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Writing Etc./Filbert Publishing News – February 1, 2012
ISSN: 1545-5580
Make Your Writing Sparkle. Write Killer Queries, Get Published.
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keep reading, it's all in this e-mail. Enjoy!
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Notes from Minnesota
Hey Freelancer!
Today's all about headlines, book titles, article titles and how these little gems can make or break your
project. Give your piece the wrong title and boom... you're dead in the water. Seriously, you are.
Thing is, it's tough to properly test a title because once the book is out, you really can't change it. Once
your article is published you can't go back and change it. If you're working with a sales piece, you can run split
tests to see which idea pulls in more sales, but wow... you've really got to know what you're doing when you're
titling a project.
So, that's what we're covering today. I hope you find it helpful and don't make the common mistakes most
freelancers make when creating their titles.
Write on,
Beth :)
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Does Selling Your Writing Leave You
Perplexed?
As a freelancer, it's all about connection: Connecting with your reader. Connecting with a potential editor.
Connecting with publishers.
If you miss that all important connection, you will not land the assignment. You won't sell the book. The
article will go unread.
You can follow every single “top secret” formula, craft your queries to a "t" and make your proposals shine. But
if you miss that all important connection with your reader, all is lost.
In my latest book set, “Advice to Freelance Writers: Insider Secrets to Effective Shoestring Marketing, Managing
a Winning Mindset, and Thriving in Any Economy,” I cover all this and more. Plus, I throw in five audio CDs that
cover dealing with negativity, how to handle change, awakening your muse, marketing 101, and the top freelance
questions answered.
Click here: http://filbertpublishing.com/creative.html
P.S. Remember, you'll not only receive three full-length books, but you'll also receive the five audio CDs
covering everything you need to get your writing career humming well.
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Who Else Wants A Compelling
Headline/Title?
Beth Ann Erickson
Without a doubt, your headline is the most important part of your sales message. Many copywriters spend hours…
days… weeks writing headline after headline, trying to come up with the one magic gem that’ll boost response to
incredible levels.
Entire libraries can be filled with tips, tips, and techniques that’ll help you write stronger headlines.
However I can provide you a brief overview of this complex subject.
As you begin writing, frame your mind around “benefits.” Benefits should be first and foremost in your mind
whenever you write any sales message.
Forget your book. Forget your bio. Toss out any thought except these:
What will my book do for my reader?
What is the primary benefit my readers will receive when they read this?
Answer this question in a compelling way and you’ll sell books. Tons of ‘em.
That being said, I need to make one more thing very clear: You may not know what your primary benefit is right
away. That’s why the best marketers test, test, and test some more. They’re also voracious researchers. More about
that in a bit. But first, let’s talk testing.
Testing, although a fairly complex subject, can be broken down like this: Suppose you have two headline ideas.
Love ‘em both. Can’t decide which to use.
Well, use ‘em both. Send half your list to one sales letter using one headline, the other half to the other
headline. The headline that pulls in the most orders will become the headline you use. Rather simple, eh?
Ok. I admit it. This is a grossly simplified version of testing, but it works. You can tweak this method and
keep testing various ads. And even when you have a clear winner, you’ll want to keep tweaking your ad, honing your
headline, you never want an ad to become stale. Just keep tweaking and testing and your sales will steadily climb.
But I’m getting a little ahead of myself here. Back to writing headlines.
I mentioned earlier that great copywriters are voracious researchers. This is true because as you get immersed
in your book, you’ll sometimes lose sight of your audience. You know a ton about your subject. In fact, you’re
probably the resident expert. Such an expert, in fact, that it’s likely you’ve become slightly myopic about your
reader.
A basic mistake book marketers make is assuming that they resemble their readership. Think about it for a
moment. You’ve spend (sometimes) years researching a subject. As you progress through the writing process of your
book, this information literally steeps into your blood cells. It becomes a part of who you are.
Meanwhile, your potential readers are padoodling through their lives, in all likelihood not giving you or your
book, or (sometimes) your subject a second thought. In other words, while you’re immersing yourself in your subject
matter, your potential reader is knee deep, concerned about themselves in their own life, their own challenges,
their own routine.
While you’re entire world view is shifting to accommodate this new knowledge you’re acquiring, your potential
readership isn’t. This means that information you now view as “common knowledge” is anything but. You’re now
viewing the world through a new set of eyes, while your potential audience probably isn’t.
What does all this mean to your internet sales page?
Everything.
After you’ve written your book, got it published, and it’s now available for sale, you must once again become
the person you were before you started writing. You have to somehow plug into the psyche of your reader and pull
their emotional strings.
You need to acknowledge your expertise while still viewing the world through your reader’s eyes. And your sales
page must reflect this. You need to know your audience inside and out. You need to understand what makes them tick.
What keeps them up at night? What are their fondest dreams? What do they desire above all else?
Your headline must instantly connect with your reader and address these issues.
You get to know your audience in this way by reading what they read. Watch what they watch. Speak their
language. Talk to them. Surf to their favorite websites. Ask what they want. Then GIVE IT TO THEM. Know them inside
and out. Once you do this, your headline will be closer to the mark… but you’ll still need to test, test, and test
some more. Does all this sound like work? Of course it does.
Marketing isn’t for the faint hearted. In fact, most authors don’t give this information a second thought,
instead relying on something outside of themselves to sell their book without any effort.
This sounds somewhat depressing, but it’s good news for you. Because those who apply a little effort into
marketing stand a much better chance at success.
So, let’s get back to it.
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Need more in depth information about headlines and titles? Want more information on selling your writing? Click
http://filbertpublishing.com/creative.html and nab the
three volume set (plus five CDs) for a super reduced price (while I still have a stack of 'em in my office).
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You can use any of these articles free of charge on your own website or zine. Just don’t make any changes and be
sure to include this byline:
This article is courtesy of Filbert Publishing. Make your writing sparkle, write killer queries, get published.
Subscribe to Writing Etc., the free e-mag for freelancers and receive the e-book “Power Queries.” http://filbertpublishing.com
Enjoy!
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