Archive for April, 2009

Every Freelance Copywriter Needs To Install Their Very Own Bat Phone

Thursday, April 30th, 2009

Optional Description: Once you become busy as a freelance copywriter, you can’t afford to answer the phone every time it rings. And if you’re not yet loaded with projects, you’d be better to pretend you are. Otherwise, copywriting prospects may think you are desperate for work, and talk you down in your fees. At the same time it’s important to have open communication with those clients who are paying you money to write copy. Here’s my unique solution gleaned from too much time as a child, watching Batman.

I recently installed a “Bat Phone.”

Remember the old campy Adam West Batman series? Whenever Commissioner Gordon called, a red phone in Wayne Manor’s library would start flashing.

Alfred would come along, pick it up, and say in that servile English-butler voice, “Yes?… One moment, please.”

Then he’d go grab Bruce who’d be doing something heroic like teaching Dick how to bake no-fat brownies. They both race to the phone to find out which felon had broken out of Gotham City’s Prison.

To the bat poles!

Well, I have two paying copywriting clients who sometimes need to get hold of me ASAP. Often three or four times a week. I’ve not only been writing copy for their businesses but guiding their marketing.

At the same time I don’t want to have to pick up the phone every time it rings — for anybody. It just becomes too disruptive. I don’t even want to have to go and check the call display. Either my wife or my assistant can handle enquiries.

Simply put, I don’t want to talk to anybody who isn’t paying me money for my time and expertise.

I’m also finished with free consultations. Works for some copywriters, doesn’t work for me.

So, I called up the phone company and asked if they could activate an Ident-A-Call number. That way, when one of my copywriting clients calls, the ringer will sound different and I’d know it’s them.

The neat thing was that my area code just introduced a new three digit prefix. I was one of the first phone numbers to use it, allowing me to select the last four digits myself.

Well, going with the Bat Phone theme, I thought (298) 398-BATP would be easy for my clients to remember.

I almost went through with it, until I read it out to the telecom lady…

“Is B-A-T-P available?”

Silence.

“Bat pee?” she asked.

No, that won’t work. Call 398-Bat-Pee!

I ended up settling with (298) 398-HELP* which isn’t as original, but easy enough to remember.

(*That’s not the real number, of course. I’m not revealing the Bat Number in a public email).

Anyway, my clients are glad I got it (as well as my wife) as I tend to only check email and voicemail only once a day. It makes them feel that they are getting their money’s worth and raises my perceived value at the same time.

I’d encourage any copywriter to do the same… or to erect some other barrier around you and your time. If you don’t respect it, nobody will. Let ‘em suck up your time and they’ll suck up the dollars you could have been earning with it.

Every Freelance Copywriter Needs To Install Their Very Own Bat Phone

Thursday, April 30th, 2009

Optional Description: Once you become busy as a freelance copywriter, you can’t afford to answer the phone every time it rings. And if you’re not yet loaded with projects, you’d be better to pretend you are. Otherwise, copywriting prospects may think you are desperate for work, and talk you down in your fees. At the same time it’s important to have open communication with those clients who are paying you money to write copy. Here’s my unique solution gleaned from too much time as a child, watching Batman.

I recently installed a “Bat Phone.”

Remember the old campy Adam West Batman series? Whenever Commissioner Gordon called, a red phone in Wayne Manor’s library would start flashing.

Alfred would come along, pick it up, and say in that servile English-butler voice, “Yes?… One moment, please.”

Then he’d go grab Bruce who’d be doing something heroic like teaching Dick how to bake no-fat brownies. They both race to the phone to find out which felon had broken out of Gotham City’s Prison.

To the bat poles!

Well, I have two paying copywriting clients who sometimes need to get hold of me ASAP. Often three or four times a week. I’ve not only been writing copy for their businesses but guiding their marketing.

At the same time I don’t want to have to pick up the phone every time it rings — for anybody. It just becomes too disruptive. I don’t even want to have to go and check the call display. Either my wife or my assistant can handle enquiries.

Simply put, I don’t want to talk to anybody who isn’t paying me money for my time and expertise.

I’m also finished with free consultations. Works for some copywriters, doesn’t work for me.

So, I called up the phone company and asked if they could activate an Ident-A-Call number. That way, when one of my copywriting clients calls, the ringer will sound different and I’d know it’s them.

