We’ve seen that the real secret to SEO Copywriting 2.0 is creating compelling content that naturally attracts links, rather than begging for links to our keyword-stuffed “optimized” web page. In other words, SEO copywriting is now all about response-oriented copy—concepts and words that ultimately result in a favorable action from the reader. –Brian Clark

1. Social Media Sites
2. Linking Out
3. Networking Emails
4. Guest Appearances
5. Article Directories

The way to create compelling content is to focus on “what’s in it for the reader.” Likewise, no one is going to link to you unless doing so gives them a benefit as well. –Brian Clark

From Brian Clark’s blog entry on Copyblogger: Five Link Building Strategies That Work

It’s cheap…it’s free…but it’s slow. And this strategy demands constant writing. You can’t just dabble in this and expect a huge, long-lasting flow of traffic. Article marketing is a long-term commitment, so if you want to make this part of your traffic generation strategy, plan on writing a lot…this requires you to develop a real love for writing.

And that’s the secret for long-term success with article marketing. If you learn to slow down a bit and enjoy the writing process itself, then you’ll have no trouble with creating the content you’ll need to fuel this technique.

Article marketing can be very effective in any niche, provided you write good articles and submit to places that get a lot of traffic, like Ezine Articles. All my niches, regardless of what they are, get good amounts of traffic from submitting there. So from my experience, it’s safe to say that you’ll get a good amount of traffic just by doing this. However, you have to write a ton. There is no way around that unless you outsource all your articles. Then, it’s no longer cheap. –Steven Wagenheim

Forum Participation

Joining in on the discussions at a niche forum can be a good way to generate some traffic for your website. However, it’s not the easiest way…in fact, there’s a very real possibility you may not see much traffic from forums at all.

You see, many forums won’t allow you to promote anything, whether it’s through your messages or your signature. So, if you’re thinking of joining a forum to promote your site, you just may find you’re not able to even mention it. And, as Steven points out, even if the forum you’re posting in allows a bit of self-promotion in your signature, you still have to follow their rules. Usually, forums that allow some kind of signature promotion will limit you to just a few lines of text and a link.

Once you find a forum that is open to a promotional signature, you still have to become a contributing member and establish value for yourself. If your place in the forum isn’t all that helpful, there’s no way people will learn to trust you. And if they don’t eventually find you valuable and trustworthy, there’s slim chance they’ll click on your signature links.

When you first arrive at a forum, unless you already have a big name in your field, you’re a nobody there. You are unknown. So the first thing you have to do is introduce yourself. Now, don’t think that once you’ve done that, people are going to come flocking to your sig file. They won’t. You have to establish a presence there. You have to build trust. This takes time…LOTS OF TIME. –Steven Wagenheim

GREY HAT WARNING

So what happens if you find the perfect forum in your niche, but they don’t allow self promotion? All is not lost…there is one somewhat dirty trick you can pull to help your traffic generation cause. Go ahead and join that forum and see what you can fill out in your user profile. Many of these…maybe even most of these…are open to the public and are spiderable by search engines. If you’re able to include a quick note about your site…being careful to include your important key words…and a link to your site, then your profile page can become one more backlink in your collection.

And if you like the forum, you may still want to contribute to the community, even if there’s no chance to use a promotional signature. That’s up to you. But that link in your profile will be the only promotional element for these types of forums. But even if you decide not to contribute, you can leave that profile page in place while it quietly serves as one of your backlink sources.

Traffic Generation Techniques

• Search Engines
• Social Bookmarking
• Video Marketing
• Safelists & Traffic Exchanges
• Forum Participation
• Pay Per Click
• Article Marketing

Original Warrior Forum Post: The Real Truth About Traffic Generation

Copywriters have a major tool for hooking a reader’s attention…the headline. There are other parts of your sales letter that can hook a reader, but the headline is the primary hook. But you can’t just put any old text into a headline and expect it to catch a reader’s attention. So what makes for a good hook? How can you come up with an effective hook?

To find the answer, let’s take a look at a discussion from the Warrior Forum began 30th July 2007 by Eric Louviere…

Do you have a way you come up with “hooks” for your letters/products? Is there any kind of strategy, ritual, etc you use? Me, I usually look for that one big thing, that one major take-away… that one big selling point. Then, I just ponder on it, to find an angle, a differential point, a unique spin/angle.

Eric starts off with the best answer. To construct an effective hook, find the biggest selling point. But don’t rush your hook…find that big selling point and take time to think about it. Break it down in your mind and on paper. Play with it…turn it on its head and rebuild it. Try to find an unusual way to express that selling point and how it relates to your reader’s problem.

And by unusual, I don’t mean off the wall or strange…just something beyond ordinary, lifeless text on a page. Put action into it…put some color into it. Build it around a micro-story instead of boring, cold statement of facts.

Richard Daniels notes he’s able to write strong hooks by listening to his existing subscribers. By conducting simple surveys, Richard’s audience reveals what would hook them by the special interest words they use, any key emotions they write about, and even in the questions they ask. He says this information is so good the hook “can sometimes write itself.”

Another fantastic way to hook your reader is through story telling. Ndcole78 says people relate well to stories, but especially when the story seems to connect with their own experiences. Ndcole78 has created hooks by writing a headline straight from the customer’s testimonials and then following up with a compelling story.

I like using a story-telling hook. People related to stories better, espcially if the story sounds similar to what the reader is going through. –Ndcole78

Rasheed Ali comes up with copywriting hooks by figuring out what big problems his market faces. Then, he writes a headline and revises it until he’s found the most effective hook for his market.

Rien mentions gleaning inspiration for copywriting hooks from magazine titles…making the point that magazine headline writers get paid very well to come up with attention grabbing hooks. And mybluedog cites in particular the tabloids Weekly World News and National Enquirer. While the stories found in these publications are mostly outlandish tales, there is no questioning the power of their headlines!

When writing your own hooks, don’t just throw down any old thing that comes to mind. Really work at it. After all, if your hooks don’t actually hook readers, the rest of your copywriting won’t matter at all because no one will read it. To make your pitch, you’ve got to hook their attention first. Follow the simple tips found in this article and in the original post found on the Warrior Forum and you’ll be miles ahead of just about everyone else writing online copy.

Hook Writing Tips

• Find the big selling point.
• Survey your market.
• Tell stories that connect to your readers.
• Determine what problems your market faces.
• Study the hooks found in tabloids and magazines.

Original Warrior Forum Post: How Do You Come Up With “Hooks”?