I get asked this question often: what makes a blog go from good to great?

What about great to addictive, as in, “I need a 12-step program to stop myself from hanging around this person’s blog 24-7?”

Well… it’s taken me a while to find the EXACT juicy blog that embodies this condition, but I think Elsa Panizzon of ElsaElsa.com fits the bill. A professional astrology blogger who’s been at it since 2000, Elsa has the blogger’s advantage of being:

- a gifted storyteller and conversationalist
- a confident and sometimes controversial figure
- able to hammer out endless streams of content
- highly organized in her approach to blogging and online business
- a long-time expert at what she does, which again, is astrology

That said, I’d like to welcome Elsa as this month’s Exemplary Blogger and ask her a few questions about what makes ElsaElsa.com such a raging success.

DINA: How long have you been blogging for, exactly? Is there a difference in the way you blogged as a newcomer to the internet, versus your blogging style today? What, if anything, changed and why?

ELSA: I was writing about astrology on a thread I started on business-themed message board near the end of 2000. The thread was more than 400 pages long and a crowd had gathered when I got a spam mail inviting me to start a blog. I fell for the thing hook, line and sinker and started my blog, VeryModern Astrology in April of 2001. I moved to ElsaElsa.com in 2005.

My writing has changed over the years and the mix of the content has morphed but the astrology theme has been a constant. In the early years I was focused on storytelling. I was writing about my life and the astrology was baked in since I am an astrologer and took up with the subject when I was 8 years old. The stories were interspersed astrology Q&A posts and other variety and after writing about 8000 posts and a 600 page book on that blog, I moved to ElsaElsa.com in an effort to become professional.

The new blog was focused on offering astrology-based advice. I had hoped to develop a column at the time and I kept that up for a couple years, 6 posts a week, supplementing with more storytelling which is my first love.

Currently, I’ve all but given up writing advice. I still write stories, though I keep them ultra short, I am sorry to say. I like my old style better and I think the reader does as well but no one pays for that kind of work and I’ve had to set it aside. Today I focus on making astrology accessible and useful to people using a variety of techniques.

One of the main draws of my blog it that it can’t be predicted. The innovating comes natural to me so I just keep it up.

DINA: If I were to Google any number of astrology questions or topics right now, your blog would pop up pretty high on the list. What’s your secret for accomplishing such a challenging feat?

ELSA: I don’t know. I have no technical skills at all. I think it may be that there is such a large body of work and it is all original. The new blog has about 7000 posts and I add to it daily.

DINA: How many months or years would you say it took for your blog to become wildly popular? What would you say contributed to this popularity?

ELSA: I had a solid audience when I started. There are a good number of people who have read everything I have ever wrote for going on 10 years now. I am talking roughly 15,000 posts so this was a head start for the new blog. Since then it has grown very slowly and growing faster now probably due the fact google favors it.

DINA: You never seem to run out of energy for blogging or things to say. Is this just “how you are,” do you draw inspiration from other sources, or what? What if a blogger needs a break… any words of advice, suggestions on where to find fresh content, etc.?

ELSA: Yeah, this is my personality. I could easily produce 10 posts a day and have 30 more in my head that I didn’t have time to get to. As for inspiration, it seems readily available. Matter of fact when I was young, I was a bartender. I worked day bar and the period after lunch and before happy hour was slow so I started doing “lectures” from 2-4 PM. I was 19 at the time, so I guess I am crazy but anyway I would have a crowd there and have someone give me a word… just one word and I would take off on it and talk for 2 hours.

I was funny back then so the place would fill up to watch me do this and I don’t recall ever stumbling. Really, I just have a lot to say and my biggest problem today is the PC movement. People have just become ridiculous with their sensitivities, making it very challenging for me to express myself without shocking and appalling them. I think they come to my blog to be shocked and appalled… but not too much!

I can deal with it but I miss the free-wheeling days and do hope my inner dog will have the opportunity to run free again some day.

