Free Guide: Making Headline-Writing Easy
Here’s a little goodie for you on a Saturday morning. We all know that headlines are important for our sales pages, but they can be so darned hard to write!
I’ve put together a quick 4-page guide to help you with the basics of headline writing and it also include 11 practical headlines starters that make it easy for you to start writing your own headlines.
The guide is absolutely free and you can download it at the link below:
Click here for headline tips guide (PDF)
If you find this guide helpful, be sure to sign up for the priority notification list for the upcoming IM Copy Makeover – where you’ll have the opportunity to get step-by-step one-on-one help to revamp and remodel your sales copy for better results.
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Is WordPress REALLY All That?
I have a lot of people ask what type of system, editor, builder, etc. they should use to build their websites. It’s really tough to give a one-size fits all answer to that question. It depends on your own skill set and very importantly, the purpose of your website.
Regardless, I have noticed a lot of people giving the blanket advice, “Just go with Wordpress. You won’t regret it.”
Yes, WordPress is Powerful and Very Functional
I agree that WordPress is highly functional and can be a great solution for many purposes. It is not simply a blogging platform…it is a very powerful content management system. In fact, it’s what we use at Schmoozins.com and although some may recognize the theme used, most wouldn’t know we used WordPress to create it.
That’s one of the many reasons WordPress rocks.
You can make WordPress do just about anything you want – as long as you know what you’re doing and that’s the issue here.
If you want to use WordPress – especially for anything other than a blog, you DO need to have some technical skills and know-how or have a techy on hand to do it for you…otherwise, you may very well be doing damage to your marketing efforts and sacrificing profitability.
(By the way, customizing your blog, writing content and updating your WordPress blog is something we can do at Outsourcing Sweetie in our Platinum Membership)
There Are Many Things to Consider before Jumping in Head First
I see a lot of people taking older sites and moving them to WordPress en masse, but consider a few things…
If you have a product-based or service-based website, throwing a theme on WordPress and letting it roll is probably not in the best interest of your business as your site is not structured to guide people into the sale. WordPress, by it’s nature, includes a lot of distracting links and features that you need to be able to control on a page per page, section to section basis. In addition to the distractions, there are still more finite details you want have control over, but if you don’t know how to modify what happens in the background of WordPress, you lose control over your whole marketing process.
Content Management Systems Drove Me Nuts, But WordPress Has Some Saving Graces
I have tried a lot of content management systems and have always felt stifled by their limitations, even with the help of a programmer. That’s why I’ve largely worked with static sites because even though you may spend more time developing the site, you have easy and complete control over everything. But I have to admit, WordPress impresses me in that I can get it to do MOST of what I want (in my case, with the help of a programmer cuz I ain’t doin’ it myslef).
In fact, I’m in the process of doing a huge overhaul to Internet Marketing Sweetie where most of the site will be put into WordPress. However, it will be highly-customized, navigation will be structured with marketing ends in mind and all kinds of other tweaks with be implemented. And even after all that, my sales pages will always remain static pages OUTSIDE of WordPress, because I will not give up any control when it comes to actual selling of a product.
If You’re Thinking of Moving
If you’re thinking of moving an existing website to WordPress, ensure you redirect all your old pages to their new location. I’ve seen so many people complain that their traffic and sales went down after a move to WordPress, but they didn’t take the steps necessary to ensure that visitors didn’t get lost following old links and hopefully you can retain your search engine rankings. For search engine purposes, a 301 redirect is recommended and you might want to listen to this podcast archive for tips on WordPress and search engines.
I’m Picky, but for Good Reason
When getting ready to use WordPress on any website, I am ultra-picky in how I want things laid out (as Lynette can attest to – I’m sure I drive her crazy). It’s not just because I’m a control freak, but because I want to have complete control of my visitor’s experience and help ensure I get the results I want on each and every page of my website.
