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How To Write A Good Blog Post (How To Write The Perfect Blog Post That People Want To Read)

No matter what type of business you’re in online, you are going to have to do at least some writing. Whether you’re a blogger, a website builder, an indie book publisher, a freelance writer, or even an online shop owner, chances are you need to write content of some sort.

One of the biggest secrets to success when it comes to blogging is knowing how to write content that people will actually want to read.

Note that this isn’t really about the way you write or at least that’s only a small part of the puzzle.

Instead, writing content that people will go out of their way to read is all about choosing exciting topics, giving them great titles and knowing what it is that makes people click.

Know Your Audience

It goes without saying that you must know who your audience is and what they are interested in before you even think about creating any type of content.

If you don’t know what your audience is feeling and the particular struggles that they face, then you really are shooting in the dark.

Take some time to do a little niche research and dig deep and niche down. This way your content can be super targeted to the right people and they are much more likely to read and engage with any content you produce as you are speaking directly to them and their concerns.

This doesn’t have to take long but is well worth the time and effort, but unfortunately this is one step that so many marketer and product creators skip. Yet if you do this you will definitely reap the rewards by targeting the right people at the right time which will result in more leads and (hopefully) sales for you.

Using Clickbait For Good!

One way to entice people to come to your blog and read your post is to use ‘clickbait’. Clickbait is basically any content that is designed to encourage clicks, even if it isn’t entirely honest in how it goes about that.

Normally clickbait titles are purposefully provocative or misleading and this gets people to click on them. Unfortunately this also gives them a rather bad reputation so you do need to be careful if/when using them.

For instance, you’ll see things like ’10 Tips to Transform Your Body – Number 4 Changed My Life!’ or ‘You’ll Never Believe What Happens to This Woman in This Shocking Video!’. For most people the curiosity/promise of the title will elicit a click.

The trouble begins when the actual content they are sent to is completely different to that eluded to in the link. As long as the content is entirely congruent and what was promised, you can use clickbait type headlines

There is no denying that clickbait does work and it generates plenty of hits for your website. The problem is that it can also be misleading and as such, it can damage your branding but of course that won’t be an issue for you as you will be using clickbait in a more honest and ethical manner 🙂

Choose Your Title Wisely

So let us ask ourselves: what is it about clickbait that makes it so successful?

The answer is that it looks different, it looks interesting and it promises something unique/that you haven’t seen before. It would be fine, if the actual content weren’t so lacking.

And clickbait is even more successful thanks to the sheer quantity of interesting content on the web. How many fitness sites have you been to where all the articles are on ’10 ways to get abs’ or ‘how to eat clean to lose weight’. This content is so derivative, we’ve all read it a thousand times!

To get around all this drudgery, you need to create content that offers something genuinely interesting, that people haven’t seen a thousand times before and that actually sounds interesting too because if you can’t generate interest, no-one will see it and that would be a shame.

For a fitness site, that could look something like this:

‘How my fitness addiction nearly ruined my relationship’

‘Cardio acceleration: a new type of cardio fitness that burns 300%+ more fat’

‘Why bodybuilders are stronger than powerlifters’

These sorts of titles are engaging and unique but what’s more is that they’re also meaty and give you the opportunity to write some really great stuff and they also have an air of mystery to entice viewers to click through and learn more. That’s how you get clicks and build fans!

OK, there are 3 quick tips to help you to create content that people actually want to read and hopefully this will result in more leads and sales for you and your business. Now where’s my pen…

How To Increase Conversions (3 Simple Tricks That Can Massively Increase Conversions)

As I have stated in numerous articles and videos, many people believe they have a problem with traffic, but I believe that the actual issue lies in converting that traffic.

Just think about this:-

If you have the same offer with the same amount of traffic but you double conversions, then you’ve effectively just doubled your sales and profits, too.

So, how do you do that you might ask?

Well, here are 3 simple tricks that can massively increase conversions:

1: What’s In A Name? Everything

You pour your heart and soul into a blog post, article – even an entire book – and nothing happens.

