10 Modern Editing Tips for Meticulous Bloggers

I watch a lot of YouTube videos about the best ways to clean your bathroom.

In fact, I realized that I spend way more time watching “hacks, tricks, and tips” about how to efficiently clean a bathroom than I do actually cleaning my bathroom.

Given the hundreds of thousands of views on these types of videos, perhaps it’s not just me. And I started thinking … this might be similar to bloggers who read about editing tips.

Editing, like cleaning a bathroom, isn’t always the most fun, so bloggers might spend more time reading about editing tips than actually implementing them.

We’d like to have a polished bathroom or a polished blog post — we just don’t always want to perform the work required to produce that shiny end result.

The 10 modern editing tips I’ll share today should invigorate you to put in the elbow grease … at least when it comes to your writing.

1. Become the Editor-in-Chief of your blog

Even though blogs have been around for a long time, some people may still associate them with sloppy, weak information posted on a website. And that’s what some blogs are.

But that’s not what you do.

While the writing rules you follow certainly depend on the audience you serve, your presentation must be thoughtful.

Blog posts that work for your business ideally satisfy a need for both you and your readers.

Here’s my definition of an Editor-in-Chief that serious bloggers like you can use to demonstrate your commitment to quality:

Editor-in-Chief (noun): a person who assumes complete responsibility for, and ownership of, all of the communication he or she puts out into the world to enable a self-directed, creative career.

2. Build editing momentum

You don’t start physical exercise without some gentle stretches, and you probably don’t even start drafting a blog post without some writing warm-ups.

So, don’t just jump straight into editing your writing without some preparation either.

Instead, energize your brain to tame wild words with your audience’s best interest in mind.

You want to feel ready to shape and craft your text rather than simply read it.

To build momentum to edit with ease, begin your editing routine by:

• Reading your favorite authors for inspiration
• Studying the structure of the lyrics in a song from your favorite musical artist
• Writing free-form creative content that is separate from your blog

Those are just a few activities you can try. How do you get ready to edit? Share in the comments below at the end of this post.

3. Bond with your audience over a shared worldview

As I mentioned above, your blog post should be a thoughtful presentation that considers your audience’s desires, hopes, and needs.

And you don’t always need to write more to create the most engaging, useful, content possible. Sometimes you might just need to arrange your ideas in a way that is easy to consume.

That may include:

• Revising your headline or subheadlines
• Adding bullet points
• Rearranging your sentences or paragraphs
• Deleting confusing tangents
• Turning a long blog post into a series

Editing is more than just checking for proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation. It’s your opportunity to extract your winning difference from your draft and shine a spotlight on it.

4. Sleep with one eye (and one ear) open

We know writers are always working, so look for meaningful snippets everywhere, even if they seem to have nothing to do with the topics you write about.

Why is this an editing tip?

Your draft may be a straightforward article that offers helpful information, but during the editing process you can infuse it with your own writing voice and incorporate interesting elements that hook readers on your blog’s style.

Go ahead, make the competition irrelevant.

More on writing voice on the blog tomorrow …

5. Ask yourself questions

It’s common to take a break after writing before you begin editing to help clear your mind. After all, it’s difficult to review your own writing objectively.

Another thing you can do is ask yourself critical questions about your content:

• Does this introduction explain why someone should keep reading?
• Is there too much hype and not enough value?
• Can I simplify this point?

Since your headline is always a good place to start, check out: Ask Yourself These 3 Questions to Craft Better Headlines.

6. Add carbonation to your flat water

Plain water is fine, but isn’t sparkling water a little more fun?

As you examine your draft, vary your word choice and fine-tune your language throughout your post — especially at the beginning of paragraphs.

For example, if you begin the majority of your paragraphs with “Something you could try …,” or “Make sure …,” the text is going to look repetitive to a reader.

Also, take a look at the list items in this post. They aren’t merely “1. Edit,” “2. Proofread,” etc. They state unpredictable, unusual actions that guide the reader through the post in an unexpected way.

Be an artist. Play with your words and look for different ways to present your ideas.

7. Bring an umbrella (just in case it rains)

It happens to the best of us. We can all get a little … wordy.

Shield your final draft from extra explanations with your trusty word-repellant umbrella.

Aim to not get too attached to your words and swiftly cut out sections of your draft if they don’t benefit your audience. (Save them for later because they might fit perfectly into a different post!)

You want your article to be complete, but communicate your main message in a precise way.

