Vigorous Writing

Why You Should Not Try and Write Precisely

noreply@blogger.com (Jesse Hines) — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 00:36:00 +0000

Read why in the latest post on my new blog, Robust Writing.

Why Your Choice of Blog Font Matters

noreply@blogger.com (Jesse Hines) — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 23:54:00 +0000

Read the latest post on my new blog, Robust Writing, on how the font you choose for your blog or website matters--you could lose readers if you choose wrongly.

Are You a Narnia or C.S. Lewis Fan?

noreply@blogger.com (Jesse Hines) — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 23:51:00 +0000

If you are, check out my post on my new blog, Robust Writing, about my uncle's book on the Narnia series.

Liars Make For Bad Writers

noreply@blogger.com (Jesse Hines) — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 20:34:00 +0000

Being honest and interested are two attributes that help your writing to be more clear. Read about this in my latest post If You’re Insincere, Your Writing May Be Unclear on my new blog, Robust Writing.

What Do You Drink to Fuel Your Writing?

noreply@blogger.com (Jesse Hines) — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 17:56:00 +0000

On my new blog, Robust Writing, I've written about the writer's energy drink, what I drink when I need to get some energy and creativity.

What do you drink when you write? Share it in the comment s.

How to Maximize Your Time in the Blogosphere

noreply@blogger.com (Jesse Hines) — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 00:22:00 +0000

"How can you maintain a blogosphere presence and still get plenty of work done? Here are some of the ways that your fellow Robust Writing readers do it."

Read this post at my new blog Robust Writing.

Do You Respect Your Own Time?

noreply@blogger.com (Jesse Hines) — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 13:08:00 +0000

Bob Bly recently wrote that “if you are spending endless hours reading posts, comments, and messages online, those are hours you are not spending on the tasks for which you are paid a salary — or in the case of the self-employed, on billable work.”

That’s one of the reasons why I haven’t joined up in the...read the rest of this post at my new blog Robust Writing.

Blog Posts With One Idea Are Often Better Than List Posts--Read Why

noreply@blogger.com (Jesse Hines) — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 19:29:00 +0000

I've got a guest post up on Write to Done, Why Single-Idea Blog Posts Often Work Better Than List Posts.

Check it out.

Also, over at Robust Writing, my latest post shares five tips on good writing from C.S. Lewis.

Check it out, too.

Check Out My Guest Post on Copyblogger Today

noreply@blogger.com (Jesse Hines) — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 14:52:00 +0000

My post, Add Spark to Your Writing With These 3 Simple Tweaks, is running now on Copyblogger.

Go check it out and leave a comment if you're so moved.

And, again, my new blog is Robust Writing.

Check it out, too, and update your RSS or email subscriptions if you're so moved.

Have You Noticed This?

noreply@blogger.com (Jesse Hines) — Sat, 31 May 2008 18:32:00 +0000

There's still a lot of Vigorous Writing subscribers who haven't updated their subscriptions to my new blog, so I'm sending out another reminder of where I'm posting now:

My new blog is Robust Writing.

Sign up for the new feed at:

http://feeds.feedburner.com/RobustWriting

I hope to see you over there. It's got a great new look and plenty of benefits for you to comment and get your name out there.

Check it out. Let me know what you think.

Time to Get Real About Writer's Block

noreply@blogger.com (Jesse Hines) — Thu, 29 May 2008 02:25:00 +0000

Are you really suffering from writer's block or are you just procrastinating?

Read the latest post on my new blog Robust Writing for some perspective on this.

Five Ways To Promote Your Blog Or Website With Robust Writing

noreply@blogger.com (Jesse Hines) — Wed, 28 May 2008 18:45:00 +0000

Read these five ways to promote your own blog or website with some Robust Writing over at my new blog--Robust Writing.

I've Moved--Time To Update Your Feed Subscriptions

noreply@blogger.com (Jesse Hines) — Fri, 23 May 2008 20:18:00 +0000

My new blog is Robust Writing

and

my new blog feed is http://feeds.feedburner.com/RobustWriting

Thanks,

Jesse

The Sun Sets On Vigorous Writing--It Is No More

noreply@blogger.com (Jesse Hines) — Fri, 23 May 2008 11:48:00 +0000

Photo by †∆†¡∆µ∆ ?

I mentioned previously that I was moving my blog from Blogger to Wordpress--well, today's the day. With the change in platforms comes a change in names--my new blog is Robust Writing and it's got a more professional look and more comprehensive features.

Although, since I'm still learning how to use a self-hosted Wordpress blog, it's not as tight as it could be yet. I'm not even bothering with pictures for now--it's so easy to insert photos with Blogger, so I already miss that. Blogger's not bad at all; I really like it, but my new site is a blog/website combination, something that really isn't as feasible to do on Blogger. Thus, the move.

I've really enjoyed Vigorous Writing, but it's time for change.

The new blog will be similar to this one, but I'm modifying my approach, aligning it with some of the best advice on blogging I've found. It's going to be more of a blog and less of an essay/research article site--like Vigorous was a lot of times.

I think Robust Writing will be better--read some of my new blogging philosophy in the first ever post there.

