing. His words continue to sparkle and shine with life. He receives continual praise for the power of his insights and the humor sprinkled within his work. Ebert’s recent criticism of Glenn Beck show that his wit and sensibility are still strong. He doesn’t go for the laugh-out-loud moment, but he uses sharp observation and quiet humor to pull the reader in, as he does in The London Perambulator. Lesson: There is little in life that’s more valuable (to you and to your readers) than a sense of humor. Focus on what you can do well Ebert was a Pulitzer Prize-winning writer before becoming a famous film critic. Some people think his writing is even better since he lost the ability to speak. His ability to analyze and reflect on movies (or virtually any topic) is strong. He writes in a way that reaches both the average person and his peers. Ebert is rarely in front of cameras any more (his recent appearance on Oprah is a memorable exception), but he remains a prolific writer. He uses notepad and pen to communicate in person and the keyboard for larger audiences, and he communicates constantly. Profiled recently in Esquire magazine, Ebert offered up a journal entry to explain the power of writing: When I am writing my problems become invisible and I am the same person I always was. All is well. I am as I should be. Lesson: Be thankful for what you can do well. Do it as long and as vigorously as you can. Be honest Ebert has plenty to complain about. For that matter, so would a couple of other smart guys like, say, Jon Morrow or Stephen Hawking. None of them is wasting his time whining, though. They’ve had their fair share of happiness and fulfillment. They all enjoy what they do and they are damned good at it. They don’t look for pity. They are sincere when they say that they are doing what they love to do. The Esquire article features a small picture of a Post It note written by Ebert: There is no need to pity me. Look how happy I am. This has led to an exploring of writing. In his post Putting a Better Face on Things, Ebert gives a frank and insightful look into his feelings about reconstructive surgery and prosthetics. Ebert’s journal has produced close to half a million words of honesty that are touching thousands, if not millions, of readers. Lesson: Use your life experiences to fuel your work and offer others education and inspiration. Be forthright and frank whenever you talk about yourself. Let your passion save and sustain you Ebert makes this point loud and clear in the Esquire article: Writing is what saves him. His journaling has led to a gripping and moving exploration of the art of writing. Writing provides him with continued purpose in trying circumstances. How many people is he inspiring with this new phase of work? Millions? Can you do the same? It’s worth thinking about, isn’t it? Lesson: Your passion can carry you through hardships. If even a fraction of that passion spills into your content, the potential to build your audience and develop true fans is huge. Don’t phone it in. Bare your soul. Engage. And follow the examples set by the greats like Ebert. They know how it’s done. About the Author: Mark Dykeman is the founder and main brain of Thoughtwrestling, a blog devoted to developing ideas and bringing them to life. He is the author of the award-winning blog Broadcasting Brain. His work has appeared in numerous blogs, including Mashable.com, Dumb Little Man, Pick The Brain, Copyblogger, and more.
• Play Connect-the-Dots to Win at Online Marketing 10 June, 2010, 10:18 am
  Remember those puzzles you used to do when you were six or seven? That mass of dots and numbers on a page just looked like a mess. But when you went through and connected dot 1 to dot 2, moving on through dots 100 and 101, you wound up with a picture of a pony. You might think you’ve outgrown connect-the-dots. But actually, it’s one of the most important strategies for online entrepreneurs and small businesses looking to build profits with online marketing. Learn to connect the dots in a smart and strategic way, and you could very well paint yourself a real pony. It’s not quite as easy as it was when you were six, but it’s still well within your grasp. Connect the dots from the best free content Content marketing is a massive trend that’s only getting stronger. And in the best content marketing, smart marketers will give you free material you can use right away to start creating great results. If your goal is to market your business, don’t overlook the value you can get from free information. Some terrific businesses have been built by acting on the advice found in free content. Benefiting from free content is all about connecting the dots. Take the great lead generation strategy from one source, connect it with the solid headline and conversion tactics from another, and wrap it up with some good social media sharing you learn on a third. It’s a bit like playing connect-the-dots without numbers. Challenging, but if you put the work in, it works. The real trick, though, isn’t finding great free stuff. It’s sifting out all the junk. The most important dot The most important dot to connect is this: Be sure you’re studying someone who’s worth your time. And there are very few marketing teachers out there who have changed more lives than Jeff Walker. Jeff’s the creator of a program called Product Launch Formula, which helped Brian connect his own dots, way back in 2005. Brian knew a lot about copywriting and marketing from his previous ventures, but it was PLF that showed him how to string everything together — to create not just great content, but also a great business powered by content. You owe it to yourself to watch Jeff’s free instructional videos. Jeff’s a teacher at heart, and he loves to give out quality information you can use to start improving your own marketing, even if you never spend a penny with him. You’ll do particularly well if you combine Jeff’s approach with what you learn here on Copyblogger. Click here to watch Jeff’s tutorial video, which he just posted today. About the Author: Sonia Simone is Senior Editor of Copyblogger and co-founder of Inside the Third Tribe.
