Content Mastery Guide

Editor and Ghostwriter

Write like the magazines

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My latest look through the book on my desk, Your Attention Please, led me to another gem.

The authors encourage us to browse the magazine rack for a model of writing that will get our audience’s attention and get them to take action.

It’s true, whether it’s a Cosmo quiz or a compelling story in Reader’s Digest, the sole purpose of these magazines is to serve their readers with entertainment, information and suggestions for improving their lives.

Writing prompt: Grab a popular “service” magazine from your coffee table or your corner store and choose an article to use as a template for the next article you write.

Jason Womack on setting up a home office classroom

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Some more great stuff from Jason Womack today, about setting up your home office classroom.

I love his tips on how to burn through the latest hot business book in no time flat, so I’ve decided to apply them the book that’s on my desk right now, Your Attention Please.

I didn’t follow the plan perfectly. Though Jason promised that by using this method I’d get through the whole book in as little as an hour, I don’t have that long today. So I just read the little bit that caught my eye, and that was enough to inspire a topic for a blog post. Thanks, Jason!

Writing prompt: What inspiring ideas can you find on just one page of a book?

Social Networking for Coaches

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Kristen Beireis is in the midst of re-branding herself and her company, from virtual assistants to marketing implementation specialists.

Part of this process was creating a new pink spoon that would demonstrate Kristen’s expertise and answer a need in the coaching industry.

I think she was bang on with the topic she chose – social networking. Who hasn't wondered about how to start, what to post or where to draw the line between your business and personal lives? Kristen answers all of this and more.

My first job was to restructure the paper so that it had three very clear main ideas. Then I needed to maximize its readability by applying some of the writing guidelines from the Style Guide.

When I asked her what it was like to work with me on this project, Kristen (a repeat editing client) replied:

"Thanks for the edit, Linda. It feels much more cohesive and you even spiffed up the language a bit to sound more professional. I’ve never had so many people clammering to get a report. I’m getting more subscribers than I ever have before. In fact, in the first three weeks after I released the edited version of this report, I had 28 people sign up and confirm their subscription to my newsletter. And that doesn’t include those who haven’t confirmed yet. With my old report, I was lucky to get 4 verifications in one month. This is a big change!"

Your Attention Please – getting attention and getting action

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Thanks to Kathy Mallary of Spirit Spring Coaching for the review of the book Your Attention Please in a recent newsletter.

Expert coaches thrive

Speaking of getting attention, subscribe to Kathy's newsletter here and you'll get a fabulous special report that explains precisely why "Expert Coaches Thrive," ending the debate once and for all (sigh, if only that were true) about whether or not it's a good idea to specialize. [Update December 15, 2012 – Kathy has a new special report now, which I'm sure will be just as valuable to you.]

Getting your market's attention

In searching for the book's website, I stumbled upon this equally valuable post by Seth Godin on the topic of attention. He touts the free offer as the best way to get people's attention: "The interesting thing about most products and services is that we won't buy them until we know what they are and what they do."

The refrigerator test

I opened Your Attention Please to a random page (Kathy suggested in her article that every page holds a gem, and so far she's absolutely right) and read about the "refrigerator test." The authors attribute this concept to Don Ranly of the University of Missouri School of Journalism, who actually teaches a class called "Refrigerator Journalism". The test? For journalists, it's whether what you've written will be pertinent enough for someone to cut out and post on their refrigerator door.

The action test

In our case, we're usually looking for pretty specific actions from our readers. Signs that we are deepening our relationship, gaining trust and successfully leading them into our marketing funnel. So our test becomes whether or not they take action. Will what we write in our newsletters, blogs, articles and websites be pertinent enough for our reader to:

  • Forward to someone else via email
  • Bookmark for themselves or others (e.g., on delicious)
  • Comment on our site or by email
  • Blog or write about
  • Download our free offer, subscribe to our updates or make contact

The good news is that we'll know soon enough, because the results (or lack of) will speak for themselves.

Win a copy of the Customizable Style Guide for Coaches Who Write

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If you're planning to attend the Annual Fall Conference of the ICF-GTA Chapter (in Toronto, Canada) on October 4, 2008, I've got great news!

I've donated two copies of The Customizable Style Guide for Coaches Who Write as door prizes!

Not only that – I've also donated a Talk-Write Article ghostwriting package. A $175 value, this package includes a 30-minute telephone writing session where we'll get all your great ideas on the table. Then, within one week of our session, I will deliver a 500-word article – professionally written, with YOUR name and copyright on the bottom.

I hope to see you at the conference! I'm not presenting, just happy to learn, share and network. I'm especially looking forward to saying hello to speaker Michel Neray, who I've been getting to know and admire via his Essential Message newsletter, the New Coach Connection email group and on Twitter.