Brad Johnson is an author and blogger who helps writers discover their niche, build successful habits, and quit their 9-5. His books include Ignite Your Beacon, Writing Clout and Tomes Of A Healing Heart. For strategic content and practical tips on how to become a full-time writer, visit: BradleyJohnsonProductions.com.
I love blogging. It is certainly my favorite social media drug of choice. It has helped me build a career and a business and it makes me happy to connect to people in my {grow} blog space every week!
For years, I’ve been hearing predictions about an inevitable decline in blogging popularity. Could it be here?
This is a well-known chart put out by WordPress that shows the number of blog posts that have been written on its site since 2006:
There are three noticeable characteristics of this chart:
A decade of enormous growth
One month in 2019 that seems to defy all odds!
A leveling of posts that have been published in the last two or three years
Arguably blogging was the first “social media” of the internet era and a reliable communication form for both companies and creatives. But with the entry barriers being removed for anyone to produce high-quality videos, podcasts, and other communication forms, the death of blogging has been predicted for a long time.
Is there still a place for blogging?
Does this graph indicate a slide in blogging growth? And where does blogging stand today?
First I want to caution that this chart does not tell the whole picture about blogging. For example, it excludes blog posts being published on Medium, which have been exploding, as well as platforms like LinkedIn, which has become a popular place for original content in the past few years.
I think if you look at all the places written content is being created today, you would see a trend line that is still going up — dramatically. But with all this other competition for your attention, is blogging less important, less relevant today? What is the place for blogging in this information ecosystem?
I haven’t addressed this issue in a long time and I thought it would be a good discussion topic for the podcast. In the newest episode, Brooke Sellas and I examine the true story behind blogging in the content ecosystem and also discuss a new integrated marketing trend, the marketing ideas consumers love the most, and an outrageous (and exclusive!) new musical performance from Ian Anderson Gray!
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There’s a lot of things that agents do: sell books, edit, negotiate, offer advice and consultation. However, there are a lot of things that don’t fall within our purview. We hope to help guide you on your career path and offer suggestions when to consult other experts (lawyers, accountants etc).
While most agents handle a wide range of support to their clients sometimes writers build up unrealistic expectations for an agent’s range of work. Literary agents aren’t magicians; we hate to admit it, but there are some limitations to what we can do.
Yes, in the age of smartphones, we’re never really unplugged. And as an agent, I’m connected in many ways: Twitter, Instagram, and email in the palm of my hand. However, all agents have personal rules about how we communicate with our clients and how often. Just because we tweet at 9 p.m. on a Friday, doesn’t mean we’re going to respond to your email at that time.
For my clients that have day jobs or live in other time zones, I make myself available during “off” times. However, you can’t expect that treatment every time, from every agent. I do this on a triage system. Most things in publishing can wait until Monday at 9am.
2. Editorial advice
Not all agents are expert editors or choose to spend their time as an agent doing rounds of edits. It’s no secret that agents polish client manuscripts, but not all agents call themselves “editorial agents” and work through draft after draft.
If that’s something you’re looking for, make sure to ask this question when an agent offers you representation.
When I’m editing with a client I tell them: “My background is an agent, not an editor. I will edit this to the point where I think it is saleable and then we’ll need an editor to take over.” I want every project to be in the best shape possible and I will work through 1-3 rounds with a client to get it there, but I am agent first, always.
3. That they’ll put up with being micromanaged
There’s a high level of trust involved in an agent-author relationship — on both sides. Authors have to trust that their agent is doing their best, and agents have to let authors write. Don’t micromanage your agent by telling them how to do their job. Sign with an agent you trust and respect from the start.
I’ll always consult with my authors on social media best practices, how to engage professionally with their editor, marketing goals, and what to expect from their relationships with their editor, publicist, and other partners in the process. Bring up any issues and we’ll work through them, but the minutia of the job is best left to the expert: the agent—that’s why you hired us.
I’m always, always here to have conversations about your vision for your career; I want to hear your goals and dreams. However, remember that I will be doing lots of work behind the scenes at all times so just because you don’t hear from me doesn’t mean I’m not working hard for you.
4. That they will love everything you write
This is a hard one to swallow: writers can’t expect that agents will love everything they write. Sometimes it’s a concept that isn’t working. Sometimes it’s a whole draft.
Be prepared that it will be a collaborative relationship. An agent’s job isn’t to pat you on the back and tell you you’re wonderful. An agent’s job is to manage your career to the best of their abilities. We’re on your side and we want what’s best for you in the moment and long term.
