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sou-ver-2-0 · 3 years

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I was thinking of an AU, where the death game is created by Sou and set up in Shin's favor. I don't have it well developed yet, but I thought it might be something you'd find interesting!

I definitely find that idea interesting!! I wish you luck in developing that idea further!

For canon, I’m attached to the theory that the Man from the Memorandum is the mastermind of the Death Game, and that his favored candidate is Sara, leaving Shin in the dust. But I really love the idea that Sou could parallel the Memorandum Man in this regard, and that his favored candidate is Shin! An AU where Sou is the mastermind himself sounds delicious as candy to me.

I’ll leave it to you to work out the finer details of your AU. But, maybe it will inspire you if I share some of the ideas @novatoast and I have come up with for our:

“Sou/Midori wants Shin to live” Theory

This theory is a villain stan’s fever dream, but we do have some evidence for it. The basic principles of this theory are that:

Sou might have died for Shin, or else, that he died knowing that his death would give Shin a fighting chance.

Midori is leaving gifts for Shin, and so the “weakest candidate” ends up having a shocking number of advantages.

I already discussed some ways the first point could work in my “Midori is Meister’s Son Theory” post. The basic argument for it is that Original Sou parallels Kai, and if Kai died entrusting his “hopes and regrets” to Sara, it is possible that Sou died entrusting his own name to Shin. Midori the doll even claims, “I gave Sou to Shin.”

The obvious counterargument against this theory is that Midori also states that he wanted to kill Shin himself! You know, “since he was going to die anyway.” To explain this contradiction, I previously speculated that Midori could have lost his “positive emotions” for Shin, to parallel how Rio Ranger lost his own “positive emotions.” Recently, I thought of a different explanation: notably, Midori only says this line in the “Kanna lives” route. It’s possible that Nankidai is setting up a surprise in this route that the person Midori really wants to kill is Kanna, for taking “his Shin” away from him. Another explanation is that Midori is furious at Shin for throwing away all his chances at survival, and this line reflects his anger.

Am I reaching? Obviously, yes. This is the theory where I dial up my self-indulgence to eleven.

Anyway! Isn’t it funny how Shin keeps getting all these gifts and advantages? What if Midori was giving them to him??

1. The name ‘Sou Hiyori’: Midori claims that he gave Sou to Shin! Sou is the name of a villain who lies and uses people. It’s the name of a strong man who has the potential to win. The previous Death Game winner may have even been the role of “The Villain,” so it can be done!

2. The laptop: Shin finds the Hidden Room with the laptop, and he even comments that it may be a gift from the kidnappers. To me, Shin’s dialogue sounds like someone who is used to being toyed with. However, the laptop is undeniably useful to Shin. Firstly, it contains incriminating evidence against Kai, helping to ensure Kai’s death in the First Main Game instead of Shin. Secondly, the laptop proves Shin’s usefulness to the group as a computer hacker, giving him a lifeline he could seize…if he so desired.

3. The gift of knowledge: Before the First Main Game, Shin somehow knew about the Sacrifice Card! And other details about the Main Game! He uses this knowledge to isolate Kanna and trick her—underhanded tactics he surely picked up from his relationship with Sou. Shin also uses this knowledge to devise a strategy to draw out the Sage, while protecting himself and Kanna by acting outrageous enough that they could have each been the Sacrifice.

4. The laptop charger: Wowowow isn’t that convenient?? Isn’t that just what we all needed to keep using the laptop, that precious item which highlights Shin’s invaluable skillset? And Shin just found a charger lying around? Wow!

5. The stun gun: Shin mysteriously got himself a weapon!! Where the hell did you get that, Shin? That’s clearly an unfair advantage!

6. Kugie’s smartphone: I love the implications that Midori may have intended Kugie’s smartphone—with the cruel message—to be a present for Shin, to corner Kanna even further. Notably, Shin and Kanna found the room first, but they were too scared to go inside, and so Sara ended up picking up the phone. Ultimately, Shin used the smartphone to try to boost Kanna’s self-esteem, and he tried to hide the fact that he cared about her. (Though Kanna figured it out anyway.)

With these gifts falling into his lap, Shin entered the Second Main Game with a Strong Persona; a henchman who was willing to die for him; and with everyone recognizing how indispensable his computer hacking skills were. He had so many advantages.

And then he throws them all away.

He gives up on lying about his name, because he wants to be able to trust people again.

He uses all his wiles to try to save Kanna, even at the cost of his own life.

He argues that you should not vote for the “useless” child, and that you should instead vote for the “hated” villain, himself.

If Shin had simply kept up the selfish Sou Hiyori persona, he could have survived!

Wouldn’t it be interesting if Sou/Midori had also given up everything for Shin? That he may have had logical reasons for being so cruel to Shin, to try to make Shin a “strong” person? Because he thought that was the only way his kind-hearted, “weak” friend could live?

Who had the motivation to give the weakest candidate so many advantages? Might Shin have had his own “hero in the shadows,” similar to how Kai was looking out for Sara…but more like a “devil in the shadows” looking out for him?

…On the one hand, I don’t want to get my hopes up too high for Midori. He’s honestly a flat character so far. But he has so much potential!!

The way I’m envisioning this theory, Sou/Midori could be trying to foil Meister’s hopes that Sara will win. (Though it’s certainly possible that Sou/Midori is simply playing into Meister’s hands, or else that he’s dutifully following instructions. We just don’t know.) What makes this theory so fun to me is that I love rebellious villains trying to overthrow the system. I also like the idea that Sou/Midori could turn out to be shockingly “concerned for Shin’s welfare,” but without ever understanding what Shin really needed from him as a friend. That Sou could have approached “saving Shin” from a point of view that is still selfish and cruel. That his actions still harmed Shin, because he never cared what Shin himself wanted.

Going back to your AU though!! If Sou Hiyori is the Mastermind himself? I feel like he could give Shin even more advantages! That sounds like such a cool premise to me. I’m sorry that I hijacked your ask to talk about this theory, haha, but I hope you found it interesting. Good luck!

#yttd #your turn to die #kimi ga shine #your turn to die spoilers #sou hiyori #shin tsukimi #sou and midori #asks #meta #mine #theories

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tammyhybrid21 · 4 years

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On Villain Impact

SO, Guess who just rewatched UP so that I could further expand on the tea brought up in the post that ask prompted! I mean, and some general comparison moments... with plot and tone and the possible inspirations... BUT--

We're not here to explore Paradise Falls today!

So let's take this in parts so I can give each villain(and one bonus) their dues. Starting with the Pixar villain who first traumatized me in 2009.

Charles Muntz

Sooo first of all, this guy is terrifying.

Like, out of all the villains I'm here to talk about, Muntz has reached that point that there's just... something wrong and broken by the time he actually shows up on screen in his movie. Well, not his movie but-- By the time we meet him, isolation has done a number along with his single minded focus on his goal.

Muntz is... not in a good state of mind AT ALL.

BUT--

I kind of want to take it back for a moment to what triggered this. Because here's the tea-- As we see, throughout the movie with Russel and Kevin, Muntz's find was real. Birb still around even. That skeleton he displayed-- and yet--

They decried it as fake. Something he fabricated. Which hello, here's some of my related tea-- Again, this is basically that whole-- issue of if it doesn't fit with known facts, along with some of the other issues regarding the palaeontology community in general that is-- not quite the same, but--

I have many, many dinosaur issues and some of them come from how long it took people to accept feathered dinosaurs, to the fact that there has been multiple cases of evidence that dinosaurs went extinct much more recently than what we're taught in schools(middle ages, medieval art and designs and just argh--), that are just-- REJECTED. Which even included a report about still images, art and designs that are very dinosaur in nature. Or hell, the comparison of dragon legends to how dinosaur skulls and appearances are--

Not to mention there have been and are still fiascos about dinosaur bones and the whole marrow and blood cells discovered in them. Which instead of maybe assuming that means they're younger than previously assumed they're assuming that means that decay rates are off, which... yeah sure. I don't really have a degree on that, but it sounds wrong when decay has more clear and obvious examples that have been more clearly witnessed, studied-- I mean there's a whole STUDY on decay--

BUT I'M NOT AN EXPERT AND THE EARTH HAS TO BE--

Anyway-- Fossils and bones have-- such a HUGE mess. From exhibits going missing, discoveries passed over time and time again because is "doesn't fit" what was previously know, there's a whole documentary that's one guy trying to explain how there's evidence of specific species actually just being sexual dimorphism and differences in age of just one species and being mocked by the rest of the community for that view--

You know fascinating stuff--

Among other things, like I remember so clearly a documentary that used to be around where they talked about a dig site where there were modern animals preserved with animals from so, so long ago-- along with trying to explain how the very existence of Dinosaur bones and fossils proved that the Great Worldwide Flood happened.

Which-- honestly on the flood, just look at how pretty much every culture has a Great Flood story and that's already proven that something happened. WHICH is all beside the point--

But this-- THIS--

Do you know how much this happens, happened, and still probably will happen in the future?! I mean shit-- people thought the KANGAROO was FAKE NEWS once upon a time. Among-- many other of Australia's animals... also like-- think about weird animals from your own country and imagine in the olden days, sure people could travel, but that didn't mean everyone would or could and just--

How many animals sound fake but then you see them?!

In any case, there's just a very subtle background flow to this movie in that ultimately, the TRUE villains hidden in the story are the Archaeology & Palaeontology communities. Scientists.

Which yeah, deviation from the main point of this post, so now that we have that background detail and rant. What impact does Muntz have as a villain. Well... very clearly he's terrifying. Like, I don't think I can overstate how much I was FREAKED OUT as a baby 11 year old seeing this movie for the first time, with exaggerated memories of fire and trauma and all-- and just-- Muntz is a Pixar villain.

Which yeah--

I don't actually really have to say much in regards to how he lingers and his presence is felt all through how the movie unfolds. Even from before this reveal-- there's that sense of wrongness when you're paying attention and you just think about how the dogs act.

And well-- there's something to be stated about this scene... and how it serves as a good lead in to the next villain I would like to talk about-- But for now...

Muntz' degeneration here is subtle. Traitors, liars, people after his discovery... and some serious isolation induced paranoia.

But the heart of his motivation is that long, long ago disgrace. It's been YEARS, of hunting and trying to find the one thing. Carl's entire lifetime from childhood. His entire goal-- and what a hell of a broken pedestal that creates... but arguably, he's from a somewhat tragic perspective when you actually think how fundamentally broken he's fallen when examining the facts.

From a lauded explorer-- adventurer... to this.

Fearing and calling anyone he meets liars.

Max Mordon

Soooo before anyone says that was an abrupt-- I think that this is the PERFECT place to transition over. Because the one immediately there is... some DRASTIC contrasts between these two, despite well. Some small similar vibes to generals.

Like seriously...

Not precisely the same... but like-- Brown hair, blue eyes... and the general frame of his hair style. Max just missed some of the points and has no moustache or anything. BUT--

Max is also in direct contrast in regards to motivations. At least to the prior villain of Muntz. BUT-- Max is kind of literally the kind of people that Muntz was paranoid about. Which isn't really played for subtly in the movie, which is unfortunate, but to be fair that's a hard thing to play subtle and with all the tropes we've been exposed to nowadays-- BUT--

Max basically fell into the trap of, pedestal to break, along with what I kind of call Scooby logic, in how his presentation gave him away as a villain. And also all the older mentor characters disapproving of him.

