Do you want to write fresh content or good content? Seems like a strange question, right?

As an aspiring writer you’re taught that fresh content is where it’s at, it’s where you’ll get your big break. But is that true? Not really.

Sure, fresh content is the way to go, but only if you can somehow uncover content that no one has written on yet, and a quick look around will tell you that just about every topic under the sun has been written.

So how do you write good content if it isn’t new content?

1. Find a New Angle

There are thousands of stories floating around the internet about how to keep weight off during the holidays. Nine out of 10 of them will all parrot back exactly the same thing. That means if you want your article to be the one to catch, you have to spin the information in a way that makes people pause and continue reading.

Spinning information in a unique way is the best tactic a successful journalist can employ.

2. Stay Up to Date

Staying up to date on currently trending topics is the best way to keep your content as fresh as possible and to continually improve on your writing skills. Becoming a fantastic writer is a continually evolving process that requires submerging yourself in the world of writing.

3. Find Your Voice

Just because your favorite author has a flare for using witty euphemisms when they write doesn’t mean that you do. You have to determine your own writing style and capitalize on it – being confident in your own writing is what engages people to keep reading. Just about anyone can tell when something comes fluidly and when something is forced, and no one wants to read writing that doesn’t flow.

4. Write Often to Write Well

Even if it’s only a few sentences a day, a paragraph here and there, or something no one ever reads, writing daily will help you continually improve your writing skills and take your content to the next level of awesome.
Sometimes people get so caught up in finding fresh content that they pass up content that can be written in such a way that it becomes great content simply because of how it’s written.

Writing fresh content doesn’t make you a great writer – writing well makes you a great writer.

I recently heard a CNN broadcaster use the word ‘orientate’, and she was NOT discussing a map, or its orientation.

Grrr…. How VERY wrong.

Incorrect word and grammar usage frequently frazzles my brain (and others with average English language skills) to the extent that we lose the overall message while we ponder how the speaker or writer managed to graduate from grade school, let alone university.

Note: My grade school comment does NOT apply to those who blog in English as a second language.

I admire you!

However, it IS worth your time to learn the lessons below.

As for all you native English speakers – here’s a review…

1. Irregardless – NOT a word, despite the fact that some dictionaries include it, for the following reasons:
   • Containing the suffix ‘less’, regardless already means ‘without regard’.
   • Adding the negative prefix ‘irr’ to regardless, is therefore redundant.
   • Moreover, ‘irr’ nullifies the existing ‘less’, making it a double negative.
   • Ergo, ‘irregarless’ actually means ‘with regard’, yet those using it typically mean to say (write) regardless.
2. Orientate – The word is ‘orient’. The only time ‘orientate’ or ‘orientated’ is acceptable is when referring to the orientation of a map to its compass points – BUT ‘orient’ will suffice and simplicity always works best.
3. Ironical – Use ‘ironic’.
4. Conversate – Use ‘converse’. We don’t conversate, we converse.
5. Lie vs. Lay – Instructing your dog to ‘lay down’ is going to confuse him as he wonders ‘lay WHAT down?’. The correct phrase is ‘lie down’. Lie means ‘to recline’, whereas ‘lay’ means ‘to place’.
6. It’s / Its – Apostrophes seem to pose problems for many bloggers. ‘Its going to rain’ is wrong. It’s is the contraction for ‘it is’, therefore ‘it’s going to rain’ is correct. ‘Its’ on the other hand is possessive pronoun, indicating that ‘it’ owns something, e.g. ‘its name’. By the way, never use Its’.
7. There / Their / They’re – They are over ‘there’ at the river and ‘they’re’ getting ready to go canoeing.
8. Than / Then – Than is a conjunction used in comparisons. That hamburger was more than I could eat. Then is an adverb usually denoting time. They are coming at Christmas, we’ll see them then. Then can also mean in addition or in that case. If you plan to ski, then you’ll have to buy tickets.
9. Your / You’re – Your is possessive – that’s your hat. You’re is the contraction for ‘you are’.
10. Accept / Except – Accept is a verb that means “to receive, admit, regard as true, say yes.” His application to Stanford was accepted. Except is a preposition that means “excluding.” I know everyone here except the fellow standing in the corner. I can’t accept this gift.

