ghostwriter

Biz and Marketing

Self-Employed: Do You Have What It Takes?

By /

Sure, self-employment sounds glamorous. You envision working for yourself, ditching the grind of a J.O.B., making oodles of cash, and doing it all in just one day a week! But the reality isn’t quite so glamorous, nor is it achieved in working just one day a week. At least not when you start out at any rate! Unless you’ve had a different experience than me? If so do share! 🙂

The reality is that being self-employed really takes a special kind of person. It takes someone who is dedicated, motivated, and disciplined or is at least is all three of those things the majority of the time.

Mindset and Inspiration

Dear Twitterheads- Ya’ll Are Awesome!

By /

Coffee and Convo… Let’s Chat!

I created this post because, let’s face it… you really can’t get to know someone in a 140 characters or less. And that’s kind of crappy because the point of Twitter is to connect, get to know people, and build relationships! So to that end, I thought I’d post a little about me so that you can dig around and see a bit of what makes me tic.

Biz and Marketing

How Can A Small Business Compete? Part 1

By /

If you’re a small biz owner struggling to make a profit, you know that competing with the big dogs is usually a no-win situation. Wal-Mart has an obvious advantage over your local ma and pop shops. The huge chain gets drastic discounts from vendors, can afford to sell for little to zero markup and makes their money based purely on volume.

This applies to online businesses as well. If you are selling any merchandise online you are going to have to contend with giants like Amazon and Ebay whether you like it or not.

Copy and Messaging

21 Ways to Create Engaging Web Content

By /

If you own a website or blog, you probably already know that the bulk of your visitors have the attention span of a gnat. Unfortunately that’s just the way it is. So if you are creating content, and you want them to stick around and read some of it, it’s got to be engaging. So here are 21 easy ways you can spruce up your content and make it more engaging and interesting to your readers.

Copy and Messaging

Universal Laws of Good Copywriting Part 4

By /

Congratulations – you’ve made it to the final article in this series of copywriting rules. Here is Part 3 in case you missed it. By the time you’re done here, you should have an excellent idea of how to craft the best possible sales letter, using the most triggers possible.

Here’s a quick refresher of what we’ve gone through so far:

* Set out writing to one person.
* Use your prospect’s language.
* Use emotion.
* Time’s ticking, make sure you keep their attention.
* Make the copy visually compelling.
* Make it easy for people to buy.
* Use scarcity.

Let’s move on to the last 2 important rules.

Rule #8: Social proof can make or break you.

Use testimonials as often as you possibly can while creating sales material. If other people have used your product or service and liked it, ask them for a testimonial (just make sure the testimonial adheres to the new FTC guidelines).

Prospects feel a lot more trust when they know that other people have used the same product or service they’re thinking about buying. They believe that you (the seller) will obviously brag about yourself – but seeing neutral peoples’ opinions changes that.

If you don’t have testimonials, borrow as much social proof as you can. For example, if your product is about golf clubs, find a quote from Tiger Woods talking about how important the right golf club is. If you’re selling copywriting services, find a quote from a top marketer talking about the importance of the right kind of copy.

Rule #9: Have a clear call to action.

Copy and Messaging

Universal Laws of Good Copywriting Part 2

By /

In Part 1 of this series, we went over some important copywriting “rules” to follow in order to have the best possible copywriting material.

To refresh your memory, these rules were:

* Set out writing to one person.
* Use your prospect’s language.
* Use emotion.

In this article, I’m going to go through and give you even more tips you can use to make the most compelling sales material possible.

So, let’s get going.

Rule #4: Time’s ticking, make sure you keep their attention.

Your sales letter should be captivating from the beginning to the end. A lot of people liken a sales letter to a “slippery slope”, saying that the letter should be consistent and easy to read the entire time through.

Imagine falling down a slippery slope. The ride is easy from top to bottom, and you go down one clear path. A sales letter should be exactly like this.

If you have ANY disconnects, it will be very easy for a reader to lose interest and stop reading right away.

Think about it like this: people stay on websites for an average of 30 or so seconds. This is ESPECIALLY true if they think they’re being sold something. As you know, 30 seconds isn’t a lot of time. If you give your readers any reason to leave whatsoever, they WILL take it. Make sure that every point you write about makes complete sense. Don’t get too off topic.

It’s also important to have a compelling headline that will make your readers’ eyes bulge. Get them emotionally invested in reading on. Don’t over-hype or make promises you can’t keep, but really reel them in with the “wow” factor of your product or service in your headlines.

Don’t use wordy, verbose language that bores your reader. World class copywriter John Carlton actually says to write as if you’re writing to a third grader.

Copy and Messaging

Hiring a Freelance Writer- Where to Look

By /

Can a great writer be an asset to any business? Of course he or she can! Good writers can be great helpers, especially to small businesses that equate time and money to the survival of their business.

There are a number of situations in which you might need a writer. Some of these would include if you are not a good writer, if you need a technical writer to do a specific job, or if you are too busy to write. If any of these circumstances apply to you, then these guidelines will help you find a qualified writer.

Mindset and Inspiration

The Power of a Single Year…

By /

Roughly a year ago today, I was cleaning vacation homes for a living, and was lucky if I made $200 bucks in a week. I was miserable, stressed, and utterly loathed my job. Seriously, I don’t know a single person who can honestly say they LIKE cleaning up after other people. Glamorous it is NOT!

I was tired all the time, depressed because I never had time for me, and certain there just HAD to be a better way of living than how I was currently. I had two boys I barely had time for, and when I did I was too tired to really enjoy them. I was buried in debt, buried in disenchantment, and trying my hardest figure out why happiness seemed to be eluding me.

Scroll to Top