Basically he was doomed from the framing.

Which-- isn't really the movie's fault, and in the end I would argue it actually plays to his favour to be so obvious.

Sooo I can also actually focus on other things instead of the fact we all know! Like how THERE'S just... so, so much I could say about Tad's reactions to Max throughout the movie. But that will probably take away from the focus of this rant/analysis. BUT-- Yeah, Max is set up as pretty obviously trouble to EVERYONE but the main characters.

Which... I do have opinions for another rant about how Sara would have in any other context probably noticed his fake sooner-- but Max is... "media circus" and archaeology... and more really his pursuit is-- really, really straight forwards in the context of the movie and even the greater scope.

Max is after immortality, power, and prestige. Puts great pride on his title and claim to be the "Greatest explorer". And much unlike Muntz there is no sign of ANYTHING tragic or forgiving in his background. He wasn't screwed over by the system, rather he's here using the system to screw others other.

ALSO--

Max is savvy as anything.

Like-- I don't think people will quite understand my glee at how RUTHLESS this is. But in a similar vein to Muntz, Max isn't letting anything stand in the way of his goals. Not here-- directing the Odysseus to get rid of Freddy and Tad despite them ostensibly being "no threat", which yeah... not completely for Tad as later that comes back around-- BUT-- Max is just... SAVVY in that sense that he's not taking risks.

BUT then we also get him showing he's... really not as expert as he plays himself. Which sure, the Professor has studied for years, but still-- there's a kind of logic that's just-- well, in the Quipu room and even before entering the ruins... He's just-- not studied enough, or observing enough. Not without blind spots.

BUT--

I also want to for a moment just take a moment to have an aside on this:

I also don't know if this is something that people would notice. But-- when it comes to this moment, Max turns the tables... really quickly. Which half of that is just Mummy being kind of naïve himself here in this moment, like-- of all the decisions... but the other half is SOMETHING clicked in Max's mind on this--

But mostly I want to focus on that expression. He's so damn smug-- like he's got a plan, smug and smooth, ready to try and steal the advantage... and I have... opinions on other nuances that might be hiding in that smile. But-- well, it's just not something that can easily be covered all in this--

BUT

It's these two SIDES. And his clear motivation, that actually makes Max a really, really strong and interesting villain to speculate and think about. ALSO-- On the topic of my prior rant...

Max DEFINITELY is the kind of person who probably-- had the movie not unfolded as it did, just be likely to think Mummy was just "another discovery" and tool to use to boost his own reputation.

But as we all know-- ultimately it all came back down on him and backfired.

Jack Rackham

Is honestly the most bland and kind of... confusing almost part of The Secret of King Midas. Like, I almost get him, but then compared to Max, there's just... Nothing to really work with in terms of fanfiction for missing scenes, alternative takes on the universe and story-- and even for his basic motivation it feels like something is... missing or unexplained. Not quite paid off properly.

But then, a lot of things in the sequel kind of pan out in a weird way that I have... much to grumble on.

"So cute, the power of Midas goes way beyond wealth my dear"

"Midas' power, is the power of the GODS! The power to Rule the World!"

Aaaand then this feels like it doesn't actually get a proper explanation or framing or anything to explain what that even MEANS. It's kind of nebulous to how things pan out and unfold. Also, just in general for movie 2, we didn't see enough of Rackham for him to make a proper impact or landing...

Like, for all the world aside the romance subplot, Rackham's presence in this movie is the MOST FORCED THING. He just feels... incomplete, or like something is missing. And then worse, obligatory. With next to no impact aside a few expressions that only lead to more internal confusion and screaming because WHAT DOES THIS EVEN MEAN?! What was meant to be going on here?

And that stupid, stupid line--

Makes me wonder if there was some other factor supposed to be at play with the collar. Since honestly-- Just the touch of gold doesn't really speak highly to "the power of the gods".

Rackham... in comparison to Max is just-- so empty.

And again...

The last thing that just drives my confusion(along with a conspiracy based on framing, set pieces and other things) is this expression, and specifically who it's aimed at.

Bonus Tiffany & The Archaeological Community

So...

Hot take but-- Movie 2's villain should have been Tiff. Well, halfway anyway... And I have... already mostly ranted on the topic-- But not really enough to truly kind of get over my TRUE frustration. Which has now combined into how nebulous and almost... overloaded movie 2 feels the more I rewatch the rest of it.

BUT LIKE--

If there is one rule that we see time and time again when discoveries are made that challenge things. THEY ARE NOT ACCEPTED. People just like to think, to believe that we know the most about the past already. That there's a strict timeline to everything that happened. And if mythology and stories come into it-- Just for crying out loud--

The issue persists.

People denying anything that challenges the view already established. Up to and including the mishandling of archaeological digs and finds. Destruction of artefacts and we all know that the ones who get the brunt of it are the younger folks, those who're out of the "default" and well... ladies.

Which yeah-- not really surprising because sexism still stands and rings strong... but here...

DESPITE THE PAPYRUS BEING FOUND-- We didn't actually get to see the end result of that... And how it was taken beyond a giant presentation. There would have been authenticators-- people going over every INCH of that thing and then more-- so, so many people who would STILL call it fake.

Since we all know! Magic isn't real, myths didn't happen. So this must be some exaggerated story as well right?

WHICH ALSO-- Arguably this whole angle, the potential of the plot being just-- Driven by this-- It's more in line with the motives that are set up for Tiffany. The BIGGEST DISCOVERY in recent history. And also again, I can talk about some incomplete arcs, because this actually gives EVERYONE that little bit more room to breath.

Also serves as a bit more of a move on from movie 1 for Tadeo, first his hero(Max), wasn't all he appeared, and now-- the villain is okay, not exactly defined so much, more abstract in the community decrying the evidence. Denying-- Quite likely mishandling the papyrus since it can't really be what it claims.

Actually make the papyrus relevant, along with Sara's journal of notes on the project for more than one scene... and POSSIBLY EXPLAIN THAT LINE FROM RACKHAM.

Power of the Gods... and the mystery of Sara's kind of echo/response line to it.

“There are too many signs that the power of Midas shouldn’t be trifled with, I’m just saying that maybe the collar shouldn’t see the daylight”

We could have even still had that climax, just with some alterations, and let Tiffany come full circle in the theming. Set up and payoff, with even the legend being mirrored. But anyway... yeah.

Just in general, the villains most effective here are the ones who give us more than just that surface level empty sense. That have presence that's felt and echoes throughout the whole MOVIE and story. Which is definitely Muntz and Max, without them something is fundamentally lost.

Meanwhile Rackham is there, but he feels obligatory, without a proper explanation and if you removed him--

Tiffany could have become a mirror to Muntz in a similar way to Max-- BUT also much closer. She's set up PERFECTLY for it as well. Her adoration and eagerness, that bright hope yet. And it would be so easy to still have the main beats be the same-- Without much of an issue of the plot push either.

Rackham's sense of presence in the movie is so... dismal anyway--

And as for that climax. Well, you have to prove every aspect right?

BUT then it wouldn't make sense for Tadeo to make any kind of sacrifice there. To come full circle, it would need to be Tiffany. And the collar ACTUALLY could be sacrificed like in the legend and Tad first assumed.

#THybrid Jones #Pixar #Up(Pixar)#Tadeo Jones #Max Mordon #Rackham(Tadeo Jones)#Tiffany(Tadeo Jones)#Charles Muntz #Villains #This is filled with salt tbh #Because I wanted to RANT #But also I got to expand a bit on some things that bothered me #BUT NOT ALL OF THEM #Because I need to finish a certain fic so I can frame some of my posts properly #There are two moments cherry picked in this post I want to rant further on especially #But only one I'm sort of halfway able to

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shaldreth · 6 years

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I fell in love with Lotor and then realized he's a fucking idiot

AKA: a (bad) dissertation on Lotor's potential as a character and how his motivations basically undermined all of it.

Spoilers through the end of season 6; written pre-season 7.

Let's just get my credentials out of the way first: I recently watched Seasons 1-6 of Voltron in the span of about 2 months. I am vaguely aware of some fandom discourse. I know very little about the original Voltron show or its plot except what I've gathered from a single day browsing the wiki. And finally, I love manipulative trash cans. Doesn't matter if they've got gray morality, complete amorality, or if they're just plain evil: I unironically enjoy their existence (the only exception is Ni Jianyi who terrifies me, but, well, I attribute that to good writing).

So imagine my delight when in his very first episode, Lotor demonstrated that he'd been very competently keeping tabs on the political status of the central Galran Command even while exiled by: rooting out his main opponents, publically humiliating them, and positioning his Generals strategically in the audience to ensure that the crowd's response was positive and enthusiastic, all within probably a quintant or two of getting back. ....And then he blatantly admitted to manipulating public opinion not five minutes later. ....While looking unfairly gorgeous.

As character introductions go, it set a really fucking high bar, and I think a lot of people were immediately invested in learning what his endgame was. Regardless of whether his ultimate goals were ‘good’ or ‘evil’, people expected them to be competent and..... worthy. Worthy of all the time and effort that was put into this character, and the show in general. And then S6 happened. So buckle up friends because we’re gonna take an in-depth look at his journey from potential political mastermind to... merely obsessed, like his father.

Immediately after being appointed Emperor Pro Tem, Lotor goes out and retakes a recently liberated planet to bait out Voltron. Which is.... something that we never actually saw his father do. Ever. Zarkon seemed content to let rebel planets stay lost, which is really silly and not at all a sustainable method of ruling an empire (suggesting that Zarkon probably would have lost control of a large portion of the Empire sooner or later anyway even if Voltron hadn't managed to destroy him in Blackout). Anyway, it showed that Lotor is a competent tactician, since he gets exactly the information he needs and does way more damage to Voltron than he probably expected to. He even follows up properly by calling in reinforcements to save his ass fortify the newly retaken planet, which may have given him a nice boost in popularity back home.

(It also set up a number of obvious parallels between Lotor’s Generals and the Paladins of Voltron. Excellent teamwork and loyalty? Check. Cheerful personality? Check. Big strong type? Check. Brooding, dark-haired second in command? Check. ...Wait, that makes Narti Pidge’s parallel. Or maybe Shiro’s, since she’s sometimes mind controlled....? ANYWAY. )

We start to see a couple cracks in episodes 4 and 6, because it becomes clear that Lotor is actually not spending that much time managing the Empire. He's way more interested in getting the materials to build the Sincline ships. At this point in the series he's still doing a great job of evading detection and throwing misdirection everywhere to keep Haggar from guessing what he's up to, so it starts to look like he's trying to undermine the Empire from within. I mean, think about it: he set himself up publically as a celebrity to strengthen the Empire, and then he disappeared and did none of that. He even exiled Throk, one of his biggest political enemies to Buttfuck, Space - Population: Ice Worms after his public humiliation. Which is a really bad idea if you want to keep a guy out of trouble, but a really good idea if you want to give a guy the time and space he needs to get angry, start another rebellion, and further destabilize the Empire.

Lotor has lived in exile for years; he himself is the perfect example for how people rebel when sent to some corner of the universe with minimal supervision. He should know better than anyone that exile is a bad way to actually get rid of someone, yet he does it anyway.