Gotta give a shout out to James and Harry of Men with Pens, for creating such an attractive design and getting Robust Writing up and running smoothly. Check out the new blog; I think you'll agree it's quality work. You might even be persuaded to ask them about maybe hooking you up with a new blog home.

This is the last post here on Vigorous Writing, so it's time to sign up for the Robust Writing feed:

http://feeds.feedburner.com/RobustWriting

I'll leave Vigorous Writing up for awhile, as there are still a decent number of people checking out the articles. I'm also redirecting the Vigorous Writing feed to the new Robust Writing feed, so current subscribers will get the new posts--for awhile. Eventually, I'm just going to shut down this blog completely.

Hopefully, by then, you've updated your subscription by signing up for the Robust Writing feed.

Sayonara.

I'm Moving To WordPress But Blogger Is Still Cool, Too

noreply@blogger.com (Jesse Hines) — Fri, 16 May 2008 10:00:00 +0000

Photo by Ross Berteig

After about six months of blogging, I finally decided that moving to WordPress was the way to go.

I'm a freelance writer and I realized that if I'm going to have a web presence (as most writers should), I really need a website/blog combination.

The main point of me having a blog is to generate business (although blogging is fun and I'd probably do it on some level regardless of business).

Blogger Vs. WordPress

Blogger is a fine platform and I've really enjoyed it--it's very easy to use, Google offers plenty of options with it, and if you put the work into it, you can design a clean, attractive site on Blogger.

My problem mainly was that I wanted to have several pages highlighting my business--portfolio, clients, services, and so forth--but it's very difficult to create static pages on Blogger. I would have ended up creating those pages as blog posts and sending them out to my feed readers--I just didn't like that idea.

Plus, WordPress does provide a more professional look and enhances the commenting experience for blog readers.

Hire These Guys

I worked with James and Harry, the Men with Pens, and they created a really good looking site that does everything I wanted it to do. If you need any web content or web/blog design services, contact them. I strongly endorse them.

They're professional enough to be bluntly honest with you if they don't think some of your ideas are that good; they're friendly enough and committed to your success enough to help you find what does work for you.

Coming Up

I'll give you the details on the new blog site--url, blog name, feed address, and so on--shortly, but for now I do want to emphasize that Blogger is a great blogging platform and if you're just starting out, it's probably the one to use.

It's how I learned to blog--and I've learned a lot over these six months--and because of Blogger's ease of use (it's all free too), it allows you to focus on actually blogging instead of getting caught up in too much technical or expensive stuff too early on.

For an example of a really good blog that's on Blogger--one that looks good (you wouldn't even know it was on Blogger unless you decided to comment)--check out my brother Phillip's blog:

Tidewater Sports Report

I help him out with from time to time, and he's been going strong with it since last November. He's the one who got me into blogging. He's also used his blog as an online resume/portfolio to generate regular, decent-paying writing jobs.

Check the Tidewater Sports Report out, leave a comment telling Phillip I sent you over there, and maybe even sign up for his feed.

Again, the details on my move to WordPress will be coming very soon so keep an eye out for that.

What Is Vigorous Writing?

noreply@blogger.com (Jesse Hines) — Mon, 12 May 2008 05:38:00 +0000

Photo by Burning Image

I named my blog Vigorous Writing because, as I was brainstorming for a good title, I came across this outstanding quote by William Strunk, Jr., co-author of The Elements of Style:

"Vigorous writing is concise. A sentence should contain no unnecessary words, a paragraph no unnecessary sentences, for the same reason that a drawing should have no unnecessary lines and a machine no unnecessary parts. This requires not that the writer make all sentences short, or avoid all detail and treat subjects only in outline, but that every word tell." [Emphasis mine]

That description of writing deeply resonates with me, and I strive to live up to it--although I often don't. It's perhaps the best description of good writing I've seen so far.

Strunk & White's Examples of Vigorous Writing

In their book, Strunk and White give plenty of examples of how to change typical writing into vigorous writing. Here's a few:

"this is a subject that" becomes "this subject"

"the reason why is that" becomes "because"

"the fact that he had not succeeded" becomes "his failure"

Let's Get Vigorous

The approach to writing expressed in Strunk's definition of vigorous writing would, if ardently followed, improve everyone's writing.

I encourage you to read that quote closely, and even to write it out or print it out and put it somewhere you'll see it whenever you write.

If we commit ourselves to making sure what we write contains "no unnecessary words" as best we can, not only will we enhance our prose, but we'll sharpen our critical thinking skills as we search for the simplest, clearest words to express ourselves.

Jesse Hines is a freelance writer. He has written company profiles, press releases, marketing copy, and investigative articles. If you have any writing needs, contact him at jessehines@hotmail.com

Related Posts

How To Write More Clearly: Advice From George Orwell

Want to Write Better? Read Some Road Signs

Write For Your Readers: Keeping It Clean And Simple

noreply@blogger.com (Jesse Hines) — Fri, 09 May 2008 04:20:00 +0000

Photo by J Wynia

This is the fifth post in a roughly 10-part series I'm calling The Most Haunting and Profound Blogging Advice Series. I'm sharing blogging advice I've picked up from more established bloggers, different bits of advice which have haunted me profoundly since I came upon them. Read the introduction to this series here.

