facebook

A Jargon-Free Interview: Erica Reitman of Effed in Park Slope

by Marian Schembari on November 30, 2010

Do you know what I’m bored of? Social media bogs that interview people who are in  social media. Not that they’re not useful, but I find the information just teaches us out to blog about blogging.

What if you write a blog about bird watching? Or hula hooping? Or cupcakes?

What if you write a blog about, say, Brooklyn?

Then this is the interview for you.

(Well, it’s for you if you want advice from real people using social media and not boring “experts” like yours truly…)

Fucked in Park Slope is a ridiculously popular blog that features laugh-out-loud posts and the kind of snark that makes Mama proud. The second I saw it I knew I had to harass talk to editor Erica Reitman for my brand-new series interviewing folks who ROCK at blogging. And guess what? They don’t blog about blogging.

So without further ado, my new internet bestie Erica gives you insight into FIPS, Twitter, managing more than one blog and the benefits of not blogging for a living…

The Basics

First of all, who are you?

I’m just some 30-something, smart aleck-y chick who tells it like it is [my kind of girl!]. I never really believed I could be a writer (and if I’m being really honest, I’m *still* surprised by the fact that anyone actually cares about what I have to say), but I discovered through blogging that I CAN ACTUALLY DO THIS SHIT. Well kinda… it’s still pretty friggin’ hard. I’m married to a cool dude and we have a cool Basset Hound named Oliver.

How did you get into blogging? What prompted FIPS and Design Blahg?

I started FIPS two years ago with a friend who also lives in our leafy, Brooklyn neighborhood. Not sure if your readers have ever heard of Park Slope, but some crazy-ass stuff goes on down here: People bring their babies to bars, everyone works in this big Food Coop and parents get into days long fights over the assumption that a navy blue hat might belong to a boy. We felt like the opportunity was ripe to start our blog that took on the neighborhood in a more bad ass way. Four hours after we posted our first blog entry, we had been picked up by all of the big NYC blogs and the rest is history.

I started Design Blahg this March because I’m obsessed with interior design, and felt like there was, again, a void in that world that I needed to fill with a snarky, curse-y, funny blog that also happened to be about design. That one has been slower in terms of traffic and popularity, but it was a good reminder that stuff ain’t always so easy when you’re starting out.

Why two blogs? How do you function by keeping them both up? AND three Twitter accounts?

While I love FIPS, I can’t exactly convince you with a straight face that I’m passionate about Park Slope news, or ranting about the Stroller Nazi. I love design and read all of the blogs out there, but just felt no one was quite doing it like I’d do it. So, voila, Design Blahg.

The audiences for both sites are so completely different, I needed separate Twitter accounts. And believe it or not, I actually have FIVE (though one is not active anymore and I barely use the fourth one).

Are these sites your full-time work?

BWHHAHHHHHAAAAHHHHHA. Um, no.

I’m a Marketing Director at Squarespace, which is a rad web publishing platform that you should all sign up for (use code ERICA for 10% off!). Really, its all sorts of fab. And I can say that because I came to the company AFTER becoming a gigantic fan . Plus, they pay me way better than blogging.

How do you monetize the blogs?

In version 2.0 of FIPS we’re thinking more  about monetizing. We’ve always had a steady stream of advertisers, so I’m excited to see what’s gonna go down! I’ve also started some side gigs, like doing singles events (check out BK Hookup for more on that). On Design Blahg I starting working with Carbonads, and so far so good!

Do you have staff or is it just you? Contributors?

I’m lucky enough to have a bunch of great writers who help me run both blogs. Thing are getting so busy with FIPS though, I might be at the point where I actually need to hire an editor. Its amazing to have the extra help and our writers all rule my face EXTREMELY hard.

Some “Rapid Fire” Qs Y’all Should Read Because You Can Learn Things

Favorite social media site:

Twitter, twitter and more Twitter. I’m not sure I’d have any friends without it. I’ve gotten soooooo much from my involvement with Twitter, if nothing good ever happened again, I’d still be ahead of the game.

Any cool things that have cropped up because of social media?

