Copyblogger Weekly Wrap

My birthday was on Wednesday (I turned 17 and my dad says I can drive his car to the prom – SCORE!), and I got about fifty billion of those little Facebook notifications of people writing on my wall to say Happy Birthday. Got a ton of tweets saying the same. And now I think I get it. Mark Zuckerberg isn’t any kind of a genius who recognized the need for a comprehensive network of interpersonal connections.

Clearly he was just a guy whose birthday was perpetually forgotten.

Anyway, consider that as you read social media posts here on Copyblogger. Rather than asking whether what you’re doing will expand your reach, instead ask if it’ll get you more birthday salutations.

Here’s what happened this week on Copyblogger:

Monday:

How a Single Bullet Can Get a Customer to Buy

This post is about the power of outstanding, compelling bullet points in copy, and how just one great bullet point can make a sale, but I found myself instead thinking about silver bullets. A silver bullet wouldn’t get you to buy, but it would keep werewolves away. NOTE: I once went running under a full moon and actually had the thought that the pepper spray I carry for angry dogs wouldn’t stop werewolves.

Read the full post here.

Tuesday:

109 Ways to Make Your Business Irresistible to the Media

Posts like this one are always painful for me because I can’t stop thinking about the insane amount of work that goes into them. You want 109 ways to make your business irresistible to the media? Well, guess how many fully fleshed-out ways there are in this post to do just that? That’s right: thirty-seven. Or possibly more.

Read the full post here.

Wednesday:

The Simple 5-Step Formula for Effective Online Content

This is a really good post about how to create content that will help grow your business… the Copyblogger way. Some of it’s advice you’ve probably heard before but could stand to hear again, and some of it feels totally fresh. And sure, it’ll help you develop a good content marketing strategy, but the big question is: Why was there no mention of werewolves? Every other post this week besides Tuesday’s, Thursday’s, and Friday’s had a strong werewolf focus. Let’s keep on task here, people.

Read the full post here.

Thursday:

Write Better Copy with Set-ups, Open Loops, and Emotional Payoffs

This post about seducing your audience by first setting them up and then paying them off is pretty awesome once you realize that there’s no lust, sting operations, or bribery required. Want to deliver an emotional “big payoff” that will entice readers and keep them coming back? Well, you’ve got to do the steps beforehand that build tension and make the payoff possible. Also learned: Why I need to start wearing fake pearls more often.

Read the full post here.

Friday:

The Critical Online Marketing Question You Need to Answer … Now

I’ve heard the crux of this episode of the IMfSP podcast called “Shiny Object Syndrome,” and I really like that expression because it conjures up much funnier imagery than does any talk of “fad strategies” that distract you from doing the things that matter in your business. Imagine a guy looking around and saying, “Ooh, shiny!” every few seconds and then ask yourself if you want to be that guy. Because if you do, you’re definitely a party and I want to meet you.

Read the full post here.

This week’s cool links:How to Attract Clients and Fill Your Coaching Practice Using Blogging and Content Marketing: This is a really good post on building up coaching as a service, but what’s not mentioned here is that Chris Garrett admits to having “no skills” at playing Rock Band.12 Insider Techniques to Increase White Paper Leads: This post nails what I think is the problem with most white paper marketing: there has never been a more boring phrase than “white paper.” So here’s how to make them more interesting and compelling.It’s arrogant NOT to promote your business: “Keeping it real” and believing that your stuff is so awesome that it doesn’t need promotion is pretty arrogant. Promotion and marketing are the way to go for anyone who wants to get noticed and not be all haughty and jerky.Silos, Facebook Advertising, and Opportunity: You should read this post because it contains the sentence, “Facebook is the Justin Bieber of social media, so hot you start to question when the other shoe is going to drop.”

About the Author: Johnny B. Truant specializes in selling through stories and is the proud creator of The Badass Project, a site profiling amazing people who make your excuses look stupid.

TweetShare--> Copyblogger runs on the Genesis Framework

Genesis empowers you to quickly build incredible websites with WordPress. Whether you're a novice or advanced developer, Genesis provides the secure and search-optimized foundation that takes WordPress to places you never thought it could go.

Take advantage of the 6 default layout options, comprehensive SEO settings, rock-solid security, flexible theme options, cool custom widgets, custom design hooks, and a huge selection of child themes ("skins") that make your Genesis site look the way you want it to. With automatic theme updates and world-class support included, Genesis is the smart choice for your WordPress website or blog.

Find out more about the framework featuresCheck out the Genesis demo and the variety of child themesSee example designs in the Genesis design showcaseHire a brilliant developer to build your Genesis websiteBookmark and Promote!Like this post on FacebookSubscribe to CopybloggerBookmark on del.icio.usDigg this postStumble this postFurther Reading: Week of March 14, 2011: Week of November 29, 2010: Week of January 11, 2011: Week of February 14, 2011: Week of December 6, 2010Comments By submitting a comment below, you agree to stick to our comment policy.

