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What [INSERT ACTIVITY HERE] Taught Me About [INSERT SUCCESS METRIC HERE]

November 29, 2011 By 1 Comment

We can get life lessons from anything — Ann. Ee. THING — we watch, read, hear, play with, eat, and do. Whether it’s what you learn about persistence from watching Gilligan’s Island, what you learn about love from listening to Jimi Hendrix, or what you learn about success from eating an artichoke, you can learn something from anything.

I’ve seen blog posts about how people have learned from the Brady Bunch, Jack Kerouac, the circus, Kurt Vonnegut (okay, I wrote that one), and even video games. I think there are lessons that can be gleaned from wherever we search for them.

So I’m writing this blog post to accomplish two goals: 1) to show you what I learned about some aspect of my life by applying some form of entertainment or recreation to it, and 2) to give other writers a fill-in-the-blank formula they can use to write their own blog posts about defining their own success metric.

(Note: I am NOT saying these kinds of blog posts are stupid. If you write them, keep writing them. I enjoy reading them. I’m just in a weird, goofy mood today.)

1) [SOMETHING ABOUT STARTING AT THE BEGINNING].

Anything you do has to start somewhere. The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step. You follow the Yellow Brick Road by starting at the beginning. Eat an elephant one bite at a time.

I learned from [MY FAVORITE MOVIE/FOOD/BOOK] that we’re not going to succeed if I just sit on my ass and dream about [SUCCESS METRIC]. I have to get off the [COUCH/DINING CHAIR/TOILET] if I want to achieve my dreams.

2) [SOMETHING ABOUT "IT'S GOING TO BE TOUGH."]

Success is never easy. You have to work for the things you really want. Blah blah blah inspiration, blah blah blah perspiration. You’re never going to truly win the things you want, without hours and hours of practice before hand. Get knocked on your ass [X NUMBER] times, get up [X NUMBER + 1] times.

No one ever said this would be easy. (Okay, I did once, but I think I was drunk.) But nothing we ever truly love or excel at is. The [MAIN CHARACTER] of [BOOK/MOVIE/GRAPHIC NOVEL/EPIC FLIPBOOK MINI-SERIES] showed that there will be hurdles along the way, and that just like in life, the path to success will be fraught with [DANGER/HURDLES/TROLLS UNDER BRIDGES].

But if you can persevere, you’ll find what you’re looking for.

3) [SOMETHING ABOUT STICKING WITH IT.]

[SOME NUMBER] percent of success comes from just showing up. If I want to be better than everyone else, I just need to [SPORTS METAPHOR ABOUT EXECUTING FUNDAMENTALS].

It sounds easy, but it’s not. There are days that you’ll be practicing in the rain and snow. Days that you’re tired, that you want to quit, that you’re [JETTISONING TYPE OF BODILY FLUIDS] from every pore in your body.

That’s the time to bear down and work harder. Everyone hits that wall. No one is exempt from it. But what separates champions from quitters is that the champions never quit. Just like [HERO FROM FAVORITE MOVIE/BOOK/TV SHOW/COMPETITIVE EATING EVENT], you need to work through the [PAIN/JETTISONED FLUIDS/HYSTERICAL BLINDNESS] before you can finally see the finish line.

4) [SOMETHING ABOUT FINALLY WINNING.]

What [MY FAVORITE SPORTS TEAM THAT CAN'T PLAY FOR SHIT BUT FINALLY WON] taught me is that I need to play for the love of the game, and stick with my dream, because one day success will come. It may not come in the form of [INSERT SPORTS TROPHY/MUSIC AWARD/ACTING AWARD/SPELLING BEE RIBBON], but it will at least come in the form of doing something I love and getting paid for it. And finally learning that [REAL SUCCESS COMES FROM JOY OF LOVED ONES, NOT MONEY, BIG HOUSE, AND BLAH BLAH BLAH] comes from within.

But being able to rub my [TROPHY/AWARD/RIBBON] in my competitors’ faces is nice too.

So there you have it. The four most important lessons I learned from [MOVIE/BOOK/WWE CAGE MATCH]. I hope you got something out of it too.

