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Guest Post: Four Effective Tips for Becoming a Successful Online Writer

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Please enjoy this guest post by Ruth Hinds from All The Top Bananas:

 

For budding writers, the internet has opened up a whole world of new opportunities. With writing gigs becoming much more publicized and accessible to just about anyone with some skill and a broadband connection, there’s never been a better time to make a living online as a writer.

Here, we look at some tips for getting work and forging a successful career.

1. Build a diverse portfolio of your work

Before anyone considers taking you on for writing jobs, they’ll want to see what you can do. As such, you should have a portfolio of your work that you can show to any potential clients. Depending on the nature of your expertise, this might include articles, blog posts, website copy and product descriptions. If you’re just starting out, you need to make up for your lack of experience. Try writing articles and uploading them to free sites. It’s a great way to get your work published quickly and easily.

2. Sign up for freelancing sites

There are dozens of freelancing sites out there where people are looking for talent just like you. Popular ones include People Per Hour, oDesk and Freelancer. Sign up and sell your skills on your profile. You’ll be able to pitch your ideas for available contracts, and you could even be headhunted by those looking for writers with your particular skill set.

3. Develop a strong social media presence

You’d be amazed at just how many opportunities you come across when you start networking on social media. Set up your profiles and take a little time each day to schedule updates and chat about your work. Of course, you should remain professional at all time, and bear in mind that the whole world, including potential clients, can see what you’re saying. Make sure that you upload a head shot so people know who they’re talking to, and make it crystal clear in your bios what you do.

4. Network with prolific writers in your field

It makes sense that you should learn from the top writers in your field, and many will have newsletters that you can sign up for to see what they’re up to and receive their top tips for success. Wherever possible reach out to them and strike up conversation. They might even have a few trainee jobs coming up that they’re looking for up and coming talent to fill.

As you can see, increasing your chances of success isn’t rocket science. With a plan and some determination, you could quickly build up a portfolio of great contents and regular writing contracts.

Are you thinking about pursuing a career as an online writer? Which of these tips will you be putting into action?

This article was brought to you by Ruth Hinds on behalf of AllTheTopBananas. ATTB allows you to search for and browse through UK jobs in one place, from London engineer jobs to Liverpool receptionist jobs. You can also upload your CV to increase your chances of being headhunted. 

 

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Guest Post: Infographic on How to Write the Perfect Blog Post

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I’m getting geared up to join Denise Wakeman tomorrow on her Virtual Blog Writing Day. Although I’ll be out of the office for a morning meeting, I will do my best to keep up later in the day. I found this infographic on her blog, and I had to share it because I got some ideas from it so I figured you would too:

PerfectBlogPost
Like this? Learn how to use psychology to get more traffic and sales with Social Triggers.

Shared via, Denise Wakeman’s blog, Build a Better Blog. You can go there to find out more about Virtual Blog Day. Leave a comment here if you plan to participate.

 

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My Blogging Dilemma: The Importance of Choosing an Audience

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Image credit: sxc.hu

Lately I’ve been in a quandary about what to do about this blog. I’ve been filling in with guest posts and trying to buy time while I figure out how to proceed. I wasn’t sure what the problem was. I’m a writer. I love to write. I write for my clients all day long, but when it came to writing for this blog I faced a brick wall of resistance. Then one day while I was listening to the Internet Business Mastery podcast, a little light bulb came on over my head.

Sterling and Jay were talking about the, “The 5 Most Common Mistakes When Choosing a Niche,” and I think the first one was not selecting a specific audience when you select your niche. I realized that was my challenge with this blog. When I started this blog back in 2007, the purpose was to be able to provide examples of my writing to prospective clients for my writing services. As time has gone by, the content has evolved into a few main themes: online writing, online/content marketing, and personal development. Lately I’ve expanded the focus to include indie publishing and ebook publishing, but I have yet to clearly define an audience.

So, I’m using my little dilemma to show you what not to do when you are creating a blog. Selecting an audience is a vital, foundational step to creating a successful blog. When you are clear on who you are writing for, it makes content creation a breeze. The content that you do create will also naturally attract that perfect audience because you will be speaking to their needs.

When you are in the process of selecting a niche and doing keyword research, don’t leave out the vital step of getting to the root of the wants, needs, hopes and fears of your target audience. I will be going back and doing that work so that I can re-launch this blog and start reaching the right audience. I’m grateful to my current readers and subscribers who have hung in there while I sort all of this out.

 

 

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Blogging Tips: How to Blog Your Way to Writing a Book

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I’ve been blogging for many years, and looking over my blog archives I’ve often figured that there was enough content there for a book. I’m a freelance writer, so much of my writing time and energy is devoted to writing for my clients. I’m also a single mom with three kids and I run a business from my home, so I had lots of excuses for not finding time to write a book.

