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You have tried all the tricks in the book to make your content engaging, but it doesn’t work.

You even tried all the strategies taught by the gurus in your niche. But, all effort to get your audience to engage with your content is futile.

So what Now?

The Secrets Of Engaging Content

Engaging content, is like love at first sight.

If you have ever fallen in love at first sight raise your hand!

Great!

If you have, it is the same feeling you have when you connect with engaging content.

You just fall in love with it.

Engaging content is attractive, appealing and draws the reader in, line by line. You want to read more. It connects with you, it fulfills your needs.

It is valuable to you.

That is what an engaging content is.

And very importantly, engaging content is not regurgitated content found everywhere on the web.

As this report shows – one of the top challenges business owners are facing is producing engaging content.

This is because, content that doesn’t engage your readers will not convert to leads or sales.

Moz and Buzzsumo analyzed more than a million articles online.  They discovered that 75% of the articles out there are not engaging.

The ultimate goal of an engaging content is to transform (educate and entertain) your reader.

The person who starts reading the post is not the same person who finishes reading it.

They have changed.

The change can be a permanent or a temporary one.  But the fact is, the reader is changed by reading the post.

Engaging content helps the reader to take action. This action could include opting into your list, purchasing your product, asking for a consultation, e.t.c.

Thus, to succeed in your content marketing campaign, you must create engaging content for your audience.

How To Create Engaging Content – The 5 Step Plan

#1 Listen-in to your Audience’s Conversations…

Listening to your audience’s conversations online will help you to create engaging content.

Look at this example.

J.C. Penny is a company known for its discounts, especially its coupon and promotions.  The company has been successful in these strategies for a long time.  

But, everything changed when the company appointed a new CEO, Ron Johnson.  Ron worked with Apple before he joined J.C. Penny. Thus, he tried to use apple’s marketing strategy for JC Penny. 
 
He eradicated the discount system and introduced low prices.  He created a campaign called “Enough is enough”, without sampling their customers’ opinion.

He thought their customers should be valued and not bought cheaply. This campaign backfired.

You know why?

Because their customers actually loved the discount system.  

It did not go well with the consumers who were used to the hype and buzz system. This mistake led to a drop of 20% in sales and it kept on declining ever since. 

What was Ron Johnson’s mistake?

He did not listen to their customers. He did not even seek for their opinion. He thought consumers were tired of coupons. He did not know that their customers enjoyed the coupons.

You see, you must listen to what your audience is saying before you do anything, including creating engaging content?

Listening to them will make you know what they talk about. This includes their worries and concerns, interest and preferences, e.t.c. You will know the content they regularly share. 

If you get this step right, you will always create a content that engages your readers. 

Fortunately, there are tools you can use to listen to what your audience is talking about, such as:

Hootsuite

Hootsuite is a great social media listening tool.  It can help you to listen to conversation that relates to your niche. You can read conversations on what your target audience needs and their problems.

With Hootsuite, you can learn about the interests of your audience.

To set up Hootsuite for listening to conversations:

Sign in to your Hootsuite account – Click on add stream on your dashboard. You will see a pop up screen with four tabs – streams, search, keywords and lists.

Click on Keywords and type as many keywords as you want to use. Type it one at a time and click on add. 
When you are done, click on “add stream”.

You will see a new column with tweets mentioning conversations containing your keywords like the one below:

You can do the same for your Facebook, Linkedin and Google accounts in Hootsuite. The next thing is to start monitoring the conversation. Soon enough, you will see topics you can create engaging content on.

Buzzsumo

Buzzsumo is a tool that allows you to know what your audience are currently sharing. 

For example, I typed “First date” into the tool. I Clicked on “most shared”, to see what my audience is currently sharing on the topic.  Below is the result.

Take a look at the third topic “35 hilariously stupid things real people have actually done on a first date”. 

It is an engaging content. You can see that it received 114.2k shares.

Most readers will want to know stupid things people do on their first date.

I could come up with a similar content and titled it “Simple, stupid things that people do on a first date”.
It evokes curiosity and so, people will want to read and share it.

#2 Write an Irresistible Introduction

The introduction of your content is vital! It will either make your readers stay to read or leave immediately. 

This implies that your introduction must be irresistible to make your visitors want to read the content. (Time is valuable and people increasingly ask – is it going to be worth my while reading this?)

Secrets of creating a great introduction.

a) Use stories in your introduction

Stories are important in content creation. If you have not been using it, I implore you to try it. You only need one story in your introduction. It will hook your audience into the content. It makes people relax and leads them gently into your content.

Look at this article from Mary Jaksch.

Isn’t it interesting? 

Learn how to incorporate stories into your introduction and you will keep your readers engaged.

b) Use anecdotes

Anecdotes are short, punchy interesting stories about an incident or a person. Below is a good anecdote used in the introductory part of an article written by Julie Neidlinger.

The anecdote is “I once wrote a newspaper story that killed a man”.

That is a short, interesting and intriguing anecdote.  It makes you wonder how a newspaper story can actually kill someone. It propels you into the content.

c) Use interesting facts

When you use facts or statistics in your post, its boost your credibility. Use statistics that are in line with the topic you are discussing. It will help you to hook readers into the content.

A good example of this is post from hephzysocial:

d) Ask Questions:

This is another great way to draw your audience in.  However, you must be careful not to use irrelevant questions.  See an example below from Neil Patel:

Did you see the lead in question? That is how to do it!

e) Use quotes
Quotes are a great way to start your introduction. People like reading quotes a lot, especially quotes with inspiring words from popular people. It helps to build authority and trust.

A perfect example is “how to create and live your perfect day”

It simply motivates readers to read the content.

#3 Create Timely Content for Your Audience.

Content marketing is not just about creating content. It is also about creating timely content and delivering it just in time for your audience to profit from it. 

The major problem most business owners have, is creating the right content for the right audience at the right time. When you are able to hit these three metrics, your content scores big time.

There are two ways you can create timely content:

a) Watch out for trending topics
There are trending topics on almost every niche from time to time. All you need is to set up tools that will enable you to know when such trends come up. 

One tool you can start with is Hootsuite which we talked about earlier. As you monitor your audience conversation, you can easily know what they are talking about. You will also come across questions people are asking in regards to your topic.

Another tool you can use is the Google alert tool. It is very useful. You can set alert for your keywords and when such keywords come up, you will receive notifications in your email inbox.

For example, if you are in the dating niche and you want to know what is trending in that niche. You can create an alert for it using Google alert like this:

Type http://www.google.com/alerts into your browser

Log in with your Google account (for most of us, that will be the same login as our Gmail account)

Enter the keywords you want to monitor separated by commas…

Click on options

Select how how often you want to receive the alert.  I suggest you choose “as it happens” so you will be on top of the game.