The neat thing was that my area code just introduced a new three digit prefix. I was one of the first phone numbers to use it, allowing me to select the last four digits myself.

Well, going with the Bat Phone theme, I thought (298) 398-BATP would be easy for my clients to remember.

I almost went through with it, until I read it out to the telecom lady…

“Is B-A-T-P available?”

Silence.

“Bat pee?” she asked.

No, that won’t work. Call 398-Bat-Pee!

I ended up settling with (298) 398-HELP* which isn’t as original, but easy enough to remember.

(*That’s not the real number, of course. I’m not revealing the Bat Number in a public email).

Anyway, my clients are glad I got it (as well as my wife) as I tend to only check email and voicemail only once a day. It makes them feel that they are getting their money’s worth and raises my perceived value at the same time.

I’d encourage any copywriter to do the same… or to erect some other barrier around you and your time. If you don’t respect it, nobody will. Let ‘em suck up your time and they’ll suck up the dollars you could have been earning with it.

Excuse Me, Are You A Literary Agent?

Wednesday, April 29th, 2009

I have lived in New York City my entire life. I often feel privileged to be a part of the energy and magic of this Mecca of celebrity. Under the semi privileged dome of my existence, I encounter the rich and famous at every turn. When I was a teenager, I crossed paths with Jerry Lewis in Times Square and bumped elbows once with Marvin Gaye.

As a passionate college student of Cinema Studies, I dined across the room from Woody Allen and stopped to compliment his latest film. At Caf

Excuse Me, Are You A Literary Agent?

Wednesday, April 29th, 2009

I have lived in New York City my entire life. I often feel privileged to be a part of the energy and magic of this Mecca of celebrity. Under the semi privileged dome of my existence, I encounter the rich and famous at every turn. When I was a teenager, I crossed paths with Jerry Lewis in Times Square and bumped elbows once with Marvin Gaye.

As a passionate college student of Cinema Studies, I dined across the room from Woody Allen and stopped to compliment his latest film. At Caf

Ezine Article Writing - Structure And Stretch

Tuesday, April 28th, 2009

If you are a webmaster you will know that writing articles for publication in ezines is an excellent way to get free publicity for your website. One thing that holds many would be writers back is that they don’t think they will be able to find enough to write even on a subject they know well. Webmasters who have never written an article before tend to feel their minds go blank at the suggestion of writing for publication. One of the most common reasons for not writing articles is that people do not think they will be able to write enough about a topic. This worry is usually overcome during the writing process but, even if you run out of words too soon, there are a few useful tricks you can use to increase your word count.

Most article directories will not accept an article consisting of fewer than 500 words; the most suitable length for an article is between 500 and 700 words. Let’s go for 500 words for our first attempt. That might sound a lot but, if you look at the structure of most articles you will see that they are broken down into three sections: introductory paragraph, main content and closing paragraph. In turn, the main content will be broken down into 3-5 paragraphs.

If you plan your article to have three paragraphs of main content, you only need to find 100 words to write in each paragraph and that is a far easier goal to think about than finding 500 words. When you write the article, you obviously won’t have exactly 100 words in each paragraph but this rule of thumb gives you something to aim for. Decide in advance on the sub-topic of each of the main content paragraphs, you can give them subheadings if appropriate, otherwise just use the sub-topics to plan your structure.

To get a feel for structure, let’s look at an idea for an article. Our subject can be planting spring bulbs and our plan will look something like this:

Introduction - general information eg about types of bulbs available for spring flowering, type, varieties available, colors available, best time to plant, benefits of using bulbs in preference to other forms of planting.

Para 1 - choosing the right bulbs for particular situations eg shaded ground, containers, mixed planting, indoor displays etc.

Para 2 - planting techniques e.g. choosing growing medium for containers, choosing containers, depth to plant different species, color schemes

Para 3 - general care e.g. watering, when to cut down, propagation, naturalizing

Closing - brief summary of topics covered or something along the lines of “if you follow this care guidance, your bulbs will provide a colorful display year after year”.

In this plan our closing paragraph is very brief but there should be no problem in writing well over 100 words for the first paragraph. In fact, if you are a bulb expert, you could write several articles based on each of the sub-topics.

