How well do your blog posts score out of 100?
August 19, 2010 • Glenn Murray
![Problogger-Scorecard](https://www.silverpistol.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Problogger-Scorecard.gif)
I know what you’re thinking: “Can’t be done”. But I beg to differ. It can… now.
Australia’s leading blogger, Darren Rowse (aka ProBlogger), and I have just launched our new ebook, The Copywriting Scorecard for Bloggers. It’s a nice little resource that allows you to objectively measure the quality of your blog posts, from a copywriting point of view, using tried and tested best practices. For 2 weeks only, you can get it at 33% off. Instead of the normal price of $29.97, you can buy your copy for just $9.97.
How does the Problogger Scorecard work?
The book details 63 individual tips (both recommendations and pitfalls). Each recommendation is worth a certain number of points — the more important the recommendation, the more points it’s worth. Conversely, each pitfall is a loss of points — the more damaging the error, the more points you lose.
E.g. If you promise an outcome in your post, you get 2 points. But if you use “then” when you should have used “than”, you lose 3 points.
To score your post, you simply read through the book’s recommendations and pitfalls, then use the electronic scorecard to score your post. For each recommendation, select Yes (if you did heed the recommendation in your post) or No (if you didn’t), and the scorecard will automatically calculate your score. (IMPORTANT: The electronic scorecard will be released on Sept 1 at the full price of $29.97. The current version is contains a scorecard that you have to print and complete by hand. If you buy before Sept 1, however, you get a free upgrade to the new version when it comes out, and you’ll pay only $9.97.)
The higher your score, the more effective your post is likely to be.
If you write a post and you’ve followed every recommendation, and avoided every pitfall, your post gets a perfect score — 100 points. If you’ve followed only a handful of recommendations, or you’ve tripped up on a few pitfalls, your post scores fewer points.
What’s copywriting got to do with blogging? They’re both selling
I think I can safely assume you subscribe to my blog ‘coz you know copywriting’s important. And blogging too. So I won’t waste time on importance. What may not be so clear, however, is how the two are related. (And no, it’s not just because they’re both forms of writing.)
Blogging and copywriting are both forms of selling through writing. Done right, they’re one in the same. When you write copy, you’re selling products or services. When you blog, you’re selling your personal brand, affiliate products, AdSense clicks, ad space and/or authority. And maybe products and services as well.
So bloggers should be following the same best practices that copywriters follow (or should follow ;-).
The best practices
The Copywriting Scorecard for Bloggers covers:
- Writing — How to write engaging compelling posts.
- Scannability — How to ensure your posts are easy to scan read.
- Search engine optimization (SEO) — How to write posts that Google will like.
- Grammar — How to avoid errors that undermine your credibility.
Plus a couple of chapters on dealing with the day to day challenges facing anyone who writes for a living (or wants to).
The outcome
While The Copywriting Scorecard for Bloggers won’t make you a world-class writer overnight, it’ll certainly nudge you in that direction with each new post you write and score. Give it a try.
The challenge
Darren Rowse scored 85/100 on one of his posts. What can you score?
Buy The Copywriting Scorecard for Bloggers
Today is the official launch of The Copywriting Scorecard for Bloggers. For 2 weeks only, you can get it at 33% off. Instead of the normal price of $29.97, you can buy your copy for just $9.97! Don’t miss out. This special offer ends Sept 1 2010 EST; Aug 31 is the last day of the special. (You might also find a couple more discounts in the book… 😉
Visit http://www.problogger.net/scorecard/ to buy your copy of The Copywriting Scorecard for Bloggers. And please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
Melanie Jongsma wrote on August 19th, 2010
Sounds like a great idea! I am also working my way through Darren's 31 Days to Build a Better Blog, and it's taking me more than 31 days—mainly because of the time involved in going back through old posts to update links, improve headlines, add interlinks, etc. This scorecard might be a good way to make sure all my new posts are as good as they can be, even while I'm working through the book to improve my old posts. Thanks for the resource! I'm going to order mine today!
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Laura wrote on August 24th, 2010
Too bad it's an ebook. I've bought a few of those over the years and never actually read any of them yet. I wouldn't buy another at this point. I did read the ProBlogger paper book. I hoped it would have more information. But I would say it was a good start for someone new to blogging.
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Michael Oehley wrote on August 25th, 2010
I am trying to work out exactly how online blogging can be useful in an industry like publishing children's books. It's obviously extremely powerful in business and non-fiction, but can anyone advise me whether blogging can be used to increase exposure for children's fiction? My first children's book, 'The 4 Powers of Daren Saner' is now in bookstores and I'm trying to think of creative ways to promote it. Any and all advice would be appreciated.
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Melanie Jongsma wrote on August 25th, 2010
Michael, congratulations on having your book published! I think there are a lot of ways you can blog to promote sales. For example, I could see a series of blogs giving people a behind-the-scenes look at the whole process—writing it, getting it illustrated, querying publishers, getting accepted, reviewing the contract, the editing process, cover design, marketing, and sales. If you're comfortable sharing how much of an income the book is generating, people are curious about that too. You might also blog about upcoming book-signing events, or do a little write-up about individual stores where your book is being sold—maybe a short video interview with one of the cashiers or salespeople. You can then include links to those stores' website and facebook pages. Maybe work with them to offer blog coupons and discounts! I'm getting excited just thinking about all the possibilities! This could be really fun!
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Glenn (Owner) wrote on August 26th, 2010
Michael, it doesn't really matter what you sell; if search engine traffic would be beneficial to you, then blogging will help.
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Michael Oehley wrote on September 14th, 2010
Hi Melanie, Thanks for the tips. I have started a blog on writing, and will incorporate some of your ideas over the coming weeks and months. Getting started in the publishing industry is a tough gig, but someone's got to do it!
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