Today's tip is going to be short, sweet and to the point:

If you are a blogger, whether you're a novice or professional, you only have 8 seconds to catch the reader's attention. Now, while this may not seem like hardly any time at all, it's what you've got to work with. You have to make the most of them time you have, so really need to make your blog post stand out and catch the reader's attention. Here's what you need to do

1. Make the headline pop. Make sure it's brief, to the point, but also snappy and jazzy enough that the reader will stop and want to read the rest of the post.

2. Don't make the post too long (or too short for that matter). Make it exactly as long as it needs to be to get your point across.

3. Keep keywords in mind when writing the blog post. This will help out with SEO and getting more readers. The more relevant keywords scattered throughout your article, the more likes that you will get more readers to your site/blog.

Best Software for Freelance Writers

As a freelance writer myself (of course!), I have tried my share of software and programs trying to make my life easier and more organized. Some were great and some failed miserably. Here is a list of some of the best software and programs that every freelance writer needs to check out:

1. Evernote. I use this note-taking software for keeping track of projects, to-do lists, clients, and other important things to remember. Evernote is free and can be downloaded to your laptop or computer, and you can even get the app for your smart phone. I love this because I can keep track of projects and many other lists in one area.

2. QuickBooks Online Simple Start. QB Online is a free, online-based program that I used in the past to keep track of invoices, payments, expenses and even clients and projects. You can pay a monthly fee to use QuickBooks' premium features.

3. Google Calendar. I am in love with Google's Calendar, I'm not afraid to admit it! I use it for absolutely EVERYTHING, from my kids' appointments to work deadlines. It's great because you can create different calendars for different people or events; for example, I have calendars set up for each of my children, one for birthdays, events, school activities for my daughter, dr appointments, bills, clients (for work), errands, couponing, and many more. I can keep track of everything in one calendar, share with my husband, and even download to my smart phone.

4. Dropbox. Thank goodness my husband told me about this a few years ago, right when I started my freelance writing business. This Cloud storage service lets me keep all of my documents in one place where it can be backed-up and I won't lose anything should something happen to my laptop. Such as the hard drive failing, which happened to me a few months ago. If it weren't for Dropbox, I would have lost most of my work from the past week or so.

5. WordPad. You should know this one, it probably came free on your computer or laptop with Windows. It has helped me a lot when writing articles, as I can quickly jot down ideas, research notes, or outlines.