8. Complete a “revision triangle”

Once you’ve set up a post in WordPress:

1. Edit in the Text Editor screen
2. Proofread in the Text Editor screen
3. Proofread once again in Preview mode

I call this a “revision triangle” because a triangle has three sides and these are three steps that help ensure you have thoroughly reviewed your writing.

Since many mistakes are often not caught until you proofread, let’s look at my favorite proofreading technique.

9. Keep the reader in your created reality

In the draft of this post, I accidentally typed “learn” instead of “clean”, “person” instead of “perhaps,” and “always” instead of “also.”

If these errors had published, they would have jolted readers out of the experience I created for them.

They could reread the text and figure out my true intentions, but that’s a bit disappointing for readers — and extra work for them.

Catch these types of mistakes by proofreading from the end of your post to the beginning in Preview mode.

Remember that proofreading is not reading.

You need to slowly inspect each word in your draft.

10. Zig when others zag

This tip is also known as “double-check details other bloggers may overlook.”

Properly attribute any quotations you use and verify their accuracy (no missing or incorrect words).

Look up the exact names of companies and products. You don’t want to write “MasterMix 300” when the product you’re talking about is actually called “Master MixIt 2000.”

It’s easy to skip over hyperlinked text when you proofread, so give those words special attention.

Fact-check event information, such as the day of the week, date, and time.

There isn’t just one set of editing tips that help your blog stand out; you build respect and trust by getting the details right over time.

Strengthen your editing habits to differentiate your blog

Now that we’ve got a handle on practical editing techniques we can all use this year, I’ll resolve to also stay on top of my cleaning chores as well.

Should I straighten up the area around my bathroom sink?

It’s a start.

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Get Back to Basics to Crush It in 2017

One week from today, Copyblogger turns 11 years old.

In some ways, it feels like only yesterday that I came up with the concept for this blog in December of 2005 and launched it the next month. Except that I was 38 at the time, and now … I’m not (ahem).

There was plenty of emerging talk about commercial blogging going on back then, and Copyblogger was specifically designed to add to the conversation in a way that wasn’t being addressed. Fortunately, I had spent the previous 7 years figuring out how to build online audiences that built businesses.

Today we call that content marketing, and in this sense, a lot has changed in the last decade or so. Content is now a multi-billion-dollar industry churning out a massive volume of content — content that’s too often massively undifferentiated and uninspired.

In other words, much of it is missing the mark.

It’s (Still) All About the People

Compared with a decade ago, we now have all of this fabulous technology that allows us to implement automated conversion funnels, adaptive content experiences, and powerful segmented email marketing. To add to that, you’ll hear a lot about AI-driven chatbots, web-based virtual reality, and machine learning in 2017.

And yet, none of that matters without the basic stuff that we learned as bloggers all those years ago. It’s the human element that’s important, first and foremost.

At the foundation of what we do as digital marketers is influencing human psychology, telling creative stories, and delivering value that leads to a unifying sense of connection. Add marketing technology to that, and then you’re hitting it out of the park.

That means you need a content strategy that marries the motivations of your prospects with your business objectives before anything else. And yet, the latest research from Content Marketing Institute shows that just 37% of B2B marketers and 40% of B2C marketers have a written content marketing plan.

Maybe we should start there?

Strategy Doesn’t Just Happen

An effective content strategy should guide you toward reaching and speaking authentically to the tribe you want to lead, not insincerely pandering to whomever shows up. That means understanding your own core values and living them through an engaging human voice.

We’ve heard the word empathy over and over for the last few years, but do you really know what the buyer’s journey looks like from the perspective of your prospect? Do you understand what they’re thinking, feeling, seeing, and doing along the way?

And finally, are you just delivering information, or are you delighting your audience with stories big and small that differentiate you and make the competition irrelevant? Does the content you produce clearly reflect a winning difference, or are you simply mimicking someone more established and popular than you are currently?

Take a brutally honest look at your digital marketing and content efforts. If they’re not as good as they could be, let’s make them better — together.

Brian is Back in the Saddle

I love referring to myself in the third person. It’s one of the perks of this job.

And for the first time in many years, a big part of my job will be running Copyblogger. Not only from a strategy standpoint, but also by writing here each week.

Big deal, you’re thinking (rough crowd!). Fair enough, but this announcement is more about holding myself accountable to practicing what we preach when it comes to strategy, techniques, and ideals.

