Issue #811 April 22, 2014
Publisher: Joan Stewart
“Tips, Tricks and Tools for Free Publicity”
In This Issue
- Your Digital Writing Coach
- Pinterest Cover Photos
- Public vs. Professional Speaking
- Hound Video of the Week
This Week in the Hound House:
After that Easter dinner where I was clearly out of control, I’m crossing my paws, hoping I fit into the white capris I’m modeling at the fashion show tomorrow night. Maybe Spanx can save me. If you live near Port Washington, WI, come see me! Get your tickets from Zing Boutique. Call 262-284-3300.
1. Your Digital Writing Coach
When you write anything–blog posts, press releases, your bio, sales copy–don’t click the “publish” button until you run the copy through the Hemingway App.
This free tool doubles as a digital writing coach, and makes your writing bold and clear.
Click “Write,” highlight and delete the copy that’s already on the page, and start writing. Or past your copy into the page. Then click “Edit.”
Using color-coded highlighters, it points out long, complex sentences and common errors. I pasted this entire item and it told me the first sentence above is too hard to read. I left it as is so you get a good idea of how this works.
Yellow highlighting means you can shorten or split the sentence.
Red highlighting points out wordy sentences that will lose readers.
Blue highlighting calls attention to adverbs. Replace them with strong verbs.
Purple highlighting shows what I call $25 words like signage instead of signs. Or utilize instead of use.
Green shows the passive voice. Example: The book was placed on the table by the boy. Change it to the active voice: The boy placed the book on the table.
Let me know how you like the Hemingway App.
Doggie treats to John Howman of Cedarburg, WI, who shared this tip.
Join my mentor program and use me as your personal writing coach. I’ll give you the type of in-depth guidance and coaching that the Hemingway App can’t.
2. Pinterest Cover Photos
Do all your Pinterest boards have cover photos that make people click on them to see the entire board?
If not, Pinterest will automatically make your last pin the cover photo.
Think of the cover photo as the visual headline.
Yesterday, I finally added a cover photo to my very best board, 50 Tips for Free Publicity. That board still captures the Number One spot on Google search for the phrase “free publicity” even though it’s void of gorgeous photos or eye-popping images.
Those simple tips, made with PowerPoint, each link to a blog post, and each blog post links to the Pinterest board. Pinterest is the third-highest traffic generator to my website.
Want a cheat sheet that includes complete step-by-step directions on how I do it?
The cheat sheet is one of five in the bonus package that accompanies the video replay of the webinar I hosted on How to Create How-to Tips for Non-visual Topics on Pinterest. See how you can use Pinterest to boost your Google ranking.
If you’re one of the 70 people I’ve interviewed as part of my customer feedback project, you can use your $30 coupon for that purchase. All 70 interview slots have been filled, and I’m getting valuable feedback. If you didn’t get a chance to sign up for a phone chat, I’ll be interviewing customers later this year or early next year. Catch up with me then.
2. Public vs. Professional Speaking
What’s the big difference between public speaking and professional speaking?
Money.
Public speakers speak for free. Professional speakers get a fee, or remuneration that’s of equal value to their fee.
Many Hounds want to get onto the speaking circuit. Often, you have to speak for free before you can start commanding a fee, but not always.
Four speakers–S. Renee Smith, Rob Pennington, Jason Frenn and Gaby Cora–all make a healthy six-figure income from speaking. And they’ll share their best tips on how you can, too, when Steve Harrison interviews them during a webcast at either 2 or 7 p.m. Eastern Time today, on Tuesday, April 22.
Register for the free event and learn “5 Easy Ways to Get More Paid Speaking Engagements Whether You’re A Beginner or An Experienced Pro.”
You’ll learn the truth about working with speakers bureaus, how to turn radio/TV interviews into paid speaking engagements, what you must know about speaker contracts, and how to get paid well when you speak at churches or other places that say they don’t have a budget.
Even though the call is free, I’m one of Steve’s affiliates and earn a commission if you buy anything from him.
4. Hound Video of the Week
With some prodding, these devout doggies remember to thank God for their meal.
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