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    Author :  •  Content Location : Indianapolis, IN  •  Copyright Year : 2011  •  Headline : What (INSERT ACTIVITY) Taught Me About (INSERT SUCCESS METRIC)  •  Keywords : blogging, blog writing, blog content, success, inspiration  • 
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    3 Secret Blogging Ideas That Professional Writers Don’t Want You To Know

    June 20, 2011 By 6 Comments

    I’ve written enough blog posts that I’ve figured out what it is that wins readers, and what bores the bejeezus out of them. If I’m stuck for a blog post idea, I’ve got a few general topics and idea kickstarters that will get my creative juices flowing, and get a decent post out of it. I use these same kickstarters to come up with topics for my own clients, especially when they think they’re stuck for ideas or have run out of things to write about.

    These are the three best kickstarters I’ve found that work, regardless of the topic or industry.

    List posts

    I know, I know, you hate them. They’re boring, they’re trite, they’ve been done to death. But do you know who loves them? I mean, really looooooooooves them?

    Your readers. They eat them up. They love that there is a small number of ideas that they can read and understand. It brings order to chaos. “Five Best Dishwashers” is way more interesting than “How to choose a dishwasher.”

    Secretly, you still think they’re interesting too. Why else would you be here? Admit it, you saw the number 3, and thought, “Three, huh? I guess I have a couple minutes to check it out.”Secret Bunker sign

    Still don’t believe me? Do a little test. Next time you’re in the supermarket, pay attention to the magazines at the checkout lane, especially Cosmo. Look at the headlines on the cover. They all follow this format, and they sometimes use the next two ideas.

    Every month, for years and years and year, we’ve been promised “Three Secrets Men Won’t Tell You About Sex,” and “Five Ways to a Sexier Love Life.” For YEARS, I tells ya!

    And why? Because people love lists. If they didn’t, Cosmo would quit doing it. So I’ll keep writing list posts for as long as Cosmo does. Why? Because if you’re a fellow blogger, you’re not my customer. Corporations and small businesses are my customers. They’re the ones I need to appeal to. And if they want list posts, then I can think of Seven Reasons Why People Love List Posts.

    Debunk long-standing myths and stick it to The Man

    This is ingrained in our culture. We’re the little guy. We despise the big guy. David hates Goliath. Everyman and Everywoman hates bullies, corporations, and faceless bureaucrats. And if we can see evidence where the little guy sticks it to The Man, we go nuts! So who’s the Man? Big business, the government (state and local too), bullies, TV preachers, and teachers.

    Not today’s teachers. Our teachers from when we grew up. We were little kids back then, and had all kinds of knowledge jammed into our brains that we didn’t want. We wanted to rebel, but were held down. Even people in their 60s still harbor a little of that Inner Rebel, and they still want to stick it to their old English teacher who’s been dead for 30 years. By writing a post about debunking an educational topic, I can reach that Inner Rebel and make him or her want to read.

    Last week, I wrote a blog post about Five Writing Rules You’re Allowed to Break, and people liked it. Another one — Five Grammar Myths Exploded — was extremely popular. Why? Because I attacked the sacred cow of 7th grade English and showed where it was wrong. The little guy stuck it to The Man by proving he was wrong.

    Special professional secrets

    Want to get someone’s attention? Share something special with them that no one else gets to find out about. Or “they don’t want you to know.” (And who’s “they?” The Man.) But if it’s something secret — that “they” don’t want you to know — it must be really hot stuff.

    Posts like “Five Gas Saving Secrets the Oil Companies Don’t Want You to Know” or “Three Secrets Your Credit Card Company Won’t Tell You” are a whoooole lot more interesting than “Five Ways to Save Gas” or “Three Little-Known Tidbits About Your Credit Card.” People love this kind of stuff; they eat it up.

    I used all three of these tactics with this post, and chances are you were very intrigued by the fact that I:

    • Used a number.
    • Promised secrets.
    • Stuck it to an elite group of people — professional writers.

    It was actually the idea of sharing secrets that led to this blog post, and I added the other two tactics to the headline later. But even if you just use one of these three kickstarters in your own industry or niche, you can come up with some awesome ideas on your own. For example:

    • Three Ways to Lower Your AC Bill This Summer.
    • History Answers: Who REALLY Flew the First Airplane?
    • Five Secrets to Avoiding Fines Your Library Doesn’t Want You to Know.

    So the next time you’re stuck for a post idea, ask yourself: Is there a number of small ideas I can list, a sacred cow I can slay, or “insider secrets*” I can reveal to entice my readers? Once you start thinking this way, there is no end to the number of posts you can write.

    * Please note that I don’t mean real insider or corporate secrets. Do not reveal business secrets at all ever. EVER!

