If you use your email frequently, you might as well get paid for it! We Pay Mail is a PTR (paid-to-read) program that's been around for a couple of years. They pay up super-fast and have a low pay-out of $5.00.
We Pay Mail won't make you rich by any stretch of the imagination. However, if you're like me and could use some extra cash for things like gasoline or pet food, you should definitely look into it. At the very least, paid-to-read programs will add to your bottom line :)
Monday
Is The Ebook Movement Suffering Because of Sub Par Writers?
Some time ago, I received an email from an IM who said they were having trouble breaking into print. The...entire...email...was...written...exactly...like...this...
Can...you...imagine...reading...this...email...? Reading this aloud, I sounded like a low-budget version of Sylvester Stallone. I hope their pitches to editors weren't written like that. If so, it would explain a lot...
That's a mild offense compared to an ebook I read that was written completely omitting commas some periods syntax and basic structure had missssspellings und was ver dffcut to red. I had no idea where one thought ended and another began.
Are your eyes sore yet? That nagging little editor in me wants to lash out at someone!
My concern is this: are these "average Joe" writers having a negative impact on the ebook movement? I read a blog post that said, "most ebooks are crap." I don't know if they were talking about ebook content or ebook writers specifically. Since I'm in the process of finishing my ebook, this concerned me.
The sad truth is this: not every person is a writer. Sounds rather uncomplicated, right? It seems that people who long to communicate their thoughts also long to communicate via the written word. This is understandable, but can be an ugly situation.
You don't have to be the Shakespeare of the Internet. I'm only saying that a little high school English review goes a long way. Being conversational is fine; being grammatically lazy is not fine.
Can...you...imagine...reading...this...email...? Reading this aloud, I sounded like a low-budget version of Sylvester Stallone. I hope their pitches to editors weren't written like that. If so, it would explain a lot...
That's a mild offense compared to an ebook I read that was written completely omitting commas some periods syntax and basic structure had missssspellings und was ver dffcut to red. I had no idea where one thought ended and another began.
Are your eyes sore yet? That nagging little editor in me wants to lash out at someone!
My concern is this: are these "average Joe" writers having a negative impact on the ebook movement? I read a blog post that said, "most ebooks are crap." I don't know if they were talking about ebook content or ebook writers specifically. Since I'm in the process of finishing my ebook, this concerned me.
The sad truth is this: not every person is a writer. Sounds rather uncomplicated, right? It seems that people who long to communicate their thoughts also long to communicate via the written word. This is understandable, but can be an ugly situation.
You don't have to be the Shakespeare of the Internet. I'm only saying that a little high school English review goes a long way. Being conversational is fine; being grammatically lazy is not fine.
Ezine Articles Resource Boxes
What makes for a killer resource box when article marketing? I've always either been too PBS-news-report-y or too traveling-sales-woman-y. Striking a balance is incredibly difficult for me. Because of this, I've been using the Aunt A.I.D.A. technique.
Attention
Interest
Desire
Action
First, I try to really grab their attention. This is really hard because my readers are usually in a complete trance after reading my articles. What can I say? I'm just that good...hehehe.
Next, I pique their interest. I normally use a question for this, but I want to test some other ways to go about it.
If they're still reading, I've got to hit this one outta the ball park. Really knock their socks off and make them almost salivate over and desire what you're offering. Rough example: a beginner golfer may not be interested in advanced techniques that will rev up their game in less than 24 hours, but a frequent golfer who's sick of losing to his/her buddies might be.
Hopefully, you were able to see where I was trying to go with that example. Throughout the preceding sentences, you'd really target that person, your target market.
Note: The above example may sound a bit too much like a sales letter, but the objective and general means are the same. You want the prospect to click your link for more information, so you use descriptive language. Easy-breezy formula, right?
Which leads me to the final ingredient (can ya smell what I'm cookin'?), action. If the prospect has kept reading through the previous sentences of your resource box, tell 'em what to do next. Er, I mean suggest what they should do next.
For example, in our golfer scenario, we might write something like, "If this sounds good to you, and you know it does, head over to My Golf Stroke Sucks to check out even more free information to get you swingin'." Sorry, I couldn't help myself. It may seem crude, but my CTR is about 50% using this simple strategy. Be sure to use anchor text (a.k.a. your target keyword) and not just the name of your website like I did.
There are A LOT of people doing much better than me in that respect, but if you're struggling with your CTR, give it a try and build on it.
Attention
Interest
Desire
Action
First, I try to really grab their attention. This is really hard because my readers are usually in a complete trance after reading my articles. What can I say? I'm just that good...hehehe.
Next, I pique their interest. I normally use a question for this, but I want to test some other ways to go about it.
If they're still reading, I've got to hit this one outta the ball park. Really knock their socks off and make them almost salivate over and desire what you're offering. Rough example: a beginner golfer may not be interested in advanced techniques that will rev up their game in less than 24 hours, but a frequent golfer who's sick of losing to his/her buddies might be.
Hopefully, you were able to see where I was trying to go with that example. Throughout the preceding sentences, you'd really target that person, your target market.
Note: The above example may sound a bit too much like a sales letter, but the objective and general means are the same. You want the prospect to click your link for more information, so you use descriptive language. Easy-breezy formula, right?
Which leads me to the final ingredient (can ya smell what I'm cookin'?), action. If the prospect has kept reading through the previous sentences of your resource box, tell 'em what to do next. Er, I mean suggest what they should do next.
For example, in our golfer scenario, we might write something like, "If this sounds good to you, and you know it does, head over to My Golf Stroke Sucks to check out even more free information to get you swingin'." Sorry, I couldn't help myself. It may seem crude, but my CTR is about 50% using this simple strategy. Be sure to use anchor text (a.k.a. your target keyword) and not just the name of your website like I did.
There are A LOT of people doing much better than me in that respect, but if you're struggling with your CTR, give it a try and build on it.
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