So when we say that a concept or project isn’t working, it’s not to crush your dreams. It’s to help you get to the BIG idea that is going to take flight and make a splash in this crazy, competitive industry.
5. That they will sell everything you write
To some this might be a surprise: agents don’t sell everything they pitch to editors. Even the best of the best have to shelve projects sometimes.
It’s our job to explore all options, share editors’ feedback and consult on what the next steps should be. We don’t always sell debut novels, and we might go back and ask our client to write another one. We’re not magicians and we can’t make every experience a perfect one, but we use our judgment based on years of experience to steer things in the right direction, whatever that direction is: to a deal, or back to the drawing board. We can’t control the industry. We can only control what we represent.
6. That they’ll help you finish your book
We can’t make something out of a partial concept — unless it’s a nonfiction project, but that’s a whole other story. Novels have to be complete, and they have to compel us to sign them and get editors excited about them too.
Many writers think that once they get an agent, life will be easy. Unfortunately, signing with an agent is only one part of the puzzle. We aren’t going to save you, fix your writing or finish your book. We’re here to help professional writers get book deals. Once you get an agent, that’s when the work begins!
Have you worked with an agent? Was it what you expected?
This is an updated version of a story that was previously published. We update our posts as often as possible to ensure they’re useful for our readers.
Wondering how to run brand contests and giveaways like a pro?
Contests and giveaways can be an amazingly easy and quick way to generate positive engagement, get more traffic to your website and, most importantly, generate more leads for your business.
That said, holding an online contest is not as easy as buying an iPad, posting a contest on Facebook and then waiting for the results to come in.
You might get lots of people interested and participating – and more likes than you ever expected on a post – but, at the end of the day, if you’re not getting the right people signing up for your contest or giveaway (i.e. your target audience), you’re not going to get a return on your investment.
In this post, I’m going to show you how to run contests and giveaways like a pro – so that you’re not just doing a contest for the sake of it but actually reaching your goals for your marketing strategies.
Why run online contests and giveaways?
As I mentioned in the introduction, contests and giveaways are a great way to get marketing results quickly and help accomplish the following:
Contests and giveaways are interactive by nature, and people often love them – after all, they’re an opportunity to win something that people want or need.
What’s more, contests and giveaways require participants to leave their details with you – and, with the right type of contest and prize, that means you can generate more leads for your business.
Plus, contests are a great way to generate more interest in your business and the products and services you offer – so, by promoting your products/services this way, you can even boost your sales considerably.
That being said, not just any contest will get you these results – you need to be very clear about your objectives, build a contest that supports these objectives, offer the right prize and promote your contest/giveaway extensively.
Step 1: Determine Your Contest Objectives
Before starting any new marketing plan or campaign, it’s important to take the time to establish what your campaign’s objectives are.
When you know what your objectives are, you can build a campaign that helps support these goals and helps you reach them.
First, consider your overall marketing and business goals – what do you want to achieve in the coming quarter?
Once you’re clear on those objectives, you can plan your contest goals to help you reach the results you want.
Here are some of the goals you can set up for your contest/giveaway campaign:
Generate more leads/email subscribers
Boost your sales
Increase brand awareness of your brand or a specific product/service
Once you know what your goal is, you can build a campaign that will help you reach that goal.
Step 2: Choose a Relevant Prize
The prize you offer in your contest or giveaway is one of the most important elements that can determine the success of your campaign.
If your prize is too generic – like, let’s say an iPad, which seems to be one of the most used prizes for online contests – you might get a lot of attention, but is it the right attention?
The thing is, everyone could use an iPad: from a 14-year old teenager who’s in a video-game phase to a 35-year-old marketing executive.
In other words, you’re going to get a mishmash of people signing up for your contest, none of them potential customers for your business.
Whatever your contest goal is, whether it’s to get more leads or more engagement, the key is to get these results from the right people.
To do so, you need a prize that will only appeal to your particular target audience.
Ideally, your prize should be brand-related, as well as something that your target audience wants.
For example, one of the easiest ways to offer a good prize is to use your own business’s products or services, like this example from Qwertee, who gave away 30 free t-shirts as part of their giveaway (and yes, they sell t-shirts).
Facebook Contest Example from Qwertee
The thing is, when you give away something related to your products or services, you’re going to get the right attention: not only freebie-seekers but also people who would genuinely want or need your products/services.
