***How long should blog posts be?***

According to Andy Crestodino of Orbit Media Studios, the ideal length for a blog post written specifically to optimize search engine rankings is 1,500 words.

An analysis from serpIQ found that longer text correlated with higher rankings. MOZ analyzed 3,800 posts on their own blog, and the longer posts attracted more links.

"Longer pages generally attract more links and these links support a higher rank," writes Dany. His findings are in sharp contrast to the 300 to 500 words I am given as the length
specification by potential clients who want blog posts written.

Source: www.orbitmedia.com/blog/ideal-blog-post-length

-----------------------------------------------------------------

***The secret to happiness revealed at last***

According to top speaker Brian Tracy, the key to happiness is to dedicate yourself to the development of your natural talents and abilities by doing it to the best of your abilities. "You can be happy only when you are living your life in the very best way possible," says Tracy.

Brian's action steps for achieving happiness:

(1) define the activities you really love and enjoy,

(2) organize your life so you do more of them.

Source: Brian Tracy's Success Newsletter, 4/1/14.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

***Best time of day to do your social media posts***

--Pinterest: On Saturday from 2 p.m.-4 p.m. and 8 p.m.-11 p.m.

--LinkedIn: 7 a.m.-8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m.-6 p.m.

--Google+: 9 a.m.-11 a.m.

--Twitter: On weekends from 1 p.m.-3 p.m.

--Facebook: Weekdays 6 a.m.-8 a.m. and 2 p.m.-5 p.m.

--Blog: Monday, Friday and Saturday at 11 a.m.

Disclaimer: This comes from Ragan; I have not tested it.

Source: Ragan PR Daily, 4/8/14.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

***6 tips for boosting your personal productivity***

1--Do not multitask. Instead, focus on a single task for an allotted amount of time.

2--If your job comes with constant interruptions that demand your attention, take several deep breaths and then prioritize them.

3--Resist the urge to answer the phone every time it rings -- unless it's your boss.

4--If someone asks you to drop what you're doing to help with a problem, it's OK to tell them, "I'll be finished with what I'm doing in 10 minutes, then I'm all yours."

5--When you get "stuck" in a task, change your physical environment to stimulate your senses. Get up, take a walk outside, and look at the flowers and the birds. Change what you're seeing. Or turn on some relaxing music that makes you feel happy.

6--Delegate. Have compassion for yourself and reach out for help.

Source: Dr. Romie Mushtaq, www.BrainBodyBeauty.com

***Copywriting with music***

I keep a boom box on the shelf in my office and have two cabinets filled with CDs.

Reason: ambient sound affects my mood and energy -- and could work for you too:

** When I am thinking through a difficult copywriting problem, I work in silence.

** For sustained concentration and deep thinking -- classical.

** When I need to boost my energy, I play jazz or rock.

** I also use jazz, rock, country, and even show tunes as background noise to keep my mood up on lighter writing tasks such as content.

Research indicates there may be a link between music and brain function: In a study at the University of Toronto, young children given weekly music lessons experienced a small but measurable increase in IQ.

Source: New Jersey Family, March 2014, p. 24.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

***Speakers: never tell your audience not to do this***

Don't say to your audience, "You don't need to write anything down or take photos; the presentation will be online later."

"For many people the act of writing is an easy way to memorize something they've heard," says MaryEllen Tribby. Her advice: allow people to do whatever they want during your presentations.

"Personally I love when folks take photos; I often see them on many different social media sites," she adds.

Source: Working Moms Only, 4/14/14.

This post appears courtesy of Bob Bly's Direct Response Letter. Bob Bly is the author of 70+ books and the man McGraw-Hill calls America's top copywriter.