• How to Rescue Your Readers from Purchase Paralysis 9 June, 2010, 7:05 am
  Ever been so scared you can’t move? It’s a common reaction to a really scary situation. We know we’re in trouble. We know we need to move. But we can’t seem to convince ourselves, so we do nothing. Some people make a living helping others out of tight spots like this one. Firefighters, for example, are trained in how to get in there and persuade the immobilized person that moving is a really good idea. The firefighter quickly establishes trust, speaks firmly with authority, and gives extremely clear and specific instructions. These persuasion strategies are the same as those used in persuasive copy. Making a decision about whether or not to buy a product is far less scary than being trapped in a burning building, but there are surprising similarities. Your ideal customer might do what you want him to do, but not without some waffling. He hesitates before clicking the Buy button … paralyzed by fear. So break out the tools of persuasion to help him out. Information is not persuasive Imagine you’re trapped in a burning building. Now imagine I come over and simply tell you a few logical reasons you should move. Fire is dangerous. The human body has not evolved to withstand the ambient temperatures inside a burning building. The fumes being produced are highly unhealthy. The building’s structure is likely to become unsound, which creates additional dangers. Those are all very good reasons to move. This is valuable information. But it doesn’t help you get out of that fear-based paralysis. Information alone isn’t enough. Persuasion isn’t about information or the facts. Very often, we already know the facts. Persuasion is about recognizing that the prospect’s fears are valid, and then allaying those fears. It’s about saying, Yeah, I know you’re in trouble and so damned scared you don’t know what to do, but if you listen to me, I can help. It’s about getting rid of the fear. Why is your reader afraid? Figuring out what scares your prospect is the copywriter’s first job. It’s (probably) not burning-building fear, but your readers do have fears. Maybe they’re afraid this product won’t solve their problem Maybe they’re afraid they’re going to throw money away (again) Maybe they’re afraid they won’t ever use your solution So speak to those fears. In a burning building, you’re scared of moving because being burned hurts like crazy, you can’t breathe too well, and you might die. Those are your current fears. They are big and valid, and factual data about fires won’t help you move. But if the firefighter starts talking to you in a calm, authoritative voice that convinces you he actually has a way out of this, you’re going to listen up. You’re ready to hear him say something that makes the whole situation less scary. He’ll probably give you some very specific instructions. You’re going to take just two steps forward, and I’m going to take your hand. Then I’m going to guide you out of here. Don’t focus on what’s going on around you. Just take my hand. You can tell he’s a professional, that he’s done this before, and that if you just stick with him and follow the clear instructions, you’re going to be all right. Sound familiar? Help prospects move beyond purchase paralysis It should. This is the core message of almost every piece of persuasive copy you’ve ever read. Hey, I know you’re afraid of buying this product because of (specific reasons). But you know what? It’s going to be okay. I’ve been where you are now, and I know the way out of here. So just take my hand, click on the button that says Add to Cart, and in just a moment you’ll have the solution that makes it all okay. Click the button and let’s get you out of this mess, okay? “Let’s get you out of this mess,” is the simple and satisfying underlying message. Here are the steps: Acknowledge and empathize with the prospect’s fear. Demonstrate that you’re trustworthy. Social proof helps; so does pre-selling with exceptional content. Convey your authority. Let the prospect know you can handle this kind of mess with ease. Let the prospect see what the way out looks like. Show the benefits of your solution. Give clear and specific instructions for what to do next. Persuasion is about saying: Stick with me, kid. We’ll get you to the solution, safe and sound. Most people are just waiting to be persuaded that they have nothing to fear. Good copywriting is about helping them make a move. About the Author: If you’re afraid of writing your own web copy, all you have to do is make one small step. Contact Men with Pens, and James will hold your hand all the way to web copy freedom.
• How to Have a Great Life and a Great Business 8 June, 2010, 10:50 am
  Check out this free 31-page PDF report called How to Have a Great Life and a Great Business (Especially if You’re Not the “Business” Type). It not only ties together the themes we’ve touched on so far in the Lateral Action Entrepreneur series, but also delivers practical ideas on starting a business that leads to more than just money. Here’s what you’ll discover: Why I quit my cushy law firm job and turned to online publishing. How I failed miserably. How I then succeeded miserably. How I learned my lesson the hard way. The allure of the global microbrand. The rise of the “feeder” business. Why small is beautiful (and powerful). The 37signals approach to market research. Real-life examples of “smartly small” entrepreneurs. Plus, you’ll get an examination of the 6 critical components of smart entrepreneurship: Create (Don’t Compete) Lead (Don’t Manage) Communicate (Don’t be Shy) Automate (Don’t Duplicate) Accelerate (Don’t Stand Still) Succeed (Don’t Stress) The report is available here. You’ll also get full optimized transcripts of our recent seminars with Steven Pressfield and Jason Fried. About the Author: Brian Clark is founder of Copyblogger and co-founder of Lateral Action. Get more from Brian on Twitter.