Studies show that blogs that contain graphics increase readability and are shared more often.

Graphics should complement your content by highlighting key information.

Quick Tips: 

• Keep it simple
• Include information that you want your reader to focus on
• Use the easiest graph to represent the data
• Know your audience and purpose
• Use quality stock images.
  • Choose images related to your topic
  • Choose images that your audience can relate to

• Add borders and shapes, and don’t be afraid to mix up the fonts. The more unique your images, the better!
• Use color to appeal to your reader’s emotions.

Note: Use copyright free images or get permission before using an image. There are plenty of websites that offer free stock images. You can always pay for the images that you really like to avoid copyright infringement.

Articles that include visual images, get 94% more views than those without visual content.

These are some of the fundamentals of Design:

1. Consistency: pick a style and stick to it.
2. Repetition: people learn from repetition; using repetition in your design will help your readers retain the information
3. Alignment: clean and structured is easier to follow.

Try Canva as a free designing tool if you’re just starting to play around with graphics.

EMOTION

or… 

 Emoticons? 

By FAR the most BRILLIANT tool for expressing emotion is the emoticon…       

The history of the emoticon dates back to the 19^th century.

Drawings showing emotions were placed within the text of casual or funny letters.

Today, a wide range of static or animated Emoticons are used, but only for email or texts.

So…is it possible to use emotion in when writing professionally?

Of course it is!

Writer and Marketer Sonia Simone explains that when you bring emotion into your writing you can use empathy to connect the reader.

She compares emotional writing with the movie “Inside Out” by Pixar.

• Too much Joy gets in the way…everything can’t always be happy
• Sadness is the marketing expert…also the empathy expert
• Anger is dangerous, yet useful…as it triggers emotion in the reader
• Disgust is the surprising ringer…that can make the content work

When writing for emotion, you need to first present the problem, shake it up a bit, then solve it.

Remember! Essays and research papers don’t need to be dry and boring… 

• Give it some emotion…use words that describe Feeling.

• If you’re passionate about the subject, show it!

• Give your words some life…use your Verbs and Adverbs.

• Most important – Write like you speak.

A few tips for writing with emotion:

    Read your text aloud…

          Pace the floor…

                Use your body while reading…

                      Vary your tone of voice to drive your point home…

                            And remember – Read it with emotion!

Simone, Sonia. “Bringing More Emotion into Your Writing – From the Inside Out.” Rainmaker.fm. Rainmaker Digital, n.d. Web. 07 Oct. 2015.

So you want to be your own boss and enter the world of freelance writing, but you’re not sure where to begin? With some perseverance and the “write” tools, the road to freelancing success can be a little easier.

Read on to learn more about the must-haves for every writer……

Writer’s Market

It’s a directory of publishers you can sell your work to and is loaded with useful advice like how to write an effective query letter, working with editors and how much to charge for your work. Whether you’re working on a screenplay, magazine article or the next New York Times best seller, Writer’s Market is an invaluable resource for writers of all genres. Available in both print and digital formats, it’s money well spent.

Other Writers

You need them and they need you.  Get connected with other writers.  Whether it’s a virtual group or a community-based group, having a circle of writers to network with, share strategies and critique your work is really important to your growth. Don’t know where to find other writers?  Check out Meetup to find like-minded folks in your area or LinkedIn for virtual groups.

Author’s Website

Now’s not the time to be modest. You need a platform to promote your awesome work and help readers and clients find you.  Building a website is cheap, easy and no PhD in IT is needed.  WordPress is a popular tool many writers use to create their websites. Its user-friendly interface is easy to navigate and it’s optimized for getting your site in front of major search engines like Google and Yahoo.  Go ahead, toot your horn.

Your local library

Have you visited yours lately?  They’re no longer the austere places that you may have frequented as a kid. Today’s libraries are customer-centric and modern.  With vast amounts of digital resources, work rooms and knowledgeable staff, your neighborhood library is a vital resource for any writer.  Go on, introduce yourself to the librarian and make a new friend.  You’ll be glad you did.

Writing Conferences

They’re a one-stop shop for writers. Where else can you learn about industry trends, pitch your work to agents, mingle with other writers and walk away feeling inspired?  You can find conferences in most major cities and on college campuses too. 

The road to a successful freelance writing career isn’t always an easy one, but with the help of these tools and ambition, you’re on your way.  Good luck!

Does this qualify as an oxymoron?

Bloggers…many companies hire them in one form or another.  But why?  What do bloggers bring to the table? Bloggers are hired to:

• Get another opinion the company; it is kind of like when you wear the same perfume every day and you can’t smell it anymore, but your cube mates can because you are over-doing it, and one of them kindly tells you!  A fresh set of eyes is always beneficial!
• Improve your traffic, leads, and sales; money, money, money – it’s all about the money!  After all, they have to pay the professional blogger somehow!
• Save Money; Time is money, and online blogs and posts can go viral and put your company on the map!
• Sound like an expert; professional bloggers are experienced, know the ins and outs, and make companies look good!
• Access better promotional channels and resources; social media, third party websites, the possibilities are endless…
• Measure effectiveness; Deep inside the blog there is a wealth of information on clicks, where they are coming from, how often they are coming, etc.  All of this information can be measured and help you improve your company!
• Avoid trouble; professional bloggers know how to site properly, and keep your blogs fresh, clean, and most importantly original!
• Overcome challenges; professional bloggers are creative, and can help drive excitement in your consumers, find you new consumers, and put your business on the map!

Interested in learning more?  Click here

So now that you know the benefits of being a blogger, it sounds like a good gig, right?  Maybe you are thinking about quitting your job, working from home, creating your own hours, delving into your creative side…but where do you start?

When jumping into the blogging world, it seems the most important task would be to determine the best kind of blog for you.  Blogging for Dummies breaks down the 6 most common types of blogging: (click each type for an example)

• Essay: Daily blogs about life; commonly found with individuals who have personal blogs.
• Review: Product/service reviews
• Expert: Blogs that have one main focus, written by more than one professional with a focus on the blog subject.  Most common for professionals such as public relations agencies, consultants, attorneys, etc.
• Opinion/editorial: Geared towards politics
• Shopping: Links to merchants with product pricing, and occasionally reviews
• News/events: Blogs about news updates – from CNN to TMZ.

Along with determining the type of blog you will write, there are some other key items to establish for success:

• Determine your angle
• Establish your voice
• Grab attention
• Use social media
• Keep it new

Read more here

As a blogger, it is important to appeal to your audience, while at the same time keeping your own voice as a writer.  With the endless amounts of blogs floating around the internet, it is important to grab the attention of your audience, and keep your material fresh and original.

The million dollar question: how do you get paid?  There are a few ways in which you can get paid with advertisements.  For example, some blogs put advertisements that relate to your topic surround the post.  As the advertisements get clicks, you get paid.  Other blogs will pay you to post reviews of consumer goods.  And lastly, there are blogs that will purchase your work for their own use.  For a list of popular blogs with these options and more, click here and here!  There are many options out there, so be creative!