Video - Express Writers

In-Depth Tutorial: How to Update a WordPress Blog Post for More ROI

August 26, 2022March 16, 2021 by Julia McCoy

Picture this: You’ve built a solid WordPress blog that’s driving traffic to your site. You have a ton of content now. How do you continue to produce quality content that attracts new visitors and keeps people coming back for more? The answer is surprisingly simple. You don’t have to create brand new blog posts from scratch every single time: you just need to learn how to update a WordPress blog post. In fact, you can actually earn higher ROI more quickly by updating the WordPress blog posts you’ve already published, if you have a good bit of content published. Updating old posts is a HUGE strategy every content marketer should be using. Don’t reinvent the wheel. Instead, prepare to grab that low-hanging fruit and learn how to update a WordPress blog post for more ROI. Here at Express Writers, updating old content is 90% of our entire content marketing strategy for 2021. ? Why? It WORKS! Want to learn how to do it yourself? Check out my in-depth tutorial on YouTube. Then, read the blog recap. Enjoy! (Disclaimer: This blog contains affiliate links. However, don’t worry! I never promote tools I don’t personally use – and love. ❤) How to Update a WordPress Blog Post for More ROI (Video Tutorial) Why Update Old WordPress Content? Blogs are currently the 5th most trusted online resource. Updating your old blog posts helps you to provide the most accurate information and maintain your position as a dependable resource of trustworthy material. The fact is, almost all content will eventually become outdated as facts and figures, research findings, and even cultural norms change over time. [bctt tweet=”FACT: Almost all content becomes outdated eventually. ⏳ How do you keep earning ROI from even your oldest pieces? Update them. Learn @JuliaEMcCoy’s proven method here ?” username=””] To resonate with today’s readers, your content must be current. Updating old content is an invaluable way to stay at the top of your game while giving you an opportunity to increase your SEO. That’s what happened when we updated this blog post on how to build a digital content strategy. It was already a solid piece, but outdated. It mentioned 2020 statistics and had graphics referencing a past year. When we updated the whole blog and made it more current, we saw HUGE results. Not only did it earn a #1 organic ranking and featured snippet for our focus keyword — our newly-created custom graphics even ranked in Google Images for the featured snippet. What’s better proof of updating older content than earning the featured snippet AND the #1 organic position? Even before this happened, I decided to go all in and update the 1,300+ blogs on our site rather than creating new ones from scratch. Now, when you visit our Write Blog, you’ll find that roughly 90% of the articles there are older posts that we’ve updated. There’s no trick or gimmick to updating old content. It’s a lot of work, identifying which articles need a refresh and giving them the edits they need. But in the end, it’s totally worth the time. That’s why Express Writers’ current content marketing strategy is to focus 90% of our efforts on updating old content while just 10% is adding new content. We’re not the only ones who have seen updated blog posts generate positive results. Entrepreneur and marketing specialist Neil Patel uses this same tactic to boost his ROI. For every one blog he creates, his team updates 21 previously published blogs. This ensures his content is relevant, accurate, and continues to position him as an authority in his field. Sold on the idea but not sure where to begin? Read on to learn how to update a WordPress blog post. 3 Parts to Updating a WordPress Blog Post To effectively update an old WordPress blog post, there are three main things you’ll need. 1. A Team When updating old content, first build a strategy yourself. Then, use a writing team, content marketing service, or freelance writers to do the editing and optimize your posts for better ROI. I use my own team at Express Writers to make these changes for our site. My staff consists of writers from various backgrounds with different levels of expertise who are prepared to put in the research and quality work necessary to post the most up-to-date information for our readers. With ten years and over 1,300 blog posts under our belt, we have a proven track record of developing a content marketing strategy that works. 2. Tools There are three main tools I use for discovering and managing my updated blog posts: Airtable: This collaborative software helps me keep a schedule of blog topics and posts I want to update, identifies who is working on that project, and tracks their progress in our system. SEMrush: My monthly subscription to this tool helps me discover blog posts ranking in Google that we need to update. Ranking blogs are low-hanging fruit that are already earning you positive results. They should be the first ones you review for updating to boost ROI. SEMrush helps you identify quick wins to build more ROI through WordPress blog post updates. WordPress Backend: After logging into your WordPress admin account, you’ll have access to the backend of your site. There you can click on an old post and choose “Edit.” Make whatever changes you’d like, then click “Update.” As long as you don’t create a new post and copy and paste from the old post, you won’t break links or lose any comments or shares. Content writers: Already mentioned in #1, Team, but, worth another mention here. I hire my writers at Express Writers! Our expert blog writers work on all of my content. They are a huge catalyst in helping me get the task of updating old content done. 3. A Process It takes a well-planned strategy to accurately update your old WordPress blog posts. Watch my YouTube video to see a visual explanation of the six foundational steps to updating … Read more

How to Use SEO Writing for Your Blog and Website to Earn More Traffic From Google (Video)