DINA: Hugely popular blogs are often the target of trolls, hackers and people with nothing better to do than ruin other people’s good time. How do you combat the effects of such characters?

ELSA: I nuke them without hesitation. I absolutely obliterate them and do it publicly if necessary.

Again, I grew up a bartender. I started tending bar when I was 15 years old and I was taught by a pro that you have got to toss the troublemakers or they will ruin your bar. They will literally put you out of business.

It takes a lot of work (and talent) to build a community in a bar or on a blog and there is no way I am going to let someone come in and terrorize the place. It is the bartender’s job to maintain the space and serve the customers so when someone comes in to start trouble, I react quickly.

DINA: Your blog is more than just a blog, really. There’s a discussion forum linked in there (brilliantly) which makes for a vibrant, thriving community. Sometimes it can get hairy trying to manage so many different personalities and perspectives. What do you do if one member crosses a line? Have you ever had to break up a fight?

ELSA: I have broken up a few fights but usually it’s not necessary. It works just like the bar.

I see the fight, I see other people in the bar taking care of the problem. They don’t want their bar messed up anymore than I do so some member of the community usually steps up to intervene while I hold back with my hand the phone or my gun or whatever I think I might need.

90% of the the time it is a matter of someone had too much to drink and they’re back the next day with their manners restored. In the other cases, just like the bar, a small percentage make an exit speech vowing to never return to the establishment again. For an even smaller percentage, I’ve got to call the cops. If I have to call the cops, that’s it, that’s final, you’re toast.

DINA: Controversial topics often draw controversial responses. And as bloggers go, you’re someone who isn’t afraid to be bold, champion the less popular opinion, or tell the truth even if it hurts. I say that this is exactly why your blog gets so much traffic and participation. But others might disagree, go with the more PC approach. What is your advice to these people?

ELSA: I don’t have advice for them. They bore me. I think they are common and my fascination is with the anomaly so I am repelled.

DINA: People who visit my site want to know how to get clients via blogging. I see that you offer several paid options for people interested in astrology, including private readings, phone consults, and group astrology classes. Do you have any tips to offer other people who might want to do the same in their area of expertise?

ELSA: It is very hard to monetize a blog but I think it getting easier this bad economy. I know that is counter-intuitive but as people get harder edged and have less time to waste, if you provide something they know is valuable they will pay to save time trying to find the free replacement, not to mention the free replacements are drying faster than we can spin.

DINA: What’s your favorite part of being an authority on the web and why?

ELSA: People think I am lying but I really don’t much like it. I’d rather be standing in a bar telling stories with the lid off but I suppose I am grown up now?

I don’t like the authority but I do like the consulting. It is a job from God. It is always interesting, always a challenge, I am constantly stimulated, what more could I want?

DINA: Has anything extraordinary happened as a result of your being “out there” and blogging for the entire world? What occurred and who did it make a difference for?

ELSA: I would say that millions of things have happened due my blogging. I have changed many people’s lives, the lives of their children, their grandchildren and then some. Let’s just say I can die at anytime and be very comfortable with it. I have produced my legacy.

DINA: Recently you hosted a great private class on Astrology in Love and Relationships. Will there be more any upcoming events or classes like this happening?

ELSA: Yes, most definitely. I have a private message board, dubbed the Colosseum where I host discussion groups and teach classes. Typically the classes are focused on overcoming impediments to forming happy relationships since this is an area of interest and expertise.

The classes are challenging and meaty rather than fluffy and worthless. I run sort of a Boot Camp of love using the astrology chart to both reveal and resolve problems that plague people and prevent them from relating to the other in a way that satisfies. I like this kind of work and will definitely continue to hold workshops.

DINA: Thanks, Elsa, for taking the time to talk with the readers of Wordfeeder Copywriting and Marketing!

ELSA: Thank you, Dina.

About Elsa:

Elsa Panizzon is a consulting astrologer and owner of ElsaElsa.com, the first astrology blog on the internet. She lives in Colorado with her husband and her son and plans to run her mouth until she dies.

