So you live in a town where cows outnumber people. Does that mean you can’t be a successful writer? Of course not!
These 8 writers prove that you don’t need to be from a big city to be a big-time writer.
Read below to find out who made the list and discover their best tips for writing success.
1. Cheryl Snapp Conner @CherylSnapp
Location: South Jordan, Utah
Population: 59,366
Day job: Founder of SnappConner PR and Content University (TM)
Expertise: Public Relations Strategy, Thought Leadership, Entrepreneurship
Why follow Cheryl? In addition to founding her very own Content University (TM), Cheryl is a seasoned Forbes writer who has given many renowned writers their start. What sets Cheryl apart from other writers is not only her knowledge of PR and communications, but also her willingness to reply to nearly all of her reader’s comments.
Cheryl’s best advice for writers: “My biggest piece of advice would be to write with the interest of your readers in mind. It seems so basic, but for emerging writers, it is so hard to do.”
Cheryl’s most-shared piece: A Year Ago He Didn’t Write, Now This Sales VP Has Authored A Best-Selling Book
2. Saul Gitlin 冀碩臨 @ChinaSaul
Location: White Plains, New York
Population: 57,866
Day job: Principal at Gitlin Global Consulting
Expertise: Marketing Strategy, Strategic Planning, Corporate Communications
Why follow Saul? Great writing is timeless, right? That’s what makes this writer stand out. For example, Saul’s Huffington Post piece on the first reported AIDS death in China is still used as a rallying call by activists, seven years after it was published. Did I mention he’s also an accomplished travel writer? It’s these diverse storytelling skills that have propelled him up the corporate ladder and made him a small-town writer to follow.
Saul’s best advice for writers: “Based on my global, multicultural, and multilingual background, my focus is always on interesting stories and commentary detailing the intersection and interaction of disparate cultures - a theme that has relevance for global business, politics, popular culture, and leisure discovery.”
Saul’s most-shared piece: A Long Weekend in France Without Leaving North America (Really!)
3. Nathan Ellering @njellering
Location: Fargo, North Dakota
Population: 113,658
Day job: Content Marketing Lead at CoSchedule
Expertise: Copywriting, Marketing Communications, Public Relations
Why follow Nathan? Despite graduating college only six years ago, Nathan has the writing chops of a 20-year veteran. His ridiculously practical marketing tips on his company’s blog has this writer waiting for his posts like a dog waiting for his next meal.
Nathan’s advice for writers: “Define a standard of performance for the content you publish.
At CoSchedule, I’ve implemented a process so everything I write matches five pillars of excellence:
Topic my audience will love
Keyword-driven so my audience can find my writing when they need it most
Research-based to back up all claims
Comprehensiveness to cover every detail with actionable advice
Email optimized to turn traffic into subscribers”
Nathan’s most-shared piece: 105 Types of Content to Fill Up Your Content Calendar
4. Kevan Lee @kevanlee
Location: Boise, Idaho
Population: 214,237
Day job: Director of Marketing at Buffer
Expertise: Blogging, Social Media, Social Media Marketing
Why follow Kevan? Kevan’s midas touch turns nearly everything he writes into content gold. Don’t believe me? In the past six months, he’s written 10 articles with over 1,000 shares each! What makes Kevan even more impressive? He takes the time to share his best actionable advice on content marketing via his blog. What a guy!
Kevan’s best advice for writers: “Delete your first sentence. Chances are, your post will be just fine without it. Maybe it’ll be even better. This is one of the top tips for essay writing and direct mail campaigns.”
Kevan’s most-shared piece: The Social Media Manager’s Daily, Weekly, Monthly Checklist
5. Brian Dean @Backlinko
Location: Originally from Rhode Island
Population: 1M (the smallest state in the U.S.)
Day job: Founder, CEO and SEO Blogger at Backlinko
Expertise: SEO, Content Marketing, Link Building
Why follow Brian? Brian Dean is the godfather of SEO blogging. What makes Brian unique? Oh, well he just created one of the world’s most popular methods for getting high-quality backlinks. Maybe you’ve heard of it. It’s called the Skyscraper Technique and it’s advocated by content marketers around the world.
