We all know the "rules" of blogging. Produce consistently high-quality content, position yourself as an authority , cultivate relationships with your readers and other bloggers. But some of the best and most popular blogs have traits that might surprise you. Here's how being negative, angry and stupid )in the right ways( can create breakthrough success on your blog. 1. Don't over-explain When you're using a blog to establish yourself as an authority,

It's a debate as old as the hills. Who's hotter, Ginger or Mary Ann ? It's pretty clear that the Gilligan's Island creators thought Ginger had it hands down. A redheaded Marilyn Monroe knockoff in sequined gowns and high-heels, Ginger Grant was what used to be called a "starlet," whose sole reason for existence was her sex appeal. Mary Ann Summers, on the other hand, was the girl next door. A Kansas cutie in pigtails and cut-offs, she was down to earth, sensible,

There's a well-loved myth out there in the content net world. The story goes that you just have to do something reasonably remarkable, distribute passionate content about it on the Web, and you'll automatically be assigned your designated 1000 True Fans who will support you in style for the rest of your life. You don't have to do anything scary. Like sell , for example. Now if that works for you, that's terrific. So does it?

My friend Tom thinks I should create a how-to product on "writing for the paralyzed and confused." He's a very creative and articulate guy, but writing kills him. Knocking out two pages can take him hours. And when he's done, he second-guesses himself for a couple more hours about whether it's any good. Since I don't have a spare month right now to create a complete information product for you, here's a blog post to get you started.

Remember your fifth grade "What I did on my summer vacation" paper, where you used the words "pool," "baseball" and "bike" 100 times apiece? And your English teacher dutifully marked your paper up with her red pen. Redundant . Don't repeat yourself . Choose a new word . Bloggers sometimes get so fearful about repeating ourselves that our message can get completely lost. The truth is, after fifth grade is over,

Most of us know that diamonds are just well-organized carbon. There are 4 Cs that differentiate a fabulously expensive, brilliant diamond from an industrial-grade one: clarity cut color carats The same 4 Cs that define the value of diamonds can be used to shape great persuasive content. Master them and create content that attracts the eye, has real worth, and stands the test of time. Fail to get them right,

Business and personal bloggers might seem to be on two ends of a spectrum. On the one side: logic , strategy and profits . On the other: empathy , passion and heart. Never the twain shall meet, right? There's one point where they do come together, though. Whatever moves you to build an audience for your content, you need to inspire one key response. More than admiration, money or attention, you need to earn your audience's trust . Prove you're a human It's a weird,

If you're trying to sell products and services online, you're probably looking for that one magic key to make your business work. You buy CDs and DVDs that will tell you the secret. You subscribe to sites like Copyblogger to study the secret. You look at mega-successful sites in your market and try to reverse engineer the secret. After all of this searching, you may be tempted to believe there is no secret. But the secret is real. Actually,

It is curious how often you humans manage to obtain that which you do not want. ~Spock The Star Trek franchise has created dozens of memorable characters and inspired an incredible degree of connection and passion in its fans. One of its most enduring characters is Mr. Spock, the eminently logical half-Vulcan first officer in the original series. Spock's controlled, cool demeanor won him legions of fans, including millions of women who wanted to Pon Farr his pointy ears off.

Imagine this, if you will. An old woman, near the end of her life. Shivering in a fleabag apartment without heat in the winter. Walking four miles each way to the food bank, to carry home unmarked cans of mystery meat. Not even a cat to keep her company, because cat food is expensive. Then one day she dies, and the neighbors find $2.7 million wadded up in her mattress. It's a natural human impulse to hold on to what we have.

A few weeks ago, I wrote about some ways you can keep your reader's attention . But I didn't mention one of the most important techniques-one that requires no particular writing ability, no creativity to think of a great hook, and no hours of research to find the most compelling facts to tell your story. This easy technique is infinitely versatile. I use it in nearly every piece I write. But it's so deceptively simple, you might not be taking full advantage of it.

Don't mean a thing if it ain't got that swing . . . Whenever you study a creative form like copywriting, you spend a lot of time on technique. You think hard about headlines and metaphors and what specific details you'll use. You worry about positioning and persuasive structure . You're trying to keep all the rules and guidelines in your head. But if you want your content to keep bringing them back, it's gotta swing.

Your copy might focus on benefits instead of features, have the right balance of emotion to logic , and maybe you've even snagged the reader's attention with an arresting headline . But after your reader clicks through, does your copy hold her interest? If you can't keep the reader's attention, nothing else matters. And the online world demands your best techniques to hold reader interest, because tempting distractions are always just a click away.

Once you decide to learn more about online copywriting, you quickly find out there are two schools of thought. One school hammers the reader with red headlines, yellow highlighting, and aggressive copy that grips the reader like a terrier shaking a squirrel. The other school develops a compelling personal voice, nurtures a relationship with the reader, and uses soft-sell techniques to nudge the reader down the path to purchase. So which one is right? They both are.

Last week's post talked about why emotional benefits are critical to persuasive copy. But it's one thing to talk about general concepts like "connection" or "fear," and another to actually get these ideas into your writing. In honor of Friday the 13th, I thought I'd give you 13 actual examples of emotional benefits you can use to persuade your readers. These emotional triggers have been used effectively in countless promotions,

We humans like to think of ourselves as rational creatures. Intellectual curiosity took us to the moon and back, beat smallpox and polio, and invented the Internet. But when you come down to it, emotion always wins. The most powerful man in the world can be humbled by a buxom girl in a blue dress. We use our brains, yes, but we're driven to act by our hearts )and other body parts(. Market to the gut first If you're writing to persuade,

An advertisement that has been pounded out in the white heat of enthusiasm can be tamed and made effective. But it is impossible to put life into dead copy. ~John Caples Whether you're promoting a product, a program or just an idea, exuberance sells. One of the reason blogs can be so effective is that their writers tend to show more enthusiasm than polish. And that's not a bad thing"if you have to pick one over the other, enthusiasm wins.

I don't necessarily recommend short copy. The best copywriters know that long copy sells. You need to give yourself enough room to actually make a convincing argument-the elevator pitch is all good and well, but the only thing it can ever do is to spark enough curiosity to continue the conversation. But I always recommend lean copy. And it's twice as important online. Whipping copy into shape is an important skill for any writer,

By Sonia Simone One of the cornerstones of powerful writing is the use of concrete details that can tell your story for you. I don't care if you're writing a sales letter, a blog post or a short story for The New Yorker , you need details. They have to be vivid. They have to be compelling. And they have to matter to your reader. "Show, don't tell" is one of the most important rules of effective writing. Instead of telling readers "the car chase was exciting,

By Sonia Simone One of the underlying themes from last weekend's SOBCon was putting more you into your work. There are literally hundreds of millions of blogs out there, with more starting every day. In a sea of competition, you've got to capitalize on what makes you unlike anyone else. Your unique point of view. Your writing style. Your own individual, personal stories and the way they shape your message. There's just one problem with all of that. It's terrifying .