“Shut UP. What? I can’t believe I didn’t think of that. UGH. My online life will now be divided into Before I Figured That Out and After.”

These are the sorts of things that you want to say over a coffee with a fellow self-employed type. So let’s spend the next five minutes pretending we’re at Nina’s (in that weird little elevated section with the two chairs) nursing our lattes. Imagine me leaning in and telling you the little, surprisingly effective tweaks I’ve been using, with awesome results.

1. Adding P.S.’s to my blog posts
Like other things I suggest to clients, I realize this sounds like a copout. BUT IT TOTALLY ISN’T. Adding a P.S. is a proven copywriting strategy and it’s a great way to integrate internal links to related content. I know a lot of people use plugins that automate related posts but
a) those create more visual clutter than I’m interested in
b) they don’t show up in RSS feeds, where 90% of my readers are

And when you go a’ searching for those old related posts, use it as an opportunity to optimize, beautify, and re-promote ’em.

2. Relabeling every photo I download and use in a post
I have lots of sources for photos - YAY, Unsplash, Flickr Creative Commons (sorted by ‘most interesting’) - and when I download them, they’re frequently titled something like “177nadlid01.jpg.”  Which, shockingly enough, is not very SEO-friendly.  So if it’s a photo of a Florida tiki bar, I title it that way. That means my photos are much more likely to show up in Google image searches, which leads to more traffic, and (hopefully) more sales.

3. Using images in my Twitter feed
Every time I publish super visual blog posts (like my Real Life Style Icon interviews, Mini Travel Guides, or anything food-related) I take the time to create a Twitter-specific graphic to include in my tweet. It increases click through by a lot (super specific measurement) and helps your tweets stand out in a sea of mundane updates and hashtags.

As a head’s up, make sure you resize your photos to 440×220, or you could end up with an awkwardly auto-cropped photo.

What little things are you doing that are making a big difference? Share your insights in the comments!

P.S. Did you know that when you sign up for my newsletter and send me your URL, I’ll give your site a once over and send you three, specific-to-you suggestions to make your online space more polished, trafficked, and money-making?

Wouldn’t it be lovely to network with talented people, bond with your readers, and create content that people look forward to?

Well, dur. Do cats like treats served on chopsticks?

Last week we talked about the oddly powerful link roundup post (networks in a non-gross way! introduces your readers to helpful things! reinforces your brand!) This week we’re talking about some best practices to create link posts that your readers will really, really love.

1. Find good links
Obviously, right? If you read blogs in an RSS feed (which I so, so highly recommend) it’s super easy to create tags and star the posts you’ll link to. If you read blogs the old fashioned way, you can simply save good posts to your favorites folder.  If you blog about something incredibly specific (bikes, vegan food, toddlers) you can use a service like Curata to help you find and curate links that are helpful to your niche audience.

2. Use affiliate links carefully and judiciously
Link posts are a great place to use affiliate links in a non-hit-you-over-the-head-with-it manner. Of course, make sure you’re linking to products you actually stand behind and companies whose policies you support. You’re legally required to include a disclaimer that outgoing links may lead to commissions for you. My disclaimer is in the footer of my blog, next to my copyright info.

3. When you link to people, @mention them on social media
If you’re including someone in a link post, @mention them so they know you’re talking about them!  They’ll appreciate the publicity and it could be the first step in a great relationship. True story: I landed one of my biggest on-retainer clients by linking to her. Once.

4. @mention the writer, not the publication
If you’re linking to a post on a big website (Salon, HuffPo, etc) @mention the writer, rather than the site. Most big news sites have hundreds of thousands of followers and they won’t even notice your tweet. But if that writer has 500 followers, she’ll totally notice (and appreciate) that you linked to her and introduced her to your followers.

5. Personalize + individualize your tweets

See the difference?  The former is waaaaay better because
a) It shows the people you’re linking to which post you’re talking about
b) It gives a sneak peak into the content so your Twitter followers will want to click that link
c) It caters to the ego, showing the people you’re linking to that you think they’re special (Awwww!)