Plus … I’m just as fired up about what we’ll be sharing with you this year as I was 11 years ago, when all I thought about was consistently delivering relevant value to the Copyblogger community. We were fortunate enough to grow an 8-figure business from those efforts, and now it’s time to get back to basics to take things to the next level.

Just remember, back in 2006, I didn’t have a business model or a product to sell. All I knew was that if I helped you, you might be inclined to do business with me.

Like I said, back to basics. More on content strategy starting next week.

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The Difference Between Cheap and Good

You’ve probably noticed how much cheap marketing and writing advice is out there. So many hypey “hacks” … so few results.

We’re much more into the long game. It takes time and energy to produce good content, which is why we like solid, proven strategies that are actually worth your time.

This week, we have some deep dives for you.

On Monday, Beth Hayden shared some thoughts on promoting your content to improve your SEO. (Like all good SEO recommendations, content promotion isn’t just for search engines — its most important function is to find more humans who would love to read, watch, or listen to your content.)

On Tuesday, Aaron Orendorff wrote about one of our favorite things — evergreen content. Instead of trying to chase news (along with thousands of other sites in your topic), with evergreen content, you develop a thoughtful, compelling angle on a subject and put in the extra work that lifts it above the usual noise. Aaron gives 20 ideas you can use to shape content that will work for the long haul.

I have a suggestion for you: Take Aaron’s list of 20, pick the ones that resonate with you, and get one onto your calendar for each month of 2017. They won’t be 12 easy posts to write … but if you put real effort into them, they’ll bring genuine, long-lasting authority to your site.

On Wednesday, I pulled together some of my favorite Copyblogger posts from 2016, with a few words on each one. (In other words, it’s a bit like this post, but for a whole year.) It’s divided into sections, so you can find your favorite topics more easily.

On the podcasts, The Showrunner shared their favorite audio production tips with you, and Members Only gets real about what it takes to create a product page that actually sells something.

Next week, we have some fun news that I think you will love. The whole editorial team is looking forward to all kinds of amazing conversations with you in 2017.

Enjoy this week’s goodies. Thank you so much for your time and attention in 2016, and I’ll catch you next year!

— Sonia Simone
Chief Content Officer, Rainmaker Digital

Catch up on this week’s content

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4 Creative (and Aboveboard) Ways to Improve Your Search Engine Rankings

by Beth Hayden

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20 Types of Evergreen Content that Produce Lasting Results for Your Business

by Aaron Orendorff

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The Best of Copyblogger: 2016 Edition

by Sonia Simone

---

Are You Losing Sales Because Your Purchase Page Sucks?

by Sean Jackson

---

Professional Podcasting Tips for Pristine Production (and Hosting Hacks)

by Jerod Morris & Jon Nastor

---

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The Best of Copyblogger: 2016 Edition

The year of the rollercoaster is nearly finished, and, as we usually do around this time, I wanted to pull together some of my favorite posts for you.

This collection of posts (and a single podcast) is a celebration of the writers who worked hard every week to teach, inspire, and entertain us — and it’s also a bit of a manifesto for what we want 2017 to be.

Our vision for 2017 is:

• The year of the individual voice
• The year of community
• The year of the real, human writer

Here are some of my favorite Copyblogger posts from 2016, starting with just one podcast episode …

The Return of the Blog

Brian Clark wrapped up the Unemployable podcast for 2016 joined by Darren Rowse, our old, dear friend and someone who epitomizes ethical, human-focused authority.

Darren and Brian talk about how “business blogging” became “content marketing,” about what we might have lost along the way, and about how to get that back again:
Blogging is Back, with Darren Rowse

Paying the bills, bills, bills

Copyblogger has always been a site for writers, and we hold a special place in our hearts for the freelancer — the early pioneers of the “gig economy,” who live on that fascinating edge where stress turns into freedom.

Here’s just a small sampling of posts we ran this year on how to make a better living creating words.

If you want to generate some business with your content, first you have to generate some traffic:
5 Ways to Get More Traffic with Content Marketing

Why is it so hard to charge what you’re worth? Pamela Wilson shares some thoughts:
Are You Cheap or Are You Exceptional? How to Price Your Services

Are you leaving money on the table? If you write for a living, the answer is probably Yes. Kelly Exeter can help:
4 Places Writers Leave Money on the Table

Beth Hayden has written lots of strong, action-oriented content for us this year on improving your writing revenue. Here’s one example:
How to Discover Your Customers’ Favorite Social Media Platforms

Freelancing is amazing — except for the part where you don’t know how much you’ll be making from month to month. Here’s a suggestion from Pamela Wilson:
A Simple Way Out of Your Precarious Freelance Income Problem

The answer is always in the audience

Darren, in his conversation with Brian, made the point that maybe if we’d called it “Community Marketing” instead of “Content Marketing,” more content creators would have kept their focus in the right place.

