So You Think You Can Write? The Definitive Guide to Successful Online Writing

by Julia McCoy

Confused by the overload of blogs, articles, and guides that promise you everything you need to know on how to write for the web? Not sure where to start with your blog and website, from optimizing for search to creating the best headline? Or how to take your writing skills to the next level and actually market yourself and make money as a professional online freelance writer? So You Think You Can Write? is your ultimate guidebook to learning every skill it takes to write great copy for the web, from the fundamentals of using storytelling in online content all the way to knowing how to write for both search engines and people, what it takes to craft different forms of content on the web, and much more; plus, a bonus chapter revealing how to market yourself and make income as an online copywriter in an modern world. Written by Julia McCoy, who is the self-taught founder of Express Writers and Content Hacker, this book is your essential blueprint and Julia's best tips to learning what it takes to write great online copy, both as a freelancer and entrepreneur. In this book, Julia walks you step-by-step through the process of how to craft the seven forms of online 1. Web Content 2. Blogging 3. Social Media 4. Advertising/Sales Copy 5. Industry Writing 6. Journalism 7. Creative Writing Julia also takes you through the basics of SEO (search engine optimization) for the online writer and creator, without overloading you'll get a key list of the top tools on the web to research keywords, learn how to hone your best key phrases, and the tactics of how and where to place them in your content. Illustrated, easy-to-understand, and fun to read, this is a comprehensive yet digestible resource for writers and businesses alike on how to create successful online content. After you read this book, you'll be able Define your audience and the terms they use to search in Google Write great content that will get picked up by Google Know the basics of what it takes to write all seven forms of online copy Create blogs that are evergreen and engaging Know how to write the "secret" bits of copy that search engines meta descriptions, tags and more Know how to use Twitter chats, live streaming, and Facebook groups, and other platforms to find your people and confidently market yourself as a writer Access a comprehensive list of online writing tools and resources in the final Appendix Julia McCoy has built a successful self-started career and a multi-million dollar copywriting agency out of nothing but the amount of hard work, time, and self-teaching she put into it. She believes any writer has what it takes to create great online content, provided they learn the essential tactics of adapting to all online copy forms.

Genres: Writing, Business, Nonfiction

190 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 17, 2016

About the author

JULIA MCCOY is an author, entrepreneur, mom, and wife. She dropped out of college at nineteen years old and escaped her father's cult at twenty-one to pursue her dreams to write for a living and find healing and life fulfillment. Her content agency, Express Writers, grew from nothing to over $4.3M in revenue in just seven years, and she was named an industry thought leader in content marketing by Forbes in 2018. Today, she's the author of two bestselling books, founder of The Content Hacker, and lives in Austin, Texas, with her daughter, husband, and fur baby.

Reviews

[Robin Marie · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's all the same information that I've read in other sources. I didn't find this information useful at all.

[Alice Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was really interesting and useful. It taught me quite a few things about blogs, Google rankings, social media... I recommend it.

[Anastasia Kurosh · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a perfect book for writers who don't know a HECK about SEO, HTML headings and the early history of the Internet. May be useful if you want to make your creative genius bring you some actual money and start a career as a copywriter.

The author even takes the trouble to suggest some actual tools (SEMrush, Canva) and tell you how to use them.

Sadly, the book says nothing about working with the text. It's implied that you are a fantastic writer already. The author almost brushes you off on this, telling to simply write a lot and edit and, of course, to strive for the perfection.

But can you actually be that good a writer that there's nothing another person can teach you (implying you are not Shakespear or Steven King, if you are - my apologies)? If you were that good, why would you even bother to read the book on online writing?

Another irritating thing about this book is that it takes a good 50 pages to educate you on the author's personal success story, her skills and how Google's algorithms changed in the course of last 15 years. Sorry, not so useful.

To wrap it up, the book may have a couple or two nice ideas to try out if you work as a blogger/ copywriter. But if you're a marketer who is familiar with the main principles of writing for the web - well, I wouldn't recommend it.

