Anyone who has ever been to a baseball game might wonder why the game uses the word ‘errors’ instead of mistakes.  The reason comes down to the definitions of the two words; anyone can make a mistake, but those who know better for whatever reason commit errors.  In this sense, a professional is not expected to make the same mistakes again and again, or to make basic mistakes that they are already aware of.  In short, if you should know better, then it is an error.

Texts riddled with errors erode trust, and that in turn reduces the likelihood of a conversion.  Therefore, it is in your best interest to figure out which mistakes you are making and how to rectify them as quickly as possible.

Copywriting Errors 101

Here are some of the most common errors I see, and how to avoid making them again:

• Than vs. Then – I see this error all the time, and it is simply fixed.  Then is used to describe events that happen in a logical sequence while than is used for comparisons.  I woke up then went to IHOP for breakfast.  I think IHOP tastes better than Denny’s.
• Could of vs. Would of vs. Should of – Many people tend to think of language in much the same way as they speak it, instead of how it is written.  Could of is correct if you are talking about possibilities that are not past, but would of and should of are incorrect.
• Its vs. It’s – It’s only means it is.  The possessive form of it is its without the apostrophe.  It’s hot today.  Microsoft lost its battle with hackers today.
• Loose vs. Lose – Sometimes one little letter can make a huge difference.  Loose is only used when something is not sufficiently tight, and lose means to misplace.  The screw is loose, so be sure not to lose it!
• Averse vs. Adverse – Here’s another case where a single letter makes a big difference.  Averse indicates a reluctance while adverse describes conditions that are difficult or unfavorable.  I am averse to investing in stocks at the moment.  The adverse weather conditions make building a house in the winter a challenge.
• Myself and Yourself – The only times you would use myself and yourself is when you are referring to an action that involved the same party.  For example: I then checked myself for injuries, did you check yourself?  It is incorrect to say things such as: Myself, I like beer!  Or, the incredibly common: what about yourself (unless some sort of self-evaluation or self-action was implied).
• Different than – Never ever use this.  Period.  Instead, use different from.
• Latin lessons for i.e. and e.g. – i.e. is only used for situations in which you are rephrasing something, and e.g. is only used when an example is being offered.  Bob has a problem getting his soldier to salute, i.e., erectile dysfunction.  Bob has found a few cures for his problem, e.g. medicine A, or magazine B…
• Compliment vs. Complement – A compliment is something nice somebody communicates about somebody else, but a complement is something that augments something else.  I gave Adam Baird a compliment about this smashing new web design.  I feel that his talent for making amazing looking websites could complement many businesses that I know.
• Criterion vs. Criteria – A criterion is a single condition, and criteria describes multiple conditions.  For example, the one criterion to making me happy is good food.  The criteria for writing effective copy are: A, B, C, this, that, the other thing, and so on…
• Farther vs. Further – Farther is a measure of distance while further is used to talk about an extension of time or a degree that is not measured in linear distance.  How much farther is it to Tempe?  How much further will we have to wait for new episodes of Family Guy?  How much further could your business go if you put all of these copywriting rules to work for you?

Remember, Only You Can Prevent Errors

Now that you have seen some of the more common errors, it is up to you to do something about it.  If your copy is riddled with these mistakes and you are wondering why your conversion rate is not much higher, then you have should probably your answer: your copy contains too many errors to be credible with its audience. You are only going to catch errors by reading your work, but even then errors might still slip through.  Some writers read their work backwards, a sentence at a time in order to stay sharp.  Professional authors and journalists rely on other people to edit their content, primarily because some people are just innately predisposed to subconsciously glossing over their own errors instead of fixing them.

Do you have any other copywriting errors you would like to share with AoB and our readers?  If so, feel free to use the comments section.

Our next power word is because.  Because is a power word because it tells people why they should do something, and that is the very essence of copywriting.  People viewing a page are already partially interested, but the word because gives them a reason to be interested.  The fact that the word because is a simple word that everyone knows only goes to underscore its place in our brains’ communication centers.  Accessing these root words that are embedded so deeply has its own innate power, but because is also a logical world that operates on higher levels of the brain, and that too has a powerful effect.

Think about it this way: because is probably among the first logic-oriented words we learn as children, but we never stop using it.  We learn at a very young age not to touch dad’s coffee because it is hot, or that we cannot stick our fingers in a door jam because we will get hurt.  We later learn that we lost a job opportunity because we did not groom ourselves as well as the other applicants, or that we had a misunderstanding with our spouse because men and women view the world so differently.  Ultimately, the word because is incredibly powerful because we learned it so long ago and we keep using it; it is connected to so many parts of our brain that it is a power word unto itself.

Because to Build Connections

While some people might think that the word because is innately argumentative or tends to cast a negative light on a subject may not have given enough thought to how to use the word.  Isaac Newton once said that an object at rest tends to stay at rest, and Dale Carnegie paraphrased this to mean that people tend to do what they normally do unless given a reason to do something different.  Before people will do something different, they need a reason to change their views.  This is where because comes into play.  Otherwise, viewers stay viewers and buyers/converters buy and convert and move on.

Here are some great examples of how to use because to change views and/or inform in a positive way:

• You need product ABC because…
• Will Smith uses ABC because….
• I like ABC better than XYZ because…
• If you liked XYZ, then you’ll love ABC because…
• If your nose won’t stop running, it could be because….

On the Other Side of Because

On the other side of the aforementioned examples, you have to drive home the benefit to the consumer.  In some cases, such as the Will Smith example, the comparison starts impersonal and then hopefully transits over to something more person with the used of the power word you.  This was covered in our last power word article, but the point is clear: combining because and you is a great way to double the effect of both.  The results can be nearly exponential in nature, and there are few power word combinations more effective than because and you.  If you happen to know of a better combination, please feel free to add it to the comments section.

Because to Close Sales

When it comes time to ask for the sale or conversion, be sure to consider using because.  Remember that you want to make the reasons why you are asking for the sale clear to the customer and benefit-oriented.  Here are a few examples:

• Buy ABC today because you don’t want to live a minute longer with that third arm growing out of your head!
• Visit your local ABC dealership today and get a sports car because you aren’t getting any younger and those young ladies at the bar sure seem to like guys that can flash their money!
• Every wonder why you finish last in races?  It’s because you don’t have ABC shoes!

Again, note the combination of you and because.  This is a powerful combination, and I almost feel like I do need a new ABC sports car (my wife would kill me) and even though I lack a third arm growing out of my head, an ounce of prevention…   The point is that the combination of you and because works wonders for closing the deal.

Review Sites You Like

One of the most common suggestions I received from our first power word piece was that I made an inadvertent omission that would actually be very helpful.  You guys were right, and I am sorry.  Slap my hand please.  Now that my punishment is over, take this knowledge and visit sites that you already frequent and try to determine how many of them know and use the power of because.

Your Suggestions

We are always looking for more power words and feedback from our readers, so please feel free to comment in our aptly titled comments section.  Why?  Because (see how it works?) we have the feeling that you have a lot to share, and we want to hear what you have to say.  Not only that, but other readers would like to hear your suggestions too!

You.  It is a simple pronoun comprised of three little letters, but remember Yoda’s sage advice on judging the power of people (or words) by their size.  You is the go to word for most copywriters that want to really reach their audience and win them over to your way of thinking.  Winning readers and/or viewers to your way of thinking is the goal of any copywriter, but you will first need to understand just why and how the word you is supposed to be used in this context.

Why You is a Power Word

It seems strange to suggest that a simple pronoun is a power word, but here’s the deal.  I’m not going to sugar coat it at first, so forgive me if this sounds a little harsh.  Everyone one of us, you (There’s that word!), me, and everyone around us does everything for many reasons, but the primary reason is because that we believe that the actions we take benefit us in some way.  This means even being charitable and donating a few dollars to a homeless person is really a selfish act in some tiny way, at least according to many psychologists.

Those same psychologists would suggest that people who are presented with a proposition that is beneficial without the word you and the same proposition with the word you are more likely to avail themselves of the latter.  For example:

Consumers could benefit from faster broadband connections if they download lots of video files, MP3s, play online games, and/or do online backup.  Sign up today!

Versus:

You could benefit from faster broadband connections if you download lots of video files, MP3s, play online games, and/or do online backup.  Sign up today!

If you want to sugarcoat the reasons why we do the things that we do, then you could believe that the stimuli our brains receive from any action could release guilt, address subconscious issues we are not necessarily aware of, or any number of other things.  Ultimately, we are just a touch on the selfish side as a species, and that has its ups and its downs.  You can sit and contemplate the issue for years, or you can learn how to take advantage of where this truth intersects with the English language: the word you.

When to Use You

There are times when almost no other word but you will do.  There are other times, such as the above example, when you can easily substitute the word you with other words.  There are also times when you can imply you or explicitly state it.  For example:

Be aware that watching too much television is bad for your eyes.

Versus:

You should be aware that watching too much television is bad for your eyes.

A few simple tweaks and you have gone from implying the word you to expressly stating it.  Note that implying the word you is not enough for it to have the desired effect.  On the other hand, inserting the word you into several single sentence might be overkill unless it is to build repetition and is only part of your overall piece.

At a bare minimum, the word you should appear in positive examples that highlight the virtues of whatever is being discussed and/or in comparisons, sprinkled throughout the text, in the lead, and in any call to action/request for a sale.  We are not talking about products or services that only benefited other people, right?  We are talking about things that could benefit Y-O-U!  Who needs to buy?  YOU DO!