I think that’s a wise observation. Copyblogger has always taught the value of being a bit obsessed with your audience — and we’ve always been proud of the smart, thoughtful community that has grown around the blog.

Community isn’t just the relationship between you and the audience … it’s also about the professional ties you create with other writers. Stefanie Flaxman delves into what you need to consider before you publish other voices on your site:
Should You Publish Guest Blog Posts on Your Website?

If your content lacks connection, you’ll never build trust. If your content lacks conversion skills, you’ll never make any money. And if your content lacks conviction, it has no soul.

I talk a bit about how those three weave together in this post:
Connection Steps that Lead to Customers

Wise writers know that excellent writing doesn’t mean stiff or “formally perfect” writing. There’s an art to writing with a conversational voice … and Henneke gives us some thoughts on how to get the ball rolling:
How to Write Conversationally: 7 Tips to Engage and Delight Your Audience

Who we are informs so much of what we do. I took a closer look at Robert Cialdini’s “new” (not really) persuasion principle of Unity in this post:
The Ultra Powerful 7th Principle of Persuasion

Content excellence

We’ve said it many times:

Your writing has to be good before it can be strategic.

Crummy content won’t cut it, which is why we are perpetually in the year of the writer. (I suppose at some point we should write a post about the Century of the Writer …)

In 2017, we’ll be offering you monthly prompts that we can all work on together as a community. It starts with writing consistently, so take a look at the prompts below to get your motor running:
Start Your Engines: The 2017 Content Excellence Challenge Begins Now

(Look for January’s prompts coming soon …)

We say “your writing has to be good” — but what does that mean, precisely? A post I turn to again and again to answer that question is Brian Clark’s article on the intersection of meaning and fascination:
2 Essential Elements of Irresistible Content

Writers write every day (sometimes) … but what happens when you have no idea what to write about? Stefanie Flaxman is here to help:
This Is How You Become a Writer

Good writing is brave — and I love Joanna Wiebe’s bold (and smart) voice:

“Your biggest copy opportunity is this: your competitors are chickens.”

That’s how she kicks off this post:
Big Bums, Scuffles, and How to Craft Copy Your Competitors Wouldn’t Dare Write

Kelly Exeter writes about — what I agree is — the single most important thing writers can do to make our words much, much better:
One Skill that Will Take Your Writing from Good to Great

Henneke shares how to create a red poppy in a sea of gray content:
How to Write So Vividly that Readers Fall in Love with Your Ideas

Writing is creative work — and Demian Farnworth, in his wild, inimitable way, brings 21 different definitions of creativity together here (there’s also a dandy poster):
What Is Creativity? 21 Authentic Definitions You’ll Love [Free Poster]

It’s nearly 2017, and bots are writing content now. What they aren’t doing is writing good content — because it’s not just what you say, it’s how you say it. Brian Clark expands on that here:
How to Make Your Writing Real

Making more of it happen

Craft matters. And creativity matters.

But neither one matters if you don’t get the work done. Here are some resources to help you make that happen.

I’m a big fan of the “itsy-bitsy habits” movement, and the work of Stephen Guise. So I was tickled when he agreed to write a post for us:
An Effective (but Embarrassing) Way to Develop Elite Copywriting Skills with Mini Habits

Ever have trouble starting a new blog post? Or wrapping one up? Or … filling the middle with something that isn’t total blather? Yeah, me too. Here’s Brian Clark’s focused process for how to move past these three dreadful symptoms of a single problem:
The 5-Step Process that Solves 3 Painful Writing Problems

Sometimes, the creative well runs a little dry. Luckily, we have Sally Hogshead, who gave us 21 genuinely juicy prompts for excellent content:
21 Juicy Prompts that Inspire Fascinating Content

Sean D’Souza is obsessed with process … and with breaking it down into steps that others can follow. Take a look at his take on content process here:
The Content Junkyard (and Why So Many Articles Fail)

Often, the hardest part of writing is just getting started. Pamela Wilson has some thoughts on ways to get your writing brain working:
7 Fun and Easy Warm Ups to Start Your Writing Day

Content Marketing blah blah blah

I’ll let you in on a poorly-kept secret.