Some of the best blogging advice I've found has to do with how we as bloggers present our posts.

Presentation Matters

Blogging is a different publishing medium than more traditional types of media, such as newspapers or magazines.

Many bloggers are also writers for other mediums (as I am) and as writers we're generally more focused on writing and expressing our ideas than perhaps anything else.

Blogging adds another layer to how we present our ideas, though--we have to pay attention to how we present our posts themselves, by writing content that is easy to read.

Two bloggers who have really helped me to see that are James Chartrand and Abraham Piper.

James Chartrand, Men With Pens Author

James once told me that I should write shorter paragraphs and one line sentences and to use bullets and section headers--anything to break up my often typical long posts to make it easier to read on a computer screen.

He also encouraged me to write shorter posts.

If you look at this post from back in December (a long 1123-word post with no section headers and some huge paragraphs) and then compare it to today's 524-word post with bold section headers and much smaller paragraphs, you'll see that I've begun to incorporate these ideas.

Read James' recent post, How to Show You Care About Your Customers, for a great example of how to write this way.

Abraham Piper, 22 Words Author

Piper has written:

"Truth needs to be proclaimed, but trueness alone doesn't make what I have to say worth saying. I need to say true things well.

It motivates me to concentrate on presentation when I realize that badly written truth is almost as bad as being just flat wrong."

Piper really hits the nail here:

"Be familiar with the blog genre and write for it.

It will serve our readers if we write for the way they read, rather than the way we think they should read. More important than changing people's reading habits is getting them to read our content at all. That's how our message will spread—and that's the main point, right?"

In addition, Piper advocates writing less (which means shorter posts--check out his blog for an extreme example of that), using interesting and honest titles, and writing to be scanned.

He explains how:

"Here's a list of what will usually make text scannable:

· Putting your point at the beginning.

· Composing short, one-point paragraphs.

· Organizing with headers and sub-headers.

· Setting lists apart with bullets or numbers.

· Highlighting important words and phrases with bold or italics (but not all caps)."

Bottom Line

Blogging is a very conversational media forum and bloggers who want to be read and respected and who want to get their message out widely ought to write for that medium.

Write to be read, write for your readers--don't just pontificate with long, drawn-out paragraphs and no section headers. No matter how good your content is, if it's presented poorly, you really don't have any right to expect people to read it.

If you want your readers to respect you, you need to respect your readers.

I've Moved--Please Read

My new blog is Robust Writing, at robustwriting.com/blog

Sign up for the new feed at:

http://feeds.feedburner.com/RobustWriting

Related Posts

Yes, You Can Have A Successful Blog With A Very Relaxed Posting Frequency

The Real Secret to Making Good Money From Your Blog

Speak TO Your Readers, Not AT Them: Good Bloggers Persuade Rather Than Simply Assert and Command

The First Rule of Blogging

The Most Haunting and Profound Blogging Advice Series: An Introduction

Yes, You Can Have A Successful Blog With A Very Relaxed Posting Frequency

noreply@blogger.com (Jesse Hines) — Thu, 08 May 2008 04:20:00 +0000

Photo by tinou bao

This is the fourth post in a roughly 10-part series I'm calling The Most Haunting and Profound Blogging Advice Series. I'm sharing blogging advice I've picked up from more established bloggers, different bits of advice which have haunted me profoundly since I came upon them. Read the introduction to this series here.

What's your definition of blog success?

Is it fame? To make money--lots of money? To become an influential voice for a particular cause? To find a better job? To bring visibility to your freelance business or small business or huge corporation?

To communicate with your customers and employees? To have a place to release your thoughts? To just enjoy writing? To meet other people (from potentially anywhere in the world) and have fun?

It's A Blog

I've noticed that a lot of bloggers really stress out about how frequently they should post, even if they don't have a clearly defined purpose for their blog.

It seems to me utterly ridiculous to let that type of "pressure" stress you out if your blog is basically a personal journal or a place where you write about whatever interests you'd like to share or use your blog to argue a point for a certain view you endorse.

Actually, it's pretty absurd to let "posting frequency" stress you out no matter what reason you blog.

It's a blog. You know?

That said, I've wrestled with it myself, and I'll find myself thinking, man, "I haven't posted in 5 days; it's time for another one."

Posting Frequency

I know there are plenty of "pro bloggers" who advocate daily (several times a day) posting and do so themselves. Some of them are very successful--some of them make a very healthy living primarily from their blogs, they have lots of subscribers and web traffic, and are generally known and respected in the blogging community as A-listers or at least B-listers. If it works for them, I'm all for it.

Then there are others, like Dosh Dosh (well over 15,000 subscribers), who might post twice a week, and still have a huge following and tons of respect. Success ultimately depends on the quality of your content, I think.

Once you get to a point where your blog starts to own you instead of vice versa, when you regularly feel that you have to post a certain amount, then it's beginning to veer into unnecessary stress.

Perhaps I have a more relaxed approach to posting frequency because I got a hold of some profound blogging advice from Tim Ferriss that has haunted me ever since I began blogging. It made sense back when I read it probably last summer and still does.

