White Papers: Articles on Steroids

White Papers: Articles on Steroids
White Papers: The Ultimate Lead Generator(34:31 min) Blogging and Beyond with The Blog Squad, Patsi Krakoff, Psy. D., and Denise Wakeman With Guest Expert: Michael A. Stelzner, White Paper Source and author of Writing White Papers: How to Capture Readers...

The Webby Nominees and Winners
Time flies...and here are this year's Webby Nominees and Winners. Check the nominees and winners in the categories that matter most to you, and tell us all what you think....

Time flies...and here are this year's Webby Nominees and Winners.

Check the nominees and winners in the categories that matter most to you, and tell us all what you think.

Advertorial: Step 9- A Clear Call to Action
The final section of a good advertorial asks readers to do something. It follows your irresistible offer, where you sweeten the pot by throwing in bonuses and extra features. But why should anyone act now? Unless you mention reasons to...

Delivering on Your Article Title Promise
Your article title is more than just an accurate description about what the reader will find in your article body, as it’s a promise you make to build a trust relationship with your readership (prospective & current clients). Today, reflect on how well you’ve been delivering on your article title promise(s): Did you fulfill your readers expectations [...]

Your article title is more than just an accurate description about what the reader will find in your article body, as it’s a promise you make to build a trust relationship with your readership (prospective & current clients).

Today, reflect on how well you’ve been delivering on your article title promise(s):

• Did you fulfill your readers expectations in the article body?
• Did you answer the question you posed in your article title?
• Does every paragraph of your article in some way relate to delivering on what you promised in the title?
• Are you wasting the readers time by purposely baiting them with a juicy title and lots of filler in your article body?
• Does your article GET TO THE POINT? (instead of rambling on and on and on?)
• Are you an expert who delivers more value in the article body than you expect to receive in return?
• Did you bite off more than you can deliver in your article title? Should you narrow your topic further?

Having a very smart article title is the key to hooking more readers, but the article title is only the envelope in your article marketing campaign. What’s inside your article envelopes will determine if the reader is satisfied enough to begin to understand and/or trust you. Violate that trust and you’ll have a reader who will feel cheated for having wasted his or her time with your article.

Additional reading on this topic:

• Write Articles That Fulfill Their Promise

How do you ensure that your articles deliver on the promise you made in your article titles?

Advertorials: Step 7- Provide Proof
When writing persuasive copy, you want to come across as trustworthy as possible. One way to this is to be transparent about the fact that readers have doubts. Many people have been burned by buying worthless ebooks with nothing but...

Teaching Writing and Editing for the Web
Merry Bruns posted some interesting thoughts on the OWL list yesterday, and she's kindly given permission for me to reprint them here: As I post my class announcements to this list, you probably know that I've given web writing and editing classes for almost a decade now, in the U.S. and London. I also consult with clients who need help with anything you can think of that's content-related. My work,...

Merry Bruns posted some interesting thoughts on the OWL list yesterday, and she's kindly given permission for me to reprint them here:

As I post my class announcements to this list, you probably know that I've given web writing and editing classes for almost a decade now, in the U.S. and London. I also consult with clients who need help with anything you can think of that's content-related. My work, and my teaching, dovetail nicely.

Back when I joined OWL, in 1998, I assumed I'd be a web writer or editor, but quickly saw (at least here in Washington DC) that staff really need to do it themselves, and desperately need training in doing it.

I think the reason I've stayed in business so long is because I fill a need:

People want to learn to do it themselves.

So how did this start?

I began as the ubiquitous "Web Producer" in 1996, as I'd been working with the Internet since 1993 as an online journalist. I worked for several large web companies in the Washington DC area in the hoo-hah days, then went out on my own as an independent producer.

In 1997 I was asked to give a short web writing class at a conference for publishers, here in Washington DC. It was great fun - a two-hour class on the basics of what we now call formatting text for scanning, mainly, but I got several on-site training requests out of it.

In 1999, I was asked to come on board at Georgetown University, to teach Web Writing & editing classes at their (now defunct) Networked Media Center (part of their Culture, Communication & Technology program). I taught through the year, did summer schools classes for the MA program, but then a new director axed the department. We went over to Professional Education for several more years, and then they axed all web-related courses.

