The Benefits of Article Writing
Many coaches already know that one of the most important (not to mention, free) marketing tools available is article marketing (writing and publishing articles online). Article writing also has the added benefit of helping you establish yourself as a go-to expert in your field. However, even knowing this, and knowing other coaches who have garnered lots of positive exposure from publishing articles, many coaches still don’t do it.
Web Traffic as an Incentive
And when it comes to generating web traffic, the expression “Content is King” cannot be said enough, and yes, that includes articles. Why, because traffic translates into cash. So I say to all coaches who have a fear of writing, feel the fear and write anyway!
Reasons Some Coaches Don’t Like to Write
I have found that one of the most, if not the most, common reason for not writing articles is a fear of writing, a fear of being judged because their writing skills are not where they think they should be. Although coaches have the gift of gab when it comes to articulating their ideas orally, many coaches have the hardest time doing so, in writing.
I personally understand this dilemma, because I have it in the reverse – I can write my thoughts, but I’d rather drink a cleaning agent, than speak publicly, including networking, even among a familiar group of professionals. I avoided public speaking until I went out networking one day and discovered that my leads exponentially increased when I networked. Speaking, I quickly learned, is another very effective (and free) marketing tool, so I forced myself to become an avid networker, while I shook in my boots doing it.
Well, now I belong to networking groups and business referral groups that require presentations and/or elevator pitches, both of which I hate . . . but they work, so I do it. I even volunteered for a position that guarantees I have to stand up and speak three times every meeting (at the beginning, middle and end of every meeting) – Ugh!!!
So, Now What Does All This Mean for You?
Force Yourself To Do the Following:
1. Open your word processing program to a blank page. Now walk away from it. Walk around for a few seconds, so you can loosen up. Breathe deeply as you walk until you feel you are beginning to relax.
2. Right now you may be telling yourself “I can’t,” and that’s okay if you are saying that to yourself. That voice is supposed to be there; that it’s job, just let it be. Don’t fight it. Don’t try to create thoughts to get rid of it.
3. Now, while that voice is still talking, you start TALKING too. Talk out what you want to write out. But don’t write it. Say the first point you want to make in one sentence, like a bullet point, but just say it.
4. Now write that bullet point, just that short bullet point.
5. Do the next one until all your bullet points are jotted down.
6. Now, while the negative voice is still talking, it may even be hollering at this point, get up from your computer and walk around a bit. Loosen up. Breathe deeply as you walk around until you feel a bit calmer. You don’t have to be completely calm. In fact, you may not be able to get calm at all. But that’s okay. Just because you are nervous, it doesn’t mean you have to stop writing. Don’t throw in the towel because you are uncomfortable. So what! It’s just discomfort trying to stop you . . . not a gunman.
I know, guys. I fight through this daily. As recently as a month ago, I cried in front of an atrium full of adult strangers because the anxiety gripped me that tightly . . . and I was with my speaking coach during my coaching session at the time! Yes, my sessions took place in public.
But I went to my networking events that week anyway – and my fear, as it always is, was faithfully by my side. But I did not let it stop me.
So, keep typing!
Many coaches already know that one of the most important (not to mention, free) marketing tools available is article marketing (writing and publishing articles online). Article writing also has the added benefit of helping you establish yourself as a go-to expert in your field. However, even knowing this, and knowing other coaches who have garnered lots of positive exposure from publishing articles, many coaches still don’t do it.
Web Traffic as an Incentive
And when it comes to generating web traffic, the expression “Content is King” cannot be said enough, and yes, that includes articles. Why, because traffic translates into cash. So I say to all coaches who have a fear of writing, feel the fear and write anyway!
Reasons Some Coaches Don’t Like to Write
I have found that one of the most, if not the most, common reason for not writing articles is a fear of writing, a fear of being judged because their writing skills are not where they think they should be. Although coaches have the gift of gab when it comes to articulating their ideas orally, many coaches have the hardest time doing so, in writing.
I personally understand this dilemma, because I have it in the reverse – I can write my thoughts, but I’d rather drink a cleaning agent, than speak publicly, including networking, even among a familiar group of professionals. I avoided public speaking until I went out networking one day and discovered that my leads exponentially increased when I networked. Speaking, I quickly learned, is another very effective (and free) marketing tool, so I forced myself to become an avid networker, while I shook in my boots doing it.
Well, now I belong to networking groups and business referral groups that require presentations and/or elevator pitches, both of which I hate . . . but they work, so I do it. I even volunteered for a position that guarantees I have to stand up and speak three times every meeting (at the beginning, middle and end of every meeting) – Ugh!!!
So, Now What Does All This Mean for You?