OK, go ahead, find all the bloopers on my blog and I’ll correct them.

Do you have pet peeves about grammar and word usage? Feel free to share them with us by leaving a comment in the section below.

Cheers,

---

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How do you choose the products you buy? Do you simply accept as gospel truth all the good things a merchant says about their own product? Or, do you ask your friends’ opinions and look for independent product reviews before opening your wallet?

If you’re a savvy consumer (which of course you are), then you put more stock in your friends’ opinions and independent product reviews.

As affiliate marketers, we become much more successful when we approach our site visitors as friends and take the attitude that they too are savvy consumers.

From that standpoint, an affiliate’s real work is to pre-sell our merchant partners’ products by writing fair and balanced reviews, also known as endorsement letters.

Sure, writing a review for each product takes a little time and effort, but it’s an activity that sets the super affiliates apart from their less-super counterparts in terms of rewards… read ‘income’.

Product reviews can be either stand-alone or comparative. The first type focuses on a single product, while the second is an evaluation of similar items that allows readers to choose which product best suits them.

Before you begin to write a product review, you’ll need to evaluate the product. (Nothing like stating the obvious, eh?)

I prefer to endorse products that I’ve actually used. However, buying a product isn’t always feasible. If that’s the case, affiliate managers will often grant ‘proven’ super-affiliates access to products for their review. That’s especially true of information products and services that are delivered online, such as internet dating services.

But what if you’re not yet a super affiliate, and can’t fathom a basement full of treadmills to review for your exercise site?

Well, do what your customer would do if product reviews didn’t exist on the Internet – go to the store and test those treadmills out!

And how do you review acne medications for your skin care site if you don’t have acne? Surely, you have some friends with (previously) pimply-faced teenagers… ask them to tell you what worked for them.

If you can’t find out that way, search Google for “consumer reviews” + “acne medications”. Read as many as you can to come up with three to five effective products (that have affiliate programs).

Once you’ve collected information about the product, it’s time to start writing that product review.

The structure for a product review is simple, containing an introduction, overview and summary.

The introduction consists of a few sentences outlining the problem and introduces a possible solution for the reader, without going into detail. The overview describes the product’s promise, a description of how the product is used, as well as its effectiveness and value. The summary is almost a repeat of the introduction, and contains a strong recommendation for purchase based on your conclusions.

To simplify the review-writing process, I ask myself the following questions when writing product reviews for my own affiliate sites.

1. Who is my reader and what is their problem?
2. What does the product promise?
3. How well does the product solve the problem? What does it do? How does it work?
4. Does the product offer good value? (Would I buy this product?)

Let’s look at each question in turn.

The first question asks, “Who is my reader and what is their problem?”

If acne is your reader’s problem and your site visitors are adults, you probably want to avoid terminology like ‘Zap those zits!’ and use more age-appropriate language.

Remember too, that ‘zits’ aren’t really the problem. The real problem is how your reader feels about having pimples all over their face and how that affects their life.

If you’ve experienced the problem yourself, say so. Describe your experience, and show understanding and compassion for the reader’s plight. Speaking from real experience earns your readers’ trust which always improves sales rates.

If you have trouble figuring out how your reader might be affected by his problem, then you can research that online too.

For example, I searched Google for “hate acne” and came across Acne.org, where one young woman lamented, “My sh%tty skin is seriously ruining my social life and my relationships with men. I’m avoiding it all just cuz I don’t want to show my face. Its really sad. I also spend a lot of money on make up. I’m not even asking for the most perfect skin (even though it would be nice) but even if I was limited to just a couple zits….and then it would take me under 30 mins to get ready….I would never be home, and I would go back to living the life that I ohh so miss.”

That gives you a pretty clear picture of how she feels, right?

Now address those concerns using emotive terms and you’ll improve your conversion rates.

Here’s an example.

Rather than say, “Product A will cure your acne”, start with a question that appeals to your reader’s emotion, such as “Is acne ruining your social life? Scared to leave the house – or even show your face? There IS a solution to your plight.”