Your is Not as Good as You

Using your tends to be something that is fairly polarized, and can be quite negative.  If you are covering the benefits of a motor oil, you can say:

ABC motor oil is good for your car and will keep it running for a long time!

Or

You need to get ABC motor oil for your car if you want your car to run for a long time!

You could even go negative if you want (I wouldn’t) and suggest that those people who are left on the road waiting for AAA or their best friend to show up (In some cases they turn out to be one and the same…) might have been that way because they did not use ABC motor oil.  An ideal negative ending to that might be:

Do you want your choice in motor oil to strand you on the road with a dead car?  If not, you need to choose ABC motor oil.

Your Suggestions

Do you (there it is again!) know any power words you want to share?  If so, let us know in the comments section.

Transparency is perhaps one of the most important aspects of sales, yet there are clear examples of entire industries with salespeople that are stereotypes of bad transparency.  Unfortunately, blogging is quickly becoming one of those industries, and it would be sad to let a few bad apples ruin the entire perception of the Internet as a learning and marketing vehicle.  Let’s back up a few steps and take a look at transparency in copywriting and a few problems associated with copywriting and transparency.

What is Transparency?

Transparency is essentially a way to describe people that are who they say there are online.  The problem is that many people, especially those growing up in the post 1980s corporate business culture of America, are taught something innately different.  We have been taught social skills for getting jobs that results in us stuffing resumes with half-truths because we think that everyone else is doing the same, and that we must be willing to over-accentuate and exaggerate our positive attributes just to be competitive.  The problem is that what employers see is not a transparent and honest image of an applicant but a carefully obfuscated version.  With this level of integrity at the very bottom level of society all the way to the top, is it really difficult to fathom the current economic crisis we find ourselves in?  After all, we can’t all kid ourselves all the time and keep drinking the same Kool-Aid.

This carries over into the online world too, where people who post do so with images they either bought or otherwise appropriated.  Take a look at my image down at the bottom of my post.  Who in the heck would WANT to look like that?!  That’s all me, and that is part of what we’re talking about here.  I could have uploaded photos from my wedding, which were professional, but ultimately I just chose something that was real.  Why?  Because I believe that transparency is important.

The Problem With Transparency and Copywriting

Copywriting is a sales process, and I cannot hammer that home enough.  The problem is that one of the best sales techniques is to listen.  Nearly every book or course on sales, negotiations, and/or interpersonal relationships covers this point, which only underscores just how important listening is.  As previously mentioned, some industries have a reputation for a lack of listening and a constant bombardment of hard sales tactics.  Take used car salespeople for example.

Why take used card salespeople?  Because they represented a form of transparency that is viewed as negative, but they can follow people around a car lot unlike a webpage that is easily navigated away from.  In short, we need to look at good and bad forms of transparency, because copywriting is not a salesperson and it cannot really listen.  All transparent copywriting can do is try to convey a sense of honesty and integrity.

Keeping it Real

If you are building a website then the most important thing you can do is try to be transparent.  Here are some steps to consider:

• Use your real image.  Come on!  You can’t possibly be uglier than me!
• Use your real name.  Mine is Chad Weirick.  Rolls off the tongue, no?
• Tell us what you really do.  Let everyone else talk about being an expert in this or that, and then wonder why they cannot generate the content that backs it up.  If you know how to write copy and know what you are talking about, it does not matter what is on your resume.  When was the last time that you went to a website and before reading any content looked at the author’s credentials?  See my point?
• Tell us what you really know.  I read lots of sites dedicated to blogging, and have done so since I started my drive to learn how to write copy.  I know a good deal, and I’m always learning more.  This is my core competency, what’s yours?  I’m always asking for feedback and trying to gather other opinions, and I feel that it makes me better at what I do and more honest at the same time.

Keeping it Real Fake

Avoid these easy pitfalls:

• Stop using fake pictures – I spend a little bit of time on Flickr Creative Commons and iStockPhoto, so sometimes I see profile pictures on websites that I have seen before.  I just laugh to myself and close the page.  If someone cannot even admit who they are, I have little faith in what they have to say on any subject.
• Embellish your position – People come up with all sorts of politically correct titles to make their jobs seem more interesting or important.  Comedian Bruce Bruce once joked that his neighbor claimed to be a computer programmer but was actually a cashier.  When confronted with the apparent dishonesty, the programmer/cashier said something along the lines of: “What do you think I’m doing?  I’m programming your sales into this computer!”  Real honest.
• Highlight your attributes beyond a reasonable point – Sometimes being good at what you do is less important than letting others know that you are good at what you do.  But letting others know that you are an all-star but you are really more of a bench-warmer is not transparent.

Transparency

Remember that transparent copy is still copy and thus needs to be magnetic.  Magnetic copy does not mean that you have to hide who you are because you feel that you might be under qualified to offer advice.  If people are reading what you write, then you already have some authority.  There is no need to add to this authority in a dishonest way.

Creativity.  It is difficult to define and measure, but we use it every day.  I’ve been wanting to write about techniques to boost creativity for a while, and it wasn’t until all the great feedback we received from the piece on conquering writer’s block that I decided to actually tackle creativity head-on.  After all, how do you tackle the prospect of teaching a subject that is as subjective as creativity?  The answer is that creativity is not something that can be taught, but it is something that can be cultivated if you know how.  There might be things that you do have control over that could influence your creativity.  To that end, I put together a guide that I hope will help you be as creative as possible.

Stop Working

Sometimes the creative juices will only flow when you sit back and relax.  Some people take relaxation to new heights, and while we certainly cannot advocate some of the more extreme (and potentially illegal) ways to relax, all we can say is that do what works for you.  The point is that many copywriters (and people in general) succumb to tunnel vision and focus too hard or something that they are not able to accomplish, and the only way around that is to change things up.  If you just work and work without relaxing, you are going to burn out.  Also remember the old axiom: doing the same thing again and again while expecting different results is unreasonable.

If what you are doing does not feel like it is developing your creative side, then you need to intentionally slow down.  Sometimes that is all that it takes.  Other times you will need to combine this step with other ideas.

Go to a Museum or Art Gallery

Go to a place that already has lots of art or something else that you find inspirational.  Museums often have examples of what geniuses of different kinds can accomplish, even if it is categorizing bones to long-extinct animals or translating some lost language.  Appreciate the work for what it is, and take time to understand that gravity of the challenge involved.  Being around inspirational examples of what people can accomplish is a great way to get the creative juices flowing.  There are some alternatives to this that are more practical for those who do not happen to live near a great museum or art gallery:

• Online museums/art galleries.  Some of the best art in the world is accessible from all over the world, 24/7.  Remember to donate.
• Directories of quotes.  “A man who view the world the same way at 50 as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life.”  Muhammad Ali was a lot smarter than many gave him credit for.  See which quotes move you, and consider the source too!
• Magazines and other periodicals.  I happen to like Reader’s Digest and a few particularly low-brow websites dedicated to translation errors.
• Music.  I really love Pandora and iTunes.

Regardless of which of these options you choose, try spending time reviewing old favorites with a fresh eye as well as acquiring new favorites.  If all you do is listen to the same music while viewing the same art, then sooner or later you are going to end up feeling somewhat stale from a creative standpoint.

Get Out

Some of the greatest authors and thinkers in history draw clear inspiration from the natural splendor of the world around them.  Did you ever hear about the time the Hemingway locked himself inside of a dark room for 19 months and ordered take-out to finish his greatest masterpiece?  No?  Neither have I!  Why?  Because he knew the value of getting outside and experiencing the real world.

Do Something

Inactivity is not likely to breed creativity.  Get out and do something!  Meet new people, try things you never thought you would do (but keep it legal people!), and/or try doing things differently.  Go to work the same way every single day?  Change it up!  Anyone with a child knows that brain synapses that are not used die and those that are used develop.  A portion of your brain is just waiting to be developed, but that will only happen when you start to offer yourself new challenges.  Here are some ideas:

• Take a class.  Many community colleges offer great classes at affordable rates.  Indulge yourself and your brain will start developing new connections that could result in creativity.
• Network.  New friends equals new experiences, so be willing to reach out to new people when you want to refill your creative can.
• Do something you would never normally do…just keep it legal and safe.  Again, if you do the same things that you always do and expect different results, you might want to check your logic.  One good idea is to have a friend or family member suggest something that they never thought you would do, such as take a class in Karate, or enter a pie eating contest.  Just keep it safe and legal, but try to grow as a person and you will note that your mind will respond with new observations and points of view that will in turn boost your capacity for creative thought.
• Exercise.  Vigorous exercise gets trhe3 blood flowing to the brain, and proper breathing means that the blood rushing to the brain is carrying heightened levels of oxygen.  This can make your mind sharper than normal.  I personally do some of my best thinking and planning at the end of a grueling weight lifting session, when I hop on the elliptical and start pushing myself hard.
• Spend Time at Home.  Family is important, and too many of us spend too much time working for our families but not enough time living our lives with our families.  Rectify this and you might suddenly feel a creativity-oppressing cloud lift from your brain.  Some call this guilt, others call it responsibility, but I call it a creativity blocker.

Your Suggestions Please

What are your best suggestions for boosting creativity?  Was there anything that we left off the list, or that you view in a different way?  We’d love to hear what you have, and other readers probably would too!  Please feel free to share in our comments section, and know that doing good deeds (such as helping others cultivate creativity) is often a sign of a creative mind.

