Better Blogging

The other day, someone asked me this question: “What’s the key to produce outstanding content?”

My eyebrows rose, and I couldn’t resist a glib mental answer: A direct line to The Muse, the strength of Hercules, the cunning of Hades and a really nice magic wand.

You see, there’s a problem with “the key to whatever” advice – it implies there’s a single method of gaining entry into a place you’d love to get inside.

The truth is there’s no such thing, and even if there were, I’m not convinced this key would work consistently in the secret lock for everyone, every single time.

It’s an unfortunate fact, but as human beings, we’re chasing fool’s gold to think that we can ever find the key to the realm of Outstanding Content and enter this state of mind any time we so desired.

That’s just not realistic.

Want to know what is?

So your guest post pitch has been accepted by THE blog you’ve always dreamed of posting for. You’re on cloud nine – and deservedly so!

You’ve been working up to this moment for a long time. You’ve learned the craft, improved your skills and honed your style on your own blog. You knew the moment was right – you were finally ready to make the pitch. And you nailed it.

Then you get hit by something you never saw heading your way:

Performance anxiety.

Perhaps you recognize the signs: Your excitement turns to fear. You sit down nervously to write and your mind goes blank. You try to write your post but the words are coming out all wrong. Your tone feels awkward.

You start to think, “Who’ll want to read this? This isn’t good enough… What was I thinking? Was I out of my mind?!”

No, you weren’t – but you are now. You’re putting so much pressure on yourself, and this is only the first draft!

Here’s what to do:…

You have a great idea for a blog post – and that’s a good start.

But you need more than just ideas. If you want to grow your business, you need published content – and that means turning your idea into a written blog post.

This is where you probably get stuck. Maybe your idea is so good that you’re afraid you can’t do it justice. Or maybe you love coming up with ideas – you have notebooks full of them – but sitting down to write the actual post doesn’t seem like much fun at all.

What you need is a simple process that works every time. A process that leads you from initial idea to published post so easily that you’ll wonder how you could ever go off track.

Here it is, in 6 straightforward steps:…

“I stay true to myself and my style, and I am always pushing myself to be original.”
~ Aaliyah, American recording artist

The other day a friend mentioned he had started a blog as a way to earn some money on the side. I smiled, held my tongue, and finished the conversation without comment. But it got me to thinking about some of the deeper problems with the bloggosphere and success in general.

Most bloggers start because they’re looking for a get rich quick scheme, some illusory easy path to fame and fortune. After writing for a couple weeks, they grow frustrated by the slow results and turn to other blogs for advice. Maybe they learn about copywriting or buy a custom design template, but it doesn’t help.

Want to know the real problem?…

Let’s talk about your blog.

I know. It’s a painful topic for many of you. You don’t know what to write, you don’t feel confident about what you DO write, and frankly, you’d rather not be blogging at all. It’s nerve-wracking, stressful and not as much fun as you thought it would be when you started it. You’re behind on your blogging schedule… and it’s been a while since you’ve written a post.

It’s been even longer since you’ve actually ENJOYED writing a post.

It doesn’t have to be that way. Writing a blog post shouldn’t take days. It shouldn’t be stressful. And there are fun, easy writing techniques that can help you feel inspired, motivated and even electrified to blog.

One good blog post? It can bring in serious business results: More sales. More customers. More sign-ups.

That is… if you’re actually writing those posts.

Now, the Damn Fine Words writing course gives you plenty of writing techniques that help turn you into that confident writer. They’re insider secrets that probloggers like me use all the time – and we’ve been using them for years.

But today, I want to take a few quick tips from course lessons and share them with you, because I want to help you get back to stress-free, electrified blogging.…

You’re invited to a very exclusive last-minute event – and if you’ve ever considered guest posting, you definitely won’t want to miss it.

You’ve probably heard that guest posting is a valuable marketing strategy for your blog or business. One guest post published on the right site can bring you new readers, new clients and more sales – fast.

And not just for the day your guest post takes the spotlight, but for months (even years!) to come.

I know guest posting works. I used the strategy heavily in my early years, and I even wrote an ebook about it. Men with Pens become a popular Top Ten Blog for Writers faster than the speed of light. Guest posting on major blogs set my business squarely in the spotlight of success.

It can do the same for yours.…

Guest posting is a great way to get known and gain exposure for your business. I know, because I used guest posting as a marketing strategy for years. I still guest post when the mood strikes me.

Heck, I even wrote an ebook about it.

But most days, I’m on the other end of the spectrum. This place is a popular blog, and I get hit with guest post requests at least ten times a week. (Sometimes more.)

Now in a perfect world, that’d be great news. I’d have lots of luscious content full of smart advice from rockin’ writers with something valuable to share.

Last time I checked, though, the world isn’t perfect.

In fact, if the average guest post I receive is any indicator of where perfection is going these days, I’d say it’s headed straight to hell in a hand basket.

And luscious content? She checked out about half a year ago.

That means it’s time for some cold, hard truth. I may get flack for saying it, but… most guest posts are terrible.

I don’t want to be mean or unkind, but most guest posts my peers and I receive these days are so slap-together bad that NO comes out of my mouth so fast I nearly burn my tongue.…

Want to learn a cool trick? It lets you cast a spell that makes folk soak up each word on your blog. And I’ll show you how to do it right now.

But first, let me tell you why you need to learn how to cast this spell:

Your blog will be a snap to read.
Each point you make sinks straight into your fan’s brain.
Your words will hit so hard that folk ask how on earth you do it.

Best of all, when you cast this spell on your blog, there’s next to no chance that you’ll get caught. Most folk are blind to this trick.

Here’s the spell:

Write with one-syllable words as much as you can.

Words that have just one sound don’t need to be read. Your eyes see them and soak them up. And one-syllable words make blog posts a breeze to read.

When I show this spell to my friends, they tell me that I’m mad. They say that short words and sounds rob a post of its clout and make it weak, dumb or slow.

They’re wrong. The truth is that most folk don’t care how you write. They don’t judge your work like your peers do.…

“Could you tell me what I could do better for next time?”

I hear that question all the time. And by all the time, I mean ALL the time. It’s the invariable response when I have to (sadly) tell someone that their guest post just doesn’t cut it.

They get the “Sorry, I’ll have to take a pass,” and then – sure enough – they ask me for my advice. They want my suggestions. They clearly state (in writing, no less) that they’d like to become better writers and would appreciate my counsel.

Fantastic. I’m right there for those people. I’m willing to help. At least I used to be.

I’ve actually stopped answering the question. …