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top-notch copy and content marketing . . .
SANDY WALKER WRITES . . . a blog
top-notch copy and content marketing . . .
SANDY WALKER WRITES . . . a blog
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![]() I'm ending my Content Challenge early. Family and professional demands blossomed suddenly--both good things, to my way of thinking. I'll scale back to weekly posts that focus on the freelance writing and content marketing world. Those of you who are interested in Airbnb and other vacation rental topics, please visit our Walker's Riverside Properties website. You'll find real estate stats and information as well as vacation rental posts. I'll see you in a week. Today's Call to ActionYou Accept the CHallenge, Too!
Are there any duties that--while good--aren't the BEST right now? How can you scale them back in order to focus on what's most important?
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On this Sunday, I'm almost halfway through my 30-day Content Challenge. As I did last Sunday, I'm posting a psalm from the Bible. It, too, is timeless and timely content. Psalm 191 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. 2 Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. 3 There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. 4 Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun, 5 which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy. 6 Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them, and there is nothing hidden from its heat. 7 The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; 8 the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; 9 the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. 10 More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. 11 Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. 12 Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults. 13 Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me! Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression. 14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. Today's YACHT Call to ActionYou Accept the CHallenge, Too!
What psalms or other passages stir your soul? Meditate on those today. ![]() Booking an excellent vacation rental can be tricky. This is especially the case if you’ve previously had a bad experience with an online vacation rental from Airbnb, VRBO, Booking.com or any of the vacation rental possible sites. It can also be daunting for first-time users wary of unwanted surprises. Following these tips will help you navigate wisely through the listings and make choosing a fabulous vacation rental easier. Key Areas to Consider before You BookStart your search broadly, and gradually narrow until you have the location(s) that meet your basic criteria.
Key Takeaways![]() Book your place as far in advance as possible, especially if you have limitations, you like lots of amenities, or you need a very specific location. You’ll have more options early since fewer places will already be booked. You’re also likely to find the places that offer easy access without the need to climb steps, or provide special amenities like complimentary breakfasts, or have a laundry facility. Assume that the hosts mean what they say regarding their house rules. Despite our clearly-stated no-pet policy, we occasionally have someone ask us to make an exception. Our answer is always the same, but we hate to have to say what we’ve already said. Don’t be afraid to ask questions before you book. Good hosts understand that you may need to know some details that their listing description or pictures didn’t capture. We’ve answered dozens of questions about how far our location is from a factory, night spot, or sporting venue. We’ve fielded questions about extra amenities we might provide. We would much rather field those questions before guests book with us than have them cancel their reservation. Today's Call to ActionYou Accept the CHallenge, Too!
If you've used vacation rental sites before, let me know if I missed anything. Would following these tips have helped you as a newbie? If you're contemplating your first reservation on Airbnb or another vacation rental site, take the plunge! As you do, follow these tips and see if they help you book an excellent vacation rental your first time. The Evolving Relationship Between Print Magazines, Freelancers and Readers (Content Challenge 11)2/10/2022 Recently, several big-name magazines--including Money and Time--have moved from print to digital-only or reduced their number of annual issues. Some see those actions as a sure sign that "Print as mass media is dead." Others, like Walsworth, clearly disagree. "Print Magazines Aren't Dying and Here's Why," proclaims an article written late in 2021. As a freelance writer and content marketer, I'm watching the print magazine industry carefully. Will readers who can't or won't read magazines online have access to print magazines in the next decade? Will magazines that switch to digital-only content thrive in the long term? Who knows? Even the industry gurus disagree. However, one thing seems obvious: the relationship between freelancer writers, readers and print magazines is evolving. Content Challenge #11 takes a brief look at what that means now and may mean in the future. What This Means for Freelance Writers![]() If you look only at the recent drop in print magazine titles, you might be a really gloomy freelance writer. Where will you pitch your next article? Who will you contact? HOW WILL YOU SURVIVE? There is another side to the coin, especially since most of the magazines no longer in print are still available online. People are still writing words for other people to read. Online magazines regularly post articles and blog posts that appeal to their target market. The result is largely unaffected, even though the process is different. To thrive, freelance writers will need to "go where the jobs are" and fine-tune their skills to match a digital audience. How Readers Are AffectedYour opinion of the changes in the print magazine industry depends upon whether you prefer to hold a paper copy in your hand as you read or scroll through the text on your phone or laptop. Readers who prefer to read online generally find the switch to digital copy a bonanza. As more magazines move to online formats, readers appreciate:
Today's Call to Action![]() You Accept the CHallenge, Too! Which magazine format do you prefer, and why? Drop me a quick comment to let me know. Out of Money and short on TIME. Wow! If that's not bad enough, yesterday we discovered that we will shortly say goodbye to Health, People en Español, and Parents. We soon won't be InStyle, EatingWell, or enjoying any Entertainment Weekly, either. Today's Content Marketing Challenge looks at a struggling industry. An Industry in Decline![]() I hope it's evident that I'm talking about print magazines, not predicting apocalyptic changes. Yesterday's announcement by Dotdash Meredith CEO Neil Vogel was the latest in an industry that's declined significantly in only a few years. Several magazines, including Redbook, Money Magazine, Marie Claire, CookingLight, and O: The Oprah Magazine, have all recently ceased printing. Others, like TIME (which went from weekly to bi-weekly), Reader's Digest, Vogue, and Sunset, have reduced the number of issues per year rather than stop printing altogether. When the pandemic hit, Airbnb "temporarily" stopped printing its magazine and hasn't yet announced if it will resume publication. ![]() I noticed when Money magazine went out of print. My husband and I had recently subscribed to Money and several other magazines in order to place them in our short-term rentals; we thought our Airbnb guests might appreciate them. Before the last issue went to print, the publisher notified us that, henceforth, Money would be available only in digital format. Our subscription was transferred to Kiplinger's Personal Finance. The June/July 2019 issue of Money pictured at the top of this article was their final print issue. I kept it for nostalgia's sake. I stashed away the April 2019 issue of EatingWell because of its cover and its recipes with cauliflower--one of my favorite veggies. In light of yesterday's announcement, I'll continue to hang on to it. If the print magazine industry continues its steady decline, I may frame both issues and hang them on the wall to remind myself--and future visitors--what a printed magazine looked like. Perhaps I should gather a few more and display them in the Airbnb units as a unique feature for our guests to enjoy. More about this tomorrow. Today's YACHT Call to Action![]() You Accept the CHallenge, Too! If you're nostalgic and subscribe to any print magazines, I suggest keeping the current issues until you know that they aren't the end of an era. ![]() Most of us know that daily walks are good for us. We may not be able to list many specific benefits, but we know that walking is a low-impact elixir of health that's doable for almost anyone and doesn't require expensive equipment. My morning walks provide another benefit--they spawn lots of ideas that help me create content. To mark the halfway point in the Content Challenge, let's discuss daily walks, the well-known elixir of health, and the silent elixir of content creation. What Health Benefits Does a Daily Walk Provide?According to WebMD, a morning walk yields an extensive array of health benefits. These include, but aren't limited to:
In an earlier post, I shared how my habit of early-morning walking began when I started walking our puppies, Pepper and Callie. That was 13 years ago. Callie has passed, and Pepper is old and unable to walk briskly for any distance. I'm still able to enjoy a brisk walk and have done so for so long that a morning without a walk seems incomplete. I have two dogs to thank for helping me develop a habit with many health benefits. How Do Morning Walks Help Content Creators?Alan Moon, the creator of the wildly popular Ticket to Ride board game, says that "Ticket to Ride came into existence in the spring of 2003 during my morning walk along the Atlantic shore in Beverly, Massachusetts. The night before, I had played a railroad prototype . . . and the playtest had not gone well. I was thinking about how to change it when a new idea suddenly popped into my head. The coastline and scenery disappeared during the rest of the walk, as this new idea formed into an entire game. I began playing it in my head and couldn't wait to get home." My morning walks haven't yielded results on that scale, but they certainly help me create content. Here's what I've noticed:
Today's Call to Action
You Accept the CHallenge, Too! Today's challenge is simple: Take a walk. |
I'm Sandy . . .I write crisp, accurate, engaging copy and content marketing for B2B and B2C clients. Calling on degrees in marketing and accounting combined with over 20 years of teaching experience, I write for clients that represent industries as diverse as SaaS, woodcarving tools, private education, life transitions, accounting advisory services, and residential and commercial real estate. Archives
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