Category: Featured

How to Be Smart in a World of Dumb Verbs

By Rainmaker.FM

dumb-verbs

Sentences are pretty simple little things. Noun and predicate. So why do we screw them up with lame verbs? Good question.

Even in the complex sentence, we still depend upon the noun, we still depend upon the verb. So those constructions better rock.

And because the difference between a brilliant sentence and a bad sentence usually boils down to the verbs … your verbs need life.

They should vibrate. Tremble. They should carve a vivid picture in the head of your reader.

In other words, they should be active. And fierce. They should growl, hiss. Leave …read more      

Read More

Why Do Sites Rank High on Google When They Aren’t Optimized?

By Neil Patel

why rankings

Have you ever wondered why some sites rank high on Google when they aren’t optimized for search engines? Or even worse, when they barely have any backlinks?

I’ve been asked this question a lot over the last few months, so I thought I would write a blog post explaining why that happens.

Here’s why some sites rank high when they aren’t optimized:

Reason #1: Click-through rate

Part of Google’s algorithm looks at a click-through rate. It calculates it as a percentage, reflecting the number of clicks you receive from the total number of people searching for that particular phrase you rank for.

The higher …read more      

Read More

Here’s How Henry Rollins Writes (Slightly NSFW)

By Demian Farnworth

Authority Rainmaker 2015 keynote speaker Henry Rollins

Prolific is a weak word to describe Authority Rainmaker 2015 keynote speaker Henry Rollins. In fact, most words fail to capture his many dimensions.

In August of 1981, young Henry got his start, joining the seminal punk band Black Flag. Following the band’s breakup in 1986, he started 2.13.61, a record label and publishing company. Shortly after that, he formed the breakthrough Rollins Band.

He went on to become an author and spoken-word artist. Endless work in print, film, radio, and television followed.

But you might find yourself wondering why The Writer Files would showcase a punk …read more      

Read More

How Neuroscientist Michael Grybko Defines Creativity

By Rainmaker.FM

neuroscientist-michael-grybko

Have you ever wondered how prolific writers summon vast stores of creativity without seemingly breaking a sweat?

The Writer Files host, Kelton Reid, would like to introduce you to a guest segment where he enlists the help of a neuroscientist to give us a tour of The Writer’s Brain.

He has invited research scientist Michael Grybko — of the Department of Psychology at the University of Washington — to help him define creativity from a scientific standpoint.

He will help us pinpoint where exactly in the brain creative ideas come from, decide if you can teach an old …read more      

Read More

How to Generate a Never-Ending Flow of Blog Post Ideas

By Rainmaker.FM

idea-machine

Ever find yourself scratching your head, trying to figure out what to write about on your blog?

We’ve all been there.

It’s tough to come up with blog post topics week after week, and it’s not easy to keep all those ideas organized, either.

This week on Hit Publish, host Pamela Wilson invited three Copyblogger experts to share their best advice for generating a never-ending flow of blog post ideas.

Tune in to Hit Publish to hear from host Pamela Wilson, Sonia Simone, Jerod Morris, and Demian Farnworth as they discuss:

  • Sonia Simone’s “secret” technique for coming up …read more      
Read More