There are times that you might find yourself writing about something and then editing your work only to find that it is very impersonal…clinical even.  Many would rather take a conversational tone, but sometimes this comes off as lacking in professionalism.  An analytical tone might be great if you are discussing something very intricate and deep, but it may not be the best way to write copy.  I myself am guilty of this, perhaps in large part because of the different writing jobs I hold.  One of my jobs requires an absolute minimum of hyperbole and a maximum of political correctness, while the other often requires a wide range of sales techniques.  At times I feel a bit like a superhero who has problems reconciling his or her separate personalities, but the point is that we all fall into this trap from time to time.

How to Write Like You Talk

If anyone has ever told you that you have a silver tongue or that you are very persuasive when talking, there is a good chance that you can transfer that skill into writing.  If you are already an all-star writer, then you are doubly fortunate as you might be able to reach a new level of your game by writing like you talk.  Unfortunately, it is not exactly as simple as it sounds.

The first problem is that there is some truth to the fact that writing in the same manner as you would talk may or may not be entirely appropriate.  Still, it does give a good jumping off point for making a connection.  Connections are one of the most fundamental skills that any salesperson can utilize, yet impersonal and analytical texts are often completely free of the pronouns and anecdotes that cause people to feel as if they are making some sort of tangible connection.

A good goal would be to find a balance between the way you would converse with customers or new co-workers and the way that you would normally write.  There is one group of people that do this routinely: speech writers.

Writing a Speech Might Be a Good Idea…or Not

Speech writers, especially those working for politicians, are often considered to be top flight intellectuals because they have the unique skill required to create texts that blend the analytical with the more personal, rapport-filled conversational qualities.  Of course, they might bend truths or distort facts as well, but putting those issues aside, the truth is that this ability really is unique because it puts the analytical and quantitative elements in small doses and encapsulates them in easier to swallow sugar-coated qualitative elements that are very conversational in quality.

I have included a few examples of what I am talking about for your benefit:

• Quantitative: Such-and-such has an annual sales volume of 110,000 units, making it the number one product in its class by sales volume.  Larger sales volumes mean more robust upgrade cycles and a greater chance of future support.  Customers rate such-and-such higher than the competition in subjective tests conducted by independent parties.
• Qualitative: Yesterday I tried out such-and-such and I was blown away!  I was like!  Wow!!  This rocks man!  I like how it works, and I’m jazzed about spending time learning how to use it better.  If I love it this much, just think of how much you are going to love it.
• Putting them together: Yesterday I tried out such-and such, and I was amazed.  Not only is a great product, but it is the number one product in its field with a ridiculous sales volume that ensures that the company will be around to answer my support questions.  I also feel confident in buying such-and-such because I know that they are successful, and the time I spend learning how to use it will pay off in future versions.  I love such-and-such and I know you will too!

As you can see in the third example, by putting the quantifiable points into the middle of more conversational qualitative parts, you can get better results.  So the question many will have is: how can I find my voice?

Finding Your Voice With a Pen or Keyboard

If you find that you have a lot of trouble finding your voice in this regard, I have one final suggestion.  It goes back to the question that career therapists and high school counselors have been asking for years: what would you do with your time if you won the lottery or inherited a vast sum of money.  Note that the question is not about how you would spend your money, but rather how you would pass your remaining years.  Most people choose a subject that interests them, and that’s where I suggest you start.  Sit down and start writing about something you already know a lot about, and try to prepare a speech that would persuade a live audience.

Taking this route should ensure that you have all of your facts and ideas crystalized well before you put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard.  This skill will probably be essential for anyone looking to strike a balance between the factual and the personal.  Remember that a speech may be given to many people, but listen to a few politicians speak and you will hear the word ‘you’ escape their mouths more often than almost any other.  Why?  It is because they are attempting to create a connection.  Do not shy away from the word ‘you’ but remember to keep a nearly office-friendly tone and stick in statistics and facts where appropriate, and you should have a winning combination.  Knowing the facts before their speechwriters begin just makes the entire process more streamlined and easier to switch gears when necessary.

Before I started blogging, I did a lot of technical writing that had to be fair, balanced, and concise.  In short, the polar opposite of being interesting in written form.  Unfortunately, I was about to find out that being interesting was what blogging was all about, but I’m getting ahead of myself here.  While technical and accurate writing was perfect for a curious and analytical mind like mine, it was probably far from eye catching from a copywriting perspective.  As I started moonlighting with sites that handled content outsourcing for blogs, I was forced to pick up some tricks along the way.  I was also forced to realize that while my previous employers were more than happy with my writing style, my style needed some tweaking to be widely accepted by those businesspeople looking for quality copy.  After all, quality copy is often all about being interesting.

The situation became clear when I realized that I had a choice to make.  I could either adapt to new needs and wants or I could find another line of work that did not require me to be so interesting in print.  Not being one to shirk from learning something new or taking on a new challenge, I decided that I would try to adapt and learn to excel at being interesting.  Being interesting is both an art and a science, and it is also something that can be taught and learned.  It is worth noting that being interesting is something that would probably get me fired at my old day job, which I was able to quit thanks to my new skills and income earned by learning how to write copy.  Now I am going to share the secrets of being interesting with you!

Understanding Interests is Key to Being Interesting

Being interesting requires understand that one fundamental truth about interests.  The one fundamental truth that will help every copywriter at one point or time at another is that being interesting is a matter of perspective, but never yours.  A large part of this perspective comes from each individual need and want for information.  Answers, ideas, ways to conceptualize things, and opinions are all sought after pieces of information, and they are all desires that can be played on to build interest.  Meeting these needs makes you and your content innately interesting to those with specific questions or interest.  For example, anyone interested in rebuilding a Chevrolet 350 engine would find an article on the subject very interesting and it could serve as the launching pad for a discussion about something that you are interested in, such as selling refurbished carburetors.

So, the very first lesson is that it does not necessarily matter what you have to say on a subject if it is not what someone else wants to hear.  If there is an existing need for answers on a topic, then plug in to that need.  If the need is in a related field, then build a bridge from the interest(s) of readers to your own interest and highlight why and how the two are connected.  Remember to start with what they want to see and hear before moving on to what you want to say for the best effect.

Understand that being truly interesting almost requires saying what people want to hear, but that alone is not enough and there are a few exceptions to this rule.

Express Complex Ideas With a Twist

People have questions, and one of the most common question types is that of a desire to simplify some complex subject or decision making process.  If you can find a way to explain or relate something in an interesting way, or create a useful tool to help people reach a decision, you will be well on your way to success.  A great example of this would be how Professor Niall Ferguson has built an entire career off of explaining incredibly complex economic issues in simple terms that are easily understood by the millions of people who buy his books, videos, and/or attend his lectures.

Simplification is not the only way to go for those looking for unique ways to be interesting, here are some ideas for generating unique twists:

• How A is like Z – This works especially well when the two things being compared seem to be completely dissimilar or even fundamentally opposed, such as candidates from opposing political parties.
• Simple analogies for complex ideas – Ever hear of the Art of War?  The book contains countless references to water.  Why?  Because the largely agricultural residents of ancient China could easily understand the concepts if they were related to something that they could understand.
• A different point of view – Presenting a subject from an unusual point of view or with unique context can be interesting and even open the door to humor.  It also opens up the door to sensationalism, something that many viewers seem to find innately interesting even if the content is lacking.  What would Stalin think of the Gulf Oil Spill of 2010?  Now there’s a strange point of view bound to grab attention and be deemed interesting.

In short, being interesting can be achieved by looking at things in an unusual way.

A Killer Title Helps

Grabbing attention starts with an interesting title and then continues through with the hook.  Here are some great examples of titles that work well:

• Numbers and lists such as 10 ways to… or the top 50…
• Round numbers are good, but strange numbers are more interesting.  How to earn $2874 a week is a great alternative to 10 ways to make money at home.
• Offer solutions as part of the titles, such as the aforementioned 10 ways to…
• Ask a question.  Do you know why you can’t lose weight?
• Be impertinent or even outright rude if it suits your style.  This has worked wonders for R. Lee Ermey.  Why Are You So Fat?
• Say something absolutely ridiculous and then defend it.  While I won’t name any names, recent years have seen many vice presidents and vice presidential candidates that say the zaniest things and often overshadow their running mates.  The same is true of news commentators that have taken absurdly irrational stances that even third graders are able to see through, yet they draw massive crowds to their banners.

If you follow this advice for titles, you will be well on your way to being interesting.

Open and Candid

Not everyone can be right all of the time, so be willing to admit when something you said was inaccurate or only accurate in certain situations and/or from certain points of view.  While people like to read and/or watch people that are successful and reasonably accurate, most people have learned to be suspicious of people that are always correct.  Few people are interested in outcomes that they know from the get go.  In other words, why would anyone waste their highly valued time if they knew what was coming?  This means that being interesting might require you to try something like this:

Everyone knows that diet and exercise are required to lose weight, right?  WRONG!  There is actually a lot more to it than that, and I found that out the hard way…

Another great example that works well for sites that handle reviews of products and/or services is to make open predictions in a preview about an upcoming review.  Then see how well you did in the review.  This builds free links and a sense of honesty and openness that modern ‘net users seem to appreciate.  Here is an example:

I just got my new Apple iSomething, and I thought I’d post a few pictures of if before I get started with the review.  From the buzz I’ve heard and my first impressions opening the box, here is what I think it will do:

• This
• That
• The other thing

Now that your predictions are public knowledge, go about your review and offer a section either near the beginning (after the hook) or before the closing about the accuracy of your predictions.  Here’s an example:

When I first unboxed my new Apple iSomething, I really thought that it would do this, that, and the other thing.  While it does do this and that, it really does not seem to do the other thing that I thought it was going to do.  On the other hand, it does something else that caught me by surprise and actually turned out to be one of my favorite features.

