For anyone who works in the content business, Google can be like the object of a romantic crush: You want to get its attention, but you don’t know how. That’s where SEO comes in. SEO or “search engine optimization” simply means strategically grooming your work to improve its ranking on search engines like Google, Bing or Yahoo. Think of it as a way to create “something everyone ogles.”

The higher your work shows up on a search results page, the better your chances of gathering an audience. So, how do you make your articles SEO-friendly? Here are five tips from experts who are virtual matchmakers when it comes to helping attractive young articles connect with choosy search engines.

1. Know Your Keywords

When it comes to SEO success, keywords are key. These are the words or phrases that best and most specifically identify the focus of your article. Your article’s two to three keywords should match the words or phrases your potential readers would be plugging into a search engine to find just such an article. You can come up with keywords yourself or use a resource like Google’s highly-recommended free keyword research tool, which generates popular search terms based on Web addresses, words or categories you suggest.

But knowing your keywords is only half the battle — where and how often you place them into your article is crucial. “The integration of keywords into headlines, subheads and the upper 20 percent of an article can make the difference between being placed on page one and relegated to obscurity on page five,” said Andrew Barnett, director of digital strategy at Elasticity, a digital communications agency.

2. Optimize Your Headline

When matching search terms to articles, Google looks more closely at headlines than the rest of the text, so it’s important to know how to make your headline more noticeable. First, make sure your keywords are in the headline — and as close to the beginning as possible. “The importance of a keyword exponentially decays the further to the right it shows up in a title,” said David Wolf, an SEO expert and CEO of InBusiness, Inc.

Next, make sure your headlines and subheads are specific and on-point. “Headlines that are not specific enough do not come up in searches,” said Lisa Hickey, publisher of The Good Men Project, an online men’s magazine. “You want your headline to communicate one simple idea, specific enough so that people know what the post is about. This will not only help SEO, but will also help make the article more sharable. And the more it’s shared, the more search engines will see it as a post worthy of showing up in searches.”

“Where and how often you place those keywords in your article is crucial.”

Many writers want their titles and headlines to be clever, but “clever” and “SEO-friendly” don’t often play well together. Jeff McRitchie, V.P. of marketing for MyBinding.com, recommends simply considering “what topics searchers are looking for and what keywords they’re using.” He added, “If your title is too creative, off the wall or clever, the article will be difficult to find in search results.”

Jonathan Rick, digital and social media director of Levick Strategic Communications, says you should try to strike a perfect balance between self-explanatory and catchy. “Instead of sacrificing one for the other, try blending creativity with keywords,” he said.

3. Do Some Body Work

After the headline and subheads, the next most important place for keyword placement is in the body of your article. While you want to avoid having your article hijacked by your own keywords, know that repetition indeed helps. Layla Masri, president of Bean Creative, recommends the following keyword location recipe: “Once in the main header, once in every sub-header, two times in the first paragraph, two to four more times throughout the document, and two to three times in links and image alt text on the page.”

Sounds like math, but Masri cautioned, “Remember you’re writing for people, not for search engines. Search engine optimization is an important marketing tool, but a page optimized for computers instead of readers can be painful to digest.”

Brian Patterson, a partner with MangoCo, an online reputation management firm, agrees there’s a limit to keyword usage. “Unnatural use of the keywords, over and over, are easily detected by the search engines as ‘keyword stuffing’ and could end up blacklisting your article,” he said.

NEXT >> 9 Ways to Get More Comments, Tweets and Likes for Your Story

Francis Santos, search manager for Benchmark Email, says Google has an eye out for stuffers. “In the early days, cramming as many key phrases into an article or blog post actually improved your search rank — not anymore. An article stuffed with too many key phrases will not only hurt your rank, but make your writing seem awkward and forced, turning off readers and shrinking your audience.”

“Google is cracking down on all forms of SEO manipulation,” said Wolf. “It’s okay to optimize your content so search engines know what it’s about, but don’t even think about negatively affecting the user experience to please a search engine.”

4. Write Well

Good SEO won’t help the quality of your writing, but good writing can help your SEO. One tip covering both goals is staying on topic. Gennady Lager, director of search marketing for dealnews.com says the single most important aspect of writing for search engine optimization is to “write every article and page with a singular focused contextual intent.”

“If the content of the article strays across multiple topics, it will often dilute the ranking ability of that article for any particular keyword,” he said.

Kari DePhillips, owner of The Content Factory, an online PR company that specializes in Web content and social media, said in-depth articles often have more SEO value than shallower ones. “We’ve found that the standard 300-400 word post isn’t enough to catch the eye of search engines,” she said. DePhillips also said longer articles can take more keywords without sounding keyword-stuffed and are more likely to be shared through social media, which also increases SEO value.

Santos says, “At the end of the day, good writing always wins. If you write an interesting, fact-filled article of real substance, readers will happily pass it along to their friends, boosting your traffic. A well-written, popular article with tons of views will definitely rank well and can easily beat out an average, unremarkable article with the same key phrases.”

“You should never create a hyperlink out of a phrase like ‘click here’ in an article.”

5. Link Out (And In)

Links, both embedded in text and placed around or at the end of articles, can also make a difference. “The SEO success of an article is mostly based on its reach. The more links it attracts and the more social shares it receives, the better… Google relies heavily on this to determine rank,” said Marisa Brayman, director of Web and marketing for StadriEmblems.com.

Wolf says linking to your older content is a no-brainer. “Links are the most powerful way to get your content to rank higher. The more times you link back to an article you wrote previously, the better it will do in the search engines.”

But don’t blow the SEO potential of that link by using generic text. “Rather than using link text of ‘click here’ or ‘this article,’ use keywords,” said Patterson. “This text is one of the strongest factors in Google’s algorithm.”

“You should never create a hyperlink out of a phrase like ‘click here’ in an article. It has no value,” said Caitlin Bergmann, social media manager for interactive agency The Concept Farm. “You should link to something that has some meat to it, like ’20 Best Hair Tips for Blondes,’ something people could be searching for.”

All of these tips won’t make you a better writer, and good SEO doesn’t guarantee Google domination. But think for a moment about what got you to click on this very article ___- and learn to leverage that power of attraction for your own work.

NEXT >> 9 Ways to Get More Comments, Tweets and Likes for Your Story

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Joel Schwartzberg‘s keywords include writer, Internet executive, and author of “The 40-Year-Old Version,” a collection of personal essays

Love him or hate him, there’s no denying Roland Martin’s work ethic.

The man of a 1,001 jobs went from county and government reporter at the Austin-American Statesman to becoming one of the most recognizable and outspoken political commentators on television.

While being a CNN contributor would be more than enough for most journalists, that’s just the tip of the iceberg for Martin — he’s also a senior analyst for the Tom Joyner Morning Show, host and managing editor of Washington Watch on TV One and a nationally syndicated columnist.

Martin’s desire to juggle multiple jobs is all part of building and developing his brand. “If companies are able to have multiple revenue streams and have their hands in multiple pools of money,” he told us, “then why shouldn’t the people who actually work for those brands be able to do the exact same thing?”

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Name: Roland Martin
Position: CNN contributor. Tom Joyner Morning Show senior analyst. Host and managing editor of Washington Watch on TV One. Nationally syndicated columnist.
Resume: Started as a county and government reporter for the Austin-American Statesman and city hall reporter for the Ft. Worth Star Telegram before transitioning into the black press where he won several local and national awards as the top editor for Houston Defender, Dallas Weekly and the Chicago Defender. Founding news editor for Savoy magazine and BlackAmericaWeb.com. Talk show host for WVON-AM in Chicago, news director and morning anchor at KKDA-AM (Dallas) and morning drive reporter for KRLD-AM (Dallas). Joined CNN in 2007.
Birthday: November 14, 1968
Hometown: Houston, Texas
Education: B.S., journalism, Texas A&M University. Master’s degree in Christian communications from Louisiana Baptist University.
Marital status: Married
Media idol: Vernon Jarrett
Favorite TV show: The West Wing
Guilty pleasure: “Golf, golf, golf.”
Last book read: SNCC: The New Abolitionists by Howard Zinn
Twitter handle: @rolandsmartin

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Looking back, what are your thoughts now on your month-long suspension from CNN for your Super Bowl tweet about David Beckham?
First of all, my thoughts were the same then — I was cracking on soccer and that’s what I talked about. It happened, you deal with it and you move on. My deal is, if you spend significant amounts of time freaking out and going nuts, you’ll simply go crazy. My philosophy is very simple: You keep it moving.

What did you take away from your meeting with the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD)?
We had a meeting, and it was exactly what we said it was in the press release.