Select the sources i.e. news, video, blog, etc. (I suggest you select automatic – to cover all the sources)

Select the language, Choose the region and Choose the number of results. (You can choose all results)

Select the email you will like it to be delivered to:

Click on create and you are set to go.

Pretty soon, you will start receiving alerts in your inbox.

b) Focus on trending news
Also known as newsjacking. It is very important you monitor the news and maximize it to engage your audience from time to time. There will always be trending news in any industry.

It is a good way to enhance your search engine optimization efforts. It will also improve your brand recognition and drive traffic to your website.

You can still use Google trends to find the trending news in your industry.

A good example of a brand that does this well is Snickers. They leverage every available opportunity in the news to promote their product. For example, when soccer player, Luis Suarez, bit Italian Giorgio Chiellini in the World Cup, they created a campaign around it.

It is a funny post that shows that Suarez should have bitten their snickers instead of the Italian. It is a funny message that resonated well with their audience and the post got 1,500 shares on their Facebook page.

You can also make use of seasonal topics like Festivities to engage your audience. These include Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving…

#4 Appeal to Their Emotions

In the introductory part of this article, we learn that engaging content produces changes in readers. How do you bring your readers to this point of change?.  

One way to do this is by working on their emotions.

Upworthy, a media company, invested in emotional clickbait heavily and had 90 million page views in November 2013.

Engaging content helps to bring out a desired emotion in readers.

How do you bring out the emotions of your readers?

The secret of is using different emotions in your content.

Below are 4 powerful emotions and examples of contents that have used them. 

a) Fear

Everyone is afraid of one thing or the other. The fact is, people find it difficult to resist taking action when they are motivated with fear. For instance, you can make your audience worry about making mistakes they are not aware of. When people are scared, they want to tell other people and so your content gets more engagement and shares

A good example is a post from social triggers with the title “how images improve or destroy conversion rates” 

We all know that images helps usability. So, why will it affect conversions.

It triggers fear.

Create a post like this and you will generate engagement.

b) Anger

This is another emotion that will help your audience to take action. Berger and Milkman’s research discovered that content that makes readers get angry is 34% more likely to be featured on New York Times most e-mailed list than the average article.

The secret here is to create content that challenges general beliefs, assumptions or opinions. Such content will surely generate lots of engagements. A good example of this is a post written by Stanton Peele for Psmag.com titled “The truth we won’t admit: Drinking is healthy”

It is a popular believe that drinking can cause different kind of health problems, but here is a post telling us that drinking is healthy.

This can spark up anger. The post garnered up 7.4k shares in the social media.

c) Joy

When people are happy, they can do something they won’t normally do, such as, engaging with your content and sharing it. How do you trigger the emotion of joy in your readers?

One good way is by telling them a story that triggers the joy emotion. Make sure that people can connect with such stories. Create content that will make them laugh, inspire and entertain them and they will engage with it.

A great example of this is:

The dancing babies Evian commercial youtube video. It is a good one. You can’t but laugh when you watch it. A good call to action after the video finished playing will generate lots of engagement.

d) Surprise

One way to get your audience’s attention is to challenge what they believe. You can provide another angle that they have not seen before. A good example is this post from Seth Adam.  The title is “Marriage isn’t for you“. It is a surprising headline, because many people believe in marriage. It is surprising to see someone with a contrary opinion.

The article evokes curiosity and so many people read it.

The article generated a lot of engagement and also received over 1.8 million shares on Facebook alone.

One thing you have to be careful when creating content around emotions is not to produce too many articles using this style. It can irritate your readers and you will lose them. (Above all – do not go for Click Bait using a Title that has nothing or little to do with the article you have written)

Creating an article on one emotion per month is a good target in your content plan.

#5 Create Actionable Content

Creating actionable content generates engagement.

When your content is not actionable, you waste your money and efforts. 

Look at it this way,

When you add calls to action to your content, it becomes actionable. But, are your readers acting on it? If they are not, then that means they did not trust you enough to do business with you.

How do you create actionable content that will trigger engagement?

source: www.inboundmethod.com

The solution is to create content that will provide answers to your audience’s problems.  This will enable them to get value out of your content. They will start trusting you and then, they will act on your call to action. There is no other way around it.

You must learn how to create actionable content that will enable you to build solid relationships with your audience. Then, and only then, will they engage with your content and take the action that means profit for your business.

That you will master of the art of Creating Engaging Content… is our sincerest wish for all our readers…

Hephzy Asaolu specialises in content creation and marketing. Check out her blog for quality content creation tips.

The post How To Produce Engaging Content Your Audience Will Love! appeared first on How To Make Money Online.

Now, in the early days of the Internet this did not matter much – indeed it almost was an ‘advantage’ to not be a professional. But times have changed and many leading blogs now employ professional writers and editors.

So how is the ‘amateur writer’ but full-time blogger to compete?

Two skills that will make a difference, no matter what your standard of education, is to perfect your editing and proofreading abilities.

But first a couple of thoughts…

“Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence” ~ Vince Lombardi

Editing & Proofreading As a Content Marketer

It can be difficult to know where to start or how to maintain the fast-paced world of online content marketing. However, technology is providing plenty of resources to assist writers with the editing and proofreading process.

The most important part of the process is to know how to implement the tools you discover. The impact of your social media content is contingent upon detailed proofreading. Your marketing efforts will be useless if you misspell words, or punctuate incorrectly. You also need to keep an eye on your word usage and grammar so that you do not make the wrong impression with your content.

The editing process can be tedious and overwhelming for some. Writers can often be too close to their content and unable to see certain flaws. And it’s difficult for everyone to spot and correct personal writing mistakes.

Let these editing and proofreading tips along with the resources below be the help you need to take your blogging efforts to the next level.

15 Essential Editing and Proofreading Tips Every Blogger Should Know

1. Understand that not every mistake is the same.
Marketing writers need to understand how writing for the web is different than an academic essay. Sentence structure, format and punctuation need to be edited accordingly. If you intentionally make a mistake, do so knowing it’s for a good reason. It’s okay to break the rules with online writing, but know why you are doing it and if it’s going to be effective.

Remember back in the early days of SEO, writers would deliberately misspell words in order to rank for that misspelling – nowadays thanks to the intelligence of Google that is no longer necessary – but there may still be an occasion when you deliberately misspell a word – or even as often is the case – invent a word.

This article is not about restricting wacky creativeness, rather it is about writing with purpose and clarity and knowing what it is you want to achieve!

2. Know the difference between editing and proofreading.
There is a slight difference between editing and proofreading. During the editing process you want to revise the content, language and/or structure of your content. And while proofreading you want to fine-tune content and double-check for proper grammar, spelling and punctuation.