If you feel you need to write an article on a particular subject but really run out of things to say, there are a couple of simple ways to bring your word count up to the level required by the article directories. Make it a rule, however, that you never use artificial padding to inflate your word count. The trick is to add words that enhance the value of your article, not just puff it up. These are legitimate ways of boosting your word count:

1. Add a sub-title to the article and use sub headings (if appropriate) for each paragraph.

2. If you use acronyms or initials, place the full term in brackets after the abbreviation. eg if you are talking about PPC, add “(this stands for Pay Per Click advertising)” after the abbreviation to add seven extra words.

3. Use quotations or statistics. Some articles can be uplifted by the use of a famous quotation. Inserting the quotation and author name adds several words but you can expand this by adding a brief biographical note about the author eg “the famous Russian metaphysical poet”. If the article is not suited to the insertion of quotations, you might be able to add an interesting statistic. The information together with details of its source will add more words.

If you follow the steps set out above, you should find it comparatively easy to write an article of sufficient length for Ezine publication.

Ezine Article Writing - Structure And Stretch

Tuesday, April 28th, 2009

If you are a webmaster you will know that writing articles for publication in ezines is an excellent way to get free publicity for your website. One thing that holds many would be writers back is that they don’t think they will be able to find enough to write even on a subject they know well. Webmasters who have never written an article before tend to feel their minds go blank at the suggestion of writing for publication. One of the most common reasons for not writing articles is that people do not think they will be able to write enough about a topic. This worry is usually overcome during the writing process but, even if you run out of words too soon, there are a few useful tricks you can use to increase your word count.

Most article directories will not accept an article consisting of fewer than 500 words; the most suitable length for an article is between 500 and 700 words. Let’s go for 500 words for our first attempt. That might sound a lot but, if you look at the structure of most articles you will see that they are broken down into three sections: introductory paragraph, main content and closing paragraph. In turn, the main content will be broken down into 3-5 paragraphs.

If you plan your article to have three paragraphs of main content, you only need to find 100 words to write in each paragraph and that is a far easier goal to think about than finding 500 words. When you write the article, you obviously won’t have exactly 100 words in each paragraph but this rule of thumb gives you something to aim for. Decide in advance on the sub-topic of each of the main content paragraphs, you can give them subheadings if appropriate, otherwise just use the sub-topics to plan your structure.

To get a feel for structure, let’s look at an idea for an article. Our subject can be planting spring bulbs and our plan will look something like this:

Introduction - general information eg about types of bulbs available for spring flowering, type, varieties available, colors available, best time to plant, benefits of using bulbs in preference to other forms of planting.

Para 1 - choosing the right bulbs for particular situations eg shaded ground, containers, mixed planting, indoor displays etc.

Para 2 - planting techniques e.g. choosing growing medium for containers, choosing containers, depth to plant different species, color schemes

Para 3 - general care e.g. watering, when to cut down, propagation, naturalizing

Closing - brief summary of topics covered or something along the lines of “if you follow this care guidance, your bulbs will provide a colorful display year after year”.

In this plan our closing paragraph is very brief but there should be no problem in writing well over 100 words for the first paragraph. In fact, if you are a bulb expert, you could write several articles based on each of the sub-topics.

If you feel you need to write an article on a particular subject but really run out of things to say, there are a couple of simple ways to bring your word count up to the level required by the article directories. Make it a rule, however, that you never use artificial padding to inflate your word count. The trick is to add words that enhance the value of your article, not just puff it up. These are legitimate ways of boosting your word count:

1. Add a sub-title to the article and use sub headings (if appropriate) for each paragraph.

2. If you use acronyms or initials, place the full term in brackets after the abbreviation. eg if you are talking about PPC, add “(this stands for Pay Per Click advertising)” after the abbreviation to add seven extra words.

3. Use quotations or statistics. Some articles can be uplifted by the use of a famous quotation. Inserting the quotation and author name adds several words but you can expand this by adding a brief biographical note about the author eg “the famous Russian metaphysical poet”. If the article is not suited to the insertion of quotations, you might be able to add an interesting statistic. The information together with details of its source will add more words.

If you follow the steps set out above, you should find it comparatively easy to write an article of sufficient length for Ezine publication.

Factors To Consider While Writing Your Resume

Monday, April 27th, 2009

There are a few fundamental things you need to remember while writing your resume. It should be neat, without any spelling or grammar mistakes, and it should be pleasing to the eye at first glance. This means that you shall never start your resume on brightly colored paper. White paper is best and your printer or copier ribbon should be dark.

