December 2019 – The Writer's Corner

5 Things I Didn’t Know About Blogging Before I Started Out That I Think You Should Know

By thewriterscorner | December 15, 2019 | Comments 0 Comment

Sometimes I still feel like I’m floating like a draft in a big sea of water, trying to meet up with the big guns in this industry. I’ve always loved writing and I’m addicted to reading. I read anything interesting from novels to newspapers to magazines to billboards adverts, so writing came naturally to me.

Thewriterscorner.com is a different ball game entirely. Since I started writing here it had always seemed like a mountain needed to be conquered, and the more I achieve the more things there are to learn. I didn’t dedicate much time to it at first due to my 9-5 job and there were many things I didn’t know about blogging when I started.

Here are 5 things I didn’t know about blogging before I started and what I think you should know now.

1. BLOGGING IS NOT JUST ABOUT WRITING ARTICLES

At first, I felt I only had to write an article and post it as I do on Facebook and that will be all. Then I had to get pictures that were related to the articles I wrote not just random pictures that looked good. When I couldn’t get more of them I learned how to design and create infographics that summarized any post I made to make it visually appealing.

Like my first blog post 6 simple tips for developing characters in a story which wasn’t SEO optimized, I later learned about making my blog visible to a much more wider audience by making sure it was SEO optimized.

With no one to teach me any of this, you can imagine the loads of work I had to do and the stress I had to pass through. Phew!!

2. SPENDING AN EQUAL AMOUNT OF TIME PROMOTING THIS BLOG THAN WRITING

Just like I thought blogging was all about writing articles, it happened that it was only a small fraction of the total time taken in blogging. There is no point in putting out great content when no one gets to see it.

So I’ve had to learn how to promote this website though a good social media strategy and email marketing. These also require creating content and interaction with different number of people who those content relates to. So you will see that the amount of time it takes to promote your website is almost equal to the time it takes to create content for your blog, if not more.

3. THE COMPETITION IS HIGH

The number of new blogs coming up is increasing by the day. So many people want to become a blogger and establish themselves as an authority in their chosen field. It’s a job that anyone can do from the comfort of their home in this 21st century.

The only way I figure you can grown in this competitive world is to STAND OUT and dominate in your niche.

4. IT CAN GET OVERWHELMING

Every blogger has a tone to his writing that makes it easy to relate to, but we bloggers are also human. We get tired, angry, sad or even frustrated with their work. Whatever form of negativity that comes around will not be seen on the blog. Especially on days when your analytics looks terrible and you get frustrated at the amount of time and money you’re putting into it to make it work.

5. THERE’S ALWAYS SOMETHING NEW TO LEARN EVERYDAY

Blogging tends to be demanding and time consuming but it doesn’t mean you should stop. I know some people have started this journey and stopped somewhere along the way, only to pick up sometime later.

My advice is this: Don’t stop. There’s always something new to learn. SEO was like a corner of the house you sweep that your duster doesn’t touch when cleaning the house. These past months I’ve been reading and studying about it and my feet don’t feel as wobbly as it did at first, even though its a broad and complex topic. At least I know my way around it more.

The same goes for storytelling, social media strategy and email marketing. Not to talk of Book related topics. There’s an infinite amount of information in the online world that is just out there waiting for me. And I just love the process it takes.

If you notice, all of this process are connected to each other. One step affects the next one. On the whole I feel I’ve embarked on a journey that’s both challenging and present with lots of opportunity. It sure requires lots of brain work and takes up most of my free time, buy in the nearest future I’ll look back and see that it was all worth it.

Do you have a blog?

Have you worked for a blog before?Which valuable lessons have you learnt from it that you’ll love others to benefit from? Do share with us in the comments box below

Seven Secrets Of Writing An Irresistible Book Description.

By thewriterscorner | December 9, 2019 | Comments 1 comment

Are you planning on writing a Book? Here are Top 7 Tips you can use to write a book description that sells.

Most at times, a book cover is one of the first thing that catches the eyes of the reader and makes them stop to take a second look at your book. But a books description convinces them to buy that book, hence the more reason you need to write a books description that sells, most especially if it’s an ebook.

Flyer of 7 Tips to write a book description that sells.

