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Grow Your Audience With Guest Blogging

May 29, 2017 by Karin Beery Leave a Comment

When you want to expand your audience, consider tapping in to someone else’s.

In order to expand your on-line reach, you need to get your content in front of more people: the more people who know about you, the better your chances for getting noticed. But how do you expand your audience?

You could buy followers on Twitter and Facebook, but those aren’t quality leads (which just wastes money). You could trying following everyone and everything on social media, but (again!) those won’t be quality leads, so you’ll end up wasting time.

One simple way to grow your audience is to tap in to someone else’s. You can do that by writing guest posts for other people’s blogs. Don’t ask just anyone with a blog, though. Be strategic in who you contact. These three tips will help you make the most of your guest post.

1. Make sure their blog is relevant to what you do. Sharing recipes on a mommy blog will get your name out there, but it won’t show your expertise as a graphic designer. If your goal is to promote your brand, keep your blog posts relevant. Look for people in your industry or in the industries you service.
2. Make sure they have an audience. If there are only six people reading the blog and the author doesn’t share links via social media, you’re probably wasting your time. The goal is to help get your name out there. If another blog has thousands of readers, plus they tweet all posts out to their tens-of-thousands of Twitter followers, pitch them an idea.
3. Make sure you’re contributing to the blog, not just advertising. Your blog post should show your expertise while supporting the goal of the blog. If you send an in-your-face-promotion, it’s not really a blog post, it’s an ad. Don’t be surprised if you’re not invited back (or not published on the blog at all).

Not sure how to find blogs you can write for? Ask around in your Facebook groups, at local networking events, or in any associations where you have membership. Offer your services and see what happens!

Would you like to receive tips like these (plus interviews, ideas, and other tricks) right in your inbox? Sign up now for the Write Now Editing newsletter – weekly posts sent right to you, plus the free, 2-page PDF that will show you exactly when (and how often!) you should be sending press releases! Sign up today!

Filed Under: blogging, entrepreneur, guest blogger

Managing the Business Side of a Business by April Michelle Davis

April 17, 2017 by Karin Beery Leave a Comment

Getting and staying organized can be difficult. April Michelle Davis was struggling to keep track of her finances, so she created her own program to invoice and track finances for her! Here’s what she did…

—

Business owners need a reliable program to keep all of their business information in one place. When I began freelancing, I used Microsoft Excel. But to track my projects and payments, I quickly found the program had limitations when I missed receiving a payment in August but hadn’t noticed it until I was doing my taxes early the following year.

After that, I tried using other programs, but I found none that fit my needs as a small business.

I now use EZRA (Easy Relationship Application), a program we at Editorial Inspirations developed to house all of the business information for a small business. This one program holds information about clients, expenses (with the IRS categories), car mileage, project estimates, projects, and miscellaneous revenue.

In this program, I can create estimates or invoices for clients, and then, when I save them as a PDF, my company information and logo automatically fills, creating a consistent and professional look on all client communications.

I can run a report to see all open projects: projects I am currently working on, projects I have invoiced, and projects I have received payment for. And once I add the date the payment was deposited, the project is bumped off this report so it doesn’t become too long and I won’t have a missing check for the next six months without knowing!

Using the database in this program, I can easily run reports to see income earned and projected or projects for a specific year or client, or both. And at the end of the year, I run reports and then hand them off to my tax advisor. It runs in Microsoft Access and is now available for lease. Upon signing up for the database, it would be customized with the company’s header for estimates and invoices—and there are additional options as well.

As a small business owner, I have been using and perfecting this program for the last 15 years. And if I come across a new need, I like that I can modify EZRA to fit my new situation.

For more information, please visit http://www.editorialinspirations.com/services/ezra/.


The opinion expressed here are those of the author and are not an endorsement from Write Now Editing & Copywriting Services.

Filed Under: best practices, guest blogger Tagged With: April Michelle Davis

10 Tips for a Healthy, Creative Business by Katie Morford

March 20, 2017 by Karin Beery Leave a Comment

Business. Ugh.

It’s practically a dirty word in creative circles, and I would be the first to agree. I never had the slightest interest in business – or making money – for that matter. Then I grew up (a little) and realized that I like to eat. Therefore, money did occasionally come in handy. Furthermore, I realized that if I needed money for essentials like food and books, I might as well get paid to do what I love.

However, creative-based businesses are an unusual animal. They tend to dislike playing by the rules as much as their owners/creators. How can you start on the right foot in your creative business so you can keep creating what you love?

Since co-founding an independent press almost four years ago and launching my own freelance fiction-editing business last year, I’ve picked up a few insights.