By then I was also teaching classes at the National Press Club in DC (where I'm a member), and where I am today. I give in-house staff training to every type of business you can think of, including government. I still consult for clients on content-related jobs, and do a great deal of flying around giving talks and classes at conferences.
____________

I believe that those of us who love web writing, and understand the web editing experience, might think about giving training where we live. We're the ones with experience, and we can take advantage of our longevity in the field to train those who need help.

It helps to have organizations with content-rich sites where you live, and it helps to be known in your field as an online writing/editing specialist. But even those of us who live in smaller cities might find that if they can craft a good class, and enjoy teaching, that it might work. It certainly won't hurt to try.

Print Editors and the Web
Jade Walker recently posted some interesting thoughts in the Online Writing List, and she's kindly allowed me to quote them here: I recently attended a conference for copy editors in Miami and whenever conversation turned to the Web, the editors in attendance often fell into two categories: 1) They hate the Web because they believe its mere existence is going to result in profit/job losses. 2) They fear the Web...

Jade Walker recently posted some interesting thoughts in the Online Writing List, and she's kindly allowed me to quote them here:

I recently attended a conference for copy editors in Miami and whenever conversation turned to the Web, the editors in attendance often fell into two categories:

1) They hate the Web because they believe its mere existence is going to result in profit/job losses.
2) They fear the Web because they don't understand where copy editors fit in.

I have no doubt there are other editorial folks at newspapers and magazines across the country that feel the same way. This is so easy to fix! All it takes is a little time and training. Those of us who've been working in new media for many years need to show the print folks what the Web has to offer, particularly the advantages of publishing news in different formats, reading/writing blogs, using RSS feeds, etc.

I also believe newspapers and magazines should make a concerted effort to update their online portals. So many sites are clunky, hard to navigate or simply replicate the print product via online templates. What can these companies do to fix this problem?

• Look at the competition and see what works and what doesn't.
• Experiment with design but avoid repeating others' mistakes.
• Hire copy editors, or assign current editors, to give blog entries and articles a once-over before posting on the Web.
• Allow comments, albeit moderated ones, on stories.
• Create a forum just to find sources for stories.
• Include e-mail addresses for reporters on each entry/article, or a link to a profile page.
• Provide "e-mail this entry" links as well as permanent links for readers/bloggers who wish to discuss stories and share them with friends/family.
• Offer one-click options to the recommendation sites (digg, technorati, netscape, etc.), or follow USA Today's lead and allow readers to rate the stories themselves based on usefulness or entertainment value.

Jade ended her post with "Any thoughts?" And I echo her question.

I'll add one thought from my own online-writing experience: The editor of The Tyee finds comments a chronic headache. Too many are illiterate, incoherent, abusive, and plain libellous. He requires registration before people can post comments, and this has helped a lot. I find the comments on my own Tyee articles generally pretty civil. But some topics can bring out the barking loonies.

Web Content: Bringing Readers to Your Company for Results
All people and organizations - nonprofits, rock bands, political advocacy groups, companies, independent consultants, everyone - possess the power to elevate themselves on the Web to a position of importance.-- David Meerman Scott, The New Rules of Marketing PR, (p....

Wikipedia's Watchdog
The Tyee, an online magazine here in Vancouver, has an excellent article: Wikipedia's Watchdog. Excerpt: Andrew is a tall, skinny, 18-year-old college freshman who lives with his mom and dad on Burrard Inlet's North Shore. Early in the afternoon on July 31, he settled into the swivel chair in his parents' study, turned on his computer, and began combing through the bowels of Wikipedia, the world's most popular online encyclopedia....

The Tyee, an online magazine here in Vancouver, has an excellent article: Wikipedia's Watchdog. Excerpt:

Andrew is a tall, skinny, 18-year-old college freshman who lives with his mom and dad on Burrard Inlet's North Shore. Early in the afternoon on July 31, he settled into the swivel chair in his parents' study, turned on his computer, and began combing through the bowels of Wikipedia, the world's most popular online encyclopedia.

Andrew (when he isn't busy playing favourite games like Battlefield 2) performs an essential role in the ongoing struggle to defend Wikipedia from vandals of truth. Andrew is so committed to his mission, in fact, that he has invented digital 'robots' to help him patrol for enemy attacks. As one of more than a thousand Wikipedia administrators, he volunteers up to 20 hours a week. He and his trusty 'bots' find and zap inserted falsehoods that plague the pages of the huge, interactive site.

It's never easy preserving Wikipedia's credibility. But on that July afternoon, Andrew faced a truly formidable opponent, the godfather of "truthiness" himself, Stephen Colbert.