Writing On The Web by Patsi Krakoff, The Blog Squad

Content Marketing Strategies for Smart Professionals

Merge Your Online and Offline Marketing Tactics for Better Results

By Patsi Krakoff in Teleclasses & Seminars

Save and Simplify: Merge Your Online and Offline Marketing Tactics for Better Results

August 16, 2007, 3:00 p.m. PT (6 p.m. ET)

Blogging and Beyond with The Blog Squad, Patsi Krakoff, Psy. D., and Denise Wakeman
With Guest Expert: Janis Pettit, owner of SmarTrack and http://www.smallbusiness-bigresults.com/

Offline or online, that is the question. "Both" is the answer. You
need to apply similar strategies to market your products and services
both off and online.

Learn how professionals and entrepreneurs can
merge their online and offline marketing to save money, work more
effectively, and generate more targeted leads. The Blog Squad
interviews Janis Pettit, a veteran of small business successes and
owner of www.smallbusiness-bigresults.com.

Use this link to listen live on the air at 6:00 p.m. ET on August 16.

Power Writing Series with Liz Strauss

By Patsi Krakoff in On Writing Better

9 + 1 Things Every Reader Wants from a Writer

by Liz Strauss
Where to Start

It can seem complicated to write for a readership that includes beginners to experts. I’ve done it for over two decades. It can seem like there’s too much to consider to meet them all at their own level.

Yet my experience is that beginners and experts are not that different when they read. They might choose to read different things, but we all do. Beyond that difference of content, beginners, experts and those of us in the middle — every reader — wants the same things from a writer.

9 +1 Things Every Reader Wants

Basically there are 9 things every reader wants, plus one for blog readers. Let’s imagine I’m one of those readers. Actually I am one. I’ll tell you the things readers want as they’ve been telling me for over 20 years.

Pick an idea that intrigues you. If it intrigues you, I’m likely to be intrigued by it too. At the very least, I’ll be curious about what it was about the idea that captured your interest and intrigued you.
Trace out a simple structure. Use the structure to cut a path through your idea. Then it’s easy for me to follow you.
Write for someone who’s like you, but doesn’t know what you know
about the topic. Trying to write for everyone is like trying to talk
penguins and parachutes at the same time.
Make clear decisions about what to include. Look things over and be
lethal about taking out what doesn’t need to be there. Believe me, I’ll
remember that you don’t waste words when I decide I want to return.

Things to Know Before You Write for a Living

By Patsi Krakoff in On Writing Better

This post was written one year ago and is so good it’s worth repeating: This week I’ve asked Liz Strauss of Successful Blog to guest author some posts about writing. Here it is her post about writing for a living:

The Problem with Writing . . . 25 Things to Know BEFORE You Write for a Living
by Liz Strauss, Successful Blog

Let’s Be Honest

Every morning I get up and write blog posts . Then I go do my other writing work. I’ve been writing for a living for very long time. So I feel qualified to write this post. It’s not a rant. It’s a list. It’s a set of things that folks who think they might want to write for a living ought to know before they blindly follow their dream.

The problem with writing is

that, when you start, no one will believe you are a writer.
that all writing jobs takes longer than folks think they will.
that even talent needs ideas.
that getting to a living wage takes time and boring work.
that, when you write well, the finished product looks like it was easy.
that no one cares how hard it was.
that the lifestyle isn’t glamorous.
that the pay can be less glamorous.
that you’re always interrupted in the middle of the perfect thought.
that you’ll probably have to edit your own work.
that, if you get noticed, your mistakes are very public.

Business Writing: Are You Using Gobbledygook?

By Patsi Krakoff in On Writing Better, Writing Better Ezines, Writing for the Web, Writing Great Press Releases, Writing Great White Papers

David Meerman Scott updated his Goobledygook Manifesto this week. He proves his point: news releases from company and pr writers use the same old worn-out empty phrases … worse than a teenager’s annoying talk, like totally inane.

I’m reprinting David’s graph here just so you can see the catch phrases to avoid in your next piece of writing for the web.

The words mentioned most often were similar to last year’s analysis. In North America – next generation (10,427 mentions), robust (8868 mentions), flexible (8515 mentions), and world class (7887 mentions) were the leaders.

Others are easy to use, scalable, cutting edge, well positioned, market leading, mission critical, turnkey, groundbreaking, industry standard, user friendly, enterprise class, best of breed, enterprise wide, interoperable, extensible, and breakthrough.