It’s not just about the product. You’re selling more than a product. You’re selling an experience – the way a person feels when they read your stories, hang your painting on their walls, or tuck their child’s hand-picked daisies into your pottery jug. Make it an experience they’ll want to revisit over and over.

Your business should look different. Healthy creative businesses operate differently than standard corporate environments. There is an ebb-and-flow to creative work that may not be conducive to a 9-5 routine. That’s okay. Find what works for you, a creative workflow that balances productivity and creative space.

Passion is everything. Unlike corporate business, you will not succeed in creative business without passion. Whether you’re selling organic coffee, jewelry, art, music, or great books, you are sharing what you love with the world–and helping them fall in love with it too.

Passion isn’t everything. Passion will keep the train steaming along, but it won’t get far without the rails. Many creatives fail in business not because they lack potential, but because they go full steam ahead without laying the groundwork that will support the business and keep it running smoothly. Do your research and your paperwork, exchange favors with an accountant friend, and make sure your business has a solid foundation.

Your product isn’t your product. Your product is you. Your authentic creative voice is what makes your art unique and sets you apart from the crowd.  Your customers buy your products because they’ve connected with your or your art in some way. Don’t be afraid to show what makes you special and unique.

Know what you do – and what you don’t. It’s better to have a very specific audience or customer base. Focusing your efforts helps you stand out from the crowd and appeal to those with shared passions. Don’t be afraid to say no to good opportunities so you’ll have the capacity to say yes to the best options.

Never stop learning. Many creatives get caught in the business side and productivity and forget to take time to keep improving their craft. Collaborating with other professionals, taking on new creative projects, or mastering new skills makes sure you stay inspired and your work remains fresh.

Pursue excellence. Notice I didn’t say pursue perfection. Strive for excellence in your craft, but don’t let perfectionism stop you from taking risks or trying new concepts. Many creatives struggle with the desire to make their work perfect before sharing it with the world, a tendency which, ironically, keeps them from reaching their full potential.

Network. A popular catch phrase among business elites, networking is a big, scary, ambiguous word for most introverted creatives. It brings to mind visions of cocktail hour and stilted small talk with strangers. Relax. Think of it in terms of connecting with communities of individuals who share your passion. Everyone has their tribe–you just have to find yours!

Be you. Believe you have something to contribute, because you do. I firmly believe every person, every creative, has something beautiful and unique and wonderful to bring to the world. You are no exception. Learn from others, but don’t fall into the trap of comparison. There’s truly no one around “who’s you-er than you.”

See? That wasn’t so bad. You can do this. What small steps can you take in the right direction today? This week?

—

Katie Morford (Karis Waters) is a professional fiction editor, author, and photographer. She is a co-founder and managing editor at indie publisher Crosshair Press, and her romantic suspense novel, Kenan, was published in May 2015. She is a gypsy soul and lived in northern England for two-and-a-half years, as well as visiting over 30 countries. When not traveling, you’ll find her eating chocolate ice cream and swing dancing with her fiance.
Book: http://crosshairpress.com/books/kenan/
Website/blog: www.storyforhisglory.com
Twitter: @AuthKarisWaters
Instagram: @Create.Explore.Illuminate
Pinterest: @AuthKarisWaters
Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/Create.Explore.Illuminate

Filed Under: best practices, entrepreneur, guest blogger

Discover Your “Chunk” and Write that Book by Allie Pleiter

February 20, 2017 by Karin Beery Leave a Comment

These days, it’s not just novelists and academics creating books—publication has become a marketing tool for all kinds of businesses. But how do you get those words out of your head to become articles, books, or curriculum?

Here’s a powerful system for tackling this issue:  The Chunky Method.

What is your Chunk?
Your “Chunk” is simply how many words you write in a single sitting before you run out of creative energy. Most of us have a consistent chunk, and that can be the basis of some very effective planning.  Once you give yourself a few experimental sessions and average the output, you’ll know your Chunk—and that’s half the data you need.

Are you a Big Chunk writer or a Small Chunk writer?
This distinction is the other half of the information you need.  Based on my experience, if your chunk is 1000 words or greater, you are probably a Big Chunk writer.  If it is less than that, you are likely a Small Chunk writer.  Their needs are different.

Big Chunk writers, who must totally immerse themselves in the words to make progress, need:

-a dedicated space to work. Banging out your passages at the dining room table annoys you.
– a specific environment. You require silence or a certain kind of music around you when you write. A shared, messy, or a make-do office won’t do.
– an extended period in which to write. You need a big block of time to find your rhythm. It’s frustrating to find a large enough span of time to write every day.
– proper ergonomics. Long sessions mean you need a chair, desk, keyboard, mouse, monitor and lighting that helps your body rather than hurts it.

