Writing on the Web from Patsi Krakoff, The Blog Squad

11 Rules of Writing

I just discovered this site called Junket Studies Tutorial in New Jersey dedicated to better writing, better grammar, and one of my favorites: better usage of commas! (I refer to my post "Where Have All the Commas Gone.")

You may not understand some of the lingo; it is, after all, in the language of grammatical structures. But go to the site and follow the links, and learn to become a master of these common errors! Here they are:

1. To join two independent clauses, use a comma followed by a conjunction, a semicolon alone, or a semicolon followed by a sentence modifier.

2. Use commas to bracket nonrestrictive phrases, which are not essential to the sentence's meaning.

Chris Knight Reviews Our All-in-One Ezine Publishing System

We're very pleased that Christopher Knight of EzineArticles.com and EmailUniverse.com has reviewed our new product All-in-One Ezine Publishing System.

Being biased of course, I'd say his review is balanced and fair.  Check out Chris' review here.

We're very pleased that Christopher Knight of EzineArticles.com and EmailUniverse.com has reviewed our new product All-in-One Ezine Publishing System.

Being biased of course, I'd say his review is balanced and fair.  Check out Chris' review here.

Copywriting Help: Books I Use

After I wrote my previous post about why you need to write, I was thinking about the tools (books) I use to help me with my writing tasks.  In this context, I refer to the writing I do nearly everyday that involves marketing and promotion.  I was looking at the pile of books next to my desk and realized there are a few I refer to a lot so I thought I'd share the resources that help me write.

Phrases that Sell by Edward Werz and Sally Germain

Words that Sell by Richard Bayan

The Ultimate Sales Letter by Dan Kennedy

Advertising Headlines that Make You Rich by David Garfinkel

These books help me with inspiration and phrasing for email and sales letter headlines, subheads and descriptive phrases for our products and services.

Do you have a favorite resource or book that helps you with your writing?  If so, please share it with us here by posting a comment below.

You Must Write

Yes, as a business person, you must write.  You must write all the time. 

Writing doesn't come easily to me and my writing tends to be straightforward and not really clever or fun.  I'm lucky to have a partner who is a writer and who does like to write.  And, as a business owner, I have to write all the time.

Blogging definitely helps with my writing.  But another thing helps as well.  Studying what other successful marketing people do.  I subscribe to A LOT of ezines and I get a ton of promotional email.  Rather than being annoyed by it, I embrace it. 

Denise Wakeman- New Author on Coach Ezines

In July, Denise Wakeman and I merged our two companies to form one:  Krakoff Wakeman Associates, Inc.  The Blog Squad and Customized Newsletter Services are both divisions of the new company.

In an effort to clearly target our niche audiences, we're going to co-author our three primary public blogs which means both Denise and I will be writing on all three, depending on the topic.

CoachEzines is focused on writing...writing great ezines, great blog posts, sales letters, press releases and copywriting. Subscribe here.

Build a Better Blog is pretty self explanatory...all about blogs, blogging, the blogosphere. Subscribe here.

The blog Next Level Biz Tips, focuses on Internet marketing tips and how to leverage the Internet to grow your business online. Subscribe here.

Read them all. Read one. Subscribe to get updates so you don't miss a thing.  We are passionate about our business and helping you Attract, Sell and Profit from the Internet.

Let us know of topics you want to explore, and how we can help you grow your biz online. For an overview of all the services and products we now offer, please visit The Blog Squad hub site.

In July, Denise Wakeman and I merged our two companies to form one:  Krakoff Wakeman Associates, Inc.  The Blog Squad and Customized Newsletter Services are both divisions of the new company.

In an effort to clearly target our niche audiences, we're going to co-author our three primary public blogs which means both Denise and I will be writing on all three, depending on the topic.

CoachEzines is focused on writing...writing great ezines, great blog posts, sales letters, press releases and copywriting. Subscribe here.

Build a Better Blog is pretty self explanatory...all about blogs, blogging, the blogosphere. Subscribe here.

The blog Next Level Biz Tips, focuses on Internet marketing tips and how to leverage the Internet to grow your business online. Subscribe here.

Read them all. Read one. Subscribe to get updates so you don't miss a thing.  We are passionate about our business and helping you Attract, Sell and Profit from the Internet.