3. Research you topic selections thoroughly.
You never want to start writing about a topic without having done the proper research. It’s not enough to just pick a topic and read a Wikipedia page. Marketing content creators need to have spent time exploring the topic, what people are saying about it and how it’s relevant to your brand or current world events. This is also a time to be sure you have proper spelling of names and places, correct data and statistics and factual dates.

4. Review your structure and format.
Structuring and formatting of marketing content is a key element to editing. This stage of the game can make or break your post and it’s engaging impact. Pay close attention to the natural flow of your writing and if it makes sense. Read it out loud and watch out for speaking stumbles or hard to hear sentences. Chances are good they are also hard to read. American author Kurt Vonnegut made this interesting observation:

“As for your use of language: Remember that two great masters of language, William Shakespeare and James Joyce, wrote sentences which were almost childlike when their subjects were most profound. ‘To be or not to be?’ asks Shakespeare’s Hamlet. The longest word is three letters long.”

5. Find supporting references and resources.
Once you have chosen and written about a topic, you want to be sure your content includes supportive references and resources that you discovered while researching. These citations give your article more authority and credit, however you need to be sure they are reputable sources with current and accurate information. They will also help slowly to increase your SEO results, ultimately increasing your marketing efforts.

6. Make sure your all of your content is copyright-free and legal for use.
If your content includes images, videos or other referenced materials, you always need to be aware of copyright laws and availability of used content. There are plenty of sites with free to use images, and if it’s a video created by the content writers themselves, then of course it’s okay to use. Publishing someone else’s work can lead to fines and a damaged reputation, don’t do it.

7. Do not rush and proofread more than once.
Successful marketing content creators always review their work more than a couple times before publishing. Take your time and focus on the process (chances are good you will miss mistakes if you rush) and be sure to give content at least a few, if not more, reviews before publishing.

Credit and recommended reading: Kurt Vonnegut’s 8 Keys to the Power of the Written Word

8. Do not rely on your word processor’s spell check.
There are plenty of decent spelling and grammar checking tools available. However, they are rarely the best solution if you want flawless content. Sometimes automated suggestions can even be incorrect, so you need to be educated with English language specifics yourself. And you need to use additional, more complex proofreading tools as well. And always remember no computer or software can replace the human eye. (Not to mention that American English and British English can be quite different!)

9. Make sure you have no distractions.
Shut down all of your browser windows you are not using and sign-out of all social media or online accounts. Turn your phone to silent, or just turn it off. If you normally write to music, or TV, turn them off as well during editing. Sometimes it may even help to print the document you are working on, walk away to make physical corrections, and then return to your device to update your content.

10. When you are proofreading, forget the story.
Once you are beginning to check spelling, punctuation and grammar, take it one sentence at a time. Analyze and break each sentence apart, and do not let your mind focus on the overall story or content (that is something you should be adjusting during the editing stage).

11. Learn your personal common mistakes.
Even the best writers have their natural, habitual mistakes. Often while writing marketers do not focus on spelling and punctuation. It’s a good idea to let your ideas flow and get it all on the page first, then proofread after. And once you begin to notice your reoccurring mistakes, you begin to naturally correct them during writing process itself.

12. Proofread early in the day.
You want to give your writing the proper attention it deserves. Proofreading needs to be done early in the morning, or at the beginning of your workday when you are wide awake and alert. Not only do you need to be distraction-free, but you also need to give the process focus and detailed attention.

13. Take a break to clear your mind.
Give yourself time between editing and proofreading sessions to help your brain focus. Exercise, walk your pet or listen to music on your stroll to the local coffee shop. No matter what it is, give your mind a rest from writing and time to re-energize.

14. Keep format consistent.
If you are using bullet points and periods, use them every time. If you are making headlines bold, then do it every time. Not only do you want to edit for structure and coherence, but you also need your format to remain consistent. Decide what you like and stick with it.

15. Don’t make assumptions and don’t forget the small stuff.
You do not want to skip titles, headlines and footnotes. These items may seem small, and they can often go forgotten during the proofreading process. You also want to be sure that you made no assumptions. If you are unsure about anything, check references and research until you have your answer.

Useful online editing services:

Special Note: Some of these resources are targeted at academic writing – but that does not mean that us humble bloggers cannot get value out of them. Enjoy!

Grammarbook – especially for us bloggers who think we don’t have the time or quickly get bored with Grammar and Punctuation. When you should use dashes – and when you should not use dashes is a good example. Writers can also sign-up for Grammarbook’s free e-newsletter and access the expertise of Jane Straus, author of The Blue Book of Grammar And Punctuation.

Wordy – This source offers real-time, human copy-editing and proofreading support, and can elevate the accuracy and readability of any marketing content. Users simply submit an order, get an editor match and then have their work delivered within 20 minutes.

ProofreadBot – This straightforward and easy to use site offers writers a distraction-free zone where they can type directly on the webpage and receive immediate reports including suggested corrections, plagiarism checks, style and punctuation reviews.

NinjaEssays – This custom writing service offers 24/7 support and a first-time 15% discount, as well as access to one-on-one editing advice from MA or PhD holding writers. The service has overall affordable rates and can work with almost any deadline.

Papersgear – This writing service offers professional assistance and a convenient price checker. Simply enter in how many pages and additional details of your request, and receive an estimate before you pay. They also offer a 100% money-back guarantee and one-on-one expert editing and proofreading support.

EssayMama – This professional writing service is composed of qualified writers who can help with editing, proofreading, structure and research. And the site offers free writing guides and a blog full of useful tips as well.

EssayCapital – This writing service guarantees 100% originality and that each one of their writers holds either an MA or a PhD degree. The service delegates requests to writers who specialize in the specific area of study and offers affordable rates with some free features like outlining and formatting.

Reedsy – This network community of authors and publishers is an excellent way to gain access to top writers and editors. The site only accepts the top 1% of their applicants, offering some of the best guidance marketing content creators can find. Users can browse profiles, collaborate on projects and compare price quotes for free.

Often when writers proofread their own writing, it becomes natural to read your words, as they should sound in your mind. Even once reading out loud, writers can miss their own mistakes. It’s necessary to have an outside set of eyes, or automated grammar-check scan your work as well. If you have a friend or coworker who has good grammar skills, maybe they can help you out. Just be sure to give the process its due time before publishing.

Some writers enjoy the editing and proofreading processes, and others do not. It’s definitely something a marketing content creator needs to be able to focus on, and something that will consume a decent chunk of time. If you are on the side of the spectrum that dreads fine-tuning your marketing content, have no fear – technology is here.

Use the listed tips and online tools to start creating better content today. Once you begin seeing better impact results, you will start to increase your editing and proofreading productivity and hopefully begin enjoying the process. Whether you are a fan of it or not, it has to be done to achieve maximum results.