There are countless benefits of being a published author. Whenever I introduce myself as a writer, people almost always ask if I’ve published a book. I have grown weary of making excuses for why I haven’t published a book, so last year I decided to use my blog to help me come up with the content for a book. I gave myself a focused challenge and I write a post every day for a month. I then took those thirty blog posts and expanded them and added additional content. Now I have got an almost completed manuscript for a book based on the content of my blogging challenge.

This morning I came across this article, 7 Things You Must Do Before Writing Your Book, which is full of great tips for those who are thinking about writing a book. The author, Ofili, writes about the power of blogging to help you get your book written, ” I put myself on a strict and disciplined regimen of writing at least one 1500 article every month. I did this unfailingly starting January of 2011 and at the end of the year, I had 20+ quality articles chapters and over 25,000+ words in my book.” The secret is to commit to a focused writing schedule and be consistent.

There are a few benefits of blogging your book. One of those benefits, as Ofili mentions in his post, is the opportunity for instant feedback from your readers. Another benefit is that you are establishing a platform, building an audience for the book and getting your name and writing out there in the world. The best benefit, I believe, is the responsibility to your readers to blog consistently. Once you hook your readers in with what you are writing, they are going to want to stay in the loop and find out what happens.

Bloggers who want to become authors should go ahead and give it a whirl. Choose the topic of your book and focus your blog posts around that theme. Tell your readers what you are doing and get their support and encouragement. The positive comments I received when I did my blogging challenge really motivated me to stick with it no matter what.

Now that my manuscript is almost finished I am researching publishing options. It will launch first as an ebook, so you will be the first to hear about it when it drops. Keep on writing.

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Online Visibility: 11 Ways to get More Exposure for Your Blog in 2011

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Bloggers might sometimes get the feeling that they are fighting an uphill battle because theirs is just one of millions of other blogs out there competing for the attention of their prospective audience. But if you develop a solid marketing plan for your blog and take consistent action toward the goals you set daily, weekly and monthly, before you know it, your Alexa rankings will be falling and your Google page rank will begin to rise which means you’ll be attracting more visitors.

Let’s dive right in to 11 tips for getting your blog seen more in 2011:

1. Post consistently

Having a consistent posting schedule gets both your readers and the search engines used to visiting your blog more often.

2. Know the basics of SEO and how to optimize your blog and your posts for the search engines.

If you are running a WordPress blog there are several free plugins that will help you to maximize your blog’s SEO from both a structural and a content perspective. Optimizing your blog helps you get more traffic and better search engine rankings.

3. Comment on other blogs in your topic

Visiting other blogs in your niche or topic, reading the posts and leaving relevant comments is an effective way to increase your visibility with both the blog’s author and your fellow commentators.

4. Guest post on popular blogs in your topic

Guest blogging gigs are a great way to create a win-win with other bloggers in your niche. You help them out by providing content that is suited to their blog and audience, your presence on their blog helps get you exposure with a whole new audience, and the readers get to experience a new perspective.

5. Send out press releases

Whenever you are planning a news-worthy event, send out a press release. Not only might you attract media attention, but you’ll get a ton of high page rank back links to your blog and a nice, if short-lived, flow of traffic to your blog.

6. Host a contest/giveaway

Who doesn’t want something for free? Host a contest or a giveaway where you offer up a valuable product or service in exchange for your readers helping to spread the word about your blog.

7. Join or host a blogging challenge

A blogging challenge can have many benefits including increased exposure for the host and the participants, you get motivated and inspired to blog more to keep up with your fellow challengers and you get a little traffic boost and more comments as other members of the challenge make the rounds to the various blogs.

8. Offer a free product

If you are building your opt-in email subscriber list, offer a free product for visitors to your blog who sign up. Invite subscribers to share your premium with their friends and make sure that it contains a link back to your blog.

9. Be active in social media

Work your Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter profiles to send traffic back and forth. Use a Facebook Fan Page to share valuable tips and info with your audience, host events and invite your followers and be a trusted resource that people want to follow.

10. Video marketing

Video marketing is an incredibly powerful way to gain some valuable exposure online. Create a series of videos containing useful how-to tips, recipes, instructions, or advice. Include a link back to your blog in the description box and a compelling call to action in the video. Share your videos on all of the top video sharing sites for lots of traffic and visibility.

11. Article marketing

This tried and true strategy is still effective today, but you’ve got to be committed to creating a high volume of quality articles with links back to your blog. Write articles for some of the top websites in your industry to establish yourself as an expert and draw attention to your blog.

