Writing on the Web from Patsi Krakoff, The Blog Squad

Books and Blogs: Happily Ever After

This week I'm in Los Angeles with Denise preaching the Blogspell to eager authors and publishers who want to master book blogging. For the last 3 years The Blog Squad has been teaching at the Independent Book Publisher's Association just prior to the big Book Expo America, BEA. PMA prides itself on offering vital information for authors and publishers.

We're presenting in two workshops and will be explaining how important blogs are for both authors and publishers.

Here's the info, in case you're in the neighborhood:

2008 PMA Publishers Marketing University, Los Angeles
 
The Blog Squad presents:
*  May 28, 2008, 2:00 p.m.: Optimize Your Web
Site to Convert Visitors to Customers.
*  May 29, 2008, 8:30 a.m.: Blogging Basics for
Authors and Publishers

4 Ways to Boost a Business Blog: new free report

The Blog Squad releases our free report today: Better Business Blogging: 4 New Concepts for Getting Spectacular Results.

This is a great way to review your business blog for 4 key elements we call the CODA Blogging System:

The CODA System consists of:

1. Content: writing quality posts that educate, engage, and enrich the lives of readers
2. Outreach: building relationships with other bloggers to become part of a larger community
3. Design: the little things in a blog design that contribute towards creating trust and connection with readers
4. Action: getting readers to respond through persuasive writing, encouraging a conversation, and converting readers to loyal fans and clients

Better Business Blogging: 4 New Concepts for Getting Spectacular Results, is available for free at www.betterbizblogging.com.

(Whew! Denise and I have been working for such a long time to get this out the door. Can we hear a big Yahoo!!? Be sure to download your report today, it's worth the read. We'd love to get your feedback too.)

Better Business Blog Writing Class: Lessons for readers from your story

I love teaching blog writing because I always learn so much preparing for the class. And even afterwards, I'll be reading something and think, "Oh, I need to show the class this paragraph: it's a perfect example of such-and-such!"

This morning I finally got the chance to open up Problogger, the new book out by Darren Rowse and Chris Garrett, two of my favorite blog writers. It's subtitle is "Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income." But I'm reading it for another reason: clues to how both Darren and Chris mastered blog writing.

Here's a prime example of what I posted yesterday about the importance of putting you and your personality into your business blog. The book starts out with Darren's story, then Chris'.

I didn't know that Darren started his career as a minister! But never mind that, (be sure to get a copy of the book and read it for more juicy stories!) I want you to read this passage, after Darren tells his story, because it is a prime example of why the word "because" is most important in blog writing:

Putting the YOU in Business Blogging: 5 tips for getting personal

If you're writing for your business, how much of yourself should you include? Everyone agrees that blogs are a place to have a conversation. How personal should you be? How do you keep the YOU in Business Blogging and still make it work for business?

There's a new trend to be personal with business communications. Rohit Bhargava's written a whole book about it, filled with examples of how companies are successfully using personalities to market their business products and services: Personality Not Included.

I get  emails from a professional who writes about arguments with her husband. I can't help myself, I'm drawn into reading the damn things. And sure, she's promoting a program...And there's only a loose tie between the story about the husband and the program she's promoting! But she tells the story so well, you don't care!

I can't stop myself from reading her emails. Why? As a psychologist, I can tell you why: we're hard wired to connect with others, especially about family stories, and we all relate to each other's predicaments.

So, the dilemma remains: how do you do this successfully without embarrassing yourself - or worse - incurring the wrath of a family member?

Morning Writing Ritual: Using your right brain

The third thing I do in the morning when I get up is write on one of our blogs. (First, brew a pot of Cafe de Olla; second, feed Huey and Dewey.) So when clients ask, "How do we find time to post on all our blogs?" it's kind of a non-problem.

Here are 5 more tips for being more creatively productive with your writing tasks.

1. Write first thing before you open email or your list of things to do. Any writing task should have priority over other tasks in the morning. Why? Writing uses your right brain, needs clarity, without those little gnawing distractions.
   
   Writing is mostly a right brain activity. Beware the left brain that wants to spoil your creativity by reminding you of things "to-do." When you first wake up, you're functioning in your right brain. Use it immediately for improved creativity.

