Successful Blog

Start in the Middle on Your Report, Blog Post or Presentation

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Put a Sock in It, Julie!

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Who hasn’t heard Julie Andrews sing it?

Let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start.
When you read you begin with ABC, When you sing you begin with do-re-me.

–the character, Maria, sung by Julie Andrews in
The Sound of Music by Rodgers and Hammerstein

Put a sock in it, Julie.

Starting in the beginning might work well when you know the story, but when you’re first forming your ideas it can really screw you up. By the time you figure out that clever beginning you might forget the what the story was going to be about. After all, when planning a special occasion, it’s not usually the best idea to start with what you’ll say on the invitation … we have to know what the gathering will be about.

Turn off, Julie Andrews and the tape recordings in your head that tell you what you’re supposed to do. They just get in the way. Unique problems require unique solutions.

Beginnings Have a Part to Play in Setting Up Your Conversation

Who cares about how the fire began if you need to get out of the building NOW? Get the facts and worry about how it started later.

When you’re creating something new, problem solving, or envisioning what could be, information is nebulous and coming from many directions. The challenge is to order it and give form–not to find the beginning. Here are some tips on how to get your idea going before the blank screen and the beginning knock you down.

  1. Write your idea as a compelling question you want to answer. Then write the answer as – bullet points.
  2. Describe an action that you’re looking to make happen.
  3. Write the list of important points that you want to share.
  4. Outline the steps of the how-to.
  5. Lay out the key point of the product review.

If you do one of those first, you’ll know what it is that you want to say.

Then, you can consider one of two things key to context:

  1. Connecting to prior knowledge: What will most of your audience already know about what you’re going to tell them? How can you connect that to what you’re adding to the conversation? That connection is the place to start.
  2. Building background: It might be a fair assessment that most of your audience won’t have experience with what you’re about to tell them. What information or analogy will give them a setting in which to place your conversation? Make that setting the beginning.

Now the beginning is an integral part to play in setting up your most important statements.

Do you ever start in the middle when you’re preparing a report, a blog post, or a presentation?

Be irresistible.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!

When the going gets tough — The Tough don‒t give a damn

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For quite some days, I’ve been caught in a writers’ block. Now, I am a web content writer and writing is my bread and butter. But despite the fact that I felt like writing, and I had quite some ideas to write on, and I felt pretty much capable to write, still I just kept failing at it, failing to put my pen to paper, just like a bird caught under a cast net, who knows and feels he can fly but fails miserably when trying to take off. And there I was, dawdling for weeks and hoping that all of a sudden, the “net” will disappear and I will be able to take to the air … How wrong was I and how wrong is everybody else who thinks procrastinating will somehow put an end to the predicament they are facing.

Problem with dilly-dallying and waiting for the right time is … it never arrives, the time just keeps flying by, and when you are aware that something needs to be done, the passing moments will just keep adding to the pressure, and the mounting pressure will make it even harder for you to do anything about it. And that is exactly what I was going through, and it’s not that it was the first time. In fact, the pressure cooker situations are quite frequent since my early years of education, the time when exams or final dates for assignments were fast approaching and I had spent all the time procrastinating and waiting for my geniuses to arrive (and I am still waiting …). These are the times when it gets tougher and tougher as the time pass, and getting depressed doesn’t help at all, you know that you’ve got to do something, but knowing that “I’ve got to act fast” only adds to the problem.

So what’s the best way to break the shackles, and to avoid giving in to the pressure?

To be honest, there’s a very easy way out. All you need is to follow two simple steps, first give a damn to the circumstances, and second get down and start doing something about it. Problem with getting bogged down by the circumstances is that you get stuck in the paradigm and get paralyzed. It transpires into a downward spiral and you start to fall short at everything, you fail to do a post on a topic when it’s hot, you can’t cash in on a trend or platform when it’s relatively new, you don’t get to pitch your product or services to some potential client you’ve stumbled upon, the opportunities keep slipping away and it gets even harder to come out of the trap, in spite the fact that most of the times, there’s no real trap, it’s all between the ears, a decoy that you shouldn’t even bother about in the first place.