Here’s a short list:

  • A freelance writing gig for MTV
  • A real job at Squarespace
  • A real job teaching blogging at Mediabistro here in NYC
  • A million billion cool friends
  • Countless biz opportunities and connections
  • Another side biz
  • MONEY
  • Speaking opportunities at conferences
  • Getting free shit (from people who love/read my blog)
  • Connections with people I would have been terrified to connect with on my own (politicians, journalists, and even some pseudo celebs).

Best Twitter tip (generic, bull-shit, jargon advice is greatly discouraged):

When starting off, build up a week or so’s worth of tweets BEFORE you follow anyone. Yes, you will feel like you are talking to yourself, but tweet like you have thousands of followers and drop all sorts of juicy twittage. Then you can let loose and start following people. Cause if you follow me, and I go back to your profile and there’s nothing there, I’m just Audi 5000.

Best Facebook tip:

Ditch it for Twitter.

Best blogging tip:

Take a half a day on the weekend and schedule some posts so you can lighten your load during the week. Also use Link Within or Outbrain. Since I added that to my blog I’ve increased page views by a kajillion.

How do you learn about social media?

I follow 200+ blogs in my RSS reader and I work Twitter like its my job.

Worst part about blogging:

Think of your available spare time as the water that comes out of the kitchen sink and your blog as the drain. All the water in your kitchen sink eventually goes into the drain, right? Any questions?

Best part about blogging:

The fact that I can go back and look at TWO SOLID YEARS of posting every single day. That’s proof I actually am a writer. BOOYAH.

So there you have it, folks. Erica is my new internet love and you should follow her on Twitter here. And here. And here. Enjoy!

{ 29 comments }

Wonder why no one shares your blog content? Try this.

by Marian Schembari on October 11, 2010

Okay, a warning: This is going to be one of those posts where you think, “Yeah, I know… DUH!” But when you’re done reading, go to your site and see if you’re making the biggest mistake that prevents readers from actually sharing your blog content. I bet 50% of you are, so bear with me…

One of the most common questions I get from my Blog Critique clients is, “How do I get people to tweet/share/email/like my blog posts?”

So I go to their blog and there is no way to share their posts. Meaning if I want to retweet said post I need to cut and paste the headline, copy the URL, open bit.ly, shorten the URL, copy it again, paste it into Twitter, search for the blogger’s handle and cut and paste that, too. Then I can share their content.

Do you know what this means? This means I’m not going to share their content.

Make it So Easy the Content Practically Shares Itself

One of the best pieces of advice I’ve ever been given was from my mom. When I was looking for a job back in 2009 she said, “If you want to get hired you need to make it as easy as possible for people to hire you.” That meant not only writing a kick ass cover letter, but making my contact information incredibly obvious, calling to make sure my application went to the right person, calling a week later to confirm they got it, emailing to thank them for their time, calling again, etc etc etc.

This sounded like “being annoying,” not “making it easy.”

But Mommy put it this way, “A hiring manager wants to hire you, but with hundreds of applications, you easily get lost. Gently remind them you exist and if you’re the right fit and the easiest person to hire, well, then you get hired.

Getting your blog content shared is a lot like finding a job. You obviously need to have the qualifications. Your content obviously needs to be good. But if you’re the easiest person to hire – if your content is just asking to be shared – then you’ll be the person that gets the job.

Tips to Remember

Still though, it’s not like you can just slap a bunch of share buttons on your posts and be done with it. We’ve all seen those blogs with 53 trillion buttons and little else of quality. So here are a few tips to keep in mind:

Use a recognizable symbol. While you may want to get all fancy here you need to remember that people will either be actively looking for, say, a retweet button or will recognize the button and then choose to retweet your content. Both times, having a basic Facebook thumbs up sign or Topsy retweet will make all the different in your numbers.

Look at these images to the left. Which stands out more, the ubiquitous retweet symbol or the little “share this” button you so often seen hidden near the bottom?

For Twitter, remember to use a URL shortener (I like bit.ly) and link back to your profile. It blows my mind when a site will give you a perfectly nice retweet button that only links back to the site and doesn’t say “RT @verysillyblog” or “via @losingoutbigtime.” First of all, give yourself a little credit! Let people know who wrote the post and give them the very easy option of following you. You’re losing out on an increase of followers who are already interested in your content.

