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Making Your Links Irresistible

Hey there!

When setting up links to our web pages, profiles, demos, resumes and other content, we want people to be drawn to click on those links.

I’ve got a few ways to make those links more appealing without getting into clickbait.


(Click/tap ↑↑↑↑↑↑ that red YouTube button to subscribe to my channel. You’ll get notified when I release new videos.)

Hope this helps!

David

All Episodes

One Step At A Time

Five Ways To Have An Excellent Coffee Date With Me

Five Ways To Have A Crappy Coffee Date With Me

Taking Advantage Of The Wisdom Of The Tribe

How To Be A World Class Complainer

The False Nobility Of The Struggle

Watch Out – The Rules Are Going To Change

“Show Me The Secret, Daddy!”

Coaching vs Consulting vs Facilitating

The Perils of Live Performance And Why Jeremy Kappell Should Not Have Been Fired

Let’s Welcome To The Stage…Failure!

Don’t Confuse Price With Value

Whiteboards In The Hallways

Go Wake Up Your Luck

Playing and Planning

The Two Things Most Talent Try to Accomplish Way Too Soon

10,000 Hours To Become Good At Something? Not Really.

The Curse of Knowledge

The Trick Charlie Munger Uses To Make Better Decisions

Everyone’s A Customer, Not Just Your Customers

“What do you mean, you’re a ‘process guy’?”

Pay Attention To Your Storytelling, Not Removing Your Breaths

How To Conquer FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out)

The Problem In Every Commercial Script

The Job In Every Commercial Script

The Secret In Every Commercial Script

How To Pick Your Stage Name

Voice Over Is REALLY Hard. Until It Isn’t.

Helping Make Resolutions Stick

ACX Jobs: They’re ALL SAG-AFTRA-Friendly

Non-Union? You Can Still Open An AFTRA H&R Account. What?

Who Says You Need To “Feel Like It?”

Are You Engaged?

Your Day Job Might Just Be Worth Keeping For A Bit Longer

Want To Learn Something Really Well? Teach It To Others

Don’t Confuse What Works With What You Like

The Lost Keys And The Microphone In My Elevator

My Insane Backup System Plus Two Helpful Tips

What Open Loops Are And Why They Work So Well

Two More Things For Which You Can Use Open Loops

Three Things Not To Say Or Do…When Trying To Learn Something New

Front Burner and Back Burner Project Management

How To Properly List The Accents and Dialects You Perform

My SAG-AFTRA Presentation On VO Demos (Part 1)

My SAG-AFTRA Presentation On VO Demos (Part 2)

A Simple, One-Word Decision-Making Question To Ask Yourself

Ready, Shoot…Aim

How You Can Use The MVP Model As A Performer

How Lazy Can You Be?

Avoid The Struggle Porn

The Robocall Equivalent Of Unsubscribe

Saying Goodbye To A “Failure”

Making Your Links Irresistible

HTTPS Is Not Just For Banks – It’s For You

The Threat That Made Me Create a New Page For LAME

The Resource You Must Guard Most Carefully

How New Media Is Using The Oldest Ad Model Ever

“You Could Be Hit By A Bus!”

Killing Customers With Kindness

I Found Out What She Was Podcasting About

How I Answered Voices.com’s Inquiry

Turning Mountains Into Molehills

Motivation: Your Three Big Needs In A Cool Little Package

Go Ahead. Multitask. But Try It Like This.

The Prodigy Game Doesn’t Deserve This Treatment

I Don’t Want To Go Blind

What Fair Markets Are, And Why Voices.com Isn’t One

Trevor’s Three A’s From Apple On Killing Customers With Kindness

Getting Ready vs. Getting Started

You’ll Never Believe Who Got Rejected By Harvard

There Is No Failure, Only Feedback

Who Is Your Most Dangerous Adversary?

73 Videos In, My First Hater Appears

If You’re The Smartest Person In The Room, Do This ASAP

Your Glasses And Crucial Laptop Positioning Info

One More Insanely Over-engineered Piece Of Gear: My UPS

The Crazy Backward Way IKEA Prices Their Stuff

Voices.com Complained To YouTube That I Violated Their Privacy

The Gig Economy: RIP?