Work Smarter, Not Harder

Ferriss wrote on his blog:

"No matter how good your material is, too much of it can cause feed-overwhelm and unsubscribes. Based on input from close to a dozen top bloggers I've interviewed, it takes an average of three days for a new post to propagate well in the blogosphere. If you write too often, pushing down the previous post and its visibility, you decrease the reach of each post, run the risk of increasing unsubscribes, and create more work for yourself. Test posting 2-4 times per week — my preference is two — and don't feel compelled to keep up with the frequency 'you have to post three times before lunch' Joneses. Quality, not quantity, is what spreads." [Emphasis mine]

Ferriss told Problogger:

"I've been told I need to post everyday, but when I really looked at the facts, a different picture emerged.

I've found that if i post less often, my blog has a sine wave sign-up curve. In other words: If I post just infrequently enough (for me, once every 4-6 days), the comments add up on each post, making the site look very popular, and rss subscriptions spike. If I post too often, it doesn't look popular (since posts get pushed down and comment-count is low), so it is actually better for my site to post less often!" [Emphasis mine]

Ferriss knows what he's talking about--he has over 25,000 subscribers. Yes, he had a best-selling book that he's leveraged to make his blog popular, but he's also done some masterful marketing and networking within the blogging community as well as create interesting, valuable posts with a unique angle.

Relax Now

I've adapted Ferriss' approach so that I don't have a set schedule of posting every day or even once every 7 days. I just post when I want to, when I have something I'd like to share, a perspective (like this one) that I want to advocate for.

By rejecting the "feed the beast" mentality that can sometimes pervade the blogosphere, I've been able to enjoy my blog much more, and stay much more relaxed about the whole thing than I might have if I thought I had to adhere to some blogging industry standard on posting frequency.

I think it's clear that, as Ferriss and Dosh Dosh have shown, if you write quality content that connects with readers, you only have to post once or twice a week, or even less, and you can still have a widely read and respected blog.

Jesse Hines is a freelance writer. He has written company profiles, press releases, marketing copy, and investigative articles. If you have any writing needs, contact him at jessehines@hotmail.com

Related Posts

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Speak TO Your Readers, Not AT Them: Good Bloggers Persuade Rather Than Simply Assert and Command

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Ecclesiastes Vs. Modern English: George Orwell Shows How Simple Words Evoke Vivid Images

noreply@blogger.com (Jesse Hines) — Tue, 06 May 2008 08:54:00 +0000

Photo by Steven Fernandez

Pretentious words are the enemy of poetic writing, and vague images are the enemy of clear writing. Both pretentiousness and vagueness are to be blamed for the following prose disaster, as shared by George Orwell.

Poetic, Elegant Writing

In his classic essay, Politics And The English Language, Orwell translated "a passage of good English into modern English of the worst sort," as he put it. He cited a famous passage from the Bible, King James Version--Ecclesiastes 9:11:

"I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all."

That is a poetic, elegant sentence that concisely expresses a profound insight on the nature of human life.

Pretentious, Modern Writing

Orwell decided to rewrite this verse from Ecclesiastes into modern English (he wrote this in the 1940's), and here's the result:

"Objective consideration of contemporary phenomena compels the conclusion that success or failure in competitive activities exhibits no tendency to be commensurate with innate capacity, but that a considerable element of the unpredictable must invariably be taken into account."

Yes, his rewrite is over the top, but he used the type of writing that many people then and now consider to be "intelligent" and "professional."

Breaking It Down

Orwell elucidates:

"The whole tendency of modern prose is away from concreteness. Now analyse these two sentences a little more closely. The first contains 49 words but only 60 syllables, and all its words are those of everyday life. The second contains 38 words of 90 syllables: 18 of its words are from Latin roots, and one from Greek. The first sentence contains six vivid images, and only one phrase ('time and chance') that could be called vague. The second contains not a single fresh, arresting phrase, and in spite of its 90 syllables it gives only a shortened version of the meaning contained in the first."

The sentence from Ecclesiastes is simple, clear, direct and filled with everyday words--it's extremely elegant and profoundly poetic.

The modern English version is filled with pretentious words and utterly lacking in vivid imagery--it's terrible writing that doesn't convey its message memorably at all.

The Bottom Line

Try to create concrete images in your writing by using real, "earthy" words, words that describe actual things actually.

Ironically, by focusing on expressing your message clearly and simply (and honestly), you stand a much better chance of producing something elegant than you ever will by trying to write elegantly in the first place, as that often ends up devolving into pretension.

How To Write More Clearly: Advice From George Orwell

noreply@blogger.com (Jesse Hines) — Mon, 05 May 2008 05:41:00 +0000

Most clichés aren't worth using; most writers use clichés because they either think that they sound more intelligent using them or they're simply being lazy, using what George Orwell called "ready-made phrases."

