The year of the rollercoaster is nearly finished, and, as we usually do around this time, I wanted to pull together some of my favorite posts for you.
This collection of posts (and a single podcast) is a celebration of the writers who worked hard every week to teach, inspire, and entertain us — and it’s also a bit of a manifesto for what we want 2017 to be.
Our vision for 2017 is:
When I was a cub copy editor, I learned a simple fact-checking technique that is still one of my favorites today.
It may seem unimportant, but if you don’t use this technique and fail to catch a certain type of mistake, you could set yourself up for extra work later.
This is one of my favorites because it demonstrates that reviewing your copy and content for accuracy goes beyond checking for proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
Read More…
In the beginning, there was blogging. And for businesses looking to build an audience that helped grow the bottom line, it was good.
In fact, many of the leaders in the digital marketing space started as blogs and evolved into multi-million dollar businesses. I personally have immense gratitude for what Rainmaker Digital has been able to achieve, and it all traces back to the early Copyblogger audience.
Then, around 2008, “business blogging” gave way to the term “content marketing.” Eight years later, as we wind up 2016, we’re drowning in content, and there’s no mistaking that much of it is just poorly disguised traditional marketing.
Read More…
First off, check out this quotation:
“It is easier to resist at the beginning than at the end.” – Leonardo da Vinci
Now, let me ask you this … How do you spark the buying process without a lot of high-pressure, high-hype selling?
You do it by getting the reader, listener, or viewer to imagine buying from you, even before you’ve presented the full offer.
Why is that important?
Read More…
It’s time again for Andy Crestodina’s annual survey of 1000(+) bloggers. Take a listen and see how your site measures against the trends …
For the third year running, Andy Crestodina over at Orbit Media has run his Survey of 1000 Bloggers. We had a chance to chat about the most interesting findings … and talk about what a big project like this can mean for an organization like his (or maybe yours).
Read More…
Hey there — welcome back to the Copyblogger Weekly!
This week we’re talking entertainment. Specifically, how you can keep your audience engaged and, just as importantly, keep yourself interested and fresh.
Because if you’re bored … you’re boring. And that’s no fun for anyone.
On Tuesday, Sean D’Souza shared three of his favorite techniques for hooking (and keeping) your audience’s attention.
And yesterday, our Editor-in-Chief Stefanie Flaxman offered 16 ways to squeeze interesting content out of seemingly limited material. (That one goes well with my podcast this week on “quick wins” for content marketers.)
Over on The Digital Entrepreneur podcast, Jerod Morris chatted with Sarah Morgan about how she keeps the excitement going in her business. But the real question is:
Is her business more entertaining than her previous career as a circus aerialist?