Season 4 pretty much cements the idea that Lotor never actually wanted to rule the current Galra Empire, and was only using its resources for his own gain. He's removed from the position of Emperor Pro Tem with minimal fuss, and probably would have been quite happy to lay low for a while afterwards.... except that his dad then tries to kill him and he does the really dumb thing. I think almost everyone agrees that killing Narti was one of the dumbest things Lotor could have done. He could knock her out? Kill the cat?? Anything other than ruin his own party???

But nah. He stabs Narti and immediately the parallels between his group of Generals and Voltron shatter, because they betray him and try to turn him in to Haggar. Or, rather, he betrayed them.... .....actually maybe the parallels still apply, because I'm pretty sure that if Kuron had actually stabbed any of the Paladins at any point, the rest would have flipped out as well, so really the entire arc may be more of a statement on Galra culture as a whole.....

ANYWAY, the whole Narti thing might look like the place where everything starts to go south, but it actually doesn't ruin any of Lotor's potential. Killing Narti could either be the callous act of someone who's bad at communication and doesn't actually care about his team (which is his team's interpretation, and a fair one), or it could be taken as a really stupid moment of panic, which I’d argue is a little more interesting, since Lotor never panics. But either way, the outcome was the same: as soon as he had control taken away from him, he turned desperate and all his flaws started to come out. Narti's death was one of the dumbest things Lotor ever did, but I also want to argue that it's the one act that opened up his narrative potential the most, because it could have sparked some interesting discussion about whether all of his actions are due to being arrogant, maladjusted, and self-absorbed... or if any can be attributed to fear.

Unfortunately, while fanfiction capitalized on that potential immediately, the show never really did. I was hoping for a season of self-reflection as Lotor used his intelligence and manipulative skills to sway Voltron to his side and overthrow Zarkon and Haggar in retaliation for his one miscalculation of the series. I wouldn't even have been mad if he had betrayed Voltron again at the end, because it would have been in keeping with his suggested characterization so far, and I like competent opponents with actual realistic goals.

Season 5 looked like it was on track! Lotor was clearly still doing his best to manipulate Voltron as much as he could from a prison cell, furthering his goals despite his enormous setback. It's not really clear how many of his accomplishments during this season are due to careful planning and how many are due to luck; did he know Zarkon would offer the prisoner exchange? Did he know Sendak was going to be at the Kral Zera? Did he know Shiro was Kuron and would secretly hand over the Black Bayard so he actually had a fighting chance against Zarkon? ....Probably no to the last one, since it hinged on Honerva remembering her son, but who knows.

Regardless, Lotor takes a lot of risks and makes a lot of progress. He actually becomes Emperor. Dude, holy shit, congrats. Take a breather and regroup!! That big of an milestone should have been enough for anyone, but instead he pushed his luck searching for Oriande, becoming completely dependent on Allura for her guidance and her protection, and then he failed the White Lion's trial. Like, completely whiffed it. Do not pass Go, do not collect $200. The S6 finale makes it clear that Lotor's morals and goals are almost completely opposite Allura's, and that should have been the perfect place to start developing him further as.... you know, an actual emperor and moral counterpoint?

Instead, we got Season 6, where Lotor turned his fakeness meter up to 11 to seduce Allura. ...Badly. Like... really badly. ... Okay, listen the nanny thing was weird, there’s no denying that. She showed up for one episode out of completely nowhere and was never mentioned again. But Lotor felt more natural during that first episode of S6 than he did the entire rest of the season while romancing Allura, and I think that was probably on purpose. His voice and his face and his smile when he spoke with Allura were all the same ones he used during his first scene in the gladiator ring, when manipulating public opinion. I don’t think we were ever really meant to believe in Lotor’s feelings for Allura when his very character was introduced with the same sort of deception.

And all of that would still have been fine if he hadn’t had such a stupid final motivation. I suppose Season 6 makes sense when you consider that his ultimate goals actually had nothing to do with the Galra Empire, but it doesn’t feel like a good culmination of his character arc. So, knowing that his ultimate goal was the creation of a new Altean Empire, Let’s briefly review:

- Lotor spent three seasons manipulating the public to gather support and popularity. The conclusion of this was Kral Zera, where he actually became Emperor. But none of this matters. “Emperor of the Galra” is actually unrelated to “Emperor of the New Alteans”, or whatever. Unless his plan was to marry Allura and spend the next 10,000 years carefully integrating his Alteans into the Galran Empire while giving them every advantage possible, becoming the Galran Emperor didn’t actually have much to do with his Altean goals. His Alteans aren’t Galra citizens. So why spend that much time making himself popular with a race he hated? Narcissism???

- Lotor may have also spent three seasons subtly supporting rebellion across the Galran Empire, because he made a couple conspicuously bad decisions when it came to handling his political opponents/rebellion planets. Conspicuously bad enough to be deliberate, given what we know of him as a competent tactician. But supporting rebellion would only have helped him if he had planned to use rebellion to take over, and we just established that being the Galra Emperor doesn’t actually help his main goals. So does that make all the seasons of subtle rebel support.... a side-effect? Carelessness? Supporting the Voltron Coalition didn’t really matter if he intended to replace Voltron with his own shiny robot.

- Lotor’s generals are all half-galra. Originally, it seemed like he had chosen to align himself with societal outcasts because he could inspire loyalty and comraderie in them, and because after a lifetime of discrimination at the hands of Central Command, they’d probably be willing to support his rebellion. That’s, like, a huge fanfic canon. But instead, his final, power-driven speech suggests that he chose half-galra Generals simply because he couldn’t stand to work with full-blooded Galra. Which makes his close-knit team and all their beautiful parallels with Voltron... accidental??

- Lotor spent let’s say... a season and a half? trying to seduce Allura. This makes the most sense out of all of his goals, because marrying into the last remaining full-blooded Altean royalty totally fits with the New Altean Empire. What’s stupid here is how he handled it. Instead of coming clean about his Altean colony and, I don’t know, properly hiding his tracks as soon as he realized he could marry royalty?? He left the quintessence farm up and running. We know Lotor can get into and out of the rift way faster than Keith and Krolia, so there was really nothing stopping him from going to hide a couple skeletons in his closet sooner than never. He could probably have won Allura’s loyalty forever if he had presented her with an Altean colony and pretended to need her help restoring Altean culture; instead, he did dumb.

I’m just... I’m sad, okay? I’m not sad because he was evil; I’m sad because he didn’t want to be his father, and he absolutely turned into his father, and there were almost no signs of that until the very end. He could have been evil and still competent! While there are parts of Lotor that are really well written, it seems like they were all pushed to the side to make way for his obsession - an obsession he wasn’t even that obsessed about previously!!! - in the final couple episodes of Season 6, and he just... does so many stupid things.

So really, in conclusion, either Lotor got quintessence sickness, Haggar made a Lotor clone while he was visiting her that one time, or we should all be more sympathetic of Zarkon's stupidity in Seasons 1 and 2 because clearly Galra politics are infuriating enough that being Emperor for a couple pheobs was enough to make Lotor lose his McFreaking Mind. Zarkon had been Emperor for 10,000 years; it's understandable that he was a little quirky.

Also, I saw a post a few weeks ago that basically said “the worst thing that can happen to Lotor is that he comes back from the void and gets obsessed with Allura like in the original show”, and I wish I could find it again, so if you know that post, pls link me. And I agree, that would really really suck, I don’t want that. But I’m hopeful that the writers just decided to adapt his character a little, so that instead of being obsessed with the Altean Princess, he was instead obsessed with Altea, and therefore that arc is already over. But I guess we’ll find out soon! Fingers crossed.

Feel free to comment with alternate interpretations of everything here!

#voltron #voltron the legendary defender #lotor #vld lotor #long post #this is a very bad dissertation #the final message is I'm sad #that's it that's the point of this post #not lotor hate though #more like #I wish you were better #this is my first post in the voltron fandom #and possibly the last #I just #lotor y #six more days my dudes #six more days

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youdecode · 3 years

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Something that Seems Bad But is actually Good | Adopt 4 ‘Bad’ behaviors

Aren’t you tired of being too good? I am. But, you are also shy to be bad? Why? Society will punish you — with actions, words, and stares.

Imagine you’re Noland from Castaway, locked in an island.

In the midst of a solitary life full of uncertainties, you wish to get a tattoo, drive on the road’s the wrong side, smoke inside an elevator, play awful pranks, and party till late — only if you could go back where existence is.

But what if you’re not as lucky as Noland — who actually got a chance to relive? What if you spot angels before adopting so-called “bad” behaviors and depart with “I wish”?

Pity.

“We live, or we die by the clock!” Noland shouts. “We never turn our back on it, and we never, ever allow ourselves the sin of losing track of time.”

So, time is all you have.

Doing what society wants you to do, often, devoid you of real fun, wasting your precious time, stealing the joy of weird experiences.

So, there is no harm in being a little naughty and doing things which, otherwise, are seen as threatening.

Yes, to be polite is suggestive; to be productive is appreciated.

But today I’ll advise you to be bad because being “bad” doesn’t take much. Don’t trust me?

See for yourself, as unappreciative social behaviors peppered in this post suggest violating some restrictive social expectations. Let’s dive:

1. Let Your Tongue Twirl

I have never sworn in public, like never. In third grade, I called my class fellow “stupid”, and that mama’s boy complained to the class teacher, destroying my image partially.

From that day, yes, life traveled a great deal — but the incident remained precisely in its place. I ensured to always maintain animosity against badmouthing.

Especially, swearing. But, as of writing now, my brain is nudging to change this hostility — all credit to the studies confirming how swearing helps one overcome frustration.

I used to roll my eyeballs on people who when stuck in traffic swear at others — but now I’m sure it helped them, as according to recent research, swearing helps people cope with anger.

Further, Richard Stephens of Keele University (UK), in his study published in Neuroreport, explains,

“There are many well-documented benefits of swearing, including improving pain tolerance, boosting physical strength, and helping social cohesion.”

Stephen carried out an interesting experiment where swearing helped in reducing and enduring pain.

People were asked to put their hand in an ice bucket; those who swore all the while were able to pull the challenge for two minutes, nearly double the time, than those who remained good mouth.

But, Stephen also explained how mainly occasional swearing helps alleviate the pain.

So make it only a casual habit, strategically deployed. Logic? Well, over-swearing will make it lose its emotional power, making it less effective in alleviating pain — after all, swearing is a dynamic language.

Don’t you think we need more such studies? Caught you!

According to another study published in the Leadership and Organization Development Journal by Yehuda Baruch of the University of East Anglia, swearing enables employees to channel frustration and develop strong social relations.

Take away: Swear, but strategically.

2. Get Disgusting

This one is probably the most disgusting. Weird. Strange. You name an awful feeling, and it is it.

But there has been research, so it’s worth a share. In 2008, Friedrich Bischinger, an Austrian lung specialist, explained how eating snot helps strengthen the immune system. He goes on telling,

“People who pick their nose and eat it,” he said, “get a natural boost to their immune system for free. I would recommend a new approach where children are encouraged to pick their noses. It is a completely natural response and medically a good idea as well.”

What is science?

Well, research says bacteria deposited on the nose when it hits the intestine acts as a medicine.

Bischinger was not alone. Even biochemist, Scott Napper of the University of Saskatchewan, shared a similar viewpoint, theorizing how hygiene improvement boosts allergies, so eating snot may strengthen the immune system by ingesting a few harmless germs into the body.

Interestingly, the same idea can be deployed on a lesser level of disgusting activity: nail-biting. I never had a habit of biting my nails.