Some bad clichés:

par for the course
light at the end of the tunnel
stay within ourselves
time will tell
at the end of the day

Rather than succumbing to the temptation to just toss in yet another empty and often vague cliché, try to follow the following advice on writing more clearly, freshly, and originally, courtesy of Orwell:

"A scrupulous writer, in every sentence that he writes, will ask himself at least four questions, thus: What am I trying to say? What words will express it? What image or idiom will make it clearer? Is this image fresh enough to have an effect? And he will probably ask himself two more: Could I put it more shortly? Have I said anything that is avoidably ugly? But you are not obliged to go to all this trouble. You can shirk it by simply throwing your mind open and letting the ready-made phrases come crowding in. They will construct your sentences for you — even think your thoughts for you, to a certain extent — and at need they will perform the important service of partially concealing your meaning even from yourself. It is at this point that the special connexion between politics and the debasement of language becomes clear." [Emphasis mine]

How Twitter Can Make You A Better Writer Even If You Never Use It

noreply@blogger.com (Jesse Hines) — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 05:34:00 +0000

Photo by topgold

"Twitter is a service for friends, family, and co–workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?" reads the explanation of the service on Twitter's website.

Twitter seems to be the buzz of the Internet right now, particularly for those who make a living full-time or part-time from the web, be they web content writers, graphic designers, blog consultants, technology bloggers, or any number of other professions.

A typical Twitter posting resembles a blog post stripped to its thesis alone.

That's how you can improve your writing with Twitter even if you never actually use the service.

Find Your Thesis With Imaginary Twitter Posts

By limiting each Twitter post to 140 characters or less (as Twitter does), writers are forced to get to the point, to say exactly what they want to say without any extraneous filler. So even if you don't use Twitter, perform the following exercise the next time you sit down to write a blog post or magazine article or whatever.

Pretend that you're on Twitter and you have 140 characters or less to say as clearly as possible what your blog post is about, what its message (or thesis) is. This will force you to define exactly what it is you're writing about, what precisely you want to say. Once you've got your fake Twitter post (thesis), then write the full blog post based on that. This exercise should help you to write a crisper, cleaner, and clearer blog post with less irrelevant rambling.

Simple Example

For example, yesterday I wrote a 1352 word post on The Real Secret to Making Good Money From Your Blog. That long post could have been written as a Twitter post with the thesis explicitly clear. I would have written something like this:

"The real money in blogs comes from selling a service or product, not from selling ads."

If I counted correctly, that above sentence has 88 characters and quickly, clearly, and accurately captures my full 1352 word post's message. Of course, you need a fuller post to set a backdrop to the message, to more fully flesh out the argument, and to include relevant and insightful quotes from authorities (which I did by quoting Skellie and Darren Rowse, among several others).

Bottom Line

I think it can be extremely helpful to force yourself to write out, in less than 140 characters, the central theme of each of your blog posts before you begin writing them. By pretending that the only way you can communicate the idea in the blog post is through 140 characters or less on Twitter, you can hone your message to its core, which should definitely sharpen your writing.

I don't even use Twitter yet (I may at some point, but right now I don't have a compelling reason to do so), but I think I'm going to start doing this imaginary-Twitter-post-writing-exercise before I write anything of significance so that I can define a more explicit thesis and write a tighter argument.

Give this writing exercise a shot--I think you'll like it.

The Real Secret to Making Good Money From Your Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Jesse Hines) — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 05:00:00 +0000

Photo by liewcf

This is the third post in a roughly 10-part series I'm calling The Most Haunting and Profound Blogging Advice Series. I'm sharing blogging advice I've picked up from more established bloggers, different bits of advice which have haunted me profoundly since I came upon them. Read the introduction to this series here.

Many people are starting blogs these days in the hopes that they'll become wealthy through selling ads. Others are hoping that they can at least make enough money to quit their current job and make a living as a full-time blogger. Then there are those who just want to make some extra cash on the side.

If the business model is selling ads, then in most cases, only the last group (part-timers looking for extra money) will really be satisfied, as it certainly is possible to earn some additional income each month from the ads you sell on your blog.

Not necessarily so for those looking to get rich or make full-time livings from their blogs.

The Wealthy

Yes, there are some bloggers who make a lot of money--John Chow makes $300,000 a year and Darren Rowse made roughly $250,000 last year primarily from selling ads on their blogs.

But, those two guys were at the forefront of the making money from blogs scene and are now seen as authorities by bloggers all over looking to learn from them so that they too can become wealthy bloggers. Thus, Rowse and Chow have the internet traffic to generate lots of money from their ads.

Listen to these words of caution from Rowse, though:

"I've often used the analogy of Professional sports people to highlight that in any 'game' there are many who play it - less who make a little money from the game, even less who are able to earn a living from it (just) and just a small group who make big money from it. The same is true for bloggers. I've run many polls here at ProBlogger on how much people are earning from the medium (eg) and on every single occasion they reveal that the vast majority of bloggers are making very little per month. While it is possible to make amazing money from blogging the sad reality is that most don't make more than pocket money. Even some blogs who 'deserve' to make money blogging don't." [Emphasis mine]

Full-Time Incomes

There are also bloggers who aren't wealthy, but make full-time livings, primarily from ad revenue.

J.D. Roth runs Get Rich Slowly, a blog about personal finance, and as of last November, he was earning $5000 a month, which looks like it comes primarily from ads.

Get Rich Slowly currently has about 55,000 feed subscribers and J.D. recently became a full-time blogger.