September 27, 2022April 1, 2020 by Adam Oakley

Today’s epidemic is bringing lots of shifts. I believe the trend of search-friendly, user-first, awesome content will emerge as no longer a trend. More like, a must-have. For marketers, business owners, creators, brand builders… There has never been a better time to jump into online content, SEO, and building your online presence. Why? Before today’s pandemic, we were already looking at statistics like this — 71%+ of the world’s online traffic comes from a search. 3/4 of the internet is reading blogs. On average, there were 3.6 billion Google searches per day from humans looking for answers to their problems. During the pandemic, this number shot up to over 6 billion Google searches per day! (To verify this incredible stat for myself, I followed a Worldometer live tracking all day till 8 pm CST the other night… yep, clocked in right over 6 billion live searches that day ) Think about the fact that 140 countries in our world as we know it are impacted by COVD-19. There are 195 countries in the world. This is already impacting 72% of our world! That’s a ton of people that have had to take their “IRL” work/social life online. Given how much of the world this is impacting, and how many countries have made it mandatory to stay at home as much as possible… Creating content to pull in your online audience just got 10x more valuable. In today’s brand-new YouTube video, I’m covering a valuable topic for us in the economy we’re in today: What you need to know when it comes to SEO writing for your blogs and websites, in a way that produces REAL results. This is an evergreen how-to video built on tactical methods that work. You’ll learn evergreen strategies that you can immediately put to use to get more results and Google traffic from your blog and site content. I’ve tested and tried these strategies over nine years and throughout 1,500 blog posts to earn over 20,000 keyword positions in Google (and that’s just on one of my five sites). Watch this video, focus in and implement these tips, and you WILL see results — guaranteed. How to Use SEO Writing for Your Blog and Website for More Traffic From Google (Video) …Who likes checklists? Good, me too! This video is checklist-style, focusing on SEO writing optimization tips that work to rank your blog and website high in Google. Let’s go! [bctt tweet=”Watch @JuliaEMcCoy check off everything you need to know to nail SEO writing for your blogs and websites in a way that produces REAL results ” username=”ExpWriters”] Video Notes: How to Use SEO Writing for Your Blog and Website for More Traffic From Google But first, a quick recap of “a day in the life of Julia.” The last time I talked to you guys, it was book launch day for Woman Rising: A True Story. WOW! WHAT a rewarding book launch! This is my third book, the true story of escaping my father’s cult and building a life I love. It was an incredibly hard book to write, but I believe it will change and transform lives, and give hope to those who read it. We had over 1,000 people pick up a copy from Amazon in the first three weeks since launch day February 10. We also hit #1 Amazon New Release and #1 Amazon Best Seller! My first local book signing event on February 29, at the Springhill Suites in Cedar Park, was a tremendous success. I did all this while running my agency, so this past month was a bit hectic. We’re planning a roadtrip and a beach retreat when the kiddo is off of school for spring break. Time to chill a little and celebrate! Now back to today’s video! How to Use SEO Writing for Blogs and Website for More Traffic From Google First, we’re going to run through the checklist, and then I’m going to switch over to my site and a high-ranking blog to show you how this was actually applied. Step 1. Do your research before you write. Everything in SEO writing for your blog and website begins by finding the right focus keyword. This is a must! The top tools I recommend using are: AHrefs, SEMrush, KWFinder. Avoid using free tools. They can give you misleading data. You can’t go wrong if you use any one of these three top tools to research your keyword. The top two metrics to focus in on would be: Keyword difficulty score (aim for 40 or less if you have a new site), and High relevancy of the keyword to your actual customers/buyers. Step 2. Create 10x content. This step is your most important. First, quick reminder of how to use your keywords. Use the focus keyword as the TOPIC, & synonymous keywords throughout. How do you find synonymous keywords? Go to Google and look up Searches Related to after plugging in your actual keyword. This works better than any tool, because you’re mining real, people-populated data. Know WHERE to put the keywords. Keyword placement matters far more than keyword density. Keyword density is an outdated concept — forget it! Place your keywords in your: Headlines (all H2s, H3s) Intro Throughout the content naturally with synonymous keywords (once per every 1-2 paras) Conclusion Use relevant secondary keywords to frame your H2s and H3s (also called LSI or synonymous keywords). Here’s my checklist of important points to know in your SEO content. Forget keyword density and think keyword placements. Your keyworde needs to be placed in headers, naturally in the first sentence, and conclusion. Remember the focus keyword should guide your topics. Your content must be topical. Don’t get distracted! Stay on the topic. In the meta description, keep the keyword far left at the meta title, BUT also keep it natural. Web page meta content can be a bit more branded, promotional. Use the vertical bar for cleanliness (Google reads it as a space). Blog Example: Meta title: How to Be a Content Marketing Writer: The Future of Freelance Writing & Meta Description: Have … Read more

SEO Writing Success: How We Helped Ryan Stewart Create Epic Content (Client Testimonial)

