Author: Jordan Peters

Content is King. Or is it?

~ Jordan Peters ~ Leave a comment

Is content king?

To me, that seems like a silly question. “Content is king” is a metaphor, but apparently not a very good one.

A good metaphor creates instant understanding. Given the amount of confusion and debate, the phrase “content is king” is not doing all that great a job in the instant-understanding department.

I think it’s smarter to say that content is indispensable. It’s what people go online to find, and it’s what Google loves. There are only a few online marketing models that don’t require valuable content, and those few are getting tougher by the day, and result in no long-term assets. Continue reading “Content is King. Or is it?” →

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10 Questions Every Blogger Should Ask Themselves

~ Jordan Peters ~ 9 Comments

The truth about writing is that it’s 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration; a good writer starts with a quick burst of creativity and spends the rest of their time refining and editing those initial ideas.

This ratio of creating vs. editing time helps clarify your ideas so your audience understands your point of view.

To help you in these crucial editing stages, I think that it’s important to ask yourself some questions so you can make an honest, constructive and critical appraisal of a blog post work before publishing it.

Asking these simple questions could mean the difference between a hastily written blog article that remains obscure and a well-written, influential, and engaging blog that courts a loyal audience with ease. Continue reading “10 Questions Every Blogger Should Ask Themselves” →

What You Must Know About Subheads

~ Jordan Peters ~ 3 Comments

Sometimes it goes like this: you hook your readers with your headline, and captivated them with your opening.

But somewhere along the way something awful happens…

You reader has lost interest in your blog post and is now barely scanning through, wishing to reach the end as soon as possible.

No reason to panic. There is a way out of this. Continue reading “What You Must Know About Subheads” →

Reciprocity

~ Jordan Peters ~ 16 Comments

Imagine you’d just decide to send out a lot of Christmas cards early in the month of December — to complete strangers.

What would happen?

Nothing? Maybe a few confused phone calls or letters?

Most likely you’d receive a great deal of Christmas cards in return, from people who don’t even know you.

A university professor actually performed this exact experiment back in 1976, and although he expected to get some responses, he was actually amazed by the number of return cards he received. Continue reading “Reciprocity” →

How to Find The Right Words

~ Jordan Peters ~ 21 Comments

Have you ever struggled to find the right words? As if you knew in your heart what you wanted to write, but just couldn’t translate all that you felt into words? As if something always got lost between your head and your fingers?

And this is even more frustrating because how you write determines what your readers understand.

If you ever struggled to find just the right words, arrange them in the right order, and get your point across to your readers, here are a few tips for producing great content even when it feels like your brain is against you. Continue reading “How to Find The Right Words” →

A Simple Five Step Guide to Having a Popular Blog

~ Jordan Peters ~ 3 Comments

After you figure out who it is you want to reach with your blog, it’s time to figure out how to deliver valuable and unique content.

What’s the angle that will capture attention and attract regular readers who eventually become loyal fans?

The following five step guide will help you speak to your intended audience in a way that allows you to develop a distinct voice in your niche or field of expertise, and also facilitates your blogging goals. Continue reading “A Simple Five Step Guide to Having a Popular Blog” →

How to Write Incredibly Creative Blog Posts

~ Jordan Peters ~ 10 Comments

Creativity is extremely important when it comes to crafting effective content. And, yes, content should also be useful and valuable to the reader, not an indulgent exercise in self expression.

Still, creativity is key when it comes to content that works, content that engages your audience, content that enriches other people’s lives. While creativity for its own sake is a smart way to strengthen your lateral thinking skills and to align your work with what you love to do, it’s when you create something useful to others that you add value to the world. Continue reading “How to Write Incredibly Creative Blog Posts” →

What To Do When You Run Out of Words

~ Jordan Peters ~ 12 Comments

Even though you do not want to think about it, there will come a time when you simply run out of inspiration for your blog.

You’ve been writing blog posts about the same topics for way too long.

You’re exhausted.

You just don’t know what to write anymore.

Not that you’re one to give up easily. You try to unblock your creativity. You start going back over old blog posts, rewriting them, trying to find new angles and new ways of talking about the same old thing.

You’ve talked about everything you know how to talk about four times over, from every conceivable angle. You’ve reworked all the posts you can. You are done. Finished. Finito. Really freakin’ tired.

Time to quit blogging and become a Starbucks barista, right?

Wrong. Continue reading “What To Do When You Run Out of Words” →