The take-home point for this post is best described in the old adage …”when the going gets tough, the tough gets going” but what I was looking to add is to stop bothering about the tough goings as soon as you’ve got down to work, because if you do, the resulting panic will start consuming the much needed energy and time. So, from now on, when the devil throws the “cast net” by reminding you of the circumstances, you can simply dodge it by not giving a damn and continuing with your work.

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Author’s Bio:

Rahil of www.WeightLossTriumph.com is an Internet Marketing expert and a part time writer. We specializes in reviews of weight loss programs and diet plans. His blog is affiliated with merchants in the diet niche. Part of his marketing strategy involves featuring stories of people who have lost weight successfully and kept it off.

Construct Your Post or Presentation Like a Three-Course Meal

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How to blog series

The Key is Know What You Want to Say

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Recently someone told me that he’s been trying to write a a blog post for almost a week now and every time he tired he ended deleting it.

“Everything I write sounds like a valley girl talking to alien first grader. Nothing makes sense. It’s all over the place.”

“What is it that you want to say?”

He started at me and then admitted, “I don’t know.”

It’s hard to write clearly if you don’t know what you want to say.

Try constructing an idea like a three-course meal.

Construct Your Post or Presentation Like a Three-Course Meal

If you think of an article or a presentation as a fine meal, the middle is the main course. That’s where the fine dining is. It’s the centerpiece. The entree takes the longest time and the most care. The executive chef is the one who plans it and prepares it. Put your best effort there–where it counts.

So decide what you’ll be serving as the key part of the meal first thing.

  • Is it something you’ve just learned, observed, or read about that’s set you thinking?
  • Is it a pattern of behavior that keeps appearing that you want highlight and encourage or discourage?
  • Could it be your view about an event you’re about to be attending?
  • Have noticed something in another industry that seems to apply to the one that you work in?
  • Have you found a solution to a common problem or a problem with a commonly promoted solution?

Gather the thoughts and proofs that will make the message of your post or presentation delicious to take in. Once you’ve got that underway, you can choose the appetizer and the dessert.

Maybe you’ll whet the audience’s appetite with a story that brings them to the problem you’re solving or a question that you’ll answer fully in a very satisfying ending. Take the time to see how the beginning and end compliment each other to tie all together.

In this manner …

  • Course 1: Give readers a taste of your topic. This gives you a chance to capture their attention and focus their minds on your ideas. You can draw them in and prepare them for what you are about to say. By starting in the middle you already know what that is. So writing this part is much easier.
  • Course 2: Serve up your ideas with facts and details to support them. By starting in the middle, you can spend your time polishing the finer points and placing your brand in the best light for readers to discover its value on their own.
  • Course 3: Leave your audience satisfied with tidbits of why your ideas are important to them or give them reason to reflect back on what you said. Show that you fulfilled your promise. Let your audience savor the fact that your article was a service to them, and they’ll understand why coming back to see you is a good idea.

There’s added value in presenting your information as a three-course article. Starting in the middle establishes a clear structure that’s easy to follow. It frees your audience to concentrate on the information that reveals your story and shows your expertise.

How do you structure your blog posts and your presentations?

Be irresistible.

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!

Use Writing Skills; Get Compensated at the Same Time

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Whether it is done as a primary job or just picking up some part-time work on the side, freelance writing is a great way to get a writer’s name out there, picking up some extra money along the way in many cases.

In the event you are considering freelance writing or have been doing it for a while but don’t feel you are getting all you can out of it, there are several things to keep in mind.

Among them are what you will be writing about, who you will be writing articles for, whether or not you will be getting compensated and how often you will be expected to craft stories.

The top challenge for many freelancers, especially those just beginning, is what their area of expertise should be.

Should they focus on an area that they currently or have worked in or choose a topic selection that is of great interest to them, even if they aren’t necessarily experts in that field?