December 31, 2020February 28, 2020 by Adam Oakley

Ryan Stewart of the SEO Blueprint had epic ideas. He’d written about 60% of his book by the same name. There was just one little snag. The book wasn’t where he wanted it to be, and he wasn’t sure how to push it to the next level. So, he reached out to me. His book project was a collection of ten years of evergreen SEO knowledge. I’d known and followed Ryan for years, and had always been blown away by his incredible grasp on the art of good SEO. So, I knew he knew his stuff — and I knew this book had to be expert, authority-level content at a minimum. By Ryan’s admission, writing this book was not an easy undertaking. When we started working together, Ryan had written 30,000 words that needed editing, and was looking for between 20-30,000 words of expansion through ghostwriting. He had no time or writing patience to take his book from draft -> done. After hiring us, he’s now getting ready to publish his book in just a matter of two weeks. (It’s available now for pre-order on Amazon.) How did his content get to the next level? Ryan kindly gave us permission to use his testimonial as a Write Blog feature. Let’s get into it! [bctt tweet=”@ryanwashere of The SEO Blueprint had epic ideas. 60% of his book was done. Just one little snag…finishing was HARD! Read (and watch!) how our team helped him get there in this Write Blog #client recap ” username=”ExpWriters”] Epic Content Takes Epic Effort: The Process of Generating Amazing Work “My agency doesn’t do content creation anymore,” Ryan told me. Why? It’s a huge undertaking to create great content. There are lots of cycles of back and forth — generating, rewriting, polishing, honing, and more — all to get the content ready to go out into the world. That’s why generating excellent content is our sole focus at Express Writers. We don’t build websites, design full pages, or build “backlinks.” We focus solely on content creation. In our full interview, Ryan asked me how I find and retain good writers. I shared one “secret” that still surprises many people. In eight years of hiring and interviewing, I’ve learned to completely stop looking at experience. Say what? We go through thousands of resumes every month. Our efficient alternative to studying experience, which can be inflated or straight up faked on a resume, is that every writer undergoes a rigorous writing test. This helps us see writers’ actual skills. This way, we ensure we only hire writers best-equipped to create killer content. [bctt tweet=”@JuliaEMcCoy champions skills vs. experience when hiring writers. As she says, experience can be inflated or straight-up faked on a resume. ‍♀️” username=”ExpWriters”] The cream of the crop – our creator-base of 90 writers and eight part-time editors – collaborate across time zones around the world under the supervision of our Content Manager, Korilynn. She watches deadlines and manages the editorial queue to make sure content gets through the whole process one time. And as a self-proclaimed Cat-Herder, she’s no stranger to shepherding lots of moving parts in the right direction. When clients send us a new project, we ask the right questions so we get the right answers in specific input forms. Our writers start writing immediately. After that, it’s 5-7 days to done, depending on the timeline the client needs and the length of the content. We only send publish-ready content, which cuts way down on revision time on the client-side. Epic Content Can Come at an Epic Cost (But It Doesn’t Have To) Let’s be frank: Amazing content often comes at a high cost. “For advanced SEO…it’s really hard to find writers,” Ryan told me, “Sometimes we’ll [pay] upwards of $1,200 to get a long-form blog post written.” [bctt tweet=”For advanced SEO…it’s really hard to find writers. Sometimes we’ll pay upwards of $1,200 to get a long-form blog post written. – @ryanwashere on the difficulty of finding affordable yet skilled content writers. More on the Write Blog ➡” username=”ExpWriters”] An average long-form blog post clocks in somewhere between 2,000 to 3,000 words. Let’s estimate high and call it 3,000 words. That’s at least 40 cents per word. Magnify that to a book with the vast scope of about 60,000 words and you’re looking at $24,000! Whoa. For Ryan, we hacked that cost drastically. The project fell in the $13,000-14,000 range: roughly half the rate he was paying elsewhere. That’s not to say we’re cheap. We just like to keep the costs in an “affordable” ballpark. With lasting principles on essential topics like executing high-quality (read: killer ROI) SEO campaigns, Ryan’s manuscript had a message that needed to get out there. We paired him up with one of our writers, Alexander C., a trained Authority Writer in my team. In 3.5 months, the project was finished and publish-ready. Ryan told me, “I can vouch for the quality [of content]. I’m really impressed… you guys have done a tremendous job. Unless you have somebody in-house, it’s definitely worth it to go out and contract a company like [Express Writers] to get the right stuff done.” For the full video, check out Ryan’s awesome recap. Need authority-building content? Get a quick quote in our Content Shop.

The Future is Content Marketing Writers: How to Write Content for Digital Marketing (Video)

September 27, 2022January 20, 2020 by Adam Oakley

Want to learn how to write content for digital marketing or become a content marketing writer? You’re in a good place. The content marketing industry has reached an incredible high: it’s about to be worth $412 billion in 2021. What’s more: 91% of B2B marketers are using and implementing content marketing. ‍ This demand naturally correlates to a demand for expert content marketing and digital marketing writers. Content marketing is increasing as a $400+ billion industry = content marketing writers are needed! Sadly, the fact though is that AP English and online content are two very different practices — and not enough writers are graduating with the right kind of knowledge to break into content marketing. Despite the gap, it’s humans, not bots, who will craft the authority-driven, engaging written content that builds the trust and loyalty necessary for results. Without content marketing writers, none of it would work. But… what IS a content marketing writer? What do they do? What type of content do they write? Who hires content marketing writers? In today’s video, learn all about a content marketing writer, sometimes also called a digital marketing writer — and what they do! I’m going to cover easy ways that show you how to write content for digital and content marketing. This is a trade I taught myself back in 2011, and a method I’ve personally used full-time to grow four businesses. Let’s get into it! The Future is Content Marketing Writers: How to Write Content for Digital Marketing (Video) First, what IS a content marketing writer, if you define it in terms that a business looking to hire one would relate to? A content marketing writer is an expert communicator who is responsible for creating online written content – blogs, articles, ebooks, white papers, social media copy, infographic copy, and more – that builds trust and loyalty with readers while engaging and informing them. So, what do you need if you’re a newbie writer looking to break into this space? Recap: 5 Ways to Become a Digital Marketing or Content Marketing Writer Here are five points to know if you want to become a digital or content marketing writer. 1. Develop a Content Marketing Writer Background Study the greats. I recommend reading and absorbing posts from SmartBlogger and Content Marketing Institute, and you can check out my blogs which focus on content marketing advice at Express Writer’s The Write Blog. Secondly, you need some experience! Remember, action is critical. There’s no better first step then, well, taking the first step. The best way to learn is just to get started. Make a profile on a freelance site like Upwork, Freelancer, ProBlogger, job boards, and apply to writing gigs. (We’re hiring! Send samples here.) I wrote a guide on how to find the 50+ best freelance opportunities — check it out at Content Hacker. 2. Understand Strategic Content Marketing & Why It Matters Get some skills under your belt. I recommend books, courses, and classes. I wrote Practical Content Strategy & Marketing for new marketers, writers, and entrepreneurs that want to emerge and make a real difference in this field as a growth-focused content marketer, and it was recently listed as one of the top 100 marketing books of all time by BookAuthority, and an ultimate content marketing pick by Content Marketing Institute. Those two book lists also have fantastic book recommendations in the same genre! Ann Handley, Andy Crestodina, Mark Schaefer are top authors I recommend who will share nothing but practical, useful advice with you — a must if you’re going to work in the content marketing industry. (Be careful. There are a lot of ‘fluff’ marketers and content out there trying to ‘guide’ in this industry.) Shoutout to my amazing producer, Renata, for inserting this in today’s YouTube video — a quick slide of my recommended authors: 3. Find Your Niche of Expertise Picking an industry sets you apart from all the rest of the digital marketing and content marketing writers out there. Is there any industry you had a previous life in? Were you an attorney, a customer service representation, maybe you worked at a software firm? You could write blog content for law firms. You could specialize in an angle; if you worked in customer service for years, position yourself as a writer that thinks of the customer. You could write blog, web and ad copy for SaaS brands. This list of opportunities goes on and on. It’s important to pick something that you’ll enjoy doing. 4. Know Your Worth (The Average Content Marketing Writer Salary) Indeed, Glassdoor and PayScale offer good baseline ideas on salary, if you’re looking for employment. Freelance pay can be all over the place. If you’re going solo and freelancing, price based on your skills. Clients will pay good money, for example $100/500w, if you’re an amazing writer and know both content creation and your industry. Here’s an easy way to price your writing expertise in a way that is both fair and makes solid income. If you’ve chosen an industry, match your rate to the hourly rate of an expert in your industry. For example, an accountant or attorney can charge upwards of $100-250/hour or more. However, avoid charging hourly. Charge by the project and word count, so you can get it done in less time as you pick up practice and writing speed and still make great income. As an industry expert, you can easily charge $250/1000 words. How many words can you write in an hour? 1,000? Think of matching your hourly rate to offering a ‘fixed-rate service.’ However, hot tip: Never, ever charge hourly. Know what you can produce or do in an hour, then put a ‘fixed price’ rate and offering on that. As you get good at your content marketing writing craft, you should be picking up speed at what you do (and it’s okay if it’s never done in one day — content should, and will, take days plural — I’m talking more about your process … Read more