Like never. But I had ample friends, always angry at their fingernails’ crooked appeal and stunted growth — clearly, they were nail-biters.

No matter how biting nails may appear displeasing socially, but medically, it’s right for you.

How so? Well, the biting inject germs directly into the orifice. Bringing in newer germs into the body strengthens your immune system as it repeatedly then fends off bacteria.

Additionally, according to Amy Standen of npr.org, nail-biting is now considered an act of “pathological grooming.” Amy interviewed Carol Mathews, a psychiatrist, who explained to her how nail-biting acts as a reward.

When met with anxiety, biting the right nail feels good. Mathew explains how it is an advantageous relief method over vices like smoking cigarettes.

I might be on the verge of losing my pretty nails — as the study of it being a stress reliever, illuminated me.

Take away: It’s alright to bite your nails for strengthening your immune system — but, occasionally.

3. Turn Into a Dull Useless Soul

Have you ever been subject to self-pity when boredom sucked the soul out of you?

After digesting this research, you probably would not, as boredom is psychologically useful.

Van Tilburg, from the University of Limerick, tells the Guardian:

“Boredom makes people long for different and purposeful activities, and as a result, they turn towards more challenging and meaningful activities, turning towards what they perceive to be meaningful in life.”

Interestingly, Adrian Savage, an editor at Lifehack, adds,

“Boredom stimulates the search for better ways to do things like nothing else does.”

Another study made people watch dull, boring videos, resulting in their increased performance in creative tasks.

So next time, when you feel an utterly useless person in boredom, think twice — as you are doing nothing but triggering your creativity.

Now I reflect why all the creative ideas always land in my mind when I have absolutely nothing to do — and the very reason why people’s random videos made during boredom go viral.

Takeaway: No matter how much society labels you as a useless couch potato, get intentionally bored for your next inspiration.

4. Become that Rude Movie Character & Chew

Why in every movie is a shady character always chewing gum?

I don’t get why people don’t consider it a pretty sight and associate it with mannerless.

An interesting study, instead, showcases how it has cognitive benefits.

Chew it before performing any cognitive task to increase the blood oxygen level. In the book Senescence and Senescence-Related Disorders, Kin-ya Kubo expounds on how chewing gum helps with stress-related disorders.

I can vouch for this.

Even if I forget to keep a gum with me, my best friend always carries it with her because it wonders for anxiety, stress, nausea, nervousness, and whatnot!

Studies have also proved how chewing gum boosts thinking and alertness by 10% as nearly eight brain areas get affected, mostly concerning movement and attention.

Andy Smith of Cardiff University sums up:

“The effects of chewing on reaction time are profound. Perhaps football managers arrived at the idea of chewing gum by accident, but they seem to be on the right track.”

Takeaway: Ditch the etiquettes and smack the gum in.

Final words for Something that Seems Bad But is actually Good

Why adopt any of the techniques laid above?

It’s always good to have a change. Life is short. Tasting “not so acceptable” behaviors frequently add spice to your life — even if momentarily.

Remember good behavior exists because of “Bad”, so do not dismiss the idea of bad behaviors completely.

Rather explore bad behaviors, which sometimes can be good for you.

Violate some outworn social behaviors classified as bad and be intentional about it.

Remember, it’s good to be bad with awareness rather than being good without awareness.

So next time when your brain requests you to try something terrible, give it a thought, at least — before rebelling.

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gordonwilliamsweb · 3 years

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Companies Pan for Marketing Gold in Vaccines

This story also ran on NBC News. It can be republished for free.

For a decade, Jennifer Crow has taken care of her elderly parents, who have multiple sclerosis. After her father had a stroke in December, the family got serious in its conversations with a retirement community — and learned that one service it offered was covid-19 vaccination.

“They mentioned it like it was an amenity, like ‘We have a swimming pool and a vaccination program,’” said Crow, a librarian in southern Maryland. “It was definitely appealing to me.” Vaccines, she felt, would help ease her concerns about whether a congregate living situation would be safe for her parents, and for her to visit them; she has lupus, an autoimmune condition.

As the coronavirus death toll soars and demand for the covid vaccines dwarfs supply, an army of hospitals, clinics, pharmacies and long-term care facilities has been tasked with getting shots into arms. Some are also using that role to attract new business — the latest reminder that health care, even amid a global pandemic, is a commercial endeavor where some see opportunities to be seized.

“Most private sector companies distributing vaccines are motivated by the public health imperative. At some point, their DNA also kicks in,” said Roberta Clarke, associate professor emeritus of marketing at Boston University.

Among senior living facilities — which saw their largest drop in occupancy on record last year — some companies are marketing vaccinations to recruit residents. Sarah Ordover, owner of Assisted Living Locators Los Angeles, a referral agency, said many in her area are offering vaccines “as a sweetener” to prospective residents, sometimes if they agree to move in before a scheduled vaccination clinic.

Oakmont Senior Living, a high-end retirement community chain with 34 locations, primarily in California, has advertised “exclusive access” to the vaccines via social media and email. A call to action on social media reads: “Reserve your apartment home now to schedule your Vaccine Clinic appointment!”

Although the vaccine offer was a selling point for Crow, it wasn’t for her parents, who have not been concerned about contracting covid and didn’t want to forgo their independence, she said. Ultimately, they moved in with her sister, who could arrange home care services.

This marketing approach might sway others. Oakmont Senior Living, based in Irvine, reported 92 move-ins across its communities last month, a 13% increase from January 2020, noting the vaccine is “just one factor among many” in deciding to become a resident.

But some object to facilities using vaccines as a marketing tool. “I think it’s unethical,” said Dr. Michael Carome, director of health research at consumer advocacy group Public Citizen. While he believes that facilities should provide vaccines to residents, he fears attaching strings to a vaccine could coerce seniors, who are particularly vulnerable and desperate for vaccines, into signing a lease.

Tony Chicotel, staff attorney at California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform, worries that seniors and their families could make less informed decisions when incentivized to sign by a certain date. “You’re thinking, ‘I’ve got to get moved in in the next week or otherwise I don’t get this shot. I don’t have time to read everything in this 38-page contract,’” he said.

Oakmont Senior Living responded by email: “Potential residents and their families are always provided with the information they need to be confident in a decision to choose Oakmont.”

Some people say facilities are simply meeting their demand for covid vaccines. “Who is going to put an elderly person in a place without a vaccine? Congregate living has been a hotbed of the virus,” said retired philanthropy consultant Patti Patrizi. She and her son recently chose a retirement community in Los Angeles for her ex-husband for myriad reasons unrelated to the vaccines. However, they accelerated the move by two weeks to coincide with a vaccination clinic.

“It was definitely not a marketing tool to me,” said Patrizi. “It was my insistence that he needs it before he can live there.”

The concept of using vaccines to market a business isn’t new. The 2009 H1N1 pandemic ushered in drugstore flu shots, and pharmacies have since credited flu vaccines with boosting storefront sales and prescriptions. Many offer prospective vaccine recipients coupons, gift cards or rewards points.

A few pharmacies have continued these marketing activities while rolling out covid shots. On its covid vaccine information site, CVS Pharmacy encouraged visitors to sign up for its rewards program to earn credits for vaccinations. Supermarket and pharmacy chain Albertsons and its subsidiaries have a button on their covid vaccine information sites saying, “Transfer your prescription.”

But the pandemic isn’t business as usual, said Alison Taylor, a business ethics professor at New York University. “This is a public health emergency,” she said. Companies distributing covid vaccines should ask themselves “How can we get society to herd immunity faster?” rather than “How many customers can I sign up?” she said.

In an email response, CVS said it had removed the reference to its rewards program from its covid vaccination page. Patients will not earn rewards for receiving a covid shot at its pharmacies, the company said, and its focus remains on administering the vaccines.

Albertsons said via email that its covid vaccine information pages are intended to be a one-stop resource, and information about additional services is at the very bottom of these pages.

Boston University’s Clarke doesn’t see any harm in these marketing activities. “As long as the patient is free to say ‘no, thank you,’ and doesn’t think they’ll be penalized by not getting a vaccine, it’s not a problem,” she said.

At least one health care provider is offering complimentary services to people eligible for covid vaccines. Membership-based primary care provider One Medical — now inoculating people in several states, including California — offers a free 90-day membership to groups, such as people 75 and older, that a local health department has tasked the company with vaccinating, according to an email from a company spokesperson who noted that vaccine supply and eligibility requirements vary by county.

The company said it offers the membership — which entails online vaccine appointment booking, second dose reminders and on-demand telehealth visits for acute questions — because it believes it can and should do so, especially when many are struggling to access care.

While these may very well be the company’s motives, a free trial is also a marketing tactic, said Silicon Valley health technology investor Dr. Bob Kocher. Whether it’s Costco or One Medical, any company offering a free sample hopes recipients buy the product, he said.

Offering free trial memberships could pay off for providers like One Medical, he said; local health departments can refer many patients, and converting a portion of vaccine recipients into members could offer a cheaper way for providers to get new patients than finding them on their own.

“Normally, there’s no free stuff at a provider, and you have to be sick to try health care. This is a pretty unique circumstance,” said Kocher, who doesn’t see boosting public health and taking advantage of an uncommon marketing opportunity as mutually exclusive here. “Vaccination is a super valuable way to help people,” he said. “A free trial is also a great way to market your service.”

One Medical insisted the membership trial is not a marketing ploy, noting that the company is not collecting credit card information during registration or auto-enrolling trial participants into paid memberships. But patients will receive an email notifying them before their trial ends, with an invitation to sign up for membership, said the company.

Health equity advocates say more attention needs to be paid to the people who slip under the radar of marketers — yet are at the highest risk of getting and dying from covid, and the least likely to be vaccinated.

Kathryn Stebner, an elder-abuse attorney in San Francisco, noted that the high cost of many assisted living facilities is often prohibitive for the working class and people of color. “African Americans are dying [from covid] at a rate three times as much as white people,” she said. “Are they getting these vaccine offers?”

This story was produced by KHN, which publishes California Healthline, an editorially independent service of the California Health Care Foundation.

Kaiser Health News (KHN) is a national health policy news service. It is an editorially independent program of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation which is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.

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This story can be republished for free (details).

Companies Pan for Marketing Gold in Vaccines published first on https://nootropicspowdersupplier.tumblr.com/

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stephenmccull · 3 years

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Companies Pan for Marketing Gold in Vaccines

This story also ran on NBC News. It can be republished for free.

Oakmont Senior Living responded by email: “Potential residents and their families are always provided with the information they need to be confident in a decision to choose Oakmont.”

“It was definitely not a marketing tool to me,” said Patrizi. “It was my insistence that he needs it before he can live there.”

Albertsons said via email that its covid vaccine information pages are intended to be a one-stop resource, and information about additional services is at the very bottom of these pages.

This story was produced by KHN, which publishes California Healthline, an editorially independent service of the California Health Care Foundation.

Kaiser Health News (KHN) is a national health policy news service. It is an editorially independent program of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation which is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.

USE OUR CONTENT

This story can be republished for free (details).

Companies Pan for Marketing Gold in Vaccines published first on https://smartdrinkingweb.weebly.com/

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clarencenicholsonata · 4 years

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7 First Class Tips to Increase Your Pinterest CTR to Boost Sales & Readership

With the strong growth of Pinterest, the platform is becoming increasingly competitive. While it is still possible to get quality organic traffic from day one, nowadays you have to strategize more before you will get the results.

