Put Some Lead in Your Pencil!
I’ve written before about what to write about when you’re "stuck."
How-to articles are the perfect antidote to writer’s block. But if your goal is to create content for your e-mail newsletter or website to attract search engines, you cannot rely on them every time. Thankfully, there is another type of article that’s remarkably simple to write. Your readers will love it — and so will the search engines.
READ MOREThe Language Perfectionist: “Who That?”
A reader of this column asked about the proper use of who and that.
Here’s an often-cited quip by George Bernard Shaw: "The government who robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul."
Shaw is regarded as a skilled writer. But is his use of who correct? Not according to language guru Charles Harrington Elster. In his useful and entertaining style guide What in the Word?, Elster writes: "It is a grave sin to use who of things, as in ‘the company who.’"
READ MOREThe #1 Reason Internet Businesses Fail
Quick… What business is McDonald’s in?
Burgers, right? It says so right on their sign. Bazillions served every day.
BUZZZZZ… Sorry. No prize for you. Thank you for playing.
McD’s is REALLY in the business of selling…
READ MOREThe Almost Perfect Business for Entrepreneurs of EVERY Shape and Size
China exports over $1 trillion in goods each year. And that makes it one of the great new opportunities of the 21st century for entrepreneurs like you. But you need to understand how the game is played.
Introducing the $6 billion Internet Goldmine…
I’m talking about a website that has become the largest and most successful import/export marketplace in the world. It boasts more than 25 million members in 200 countries. The company has offices in more than 30 cities in China (including Hong Kong), Europe, and the United States. And it was listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange last year.
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A Simple Formula for Getting Rich
Following the Walton family who created Walmart, the most simple formula for getting rich involves finding a popular product and selling it for less.
READ MOREYou Don’t Have to Be a Walmart…
I’m sure you’ve heard of the $1.2 trillion Chinese export market. It’s where some of the largest companies in the world make their money. They buy products manufactured in China for pennies on the dollar… and sell them in the U.S. for a huge markup.
But you don’t have to be a Walmart to get in on this opportunity.
I’ve profiled hundreds of successful entrepreneurs using this model. And they all started with limited or no experience and not much money.
READ MOREThe Language Perfectionist: Still More Repetitive Redundancies
On National Public Radio recently, I heard the words “news journalists.” This is a quintessential redundancy. My hunch is that the commentator’s intended meaning was “print journalists,” in contrast to those who work in broadcasting or online.
Here are a few more redundant expressions I encountered recently in the pages of newspapers and online:
- “Does it put a negative stigma on a company? I think the answer is definitely.”
Never Lose Hope
In Greek mythology, Pandora opened her fabled box and let out all evils except for hope, which the Greeks considered to be as dangerous as the world’s other evils. Soon they discovered that without hope to offset their troubles, humanity was filled with despair. So Pandora let out hope as well. In the myth, hope was more potent than any of the other major evils.
In modern times, we consider hope to be anything but evil. It’s what gets many of us through our worst days. Lingering unemployment, foreclosures, dwindling retirement funds, businesses folding — any of these could make a person lose hope.
READ MORECourting Your Ideal Customer
Google AdWords is nothing more or less than a medium for direct marketing. So every now and then, I put away my books about the latest online techniques and reach for the classic texts.
Here’s some of what you can learn from the old masters:
There are three elements to any direct-marketing offer — the offer itself, the creative, and the list.
READ MOREAre You Amusing Yourself to Death?
CNBC — and its competitors — will only make you dumber and poorer.
This comes as a surprise to many. After all, financial channels offer a steady stream of well-credentialed experts, men and women with impressive titles from prestigious firms. Most have PhDs, years of experience, or manage large sums of money. They look good. They sound sharp. They have insightful opinions and reams of arcane investment data tripping off their tongues.
READ MOREHow to Write Well: The World’s Simplest Formula
My income is based almost entirely on writing. And it has given me a very rich life — rich in every sense of the word. It can do the same for you.
I spend half of my working time coaching copywriters on how to write better marketing copy. I spend the other half writing memos.
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