Editor and Ghostwriter
By Linda Dessau
I do have two new posts about article marketing for you this week, but you won't find them here on the Idea Generator blog.
To watch my new video about "How to write lists using parallel structure," please visit the New Coach Connection blog.
And to read about "How to make a L.O.V.E. connection in every article you write," please visit the snap! virtual associates blog. [Update December 24, 2012 – The article is no longer available from the snap! site, but it is posted on this blog.]
By Linda Dessau
The Editors' Association of Canada defines 12 distinct editorial skills that your piece of writing may benefit from.
Personally, I find it difficult to stop at proofreading – my eyes are always on the lookout for how to make a piece better, and that's why I use the term editing across the board. Even when I'm editing, I'm often re-writing or restructuring something, which takes me into ghostwriting territory.
Here are some distinctions between ghostwriting (when you want to hand off the writing task completely) and editing (when you want to do it yourself, with support).
| Ghostwriting An extra pair of hands |
Editing (Proofreading) An extra pair of eyes |
|---|---|
| Gets you started | Takes over once you've finished |
| Offers my subjective opinion about how to best express your ideas in writing | Offers my objective application of an established style guide |
| Addresses general writing issues, marketing effectiveness and content choices | Addresses grammar, typing, spelling and readability issues |
| Sometimes involves research and creation | Strictly focused on the document in hand |
| Still needs proofreading/editing to address grammar, typing, spelling and readability issues | May identify the need for ghostwriting to address writing, marketing and content issues |
Don't send your writing off into the world all alone! Whether you need extra hands or eyes, I'd be happy to help!
By Linda Dessau
I fully admit that I haven’t put much effort into SEO – search engine optimization. I prefer to focus on creating great content, and building relationships with people who will help me share it.
On the other hand, I believe that by using SEO techniques, you can be of service to the people out there who desperately need what you have to offer. You are putting yourself in their path so they will find you and you can help them.
Now that’s something I can get on board with!
Three Tips for Keyword-Rich Article Titles
While I think we’ve already established that I’m not an SEO expert, here are three things I’ve learned about writing keyword-rich titles:
1. Do a little research. Find out what terms people are actually searching for (Google has a tool for that), related to your article topic.
2. Fish in a smaller pond. Choose the keywords people aren’t searching for THE MOST. There is less competition to deal with.
3. Be top-heavy: Use your keywords at the beginning of your title. Instead of “The Top 10 Ways to Discipline Your Teenager,” try, “Out of Control Teens (6,600 searches worldwide last month): Top 10 Discipline Techniques.”
So is that it? Just stuff your title with keywords and fight for a spot on the front page of the search engine results? Nope. I would always encourage you to write for people first, and search engines second.
Three Tips for Creative Article Subtitles
You might notice that I’ve used titles and subtitles in my examples. As a loose rule, put your keywords in the title and get more creative in your subtitle.
Here are three ways to bring more creativity into your article subtitles, so they’re attractive to your ideal readers:
1. Play with your words. An alternate title for this article might have been, “Article Marketing: How to be creative AND rich.” It’s a play on words – a deliberate deception, if you will – since instead of finances we’re talking about keywords. Be cautious here. If your article content is too much of a departure from your title, you risk losing the trust of your readers.
2. Make an outrageous connection. Get people curious to find out how the two things in your title could possibly relate, e.g., “Business Planning 101: What My Kitchen Renovation Revealed About My Business Goals.”
3. Repeat what works. What do YOUR readers respond to? Look at your open rates, click-through rates, comments and email replies. Which titles got the most response from your specific readers?
Also consider the type of article you’re writing, and for what purpose. For stock articles that you’re going to submit to general directories, you might want to experiment with a plain, descriptive, keyword-rich title.
But for specialty articles that you will email to your subscribers or submit to a membership site or specialized directory, you will want to inject more personality and flair.
Ideally, your titles will be rich enough to show up in front of hundreds of people, and creative enough for your ideal readers to self-select and click through.
Remember that click-throughs are only part of the story. You need that reader to get all the way to the bottom of your article so they find and follow your call-to-action (hopefully an offer for your pink spoon) and join your tribe.
By Linda Dessau
In a recent post about where to submit your articles, I talked about submitting to both general and targeted article directories or newsletters.
Here’s another distinction that may be helpful, and that is to consider which are your “stock” articles, and which are your “specialty” articles.
This actually came out of a conversation I had with a prospective article writer for the IAC VOICE. She wanted to submit what she considers one of her “stock articles,” which wasn’t really appropriate because:
(a) Once published in the VOICE, we own the copyright of all articles, which means she wouldn’t be able to use it as a stock article anymore.
(b) We prefer original articles, or articles that have been adapted or expanded to offer something unique to our VOICE readers.
Here are some of my initial thoughts about stock articles and specialty articles:
| Stock Articles | Specialty Articles |
|---|---|
| Submit to general directories | Submit to targeted directories |
| Your take on established ideas | Your core content or curriculum – original ideas and theories |
| May be more appropriate for a wider audience | Very targeted to your niche audience and/or the readers of a specific site |
| Straightforward, matter-of-fact | Creative and quirky |
| Sometimes involve research of outside sources | Purely your own creation |
| May need proofreading/editing | May need ghostwriting |
So as you work on creating your article empire, aim for a balance of these two types of articles. That way you will always have the right kind of article for the right location.
By Linda Dessau