No one reads it. No one comments. No one shares it on social media. No one buys your book.

Yet the content is excellent, it’s well-written and it’s entertaining.

You know that people SHOULD be reading it.

So how do you fix it?

9 times out of 10 it’s as simple as changing the title.

That’s right – relaunch with another title and see if you don’t do a whole lot better.

I know of one fellow (retired now) who spent his career finding under-appreciated books, buying the rights and re-titling and re-releasing them.

He made a fortune doing this before the Internet blew up.

So, go back and find your content that didn’t do as well as it should. Polish it off, do any necessary updating, and most of all give it a new title that is irresistible.

You just might just have a new best seller on your hands. This always comes down to testing and if you know that the content is good but it isn’t selling, start by doing this simple hack and see if the title sparks off a flood of sales; you may be surprised!

2: Stop Being So Bossy!!!

BUY THIS! DO THAT! DO IT NOW! CLICK HERE!

“This is the greatest so-in-so ever and you will fall in LOVE with it, even though you don’t even know what the heck it is yet…”

Let’s face it – in the name of brevity and enthusiasm we tend to tell our customers what they should be doing and how they should be doing it.

We have their best interests at heart – don’t they see that?

Actually, no they don’t. And that is a problem.

Imagine someone standing on the other side of the room from you.

They’re screaming at you that you should do what they say.

What’s your reaction?

My reaction isn’t fit to print, so I won’t but I’m sure you get the idea!

Now imagine that same person smiles at you across the room, walks over, extends their hand and introduces themselves.

Next, they start talking about this problem they have. That’s funny, it’s the same problem you have. And they sound just like you. They even have the same thoughts about the problem, the same worries and fears that you have.

How do you feel? Like you just met a kindred spirit perhaps? It’s a completely different experience for you, the “customer.”

They invite you to walk with them, and without even thinking, you are right there with them, side by side, going for a short walk.

By the end of the walk, they’ve shown you how they solved their problem. You’re elated. There is a solution! You ask if you can buy the solution and they graciously sell it to you.

What just happened?

Instead of feeling like someone was trying to command you to buy something, you voluntarily bought it because you wanted it.

All because they came over to where you were, talked to you in your own words and then walked with you to the solution.

That’s how truly great sales work. You don’t shout from the rooftops or across the room.

Instead, you go to where they are. You feel what they’re feeling, say what they’re thinking, and become a kindred spirit. Then you gently guide them to where you want them to go.

Show them that you understand their problems, have been through it and have a solution for them. Believe me, if you use this technique in all of your sales materials I guarantee your conversions will at least double, if not triple; it is that powerful.

3: Go For The Big Ticket Sales

Why do you suppose you see so many $10 products, and so few $10,000 products?

It seems like it would be harder to sell a $10,000 product.

But what’s easier – selling 1000 $10 products, or just ONE $10,000 product?

Odds are, it’s going to be much easier to sell one big product than 1,000 small ones. BUT there is a large element of trust involved in persuading someone to spend such a large amount of money in one go and this puts many marketers off as it just seems like too much hard work.

The good thing about that means that there is less competition in the high-end marketplace.

And you will also find that somebody willing to invest that kind of money is a much better customer overall unlike many low value customers who nowadays seem to expect everything for $10!

Take a look at Jon Chow as an example. If you don’t know who John is, he is an extremely successful blogger.

John Chow opted to sell the big products and it paid off big time. In just 2 years, he grew his blog from $0 in revenue to more than $40,000 per MONTH.

To do this, he worked a whopping 2 hours per day.

And he didn’t even do his own selling. Instead, he licensed a phone team to sell big ticket items for him.

If you want to sell big ticket products, I would highly suggest hiring or licensing a professional phone team. They’re going to be able to convert prospects at a much higher rate than you can through online marketing.

Offer a free product that totally ROCKS to get the prospect’s information.

Work on building that relationship and let your phone team do the rest.

And in two years? If you follow in John’s footsteps, maybe you can be making $40,000 a month as well.

These are three very different methods that all have the same end goal – to increase your conversions on everything you sell. Use them wisely and the sky is the limit!