6. When necessary/possible include quotes
I pretty frequently link to ‘long reads’ on obtuse topics - like this post on TED’s slow deterioration. I could just type “Do you think TED is going down the tubes?” but for longer, more complex articles, I like to include a pull quote. Like this:
I was at a presentation that a friend, an astrophysicist, gave to a potential donor. I thought the presentation was lucid and compelling (and I’m a professor of visual arts here at UC San Diego so at the end of the day, I know really nothing about astrophysics). After the talk the sponsor said to him, “you know what, I’m gonna pass because I just don’t feel inspired …you should be more like Malcolm Gladwell.”
At this point I kind of lost it. Can you imagine?
Think about it: an actual scientist who produces actual knowledge should be more like a journalist who recycles fake insights! This is beyond popularisation.

7. Get all design-y (if you want to)
I keep my link posts quite spare but there are several bloggers who do pretty, design-y link posts. Particularly Design Crush and Coco + Kelley. 

8. Use this as an opportunity to link to some of your archived posts
I like to close out my link posts with ‘Some Yes and Yes posts you might have missed’ and link to three or four of my favorite old posts. This is also a great time to improve those old posts before you send them new traffic - swap in new, Creative Commons images, add text to the photo, SEO-ify the title, and format them to be more readable.

9. Link to your other social media accounts
I post my ‘fave read of the day’ each day on Twitter (handily organized under the #yandy hashtag) so I make sure to tell my readers that if they appreciate my taste in links, I share more every night on Twitter. It’s another way I can promote good content and befriend some fantastic writers.

Whew!  That was awkwardly exhaustive. Do you guys have any other questions about link posts? Or tips of your own to share?

Three years ago, while sitting on a bed in Malaysia, I inadvertently created one of my most popular post series.

I’d been traveling for six months and was working eight hours a day for one of Malaysia’s leading women’s magazines.  Between all that writing and my very busy schedule of drinking Pimm’s by the pool, I didn’t have much time or creative energy to devote to high-quality posts.  I was concerned that readers would leave my blog if I didn’t post regularly, so I assembled a post that consisted of links to cool things I found around the internet.

I cobbled it together, titled it ‘Web Time Wasters’, and posted it - expecting little traffic and not much response.

And the opposite happened.

Oddly, people loved it!  I could see that it got a lot of traffic and a surprising number of comments. Since I posted it on Sunday (a traditionally ‘slow’ day on the internet) my readers were thrilled to have an hour’s worth of fun, curated reads for their Sunday morning. And I’ve been posting ‘Web Time Wasters’ each Sunday since then.

Readers regularly tell me that my link roundups are their favorite on the internet (thanks?) and that those posts are their internet equivalent to reading the Sunday paper. Which is so nice! Occasionally, I find the whole thing a bit demoralizing. I write a post about working in a refugee camp that gets five comments, but a roundup of 15 links to funny cat videos and travel tips gets 12 comments.  Ah, well!

But it’s hard to argue with traffic and results. For me, these link posts have resulted in:
* Two big-deal on-retainer clients
* New sponsors
* Thousands of dollars in affiliate sales
* New internet friendships with heaps of cool people
* Introducing my readers to talented bloggers + helpful products I think they should know about

Why should you be creating link roundups?

1. They’re a great, non-sleazy way to network
I’m not particularly ‘strategic’ about who I link to.  When I find something I like, I link to it - regardless of the site’s size. But! If there’s a blogger or company you’d really like to partner with, including them in your link roundup is a great way to (begin to) get on their radar.

2. It’s good karma
If you’ve got traffic, it’s nice to send it someone’s way. It’s also a great way to ‘be the change you want to see in the internet’ (to paraphrase Gandhi.) When you link to and promote thoughtful, kind content you’re reinforcing what you think is important and the kind of content you want out in the world.