When you give away something related to your products or services, you’re going to get the right attention: not only freebie-seekers. #contest #marketingtip
Here are some of the targeted, brand-related prizes you can offer:
Coupon codes and discounts to be used on your website/in-store
Your products
Access to your services
Also, you should make sure to showcase the value of the prize – it’s another great opportunity to promote your business and your products/services and show people why they’re so valuable, like you can see on this contest landing page from Lucille Roberts.
Contest Landing Page Example from Lucille Roberts
Here’s another example, from Riedel UK, offering up a beautiful set of their wine glasses as a contest gift.
Instagram Contest Example from Riedel UK
The reality is that you might get fewer participants than you’d want this way (or, at least, compared to if you were giving away a tablet or something similar that appeals to a wider audience), but the idea is to get targeted participants. You want to get real leads and real engagement from people that are likely to be converted into your customers down the line.
Step 3: Design Your Contest
Once you know what you want to achieve with your contest and have decided on a prize, you can start putting together your contest or giveaway; there are numerous types of contests/giveaways, such as:
Photos and video contests
“pick your favorite” contest
Mention and/or hashtag contest
Writing or essay contest
Instant win contests
The “refer-a-friend” contest
And, of course, giveaways, which are similar across platforms
In order to run a successful contest or giveaway, you can use a number of tools to help create your contest, publish it on the channels you want, as well as manage your participants and assign winners fairly.
Here are some useful contest tools to consider for your campaign:
Easypromos
Easypromos is one of the most popular options for creating this type of interactive content. You can use it to create giveaways, contests, games and quizzes, as well as coupons and codes for special offers. In total, there are about 30 different applications to choose from.
Easypromos Interactive Content and Contest Tool
In addition, as you might notice above, it works on a variety of online platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, as well as your own website and even via email newsletters.
There’s an easy-to-use drag-and-drop builder. Plus, you can monitor your campaigns’ results and ROI, as well as set up automated emails to nurture your leads.
Shortstack
Another popular solution is Shortstack. This robust tool allows you to create contests, giveaways and quizzes, as well as landing pages for your interactive content.
It also has various features to ensure you can run your contest from start to finish: email marketing features, drip emails and lead collection tools, among others.
Shortstack Contest Tool
Their campaigns work on a variety of platforms, including all popular social networks, as well as on your website and on landing pages.
Here are some of the most important elements that need to be on your contest post/page:
A title that gets people’s attention
Your prize
A very clear and visible call-to-action (usually, in the main title)
Entry details
Contest rules (make sure you’re following each platform’s rules too)
Other contest details, such as the time frame for your contest and how the winners will find out
Step 4: Promote Your Contest Everywhere
In order to get the most out of your contest, make sure to promote it high and wide – the more people join in, the better.
Here’s what you need to do in order to promote your contest:
First, create a landing page for your contest
Send an email blast to your list and let them know about your contest and where they need to go to sign up (that email will probably have the biggest open rates you’ve seen so far!)
Promote your contest across all social channels
Promote your contest on your website and/or blog; for example, you can create a banner to promote it, use a Hello Bar or even write a blog post about it
Create an ad campaign: if you’ve planned a really big contest and want to get the most out of it, it might be a good idea to invest in social media ads to reach a much wider audience
Conclusion
Contests and giveaways can be extremely powerful tools for your business. They offer this highly-effective, super-fast way to get results: more leads, more engagement, more traffic and so on.
Follow the steps outlined in this step-by-step guide, and you’ll be running high-performing contests and giveaways in minutes.
It’s a big question. “When should I invest in conversion optimization for my website?” Even though I’ve been preaching the benefits of CRO since 2006, I don’t consider it an obvious decision. Instead of telling you what I think, I asked a competitor to tell you, just to keep me honest. We have answered the […]
Editor’s note: This course only opens for enrollment a few times each year. It’s about to open on Feb. 27-March 6. If you’re interested, get on the waiting list to be notified with details!
I don’t have a college degree, but I’m obsessed with academics. I love learning.
I just kind of abhor everything else about school.
Still, I’ve often wondered whether I’d enjoy a master’s program, especially one in creative writing, where your job is basically to write a novel. How cool would it be to get the guidance and education you need to write a book, plus the structure of someone actually expecting you to write a book in the end?
But, then there’s the whole school thing…grades, tuition, attendance, those old-fashioned lecture halls with the unreasonably tiny desktops made only for right-handers.
So I was super excited to get the opportunity to give this online course, DIY MFA 101, a test run for The Write Life.