But, listen to his words of caution, as well:

"Unless you're John Chow, blogging is no way to get rich quickly. It's no way to generate immediate cash for bills. Income is uncertain and variable....

I believe Get Rich Slowly is an atypical example. More normal, I think, are the results at my other blogs. My six-year-old personal site gets about 1100 visitors each day. It earns me an average of $120/month. I also run several minor blogs. They earn me about $20/month combined....

Do not start a blog expecting it to pay your bills. Blogging can be an excellent way to make money from a hobby, a way to earn supplementary income. But blogging will not make you rich." [Emphasis in original]

So, while it's possible to publish a popular blog with quality content that attracts lots of traffic and permits you to earn either lots of money (Chow and Rowse) or solid middle-class money (J.D.) from selling ads on your blog, the odds are really against you.

The Real Secret

So what's the secret to making good money from your blog?

That secret is the third bit of the most haunting and profound blogging advice I've discovered, thanks to Harrison McLeod of Men with Pens, a blog that offers "Web Business Tips for Writers, Freelancers, and Online Entrepreneurs," according to the blog's tagline.

McLeod and his business partner James Chartrand run their blog primarily as an advertisement vehicle for their web writing and design services.

McLeod explains:

"Blogging won't make you rich. What people fail to realize is that blogging is a way to be noticed. It brings opportunities that will make you rich - or at least able to earn a comfortable living.

James and I don't make much money from our blog, despite our monetization strategies. Our advertising, Amazon and ebook revenues barely bring in enough to buy a dinner for four once a month.

But through our blog, we achieve clients. People often contact us because they become familiar with us through our content. They see that we have integrity, that we're trustworthy and that we offer quality – even in free posts.

A blog should never be a sole source of income. It's simply a resource and a tool that helps achieve other revenues." [Emphasis mine]

I suppose you could make a full-time living by running a dozen blogs, putting up ads on each of them, and posting quality, interesting content on each of them every day--but, what kind of life is that? Besides, you still probably won't make that much, as you just won't be able to infuse any kind of real passion into any of the blogs, the type of passion that motivates readers to come back for more.

The real money in blogging is in establishing yourself as an authority or expert at some type of service and using your posts to demonstrate that, thus potentially bringing you new customers for your service (copywriting, web design, SEO consultation, gourmet food catering, lawn care, real estate, etc.).

Brian Clark says:

"Blogging is a great way to grow a business, promote a cause, or spread new ideas, because when you take an educational approach to marketing, you gain the attention and trust of people who might otherwise simply ignore old-fashioned advertising. Not only can those people become your customers or converts, they can also become your advocates." [Emphasis mine]

Perhaps your blog isn't currently constructed to effectively sell anything--while you figure out how to do that, there's still a very simple thing you can do to potentially earn far more money than you probably ever will from your ads.

Put Up a 'Hire Me' Page

It's really quite obvious, but this advice never really occurred to me until I read it from Skellie, a popular blogger who blogs about blogging.

She says:

"If you sell your skills and you run a blog or website, you must have a hire me page.

An About page which mentions you're available for hire isn't enough. The information will always be too broad: it has to cater to new visitors, people who want information about the blog/site, people who want general information about you, as well as clients. It also doesn’t indicate from the main page that you're looking for work. A page called 'Hire Me', 'My Services' or 'Consulting' is much more likely to attract the interest of prospective clients — though it doesn't hurt to link to it from your About page, either.

If a 'Hire Me' page sends you just one client every few months, it pays for your time (a basic page will probably take half-an-hour to write). In my experience, a Hire Me page can do a lot more than that."

By simply putting up a brief bit about yourself and what services you offer, along with contact information, you can increase the odds that people will get in touch to hire you for something.

If you position yourself as knowledgeable and skilled about something, and your blog posts are well written, reflecting your knowledge and skills, you may get more clients and you may even get some full-time job offers.

Bottom Line

Run ads on your blog if you want (if you have good traffic, you should earn at least extra side cash), but realize that the real money in having a blog comes from demonstrating your knowledge and skills through well-written, interesting, and informative blog posts.

Combine that with a good 'hire me' page and some products or services to sell, and you stand a much better chance of making good money from your blog, much more than most bloggers will ever get from their Adsense impressions.

Jesse Hines is a freelance writer. He has written company profiles, press releases, marketing copy, and investigative articles. If you have any writing needs, contact him at jessehines@hotmail.com

Related Posts

Speak TO Your Readers, Not AT Them: Good Bloggers Persuade Rather Than Simply Assert and Command
The First Rule of Blogging
The Most Haunting and Profound Blogging Advice Series: An Introduction

Speak TO Your Readers, Not AT Them: Good Bloggers Persuade Rather Than Simply Assert and Command

noreply@blogger.com (Jesse Hines) — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 03:09:00 +0000

Photo by katiebate

This is the second post in a roughly 10-part series I'm calling The Most Haunting and Profound Blogging Advice Series. I’m sharing blogging advice I've picked up on from more established bloggers, different bits of advice which have haunted me profoundly ever since I came upon them. Read the introduction to this series here.