That introduction brings us to the next question which is, ‘What does the product promise?’

Does the product cure the problem? Does it work faster, or with less hassle and expense?

You found answers to that question during your product research. In this section you simply summarize your findings.

Next, answer the third set of questions, “How well does the product solve the problem?”, “what does it do?” and “how does it work?” based on your product research.

Results are the most important information, so it’s not necessary to provide nitty gritty details about how you use the product or what it’s made of or how it is packaged, etc. unless the merchant does not supply that information on their site, and you consider the information of importance to your reader.

Too, we’re all aware that no product is perfect, so don’t go overboard and write a completely glowing, one-sided review. To make the product review balanced and fair, detail what you do and don’t like about the product. If you want to avoid negative statements when outlining your dislikes, try phrasing the sentence like “although I’d prefer a slightly less greasy formula…” or “although the bottle lacks a pump dispenser…” and finish on a positive note.

Lastly, make a value statement. For example, “While Product A and B both eliminate most acne problems in 30 days, Product A wins our ‘best value’ award priced at $20 less per bottle. Or, if you’re writing a single product review, you could say something like, “Acme’s Acne Product would be great value even at twice the price, but at this price it can’t be beat!”

For even better conversions, be sure to include a product graphic on your product review webpage, and a testimonial or two from users that you solicit through your site or use with permission from your merchant partner’s site.

In summary, tell your visitors what you would say to a friend if you were telling them about a product that you found and liked. That approach will make writing reviews easier and your friendly attitude will push your conversion rates through the roof!

Product endorsements are great, but you’ll also want to put informative articles on your and other webmasters’ sites. With Jim and Dallas Edwards’ simple “Turn Words Into Traffic” system, your articles will soon be all over the Internet attracting visitors to your website like bees to honey… even if you think you can’t write.

We all want more traffic to our sites…

Here are 10 phrases that will help you boost traffic and bring visitors back to your sites, time after time.

1. “Subscribe / Sign Up”
   Tell your visitors to subscribe to your newsletter, and when they subscribe you’ll capture their e-mail address. Each time they receive a copy of your newsletter containing snippets of articles recently posted, they will be prompted to visit your site. Watch your Analytics go nuts on those days!

2. “Free”
   Freebies are always a good incentive to encourage folks to sign up for your newsletters. Too, you may allow visitors to use some of your articles on their own web site. Just ask them to include your resource box at the end of the article. This is a free way to advertise your site all over the internet.

3. “Bookmark Now”
   Make it easy for your visitors to bookmark your web site, and give them a good reason to do so.  For example, promise fresh content daily or weekly.

4. “Like us on Facebook”
   To expand your reach exponentially, your sidebar should incorporate links to all the major social media sites, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, etc.

5. “Take our Survey”
   Ask your visitors and newsletter subscribers to fill out your online survey or questionnaire. This brings people back to your site. Use the feedback on ways to improve your web site to increase traffic and visitor retention.

6. “Enter Our Contest”
   Give your visitors a chance to enter an online contest or sweepstakes. People love to win stuff, and they will come back to your site again and again to see if you have new contest offerings.

7. “Join Our Forum”
   Ask your visitors to participate on your online discussion board. By participating they will meet other people, and they will  return to your web site on a regular basis to stay in contact with their new friends.

8. “Join Our Affiliate Program”
   Allow your visitors to make money selling your products or services. This will increase your traffic (and revenues) when they link back to your web site.

Is your Web copy easy to read and understand?

If sales conversions on your affiliate sites are low or few visitors respond to your requests, the problem may be that your message lacks clarity or simplicity.

To check your articles for reading ease and “grade level”, I recommend using a tool that incorporates the Flesch-Kincaid readability test.

The test checks the number of words in each sentence, and the number of syllables per word. Using shorter sentences and shorter words with fewer syllables will result in a higher score of “reading ease”. The best score is 100.

The “grade level” test uses the Gunning-Fog index to assess the grade school level of your writing.

For example, the sentence “Jane runs up the hill” is at a Grade 3 level, while this “The graduation writing assessment requirement (GWAR) is a systemwide requirement. The California State University system requires upper-division undergraduate students to demonstrate a level of writing proficiency which may be expected of college graduates” came in at 17.8, which I suppose is a sixth-year University level.