Every digital marketer has the matra of keywords, ranking, and backlinks deep in his head. This approach has to shift to be successful on Pinterest.

Pinterest is a visual search engine, and though we can apply many similar strategies as for other search engines, we have to think differently.

In this post, we will go over several points to make sure your pin design is as optimized as possible for clicks.

Create Multiple Pin Designs

As in everything marketing related - testing is the key. For every link that you are trying to promote, create several designs, I go with 5 - 10 depending on the importance of the link.

In many cases, I am surprised which Pin works the best. As the one that just seems a bit off, usually will outperform all others. This can be attributed to many conditions but when you see the same design (that you initially did not like) work again and again - always an interesting experience.

Notice that all the designs are different. From 7 designs on average, 1-2 will be winners that I will keep working with. In the following point, we will go over what makes a winning design.

Make the Pin Stand Out

Ugly right? Well, it works. CTR on this one 14%. What makes it stand out is ...that it is ugly. If you put “how to make money on Pinterest” in Pinterest search, you will be greeted by this:

Those are the pins of well-established accounts. For example, the first one belongs to FinSavvyPanda which has over 2mil. monthly views and 18k followers.

Sure, there is nothing bad in getting inspired by pins of others, but it was obvious to me that my (fairly young) account will not be competing for the first page.

To stand out at least a little bit. And it seemed to work. By now you may have noticed a common denominator between all those pins.

Big letters. I would like to get this message over to you - do not be afraid to make big letters and all in all - make the text dominant, if appropriate for the topic.

Choose an appropriate image

In many cases, Pinterest is alchemy. You never know which pin/topic/title/board combination will give you the best results. So you test and test and test until you have the golden formula.

Wondering where to get new images for all of your pins ideas, we got you covered. Here are a few resources where you can use images for free:

Unsplash

Pixabay

Pexels

...and other 20+ free resources

You can find their pictures for any occasion. In case you are looking for something specific or just want to have some genuine pictures made for your needs, I suggest going to Fiverr or Upwork. There you can get to choose from a wide array of photo professionals.

As I told in the previous sections, I am all about testing. You start easy, A/B/C titles testing, design but You want to grow so you start testing new things. Some of them do not work, that is one of them.

One of the popular Pinterest searches is “Habits of successful people”. I had many pins with this title and would like to share a testing result. It might seem obvious for some, but better to know it.

After clicking on any of the pins you have, Pinterest will also suggest some “More Like This” pins, for the image above these are the “similar” images:

All is well. The pin is about having money and the similar pins suggested by Pinterest are about money. Budgeting, saving, debt issues.

Here is another pin with the same title:

Similar logic as in a previous pin. But check out the pins that interest suggests:

Macarons recipes, weight loss, desserts, etc.

This means two things:

The title is not clear enough. While in the first example Pinterest clearly understood what the topic is, and provides relevant pins to accompany it, the second one is completely off.

The image is not relevant to the topic. This mistake is at number two, this was caused primarily by the title. (If it wasn’t, why did Pinterest not put “similar pins” of bags, etc?). But retrospectively, the image is not relevant enough to complement the topic.

These two issues caused lower impressions of the pin, not enough repinning, and all that resulted in the low overall clicks.

2. Do Not Overuse Templates

You created 50 designs, 5 seem to work well, so you make a template out of them and just keep re-pinning similar designs again and again.

Do not do it. There are several reasons why you should not go overboard with templates.

Pinterest likes new content and new images. Whenever I load new pins with new designs I can see a bump in the overall impressions, which will slowly fade out as I am re-pinning the same image again and again. Keep it fresh.

Popular Pinterest profiles completely revamp their designs from time to time. Sure, they keep some elements that reflect their branding, but they are constantly trying to come up with something different.

Tools like Canva can help, as they offer you figuratively speaking - an infinite amount of choices and combinations to try for your Pins.

Let’s have a look at one of the more successful profiles on Pinterest of The Savvy Couple:

Notice that while they keep the same branding, the designs are always different. You can see that they share similar features, but from the perspective of Pinterest - these are completely different designs that will get good traction.

Need help increasing sales with social media?

Book a free call to learn how our team of marketing experts can help you create high converting social media campaigns today.

3. Use The Text To Your Advantage

Yes, Pinterest is a search engine that heavily relies on the visual side of things, but that does not mean it ignores the keywords.

First of all, Pinterest reads the keywords that are on the picture, and second (but equally important) users are reading it too.

To get clicks from your Pins you have to get users to do a “Close-up” which means that somebody clicks on your Pin to have a closer look at the description.

Use several fonts, but no more than 2-3

Emphasize (in bold, or a dominant font) the main keyword

Make sure the size of all the text is sufficient so users can read it without problems

The keyword here is Home Business Ideas. So if we would quickly through this example we would see:

The keyword is on a pin (2 fonts are used, or rather one font but subtitled in cursive).

Keyword is repeated in the title.

For the third time the keyword is repeated in the description.

If you will proceed to that particular Pinterest account (with several millions of viewers per month) you will notice that there are many pins like that - meaning that these types of design work.

When matched correctly you can be looking at the following results with some of your pins:

There are not so many impressions, but what is important that the vast majority of the ones who clicked, continued to post on the site - which is the main goal here.

4. Test Your Texts

We talked about testing the designs of your pins, but I would like to also emphasize the importance of testing the texts that you put on them. The goal is to get traffic on your site, so you must test several calls to action.

I recently conducted a small experiment on a post of mine. I compiled a list of over 640 Inspirational quotes, with various categories. Quotes seemed to be a good middle ground between what Pinterest likes and the overall theme of my site.

15 Pins were drafted to test the best angle.

Here are the keywords that were used for testing:

Inspirational quotes

Positive Wise Words

Success Quotes

Quotes Positive Happiness

Life Quotes

Motivational Quotes For Kids

Motivational Quotes For Life

Motivational Quotes for Success

Quotes About Strength

These keywords both matched the content of the post but also most importantly they matched the search queries and trends on Pinterest.

After a couple of days, these were the best performers in terms of Closeups

This means that:

Inspirational Quotes For Kids

Inspirational Quotes Positive Wise Words

have quite a strong performance that should be developed further (creating more pins focused on these keywords). Unfortunately, I create a very weak generic description, so even though Pins had a good amount of closeups, the CTR rate was minimal (under 0,1%)

So take my advice - I will be working with variations of these two pins testing multiple descriptions, so make sure that the future closeups convert into clicks.

5. Do Not Give The Answer In Your Pin

Your goal with Pinterest is to get clicks. Remember it when designing a pin. The visual has to be interesting enough for the user to want to know more.

If the viewer will receive the answer right there on the pin...why would he/she click to your site?

Let’s have a look at some account examples. Here are pins from MakingSenseOfCents which have over 2mil. viewers.

The goal of your Pinterest endeavors is to get traffic. So you talk about a topic that will interest your audience, but you do not explain it on the pin or in the description - you rather ask them to come to your site for more information.

Let’s take the pin of “How blogging paid off my student loans” a bit of clickbait, but nothing too bad about it. It is interesting, how could blogs pay for the loans? Users click and read the info on the page.

If that pin would also say “With ad-networks, affiliate marketing and growing my blog for 6 years” the CTR would drop. The answer is already there, no need to go any further.

Have you ever noticed that when you are googling for translation? Let's say “manufacturing in Spanish” and go you go past Google Translator results, you see this:

Notice that none of those “snippets” gives you an answer. The reason is still the same, they want you to go to the website to get your information.

What about videos?

“How to make a bow from ribbon” is one of the most popular Pinterest search queries. These are the first few top results:

20% are videos with detailed explanations of how to make a bow from a ribbon. Others are pictures that are there with the goal of getting you to click through to the site.

In the case of videos, you can also get clicks as users will want to see description and other details, but some will just watch it, save the pin and that is it.

What about Infographics?

A nicely done infographic will work well both on Pinterest and outside of it. With SEO you may get backlinks, on Pinterest you may get many repins, saves, and maybe even new followers. So they can be used to grow your profile in the future, but they will not get you to click in the short term.

In conclusion to this section - make pins that are related to the search queries and further lead users from Pinterest to your website.

6. Use Warm colors

While the blues, greens, and yellows can work well. In my opinion red, orange, burgundy, dark pink worked the best.

This study shows that red, orange, and brown performed better than blue 2:1 in repins.

According to, Curalate(published on Wired.com) this is scientifically the best-colored pin:

While this post was written in 2013, do you want to see what is my most successful pin?

Sure, it is not an exact match, but I am sure you can see some resemblance.

What if “warm” colors are completely incompatible with your brand? Well, do not change your whole brand because of Pinterest. See if you incorporate the more “Pinterest friendly” colors.

If that is not possible, keep in mind that color pallets are just one part of the whole “alchemy” of Pinterest algorithms. What you will lack in color you will pay back in content, titles, descriptions, and much more.

7. Avoid Faces

While the strategies of different pinners are different, this study shows that brand images without faces receive 23% more repins. Even though the study is possibly outdated (Pinterest trends change very quickly) I usually tend to avoid them, as I feel that people want to imagine themselves on the pin.

On average the pins with faces will get up to 1% CTR for me, while pins without a face will be higher. On The other hand, these are some of the recent pins of Chasing Foxes (over 10mil monthly viewers).

They repin them constantly - meaning that it works. But they also have over 360k followers, strong boards with high engagement...so you will just have to test for yourself and see if it works for your brand.

Examples Of Successful Pins

In this section, we will go over examples of pins that worked well for me. I will illustrate how various pins behave in different niches so you can plan your Pinterest strategy accordingly.

Recipes

Recipes are one of the top categories on Pinterest. So it is no wonder that I had to try how it works. Though recipes are completely off the main topics of my website, I needed to do some pins and post for testing.

With 8% Closeups, 1% Saves, and 4% CTR this is one of the best pins I had tried. By best I mean that it delivered the most clicks.

As you can see this checks all the boxes in terms of design and color. Red themed picture with a red text background.

In this case, the topic is of great importance. Recipes, fashion, decor, design, travel are all hugely popular on Pinterest.

“Shakshuka recipe for one” is quite a niche search query on Pinterest which does not have many exact results. As you can see the keyword is on the pin, in the title, and description, these all help Pinterest algorithms to discover and further share your pin.

Good Habits

Lifestyle is one of the most popular niches on Pinterest where you can find a wide array of topics. One of the “classics” are topics “Habits of people who…” you can complete with interesting Pinterest trends such as who has money, who stays confident, who stays healthy, who are happy, and so on. Seeing this being a topic on many profiles I had to try for myself.

3% Closeups, 1.5% CTR and 0 Saves may not seem like a hugely successful result. The interesting thing is that the potential of this topic (and related ones) is possibly limitless.

You may see that there are just slight changes but this pin (pinned at nearly the same, on same boards) received 2% closeups, 1% Saves, and 1% CTR.

No matter how many times you will pin for this topic, you will receive constant results. It does not seem to die out.

Continuing on the topic of habits, this fairly simple pin receives over 5% CTR. Which is quite over the average CTR on Pinterest, for your comfort on the right you may see the “scientifically perfect pin” that we discussed earlier.

Personal Finance

Another of the favored topics on Pinterest and I of course had to try how a very basic pin will do.