Brian’s best advice for writers: “Write short sentences. Long sentences may work offline. But they definitely don’t work online. So the next time that you edit your writing, cut out the fat. See if you can turn once sentence into two (or three). You’ll probably find that your sentences are easier to read. And you may even see that your time on site and bounce rate improve.”
Brian’s most-shared piece: SEO Tools: The Complete List (153 Free and Paid Tools)
6. Aaron Orendorff @iconiContent
Location: Klamath Falls, Oregon
Population: 21,207
Day job: Content Strategist at iconiContent
Expertise: Copywriting, Editing, Content Strategy
Why follow Aaron? This college instructor turned content strategist is the Walter White of content marketing, minus the meth. Over the past decade he’s built a writing empire rivaling that of Heisenberg, contributing to nearly every major publication on the planet including the Huffington Post, Inc., and Entrepreneur, to name a few.
Aaron’s best advice for writers: “All powerful writing – all powerful content for that matter – starts with your audience and not you. This is uber true online, where there’s so much “noise” it’s insanely difficult to stand out. By researching your audience – from shallow quantitative research like, “What does Buzzsumo say are the most popular topics and post via social on the sites they already love?” to deep qualitative research like, “What are people loving and hating in their reviews and comments on Amazon and YouTube?” – you can actually crawl inside their heads.”
Aaron’s most-shared piece: Clinton vs. Trump: 18 CROs Tear Down the Highest Stakes Marketing Campaigns in US History
7. Erin La Rosa @SideOfGinger
Location: Originally from Belleair, Florida
Population: 3,933
Day job: Deputy Editorial Director at BuzzFeed
Expertise: Editing, Storytelling, Social Media
Why follow Erin? Erin is the best ginger writer on this list. In all seriousness, she has a razor sharp wit and is so entrenched in pop culture that she’s become a bit of a pop icon herself. Her tweets are so damn funny, they’d make Ron Swanson giggle like a little school girl.
Erin’s best advice for writers: “My best writing tip is to actually sit down and just do it. Then do it again, and again, and again, and eventually you will get better at it, and maybe even great at it. But you can’t make mistakes, improve, and learn, unless you actually sit down and write the words in the first place.”
Erin’s most-shared piece: 17 Female Friendship Truths, As Told By Amy Poehler And Tina Fey
8. Sophorn Chhay @inboundo_co
Location: Lake Elsinore, California
Population: 55,288
Day job: Inbound Marketing Specialist at Trumpia
Expertise: SEO, Social Media Marketing, Online Marketing
Why follow Sophorn? Great writers get results. In Sophorn’s case, he’s helped his company increase leads by over 400% by writing helpful articles and getting them featured in the most influential online publications, including Business.com and Business2Community. Now that’s writing that drives results!
Sophorn’s best advice for writers: “With so many articles written on any subject, you need to figure out how to be a disruptor.
You need to be different. Choose a subject from a refreshing new angle or even use a gimmick to grab their attention.
Understand your target audience’s pain points and figure out how to solve their problem with a unique strategy.
Understand social triggers. Each piece of content needs to include these social triggers that make your readers want to share it to their social communities.”
Sophorn’s most-shared piece: Why Mobile Marketing #Advertising Spend Is Increasing
That’s great! Now what?
Now that you’ve read the article, follow this 3-step process for quickly improving your writing:
Follow these writers online and read their most-shared pieces.
Analyze what makes them a success.
Apply the learnings from #2 to your writing. Voila!
Did I forget anyone from the list? Shout about it in the comments section.
About the Author - Joe Escobedo
Location: Originally from Midwest City, Oklahoma
Population: 56,756
Day job: Director of Digital Marketing at Happy Marketer & FutureMarketer
Expertise: Inbound Marketing, Content Marketing, Lipsyncing
My best advice for writers: “Writing accounts for only 10% of a successful piece of content. Proper research and distribution make up the other 90%.”
My most-shared piece: How This Marketer Closed A Six-Figure Deal Thanks To AdWords Training