While it is a given that newspapers and magazines are traditional sites for one to offer their freelance articles, there are many other avenues where one can find enjoyable work and make some extra money on the side. Among them are:

  • SEO Writing – If you know how to write from an SEO point of view, you can definitely find work in today’s Internet driven age. More and more companies are contracting with companies who want SEO branded copy to improve their search engine rankings. SEO writing is different from traditional writing in the sense that certain words and phrases are targeted to be picked up by the search engine. Phrasing sentences with SEO words is a little trickier than a normal sentence, but it is not that hard to do. The goal here is businesses want to attract customers, and your writing skills may just do that.
  • Copywriting – While some businesses have full-time in-house copywriters, others either give outgoing articles a quick look or look outside for freelance copywriters. If you have an eye for detail, you can accrue a rather steady stable of work in the process.
  • Resumes – With more individuals out of work these days, it should come as no surprise that many people need to keep their resumes up to speed. If you’re good with writing and editing, you can assist individuals in sharpening their resumes.
  • Press Releases – While many companies spend their time doing press releases in-house, others will look to freelancers to craft the right message for them. The style and substance of each press release will vary from company to company, so if you have a diverse writing background and can write captivating copy, this might be for you.
  • Ghostwriting – How many times have you seen ads online or elsewhere seeking a ghostwriter? Whether it is someone producing a book or movie who doesn’t have the time to write or someone isn’t a very good writer and needs assistance, ghostwriters can make some nice money in doing so. Keep in mind that you will not get a byline and any credit for the material, but it can lead to some steady and profitable work.

Where Does Pay Rank in Importance?

While freelancing does have its advantages in the eyes of many writers, one major concern is always regarding on-time payments and making sure you get paid in the first place.

In order to make sure you don’t fall victim to unscrupulous businesses for your writing services, make sure you are up front about the payment requirements when you put a business proposal together for a prospective buyer of your writing services.

To be safe, seek a contract so that everything is in writing. If you don’t want to go the contract route, at least get a proper e-mail exchange that provides the terms of the deal. With an independent contractors’ deal in writing, the chances of being taken advantage of certainly decrease.

Secondly, have in place a kill fee so that your work does not go to waste if the client kills the project and/or the piece does not reach publication.

Finally, seek a deposit up front, thereby giving both you and the client added incentive to follow through with everything.

While it doesn’t fall under the payment category, ask your client if they wouldn’t mind recommending your services to others seeking writers, proofreaders, etc.

Once the word filters around to the value of your writing services, you could be free to do more work and increase your wallet size.

Photo credit: gaebler.com

Dave Thomas, who covers among other items advice on starting a small business, writes extensively for Business.com, an online resource destination for businesses of all sizes to research, find, and compare the products and services they need to run their businesses.

Engagement: Five Keys to Get People Inside What You Write

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You Already Know This

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After decades of print publishing, writing publicly was never a big deal for me. I didn’t have a shy moment about my first blog post. I still consider it fine writing. I did watch my stats to see whether anyone read it. Waited days on end for my first comment from someone I didn’t know.

But I was surprised to find the difference of having an audience show up soon after I wrote.
And there was the difference in how they responded.
When I’d been in publishing, people responding had always been responding from a work point of view.
This responding to ideas because they were important, interesting, thought-provoking, or intriguing was something new.

People were connecting by what they said.
Minds were meeting in what they typed and what they read.

It was different than print.

Words like conversation and community took on new meaning.
We explored what they meant.

It was different from print.

I began observing, testing, asking, listening, and learning.
Yet the more I started trying, less I was succeeding.

Then, I came face to face with the answer in a short note someone wrote on his own blog about my writing. He said my blog posts were so well written the only response he could come up with was “beautiful job.”

The blog posts I’d been writing were full, finished, final and composed.
There wasn’t much room for anyone to participate in them.

I began observing, testing, asking, listening, and learning again. What I learned were four keys to keeping the conversation open. These won’t surprise or stun you. You already know them. They’re what we all do when we talk to any person we value.