The course gives you the information and structure you’d get with a traditional master of fine arts degree in creative writing, but without the hair-raising cost or demanding schedule.
What is DIY MFA?
DIY MFA 101 is designed for anyone who wants to write fiction or creative (narrative) nonfiction, especially aspiring authors who are ready to write a book.
It’s the best fit for new writers who want to learn the fundamentals of the craft, such as how to develop characters and organize a scene.
The course will teach you the habits and skills you need to write a novel or creative nonfiction book, plus the next steps to take to build your brand, expertise and career as an author.
The course includes 10 modules, a private Facebook group and group discussion calls, so you won’t miss the opportunity to chat with your instructor or bounce ideas off classmates. Each module includes a few 20- to 30-minutes videos, accompanied by worksheets. You can also download just slides and audio or transcripts of the videos if — like me — you’re more of a reader than a viewer.
The modules are split into three categories, the same ones you’ll see across all DIY MFA products: Write with Focus (mastering the craft), Read With Purpose (developing your expertise) and Build Your Community (building your platform).
Guidance to write your next novel
In its own words, DIY MFA 101 “is a graduate-style education you can fit around your life.”
That’s my speed. At just $499, it’s also in my budget — no student loan debt required.
DIY MFA’s founder, Gabriela Pereira, actually earned an MFA in writing (and an MA in human development to boot!), so she knows what a comprehensive writing course looks like.
She has a Master in Fine Arts in writing for children from The New School in New York and has taught several writing courses for organizations in the city. She’s an author of fiction and the “DIY MFA” nonfiction book.
Pereira’s experience means the MFA course offers a unique perspective. It satisfies my academic itch with lessons about things like responding to a genre of literature and developing your expertise that you won’t see in most online courses that approach writing from a commercial angle.
The MFA theme of the site is more than a gimmick; the information in this course truly feels like something you would learn in graduate school — but more affordable and digestible.
This course also provides lasting value to help you actually write a book: The printable worksheets build to a “playbook” you can use again and again for future projects, a huge value for fiction writers who need to track details of characters and scenes.
Should you sign up for this DIY MFA course?
I recommend this course for anyone who’s serious about writing a novel or memoir.
A master’s degree is a gigantic commitment of time and money, one that most writers aren’t willing or able to accommodate. DIY MFA 101 gives you a grad-school-inspired writing education with actionable steps you can apply to a career beyond academia.
The course follows the same philosophy you’ll get through DIY MFA’s blog, free email-based membership and book, but goes more in-depth and gives you a guided, step-by-step process. If you’re just dabbling with the idea of writing, you would be better off starting with one of the other offerings and diving into the course once you’re more ready to work on a book.
This MFA course is incredibly well organized and comprehensive, so I don’t have major complaints. Because I’m not a fiction writer, I would love to see this course (or another from DIY MFA) focus on informational nonfiction. Courses on writing nonfiction rarely focus on the craft, and DIY MFA seems well-suited to fill that gap.
What you get when you enroll in DIY MFA
Thinking about enrolling in DIY MFA 101? Here are all the details you need to know.
This 10-week program includes ten modules, full-to-the-brim with material to help you write more, write better, write smarter.
Your investment for the course is $499 or a payment plan with three monthly installments of $199. It’s not a small fee, but it’s also a drop in the bucket compared to what you could pay for a traditional MFA.
You’ll receive:
10 modules of material, each based on one of the essential components of a writer’s education.
Comprehensive video lessons, with audio recordings and slides so you can digest the material in the way that’s best for you.
Worksheets with each lesson, so you can absorb and understand what you learned.
Membership to a private course website so you can access all the material anytime, anywhere.
Group discussion calls, so you can ask questions and connect with other writers in the course.
A private Facebook group, so you can continue the discussion outside of class time.
Marketers are still asking, what is B2B influencer marketing? Here’s a definition I’ve been using over the past 5 years or so:
B2B influencer marketing is activating internal and external subject matter experts with engaged networks to advocate and co-create content of mutual value that drives measurable business goals.
As the groundswell around influencer marketing rises and becomes a normal part of the B2B marketing mix, the volume of information and misinformation on the topic also increases.
One of the most popular questions people also ask about B2B influencer marketing focuses on what makes a good business influencer? By now we all know that popularity alone does not make someone influential. It’s certainly important, it’s just not the only thing.