It’s important to consider what your most favorable qualities are. Although every job is different, there are some aspects of your educational or employment history that will get the attention of the potential employer. Highlight these achievements during resume writing. If there is some task that you’ve accomplished that will work in your favor during the review process then include that prominently on your resume.

Something you should consider early in the resume writing process is determining how to showcase your talents. This will depend on what the potential employer or corporation is looking for. If the potential job is dependent on work experience you may want to begin your resume detailing the positions that you’ve held. This way, you can catch the prospective employer’s attention and then highlight your educational achievements.

On the other hand, If education is a requirement you’ll want to place these details near the top of your resume. It might be practical to develop two versions when you are resume writing.

Always keep in mind that any achievement that you’ve had can bode well during the consideration process. This involves including activities like summer internships or volunteer positions. They demonstrate a desire to learn and to contribute. A potential employer will get the impression that you can handle commitment.

Besides that, you’ll also want to mention any awards that you’ve received. Employers recognize these and consider them as an accomplishment. These include things like honors awards or citizenship mentions.

Once you are finished writing your resume, there is still one essential step left to do. That is to proof read your resume. It’s wise to ask someone else to proof read it for you as well, because during the resume writing process you may have become used to the phrasing of the resume and for that reason you can overlook an error. If someone else scans it over they’ll spot any mistakes. It’s much better to have a friend or relative point out an error than the employer you were hoping to work for.

In case you are not comfortable with compiling and developing your own resume there are many resume writing services available for a fee. These individuals or companies specialize in developing resumes that are both professional and welcoming. They will gather your information and handle the resume writing for you.

Factors To Consider While Writing Your Resume

Monday, April 27th, 2009

There are a few fundamental things you need to remember while writing your resume. It should be neat, without any spelling or grammar mistakes, and it should be pleasing to the eye at first glance. This means that you shall never start your resume on brightly colored paper. White paper is best and your printer or copier ribbon should be dark.

It’s important to consider what your most favorable qualities are. Although every job is different, there are some aspects of your educational or employment history that will get the attention of the potential employer. Highlight these achievements during resume writing. If there is some task that you’ve accomplished that will work in your favor during the review process then include that prominently on your resume.

Something you should consider early in the resume writing process is determining how to showcase your talents. This will depend on what the potential employer or corporation is looking for. If the potential job is dependent on work experience you may want to begin your resume detailing the positions that you’ve held. This way, you can catch the prospective employer’s attention and then highlight your educational achievements.

On the other hand, If education is a requirement you’ll want to place these details near the top of your resume. It might be practical to develop two versions when you are resume writing.

Always keep in mind that any achievement that you’ve had can bode well during the consideration process. This involves including activities like summer internships or volunteer positions. They demonstrate a desire to learn and to contribute. A potential employer will get the impression that you can handle commitment.

Besides that, you’ll also want to mention any awards that you’ve received. Employers recognize these and consider them as an accomplishment. These include things like honors awards or citizenship mentions.

Once you are finished writing your resume, there is still one essential step left to do. That is to proof read your resume. It’s wise to ask someone else to proof read it for you as well, because during the resume writing process you may have become used to the phrasing of the resume and for that reason you can overlook an error. If someone else scans it over they’ll spot any mistakes. It’s much better to have a friend or relative point out an error than the employer you were hoping to work for.

In case you are not comfortable with compiling and developing your own resume there are many resume writing services available for a fee. These individuals or companies specialize in developing resumes that are both professional and welcoming. They will gather your information and handle the resume writing for you.

Fire Your Dud Titles for Sizzlers That Get Your Articles Read, P1

Sunday, April 26th, 2009

There’s nothing worse to a marketer than clicking over and seeing the same 10-20 clicks you saw last week. You posted your short article in hopes you could generate a fresh stream of traffic to your site. O.k. so you got a few more views this week than last. But the truth is few of your articles pull very many readers even after months. The reader/view count rarely rises above 30-40 views. You know you have good solid information that would be helpful to people if you could just get them read.

You might share the problem hundreds of article writers share&ndashDud Titles. You must develop a sizzling title to pull your audience in by the collar. You know like the newspapers and magazine headlines. They can’t afford to publish dud titles that don’t capture the interest of their readers.

Yet among other marketers of books, products and services few seem to put much effort into crafting a magnetic title. It doesn’t have to be that way with you. Now is where you fire your Dud Titles and hire only Sizzlers. Here are a few tips to help you sizzle your title like a professional.