Popularity: 18% [?]

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Professional networking on Facebook is indeed a tricky thing. If you ONLY add people who you know, you’re limiting the obvious potential to grow your list of trustworthy business contacts. If you say yes to every Friend Request you receive, you could end up giving unsavory characters access to your friends and relatives, your children, your home, etc. Or, maybe you wind up with a computer virus from one of those “fake” profiles.

Here’s my advice to those who want to meet new, quality people on Facebook while avoiding trolls, harassers, hackers and weirdos.

When to Ignore the Friend Request

If you suspect or know the Profile Picture is a fake one.

How would you be able to tell this? Well, I actually had a woman friend request me, and I know for a fact that her photo was a stock photography image. I recognized her from istockphoto.com - and I think I had even used her picture in a blog post for one of my clients!

Granted, there could be a real person behind the stock photo, and maybe they’re completely nice - just want to keep their identity private for reasons I state above. But I don’t know that. So until I find evidence confirming that other people who I trust know this person and have done business with them, I’m going to steer clear. You might opt to take the risk, but if someone is hiding — one must ask why?

If you’re female, and the man who has Friend Requested you ONLY has other women on his list - and there are hundreds of them.

This JUST happened to me. I got a Friend Request from a man I didn’t know, took a look at his profile, saw that he had more than 600 women on his list, and promptly declined the offer. This just seems very suspicious to me. Even if he’s simply a nice man who enjoys looking at women — where is the evidence of him being a balanced and well adjusted human being? “Normal” people have friends of both sexes, some even have family members attached to their Facebook profiles. It is just safer for a woman to avoid a person like that — and shame on this man’s collection of 600+ women for not noticing or caring!

If the name and picture on the profile is just a branding message.

I think some people who have a branding message as their profile name might be “okay.” You might click “Accept” to learn that there’s a real girl or guy behind it all, and he or she just got a little carried away with the branding. But if you’re screening potential friends, I would be cautious about this. I got a Friend Request from someone who is evidently in real estate. His or her profile photo was of a house, not a face, and his “name” was “DreamHome” or something like that. Doesn’t seem like he’s ready to be genuine about who he is. If I want to go house shopping, I can visit Google, so… this person doesn’t get added to my list.

If the profile is riddled with MLM.

If the only thing you have to say is that you’re selling Acacia miracle beverages, I’ll move along, thanks.

Popularity: 15% [?]

Tags:   facebook for professional networking · professional networking on facebookNo Comments.

The truth about web content is that you have unfathomable potential to create, destroy, and recreate whatever and whenever you want.

I can always tell when my new clients hail from the corporate world. Their approach toward the marketing is limited and stifling - because they haven’t yet grasped that this is the web… which means you have unlimited space/opportunities to communicate.

If you were creating a brochure, it would be a different story. Printing and design are expensive. You’d have limited space to say what you wanted to say, and you’d have limited chances to bop your potential customers over the head and say, “Look what we’ve got going on over here!”

The web is not like that at all! I mean, basically you’re looking at a blank sheet of paper that is infinite in all directions. You can write whatever you want on that “paper.” You can erase what you wrote and write something else. You can keep what you wrote, but then say something different that has virtually nothing to do with what you said before. It’s almost like… talking!

So, when clients come to me wanting to Go Really Slow… write endless drafts until they get the “perfect” message on the homepage… etc….

I want so badly to be able to show them the FREEDOM that they have here. It’s really so much different than the creative process, the way that marketing professionals from in-house operations and ad agencies typically know it.

I mean, you can do a couple drafts if you want, sure… that can only improve your copy, I think. But the truth is that if you tossed up half-written copy on your homepage tonight, you could change it “live” six times this week and it really wouldn’t affect your audience in the long run.

You could get a blog and start “branding” or “talking to” your future customers right now. You don’t need a team of people with made-up titles critiquing your every move. Or if someone does come by and point out a flaw in your blog content… you can change it… ON THE FLY!

