Category Archives: Content Marketing

Should I use different pen names for different audiences?

Maintaining three pen names means three different brands, with three different marketing efforts. It takes a lot of work. Before you decide, you would want to consider the following: Will any of your audiences react negatively if they find out you also write for the other audiences? For example, will some people devalue your business advice if they know you also give dating advice? Will certain people reading your more… Read More »

How to Generate Revenue from a Blog

It is possible to generate an income from a blog, and there are a number of ways to do it. It is best if you have a niche blog about a specific topic or interest. Personal blogs that are general in nature are harder to grow an audience for since there is little focus on a particular topic, and unless you lead a very fascinating life, not everyone will want… Read More »

Why Google Needs Our Help

I just finished watching the movie The Internship, a comedy about two out of work salesmen who try to get an internship at Google, and it got me thinking. As many of you know, Google has discontinued the Google Authorship program, and is getting very aggressive about link spam (see my article Is Linking Dead for SEO? for some commentary about that). The fact is, Google is at war… at war with spammers,… Read More »

Google Kills Google Authorship, No More Recognition for Writers

One of the biggest benefits of Google Authorship was the fact that the actual content creators, the authors, finally get the recognition they deserve for their hard work. Before Google Authorship, the focus was always on the website and the company’s brand, not the author. In fact, oftentimes authors were lucky to even get a by line on things they created. It is not uncommon for authors to write hundreds… Read More »

Can I Pay Bloggers and is Disclosure Required?

Yes, it is okay to pay bloggers, but depending on what they are blogging about and what jurisdiction they are in, there may be some disclosure requirements. For example, if you are asking them to review or write positive things about a company, product or service and pay them, some jurisdictions require that it be disclosed that it is a paid advertisement or otherwise indicate that the article was sponsored… Read More »