Why is being candid innately interesting?  Well, the truth is that being candid is only part of being interesting, but it is better than being timid and afraid to make predictions.  An example of this was the fan blow back from the new Star Wars prequel trilogy.  Other complaints aside, many fans felt that it was pointless to build tension by threatening to kill characters that they knew would survive because they appeared in the original trilogy.  Readers might agree, disagree, and even get involved with the predictions if they are given the opportunity to get involved.  Having readers get involved is a sure sign that you are being interesting, though there may be reasons why readers are not getting involved even if your content is interesting.

Humor Works

People enjoy a good laugh, but try to keep it relevant and positive.  This means not taking unwarranted digs at celebrities or inserting random knock-knock jokes or off-topic humor.  There should be plenty of room for humorous on-topic anecdotes and/or observations.  Sometimes just strange or bizarre titles and headers are sufficient.  An example of that includes…

Boobs, Butts, and Other Body Parts

When all else fails, you can use the oldest trick in the book: good looking people with little in the way of clothing.  Whenever you can’t be sufficiently interesting on your own, you can always go with scantily clad hotties.  Sadly, this technique actually does seem to work more often than not, at least as far as getting people to read the first few sentences.  If hot bodies are not available, try other interesting images.  In some cases, gross or unsettling images are interesting enough to catch the attention of readers.  Get your hooks ready!

Content is King.  That is the mantra that many people have said for so long now that it virtually seems as if the web was born with this coming out of its collective mouth, but even the best content can only take you so far.  So, what is there beyond the King?  Well, power is derived from the masses, is it not?

Since power is derive from the people, you need to build a readership.  This is especially true in an era where search engines are starting to become social media savvy and using data mined from social networks to determine just how popular content really is.  Fans and community involvement are more important than ever before for aspiring content-monarchs.

You, Her, Him, Those People Over There…

The truth is that the people are what will ultimately prove to be better than content, but quality content is still a fundamental requirement.  This means that getting people to participate with and interact with great content in some way is the future, and it has already arrived in so many ways.  Getting people to actively participate requires a combination of different techniques, not all of which are obvious.  Here are some brief points to think about:

• If You Don’t Build It, They Won’t Share It – If your site has killer content but no way to easily take that content into the social networking realm, you could be missing out.  There are countless tools to enable visitors to share your content with others.  Get those tools, install them, learn them, love them, and use them well.  The result will almost certainly be a spike in readership, which in turn can be turned into trust that will lead to higher conversion rates.  Power to the people!
• Welcome Back – Many sites close with comments about what they are working on next, or have sections dedicated to reviews or quick-takes on things that will expanded upon in the future.  By letting people see what is coming down the pipe and formally inviting them back to check out the new content, they just might be more prone to do so.  The more someone visits, the more they are likely to return again and again.  Being a techie, I happen to visit a lot of tech oriented websites.  Surprisingly, a few such sites have massive readerships.  Examples include Anandtech and HardOCP, both of which offer great examples of giving their respective readerships glimpses of what is in the pipe.
• Ask For Involvement – If you don’t ask for a sale then you cannot be upset when no sale happens, right?  What about not asking for community involvement?  If you do not ask for it, do you really have any right to be confused or upset when communities do not build themselves out of your readership?  Give people an open invitation to respond, and they will probably do so.  Interact with those that deign to respond, and they will probably respond again…and again…and then tell their friends.
• Know Your Role – Some sites are well-targeted at very thin niches, and others are incredibly broad.  It may be that a niche is too small or too refined to get a sufficient number of readers to create a readership critical mass that results in a community forming.  On the other hand, a site could be all over the place and that might distract people and cause them not to visit again.  The lesson here is that the focus and niche of a site will determine its readership volume and the ability for that volume of readers to form coherent communities.  Figure out which you are an address the problem.  A site that is all over the place can be sectioned off into multiple areas that are more focused, while a site that is too narrow in scope should consider expanding into related fields.
• Go Viral – If you want to attract new people and keep them coming back, it might pay to try something different.  A viral video that is off the wall or content that is more link-bait than substance can often work, and periodic rehashing of quality content into something borderline-irreverent and off-kilt is often shared amongst friends and colleagues.  Watch your readership grow and your community come together when people respond i
• New Mediums – You may have already noticed that Art of Blog is now producing a lot more videos than it used to, and for a few very good reasons.  The biggest reason is that there is a completely different crowd of people that use YouTube and other similar services, and we want to reach those people.  Could your site stand to benefit from expansion into a new medium?  Would it be possible to build a new community and/or increase your readership by expanding into a different medium while covering the same niche?  Probably…  Does that new medium already have social tools like those mentioned above?  Chances are good that it does!  This makes building a new community out of new and existing readers a simple task.

Summary

In order to keep people coming back, you need to:

• Invite them to comment and share, and give them the tools needed to make sharing easy.
• Invite them back and let them know what is coming soon.
• Ask for feedback, and respond when you get it.
• Think about your focus as well as the medium(s) you are using.
• Go viral and see if the fans start forming a community of their own or gel with your existing readership.

Do you have anything to add to our list?  If so, please feel free to share in the comments section!  I know there are tons of great ideas just waiting out there based on past feedback!

Using date based conditional statements it is entirely possible to display different content before and after posts depending on the age of the post. This is a little-known technique that can really open up the possibilities in terms of having greater control over where your visitors go when they visit your blog.

The Code

Let’s run through the basics of setting up date based content. Once you’ve got this, we’ll go a bit more in depth.

function date_based_function() {
	$post_age = ( current_time(timestamp) - get_the_time('U') ) / (24*60*60);
	if($post_age < 30) {
		// your code here
	}
}
add_action('thesis_hook_of_your_choice', 'date_based_function');

The first thing we do is determine how old a particular post is. $post_age = ( current_time(timestamp) - get_the_time('U') ) / (24*60*60); is the line that determines how old the post is in terms of days.

current_time(timestamp) is exactly what it sounds like – it determines the current time. get_the_time('U') represents the time that the post was written. Both of these dates are measured to the second. Thus, when you subtract one from the other you come up with an amount of time that is measered down to the second.

With that in mind, we need to determine the number of seconds in a day in order to determine how old the post is in terms of days. In order to do this we use (24*60*60) to represent one day. We set up the simple division and end up with $post_age representing the number of days since the post was published.

From that point its very simple. We use a simple conditional (if($post_age < 30) {}) that determines whether or not the post is less than 30 days old and displays the contents of that conditional if the post is, in fact, less than 30 days old. You can also replace < (less than) with > (greater than), <= (less than or equal to), >= (greater than or equal to), or == (equal to).

The last thing we need to do is use a Thesis hook to place the element where we want it. You can find a list of available hooks here.

Practical Application

Fresh content is inherently more credible than older content. This is a bit dependent upon your particular niche, but generally its a good idea to display the date for the first month or so after a post is published. However, you do not want to display the date for older posts where it would hurt your credibility.

Think about it. Are you more likely to read content from 2010 or from 2004?

Let's set the date to display only for the first 30 days after a post is published. Here is the code:

function byline_date() {
	$post_age = ( current_time(timestamp) - get_the_time('U') ) / (24*60*60);
	if($post_age <= 30) {
		the_time('n - j - Y');
	}
}
add_action('thesis_hook_byline_item', 'byline_date');

This is pretty simple. We just use the basic function and specify that if the post is less than or equal to 30 days old, we display the date. The date is represented by the_time('n - j - Y'). To learn how to customize this function to display the date any way you like check out the WP codex.

There are plenty of other possibilities. Using your creativity and date based hooks, you can have a large impact on the page views, monetization, and many other aspects of your site.

Content is King, or so the saying goes.  What does that really mean on a practical level?  What it really means is that readers that know how to use a search engine are basically left in the driver’s seat.  If they read your content and rate it as a solid B, it is more or less as good as an F if what they want is an A+ article or post.  Someone, somewhere is making that A+ content, or it is already out there.  If you are packing your site with content you cannot honestly say is all-star in nature, you might be spinning wheels…

Then Again…

Then again, you have to look at the articles and posts for what they truly are, at least from the perspective of someone using a search engine.  From their point of view, the content that brought them to a site is sort of like the first impression one gets on a blind date.  The role of the mutual friend is played by the search engine in this case, and it has provided the meeting but the first impression has yet to be truly made.  The first piece of content that a visitor sees will pass as the first impression, but they may not even see the link from a search engine if the search engine has determined that the site is not authoritative in a given field that relates to the search of a given user.

How do search engines determine authority?  Often by volume of content that rates highly by SEO standards, but that alone does not make any piece of text or even a video great.  So, the bottom line is that for A+ content to be seen by users, a large volume of quality articles and posts need to be present and waiting.  Furthermore, tools that link different pages together are very useful and help viewers find more information in a quick and easy fashion.  If all of the content is not A+ content, then there is a chance that users will arrive on a site and have a bad first impression.  Before talking about a solution, let’s look at one other factor: links from other sites.