For Your Health: Not Perfect. Just Better.

Celebrate Your Isolation!

Mr. Wonderful Is Actually More Wonderful Than I Thought

Let’s Finally Close The Digital Literacy Gender Gap

The Guaranteed Way To Completely Avoid Criticism

The Two Things People Judge About You Within Seconds

Prioritizing…Nashville Style

Are You Committed? Or Just…Interested?

Audible Retail Samples: Why They Suck And Why It Doesn’t Really Matter

How To Voice Copy That’s Set In Italics

Dyslexia, And The Palindromic Poem. The Wha?

Increase Your Chances Of Being Seen And Heard On Facebook

Jamie Has Some Thoughts About Fiverr

Is Simply Discouraging Distracted Driving Enough?

“Young People Are Just Smarter.”

The Real Purpose Of The “Can You Hear Me?” Phone Scam

Beware Of Overkill

Laying Down The Perfect Slate

An AMA Preview: The Word “Ethnic” – A Slur, Or An Essential Adjective?

10 Rules of Profitable Self Discipline from Napoleon Hill

AMA (Ask Me Anything): Here Are The Answers (Part 1)

AMA (Ask Me Anything): Here Are The Answers (Part 2)

AMA (Ask Me Anything): Here Are The Answers (Part 3)

AMA (Ask Me Anything): Here Are The Answers (Part 4)

AMA Answers Part 5 Plus A Medical Warning

Last AMA Answers (#6): Gear, Services and Success

A 7-Word Reminder: “Don’t correct people when it matters little.”

Do You Have A Plan? And Is It The Right One?

What’s Your Next Big Move? Are You Ready?

Build Your Future On Your Own Platform, Not Someone Else’s

I’m Leaving Facebook: Why Groups and FB Live No Longer Spark Joy

Time To Accept That I’ve Failed At Something – Happily

Crowdfunding Without The Internet: Pulitzer And The Statue Of Liberty

The Amazing Power Of Recognition And Badging

Might We Have A Possible Cause For Alzheimer’s?

Why Podcasting And Radio Are Out Of Whack

Value Enthusiasm, But Value Persistence More

Ten Ways To Make Money With Podcasts Besides Ads

One Quick Question To Find Out How Important Something Actually Is

The Workflow For Producing These Videos (So Far) Part 1

Why Not Wade? And…Why Not You?

Audiobook Narrators: How Paymasters Work, And The One I Recommend

Why Gen Z And Millennials’ Love For Audiobooks Is Crucial

American Idol: It’s All About Story, Not Just Singing

Less Beating Yourself Up, More Talking Yourself Up

Resist Oversharing. Instead, Start A Dialogue.

Vocal Care: It’s All About What Works For You

3 Biases You Should Be Aware Of

3 More Biases You Should Also Be Aware Of

Wow. People Really Grokked Biases. Let’s Tackle Fallacies.

Three More Fallacies You Need To Watch For

What’s Your Imprint?

Fallacy Follies, Volume 3

Two Last Big Creativity-Crippling Fallacies

Fail Sooner To Succeed Sooner

A New Lead Source For Performers: Voice Assistants And Smart Speakers

A Great Way To Handle Trolls and Haters

Quantity Does Not Usually Equal Quality

Is Facebook Truly A Monopoly? No More Than Microsoft Was.

Fear Of The Unknown, Or The Day Before My Surgery

A Strange Aspect To Performing That Should Be Cause For Protest, But Isn’t

Want To Grow? Don’t Go It Alone.

How Am I Doing? I’m Gobsmacked. That’s How Am I Doing.

Why I Give My Agents 10% Of Everything

Not Just Explainer Videos, But Video That Explain Things Spectacularly

Mental Floss To The Rescue: Skills You Can Pick Up On YouTube

What’s Better Than Willpower? Grit.

Regarding Apple’s App Store: Be Careful What You Wish For, Pepper

Of COURSE You Wonder What Porter’s Five Forces Are. Who Doesn’t?