Do you think the fallout over that incident and others like Ashton Kutcher’s Popchips ad or ESPN’s Jeremy Lin debacle leads to better coverage of minority groups or just confuses things? Are we becoming more sensitive or too sensitive?
First and foremost, in terms of this notion if we are becoming more sensitive or too sensitive, I believe context is everything. I think it’s important for people to always understand what is the context is in what is being said, because that obviously determines what folks are talking about. That’s first. Secondly, I don’t believe the Jeremy Lin issue somehow improved coverage of minorities. Even though we are a nation that’s becoming a minority country, we still have this view where everything is seen through the prism of the dominant culture, which really means white. We still are challenged with having diversified coverage, just like we are challenged to having diversified talent on the air, who are in critical positions on-air and behind the scenes, as well. Things are certainly getting better in a micro way, but it can be a hell of a whole lot better than what it is right now.

“What always cracks me up is when people want to come at you and give you attitude, and, when you return it, they want to get all sensitive about it.”

You recently had a Twitter dust-up with Touré over the NBA playoffs. Has Twitter become more of a distraction than a resource for you?
Oh no, no. Twitter is a huge resource. Look, I had my own morning drive and midday radio show on WVON in Chicago. I also streamed it on U-Stream, and the beauty of that is you are able to communicate with people all across the city, all across the country, all across the world. What always cracks me up is when people want to come at you and give you attitude, and, when you return it, they want to get all sensitive about it. It’s sort of like when someone calls you on a radio show and they want to criticize you; then, you hit them back and they get all sensitive. My whole deal is, “Why did you pick up the phone and call?” The way I look at it is some people can’t handle the heat. My deal is stay off Twitter or don’t respond to somebody. But, again, the beauty of the medium is that you’re able to interact with people instantaneously when something happens. That’s what I love about it. For me, it is a tremendous source for information. There’s no way in the world I can read everything, see everything, so it’s always great when people can send you something and say, “Hey, did you catch this?” So, that’s what I love about it.

You’ve worked for several black newspapers throughout your career. How do you think they will fare against the mainstream newspapers and alternative weeklies? Do you think they stand a better or worse chance in the digital age?
If black newspapers are able to understand how valuable their niche is and if they are truly able to make the switch to the digital medium, then I think they can do extremely well… I always make the point that the mainstream papers could never out-black me. What I mean by that is it’s not my job to try to compete with them everyday on the news of the day. You cannot win that fight. But when it comes to stories that are unique to our audience, I’ve made it perfectly clear that they can’t beat me at my game. That means you got to have quality talent; you got to have the leadership that’s going to do what’s necessary. There’s a place for black newspapers just like there’s a place for Hispanic media, media targeting women. But those black newspapers can’t keep thinking that the printed world is still going to be there. They have to understand that we are now operating in a digital and mobile world, and they must be able to keep up.

NEXT >> So What Do You Do, Joel Hyatt, CEO and Co-Founder of Current TV?

Are you surprised by the lack of diversity on the Sunday morning news shows? Which minority talking heads should the networks be targeting for their programs?
I am not surprised about the lack of diversity on the mainstream Sunday morning talks shows, because the hosts of those shows, as well as the people that produce those shows, as well as the other staffers that produce those shows look the same as the guests they book. Look, this is something that’s not new. I’ve said it before. Also, those shows are stuck in a time warp. Those shows are all so locked in on what’s happening in Washington D.C., they don’t have the ability to understand or think about the rest of the country. And, so, it bores me every Sunday when I see the same senators, the same folks, as opposed to being able to introduce different and varied guests that I think would be of interest to a diverse audience.

Now, when you talk about who should they talk to, I think, first and foremost, they have to get out of the “Who’s the one black person?” [thinking]. It happens all the time. There’s always the “black person” to go to when it comes to various issues. Here’s what cracks me up: Anytime there’s a race-based conversation, it’s amazing how these shows can find three, four, five, six guests to talk on stuff. I always go, “Hmm, I wonder if those people can talk on other issues?” That happens. There’s no one particular person, but I think there are a number of voices that could do very well in terms of expanding the line of thought.

You’re an outspoken Christian and your wife is a Reverend. What’s your take on President Obama supporting gay marriage, and how much do you think his stance will impact his reelection bid?
It was not a surprise. Remember in 1996, as I said on CNN during that week, the President signed a questionnaire when he was running for the state Senate, saying that he supported same-sex marriage. Then, in 2004 when he ran for the U.S. Senate, he then said he believed marriage was between a man and a woman. So, it wasn’t a surprise that he took the position. The impact on the election is still unknown, because national polling data shows that a majority of Americans support same-sex marriage, yet when you have the referendums in 32 states, supporters of same-sex marriage are 0-for-32. It sort of says people are saying one thing in a poll but actually doing another thing when they actually go to vote. I think it’s way too early to tell in terms of what the potential impact will be.

“The idea of being objective is a ridiculous one.”

In March, you wore a hoodie in support of Trayvon Martin while hosting Washington Watch on TV One. Do you think journalists can openly support issues like the Martin tragedy and still remain objective?
The idea of being objective is a ridiculous one. Let’s just be honest. Everybody — I don’t care who you are — you have a viewpoint on something and on an issue. The difference is whether you chose to say something publicly, whether you chose to advance it… a whole different deal. I chose to wear the hoodie, because it was important beyond just the Trayvon Martin issue but to call attention to the issue of racial profiling. Also, you’ll notice the hoodie that I wore was my college hoodie. I wanted folks to know this is what a college graduate looks like. This is what somebody looks like who is successful. I’m not a thug, never been a thug, but the problem we have in this country is you have people that have these perceptions and they continue to use these perceptions to drive their viewpoint. To me, that’s dangerous.

What’s your secret to developing your brand?
Know exactly who you are. The second thing is you have to have no fear in being able to work it. Companies today will fire you, not renew your contracts and when it’s gone, it’s gone. So you’re left with what, saying that I use to be with so-and-so and I use to work with so-and-so? I love this scene from the movie The Insider where Al Pacino says, “Lowell Bergman, 60 Minutes, I wonder if my phone calls would get returned if I didn’t have 60 Minutes after my name?”

When you build your own brand, people will still return your phone calls regardless of the call letters or where you actually work, because they now know you and they trust you in what you have to say and what you’re doing. That, to me, is the most important aspect when it comes to building your brand. If companies are able to have multiple revenue streams and have their hands in multiple pools of money, then why shouldn’t the people who actually work for those brands be able to do the exact same thing?

NEXT >> So What Do You Do, Joel Hyatt, CEO and Co-Founder of Current TV?

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With the economy looking up, many independent professionals are grabbing new opportunities and returning to the ranks of traditional employment. But, the move comes with a series of critical decisions and planned actions that will have a long-term effect on your time, money and career trajectory.

So, are you really ready to ditch the freedom of freelancing for the stability of regular paychecks and flesh-and-blood co-workers? If so, use this to-do list to save yourself a few headaches down the road.

Moonlight Carefully…
You’ve spent a stretch of your career cultivating clients, learning their needs, and providing them a valuable service, so it’s not surprising that you’ll want to keep one or two on the side. However, moonlighting comes with a few caveats. Barriers to this arrangement could come from either party in the form of non-compete agreements or other contracts.

Rose Reterstoff is certified in human resources and has seen the issue from both sides. “This is especially a concern with government entities or in companies that have government contracts. Some employers will require that any contract work be approved first. Even if this isn’t the case, the employee should look for contract or policy language such as ‘conflict of interest’ or ‘ethical behavior.'”

Other than contracts, she noted that such limits are often found in employee handbooks or other HR policy statements.

So, if you’ve made a living freelancing for Magazine X, and are brought on as a staff writer for the competition, you’re going to need to look more closely at your arrangements with both. Check old and new contracts, non-compete agreements, non-disclosure agreements and employee handbooks. Then, tread carefully.

“I would definitely wait to make sure that the job works out before deciding to move any retirement account.”

…but Maintain Your Networks
That’s not to say that keeping a side gig or two is completely off the table. In fact, it’s probably not a bad idea to hold on to a few of your contractual clients and maintain the networks you’ve built.

Kona Gallagher went from freelance writing to marketing work at the county level. Despite having to ditch some of her contacts due to conflict of interest issues, she found a unique way to keep her portfolio and connections fresh. “I still do a little work for free, here and there. Having just one employer is a weird feeling for me, and I always want to have something in my back pocket. Plus, if something happens to this job, I don’t want my most recent writing sample to be from several years ago.”

Now, if you’re definitely ready to shed some of your old network, choose carefully. Keep tabs on those who are related to your new position — maybe you can impress your new boss by pulling in some fresh business. Also consider keeping those with whom you’ve built the strongest bonds and the most lucrative ties. As for the rest, be honest about your new undertaking, and the limitations it puts on your elbow-rubbing time. Then, use your found time to cultivate a new network. Be proactive about nurturing relationships with people you meet on the job, at industry events, and even within your new building and locale.