With 3% closeups and 3% CTR this design seems to be easily replicable. Meaning that changing it to different topics and varieties is not an issue.

As in Good Habits sections, these topics (while less popular than their recipes/fashion/lifestyle counterparts) are bottomless. There are so many angles to take when you are discussing money management, savings, how to manage debt, etc.

This is just another use of the same design, delivering similar results. 2% closeups, 1% saves, and 1% CTR.

Personal Development

Personal development and motivation are very solid choices of a topic for Pinterest, so I wanted to give it a shot with a post on leadership qualities. This pin delivered 1% closeups, 0.5% saves (one of my top repined images by total number), and 1,5% CTR. That can be considered a good result for a topic that is not “dominant” on Pinterest.

This pin delivered 1% closeups, 0.5% saves (one of my top repined images by total number), and 1,5% CTR. That can be considered a good result for a topic that is not “dominant” on Pinterest.

Digital Tools

The main topics of my site are digital tools and creating a business online. So of course I took my knowledge of Pinterest to the test on these topics too. Some time ago I created a post about webinar tools.

While my expectations for this topic were quite low, there were quite a few positive surprises. 2% Closeups, and close to 1% CTR. Saves were under 0.5% so something to work on in the future.

Another example of a simple design that worked even in the digital marketing tools niche is a pin about comparing email marketing services.

These were the testing pins:

After a couple of weeks, the best percentual rates were on this pin:

Closeups rate of 2%, save rate of 1%, and CTR of 2% is a great result for a pin in a more difficult niche.

The issue with these Pins is that they get impressions very slowly, digitals tools is a true niche sector on Pinterest. It takes the right boards and a lot of time to get the pin going. That being said - you can see that it is possible to drive clicks even in niches like this one.

Main Takeaways

We had a look at some pins that worked well for me, now I would like to provide the main takeaways and actional steps that you can take with your pins.

Do 5-10 testing pins for each post. Out of them, 1-2 will be performing above average.

While warm colors seem to be performing well (and better in some niches) do not limit yourself to this rule.

Test your pins with and without a face. While statistics speak clearly, it seems that some niches work better with faces, some do not.

Keep your pins 2:1 or 1000:1500 size. It is the optimal pin size for mobile, which is the dominant platform for Pinterest users.

Modify your keyword to be in line with search queries and Pinterest trends.

Text on the pin should be readable, do not go overboard with fonts.

Check the Pinterest search bar and Pinterest trends for search query suggestions.

Keywords should appear on the pin and in the title and description.

The pin should hint that the question will be answered in the post.

Conclusion

In this post, I shared the tips that I use when creating a pin. Pinterest is growing and changing, and the successful pins change too. Still, some basic rules remain the same.

While we went over the design of the pin and most of its intricacies. I strongly suggest that you read more on the topic of Pinterest boards. After all, if your great pin is pinned on a bad board, you will get nowhere.

Pinterest is a lot about experimenting with designs, descriptions, topics, time of pinning, and boards. While it may be tedious to try to combine all these, once you succeed you will experience an immediate inflow of traffic. This feeling will never let you go, so you might consider yourself “pinned” for life (pun intended).

You might want to check:

10 Amazing Pinterest Board Examples Critiqued (with Best Practices)

Pinterest SEO: A Guide for Businesses

How 5 Businesses Are Using Pinterest Boards to Creatively Promote Their Products

About the Author

Vlad is a founder and a blogger at Costofincome.com a blog about online business and video converters and digital marketing tools.

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gordonwilliamsweb · 3 years

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Companies Pan for Marketing Gold in Vaccines

This story also ran on NBC News. It can be republished for free.

Oakmont Senior Living responded by email: “Potential residents and their families are always provided with the information they need to be confident in a decision to choose Oakmont.”

“It was definitely not a marketing tool to me,” said Patrizi. “It was my insistence that he needs it before he can live there.”

Albertsons said via email that its covid vaccine information pages are intended to be a one-stop resource, and information about additional services is at the very bottom of these pages.

This story was produced by KHN, which publishes California Healthline, an editorially independent service of the California Health Care Foundation.

Kaiser Health News (KHN) is a national health policy news service. It is an editorially independent program of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation which is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.

USE OUR CONTENT

This story can be republished for free (details).

Companies Pan for Marketing Gold in Vaccines published first on https://nootropicspowdersupplier.tumblr.com/

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robynkassisracist · 7 years

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Survivor HHH Edgic Episode 1

I’ve never done this before and decided to make one for fun so hope anyone who might read enjoys!

CP: Ali, Ashley, Chrissy, Mike, Ryan

OTT: Alan, Joe

MOR: Ben, JP, Lauren, Patrick, Roark

UTR: Cole, Desi, Devon, Katrina

INV: Simone

Ryan - CPP5

The strongest edit of the episode was most definitely the bellhop from New Jersey, Ryan - who also managed to garner the most confessionals with 6 total. We immediately witness a narrative start for him on the boat as he describes his underdog nature and sarcastic reasons as to why anyone would align with him. He then goes to find the advantage among the supplies - a super immunity idol only good for first tribal which he will have to pass off to someone on the losing tribe if the hustlers are to win immunity. His strategy with the idol coupled with his establishment of a game relationship with Devon paints him in a good light this episode, and with it being premiere we can’t help to think he’s being set up for an journey this season.

Chrissy - CP5

While not getting the same positive tone as Ryan, Chrissy still received a pivotal edit for the premiere. She was first to showcase a confessional this season, and was already displaying her strategy for the game. However, her boost in an edit came in the back half of the episode where she threw up after the challenge, was pinned as in the minority with Katrina in the “Mom Squad,” and finally proceeded to be given the super immunity idol by an anonymous Ryan. The idol and her being a potential target gave us a direct path into the inner workings of her mind this round, as her contemplation for making a move took up a solid chunk of the strategy edit. All of this summed Chrissy up for a strong CP premiere edit.

Ashley - CP4

While Ashley fell into a bit of a secondary character roll with Chrissy and Alan dominating a lot of the hero edit by the end of the episode, we still saw a look inside of Ashley’s motives and thinking. She established a relationship with JP as well as was the voice reacting to Alan’s antics, both in confessionals and at the tribal council itself. While she her being cut early due to her supposed duo with JP is not fully clear yet, getting insight on her potential story supplied for a solid edit.

Mike - CPM3

Placing a medium tone on Mike was a bit of a thought out decision. The audience got insight on his game based on the outlet of family talk, and family talk always seems to be a pretty good sign of character development in my experience. Where his tone went from a positive to a medium was his altercation with Tony Vlachos impersonator, Joe. While Joe was a bit aggressive with Mike, it doesn’t save for the fact that he was caught in the act of an idol search anyway, dumbing him down ever so slightly into a medium tone.

Ali - CP3

Definitely the most subtle of the CP’s this episode was the hustler tribe’s, Ali. When I almost put her into the MOR bracket, I went over again her path in the episode and realized in terms of a premiere episode, she was set up a bit better than the others. She displayed a very level head and seemed to know what she was doing, and established a connection with Patrick, who doesn’t seem to be the most strategic player as of yet. Thinking back to the person who was most recently edited this way in premiere is MVGX’s Mari, who faced a very untimely elimination after a CP edit in episodes 1 and 2. Nonetheless, Ali showed her potential right out of the gates, and the fact that she received a “boat question” from Probst and gave some insight on how a hustler should work was enough for her to crack through to complex personality.

Alan - OTTN5

Someone getting an OTTN5 right off the bat is always good television, and the case of football star Alan of the heroes was no exception. While this could be summed up in simply getting into a guy’s pants for an idol (and possibly something else because you never know which way these people swing if ya know what I mean), if you look more under the surface it was simply a case of playing too hard right out of the gates. Unlike people who did this in recent memory such as So Kim in Worlds Apart, Alan somehow managed to evade first boot. His paranoia, strip searching methods, signs of quickly turning on an alliance, and making a scene at tribal are all worthy of this edit.

Joe - OTTN3

Tony step aside! I think it’s pretty safe to say that this guy had a lot of similarities to our favorite/least favorite villain cop of Cagayan. Muscled and bald? Check! Aggressive energy that makes you only slightly uncomfortable? Check! Immediate paranoia? Check! And bullying into getting information? Yep! That’s a check. His confessional of manipulating the healers with their “big hearts” to get ahead as well as his confronting Mike about an idol was enough for the standard villain edit. Where his visibility fell a little shorter was simply based on screen time, as the villain of the heroes, Alan, ended up taking up more time due to tribal council. Nonetheless, this was a great foundation for an emerging villain of the season, or at least pre-merge.

JP - MOR4

After being the victim of #StripGate2017 you would think JP got a pretty prominent edit. While a lot of the screen time fell onto Ashley to get thoughts on the situation, JP was still a character to watch. Ashley may have overshadowed him, but the possibility of his partnership with her as well as his potential budding rivalry with Alan was enough for him to be memorable.

Ben - MOR3

This was someone I almost cracked into the CP, but decided against it. Ben seemed to be someone who got a “good-ole-boy” edit, and while we got insight on what he does to make him a hero, there wasn’t much strategy behind it. However, we did get some strategy in the form of his quick slapping together of the majority alliance on the heroes.

Patrick - MOR3

While on the hustler tribe, Patrick proved to be a character. He was playful and ever so slightly aloof with his antics involving the stick bug and the crab in his pants. While we could wonder if the magic of the stick bug will award him a win like it did for Mike Holloway in Worlds Apart, the main focus of Patrick was his relationship forming with Ali. Where Patrick falls slightly short in the edit is that he was seemingly recruited by Ali as an ally. This could prove great for Patrick, or slightly problematic for Patrick depending on how he goes about the situation.

Lauren - MOR2

Placing the fisher from the hustler tribe was difficult, seeing as she could debatably also be in UTR. However, with her showing her work around camp this proved to her trying to assimilate. On a tribe of young people and Lauren being the oldest at 35, she’s going to have to if she wants a chance to get through the beginning stages of the game, and taking initiative in the shelter building could be beneficial with her. You’d have to hope this is a good sign that she gets farther than many may expect, as she could have easily fallen into the doomed “Mom-Squad” category that Chrissy and Katrina were unwillingly sucked into.

Roark - MOR2

Rounding out the MOR edit is Roark of the healers. In the beginning we saw Roark work the end of the marooning challenge, where she held the torch to win the massive bonfire for her tribe. In the other instance we saw her, it wasn’t much, but it was something to work off of for future episodes. She was just edging onto UTR where we saw the wheels turning in her head, however it was very isolated to her confessional. There was no aligning on her part, and no one spoke about her in their own confessionals, so it would seem she was simply one of the few left on the strategic back-burner for the premiere episode.

Devon - UTRP2

All we really saw of the surf instructor this episode was - while important - not predominant. Ryan disclosing to Devon that he had the super immunity idol was really a part of Ryan’s dominating episode storyline, where Devon seemed to be playing background character. Nonetheless, it is important to the narrative (albeit that may be Ryan’s narrative). On top of that, his happy-go-lucky outlook and Ryan’s comments on him after Devon’s reaction to the idol reveal was enough to give him a positive tone for the episode.

Jessica - UTR2

The edit for Jessica was really just her thirsting for tribe-mate Cole. What could potentially come from this is a duo forming in some way, whether that be friendship or showmance (probably showmance because let’s face it - these people tend to have no self control). This was probably just a case of Jessica not being as important to the narrative, but at least it was some form of screen time.

