February 5th, 2009 — article marketing, article writing, freelance copywriting
If you have ever kept a diary you will know how easy it can be writing down and recording your thoughts. But making them appealing to other readers is difficult.
When you decide to write an article for publication, you are marketing yourself as an expert in that particular field. So writing an article puts whole lot of responsibility on your shoulders, that of being true and genuine. So to help out, here are a few basics of article writing.
Today there is a huge amount of competition when it comes to article writing on the Net. One of the most important elements of successful article writing is the ability to produce high quality articles fast.
The ultimate key to writing an article fast
You simply have to understand your topic. There is an old saying in writing that you should only write about things you have actual knowledge of. Therefore start writing about something you are familiar with. After that before you begin writing any article make sure you fully research your subject so you have a thorough knowledge of it.
An in depth knowledge is just one step the art of fast article writing is that it takes practice. Therefore, you need to workout. Before you reach for your gym gear, I am talking about writing regularly. Many professional writers recommend that you write each and every day. By following this course, you will become a better and faster writer in no time.
Plan and be organised
Rapid article writing calls for organisation:
- An introduction to the topic
- Paragraphs that deal with the topic
- A conclusion to the topic
Using this format gives the readers a chance to understand your article better and you will be able to convey your message properly to the readers.
Keep it simple
Finally, when it comes to the easiest way to write an article fast, remember the principle of keeping it simple. People like to read articles that are easy to understand. Therefore don’t litter your writing with unnecessary fancy words. Keep it simple.
February 4th, 2009 — article writing, building newsletter subscriber list, freelance copywriting, UK copywriter
Dear Copywriter,
I’ve got a newsletter that just isn’t growing. I’m busy posting my site on free advertising sites and I’m even paying for advertising, but I’m not getting any new sign-ups. What can I do?
Yours sincerely.
Billy-No-Mates
****************************************************
Dear Billy-No-Mates,
First off, you’re not alone. I know you are working hard but sadly that doesn’t mean you will be guaranteed success. You need to consider long-term ways to grow your list.
My favourite way to grow a subscriber list is through giving away articles.
Website and blog owners are always looking for content to share with their web visitors. So, there are places called Article Directories (basically a library of free articles) where they can go to find articles that they can use – free. I’m sure you’ve heard of Ezine Articles? Well, that is just one – search Google under ‘free article sites’ for more.
All you have to do is write and submit your articles to these websites.
In case you were wondering just how that will help grow your subscriber list, I was just coming to that bit.
Once you have written your article you can then complete the Author Bio which goes at the end the article (see below for an example). This section is where you can sell yourself and talk about your business. But instead of your author bio linking directly to the main page of your site, link it to a page where you have a signup box for your newsletter.
Ta-da! Now everyone who clicks through that link will be taken to the page where you can offer them your wonderful newsletter (with a great incentive they can’t pass up.) and your newsletter list will grow.
So there you go – happy article writing.
February 2nd, 2009 — advertising copywriting, copywriting, direct mail campaign, direct response copywriting, freelance copywriting
Direct response copywriting is everywhere and can take several different forms – such as a direct-mail 
campaign or direct response ads.
In this blog on direct response copywriting I’m going to show you what it entails.
Many companies employ direct response copywriting so you must make sure that you have different ways for your advertising to stand up. When you are doing direct response copywriting, you should make sure that you are writing to your reader as you would write to a friend so it needs to be conversational.
There are no hard and fast rules as to how long your writing should be – instead you should write until what you need to say has been said.
Direct Response Copywriting Formula
OK, as the advert says here comes the science bit.
There are three main parts usually attributed to a direct response letter:
- The headline – this must be attention grabbing.
- The offer – make sure you explain in great detail what a person will receive if they take you up on your offer.
- The postscript – this is where the incentive goes for someone to respond immediately to your offer.
The key behind direct response copywriting
The key is that you want the person to immediately respond to the offer that you have presented.
Good freelance copywriting for the direct response market is achieved by focusing on the three main parts such as the headline, the offer, and the postscript. Get these right and you’ll be setting yourself up for a high success rate.
Direct response copywriting can be very effective and produce great sales for you if it is done correctly.
January 29th, 2009 — blog, blogging
It seems like just about everyone has a blog these days.
Do you have one yet? Well, if not (or even if you do), continue reading and see for yourself why blogging is so popular.
What is a Blog?
Basically, it is a web page that contains short articles, known as posts, on a variety of subjects. These posts are arranged in reverse chronological order (that is, the latest comes first) and each one is identified by an anchor tag marked by a permanent link that can be referred to by others who wish to link to it.
Blogs are a means of communication – some just point to other websites, others contain long articles, some are personal diaries, and others promote new technology. In other words, bloggers can write about anything they want.
Why Blog?
Why not?
Through blogs, people can express themselves freely. Writing blogs gives you the power to get what you have written printed immediately. No questions asked.
Another reason why many people are blogging is the freedom of design, layout, and its structure. You can write anything about what you want regardless of what it looks like. Your point is to attract readers in the way you think is the best. That is the power of blogging-giving you the freedom of what you want your blog to look like.
More than that though, blogging can be an excellent way of promoting your business and driving traffic to your website. All you have to do is write a few blogs about your business using carefully selected keywords.
Blogging Tools
Before you begin you need to know about blogging tools. These tools enable you to post your blogs either on your own website or to a certain blogging community. Popular blogging tools are Blogger and WordPress software; web-based tools that don’t require you to install software to your personal computer or on your server.
These are just some of the basic things you need to know about blogging. Remember that blogs give you the power to publish anything you want. And don’t forget to place a link directing to your own website. It can help you generate the traffic you needed.
January 28th, 2009 — copywriting, freelance copywriting, UK copywriter
This blog site has loads of articles about freelance copywriting. But for those of you who are new to the art 
of copywriting, this blog will focus on giving an introduction to the subject and why it is in such high demand today.
Take a look around you. Every where you look someone is trying to market something to you. Therefore the field of copywriting is large and continues to expand every year.
A way to describe copywriting is putting a creative message in front of a consumer and is based on three fundamental principles:
- When you are writing to a customer, there has to be an involvement between the customer and the seller.
- You must make sure that you explain the rewards as far as when the customer is purchasing a product.
- The final piece is achievement and that is what you as the writer will be focusing on.
Whenever you write copy, you want your readers (the customers) to want a certain product because they will want to gain certain rewards – you know the kind of thing, the product will save them time, money etc. etc. etc.
‘Come on, anyone can write sales stuff…can’t they?’
A lot of people would like to think that true but it’s not. There is a specific niche for copywriters. They are the ones who write messages in such a way that it brings about an interest in a consumer.
There are so many ads out there today so consumers won’t respond unless it is something that specifically interests them. This is why it is more important than ever to have a clear focus when you are writing your copy so that you know which particular niche you’re trying to hit.
There will always be a need for copywriters no matter whether the economy is in a recession or in a boom. Companies must always put out a message to consumers and as long as this demand is needed, copywriters will be in high demand.
