One great time-saving feature for publishing in WordPress is the Timestamp option. Yet, many people do not use this to their advantage. Some don’t know it exists.

After writing a post, check the Edit Timestamp option, and select the publishing date. Next, click Publish. In your WordPress dashboard, you should see the post scheduled for future posting. It would look something like this:

This only works when you click on Publish. When clicking on Save and Continue Editing or Save it will not store the post for future publishing.

With the timestamp option, you’re not limited to creating posts when you need to publish them. You can just as easily create posts for the entire week, set them to auto-publish each day, and get on that plane to enjoy your weekend vacation!

A huge benefit for beginners and professionals who want to focus on content. Even the more ambitious work is done with ease.

As an offline weblog client, BlogDesk lets you comfortably write and effortlessly publish new entries to your blog.

No need to use those annoying HTML Tags in the WYSIWYG editor. Images can be directly inserted and are automatically uploaded. Even publishing simultaneously to multiple blogs is a matter of a click.

With the ImageWizard you can not only insert images to your posts – it’s possible to edit them as well (crop, resize, rotate, shadow etc., see Examples). Even Thumbnails can be created – the preview will be shown in the blog and a click on the image will open it in its original size (just like here in the right column). Linking and uploading those images is automatically done by BlogDesk.

The comprehensive help explains all aspects of the program in a clear manner. The help is also available as a printer-friendly PDF manual (Download).

I love Blog Desk and find it a very useful tool. This post was written using the same software I suggest. Download your copy here.

I just found out about it and tested it today.

Take a look at my latest blog entry at:

http://signmeupmarketing.blogspot.com

That’s the test post I made. The thing that I found really cool was the fact that it also creates a link to the actual recording as well.

It’s a free service and I have no association or incentive to post this but I figured that I’d share it.

It only took me 10 minutes to set up my account. I think it only works in the US and Canada though but I’m not sure…I literally just signed up.

www.Jott.com

If you don’t catch the reader’s attention, they won’t read the article.

It is also what the Search Engines publish which brings traffic to your site.

The same applies to blog posts: after the headline, the most important words you write are in the lead paragraphs. If you want people to actually read your post (and thus come back to your blog for more), you need to focus on that lead.

A great lead should do the following things:

1. Grab the reader’s attention.
2. Make the reader want to read more.
3. Set the tone for the rest of the post.
4. Summarize what the post is about.

That’s a lot of jobs for just a few words. Many leads won’t accomplish all four tasks, but the best ones will. You should strive for as many of the four goals as possible for each of your leads.

Here are some tips for doing that:

1. Start with a story.
   People love an engaging story. Now, you don’t want to tell a long story, but a short and catchy anecdote that illustrates your main point will often get your reader wanting to read more. You can tell that story in a paragraph or two, but much longer and you’ll bore the reader.
2. Be concise.
   Again, you don’t want to bore the reader. Say what you have to say in a few sentences, and then get into the meat of the post. The mistake many bloggers make is rambling for a few paragraphs, which will lose many a reader.
3. Shock them.
   The humorist Maddox knows how to shock readers, and gets them wanting to read more. And he does it in the opening paragraph. For example, in one article he asks, “Why are parents afraid to beat their kids?” I don’t advocate trying to shock your readers every time (although it works for Maddox), but once in awhile this might be effective.
4. Ask a question.
   Why do question headlines work? Because they engage the reader, making the reader think about the answer to the question, and making him want to know the answer. Don’t start every blog post with a question, but there are many times when a question lead would work extremely well.
5. Rewrite.
   Don’t spend all day writing your lead before you get into the rest of the post. Just write what you think is a decent lead, move on, and finish the post. Then come back and look at your lead with a critical eye. And rewrite it, making it more concise and more engaging.
6. Get them curious.
   Asking a question is one way to get a reader curious, but there are many others as well. You want to share something with the reader in the first paragraph or two that doesn’t complete the picture, leaving the reader wanting to find the final piece of the puzzle. If you tell them that there are four reasons that reading this article will boost their career, they will most likely want to know what those four reasons are. But be sure to deliver — don’t tease and then leave them hanging.
7. Paint a picture.
   Start a post by getting the reader to imagine an image, painting with vivid detail that image in the reader’s mind. With such an image, the reader will be engaged and immersed in the world you’ve created with that picture.
8. Use a staggering stat.
   Don’t fill a post with a whole bunch of stats, or you will lose the reader. Three stats in a post is a good limit, but one stat in the lead is enough. Just make sure it’s a great stat, that blows the reader away. 10 million acres of rainforest were cut down during the time it took to read this sentence. Of course, you shouldn’t make stats up like that, but you get the idea.
9. Make a promise.
   If you tell the reader how you will solve a problem for him, how you will make his life better with this post, that’s a promise you’re making that you need to deliver on. But that promise will send a clear message to the reader that this is going to be a very useful post to him, and make him want to read the whole post. Again, be sure to deliver.
10. Use a metaphor.
    Actually, a metaphor is just a way of painting a picture, but it’s a specific technique that really works. And its imagery, if done right, can capture a reader’s imagination while making your point much clearer.

Any other suggestions post in the comments below.