On the Other Hand…

Of course, some users will receive their links from other sites, and those links will almost certainly be to core content.  This should leave the best possible first impression, but what will fickle viewers do when they leave the core content and start stumbling upon pieces that are uninspired or just plain wishy-washy?  If you said ‘close the tab’ or something to that effect, then you are probably correct.

Lessons for Aspiring Monarchs

The lesson here is simple: all pieces and posts need to be sharp, as much of it as possible.  Therefore, a few suggestions come to mind:

• Great artists are always willing to destroy dozens or even hundreds of their creations in order to create something truly unique and amazing.  History tells us that there are countless famous speech writers and authors that are similarly picky.  Try imitating this, but take it into the digital age by not only making a pact with yourself to scrap your first effort or two at creating any content, but to actively schedule time to review and improve old content.
• Find new ways to alter old content.  Therefore, it would be wise to schedule time every week to visit sites that you like to read and learn from their writing styles as well as visit sites that have a focus on writing skills.  Determine which aspects of the writing styles and content appeal to you and then feel free to add them to your repertoire.
• Remember that sloppy content and/or fluff is not what people want to see 99.99% of the time.  Most of the time, people have a reason for visiting your site and if you fail to meet their expectations, they will simply move on.  That is the benefit of the anonymity of the web, and it does not permit salespeople to express their ideas in any way other than flashy content.  The sole exception to this is when a well-chosen theme is being used or the overall aesthetic of a website is exceptionally well executed.  Some people simply like flash.
• Never forget the search engines.  Try to use tools such as Scribe SEO to evaluate texts to ensure that they will be found by readers because search engines understand the texts as well.

There are two very easy ways to generate interest in an article: ask a question and offer a solution to common problems.  Common problems are really a kind of question if you think about it, and thus it is possible to accurately state that asking questions is a great copywriting idea.  The only question that remains is: how do you ask the right questions?

Questions as Headlines and Headers

Before answering that question, let us briefly touch on suspense.  While that sounds like a great inside joke to put in a piece such as this, it is actually critical to hooking readers.  Hooked yet?  Place big questions in places where they can be seen, preferably by both human readers and search engine robots.  Humans see questions and may have their interest piqued, but search robots might latch on to questions included in different style headers in a different fashion than they would if it was just part of a block of text.

The bottom line is that search engines and human readers both benefit from questions being asked in the title, headers, and possibly even in meta-description fields.  If a question is seen as part of a SERP, it could very well lead to a click.  And then another.  And hopefully a flood of clicks before you know it.

Choosing the Right Questions

People have problems, fears, and concerns.  Questions that expose these and allude to a solution are effective.  Perhaps I should have titled this article something along the lines of ‘Want to know the best copywriting secret?’ or ‘Do you know the one truth about copywriting that is holding you back?’  The first example exposes a concern that there might be some hidden gem of knowledge that has gone undiscovered, while the second is a little more on the head and overt.  Simply put, questions need to be relevant to an audience, something that can be answered (even if only with theories and top-level understanding), and enticing.  While it might be interesting and pertinent to know how many calories are in a pound of fat, that does not make a great question.

Instead of:

‘How many calories are in a pound of fat?’

try:

‘How hard will you have to work to lose a pound of fat?’

It is also worth noting that you should never ask simple questions that have simple answers.  Anyone that knows that a pound of fat is approximately 3500 calories will answer the question and move on without clicking.

Finally, note that secrets and/or insider knowledge are great ways to lure many readers.  These techniques will not work with everyone, but consider these alternate headlines with built-in questions:

‘Want to know the secret to losing a pound of fat?’

‘Want to know what doctors know about losing fat quickly and safely?’

Providing Answers

Answers need to be withheld until a certain point, and it might be a good idea to continually pique interest with new questions.  A good rule of thumb might be to watch mysterious television shows for clues on pacing.  Lost happens to be a personal favorite, but there are plenty of others that ask more questions than they answer.  This is a great way to lay out content: start with multiple questions for every answer, and then end with multiple answers for every question.  A lingering question as the end creates suspense and the possibility for a follow-up piece of content that will have a built-in audience.

What About Suspense?

Remember that readers need to sort their way through content before giving them all of the answers, just like a good mystery.  That does not mean that little tidbits and morsels cannot be left along the way to keep the audience rapt.  As previously mentioned, consider giving away answers along the way.  The best answers alternate between solid and those that are targeted more to the realm of understanding and theory.  For example:

Want to Lose Weight?

If you want to lose weight, you need to find a balance between diet and exercise.  Every pound of fat is approximately 3500 calories worth of physical output, so a slightly uneven balance between what goes in and what goes out is important.  Too big of a difference between caloric input and output can be dangerous, especially considering the dietary needs of those trying to find the sweet spot between different exercises.  So, what kind of exercises should you do to find your own sweet spot?  How about the most effective combination of techniques ever?  What are those techniques?  A balance between low-impact cardio, weight training, and interval training!

This example starts off with a question and immediately moves to answer it but ensures that the reader does not stop at the end of the first paragraph by suggesting three new things that they might need to read more about?  A hard statistic is included to let readers know that they are not being strung along, and the inference that there is some magical balancing point that will help them reach their goals keeps them wondering what that balance is, how it is achieved, and possibly what interval training is if they have not already heard of it.

Writer’s block hits most writers on a periodic basis, and it often feels like a form of disorientation, lethargy, apathy, or a combination of these factors.  Writers may feel like they are disconnected from the tools and/or processes that they normally used, lazy, unable to make progress, or other similar feelings that ultimately make writing difficult.  Before you can solve a problem, you have to recognize that it exists.  Here are some surefire ways to know if you are suffering from Writer’s Block:

• You stare endless at your keyboard and monitor.
• All of your content ends up riddled with errors when you force yourself to produce content.
• You cannot even edit your own work without daydreaming or opening the browser and looking at stuff that you really don’t care about.  Wow $17 off a slide and swing combo.  Don’t you wish you had kids…oh wait…weren’t you supposed to be working?!
• You are feeling anxiety about the quality and/or quantity of your work.
• Considering other lines of work over writing, or other tasks other than writing too much.

The Doctor Will See You Now

If these sound like they are similar enough to what happening you go through, then here are some ideas on how to beat it:

• Seek inspiration – If you find inspiration in art, then go to the museum.  Do you find uplifting movies helpful?  Then go rent a few!  Some people (especially men) find that beating a challenge helps them focus, such as winning a round of their favorite first person shooter.  I personally like the last option sometimes, but I find more value in trying to make my son sing happy birthday or the alphabet song.  We’ve turned it into a game that involves a lot of tickling and running around the house.
• Consider seeking some help – Help comes in many forms, but do not negate the possibility of seeking professional aide if this is a recurring problem.  Many people slowly develop disorders when they work in environments that are uncomfortable and/or perform tasks that they are not well suited to.  Friends and family may provide temporary relief, but ongoing relief might only come with a change that could be easily spotted by an expert.
• Doze off – Sometimes taking a nap helps, but not in all cases.  If you are anxious because of poor performance, then you might not want to doze off.  On the other hand, if your content looks like mush because your mind feels like mush, take a nap for a few hours if it is appropriate.  Sometimes even a 30 or 45 minute power-nap will be sufficient to restore mental clarity.  Avoid using caffeine as a crutch, as it is not reliable.  About half of the time I have tried to resolve my sleep-related issues, my writing has suffered.  This can be a real challenge with a new baby in the house, but such is life.
• Resolve outside conflicts – If there are interpersonal problems or other situations that are unresolved that might be impacting your writing ability, focus on those first whenever possible.  Take a day off or at least a morning and try to make some sort of progress on resolving the issues you have.  Some issues are easily fixed, while other issues simply require time.  If you recently experienced a loss, then consider taking a few hours off to help you resolve your feelings and maybe set a time after work for a little remembering with friends and/or family members.  This might allow you to become more productive and increase the possibility of breaking through a block based on external stress.
• Exercise – I know for a fact that if my mind is clogged and I cannot focus that a little physical exercise helps.  This typically works best when I’m rested and there are no discernible issues that I can resolve.  Sometimes I simply have pent up energy that I need to burn, and my punching bag and weights service me well.  Another writer I know loves his exercise bicycle in similar situations.  The bottom line is that human beings were not meant to be sedentary, and sometimes a little physical exertion clears the mind.  A nice warm shower after a short workout can be equally refreshing and help you focus on what you need to do.  Remember not to work out so hard that you sap your strength and clarity.
• Change your style – Ever see the work of someone else and wish that you could emulate it to a degree?  Give it a try!  If you cannot do it with a new piece, then try revising an old piece.  Sometimes a new challenge is needed, and you might take this as an object lesson in improving your writing skills.  Analytical minds tend to enjoy this particular task, but it can also be very inspirational for creative types to see just where their current skills can take them.
• A three-minute challenge – Try free-form writing for a set period of time.  For some reason, I tend to like three minutes.  Find what works for you in terms of time, but the goal is simple: when the timer starts, you start writing and do not stop until a certain period of time elapses.  What will you write about?  Whatever comes into your head!  Do not give the subject matter much thought, but rather allow your creative side to vent whatever it has pent up.  Writing too much and/or too long about any subject is prone to make your mind feel number, and the result can be pent up creative energy.  Let that energy go with timed free-form writing.  You might even end up finding a link between your creative side and whatever it is you are writing about that gives you a new perspective that can be the subject of future texts.