Small Chunk writers tend to be more adaptable…but prone to distraction. They take life, work, and writing in smaller bites and often juggle multiple projects. You can:

– write anytime, anywhere. Coffee bars, park benches, libraries, airplanes—any setting works for you.
– easily tune out distractions. You don’t need pleasing music (or silence)—you can tune out and crawl inside a project anywhere.
– write often. Small spurts fit your writing into a busy life. A daily word count works for you, but cramming for a deadline probably won’t.
– use any tools. Tablets, notepads, laptops, even index cards or cell phones —ergonomics don’t make much difference, so you’ve got lots of possibilities.

Big Chunk Writers aren’t better or more committed than Small Chunk writers, they’re just different. But both need a plan that takes their styles into account.

Use Your Chunk to Make a Plan
There’s an old joke “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” That’s a silly example of how to apply the Chunky concept to your text—whatever size it may be.  Using a 50,000 word manuscript as an example, here’s how a Chunky Method Plan works:

Word count:                                50,000
Chunk:                                        500 words
50,000 divided by 500 =              100 chunks

This tells you that it will take 100 Chunks to finish your project. Now decide how many Chunks you can accomplish in a week.  Let’s go back to our example 500-word-chunk writer—we’ll call her Wendy Writer for the moment—and see how long her 50,000 word manuscript will take her to write:

  • If Wendy gets 2 chunks per week, it will take her 50 weeks, or just under a year.
  • If Wendy gets 3 chunks per week, it will take 34 weeks—roughly 9 months.
  • If Wendy gets 4 chunks per week, she can finish her draft in 26 weeks—half a year.

The true power of this tactic is that you don’t have to write the whole thing right now, just this week’s chunk(s) of it. You’ll be amazed how empowering this smaller goal can be. Any spreadsheet or even a simple calculator can help you plan, but if you’d like help formulating your Chunk and the path to a completed project, I’ve created a free Chunky Calculator you can download.  Simply text CHUNKY to 22828 or click here.  You’ll be on your way to greater productivity and a sound plan in no time.

—

Bestselling author Allie Pleiter has written over 30 novels and non-fiction works, selling over 1.2 million books world-wide.  Aside from teaching her popular Chunky Method of time management for writers, Allie works on as many as four books at a time. How? By fitting small “chunks” of writing into a busy life—accompanied by coffee, knitting, and lemon meringue pie. She is the author of The Chunky Method Handbook: Your Step-by-Step Plan to WRITE THAT BOOK Even When Life Gets in the Way. Visit her website www.alliepleiter.com for more information.

Filed Under: guest blogger, publishing, writing

Top Five Tips for Being a Better Guest Blogger

November 14, 2016 by Karin Beery Leave a Comment

time-273857_1920Are you looking to spread the word about your business or products? Are you trying to reach more people? A great way to get your name out there is to volunteer to write guest posts for other people’s blogs – you can share your expertise with someone else’s audience.

If you’re going to write a guest post, however, you need to be professional about it. Here are my top five tips for being a better guest blogger.

  1. Follow the guidelines. If a blogger with 10,000 followers lets you write a post, then you need to write the same type of post the readers expect. If they only write top-ten lists, then write a top ten list. Also, use proper formatting and, for the sake of everyone involved, stay within the word limit!
  2. Stay on topic. If you’re a guest at someone else’s house, you don’t go in and rearrange the furniture to fit your style. The same is true of guest blogging. You’re not writing on whatever topic you want to discuss. The content of your post needs to fit within the main topic of the blog. Make sure it does.
  3. Put it on your calendar. If you volunteer to provide a guest post, then it’s your responsibility to know when to submit it to the blog owner. Don’t make them chase you down and beg for the post – write it and submit it on time (early is better!).
  4. Communicate. If the blog host contacts you, respond. Make sure he or she knows that you’re getting the emails and are still available.
  5. Edit. Never submit your first draft. Ever. I’m a writer and editor by trade, and even I never send a first draft. I proofread everything. If you’re not a professional writer, then you definitely need to edit, and it wouldn’t be a bad idea to have someone else read it for you as well.

If you can do these five things regularly, you can become an in-demand guest blogger. And the more in-demand you become, the bigger the audience you can reach.

Happy blogging!

Filed Under: guest blogger Tagged With: blogging, guest blogging, marketing

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Editor. Teacher. Novelist.
A passionate lover of fiction, Karin doesn't just write novels, she helps others write their best stories! A certified substantive editor with the Christian Editor Connection, her goal is to help authors to put her out of business by equipping them with the tools they need to become better writers.

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