20Oct 2019 by Colleen Casey

How to Edit Your Writing Like a Boss

Blogging, Books and eBooks, Grower, How-Tos, Podcasting, Video Content, Website Copy, Wordsmith, Writing Skills
Editing is difficult, but it doesn’t have to be tedious. This post walks you through how to edit your content without losing your mind. Editing is the hardest and most time-consuming part of writing. When you hear the word “editing,” you might first think of copywriting, when you’re looking for typos, misspelled words, misused punctuation, and other granular fixes. But, editing entails much more than the tiny details.  Editing is the entire process of shaping a draft into its final form. It involves looking at the entire work, then at each chapter or section, page, paragraph, sentence, and word. You’re looking at how things are working on a deeper level than spelling. (But spelling is definitely part of it!) So, let’s talk about how to edit your content without losing…
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13Oct 2019 by Colleen Casey

3 Reasons to Plan Your Videos

Beginner, Content Planning, Creator-ship, Video Content
Videos are a lot to manage. Planning lets you make decisions ahead of time, leaving you the mental space to add value and entertainment during filming. Whether you make scripted content or freeform vlogs, it’s best to do a little planning before you start filming. A plan adds structure that helps you make sure that your videos attract viewers, that you have space to showcase your personality, and that you don’t ramble away from your intended message. In this post, you’ll learn 3 reasons why planning your videos can boost your views and engagement (and your sanity). 1. You Can Craft Your Story You want your video to be entertaining and useful from the first second. You do that by designing a clear path through a story or message in…
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15Sep 2019 by Colleen Casey

5 Ways to Boost Views on Your Videos

Creator-ship, Grower, How-Tos, Video Content
Ditch the idea that clickbait and trends are the only ways to get more views on your videos. Get your focus back to creating valuable videos that fulfill your creative drive. Creators are constantly faced with conflicting advice: keep on being the unique, creative mind that you are, and follow all the rules to appease The Algorithm. I’m talking rules like: post at least once per week, create clickable titles (even if it’s clickbait), encourage likes and comments to keep your content seen, and add all the right keywords to your video descriptions.  It’s hard to stay creative in an environment that’s all about getting results and monetizing every moment of your life. When you’re on a platform like YouTube, you’re also reminded just how much content is out there,…
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31Mar 2019 by Colleen Casey

How to Make and Use a Content Plan

Blogging, Content Planning, Grower, Podcasting, Video Content
Last time, we talked about content plans and why you’d want to go through the trouble of making one for your content. Today, I’m going to share with you my best tips for how to make and use a content plan. Before you start, think about how far into the future you want to plan. Do you want to plan the next month, two months, six months, or more? Consider what you hope to achieve with your content plan and what works for your content type. For example, for a personal vlog channel, video plans might change constantly as your life influences your videos, but for a podcast, you can plan subject matter ahead of time (and you should, especially if you’re conducting interviews). When you’ve got an idea of…
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04Mar 2019 by Colleen Casey

5 Reasons Why You Need a Content Plan

Beginner, Blogging, Content Planning, Podcasting, Video Content
Content plans are a vital tool for entrepreneurs and content creators who want to make and share content regularly but don’t want their lives to center around the question: What should I post next? Whether you’re an entrepreneur, blogger, vlogger, podcaster, or another kind of online creator, you’ve likely faced this question. Along with it comes the stress of feeling left behind because someone else is always making something better, faster. You know that the way to stand out is to be yourself and create content that you’re passionate about, but you can’t be yourself when you’re overwhelmed by the never-ending cycle of coming up with original ideas and producing great content. This constant state of stress is often called the content treadmill. You’re always running, but you’re getting nowhere.…
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30Jan 2019 by Colleen Casey

How to Look Natural on Camera: Advice from a YouTuber

Beginner, How-Tos, Video Content
Countless new creators face this moment: They’re sitting alone in a quiet room. Their brand new camera is balanced atop a tripod or stack of books, red light blinking anxiously. They felt so confident before this moment—they’ve seen thousands of videos online before and have maybe even found a handful of other creators who inspire them. They were exhilarated by a flood of ideas and giddily set everything up. And now, they’re wondering how they’re supposed to look natural when they’re basically talking to themselves. I know this because I’ve been there. I’ve been making videos on YouTube since 2014, and I’m still learning better ways that I can be more myself when I’m filming. In this post, I’ll offer my best tips to getting past the hurdle of trying…
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21Jan 2019 by Colleen Casey

The Top 4 Ways to Make Money Online

Beginner, Blogging, Creator-ship, Email Marketing, Grower, Podcasting, Video Content
Lots of people want to make money online as a content creator, influencer, or entrepreneur. But how do people make money online? Can a blog make money? How much money can someone make on YouTube? It can be tough to figure out what’s possible when you’re starting out. It’s even tougher when you’ve been creating content and have started to grow a following, but you’re not making money consistently, or at all. In this post, I’ll show you the four main ways that you can make money online and earn a real (and honest) living. Ads The first money-making strategy that comes to mind for many people is, of course, ads. You can place ads on your website or blog through services like Google Adsense or Amazon Affiliates and make…
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13Nov 2018 by Colleen Casey

5 Planning Strategies That Will Make Your Content Better

Blogging, Content Planning, Grower, Podcasting, Video Content, Wordsmith
Some people are natural-born planners, while others prefer to take it moment by moment. I happen to be a planner, so I want to share with you five strategies that I use to plan my content. Whether you like to plan ahead or not, read through these planning strategies and try them out. Content planning doesn’t look the same for everyone, but it can save you tons of time writing and editing later on. 1. The Brain Dump Often, the first step in planning is to get everything that’s floating in your head down on paper (or typed neatly). This strategy involves taking a blank page and jotting down everything that comes to mind about your content idea, whether it’s a video, blog post, series, podcast, or something else. This…
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