Don’t post too many bells and whistles. There are a million and one different social networks where you can tweet, like, stumble, digg, post, share, ping, email, reblog, buzz, tumble, tickle, tackle, whizz, wham, slam and dunk. If you give your readers too many options it looks not only desperate, but overwhelms them into not sharing at all. Pick the networks where you’re most active and stop stressing about the sites you’re not yet taking advantage of.

Location, location, location. The jury is out on exactly where to post your share buttons, but I like to have one at the beginning and one at the end, just to mix things up. Plus, if a retweet number is high it makes people more likely to read the whole thing. Many people post buttons at the end simply because readers are already there, so it’s just a simple reminder to click. Check out how Erika Napoletano has her buttons:

Don’t Argue With Me

Having your content shared is THE best way to generate blog traffic. You can have thousands of followers on Twitter and tons of Facebook friends and a rockin’ mailing list, but those are people who are already familiar with your content. They might need a little reminder now and then to check out your latest blog post, but you’ve essentially already hooked them. What you need is yes, content good enough to share, but also a mad easy way to share said content.

Are you already doing this? If the answer is “no”, why the hell not?

{ 61 comments }

I made a commercial and it’s awesome

by Marian Schembari on October 7, 2010

Happy Thursday everyone! Just wanted to do a quick update today and show you the very pretty “demo reel” I put together to advertise the new Critique My Profile services. Watch and let me know what you think (make sure you go through to the end though, that’s my favorite part)!

-

While this week’s sale actually sold out in 24 hours, you can still sign up for a critique. The waiting list fills up fast though, so reserve your spot today!

{ 23 comments }

Lucy, Meet Blog. Blog, Meet Lucy.

by Marian Schembari on October 5, 2010

There is no better way to start this post than to say, “Screw you, Cyberbullies” and “I love you, Readers.”

Because of your generosity and the willingness of my family to match all donations I was able to turn off Sally and turn on a MacBook Pro. Ladies and Gentlemen, may I introduce…. LUCY!!

I am blown away by the whopping $807 contributed towards Lucy. She and I are very much in love – oftentimes posing in photo booths, spinning in the grass or relaxing in front of the fire after a long day at work.

To celebrate my new found productivity on a computer that doesn’t take 53 years to load, I’m launching a slew of new services AND a week’s worth of discounts. Check it:

“Critique My Profile” Just Got Bigger

For the past few months I’ve been offering Personalized Twitter Strategy, aka Critique My Profile, a video critiquing service.  It’s a way for Twitter users to improve their presence and reach their goals without shelling out major cash for a full-fledged campaign. I cover everything from aesthetics to content to bio analysis. So far clients have done nothing by rave, with critiques resulting in a “noticeable increase in responses and engagement.”

Meaning the next logical step was to offer critiques for all social media platforms.

The internet is the limit folks and I want to help you rock it.

Why pay money to have someone rip apart your profile? Because there’s an insane amount of social media information out there and you can learn all of it and still not quite master how it applies to your business. Unless an expert actually sits down and evaluates your efforts, it’s impossible to know if what you’re doing is right, let alone right for you.

You don’t want to be another cookie-cutter company or “personal brand.” You don’t want to be so self-promotional people think you’re sleazy, but you also don’t want to miss out on a valuable opportunity to spread the word. I help get the balance right.

Video consulting is a unique service, and you can’t get this type of critique anywhere else. Social media is just as much a visual endeavor as it is content-related, and what better way to learn than actually seeing the steps you need to take? Your 30-minute video is easily digestible, visually dynamic and the perfect sidekick to my written notes.

Sample Blog Critique

I recently critiqued the blog of Ashley from The Book Fetish, who agreed to let me post her video here so you all can see first-hand the kind of service I provide. This 40 minute video is chock-full of helpful information that’s been tailored to Ashley’s needs. Ashley said of her critique “Marian took the time to understand what I want out of the blog, as well as my style and what I like to write about. Her advice is straightforward, in her trademark style, without making me feel like an idiot. I feel like the blog already looks more streamlined and readable.”