6 Little Known Ways To Increase Sales

We all want more sales in our business I’m sure you’ll agree. After all, why did many of us start a business in the first place if not to make money and gain financial freedom to have the time to do the things we want, when we want.

You will often read all about traffic and conversion rate and these are critical to your bottom line, so you need to ensure that your sales process is as optimised as it can possibly be.

Well, please read on to find out about 6 little know ways to increase sales. The good thing is that none of these take much time, but any one of them can add considerable sales to your bottom line. Or try all six, and see your sales explode.

Your Prospects Don’t Trust You

Provide your real contact information, including name, company name, snail mail address (physical is better than P.O.) and phone number.

Why? Because your prospects are afraid you are not who you say you are.

On your ‘about me’ page, provide all of this info again, along with photos of you, any employees you have and maybe even your location. Make it super easy to trust you and you’ll get more sales.

Elevate Your Prospects’ Status to Make More Sales

People want to prove they are better than others and have people look up to them. This isn’t bad, it’s just human nature. And you can use this tidbit of knowledge to make more sales, too.

Play up to this tendency to feel more important. Show prospects how buying your product will raise their status among peers, friends, family, etc. Show them how important they will become as a direct result of buying your product.

Have Your Sales Message Come from A Peer

One of the ‘secrets’ to boosting response of your sales message is to have it come from a peer of your ideal prospect.

In other words, you want your message to come from someone of the same group you are selling to.

Are you selling to women in their 40’s? Have your message come from a woman in her 40’s. Selling to investors? Have your message come from another investor, and so forth.

You can likely take any promotion you are running right now, change the message to come from the prospect’s peer, and increase your response considerably.

This technique is even more important when you are selling to someone who is highly skeptical. Nothing melts resistance faster than hearing a message from someone you perceive to be very much like yourself.

Split test this and see the response – I think you’ll be shocked at the increase in sales you experience from this simple technique.

Focus On The Benefits Of The Benefits!

You already know how important benefits are to the selling process.

Features are great, but it’s the benefits that sell.

For example, that weight loss book is pretty, and it has 300 pages – those are features. The benefit is the reader will lose weight if they follow the plan laid out in the book.

But what are the benefits of the benefits?

In the above example, ask yourself what are the benefits to losing weight?

For example:

Looking better
Feeling better
Becoming more attractive
Living longer
Fitting into clothes they already own
More confidence
Turning heads and getting dates

And so forth.

Talking about just the main benefit – in this case, losing weight – isn’t enough.

You want to dig deeper and expound on all the benefits your customers is going to get, and then paint a picture of their new life after they use your product.

Tell Stories

Every product has a story buried somewhere – you just have to dig it out.

For example, look at this headline from John Carlton:

“Amazing Secret Discovered by One-Legged Golfer adds 50 Yards to Your Drives, Eliminates Hooks and Slices… And Can Slash up to 10 Strokes from Your Game Almost Overnight!”

I have zero interest in golf. None. Yet after reading this headline, I want to know about the one-legged golfer.

Now imagine if I did golf – and imagine what all the golfers who read this headline did. Yup – guaranteed, they couldn’t help but keep reading to find out about that one-legged golfer.

That’s the power of a good story.

Encourage Micro-Commitments

The more a person commits to something, the less likely they will change their mind.

For example, if you can get someone to opt-in to two or more of your lists, they are more committed to staying on your lists.

And get this… they are also more likely to make purchases, too.

It’s a principle of psychology that the more a person commits to something, the more likely they are to stick with it for the long haul.

For example, someone might say they are going to start running. But all they do is say it – they don’t do anything else – and within a week they’ve forgotten all about it.

But if that same person buys new running shoes and clothes, visits running websites, subscribes to a running magazine and joins a running club, then I can about guarantee they’re going to run.

It’s the same with your lists. If you can get subscribers to opt in to multiple lists, they become more committed to you and to the niche or topic itself.

So, let’s say your niche is dogs. You might ask your new subscribers to opt in to a special course on potty training, another course on bad behavior modification, another course just on their particular breed of dog and so forth.