Now, I can’t really give a checklist of the what I change because it absolutely varies depending on what I want to get out of a site, a particular site section or a particular page, but to give you some idea about how picky this can get, here’s just a partial laundry list of modifications I’ve insisted on (again, depending on the precise requirements):
1. Removal of dates on posts. For a frequently updated blog, I’d keep the date. But if I’m using WP as a general content management system with evergreen content, I’d remove the dates.
2. Creation of Categories with a different template and not listed in the main categories. For example, we just added a press release/media section to a website, but it needed to be very separate from the rest of the site because the media has different needs than a general website visitor. They want to see previous press releases, get company info and need an RSS/email option for company news only.
3. Wording on links. I change these all the time.
Example – Instead of using the default “No Comments” when nobody has left a comment, why not have a call to action instead? For example, “Leave a comment” or “Be the first to leave a comment”.
Example – If you have a review site, dosn’t it make more sense to have the “Previous Posts” link read “More Reviews” or something like that?
There are so many nit-picky possibilities that you can try to get more clickthroughs and action.
4. Static Information on Your Category Pages: By default, WordPress just posts your content to a category and the top of the category page is the latest post. Instead you might want to include a strategically formatted category description, product promo and/or mailing list offer.
5. Page Headlines & Incoming Links That Differ. On my Administrative-type pages it always drives me crazy that the title/headline I put on the page matches the incoming link to that page. So, if I wanted my affiliate sign up page to have a simple incoming link that said “Affiliates” I was limited to using that as my title for the pge. But you can actually set up templates that won’t show the title of the article on the page and you can put your own headline in the body of the page. That way, I can have a boring administrative link to the page, but the page itself can have an attention-getting headline.
6. Removal of Ads, Comments, etc. from Certain Categories. Some categories just don’t need commentary or to display advertising. You want to be able to remove that from specific pages, categories, etc. where appropriate.
Like I said, those are just a handful of changes I couldn’t manage on my own, but there are very sound marketing reasons to have those changes.
What All This Yammering Means to You
Well, honestly I don’t know what it means to you…it depends on what you hope to get out of your website.
WordPress really is a terrific tool, but is it meant for a beginner blogger/content site owner who isn’t willing to recruit some help in customization? As far as I’m concerned…no.
Is it meant for product-based or service-based websites? As far as I’m concerned…no way…unless you get some heavy customization.
If you’re going to use WordPress and you’re technically-inclined, than it’s probably right up your alley. If you’re techno-challenged like me, get some help to set it up right. And when I say get the help, I don’t mean you need to hire someone full-time to work on your site all the time. Just ensure you get things customized and functioning for your unique business. But do consider that this is a script on your server and it will require occasional updating.
(By the way, if you’re looking for suggestions based on the type of site you’re creating, I’ll be back – hopefully this weekend – with some more guidance on what tools typically work best for which job)
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3 Thoughts on Improving Your Copywriting Skills
If you sell any type of product, it’s no secret that copywriting skills (or a skilled copywriter on hand) go a long way to selling more. We have just a few moments to grab a visitor’s attention, draw them into our offer and make the sale. We need to anticipate their objections and questions because most will click away to another seller instead of sending you an email to ask.
It sounds daunting…but it can be done by improving your own copywriting skills. But how do you do that?
Here are Three Thoughts on Improving Your Copywriting Skills:
1. Theory is Important: Getting to know the basics and then applying them to your own business is an important first step to learning to sell more through your writing. Start with a copywriting book or course that takes you from the beginning.
By the way, you know I have a course + sales page software available, don’t you? 
And actually, at this very moment, I’m including full copy sales page critique to 7 lucky people. Use this link for the limited copy critique bonus.
2. Study Others: Take a look at other sales copy that you find compelling and/or know that produces good sales results. Copy reaching a similar target market to yours is helpful, but GOOD copy in any market will give you very good clues to what works and what might not work.
3. Test Your Own: As you apply what you learn to your own copy, track the results. Copywriting isn’t an absolute science and some techniques may or may not work. Make sure you are testing your copy results to ensure you’re working toward continuous improvement.
