Finding Ideas
Ideas are everywhere, as any good creative will tell you (unless it’s an hour before a deadline then they’ll tell you the brief is wrong).I prefer to write about things that have happened to me - or seeing something that triggers a memory. What the bloke down the pub thinks of Volkswagen’s new Golf GTi ad is more interesting in a blog than the ad itself.
Sure, you can regurgitate somebody else’s article in Wired or The Drum but it’s much better to write a short post on Linked-In or Twitter about it and move on.
My method? I put notes in my iPhone; my current list reads:
- Two kinds of Rubber.
- Me and the guy who didn’t sign the Beatles.
- I stole light.
Getting Started
“Beware the bull that is a sheet of white paper.” as Hemmingway once wrote. Believe me, nobody knows more about procrastination than me. I know one or two novelists and writing, to them, is a job of work. They all have methods, but most treat it as a nine to five job – with an hour for lunch. Sitting about like Shelly in a loose flowing shirt won’t cut it.So the trick is; just start writing. Get your intro para right and the rest will follow. Don’t worry about the length. The point of a blog is that people read it. If you need 1000 words to make your point perhaps you should consider a career as a novelist.
Beyond the Blog
Some bloggers make big money. The No1, The Huffington Post has a daily income of $30,000, mostly earned through pay per click advertising. The blog is valued at $20.82 million. The drop-off outside the top 10 is quite rapid with No 30, Chris Brogan making a mere £371 a day. That’s still $271,147 a year btw.Further reading
http://atips4pc.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/top-ten-high-earning-blogs.htmlhttp://earningblog.blogspot.co.uk/2007/09/pay-ads-highest-cpm-ever.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/mar/09/blogs
Have fun!
Alan Docherty
Alan is a very hands-on, experienced Creative Director who only really believes in one thing. The power of an idea. That’s all that matters.
Although he started his career in what used to be called an ATL agency, his desire for accountability and tangible results meant he also became involved in Direct Marketing, Sales Promotion and Digital. His CV spans agencies such as Dorland, JWT, Grey London, FCB and McCann-Erickson. but also Integrated, DM and Sales Promotion shops such as Carlson and Bates Communications.He joined The Purple Agency only recently and is enjoying every minute.
Alan is a very hands-on, experienced Creative Director who only really believes in one thing. The power of an idea. That’s all that matters.
Although he started his career in what used to be called an ATL agency, his desire for accountability and tangible results meant he also became involved in Direct Marketing, Sales Promotion and Digital. His CV spans agencies such as Dorland, JWT, Grey London, FCB and McCann-Erickson. but also Integrated, DM and Sales Promotion shops such as Carlson and Bates Communications.He joined The Purple Agency only recently and is enjoying every minute.