A couple of months ago I stumbled over the following simple, yet profound, advice on writing that has haunted me from the moment I read it.

Matt Keegan, a freelance writer and blogger, wrote a post in which he offered some tips to "intrepid writers everywhere," as he put it. He explained his motivation:

"Over the past few weeks I’ve had the opportunity to review some submissions from fellow 'writers' and have come to an important conclusion: a lot of people need to spend some extra time improving their work while others simply do not have the talent."

Persuade Your Readers

Keegan listed seven tips based on his observations--the one that jumped out at me was this one, which is the second bit of most haunting and profound blogging advice I've encountered:

"Speak to me, not at me — Conversational writing is fine, but you are missing an important point: I don't want you to tell me what I should do, rather you must persuade me. I hear your opinion, but you don’t back it up with compelling reasons. Instead of saying 'you must' use 'consider this' and you may keep my attention." (Bold emphasis mine)

I've seen a good number of bloggers who just declare things, just command their readers to do this or that, just say that thus and thus is the truth and the best way, the only way of doing whatever it is they're advocating--as though their perspective is THE perspective and they're some sort of authority to whom we ought to defer.

Often, the bloggers doing this aren't authorities or experts on the subject at all; often, they're just some guy who put up a blog and learned fairly quickly that the way to attract readers is to use bold, catchy headlines such as, "THE Top 10 Ways to Accomplish Whatever," or "You MUST Do These 12 Things to Be Successful at Whatever."

Whatever.

Novices and Authorities Are Both Doing It

So you have two basic types doing this:

1. Utter novices who just declare things as though they were the Gospel Truth in the hopes that readers will view them as experts and they can thus gain a readership.

2. Bona fide authorities who are in a position to write on their chosen subject and have something legitimate to say, but--they've bought into the idea that they have to use bold and loud titles to grab eyeballs and then, in the body of the post, they continue to just declare things (often without any acknowledgment that they could be wrong or that there are other valid views that contradict theirs), commanding but never really persuading.

Novices: Get Real

The former need a healthy dose of reality and humility and to realize that they have to earn the right to make such bold declarations, by demonstrating real experience, achievements, and qualifications in their chosen subject matter before anyone should pay any attention to their pronouncements.

No more just shouting at your readers that they should do this or that--as people who are more experienced and have achieved much more in real life in certain arenas begin to enter the blogging world, the posers will be pushed out; the truly accomplished folks will attract the readers.

For example...someone calling them self a "professional writer" but the only place they've ever published anything is on their free blog or at Associated Content...if that person starts declaring that "real writers" do this thing or that other thing...I'm not paying attention. Especially if you're just declaring; at least, try to persuade me, try to convince me, try to argue your point and make your case through persuasion instead of just saying "this is the way it is." You're not qualified to just declare things yet. Just sayin'....

By the way, that's not being elitist--it's just expecting you to give me some reason to listen to you other than that you have a blog and can say whatever you want. There's too many people shouting in the blogosphere (and on TV and radio and most everywhere else) to pay attention to it all. It's all about writing about what you actually know.

Another example:

I've been freelance writing for some local health and business publications for over a year now (getting published and paid), I wrote public relations and marketing copy for a local science non-profit during an internship before that, and I earned a Bachelor's degree in English, with a concentration in writing before all of that. Thus, I do know something about writing well and even getting published a little. I can blog about that because I've done it and have actual knowledge of it.

But if I tried to emulate Brian Clark and starting doing posts like he does at Copyblogger about online marketing success, I'd look like a foolish amateur. I haven't had any online marketing success yet and don't really know much about it. Thus, I keep my mouth shut about it. That's what I'm arguing here, to blog about what you truly know and have some authority to speak on, but if you insist on blogging about things you don't know much about so that you can explore it and learn through the experience--at least be clear that that's what you're doing and don't pass yourself off as any kind of authority, just declaring thus and thus. Be real.

Authorities: Relax

As to the true experts--just chill out. You don't have to stake out such hardcore positions and make such dogmatic, universal declarations about everything. Sometimes, it's enough to simply make your case clearly, yes, but also persuasively--show your reader why you think you're right and give tangible reasons. Even, gasp!, interact with opposing viewpoints, acknowledging their existence and potential validity, and then point out to your readers why your position trumps those of your opponents.

Even if you are an expert with some great information to share, it's not necessary (and actually it's increasingly a major turnoff for me) if you write a title like, "The Top 5 Things You Must Do...."

Really? You're certain that those are the top five things and that nothing else could possibly supplant one your top five whatevers? You've done extensive research, comparing all of the possible options and found, through rigorous examination and thorough analysis that these are the top five things and there are no others?

More likely (though I'm sure in some cases there are only five main things) you've fallen prey to the temptation to write a bold, outrageous, eye-catching title because that's what so many of the blogging experts say is necessary to attract readers in the first place. Problem is, you're stating a definitive when sometimes it's highly debatable that these are the most important points and there are no others. I'm advocating more realistic, honest, yet provocative titles.

Yeah, it takes more effort to write one of those, but it'll gain you credibility. It's worth it.

Bottom Line

In short, bloggers, remember that you're not necessarily the first or last word on any subject and that you could be wrong.