Make Informed Financial Decisions — Slowly
Many a former freelancer has raced into the cubicle world with visions of regular pay and health insurance dancing in his head, but when it comes to your financial bottom line, slow and steady is best. Handling your new tax burden, insurance choices and retirement funds requires careful decision making.

“Normally, you have 30 days from hire to choose insurance coverage and retirement designations. However, after that window, you may have to wait to make changes until the next open enrollment,” said Reterstoff. She says the initial time period gives you space to read the materials provided to you, check out websites, ask questions and understand your options.

NEXT >> 7 Things They Don’t Tell You About Freelancing

There are occasions when you can prolong this process, too. For example, one of those includes certain retirement account situations. If you managed to build a nest egg such as an IRA account, you don’t necessarily have to combine it with your employer-sponsored retirement account.

Jan Rolls is a certified public accountant who specializes in QuickBooks accounting for private clients. “I would definitely wait to make sure that the job works out before deciding to move any retirement account. If the job then looks to be long-term, I would contact a financial advisor to help determine whether to move a self-funded IRA.”

Um, Are You Really a People Person?
One of the benefits of full-time employment is having your supervisor and team mates to help shoulder the load, brainstorm ideas, cover for you on sick days, etc. But working with people also means you actually have to, you know, work with people. In the past, you likely made all the decisions, chose your co-workers (perhaps the furry kind with no opinions?) and controlled the music, temperature and noise level of your office. These kinds of challenges are very common among solo acts, and horror stories abound.

Natasha Bourlin said she left independent PR to throw her weight behind a project that she believed in, but an environment replete with micromanagement, unfulfilled promises, back biting and gossip drove her back to freelancing. Another recurring theme from freelancer-turned-employees was learning to deal with the loss of autonomy. Kristine Gasbarre, a journalist and published author, described the frustration.

“I’d grown accustomed to seeing my ideas executed. If a light bulb went off, I would put [the idea] into action. When I returned to the office, it was a challenge to have a supervisor hear an idea, tilt their head and say, ‘Well maybe that could work.’ It’s frustrating to suddenly find yourself running into walls.”

“It was a challenge to have a supervisor hear an idea, tilt their head and say, ‘Well maybe that could work.'”

Gasbarre suggests a thorough vetting of the work place, power players and team members prior to accepting a position, while Bourlin focused on preparation from Day One. “Creating personal boundaries in a professional organization is critical,” said Bourlin. “If people are back biting or throwing each other under the bus, try to discourage their involving you by simply not participating in the conversations.”

And, if your supervisor is the one being a pain in the project, just gently remind her of why she hired you in the first place. Often, the hovering will ease once you’ve proven yourself at the company and she’s more confident in your abilities.

Do a Reality Check
Say it with me: “The do-what-I-want-when-I-want days of freelancing are done.” Instead of bemoaning your current situation, go with it. For example, move your morning workout to a noon class near your office, or use your now higher income to get groceries delivered in advance. By 1) acknowledging the change, and 2) finding ways to integrate activities from your former life into your new one, you’ll find the adjustment to the cube much easier to handle.

And, before you start bellyaching about the boss, take a long, hard look in the mirror — or at least at your invoices from the previous year. Yes, having the Apple store all to yourself at 11 a.m. was nice, but you likely left freelancing for more security. So, relax, and accept your new gig for what it is: a steady paycheck that might lead to something great.

Allena Tapia is a freelance writer and editor specializing in education and Latino topics.

NEXT >> 7 Things They Don’t Tell You About Freelancing

The words in Dan Savage’s nationally syndicated “Savage Love” column are similar to how many people like their sex: raw, crass and in your face.

Savage has been fascinated by the topic of sex since his days as a gay teen reading his brother’s stolen copies of Penthouse (for the articles, of course). So, when a chance meeting with the founders of Seattle alt-weekly The Stranger led to a job offer for an advice column, the recent grad quickly packed up his things in Madison, Wis. and headed west.

Now, with a mix of Ann Landers meets Xaviera Hollander, Savage has been doling out sex advice for young and old, gay or straight for more than 20 years. His column is syndicated in over 60 newspapers and featured in a weekly podcast, his It Gets Better Project has helped countless gay teens cope with bullying, and even MTV tapped him to bring his trademark wit to college campuses for Savage U.

Surprisingly, getting young people to discuss their sex lives is a lot easier than you might imagine. “Try not to get them to open up about their sex lives on camera,” Savage told us. “That would be the real trick.”

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Name: Dan Savage
Position: Editorial director of The Stranger, host of MTV’s “Savage U”
Resume: Debuted “Savage Love” in The Stranger in 1991. Got initially syndicated by just a few newspapers before slowly expanding to over 60 titles. Launched the podcast “Savage Lovecast” in 2006. Named editorial director of The Stranger in 2007 and host of MTV’s Savage U in 2012.
Birthday: October 7, 1964
Hometown: Chicago, Illinois
Education: B.A., theater, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Marital status: Married
Media idol: “Let’s say Sean Hannity because it will piss him off.”
Favorite TV show: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and The Colbert Report
Guilty pleasure: Stale cake
Last book read: Martyrs and Murderers: The Guise Family and the Making of Europe by Stuart Carroll
Twitter handle: @fakedansavage

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Since The Stranger launched in 1991, how do you think media coverage of sex and homosexuality has changed?
Hopefully, a lot has changed since when you could get fired as Surgeon General for mentioning that people masturbate. I feel like people are much more realistic when they write about sex in the media, and talking about sex is much more of an acknowledgement. It’s still a little schizoid. When I started writing “Savage Love,” one of my goals was to write a column about sex using the language and the sense of humor that people typically use when they talk about sex with their friends. There seemed to be one way we all discussed sex privately and amongst friends and another way it was written about. People weren’t writing about the sex we were actually having but this kind of pre-agreed-to idea of the sex that everyone ought to be having even though anybody wasn’t.

I think there’s a lot more realism out there about sex then there was 21 years ago. When I started the column 21 years ago, The Village Voice wouldn’t pick it up because it was too dirty for New York, which was saying something. I was writing this column for kinky, rainy Seattle, and the then editor of the Chicago Reader told me that if I wanted to be in the Chicago Reader I had to write less about anal sex. I think that has changed and the Internet helped change it, because suddenly there was this place for sex writing without the gatekeepers and this paranoia that some child somewhere might pick up this newspaper.

Newspapers are in serious trouble right now. Why do you think alternative weeklies like The Stranger will fare any better in the digital era?
I don’t! The print media is in trouble everywhere and is having to transition and transition fast to the new economic models. Like I said earlier, I have a degree in theater and I actually think what’s happening to print media is kind of what happened to the theater 100 to 120 years ago. There were lots of jobs in the theater. There were legit playhouses by the score in every major American city. There were lots of jobs out there for actors and directors and theater technicians. That all came apart. Radio and television, a new technology, came along and just decimated — destroyed really — the profession.

“Advice columnist is such a sweet gig that it will be pried from my cold dead hands one day just as Ann Landers’ was pried from hers.”

Suddenly, if you wanted to be an actor, you had to be willing to work for free and often for years before anyone would pay you to do it. That’s kind of what writing has become. Reporting now, people will do it for free before anyone will pay them to do it. You have to have a blog and already be on the beat that interests you before anyone will think about hiring you. When I look around and listen to people in the journalism field, or journalism students, or journalism professors complain about what newspaper and print jobs are like now, for me, it echoes the history of theater classes I took in the ’80s when they were talking about the coming of radio and television and what that did to live performance.

At what point did you decide to branch out into radio, TV, speaking tours, etc? Were those ventures deliberate moves on your part or did other outlets just start coming to you?
People began reaching out to me. I get letters every day from people asking me how to syndicate a column — because obviously I must know since I have one — and I have no idea how you syndicate a column. I started writing a column and people started contacting me, asking me if they could run it too. I never got out there really and marketed the column. The person I’m doing the television show with, Brian Pines of Hypomania Content, he was trying to get a meeting with me for two years before I would have lunch with him. And even then, he had to fly up to Seattle to meet with me — I wasn’t going to fly down to L.A. I’m too lazy and self-hating and self-loathing to run around in circles and saying, “They ought to put me on television.” Brian had to convince me to go out there and do this, and I’m glad that he managed to do that.

Since you didn’t study journalism in college, what advice would you give a college student looking to become the next Dan Savage?
[Laughs] That position is currently filled. Advice columnist is such a sweet gig that it will be pried from my cold, dead hands one day just as Ann Landers’ was pried from hers. You don’t walk away from an advice column. It’s just too much fun. It’s good work if you’re doing it right. But it’s just such a blast. If you want to be the next Dan Savage, I don’t know how to help you. And if I did know how to help you, I wouldn’t, because I’m interested in being Dan Savage for as long as I can.

