Bullet points make you a stronger blogger? Absolutely, if you're good a writing them. In fact, being a master at writing killer bullet points is one of the most important copywriting skills around, second only to headline-writing. The goal of strategic bullet points is primarily to keep people reading. You're highlighting easily-digestible bits of important information, which keeps attention focused and breaks up dense pools of text. The downside is that if you write weak,

Here are seven cool things to check out this weekend that won't cost you a dime: You can watch the third traffic video from John Reese without opting in )and the second video too, for that matter(. John discusses traffic generation with widgets and applications that can be built for a song by rent-a-coders. He then spills the beans about Traffic Secrets 2.0, with the biggest shock being the unexpectedly low price.

Have you ever felt like your blog is invisible? You slave away on your posts, pouring every ounce of emotion, creativity, and insight you have into them. You submit your best work to Digg, Del.icio.us, and StumbleUpon, certain that people will vote for your posts and send you a torrent of traffic. You link out to other popular bloggers, desperately hoping that you'll grab their attention and earn a link in return. But it's like no one even sees you.

It looks like video is getting more powerful, more professional, and more essential to effective online marketing campaigns. The good news is that it's cheaper and easier than ever to produce these videos yourself. Take a look at this video from John Reese. The two videos he's released this week are pure content and contain valuable traffic tips' in advance of the launch of Traffic Secrets 2.0, of course.

The opportunities to build a business with online marketing are huge and growing every day. In fact, there's so much opportunity out there some people become overwhelmed by all the possibilities. When you can do anything, often you end up doing nothing. People get so dazzled by dollar signs and freedom from bosses and geography that it's easy to forget that what you do for money is often more important than how much money you make.

Are you displaying the message that your site visitors are looking for the instant they land on your blog? The one that let's them know they're in the right place? That's your tagline. It's what instantly communicates to people whether you're the resource that addresses their problem from a general standpoint. No matter what the specific urgent need, people will look for a general signpost that says "Welcome,

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.

One of the things you've heard from me over and over is to focus on subscriber acquisition as the main focus of blogging. Getting people to voluntarily pay attention to you over time is your goal, because it's the cornerstone of permission marketing. Whether you're dealing with RSS or email subscriptions, not all subscribers are equal. People abandon RSS readers, ignore your content without unsubscribing, or simply don't check in all that often. Again,

It's July 4th in the Unites States, and you know what that meansâ€"hot dogs, fireworks, sunburns' and one or two people might drink a bit. But let's not forget what else this day signifies. That's right' The Fourth of July is the day President Bill Pullman declared the world's independence day from those pesky alien invaders from outer space, thereby rallying the troops and horrifying international film critics . Apparently,

There's been a debate every since blogging became mainstream about how long blog posts should be. Many bloggers may read one or two discussions on it, and try to conform to that â€" never revisiting the issue again for as long as they blog. This can be a mistake. For a definitive answer, following are three things to consider when you're trying to decide how long your blog posts should be. 1.

Emily's OnceWed site offers a free listing service for )mostly( women to search/buy used wedding gowns or sell gowns to make back a little coin. Sounds like a smart deal for everyone in these tough economic times. Since the service is currently complimentary, she's looking for sufficient traffic to attract and generate ad revenue. She sees this site as a jumping off point to other wedding/bridal industry online media. Product Summary: Free,

In the world of selling, you can use testimonials â€" among other techniques â€" to take advantage of the principle of "Social Proof." According to this principle, all of us look to others to help us decide how to act. The more people doing it, the more correct it seems. I illustrated this idea recently in part 1 of this series, Testimonials and Teenagers Whizzing in the Bushes: The Power of Social Proof . Few people, however,

As promised, I've done a review of The Ultimate Desktop Copy Coach from Clayton Makepeace . The course just became publicly available about 30 minutes ago, and there are lots of extra bonuses thrown in for those who move fast )including one from me(. The short answer is' it's a great A-toZ copywriting course taught in an accessible style. At over 1,000 pages of comprehensive copywriting knowledge, it's likely the only course in copywriting you'll ever need.

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.

Some people write to sell, and other people write to tell stories in novels and film. Pretty cut and dry, right? A copywriter is the selling type' she uses her talents to promote a person, place, thing, or idea. That copywriter chooses words to make the subject look and sound great so that a desired action happens. It's all about marketing, sales, and conversions. But great copywriters are also storytellers.

Whether you enjoyed his material or not, George Carlin was a gifted writer and performer with a particular talent for language. Not only in his wonderfully rhythmic word choice, but also in his ruthless linguistic dissection of the symbols we take so seriously without a second thought. Eleven days ago, Psychology Today Senior Editor Jay Dixit interviewed Carlin by phone. Dixit went into great depth with Carlin,

As a content marketing strategy, what's the most powerful aspect of blogging? Which psychological trigger is most likely to inspire the click, whirr purchase decision you're hoping for? Is it reciprocity , social proof , or authority ? What about scarcity or commitment and consistency ? Well, it's all of those combined. But the most powerful additional thing about blogging is an aspect of human nature that doesn't require a psychology degree to understand.

In earlier posts, I talked about how to use emotional benefits to drive reader interest, and gave you some sample headlines you could use as a jumping-off point. Emotional benefits trigger the "me-want" response. They create desire for our offer. But creating desire isn't usually enough. Unless you're selling a purely emotional product like fashion or music, you also have to give your reader enough logical ammunition to justify the purchase to himself.

Guest post by Mike Figliuolo. As mentioned recently here on Copyblogger, Narcissus is alive and well , even as his marketing campaigns die of thirst. It's too common a problem. One of my all-time favorite quotes came from Dennis Miller: "You see' I run everything through this narcissistic little prism and ask 'how does this affect ME?'" While this approach is self-satisfying, it tends to leave your audience less than fulfilled.

After hearing he had a torn ligament and a double stress fracture of his left tibia two weeks before the U.S. Open, Tiger Woods looked at the doctor and said , "I'm playing in the U.S. Open, and I'm going to win." Win he did, which is amazing in it's own right. Even more remarkable is the level of dedication and focus Tiger had to play 91 holes over five days on a severely injured knee that was getting worse.