Thus, web copy is much more of a free and unfettered means of communicating. Sure, you want to get the “audience” right and you want to be able to polish your sales pitch.

But it’s really such a different animal that I can’t even begin to know how to explain this to new customers wanting to hold tons of meetings, ponder the brand from every angle, find the “perfect” way to say it.

There will never be a “perfect” way - it’s all in your head, totally fabricated. Once you let go of the perfectionist mentality and the limited mindset, you’ll see that the web can really get you so much farther than print marketing could ever pretend to.

I think the key is to not be afraid. Instead, be flexible… be open to new ideas and ways of doing things. Be observant… look at what other people are doing, see how it works for them. Do that, but put your own spin on it. Make it work for what YOU do, within YOUR context.

On the web, your goal is to create a LOT of content in a short amount of time, and just keep steadily communicating to your audience. That’s really it. If your web person know what the heck he or she is doing, they’ll be open to working with you in any one of a number of ways.

If you want to start an internet business but don’t know where to begin, I encourage you to take a first step and just get a blog. A basic blog will help you loosen up and find your “voice” online. From there, the possibilities are pretty much endless. An experienced website professional will know this, and can help get you there.

Popularity: 20% [?]

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Does the prospect of signing up for website hosting boggle your mind? A Wordfeeder reader recently wrote in to ask me a few questions about purchasing hosting for a new website. Here are my responses:

Q: Is there any reason not to buy a domain name AND hosting from the same provider? Network Solutions offers domain purchase along with hosting. If I can do name and hosting as a package deal w/netsolutions, I can save some $.

A: It’s a better idea to keep your domain and hosting with two separate companies. This way, if you ever experience a problem with one company or if they unexpectedly go out of business, you won’t be SOL.

Q: Godaddy recommended not using Hotmail-type email accounts when signing up to buy a domain through them. Any opinion? I could use our Comcast.com email account if it’s better to do so.

A: I’m really not sure why GoDaddy gives out this info. I took their advice with my first sites. Used the email account that I got when I signed up for internet in my town, which was Comcast at the time. For a while, there was a problem because GoDaddy kept sending emails to that danged account which was cancelled when I moved. In fact… to this day, with every new website I purchase, they automatically put me on that email account, which does not exist. And each time it happens, I update my address to use my Yahoo account instead, which I have never had any sort of problem with. So, who knows. But good question.

Q: Should I register a domain name that “says what it is” or should I try to get clever and creative? For example, GoDaddy.com obviously does not “explain what they do.” Does that make a difference?

A: Yes - if you use the exact keywords in your domain name, you WILL get more google cred.

Q: When I sign up to purchase a domain name, there are also options for “certified” and “protected” hosting or domain accounts. This seems like a little unnecessary fluff. Agree?

A: I have never “certified” any of my sites, nor have I ever run into any problem as a result of not doing so. The only situation where you might want to consider privatizing your domain is if you plan to market “incognito” (using a pen name, for example). You might do this if your site is one of the more racy topics - for example, the fine folks at http://revengecrabs.com may not wish to share their identities unless pressed for this information.

Q: The hosting company I’m thinking about going with offers different account options, i.e. starter, biggie, bigger, biggest. I do not understand what all the gigabyte available stuff means; seems like “starter” would make sense for me. They also talk about setting up with Unix. Seems a little too much to me. Do you think going through Windows is good enough?

A: Starter Account is fine for a startup business, and you should actually host on UNIX. I know, one would think Windows because we all use Windows, but Unix is the better option. Boston Computing explains it much better than I ever could hope to.

Popularity: 29% [?]

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(Or, Modern Writing Habits that Really Need to Go)

I get really ticked by some of the things I read and hear nowadays. Know what I mean; like the increased substitution of nouns for verbs as I just did in the title? Englishify? Frost? It happens all the time. Let’s “task” Joe with something; Did Tom “deconflict” the issue? The suspect “lawyered” up. He “texted” Louie. He “gamed” the system while “guesting” at the casino that “comped” him.