You’ve said that Savage U aims to counter the fact that young people don’t get good sex education. How much do you think the media is to blame for that?
I don’t think the media is to blame for it. I think politicians are to blame for it. I think there’s cowardice. There’s not a lot of good sex ed. on television, but television I don’t think is the venue. I don’t think television, the medium, is charged with providing young people with good sex education. I think that’s parents and schools and [students are] failed by it. There was just another bill passed in Tennessee; any kind of sex ed. is abstinence-only, and this new abstinence-only education in Tennessee has to encourage children from gateway sexual activities like hand holding. I read about it and said they should just start calling these bills the “Dan Savage Employment Protection Act of 2012.” I will never be out of work so long as politicians keep churning out kids who have no info and don’t know their holes from asses in the ground. I will be employed. We need good sex ed. in the schools. That’s about parents and teachers, politicians and churches. I don’t think that’s about the media.

“I will never be out of work so long as politicians keep churning out kids who have no info and don’t know their holes from asses in the ground.”

How do you and your producers at Savage U get college students to open up about their sex lives on camera?
Try not to get them to open up about their sex lives on camera. That would be the real trick. Anyone who wanted to come on the show and do a one-on-one had to nominate themselves, volunteer and be pre-interviewed by producers. We wanted to make sure we were talking to people that weren’t making stuff up to be on television. We also wanted to make sure we were talking to people who were going to be comfortable being on television talking about this stuff. And we wanted to make sure we weren’t talking to people who might regret the stuff they wanted to talk about in five to 10 years. We didn’t want anyone to look back on the show and regret it. I will say, there are kids that I sat and talked with about sex issues, or problems, or relationship problems that I, if I were suffering similar problems, wouldn’t talk about on TV. But young people have different ideas about privacy and what’s public and private. They live their lives online, and they kind of broadcast a lot about their personal lives and sex lives in ways that old farts like me almost can’t wrap our heads around. Sometimes, I would get uncomfortable, or I would have to be reminded by myself usually or the kids that I was talking to that they were fine with this and this for them was normal.

After 20 years of hearing about other people’s sex lives, is there anything you think is absolutely weird or abnormal in the bedroom?
I think if you’re doing things in the bedroom that you don’t enjoy, that’s weird. That you shouldn’t do things that you don’t enjoy. You should advocate for yourself. That doesn’t mean there won’t be times when you’ll do things for your partner that your partner really enjoys but that you could take or leave. They don’t scar you emotionally, or you’re not sobbing on the floor in the fetal position afterwards. But you take some pleasure in giving pleasure. There are so many people out there that have really unfulfilling sex lives, who are going through the motions, who can’t bring themselves to articulate what turns them on and really are wasting so much of their lives, because they’re afraid of opening their mouths and telling the truth about who they are, what they want and what turns them on. I think that’s weird. I think that’s freaky. There’s not a kink in the world that’s as freaky. I think boring, vanilla intercourse with someone who bores you is freakish.

NEXT >> How To Sell Sex Articles

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Photo Credit: Monte Isom

You might not know the name, but even the casual sports fan has heard the voice of Jim Lampley during his iconic 38-year career. Whether covering one of his record 14 Olympic broadcasts or some of the biggest boxing matches in the world on HBO, the four-time Sports Emmy Award winner has replaced the late Howard Cosell as the voice of the sweet science.

The 63-year-old, who’s calling the May 5 HBO pay-per-view fight between Floyd Mayweather and Miguel Cotto, stumbled into the sport after his former boss at ABC attempted to force him out of the network, something Lampley now calls “a tremendous piece of good fortune.”

“By way of trying to force my exile and get me to leave, he assigned me to sports which he thought I wouldn’t be interested in,” Lampley told us. “One of the things that he did was assign me to boxing. I think it was purely for the purpose of making me uncomfortable and trying to get me to leave. He wasn’t aware that boxing was my favorite sport.”

The rest, as they say, is history.

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Name: Jim Lampley
Position: Boxing commentator, HBO Sports
Resume: Hired in 1974 by ABC as the first college football sideline reporter and also covered boxing, the Super Bowl and five Olympic games in 13 years. Hired by KCBS in Los Angeles in 1987 as a news anchor and by HBO as host of the network’s boxing and Wimbledon coverage. Left KCBS for NBC in 1992 where he covered an additional nine Olympic games. Soon to be host of The Fight Game with Jim Lampley on HBO and the undisputed voice of boxing.
Birthday: April 8, 1949
Hometown: Hendersonville, North Carolina
Education: B.A., English, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Marital status: Engaged
Media idol: Mike Wallace
Favorite TV show: Breaking Bad
Guilty pleasure: “Breaking Bad. It’s not on HBO.”
Last book read: Boxing’s Best Short Stories, edited by Paul D. Staudohar
Twitter handle: None

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You’ve worked with several former boxers who made the transition to broadcasting. What makes a good sports analyst in your eyes?
Point one would be self-confidence. In order to be a critic, you must feel invulnerable to criticism. You have to feel the security of being willing to critique your peers and it’s not all that easy for them to do. Whatever translates to candor, the ability to speak the truth and not worry about the political consequences, that’s the most important element.

You were the executive producer of HBO’s On Freddie Roach and also own a production company. How does broadcasting compare to working behind the camera?
It’s all the same thing. In 37 years of working on one side of the camera, I don’t think I’ve ever been out of touch with what goes on on the other side. I’ve certainly learned a lot from every producer whom I’ve ever worked with — some of the greatest producers in the history of television, starting with my first boss at ABC Sports, Roone Arledge, and going straight on through. And so it just stands to reason that I get a chance to perform as a producer. I’m channeling all the things I learned from all the great producers who have been in my ear and told me what to do.

“The one [call] that people most remember is Mike Tyson and Buster Douglas.”

Why do you think it took so long for the sport of boxing to get a studio show like Fight Game, which debuts May 12 on HBO?
I think it required a moment in time when the most integral and committed boxing telecast network specifically saw a good reason to do that. If it was going to happen somewhere, it was going to happen at HBO. Within the past year, it’s abundantly clear that HBO has renewed and refurbished and reenergized its overall commitment to boxing. That’s manifested in a dozen different ways — you’ve already mentioned On Freddie Roach — and, within the overall broad based new commitment to boxing that this network is constantly attempting to portray, the idea of doing a boxing studio-based show was something that evolved from the top. It came from Richard Plepler and Mike Lombardo, the two guys who together are in charge of programming. It was their specific suggestion that we do this, so it’s an honor to be able to do it.

Which sports call during your illustrious career stands out above the rest?
The one that people most remember is that I called Mike Tyson and Buster Douglas, which is still, to this day, the most significant upset in the history of boxing. To have been privileged to call that would be point one. And point two, George Foreman winning the heavyweight championship for a second time at age 45 when he was our regular ringside expert commentator. To call an accomplishment that historic of someone who was legitimately a colleague and a friend, I still get chills thinking about it to this day.

NEXT >> So What Do You Do, Josh Elliott, Good Morning America Newsreader?

ABC hired you fresh out of college, and you were the very first college football sideline reporter. Nearly 40 years later, how much has the role changed since you defined the position?
I would say the circumstances of college football and commercial television defined the position more than I personally did, but, because of the circumstances of commercial television in college football, it’s pretty much the same today. I’ve never felt as though it was an extremely vital role except in instances here and there. It’s more a piece of the presentation, a colorful element and a personality element. I’ll leave the debate about its value to other people but, by and large, I did injury reports and stayed out of the way from the middle of the first season on. That is what I still think they are doing to this day.

What role will social media play in the 2012 Summer Olympics? Do you think the emergence of Twitter ultimately forced NBC to change the way they broadcast the games?
It should. I was recently at a seminar on the campus of the University of Southern California to discuss the Olympics and television. One of the biggest points I tried to make was this is the first post-Twitter Summer Olympics, and there will be a huge effect because we’ve already seen the degree that it facilitates person-to-person contact, particularly between athletes. The energy of the [Olympic] village is now going to be changed from day to day by the waves of Twitter. It’s the most influential social medium, because of the spontaneity and the immediate wildfire effect it can create. A great lesson to us was watching the ratings for On Freddie Roach, and we discovered that over a six-week period that we could correlate increases in On Freddie Roach ratings to Twitter trending.

The blogosphere was all over your 2007 arrest following a domestic abuse incident with Candice Sanders. Do you think sports blogs act as a check and balance with traditional sports journalism outlets?
Well, certainly in theory. I’m a big believer in the Jeffersonian market of ideas and I don’t have a problem with the fact that the Web creates access and exposure for people with no background in what we would use to think of as journalistic skills and journalistic discipline. I was in my own personal instance disappointed in the number of stories or commentaries that I saw which bore zero relationship to the facts. But that I think is inevitable in this environment, and you have to hope that, at the end of the day, somehow or other, the truth balances it out.