Sometimes, we find it hard to put together the right words that best captivated our readers. But not to worry, in this article I’ll guide you through the things you need to consider while writing your book description as well as give you a simple template for a book description that sells.

First of all, What’s a Book Description?

A Book Description is a Write up that is usually found on the back of a book or within the shelves of a book. In ebooks, you find them on the books purchasing page along with the book cover and price. The main purpose of the book’s description is to hook readers in and captivate them long enough to buy the book. It is also referred to as the Book Blurb.

Here are top 7 tips that are very essential in writing a book description that sells.

1. KNOW YOUR GENRE / CATEGORY

The content and writing style differs for every genre of book you’re describing. The best way to get a good idea of your genre’s book description is to run a quick search within your genre to see what others have done.

Using a content style that is common to one’s genre cannot be applicable to other genres as it will end up confusing the buyers. Intrigue and suspense, as well as plot twists that are used in fiction books, will not tell you anything about a business book. Also, bullet points that work well in business book descriptions will not convince buyers searching for a DIY book that will solve their problems. Children’s book descriptions and poetry book descriptions are a different field entirely.

To start, begin by documenting the best book blurb for your book category by researching other books in the same category.

2. PROVIDE THE ANSWERS YOU READERS ARE ASKING

There’s a reason why your readers are in search of your book in the first place. It could be to acquire more knowledge about a particular topic or for entertainment’s sake, whatever it is there’s always a reason. It’s now your job to define the problems of these readers with an accompanying answer to how your book will be of help to them.

You’ve probably carried out this research already before you started writing your book. Now is the time to bring it up again LINK Are you bothered about how you’re going to promote your book.

For example, you’re a Nutritionist who wants to make more money by selling your expertise and knowledge in ebook form to those who can’t afford your consultancy fees. The first thing you need to do is find out what these people truly want, it could be weight loss tips or a meal plan for a diabetic patient. Whatever their problems, mention how your book will help them achieve that goal, even if your book provides illustrations and nutrition advice on losing weight, tell them in your book description that the answer is in your book.

3. BEGIN WITH A HOOK

Grab their attention with the first sentence of your books description. You could start by using something dramatic or an intriguing question that sets their mind spinning, it could be anything that establishes you as an authority in that field. If your first sentence is dry or dull, there’s every possibility that your readers won’t read the rest of your books description.

4. LURE YOUR READERS IN WITHOUT GIVING AWAY MUCH

Remember that the major purpose of a books description is to highlight the reasons why your readers should be reading your book rather than what the book contains. You want to tell them enough about your tips and steps for non fiction books or plots and twists for fiction books, such that they’ll be eager for more. But you don’t give up all your secrets and contents as this might render the book useless at the end of the day.

Rather you entice them with all the book entails in bits and pieces so that they’ll find it hard to resist buying your book. Tease them with little snippets.

5. YOUR DESCRIPTION SHOULD FALL WITHIN 100 – 250 WORDS

According to the Amazon Book description guidelines, your book description should fall between 100 – 250 words, which could be approximately a 150 word paragraph. Some writers get over enthusiastic in trying to convince readers that their book is the only solution and they go overboard with their description. An average persons attention span is very short most importantly when it involves a buying decision. So try keeping it short and straight to the point.

6. WRITE MORE THAN ONE BOOK DESCRIPTION

After you finish writing your initial book description, write another one. Since they are short writings, you can write out different descriptions of that same book using different tones and content style. Show them to your friends and followers, and get their feedback.

If you’re selling your book as an ebook on Amazon, you can easily change the description at any time you choose as it’s going to be speaking to your readers differently at different times, so you can see which one is getting you more sales. You can change it at a weeks interval to try this out.

7. ADOPT THIS TEMPLATE FOR A BOOK DESCRIPTION THAT SELLS

Here’s the template I promised to give you in a simplified manner.

Revelation

Introduce the characters and the setting with a tone that matches the description. For non fiction, the main character may be the expert author, so you can start by establishing the authors expertise. For fiction, in one or two sentences you introduce your protagonist and the setting. The focus of your book could be your readers, struggling businesses, overweight ladies etc. Start by letting them know that this book is about them and for them.