Do these four things and you’ll find people getting inside what you’re writing.

  1. Come down from the podium. Talk to your audience like a people who can listen. Let them be as smart as you are, even when they don’t know what you do.

  2. Don’t tie things up with a bow. Leave what you say a little unfinished. Don’t try so hard to ferret out everything on your bulleted list. Don’t ask and answer every question. Then your audience has room to add a word in. When a talking person fills in every idea and detail before anyone else talks, that’s called a speech. The response becomes applause or an awful silence.

  3. Blog your experience. Information is everywhere, but your experience of that information is unique and interesting. People respond to what you share that’s you. I don’t have to see myself responding the way you would for what you say to resonate.

  4. Care about what you’re saying. Care so much that you write without hesitation, without apology. Don’t shy away from the true north of what it means to you. Anything less is too complicated and makes me nervous for you. If you don’t care enough to put yourself into it, why would I care enough to read it?

  5. Make the ending satisfying and about them. Let them know again why they care about what they just read. If you end with a question, think about what you’re asking. Could you answer it? What sort answer are you expecting? As a reader would you take time to answer it?

Nothing stunning. It’s remembering that the people reading are people who want to connect with us not people who want to grade our papers. It all gets easier when we remember to let people be part of what we’re writing.

Have you found things get easier when you focus on the people reading?

Be irresistible.
–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!

Buy the ebook. Learn the art of online conversation.

3 Writing Mistakes that Erode Trust in Your Small Business

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Careful or Careless?

In today’s social media-driven society, where more interpersonal interaction takes place on the Internet than ever before, one of the best things a small business can do to steer themselves toward success is develop a strong Internet-based presence. From a functional webpage to well-managed accounts with top social networking sites, consumers need to access and learn about your business from their laptops and smart phones during their busy and often Internet-focused lives.

Your website should be a snapshot of your business, introducing clients and consumers to your brand and influencing them to trust in your services. Because of that, it is imperative that you avoid these common, easy-to-make writing errors that may broadcast your business in the wrong light.

  1. Incorrect or no punctuation. A missing or improperly placed comma can change the entire meaning of a sentence, and over-zealous use of exclamation points may read as campy or unprofessional to your website viewers. Have a member of your team who is well-versed in the rules of punctuation look over any copy before you hit “publish.”
  2. Mixing up homophones. They’re, their, there. Two, too, to. Than, then. Your, you’re. Affect, effect. When typing, especially in a hurry, it can be easy to mix up these homophones and use the wrong one. When you do that, not only does your sentence take on a new meaning, but also, people notice. For many, mixing up those words is the visual equivalent to running nails across a chalkboard.
  3. Writing chunky blocks of text without any visual appeal. Though not a grammatical error, improperly forming paragraphs or not minding the visual structure of a paragraph can be just as irritating for a reader. We tweet in 140 characters, update our statuses in a sentence or two, and skim the book jacket before opening up to the first page: we’re busy, and we want our information quickly. When visiting a business’s website, readers don’t want to read a novel. They want quick, accessible information that gets to the point and tells them what they need to know without searching through blocks of text to get there.

The problem with these errors is that they send the message of carelessness or neglect to your readers. While we’ve all made mistakes, such as misplacing an apostrophe or writing who’s instead of whose, consumers want to bring their business to companies who take care of the details of their brand. It isn’t uncommon for consumers to even leave a webpage after finding a few of these errors.

The subconscious thought process for many consumers is that if the business can’t even proofread their webpage, why should I trust them to give me the best service possible?

To ensure your small business’s website and online content is presenting potential clients and consumers with the best possible image of itself, take care to avoid seemingly small writing mistakes and blunders. People will see how much you care about your presentation as an indicator of how you will care for them if they decide to bring their business to your company.

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Author’s Bio:
Amanda Valenti is a writer and content editor for College.com She also writes and publishes for a variety of other blogs/websites on the topics of traditional campus schools as well as accredited online colleges

Thank you, Amanda.
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Be Irresistible

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!