1. The Command.

“Write Your Best Book Now!”

Most will say they don’t like being told what to do. But our human psyche seems to respond in spite of what we like. The command has an immediate effect. Why? It connects with the “Yes, I want that” spot within us all. Commands reassure you that helpful advice will follow that help you get what you want from the advice. It tells the readers it’s possible to achieve the benefit the author is claiming.

2. The How to.

“How to Make Your Article Go the Extra Mile

People love to learn with simple steps and fast. Combine it with a powerful benefit and you will reel your reader in every time. You decide. Does the title above, “How to Make Your Articles Go the Extra Mile” or “8 Ways to Format Your Article”

3. The Provocative Statement.

“5 Mistakes to Avoid That Drive Your Web Visitors Away In Less Than 2 Minutes”

You mean my site could be driving my visitors away that fast. Especially, if you have been working hard to get site visitors you would want to know what would drive them away fast. Provocative statements pull at our attention like an electric shock. They make us curious. They sometimes make us mad. They make us feel a lot of different things but most of all they make us read.

4. The Question.

“Do You Want More Traffic, More Free Publicity, More Sales?

Most times people unconsciously answer the question you pose in their minds. The key is to provide the answers in your copy including statistics. For example, “Have you ever felt afraid to buy online? Like it or not, many are still cautious of buying on the web. A Boston Consulting Group Consumer Survey found that 70% of respondents worry about making purchases online.”

Without an interesting title that stirs emotion, evokes interest or arouses curiosity your articles may go unread another year. Implement the title templates above to capture the interest of your visitors and get all of your articles read. Sizzle your titles; watch your reader counts rise and prosper!

=================================

Fire Your Dud Titles for Sizzlers That Get Your Articles Read, P1

Sunday, April 26th, 2009

There’s nothing worse to a marketer than clicking over and seeing the same 10-20 clicks you saw last week. You posted your short article in hopes you could generate a fresh stream of traffic to your site. O.k. so you got a few more views this week than last. But the truth is few of your articles pull very many readers even after months. The reader/view count rarely rises above 30-40 views. You know you have good solid information that would be helpful to people if you could just get them read.

You might share the problem hundreds of article writers share&ndashDud Titles. You must develop a sizzling title to pull your audience in by the collar. You know like the newspapers and magazine headlines. They can’t afford to publish dud titles that don’t capture the interest of their readers.

Yet among other marketers of books, products and services few seem to put much effort into crafting a magnetic title. It doesn’t have to be that way with you. Now is where you fire your Dud Titles and hire only Sizzlers. Here are a few tips to help you sizzle your title like a professional.

1. The Command.

“Write Your Best Book Now!”

Most will say they don’t like being told what to do. But our human psyche seems to respond in spite of what we like. The command has an immediate effect. Why? It connects with the “Yes, I want that” spot within us all. Commands reassure you that helpful advice will follow that help you get what you want from the advice. It tells the readers it’s possible to achieve the benefit the author is claiming.

2. The How to.

“How to Make Your Article Go the Extra Mile

People love to learn with simple steps and fast. Combine it with a powerful benefit and you will reel your reader in every time. You decide. Does the title above, “How to Make Your Articles Go the Extra Mile” or “8 Ways to Format Your Article”

3. The Provocative Statement.

“5 Mistakes to Avoid That Drive Your Web Visitors Away In Less Than 2 Minutes”

You mean my site could be driving my visitors away that fast. Especially, if you have been working hard to get site visitors you would want to know what would drive them away fast. Provocative statements pull at our attention like an electric shock. They make us curious. They sometimes make us mad. They make us feel a lot of different things but most of all they make us read.

4. The Question.

“Do You Want More Traffic, More Free Publicity, More Sales?

Most times people unconsciously answer the question you pose in their minds. The key is to provide the answers in your copy including statistics. For example, “Have you ever felt afraid to buy online? Like it or not, many are still cautious of buying on the web. A Boston Consulting Group Consumer Survey found that 70% of respondents worry about making purchases online.”

Without an interesting title that stirs emotion, evokes interest or arouses curiosity your articles may go unread another year. Implement the title templates above to capture the interest of your visitors and get all of your articles read. Sizzle your titles; watch your reader counts rise and prosper!

=================================

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