Writing copy can be challenging enough without having to worry about abstract concepts such as tempo, but some of these abstract concepts have a very tangible impact on conversion rates.  Learning how to use tempo is important, but learning why you have to use tempo is critical.  Take an example of a car salesperson.  Nearly everyone knows what happens at the end of this process: a series of quick meetings followed by long breaks while the salesperson talks to his or her manager to get approval on a deal.  This temp is done on purpose and it is something to learn from, but why is it done?

Think About It…

See what just happened there?  I ended with a question, a suggestion that you think, and I still haven’t given you the answer.  The tempo here is slow, and it is intentionally different from the tempo of a closing.  Closings are hit or miss events, and so salespeople try to put a handful of them in to see if they get a solid deal before they hit their bottom line.  Before this, however, most salespeople are more than happy to move at a comparatively slow tempo.

How to Apply Tempo From Start to Finish

How does this work when writing copy?  When writing copy you need to consider three major parts: the hook, the body, and the closing.  The hook should be a fairly fast pace item, such as a question or a bold statement:

Do you know why other hair loss products fail?

Quick – can you name the highest rated mutual fund?

These quick tempo-instants need to be followed up with something that quickly transitions the pace back to something sustainable.  After all, an entire article of these kind of comments and/or questions would seem alarmist, and might even send granny into a full-blown coronary.  How about:

Do you know why other hair loss products fail?  Because they don’t have this-and-that…

Quick – can you name the highest rated mutual fund?  If you didn’t say ….

This would be a great time to include a more tag in some cases, but from here the pace should slow down as anyone still with you is now in a mood to learn.  When the pupils are ready, the teacher will appear.  Well, the teacher is ready and waiting in your next paragraphs, but nobody buys from the teacher.  Nobody really wants to buy from that strange looking guy at the used car lot who never seems to change his cheap polyester jacket, but he does close sales.  Why?  Because he knows that after customers have been given all the information that they need, they are now as ready as they will ever be to buy.

Closing Tempo

Because customers are as primed as they are to buy after being informed, it is time to pick up the pace right about the same time as you ask for the sale.  Start with a gentle ramp-up that includes the wrap-up and continue to build momentum right up until you ask for them to take action.  In cases where multiple calls for action are being used, try punctuating them with very slow paced material, such as thoughtful questions.  Here are two examples:

Because our hair loss cream has this-and-that, it will be able to help cure your male pattern baldness.  If you are ready to stop being ashamed of your head and start living, then you are ready for cool-hair-cream!  Click here to get a free 30-day sample!

And…

Now that you know our mutual fund has consistently performed well, recession or not, for the past two decades, it is up to you.  Pick up the phone and call us now.  Ask yourself what you have to lose by not getting the most successful mutual fund over the last decade.  IF you cannot think of an answer, then you need to give us a call right now.  Still not sure, check out our prospectus again before giving us a call.

Stick to your core competency and find others to handle those things that you know you are not good at.  This is a strong piece of advice and something that most businesses have to be forcibly reminded of from time to time, even large multi-national companies.  Most bloggers know their core competency well, but does that competency extend to artistic endeavors?  Let’s face it, not everyone can be an artist and few can be artists and good at something else.  So, where can one find a pool of artistic talent to take on spec work at a second’s notice?  CrowdSPRING is one such place, even if it only exists in web.

What CrowdSPRING Offers

CrowdSPRING has a pool of several thousand artists and designers from around the world that are constantly competing for spec work.  Buyers set a price point and a deadline and artists eagerly try to compete and underbid each other for individual jobs.  This has created a great deal of controversy as crowdSPRING has essentially turned the traditional model of buying artistic services on its ear while simultaneously opening the floodgates and allowing people from all over the world to compete for contracts.  This is a double edged sword though, as many trained professionals argue that many crowdSPRING artists do not really know the ins and outs of digital artwork.  The results are that customers who do not know how to buy digital art may be getting less than what they paid for.

Still, crowdSPRING also integrates powerful feedback and idea protection schemes into its very core.  These two aspects combine to help artists and clients alike grow without stealing ideas.  IP is a big deal over at crowdSPRING, and many artists have found this out the hard way.  While not all buyers may be capable of making the best artistic choices on their own, the feedback system should help one know which artists are truly trained and which are just trying to make a few dollars in their spare time.  If the comparison is between a self-taught digital artist who sells their work while honing their craft and someone whose core competency does not cover art, then the self-taught digital artist would seem to be the better choice.

Why CrowdSPRING is Great for Buyers

CrowdSPRING attracts buyers not only because of the aforementioned logic, but also because of the fact that most projects have at least 100 submissions from digital artists.  This means that one project can be posted and one can expect an average of 100 replies that are both bids and demos.  CrowdSPRING handles the entire transaction from placing the order, to contracts and escrow, and the eventual transfer of the art in question.

So, this is the time where it comes down to the brass tacks.  Is crowdSPRING worth it?  Our answer is that yes, crowdSPRING is absolutely worth it if one knows what they are doing.  The ability to gauge just how much time and effort would go into creating a piece of art, even something as simple as a logo, is difficult.  The tools are expensive to purchase, and time consuming to learn how to use.  On the other hand, singing up for crowdSPRING is incredibly simple, as is placing an order.  Many orders see the first responses in only a few hours, and after a few days there may be a hundred or so choices.

So, what could you be doing with all that time spent downloading, installing, learning software, and trying to make a logo?  Probably a lot…and probably something that is not quite so new and/or difficult.  Remember that sticking to one’s core competencies is a fundamental key to success, and that is ultimately what an outsourcing art serrvice permits smart bloggers to do: handle their own business and then pick the best designs from around the world.  Even if a blog was making so much money that hiring a digital artist was possible, crowdSPRING offers competition and different ideas from around the world.  A single designer is forced to live inside the limitations of their own creative mind, and that may be a limitation that a company should not have to work with.  CrowdSPRING deserves serious recognition for their work in turning the entire digital art field on its collective ear while simultaneously allowing bloggers to do what they do best.

All good things come to an end sooner or later.  When they do, copywriters need to sum things up with a great closing that will usually involve some sort of call to action.  In order for a call to action to be heard clearly, you need to not only write effectively, but close effectively.  In sales parlance, if you do not ask for the sale then you should not complain when you do not get it.  Since sales is a numbers game and copywriting is a sales process, then you need to figure out how to target the majority of your audience before you even start crafting closings.

Consider Your Audience When Thinking of Closings

You probably have a fairly good grasp on your demographic(s) by now, but it would be worth reviewing any hard facts you have on them.  If hard data is not available, then you are going to need to make estimates based on what you are selling.  Unfortunately, estimates not nearly as accurate as real statistics, and that may be something you should look into acquiring via establishing a mailing list or some VIP content that requires viewers to submit their age and/or location.

The next step is the same regardless if you are estimating or operating with hard facts: it is time to put yourself in their shoes.  In a previous post we talked about removing fears, teaching, and pointing out dangers, but now you need to start applying this to build a closing.  Believe it or not, your closing will actually start with the first few words you type in many cases, because you have to set the process up over time.

Here’s an example, and I do apologize in advance if perhaps it seems a little stereotypical: Target customers tend to be middle-aged men who suffer from male pattern baldness.  The seller is writing copy that will try to do the following:

• Remove fears that their product will not work.
• Point out warning signs of ‘other’ products that are more scam than useful.
• Sadly, it seems that no skill teaching is likely in this particular pitch.

What are the fears?  If you put yourself in those shoes then you probably could guess most of them fairly easily: fear of losing a wife, girlfriend, mistress, or any combination of those.  Afraid of being emasculated, looked down upon, surrendering to age, and other similar fears are going to be very common.  Thankfully, they all have a single answer: whatever you are selling.  The problem is that the underlying fear is that most hair loss products have a negative public image, particularly in the ‘they do not often work’ department.  So you get your choice with what to lead with: fear of products not working or fears related to the potential side effects of hair loss.  Start with this and hammer that point home again and again.  At some point, you need to introduce the solution and explain how it works.  It should almost be like a scale that weighs fear on one side and confidence (that a product will do what it says it will) on the other.  At the start, the fear side of the scale needs to be weighed heavily in this case,but that balance should be the exact opposite by the end of the piece.  Knowing what your closing is going to be will help you start a piece out on the right foot so that you do not end up switching gears in the middle of the content.

Pronoun Control!

Selling with fear is dangerous, but many do it abstractly with something less personal: risk.  Risk is a lot like fear, but you can selectively use personal pronouns for negative points and different personal pronouns for positive points.  This is especially important in closing, but here are a pair of examples:

You could go out of business if you do not have a cool new Apple iThis-or-that.  Get your iThis-or-that now!

This is strongly worded and is too personal with the negative points for the kind of crowd that can afford Apple hardware.  This might be better:

PC went out of business because he was always spending too much time fixing problems with his registry!  Mac went on a corporate vacation to the Bahamas.  Do you want to go with Mac or solve registry problems?

Sadly, this might actually be an Apple commercial one day, but the point is still that controlling personal pronouns is important, especially at the end where the pitch is.  You can build authority by discussing others as an object lesson, but then let loose with a few personal pronouns directed at the reader during the pitch.  Doing so before then will require some thought.

So, How Does This Get Back to the Closing?

