Content Mastery Guide

Editor and Ghostwriter

“A person like me” – high on the credibilty meter

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At an IABC Toronto event last week, I heard Jerry Stevenson of Buck Consultants speak about Practical Tips for Business Blogs. The talk was geared to communication and public relations professionals working for corporations (most of whom were new to blogging), and I still found lots to take away.

[Update December 9, 2012 – according to his website, Jerry is now with Baylour Healthcare System] 

One of the most interesting points he shared was a trust study done by Edelman, an international PR firm. [Update December 9, 2012 – This resource is no longer available from the original link]

The study revealed that people all over the world now find "a person like me" the most credible source of information – more credible than doctors or academic experts.

It's another take on the idea I explored when I asked, "Are you a member of your target market?", and is really helpful to remember when you're writing for your niche.

Quick Writing Prompt: What's one way to reach out to members of your target market and let them know you're just like them? What language can you use? How can you write differently? Who do YOU trust as a source of information and why? What did that person do to gain your trust?

Catching Up – From Ideas to Income and Business Blogging Seminar

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Wow, it’s been awhile since I’ve posted, I’ve been busy!!

I’m gearing up today for today’s tele-class with Sandra De Freitas, #2 in our From Ideas to Income series.

Today’s topic is “I don’t see how it could possibly help my business,” and we’ll discuss how writing can make you THE expert in your field, help you build relationships with potential clients and increase your income!

Sign up for this class and check out the series at From Ideas to Income.

Last night I attended my first IABC Toronto event – that’s the International Association of Business Communicators. As I learned, Toronto is actually their biggest chapter. The speaker was Jerry Stevenson of Buck Consultants, who spoke about Practical Tips for Business Blogs.

Jerry had some great ideas for this (mostly) uninitiated audience. But I definitely learned a few things, too, and I’ll be posting about some of them in the next week or so.

I think I’ll stick with IABC’s AIP meetings (Alliance of Independent Practitioners, renamed Professional Independent Communicators (PIC)), where I’ve met many kindred spirits, and it’s just so nice to be in a room with other freelance writers. Especially when some of them are also web-savvy, like Donna Papacosta.

Coaching Industry “Mega Trends” – Are You Ready?

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My colleague Alun Richards has written an article illuminating the "Seven Coaching MegaTrends Every Coach Should Be Aware Of."

While I've witnessed these trends taking place, I found it helpful to see them laid out like this.

I'm glad that I can have a role in helping coaches keep up with these trends, such as creating coaching products (MegaTrend 5) and coaching programmes (MegaTrend 6).

MegaTrend 4 is the increased need for niches and differentiation. We talked quite a bit about this in a recent tele-class I taught for mediators in the ADR Practice Builder community, specifically, how to write what your niche wants to read.

For instance, we talked about using the same language that members of your target market would use if they were discussing their problem with a friend. They need to feel understood and that you know their problems inside and out (AND that working with you will lead to the solutions).

This is a topic that Sandra De Freitas and I will be getting more into this fall, in our From Ideas to Income tele-class series (Teleclass #3).

Success Stories (testing, testing….)

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Putting together these All the Right Moves.

Because Gail and I met at a local Women in a Home Office networking event, we were actually able to meet in person for our writing session – what a treat!

Beta Testing

So, what was in it for Gail?

  • A free 500-word Success Story with her name attached to it, all about the wonderful work she did for one of her clients
  • The chance to try out my services for free
  • Unlimited possibilities for the article, such as publication online or in print, as a handout at networking events and/or for her website

So, what was in for me?

  • I got to test out my case study questionnaire
  • Invaluable feedback from Gail about the experience
  • Permission to use the story as a sample on my website
  • A written testimonial from Gail:

“Linda, working with you on this success story has given me complete faith in your ability. I am especially grateful for the quick turn-around because having started the process I was really anxious to get the finished product “out there”.

Linda managed to convey the elements of the work I do, with a clear sense of the joy and pride I feel, in just one concise article. They are my words but without hours and hours of effort on my part. The process was almost too good to be true. I think having this success story will enhance my website and also provide an opportunity for increased media exposure. I know too much about my own business and can’t say it in a few words. Having someone to edit it down is extremely valuable.”

If you’d like to have your own Success Story for your newsletter, website or blog, please contact me for more details.

There’s Gold in These Hills!

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One of the best ways to encourage new website visitors to join your mailing list is to offer them a valuable free gift in exchange. But some coaches, speakers and organizers don’t think they have anything to offer.

That wasn’t the case for Cristina Favreau of The Savvy Entrepreneur. When she set out to put together a free gift for her website, she knew she had some untapped “gold” (content) to mine.

The Gold

Cristina had recently led some very successful workshops about Designing a Compelling 30-second Intro. And she’d prepared a script, which contained all of the valuable content from the workshop.

The Challenge

She had great information, but it was written as a script, not as a learning guide. She knew that it needed to be re-formatted, cleaned up and re-written in order to be the valuable gift she wanted to offer.

A fellow member of the New Coach Connection, Cristina saw a promotion that I sent, visited my website and contacted me to find out more.

The result? Well, in Cristina’s own words, “[Linda] did an amazing job of taking what I had written (which was in my informal speech format) and turned it into something I’m extremely proud of. I’m biased, but I think my guidebook, Designing a Compelling 30-second Intro, is kick-ass.”

In response, I shared my own thoughts about learning styles and adding value to audio in a recent blog post.