Katrina - UTR2

Poor, poor Katrina. We hardly knew her. And not in a way that it was just her going for the first episode. I mean we seriously, hardly got to know her at all this episode. A lot of this falls onto how the tribal council was handled by both players and editors, where we saw after massive havoc and chaos a unanimous vote against the easy target, and we saw the editors give barely any insight as to why. For a first boot, she was highly under-edited, and I wish I could rank her better.

Cole - UTRP1

While the eye candy of the healer tribe was given the always fun and previously mentioned “boat question” from Probst, and was also drooled over by Jessica, the fact that Cole was given no confessionals speaks to his edit this episode. The fact that the entirety of his narrative was from dialogue with the host and others speaking of him gives him an edit, but not one dictated by himself.

Desi - UTR1

Not someone we saw much of, but this could probably be attributed to a lot of the screen time going to the heroes and the hustlers for premiere. Desi is someone who is hard to get a read on at the moment, however she wasn’t completely invisible, as we saw some of the workings of her mind in a single confessional as someone identifying as a healer.

INV1 - Simone

So I was hoping no one would fall into this episode 1. I was really, really hoping. But unfortunately for Simone, that wasn’t the case. While one could argue her edit was drowned out by the other hustlers, if the highlight of your edit is putting down what you’re doing to see your other 5 tribe-mates hauling a log onto camp then that speaks for itself. Sorry Simone! Better luck next time. There’s always the chance she’s being saved for later in the minds of the editors, so we could hold out hope she’ll become more prominent... if she manages to make it more than 3 episodes in.

#hhhliveblog #survivorhhh

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luovita · 5 years

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Eighteen Steps To Creating Best Selling Products

Eighteen (18) Steps To Creating Best Selling Products

Whether you've, under no circumstances created product or service before, or you've created dozens and you're nonetheless pumped up about your next big plan in making extra money online, this short guidelines for you. Exactly like anything else,when you have a step-by-step plan to follow, it simply makes it so much easier than attempting to “wing” it and magically come up with a product people person will happily purchase from you. One thing we're not going to cover in this tutorial is niche selection and knowing you've got a hungry market for your product. Our focus is actually creating the best product possible to make the most sales possible and to boost your credibility and bank account in the process. For the purposes of this tutorial, we're going to assume your product is an ebook, but the steps to making any kind of info product are quite similar. This tutorial is a good start on starting up your home business to make money online.

The 18 Steps To Awesome Product Creation

Section 1 – Getting Ready To Create Your Product

1. Narrow your focus.

The most difficuly steps in creating your product is determining what the darn thing is about. Perhaps the most typical mistake new product creators make is wanto to cover EVERYTHING in regards to a subject. When you do that, you come up with generic piee of work that generally doesn't help anyone. So instead, you want to narrow your focus as much as possible. For example, instead of "How to succeed in elections" which is merely too broad. you may narrow it down to "How to win regional elections." An you could narrow it even further to something similar to "How to win regional election against an incumbent when no one kowns your name." Right now that's specific and highly marketable. That's how home business to make money online works. Don't worry that you're being too specific, anyone attempting to win election will probably pick this publication up, including the incumbent who wants tp be ready against the young upstart.

2. You are the expert.

Yes, really. The moment you start to create your new product, or even about creation your new brand-new product to make big money online, a gremlin is going to sit down on your shoulder and tell you that you do not know enough. You are not an expert. There are people who know more about the topic than you. An so on. This would probably affect your motivation to start making big money online. Bad news: The gremlin is right. There probably ARE people who know the topic better than you. Good news: So what? If you know the topic better than 95% of people out there right now, you are an expert in the eyes of 95% of people. Now you just need to wrap you head around and dive in. How to boost your confidence: Research the gaps, find out what you don't know and learn enough oto know more than 96% or 97% of other people. You don't need to be the world's foremost expert on your topic to create an info on it, you just need to know more than most and be willing to research to find the facts and figures you don't have. And thanks to the internet and online advertising market, research is darn easy which makes making big money online easier than ever. Just be sure of your resources, you don't want to give false information to your customers.

3. One giant step.

Now you have to have a giant revolution in your progress. Actually, what you carry out at this time can save you period and make your merchandise better, so intend to invest real work into this as you taking advantage the best way to invest money. You are going to create an in depth product outline. Think about your outline as the street map for your details product and it'll keep you from having stalled or moving in the wrong way in creating your item. Fill your outline in with as much details, possible with chapter headings, topics, subtopics, and so forth. If you want some pictures or video tutorials to add, take note of where they'll go. If you discover your chapters or sections isn't right, basically rearrange them until they seem sensible. The more work you placed into this outline, the simpler the whole remaining procedure will end up being for you and will lead you to success in making big money online. When you are getting stuck, give up stressing and just begin writing. You curently have a good notion of what your merchandise covers - you just have to get it down in some recoverable format and in the proper order. And the best way to do this is start authoring, rearranging and adding facts until you're entirely satisfied. While you are, place it apart and go take action else for all of those other day.

4. Fresh eyes – better perspective.

Now that you have your outline, you understand where you're heading and you know the way to get right now there. But do you know what? You most likely forgot something. That's why now you are going to glimpse at your outline with fresh eye. You're no more “you,” you will be your possible client looking over the product. What did you miss? What does your consumer need or desire that you forgot to add? Fill it in. Now head to Amazon and discover books on your own niche. Utilize the “look inside” characteristic to study their desk of contents. You are considering more things you might have overlooked of your product. Complete the holes, expand sections if needed and find if you're inspired to include anything new, or even to even modification the heading or give attention to certain sections. You're fine-tuning your outline in order that when you get yourself started creating this product, it is the absolute best it really is. Because you are YOU, you definitely have a lot of making money ideas to help your business grow and start making big money online. One note: That is YOUR SPECIFIC product. So don't feel that wish book on Amazon includes a chapter you do not have that it means you need to involve it in your ebook. Apply your discretion and stay authentic to the concentration of your product.

5. Be one-of-a-kind.

There are a ton of details products out there - a lot. As a result here's the big query - how come your information product special? It's a two-fold remedy, and I possibly could even offer the 1st half - your item may very well be special because it's made by YOU. And I just happen to recognize that you are the only “you” in the entire universe. That is why it's essential that your item convey your uniqueness. Your concept, your look, your real essence should permeate through the item, be it created, audio, video recording tutorial or whatever. Will not sound like every person else & most importantly don't come across as the utmost recent robotic talking brain. That's not how you can win the online competition and start to earn big money online. It's not how online advertising market would actually accommodate you and your product. Alternatively, imagine you're seated at your kitchen table explaining this at the mercy of your buddy over espresso. That's what you're choosing. Happen to be you funny? From then on be funny. Will come to be you dramatic? Then receive dramatic. Whatever you will be when you happen to be sometimes, this is the voice you intend to make use of in creating your products. Another half of how come your product unique is going to be by design - it's your angle, your hook, or your unique selling proposition (those are virtually the same thing.) Decide exactly what it is that triggers your information product different than any other facts merchandise after this specific issue. We in essence hit on among this before when talking about the election merchandise - “How accurately to gain localized elections against an incumbent when no individual knows your manufacturer.” Your angle is normally you are teaching just how precisely to choose from total scratch - no connections, zero brand reputation, zero experience - and receive an election, as well against the average person currently holding any business office. Choosing your position or perhaps USP is vital to making a thing that is normally distinguishable from all of the rest and grabs people's concentrate, so spend time upon this. And just be sure to write it down and keep it before you as you maintain this process. On occasion check in with yourself and appearance at when you are keeping your USP. And also be sure you're giving your products your own unique label of “you” as well. 6. Pick a number. Stick to it.

You now could be thinking the very difficult part is over, you have this licked, as well as your item is practically created. Nothing at all could possibly be further from the reality. It's the false perception of protection we get from having made a good begin that often derails us. Sure, we'll reach it. Maybe we'll focus on it afterwards today. Which becomes tomorrow. Which becomes in a few days and maybe never. That's why you are going to select a number and make a schedule. And most importantly, you're going to adhere to your schedule, regardless of what. inform yourself that. Produce a pact. Write it down. Tell your loved ones you won't be accessible throughout your scheduled writing instances. And when it is time to compose (or record video tutorial, or whatever) after then do it. Make money fast from home by following simple plan and stick to it. So what's the quantity for? It's just how many days you are going to focus on creating your item. If you can perform it in five times, that's terrific. If you want 10, then thus be it. But make an effort to pick a number no bigger than 14. Regardless of what your details product is, it’s likely that it could be done in 2 weeks or much less, or your matter is typically not as narrow and concentrated since it should be. So pick your quantity, in that case divide your outline into that lots of parts. Plan your time daily to work it. And just do it.

Section 2 – Creating Your Product

7. Give A Smashing Introduction.

You can write your item introduction first thing, or perhaps wait before product is completed and write after that it, whichever functions better for you. Here's what I'd like you to learn - your introduction units the tone for the merchandise. It's actually the “after purchase product sales letter” for your item, what persons read once they make the buy but before they commence chapter 1 (or video tutorial 1, or whatever.) You want to emerge from the gate running. Actually your 1st paragraph of your intro should be therefore on-fire compelling that no-one could stop reading from then on paragraph. And your whole intro should offer the client on devouring every morsel of your item, much just like a movie trailer offers the viewer on viewing the movie. Now you could be asking, “Why?” They've bought the merchandise, so why must i care if they in fact consume it? Three causes: First, if indeed they don't browse it, they're much more likely to regret their pay for and demand a refund. As well, by advertising them in the intro how this product will probably modification their lives for the better, you happen to be reinforcing how smart these were to buy the merchandise to begin with, again cutting your refund rate. The second reason behind writing an excellent intro is a lot more important - if indeed they consume your product and think it’s great, after that happen? They will become die-hard customers. They will open your e-mail because they would like to really know what you have to claim. And they're likely to buy your future goods because they find out you deliver superb value. And the 3rd reason is basically because you under no circumstances find out which of your brand-new customers can also be the next great affiliate in the event that you deliver the products. The better your merchandise, the more affiliates would want to enhance it to their consumer list, the increased sales you produce and the more clients you possess on your own mailing list. Consequently whether you write your introduction before you create your merchandise to create the tone for your job, or you wait before end of your merchandise creation and write after that it, be sure that introduction is an excellent one. Your introduction is just a start, but a start of opportunity to make money fast and easy. 8. Use headlines liberally.

Web users have a tendency to find out about 25% of what's in a website and about 50% of what's within an ebook or perhaps e-course. Comparison that with over 90% of headlines and subheads getting read, and you understand precisely how exactly to capture someone's focus: Use headlines and a lot of sub-headlines. You can write these as you're focusing on your project or perhaps at the end, no matter. What's crucial is certainly that your headlines and subheads happen to be compelling and pull the reader into browsing further, or the training video watcher into seeing your video completely which will convert soon as sales where you can make money fast from home. How will you use headlines in video lessons? It's easy if you are doing Camtasia videos, merely place the news in your slides. If you are doing screen pictures you can still carry out slides with headlines. And whether it's a talking brain type of training video, you can publish the headline on a whiteboard and even note cards because of the camcorder, you can speak them with emphasis or put them in in the future through editing.There are really great way, but it's also the best way to invest money when you have great team to talk about your plans as you all aim to make the business successful and start to earn big money online.