Inbound Lead Generation With These 6 Content Types (Video)

March 24, 2022December 16, 2019 by Adam Oakley

Today, I’m super excited about the topic I’m sharing with you — how to get powerful organic lead generation results with six inbound content must-haves. These are the six we’ll go over in today’s video: Web pages Blog Posts Call to Actions (CTAs) Ebooks and Lead Magnets Lead Forms Conversation App (live chat) In today’s video, I’m sharing how all six work together like an ecosystem to bring you massive results and pull in ideal clients. You just need to know what to do with each, and how to set them up properly. Let’s get into it! Power Up Your Inbound Lead Generation With These 6 Content Types (Video) [bctt tweet=”Inbound lead methods, especially through content marketing, are hot for marketers today. But how do you set up content that will bring you results? @JuliaEMcCoy’s video on the six content types to use for lead gen is a must-watch. ” username=”ExpWriters”] If you’re a content marketer — or even a marketer, in general — looking to pivot into inbound, you’re in a good place. Inbound taps into a major traffic potential stemming from Google search (70.6% of ALL web traffic on the entire web originates from Google, according to Backlinko/Sparktoro). Publishing strategic content generates 67% more leads than NOT publishing strategic content, says a HubSpot study. And more than 71% of B2B buyers read blog content during their buying journeys (3-5 blogs is the norm). Meanwhile, the ROA on an ad funnel is as low as .66x. So, inbound marketing as a channel works! But, how do you actually set up content in a way that will bring you results? That’s what we’re here to talk about. I’ve been practicing content marketing for eight years, using my own businesses to test the best content marketing practices. I’ve launched four different brands that are all profitable. What I’ve found, especially with my primary income source — my agency, Express Writers, where we handle on average 200 client projects every month — is that you need these six inbound tools, so to speak, to get real results. Three are content formats, the other three are more or less tools to help that content work. Web pages Blog Posts Call to Actions (CTAs) Ebooks and Lead Magnets Lead Forms Conversation App (live chat) Think of all of these things like an ecosystem. Without all six, you won’t hit massive inbound results. [bctt tweet=”There are six inbound marketing tools that you’ll need to get the results that you’ve always wanted : web pages, blog posts, CTAs, ebooks and lead magnets, lead forms, and a conversation app! ” username=”ExpWriters”] When and How Do You Create These Six Content Types for Inbound Lead Generation? Here are the answers to that question. Two of these should be created every week: blogs and CTAs. One of these should be created once per quarter at a minimum: ebooks or lead magnets. The other three need to be created and then maintained at least once every quarter: your web pages, lead forms, and you should set up an app on your site for live prospect conversations. We use Drift. Here’s how all six work to bring in live prospects. See below for a real pathway example of all six working together to pull in prospects (via my agency, Express Writers). I’ve put a number for our list of six content types next to each to identify how all six work together in this “cycle” of pulling in an ideal lead. #2 Blogs — Example of a 2,000w search-optimized blog post (found through SEO keywords we’ve researched that tie into searches our prospects make on Google, like ‘how to write SEO content’) #3 CTA inside the blog goes to two forms (#5): Form #1 — Client Registration (captures live prospects). Form #2 — Free Ebook #1 and #4 Web Page & Ebook: — Ebook on a Landing Page (hooked up to an email sequence that triggers once they enroll, housed in ConvertKit). #6 Conversation App — Installed and sits on the pages on our site (we use Drift). Remember, a massive trend I’ve been talking about everywhere these days, as we head into 2020 and beyond, is that your content must be AMAZING for it to actually work and earn results. [bctt tweet=”This 2020, one great trend you shouldn’t miss is creating AMAZING content. @JuliaEMcCoy shares the 6 inbound lead generation content types to create, and when and how you should create them — all in this video. ” username=”ExpWriters”] So, when you apply the tips I’ll show you for setting up an inbound lead engine that WORKS, you must create content that doesn’t fall short of amazing. If it does fall short for your readers, unfortunately, you really won’t see the kind of results I’m talking about. Final tips: Conversion paths are key — think about what a prospect needs to contact and/or buy from you Make the buyer’s journey clear and easy Grow an audience that wants what you have to sell with the right keyword terms and content created around those consistently Hope you enjoyed today’s video! Need great content to fuel your inbound presence? That’s our specialty. Sign up as a client for free.

