Successful Blog

Get Edgy: Contest Ideas to Push ANY Blog to the Remarkable Edge

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Writing Contests as Edgecraft

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Writing contests, I know you’ve seen ’em so have I. I’m a writer and I don’t have time to enter them. I imagine that most techies and other nonwriters pass them by completely.

If you want my attention, doing two things is important.

Mix something successful from over there to something you have here.

Find the edge of here — be noticed, outstanding, and remarkable.

Seth calls moving out to that remarkable edge edgecrafting. It’s knowing who you are, knowing what business you’re in, and not letting tradition or the perceived risk — that perceived risk that edging out comes packaged in. It’s investing in, inventing, or trying new things to make a mark that will get people remarking about what you’re doing.

A nonwriting blog — say a techie blog — having a writing contest is a remix with posibilities. Curious at the very least, don’t you think? Gotta get past curious to way out there, in order to be at the edge.

I’ve got some ideas . . .

How to Set Up a Contest that Works

Nothing is less fun than a contest where no one shows up. So let’s start with the basics that tilt the balance in your favor.

  1. Keep the rules few and the task simple.
  2. Keep the deadline definite and the timeline short, but not too short — a week is good.
  3. Announce it as many ways as you can. Remind folks daily on your blog. Send out email. Ask friends and colleagues to pass the word. Seek out and list your contest at sites such as competizione.

That being said, what kind of writing context might catch readers’ attention and get them to participate?

I’ve got a few ideas. . . .
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Bookcraft 2.0: The 90% Rule of Repurposing Content

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Content Always Wins

books

When I left you on Friday, an editor friend and I were on our way to Milwaukee to meet with Phil to make a bookmap from the rough cut of his book. The rough cut had been built on a set of criteria that made choosing content from his archives an easy decision-making process. I outlined those criteria in Archive Mining: How to Get From Working Book Title to Rough Cut Content. Now, it was time for a finer cut. Armed with 5 categories of pages, I was sure that we’d sort them into 7 or 8 chapters and make a bookmap. That was the plan.

Because our topic is timeless, we can be flexible about schedule. That gives us even more room to focus on what’s best for the book. Here’s what happened.

We didn’t make a bookmap.

I was wrong about 7 or 8 chapters.

The plan went out the door early on

because

To make a great book, the content must win. Always.

Making the Finer Cut

In order to make that finer cut, we needed a finer set of criteria. Again, we turned to black and white rules — that crucial tool for sorting intellectual gray questions efficiently.

We made two black and white “gating rules.”

A simple definition of what the book would do — Every entry, story, or example would offer a practical application for the reader.

Every written bit of content had to meet the 90% Rule of Repurposing Content.

We read aloud each piece, if it failed on either point, without question it was out.

What is the 90% Rule of Repurposing Content? It’s a rule that I made up.
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Five Reasons to Start Writing White Papers NOW

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Michael A. Stelzner, Guest Writer

Michael Stelzner 3

By now you have heard that the hot new trend in writing is white papers.

These are short documents that help people make decisions. Think informative article meets persuasive brochure and births something new.

There are five very compelling reasons you ought to leap on the white paper wagon. White papers help:

  1. Establish thought leadership (for yourself, your blog or your business)
  2. Create a viral buzz (others send your message everywhere)
  3. Generate quality leads (imagine prospects lining up to talk to you)
  4. Persuade others (help people need you)
  5. Grow a writing practice (develop extra revenue streams)

The Thought Leadership Advantage

Everyone wants to be an expert.

Combining a well-written white paper with other marketing efforts, such as a blog, can help you gain the position of thought leader.

By discussing the concepts that can shift industries or the future of a marketplace, a white paper can be referenced as a “reason to change” by businesses.

For example, FedEx wanted to convince electronics manufacturers that moving product by air from China could shorten the supply chain and provide manufacturers a competitive edge – despite a great sea of resistance (think slow-moving ships).

They crafted a white paper titled, “Speeding the Supply Chain From China: How Manufacturers Are Winning With Full-Service Air Transportation” and proceeded to change an industry.

This article is the first in a five-part series on the advantages of white papers. The next article will examine how white papers can create viral buzz.

Your action: Learn to master the art of the white paper with the new book, Writing White Papers: How to Capture Readers and Keep Them Engaged .

