Tips

After I deglamorized good ideas, I started thinking about other topics to dissect. Content quality quickly came to mind. So, for a change, this post is not about creating content. It’s about all the care behind the scenes that makes great content possible. Let’s look at 12 important steps meticulous ...

There are a lot of reasons why I dislike the term content marketing, but the most important one is that it’s vague. Are we talking about a YouTube “let’s play” gaming video? A clever tweet from a big brand? Or maybe a blog post or podcast episode? Because that word ...

OK, I’m just going to say it. In today’s world, publishing second-rate content is a total waste of time. There’s no point in contributing to the growing pile of mediocrity. It wastes your time, and, worse, it wastes your audience’s time. Sometimes I’ll see a marketer complaining that: “I spent ...

I never realized just how important it was to connect content with business goals until I had a particular conversation with a client. The client, excited to get started on blog content together, had a running list of topics for me to cover. But then something strange happened. When I ...

When you run a content marketing platform, you’ll get other types of messages from your audience in addition to blog comments. You’ll get emails. Many people have a love/hate relationship with email. When it’s good, it’s really good — but when it’s bad, managing your inbox feels like a huge ...

Okay, maybe not “ruthlessly.” But we all have lots of things we need to get done, and that means we need smart strategies to work efficiently — without compromising quality. This week, we shared some adjustments you can make to your systems that will help you kick your productivity into ...

In the last few years, content marketing has become the marketing approach that all the cool kids are supposed to be doing. Coca-Cola is doing it, IKEA is doing it, Copyblogger has been doing and talking about it for more than 10 years now. So it’s a no-brainer, right? Except, ...

When I sat down to write this post, I drew a blank. I knew what I wanted to write about, but the words just weren’t there. My head was empty — a smooth, cavernous zilch. So I answered some emails. And then I went to the gym. After the gym, ...

I think the best way to introduce the topic of this post is to remind you that my favorite word is No. At the risk of sounding no-fun, I like rules. If you’re in a position to set rules for any given situation, they can help you reach solutions to ...

Sometimes, we’re fearless with our writing and content. We know what we want to say, and we pour it onto the page with passion and courage. Other times … not so much. Nerves or a lack of confidence can keep you from publishing excellent work. This week, we’ve got three ...