What is Content Marketing? (Video)

January 6, 2024November 11, 2019 by Adam Oakley

I’ve been practicing content marketing for nearly nine years now — and I’m not the only one. There are thousands of us content marketers out there. Not to mention, the industry itself is worth over $400 billion! But, time and time again, I still hear the question asked: “So what exactly IS content marketing?” This video was created to answer that question. My goal is that this big, burning question is thoroughly answered in a way that inspires you to get started on your content marketing journey! What is Content Marketing? (Video) [bctt tweet=”What is content marketing? If you’re still confused about what it is and how it could be your business’s winning formula , watch @JuliaEMcCoy’s latest video on Youtube featuring @JoePulizzi and @cmicontent. ✨” username=”ExpWriters”] To get a solid, accurate definition of content marketing, let’s turn to industry leaders that have been an influential part of this industry today. So, let’s start there. Then, we’ll head into a down-to-earth discussion of what this type of marketing really is! Unless you’re living under a content marketing rock, you’ve probably heard of Content Marketing Institute. The founder of CMI, Joe Pulizzi, is known as the “Godfather of Content Marketing.” Back in 2011, Joe started Content Marketing World, a world-leading content marketing event today with over 4,000 content marketers in attendance. When Joe had the idea to start the event, he reserved a room that fit 125 people in the Cleveland Renaissance Hotel. Over 600 people showed up. It grew and grew every year from there. Content Marketing Institute says that content marketing is: A strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action. Instead of pitching your products or services, you are providing truly relevant and useful content to your prospects and customers to help them solve their issues. Let’s look at a few other sources. Wikipedia used over 34 sources for their definition of content marketing: Content marketing is a form of marketing focused on creating, publishing, and distributing content for a targeted audience online. It is often used by businesses in order to: Attract attention and generate leads Expand their customer base Generate or increase online sales Increase brand awareness or credibility Engage an online community of users Marketo says: Content marketing is the process of creating valuable, relevant content to attract, acquire, and engage your audience. Buyers and customers today are inundated by more marketing messages than ever before — more than 2,900 per day, by current estimations. This creates an environment of attention scarcity, challenging marketers with the task of producing engaging content that won’t get lost in the static. A well-crafted content marketing strategy places your business in the position of a thought leader. When content marketing works BEST, it usually has two core elements: When the main purpose of content marketing is to grow and build an engaged, happy audience When the creator/creators (brand, publication, entrepreneur, marketer) are ready for a long-term commitment Some say the first example of content marketing goes way back to Benjamin Franklin’s Poor Richard Almanack, first published in 1732, which Franklin published in order to get people hooked on his printing service. In the 19th century, John Deere started a magazine called the Furrow with the goal of providing accurate, unbiased information for farmers to improve their operation, according to a Content Marketing Institute documentary. If you study the best examples of brands grown through content today, even the Content Marketing Institute, this was their goal — build an audience before selling anything. Typically, content was created for 12 to 18, 24 months before an offer was ever made to that audience. This is true for my agency, Express Writers. 99% of our leads and revenue come from our blogging. We’ve never once not published a blog per week in eight years of blogging. So, if this is ever backwards — the offer and sale come ahead of the audience — content marketing simply put, doesn’t work. To win at content marketing, the type of content you publish should be the BEST in your industry. Think in terms of mastering what you do. This means being the best in… Best in author voice (expert writer, researcher, creator – outsource this to make life easy) Best in topics and concepts (thought leader – avoid outsourcing this part) Best in optimization and visibility (to be found on Google, research the right keywords and topics before creating) Focusing on mastering on one channel is better than jumping to all the shiny objects. Study the benchmarks you’re up against, and create better content! More comprehensive, more long-form, more unique. [bctt tweet=”Focusing on mastering on one channel is better than jumping to all the shiny objects. Study the benchmarks you’re up against, and create better content to win. ” username=”ExpWriters”] Any company, big or small, from tech to manufacturing, can produce content marketing. How Does Content Marketing Differ from Traditional Advertising? Content marketing’s goal is to build an audience, and then, turn that audience into buyers. (Without that, there is not a ton of profit and ROI.) Why it’s different than ads: content marketing that works puts the buyer in the driver’s seat. It completely obliterates the annoying, pushy “look-at-me, look-at-me” attitude of traditional advertising. Instead, content is used to build a relationship. The costs of content-marketing can be low, as compared to ads. You can publish on your own site, your own blog — unlike traditional advertising, where companies pay a third party, like Facebook, to include an ad. Brands like Kraft have said that content marketing’s ROI was 4x that of traditional ROI. Some successfully use content marketing in tandem with paid ads. So, that can be done to great success. What Does a Content Marketing Plan Include? Usually, these are the six content types included in a content marketing plan: Web pages (onsite: Home, About, etc.) Blogs (onsite: consistent fresh content) Social … Read more

