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The Terribleminds Holy Mother Of God Lordy Lordy Hallelujah Guide To Creating... - 0 views

terribleminds.com/...omepants-supporting-characters 2014 writing WriteLink characters supporting guide creating
shared by John Lemke on 18 Feb 14 - No Cached
  • John Lemke on 18 Feb 14
     
    The article is just as great as a the title.
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The Scientific Guide to Creating Sticky Headlines - 0 views

www.steamfeed.com/uide-creating-sticky-headlines 2014 writing WriteLink freelance writer list tips headlines guide
shared by John Lemke on 22 Jun 14 - No Cached
  • According to Social Triggers and Wired Magazine, George Lowenstien, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University developed a theory called “the information gap theory of curiosity.” Lowenstein says “curiosity is rather simple: It comes when we feel a gap ‘between what we know and what we want to know.’” (source) He goes on to say “This gap has emotional consequences: it feels like a mental itch, a mosquito bite on the brain. We seek out new knowledge because we that’s how we scratch the itch.” That’s why these headline formulas increase traffic.
  • Imagine again that you’re a blogger looking to leverage Facebook.  You begin to click on multiple posts titled “How to get more traffic using Facebook” and bunch of other variations. What happens?  All of the posts begin to run together becoming indecipherable to your brain.  Psychologists call this cognitive overload and you passively read post after post after post.  You never truly connect with the blogger or the message.
  • By adding a quantifiable benefit, you’re accomplishing two things.  First you’re laser targeting the type of reader you want to see the post.  And second, you’re giving them a realistic goal to strive for.
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  • When a person can see the finish line, they’re far more likely to start.
  • Take a look at what happens when you google “From 2,500 to 1 million fans in 2 years”.
  • Ask yourself if you can add either a quantifiable benefit or a specific time frame to your post.  Can you tell the story about how you got more readers to your blog in 30 days?  Or can you tell the story about how you helped a friend drop 15 pounds without starving herself?
  • John Lemke on 22 Jun 14
     
    This is a good list and also explains the "whys" of it.
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20 Rules for Writing So Crystal Clear Even Your Dumbest Relative Will Understand - 0 views

boostblogtraffic.com/crystal-clear-writing 2014 writing freelance copywriting tips list writer WriteLink
shared by John Lemke on 15 May 14 - No Cached
  • Spreading an idea means getting it from your brain into someone else’s. It means putting together the essential facts, the logical arguments and your insightful conclusions together in exactly the right way to recreate your brilliant idea in the mind of your reader.
  • Try to describe your audience with this simple formula: X who Y. For example: “Bloggers who want to get more traffic”.
  • If you can’t explain what your post is about in one simple, short sentence, it’s probably too complex or unfocused.
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  • Make sure a clear connection exists between the opening of your post and the headline.
  • If a sentence, phrase or word is particularly important or significant, use bold or italics to add stress. But don’t overdo it.
  • Always be consistent with your terminology.
  • If a point is worth making, it’s worth making twice. Or even three times.
  • Only tell them what they need to know to follow your argument. Share the minimum you need to convey the desired message.
  • Clear examples help readers understand difficult concepts.
  • Concrete language describes something detectable by the senses. Something you can see, feel, hear, smell or taste. Abstract concepts are much harder to imagine.
  • When you provide specific detail in your writing, there’s less room for ambiguity. Your reader is far more likely to end up with the same idea in their head as you have in yours.
  • Clarity does not tolerate “might,” “may” or “possibly.” If you can’t say something with certainty, perhaps you shouldn’t be writing about it at all.
  • if you’re in the business of spreading ideas, you must make friends with bullets.
  • Bullets are a valuable tool, but you should never drop your reader into a list without first setting the scene.
  • make sure each point is recognizably related to the others.
  • If you were giving your reader a list of steps, you’d present them in the order they needed doing, right? Obviously. But if the items in your list aren’t steps, they often still have a natural order – even if you didn’t have one in mind when you wrote them.
  • always supply everything the reader needs to fully understand your points within the post itself.
  • You think you’re being generous but truthfully you’re being greedy. Greedy with your reader’s time, their attention, and their patience.
  • include a clear call-to-action. Tell your reader what you want them to do.
  • John Lemke on 15 May 14
     