By getting more of these micro-commitments from your readers, you greatly increase the odds they will become your customers and even purchase from you multiple times.

Now how great is that? Fantastic, I think you’ll agree!

OK, there you have it; 6 little know ways to increase sales. Which ones are you going to put into practice today to boost your sales? I hope you will try at least one, if not all 6.

Why You Should Be A Content Creator And Not A Marketer

Labels are important. Most important are the ones that we give ourselves. How you define yourself will color the way you see yourself, and this in turn is going to influence the way that you interact with others, your happiness, your confidence and much more about you.

This is particularly true for people who are entrepreneurs and internet marketers. If you’re someone who works online, then you will be doing something that isn’t easily defined and that many people won’t really understand. What is it you do again? How do you make money without leaving the house??

And it also changes the way you feel about the work you do and the kind of path that you will end up pursuing.

But here’s a thought; have you ever considered shifting the way you describe yourself away from ‘internet marketer’ to ‘content creator’ instead?

Yes? No? Well here are a couple of reasons why you should be a content creator and not a marketer.

What’s in a name?

You might be wondering how you can just go ahead and change your label if you’re still doing the same job. Isn’t a content creator something entirely different from a digital marketer?

Well, not really! In all honesty, they are essentially the same, but the perception is very different.

These days, content marketing is the most effective option for any brand wanting to increase its visibility and status online.

Content marketing is necessary for SEO (because SEO is predicated on having content for Google to crawl) and it is synonymous with social media marketing (because one of the most important aspects of social media marketing is sharing content through your various channels).

And if you’re a content marketer who creates articles and videos for a blog, then chances are that you have the precise same goals as the marketers: getting your content seen.

The only difference is that a content marketer is someone who puts the ends first, whereas the content creator puts the quality content first. They put the value first. The content creator builds a brand and then promotes that brand with great multimedia content.

The marketer on the other hand looks at the market and asks how they can make money…

Why being a content creator is better for you

The thing is, the content creator – ironically – actually often makes more money.

That’s because they have a brand they believe in and they are putting more work into their content.

Both these things are not lost on readers who will end up wanting to spend more money as a result. And thanks to Google’s more recent changes, they’re not lost on the search algorithms either…

Then there’s the fact that content creators are happier. Why? Because they are working on something they love.

Success doesn’t come online quite as quickly as some marketers will have you believe. It takes a lot of time and even more work.

If you’re going to avoid letting this crush you and make you miserable, then you better ensure that you are doing it for the love and not because you have to!

Think about all the most wealthy and famous people online. How did they get there? From pedaling ‘make money’ eBooks? Or by creating an amazing YouTube channel and sharing a vibrant personality and talent for writing and production?

Content creation and marketing go hand in hand and rely heavily on each other, but by labeling yourself as a content creator rather than a marketer will change peoples perception of you, but perhaps more importantly, it may change your perception of yourself and that is priceless!

Affiliate Marketing Myths (The Top 5 Affiliate Marketing Myths)

Bad information keeps many people from making money online.

People give a half-hearted effort to one form of marketing, get disappointed that it didn’t work, and then cry out to the world that it no longer works…

How many times have you seen one of these headlines:

“Email Marketing Is Dead!”

“SEO No Longer Works Thanks to Google…”

“Content Marketing Has Lost Its Luster…”

Or the big one:

“Affiliate Marketing Is for Scammers!”

When something is proclaimed dead or not working any longer, it’s probably because someone was gaming the system and the system owners plugged the hole.

Ethical marketing always works in the long run.

That’s why Affiliate Marketing has worked for decades and will continue to work for the non-scammers of the world.

But the headlines persist, and the myths and misconceptions flourish. Let’s take a look at affiliate marketing myths (the top 5 affiliate marketing myths) and reveal the truth about them!

Shall we begin…?

1) Affiliate Marketing Is Easy…

There’s a misconception out there that the newbie online marketer can grab an affiliate link, put it on their Facebook page, and the money will start rolling in.

