Finding Your Individual Creative Process

Brendan Behan, the famous Irish playwright, woke up every morning at exactly seven. He then wrote steadily without a break until noon. That’s when the pubs opened. Roald Dahl started at ten and stopped every two hours, regardless of how well he was going. He attributed much of his success to resting his mind with these regular breaks.

Some people consider commercial copywriters less creative than novelists or playwrights, but I think that’s nonsense. A writer creates his or her own style, regardless of the client or eventual publishing medium. Having a set creative routine is as important for copywriters as it is for any other sort of writer. In fact, for those of us that write for business, it might be even more important to find a way to maximize personal productivity.

The Internet is packed with how-to articles offering to teach you the correct way to be productive, but I’m not convinced that there’s any single perfect method. Like most important things in life, a creative process is a uniquely individual thing. A schedule that works wonders for one writer might leave another one completely cold. The important thing is to experiment until you find what works.

I’ll give you a few suggestions, but first let’s look at why you need a process in the first place. Why can’t you just write when you feel like it?

The Importance of Routine

In some ways, copywriting is different from other creative pursuits. We don’t often have the luxury of waiting days or weeks for inspiration to strike. We aren’t supported by government grants or wealthy benefactors. If we don’t meet deadlines, we don’t eat. Sometimes we have to write so much, so fast that it’s impossible to craft every sentence like Hemingway.

In this demanding environment, taking a lackadaisical approach to scheduling can be fatal. Copywriting is a job, and it should be treated as such. Starting and stopping at the same time every day can help you quickly find “the groove”—that coveted mind space where the words flow and the work moves quickly. It also allows you to draw a firm line between your work and your life. If you’re always stressing about the jobs you’ve been procrastinating, your mind will never have time to relax and recharge.

Once you’ve decided to create a routine, the next step is to figure out what sort of process works best for you. Again, there is no perfect answer—but there are some helpful questions.

When do You Have Good Ideas?

My best creative thinking always happens in the shower. It never fails. When I have a problem, I turn the water up hot and try not to think about it. By some magical process, I almost always have a solution by the time the steam clears. Other people do their best thinking while running or cycling. Others drive. 

One thing I’ve noticed is that very few people do their best thinking behind a monitor in a cubicle. Your routine doesn’t have to be routine. Study your day’s work, then go somewhere or do something to get your creative juices flowing. Take a shower, take a jog, do whatever it takes to open enough cracks in your frame of mind to let inspiration shine through. Then pull your ideas out of the ether and get to work.

How Much Distraction Can You Handle?

Once you’ve got a rough idea of how you want to approach your writing for the day, you still need to get the ideas out onto paper. As you well know, this can be a tiresome and labor-intensive job. I used to listen to music as I wrote, but I’ve found that I write much faster and more clearly in silence. I don’t do well with distractions, so I tend to sequester myself a bit. 

It’s important that you create an environment around yourself where you can work comfortably and effectively. Freelance copywriters especially struggle to find space like this at home, but the problem extends to those who work in offices as well. Do whatever you can to make your workspace conducive to clear thinking and creativity. This might mean avoiding Twitter for a few hours, (but let’s be honest; probably not).

How Driven Are You?

Roald Dahl could take a 30-minute break every two hours and still get back to work. If I let myself get off on a tangent, however, I sometimes struggle to find my way back. Inspiration is an elusive creature. You can’t ride it until you find it, and if you let it go, there’s no telling when it will appear again. 

Some writers can pound through pages and pages of material in a few hours. I often wonder how they do it. I think the secret is actually desperation. Looming deadlines can turn anyone into the writing equivalent of the energizer bunny. 

However, we aren’t always beneath the slave driver’s whip. If you struggle to find motivation, as I sometimes do, you might need to create your own pressure. Set short-term goals for yourself to help you stay on track. Limit your bathroom breaks. Do whatever it takes.

Where Do You Draw Inspiration?