My 8-Step WordPress Blog Post Optimization Checklist for SEO (Video)

March 24, 2022October 21, 2019 by Adam Oakley

Are you search optimizing, or SEO’ing, your blog posts correctly in WordPress before you hit that Publish or Schedule button? Pre-publish optimization in WordPress is SO important, I can’t even stress how much. It’s almost a crime to spend all your time producing a wonderful piece of content around a focus keyword, just to let it get published without optimization in WordPress first. In today’s video, sit down with me at my computer and watch as I show you EVERY step I take before I publish a blog in WordPress, in my WordPress blog post optimization checklist for SEO. From how to switch to “text editor,” format your subheaders properly, to knowing if you should use H4s or not, to “should I worry about the Yoast smiley face color?”… I answer it all! ✅ Watch this detailed, practical video to learn how to optimize your blogs before you hit Publish or Schedule on WordPress. Time and time again, I see a clear pattern — #1 SEO rankings for blog posts that have a focus keyword comes from how much effort you put into your pre-publish optimization. The devil is in those details, and that couldn’t be truer for WordPress blog optimization. My 8-Step WordPress Blog Post Optimization Checklist for SEO (Video) If you follow each of the steps I share in this video, you’re much more likely to see results from your SEO content, especially if you publish regular blogs on WordPress, which is my personal favorite platform. I’ll even share with you an example of one of our content pieces, optimized following these exact steps, ranking at the top of Google for a major keyword in just 30 days. Let’s get going! [bctt tweet=”Before you hit that Publish button, are you sure that your blog post is in its perfect shape to climb up to the top spot? @JuliaEMcCoy teaches you how to optimize content with her 8-step WordPress blog post optimization checklist. ✔” username=”ExpWriters”] Make Sure Your Site Foundations Are Right (Pre-Optimization Step) Before we get into the checklist, a quick word of advice: It helps to have a fast, clean site. Just like you can’t build a strong house if your foundations are shaky, you simply cannot expect to publish an optimized post on an icky website and see great results. So, disclaimer: as you head into these tips, if you don’t have a strong, fast, secure, beautiful website, with page load speeds under 3 seconds per page, a beautiful, seamless experience for your end-user, you won’t see results. I recommend working with a top-rated freelance website developer to help get all your tech issues fixed, if you think you might have foundational site issues to fix first. Check out my recent Write Blog guide on how to rank in the top of Google. Let’s head over to my computer and I’ll show you, step-by-step, the 8 steps to use every single time you schedule a WordPress blog. First, here’s the checklist itself. How to SEO Optimize Blog Posts in WordPress: 8 Steps Load the Blog: Edit, Proofread, Upload All Corresponding Images Add & Proof-check Subheader Optimization for Readability and SEO Check All Links to Open in New Windows Include CTAs Add Easy One-Click Social Shares Add Meta Title and Description with Yoast Upload SEO Alt-Text Feature Images in the Right Spots Optimize Your Blog for Social Sharing with Yoast Additional Bonus Tips on SEO Optimization: The permalink (URL) for your blog should be your focus keyword. Keep it to five or less words! Categorize your blog in one clear category. Avoid too many tags. 1-5 tags describing the topic, as long as they don’t duplicate the category, are fine. 1. Load the Blog: Edit, Proofread, Upload All Corresponding Images Load your blog in WordPress. Edit and proofread the content as you upload and insert any corresponding screenshots, images, etc. Images for blogs should be at most 1 megabyte, unless you’re uploading an infographic or a key high-res image that absolutely has to be at the resolution it was created at. When you upload the content, proofread it. You want a clean, error-free blog post for obvious reasons. (Google says the quality of your content directly impacts your rankings. (More on their EAT, or Expertise Authoritativeness, and Trust factors.) 2. Add & Proof-check Subheader Optimization for Readability and SEO Now that the post is in, you need to properly add subheaders — H2s, H3s. Adding subheaders and making sure the content is readable are the top two considerations so people (and search engines) can read and understand your post easily. Go in the Text editor of WordPress to make sure all H2s, H3s, etc. are coded correctly (use WordPress’s formatting!). Proof check them all on the Visual editor to make sure they transferred correctly. 3. Check All Links to Open in New Windows This is proven to significantly lower bounce rate, so, it’s worth the trouble! Make sure all your links are set to open in a new browser window. 4. Include CTAs Above all, avoid being annoying with your CTAs. Don’t put too many in, and don’t put them too high up. I’ve tested a variety of placements, and find that text CTAs are great for inner CTAs, and image CTAs best kept to 1, 2, or at most, 3 in one long-form blog. Always make sure your blog at least ends with a strong CTA that directs the reader to take action. 5. Add Easy One-Click Social Shares Know your platform, first of all. For us at the Write Blog, Twitter is a huge platform for engagement. We’ve kept up a Twitter chat, #ContentWritingChat, for years now on Twitter that has helped us grow a solid Twitter presence. So, knowing that Twitter is a hot platform, we’ve chosen to use a plugin that enables us to add “Click to Tweets” to every post — which we do. These are punchy phrases or takeaways from the blog that readers can share to Twitter with one click. We … Read more