As you focus on increasing your online visibility remember those qualities that make you unique and set you apart. There really is no competition because you are one of a kind. The goal then is to get yourself out there in the marketplace of ideas so that you can shine your brilliance for the world to see. Being modest and shy will not serve you, so if you don’t have the gumption to get out there and share what sets you apart then you may as well fold up your tent and go home.

If you have a vision and a mission to accomplish, then it is your responsibility to share the message that you have been given with a world that is waiting to hear what you have to say. Make 2011 your year to break through. Those who succeed are those who never give up working towards their goals.

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It’s Your Time to SHINE! The First 2011 Blogging Challenge

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Regular readers of my blog know I’m not one to back down from a challenge, so when I heard that Julie Isaacs of the Writing Spirit Blog (I just *love* that name) is throwing down a blogging challenge to kick 2011 off as, “The year of the blog.”

Julie says that the goal of this challenge is to get bloggers in the habit of blogging consistently and meaningfully. Strategies for blogging consistently is one of the topics that I enjoy writing about, but honestly the one I most often feel challenged by. But, we tend to teach that which we most need to learn, and so I will continue to write on that topic in hopes that it inspires me and encourages my readers.

So what is the whole SHINE thing about? Well, your blog is the most effective way for you to increase your online visibility, establish yourself as an expert, and share your message with the world. Julie uses the word SHINE to illustrate this point:

Stand out
Help
Inspire
Navigate
Engage

During this blogging challenge, I’ll be blogging about my favorite topics, which include:

  • Online marketing for writers, authors, speakers and coaches
  • Using your blog to attract your ideal clients
  • Growing YOU as you grow your business

It’s pretty simple to join us. Just visit Julie’s blog and follow the steps Julie has outlined:

1.  Decide how many times per week you want to blog–preferably twice a week or more

2.  Add a comment on this post with your blog address, and how many posts per week you’re committing to

3.  Use the hashtag #SHINEonline to communicate with other bloggers who are participating in this challenge

4.  Sign-up below if you would like to get blog tips and articles sent to you, along with blog challenge updates, and information on free teleconferences.

5. Start blogging! & SHINE on with your bad self. ;-)

http://blog.writingspirit.com/2011/01/2011-shine-online-blogging-challenge.html

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A Productive Pen Blog 10 Best of 2010 Roundup

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2010 was a great year full o f lots of information packed blog posts on the Productive Pen blog. I decided to do a little roundup of ten of my favorite posts for the year and share them with you again, or for the first time for my new visitors.

Now that I have finally installed a WordPress blog on my personal domain, www.evelynbourne.com , I will be moving the personal development posts to that blog and focusing the content on this blog around online writing, blogging and marketing.

So, please browse through some of these ‘oldies but goodies,’ and see if you find something useful for you. I also welcome you to subscribe to my email update list. I share tips and information there that does not get shared here on the blog.
1. Finding Your Passion and Purpose: What is YOUR Super Power?
2. Marketing Tips: Applying the Spiritual Principals of Seedtime and Harvest to Your Business Success
3. Content Creation Workshop: How Many Ways Can You Re-Purpose Your Blog Content for More Traffic, Links and Sales?
4. Blogging Tips: 7 Strategies for Keeping Up with Posting Consistently
5. Mindmapping: An Effective Idea Generation Tool for Writers
6. Marketing Phobia: Don’t Get Spooked! How to Sell Yourself with Confidence
7. Social Media Optimization: Strategies for Maximizing Your Social Media Presence
8. Blogging Tips: Professional Development for Bloggers and Online Marketers
9. Facebook Trounces Google Ads–Are You Ready to Go Where Your Customers Are?
10. Be Grateful for Everything

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The Black Blogger Network: A Productive Pen is Blog of the Day Today

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With the tag line, “The Ultimate Online Resource for Black Bloggers, Writers and Journalists,” the Black Blogger Network is the place where Black bloggers can network, promote their blog and learn new tips and strategies for growing and improving their blog. They feature articles from popular Black bloggers and writers every week, and they have a, “Black Blog of the Day,” feature where today,  this blog, ”A Productive Pen,’  is the featured blog.

I found the Black Blogger Network on the Black Business Women Online (BBWO) forum, which is one of my favorite places to hang out.  It’s a great place to network, make connections and see what other smart women are doing to grow their online and offline businesses.

So, I just wanted to send a quick ‘shout-out’ to Jessica Ann at the BNN to thank her for featuring my blog, and I thank everyone who is stopping by my blog from the BNN to check it out.

Here are a few fabulous blogs that I found on the BNN blog:

Motivated Sista
Motivating you to reach your dreams
http://www.motivatedsista.com/

Everything She Writes
http://www.everythingshewrites.com/

Strength, Courage & Wisdom
http://kitty-strengthcouragewisdom.blogspot.com/

Go check it out, submit an article or submit your blog to be the featured blog of the day, and while you are there check out some of the other fabulous blogs featured there.

