Content marketing tools and training.
This week on The Lede …
Want to grab even more useful links (beyond those that make The Lede)? Follow @copyblogger on Twitter.
Steve Jobs famously misquoted Picasso when he said, “Good artists copy; great artists steal.”
What Picasso really said was, “Art is theft.”
T.S. Eliot said something far closer, “Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal.”
I learned all of this from Austin Kleon, bestselling author of Steal Like an Artist, a guide I recommend to all writers seeking insights for tapping into your endless reserves of creativity and innovation.
As a noted speaker, and prolific blogger, Mr. Kleon offers timeless wisdom on the secrets of borrowing inspiration from your heroes to remix it into your own work in order to create something fresh and original.
Writers aren’t born, they are made. ~ Austin Kleon
In this installment of The Writer Files, Austin shares his method of “productive procrastination,” the difference between little writing and Big Writing, the importance of finding the right readers, and his secret of productivity.
Inbox 0: in a bad way.
Has your brilliant content still not scored you that dream writing position, lucrative business partnership, or sweet recognition among your peers and target audience?
If you think your articles are top-notch, but there’s a lonely tumbleweed blowing through your barren website, it may be because you’re just a writer.
You heard me, Gloria.
If everybody wants you, why isn’t anybody calling? Once you create a blog or email newsletter, you need to also actively take part in its evolution.
The opening four notes to Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony are the most popular notes in Western music.
Dun dun dun dum …
They are stormy. Heroic. Disorienting. Short enough to be remembered. Portentous enough to be memorable.
Today you’ll find those notes everywhere. In movies, commercials, and songs when the dramatic and foreboding are needed … And we hardly bat an eye.
We recognize them, we know them, and we love those first four notes. Not so for Beethoven’s opening night at Vienna’s Theater an der Wien in 1808.
One contemporary composer of Beethoven — one who represented the consensus — said, “That sort of music should not be written.”
What do you really know about your prospect?
Their age range perhaps? Where they live? What they do for a living?
Useful definitely, but not enough to create copy that rouses emotion and compels action.
For that we need to take a journey much deeper into the dark recesses of our customers’ minds …
Want to join me?
Today’s article is inspired by someone who understood that in writing, how well you knew your ‘characters’ made the difference between captivating an audience, or boring them.
This week on The Lede …
Want to grab even more useful links (beyond those that make The Lede)? Follow @copyblogger on Twitter.
You hear everyone talking about online content marketing, because with today’s Internet-empowered prospect, content marketing is what works.
And yet, you may be struggling with creating content that works for your business or your clients. Or maybe you’re just trying to take your game to the next level.
There’s a lot to learn, and even then you’re left asking potentially expensive and time-consuming questions:
Writing is scary.
Sometimes when we publish something, it makes us feel like our insides are hanging out, for all the world to see. We feel vulnerable. We feel naked. We feel … terrified.
But here’s the thing — we have to keep writing, in spite of the fear. If we let fear stop us, our content will have no spark, no life. And everything we write will be completely unremarkable.
Right now, I’m working on a blog post (on a different topic) that scares the living heck out of me. I am afraid of the strong opinions and passion that are rising from some long-buried place inside me. I’m worried that I won’t write well enough to clearly communicate what I need to say. I’m worried about what people will say when I publish this piece.
Bottom line — I’m scared.
You’re smart.
You know you need to be helpful on your blog in order to grow your audience. You share useful tips. You give away free tutorials.
But somehow you’re not connecting with your readers. Your blog seems a little quiet.
Sure, you’re getting some traffic. But a certain spark is missing. It’s not the enjoyable party you’d imagined it to be.
Is it getting you down?
Today I’m sharing five tips to engage with your readers, make them feel at home, and to turn your blog into a nice and warm get-together.
