Writing Tips – Page 2

Blog Readers Remember How You Made Them Feel

March 29, 2017 By Linda Dessau

Do you want to make a faster, stronger connection with the people who click through to read one of your blog posts? When they finish reading, do you want to leave them feeling good about you and that connection you’ve established? If so, read on!

As part of my seven-step blog writing process, I encourage you to spend time shaping your blog post by crafting an effective introduction and conclusion. And I suggest you do this after you’ve done the majority of your writing.

Why your intro should be an afterthought

Your introduction must draw the reader in with the promise of what they’ll get if they keep reading. But you won’t recognize the full scope of those benefits until the body of your post is written.

A blog post is a living, breathing entity from idea to completion. As you write, new ideas will surface, and you’ll connect your thoughts in different ways. In between writing sessions, you’ll be out there experiencing life, reading other people’s content, and talking with clients and potential clients.

That means sometimes a blog post doesn’t end up the way you thought it would. Your entire premise may change, or you may just add a new point or two. Either way, make sure your introduction matches the post you actually finished, not just the one you started.

Why does this matter and why should they care?

To entice people to keep reading, include one of these seven elements in your blog post’s introduction:

A quote – Whether it’s flowery, provocative or inspirational, the perfect quote can set the tone for your entire article. Search for quotes in Google or your favorites quotes page.
A stat – Statistics are used a lot in traditional media. Find them via Stats Can, the Census Bureau, or on wellness industry websites.
A powerful statement or question – Get people’s attention with a provocative line that taps into a key need or concern for those in your target audience – just be sure to back it up in your actual article.
A story – Tell a story about a fictional member of your target audience, an anonymous client, or someone you read about in the news. Or use your own story as it relates to the topic.
A story about the reader – Make your reader the main character of the story, e.g., After hitting the snooze button three or four times, you finally crawl out from under the covers and head straight for the coffee pot. You can’t see how you’re going to get through another long day with this little energy…
A song lyric – Sometimes musicians have sung it best. Song lyrics go one step further than quotes because they can also evoke powerful musical memories.
A definition – Give your readers the gift of a fresh perspective on a well-used term, and explore alternate or deeper meanings that could spark some insights.

Send them on their way – with love

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou

Blogging is an opportunity to create and deepen your relationship with a prospective client, so they can get to know you better and see if you are the right one to help them make a change.

When readers reach the end of your article, you want them to feel heard, understood, inspired and empowered. That inspiration – that hope that they can actually make a change, solve a problem or take a step – is what they will remember.

Beyond inspiration, give them specific instructions for the actions they can take to implement what they learned from your article. As a bonus (also known as a content upgrade), you can offer a downloadable checklist, worksheet, or template that helps them take action. Give this away in exchange for their email address and permission to keep in touch with other valuable content and announcements from you.

For some topics, the best follow-up action might be no action at all, but rather to ponder a new approach or perspective on something. Here you might suggest a question or writing prompt.

Before you publish your next blog post, re-read your introduction and conclusion. Have you done enough to draw in your reader, and are you sending them away with a good memory of the time you spent together?

P.S. Want more ideas about how to write high-quality content that has more impact, attracts more ideal clients, and makes you more money? Register for my FREE webinar, Write Less, Earn More With Blog Posts That Are Easy to Write and Irresistible to the Perfect Clients For Your Health and Wellness Business.

Three Ways to Create Authentic Content

February 8, 2017 By Linda Dessau

Let’s face it – you’re not the only nutritionist to write about superfoods, or the importance of drinking water, or why whole foods are better than processed foods. You’re not the only naturopathic doctor to write about how to get a better night’s sleep, the benefits of hydrotherapy, or how to choose chemical-free household products.

One sure-fire way to write about well-covered topics and still provide value to your readers is to infuse your writing with personality. Not just any personality – your personality. That is what will set you apart from the other nutritionists, naturopaths, and wellness professionals.

No one else has your exact combination of life experiences, professional expertise, sense of humour, hobbies and interests, values, triumphs and trials. These things are what make you you.

When you write authentically from your own true voice, you’re showing prospective clients who you are and how it feels to be with you. Doing this will draw in the right clients and repel the wrong clients, so you can connect with the people you were truly meant to help.

Here are three ways to create more authentic content:

Excite

Have you ever seen someone’s eyes sparkle as they talk about their latest project, client triumph, or discovery? You’re witnessing the intersection of passion and purpose that we all feel when our work is aligned with our values and God-given skills.

Be sure your topics are exciting to you, or find ways to remove whatever is blocking your blogging joy. If you’re still not feeling the love for a blog post, you have my permission to scrap it and start again!

Delight

You also want to feel excited about who will read your blog posts and how their lives will improve as a result. When you do, your words will jump off the page in bursts of love for your clients and potential clients, and they will feel your commitment to help them.

A research study out of Emory University in Atlanta used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to prove that the brain’s pleasure activity “lights up like a Christmas tree” when someone is surprised with a nice gift.