Not so fast…

Affiliate marketing like any other business model IS a business.

And it should be treated like a business.

While affiliate marketing may be the exact business model you need as a new entrepreneur, it’s important to understand and accept that it is NOT a get-rich-quick scheme.

As with any business, your primary job is to present a solution to a market with a desperate problem. The problem must be so severe that they are willing to pay for that solution quickly.

Is this beginning to sound like work yet? It should.

Affiliate marketing can be VERY rewarding, but it is not easy, especially if you have no business experience. But affiliate marketing can be best way to learn how to build a business with very low-risk.

Your investment as an affiliate marketer is low because you don’t have any product or delivery costs. Your focus must be on building a market, knowing that market inside out, and learning how to sell.

These are essential skills for any business owner to master.

Driving traffic and measuring conversions to build your marketing list is the primary tool of every affiliate marketer.

2) Affiliate Marketing Doesn’t Work Any More…

The days of throwing a link up on the social marketing sites and making a million dollars over night are gone…if they ever existed.

Social media has heightened the importance of building relationships with your target market, and that can be a slow process.

Your followers and email subscribers must feel a connection with you. If they don’t, they find someone else where that connection is real.

Affiliate marketing not only works with an audience that knows, likes and trusts you, but they will ask for your affiliate link for new products. Sometimes, they feel such a close relationship that they’ll pass around your affiliate link for you.

Affiliate marketing without real relationships (even if they’re automated) is hard but can be done with a lot of effort.

But affiliate marketing with real connections with an audience that has been nurtured and embraced works like a charm because you’re genuinely looking out for their interests.

3) The Competition Is Too Steep In Affiliate Marketing…

First, let’s agree competition is good.

That means there’s a market for the product. If not, no one else would be trying to sell that product.

Competitors can also become your best traffic source. Using the right tools like iSpionage.com, you can target your competitors, and step in front of their traffic with better offers, Facebook ads, or other techniques.

Sound a little cutthroat?

Nope, it’s just business. Once you become the Big Dog, everyone will target you too.

Your job is to offer better bonuses, better services, better support, and better experience to that market. And by doing that, you’re building a better relationship.

Find out how your competitors are building their audience (keyword research) and jump in there to grab that audience yourself.

Business is about competition, so if that bothers you, you probably need to get a job.

4) The More I Promote My Affiliate Links The More Money I’ll Make…

Listen, this one is tricky.

In theory, this is true. But there are other considerations like…

Does your message match the right audience? This is where you’ve got to get good at know your market including their hopes, dreams and issues.

In the consulting world, they call these the FUDs – Fears, Uncertainties and Doubts.

What is your audience trying to do? And how can the solution you put in front of them solve that issue?

Promote to the right audience and you don’t have to “sell them” often because you become part of their go-to-problem-solver while you’re building a relationship.

5) Affiliate Marketing Is High Risk And Low ROI…

Ok. There is risk in any business endeavor. In affiliate marketing, you could make a lot of sales for a product only to have the product owner go out of business.

That’s always a risk.

And the return on investment could be very low, but only because you’re not making sales.

That usually means you don’t have the right message for the right target market. Conversions are much easier and ROI much higher when you convert prospects to customers.

Opponents of affiliate marketing will jump in here and declare you’d be better off building your own products, selling them online and keeping ALL the money.

Here’s the truth about that:

If you can’t sell someone else’s product and get a good ROI, what makes you think that you could invest a lot of money on your own product and sell THAT to the same target market.

Affiliate marketing is awesome because the risk is extremely low. You don’t have to create a massive infrastructure to support your products. You’re letting someone else take that risk on.

And the low ROI? Wrong.

The potential in affiliate marketing for those people who learn how to build an audience and convert that audience to paying customers is HUGE because it’s a pay-for-performance model!

The more you convert, the more you make and the higher your return.

Of course, like everything else, affiliate marketing only works if you know how to do it correctly.

To keep you on track, it is a great idea to use checklists and if that sounds like a good idea to you then please look at these checklists here: warr.us/NAMSAffChecklists