So, I'm hoping I can persuade you to adopt a more realistic assessment of your views and I'm hoping to persuade you to speak TO your readers and not AT them. Just like you would if you were pontificating to them in person.

How'd I do? Did I persuade you or did I, too, succumb to just speaking at you, just declaring my view?

Jesse Hines is a freelance writer. He has written company profiles, press releases, marketing copy, and investigative articles. If you have any writing needs, contact him at jessehines@hotmail.com

Related Posts

The First Rule of Blogging
The Most Haunting and Profound Blogging Advice Series: An Introduction

Rewrite this Ad Copy to Make It More Personal and Colorful

noreply@blogger.com (Jesse Hines) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 20:01:00 +0000

I recently received a postcard mailer from a local business. Here's a block of the main copy:

"We would like to take this opportunity to invite you to the new ... of Newport News. New owners with an all new attitude. Stop in and experience our new approach to sales and service."

Two quick observations:

Cut the Excess and Get to the Point

1. The first sentence buries its main point behind a bunch of unnecessary preceding filler: "We would like to take this opportunity to...." should just be eliminated.

There's no need to tell the customer that they would like to take this opportunity to do anything, nor is there a need to tell the customer what it is they want to do. Just say it outright.

Here's how they could have made that first sentence more direct and personal, by writing:

"You're invited to the new ... of Newport News."

That puts the customer front and center, addresses them more clearly and directly, and gets the main point out more quickly.

Use More Colorful and Evocative Language

2. The company used the word "new" four times in three sentences. Repetition can be good in persuasive writing, but the word "new" is too vague and cliché to really elicit interest anymore.

They have new owners who have a new attitude and a new approach to sales and service--so what? Newer doesn't equate to better.

Rather, I think this company should have used more precise and descriptive words to explain why we should stop in, words such as "warm," "friendly," "detailed," "25 years of experience," "award-winning"--something like that. Yes, those words can be cliché too, but at least they evoke something in the mind that goes beyond simple newness.

Perhaps the facility previously had bad owners who had a bad attitude and a bad approach to sales and service and that's why the company is stressing the word "new" so much. Perhaps.

But, "new" is still too empty; they should have used more colorful words to describe all the new stuff they have going on, words that will really entice customers to come by, words with more specific meanings that convey appealing images in their readers' (and potential customers') minds.

What do you think?

Looking at the above block of copy, how would you rewrite it to make it more effective and enticing for customers to actually go visit the company?

22 Words Can Help Make Your Blog Stand Out and Grab Readers

noreply@blogger.com (Jesse Hines) — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 05:28:00 +0000

I went to Wal-Mart yesterday to pick up a few items--deodorant, toothpaste, and laundry detergent.

Three simple items--no problem, right? I'd be in and out quickly...just grab the items and go.

Not so simple, actually.

As I looked at the shelves of laundry detergent, I started to get overwhelmed with all of the choices--Tide, Purex, Xtra, Arm & Hammer, etc. So many brands, some of each offering several different types: small bottles, large bottles, with bleach, without bleach, cold water versions, and so on.

Same thing with the toothpastes (Colgate, Crest, Aim, etc.--all offering whitening, cavity protection, tartar protection, mouthwash, mint flavor, cinnamon flavor...) and the deodorant (Old Spice, Speed Stick, Right Guard, etc.--antiperspirant or regular deodorant, fresh scent, sport scent, musk scent...).

Having tons of options is great in one sense--you can often get exactly what you want--but having tons of products to choose from can be so overwhelming that you're tempted to just grab the cheapest item off the shelf and go.

Blog Overwhelm

Same with blogs. With Technorati currently tracking 112.8 million blogs, what are you doing to make your blog stand out, distinguish itself, and entice readers to check you out--and continue to do so, by returning regularly or subscribing through RSS or email?

Here's how one guy is doing it:

Abraham Piper, son of popular pastor and author John Piper, is Web Content Editor at Desiring God ministries.

Abraham has a blog, 22 Words, and he's doing something really unique and appealing, so unique and appealing that it grabbed my attention and compelled me to sign up for his feed.

Here's his blog's tagline:

"Exercises in getting to the point (or avoiding it) by saying what I have to say in twenty-two words, not counting titles."

Abraham normally writes each of his posts in twenty-two words and this forces him to make his point clearly and (extremely) concisely.

He gives seven reasons why he chose that number, among them these two:

"It’s not so brief it's meaningless, nor so long that I seem to have started talking before I knew what to say."

and

"To say something worthwhile this short, you have to pay attention to little things.

Then these add up to big things.

Hopefully."

Notice that each of his reasons contains only twenty-two words as well.

Here's a couple of his actual blog posts:

"Regularly, when I tell Molly, 'I love you,' there's a 'too' tacked on the end.

I should say it first more often."

and

"Let's aim for goodness. If we succeed consistently, great.

But why value consistency itself? We could just as easily be consistently bad."

Distinguish Yourself

Check Abraham Piper's blog out and see just how he fits compelling points within just twenty-two words on a regular basis.

I love the idea. That's why I signed up for his feed.

What are you doing to entice readers to sign up for yours?