Most of us at Copyblogger hate the term “content marketing.” It’s too vague, it sounds clinical, and it puts the focus in the wrong place (on the content, rather than the community).

But … we also believe in using the language of the audience. And, for better or worse, “content marketing” is what folks call “authoritative creative works like blogs, podcasts, videos, and other useful things, that attract and sustain audience attention and build a case for your business goals.”

And to be honest, ACWLBPVAOUTTAASAAABACFYBG doesn’t really roll off the tongue.

In the interest of deciphering some of the attendant jargon, as well as giving us all a chance to hear Robert Bruce’s “deep, fluid, and cozy voice,” take a look and listen to our Content Marketing Glossary. Demian Farnworth introduces it here:
Content Marketing Glossary: 96 Concepts that Will Make You a Smarter Content Marketer

And here’s the link to jump to all of the Content Marketing Glossary posts with animated videos:

This April Fools’ Day post was a bit of stupid fun — but even though I wrote it, it still makes me laugh:
Okay … Here’s the Real Reason to Attend Digital Commerce Summit in Denver

And finally … there’s a trend you might notice if you click through to these posts. That trend will be moving in a different direction in 2017 … but you’ll need to wait for the new year for the announcement.

So … watch this space. Have a safe New Year’s Eve, and we’ll catch you on the flip side.

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20 Types of Evergreen Content that Produce Lasting Results for Your Business

I’m sure you’ve heard this stat: more than two million blog posts go live every single day.

And that’s just talking about blogs. You don’t even want to start contemplating total online content including emails, landing pages, product pages, podcasts, and social media.

Standing out in the deluge is harder than ever. Even for established publishers it’s tough. For beginners … it’s a nightmare.

So, what’s the solution?

While there is no magic bullet for content marketers, there is one type of content that can cut through the noise and deliver long-term results.

It’s called evergreen content.

What is evergreen content?

Evergreen content — like the name implies — is timeless.

These special resources are in-depth examinations of a problem, solution, trend, or topic. They can help your audience find tons of information on a subject that interests them, which adds value to your blog.

For example, Copyblogger used their original evergreen content to create a content library that produced historic results for the site. Visitors can register for a free My Copyblogger membership to get easy access to all of these materials.

Creating evergreen content does require additional time and money, but it’s worth those investments … if you want to rank higher in search engines, drive traffic for years, and help your audience find exactly what they need.

So, do you want to discover what types of evergreen content you could create — with more examples detailing exactly what success looks like?

Well, that’s what this post contains: 20 different evergreen content types, tips on how to make yours stand out, and examples all along the way.

Evergreen data and case studies

Original research and data-driven posts are evergreen gold. Likewise, case studies help show off your expertise by promoting real-world results that attract new prospects.

1. Your own original research

Investing in your own original research is hard, but that’s why it’s at the top of this list. Primary research is unique, exclusive, and — therefore — powerful.

While you might not have the resources of Forrester or Mary Meeker, that doesn’t mean you can’t go mining on your own.

Andy Crestodina does this every year through a simple Google Form for his blogger research survey.

2. “Every flippin’ stat” collection

If you can’t create your own research, the next best thing is to collect stats. This can’t be an exercise in brevity though.

Instead, get exhaustive by assembling 100 or more data points from across your industry. Then either add original commentary that helps your audience make use of the stats or design an infographic to accompany and simplify the content.

3. “Deep dive for success” case study

Case studies are a great two-for-one:

1. You get to show off your expertise.
2. You get to tell a story. And everybody loves a good story.

Neil Patel’s How to Write a Perfect Case Study That Attracts High Paying Clients does both brilliantly. On top of that, it gets pretty meta: it’s a case-study guide that is a case study itself.

4. “What went wrong” case study

Even more than success, failure is an effective teacher.

In fact, people often connect with our failures far more than our successes. Failure humanizes us. It evokes empathy and builds trust.

So, muster up the courage to get honest about your biggest flop. In Case Study: 18 Tips to Destroy Your Own Webinar, Emily Hunt takes this track, revealing mistakes and pointing out lessons at every turn.

5. One shocking stat and its consequences

Another creative way to present data is to go small … really, really, really small.