You can’t wring original material from your brain if you aren’t feeding it properly. Take the time to pause occasionally and treat your mind to something inspiring. I firmly believe that good writers start out as good readers. Find which authors have a style that resonates with you and devour everything they touched. Don’t feel bad if you don’t end up reading the classics—you can learn as much from mommy blogs as you can from Euripides. 

Take long walks on the beach if you must, or paint or watch good TV. Any activity that resets your mind and leaves you with new perspectives or ideas is an investment in yourself. Too many writers try to increase their output without first taking in more of the material that inspires them. You can’t write if you’re starving for inspiration. It’s like trying to donate blood when you’re anemic. It just doesn’t work.

Once you’ve asked yourself these questions, you should have a fairly clear idea of what you need to be productive as a writer. Take what you’ve learned and incorporate it into your daily routine. As you become more disciplined, you’ll have ideas faster and write more efficiently. You’ll be a better writer. And a wealthier one.

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Tanner Wadsworth is a freelance copywriter, advertising student and connoisseur of fine jogger pants. To know what he thinks about in the shower, follow him on Twitter. To know what he thinks about at work, connect on LinkedIn. Gape slack-jawed at his advertising portfolio here.

How to Keep Your Readers Engaged and Interested

The average person's attention span is just 8.25 seconds long.

If you're a writer, then this statistic is rather depressing. You work hard to create high-quality content, only to find that many in your audience lose focus before they've even read your introduction.

Some people may choose to skim the remainder of your content, scanning to find the most interesting bits.

Others won't even bother to do that much. In fact, more than half of your readers are probably gone after just 15 seconds. Ouch.

But even though attention spans are getting shorter, long-form content is often recommended. Why? Because it tends to rank better in Google and get more shares on social media.

So how do you get people to actually read through everything you're writing?

Obviously, finding a way to capture (and retain!) people's attention is vital. Thankfully, there are methods and techniques to help you do so.

1) Start With a Strong Introduction

Do you share amazing facts and interesting opinions in the middle of your content? If so, that's awesome—but don't neglect your first few sentences.  

A dry or tired-sounding beginning could ruin everything. Instead of being thrilled with what you share, your audience will never even read the exciting part.  

Sadly, they'll be gone before they ever scroll down that far.

This is why you need to grab your audience's attention right away. Use your opening lines to pique their curiosity and convince them to keep reading.

How do you do this?

Well, you could mention the amazing story you're going to tell, give them a surprising fact or shocking statistic, or ask them a thought-provoking question.

Honestly, the possibilities are only limited by your imagination.  

If you've got great content and know what your audience wants, then strategically placing an interesting bit of information at the beginning of your content shouldn't be difficult at all.

2) Keep Your Audience Curious (But Do Get to The Point!)

Have you noticed that most TV shows don't end with a complete resolution of conflict?

They leave everyone wondering what's going to happen next, rather than winding up every single loose end.

Why do they do this?

Because they want us to keep watching the show.

By leaving some things unresolved, they make us curious about what happens next. Instead of assuming that all of the characters live happily ever after, we're left with a feeling of suspense and a desire to see the next episode.

This strategy is solid, and it's one that you can copy to hold your reader's attention (Now, in excessive amounts this can actually be detrimental—more on that in a minute).

If you're telling a story, then it's going to be fairly easy to keep your reader's curiosity piqued.

If not, then you can accomplish this with other methods. 

How? Drop hints of what you're going to mention in a few paragraphs, create intriguing subtitles, or focus on compelling conflicts. 

But while you need to keep people curious, you don't need to string them along.

If you continually hint about something awesome while never delivering what they want, you're going to sound sleazy.

Get to the point, and promptly deliver the content you're promising them. If you're going to give them promises of something amazing, then you need to fulfill those promises promptly.

3) Make Your Writing Easy to Understand

The average person reads roughly 200-250 words every minute.

