Link Roundup for Blog-Development
I have compiled a list of recent articles on blogging that I am sure you will find useful in generating ideas and/or developing your skills as a blogger:
- Joanna Young - A 60-second guide to engaging your readers
We live in a time poor, information overloaded world. That means your readers are information overloaded, time poor too. That makes time (and energy, and attention) a big potential barrier to engaging your readers. It also means you can use time to your advantage by showing your readers that you respect, and value, their time.
Here’s a rapid fire, 60 second guide to how you can do just that:
Write With Reading In Mind - Darren Rowse - How to use free give-aways to entice subscribers
If you’re like most people, you haven’t had time to write a great book to give away as a sign-up bonus. Well, today I’m going to show you two very easy ways to get such a book:
- Create your own with an e-book template
- Use someone else’s book that is in the public domain (you’d be amazed how many great books are out there for free!)
- Brian Solis - The state of Social Media
The world of Socialized Media is maturing and along with it, our knowledge, expertise, reach, and personal and represented brands are only flourishing. It will continue as long as we realize that these new social tools and networks require an entirely new commitment and embodiment of what we personify and how we can be a genuine resource to the people who define the communities that are important to us.
- Chris Anderson - (a post from last year that you may have missed) PR and the long tail
So fair warning: I only want two kinds of email: those from people I know, and those from people who have taken the time to find out what I’m interested in and composed a note meant to appeal to that (I love those emails; indeed, that’s why my email address is public).
- Pete Savage - Copywriting tips for non-writers
Features tell, benefits sell! Good copy clearly communicates the benefit that your product or service delivers to the customer. Poor copy, on the other hand, merely lists features and leaves them dangling, with no explanation as to how they will benefit the customer.
Here’s how you avoid that trap… as you write about the attributes of your product, ask yourself, “So what?” Your answer will lead you to the benefit.
For example, “This car comes with automatic four-wheel drive.” {“So what?”} “…so you’ll enjoy safe, worry-free driving, in all weather conditions.”
- Michael Martine - A different kind of e-mail list
My primary goal here is to open a new channel through which to provide as much value to you as I possibly can. Occasionally, between all the free stuff, the sneak peaks, the discount codes, and the secret password-protected content, I will present offers that I hope are a dead-on match for your interests. In other words, they will simply be another form of value if I do it right (and I’m not here to do it wrong, folks). I am being honest with you about this because if there is ever to be any trust at all between us, I must be.
As usual, I’d love to hear what you think of these articles, and what more you’d like to learn. Leave a comment!
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Comments
Stephen, thanks for the mention of my email list. Glad you found it worth sharing with your readers. :)
Hi Stephen, thanks very much for sharing the link to that post - it was a fun one to write, but covers what I think is an important point in these time-pressed times.
Hope you’re doing well
Joanna
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