The Jersey Shore Guide to Irresistible Personal Branding

The Jersey Shore is back and up to its old antics again. My guess — you being a respectable content marketer who finds that sort of display crude, irresponsible and embarrassing — is that you’re not tuning in. Hey, I hear you. But do you know who isn’t offended by it? The 8.4 million people who tuned in to the season premiere last month, making it the network’s most-watched series episode ever. Whether you’re a true fan of Snooki, or you credit...

7 Mistakes that Lead to Guest Post Failure

Guest posting! The highway to unbridled blogging success! Nab yourself a spot on an A-List blog and suddenly it’s your name in lights. Traffic, engagement, the undying adulation of the unwashed masses! Sounds great, right? Well, it is, actually. But what about those of us who really crave a bit of failure? The ones who like to start every anecdote with “One time I almost” or “I was this close …”? What does guest posting offer for us? Well,...

How to Capture Your Reader’s Attention

“OH MY GOD! Your hair is on fire!” Well, that’s probably not true. I only said it to get your attention. Getting attention is the most important part of online marketing. No matter how brilliant your ideas are, you can’t even offer them to your prospect unless you’ve made her look in your direction first. You have to get your prospect’s attention before you can turn her into a reader, let her know how wonderful you are, or sell her something....

Check Out the Lifestyle Theme for WordPress

Whether you’re a one-person shop at a kitchen table, or the next Rupert Murdoch (or both), you need to start thinking like a media business. Say you want to run an online magazine. Or maybe you’re a personal publisher executing on myriad ideas that need more options than a simple blog post can provide. You’re covering multiple topics, in multiple formats. You’ve got video, you’ve got text, you’ve got photos … You’ve got the idea. How do you...

What’s the Difference Between Content Marketing and Copywriting?

For a traditional marketer, the answer to the above question is simple. Content marketing is the creation of valuable content that has a marketing purpose. For example, my company creates an awesome special report, and we exchange it for your email address and your permission to educate you further about our stuff. Copywriting is designed to get the reader to take a specific action. Sometimes that’s making a purchase, but it can also be confirming...

125 Tips for Building an Irresistible Brand

There are countless blogs and articles on the web that proclaim the importance of building a unique brand. But how, exactly, do you create a brand that’s irresistible to your audience and positions you as an authority? And how do you do it if you’ve never built one before? In the comments of my last post, The Rockstar Guide to Getting More Traffic, Fame, and Success, many of you said you were having trouble finding your unique style and turning...

4 Scientific Tips that Help You Get More Blog Comments

One of the most engaging features of the blogging platform is the commenting system. Many bloggers believe there is as much or even more value in the discussion than the posts they write themselves. Comments are a classic form of social proof for blogs, and blogs that attract lots of comments appear more authoritative. Comments are also a great way to facilitate user generated content that is perfect for SEO. Because of all this, comments can...

The Rockstar Guide to Getting More Traffic, Fame, and Success

Have you ever been to a concert where the opening act was just awful? Maybe their music was okay, but there was something about the performance that undermined your ability to enjoy it. The group just lacked that special something that would make them stand out, that would draw you in. That quality they’re lacking is called showmanship — and it’s not just for musicians. You can spot a blogger who lacks showmanship a mile away. Even after...

Will Your Site Survive the Google Shrink Ray?

Google likes to play a little game with those of us who do business online. The game is called “change all the rules and see who survives.” It’s often a fun and rewarding game for Google users, but it can be painful for business owners. In the latest version, Google has rolled out a feature called Instant Previews. When enabled, users see a cute little magnifying glass sitting next to their search results. The user can view a quick snapshot...