Maybe that specific usage is just the natural evolution of our language. After all, we have accepted many nouns acting as verbs in the past; mop the floor, for example. I fear, though, that we may soon be hearing things such as; Did you “broom” the floor?

Is my fear rational, or am I just resistant to the inevitable? Is the word “mop” diminished since it has no counterpart to “sweep?” But what about the good old Navy term to “swab” the floor (deck)? See how complicated this can be? My definitive answer is: Who knows?

There are a number of burrs under my saddle, though, that just have to do with laziness, sloppiness or ignorance. Here are a few…

[Read more →]

Popularity: 48% [?]

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In the last four days, I’ve worked on brochures for two of my clients which are designed to jump-start sales in a slow economy.

Not only is this a refreshing change from the gloom and doom news headlines I keep reading, but it’s a far more accurate portrayal of what’s really going on in the world of business.

People are still buying from and selling to each other, yes, it’s true. Being involved with real-life marketing for real-life companies helps put everything back into perspective. If you think that the economy just shriveled up and died, you’re wrong.

I’ve got one client (an ad agency) who I’m partnering with on a brochure for their client which offers “stimulus savings” on home improvement projects.

[Read more →]

Popularity: 76% [?]

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I received an email from a high school student who’s doing a report on careers. He sent me a set of questions so that he might find out what it’s like to work in the field of ad copywriting. Here are my responses to his questionnaire:

1-What does your job entail?

Copywriters manage the written portion of advertising and marketing campaigns. We team up with graphic designers on creative projects such as branding initiatives, websites, brochures, email newsletters, ebooks, sales letters, magazine ad campaigns and much more. The designers choose and edit the images that will appear in the advertisements or marketing materials and the copywriters come up with clever wordplay to match.

2-What hours do you work?

If you work for a corporation or small business, then you work whatever hours that company dictates - typically, 9 to 5, or 8:30 to 5:30. When you work for yourself, you can set your own hours - but you do this knowing that the more hours you invest, the bigger you can grow your business and the more money you’ll make.

[Read more →]

Popularity: 54% [?]

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Hey! You know what? I’m getting really tired of the Debbie Downers (wah, wah!!) who keep whining about the economy. One of my friends actually announced on her Facebook page that she cries every time she hears another news report on the topic. Wow. That is what I call being paralyzed by fear.

It’s not that I’m oblivious… but when times are “tough” like this, is when opportunities truly abound. First, because things cost less. Second, because the population is vulnerable and a “willing ear” for your persuasion.

Some cool and heartening facts I just learned about:

* Several successful businesses such as Microsoft and Disney began during recessions.

* There are over 16 million home based businesses in the U.S. - that means people out there who might have a need for YOUR products or services!

I feel like a broken record. But you’re still putting food on your table, right? You still go to the mall and buy things, right? The Chicken Little mentality does no good to anyone. Rather, we should be pulling oursleves up by the bootstraps. Think about how you can find creative ways to earn money. Put the word out that you’re consulting now. Launch an online business - it’s cheap and easy!

This Valentine’s Day weekend, why not show your (future) business some love, with some low-cost lessons on how to market your services and products more successfully.

Wordfeeder Copywriting and Marketing is offering Limited Time Only Pricing on the following must-haves for your business or future business on the web:

1. Article Power: How to Attract Paying Clients Online by Writing Web Articles

2. The Dangerous Truth About How to Write Copy That Sells

3. Biz-Feeder: The Private Group for Do-It-Yourself Marketers (Get on my list now!)

4. The Copywriter’s Bedside Bible(Learn How to Earn a Living Writing Copy from the Comfort of Home. Coming Soon!)

Check out This Page for your Special Valentine’s Offers from Wordfeeder Copywriting!

And have a Happy Valentine’s Day!