[Bonnie Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great read for anyone interested in pursuing freelance writing with the help of the internet. In this relatively early era of the Digital Age, there's a lot about the internet that needs to be explained. There are different rules to follow when writing for an online audience, which is growing exponentially every year. McCoy goes into detail on how to choose the best tags for your articles, how to find the best headline that will attract the most viewers, specific websites to go to, and how to get started as a freelancer. She tells you just about everything a beginner needs to know when it comes to online writing.
There's been a lot of changes in today's advertisement strategies, so it's best to keep up with the source material that you need to know. This book will definitely help someone get started. So if you're looking to try and become a successful freelance writer online, then this will no doubt give you good tips

[Batvali · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://bassanobookclub.altervista.or...

[Ronald · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great and informative book. I've been writing on a personal blog of mine for a while, but with the knowledge I gained from this book, I feel like there is stills o much to do.

Long ago, I heard that everything we do online should be working towards making money. Although, I don't whole heartedly agree with this notion, I picked this book up to see how I might be able to apply this. Learning the basics of SEO and the different styles of writing different types of content is extremely valuable, and I hope to incorporate these elements in my future writings.

The book is read. Let's go ahead and apply these practices to the best of our abilities.

[Skull OfDreams · Rating 3 out of 5]

By reading this book I've gained a clearer overview of SEO, different kinds of web contents and some tips on how to start doing this job. Be aware that is not a book on the act of writing itself, I mean the grammar to use, punctuations or similar topics. It is about how to seamlessly blend SEO and content. Obviously, there are plenty of books or better blog posts about the topic, but if you are completely new to all this stuff, reading this book won't hurt at all.

[Theodora · Rating 1 out of 5]

I.. I … I… I did this… I achieved this….It’s all about the author!! If I wanted to read an autobiography I would have picked a more interesting one. 25 pages about how she is amazing and hardworking later , the book starts… to still be about herself and giving us lame examples. You will learn nothing from this book that hasn’t already been said in some other (better written) copywriting books.
Pass!

[Una Bērziņa - Pudule · Rating 3 out of 5]

More for beginners

First, it was a little outdated.
Second, wasn’t too happy to see that the author took whole 20% of the book just to introduce me to what I’m ABOUT to read.
Third, this isn’t for somebody who’s already started their journey in content writing, let alone a seasoned copywriter. This is for thos that know absolute 0 about content marketing.

[Hamid · Rating 5 out of 5]

I live her book. It's really good to give me some idea how to run my blog.

[Helfren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unique way to market yourself as blogger and makes your content more appealing and interesting for readers.

[Osamuyi Okpame · Rating 5 out of 5]

She is very good, infact, one of the best . she is interesting and captivating with her writing. She knows her onions. If I could use that phrase.

[Katerina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Julia didn’t just give me insights and knowledge, it also confirmed to me with her whole tone of voice how a great writer’s flow should go. Bravo!

[Gergő Balogh · Rating 2 out of 5]

General stuff on writing. Meeeh. Not great, not terrible.

[Brandi Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a bit outdated, and honestly, some of the sections weren't helpful. Overall, this book has some valid tips for online writing. Just take the tips you need and ignore the ones you don't.

[Laura McAninch · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author clearly provides appropriate credibility to the information in this book - which is online writing. She also forewarns of the probability of the information changing since the printing of the book in 2016 - a mere few years ago. Since she has seen the evolution of content writing, she has great insights worth picking this book up. The Appendix alone contains a lot of value. There is no golden book or golden rules to follow with online writing - she makes no promises of that - but she is a great resource to consider and add her insights to your toolbox.

[Luke Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

For me, this was an excellent introduction to the world of online writing. The title is a bit misleading. The book doesn't really address the art of writing itself. In fact, it doesn't even really talk about it. The author just assumes that you have quality writing skills. Most of the book is focused on content strategy, SEO, social networking, etc.