Pick one shocking stat and build an entire article or ebook around it. Explain the stat’s backstory and draw out all the applications you can.

For instance, this article is essentially a response to the problem of content overload and how to overcome those two million blog posts that get published day after day … after day.

Evergreen how-to guides

By breaking down a timeless issue into bite-sized steps, you educate your visitors and provide genuine value. The key is to solve a real problem with a real solution.

For evergreen content, ask yourself:

What hell am I saving my reader from and what heaven will I deliver them unto?

6. How-to for beginners

According to Chip and Dan Heath: “Once we know something … it becomes difficult for us to share our knowledge with others.” Because of this, true beginner guides are few and far between.

For a model, check out How to Write First Blog Post (16,000-word Guide +63 Expert Tips) by Michael Pozdnev. It combines emotion, a free ebook, and advice all centered around taking your very first step into the world of blogging.

7. How-to for advanced users

In many ways, advanced guides are easier to write than beginner guides. Why? Because you and your reader already share expertise and a common, technical language.

But how do you say something genuinely unique and deliver on your promise?

Jason Quey’s The Ultimate Guide to Influencer Marketing starts with data and a bit of groundwork. Then the content reveals Jason’s own templates along with high-level insights from other thought leaders in the space.

8. How-to checklist

The challenge of producing both beginner and advanced guides is how to present a lot of information. Three thousand or more words on any topic is hard to take in.

Enter the checklist. Checklists can stand alone or be added to how-to posts as downloads or content upgrades.

Whichever method you choose, the non-negotiable principle is this: boil it down.

Copyblogger’s Ultimate Copy Checklist ends with a black-and-white poster that helps you easily work through all 51 questions from the article itself.

9. How to do something over time

In addition to “do this now” advice, showing your reader how to accomplish long-term goals is vital. You can do this by breaking down your steps into days, weeks, months, or even an entire year.

How to Create a Social Media Content Calendar for a Year walks visitors through five steps to persevere at social media marketing by moving from the big picture — complete with spreadsheet examples — right down to individual posts.

10. How to pick the best product

Explaining how to pick the best product is a dangerous evergreen gambit. Most guides come across as transparently self-promotional.

To avoid that, make your product tutorial about teaching: provide definitions, collect advice from industry experts, and present impartial reviews from third-party sites.

While they certainly sell their own security software, Heimdal Security’s How to Find the Best Antivirus, the Ultimate Guide nails this tight-rope walk on every front.

Evergreen lists

To help readers navigate through all the content on the web, compile the very best information on a topic and create a list that’s easy to follow. Include detailed commentary that serves your specific niche.

11. Ideas and resources

Creativity is a fickle thing. Sometimes the muse strikes without warning, but rarely does she arrive exactly when we need her most.

Bringing ideas and resources together turns the creative lights back on. Check out Henneke’s 35 Blogging Tips to Woo Readers and Win Business.

12. Best free and paid tools

Regardless of your niche, there are plenty of tools that help people be more productive and profitable.

But to be evergreen, you have to do more than just list them.

To make tool lists shine, try tutorials with screenshots, videos, tips on how to get started, usage hacks, and insightful commentary detailing pros and cons.

Set a periodic reminder in your editorial calendar to keep these posts up-to-date.

13. Top influencers in a specific niche

Most influencer lists are pretty superficial. Even on well-known media sites, they often aren’t more than surface-level comments taken directly from each name’s most prominent social media profile.

To stand out, connect your influencer list to practical applications and get original contributions. At the risk of sounding self-serving, that’s exactly what I did in 50 Best Social Media Tools From 50 Most Influential Marketers Online, which combines this approach with a tool list.

14. Best books for a specific goal or niche

I love books. And I love lists. Turns out, so does the internet. Best-book lists are always a popular topic.

However, just like many of the other examples in this post, you can’t throw together blurbs from the back cover and call it good.

Dig in. Summarize each book. Call attention to its best lessons. Drop outstanding quotes into Click to Tweet boxes. Or even ask industry experts to share their favorite choices like The 10 Top Copywriting Books from the Top 10 Online Copywriters does with names like Brian Clark, Joanna Wiebe, and Demian Farnworth.

15. Common mistakes in a specific niche

Every industry has its seven deadly sins. Some have more like 10 or 20. Outlining these common mistakes — and providing tips on avoiding and overcoming them — is evergreen paydirt.

As a model, consider Henneke’s 11 Common Blogging Mistakes that Waste Your Audience’s Time. True to her engaging and winsome form, Henneke presents a bite-sized breakdown of each issue and easy-to-follow corrections.

For an even more exhaustive example, check out Shanelle Mullin’s post on ConversionXL, Google Analytics Health Check: Is Your Configuration Broken?

Evergreen encyclopedic content

You can create evergreen content around the history of your niche or product by building a glossary or producing an exhaustive “everything you need to know” post.

16. History of a topic or product

History doesn’t have to be boring. And it doesn’t just attract the “nerds” of your industry. However, it does have to be either visually or pragmatically engaging.

Beth Hayden and Rafal Tomal’s A History of Social Media [Infographic] has both of those two ingredients.

They kick things off with a secret — “There’s nothing new about ‘social media’ …” — and proceed to dispel that myth with a beautifully illustrated timeline.

17. Single-greatest tip roundup

It might seem like the old-school “what’s the best tip for blogging?” roundup has been done to death, but that doesn’t mean single-tip roundups can’t shine.

Ask an original, niche-specific question and present the answers creatively.

Case in point, Venngage’s 46 Expert Tips For Creating Addictive Content. “Addictive” content is far more enticing than “good” content, and it’s packaged as a post, ebook, and infographic.

As if that wasn’t enough, each and every tip is boiled down to a memorable and Tweetable nugget for easy sharing and retention.

18. Best or worst practices for a specific goal

Similar to the how-to guides above, best-or-worst-practice lists aim to add value by solving problems. Think of them as catch-alls, built on data and backed by examples.

While best-practice lists are low-hanging evergreen fruit, worst-practice lists give you the opportunity to be just as valuable — and have a lot more fun.

Beth Hayden combines both ideas in 7 Deadly Sins and 7 Virtues of Email Marketing.

19. Complete glossary of a niche or topic

Dictionary entries aren’t the sexiest type of content, but they are link-building dynamite.

Check out Copyblogger’s epic Content Marketing Glossary. The downloadable PDF, extensive cross-linking, and videos throughout make it compelling.

Complement your own glossary likewise to bring it to life.

20. Everything you need to know about a niche or topic

Our final example is easily the most daunting.

Words like “definitive” and “ultimate” get tossed around a lot. And while the luster is wearing off, the need for all-in-one content hasn’t gone anywhere.

Lawn Care: The Ultimate Guide should be in the content marketing hall of fame.

After an opening quote from Michael Pollan — “A lawn is nature under totalitarian rule” — the rest of the article works through the complete history of lawn care, definitions of key terms, best and worst practices, and a host of visuals.

Oh, and how perfect is it to end a post on evergreen content with a lawn care guide? That’s just icing on the cake.

It’s not easy being green

Now that you’re equipped with more types of evergreen content than you’d ever need, the temptation will be to start growing an entire nursery … all at once.

Don’t.

Evergreen content is powerful, insanely so. But remember creating it requires an investment. Pick one of the above templates and dig deep.

Above all, aim for originality and value. Being genuinely helpful never goes out of season.

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Professional Podcasting Tips for Pristine Production (and Hosting Hacks)

What are Jonny’s “4 Ds of Pristine Production?” You’ll find out in this week’s episode of The Showrunner.

We begin this episode by discussing the how and the what of podcasting — and more importantly, which one we place a greater emphasis on. (You probably won’t be surprised by our answers.)

Then we dive into Jonny’s 4 Ds, which cover:

• The type of mic you should choose
• How to hack your room to get better sound
• Why preparation is king
• And thoughts on delegation … which is a good thing, just not too soon

And then Jerod adds a few Ds of his own.

Listen, learn, enjoy …

Listen to this Episode Now

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Are You Losing Sales Because Your Purchase Page Sucks?

Of all the pages on your site, there is only one that actually makes you money: your purchase page.

But too often this page is ignored; most people just use the default shopping cart that comes with their dCommerce system.

If you are serious about selling digital goods online, then you will want to listen to this episode. We deep dive into the specific elements you must have on your purchase page to maximize sales conversions. And we go one step further and discuss the “other” page that is as important as your purchase page.

In this 30-minute episode, Jessica Frick and I explore the key elements required for a successful purchase page, including:

• The “other” page in the purchase process that people often overlook
• What you should, and should not, have on your purchase page
• The one change we did to our purchase process that increased sales by 30 percent
• Why you are the worst person to review your purchase page

Listen to this Episode Now

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