3 Content Writing Tools to Help You Create Awesome Content

November 11, 2022September 16, 2019 by Adam Oakley

We’re going to cover three of my favorite, most-used content creation tools to help you in the ideation stage. Ideation is arguably one of the most important stages in your content creation process. Back in 2016, after five years of creating content and hundreds of blogs created, I realized a lot of my content was falling flat. I decided to stand back and get more strategic about it. That’s when I came up with what I call the three-bucket topic strategy. Read about my three-bucket topic strategy. Basically, once you have a source of never-ending ideas that come from REAL places, like your customer pain points or relevant keyword research, you map each topic to a clear goal. Ask yourself and your team creating this content, Can I rank in Google? Can I build sales and connections? Can I build my brand name in the industry? If you can’t map it to a goal, you put the topic in the trash can. So what I’ll talk about in the next few minutes are tools to give you sources for content ideas and inspiration to create better content day in, day out. Tool #1: Mangools’ KWFinder 70.6% of all traffic on the web today starts with a Google search (Backlinko & Sparktoro). 71% of B2B buyers are reading 3-5 blogs in their buying journey (The Economist Group), and the ROA on ad funnels as low as .6x (Ad Strategist). It’s worth your time to research and write around keywords that you can compete for and win a ranking for in Google. [bctt tweet=”70.6% of all traffic on the web today starts with a Google search. Stat from @backlinko and @sparktoro #SEO #contentmarketing ” username=”ExpWriters”] Mangools’ KWFinder is one of my favorite keyword research tools. Let’s say we’re looking up a keyword related to “how to blog.” Here’s what that looks like in KWFinder: The #1 factor you need is relevancy when looking up the right keyword. Once you know these are keywords your ideal prospect is actually searching, run them through Mangools’ KWFinder to hunt for a keyword you can actually rank for. Then, you want to find “easy to rank for” keywords. So, right away, how to blog is out. It’s hard, and I’d have to go up against sites like neilpatel.com, which has a super high DA. But right below it we have how to become a blogger, which scores as 43, or possible. Since these scores change all the time, you’d want to create content on this keyword and publish it within 15 or 20 days. I would recommend a 3,000w guide on the topic. Once you have a focus keyword to pull in synonymous keywords to help you structure a great article, use Google’s Searches Related to. Use these in your subheaders and throughout your content. Tool #2: BuzzSumo It’s important to look through a content analysis tool for insights on trending topics, and BuzzSumo is one of the best out there. You can use it in a few ones. For one, search your own domain to see your most-shared content. This will give you topic umbrella ideas to write more content under. For example, our top-shared post is a thought-leadership blog I wrote on how to find your “content differentiation factor,” a unique concept I came up with. Interesting! So, I could write a follow-up post with more current insights and new details on that topic. You can also use BuzzSumo if you’re writing guest blogs to scout out for your publication’s most-shared pieces. Chances are, they’ll be more likely to accept a topic with proof that a similar topic to yours was extremely popular on their site. Just don’t copy topics. Take inspiration from them, but use your own data/slant/opinion on the topic. Finally, use the Topic Explorer to identify topics in your industry that could be worth writing on. Tool #3: Advanced Marketing Institute’s Headline Analyzer AMI’s Headline Analyzer is a super simple, free tool that gives you on a 1-100 score the emotional impact of your headline. Just insert your headline idea, pick your category, hit Search, and repeat until you achieve a score of 40+. 50, 70 and beyond are unicorn scores. I had no idea I’d hit a 70 on the first try in the video!

Sneak Peek at My Upcoming On-Stage Talk at #CMWorld 2019 (Video)

March 24, 2022July 30, 2019 by Adam Oakley

Hey, YouTube viewers! It’s been a while since I’ve come on my YouTube channel, so I wanted to start by giving you a quick update in my life. This June, I finished writing my next book — it’s in editing stages as we speak! Then, in July, my hubby and I took our 5-year-old to San Diego’s Zoo and Safari Park in California, which was amazing. (See a few video clips from our San Diego trip in today’s video!) Next, I’m buckling down to work on my stage presentation for one of the industry’s BIGGEST conferences: Content Marketing World in Cleveland, Ohio. Join me in today’s video for a fun “life” update! Sneak Peek at My Upcoming On-Stage Talk at #CMWorld 2019 (Video) [bctt tweet=”See @JuliaEMcCoy this September in one of the biggest content marketing conferences: Content Marketing World in Cleveland, Ohio! Here’s a sneak peek — and a bonus offer — on her upcoming on-stage talk. ” username=”ExpWriters”] This September, I’m taking the stage at one of the biggest conferences in my industry of content marketing — Content Marketing World in Cleveland, Ohio! Founded by Joe Pulizzi, who is one of the most authentic and real influencers in (as well as the “godfather” of) content marketing, CMWorld is my all-time favorite conference. Thousands of marketers getting together around content marketing — what could be better? This will be my third year in a row attending CMWorld, and my first year speaking! The last time I attended CMWorld, in 2018, I lost count of how many people suggested I should speak this year. One of those persons? Joe Pulizzi himself. When the godfather of content marketing himself recommends a next step for you, well… you should do what he says. My session is very unique. I’m co-presenting with a funny, awesome, genuine content marketer Jason Schemmel, who’s been my friend in the space for a while. I’m super excited to take the stage with a good friend. Over the past weeks, I’ve been structuring and creating all the content for this session. It’s going to be one-of-a-kind and unique because I’ve formulated it like an intensive, yet easy-to-follow, masterclass! I will be teaching you how to create and publish authority-building content — and inspiring you along the way to get it done! You’ll learn what growth-focused content looks like, you’ll hear from top content marketers that we’ve interviewed for exclusive insights on what it takes to put together a high-converting content marketing campaign. You’ll see the difference between “sexy” vs. “high-ROI” content in real-life. You’ll learn what drives real content growth, the right KPIs to track, what content tools I use every day and what metrics to look for, and how to get executive buy-in for your content campaign. I’ve spent weeks working on this session. It’s going to be one of my best educational masterclasses on authority-building content, ever! Come join me at CMWorld. Learn more at ContentMarketingWorld.com, and use code MCCOY to save $100 if you decide to join me. We could meet at the opening party at the Rock ‘ N Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio! Don’t forget to subscribe and catch new videos that hit my YouTube channel. Till fall, I’ll publish less frequently while I focus on my new book and this massive speaking gig; but I plan to get back on consistent video creation after September. And don’t forget to stay up to date with my new projects! Follow me on Twitter @JuliaEMcCoy. See you around! – Julia