But when they start to read something technical, that rate plummets to a mere 50-75 words per minute.

What does that mean?

It means that you've got to avoid difficult copy. Most of the time, you're going to be writing for people with short attention spans. Write in an easy-to-comprehend style.  Long words and complex phrases generally don't make you look smart—they just make it harder for others to digest what you've written.

Being a writer doesn't just involve throwing information at a paper. If that's all it took, then we wouldn't have a job!

Instead, our job is to make information easy to comprehend and digest. Writing in a friendly, conversational way is almost always the best way to accomplish this.

Use examples that others can relate to. Throw in a bit of humor, and let your personality shine through.

If you're able to take boring facts and turn them into something that's fun to read, then keeping your audience engaged isn't going to be a difficult task.

4) Pay Attention to Your Formatting

Would this post be easy to read if I took out all of the spaces between paragraphs?

Nope! If this were a single mass of text, it would be an imposing blog post.

Now, I know that most of you already understand the value of adding white space. But it's still possible to forget and write painfully long paragraphs, so a reminder isn't going to hurt.

Subheadings, lists, and graphics are also beneficial. Because they stand out from the rest of your content, these areas may help grab the attention of anyone who has started to skim your post.

How do I know this?

Mostly because I've been guilty of skimming articles in the past.

The intriguing headline may have convinced me to click, but that doesn't mean I'm committed to reading the content.

Unless I know that the article is relevant and useful, I tend to scan for relevancy and leave if I'm not interested.

But there are many times when an eye-catching subheading or graphic makes me pause.

If my attention is thoroughly re-captured, I'll go back to the beginning and everything in its entirety. This rarely happens when the content lacks subheadings.

Of course, even the most perfect piece of content ever is going to fail to engage some people. There are literally thousands of reasons why someone might quit reading. These can range from utterly mundane (their browser crashed) to ridiculously dramatic (their computer suddenly burst into flames).

Obviously, you can't control these sorts of things.

But what you can do is create attention-grabbing, easy-to-read content.

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Hannah Callahan is a content strategist and copywriter who believes in creating high-quality content that is both relevant and engaging.  When she isn't busy writing Hannah spends her time eating chocolate, reenacting the Civil War & WWII or reading.  Would you like to read more of what she's written?  Then head on over to her blog!

3 of the Most Painfully Common Content Marketing Mistakes

Just like anything else in life, content marketing comes with its ups and downs. There are times when content strategies are effortlessly implemented and bring with them a mountain of positive results and, on the flip side of things, others that fail to really do much of anything. This is just the nature of the game.

That said, regardless of how long you’ve been a part of the content marketing community, the more aware you are of the most common content marketing mistakes, the less likely you are to experience their negative consequences. The following are four of the biggest, most typical content marketing blunders to continuously plague both novice and experienced marketers:

1) Focus On an Audience as Much as Possible

You already know your product or service extremely well. It doesn’t take a genius to know that. However, what very much has the potential to separate you from your competitors is how well you know your target audience. 

Instead of using your brain like a business owner, step outside of yourself and think like an end user. After all, awesome content marketing is geared towards widespread entertainment, education and help.

2) It’s Not About You or Your Product

Old-school sales tactics call for oppressive measures and hard closes at every turn. In today’s day and age, with so much marketing noise being force-fed to potential consumers, such measures couldn’t be less effective. 

Yes, the end goal of content marketing is to increase sales, but harder product or service pitches have their place and time. Needless to say, if something independently provides value, its more important.

3) If It Lacks Substance, It’s Not Going to Help

Be it through desktop computers, laptops, tablets or smartphones, odds are high that your specific target demographic is constantly taking in new information. Because of this, consumers are no longer impressed by run-of-the-mill content. 

They’ll see it for what it is and will quickly tune you out. Instead, you’ve got to impress them both early and often to eventually convert them into paying customers.