Conflict and Climax

If there were no problem to solve, then your book wouldn’t be necessary. While some conflict could be external like overcoming a challenge or surviving a situation, others could be internal like overcoming grief or making life – changing decisions. For non fiction, you can describe some problems that your readers are facing and how your book solves them. For fiction, you’ll simply tell your readers how the plot thickens with apparently unsolvable problems in your novel. Here’s where you make your readers feel that your book is relatable.

Resolution

Now you give your readers comfort and solutions after after making them uncomfortable. You give them hope by letting them know the solutions are in your book. For non fiction, you can use bullet points to list some of the ways your book is the solution to their problems. For fiction, you may mention possible scenarios to draw your readers in until buying your book becomes the only option.

The idea is to simply let them know that this book is what they’ve been looking for, that it holds the solution to their problems as well as getting satisfied after buying it.

Writing a good book description will no longer be hard as it seems once you learn and put these 7 tips into practice. Start now by researching your favorite books from authors in your genre then make samples of them. Now, what’s stopping you from writing yours? Do share with us in the comments box, so we can help you better.

ARE YOU READY TO PLAN YOUR EMAIL MARKETING STRATEGY? HERE’S HOW TO DO SO IN 4 EASY STEPS

By thewriterscorner | December 3, 2019 | Comments 0 Comment

Its a great decision you’ve taken to plan your email strategy especially as the New Year is around the corner. But before you start sending out emails to growing your list, you must have a solid plan. With a mapped out plan you’ll have a greater sense of direction.

According to research conducted by Content Marketing Institute, 62% of businesses that document their Content Marketing Strategy consider it to be effective, compared to 32% of business who didn’t document their processes believe it’s effective.

Keeping records of your email strategy means you’ll be more likely to stick with it, target the right people and achieve your goals. This is one of the 5 powerful ways to monetize your blog and make money online. In this post I’ll be sharing four simple steps you should take in planning your email marketing strategy so you can use this plan and make your business bloom.

CREATE SMART GOALS

Without a goal, there’s nothing you can achieve. A good goal is a SMART goal. Which is an acronym that stands for:

S – SPECIFIC: Make sure your goals contain enough details about how you plan to achieve them. Avoid being vague.

M – MEASURABLE: You should be able to measure your goals using numbers or figures.

A – ATTAINABLE: When creating your goals, make sure it is achievable within your specific budget.

R – REALISTIC: Your goals should be within your means and reach.

T – TIME FRAME: Attach a date for the completion of your goal.

Let’s take the example below for instance:

I will grow my email list to 100 subscribers in the next 6 months by reaching out to my personal connections and asking them to join my list and also by adding a sign up form to my website.

This is a SMART goal. Its specific because it describes what you’ll like to do and how you plan to do it which is through personal connections and sign up forms. It is also measurable as it explains the number of subscribers you’d like to attain (100) in 6 months time, making it time bound.

So make sure to create goals that are realistic and achievable for you based on your current resources.

CHOOSE YOUR EMAIL MARKETING GOALS

Are you confused about the kind of goals to set for your email marketing strategy? You cold start by by writing down a list of areas you’d like to improve on, and if you’re just starting, you can start by focusing on the following:

Growing your email list: Having a larger email list increase your chances of building relationships with more people. You can tell them about your businesses and motivate them to purchase a product or service.

Getting more subscribers to respond to your emails: When more subscribers respond to your emails, you communicate with them directly and build relationships that could encourage them to buy.

Asking subscribers for feedbacks and applying that feedback: When you apply the feedbacks gotten from your subscribers, it helps you in creating more valuable emails for them that could increase your click-through and conversion rate.

Improving your email click-through rate: When your email click-through rates are high, its a sign that people like your content and business, which increase the chances of them buying from you.

These are some of the ideas you could start with for your email marketing goals.

DEFINE YOUR IDEAL AUDIENCE

Now it’s time to determine who your ideal subscriber is and create a persona for this subscriber. By doing so, you’ll be able to attract the right audience to your email lists and encourage them to sigh up, then you’ll be able to write email content that’s relevant to them and helps solve their problems.

Some questions your customer persona should include are:

What is your ideal customer like? Are they make or female? Or both? Are they married or single? What are their interests? Where do they reside? What do they do for a living? What are their goals? What are their problems and needs? What type of content do they consume?What could prevent them from buying your product/service?

