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The Reality Blog: Create a Command Center for Productivity

Written by Mindy Tyson-McHorse on March 8, 2010 · Leave a Comment

Dear fellow Web Writer,

Do you get edgy when you look at a box or a pile of things you need to follow through on?

I do. Or, I did — just the other day. But, not for the reason you’d think.

I was putting towels away in our bathroom and glanced at a big box full of papers and folders. (The box has been living in the bathroom since I decided to clean out my office so I could upgrade the furniture.)

I don’t even know what’s in the box. I vaguely remember designating it “the place to store important documents that eventually need to be filed,” but that was at least a year and a half ago. I haven’t touched it since.

NOTE: See The Complete Reality Blog Here

So it occurred to me, now that I’m getting organized and moving forward, that it’s about time I tackle the box. The thought made me instantly edgy, but not because I find filing dull. Rather, it’s because 1) I think I’m better off not knowing what’s in the box since I’m sure to find something I should have taken care of months ago, and 2) If I don’t have my box as my fall-back to-do item, what on earth will I do instead?

What’s Your Office Security Blanket?

Basically, I realized the box was like a security blanket. If I always have a box I need to sort or a pile of things to file, I’m saved from tackling potentially daunting writing projects.

I hadn’t realized how often I use clutter as a speed bump till I emptied out my office in anticipation of my new furniture. I ended up relocating several different bags and bins of various sizes, all of which at one time I deemed important to Read more »

The Reality Blog: Get Over Yourself and Admit You’re Good

Written by Mindy Tyson-McHorse on March 5, 2010 · 9 Comments

Close-up of a woman with glasses laughing while looking sideways Dear fellow Web Writer,

Have you ever thought you’d be at a certain point in life by the time you reached a specific age?

I did. For some reason, I thought when I turned thirty I’d be well-settled into life, with a good grip on my career and a solid understanding of who I am, what I’m doing, and where I’m going.

Well, today I did it. Turned thirty.

NOTE: See The Complete Reality Blog Here

And despite three whole decades under my belt, I still feel like a hatchling in a lot of ways.

But, even though I have heaps of misgivings about my lack of life knowledge, it’s been pointed out to me that I’ve actually been moving forward at a steady pace. What’s more, there’s a strong possibility that I’m good at what I do.

Trust me – I didn’t realize this on my own. I pretty much had to have it spelled out in front of me. But, I have a suspicion many of you are in the same boat as me and you’re a lot more advanced as web writers than you think.

Floundering Around Adds Up

The seed for my transformation took shape about a year ago, when I put up my first business website. I wanted to include samples of my work on the pages, so I started off by Googling the names of some of the professionals for whom I’d written marketing materials.

As I navigated to the websites of these past clients, I was delighted over and over again to see my copy pasted up there for the world to read. And, when I actually sat down to look at the finished result of each project, I was surprised at how many clients I had written copy for over the Read more »

How to Create and Promote Your First WordPress Blog (9) – Keyword Research

Written by Sid Smith on March 5, 2010 · 5 Comments

Now that you have your basic blog installed, a header image to your liking created, and your plugins uploaded and activated, it’s time to do your keyword research in preparation for “Blog Planning.”

First, a disclaimer. I am by no means an SEO expert. To really learn about SEO and SEO copywriting, you’ll want to get your hands on Heather Lloyd-Martin’s excellent training on the subject. She knows the field of SEO inside and out.

What follows comes from my experience of getting high rankings for my primary keywords.

Category Names

You’ll want to identify blog categories that use the right “Trigger Words” for your website visitor. Trigger words are the phrases that hook your visitor because it’s exactly what he or she is looking for.

For example, if you want a driver for your HP Laserjet 4600 printer, you’ll go to the HP website and click on any link that has the word “drivers.” Then, you’ll look for “Laserjet” and subsequently the model number.

Similarly, if you want to know how to get your dog to stop barking, you’ll do a search for “how to get my dog to stop barking” and will look for the trigger word “barking” or “stop barking” on the web page.

Because your navigation bar and/or sidebar typically include links to the various article categories you’ve defined, you want those category names to include the appropriate trigger words when possible.

Cute or clever category names don’t work well because the visitor has no idea what you mean. Same for category names that are too general, such as “Products” or “Services.” For example, if you look at the categories on the Wealthy Web Writer website, you’ll see that we tried to add trigger words, such as “Getting Clients” and “Getting Started.”

As you can see, Read more »

How to Be Yourself, Stand Above the Crowd, And Attract New Business Like Bears to Honey

Written by Sid Smith on March 4, 2010 · Leave a Comment

Mar ’10

3:00 pm

Date: March 26th

Time: 3:00PM (Eastern Time)

Presenter: Johnny B. Truant

The past year has been an exciting one for Johnny Truant.

A year ago, he hadn’t made a penny online. Today, he’s doing pretty well, and has started seeing a few five-figure months in his business.

Johnny went from a virtual unknown to a rising star on popular sites like Copyblogger and their new spinoff, The Third Tribe.