Content marketing can be a tricky endeavor. However, when the aforementioned pitfalls are consciously avoided, the chances of success are most assuredly high. So, armed with a new outlook, make your next content marketing project your best yet.

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Lucas Miller is a Freelance Copywriter and Founder of Echelon Copy. When not writing, editing or running, he's working tirelessly to perfect what he claims is the "World's Greatest Pompadour." Additionally, for what it's worth, his editorial works have been featured on Social Media Today, Business2Community, Ragan's PR Daily, Spin Sucks and many other top-tier comms publications.

4 Effective Ways to Combat the Urge to Not Write

It doesn’t really matter what type of writing you’re doing—if it’s going to be worth a reader’s time and a client’s hard-earned cash, some actual concentration will be required. Pretty crazy stuff, huh?

No, but seriously—I love to write, but every time I sit down to write a few blog posts, some other enticing option presents itself. It could be a football game, evening out with a friend or even another writing assignment that’s more exciting than a more pressing project.

So, if you’re going to make a name for yourself as a professional copywriter, some real discipline is going to be required. That said, how does someone go about making writing more of a priority?

When the urge to bypass writing for something else, how should you respond? Though by no means a perfect copywriter, I’ve found a few different methods rather handy for fighting through the most common distractions. If interested, here’s what works for me:

1) Create Mini Deadlines Along the Way

If you’ve ever taken a course on goal setting, then you’ve probably already heard people talk about how important this is. Trust me—my intention isn’t to bore you with what you’ve already heard, but if top-tier professionals are talking about it, there must be something there, right? 

Remember, these are small goals, so don’t make this more serious than it needs to be. I know many copywriters who base their daily goals on predetermined allotments of time, but I prefer to base mine on word counts. 

After starting the day, once I’ve produced 1,000 words of copy, I can go for a run, watch a sitcom or go out to eat with my wife. Before that, none of this can occur.

2) Remove Any and All Distractions

You know what these are, so don’t act like you’re lost as to what’s being discussed. Smartphone, television, Internet radio, Twitter—they’re all distractions and, when eliminated, it’s substantially easier to write. 

For example, before diving into an email marketing campaign or sales letter, turn your cellphone off and place it in a nearby drawer. Heck, when I’m really needing to get to work, I even go as far as logging out of my Gmail account. 

Though cut off from client communication, I’m able to write without anyone or anything keeping me from making money. Besides, in an hour or two, I can reconnect and get back to the communicative side of the job.

3) Focus On the End Goal

Why did you get into copywriting in the first place? What is it that you’re ultimately trying to accomplish? 

Maybe it was to get out of debt or build a new lifestyle for you and your family. Whatever the case, when laziness or something similar rears its ugly, it’s important to draw inspiration from that original source.

For me, it’s always been about being my own boss. Whenever I don’t feel like writing, I think back to what it was like to to have another individual calling the shots. I own my freelance copywriting career. 

The money, success and reputation—yup, it’s all mine. That said, so too is the failure, disappointment and idleness.

4) Stop Thinking and Get to Work

This section’s heading says it all—stop thinking and do something. I don’t care what it is that’s keeping you from writing, this is by far the best way to get the proverbial ball moving with a project.

If you’re a copywriter by trade, you clearly have a love of writing. As soon as you’re able to show a bit of grit and get to typing, those feelings of editorial enjoyment will undoubtedly return.  For me, at least, this method works 100 percent of the time.

More than just about anything, I love hearing from other writers. Through them, I’m able to learn more of what I can do to become a better copywriter. With that in mind, what are you currently doing to sidestep your workflow’s biggest enemies? Share what works for you in the comments section below.

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Lucas Miller is the Founder of Echelon Copy. When not writing, editing or running, he's working tirelessly to perfect what he claims is the "World's Greatest Pompadour." Additionally, for what it's worth, his editorial works have been featured on Social Media Today, Business2Community, Ragan's PR Daily, Spin Sucks and many other top-tier PR publications.

