Sucks, doesn’t it?

You know how important headlines are. You know that once you start a blog, your success hinges on your headlines. And you know that yours aren’t getting the job done.

Your blog posts just sit there collecting e-dust because your headlines barely get clicked.

So what are you doing wrong?

What are your headlines missing?

Well, chances are your headlines don’t exploit your audience’s human nature enough.

If you want your headlines to connect with your audience, you need to exploit their drives, their instincts, and, at the risk of sounding cynical, their utter self-absorption.

In fact, if you want to write better headlines, you should take lessons from those who exploit human nature on a daily basis — con artists, sleazy politicians, and anyone who manipulates people to further their own agenda.

You just have to be careful not to cross over to the dark side.

Let me explain…
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Wouldn’t you love to smash your content out of the ring every time?

To always land that knockout blow, just like your blogging idols?

Imagine having the same audience of cheering fans, clamoring to read your next post (or to buy your next book).

Yep. That’s the dream, alright.

But let’s face reality. When you sit down to write new content, it never quite measures up to the greats. (How do they make it look so easy?)

You’d love to write like the heavyweight blogging champions that inspired you to start a blog in the first place, but right now you feel more like the puny guy at the punching bag. You may as well grab another soda and flop in front of the TV.

But don’t throw in the towel just yet.

You may not write like those blogging champions now, but that doesn’t mean you never will. If you exercise your writing muscles, you too can make money blogging and become one of the greats.
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2018 is around the corner.

This could be the year you learn how to start a blog, crack your first 1,000 subscribers, and make money blogging. This could be the year you get published on that blog you’re dying to write for. This could even be the year one of your blog posts goes viral.

But none of that will happen unless you keep at it.

You not only have to keep writing, you also have to keep honing your craft.

Because the one thing that separates the winners from the losers in this blogging game is that the winners are always trying to improve.

They’re always trying to take their writing chops to the next level.

And they never stop trying. Because there’s always a new level to reach.

Here at Smart Blogger, we publish a ton of content to help you level up your writing, because we want you to become the best writer you can be.

But we’re not the only voice out there. The blogosphere is full of accomplished wordsmiths who have perfected their writing for years and now share their experience.

So today, we want to highlight a few posts that other bloggers published in 2017 — posts that will help you hone your craft and meet your writing goals in the year to come.

Check ’em out below:
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Some writers seem to have a magic touch…

One minute you’re reading their opening, and before you know it, you’ve reached the end of their article.

Their content reads so smoothly, it’s almost impossible to stop.

So how do they do it?

Well, great writers are meticulous about making each line flow seamlessly into the next. They understand how important it is for the reader to have a smooth reading experience, and they make sure to fix anything that would cause friction.

And one powerful way they do so is by using transitional phrases.

So today you’ll learn how to use them yourself. But first, let’s examine why they’re so important.
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Writing a bio is hard.

You have to knock ’em dead with two or three dazzling sentences that show you’re a likable, credible, and accomplished expert.

When readers read your bio, they must believe you’re the answer to their prayers — the superhero they’ve been waiting for, that will swoop in and solve that big problem they’ve been dealing with.

But your bio makes you sound more like a superdweeb than a superhero, and every time you land a guest post, only a trickle of readers ends up on your site.

“What about my brilliant post?” you want to yell at your computer. “Wasn’t that enough?”

No, it wasn’t, and that’s the point.

By the time people get to your bio they’ve read your post to the end (high five for that!). You’ve earned their attention. But unless you can convince them you have more to offer them, they’re gone.

So you need to make every word count.  Make your words powerful.

Luckily, I can show you a simple three-step process to do exactly that. But first, let’s look at some common bio blunders and how to avoid them.
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