Force Yourself To Do the Following:
1. Open your word processing program to a blank page. Now walk away from it. Walk around for a few seconds, so you can loosen up. Breathe deeply as you walk until you feel you are beginning to relax.
2. Right now you may be telling yourself “I can’t,” and that’s okay if you are saying that to yourself. That voice is supposed to be there; that it’s job, just let it be. Don’t fight it. Don’t try to create thoughts to get rid of it.
3. Now, while that voice is still talking, you start TALKING too. Talk out what you want to write out. But don’t write it. Say the first point you want to make in one sentence, like a bullet point, but just say it.
4. Now write that bullet point, just that short bullet point.
5. Do the next one until all your bullet points are jotted down.
6. Now, while the negative voice is still talking, it may even be hollering at this point, get up from your computer and walk around a bit. Loosen up. Breathe deeply as you walk around until you feel a bit calmer. You don’t have to be completely calm. In fact, you may not be able to get calm at all. But that’s okay. Just because you are nervous, it doesn’t mean you have to stop writing. Don’t throw in the towel because you are uncomfortable. So what! It’s just discomfort trying to stop you . . . not a gunman.
I know, guys. I fight through this daily. As recently as a month ago, I cried in front of an atrium full of adult strangers because the anxiety gripped me that tightly . . . and I was with my speaking coach during my coaching session at the time! Yes, my sessions took place in public.
But I went to my networking events that week anyway – and my fear, as it always is, was faithfully by my side. But I did not let it stop me.
So, keep typing!
7. Go back to the first bullet point. Walk around and talk this point out. Don’t write it out. Say it out loud. Say it four or five times, over and over and over and over.
8. Now that you know the words you are going to say, sit down and type exactly what you just finished saying a minute ago. DON’T worry about punctuation or anything. DON’T worry about spelling. Just write it. Nobody can see it but you.
9. Now repeat that exercise until every point has been written out, putting a double space between each separate point. It DOESN’T matter if you can’t spell a word or have never seen the word you just orally used. Write it the way you think it is spelled.
If you were going to deliver this in a speech to a client or someone else, the structure of it would be (a) beginning (b) body and (c) conclusion or closing. So, that’s what you write too - beginning, body and conclusion. We do this when we prepare to speak; we just don’t always recognize it.
A Stress-free Way to Look at Periods
Periods usually go where you ended your sentence when you said it.
Example:
"There are all types of coaches in the industry."
See, your voice naturally dies down after the word “industry," because you are finished. You can even feel that you may need to take a slight (hardly noticeable) breath after the word “industry.” So put a period there.
Start the next sentence with a capital letter and repeat the above process.
A Stress-free Way to Look at Commas
Sometimes your voice dies down, but you’re not quite finished, because you are giving a list of things. So, in this case, you need commas after each word.
Example:
Start the next sentence with a capital letter and repeat the above process.
A Stress-free Way to Look at Commas
Sometimes your voice dies down, but you’re not quite finished, because you are giving a list of things. So, in this case, you need commas after each word.
Example:
"Some types of coaches include life coaches, spiritual coaches, career coaches, speaking coaches and writing coaches."
If you are naming a bunch of items in a list or feel the need to slightly pause, but not come to a dead stop, use commas. Your voice dies down at the end of your list where you say “writing coaches” so put a period there.
Don’t get fancy with the following types of punctuation:
… OR ; OR -- .
These types of punctuation marks should only be used if you are confident that you can use them properly. Otherwise, although they can be quite useful, we can get away with writing without them.
Once you check your commas and periods throughout your article, run your article through the following FREE online language checker sources – all of them:
Don’t get fancy with the following types of punctuation:
… OR ; OR -- .
These types of punctuation marks should only be used if you are confident that you can use them properly. Otherwise, although they can be quite useful, we can get away with writing without them.
Once you check your commas and periods throughout your article, run your article through the following FREE online language checker sources – all of them:
Spellchecker.net lets you copy and paste text into an online tool to check your spelling and grammar errors. A Thesaurus is also right there for your convenience.
AbiWord is a free word processing program that includes a grammar checker. You can use it with most common operating systems, including Microsoft Windows, Linux and others. This program is very simple to use.
Language Tool is a free grammar checker designed to identify the most common grammatical mistakes in text. Please note, however, that Language Tool does not contain a spell checking program.
If you use MSWord, you should use their spell check and grammar check, as well. Because certain grammar and spelling programs don’t always pick up EVERYTHING, it’s always wiser to double and triple check your writing using several different systems.
Never let the fear of writing stop you from benefiting from one of the best ways to establish yourself as an expert in your field and, to top it off, generate web traffic, which translates into revenue!
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