Besides giving value by sharing your generous ideas and tips, you can surprise your readers with an additional free bonus (in exchange for subscribing to your email list so you can continue sending them valuable content). Create a checklist or quick-start guide (also known as a content upgrade), or give them the chance to experience more of your personality via a video or audio recording.

Recite

Are the words on your page the same you would use in a conversation with a client? I like to actually imagine a client sitting across from me as I write. Then, I read my post out loud or use Microsoft Word’s text-to-speech feature to hear someone else read it.

This is an excellent proofreading technique for catching errors, and it also helps make sure you’re writing like you talk. This gives prospective clients a truer sense of what it’s like to work with you.

When you excite, delight and recite in your blogging, you’ll create a more powerful bond with your readers. Your perfect clients will resonate with not just what you write about but how you write and who you are being when you write.

How to Blog From Your Passion For Wellness

January 19, 2017 By Linda Dessau

Have you ever sat down to work on a blog post and found the spark just wasn’t there? If writing doesn’t come naturally to you (and even if it does), any excuse can be enough to push blogging to the back burner.

But then your website loses steam, you lose confidence and momentum, and worst of all the people who need you and your wisdom lose out completely and you don’t get to help them.

If you’re forcing yourself to write posts you’re not excited about, it will always feel like an uphill climb. But if you’re writing about things that evoke passion within you, writing will be a thrill. (Okay, maybe not always a thrill, but I guarantee it will be easier.)

Now you may be wondering, isn’t my blog supposed to be all about the reader, and not about me? What does my passion have to do with it?

What’s passion got to do with it?

When you write from a place of passion, you cannot fail to connect with your perfect audience. They will feel your genuine commitment to helping them solve this particular health problem, and they’ll get to hear your authentic voice as you speak from your heart to their heart.

Only your perfect clients will resonate with your message and how you write it – ideally, the exact same way you speak it when they’re with you in the room or over the phone.

When passion wanes and worry begins

Maybe it’s time to scrap this post and move on, maybe you can’t reconnect to the spark you had when you first thought of the topic, or maybe the problem is that the spark was never there in the first place.

Let’s look at five reasons you may lack passion for your blog writing:

It’s a sub-topic you’re not particularly excited about, even though it’s a core issue for your audience and very connected to your passion area. Try this: Keep your eyes on the prize – if you can get someone over this initial hurdle, they can move into a place where you can both focus on what you love. Meet the person where they are to get them where they need to be.
It’s a sub-topic you don’t know as much about. We can’t be experts at everything. Try this: Collaborate with other experts and either quote them as a trusted source in your blog post or share something they’ve already written. You can also enhance your own practice by immersing yourself in the latest research to learn as much as you can.
It’s not a post you should be writing. Maybe you’ve strayed from your core categories, or you’re delving into a topic that’s better suited to your diary. Try this: Head back to your blogging plan and get reacquainted with your original passion for your audience and the issues they care about, and most importantly how your blog will help them solve those problems.
You’re passionate about your topic, but you (and others) have already written about it many times. Feel like there’s no use saying it all again? Try this: Realize that today’s reader may have never seen your older posts about the topic. If this is still an important concern for your audience, freshen up your older posts and give them new life. As far as your fellow bloggers, remember what I said earlier about your perfect clients. Even if they’ve read similar blog posts from someone else, it is your message that will draw them in and turn on that light bulb above their head.
You’re passionate about your topic, but not about writing. I hear this all the time from wellness professionals who love what they do but struggle with the online marketing required to attract more clients and grow their business.

Try this: Seek a blogging coach or mentor to light your spark and give you the tools, confidence and know-how to let your passion shine through your writing.

You can start by joining my next free online blogging workshop!

Passion is one of the most important ingredients of an effective wellness blog. Use these tips and suggestions to boost your passion so your readers can feel it leaping off the page.

Will Your Next Post Be Your Last Chance to Woo a Client?

January 11, 2017 By Linda Dessau

Your next perfect client is out there. Right now. There she is – a friend of a friend, or the former client of a related practitioner, or the second-cousin of your dog walker’s teacher. She’s scrolling through her social media feed when she spots the title of your blog post that seems to answer the exact question that’s been keeping her up at night.

Click.

This is it. This could be your first chance to impress her, to show her what you know, to reveal your personality and unique approach. This could be the start of a relationship that brings you closer, bit by bit, blog post by blog post, until she recognizes that you are the perfect person to help her.

Or this could be your last chance. There may be something about your blog post that sends her in the opposite direction. Now sometimes this is exactly what needs to happen. Maybe your approach doesn’t appeal to her, or maybe your personality rubs her the wrong way. Either way, it’s best she keep searching because any work you tried to do together would most likely fail.

But what if you ARE a good fit, but she couldn’t see it? What if something about your writing is what drove her away? It may have if you have any of these three reader-repelling habits:

Reader-repelling habit #1: The long and winding sentence

You probably already know if this is one of your habits, but a sure-fire way to spot it is to read your work out loud and notice:

Do you run out of breath before you finish any of your sentences?
By the end of the sentence, do you forget what the sentence was about?

Relationships are built on feelings. If a long and winding sentence leaves your reader confused or disoriented, they will associate those feelings with you the next time they see your name.