Recommended Reading:
Tips and advice from successful writers – including the best ways to get over the “blank page hurdle”

Bio: Anna Olinger is a freelance content manager from Washington, DC. To learn more tips on content marketing, writing and social media follow Anna on Twitter.

The post 15 Editing & Proofreading Tips Every Blogger Should Know appeared first on How To Make Money Online.

Fortunately for you, people don’t care quite as much about the actual facts as they do the delivery.

People enjoy great writing. They want to be involved and understood. And by empathizing with your readers, you’ll inevitably develop a following.

People will visit your site longer and rankings will go up because your content is being shared.

You don’t have to be a literary genius. You just need to connect with your audience and deliver the information they want – without problems, obstacles, or extensive thinking.

10 Writing Tips for More Engaging Content

Write Shorter Sentences

You don’t have to write like William Shakespeare to produce engaging content. Actually, it helps not to be too eloquent or wordy.

In other words, lose the words.

Don’t write lengthy sentences. You’ll lose people. Stick to a 5^th grader’s reading level and vocabulary. A great way to make sure you’re writing at a proper level is by simply running your articles through spell check on Microsoft word.

Aside from identifying any spelling errors, spell check will show your readability statistics. This is a great tool to help gauge your content and make sure it’ll be fully absorbed.

This doesn’t mean your writing shouldn’t have flow, style or purpose. Simply means write shorter sentences that don’t drag on. And they obviously need to be easily understandable.

Use Power Words

Commit to integrating power words into your writing – you’ll INSTANTLY produce more engaging content.

Ever notice how some writers have a unique ability to mess with your emotions?

You feel like you’re dangling on the end of the string, being toyed with, and can’t help but go along with it.

Great writers use specific words to tap into your emotions at will.

If you learn the words they use, you’ll be a better writer. Facts are facts, but learning to engage your reader emotionally is another thing.

Good content writers get the facts right and that’s the end of it. Great content writers engage readers emotionally while emphasizing the facts with trigger words.

Certain words set off emotional alarms.

Here are 40 of my favorite power words to get readers into a specific mindset:

Scary	You	Your	Silly	Invasion
Discover	Free	Sex	Gamble	Prison
Poor	Killer	Bloodbath	Eliminate	Jail
Hazardous	Beware	Assault	Elite	Threat
Afraid	Survive	Taste	Cutting Edge	Awesome
Reversed	Incredible	Victim	Trap	Triggers
Required Knowledge	Supercharge	Dirty Tricks	Tools	Breakthrough
Unexpected	Stronger	Confession	Astonishing	Reveal

Utilize Headlines and Sub-Headings

People don’t read online, they scan. Nothing makes a user want to click back quicker than a huge wall of text.

If a user doesn’t think he can instantly scan to find his answer, he’ll click back and find a shorter page or another attention grabbing headline.

Sub-headings show that, as an author, you have a structured and purposeful outline. That you’ve put thought into how its arranged and how you’ve laid it out.

Here’s an example of an enticing headline and sub-heading:

“I nearly went bankrupt”

David Aston expected to invest a couple hundred dollars and 30 days researching health. But intense curiosity and discoveries of new and controversial truths nearly bankrupted him.

Use a Storytelling Approach

A great professor once said that people don’t remember facts, they remember stories.

Because you’re a content writer, it can be a little challenging to set your writing apart. The way you set yourself apart, and make your blog, journal, or site updates more memorable is to use a storytelling approach.

Incorporate your facts, statistics, and points into relatable stories that your reader will remember.

Simply recount your own experiences, invent fictitious stories and/or pull from across the web and paraphrase others’ experiences.

Involve Your Audience

When telling your stories or utilizing power words, be sure to maintain the 2^nd person writing style, and incorporate words like “you” and “your.” This will significantly impact your audience.

It engages them directly and pulls them into the narrative, making it more likely they’ll take action. Never allow your readers to obtain your content from a detached perspective.

Never Doubt Yourself

Do not doubt yourself as an author. Be firm and resolute in your writing.

Never say “IMO” or “in my opinion.” Your reader already knows it’s your opinion. Speaking that way screams uncertainty, and casts doubt on the content you’re presenting.

YOU are the expert. Don’t forget.

Read Industry Stuff Often.

Read a lot of blogs and websites in your industry on a regular basis to keep your finger on the pulse of what’s going on.

This keeps you informed and on top of trends. You’ll be able to write from a solid frame of reference and won’t appear detached.

Take a Break

You need mental energy to write creatively in a compelling, concise and clear way. Taking walks before and during my writing helps focus my thoughts and produce engaging content on a regular basis.

Master copywriter Eugene Schwartz had a technique that I’ve grown quite fond of, and it’s writing in 33.33 minute intervals.

Basically I set my timer and work diligently and focused without blank stares or procrastination… When the buzzer sounds, I’ll take a 10 minute break and set the timer for another 33.33 minutes of productivity. This has been my ‘SECRET WEAPON’ of writing.

Don’t Stress The Haters

One of the greatest communicators of all time, Howard Stern, said that his success took off when he shot from the hip, and went straight for it. Don’t worry about what people think. Just write what you believe in.

Don’t change so people will like you. Be yourself and the right people will love you.

Create Shocking and Compelling Titles

The headline can be the best part of reading an article. Think of your headline as the gift, not the wrapping on the gift.

Put effort into making a headline that makes your reader want to share your content. Just be sure not to neglect keywords. The keywords will help your post live on in the search engines long after it’s published.

Remember, don’t just write for search engines, write for people. It’s important to write from the heart, keeping your content concise and to the point.

Creating engaging content is the best way to generate tons of backlinks to your site from other bloggers and website owners. This increases traffic and enhances your visibility in the search engines.

-David Aston

The post 10 Unique Writing Tips for More Engaging Content appeared first on How To Make Money Online.

Are you a good online writer?

The answer to that question has never been more important. Between emails, text messages, and blog posts, we’re writing more than ever.

If you own your own website, you know that good writing means more search-engine traffic, more social shares, and ultimately more customers. Bad writing means being ignored.

Become a better writer with the 20 tips below:

#1 Read More

“If you don’t have the time to read, you don’t have the time or the tools to write.”

Stephen King

Don’t expect to be a great writer unless you’re familiar with great writing. Seek out writers that you admire and make reading their work part of your daily schedule.

Their skill with words will seep into your sub-conscious and start showing up in your own writing.

#2 Listen to “Writing Music”

Not all music is created equal. Some music makes you dance, some makes you cry, and some makes you write.

For me, slow-tempo piano compositions make for great “writing music”.

You can put together your own writing playlist to put you in the mood when you write, but you don’t have to. Click here to begin listening to an 8tracks playlist created specifically for writing (it will open in a new window).