“I was not as well versed and deeply based as a political commentator as I am a sports commentator.”

By and large, over the long haul, I think the truth does emerge. It’s just frustrating to watch the process. What was it that President Obama said? “You don’t want to watch sausages being made, and you don’t want to watch legislation being constructed.” At the end of the day, you don’t want to watch the agonizing process through which a public figure has to try and clear his name in the wake of whatever it is that has put me in front of the public on the Web. It’s never going to be completely satisfying. It is what it is, and you have to try to make the best of those situations.

In 2005, you used an incorrect source when blogging about the Iraq war for Huffington Post, and many readers called you out for it. How did that situation affect you?
I didn’t think of it as rebounding. At the end of the day, if people want to disagree with what I say, that’s certainly part of the process and their privilege. I read my political commentaries and, over time, I decided that I was not as well versed and deeply based as a political commentator as I am a sports commentator. I had been persuaded to do it by someone very high up in political media who has specific purpose in mind for me, and at the end of the day I decided I wasn’t interested in that purpose. That was the beginning and end of that.

Do you think media personalities should be vocal about their personal views or politics and take a stand when necessary, or just stick to more objective reporting?
Given that I’ve been outspoken, I guess it would be a little hypocritical of me to say they shouldn’t. I used to always prefix any political or social comments I made on the radio by saying “I’m about to give you my personal opinion. I happen to be a commentator by trade, not an editorialist… so you take it as you see fit.” And then from time to time I would speak out. Ultimately I wound up substituting for Ed Schultz on his radio show and doing other things that amounted to political talk radio. It was only for a brief period of time; it didn’t last very long.

NEXT >> So What Do You Do, Josh Elliott, Good Morning America Newsreader?

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It’s the document most writers can’t wait to get their hands on: a book contract.

Unfortunately, not all contracts are created with your best interest in mind. In fact, most are by nature written in favor of the person who drafted it — in this case, the publisher. While you will likely hire a lawyer to review the terms, he or she will also probably charge you by the hour to do so — who knows how long that might take?

Therefore, in an effort to save you time and money, we spoke to industry experts about those areas of a book contract most likely to trip up a new author. Spot one in your deal and it’s time to renegotiate.

1. The non-compete clause

When the publisher wants to limit you from working on other projects, take heed. This “non-compete” clause can prohibit writers from working on books that would compete with the existing title they are publishing. The problem is that the clause is often so broadly written that it could stop you from writing magazine articles or blog posts, all of which can help to market the book.

“Any such clause should be limited to book-length work and should give the publisher a deadline for refusing a new book proposal on a related topic, which then frees the writer to pursue publication elsewhere,” advised Meg Schnieder, an Iowa-based author of 12 books, including The Everything Guide to Writing a Book Proposal.

Kathleen Rushall, an agent with Marsal Lyon Literary Agency in California, agrees. She says a non-compete clause can lock authors in, so they can’t write for other outlets or can’t write other pieces until the current one from that publisher comes out. She notes an example of a publisher mandating that the author cannot write any other books until the last book in a three-book series is published.

2. The exclusivity clause

An exclusivity clause is very similar to the non-compete, but instead of saying you couldn’t write another book at the same time on the same topic, this clause would state that you could not do any writing related to your book. That’s insane, especially for writers who work in the areas they write about.

“When the publisher wants to limit you from working on other projects, take heed.”

For example, let’s say your book is about the fundamentals of journalism, and you also publish news articles about the same topic. Chances are your being a journalist was part of the platform that got you noticed by a publisher in the first place. So, if you see a clause that limits or impedes your day job, take a closer look.

“Writers have to make a living, and only rarely does a book contract offer enough money for a writer to meet living expenses without taking on other work,” said Schneider.

3. The second option

A “second option” can sound like a dream. After all, that’s the publisher saying it wants a first peek at your next work of art, which is nice to hear when you haven’t started your first project yet. But this can also be a red flag, especially for authors working with smaller publishers. Why? Well, what if a bigger publisher wanted to offer you a more generous advance for that next title? If you sign over your second book option rights, you could miss out.

“Watch the ‘options’ clause,” said Rushall. “Try to narrow the genre or have it kick in at acceptance versus publication.”

NEXT >> 7 Steps to a Winning Book Proposal

That way, if you are working on a nonfiction title and simultaneously writing a fiction book, the publisher of your nonfiction book (that may also publish fiction) can’t get first dibs on it. Or, like Rushall says, give the original publisher the chance to look at it upon acceptance of the first book, not publication of the second.

“It’s basically cutting the amount of time the author has to wait before being able to show the publisher her next book,” Rushall added. “It’s better if the author doesn’t have to wait until the first book is out on shelves, which could be a couple years depending on other factors.”

4. The matching offer

This option allows your publisher to match any offer from another publisher and win your book back.

“‘Matching offer’ options kill the motivation for another publisher to even look at your book,” warned Gina Panettieri, president of Talcott Notch Literary in Connecticut. “Why should someone bother when your original publisher could just match their terms and get your book and you have no say about it?”

Panettieri says that a “first-pass option,” which allows the publisher to consider the work exclusively and make an offer or pass on it before you shop the work to other publishers, makes more sense because many publishers won’t or can’t forego the option clause altogether.

“Be mindful of how a contract might limit you with future projects,” added Christine Mason Miller, author of Desire to Inspire: Using Creative Passion to Transform the World.

5. The “pay me now” clause

Everything in the contract looks good so far — until you get to the part that says you owe money to produce the book. Isn’t that a no-no? Absolutely.

“If the contract is asking the author to pay anything upfront or cover production costs, it’s for a vanity press,” said Rushall. “If you’re looking for traditional publishing, this isn’t it.”

“‘Matching offer’ options kill the motivation for another publisher to even look at your book.”

With self-publishing, it’s normal to have some upfront fees, but you should not have to shell out a dime to publish a book using the traditional model. The only money you may have spent up to this point is the cost of postage to mail a proposal or manuscript. Other than that, you should never pay anything else. In fact, you should be getting money back once books start to sell.

6. The net profits — not net income — clause

Victoria Strauss of the popular watchdog website Writer Beware says that the ideal royalty at a big publishing house is paid on the list or cover price. Smaller publishers, on the other hand, are most likely to pay royalties on net income, which is the money they get for the book. Not necessarily a red flag, this is just how smaller presses operate, she explains.

However, Strauss does advise writers to watch out for a net income royalty clause framed to look like a list price clause. The terms that could be red flags, depending on how they’re used, are “net income,” publisher’s proceeds,” “sales price” or “gross income.” When a publisher pays on net profit, it is paying you based on the cost of the book after the deduction of other expenses, such as manufacturing or publicity. Publishers that use the net profit model may not always explicitly use that term, so be on alert for any language that points to this.

“Not only can [net profit] substantially reduce the amount the author is paid, it makes it possible for a publisher to manipulate author payments in unscrupulous ways — even, theoretically, down to zero,” Strauss warned. “This is why it’s so important that net in a publishing contract is precisely defined… it often isn’t, especially in contracts from small presses… so you know what kind of royalty you’ll be getting.”

“Make sure you see the definition in the royalties clause. If you don’t, ask for clarification…and get it in writing,” she added.

7. The “out of print” clause

“The shift to digital publishing is adding new wrinkles to the vetting process, for sure,” explained Danielle Svetcov, an agent with Levine Greenberg in New York City. “For instance, now more than ever, an incredibly important provision for all authors and agents to look at is the ‘out of print’ clause.”

With a traditional publisher, rights revert back to the author after the book is out of print — that happens typically after a year. But with electronic books, they can remain in print virtually, which means a publisher can argue that they would have the rights to the book indefinitely since the book is in print electronically.

Jared Kuritz, managing partner at the literary PR firm Strategies in San Diego, also leads the well-known La Jolla Writer’s Conference. He said, “To avoid this problem, authors need to make sure that they define the terms of ‘in print’ very clearly to include physical copies of the book that are available via traditional distribution to all appropriate retail outlets.”

Bottom line: Get a lawyer

Even if you spot all the red flags yourself, you should still hire an attorney who specializes in book contracts to catch anything you may have missed.

“I don’t do my own surgeries, so why would I try to decipher a book contract on my own?” said Lorrie Thomas, author of The McGraw-Hill 36-Hour Course: Online Marketing. “Investing in someone to decipher the language and point out some areas that I did renegotiate was money well spent.”