With these information and any other you come up with, you’ll be able to create a Customer Persona that can help you attract the right subscribers who are ready to engage with you.

CREATE YOUR EMAIL MARKETING STRATEGY

Now it’s time to create your email marketing strategy. You can either write it down in a note book or using Google Docs. First of all, write down your email marketing goals in this document, make sure your goals are SMART. Next write down your completed Customer Persona in this document and be sure your goals are in line with it.

Ask yourself if your goals will help you attract your ideal customer. You can still add any other goals that’ll bring you closer to your ideal customer. Then Brainstorm.

Once you’re done it’s advisable to print this document out as a reference when deciding what content to send your subscribers, how often to send emails, how to grow your list and how to measure success.

To get started, use the information in your document to guide you. First would be to create a sign up form for your website or writing your first auto responder series. Then use your Customer Persona to write and design contents that speaks to your audience’s problems and needs. To see more blogging trends Click here.

I hope you find this information useful. Kindly share with us other strategies you’re using for your email marketing that we’ll find useful in the comments box.

YOU SAY YOU ARE A PROFESSIONAL WRITER: HERE ARE 5 SIMPLE AND EFFECTIVE WRITING SKILLS YOU NEED

By thewriterscorner | December 1, 2019 | Comments 0 Comment

You don’t just wake up and decide you are a writer. It needs practise, lots of it. Although, writing daily alone does not guarantee that your writing skills will improve, you need to get familiar with the different basic writing skills.

In today’s digital world, if you don’t have a writing skill you are still a learner. Yes, a learner. The skill of writing is very important when it involves marketing your content online. A well crafted content can sway your clients and readers more than millions of posts or articles.

The good news here is that you can brush up on the basics of writing on a regular basis. In this article, I’ll be sharing with you 5 simple and effective writing skills that’ll help you improve the quality of your writing as soon as possible.

1. Pen down your First Draft

You will agree with me that your first drafts are not always great most times. So when you own down your first draft, give yourself the opportunity to flow with the words and edit them later on. But the important thing is to let your thoughts flow freely. As soon as you’re through writing, you can go over your work later and edit it to your taste.

2. Be expressive in Stating your Opinion

Sometimes when I’m surfing the internet and I’m yet to see what I want I quickly log out to find something more productive to do because most of the contents are dull are dull and boring. This happens when some bloggers forget to share their opinions in their writing.

Writing on a blog doesn’t have to be all formal, even if you’re writing about a serious topic or a news article. You can also be creative by expressing your ideas in a completely different manner.

3. Get a Writing Partner

No matter how good a Writer you are, you still need to get a second opinion about your content. A writing partner could simply be a friend or a writer like yourself who’ll review your content and point out areas that needs improvements.

A good idea is for you to join writing communities and attend writing workshops where you’ll network with dedicated writers of different levels.

4. Use Relatable Words

It’s fine and good to have a very powerful vocabulary. But it might be annoying to some readers who are seeking to understand and relate with your content.

Your vocabulary should be based on the type of audience you have and their level of understanding. Imagine speaking to a 15 year old teenager in the way you’ll speak to a 40 year old adult.

Most beginner writers often make this mistake in their bid to impress their audience and exercise authority. But the best way actually, is to be yourself in all simplicity.

5. Develop your Unique Writing Style

Competition abounds everywhere a particular skill is in high demand, most especially Writing. There are so many content out here on the internet, that the only way to know if your readers read your articles over others is because they’re sincerely following you.

As a Writer, you need to develop your unique writing style, tone of writing and skill to deliver your message across. I always tell my students how I want go hear their voice when I’m reading a piece of their content.

Even if you’re new to writing, you’ll eventually find your voice and as you gain experience with more practise, you’ll eventually develop your unique writing style.

The skill of writing cannot be over emphasised in every content marketing strategy. The mode in which you lass across your message to your readers will determine the success or failure of your strategy. Apply these 5 simple and effective writing skills to spice up your writing skills and kindly give us a feedback.

What other strategies do you use and how effective have they been for you? Please share with us in the comment box.

Month: December 2019