#3 Know Your Audience

We’ve spent so much time thinking of writing as an abstract collection rules and principles that we sometimes forget that our words are eventually read by real people.

Ultimately, it’s our writing’s ability to communicate powerfully to these individual people that determines if it’s any good.

That’s why it’s important to learn as much as you can about the people who are reading your work. Find out their average age, gender, and location. More importantly, find out about their lifestyles, aspirations, and problems.

You can do this by putting a poll on your website or simply by following up with comments and retweets. The more you know about your audience, the better you’ll be able to help them.

Photo Courtesy of Anirudh Koul.

#4 Do Your Research

I’ve never liked doing research, but I’ve always liked the effect it has on my writing.

The better informed you are on your subject, the more informative and valuable your article can be. Research thoroughly and you’ll know just what to write for every section.

#5 Write with Confidence

Do you want to impact people with your writing?

Then be direct, passionate, and unyielding. Take a stand.

Don’t hedge. Don’t use the passive voice. Don’t begin sentences with, “I think.”

Your readers deserve a confident message. If you don’t believe fully in what you’re saying, then why are you writing it?

#6 Make it Easy to Read

“When something can be read without effort, great effort has gone into its writing.”

Enrique Jardiel Poncela

At some point in school, most of us decided that good writing had big words and complex sentences. Ever since, we’ve been cramming our paragraphs with syllables and commas.

But the best writing is so simple that it’s almost like it’s not there at all. You read a sentence and its meaning just slips comfortably into your brain.

Always choose clarity over complexity.

#7 Write Without Stopping

“Don’t get it right, just get it written”

James Thurber

Free writing is the practice of writing without stopping for a set period of time. Your fingers never stop moving. If you can’t think of what to write next, you simply continue to write the previous word until something else comes to you.

This may sound ridiculous and, obviously, the result will be full of grammar errors and run-on sentences. But there’s something powerful about the stream-of-consciousness that free writing produces. There’s also something powerful about producing a page of words in just minutes.

Give free writing a try some time and see if you’re not surprised by the results.

#8 Don’t Chase Perfection

Maybe you’ve been a great writer since you could first lift a crayon.

You’ve probably got a healthy confidence in your writing. But you’ve also probably got some unrealistic expectations. If you think everything you write needs to be perfect, then you’ll struggle to ever get words on paper.

“We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master.”

Ernest Hemingway

If Ernest Hemingway considered himself an apprentice-level writer, then what does that make the rest of us?

Writing is impossible to master. So while your articles should be well-crafted, they shouldn’t be perfect.

#9 Take Risks

“Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.”

Scott Adams

Part of the creative process is adopting a mindset where anything is possible. The best writers explore these possibilities, even when the chances of them working out are slim.

For instance, it’s probably a mistake to start your article with a dialogue between two fictional characters. Then again, it could be totally brilliant. You’ll never know unless you’re willing to take that risk.

Next time you get a risky idea, explore it. Even if you don’t keep the results, you’ll likely have learned something that you can bring into your final draft.

#10 Understand that Writing Online is Different

Online writing can be multimedia, so always be looking for opportunities to enrich your article with images, audio, or video. It can also be interactive. Linking out to useful information and websites is a courtesy to your readers. Since online writing is global, you may want to avoid using colloquial expressions or relying on cultural references that will only be understood by people in your country.

One of the most commons mistakes people make while writing online is using too many long paragraphs. While five sentence paragraphs are the norm in academic writing, online readers are turned off by big blocks of text. When I’m writing for the web, I’ll rarely use more than three sentences in a paragraph.

#11 Use Your Voice

“Be yourself. Above all, let who you are, what you are, what you believe, shine through every sentence you write, every piece you finish.”

John Jake

Have you ever finished reading an article and felt like you had just made a real-life connection with the author?

Voice is the word for when writers let their personality shine through in their writing. It’s more engaging to read and it helps people relate to you as a real human being. So loosen up.

#12 Record Yourself Talking

If you’ve already got a great idea for what you want to write about but you’re having trouble putting it on paper, try recording yourself talking it out.

Talking is simply easier than writing and it helps us to get to the heart of things.

When you reach a good stopping point, play back the audio and transcribe it. The result will be raw, but it will also be a great starting place for your article. It’s also a good way to give your writing stronger voice.

#13 Put Your Blinders On

Q:  What do writing and performing brain surgery have in common?

A:  Both require your full attention.

Writing on a computer can be a constant battle of distraction. But in order to work efficiently, a writer must be very focused.

That’s why, as I type this sentence, I only have one program running (my word processor) and my Wifi radio is disabled.

Yes, the Internet is an amazing research tool. But you don’t benefit from being connected to it the entire time you’re writing. Collect the information you’ll need before you begin writing and then disconnect.

#14 Do More

“Writing comes more easily if you have something to say.”

Sholem Asch

We write best from experience.

If you’re having trouble coming up with good ideas for new articles, maybe the problem is that you don’t have very much to say about your niche.

So throw yourself fully into the subject of your writing. Try something different. Learn something new. Make a new connection in the industry. The broader experience you have to draw from, the easier it is to write.

#15 Write to One Person

When we think about the thousands of different people who will eventually read our words, we tend to write very broadly so that all of them will understand what we’re saying.

That’s a nice idea, but broad writing is typically uninspiring. When you try to include everybody, you just make everybody bored.

Instead, create a single, imaginary person who represents your target audience. Write your article as if you’re talking to that one individual. Without trying, you’ll find that your writing becomes more specific and intimate. And you’ll be surprised by how many people feel like you were writing just for them.

#16 Don’t Forget About Search Engines

Your audience isn’t just people. Search engine spiders are also “reading” your articles in order to rank you for keyword phrases.

So what do Google’s spiders like to read?

They like longer content (think 2,000-4,000 words). It also helps if you incorporate your chosen keywords throughout the headings and body (without over-doing it). A little keyword research would be a good idea before you begin writing your next article.

Your human audience is, of course, more important – and their linking, sharing, and +1’ing your content will certainly help with your search rankings. But paying a little bit of attention to the reading habits of Google will help ensure that human readers are actually able to find your writing in the first place.

#17 Don’t Take it Personally

Writing is a personal thing. You’re pulling thoughts out of your head and putting them into sentences for complete strangers to read.

This is part of the reason people suffer from writer’s block: we let our thoughts about writing get tangled up with our thoughts about ourselves. But your writing isn’t a reflection of your worth as human being.

Cultivate a sense of detachment from your writing. The more separate you feel from the words on the page, the more freely you’ll be able to produce them.

#18 Trim the Fat

“I try to leave out the parts that people skip.”

Elmore Leonard

I often write whole sections to an article that I later realize were unnecessary. When that happens, I’m forced to highlight the paragraphs and press ‘delete’.