Popularity: 59% [?]

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David Bohl of SlowDownFast.com has done something cool with his blog. He took the “25 Things About Me” meme from Facebook and turned it into a blog post, then invited people to participate by adding their “25 things” to the comments section.

I posted to his blog, but I thought I would also publish here and invite you to do the same:

25 Things About Dina at Wordfeeder.com:

1. I went nameless for a little longer than most babies. At the hospital, they tagged me “Baby Giolitto” until my parents were flipping through a magazine, saw an article on Dina Merrill, and decided that was going to be my name. Not the Merrill, just the Dina.

2. I love what I do - write advertising copy, web content and marketing materials. I’ve known that I wanted to be in advertising since age 9 when I used to edit Hammecher-Schlemmer catalogs “for fun.” My copywriting website is at http://wordfeeder.com in case you wanted to know.

3. I’m a late bloomer. I was always smaller and looked younger than everyone else. I didn’t get my first kiss until I was seventeen!

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Popularity: 40% [?]

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I received this question from a fellow copywriter, but I thought that the method could easily be used by any other specialist in any industry.

——————————————————————————–
Hi Dina,

My name is John Doe. I saw an article you wrote about how to set a freelance copywriting rate and have seen your business website.

I am a journalist and writer and I am taking some time off from daily newspaper writing to do some freelancing. I write news articles, but have also taken on some work writing a bit of website content and am now ghost-writing an e-book.

A friend of mine is doing a redesign on her business website. She’s self-employed, but doing well. She has hired someone to do the redesign, but has put out an RFP for a copywriter to rewrite her website content.

I believe I am more than capable of bringing a fresh and engaging voice to her site. I am planning to bid on it but I have absolutely no idea how much to charge. I really can’t even ballpark a figure. I asked her if she had a deadline and whether she had a range for acceptable bids, but she said she has neither.

I am trying to get advice from more experienced freelance copywriters about a bid to submit.

Taking a look at her RFP materials, I suspect it will take me 1-2 weeks to rewrite everything, with additional time for revisions.

I am expecting to lowball her a bit because she is a friend with a small business and I am an inexperienced copywriter, but really can’t guess at what an appropriate lowball bid would be.

Would you be able to help me to determine how I should be bidding, what kind of starter rates copywriters have, especially for small-scale projects that are done to gain a portfolio, but still earn a bit of cash?

Anyway, thanks advance for any help you can provide.
John

——————————–
MY REPLY:

Hi John Doe,

How much do you need to make per year to meet your expenses?

How much would you make in a “9 to 5 corporate job” at your same level of expertise/years of experience?

Figure out that number, a salary per year. Then divide by 50 weeks (assuming you’d like to take 2 weeks off).

Then divide the weekly amount by 40 hours per week (assuming 40 hours is your target).

Now you know your hourly rate. So figure out how many hours it would take you to draft one page of copy, in a Word document, assuming it’s 400 to 650 words or so.

If it takes you two hours and your rate is $40 per hour, then think of your projects as being worth $80 per page draft.

Next, factor in extra billables like research time, communicating with clients, and doing revisions. This will be an estimate of course, based on what you “expect” from the client. It’s never exact.

Let’s say that you predict you’ll be spending 2 hours reading/researching the client’s niche. You have 4 pages to write. You “guesstimate” that you’ll spend another 2 to 3 hours revising the copy once the client makes corrections.

So now you have 2 hours plus 8 hours plus 3 hours. That’s 13 hours, times your hourly rate of $40 per hour. The total estimate is $520.00 for four pages of copy including a draft revision. But in order to not scare your clients or shortchange yourself, you want to tell your client, “I estimate this to be anywhere from 10 to 13 hours, which works out to be anywhere from $400 to 520.00. You will be billed for the actual hours spent working, and no more.

Does this make sense? Good luck.

Warm regards,

Dina Giolitto
Wordfeeder.com

Popularity: 79% [?]

Tags: 2 Comments