Today I am taking a great post from Adam Connell’s blog, Blogging Wizard, and developing a formula from it that will help me to create better content on my own blog. Click here to see the blog or keep reading to see the formula to great marketing copy.
Some things that I noticed in the Blogging Wizard’s post…
The opening sentence of his post is: “I know how it is.” So, he immediately relates himself to the audience. He is talking directly to the reader, even in the opening of the post.
Each point is directed to the reader. Many of the subtitles begin by calling you out and telling you what you need to do.
Every point is big and bold, and each subtitle is just as catching as the title of the post. It lets you know what he is about to tell you, in an attention-grabbing manner.
Adam follows every negative with a positive. Example: “Perfection can paralyze but it doesn’t have to.” - 15 Thing I Wish I Had Known Before I Started Blogging
Adam ends his post by addressing the reader.
The formula…
Start off by connecting yourself, or your services, to the reader.
Make the impact of every point the reader’s situation.
Be short and to the point, expressing only what is relevant to your audience.
Give your reader a brighter picture.
Close with what you really want the reader to take away, or do, after they finish reading.
Does the key fit?
Here is a post I wrote to test the formula:
5 Tips That Will Make You More Successful
I get it. The life of a dreamer can be hard.
You came up with an awesome new idea, and you are itching to start pursuing it professionally.
Just when you open the metaphorical door to creativity, you start to question if you have what it takes to go all in.
That hesitation is a siren’s call.
In this post I am giving you, free of charge, five bits of wisdom to help you snap out of the seductive trance known as: hesitation.
Stop settling for comfort.
As I am writing this, I’m picturing you as a hobbit.
Hobbits like to be comfortable. They hate adventures because they are so wildly uncomfortable, that no bribe could sway them to participate in one.
I know so many people who have dreams and goals that they aren’t willing to sacrifice for. They’re too comfortable where they are.
What you will find as you pursue anything in life, is that human nature will be your biggest enemy. You have to battle the inner parts of you that are comfortable without success. You have to overcome yourself, and it won’t happen through willpower.
Get uncomfortable now.
I’m telling you, set yourself up. Throw, or rather gently lay, all of your eggs down in one basket.
If you make your well-being dependent on your success, or the pursuit of what you love, you will be successful.
Bilbo Baggins did not just wake up one day, and start living out his full potential. He made his life’s story dependent on the adventure. If it had not been necessary for Bilbo to continue with his quest, he would have gone home to his comfortable hobbit hole.
If you want to be successful in anything, you need to abandon the comfort that keeps you “safe.” The comfort is what distracts you from the adventure.
Don’t be a hobbit.
The problem: “I had a great idea, but I forgot it.” The answer: “Reinforce your memory.”
One of the downfalls to my creative nature is my disorganization.
I love to forget things. I love to hear whispers of inspiration, and let them ignite ideas inside of me, only to let those ideas drift away in the wind.
It’s like walking into battle with absolutely no one standing ready to follow.
Be a commander of your creativity.
It is actually easy to back yourself up. Instead of forgetting your ideas, you can write them down.
Download a notepad, or carry some sticky notes.
If you take the time to invest in a process (reinforced memory), that process will do the work for you. You will never be left without a launch pad for your projects and ideas.
You can’t win if you don’t play.
I like this nugget of reality.
Have you ever complained: “I want it so badly, but it just won’t happen for me.” ? Well, if you have, then you’re correct.
Success will never happen for you.
There is one simple thing that separates unsuccessful you from successful you:
Successful you shows up every day.
That’s all it is. Show up to work for it, and you’ll achieve it.
Have realistic expectations, and you will succeed.
If you expect to become famous overnight, you are setting yourself up for failure.
In contrast, if you set expectations that you can reach, you prepare yourself for success.
“What we need are positive, realistic goals and the willingness to work. Hard work and practical goals.”
Setting unreasonable goals prevents you from accomplishing anything at all. The best thing to do is take baby steps.
A baby’s first steps are brave and challenging. Even if they seem small, the baby has to learn to walk before it can run.
In terms of professional success, we’re all babies. So, set the goal of walking before you start to run.
Failure teaches you what success doesn’t look like.
This is important for everyone to understand. Failure is not just a setback. Failure is the process of elimination.
Only when we have failed can we say what true success is.
“I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again. That is why I succeed.”
Dreams, without actions, are just delusions.
Spend a week following some of these tips, and you will see what it means to find success.
Am I a wizard now?
Now that you have seen me implement the formula, what do you think? Let me know in the comments if you think I’ve cracked it.