9. Tell stories.

Whenever you can, illustrate your points through storytelling. Actually, it's wise to undergo your outline to check out places you can utilize stories to really get your tips across. People take pleasure in stories and also have a easier period remembering your things if they are encapsulated within a tale then they patronize your product and you start to earn big money online through your online advertising market.

10. Cast aside your worries.

Sometime found in the creation process you are going to come to be revisited by the gremlin on your own shoulder, showing you you are no expert and also have no organization creating this info product. What in the event you do? Here's one trick: Start a newspaper or go surfing to a news blog and appearance at the persons in the news testimonies. As you seem at each individual or read their brand, consider - does this person really know what I understand about “X?” In nearly every case the remedy is a resounding “zero.” See? You are a specialist, you know a lot more than 97% of folks out there on your own topic, and you will need to avoid doubting yourself and only make contact with work which in turn gives you chance to earn more money online.

11. Remember to follow your outline.

If you find yourself diverging from the outline, change the outline to see if your new track is going to work. If it's not, go back to the original outline. Let's say you're writing about how to grow organic vegetables on tiny pieces of land. You find yourself writing an unexpected chapter on a method that isn't compatible with organic gardening – does it fit in your outline? Doubtful. It might work in a non-organic info product, and so you set it aside for another time. But what if the new chapter is on growing organic flowers? You might place that somewhere in your outline, perhaps near the end. Or it might become an entirely separate bonus.

12. Add graphs, pictures and illustrations anywhere

It can benefit to illustrate what you're teaching. It's just easier for people to understand if they may easily see what you're talking about. In addition to a good visible gets results to be a headline, because it grabs target and gets folks reading. So don't be afraid to utilize lots of visuals provided that each one facilitates in conveying what you will like to say.

13. Edit your product.

If you can, if you are done writing you should place it aside for 24 - 48 time and then keep coming back and edit it. As you browse it, search for anything that could possibly be difficult to comprehend and either reword it or elaborate on the idea to make it superior. Any language that's confusing ought to be eliminated. And if you have discovered that you rambled on about something irrelevant, you should eliminate it. Recommendations for editing: Imagine you're the intended visitors reading your projects for the very first time. Would the reader know very well what you're stating? Would they become riveted or bored? Will there be stuff missing? Trim lengthy sentences to 25 terms or less. Lose the lengthy content and replace them with brief, to the idea words. Split up your text message into small, manageable items with spaces among.

14. Choose a layout for your ebook.

Entire books have been written simply on how to layout a book, so instead of trying to cover it here, I'm going to refer you to an expertly written article for some free advice... http://www.thatscreativeebookdesign.com/design-and-layout-of-your-ebook

15. Go into Beta.

That is, choose a tiny handful of individuals showing your reserve to, and obtain feedback. Likewise do another read-through to check out typos and alterations you need to make. Produce any alterations you want predicated on the feedback.

16. Sit back. Relax.

17. Don't relax for long – now it's time to get it into the marketplace.

Write your product sales letter, add bonuses, speak to affiliates, email the list - you understand the drill.

18. Rinse and repeat.

Every time you try to make an facts product it should get yourself a tiny bit easier because you've finished it before. Actually, avoid being surprised if merchandise ideas start showing up just about everywhere - you are, in the end, now a bonafide merchandise creator! Check out our shop with all these resources:

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clarencenicholsonata · 4 years

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7 First Class Tips to Increase Your Pinterest CTR to Boost Sales & Readership

Every digital marketer has the matra of keywords, ranking, and backlinks deep in his head. This approach has to shift to be successful on Pinterest.

Pinterest is a visual search engine, and though we can apply many similar strategies as for other search engines, we have to think differently.

In this post, we will go over several points to make sure your pin design is as optimized as possible for clicks.

Create Multiple Pin Designs

As in everything marketing related - testing is the key. For every link that you are trying to promote, create several designs, I go with 5 - 10 depending on the importance of the link.

Notice that all the designs are different. From 7 designs on average, 1-2 will be winners that I will keep working with. In the following point, we will go over what makes a winning design.

Make the Pin Stand Out

Ugly right? Well, it works. CTR on this one 14%. What makes it stand out is ...that it is ugly. If you put “how to make money on Pinterest” in Pinterest search, you will be greeted by this:

Those are the pins of well-established accounts. For example, the first one belongs to FinSavvyPanda which has over 2mil. monthly views and 18k followers.

Sure, there is nothing bad in getting inspired by pins of others, but it was obvious to me that my (fairly young) account will not be competing for the first page.

To stand out at least a little bit. And it seemed to work. By now you may have noticed a common denominator between all those pins.

Big letters. I would like to get this message over to you - do not be afraid to make big letters and all in all - make the text dominant, if appropriate for the topic.

Choose an appropriate image

In many cases, Pinterest is alchemy. You never know which pin/topic/title/board combination will give you the best results. So you test and test and test until you have the golden formula.

Wondering where to get new images for all of your pins ideas, we got you covered. Here are a few resources where you can use images for free:

Unsplash

Pixabay

Pexels

...and other 20+ free resources

After clicking on any of the pins you have, Pinterest will also suggest some “More Like This” pins, for the image above these are the “similar” images:

All is well. The pin is about having money and the similar pins suggested by Pinterest are about money. Budgeting, saving, debt issues.

Here is another pin with the same title:

Similar logic as in a previous pin. But check out the pins that interest suggests:

Macarons recipes, weight loss, desserts, etc.

This means two things:

The title is not clear enough. While in the first example Pinterest clearly understood what the topic is, and provides relevant pins to accompany it, the second one is completely off.

These two issues caused lower impressions of the pin, not enough repinning, and all that resulted in the low overall clicks.

2. Do Not Overuse Templates

You created 50 designs, 5 seem to work well, so you make a template out of them and just keep re-pinning similar designs again and again.

Do not do it. There are several reasons why you should not go overboard with templates.

Tools like Canva can help, as they offer you figuratively speaking - an infinite amount of choices and combinations to try for your Pins.

Let’s have a look at one of the more successful profiles on Pinterest of The Savvy Couple:

Need help increasing sales with social media?

Book a free call to learn how our team of marketing experts can help you create high converting social media campaigns today.

3. Use The Text To Your Advantage

Yes, Pinterest is a search engine that heavily relies on the visual side of things, but that does not mean it ignores the keywords.

First of all, Pinterest reads the keywords that are on the picture, and second (but equally important) users are reading it too.

To get clicks from your Pins you have to get users to do a “Close-up” which means that somebody clicks on your Pin to have a closer look at the description.

Use several fonts, but no more than 2-3

Emphasize (in bold, or a dominant font) the main keyword

Make sure the size of all the text is sufficient so users can read it without problems

The keyword here is Home Business Ideas. So if we would quickly through this example we would see:

The keyword is on a pin (2 fonts are used, or rather one font but subtitled in cursive).

Keyword is repeated in the title.

For the third time the keyword is repeated in the description.

If you will proceed to that particular Pinterest account (with several millions of viewers per month) you will notice that there are many pins like that - meaning that these types of design work.

When matched correctly you can be looking at the following results with some of your pins:

There are not so many impressions, but what is important that the vast majority of the ones who clicked, continued to post on the site - which is the main goal here.

4. Test Your Texts

15 Pins were drafted to test the best angle.

Here are the keywords that were used for testing:

Inspirational quotes

Positive Wise Words

Success Quotes

Quotes Positive Happiness

Life Quotes

Motivational Quotes For Kids

Motivational Quotes For Life

Motivational Quotes for Success

Quotes About Strength

These keywords both matched the content of the post but also most importantly they matched the search queries and trends on Pinterest.

After a couple of days, these were the best performers in terms of Closeups

This means that:

Inspirational Quotes For Kids

Inspirational Quotes Positive Wise Words

So take my advice - I will be working with variations of these two pins testing multiple descriptions, so make sure that the future closeups convert into clicks.

5. Do Not Give The Answer In Your Pin

Your goal with Pinterest is to get clicks. Remember it when designing a pin. The visual has to be interesting enough for the user to want to know more.

If the viewer will receive the answer right there on the pin...why would he/she click to your site?

Let’s have a look at some account examples. Here are pins from MakingSenseOfCents which have over 2mil. viewers.

If that pin would also say “With ad-networks, affiliate marketing and growing my blog for 6 years” the CTR would drop. The answer is already there, no need to go any further.

Have you ever noticed that when you are googling for translation? Let's say “manufacturing in Spanish” and go you go past Google Translator results, you see this:

Notice that none of those “snippets” gives you an answer. The reason is still the same, they want you to go to the website to get your information.

What about videos?

“How to make a bow from ribbon” is one of the most popular Pinterest search queries. These are the first few top results:

20% are videos with detailed explanations of how to make a bow from a ribbon. Others are pictures that are there with the goal of getting you to click through to the site.

In the case of videos, you can also get clicks as users will want to see description and other details, but some will just watch it, save the pin and that is it.

What about Infographics?

In conclusion to this section - make pins that are related to the search queries and further lead users from Pinterest to your website.

6. Use Warm colors

While the blues, greens, and yellows can work well. In my opinion red, orange, burgundy, dark pink worked the best.

This study shows that red, orange, and brown performed better than blue 2:1 in repins.

According to, Curalate(published on Wired.com) this is scientifically the best-colored pin:

While this post was written in 2013, do you want to see what is my most successful pin?

Sure, it is not an exact match, but I am sure you can see some resemblance.

What if “warm” colors are completely incompatible with your brand? Well, do not change your whole brand because of Pinterest. See if you incorporate the more “Pinterest friendly” colors.

7. Avoid Faces

Examples Of Successful Pins

In this section, we will go over examples of pins that worked well for me. I will illustrate how various pins behave in different niches so you can plan your Pinterest strategy accordingly.

Recipes

With 8% Closeups, 1% Saves, and 4% CTR this is one of the best pins I had tried. By best I mean that it delivered the most clicks.

As you can see this checks all the boxes in terms of design and color. Red themed picture with a red text background.

In this case, the topic is of great importance. Recipes, fashion, decor, design, travel are all hugely popular on Pinterest.

Good Habits

3% Closeups, 1.5% CTR and 0 Saves may not seem like a hugely successful result. The interesting thing is that the potential of this topic (and related ones) is possibly limitless.

You may see that there are just slight changes but this pin (pinned at nearly the same, on same boards) received 2% closeups, 1% Saves, and 1% CTR.

No matter how many times you will pin for this topic, you will receive constant results. It does not seem to die out.

Personal Finance

Another of the favored topics on Pinterest and I of course had to try how a very basic pin will do.

With 3% closeups and 3% CTR this design seems to be easily replicable. Meaning that changing it to different topics and varieties is not an issue.

This is just another use of the same design, delivering similar results. 2% closeups, 1% saves, and 1% CTR.

Personal Development

This pin delivered 1% closeups, 0.5% saves (one of my top repined images by total number), and 1,5% CTR. That can be considered a good result for a topic that is not “dominant” on Pinterest.

Digital Tools

While my expectations for this topic were quite low, there were quite a few positive surprises. 2% Closeups, and close to 1% CTR. Saves were under 0.5% so something to work on in the future.

Another example of a simple design that worked even in the digital marketing tools niche is a pin about comparing email marketing services.

These were the testing pins:

After a couple of weeks, the best percentual rates were on this pin: