LumpysCorner

a great headline

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.

Reverse-engineer your social-media success by noticing what sorts of posts get shared a lot in your niche, and writing something along those lines.

the key ingredient: Write a strong headline

Use hashtags

Use a scheduler

Don’t just keep retweeting your headline and link. Instead, vary what you say.

Be sure you share other things inbetween the repetitions of your new post. Do some scanning, find some interesting stuff, and lace it into your schedule as well, so you don’t start looking like an obnoxious salesman and continue to appear to be putting out useful, varied info.

Which are the most common mistakes you’d like to warn your readers for? And help them avoid? Sprinkle these mistakes — with advice on how to avoid them — over your tutorial, to keep readers captivated.

Your word choice has to be sharper and harder-hitting than the words you use when you talk because in writing you can’t scream, sing, or use wild gestures. Your words have to capture attention, express emotion, and get your message across.

To make your writing voice stronger and more dynamic: Choose sensory words like creepy, bland, or dazzling Pick emotional words like mesmerizing, mind-numbing, and captivating Religiously tighten your text; and tighten it more

There’s one more thing you shouldn’t forget: A good teacher or mentor inspires her students to implement her ideas. Consider what might stop your reader from following your advice … and take away that final obstacle. When you encourage your readers to overcome their doubts and take action, they’ll hang on to your lips to hear each word.

Metaphors help readers visualize an abstract concept by relating it to something concrete. They help people understand a new idea by relating it to something they know already.

Problems are like speed bumps — they slow your reader down. They start paying attention again, because everyone is keen to avoid glitches, hassle, and mistakes.

You’ll catch clunky sentences, missing and repetitive words, and misspellings.

Make a list of your most common offenders. Then search for those words and see if you can take them out without altering your intended meaning.

Take a look at each sentence and see how many words you can cut out.

Check to make sure you put commas before direct address in dialog.

The most mutilated verbs are lay, sink, drag, swim, and shine.

Flowery verbs such as quizzed, extrapolated, exclaimed, and interjected, stick out. Instead, use said and asked, with an occasional replied or answered.

When sentences begin with “it was” and “there were,” readers are left wondering exactly what “it” is. These words are vague. “It was hot today” can easily be replaced with “the sun baked his shoulders,” which paints a clearer picture. Think: strong nouns and verbs.

If you get attribution links as a result of the guest post, then the site and page giving you the link will be closely matched to your site and the specific page receiving the link.

You are not a fit for every audience. Don’t worry about it. Pass on opportunities where you can’t bring the good stuff, and focus your energies in the places where you can.