You Need a Content Strategy
Let’s discuss why book editors need a content strategy in order to market their business effectively.
Why Book Editors Need a Content Strategy
A while back, I mentioned on a LinkedIn post that for years, my best-performing content for my personal website had been a screed about how I hated wind chimes. That post drew more people to my blog than almost everything else I’ve written. (“For Jessica” was the biggest – it broke my website a couple of times.)
Anyway, on that LI post, someone added a comment about how their biggest draw was a post on how to get a free illegal download of someone else’s intellectual property. I deleted the comment because “I hate wind chimes” and “I help people steal things” are not in the same universe, and please don’t pretend they are.
But it got me thinking about what that person was trying to accomplish. What was the purpose of offering free illegal downloads? Sure, it got people to visit his website, but . . . so what? These are not the kind of people who’ll turn into paying clients. And advertisers don’t want to be associated with scammy websites. So . . . what was the point? Other than to be a jackass?
One of the most essential things your content does, or should do, is attract the right kind of potential clients to your website (and your social media, etc.). What it shouldn’t do is attract the wrong kind of potential clients.
What does this mean in practice?
- If you’re hoping to land clients who want a gentle, understanding editor to help them improve their work, sarcastic zingers aimed at mistakes newbie authors make are a disconnect that will draw the wrong potential clients to you.
- If you aim to attract clients who can pay big bucks for an edit, don’t write posts about hiring an editor on a budget.
- If you’re trying to attract genre novelists, don’t spend all your time reviewing self-help books.
Make sure your content aligns with your vision for your ideal client. Write for that client.
Tips for Editors & Writers
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When to Give Up
It’s time for my annual rebuttal against the clouded thinking that you hear in clichés like, “Many people quit just before they’re about to succeed!” When I read or hear something like this, I always wonder, “How on earth would you know that?” Starting and building a freelance editing business is hard. It requires a
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Helping Authors Bring a Setting Alive
Authors often visualize their stories as if they were movies unreeling in front of them. This is unfortunate because it often means they focus heavily on the visual when the world of narrative offers so much more! Namely, the other four senses—sound, smell, taste, and touch. Using the FIVE Senses: Setting of a Novel Sight