How did he do it?

He didn’t sell his soul to Google …

Johnny isn’t a super affiliate …

And he’s made only a few dollars with AdSense.

Johnny simply put it all out there. He created a likeable persona and established himself as something of an expert in online marketing and money-making websites.

While Johnny isn’t a writer, one of the things we can do as writers is to learn how others differentiate themselves, stand above the crowd, and get seen and heard in a hyper-busy online world.

Sid Smith will talk with Johnny about his story. We’ll discuss what worked for him, and what didn’t. We’ll discover how he managed to throw away the chains of “supposed to” and simply have fun on the way to building a profitable business.

Whether you’re trying to build a name for yourself as a B2B copywriter, or launching your first money-making website, this lively conversation will certainly give you a few brilliant ideas that you can apply immediately to your own business.

In this teleseminar, you’ll also learn:

The two factors Johnny believes have been most critical to his success …
Why “being yourself” will make you more money than trying to emulate your favorite guru …
How to quickly create your own products so that you make more money and sell more of your services …
How to make a good Read more »

One of My Favorite (High-Paying) Web-Writing Projects

Written by Roy Furr on March 3, 2010 · 4 Comments

Today I’m going to tell you about one of my favorite web-writing projects to make-money-online2 do for clients. This ranks among my favorites for a few reasons:

It’s a proven model I know works and that can generate maximum conversions and sales with less traffic. Leave a client to their own devices, they’re going to attempt to pay you the least amount of fees possible by recommending the smallest project possible, even if it means poor results. This system flips that on its head, gets them better results by providing a proven template, and lets you charge a higher fee for doing so.
It’s almost as easy to write multiple pieces of copy for a client as it is to write a single piece of copy. You gain efficiency when you’re writing multiple pieces of copy that build on, stem from, and are adaptations of each other.
It can be customized for almost any client in almost any industry. I do most of my work with publishers and event promoters, and it definitely works for them. I’ve also implemented this in the high-tech field, including for web hosting and computer training customers. And, I’ve seen it done in dozens of different industries with similar success. (The implementation may change, but the deep structure is what gives this so much power.)

So, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty …

The “Seduction Marketing” Online Selling System

I’ve written off-and-on about a process I call Seduction Marketing.

Simply put, Seduction Marketing is a proven process for effortlessly guiding a prospect from the point where they have no knowledge of your offer all the way up through the point where they make a purchase.

It’s a low-resistance system that:

Grabs the attention of qualified prospects
Makes them raise their hands and show interest in an easy, Read more »

Using Video to Get Clients, Part 3 – How to Use Videos to Promote Yourself

Written by Wealthy Web Writer on March 3, 2010 · 1 Comment

Mar ’10

12:00 pm

Date: March 18th 2010

Time: 12:00 EST (9:00AM PST)

Topic: Using Video to get Clients (Part 3 of 3)

Speaker: Jessica Kizorek

In session two, Jessica showed you how to create quality videos with a $200 camera and a little re-arranging of your space.

It’s not difficult, and it doesn’t require a lot of special equipment or rehearsing. Just sit in front of your camera and record a couple of minutes of your best stuff.

What then?

Do you …

Post your video to YouTube?
Put it on your blog?
Use software to upload the video to every video site in the known universe?

If you’re going to take the time to create a video, and especially if you’re going to put your on face in the video, you want your effort to be worth something.

In session three of this three-part series, Jessica’s going to reveal her best-kept secrets on:

How to write scripts that keep the viewer engaged from start to finish …
Where to post your videos to get premium viewing time by the right people …
How to title and describe your video to build interest, get ranked by the search engines, and drive traffic to your website …
How to promote your videos to the widest possible audience with minimal cost and effort.

Plus … Jessica will provide live critiques of new videos created by Wealthy Web Writer members!

Before attending this Webinar, you may find it helpful to review parts one and two of this series:

Part one: Why Online Video can be your ticket to success this year

Part two: How to create videos for the web

Part three: How to use videos to promote yourself

Read the transcript.

The Fundamental Differences Between a Freelance Job and a Freelance Business

Written by Nick Usborne on March 3, 2010 · Leave a Comment

Mar ’10

3:00 pm

Date: March 15th

Time: 3PM ET

Topic: Running a Freelance Business

Speaker: Nick Usborne

The fundamental differences between having a freelance job and a freelance business are profound.

With a freelance job, your clients are the boss.

With a freelance business, you are the boss.

From that clear distinction, great things can follow.

Being the boss of your own freelance business means you are in the driver’s seat. You are in control.

You can choose better clients, seek out higher-paying engagements, increase the scope and profitability of every project you take on, and take active steps to double your income and more.

For too long, freelancers have allowed themselves to be subservient to their clients.

This call is the first step in changing that.

You’ll learn how to put your own business first, and build a far more profitable and enjoyable future.

Listen to Playback

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Special Bonus: Download Nick’s Power Point Presentation slides that you can use as your personal “notes” for the teleconference call.

Read the transcript.