It’s difficult to cut out something you may have spent a half-hour perfecting, but it’s also necessary. If you force your audience to read something that they don’t benefit from, you’re wasting their time. They’ll stop reading – even if the rest of the article is spot-on.

#19 Read it Out Loud

Writers get very close to their writing. Maybe too close.

By the time you’ve rewritten a sentence a few times, you know it so well that you can’t read it objectively. Since you know what you’re trying to say, you’ll understand the sentence even if it’s awkward or confusing.

That’s why using just your eyes to re-read your article before you click ‘publish’ isn’t good enough.

Read over your writing with your mouth and take note of every time you stumble over your words. Then rewrite those parts so that they sound natural when you say them out loud.

#20 Only Writing is Writing

“You have to sit your butt in the chair and write. You have to do that every day. That doesn’t mean you lie on your couch and play with your navel. That doesn’t mean you go shopping when the words don’t flow the way you think they should. That never works. It means you sit your butt in the chair and get to work. No excuses.”

Harlan Coben

I spend a lot of time thinking about what I need to write. Sometimes I even fool myself into thinking that I’m being productive. But the only way to make progress in your writing is to do write – pages and pages, day after day.

You’ve finished reading. Now get to writing.

Featured Image Courtesy of Gilles Chiroleu.

The post 20 Tips to Become a Better Online Writer appeared first on How To Make Money Online.

In a comment last week, Nick Messenger asked me about this figure and how I write. I gave you a little bit of insight into this process in How to Write a Legendary Blog Post, but I haven’t given you the exact order in which I do things.

So, here it is. For every blog post I write, I go through these five steps. As a result, Google sends me tens of thousands of people every month.

Step 1: Researching (1 Hour)

Start with a topic. For instance, the topic of this post is, “blog post writing process.”

Then, before I write a single word, I do about an hour of research:

Conduct Keyword Research

Once you have a topic, focus on nailing it down into a high search, low competition keyword. I use Ahrefs for this.

Take the topic and turn it into a keyword. You want the post to rank for the keyword that people actually use, instead of your best guess. Also, find a low competition keyword so you have a better chance of ranking for it.

Ahrefs will give you the search volume and how many backlinks you will likely need to rank for a keyword.

It will also give you keyword ideas, such as similar topics, longtail keywords that include your original keyword and other search terms from posts that rank for that keyword.

When I started researching this post, I checked “blog post blueprint,” “how to write a blog post,” and “steps blog post.” Through that, I found that “writing a blog post” is another popular keyword for this topic.

Research the Keyword

Once you have a few good keywords, look at the websites that rank for them.

1. To see the actual results.
   It’s good to see the headlines and metadata for the posts that sit on the front page so you can improve upon them.
2. To read what others have written.
   Your goal with a blog post is to create an ultimate resource for that longtail keyword. The best way to incorporate various viewpoints on your topic is to draw inspiration from what other people have already written. If I use someone’s exact thought, I’ll link to it like I did in this post.

After Googling the four keywords for this post and reading through a few of the articles (most of them weren’t very good), I decided on my primary and secondary keywords for this post.

Primary: Step-by-Step Guide Writing Blog Post

Secondary: Writing a Blog Post, Steps Writing Blog Post, Guide Writing Blog Post

Step 2: Brainstorming and Structuring (30 Minutes)

The first step in my brainstorming process is to craft the headline based on the primary and secondary keywords.

As you see, all of the primary and secondary keywords are worked into the headline/title tag:

A Step-By-Step Guide to Writing a Traffic-Nabbing Blog Post

I start with the headline because that gives me a scope for the content of the article.

Develop Your Subheads

With the headline nailed down, you can start structuring the blog post with subheads. Include first level and second level subheads depending on how in depth you want to be.

The first level subheads in this post are the steps, and the second level subheads act as quick scans so you can grasp the section without reading it all.

Remember, use the HTML heading tags for the subheads as I explained in 10 SEO Blog Post Publishing Steps that Most Bloggers Forget.

Step 3: Writing (3 Hours)

Out of the six hours that it takes me to create a blog post, I only spend half of it writing.

Reel Them in With the Introduction

After the headline, your introduction is the most important part of the post.

If you do a good job of capturing their attention and emphasizing the importance of reading the post, they’ll keep reading. If you don’t, they won’t.

In this post, I emphasized the importance of reading it by ending the introduction with the benefits of following this process, “tens of thousands of people every month.”

Fill Out the Subhead Sections

By writing the subheads first, writing the article becomes as simple as filling out a form with explanatory content under each subhead.

When rounding out the subhead sections, I try to include an image, a blockquote, or a list to make each section more scannable.

Wrap it Up with a Conclusion

The purpose of the conclusion is three-fold:

1. To re-emphasize the main points of the post.
   What do you want them to remember? How do you want them to feel?
2. To tie back in with the introduction.
   If you dropped something creative into the introduction, bring the post full circle by mentioning it again.
3. To get them to take action.
   I’m convinced that the best call to action is to get your reader to implement your advice. So end the post with a little ditty that’ll motivate them to do so (e.g see “The Final Word” ).

Edit for Content

At this point, read through the whole article to grasp the big picture view of the content. Make sure that it effectively communicates the message that you want your reader to take away.

You’ll edit for grammar and sentence structure later.

Step 4: Posting (30 Minutes)

Now that you’ve written the post, preferably in Word, upload it to your site in the Add Post area.

In posting the article, there are five things to keep in mind:

1. Metadata
   Based on your keyword research, add your meta description and keywords.
2. Category
   Choose a category for your post.
3. Tags
   Add tags to link to previous posts on your blog that discuss similar topics.
4. Excerpt
   If you use excerpts in your theme, make sure you drop that in. I like to use my meta description as my excerpt.
5. Custom Fields
   If you have custom fields built into your theme, include those.

Step 5: Editing and Accessorizing (1 Hour)

Now that you have the post on your site, we start the editing and accessorizing step:

1. Edit for Grammar
   Click Preview to edit the post as you’ll see it on your site. For this editing phase, focus on grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, and syntax issues.
2. Find a Post Image
   Use Compfight.com to search through the Creative Commons section of Flickr. Find a photo you like, make sure you’re not violating any of its copyright rules, use it in your post, and attribute it back to the creator. If it’s your feature image, set it as your feature image.
3. Create the Supplementary Images
   In Step 1, I included a supplementary screenshot of the Google Keyword results for my initial keywords. I create those images at this point and upload them into the post.
4. Link Internally and Externally
   Link to two or three previous posts because it’s good for internal SEO and for keeping people on your site. Then, if I feel like the reader will benefit from someone else’s resource or tool (like Compfight), I’ll link to those.
5. Make Final Edits
   Edit the post one last time with all of the images included.

