Your Brand
Spit and Polish Your Article
It’s strange how some philosophies stick like glue to the cavities of your being.
Throughout my Catholic up-bringing under the guidance of a lengthy chain of conscientious, meticulous, fastidious nuns, almost every school day was a boot-camp for refinement, eminence, grind and foresight.
I chuckle as I write this, but it’s the absolute truth. In fact, looking back now, I wish I was more attentive. The attributes the nuns worked hard at teaching the future torch carriers, boils down to our own brand.
One nun in particular, God rest her soul, Sister Alphonses was her name. Her signature words are in my head on a daily basis: “Spit and polish.”
It didn’t matter what it was. Spit and polish your essay, spit and polish your posture, spit and polish your soul…. (another chuckle).
Our brand was born and nurtured. The same thing goes for our articles. They are our brand and speak volumes for who we are. So now I pass those words of wisdom onto you my reader. Spit and polish your article.
Know exactly what you want to offer your reader. How you communicate and how you convey that message in every aspect of your article, is the single most important article writing approach you will make…, as it drives everything else about your credibility.
Before you start your article, think about what you want to write?
Great articles come from getting clear on your goals, from attracting readers and subscribers, to selling worthy products.
When planning your article, three important questions to ask are;
1. What are my goals?
2. Who is my audience?
3. What message am I conveying?
Be clear on your article goal. It sets the pace and tone of what you have to share with your reader.
What is your philosophy? To discover your branding message, consider the topic you want to write about. What do you want to share about your topic, and what image do you want readers to have of you and your articles?
Rinse and repeat. Having a reader see your brand once is not enough. Get your brand out there as often as possible through repeated exposure.
Represent yourself well. Look within yourself and reflect on your own past experiences to find article ideas. Your lessons learned, challenges overcome and experiments exposed will resonate with your readers.
Give your readers the essence of you, your unique brand, with the spotlight shining directly on them.
