You CAN Write!
Just Be You When Writing For The Net
You CAN Write when you are knowledgeable and passionate about the niche you have chosen upon which to build your own Web business.
If you are thinking about building an online business you will need to provide lots of quality content about the theme you choose. If this fact worries you, you can lay those worries down right now!
Time and time again when we talk with folks who are considering building a Web business, we hear people say something like this..."but I can't write!"
Erin Says: Personally, I love to write. I used to write poems, songs and long letters to friends. I have journaled and written about lots of interesting things. But this is not the case for many people! You will soon see that you CAN write too!
Jen Says: I've always loved to write, too, and grew up wanting to be a novelist or screenwriter. I have to admit though...it's not always easy! So how do you beat your fear? Remember that the web is a casual place, a lot more like the local pub than a hoity-toity country club. No one expects you to be Shakespeare. Even Stephen King says, "I am the literary equivalent of a Big Mac and Fries." And who doesn't love a good burger and fries?
Please remember that there is a difference between THINKING that you don't know how to write and BELIEVING that you don't know how to write.
It's Easy!
Writing for the net is EASY! The rules are much more relaxed than they were in Language Arts class. This is not to say that grammar and proper word usage go right out the window. Those elements are still important. What is more important, however, is learning how to write almost like you talk, a.k.a. "in your own voice."
When you write content for your theme based Web site, try to write just like you would if you were in the same room as a close friend. It's easy and fun.
Think for a moment about what you are reading right now. It's us, Erin and Jen, talking to you, our interested reader. Do we sound like a text book or real people? (Sure hope you answered "real people!")
You can write like this too. How did we learn how to write like this? We just started writing like we talk to each other and then tweaking here and there so as to make sure that we are communicating about the matter at hand.
Try it right now!
Open your favorite text editor and write as if you were telling your close friend why you want to build a Web business. Really focus on COMMUNICATING to your friend so that s/he will have very few questions as to why you want to build a niche on the Web. Go ahead, we will wait right here.
Now re-read what you have written and ask yourself if it sounds like what you would say if you were REALLY talking to your close friend. Tweak until you like it.
If possible, ask your friend to read what you have written. Ask him/her if it "sounds" like you and if your reasons for wanting to build a Web business are communicated clearly. Listen carefully to the feedback that you receive and take it to heart.
You have now accomplished two things. You have taken the first step in learning how to write for the Net AND you have a written statement about why you want to start a Web business. So what are you waiting for?!
Write About What You Know
and Love!
Okay, okay, there is a bit more to it than that...but not much. If you are writing about a subject that you are passionate about, it is SO much easier than if you are writing about something that was assigned or that doesn't interest you much.
Think about that. Do you remember those writing assignments about the "history of palm trees in the South"? or "what creates the pattern differences in snow flakes"? Seriously, not everyone is interested in these things. We like palm trees and think snow flakes are pretty but we am not going to write passionately about them. It is so much easier to write about something that you know, love and really care about.
Everyone should know how to write to communicate. Heck, everyone should know how to TALK to communicate. It's easier to learn than most folks think.
Remember The "P" in C T P M?
Do you remember the "P" in the CTPM Process? Click here for a quick review.
CTPM.
The "P" is for "Presell." You want to write your content so that it communicates to your reader what you want them to learn or understand or do. Preselling is the online version of building a relationship with your reader. It's an effective way to establish trust and respect.
In Ken Evoy's book,
Make Your Content Presell,
Ken says "all day long you already PREsell. You do it in your personal realtionships. You do it in your business. You do it every day in every way." Ken goes on to say that most of us learned, starting from grade school, how to write to "impress." You know...use those big words and long sentences.
Make Your Content Presell sets out to undo alot of what we have learned in school about writing. (That alone should make you relax a little!). Ken suggests writing in a friendly tone using short, sharp, active sentences. We definitely did NOT write like this back in the day. Did you?! But it is exactly what people are looking for when they visit a Web site!
Visitors to a Web site know great content when they read it. They recognize a friendly voice. They know when what they are reading comes from someone with real experience. They like the "uniqueness" of the content. It's not the same old thing rehashed and reworded like they have found on most of the other sites out there. And you CAN write like this too!
Writing To Communicate Is
So Important!
Ken Evoy is so convinced of the importance of writing to communicate that he has written several books on this. They each have a different emphasis but the message is always the same. Anyone can LEARN how to write to communicate.
In
Make Your Words Sell,
co-authored by Joe Robson, the focus is on writing to Sell. This is a much more persuasive style of writing but equally important to those of you who plan to sell your own products or services through your Web site. Make Your Words Sell shows you powerful writing techniques and concepts. Joe teaches you his amazing SWAT technique which helps you to squeeze out all of the benefits of a product or service so that you can convince your visitor that w/he NEEDS this. There's powerful stuff in this book but it is intended for learning how to write effective SALES copy, not Preselling-Type copy.
In
Make Your Knowledge Sell,
by Ken Evoy and Monique Harris, you can learn how to write a profitable e-book. Ken believes there is an e-book inside everyone! Imagine...you writing a book! Wait, don't run...it's just an idea. But if you read Make Your Knowledge Sell, you may soon be interested in putting you knowledge into an e-book and selling that through your Web site. Keep it in mind anyway.
Finally, we must mention
The Netwriting Masters Course.
This is a *free* download very generously offered by Dr. Evoy. The Netwriting Masters Course teaches what he describes as the "Simple Art of e-Persuasion." Let me tell you this is an intensive, yet easy-to-understand course. It's totally based on the famous CTPM Process and how to write high value content.
Remember, all of Dr. Evoy's books about writing Web content by have the same message...write to communicate in a knowledgeable and friendly voice that 's all your own. Each book emphasizes different approaches based on what you are trying to accomplish with your Web business. Don't worry too much about choosing the right one, everyone can learn something from any of them.
One More Thing...
One more note before we go on to other niche building discussions. (Erin) I use the lessons in Make Your Content Presell to teach my children how to write to communicate! The concepts in this book apply to ANY type of writing, not just Web content writing. This has helped my kids to write far better reports for school and I believe they are learning just how important it is to be able to put your words in such a way that people UNDERSTAND what you are trying to convey.
We hope that you now BELIEVE that you CAN write about your idea in your own voice and before long you will won't want to stop. It's so much fun!
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