Refer back to 10 SEO Blog Post Publishing Steps that Most Bloggers Forget to make sure you don’t forget anything in these two steps.

Then read 10 Blog Post Marketing Steps to Take Immediately After You Publish to know what comes next.

The Final Word

I understand that this is an extensive, time-consuming process that you might not want to go through.

I can tell you, however, that I’ve gone through this exact process for nearly every blog post I’ve written in the last three years. As a result, Google sends 20,000+ people per month to my sites (not including my Income Diary posts).

So, instead of pumping out 10-15 measly 1-hour blog posts per month that hardly get any traffic, spend a little more time writing 2-3 solid ones.

It’s better for the internet, too.

Photo by: Krazy Diamond

The post Ultimate Step-by-Step Guide to Writing a Blog Post appeared first on How To Make Money Online.

Seems like a stupid question. Of course, you care. You wouldn’t be writing if you didn’t – at least, that’s what I presume.

But ask yourself, or better yet, ask your readers (if you dare) whether they can tell, by your writing, whether you care to keep them interested, or whether your aim is solely to get your information out there.

If you want to be a dangerous blogger – the kind who is read regardless of what they’re saying, the kind of blogger where readers come for engaging material – then read on.

What Does Your Opening Say About You?

You’ve drafted the article, you’ve crafted a killer headline that just begs, “click me!” but… what happened then?

If your opening is dry, your work will be for naught.

If you jump right into cold hard facts and statistics your information will lose your reader’s attention.

If you lose momentum or don’t give them what they came for, they’ll know that you can’t be bothered with anything more than instruction. If they’re not engaged, challenged, entertained, or provoked to think, they’ll drop away from your post like leaves from a tree in autumn.

Don’t Be Afraid to Shock Them

The one time you can safely jump into information without preamble is when you have an exciting, shocking, juicy bit of information.

If your article or post has a particularly exciting, shocking, or juicy revelation in it, put it first.

Cut out the fluff from the existing introduction, make your surprising announcement, and then explain what it means for your readership afterward.

News outlets and tabloid magazines do this all the time, not because they’re incredibly eager to get us the most important bits first.

They do it because it’s so surprising to have something important just thrown at us that we become (almost) instantly spellbound.

Tell A Story

When I was in grade school, I literally used the words, “This paper is going to be about _____” in my assignments. The followup was almost as bad, as the end usually said, “In summary, this paper was about ______.”

Don’t embarrass yourself by being so painstakingly clear.

Too many novice writers introduce their material in a similar style, and it’s a surefire way to lose everyone’s attention.

Starting with a story, be it personal or otherwise, is an introduction that draws readers in and prepares them for what comes next.

The story can be used throughout the work to draw parallels, or it can simply open the door for your main point. How you use it is up to you.

Keep The Momentum Going

Whether your title is quippy, provocative, or deadly serious, you must carry that throughout your opening.

If you flash a word like “Danger!” in your headline, you’d better have content that grips your readers’ by the eyes and forces them to keep reading.

If you’ve promised a numbered list, don’t waste time by writing paragraph after paragraph about the information you’re about to present.

No one expects there to be pertinent information in the introduction, so it’s up to you to surprise them and make the opening as valuable as the article itself.

The bottom line here is that you will lose readers on a bait ‘n’ switch. Keep the energy consistent and deliver on your headline’s promise, and they’ll keep coming back for more.

Question Everything

Is it wrong that I hate, but still use, rhetorical question?

Business bloggers in particular are terrible at introducing a post without posing a handful of rhetorical questions to their readership.

Any idea why that is?

It’s because it works.

Questions have two purposes.

The first is to cause your readers to pause and think, and then read on in hopes that they were right.

The second is to lead them down a path. You can use questions to start your readers’ saying yes, and feeling they agree with you.

Don’t abuse this. I’ve seen articles introduced by a dozen consecutive, rhetorical, and obvious questions. If you overdo it, try to simplify. Instead of making a statement ending in a sarcastic, “right?”, try condensing your handful of queries down to one, solid question that packs a powerful punch.

If you can do that, you’ll have mastered a skill that many others have failed.

You can sprinkle questions, analogies, anecdotes, and statistics through your work, but they will have no larger impact than when they’re used in an introduction.

Keep your writing clean, develop your voice, and start using these tips in your blog immediately. Your readers will notice, I guarantee it.

The post How to Write Killer Blog Post Openings that Keep People From Leaving appeared first on How To Make Money Online.

Before I start, I would like to thank Steve Kamb for his incredibly insightful interview with us, where he talks about his website Nerd Fitness. It was his final section, on why he’s successful, and others may not be, that really struck me. Here’s what he wrote:

I think the biggest mistake people make in the online fitness industry is that they’re not unique.  There are millions of fitness blogs out there, so writing the same stuff that other people write is a surefire way to go unnoticed.  I actually wrote 5 articles a week for the first 9 months of my blog, and it resulted in 90 subscribers!  90!  Why?  Because I wrote what I thought other people wanted to read or what worked for other sites, rather than what I wanted to read.

After 9 months, I decided to make a change, and injected WAY more personality (and thus nerdiness) into Nerd Fitness, and almost overnight it took off.  Had I not made this change, I’m not quite sure where I’d be today.

So, if you’re trying to stand out in a crowded field (online income generation, finance, fitness), find a way to BE UNIQUE!  I’m certainly not a fitness expert, and I’m not the best fitness blogger out there, but you can sure as hell believe that I run the best fitness blog out there…dedicated to nerds.  Eventually you can cover more general topics, but in order to have an audience you need to find a way to get noticed in the first place.

As someone who write three times a week, but doesn’t quite see the sort of growth I’m looking for, it got me thinking about what I can be doing differently.

I’ve always said that when it comes to blogging, or anything in life really, if you want to succeed, you have to do the best that you can. There’s no point in providing the internet with more average content that it doesn’t need, because that doesn’t make you any better than the next person. That’s why I’ve always written the best content that I can, and it’s what I believe separates me from the competition. But there’s something else I can do; I can be different.

Now that I look back on it, I can see how some of my most popular content has helped to make my website more successful, and how some of that content differs to what I usually write. These posts were much more personal, where I would talk about my own opinion on something, and this would spark conversation. Conversation leads to sharing, and sharing leads to new fans, and so on.

Until recently, I’d never really looked at what some of my popular content had in common, I would simply say that, ‘those are top lists’, and ‘that one’s controversial’, or ‘that’s current and opinionated’, I had never said before what they all had in common, which was that they were all a matter of my opinion. I would say that I have a pretty strong opinion, and a writing style that helps people to understand what I’m saying, which certainly helps to get people on my side, and that has contributed to the growth of my website.