Grunt Work: How to Write 10,000 Words In a Day

As of 2013, there were 7.13 billion people on earth. Flip on the news and you’ll see many of them doing completely idiotic things. Even worse, much of this is voluntarily done. 

Seriously, next time ESPN is hosting either the Winter or Summer X Games, you’ll see exactly what I’m talking about. 

Sure, motocross racers, skateboarders and BMX bikers lead extreme lives, but my guess is that few of them have ever done what us bloggers would toss into our very own “extreme” category: write 10,000 words in one day. 

I did this once myself—emphasis on the word once. It took a great deal out of me.

I mean, as far as normal writing is concerned, I did the math a couple of months ago and, as a copywriter by trade, I average anywhere between 4,000 and 5,000 words a day. 

Honestly, as a freakishly hyperactive human, it doesn’t seem like all that much. That said, when it’s time to close up shop, I’m dead tired and ready for some real rest and relaxation.

So, when I busted out 10,000 words, I wasn’t all that surprised by how much the activity took out of me. Anyone can do it, but it’s substantially harder than what you’re thinking.

Whatever the case, if this sounds like something you’re interested in, I’d be happy to share with you the very tidbits that helped push me until I’d successfully finished “The 10,000-Word Challenge.” 

That’s not an official title or anything, but it sure sounds impressive, huh? Anyway, here’s what you should do if you feel like downing this editorial giant:

Work With a Schedule

If you plan to belt out a disgusting number of words in one 24-hour period, don’t think it’ll be one of those things you do after your evening shower and before sliding into bed. 

No, it’s going to take more time than that.

This isn’t a one or two hour ordeal; moreover, it’s something that you’re going to need to plan out and—here’s the hard part—execute.

If you’re a full-time copywriter, blogger or journalist, this isn’t all that hard to do. You write for a living. If this is your situation, by simply upping your level of production, you can make this happen. 

On the flip side of things, however, if you’re a part-time writer or simply do this sort of thing for fun, it’s going to to take a “sick day” or weekend to make this happen. 

Basically, as long as there’s plenty of time and a plan in place, you’ve won half the battle.

The Tortoise Still Wins the Race

Writing 10,000 words isn’t a sprint; it’s a marathon. Yes, the whole “Tortoise and Hair” narrative is painfully overused, but it works here. 

You’re going to be writing 10,000 words and—more than likely—much of what you produce won’t be your best work, but it doesn’t have to be your worst either, right? 

Think about it—there’s an ever-present dichotomy in the world of copywriting. If you write too quickly, you’re not focusing enough on quality. 

Conversely, if you focus too much on quality, you’re missing out on thousands of dollars each month due to your lack of pace. 

The real solution? Write both quickly and beautifully. You can have both. Nobody’s saying you can’t.

Needless to say, the “slow and steady” method not only helps you create awesome content in a calm and collected manner en route to 10,000 words, it prevents you from linking your name to complete and total garbage.

Eliminate Distractions While Writing

Think you’re immune to the ever-present pull of distractions? I’ve written entire pieces on this before, but it’s especially huge when tackling 10,000 words. 

You might be good, but come 6,000 or 7,000 words, you will most assuredly feel the urgent need to respond to that Facebook message you’d forgotten about from a second cousin of yours over three weeks ago. 

I’ve been there. It’s rough. 

This goes back to the whole scheduling thing. When it’s time to write, it’s time to write. When it’s time for a break, it’s time for a break. Save the email, smartphone, snacking and even trips to the restroom for those built-in moments for clearing your thoughts. 

Otherwise, you need to be at your computer working on the next project.

Commit Mentally

You’re not a professional cyclist or marathon runner, so don’t start acting like one. 

Yet, one of an anaerobic athlete’s greatest weapons comes not only from the strength of his or her physical muscles, but from raw mental tenacity. 

As the day wears on, you’ll need to call upon the powers of your brain to keep your fingers flying. 

