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Breaking Free by Robyn Lindsey | Creative Inspiration

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAHi there!  I’m Robyn and I’m so thankful to Donna for having me here.  I’m a writer and I just finished my first novel.  It is my sixth published book (so far!), but the first fiction.  I first got the idea for Breaking Free when I was 12.  It morphed a lot over the 30 years from the initial idea, but the premise stayed the same.

Breaking Free has been a labor of love for me, and one of the most difficult tasks of my life.  In many ways, it was like climbing up a very steep mountain.  Each time when I thought I had gone most of the way, I’d look up and see that I was nowhere near where I thought I was.  So I would trudge onward, some days just baby steps, others were big sprints.

Let me tell you a bit about Samantha, the main character of Breaking Free.  She is, by all accounts, just like you and I.  She is everywoman, except for the fact that she lost her parents at a young age.  Sam is greatly influenced by her mother’s death, which occurred when Samantha was 14.

breakingfreefrontonlyThe pain of that loss caused her to build up walls and close herself off, creating a barrier that even her husband couldn’t quite bring down. Then Sam is faced with her own mortality, and the biggest question of all.  Did life mean anything if there is no one left to mourn you when you are gone?   One day Sam realizes that she is in jeopardy of never having fully lived and knows that life won’t keep giving her chances to make her mark in the world.

This book is about Sam’s journey to finding her way in this world.  There are parts of Samantha that we can all relate to and I hope you love Breaking Free!

Buy Breaking Free on Amazon TODAY!

 

Connect with Robyn Lindsey online! 

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Robyn on Twitter

 

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Copywriting Tips: 3 Speedy Headline Templates for the Super Busy | Creative Inspiration

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Headlines are arguably the most important component to eye-catching copy. If you don’t have a compelling headline, odds are you’ve lost your prospect for good.

3-Speedy-Headline-Templates-Business-InspirationIdeally you should write anywhere from 50 to 100 headlines before choosing one. But sometimes you just don’t have time. I have the solution. Swipe these 3 templates, fill in the right words and ta dah! Instant headline!

1) How to (get the biggest benefit your product delivers)

Example: “How to Make $87,000 Per Year As A Magazine Writer!”

How to headlines are particularly attractive to people looking for information – which is their main activity on the Internet.

2) 7 Easy Ways to ______________, without ________________

Example: “7 Easy Ways to Save Money On Groceries Without Clipping Coupons And Running All Over Town Just For Those Sale Items!”

Quantify it with numbers. People respond very well to finite numbers in headlines – they want to know exactly how much information they’re going to get. (Note that you need to tear up the English teacher rule book here. No number is spelled out – it’s all numerals. In other words, forget about the one, two, three – it’s 1, 2, 3. There’s something psychologically powerful to our eyes when we read a numeral that just isn’t there when we read a spelled out number).

3) If _________________, then __________________!

Example: “If You’re Looking for One Convenient Source for All Your Business Needs, We Offer a Huge Selection of Office Supplies”.

This format almost always works because it states a problem and the solution right there in the headline. That’s what people are looking for, the solution to some problem.

Give one of these templates a try the next time you have to come up with a headline on the fly. While they shouldn’t be your only source of headlines, they are a great time saver when you have to get something out in a rush and should give you a pretty good response from your visitors or readers.

Author Resource -> Copywriting guru Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero has been helping entrepreneurs and copywriters get their marketing messages razor sharp since 1999.

Get free access to 5 tips to turn your “blah” sales message into red-hot copy that ROCKS… at RedHotCopy.com

 

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Copywriter Trick Unveiled: How to Write Better Copy Faster | Business Inspiration

“Talent alone cannot make a writer. There must be a man behind the book.” Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Goethe

I’m going to share with you a method guaranteed to get your copy razor sharp in a hurry. It’s an old trick I learned in journalism school, and it works great to get those creative juices flowing. Since I’ve been
using it regularly again, I write circles around my former output times. The words are just at my fingertips.

How did I do it? (More importantly, how can you do it too?) Well, you probably already know you must havecuriosity to become a good writer.  Take your natural curiosity to the next level and become an avid observer.  When you’re driving, look at the car next to you on the road. Pick up a can of beans in the grocery store. Check out your shampoo while in the shower. Notice the colors and smells. What qualities does it have that sets it apart? What would make someone want to buy what you’re looking at?

You’re surrounded with opportunity to sharpen your writing skills. It’s easy.
Here’s how –

  • Describe appearance of product
  • Identify Features (look for complementary and contrasting qualities)
  • Single Out Main Benefit
  • Create your Benefit Statement or Summary

Let your imagination go. This is only an exercise. If it were a real product, of course you’d do your research. But our goal isn’t to actually sell this copy to a client. It’s designed to open up and free your mind.