As B2B marketers mature in their understanding of the role influence plays and how the dynamic of brand content co-created with industry experts plays out with customers, they begin to realize that other factors matter. Topical relevance matters of course as well as resonance of the topic amongst an influencer’s community.
The intersection of individual expertise, how well that expertise resonates with followers and the size of network creates a baseline of characteristics when evaluating whether a certain influencer might be a match.
But there’s more than that. Understanding what makes a great influencer is both art and science, soft and hard skills. The success of identifying, qualifying and engaging influencers is also directly tied to how they will be engaged and to what end.
Some people reading this might think that influencer marketing isn’t the magic pill some are playing it up to be. There’s a reason for that, because it’s not magic. It’s more like alchemy.
The reality is, there’s no one formula for the perfect B2B influencer, but there are some common characteristics that B2B brands should look for in varying proportions according to what’s important to a program or activation. I call those characteristics:
The 5 Ps of B2B Influence
Proficiency – In B2B marketing, the vast majority of those considered influential possess deep expertise in the field they work in. This is a significant difference from many B2C influencers who are often self proclaimed as influential with clever media creation skills.
As B2C influencer content and engagement tactics evolve, some are crossing over into B2B with a trickle of opportunists successfully creating influence amongst B2B audiences not solely for their expertise, but for a combination of adept social media content creation skills and some expertise. B2B marketers who do their due diligence will be able to filter accordingly.
Popularity – While network size is not the only thing, nor is it the most important thing, it is definitely a metric to consider. Some marketers swing in the direction of ignoring audience size altogether because of lower engagement rates with popular influencers. This is simply foolish. All things being the same, I’ll take 2% engagement of an influencer with a million followers over 2% from someone that has 1,000 followers.
What matters is how network size factors in with the type of influencer you need. For example, popular influencers aka “brandividuals” are often best for top of funnel content. Niche domain expert influencers are better for middle and end of funnel content. Engaging a brandividual and expecting conversions is just naive.
Personality – If you’ve worked in B2C influencer marketing and been exposed to all the characters there, B2B is going to seem a bit dry. Now there are some colorful characters in the B2B influencer community, no doubt. But personality is often a trait that needs to be uncovered when you’re working with some types of business influencers.
The good news is that savvy influencer marketing practitioners know how to plant the seeds that can grow and blossom within an otherwise introverted influencer. You don’t need them to be a colorful character, ripe with personality per se, but you do want them to connect with the passion they have with their craft and how their expertise can help others be successful.
Publishing – Content is the media that conveys the ideas of influence and while B2B influencers are not expected to produce the same types and quantity of content as in B2C, it is ideal when there’s a platform where the influencer publishes. At a minimum, that would be social networks but to be a B2B influencer, it’s most likely that also includes articles contributed to publications if not research, books and presentations.
Promotion – The value a B2B influencer brings beyond adding expertise and credibility to brand content is the ability to share what they helped create with their network. Trust of brand content is at a low, especially with advertising. Customers yearn for authentic content and the right kind of influencer collaboration can give them that, delivered via the influencer’s own distribution channels. That means social networks for course but also potentially blogs, email newsletters, podcast, LinkedIn Live, contributed articles or columns in industry publications.
I know some people reading this are thinking there could be even more P’s like being Prolific, Persuasive or Passion. Yes, there could be so many more but we have to draw the line somewhere! It’s important to be able to manage the data and insights necessary to factor these characteristics into selection, qualification and engagement.
Some of these traits will not fully reveal themselves until you work with an influencer on a few content activations. Others will fluctuate over time and that is normal. It’s important to understand that influence is a temporal thing. It is not fixed or permanent. It’s important marketers realize that before they disengage an influencer in the short term due to lower performance. The same goes for high expectations after great performance.
Organic influencer engagement is a little dynamic and what you don’t spend on paid influencers like an ad buy you will (in part) need to invest in relationship management, education and even tips that will help the influencers be more effective.
B2B brands with high influencer churn or low performance often apply “ad buy” perspectives to a what is actually a relationship driven effort. Mismatched expectations are not helpful for anyone, so think about the 5Ps as you evaluate and nurture your influencer community. Consider where of each your ideal influencers need to score on the 5 Ps in order to be a good match for the kind of activation you have in mind.
When there’s 5P alignment, there’s happiness: for customers, influencers and your B2B brand.
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If you’re a business owner or an entrepreneur, you know how hard it is to stay on top of all your contacts and ensure that nothing is falling through the cracks. Nimble is the simple, smart CRM that works directly within Office 365 and G Suite.
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