Watch her video below:

If you don’t want to spend 40 minutes watching my pretty face, I’ll just get on with the specifics of this week’s Lucy Celebration:

For ONE WEEK ONLY I’ll be offering 50% discounts for aaallll Critique My Profile services!!

Blog Critiques – Originally $150. This week only $75!!

Facebook/LinkedIn/Twitter Critiques – Originally $100. This week only $50!!

I have, however, learned my lesson when it comes to sales. A few months ago I offered up my services at too generous of a discount and was bombarded with 30 orders in one day. Never again.

So I’m putting a cap on orders this time. While this sale will go on for one week (ending Tuesday, October 12), I’m limiting the discount to no more than fifteen people. My traffic has doubled since the last sale so I’d jump on this offer sooner rather than later.

UPDATE: Thanks everyone for signing up! I was going to have the sale last a week but all 15 spots filled up in 24 hours! You can still sign up for a critique though. Click here to find out more.

{ 32 comments }

Social Media for Authors: The London Workshop!!

by Marian Schembari on September 27, 2010

The past two months have been a whirlwind. My first week in London I went to a FutureBook event and ran into the lovely Alison Norrington, a woman I had written about numerous times for Digital Book World, but had never met in person.

One thing led to another and we found ourselves bonding over lemonade at the Free Word Centre in Farringdon. We talked about author clients, Twitter tactics, blogs, starting a business and, most importantly, swapping cool ideas on how social media is changing the way authors market themselves. Two hours and many stories later, I said to Alison, “Dude! People should have paid us to listen in on that conversation – that was brilliant!” Which of course got us to thinking: What if people did pay us? We’re both social media consultants, specializing in the publishing community… We know our stuff.

One month later and we’ve finally organized our first London workshop. I am so so excited about doing this with Alison – we have so much great content to share, a butt ton of enthusiasm and crazy amounts of experience. I wanted to post today and give you the official announcement and details about our event.

So Attention London Authors!!! You definitely want to keep October 18th open and get your tickets while you can! There’s an Early Bird special going on at the moment, but it ends this Friday, October 1st. There are only 30 spots available though, so buy your tickets here.

More Info

Who: Myself, Marian Schembari, a social media consultant and profile critiquer to the stars and Alison Norrington, founder of StoryCentralDIGITAL, author and expert in transmedia storytelling. Between us we’ve been featured in Digital Book World, CNN, Tools of Change, TEDx Transmedia, ABC News, DigitalLA, Daily Mail and TIME. That’s a lot of awesome.

What: A two-hour workshop that will give you the tools to build your brand using Facebook, Twitter, blogging and YouTube. Sell your manuscript,  your finished books, raise your profile and network with publishers, agents, readers and reviewers. You’ll learn how to harness a ready-made market for your book, show that you’re serious about promoting your work and develop relationships with the people who “make things happen.” Pick up the best tips and shortcuts on social media etiquette, while also standing out from your competition! Click here for the full workshop agenda.

When: Monday, October 18th from 6:30pm – 9:00pm

Where: The Grand Union Kentish Town. A super cool bar with space for us and our PowerPoint in the back room, letting us get our drink on AND learn about the wonders of social media.

Why: Because I said so. And also? Because traditional book PR is dead and if you don’t want your work to get lost on the shelves you need to learn these skills to survive in publishing.

Cost: An Early Bird price of £25 is available until 1 October. General price £30.

Who should attend?

This workshop is designed for authors, but publishers, agents, writers and freelancers are all welcome! Alison and I can help you navigate the social media waters to effectively sell your work, engage with your community and build up your platform. We will also be running a day-long workshop as part of the London Screenwriter’s Festival on October 16th so we’ll also have some tricks up or sleeve for screenwriters as well.

Not in London? No bigs. Help us spread the word! I know many of you are in publishing and since this is our first time hosting an event of this size, Alison and I would both hugely appreciate any contacts, email introductions, tweets, Facebook likes, or the myriad of other social media buzz-creations out there ;-)

Click here for tickets!!

{ 17 comments }

← Previous Entries

Next Entries →