8 Bonuses and $100 off my Copywriting 2.0 program – Deal Expires Today.

online copywriting courseIt has been about four years now since I first wrote the Copywriting 2.0 program. I wrote it based on my work as a web writer and trainer for companies and organizations like Yahoo!, Intuit, The New York Times, The Getty Trust and many others.

So while I wrote the program for online copywriters at any stage of their careers, even beginners, the content of the program is based on my writing and training work for some of the most respected companies in the world.

In other words, this is a professional-grade program. There is nothing thin or skinny about it.

And since we first published the program, we have been updating and adding to it on an ongoing basis, including the addition of embedded videos.

Also, year by year, I have been creating more and more webinars, teleconferences and written materials to support the program.

As a result, when you buy the program now, you not only get the full, updated program, but also receive all of the following 8 bonuses.

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4 Ways in which the best e-newsletters are a little like blogs.

[Note: I first wrote and published this article about 5 years ago. But it still strikes me as relevant and useful.]

blogs and e-newslettersThe best e-newsletters share many of the same qualities as a good blog. It may seem strange to be comparing an e-newsletter with a blog.

But when you think about it, it’s not so strange at all.

Just think back to the days before blogs existed.

It wasn’t so long ago.

Back then, where did you turn to find interesting, engaging, timely, and topical news and information?

The answer for many of us is that we signed up for some great newsletters. We didn’t go to Web sites for the latest information and opinions, because in those days most sites tended to be too static.

If we wanted to know what was new, important, and interesting, we turned to newsletters.

Here are four ways that good newsletters share the same qualities as blogs.

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Why every web page needs rewriting over and over again [VIDEO]

old web pages new web pagesLook back twenty years and you’ll find that marketing materials had a slightly longer shelf life.

A company could have a brochure written and reasonable expect that brochure to be as relevant in a six months as it was the day it was printed.

Companies came to the web with similar expectations.

Oops.

The thing about the web, particularly today, is that companies are no longer the sole authors of their messages. In fact, their very brands are being formed and changed not by their marketing departments, but by their customers, fans and detractors.

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Popcorn Content: The craft of writing short-form content for social media.

popcorn content for social media

Popcorn Content is a short book about writing social media content.

Read it and learn how to write short-form content that hooks, compels and engages.

Whether you are writing a tweet, an update intro for Facebook, a post headline for Google+, a comment for Pinterest, or a title for a YouTube video…you need short content that pops.

Is writing this kind of short content really a separate “craft”? Absolutely it is. The social media environment is fast-moving, and whatever you say or share not only sinks into the flow really quickly, but is also in constant competition for attention.

Whether you are trying to hook readers, or engage in conversations, your social media content has to jump off the page.

That’s what Popcorn Content is all about.

Your social media text needs to be front-loaded with the most powerful words and ideas. It needs to hook readers quickly before you lose their attention. It needs to be intriguing and immediate, so readers click through to read more. It has to be worth sharing, and easy to share.

In short, it’s a whole different way of writing.

So what’s with the “popcorn” thing?

Well, it turns out that popcorn and social media have a lot in common.

Popcorn is social. It is generally shared within groups, in theaters, with family in front of the TV, with friends at a party. It’s about sharing within a group…just like social media.
social media content postcard
Popcorn is a snack, not a meal. Same with social media. Sharing someone’s Facebook update doesn’t mean you now have a relationship with them…you have just taken one small step. It’s the snack before the meal. And it had better be a tasty snack.

Popcorn is fleeting. The bowl is full one minute, and empty the next. Same with social media. Your latest tweet is there now, and below the fold a few minutes later. This means you need to write a LOT of Popcorn Content.

Using social media is like walking into a crowd of strangers with a bowl of popcorn. By offering these small kernels of value, you have the opportunity to introduce yourself to people and take that first step towards building a relationship.

To beat the competition – and it’s fierce – you need to master the craft of writing compelling short-form content.

“Love the ebook and I plan to buy a copy for everyone in my global marketing department for a retreat we are having in early July. “

Kerry Fehrenbach
Vice President, Global Marketing
Intergraph Security, Government & Infrastructure (SG&I)

Popcorn Content is  just 39 pages long. Yes, it’s short. No fluff. No blah blah. And it costs just $6.25. (Less than a small bag of popcorn at the movie theater.)

Read it now and write short-form social media content that hooks readers, engages prospects and drives sales.

“Popcorn Content offers a very good foundational overview of how to maximize social media communication for greatest impact. Nick Usborne paints a very engaging and realistic overview of social media marketing copy writing best practices and how they apply to the ever changing social media landscape. The bottom line is that this guide will pay for itself almost immediately if you’re willing to take advantage of the knowledge being shared.”

Rob Graham
TrainingCraft.com

Get it now at Amazon.com for just $6.25

Monday Spark: Sit down and do the best you can each day [VIDEO]

creative inspirationYour job is to sit at your desk each day and do the best you can.

This applies to managing your time, being productive and, above all, doing your best work, whether that be writing, designing, coding or anything else.

Will the “muse” be with you every single day? In other words, will you be at your most creative every day? Almost certainly not.

But as Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love, says in this video, “I would like the record to reflect that today I turned up for my part of the job.”

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The power of the human touch in web copy and content.

the human touchSome copywriters know that adding a human touch to their copy can help their readers relate to the product or service they are trying to sell.

Some consultants and coaches insert elements from their personal lives in their business writing, because it helps prospective clients get to know them as real people.

Some hard-core business-to-business writers know that interviews and case studies can help humanize the “corporation”.

But only some.

Most of the time, when I read content online, in the form or articles or posts, that human touch is missing.

Why? My guess is there are a couple of reasons.

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