Don’t Waste Your Time: Talk Shows Aren’t Meant To Be Fair

Sooner Or Later, I’m Really Going To Tick You Off

Just Because You Can Do Something Doesn’t Mean You Should

Wait, What? Audacity Records In The Background?!

Enjoy Your First Booking. Pay Close Attention To The Next Three.

Pattern Interruption And The Musicality Of Voice Over

Do You Still Have A Landline? Is It POTS? Wait, What’s POTS?

Increase Your VO Accuracy, And You’ll Increase Your VO Profits

Age Range Isn’t Really A Valid Metric For VO

What Is The Overton Window?

How To Stop Jealousy From Killing Your Progress

Even The Bible (And Game Of Thrones) Has One-Star Reviews

How Much Is Enough To Make Per Hour?

With Royalty Share Plus, ACX Makes Hybrid Stipends Official

Wait, Vices Can Be Good For Your Health?

What A Lovely Thing To Discover: Praise From CourVO

I Figured Out What I Provide: The Onboarding Performers Don’t Get

You Don’t Need Permission To Care Or Contribute

It’s Not Just You. It’s The Superstars, Too.

Do You Sometimes Think Irrationally? Maybe. Here’s How To Stop It.

The Struggle Of Announcer-y Versus Non-Announcer-y Voice Over

How My VAs Support Me And My Team

What Exactly Is “The Cloud?”

The Often “Most Difficult” Concept I Teach

Please Unsubscribe From This List. But Don’t Do This One Destructive, Lazy Thing.

Don’t Mistake The Joy Of Knowing For The Joy Of Doing

Why Giving Yourself Some Simple Homework Can Be Life-Changing

One Weird Trick I Do That Makes My Note-Taking Superhuman

The Worst Thing About The Biggest Money-Making Entertainment Category

What Can We Grab From A Schedule This Strict?

Get Better At Executing Today’s Plan By Starting Last Night

How To Create Useful, Organized Audition File Names

Where To Find Related PDFs For Audiobooks on Audible

I’m Halfway Finished. What Have You Valued Most? What Can I Do Better?

Our Digital Attention Span Is Incredibly Brief

“Serves You Right!” She Actually Has No Idea How Right.

Create A Safe Environment For Self-Improvement

Why I Use One Single Channel For Crucial Communication

The Even Cheaper AT-2020 USB Plus Microphone?

Fred Willard (and Billy West) On Quickly Creating Authentic VO Characters

Leo Makes Your Searching Spectacular

On Asking For Things Performers Can’t Do

How To Battle The Urge of “Efficiency”

One More Best-Of-Breed Way To Brilliantly Complain

Changing Audacity’s Sampling Rate To 48,000 Hz

10 Words Of Encouragement When You’re Stuck

Seek/Give Mentorship That’s Appropriate To The Journey

Two Cases Where You Might Not Want To Simply “Follow Your Passion”

Having Fun With Headphone Volume

Please Stop Rushing To Perform

Something To Consider: Everyone’s Internal Menu

One Crazy Key To Creativity: Pure, Unadulterated Boredom

For The Sheer Joy Of It

The Most Commonly Consumed Media Is…!

What’s Dangerous For Us To Care About

Please, Clever Copywriters…Stop Using This Term

Wait, Wait…What? They Actually Listened?!

Why You Should Take The Same Classes Twice

How Your Character’s Menu Informs Your Performance Choices

What Shouldn’t Be Your Metric For VO Success

Someone Awesome Who’s Also Rising To A 365-Day Challenge

Union Or Not, Start With Union Rates

O. M. G. Look What Matt Zurbo Did!

So Where Will That Huge Facebook Fine End Up?

The Root Words of “Typecast”

Avoid That One Obvious “That Worked” Sound We Make

Why Union Members Can Audition For Non-Union Work

200 Auditions. 1 Booking. A Ghost. Really?

I Can’t Do One Thing I’m Asked To Do Every Single Day

One Of Your Secret Weapons: Agility

Do Networking Events Make You Anxious? Let’s Fix That.