These are the same basic steps I took when getting started. And actually, I still do these things because the cool thing about copywriting is that you can keep getting better all the time — and keep improving your response rates. That’s definitely good for business!
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PLR Update: Natural Bundles & Low-Fat Recipes
Here are some new bundles made by my quality PLR-making friends. Grab one, grab ‘em all.
From PLR Food Content
Low-Fat PLR Pack – This is an awesome value with 15 low-fat eating related articles PLUS 15 recipes for only $15.
From Natural Mom PLR
Elimination Communication Pack – Help your readers save on diapers with this infant potty-training technique growing in popularity. 4 article mini-pack
Natural Product Reviews – 10 reviews of natural products including Burt’s Bees Lip Shimmers, Breast Feeding Support Kit, Mrs. Meyers Cleaner and more.
Natural Family Values Pack – 10 articles to guide your readers in a more natural lifestyle.
That’s it for now, but just a little heads up – we’re working on something new at All Private Label Content that will allow you to get highly-targeted content on a regular basis. More details soon.
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Working Weekends is A-Okay!
Here’s Twitter comment from Dewald Pretorius that got me thinking about just how lucky we at home entrepreneurs really are. Dewald was having a fun evening, goofing off on the ‘puter (and sampling some wine…lucky guy) and he wrote:
But hey you know what? Who cares if it’s Friday night? Who cares if it’s the 3 AM on Wednesday or the middle of a Sunday afternoon? This is the BEAUTY of being your own boss and setting your own schedule.
Now, I don’t recommend working every single day all day…so I absolutely get Dewald’s point. But if someone skips work Tuesday – Thursday and decides to catch up on a Friday evening, I think that’s AWESOME.
I think it all comes down to responsible scheduling and balance. Use this amazing freedom to your advantage and work proudly whenever you decide to do so.
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Do You Work at a Desk?
Okay, this question isn’t really TOUGH…but it’s interesting to learn about where people work.
Last year, when we moved into a new home, I was excited to have my very own office that I didn’t have to share with anyone. I got new furniture, have a comfy desk chair, got it all set up and guess what? I’m just about never in there, except when I need to do some printing.
I work on the coach, on the bed, in the backyard and even the kitchen table – but rarely at my desk.
Do you work at a desk? Where do you work?
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Bought a Flip Video Camera But…
I finally decided to bite the bullet and make my way into using video for marketing purposes. After reading a post on Lynn Terry’s blog, I thought the Flip Video Ultra Camera was a perfect solution for me. Outside of the ones on my cell phones and a short-lived web cam, I’d never owned a video camera and had no clue how to get edit videos, let alone get them on the net. It always just overwhelmed me, so this little camera seemed like a great solution.
So I ordered the camera (the orange one!) and tripod and eagerly awaited for it to arrive. This is a REALLY COOL tool, but alas, the inevitable happened…LOL. I hate seeing myself on video, so didn’t get very far. So, instead of a marketing video, I’ve put together a video to show you the joys of watermelon instead. I hope you like it!
Seriously, the camera is very practical, economical and easy-to-use. Plus, it’s easy to pack in a handbag or even a pocket if you’re not the handbag carrying type. Recording is a snap and when you want to put the videos onto your computer, just click the switch and a USB plug pops out and you’re ready to roll.
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Free Download & License: Titan Backup Software
Earlier this week, we talked a bit about the importance of doing back ups and how maybe we’re not all doing what we can to help prevent the loss of data. But man, does it really suck when it happens. 
No more excuses because Flavius Saracut of Neobyte Solutions is offering all my readers a free license of Home Solution Titan Backup 2.0.
Titan Backup is an easy-to-use, affordable (well FREE today) and complete solution, designed for secure backups of all important files. You can back up everything from main files to CDs, email, external drives and even remote FTP servers.
How to Get Your Free Download & License:
1. Download the software at this link.
2. Sign up to receive your special unlock code.
3. Get to work and create your back up schedules.
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