    20 tips on writing with clarity.
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Why Should Freelance Writers Register for Freelance Writing Jobs through the Federal Go... - 0 views

freelancewrite.about.com/...fedcontr.htm 2014 copywriting tips tricks writing niche government freelance WriteLink
shared by John Lemke on 28 Jan 14 - Cached
  • John Lemke on 28 Jan 14
     
    A detailed guide on how to become a writer and/or editor for government work.
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The Complete Flake's Guide To Getting Things Done - Copyblogger - 0 views

www.copyblogger.com/flake-productivity 2014 LL-Pub guide GTD
shared by John Lemke on 23 Apr 14 - No Cached
  • What we lack is focus. Everything looks good to us.
  • You’re not going to get a damned thing done until you actually know what you want to get out of it.
  • Just know what you want to get out of the thing you’re thinking about doing.
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  • “Pivotal Technique,”
  • Step 1. Get nice and clear about what you want. Step 2. Get completely, impeccably, bullshit-free clear about where you are now, with respect to that.
  • Flakes are flaky because the map seems impossible. Productive people are productive because the map seems real. The flakes are actually right, but a fat lot of good that does us. The productivity people follow their imaginary map, and because they’re doing something, they get somewhere. (Curse you, productivity people!)
  • Allen is very smart about this. It has to be the single next thing to take action on.
  • If you can’t do it in 20 minutes, it’s probably not the next action. Find the next action.
  • The plan in 7 reasonably painless steps When you’ve got something to do, figure out what you really want to get out of it. Do the Pivotal Technique. Think about what you want, then get clear about where you are right this minute. Notice the difference. Figure out the next action. Do what you feel like. Rinse, lather, repeat. Start a compost pile for ideas, notes, plans, and insights. Stick to a few primary areas of focus — three or four is a good number for a lot of people.
  • John Lemke on 23 Apr 14
     
    A good article on why "flakes" actually rule.
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Cynics and Cynosures - 0 views

www.dailywritingtips.com/cynics-and-cynosures 2014 WriteLink writing copywriting definition words grammar freelance tips writer
shared by John Lemke on 29 Jun 14 - No Cached
  • cynic comes from a Greek word meaning “dog-like, currish, churlish.”
  • The word cynosure comes from a Greek word meaning “dog’s tail.” This was the name given by the Greeks to the northern constellation Ursa Minor, the “Small Bear” in whose tail is the Pole-star, also known as the North Star. Because the North Star is bright and a means of finding the direction of north, the word cynosure acquired the figurative meaning of “something that is bright and serves as a guide.”
  • In modern usage, a cynic is a person disposed to find fault with everything and to rant about it to everyone. A cynic trusts no one’s sincerity or good intentions. The adjective is cynical; the noun is cynicism.
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  • Unlike cynic, the word cynosure has positive connotations. A cynosure is someone or something that serves for guidance or direction, a “guiding star.
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Attention: You're Now a Storyteller - Get Used to It » SEO Copywriting - 0 views

www.seocopywriting.com/...youre-now-storyteller-get-used 2014 seo copywriting attention tips tricks howto writing content freelance
shared by John Lemke on 28 Jan 14 - No Cached
  • You have to go above and beyond your keyword list to get a reaction. There has to be a general theme – or story – that runs through the entirety of your marketing. People are getting the story in pieces from different platforms so it has to be consistent.
    • John Lemke
      John Lemke on 28 Jan 14
       
      Have things changed?  What happened to the not-so-old-but-old-as-the-Internet saying "Content is King"?  All Google did was bring it back to what great authors have been saying since the beginning of stories.
  • You’re a storyteller now – whether you like it or not.
  • The “just the facts” approach to your website may cover all of the bullet points you need covered, but it’s not engaging enough to keep people around.
    • John Lemke
      John Lemke on 28 Jan 14
       
      This means finding your voice.
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  • Your role is to sell your products or services – but in order to do that you have to engage and encourage your audience. Your content can’t read like you’re in it for the sale. Your job is to be an advocate for your audience. You’re there to help. Learn how to engage on each platform you’re using for marketing, and then be present as a helpful, encouraging voice to guide your audience to the right decision.
  • Unlike the early days of SEO copywriting, you can’t keyword stuff and get great results. You can’t even rely on customers to visit your website before they make a decision about company.  They are connecting with you on Facebook, following you on Twitter or reading a landing page.
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The Ultimate Guide to Proof-reading and Editing - 0 views

www.firepolemarketing.com/how-to-edit writing freelance 2014 copywriting WriteLink list editing rewrite proofreading
shared by John Lemke on 27 Jan 14 - No Cached
  • John Lemke on 27 Jan 14
     