Project X Is Just About Ready. I’m A Bit Giddy.

The Difference Between Mansplaining and Advice?

Too Late, Melissa. You Already Are.

Help Me Solve A Lovely Mystery!

Speeding Up The Playback On The Audible App

Why Those Other Casting Sites Usually Aren’t Worth It


Raw YouTube Captioning

hey there it’s David H Lawrence the 17th
and today I want to talk to you about
something little tiny little tiny skill
that we all are acquiring you know we
were growing up typing was very
important and learning a programming
language was for the crazy people like
me in the computer lab and we were
learning programs like basic and Fortran
and pl-1 and there was no web so there
was no HTML but today learning how to do
websites and just the basics of HTML is
almost a given it’s almost a standard in
fact there’s so many light uses of HTML
you know bolding and italicize the
markup language that makes things look a
little bit different from plain text and
one of those skills is creating links so
we link to things we link to webpages we
link to our profiles we link to our
demos we link to our resumes we link to
a lot of different things and what we
link from is usually text sometimes it’s
an image but often it’s a sentence or a
word or two and what I want to do today
is talk to you about the best practices
for writing that text that adds a link
to go to some other point in your
portfolio of stuff this is called micro
content things like captions under
pictures or words that link to other
parts of a page or other pages or other
items the stuff that’s little short
promos and the sidebars of things it’s a
very different type of writing than
writing long paragraphs of explanatory
stuff or dialogue or that sort of thing
it’s designed to be clear and to be
enticing and to be encouraging and to be
very useful and to that end because we
want clarity and we want usefulness
sometimes we are very complete
in our writing click here to learn more
about my amazing demos you know and you
link the entire sentence so that’s
that’s okay I mean it’s good it shows
you what you want them to do and what
they’re gonna get when they get to
whatever the destination is of the link
but one thing right off the bat to
remember is that more than half of the
activity that occurs on the Internet
today does not occur on a device that
you can click on
a couple years ago there was this
turning point in the acquisition of
content the use of things where more
than 50 percent became mobile I’ve got
my iPhone here my iPad here you know I
have my computer in front of me but
that’s the only place I can click on
something everywhere else I tap so know
that if you write a sentence that says
you know click here to do blah blah blah
there’s a very good chance that you are
telling somebody who is using a mobile
device you are clueless that they’re
using a mobile device or you don’t care
that they’re using a mobile device or
you’re not aware that they’re using a
mobile device so remember click or tap
and click versus tap because sometimes
you create things like for example I
never say click when I write things
about my app rehearsal pro because it’s
always used on a mobile device so things
are constantly changing but let’s get
back to the micro content so if you link
that entire sentence click here to learn
more about my amazing demos it’s big it
tells everybody the whole story and so
what you might want to do is change the
sentence the content that you’re linking
to to say something like here’s how I
make great vo demos ok
you’re not saying click or taps you
don’t have to worry about that and
you’re actually saying oh I’m gonna give
you a process I’m gonna let you hear my
demos and I’m gonna show you what I can
do to make your demos better maybe I
don’t know but it’s an open loop you
don’t know so remember open loops you
gotta go find out right so the whole
sentence here is a second level to go to
after you change the text what about not
linking to the entire sentence because
the sentence can be pretty long so
instead instead of the whole sentence of
here’s how to make your voiceover demos
even better how about just linking the
part that says make your vo demos even
better because that becomes not a how-to
but it becomes an actual statement make
your vo demos even better and that’s
linked that
it’s highlighted it looks different from
the rest of the sentence right so
there’s a couple more levels you can
take it to even better here’s how to
make your vo demo even better is a
phrase that will send them to a place
that’s highlighted and becomes a
statement even better than that how
about you change both the content and
add a second link in the sentence this
is just one example of a million ways
that you can use both open loops and
brevity to make it more enticing for
people to click on the link what if your
sentence read how here’s how to make
here’s how to make the most important
tool you have as a vo artist fantastic
so there you link to the most important
tool and people go oh the most important
– what could that possibly be
so that’s declarative it’s accurate
because it really is and it’s enticing
it makes you wonder what that tool
actually is so then you add to that one
last sort of icing on the cake if you
made the sentence here’s 99 ways to make
damn sure you’re vo demos don’t suck
or here are five examples of why my
voiceover demos are something you should
hear so take the phrase 99 ways or five
examples highlight that because that’s
what they’re gonna get when they get
there and your vo demo doesn’t suck or
my vo demos are things you should hear
just highlight parts of that your vo
demos don’t suck and my vo demo so you
have two links in one sentence and both
of them are open loops it’s like wow
wait a minute this is so important that
there’s two links in this sentence
there’s a lot of stuff that goes on in
people’s heads as they look at something
that they might want to tap on or click
on to link to so you can take it from
the kind of everyday work a day take the
sentence and link to it that’s all you
need to do and really construct your
sentences and the content of the links
themselves to be enticing and maybe a
little mysterious and inviting and still
clear and still accurate but that will
make it that much more likely that they
will click or tap on that link that all
makes sense I hope so I love these
little things I love these little sort
of like micro skills that you can
acquire I’ve often said that doing web
building and doing anything with HTML is
like having a million little different
little paint pots to dip your brush into
and do that and I got to do a link and
they got to do an image and how is its
how is it set up and what are web safe
colors and you know all that stuff so
you’ll learn all kinds of really cool
things and it’s been one of the most
joyous things that I’ve learned in my
life do you make questions about this do
you write micro content for yourself
when you go and make a profile or you go
and link to something do you have the
opportunity built a website you ever
have a web page or when you leave
comments on a site and you create a link
and you can create a link from content
rather than just putting the link itself
out there the HTTP link questions about
that really great exam
fools that you’ve created to do that I’d
love to know I I’m I’m I’m just a fiend
for acquiring you know a catalogue of
really cool things that you can do to
make people’s lives better in terms of
technology tell me so in the comments
below and also tell me if this like
doesn’t you couldn’t care less about
this I mean I’m doing this for the
people for whom it does make a
difference and I’ll do a video for you
someday but tell me if this is like yeah
you don’t add an atom care that’s
nothing that’s not for me if you’d like
to sign up for my channel and get these
videos on a daily basis will tell you
when the new one comes out go ahead and
click on my head there my face if
there’s subscribe button somewhere on
the page if there’s nothing over there
click on that frame if you want to see
the latest video that I’ve done YouTube
will play it for you I’m David H
Lawrence the 17th I so appreciate you
watching these one-a-day videos that
we’re doing this year and I will talk to
you tomorrow