What should I write about?

Well, to know what’s the most popular, it’s always good to call on our old friend Google Analytics. When I go over the whole span over my website, and look at the most popular content, I can see quite clearly that 8/20 of the top 20 posts are based largely on my opinion, and three of these are top lists. Now, I’ve been through top lists in some detail before, so I’m not going to mention it again, as you should all be well aware of what they do. If not, click here.

The other five posts are as follows:

• Top 10 Photography Clichés You Should Avoid To Improve Your Photography
• 10 Embarrassing Mistakes I Made As A Beginner Photographer
• 10 Reasons Your Photos Suck
• The World’s Most Expensive Photo – What Makes It So Great?
• 10 Reasons Why Being A Photographer Sucks

Notice anything about them? Two things spring to mind when I see that list, firstly, all but one of them is in a ‘top 10’ list format, and secondly, they all seem to focus on the negative.

Leaving the forth post aside for a second, lets focus on the other four for now. It’s quite clear that people are interested in the negative aspects of a problem, which point out their mistakes (in a list in this case), rather than positive solutions. I should make a point here, that although there are posts such as 10 Tips For Sharper Photos in the top 2o, what makes these results so special is that they’re the only negatively focused titles I have, rather than a huge number of positive ‘top 10’ lists that I’ve written. Now, I’m no psychologist, and I’m not about to start writing about why this may be, but all I know is that this seems to be true.

But I don’t want to write negatively?

Good news, you don’t have to! None of these posts are negative posts, they merely highlight a problem, or a potential problem, and then I talk quite positively about how you can solve it. For whatever reason (again, I’m no psychologist), people are more interested in being pointed out where they’re going wrong, than where they can go right. The thought that they may be doing something wrong is what interests the reader, which is all about what those top three posts are about. It’s all about capturing the reader with an interesting title, then following it up with relevant content, coupled with a positive spin, and then you’re well on your way to writing more popular posts.

What about being personal?

Well all eight of the posts that I’ve mentioned (the five above, and the three top lists), all include a personal opinion on a subject, and that is what people seem to be interested in. It’s what makes you stand out from the crowd, and what makes people interested in you, and remember you. A different take on a common subject is going to separate you from the rest of the pack, and will help you to stand out to your readers, who will begin to really value your opinion… if you can support the points you’re making.

Don’t get me wrong, I get people disagree with me all of the time, but I carry on with what I’m doing, because these people are the minority, and the majority of people who comment will agree or at least provide their own take on a situation. When it comes to dealing with negativity on the internet, you really have to just pay no attention to it. Let it go over your head, and if anyone decided to leave a negative comment, that you don’t feel in contributing, then don’t accept it – it’s your website. If however they disagree, but provide their own thoughts on the subject, then accept and reply to them, and spark a conversation. All of this is good for Google, and creating interest in your posts – people read comments.

Writing an Opinion Piece

When I say opinion piece, I’m referring to a post that is largely based on your own personal thoughts, and not backed up by hard facts. So whereas Top 10 Photography Clichés You Should Avoid To Improve Your Photography may be considered a tutorial, The World’s Most Expensive Photo – What Makes It So Great? would not be, and that is what we’re going to be looking at here.

I wrote The World’s Most Expensive Photo – What Makes It So Great? on a whim really, I couldn’t think of anything good to write about, but I had recently learned about the sale of the world’s most expensive photo, which had sold for the princely sum of $4.3 million. I had done some reading about it online, purely out of interest, and the biggest problem that people seemed to have with it, was that it didn’t seem at all interesting. Have a look below, what do you think of it? Not really a lot going on is there? Well, that was a common thought, so I tackled it with what I thought was so good about it, and how I grew to love it.

This was greeted with a really positive response, which got people talking. Not only that, but I started to rank in Google for it too. Not a lot of results, but I was doing much worse with Google then, than I am now. The point is that I found a niche within my own niche to write about, using my opinion, and it became very popular.

Because it was my opinion, and an opinion that people seem to support for that matter, rather than some facts, people started to share it. That includes Google, as I previously mentioned. This contributes towards my authority status on the subject of photography, as I could point out what people couldn’t see for themselves. It may not seem like a lot to some people, but that was an incredible amount of traffic from Google for me at that point, and the same goes for Facebook. The bottom result is from a forum that I posted the link on (just in a comment reply), and it proved to be a hot topic. If you want a fast track to becoming an authority on a subject, then this is what you have to do.

How to Write an Opinion Piece

There are a few guidelines you’re going to want to follow.

Stay Current. Stay Relevant.

This is probably the most crucial element behind writing an opinion piece, because if I had written that same post now, rather than back in November, then it’s unlikely that it would have the same affect. People were interested at the time, because it was current and relevant, but if you asked them how much it sold for now, or who took it, or what it’s called, it’s unlikely that they would know. I recommend following forums, and RSS feeds for different websites, and see what’s becoming a hot topic, and then act quickly and write about it.

I wrote about Canon Vs. Nikon, which is a big debate with photographers, and even though I’m very happy with what I’ve written, it hasn’t really provided me with many visitors, because it’s not a current topic that a large group of people in my niche are interested in.

Set yourself boundaries.

Don’t start exploring other niches. Stay within the realms of your knowledge and try to write about what you know best. I’m very good at studying composition, so I could decode the photo above and tell people why I thought it was so good, which was met with a positive response. It was clear that I knew what I was talking about, and if people disagreed, then it was a matter of their opinion, but they would still respect mine. If you start writing about something that you know little to nothing about, then people are going to see right through it and stop listening to what you’re saying.

Research Research Research.

Whatever you’re going to be writing about, make sure you research it a lot, even if you’re only going to write a short post about it. Not only will you find other people’s opinions that may influence yours (I recommend looking through comments for this), but you’ll soon find the general consensus on what you’re writing about, and then you can choose to contrast or reinforce that viewpoint.

Disclaimer.

It’s an opinion piece, so make sure people know that. In mine, I said on more than one occasion something along the lines of ‘all art is subjective, and what I think is good, may be different for you, but here’s what I get from the photo…’ You want to keep your reputation, and all though some discussion is good, you don’t want people to outright disagree with you, so again, back up what you’re saying with some explanation, and make sure people know that it’s your opinion – they will start to value it.

Ask your readers what they think.

This is a great way to improve reader interaction, and the majority of people reading your post will have an opinion, it usually sparks a pretty decent discussion. Comments will appear in Google too, so you want as many as you can get really, so long as they’re relevant. It also means that if they’re willing to comment on a post, then they’re probably willing to share it too, as they will likely know someone else who may be interested.

Well there you have it, my favourite new tip to becoming an authority in your niche. If you’ve enjoyed the post, then do me a massive favour and click ‘Like’ below.

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