    A great collection of lists on editing and revising.
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How I Make a Living as a Writer (and You Can, Too) - 0 views

lifehacker.com/ter-and-you-can-too-1525380428 2014 writing WriteLink copywriting freelance tips writer author Altucher advice living guide
shared by John Lemke on 19 Feb 14 - No Cached
  • If you sit down at a blank screen every day and simply do nothing then you are a writer. If you write one word, even better. Some people will disagree. Maybe you will disagree. That's fine. We also can all disagree. Meanwhile, our DNA is telling us we are pretty much exactly the same.
  • I try to read pieces or chapters in 3-4 books a day or more. I read at least from one non-fiction, one or two quality fiction, and one inspirational. I try to read at the level I want to write. I do this in the morning before I start writing.
  • Destroy every gatekeeper.
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  • Do what you want. Self-publishing simply means you write a book and you figure out how to get it into the hands of other people. It might just be you sell it on your email list. Congrats! You're then a published author. In my post "How to Self Publish a Bestseller" I write about the details and the numbers.
  • This seems opposite of what I said above. But blogging is not such a bad idea. How come? Because it makes you write every day. And it also is fun to build friends and community around your blog. But if you want to blog, don't just register a domain name and start blogging. You won't get any traffic.
  • There's a thousand ways to build community and practice writing on the Internet. Blog is one of them but there are many others. My #1 suggestion: first practice on Quora (cc Marc Bodnick) If you go there, follow me and say "Hi!".
  • If you don't write every day, you won't know what your potential skill level is. You will be producing sub-par work. And in a world where 15 million books will be published this year, your book will have little chance to shine.
  • Do the math: if you just write 1,000 words a day that are publishable then you have a book every two months. 1,000 words a day is not easy. But it's not hard either.
  • No. You used to be able to make a living writing articles. Just a few years ago. In 2005 I made a good living writing about 3-4 articles a day for different publications while I was running my fund and before I started and sold Stockpickr. But those days are over. People just don't pay for content. And there are too many writers. It's a supply and demand thing.
  • ou have to write more than one book. And for most people, you have to write dozens of books.
  • John Lemke on 19 Feb 14
     
    A great article of advice from a published author.
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The lazy person's guide to writing great copy - fast! » SEO Copywriting - 0 views

www.seocopywriting.com/...write-great-copy-fast 2014 WriteLink list tips copywriting freelance writing how to writer
shared by John Lemke on 17 Apr 14 - No Cached
  • John Lemke on 17 Apr 14
     
    Some tips to keep your output rolling on schedule.
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6 Smart Ways to Find Out if a Magazine Pays for Freelance Articles | The Renegade Writer - 0 views

www.therenegadewriter.com/...ne-pays-for-freelance-articles magazine WriteLink writing 2014 freelance copywriting pays
shared by John Lemke on 22 Jun 14 - No Cached
  • The Writer’s Market and Mediabistro’s How to Pitch guides both offer information on their listed magazines for what percentage of the publication is freelanced out, and of pay rates. If the magazine you want is in there, you’re set with the info you need.
  • Many magazines have their writer’s guidelines right on their website these days. Poke around there and see if you can turn up any “write for us” information.
  • Don’t overlook the insights the mighty search engine might bring you if you do a search on “pay at X magazine.”
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  • Do some searches on job-ad compilation sites such as Indeed.com, or on LinkedIn and see if they’re hiring staffers. If they hire paid writers full-time and do use freelancers, it’s a fair bet that they pay freelancers, too.
  • If you don’t know other freelance writers, you need to. Don’t think of other freelance as the competition — they are your sounding board and may know about magazines you want to try. They can refer you gigs, too.
  • When all else fails, see if you can scare up a phone number for the magazine and call. Barring that, find an editorial email and try that. View lack of response as a strong indicator that they don’t pay.
  • John Lemke on 22 Jun 14
     
    If you are writing for income, you obviously want to get paid.  This article gives some good advice on how to gain the knowledge and avoid the school of hard knocks.
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