I’m no motivational speaker, so I’m not entirely certain as to what needs to be done to keep you churning in these moments of difficulty, all I can say is that you need to be prepared to face them and overcome them on your own. 

The upside of this, however, is that when you have finally typed your last word, you’ll officially be able to say that you’ve joined the 10,000 word club.

Before signing off, let’s focus on you for a minute—have you ever managed to dominate 10,000 typed words in a single day? If not, what’s your max? Also, if you don’t mind me asking, what’s your average? 

So as to better give Echelon’s readers a better idea of what can be done in a single day, please post your answers in the comments section below.

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Lucas Miller is the Founder of Echelon Copy. When not writing, editing or running, he's working tirelessly to perfect what he claims is the "World's Greatest Pompadour." Additionally, for what it's worth, his editorial works have been featured on Social Media Today, Business2Community, Ragan's PR Daily, Spin Sucks and many other top-tier PR publications.

Why Being Obsessive-Compulsive Is a Blessing In Disguise for Copywriters

So you like to organize the content of your desk by color and size—what’s the big deal, right? If this is a question you’ve asked yourself before, there’s a good chance that you’re one of those obsessive-compulsive types. 

No worries—this is a judgement free zone. Honestly, I’m one of those OCD people. In fact, the aforementioned example is a question I ask myself every day at work as I pull all of my folders, spiral notebooks [yes, I still use these] and pens from my briefcase [backpack]. 

However, in spite of what my mother says, as a copywriter, I’m not fully convinced that being OCD is such a bad thing. 

Granted, there’s plenty of downside with being a bit paranoid about tedious things, but when you spend the totality of just about each and every day writing on a laptop computer, being obsessive-compulsive could even potentially be seen as a benefit. 

Think I’m crazy? Not as much as you’d think. Here’s why:

Ensuring Editorial Flow

This is probably one of my biggest nit-picks as a writer. I simply can’t accept writing that sounds choppy. Now this isn’t to say that I don’t believe in shorter sentences, because I totally do. 

Heck, I like to tout myself as the guy who constantly preaches, “Write like you talk,” so I should be somewhat skilled in this. 

Anyway, I’m getting away from what really matters here—obsessive-compulsive disorder. OCD people refuse to leave a sentence alone until it sounds absolutely perfect. 

Yes, speed is an important part of making real money as a copywriter, but if you can write quickly, succinctly and with that realistic style with which people speak, you’re sitting pretty.

OCD copywriters, though possibly not as talented as other professionals, will work until they get it right. Simply put, paying customers love this. Who can blame them?

Knocking Grammar Out of the Park

We all saw this one coming, didn’t we? Perfectionists are almost always grammar Nazis. Yup, in my opinion, that stereotype is spot-on. 

Truthfully, while negative in certain circumstances, it’s also a very positive thing for a copywriter. Grammatical perfection leads to happy clients and reoccurring work.

How convenient is all of this for me? I mean seriously, I start off this piece by claiming to be OCD and then proceed to talk about how being OCD makes you a better, more detail-oriented writer. 

Now, before you go back and start searching for all of this piece’s grammatical mistakes, please know that I’m by no means a perfect copywriter. Whether it be a blog post, web copy project or email marketing campaign, I’m no stranger to mistakes. 

That said, generally speaking, OCD writers would rather part ways with a limb before submitting something with a single grammar mistake. While admirable, this is my personal blog and I don’t have the time or energy to stress about it. 

I enjoy it too much. Go ahead and hunt for the misplaced comma or incorrectly used semicolon. I’m certain you’ll find it.

Coming Through In the Clutch for Clients

As a copywriter, the best way to win an ongoing relationship with a client is to come through in the clutch for him or her. 

This might mean going above and beyond what was originally asked of you, doing a bit of extra editing to make certain a project exceeds expectations or staying up until the wee hours of the morning to finish an assignment. 