Watch the video below for an example. You’ll see how I actually add more words to break up and clarify the ideas in a long and winding sentence.

Reader-repelling habit #2: The stuffy sermon

Do you talk at your readers instead of with them? Do you feel like an imposter so you try to sound smarter to compensate? Do you tell them exactly what to do instead of encouraging them to try your ideas (and explain why)?

Preaching to your readers creates distance between you. They can feel like you don’t understand them or where they’re coming from.

When you’re reading your blog post out loud, imagine that perfect client sitting across from you. Ferret out any jargon – words or expressions that only people in your industry would understand.

This isn’t about dumbing down your writing; it’s about using plain language – clear terms that mean the same the everybody.

Instead of preaching to your audience, remind them how you’re connected. Are you a member of your own target market? Have you overcome the same problems you know help others solve? Or can you share a client story of how you’ve helped someone just like them?

There are plugins (like Yoast SEO) and apps (like Grammarly and Hemingway) designed to assess the readability of your posts. Use these to stuff the sermon and better connect with your readers.

Watch the video below for an example of how I turned a preachy sermon into a helpful suggestion.

Reader-repelling habit #3: The big bad wall of text

Nothing sends me away from a page quicker than this one. When I see big blocks of text with no break on the page, I immediately feel a sense of heaviness and overwhelm. It seems like way too much work to get the information I’m looking for.

When you preview how your published post will look in your blogging platform, count how many lines of text there are before a break. I try to keep most paragraphs at five lines at the most, but usually three or four lines.

Keep in mind that your reader may have chosen to display text at a specific size on their computer, or they may be visiting from a mobile device. That’s why it’s important to break up the text in other ways, such as:

Lists – You can use bullets for most of your lists (like I have here). The only time you’ll want to use numbers is if you’re presenting a specific number of points (e.g., here are three tips for better sleep, or here are my top 10 uses for apple vinegar), or if it’s important people follow your steps in order.
Images – Photos, charts and icons are another way to create visual interest and give the reader’s eyes a break.

The video below shows how I divided up a big bad wall of text to make it easier for the reader to digest the information.

If you want your next post to woo – not repel – your perfect client, banish these bad writing habits. Instead of confused, preached to, or overwhelmed, your readers will feel clear, connected, and comfortable.

P.S. Want to write high-quality content that has more impact, attracts more ideal clients, and makes you more money? Register for my FREE webinar, Write Less, Earn More With Blog Posts That Are Easy to Write and Irresistible to the Perfect Clients For Your Health and Wellness Business.

3 Reasons Videos Still Need Written Text

November 9, 2016 By Linda Dessau

© ottochka - Fotolia.com — © ottochka – Fotolia.com

Some people just don’t like writing. Maybe you’re one of them. And when you hear that Facebook rewards video with more views, YouTube is the world’s second-largest search engine, and the opinion that “no one reads anything online anymore,” it’s tempting to throw away your keyboard completely.

I totally get it, really I do, but please don’t do this!

Here are three reasons why making videos does not let you off the hook from writing:

Reason #1: Writing helps you speak better

Whether you do a formal script, a general outline or storyboard, a list of bullet points, or simply a calendar of planned topics, writing ideas before you start filming gives you and your audience more confidence in your content.

You’ll create higher-quality content that stays true to your topic areas and has a bigger impact on the people you’re trying to help.

Reason #2: Writing serves the people who need to read

Some of your audience members may have auditory or visual impairments, internet access issues, or workplace restrictions that make it impossible to watch your videos. Captions and titles can help, but only to a point.

Then there are those like me, who simply prefer to learn by reading, not watching or listening. A vague title and a play button are not enough to compel me to watch – I need a clear idea of:

What you’re covering (a descriptive title and explanation)
Why it’s important to me (why not knowing this information could impact me)
What I’ll get out of watching (highlights and benefits)

Reason #3: Writing helps people and search engines find you

On YouTube: Marcus Sheridan of The Sales Lion suggests your YouTube meta-description should always start with a question (“Are you wondering about…?”) and finish with a tease (“If so, this article will help explain and show you….”). Use the same words your clients would use (keywords). Make sure you keep your first couple of lines under 150 characters, he warns, or Google will cut off your text. Also pay attention to the next three lines of your description, because YouTube will only show the first five lines of your YouTube description before viewers must click “Show More.”
On social media: Use a brief version of your YouTube description box to entice your social media contacts to watch your video.
On your blog: Beyond the first five lines of your YouTube description, expand your blog post text to cover the three items I mentioned above. Give me that reason to watch! Ideally, embed the video right onto your site so I can stick around and learn more from you. In some cases, I’d rather just read the content as a transcript (hopefully one that’s been edited and enhanced).

Videos are very popular right now, and for good reason! They can engage your audience and help them get to know you, and can be quick and easy for you to create. It’s definitely worth experimenting to see how your audience responds to them. Just don’t stop writing completely or you could lose some of your best potential clients.

Want more ideas about how to write high-quality content that has more impact, attracts more ideal clients, and makes you more money? Register for my FREE webinar, Write Less, Earn More.