5 Tips To Improve Your Blog

Posted on April 15, 2016 by Catherine Balavage

I have now been blogging for more years than I care to admit to. In those years I have picked up a lot of knowledge. I will now be sharing this knowledge with the readers of Frost. To get started here is my five top tips for your blog.

Avoid Duplicate Content.

Google penalises duplicate content and it will affect your SEO. If you want to put the same post on your blog, or as a guest post service on another site then give it a rewrite. In traditional publishing articles are ‘topped and tailed’ and then resold to different publications. You can do the same by keeping the essence of your article, but rewriting it. If you have writers ask them not to cross publish their articles. Original content is best.

Engage With Your Readers.

You should engage with your readers in two ways: emotionally and physically. Most writers write to connect with people and tell stories. And people read to feel connected with the world and other people. It is also important to respond to readers. If someone tweets you or makes a comment under your post, thank them and respond.

Share Your Post on Social Bookmarking Sites and Social Media.

So many people write a great post and then expect people to be able to find it. If you do not share your post then people will not know it exists. Sure your regular readers will go to your home page, but not everyone will. Share your post on Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, Digg, StumbleUpon, Tumblr, Google + and Pinterest. You can use a plugin which shares your post to certain sites automatically. I recommend this as it can be time-consuming. After a while focus on the sites which give you the most traffic and drop the others. Ask your writers to share their posts. Also: encourage your readers to share articles.

Don’t Just Copy and Paste Press Releases.

There is nothing wrong with publishing press releases. Frost does sometimes when we think our readers will be interested in the story, but do not fill your site with them. It is also a good idea to personalise them. Whether or not you completely rewrite them is up to you. Some people think they should be rewritten but I think a tweak is fine. Tailer it to your site and make sure it does not end up as duplicate content (see above) and then you have some free copy. When it comes to press releases resist the urge to just bung one up to add content. No new post is better than a subpar post which brings down the tone of the entire site.

Be Authentic.

You are unique. You have a voice: use it. No one else can do what you do. Always be your authentic self. You can use your experiences to connect with other people who have been through the same thing. Write from the heart and people will connect with you. Never sway from your beliefs or do something solely for money. As Bob Dylan says, ‘Your reputation is something that you can sell, but that you can’t buy back’. Bob knows his stuff, listen to him.

You can buy The Ultimate Guide To Becoming a Successful Blogger here.

Olivia Wilde “too old” To Play Leonardo DiCaprio’s Girlfriend

Posted on April 5, 2016 by Catherine Balavage

Olivia Wilde has revealed she was “too old” for Margot Robbie’s role in “Wolf of Wall Street”
During an interview with Howard Stern the actress revealed she was “too old” for the role. Stern had asked if she had ever not gotten a role because she was too good-looking. Wilde said:

“The funniest thing I heard recently was I had heard for a part that I was too sophisticated. And I was like, Oh, that sounds nice. I like that feedback. I didn’t get the part, but I’m a very sophisticated person. And then I found out later that they actually said ‘old.’ I want to make a translation sheet for Hollywood that’s all the feedback your agents give you and what it really means.” Wilde was 28 at the time.

Martin Scorsese did end up casting Wilde in “Vinyl,” his new HBO series. “I did not [have to audition for ‘Vinyl’] because I had auditioned unsuccessfully for ‘Wolf of Wall Street’ — that’s the one I was too old for” she clarified.

If you are an actor then check out How To Be a Successful Actor: Becoming an Actorpreneur. It is available in print and in all eBook formats on both Smashwords and Amazon.

30 Days of Gratitude Day 30 #30daysofgratitude

Posted on March 30, 2016 by Catherine Balavage

Today may be the last day of my 30 Days of Gratitude series, but it will certainly not be the last day I take account of what I am grateful for. In life the bad can outnumber the good, but joy will always conquer, as long as you leave yourself open to it. I thought about what I should be grateful for in my last column. There were numerous things: nature, a takeaway, going to a restaurant, the fact that I can make a living doing what I love (a HUGE one). The fact is that life is beautiful even in its ugly moments. In the tough times there are still those we love, surrounding and supporting us. Then there is just the fact that I am British. Britain is a wonderful country. I also live in London. I fell in love with London when I started to commute down for auditions. I have lived in London for almost ten years now. They have been the best years of my life. Positivity is important in life and negative thinking has a bad effect on your health. So every time you are having a bad day start your gratitude list. It helps, promise.

Catch up on other days:

Day 1.
Day 2.

What are you grateful for?

30 Days of Gratitude Day 29 #30daysofgratitude

Posted on March 29, 2016 by Catherine Balavage

Today I am grateful for the opportunity to put my feet up. Mostly because it rarely happens! Like most working parents I am always on the go. In fact I spent the entire Easter Weekend working. Pretty sucky. But I did get my novel away and get a lot done. But life is about more than career and ticking off your to do list. Life is about joy and happiness. My happiest times are always with my boys. So this week I will be finding the time to put my feet up and relax. If my workload and baby allow it, I will be grateful.

Catch up on other days:

Day 1.
Day 2.

What are you grateful for?

30 Days of Gratitude Day 28 #30daysofgratitude

Posted on March 28, 2016 by Catherine Balavage

Today I am grateful for art. While I don’t find a lot of time to do my own art much, I still find joy in others. I love art galleries and museums. Discovering new artists is also one of my favourite things. Below is some of my art which I did years ago. I am going to make sure that I start drawing more this year. The last picture is a drawing of my son and I by Holly Thomas. I love it and we have it framed and on display. It was a wonderful present from Holly.

Catch up on other days:

Day 1.
Day 2.

What are you grateful for?

30 Days of Gratitude Day 27 #30daysofgratitude

Posted on March 27, 2016 by Catherine Balavage

Today I am grateful for less. I have been decluttering our apartment for a while now, and it is amazing how much clearer you feel when you are not surrounded by junk. I have not been just throwing things in the bin as I hate waste. Just putting things in a landfill rather than your home does no one any favours. What I have been doing instead is recycling, selling and giving to charity. I feel better, have some money in my pocket and have less distractions. Win win.

What are you grateful for today?