Blog Failure: Here’s how to avoid it

By Patsi Krakoff in About Blogs, Online Marketing, Teleclasses & Seminars

For the last couple of weeks I’ve written about blog failure, and how easy it is to fall into sloppy blogging habits…and why this is so dangerous to your business reputation.

Mostly, I’ve written on our Build a Better Blog, for example, check out these posts:

The slippery slope to blog failure

Biggest blog challenges – poll results show traffic is a concern

Blog content: when good isn’t good enough

You have 3 days left to claim one of two seats that are still available for our Better Business Blogging workshop, a 4-week series of teleconferencing calls: www.theblogsquad.net/B BB

The Blog Squad does blog makeovers and blog critiques all the time, and we’ve learned how to avoid blog failure. Don’t let it happen to you. Find out how you can make your blogging tasks easier and more profitable. Don’t wait, act now before we close out the class.

The Blog Squad Donates a Biz Blog Package for a Good Cause

By Patsi Krakoff in About Blogs

If you’re not yet blogging for your business, here’s a chance to get all the information you’ll need to set up and optimize your blog. It’s a charity auction for LLS, the Leukemia Society. You can read all the details on Denise’s BizTipsBlog.

It’s a cause that is close to Denise’s heart because her brother-in-law has an rare form of cancer. So you’ll get an excellent package of tutorials on blogging for a low price and all the money will go to help find a cure.

Branding AND Blogging: teleclass on this success formula

By Patsi Krakoff in About Blogs, Online Marketing, Teleclasses & Seminars

You don’t want to miss this class on Wednesday August 29,2007 – Our recent analysis of business blogs show that most are brandless or at least under-branded. That makes all of your marketing harder and far less effective.

Learn how to get good results by combining branding with your blog.

Join The Blog Squad and branding guru Ruth Klein for the first ever teleseminar on Branding AND Blogging: what many experts consider to be the new ‘success secret’ of smart professionals and entrepreneurs with online businesses.

There is no charge to attend.

Branding & Blogging: The new ‘success secret’ of today’s smart professionals

A complimentary teleseminar brought to you by The Blog Squad and Branding Guru Ruth Klein

Wednesday, August 29, 2007
5:00 p.m. ET (2:00 p.m. PT)
No charge!

Register here. You’ll get the dial-in number and information about how to listen live online via simulcast, if you prefer.

Please note: This is a preview class to our 4-session Branding and Blogging workshop with Ruth Klein in September, but we promise you’ll get plenty of information you can use, even if you aren’t going to the paid workshop. We’ll answer your questions and give you important content – no obligation. If you’ve been to our teleclasses before, you know we always over-deliver.

Blogging and Beyond: Get More Out of Workshops

By Patsi Krakoff in Teleclasses & Seminars

From Class to Cash: getting the most from business and marketing events

Blogging and Beyond with The Blog Squad, Patsi Krakoff, Psy. D., and Denise Wakeman
With Guest Expert: Rory Cohen, co-founder Entelekey, Inc.

August 9, 2007, 3:00 p.m. PT (6 p.m. ET)

Only 5-20% of people who attend business-related educational events
will ever implement or take advantage of what they learn.

If you spend
money on bootcamps, workshops and conferences that promise you business
results, you better be sure that you are, or learn to become, an
implementer.

Learn what stops you from taking action and how you can
prepare to get the most out of your educational investments. The Blog
Squad interviews Rory Cohen, co-founder Entelekey, Inc.

Use this link to listen live on the air at 6:00 p.m. ET on August 9.

Reasons to Proofread Your Writing for the Web

By Patsi Krakoff in Grammar & Common Usages

I’m researching websites that offer blog writing, and found a specialty writing firm that offers a variety of content for businesses. Here’s what their page on blog writing leads with:

No escaping the Blogging Phenomena!

This is were the hype is
The news is
The buzz is
The money is!

And that’s where you ought to be!

I hate being negative, so I won’t tell you which site misspelled "were" for "where" in their opening line. But I don’t think I’d recommend this company to any business wanting to outsource their blog writing.

On the Web, this kind of error is like having your sales staff greet clients wearing dirty clothes.

Related post: Misspellings, their our plenty and their impotent

Blogs for Writers

By Patsi Krakoff in About Blogs, Blogs We Love

Thanks to John Hewitt for publishing a list of blogs for writers. There are many good blogs on his list, including this one, and a few I am not familiar as yet.

How many of these bloggers do you read?