3/22/13: The Writing Edge for Business Writers

Mar 22, 2013 | Better Writing

You’re a businessperson. You may not think of yourself as a writer, but you know that writing well can boost your results and your career. Naturally, you want to do better. Here are some recent blog posts and articles that might help.

This week I’m pointing you to pieces on why things catch on, and how to write and e-course and how-to content. There, I’ve said it, there’s a post here about how to write how-to content.

From Jonah Berger: ‘Contagious’: Jonah Berger on Why Things Catch On
“If you have watched and shared PSY’s “Gangnam Style” video or gone into an unknown restaurant simply because it was full of people and appeared to be popular, you have the basis for understanding what makes things go viral. In Wharton marketing professor Jonah Berger’s new book, Contagious: Why Things Catch On, he identifies six principles that cause people to talk about and share an idea or product. Knowledge@Wharton recently sat down with Berger to learn more about his findings, including why people share cat memes, which organizations and individuals have conceived and implemented the most successful viral campaigns — from Blendtec to ‘Movember’ — and why making something contagious does not have to be expensive.”

From Problogger: 9 Steps to Creating a Successful e-Course
“It seems so effortless from the outside: Record some audio, shoot a little video, schedule a few emails, throw in a live call. Shaazam! You’ve got an e-Course. But when you dive in to actually create your own course, you may get:”

From Problogger: 7 Simple Steps to Writing Great ‘How To’ Content on Your Blog
“On Twitter a number of people told me that they were having a little trouble with writing a ‘how to…’ post because it wasn’t their normal style of writing on their blog so I thought I’d jot down a few tips for writing ‘how to…’ content (something I’ve been creating for 10 years now on my blogs).”

Becky Robinson is my go-to friend and expert for launching business books. Every week, she publishes a book launch tip on her blog. This week instead of a tip, Becky shared a poster that illustrates the way she measures book launch success.

Sources I Check Regularly

I find the posts and articles that I share with you on The Writer’s Edge in many places. But there are a few that provide insightful pieces again and again. Here they are.

The CopyBlogger Blog

Problogger

Digital Book World

Tools of Change for Publishing

jeffbullas.com

Becky Robinson’s Weaving Influence