Danny Iny says: March 26, 2011 at 1:36 pm

Thanks for the wrap-up, Johnny, and for this week’s cool links. I haven’t seen that feature before – is it new, or have I just been sleep-reading too many posts?

ReplyBrian Clark says: March 26, 2011 at 2:20 pm

It’s always there Danny, but by that time Johnny has usually offended or annoyed the bulk of the readership.

ReplyDanny Iny says: March 26, 2011 at 2:21 pm

Well, I’m going to make sure to pay more attention!

ReplyFisayo Sanyaolu says: March 26, 2011 at 1:42 pm

Great summary of the week Johnny, i’m glad I didn’t miss any of the articles.

ReplyJean Gogolin says: March 26, 2011 at 2:24 pm

Wearing fake pearls would only help if you looked like Jackie K. O. You don’t, do you?

ReplyKiki Polglase says: March 26, 2011 at 3:04 pm

Must irritate you and first send you my belated Birthday wishes…

Thank you for the weekly wrap, I like the feeling of having it all in one flow. First time I had a really good laugh whilst reading a developmental/learning curve blog… Birthday flood indeed.

All joking aside, I like and appreciate your crisp and still chatty style. Lot of the ‘stuff’ I am signed up to either washes over my head or is a sales hype even I am able to look through by now. x

ReplyJohnny B. Truant says: March 26, 2011 at 3:44 pm

I’m all about the “get you hooked and dupe you into continuing to read” style.

(Emoticon redacted.)

ReplyKiki Polglase says: March 26, 2011 at 3:47 pm

I think you have ‘hooked’ me… things are SLOWLY sinking in and making sense…Thank you ! x

ReplyBazil Osevin says: March 27, 2011 at 2:44 pm

Great weekly wrap glad I really liked the post on “How a Single Bullet Can Get a Customer to Buy”

ReplyGeoffrey Gordon says: March 28, 2011 at 12:44 am

Hey Guys
I love getting your content in my mail box everyday, but i don’t get to read it daily. I wanted to know is there a way that i could just subscribe to your weekly wrap.

Thanks

ReplyGeoffrey Gordon says: March 30, 2011 at 4:45 am

No to be a pain but non response from above request?

ReplyJohnny B. Truant says: March 30, 2011 at 5:23 am

I’ve seen Brian answer this before so I’ll take it… there’s currently no way to subscribe JUST to the wrap-up via RSS. Sorry!

ReplySpeak Your Mind Cancel replyName *

Email *

Website

Notify me of followup comments via e-mail

Enter your e-mail:

more info →

139,695 subscribers

75,472 people follow Copyblogger on Twitter.

Popular ArticlesWhy You Can’t Make Money Blogging 307The Two Most Important Words in Blogging 219Is Your Tribe Holding You Down? 256The Mad Men Guide to Changing the World with Words 137How Twitter Makes You A Better Writer 304The 7 Deadly Sins of Blogging 29750 Can’t-Fail Techniques for Finding Great Blog Topics 160Do You Make These 7 Mistakes When You Write? 423The #1 Conversion Killer in Your Copy (And How to Beat It) 21010 Effective Ways to Get More Blog Subscribers 38160 Ways to Increase Your Influence Online 149The 8 Habits of Highly Effective Bloggers 256How to Use Twitter to Grow Your Business 403SEO Copywriting: The Five Essential Elements to Focus On 161Four Steps to Finding Your Ideal Writing Voice 170Ten Timeless Persuasive Writing Techniques 227Ernest Hemingway’s Top 5 Tips For Writing Well 3158 Incredibly Simple Ways to Get More People to Read Your Content 1995 Steps to Going Viral on Twitter 303Do You Recognize These 10 Mental Blocks to Creative Thinking? 288How to Be Interesting 291How to Increase Your Blog Subscription Rate by 254% 209The Eminem Guide to Becoming a Writing and Marketing Machine 212How to Get 6,312 Subscribers to Your Business Blog in One Day 1665 Simple Ways to Open Your Blog Post With a Bang 3977 Ways to Improve Your Writing … Right Now 150How to Write Ebooks That Sell 2278 Bad Habits that Crush Your Creativity And Stifle Your Success 185109 Ways to Make Your Business Irresistible to the Media 12911 Smart Tips for Brilliant Writing 142Did you notice how fast this site is?

Copyblogger is accelerated by NetDNA Content Delivery Network.

Copyblogger

Copyright © 2006-2011 Copyblogger Media, LLC

Powered by the Genesis Framework for WordPress