Writing on the Web from Patsi Krakoff, The Blog Squad

17 Sources for Content Inspiration

In researching info for a chapter we're contributing to a book on email marketing, Patsi put together a list of 17 sources to get inspiration for creating content for your ezine and blog.  Here goes...

1. Where is your readers' pain?

2. What current event ties in with readers' problems?

3. What client situation can you use as a case study?

4. What unusual or unique story could benefit your readers?

5. How do you differ from your competitors?

6. What Web or blog resources would your readers love to know about?

10 New Rules for Writing Great Ezines

What are the 10 “New Rules” for effective ezines? Here are a few tips that are shaping effective ezines today.

1. Headlines are more crucial than ever. A cleverly crafted headline (or subject line for email) will determine if your email gets opened and read or not. Those headlines that can appeal to reader’s desires on an emotional level will be more effective. “Insider secrets,” “5 tips you can apply now to save time/money/energy,” and “What they don’t want you to know,” are examples of titles that work because they are compelling. They offer a promise to solve a problem. They leave the reader with great curiosity. They seduce the reader to open and read the email.

2. Keywords should be placed in the headline. Use them again in the first paragraph, and repeat several times in the body of the content. When somebody sits down and types keywords into a search engine looking for information they need, will your content be found?

3. Content length should be short and to the point. Once you write your message, review it and delete as many words as possible. Ask, “So what?” to each sentence. Keep the focus on your core intention for that email message.

Ezine Mistakes: Avoiding the Delete Key

Do you make these 6 common errors when you write your e-newsletter?

Out of the hundreds of email promotions and newsletters I review each week, here are the most common errors:

1. Either too personal, informal and friendly, or – too formal, too impersonal, with too much jargon or corporate-speak

2. Too much content, too long, too many topics and multiple calls to action

3. Boring content, nothing compelling in the subject line or headline

4. Talking about the person or company too much, with no regard for what’s in it for readers

5. Too much hype, too many bolded or all-cap words, aggressively calling for action with no real benefit spelled out for readers

6. Not enough compelling reason to do anything other than scan, read, and delete…in some cases, no call to action whatsoever

Remember, your email must inform, educate, entertain, and give something of value to readers.

Otherwise, you are taking up valuable time and energy from your readers who will eventually delete and unsubscribe.

Writing Email Content: How Is It Different?

How does writing content for email distribution differ from offline or real world styles?

I am not convinced that writing for an electronic newsletter, a blog, or a web-based press release is any different simply because it is designed to be read online. I think important changes in the way we communicate overall are driving the changes in our writing styles.

Online writing is different because the way we communicate with each other has changed rapidly in the last 10 years. We want our information delivered quickly, clearly, and in a way that entertains us. This goes for TV, newspapers, and also for electronic email.

Schools of “new journalism” and “creative non-fiction” advocate bringing the writer’s experience into the reporting. This is because old school journalism that promotes objective, neutral reporting is unrealistic anyway. No matter who you are, you bring yourself into the equation, you can’t totally write “the truth.” Everything is colored by your perceptions and assumptions.

Bullet Points: Everything You Need to Know

Effective online writing often compresses information into bullet points. Doesn't matter if you are writing an article, an ezine, or a blog post; using lists will not only make your points clear and compelling, but will ensure you get read.

But did you know there were basic rules for writing effective bullet points? Brian Clark writes another brilliant post over at Copyblogger, and gives us ...

Little Known Ways to Write Fascinating Bullet Points

What would articles, blog posts, sales letters and bad PowerPoint presentations be without them?Bullet points are so common because they work, and readers like them.

But bullet points also often fail by letting the reader down in one way or another. So let’s see if we can’t start making our bullet points downright fascinating.

Before we get to the graduate level, we’ve got to nail the basics. So here are the 5 cardinal rules of Bullet Points 101:

Email Promos: Video Tutorials

This past weekend I checked out some new (free) video tutorials on writing email promos that get results.  I posted a review of the first 3 videos on Next Level Biz Tips.

Tags: email marketing

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Email Marketing is Not Dead: Part 3

Email Marketing is Not Dead: Top 10 Reasons to Publish an Ezine
©2006 Patsi  Krakoff, Psy. D.

Part 3

8. Expand and grow your database: Ezines can be forwarded to a reader's friends and associates. Your list of subscribers can grow with people you might never come in contact with. You can reach a global audience instead of your local area.

9. Create a two-way dialogue with your readers: Ask your readers questions, survey them about topics, ask for their opinions and feedback. Your ezine can help you keep your finger on the pulse of your ideal clients; you can use their feedback to create more ezine content, or other products such as telecourses and e-books. And this in itself sustains the idea that you are really interested in them and in providing the kinds of services that are important to them: you care.