In order to end up with a solid closing, you need to start with a format that is not very different than a school essay.  This means an introduction where the key points are laid out first, then addressed in detail individually, followed by a closing summation that covers everything.  The logical ordering of ideas and solution to problems/fears alone will hopefully give people a reason to want to buy, but take it a step further and integrate those fears (or your teaching/warnings) into the closing pitch.  In this case, something like this would probably work:

If you don’t want to suffer from male pattern baldness one more day, then get your 30-day kit of so-and-so-hair-remedy-stuff right now!

A Little Something Extra

A popular way to motivate sales is to add another paragraph before asking for the sale.  Repetition works wonders, especially if you ask questions that have a positive/yes answer.  Imagine a paragraph like closing out copy for a hair loss remedy:

Are you tired of that bald spot getting bigger every day?  [If they have read this far, you know that they are going to say ‘yes’ to this in their head]  Are you tired of products that lack something-special-covered-in-one-of-the-talking-points-earlier not delivering on their hair restoration promises?  [Oh boy am I!]  Do you want to restore your youthful head of hair?  [who wouldn’t!?]  Do you want to restore you confidence and lost libido?  [SIGN ME UP ALREADY!!  I'M NOT EVEN BALD BUT I WANT THIS!]   Are you ready to do something about your hair loss?  If so, then call 1-800-555-1234 right now and don’t suffer another day of male pattern baldness!

The repetition of questions with yes answers really set up the sale, but they are not appropriate for all target audiences.

Here’s What You Need to Remember:

• Never be afraid to ask for the sale on pieces that are supposed to convert.
• Asking for sales is best in the closing paragraph or two.
• Try an essay-like format if you are debunking myths/assuaging fears.
• Start your closing in the first few words.  If you start with fear, then end with fear.  If you start with teaching, then end with teaching.  If you start with something else, end with it.  The entire piece should be one smooth flow from the first words to the closing sentences.
• Repetition can set up an easy sale with certain audiences.  Use it intelligently to manage tempo near the point where you ask for a sale for best effect.
• Know when and where to let your personal pronouns free to do their job.

If an online business becomes so successful there might be a few, shall we say…unfortunate occurrences that sadly likely to happen.  The first is that of a server overload, which happens whenever one’s web hosting plan is not sufficient to meet the demand of visitors.  The second is that markets going un- or under-served for lack of a localized version of the primary site.  One would not  want to go through the trouble and expense of promoting a site only to have it periodically go offline during peak hours and/or have visitors go to a rival site that does offer a localized option because they could not figure out a workable solution.  DNS Made Easy is one possible solution.

What is DNS Made Easy?

DNS Made Easy is primarily a name server hosting service, but they have so many other services and features to offer that sometimes reviewing them can be difficult.  That being said, DNS Made Easy’s primary business is making DNS problems go away in a heartbeat.  In fact, some people may have resolution problems but do not even realize that they have such problems.  For example, let us say that a company routinely has their servers slammed offline whenever they have a ‘great’ marketing campaign.

Visitors come to a single site in droves, which is great at first but creates a major slow-down as the server becomes overloaded and eventually one visitor too many will bring the server to its knees.  On the best of days this will simply result in a reboot, but not all days are good days.  Sometimes the downtime could be substantial, and downtime is something else worth discussing in a moment.  Before talking about host downtime, wouldn’t it be nice to see those visitors not receive an error or be turned off by a slow browsing experience caused by an overburdened host?  Sure it would, and there are a few ways this could be accomplished.

Routing is Key

The first of which is by having multiple hosts running identical copies of a site and enabling the Anycast protocol that routes visitors intelligently to the site that is closest to them.  Geographic routing is not exactly what happens, but the result is close enough.  Anycast routing also allows for localized versions of site complete with different product offerings, languages, price points, e-stores, and virtually anything else a customer would want.  After all, would a wise business-person let thousands of weekly visitors from Germany go un-served simply because they could not be bothered to establish a presence there?  Not if there was an effective way around that, and DNS Made Easy provides that.

Lights Out

Another common situation is that a host has downtime.  Even with 99.9% uptime guarantees, that still equates to nearly 45 minutes of downtime per month.  If that downtime happened in a single block during a peak sales period, it could effectively throw a site off for the month and perhaps even discourage visitors from coming back.  After all, visitors are very worried about spending money online given the common association people make with online shopping and fraud.  While only great hosts can keep sites from ‘going dark’ it is possible for DNS Made Easy to sites re-route their traffic to alternative servers in the blink of an eye.  Actually, it happens in less than the blink of an eye if one wants to be very technical about it, but the point is that if DNS Made Easy is handling the DNS resolution, then there is nothing to worry about if one knows that one of their hosts went down temporarily.

Other Services

Secondary DNS management and even failsafe name resolution management are both possible with DNS Made Easy, as is a laundry list of mail options that mostly resolve around ensuring that e-mails do not go lost and the circumvention of ISP port 25 blocking.  These services are certainly worth looking at for anyone who feels that they have valid concerns about their e-mail.  There are also plenty of other DNS-related tools to meet the needs of even the most demanding business, and that is why most of the most successful web businesses run their DNS through DNS Made Easy.

Pricing

When it comes to pricing and plans, DNS Made Easy has four membership options: Home User, Small Business, Business, and Corporate.  The Business and Corporate plans both incorporate failover protection, which may be overkill given the fact that DNS Made Easy’s DNS resolution system is literally top notch and is used by countless large corporations.  The Home User membership costs $14.95 per month and covers 3 managed domains with a maximum of 1 million DNS queries per month.  The Small Business membership costs $29.95 and increases these figures to 10 managed domains, and up to 5 million monthly queries.  The Business Membership costs $59.95 per month and covers 25 domains and 10 million monthly queries while the $1499.95 per month Corporate membership covers a simply stunning 50 domains and 50 million queries.

Bottom Line

DNS Made Easy has a rock-solid reputation that make us wish that they would run for office.  They do what they say and say what they do, and that is certainly refreshing, but they also do it without a hiccup.  Anyone trying to find an easy to use and cost effective way to ensure uptime and localization simply cannot find a better deal than DNS Made Easy.

If you have been looking for a way to keep up with the latest SEO best practices, then you almost certainly need to take a look into a great WordPress plug-in known as Scribe SEO.  Is Scribe SEO right for you and your needs?  Well, that really depends on what those needs are.  In order to make a reasonable assessment as to whether Scribe SEO is a good fit for you, it is important to understand just what Scribe SEO and how it works.

What Scribe SEO Is and Does

Scribe SEO is a WordPress plugin, but it is also fundamentally a client/server setup that transmits the text body, title, and meta-description to Scribe SEO’s servers in order to generate a reasonable evaluation and provide useful feedback.  This might sound a little alarming at first, but there is a very good reason for this arrangement: SEO changes constantly, and thus it is not at all practical to create a WordPress plug-in or other static piece of software to evaluate search engine rankings.  By the time such a software package was installed, it could very well already be obsolete.  The data is transmitted to and from Scribe SEO’s securely, which should allow security-sensitive bloggers to rest assured that their content will not be scraped or scooped.

Putting security and logistical issues aside, here is what Scribe SEO does in practice: it provides feedback on a piece of content from a search engine’s perspective.  This includes a detailed analysis of keywords, links, anchor text, title text, and the meta-description.  The results of this analysis become available only after all fields are filled out and the ‘analyze’ button is pressed.  Initially only a SEO Score in the form of a percentage displayed in large font and basic checklist are presented, but this is more of a general overview; it is possible to find more information on keywords, tags, and SERP along various tabs on the Scribe SEO popup window.

The individual items on the checklist either praise the success of text if it meets the criteria or offers advice on how to adjust the text to improve SEO ranking.  It is possible to click on the individual tabs for more information on any specific problem area, but the SEO Score default tab is very informative as-is.

What Scribe SEO Cannot Do

Scribe SEO cannot turn poor content into great content, but it can make any content more SEO friendly.  It can sometimes be tempting to worry too much about search engine optimization, but at the end of the day it is important to note that search engines are not viewers.  This means that striking a balance between readability and SEO performance is important, and in many cases there does not need to be a trade-off.  The bottom line is that users who learn how to create more SEO-friendly content by monitoring Scribe feedback will eventually learn to write better content in general, at least in theory.

Who Needs Scribe SEO

If you do not want to get deep into SEO, then Scribe SEO might be for you.  After all, it is possible to spend an incredible amount of time just catching up on the most recent SEO information out there.  Sorting the falsehoods from the truths is even harder, and that is one of the biggest appeals of Scribe SEO.  Another good use for Scribe SEO is for those organizations that have too many bloggers to train on even the basics of SEO.  Again, SEO is incredibly complex and even teaching the basics can be very time consuming.  In situation where content writers are being hired on an individual basis instead of a group basis, it almost does not make sense to teach SEO in a traditional manner other than to gloss over it and let a utility like Scribe SEO teach the fine points.

The Cost

Unfortunately, Scribe SEO is not free.  Given the amount of research and effort that goes into constantly tweaking code that evaluates texts, this is not entirely unexpected.  As a result, Scribe SEO offers four different plans: Starter ($17 per month), Publisher ($27 per month), Professional ($47 per month), and Advanced ($97 per month).  With the exception of the Starter plan which is limited to a single website, all Scribe SEO plans work on unlimited websites.  Other than this, the primary difference between the four plans is in the number of monthly evaluations.  The Starter plan has 15 evaluations, the Publisher plan has 30 evaluations, the Professional plan has 120 evaluations, and the Advanced plan has 300 evaluations.