The Story Behind My New Brand, The Content Hacker™ (Video)

March 24, 2022July 2, 2019 by Adam Oakley

I’m so excited to reveal my new brand, Content Hacker™. After a ton of work, it finally went live on Friday, June 28. This was a project that came after eight years of hard work in content marketing, leading my content agency Express Writers, writing two books, teaching and leading two courses, not to mention writing over a thousand blog posts! I couldn’t be more thrilled to share this adventure with you. In today’s video, walk with me down memory lane a minute and listen as I share the full story behind this new brand I’m launching. [bctt tweet=”.@content_hackers is here! Watch and read the story behind @JuliaEMcCoy’s new brand for growth-focused content marketers ⭐️” username=”ExpWriters”] The Story Behind The Content Hacker: Video I remember taking one of my first ever reading comprehension tests, back when I was in homeschooling in the early 2000s. It felt like so much fun, I thought I was playing a game the whole time. I earned an A+ on that test. That was when my love for writing stories and narratives begin. I’ll also never forget when I heard a dialup modem connect us to the internet when I was 7 years old. [bctt tweet=”I’ll never forget when I heard a dialup modem connect us to the internet when I was 7 years old. @JuliaEMcCoy shares the story behind @content_hackers launch” username=”ExpWriters”] I watched my mom connect to the internet, and saw her send an email to someone online for the first time. That person emailed her back in minutes. I was blown away at the power of the internet. Ever since then, I’ve pretty much loved the internet. I figured out how to make money online at 12 years old. Today, finding an avenue to connect “making money online” to “writing content online” simply delights me. It’s a wonder that I can get online, craft thoughtful words or teach others to, and make more in a month than my parents did in a year back in the ’90s. Online content has been my favorite realm–a creativity outlet, and a full-time living–ever since I dropped out of college and a nursing degree back in 2011 at 19 years old to seek my passion. My Competitive Edge in Content: How It Was My Only Financial Means Out of a Cult Here’s the thing about how I learned to create content. When I started diving into following my dreams and building my writing agency, Express Writers, at 19 years old, every single dollar I earned had to go towards paying my way. Otherwise, I was broke. And in 2012, at 20 years old, I used those hard-earned dollars to help get out and escape my dad’s religious cult. I escaped and finally built the life I always dreamed of by growing my company Express Writers to over $4.5 million in sales in the past 8 years. (This is a story I’m telling in a book I just finished writing. I can’t wait to share when that comes out. If you follow me on social media, you’ll hear all about it!) So, there’s no doubt. I’m a hard-knocks, bottom-line focused, reality-checking content creator. My success comes from the hard work I put in. Nothing I do comes from luck. I have zero time or patience for what doesn’t work, and I’m motivated by results. [bctt tweet=”I have zero time or patience for what doesn’t work, and I’m motivated by results. @JuliaEMcCoy on @content_hackers launch #story” username=”ExpWriters”] It helps that I have a passion for what I do. I love the science of the internet, and I love making magic with words. Where Does ‘Content Hacker’ Come From? When I first heard the term content hacker, it was from Garrett Moon at CoSchedule. He coined it in 2014, simply defining it as a ‘growth-focused content marketer’ and taking inspiration from Sean Ellis’ term, growth hacking, originally coined in 2010. I can’t think of a better term than content hacking to describe my day-to-day content lifestyle. Ever since I began my journey in content creation in 2011, I’ve worked hard to create and execute content in a lean way that directly relates to bottom-line growth. We have over 16,000 organic keyword positions and a million yearly site visitors at Express Writers. Plus, the clients we’ve written for have also seen incredible success with our content. But, here’s the thing. My content wasn’t always successful. In fact, many of my best life lessons have come from the “Ph.D. in Failure” university. But, as I’ve worked in content for the past eight years, I’ve noticed a truth. There is a serious lack of true growth-focused content in the enormous efforts and investments by marketers and brands in content marketing today. Backlinko did a study revealing that 94% of content doesn’t get noticed enough to earn even a single backlink. I see a ton of same-old, same-old. I see marketers trying a few tricks here and there, hoping to tape-and-glue it — and content efforts failing, time and time again. I see content falling flat. Budgets fizzling out. No profits earned. But here’s the thing. I believe our broken content marketing is fixable. Because it is. Content marketing, done right, is magical. Seriously. And that’s why it’s time for Content Hacker. Elite, proven, working content marketing methodologies are needed — more than ever. Our standards in marketing, both as practitioners and in the education arena, need to be guided to a new level. I’m thankful and honored to know more than a few brands, marketers, and agencies that are breaking the mold. But there are far too many today that still aren’t. And that’s why Content Hacker™ is here. What Content Hacker Will Be All About My new brand serves several purposes. First, Content Hacker is a resource for elite content marketing education. From our graduates in high school considering a marketing degree, to the marketer, agency, or freelancer that desperately needs this kind of help, to the entrepreneur growing their brand from … Read more