This morning I received an email from LaShanda Henry, of BBWO and a host of other blogs for women of color in business, and she mentioned that Deanna @dedej, founder of Clutch Magazine,  who was a panelist on the first Black Blogging Rockstars panel at SXSW 2010, is pitching a new panel for SXSW 2011 called: The Elevation of Black Women in New Media. This panel will discuss issues related to black women entrepreneurs and black women bloggers online.

So, if you are a black woman blogger, if you know one, or if you would just like to give your support to the idea of listening paying more attention to the voices of black women in new media, pop on over to the SXSW website and vote for: The Elevation of Black Women in New Media.

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Blogging for Writers and Authors: How Blogging Can Transform Your Writing Career

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Blogging provides an effective platform for writers and authors who want to get the word out about their newest book, their latest insight, or commentary on events going on in the world around us.

Writers share an abiding affection for the written word. They seek to give expression to their deepest fears, desires, and passions using their writing to make sense of the world. Most writers realize that most of what they write will never be published in book form, but having your own blog gives you an instant publishing platform where you can share your uncensored ideas with the world without the hassle of trying to get a book deal.

In this post, I’m going to share some links to other blogs on the topic of blogging for authors. This speed linking mashup will bring together several resources on the effectiveness of blogging for authors, and you’ll see in some of these articles the possible negative impact blogging can have.

  • Create a platform for current and future authors

As yet unpublished writers can seize the opportunity to start building an audience of readers who like their work.  As your blog readership grows it can become a valuable asset when you are looking to get a book deal. These articles speak to the utility of blogs to help establish authors and develop a platform.

Using Your Blog to Build a Platform

http://www.bloggingauthors.com/blogging_authors/2010/8/3/using-your-blog-to-build-a-platform.html

The Author’s Dilemma: To Blog or Not to Blog,  By Claire E. White

http://www.internetwritingjournal.com/nov05/cew4.htm

9 Good Reasons to Start a Blog, by Diane Eble

http://www.publishingcoachweekly.com/Start-a-Blog-9-Good-Reasons.html

  • Could eventually be turned into a book

The blog itself could morph into a book. This has happened many times recently, and Brenna Ehrlich chronicles six such cases in her article.

From Blog to Book Deal: How 6 Authors Did It, by Brenna Ehrlich

http://mashable.com/2009/12/17/blog-to-book/

  • Develop and expand your personal brand

There’s been a lot of buzz for the past few years about this concept of the ‘personal brand.’ Personal branding speaks to how you show up in the world, and purposefully crafting an image, a message and establishing you as a brand.

Personal Branding

http://www.personalbrandingblog.com/

5 Personal Branding Tips to Help You Gate Jump

http://www.socialmediatoday.com/SMC/183073

Seven Branding Gurus on How to Build a Personal Brand

http://www.bnet.com/blog/career-advice/seven-branding-gurus-on-how-to-build-a-personal-brand/101

If writing is your passion and you want to get your ideas out there and interact with your audience, blogging is an effective way to get you started. It will give you the opportunity to hone your craft, get into the habit of writing daily, and as your blog grows you will develop a relationship with your readers that can be very rewarding to writers whose work tends to be a solitary endeavor.  If done properly, a blog truly can transform your writing career.

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Creating Killer Blog Content: A Speedlinking Mashup

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Creating Killer Blog Content

It’s Day #7 of the #31DBBB challenge, and today’s assignment s to write a linked post. The topic I will be covering with my speed linking post today is a bit of a mashup of blog posts about a topic that is close to my heart–creating killer blog content.

As a tip of my hat to the developer of the #31DBBB, this first link is to Darren Rowse, who shares a great blog post about creating great blog content.
http://www.problogger.net/how-to-write-great-blog-content/

In this vintage, oldie-but-goodie post, seomoz shares some online tools that you can use to find ideas for blog psots:
http://www.seomoz.org/blog/10-web-tools-to-help-generate-blog-content-ideas

Chris Brogan shares 40 tips for delivering killer blog content. You’ll find lots of inspiration and ideas that will help you to crank out copy that reflects your passion and your expertise.
http://www.chrisbrogan.com/40-ways-to-deliver-killer-blog-content/

Dosh dosh shares even more creative ways to surmount the daily challenge of delivering compelling content that appeals to your readers:
http://www.doshdosh.com/how-to-effectively-create-content-for-your-niche-blogs-a-brief-introduction-and-guide/

Karan Singhal provides lots f practical tips in this post about creating blog content that will interest your readers:
http://www.famousbloggers.net/create-bolg-content-interests-readers.html

So, enjoy these blogs and feel free to share a link in the comments for your favorite posts that have ideas for creating great blog content.

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