10. Bottom-line: sales. You turn prospects into clients. Your ezine can be a magnet to your website, to your products, to your services. People are more likely to buy from you when they feel they know you. Ezines are particularly effective for selling services where there may be a long sales cycle and where the relationship is important.

For more leading edge ezine tips go to www.coachezines.com .  You can also subscribe to Newsletter Nuggets at http://www.newsletternuggets.com .  Get Patsi's Secrets of Successful Ezines 7-Step Mini-Course to learn what you need to know to publish a successful ezine. http://snipurl.com/Ezine_MiniCourse Patsi Krakoff, Psy. D. is a writer and Internet Marketing expert with over 7 years experience marketing online and founder of Customized Newsletter Services.

Related Posts:
Email Marketing is Not Dead: Part 1
Email Marketing is Not Dead: Part 2

Email Marketing is Not Dead: Part 2

Email Marketing is Not Dead: Top 10 Reasons to Publish an Ezine
©2006 Patsi  Krakoff, Psy. D.

Part 2

4. Stay in touch with past, present and potential clients. You never know when, where or why a person will contact you for services, so you need to stay in touch, and make it easy for them to contact you. Some say people need to hear from you 5-7 times before they are ready to hire or buy.

5. Give people up-to-date information on programs, services and products you have created that can help them. How else will they know what you have to offer?

6. Create alliances and affiliations with other ezine publishers, programs and service providers that interest your readers. They will love you when you offer solutions from other sources that you don't provide yourself. You become a go-to resource for many of their needs. You can also earn passive income through affiliate programs.

7. Reinforce your branding. Your services may be great, but every business needs a look, a logo, colors, a name, a tag-line quote-things that sum up in one glance the essence or feel of who you are and what your business stands for. Your ezine is one more opportunity to put forth your brand.

Final 3 reasons to publish an ezine coming tomorrow...

Related Post:
Email Marketing is Not Dead: Part 1

Email Marketing is Not Dead: Part 1

Email Marketing is Not Dead: Top 10 Reasons to Publish an Ezine

©2006 Patsi  Krakoff, Psy. D.

Email marketing is far from dead, despite the fact it can be a challenge to build an opt-in list of email addresses. Even with the popularity and ease of publishing on blogs, an ezine should be a standard in your online marketing toolbox.  Ezines are easy, accessible, inexpensive, instant, and interactive

Here are ten reasons to publish an ezine:

1. Gain name and fame; become widely known as an expert in your field to people you might not ever see or meet. You establish yourself as a thought leader and demonstrate your expertise in a way you could never do on a website or brochure.

2. Cultivate a relationship with your readers; establish trust and credibility. Your ezine is an opportunity to teach, to share interesting information, and to share your philosophy and real life experiences. Readers get to know you. Show them what you know, and also that you care. (There is that old adage that says 'people don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care!')

3. Create quality content for your website. When you post your ezines on your website, you increase the chance of search engines picking up your site because you have more pages and more content.

Stay tuned for 4 more reasons to publish an ezine...

Patsi gets a new back.

Newsletter Nuggets – Octuber 19, 2006

…tips and tricks for writing great ezines and blogs

To meet the demands of today’s fast-paced and competitive business environment, people at all levels are being asked to step up and assume leadership behaviors. As retired Harvard Business School Professor John P. Kotter explains in the Summer 2004 issue of strategy+business, this means we must “create 100 million new leaders” throughout society.

Leadership isn’t just for leaders anymore. Top companies are beginning to understand that sustaining peak performance requires a commitment to developing leaders at all levels. Management experts Drs. Paul Hersey and Kenneth Blanchard have defined leadership as “working with and through others to achieve objectives.”

Categories: Leadership, Coaching, Careers

http://snipurl.com/LdrshpNov06

Featured Article for October: How Do You Develop Leaders? Practice, Practice, Practice

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This newsletter will be short, however. The main point today is to check out the new article available for you November newsletters on leadership development.

In fact, I might just be working more over the next few months, as I sure can’t be out on the tennis courts until next Spring!

I will be recovering for the next 6 weeks, and I’ll be able to sit up and use a computer in a few more days.

Thanks to automated business systems, I am able to carry on with some parts of my work. Of course, I wrote this newsletter before going into the hospital, and put it into my KickStartCart broadcasting system to go out today.

I am lying in a hospital bed right now, down for the next few days. On Tuesday Oct. 17 I had surgery on my back, to relieve pressure on the sciatic nerve. No gory details here. I just wanted to let you know that I won’t be responding to emails right away. If you need anything – either for your newsletters, blogs, or Internet marketing, please contact Denise@blogsquad.biz.

A note from Patsi –

1. A Note from the Hospital… Patsi gets a new back.
2. Featured articles for November: How Do You Develop Leaders?
3. What’s New on the Blogs?

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