Write Better Blog Posts: Learn with The Blog Squad

If you find writing on your business blog at times challenging, I'd like to invite you to join us on Monday May 19, 2008 and Wednesday, May 21:

Better Business Blog Writing with The Blog Squad. We're going to be covering in depth how to write Cornerstone Content that connects with readers and turns them into fans and clients.

We'll cover the basics, then go into how to deepen your posts so they educate, entertain, engage and enrich your readers. Go read the details here, and if you find this could be helpful, please register. You'll get the audio files, transcripts, notes, articles and a ton of resources.

5 Keys to Crafting a Really Good 'About' Page

Does your story put readers to sleep? When's the last time you updated your bio on your blog's About page?

Every story has some basic elements to it that make it a really good story. Personally, I think everyone has a good story to tell about themselves, only most don’t know how to tell it well so that readers are enchanted and moved.

When we work with clients to improve their blog, we don’t often see them telling their story well, if at all.

Many bloggers copy and paste their bio or resume onto their About page, written in the 3rd person:  “John Smith is a consultant with 20 years experience working with Fortune 500 companies on their strategic development plans”

(ZZZZ…snore…sound of readers drifting off)

Anatomy of a Blog Post: A Writing Checklist

I'm preparing handouts for our Better Business Blog Writing Class, and came up with a 18 point blog writing checklist. Tell me what you think. If you review your posts after you write and before publishing, this will help you get better results.

A Blog Writing Checklist:
The anatomy of a blog post that Educates, Entertains, Engages and Enriches your readers
© 2008 Patsi Krakoff, Psy. D. & Denise Wakeman aka The Blog Squad™

This blog writing checklist is designed to cover learning styles of readers so that you connect with as many different kinds of readers as you can.

1. Why is this post important? If readers ask “what’s in it for me?” - will they know right away?
2. Does this post describe a problem? Does this post appeal to readers’ pain, needs, wants, desires?
3. So what? Do readers understand the consequences of this problem?
4. What’s your solution? What are you educating readers about? What’s your unique perspective? How is your solution different from widely accepted knowledge?

3 Blog Squad Teleclasses this week

Mark your calenders if you want to listen in on 3 more business blogging interviews this week, plus a private session with our Blogging and Beyond Mentor group. More Blog Squad Blogspell...

May 12 - 16 (we present on Tuesday, May 13 at 4 pm ET)
As part of Andrea Williams' Womens Business Launch Success TeleSummit we join an amazing group of 15 experts presenting on how to sort through the clutter of business building tactics, focus your marketing strategies, and claim financial SUCCESS.

Presenters include: Viki Viertel, Lisa Earle McLeod, Debbie LaChusa, Suzy Spivey, Adam Urbanski, The Blog Squad™, Sheri McConnell, Kyle King, Christina Merkely, Michael Port, Joe Nunziata, MaryPat Kavanagh, Lynn Scheurell, Mara Castello, Wayne Kelly
Details and Registration here.

Thursday, May 15, 5 p.m. ET
Blogging to Explode Your Business Growth
Hosted by Cathy Goodwin
No charge, register here.

Thursday, May 15, 9 p.m. ET
Using a Blog to Gain Expert Status
Hosted by Joe Nunziata
No charge, register here.

Blogging Naked: Personality Is Included

I’m reading Personality not Included  by Rohit Bhargava right now. And I’m having pangs of inadequacy.

I think I must have been somehow traumatized by the ‘in-crowd’ kids in school who were hanging out in packs and talking about having a ‘cool personality.’ (I know, but in those days we had somewhat archaic language for bad-ass, and ‘cool’ was it.)

Personality: I never got it then, and probably still don’t. I know I’ve got one, just not sure that it’s all that ‘cool.’

Recently I’ve been filming The Blog Squad video clips of myself talking about blog writing tips. Have you ever had a chance to see yourself on film? It's revealing for sure... omg, as the kids say.

(Dialog inside my head: "I think I come across as a dork. I seem unsure of myself, modest (not a good trait for a marketing expert), and somewhat shy. Definitely not cool...")