NEXT >> 7 Steps to a Winning Book Proposal

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Kristen Fischer is a copywriter and Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) living at the Jersey Shore. Visit her at www.kristenfischer.com.

We see, or rather, “hear” it far too often: podcasts that are not up to standard, whether they are produced by a one-man operation or an internationally known media company. And any frustration the listener feels is doubled for the media professionals who, without any formal training in audio production, still find the task of creating podcasts dropped on their desks as part of their employer’s content strategy. Fortunately, there are easy steps that podcast hosts and producers can take to fix rookie errors and grab the ears of more listeners.

1. Use proper recording equipment.

Although you don’t have to spend a load on fancy audio equipment to make your podcast sound its best, you shouldn’t skimp or be thoughtless about your options either. “You don’t want to use a little digital note taker or whatever recording device you happen to have. You should get dedicated audio equipment,” said Andy Bowers, executive producer of video and podcast programming for Slate.

Bowers recommends the hand-held Zoom H1, which has studio-quality microphones on top and records in stereo for WAV or MP3 format. When you are ready to record, do so in an uncompressed audio format, like an AIFF or WAV file. “That’s the highest quality you can get, and then you can edit that later without losing any quality and then convert it to an MP3, which is what you will want to distribute later,” explained Bowers.

When recording telephone interviews, which can be challenging, try experimenting with various software — Pamela, Ecamm or Audio HiJack Pro along with Skype, for example — to see what works best for you. Dana Barrett, host and editor of the MidtownReview.com podcast which features book reviews and interviews with authors, uses Cogi, an online audio recording and transcription service. In all cases, make sure you use a landline for the best audio quality, since cell phones can drop calls and cut in and out.

2. Show some personality.

It has always been said that radio is the most visual and intimate of media, and podcasts are even more so. When listeners go through the trouble of finding, downloading and then listening to your podcast, over time, they begin to feel as if they are part of some special “club,” says Bowers. Having an engaging personality will help cultivate that personal connection and can engender audience loyalty.

“Whether you host your show alone or co-host, don’t be afraid to express your opinion.”

Showing personality means being entertaining on some level, even if your podcast focuses on drier topics, like a how-to or business show, says Matt Binder, producer of “The Majority Report with Sam Seder.” You can do that simply by being yourself and using your personal traits to your advantage.

In the case of “The Majority Report,” even though it is a political podcast, host Seder makes it fun to listen to because of his innate sense of humor, which he isn’t afraid to unleash. “People know him for that. So if people know you for being a funny person in the business world, or if you are known for having a sarcastic tone or a specific charismatic flair, let that out of there because it’s entertaining and people will listen and they will digest the information a lot easier,” explained Binder.

3. Get a debate going.

You don’t have to run your podcast solo. Having someone there to debate or go back and forth with will get the energy up, further personalize the hosts, and make them empathetic to listeners. “If you are going to listen to these people regularly, you want to get to know them a little bit and you want to like them,” said Bowers.

Whether you host your show alone or co-host, don’t be afraid to express your opinion. “The Internet is a medium that rewards people who provoke a little bit,” said Bowers. “There’s several ways to get at the truth. One is to just give information in a slightly dry and informative, just-the-facts way. Another is to have people debating a topic, and I think that is always much more dynamic.”

And if you’re inviting guests onto the show, remember to choose those who also have some personality and, of course, like to talk. “Don’t put people in front of microphones just because they have the title that you think is appropriate for an organization,” said Bowers.

4. Be conversational.

Some rookie hosts may unintentionally stiffen up when they get behind the mic, and that can come across in your voice. Instead, talk to your interviewee the same way you would when having a “real” everyday conversation, says Barrett.

Remember to modulate your voice to avoid sounding monotone, and if you ask a question, listen intently to the answer before responding. “You don’t have to go in order,” said Barrett. “If they answer your first question and it’s something that is fascinating, by all means, go with it. You can come back to your paper, to your questions later, but absolutely make it a two-way conversation ___- way more interesting.”

“Talk to your interviewee the same way you would when having a ‘real’ everyday conversation.”

5. Record in a small, quiet room.

That spacious conference room looks like a fantastic place to spread out all of your equipment, but Barrett advises against such empty, sound-reflecting locations. “Go into a smaller office. Put heavy curtains over the windows, so there is a lot of fabric to absorb the sound. Have a lot of rugs and cushions and pillows. Don’t be in a room where it’s all hardwood floors and glass,” she explained. “That stuff really changes the quality of the sound.”

If you work in an office with other people, don’t hesitate to put a “Do Not Disturb” or a “Recording in Process” sign on the door to prevent unwelcome intrusions. Podcasting is likely as foreign of a process to your co-workers as it is to you, the newbie podcaster, so ask them to be extra quiet when passing by your recording room so you don’t pick up hallway chatter or sudden cell phone ringing.

6. Edit, edit, edit.

Perhaps your interviewee gave an overly lengthy answer or said a few too many “ums” or “you knows.” You can and should cut all of that out. But other times, a little unexpected noise can add cachet. Say you are interviewing a politico in a K Street office, and the mic captures the street-clearing hum of a Presidential motorcade or the siren sounds of city police. That can actually add some level of authentic ambience to your show.

But, by and large, your podcast needs to be as tight as possible, so be ruthless when it comes to cutting the fat. Make every uttered word mean something to the listener. If it doesn’t add to the conversation, cut it, so long as it doesn’t take the interviewee’s words out of context or remove critical information.

7. Brand your show.

The two main hosting and distribution points for your podcasts are often your website and iTunes, so it is worth it to develop a signature graphical look. This makes it easy for listeners to find your podcast when scrolling through their iPods or other listening devices, and it also reinforces the overall personality of your show. If you use intro music, keep it brief (no more than five seconds), then fade out. “It should really just be a little taste of something,” Barrett said.

Once your show looks and sounds good, it’s time to get some marketing in place to keep listeners coming back for more. And to do that you need to record and upload your show on a dependable schedule. “[If] you are just randomly putting it out there on random days during the week or month,” explained Binder, “you are never going to build an audience that way.”

NEXT >> Ready, Set, Star: Produce Your Own Online Video Show

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Jennifer Pullinger is a writer and editor in Richmond, Va. Visit her at www.jenniferlpullinger.com or on Twitter @JLPullinger.

Chances are you don’t have the luxury that writers at the award-winning satirical news network The Onion have, which is the freedom to write your headlines before you write the story.

Instead, you probably labor over your story first, and then plunk out whatever title you think fits it best. (If you’re really lucky, you simply turn over the piece to an editor who will do the heavy hed lifting for you. Thank God for freelancing, right?) But in case you were too busy stacking old copies of your college newspaper to notice, headlines are pretty important on the Web. In fact, they’re probably more important than the lede and story itself.

But how exactly do you craft a good headline for the new media age? Should everything be written countdown style as “6 Ways to Do XYZ,” be shamelessly SEO focused like “Justin Beiber, Lady Gaga, and Kim Kardashian Naked Photos,” or go straight for the jugular like this one? Well, yes and no. There are some no-fail strategies for crafting headlines that will wow and inform your audience, ensuring they click, read and come back for more.

Keep it SEF: Search Engine Friendly

While Google, Facebook and Twitter are tops for serving up news and information, that doesn’t mean you should load up your story with unnecessary keywords just to get eyeballs. What you should do, however, is think about those terms readers might use to find a story like yours.

Michelle Licudine, digital audience editor at The Palm Beach Post, says, “That’s a tough one for writers to follow because they take pride in crafting headlines — a clever one and a strong one — for display in print. Google favors a different kind of clever: one that demonstrates an appreciation of what people are looking for.”

Freelance writer and mediabistro.com instructor Jenna Rose Robbins agrees. “Headlines have more SEO value per word than the rest of the article,” she says.

For example, if your piece focuses on top bed and breakfast spots in Philadelphia, are readers more likely to type in “B&B Philly” or “East Coast inns”? If it’s a slideshow of celebrity couples, more people may be searching for “celebrity pictures” versus “celebrity photos.” So, the best way to narrow down your choices is to use free tools like the Google AdWords Keyword Tool or Yahoo’s Buzz Index. Doing so can be the difference between your story landing on the coveted first page of search results or the death sentence of page five.

“Google favors a different kind of clever: one that demonstrates an appreciation of what people are looking for.”

Leave a little to the imagination

Don’t give away your story in the headline like you would in print; omit important pieces to make your readers want to click for more information. For example, Robbins says, “If the headline says, ‘Lindsay Lohan to Star in an ’80s Movie Remake,’ you’re still wondering what movie. You want to have those keywords in a headline, but you still want to leave a question.”