—Michael A. Stelzner

A 5-Part Series: Five Reasons to Start Writing White Papers NOW

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Introducing logo

Writing White Papers Image

You might have noticed Michael’s Stelzner’s popular new book — Writing White Papers: How to Capture Readers and Keep Them Engaged around the neighborhood. It’s also in my sidebar.

I’ve read Michael’s book and talked with him about it. It’s filled with all the information you need and the fine writing you’ll find on Michael’s Blog, in his newsletter that has over 20,000 subscribers, and throughout the famous White Paper on White Papers, that established Mike Stelzner as the expert in this field.

I was delighted when Mike Stelzner agreed to take some time from his publishing and consulting business to guest write write a 5-part series called Five Reasons to Start Writing White Papers Now for us at Successful-Blog.

I’ve read all of this series too. Every post is brilliantly packed with information, energy, and great writing. You’ll know immediately exactly why Mike is considered the expert and why his book and his newsletter are so incredibly popular. The cool part is that he made this series just for us.

Look for Michael’s series this week and next week.

Monday, October 9 — Five Reasons to Start Writing White Papers NOW
Wednesday, October 11 — Create a Viral Buzz – With White Papers
Thursday, October 12 — Luring Prospects With White Papers
Monday, October 16 — The Persuasive Power of White Papers
Wednesday, October 18 — Five Reasons Writers Make More $ Writing White Papers.

Thanks, Mike! I can’t wait to start sharing what you wrote.

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Great Find: List Your Writing Contest At Competizione

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And the Winner Was . . .

Are you getting tired of finding out about writing contests AFTER they are over? Musingwoman was too — enough that it spurred her to action. A new blog was born so that folks could keep up woth upcoming contests and rules. So, competitors, start your keyboards.

Great Find: competizione
Permalink: http://musing.typepad.com/competizione/

Audience/Topic: Folks interested in announcing or participating in writing contests.

Content: This new blog which started just this month already has a list of competitions, and invites you to send in competitions you’re having so that you can attract more entrants. The guildelines are clearly stated. To briefly summarize them:

    Contests can be for blog or for a task — win a ___ by writing a ___.

    Information should submitted by email and need to include a link to the contest announcement post, the deadline date, limit to entries (if there is one) and any other pertinent information.

    No profanity, pornography, or discriminatory content.

    Sites with adult/mature (R-rated content) should be labeled when submitted so that competizione can alert audience visitors.

    Contest submitters are asked to link to competizione. The submitter’s site link will remain on competizione after the contest post has been deleted.

Have a contest! It’s a great way to show off your blog and attract new readers. Let Musingwoman tell folks about your contest — free promotion is an excellent deal. It’s a chance to expand your network of relationships. Stretch your brand a bit. I can see your blog growing already . . . yep. Click on the title to see what’s there for you.

A writing contest is even more exciting outside a writing blog. . . . On a techie blog? a real estate blog? a travel blog? Really? You bet. All bloggers have to write, don’t they? Imagine the kind of contest you might invent.

UPDATE: NOT ALL CONTESTS ARE FOR WRITERS — ALL THE MORE REASONS TO CHECK COMPETIZIONE OUT!

–ME “Liz” Strauss

Related articles
Writing–Ugh! 10 Reasons to Get Jazzed about Writing
Why Dave Barry and Liz Don’t Get Writer’s Block
Writing YEAH! 10 WHOLE NEW Reasons to Get Jazzed About Writing

Bookcraft 2.0: Why No Bound Book Has 666 Pages and Get Your Free Blank Bookmap

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Done with the Rough Cut, Time To Map the Book

books

After I found the 140+ pages, I discovered that Phil actually had 6 more months of archives. What a bonus!

So I now sit with close to 170 pages — sorted into 5 categories. Those 5 categories will soon become 7 or 8 book chapters. That will happen when we’ve reviewed the larger ones to break them into more readable chunks.

The next step is to plan how the pages map out.

We’re actually going to make a bookmap.

No Bound Book Has 666 Pages

You may never have thought about it, but it’s a fact:

You can’t have a page 1 without a page 2.
Every sheet of paper has a front and a back.

That’s the first reason that page counts matter. Paper is tangible.
There are some things that paper won’t do.

It’s also a fact that:

No bound book has 666 pages.

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