THE RULES:

  1. You don’t have to write down your observations. Just practice doing
    them. You’ll be amazed at how quickly your writing improves.
  2. Limit yourself to five minutes on each “product.”
  3. Brainstorm. Do NOT edit yourself until you’re done.
  4. Stop on time.

Here’s a case in point. Today, I took Shadow, my border collie/chow mix, on a hike through the mountains. (I should say, he took me. If you’ve ever walked a trotting pony on a leash, you have an idea what it’s like to walk Shadow.) So, while being drug behind my dog, I noticed pretty yellow weeds lining the path. I picked those to represent my “product” and played my copywriting game.

DESCRIBE APPEARANCE: butter-colored spray of petals, braided green stem, burst of color, gently moving with the breeze.

IDENTIFY FEATURES: soothing, calming, appealing color contrast to trees, heaviest around the path as though guiding hikers

SINGLE OUT MAIN BENEFIT: Rejuvenating

BENEFIT STATEMENT: “After hiking with these soothing butter-colored wildflowers lining the trail, you’ll return rejuvenated and ready to face the day.”

Maybe not award-winning copy, but with practice I’m sure I’ll do better on our next walk.

Author Resource -> Copywriting guru Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero has been helping entrepreneurs and copywriters get their marketing messages razor sharp since 1999.

Get free access to 5 tips to turn your “blah” sales message into red-hot copy that ROCKS… at  RedHotCopy.com

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Harnessing the Firepower of Bullets | Creative Inspiration

Bullets are the little typographical symbols that signify a list is coming. They show items of equal importance but listed on separate lines. The reader sees them as little mini bits of knowledge that help them make their decision about buying from you.

These are extremely powerful in copy. Often these little guys make or break your sale. They are very quick to read and can explode on impact, creating an emotional response more effectively in many cases than a longer paragraph. But do you know the rules of punctuating bullets?

Proper Punctuation of Bullets Revealed

Copy isn’t bound by the strict  rules your English teacher from grammar school forced you to follow. Nevertheless, you should know the rules before you break or bend them. Consistency keeps the flow going. So be aware of these rules of style to keep you on track.

1) If the list items are complete sentences, go ahead and treat them as such. You’d start with a capital letter and end with a punctuation mark.

Example:
• This is a complete sentence.
• Don’t forget to capitalize the first word.
• Remember to add a period at the end.

2) Got an incomplete sentence on your hands? No problem. Here are two different accepted methods of attack.

Example 1:
• You don’t even have to capitalize the first letter;
• but end with a comma OR a semi-colon;
• again, consistency is key;
• the second to last line ends with “and;”
• the last item has a period.

Example 2:
Start the introductory sentence with a dash or a colon or my favorite…the ellipsis point (the trailing off of a thought or a significant pause)…
• This is my favorite brand of bullets
• Always start with a capital letter
• No end punctuation in sight

Make Your Bullets Work Harder

These benign looking little dots can pack a powerful wallop in the sales arena. But do you know how to make them even more effective? Allow me to demonstrate:

• Always aim for a minimum list of 5 or more bullets. (Odd numbers are more effective than even numbers.)
• It’s okay to have more than one set of bullets reinforcing some of the same facts.
• Add every feature and benefit in here.
• Strategically bold or italicize keyword phrases so scanners can still get the gist of what you’re selling without having to read every word of copy on the first pass.
• Alternate what are called “blind bullets” with hard facts. A blind bullet is a teaser that whets your appetite, but can use without ever having to get your product.

Examples:
o What should NEVER be on your webpage – yet 88% of websites ignore it. (blind bullet)
o Nearly twice as many women (12%) as men (7%) are affected by a depressive illness or overwhelm from life each year. (hard fact)
• Add the page number in parenthesis where the reader can find the information (example: see page 96).

Bullet Templates You Can Steal

Ever get hung up writing your own bullets? Me too. So keep these templates handy for your swipe file.
• One mistake _____ make is….
• How to _____________…
• The truth behind __________________.
• Do _________________ effortlessly and easily.
• Has a proven track record so that _______.

The way you word your bullets can psychologically move your prospect toward the sale. They help him or her overcome internal objections they may not even be aware of. Plus they add a graphical element to your copy, making it breezier to read through.

Author Resource -> Copywriting guru Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero has been helping entrepreneurs and copywriters get their marketing messages razor sharp since 1999.

Get free access to 5 tips to turn your “blah” sales message into red-hot copy that ROCKS… at  RedHotCopy.com