For OCD writers, this is never an issue, because they’re incapable of resting until everything is exactly how it should be. See what I mean? A true blessing in disguise.

Seeing as how there’s a good chance you’re either a full-time copywriter or spend a good portion of your day writing, what’s your take on the matter? 

Could great copywriting really be the byproduct of obsessive-compulsive tendencies? Voice your opinion in the comments section below.

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Lucas Miller is the Founder of Echelon Copy. When not writing, editing or running, he's working tirelessly to perfect what he claims is the "World's Greatest Pompadour." Additionally, for what it's worth, his editorial works have been featured on Social Media Today, Business2Community, Ragan's PR Daily, Spin Sucks and many other top-tier PR publications.

Is Syndication a Good or Bad Thing for Your Blog?

“To syndicate, or not to syndicate? That is the question.” Sure, Bill Shakespeare didn’t ever ask anything similar, but countless bloggers have done just that while attempting to drive more traffic back to their respective sites. 

Depending on the content marketer with whom you speak, you’re bound to get a wide variety of differing responses. Some feel strongly about the promotional powers of blog syndication, while others insist that the practice is doomed to fail.

I’m not one of the latter. I believe in blog syndication and feel it’s a worthwhile means by which a blog can grow and experience a heavy bump in traffic.

However, as far as the naysayers are concerned, generally speaking, at least one of the following is cited as a reason for why syndication should be avoided at all costs:

• Google is incredibly opposed to the publication of duplicate content.
• Instead of dragging readers back to your site, they’ll remain on a host site.
• Author authority is weakened due to content being published on many networks.

Needless to say, let the cross-examination begin:

Dealing With Duplicate Content

Any reputable syndication network will include a link at the bottom of the post to the very page on which an article was originally published. 

Fortunately, in today’s day and age, Google’s ever-evolving algorithm is sophisticated enough to know where a piece was originally published. Ranking authority is awarded accordingly.

Driven Site Traffic

Studies have shown that blog syndication does in fact lead to higher traffic. As long as there’s a link at the foot of a republished post pointing readers in the right direction, there’s nothing to worry about. 

Additionally, assuming that what you’ve written is both informative and engaging, through the aforementioned link, readers are immediately provided with a channel through which more of your editorial work can be consumed. 

That alone is reason enough to strongly think about blog syndication as a viable digital marketing practice.

Hindered Expert Reputation

If your blog is just getting started, there’s no real reputation that’s taking a hit. More often than not, this is why bloggers choose to syndicate their content.

However, even if you’ve already built a name for yourself and are worried about what syndication might do to the expert status you’ve worked so hard to achieve as a digital publisher, consider Buffer’s take on the matter:

“We feel that the benefits of syndication outweigh the downsides … It should also be mentioned that part of our joy with syndication is in getting to share our content with anyone who might find value in it. In some ways, we feel that keeping content only at Buffer is a rather selfish act. If others can use it, then we don't want to stand in the way.”

Simply put, few are the content creators who don’t stand to benefit from blog syndication.

From Business2Community and Social Media Today to BizSugar and AllBusiness, make it a priority to syndicate your blog. By so doing, your content will be seen by more eyes than ever before. In the end, that’s what’s most important. 

After all, it’s the quality of your content that will drive permanent, long-lasting traffic. Success or failure is yours and yours alone

Convinced yet? If not, I’d love to hear why. Agree with me or take me to the proverbial cleaners in the comments section below. Or, if you’d rather share your thoughts through a different medium, take to Twitter and tweet at @EchelonCopy to make your reaction to this piece public.

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Lucas Miller is the Founder of Echelon Copy. When not writing, editing or running, he's working tirelessly to perfect what he claims is the "World's Greatest Pompadour." Additionally, for what it's worth, his editorial works have been featured on Social Media Today, Business2Community, Ragan's PR Daily, Spin Sucks and many other top-tier PR publications.