3. It’s a non-annoying way to incorporate affiliate links
I, like most bloggers, am part of an affiliate network - you can see the disclaimer in the footer on Yes and Yes. But because I don’t write much about fashion or beauty products (the items most commonly sold through affiliate links) there aren’t many opportunities for me to make money that way. My link roundups are a genuine, non-annoying way for me to link to cute dresses and good books in a way makes sense - and make an extra $150 a month.

4. Link roundups ‘reinforce your brand’
This is something I didn’t realize I was doing until a client pointed it out to me. “You like fun, silly things but you’re also interested in current events, literature, feminism, and cultural stuff - and that’s obvious from the links you choose.”  Well, thanks!  While it certainly wasn’t my intent to do this, I can see what she’s saying. Looking through the links I choose is an easy way to see what’s important to me - and if you’re someone who’s interested in those things too we’re better, closer internet friends.

5. It establishes you as an expert and a curator of awesome stuff
If you write about a specific topic (healthy living, homeschooling, living in small spaces) link roundups are a great way to introduce your readers to helpful, useful information. And every time you do that, they appreciate it and (maybe) think “Why, that Sheryl sure knows a thing or two about green juices!” or “Dana knows where all the good stuff is! If she’s this knowledgeable, I should probably hire her!”

Crazy, right? All benefits from a post full of stuff that YOU DIDN’T EVEN WRITE. Stay tuned next week for some link roundup best practices!

Do you ever do link posts? How do you feel about them?

P.S. if you’d like more of this type of instantly implementable, traffic-boosting advice you might like my Clever Sessions!

Want your own (free) copy of this book? Sign up for my newsletter and I’ll send it along as a thank you!

Remember how I wrote about why having a personality on the internet is good for business? Well, it was in support of an awesome ecourse and the creators were kind enough to gather all the related posts into a beautifully designed free ebook!  And if you’d like to sign up for my small business newsletter, I’d love to share a copy with you.

Some of the things covered in Inside Secrets For New Coaches + Creatives?

• How to jump into business even if you don’t feel ‘ready’
• 4 creative ways to stand out
• How to discover your passion and earn more than money
  
• 5 actions you can take today today to start having more fun and get more done
• Brand consistency lessons from the school of hard knocks
• How to stand by your rates

Also! I’ve been hoarding sooooo many good links for you guys.  As much as it pains me to admit it, there are people all over the internet who are just as (re: more) clever and helpful than I am.  Here are some of their posts.

I never thought I’d like a book that uses a boxing metaphor for a title, but here we are. Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook is an insanely helpful book and you can get lots of insight into the ideas behind it and its author in this podcast.

If you’re a maker/designer/crafter/etc, I’d be remiss in my duty as your internet friend if I didn’t tell you about Designed To Sell.  Of course, I love everything Chris Guillebeau does (who doesn’t?) and this course isn’t any different. It helps you figure out what products to create, how to connect with the right people, and how to sell your work and make it sustainable.  Good stuff!

What’s user-generated content?  It’s photos of customers using your products (which you should be putting in Facebook photo albums) USG will be hot this year - particularly on Instagram.

Why successful habits are about structure not habit:
The idea is to start with something really, really small and let it grow into a bigger habit or routine. You could write your goal as “go the the gym.” Not “stay at the gym for an hour,” but just “get to the gym.” Put on your workout clothes. It’s not that you have to run five miles; what matters is that you just get your running shoes on three times a week. In a month or two months, you’ll be running as far as you want to run. That consistency ends up trumping everything else that you can do with goal setting.
The structure matters. People put all of this effort into optimization and research, but honestly everything we see about success rate says that the most important thing is to structure your goals so you can be consistent.

Yessss!  The art of the email subject line. 

Not sure if you should post that thing to social media? Here are five questions to ask yourself before you do.

Well, this is fancy.  Slide.es is a beautifully designed alternative to Powerpoint.

