Johnny’s Copyblogger Wrap-Up: Week of April 26, 2010
by Johnny B. Truant on May 1, 2010
Sometimes I sit down to write the introductions to these weekly wrap-ups, and I’ll try to think of some funny way to describe why you or I might not have seen this week’s posts.
This week, however, I don’t really have to try to find a reason, because I’ve been frantically launching my Question the Rules course. Launch ends tonight, however, and this is very good because sleep deprivation is causing me to see gnomes everywhere, and my wife gets more and more concerned each time I go chasing after one.
So if you missed any of these, I understand. Stupid gnomes.
Here’s what happened this week on Copyblogger:
Monday:
Landing Page Makeover Clinic #25: LeTrip.org
In the latest installment of Roberta Rosenberg’s landing page makeover series, she critiques LeTrip.org. The site sells one-of-a-kind French vintage objects, but the site’s owner has no real idea how much traffic, readership, or click-through she’s getting.
Roberta gives her thorough 10-point critique for increasing sales on the site, but interestingly, almost no thought is given to the probable involvement of gnomes. She’s spot on about content organization and SEO, but the whole house of cards could fall through if the site has gnomes.
Tip #11 – Time to call Orkin.
Tuesday:
The Copyblogger Guide to Zombie-Free Product Launches
It’s entirely possible that Nathan Hangen wrote this post during that weekend we spent hanging out together in the Adirondacks with that zombie horde, because this was actually on my “to write about” list as well.
It’s all about not becoming one of those walking undead marketers who try to sell you something, then ignore you for months, and then try to sell you something again the next time they have a thing to push. Spring is in the air and the inbox is full of money subscribe money zombies, that sort of thing.
Nathan offers a bunch of tips for being a cool (i.e. alive) marketer instead, and supposedly this makes people less likely to think you’re going to eat them. The hidden subtext of this post is, of course, watch out for zombies and those punk-ass gnome friends of theirs.
Wednesday:
Creative Content Recycling: Are You Wasting Your Garbage?
The extremely sexy authors of this post interviewed Jason Fried, one of the authors of the bestseller Rework, and pulled out one nugget of wisdom that could revolutionize your business or blog.
When someone first asks you if you’re doing anything with your garbage other than throwing it away, the typical response is, “Of course not. Have gnomes gotten into your brain or something?”
But Fried’s concept is to recycle it — to repurpose it for another use. Sell your garbage. Make your garbage work for you. Take your garbage and turn it into gold. Just don’t eat your garbage, he says. That would be stupid (and therefore gnome-like).
Learn many more creative uses for garbage here.
Thursday:
Question the Rules to Create a More Remarkable Business (and Life)
Sonia Simone says she has pink hair because she doesn’t really like following conventions without taking a serious look at whether they’re worth following. But really, that’s her euphemistic way of telling us she’s crazy — just like all entrepreneurs.
Sonia also reviews my and Lee Stranahan’s course Question the Rules, which centers on the fact that to be an entrepreneur, artist, or activist, you’ve gotta be a little crazy and be willing to really examine the implications of the rules you live by.
But you don’t have to tolerate gnomes. And that, my friends, is what true freedom is all about.
Friday:
The Two Vital Attributes of Quality Content
For anyone who has ever had trouble fully grasping the connection between copywriting and interior design or feng shui, this post by Catherine Caine should clear it up for you.
Catherine proposes that the kinda-Zen rule about surrounding yourself only with things that are useful or beautiful applies to copy as well. And it totally makes sense. When you hear about exercises wherein you prune a third or a half of the words from your copy, you’re trying to get rid of the extra and leave only beauty and useful stuff.
She’s got a bunch of tips for figuring out what is useful and beautiful, but virtually none of them have to do with gnomes. But think about it: What use is a gnome? None. Are gnomes beautiful? Hell no.
Just something to think about next time you’re spring cleaning.
About the Author: Johnny B. Truant is one of the creators of “Question the Rules: The nonconformist’s punk rock, DIY, nuts-and-bolts guide to creating the business and life you really want, starting with what you already have” — a Copyblogger-endorsed course that you’d better get today because it quadruples in price tonight.