Shirea L. Carroll, Web editor for the celebrity and lifestyle pub Juicy adds, “When writing, especially for a celeb-driven website, your headline should be slightly confusing, meaning it should give enough to make you want to read because you’re not completely understanding.” Such was the case when she titled a picture of rapper Jay-Z entitled, “Jay-Z Moving His Package, No FedEx.”

“Readers are curious, like, ‘what exactly are they talking about?'” she says. “[As a reader] I’m already enticed, but I’m not quite understanding what they mean, so it’s a headline that people would be compelled to read more.”

Take advantage of unlimited space

A short, simply-the-facts headline often won’t work online, says J.J. Gould, deputy editor of TheAtlantic.com. “In print, first, space is more of an issue, so you need to be relatively brief. Second, you already have more of your reader’s attention in print than you do in digital, so your headline has to do more work in digital. For that reason, you often have to use more words in order to be clearer about what you__?re saying and what it means.”

Carroll agrees. “A couple of years ago, simple and concise was the way to go, but for many [publications], even when it comes to SEO value and Google value, headlines are tending to be a little bit longer,” she says.

Giving the story away in the hed is acceptable sometimes if the stories are photo-driven and filled with click-throughs and captions. “The lede sometimes now has become the headline, [and then] you give a couple of details in the body,” says Carroll.

“Today’s journalists need to learn SEO techniques as much as, if not more, than their predecessors who worked the print industry needed to learn AP.”

Give the people what they want

Would your readers cringe if they read the word “nipple” in your title? Juicy‘s readers didn’t. In fact, when “Kelly Rowland’s Nipples Make an Appearance” was posted to the dotcom after the pop singer suffered a wardrobe malfunction during a performance, it became one of the most popular stories for that week, Carroll says. When you know the type of audience you have, it’s perfectly okay to let it all hang out (or not) in headlines. “For Juicy, using the word nipple in a headline isn’t offensive at all. It was more of a call-to-action to actually read the story,” she explains.

As another example, Complex.com, which caters to the 20-something male (median age is 29), recently ran this story: “From Dimes to Deuces: 10 Women Who Used To Be Hot.” Not only is the promise of pretty women enough to get young guys riled up, but the editors also know the lingo their readers are likely to use when searching. (A “dime” is slang for a “10,” an attractive female.) You wouldn’t use the same headline for a middle-aged women’s magazine, like Woman’s Day.

It’s okay to deviate from AP style

In a post for Online Journalism Review, blogger Robert Niles advised students to abandon journalism’s Holy Grail and focus solely on SEO. He writes, “Today’s (and tomorrow’s) journalists need to learn search engine optimization techniques as much as, if not more, than their predecessors who worked the print industry needed to learn AP.”

Licudine suggests using a mix of the two writing styles to be effective in reaching new readers via search engines without turning off your old audience. “In essence, there needs to be a balance. You don’t want to deviate from consistency that has earned you credibility and trust with your readership.”

The traditional rules in headline writing can be bent now, rather than completely abandoned. Spell out city names, instead of using abbreviations like PB for Palm Beach and use full names rather than only last names as you would in AP style. “What we’ve found is whereas you’re used to editing for space constraints in print, you don’t always have those on the Web. You can flex a little bit,” Licudine says.

Practice makes perfect

Every week, writers at The Onion gather in a room for hours to brainstorm story headlines. Only 16 are needed for each issue, but about 600 ideas get drafted and thrown out. Take a page from their book and practice writing headlines for stories constantly, even if they won’t be published, to get the hang of it.

If you have access to your publication’s analytics, use those numbers as an indicator for what works and what doesn’t or consult with your editor. Carroll says, “As an editor, we’re able to see more times than not what people are responding to by page views and what stories are popular. That’s what is going to guide each site. You’re going to let that be the mold until another story does better. It’s constantly changing.”

As the Web continues to grow and search algorithms are refined, the necessity for succinct summaries and titillating story titles are only going to become more important. So, whether you view headline writing as fun or just a necessary evil, better perfect those skills now if you want to keep the assignments (and page views) flowing.

“Stop being a writer for a second, and just be a person,” advises Licudine. “Be clever in a new way that can get people’s attention because ultimately, you worked hard on the story, and you want people to see it.”

NEXT >> How To Get a Job in Social Media

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Alisha Tillery is a freelance writer living and working in Memphis. She maintains a personal blog, Because I Said So.

As an author, you know how gratifying writing books can be. Writing book proposals? Not so much.

But if you want a readership wider than just your parents and spouse however, you’re going to have to learn how to craft a viable, compelling book proposal that lands you an agent or publisher. Here’s how to get started:

1. Assemble the basics.

The essential components of a book proposal are an overview, marketing plan, competitive book analysis, and author bio and platform. You will also need to include a table of contents, chapter summaries and a writing sample. It should generally follow an intuitive order and structure, with the overview going first, the marketing details in the middle, and the writing sample last.

“If you’ve got the ingredients — a really fresh idea or a fresh spin on an old idea, good writing, and a platform and a promotion plan — if a proposal has those things, it doesn’t make any difference what order they are in. Editors can skip around, and will and do,” said Michael Larsen with Larsen-Pomada Literary Agents.

Depending on the genre of your book you will want to emphasize different sections, but, as a general rule, authors should only approach agents or editors when both the material, as well as the platform and marketing plan are as strong as they can possibly be. Ultimately, however, it’s about the strength of your idea or content. “No amount of marketing is going to sell a bad book,” said Larsen, who is also the author of How to Write a Book Proposal.

2. Make your introduction a page turner.

Think of the query letter as your critical first impression. “The clich_? is if they can’t write a letter they couldn’t write a book,” said Larsen. The query letter has to encapsulate the essence of your book and has to make them want to see more. “One of the fundamental things that writers have to do today is to make information scalable, everything from a tweet to a book, from a one-line pitch to a one-hour radio interview. Katherine Sands, a New York agent, once said, ‘The writing you do about your writing is as important as the writing itself,'” said Larsen.

Book proposal editor Lisa Tener says authors should also consider including a brief (less than one page) executive summary that draws in a prospective agent or editor with the proposal’s major highlights. “Every book proposal is different, so do you have to have it? No, but I think it really helps your cause, because they can look at it in a glance and say ‘Oh my gosh, this author has something here,’ or ‘This isn’t for me.’ Any time you are saving them time and getting them hooked early on is going to be a benefit,” she explained.

“Think of the query letter as your critical first impression.”

3. Flesh out your platform.

Today, agents and publishers are putting more emphasis on the author’s platform: your following both online and offline. This is a natural development given an increasingly competitive traditional publishing marketplace with dwindling resources, the growth of e-publishing, and the fact that authors have always had to bear the responsibility for a fair portion of their book’s marketing. Your platform — and hopefully you have one — can be highlighted in either the author bio section, marketing section or as a stand-alone section.

Social media is a key part of an author’s platform, and there is no excuse for would-be authors today to not take advantage of free platform-building tools like Facebook or Twitter. Not having that kind of audience engagement or online visibility is a “big red flag” for agents and editors, Tener said.

“Are there books that get agents and even publishers [when] the author is barely on social media? Yes, but I think we are seeing more and more, sort of, ‘Well, why aren’t you on social media?'” she said. “So, you really have to have some very compelling evidence that you already have this huge following through other channels to really overcome that.”

If you don’t have a platform or even a simple website that you can highlight in your proposal, you will need to invest in one before a publisher decides to invest in you. “And you don’t want to skimp either, because nowadays I think there is a certain expectation that websites have a certain degree of professionalism. So, if it looks like that black background with the white writing that you can barely read, or it’s just very busy and you can’t even figure out what’s going on on the page, that’s going to work against you,” Tener said.

4. Prove your book will sell.

Having that aforementioned platform (a strong social media following, a well-trafficked website, a popular blog) is one way to show agents and editors that you can deliver an audience. “No one’s taking risks like that nowadays. They want a sure thing,” Tener said.

The digital revolution, said Larsen, is now forcing authors to prove themselves even before they get to the book proposal stage. “Books used to be the beginning of the information stream. Someone would write a book, you would get it published, and whatever would happen with it would happen with it. That no longer works. Writers today should make books the end of the information stream,” he said.

Think of your proposal as confirmation that a market exists for your book and you are the best person to write it. Authors can do that by test-marketing their content or concept, said Larsen. That can be done through the platform-building process: podcasting, blogging, social media outreach, crowdsourcing feedback, or even self-publishing first.

“If you don’t have a platform, you will need to invest in one before a publisher decides to invest in you.”

Providing evidence that your book will be in demand also applies when it comes to actual sales opportunities. “It used to be you could say you’ve got this interest in book sales, like doing some training and selling books to companies and they’ll order books in bulk. Nowadays, it doesn’t mean very much. If you can establish that you speak at those companies regularly it means a little something, but if you had a letter of intent from that company, that would mean a lot more,” said Tener.