It just so happens that from time to time nearly anyone can write an article that takes off beyond their wildest dreams.  Links start pouring it, the article beings tearing up the shares/Diggs/retweets/whatevers and is being forwarded all across the Internet, and no end is in sight.  What was different with this particular piece of content?  Wouldn’t it be great if all of the articles you write in the future turn out to be as popular this?  They can be…

The truth is that not every single article can be like that, but that does not mean that all hope is lost and you should give up writing copy.  There was something in that last article that you wrote that made it so successful, and you just need to figure out what it was.  You could spend a lot of time trying to figure out which writing technique it was, or you could just read the rest of this post and get a few major hints.  With a little help in the psychology department, figuring out what went so wonderfully right in the last article you wrote is not going to be too hard.  Before discussing the psychology of it, let me tell you a brief story about my wife and her Yahtzee game.

My father gave my wife a portable electronic game of Yahtzee a long time ago, and my wife and I both play the game on a near-daily basis.  One of my habits that drives my wife nuts is that I will not start playing a game unless I can begin with a Yahtzee.  To her it is a matter of superstition, but to me it is a simple numbers game; if the probability of using the same playing techniques is used in the same fashion every game, then it would seem logical to guess that starting with a Yahtzee would be a good way to ensure a higher average score and a greater probability of setting high scores.  My current high score is 628, hers is in the mid-300s and she plays more than I do.

My Yahtzee story goes to show one thing: knowing that you are playing a game of probability can help you stack the deck in your favor just as I do in mine when playing Yahtzee.  There is nothing unethical about stacking the deck when writing copy, only simple logic.

Copy Psychology 101: Gratification NOW!

The vast majority of people tend to like instant or near-instant gratification, and that can be clearly illustrated in so many different ways that it is virtually indisputable.  How can you offer instant gratification?  There are a few ways to do it, but the first is to succinctly and concisely teach something that a user will find truly useful.  If you look around the pages on AoB, you will see that we have plenty of content that teaches how to do this or how to do that.  Why?  Because people have questions and they want answers.

Take this a step further and add teaching techniques to copy.  For example, if you are a site that reviews video editing software and hardware, offer a review of a feature (not a program) that is shared by many utilities and concisely demonstrate what you are talking about and how to accomplish the same act at home/in the office in the quickest possible manner.  If someone can learn something that they feel is useful in a very short period of time, then you have already started stacking the deck in your favor.

Copy Psychology 102: Beware of This, That, and the Other Thing!

Everyone has fear, and consumers have a very common set of fears.  For example: people are scared of taking their car to a garage and getting ripped off because they do not know anything about cars.  Many people never visit an electronics store to buy a big screen TV because they know nothing about shopping for big screen TVs and are afraid of being ripped off.  People are scared of taking their computer to the repair shop because they are afraid of getting ripped off.  Nobody likes shopping for used or new cars…because they are afraid of getting ripped off.  This same theme repeats itself all over the place: fear kills sales.  Dead.  Period.  End of story.

Remove the fear by empowering the reader/viewer with enough knowledge to navigate whatever obstacle they are facing that serves as an obstruction to buying something.  In our previous example of a site that is an affiliate for various video editing solutions, the main fears are probably things like: Can I figure out how to use this?  Is it really so simple?  Can my computer run this software?

Address these concerns head-on: Yes!  You can learn this because our site has helpful tutorials and we will gladly answer e-mails and even make guides for popular questions.  Is it simple?  It is so simple that if you cannot learn it in 10 days or less, you can get our FREE e-book!  Click here to have your system specs tested to see if your computer is compatible.  These are all ways to overcome fear, but this is just one example.

Other sites are dedicated to less specific things, such as sites that sell aftermarket products for muscle cars.  In cases there the content is so broad, offer warnings and suggestions.  Something like this: Shopping for a Hemi?  Be sure to inspect the…here’s how…and put in appropriate pictures and/or video.  Many people are scared of purchases because they feel that they are in a minefield.  Give them a map that tells them what the danger looks like and how to avoid it, and you will have not only taught them something useful, you will have removed fear that serves as an obstacle to a conversion.

Copy Psychology 103: Be Specific!

There are some subjects that are very difficult to discuss in specific terms, but examples are always helpful.  I could have saved myself some time and not written about the muscle car site or the video editing software/hardware examples, but I did.  Why?  Because they are specific examples of what I am talking about (and I just got to use them again!).  If you write only in nebulous terms, then expect people to respond accordingly.  Think of it this way: horoscopes are notoriously and intentionally vague, but few sane people act on them routinely; a repair manual for a 1980 Honda Civic is likely to be very detailed and followed to the letter.

Unless your website is about horoscopes, you should try to write copy that is more like the Honda Civic manual.  That does not mean that a little theory or groundwork does not have its place, but be sure to include succinct steps and a summary whenever possible.

In Closing

You do not have complete control over how well your posts are received, but you are not helpless to impact the popularity of a post either.  Take a look at what has worked in the context of teaching, removing fear as an obstacle, and being specific and see if something doesn’t just click.  If and when it does, try to learn from that success and bring it into as many pieces of content as is reasonably possible.  It is only a matter of time until success repeats itself if you always start out with the deck stacked in your favor.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Today I’m proud to announce that our first Art of Blog newsletter has gone out. If you are interested in more great content just like what you find here on the public part of Art of Blog you should subscribe. There is some pretty cool stuff going on behind the scenes. This post is just a quick heads up to the loyal RSS subscribers and our true fans. Sign up so you don’t miss out.

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I know in the video I said I’d post a link but I thought a form would be easier for you.  There is a form below… Stop what you are doing and sign up. :) It will be worth your while.

While there is little doubt that WordPress is a very amazing piece of software, there is a problem that many will eventually run into: creating forms.  Forms may seem a little outdated in a world where responses are delivered nearly instantly via e-mails, Skype calls, Tweets, and SMS messages, but there are still plenty of uses for good old fashioned forms.  This is where Gravity Forms aims to enter the picture.

This is Heavy Man!

Before getting into the good points of Gravity Form, and there are a handful, it really is worth pointing out that the entire idea of forms on blogs really ought to be limited.  It is easy to set up contact forms, feedback, and so on, but in a day and age where instant gratification are the name of the game, this approach is far from ideal.  Still, there are some very valid uses for forms, and Gravity Forms has them all covered, at least all the ones that come to mind after an extensive brainstorming session.

Create Drag and Drop Forms with Ease »

Getting Back Down to Earth

Gravity Forms has dozens of features to offer

The best way to illustrate the value of Gravity Forms is probably with a real world example.  In this example, Bob has just set up a company called Bob Co. complete with a blog to help attract attention to his offerings.  Almost immediately, he sees the need to allow feedback on his posts, so he uses Gravity Forms to set up a basic feedback form.  Soon he realizes that feedback is an opportunity and decides to start using conditional form fields, such as the ability to offer a rating only if a viewer supplies what looks like a valid e-mail address.

As time goes on, Bob Co. continues to grow, and its needs expand.  Soon Bob is using Gravity Forms to start intelligently routing where form results are e-mailed to, and starts gathering a lot more data than he used to.  Now forms can start with basic demographic information and populate fields and menus conditionally, such as a list of cities in a state or e-mail addresses at a large company.  Bob is seeing the value of Gravity Forms because the alternative would be to either let contact opportunities and community participation and involvement slip through his grasp or simply leave an e-mail link where it could be scraped and just wait for the spam to start pouring in.

Gravity is Now Officially 9.8 Feet-ures Per Second Squared?

The hardest part about writing a review on Gravity Forms is picking the best part of what is ultimately a very specialized piece of software.  The intuitive user interface is well executed and looks like it should be a core component of WordPress, it is that well done.  On the other hand, the fact is that prior to writing this review a rather extensive list of 63 form needs and wants was drawn up to see if Gravity Forms had what it takes.  While 63 might not sound like a lot, try making such a list sometime and then it should be very apparent why Gravity Forms is so impressive; it not only met all of the needs but pointed out a few that were not even on the list.

Gravity Forms also supports add-ons

There are also add-ons available to further enhance the utility of Gravity Forms.  A campaign monitor and e-mail integration are currently at the top of the charts, but there is also an invoicing option.  The add-ons is a really interesting concept, considering that Gravity Forms is itself a WordPress add-on of sorts.  Still, there is no arguing that extended flexibility is a good idea on many levels, and it will be interesting to see here Gravity Forms goes with this particular idea.

Create Drag and Drop Forms with Ease »

Pricing Is Not a Black Hole

There are three different Gravity Forms pricing plans to meet the needs of different types of operators.  Single site bloggers can buy a single site support license for $39.99, while a 5-site Multi Site license costs only $99.  For larger organizations managing several properties, a $199 Developer option covers unlimited sites, and that is a true bargain considering the price of even a single site.  Additionally, free add-ons, campaign monitor integration, MailChimp integration, and priority support come with the unlimited Developer licensing option but are available for independent purchase with other plans.

For those who want to give Gravity Forms a test drive, check out the official Gravity Forms demo.  While it does not have all features enabled, it should certainly help one come to a more informed decision.  That being said, the pricing of Gravity Forms is so reasonable that it would be hard not to give Gravity Forms two thumbs up.