I really appreciated Grace’s take on the changes in the blogging world in her State of the Blog Union post.
* With shorter reader attention spans, we can post smaller-scale updates that allow us to be more informal and operate in a more real-time world.
* Without the structure of planning content and ad campaigns a year ahead of time, we were now free to test out new columns, pursue content only when it interested us and try things out for short periods of time.
* With reader engagement spread across different platforms it means each of our team members can find a way to connect with our community in a way that suits them best.
* With all of these new makers and voices popping up left and right, we’re able to discover more inspiring people and content- and start new collaborations- on a daily basis.

This is a great pep talk to give yourself or a friend when you’re feeling tired, rundown, or about to flake out.

A very, very good reminder: 19 hard things you need to do to be successful.

What amazing things have you read recently?  Leave links in the comments!

I thought, for a bit, that I should really title this post ‘How To Network With Bloggers’ - because, you know, SEO and what not.  But the word ‘networking’ feels intimidating and overwhelming and slightly gross.  Eating subpar appetizers while someone shoves their business card in my face and shrieks their elevator pitch?  No.  Sharing super useful advice/client referrals/traffic/cream cheese wontons with someone who I connect with, like, AS A HUMAN BEING?  Yes.

Really?  Networking is mostly just making friends.  And if you approach it as such (and think about what you can bring to the table, rather than what you can get from an interaction) you’ll be befriending bloggers left, right, and all over Twitter.

If there are any bloggers you’d like to collaborate with/pitch/take to coffee, here are a few things that you should do before you drop into their inbox.

* Leave productive, smart, helpful comments on their blog
No matter how big and famous they are, bloggers read their comments and if you’re regularly saying awesome things, they’ll start to remember you.  Of course, some blogs and posts engender better commentary - it’s hard to leave a mind-blowing comment on an outfit post.  But personal essays, tutorials, or thought-provoking posts are an opportunity to chime in.

Also:  make sure that the icon that shows up when you leave a comment matches the headshot on your blog and the icon for your Twitter profile, otherwise it’ll be hard for the blogger to recognize you.

* Interact with them on Twitter
Respond to the comments, answer their questions, ask them questions, send them links you think they’d like.  Just the same way you’d do with a friend.

* If you like something they did, link to it
We’ve talked about how oddly successful/useful link round ups can be.  Readers love ’em,  they’re a great way to share a bit of traffic love with bloggers you like, and if you’re one of those people who doesn’t like writing, they’re a clever way of creating content without writing 500 words.  When you include someone in a link round up, make sure to @mention them on Twitter so they’ll know you’re talking about them.

If you don’t have a blog, tweet links to bloggers’ content or retweet their links.

* Share things you think they’d like
My readers know my painfully, awkwardly well.  Three different people sent me a link to this inflatable cat unicorn headband and two people sent me links to Macklemore’s Thriftshop song.   And I loved it.  And I totally remember who sent me those links.   Don’t be afraid to reach out to the people you like and admire with information that you think they’d find helpful.

* If you’re going to pitch them, triple check that what you’re pitching is a good fit 
Do they host guest posts?  Do they offer giveaways?  What is the monetary value of those giveaways?  Do they review products?  Do they use c/o items in their outfits posts?  It would be a pity to waste your time (and theirs) crafting the perfect pitch email and then sending it to the wrong person or the wrong type of blog.

* Avoid doing any of these annoying things
Just like in real life, sometimes friendship is about Not Being Annoying.  I promise I’ll pay you that money I owe you, I won’t share that secret with So-and-so, and I won’t have four drinks when I promised to be the designated driver.

Here are some things you should avoid doing:
- Misspelling their name
- Sending them a template email
- Asking them about anything you could google
- Asking them to locate a post they wrote
- Writing an email that is more than two paragraphs long

I’d love to hear from you, bloggers!  How do you like to be treated?  How do you network and befriend other bloggers?  Small businesses, tell us about your interactions with bloggers!

photo by Сергей Лепехин // cc