Marketing a website, any website, is basically the same as marketing anything else, anywhere else. Customers are still human, they still respond the same way to particular levels of communication, and react predictably to certain situations. For example the typical consumer will take personal references about a product far stronger than the best commercial on television, whether that personal reference is from someone we know or not.

Most website owners tend to believe their website must be listed high on the search engines for the site to be noticed and make a profit for their business. In reality what needs to happen is that they are noticed and found. While search engines are a very good way of getting this result to occur they are certainly not the only way, or even the most effective way.

Continued Here -> »

Web Content, Web Design

No Comments »

Writing a professional press release is always better if you keep a few simple ideas in mind and plan out the release before you start writing. The goal of a press release is to be picked up and published in a newspaper or news type website, so the style of writing is a bit different than what you may be use to as a web content writer or a marketing writer. News articles stress clean styles and fast information. Here are 10 hints to get you started, from there, practice, practice, practice.

1. Make sure the information is newsworthy.
This seems obvious, but you would be surprised how many releases go out every day that don't adhere to this simple idea. The press release is going to the ... Press. So before you start writing, find out what is newsworthy about the information you are trying to disseminate to the masses.

2. Tell the audience that the information is intended for them and why they should continue to read it.
This is first paragraph stuff. I learned working with the La Costa Breeze News, both as a writer and as an Editor, that one of the main differences between a news article and just about any other writing, is you give the whole story away in the first paragraph. Headlines are hooks, and the first paragraph is the setting strike. News stories don't have surprise endings, they have "more information".

Continued Here -> »

Press Releases

No Comments »

Most articles and even a few books on this subject start out by telling you how fiercely competitive the freelance world is, which is really an outdated perception. The market use to be fiercely competitive, until the client base grew exponentially. The fact is there are many more projects (large and small) than there are writers to do them. Most small companies do not feel they need a full-time professional staff writer, and they are right. They only need a professional staff writer when they need something written. Even small companies however need communications created far more than a few times a year.

Ten years ago, when the need arose to have a communication created, the task had only a few places it could land. There were not many places you could simply go to, and have a press release, or sell sheet written out. Brochures required ad agencies or professional marketing firms. Or, they landed on Jan’s desk, the office manager, and she put together something in Word, or Power Point, between payroll and purchasing office supplies. Or something else happened which was even worse; the communication wasn’t created.

With the WEB and the Internet came a greater need for professional content, and a way to contact a pool of freelance professional writers. With the availability of professional, dependable writers small companies who before would simply not make the communication, now have the third option they were looking for.

This has created a huge market for the freelance writer, with only a few rules to keep in mind, to insure a steady work flow of good paying projects.

Continued Here -> »

Freelance Writer

No Comments »

Working as a Freelance writer has changed dramatically in the last 10 years. What use to be a season’s work of sending letters and making connections is now an afternoon’s work of putting out bids and spending the rest of the time working on paying projects. Markets have opened in hundreds of places as people begin to realize that they have access to creative and reliable sources of written content. The accessibility of professional writers for projects, has pushed the bar of what is the norm in word quality on websites, brochures and even sell sheets.

Finding markets on the Internet for Freelance work can be as easy as visiting yahoogroups, topica etc and join writing job newsletters and job boards.
Groups such as these allow you to find the latest highering trends:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/freelancewriters
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/workforwriters
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/webwritingbuzz
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WritersMailBox
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/writesuccess

Continued Here -> »

Freelance Writer

No Comments »

High school kids have the chance to prove their writing potential thanks to a contest sponsored by the Friends of Lovejoy Library at SIUE.

The 12th Annual High School Writer's Contest is a contest for juniors and seniors enrolled in southwestern Illinois high schools from Madison, St. Clair, Washington, Bond, Calhoun, Clinton, Green, Jersey, Macoupin, Monroe and Montgomery counties.

Writers will have the opportunity to win prizes in one of three categories: fiction, nonfiction and poetry. First prize for each category is $500, second prize is $300 and third prize is $100.

Information packets have been sent to high schools in each of the specified counties and deadlines are Feb. 17. Winners will be notified April 1, and prizes will be awarded April 26 at an awards banquet at SIUE. All participants will receive certificates of recognition.

For further information, students should talk to their English teachers or principals, or contact the Friends of Lovejoy Library at 650-2730.

Writing Contests

No Comments »