Up to this point, this article comes in at a Grade 9.4 level, which is equivalent to the what Reader’s Digest offers its readers. Most surfers have low attention spans and read at grade levels between 7 and 9, which are the levels you should aim to hit in your articles.

To test your next article, I recommend that you use the free tool at “Textalyser.net“.

People won’t act if they don’t get the point.

To help your visitors get the point, improve the readability of your writing and help yourself to improved conversion rates in the process!

Do your newsletter subject lines or blog post titles have emotional or intellectual appeal?

How much?

Find out using the Advanced Marketing Institute’s free Emotional Marketing Value Headline Analyzer where you can test your headline, page title, or PPC link text for intellectual, sympathetic, and spirtual impact.

The Advanced Marketing Institute in the process of releasing an instruction course which will give you deeper knowledge of the EMV Impact words and how to create emotionally rich copy! Sign up for their newsletter to find out when it has been released.

I have a challenge for you this week.

Many of you are already using PLR (private label rights) articles on your sites. Many more of you will likely choose to use PLR content in the future to build your site content more quickly and easily.

That’s great.

Content attracts search engine traffic like nothing else, and nothing is more important than providing GREAT content for your visitors.

Notice that I said ‘GREAT content’?

PLR articles in and of themselves are good, but when the same article gets used over and over again, as they are wont to do, the value of the content on your site decreases… as may your search engine rankings.

That wouldn’t be GREAT… or even good, for that matter.

So, what’s the challenge?

Well, you’ll find a HOT topic PLR article, supplied by Becky Hagel, here:

PLR Challenge Article

Your challenge is to re-write that article.

Make it unique using your own style.

The person who returns the best re-write, as judged by Becky and myself, will receive a complimentary membership to Becky’s Nichetastic site.

Nichetastic includes eight 10,000 word “private label” products that Becky personally researches and writes herself, plus a sales letter for each product, a keyword list and resale rights.

Learn more about Nichetastic.

I will also throw in a copy of the latest digital version of the Super Affiliate Handbook, due for release on (or about) May 10th, 2006.

Are you in?

Please submit the re-written article through the support desk at NetProfitsToday.com with “PLR Challenge” in the ticket subject line.

Even if you don’t participate this time, consider doing that exercise with other articles to both improve your writing skills and create unique content for your site.

Happy writing!

P.S. To learn more about PLR and how it works, visit my Private Label Rights information page.

P.P.S. Submissions should received no later than Sunday, May 7th.

Promote and prosper!

Cheers,
Ros

How to get tons of free traffic to your site through article marketing…

Do you need more traffic to your website?

Do you want to get more FREE traffic to your website?

In a recent survey over 91.3% of subscribers said they wanted to know how to get MORE traffic to their websites and their affiliate links.

They also said they wanted to know how to get that traffic FAST *and* they didn’t want to (or couldn’t) pay for it.

If you want to increase traffic to your website for free, Jim and Dallas Edwards’ ebook “Turn Words into Traffic” will help you do just that.

The system is simple.

You write and distribute your free articles all over the Internet, that includes your byline and a link back to your site.

Think you can’t write or that you’re not expert enough to write an aritcle?

Think again!

In addition to getting a step-by-step guide to writing articles to promote your web site, you’ll also learn how to find topics with high profit potential.

Jim and Dallas also share information on how to submit your articles to ezine editors, website owners, article announcement sites, and the search engines.

Here’s what one of the most popular and trusted authors on the Internet had to say about “Turn Words into Traffic”:

“If you think you know it all when it comes to using articles to get more visitors to your site – think again!!

I thought I did too until I read this work. You better bet I’ll be using a few of these sweet techniques to build my online business to new heights. Heck, why not – it’s free and it’s some of the best traffic you can get to your site. I say grab this ebook now before everyone else does!”

-Yanik Silver, Author – “Instant Internet Profits”

Discover a website traffic “machine” that generates visitors for weeks, months, even years… without spending a dime on advertising.

Click Here Now to learn more about Turn Words into Traffic