5. Ready your rebuttals.

Agents and editors have less patience with a book proposal than they do with a finished book, said literary agent and former “big six” editor Jody Rein, so you need grab their attention quickly and sustain it throughout the proposal. “I always say to my clients they have got to head off all objections at the pass,” Rein said.

“So, they have to put themselves in the seat of the acquiring editor, and say, ‘Okay, what objection could this person possibly have against acquiring my book?’ For example, if you know you are writing into a very crowded field, then you would want to say very early in your proposal, ‘I’m writing in a very crowded field, and this is why my book will stand out,'” she said.

6. Make it e-readable.

You should also think about how the agent or editor will read your proposal, especially in this digital age. “The one bit of advice that I would have for writers is that when they craft their proposals, they read them on an e-reader and in print before they submit them.” The proposal has to work in all formats, she said, because agents and editors, just like everyday readers, interact with the material differently.

Rein also advises against embedding too many links into your proposal. “What my goal always is is to keep the editor’s head in the proposal. You don’t want anything that’s going to pull them out of the experience and have them put it down and forget about it,” she said.

7. Ask permission to query.

This final tip may seem obvious, but it’s an important one that shouldn’t be overlooked. Before wasting a lot of time (and possibly postage) sending your proposal, try to establish a relationship with an editor or agent first. This can be done by meeting them in person at a conference, for example, or by way of introduction through a colleague. Then, ask if he or she accepts queries. Unfortunately, many agents are so inundated with submissions that they no longer accept queries from people they don__?t know.

Once you get the okay, says Tener, “Then mark your envelope ‘requested materials enclosed’ in the lower left corner. This is important, or it will end up in the slush pile even though they did say they wanted to see it.”

Whether your proposal lands you a publishing deal or not, Rein says the work you do on it is never a wasted effort. “If your book is picked up by a publisher, they use the proposal a lot in the publishing process,” she said. Alternately, if you choose to self-publish, you are well ahead of the game, because you already have your marketing plan mapped out. And, she added, “It also helps you figure out if you really want to write the book. It’s a great way to save yourself a lot of angst.”

NEXT >> What Every Author Should Know Before Publishing an eBook

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Jennifer Pullinger is a writer and editor in Richmond, Va. Visit her at www.jenniferlpullinger.com or on Twitter @JLPullinger.

Authors don’t need traditional book publishers anymore. Or do they? Almost daily, we see headlines proclaiming the demise of ‘dead tree’ books. “At some point the e-book will become the publishing market’s primary engine,” was one such headline from a recent feature in The Guardian.

One of the advantages of self-publishing an eBook, says New York Times best-selling romance novelist Barbara Freethy, is the potentially larger piece of the profit or royalty an author gets compared to what they earn with a traditional publisher. “You can also put your books up more frequently, so when you finish a book and it’s ready to go, you might not have to wait a year and a half. You can control your price and you can also have flexibility. You can change the cover if it__?s not working, that type of thing,” she said.

Think you’re ready to take the leap? Beware. With more creative control and the potential for more money comes more work and responsibility. Here’s why:

You’ll now handle marketing, sales, cover design…

Many writers are creatives and dreamers, but they’re not always the best businesspeople. If you opt to publish your eBook on your own, forgoing the editorial and design expertise as well as marketing, distribution and sales support that traditional publishers offer, then you should be prepared to outsource or do all of this work yourself. That includes managing the bottom line and return on investment.

Since 2011, Freethy, who has been published by Pocket Books, NAL, and HarperCollins, has sold 1.6 million eBooks, primarily by securing the rights to all of her backlist titles after they went out of print and then re-releasing them as eBooks. Authors who publish their own eBooks should expect to work harder and wear a lot of hats, “because you are basically running an entire publishing company,” she explained. “Everything that the publisher was doing for you as an author, you are now doing for yourself as a self-publisher.”

“There is a ton of work behind it, and the author has to really become a business owner and a marketing expert. And you are your own art department. You have to hire out your own editors, hire out various parts that would be given to you if you were working with a traditional publisher,” she said. If you prefer to focus on the writing and the writing only, then self-publishing may not be for you.

“Everything that the publisher was doing for you as an author, you are now doing for yourself as a self-publisher.”

You need a platform before you publish.

Do yourself a favor: Build your platform ahead of time, well before you release your eBook. This applies whether you are publishing on your own, through a digital publisher, or through a traditional publisher, who will also publish the print version of your title. Your platform is the means by which you reach your audience. That could be a Facebook or Twitter fan base in the thousands, a frequently updated blog with compelling content and lots of commenters who hang on your every word, or a strong, vetted email list of supporters. This way, you don’t have to rely as heavily on, for example, a good review from the Washington Post, a feature in O magazine, or a spot on Good Morning America to make or break your work.

If you don’t have a platform, then you will need to make connections to someone who can be a “big mouth” for your work. Sarah Mae, author of How to Market and Sell Your e-Book said, “I watched a TED Talk the other day about YouTube and how videos go viral, and really what happens is it’s not the video. It’s about an influencer, or they call tastemaker, who happens to mention it and then all of a sudden, bam! It goes crazy.”

“For example,” she continued, “the ‘Double Rainbow’ video that went viral, they were stagnant on YouTube for months and months, and then one person who happened to have influence or a platform tweeted it, or Facebooked it, or blogged it, and all of a sudden then it goes everywhere. So, if you don’t have the platform, you are going to need a strong ally or know some people who do have platforms who go to bat for you or just happen to like it.”

Social media is for making connections, not selling your book.

The skills to build your marketing platform aren’t hard to come by, said Catherine Ryan Howard, author of Self-Printed: The Sane Person’s Guide to Self-Publishing. “I don’t think you need to have any innate knowledge; I certainly didn’t. I started off from scratch and learned as I went along,” Howard said.

She did, however, suggest that eBook authors take a nuanced, measured approach to how they use social media to spread the word and build relationships with potential readers. Remember, social media is supposed to be a two-way exchange, not just for loudly broadcasting what you are selling. “Authors who worry too much about marketing come off like insurance salesmen who’ve just knocked at your door during dinner, and no one buys their book,” she said.

No matter what route you go, authors are used to doing much of the heavy lifting themselves when it comes to marketing. “We’ve all had encouragement to put up Facebook pages, and to Twitter, and to develop interactive websites, and to build a mailing list, and so these skills every author is learning, whether they are self-published or are traditionally published,” said Freethy. “Very few publishers do this for them unless you are Steven King or somebody at the very, very top. Every author is doing a lot of the marketing themselves,” she says.

“If you don’t have a platform, then you will need to make connections to someone who can be a ‘big mouth’ for your work.”

Success could hinge on your relationships with distributors.

Direct access to electronic retailers is one of the bonuses of the self-publishing eBook market, said Freethy. “In the beginning, you had to work mainly with aggregators like Smashwords, which still a lot of people do. But each of the big retailers has either opened up a self-publishing portal or they are about to.”

The Amazon Kindle Store, Apple iBookstore, Barnes & Noble Nook Store, Diesel eBook Store, and numerous other e-retailers are out there, while places like Smashwords and Createspace help do the distribution for you. “My philosophy has been to go direct to every retailer, because then you can develop a personal relationship and then you have really quick control. You can change your price in an hour if you want to,” said Freethy. “That kind of flexibility you don’t have when you are working through a publisher. They can do that, but you have to convince them to do that and that’s not always easy.”

Profits and bestseller status are still hard to come by.

Howard advises authors who are considering publishing their own eBooks to not abandon the traditional publishing marketplace just yet. “The majority of books by far are still purchased in brick and mortar bookstores, and it’s near impossible for a self-publisher to get on the shelves in any kind of meaningful way there,” she cautioned. “Personally, I am using self-publishing as a foundation, to prove myself as a writer and a marketer, in the hopes of one day securing a traditional publishing deal.”

“The publishing industry are the experts as far as book production goes, and although I think it’s easy to get carried away in the current climate what with all the sensationalist headlines,” said Howard, “but you have a much better chance of actually selling copies with a publisher behind you.”

And don’t expect success to happen overnight. Self-published eBook authors face the same crowded marketplace as traditionally published authors. “I think that it’s a mistake for authors to think that they can just write one book, put it up, and it could be a bestseller,” said Freethy. “That could happen, but just like in traditional publishing, that’s rare. Writers have to develop a career. They have to write more than one book. When readers like one book, they want the next book. So, sometimes I hear people get discouraged, ‘Oh, I put my book up and nothing happened.’ You have to keep writing and you have to keep developing your career.”

NEXT >> Making an eBook, Part 2: Marketing

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Jennifer Pullinger is a writer and editor in Richmond. Visit her at www.jenniferlpullinger.com or on Twitter @JLPullinger.