Let us know of topics you want to explore, and how we can help you grow your biz online. For an overview of all the services and products we now offer, please visit The Blog Squad hub site.

New Social Media - What Is It?

If you read about blogs and Internet marketing, you've probably heard the term social media, and in particular, the "new social media." Here is a great post by Chris Heuer that describes a little bit of history and the future of our changing connectivity online.

His post is a little long, but worth the read, even if you aren't familiar with some of the players involved. Pay attention to these concepts, they could impact the future of your business with regards to how you work and how you communicate.

As we have seen with reality television, the hybrid of overly produced “barely based on reality” does not hold sway with people for long. The deep human desire for genuine connections with the hero’s journey via Joseph Campbell will not tolerate gimmicks or fools for long. Genuine human drama, ‘How To’ content, insightful commentary, truly funny comedy, emotionally charged entertainment, engaging conversations, factual news of the world and stories well told will rule the day.

Boost Your Business with Blogs: Free TeleClass

Denise and I have been invited to be guest presenters at Kelly O'Neil's annual 3-day UpLevel Intensive in October. This is a great 3-day event to learn what you need to know about running a successful business, on and off line. It is not a pitch-a-thon, but information packed with plenty of action-based learning.

To prepare for the event, Kelly is hosting a series of teleseminars featuring each of the speakers.  The Blog Squad will be featured on Wednesday, September 27 and you're invited to attend.

Boost Your Business with Blogs: How to be Findable on the Web
September 27, 2006, 8:00 p.m. ET

The teleseminar on Wednesday is free, sign up here to get the call-in number:
http://www.uplevelintensive.com

Here's a message from Kelly about the UpLevel Intensive...

Denise and I have been invited to be guest presenters at Kelly O'Neil's annual 3-day UpLevel Intensive in October. This is a great 3-day event to learn what you need to know about running a successful business, on and off line. It is not a pitch-a-thon, but information packed with plenty of action-based learning.

To prepare for the event, Kelly is hosting a series of teleseminars featuring each of the speakers.  The Blog Squad will be featured on Wednesday, September 27 and you're invited to attend.

Boost Your Business with Blogs: How to be Findable on the Web
September 27, 2006, 8:00 p.m. ET

The teleseminar on Wednesday is free, sign up here to get the call-in number:
http://www.uplevelintensive.com

Here's a message from Kelly about the UpLevel Intensive...

Writing by the Numbers- 3 Ways to Be Sure Your Article Gets Read

Rich Brooks of Flyteblog tells us that using numbers in your articles will guarantee your readers read your email, article, ezine, or blog post. Here's what he shared on his blog this week:

"Whenever I'm talking to clients about creating compelling email bait I always recommend writing an article that includes three things:

1. A number. People are way too busy and suffering from information overload to learn everything about search engine marketing, automotive maintenance or how to keep their garden green. However, a number implies that you've boiled it down to just a few salient points that will get them through the day and give them something they can walk away with.
2. A negative. Evidence shows (don't ask me to show it, just trust me on this one), that people are more driven to avoid pain than gain pleasure. Don't believe me? Which is a more compelling headline: "The Importance of Healthy School Lunches" or "School Lunches: Are They Killing Your Children?"
3. A point of interest. Obviously this negative list of attributes needs to be targeted to your best prospects and customers."

Research Your Field on Google: How to Determine Your Findability

When is the last time you researched your area of expertise on the major search engines like Google or Technorati? This week I did a little web searching using the key words and phrases that people use when searching for information on ezine publishing. I was pleased that this blog, CoachEzines, came up 1st and 2nd for some terms in Technorati, and in the top 10 for some terms in Google.

Technorati is a good way to search for other blogs in your field, but it also can search article directories and other sites.

Instant Articles: Buy, Rewrite, Add Your Name

Do you ever wish you could buy a good article, add your own stories, and publish it as your own in your newsletters or blogs? Sort of like those vitamin powders you pour into water, shake up and drink?

I just launched an article directory site called www.CustomizedNNewsletterArticles.com. When you buy an article for your newsletters, you get to use it as your own. That means you can blend your own stories into them to personalize them and make them work for getting clients and spreading your expertise.

You can read the press release here.