    Photo credit: Marcmos (Flickr)

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      Filed Under: Blog Writing, Blogging, Business Blogging Content, Corporate Blogging, Writing Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

      Five Questions To Ask a Potential Ghost Blogger

      August 4, 2009 By 1 Comment

      Yesterday, we discussed the challenges of finding the right kind of ghost blogger to handle your blogging duties on your behalf, whether hiring a sweat shop, solo practitioner, or a professional blogging agency.

      Assuming you’ve settled on the kind of person you want to hire, here are five questions you can ask any potential ghost writer or ghost blogger to quickly discover which bucket they fit in:

      What country are your writers located in? 
If it’s not a country where your language is native, then you may have issues. Big issues. At the very least, you’ll spend some time editing and proofing each post, until you’re comfortable with the quality of content they’re providing.

      How do you protect me from your writers plagiarizing someone else’s content? 
The right answer has three parts: First, they should have an editor check the writer’s work using Google and Copyscape to ensure your content isn’t lifted. Second, their writers should sign a no-plagiarism indemnification when they get hired (this way, the writer has financial skin in the game if they steal content). Finally, the blogger should register content with Copyscape to protect you from other’s plagiarizing. Please remember the biggest risk in blogging isn’t someone stealing your content. It’s getting sued for infringing on someone else’s copyright.

      How do you make sure my posts are authentic? 
The answer you’re looking for is, “we don’t put words in your mouth, we put your ideas in writing.” To be honest and genuine, there needs to be a process that ensures that your ideas and your style of articulating ideas comes out in the final product. It’s important that the ideas and concepts be uniquely yours — but it’s okay to have a professional dress them up and put them on paper. Of course, you will need to be involved and at least read your blog before it is posted.

      What happens when my contact goes on vacation? 
Do things stop when your social media person is out of town? What happens if a writer’s child gets sick? Success in social media requires discipline and planning, but there are times when you have to get things done and a one person show simply can’t hit deadlines. If you work with a solo practitioner, make sure you have either a backup, or have a second freelancer you work with to cover the gap.

      How do I be sure my posts meet my quality standards? 
Here’s how it works: you have to be sure that what goes online complies with your legal department’s rules, is accurate, and you like it. The only way to ensure that happens is to make sure the work isn’t done at the last second. You need time to read, review and approve your blog posts. If you have a tough legal department or an “extraordinarily responsible” marketing compliance person, it’s likely your blog writing service will have to charge extra to deal with the cost of proofreading.

      While there is no one-size-fits-all approach for everyone — maybe you’re willing to work with a writer’s schedule — there are a few things that you cannot and should not waver on: plagiarism and quality. Make sure the blogger(s) you hire can guarantee they won’t steal content from someone else, and that you’re happy with the work they’re doing.

      Mike Seidle is currently the CTO of Virtual Payment Systems, Inc, and is a one of the founders of Professional Blog Service. Mike currently serves on Professional Blog Service’s board of directors.

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        Filed Under: Blogging, Business Blogging Content, Ghost Writing, Writing Tagged With: , ,

        Creating Content Isn’t Sexy, Just Critical

        December 29, 2008 By 3 Comments
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        Look at any Search Engine Optimization (SEO) course or checklist… you’ll find content freshness to be a key line item.

        Read almost any social media plan… you’ll see that you have to have content to feed that huge network of friends, contacts and buddies you are creating.

        Brush up on a few blogging how-to’s… you’ll find it’s all about content.

        So, if content is so important, why do business people invest so little time in creating it?

        Since starting Professional Blog Service, I’ve learned a little bit about why business people struggle with content:

        typingWriting just isn’t urgent enough. Most business people are stuck in a reactive mode (much to Stephen Covey’s chagrin) where they deal with the most urgent task right now. Writing content is important, but it isn’t urgent.

        Business people look at writing as something anyone can do well. My friends in the copywriting, legal and journalism professions know this isn’t so. Good writing isn’t easy to find. It takes time. And usually the person who has the time isn’t the one that can write the article.

        Content creation isn’t fun. It’s fun to create campaigns, videos, and diagrams but writing content just is not most people’s idea of fun. It’s homework. It’s not sexy. But now more than ever it is critical to your marketing’s success.

        Mike Seidle is currently the CTO of Virtual Payment Systems, Inc, and is a one of the founders of Professional Blog Service. Mike currently serves on Professional Blog Service’s board of directors.

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