7 Responses to Making Your Links Irresistible

  1. Tim Carter February 22, 2019 at 6:19 am #

    Time to fix my sentences in my AsktheBuilder.com newsletter! DUH!!!! Great tip as always, David!

  2. Veleka February 22, 2019 at 1:31 pm #

    David, you are the bomb!!!

  3. Ben February 22, 2019 at 4:14 pm #

    David, I adore your videos; I’m looking forward to the time when I can afford to purchase your entire training package and really start building my VO practice from your framework.

    This particular video, admittedly, does not resonate as much with me, maybe because I’ve never built my own website, or maybe because when I visit websites, I tend to prefer simpler design over more complex stuff. The more links and open loops that a page (and certainly a sentence) has, the more it starts to look messy and overwhelming, and even ‘spammy’. But that might just be me and my own sensibilities.

    Thanks for all of your great insights!

  4. Sheila February 22, 2019 at 6:51 pm #

    As always I enjoyed watching..

  5. Heather Leavens August February 25, 2019 at 11:40 am #

    Love these nuggets. I’m meeting with GoDaddy on Friday to finish up my content for my website launch and I will be rewriting a bit of my content because of this. Thank you so much!

  6. Alexandra Harrington February 26, 2019 at 10:34 pm #

    I have noticed that when content has multiple phrases that are both linked to something….I click on both to make sure it’s linked to the same thing! Now I know why!

  7. Tobi Czumak March 5, 2019 at 7:19 pm #

    Love your daily videos. They always give me something to think about and usually incorporate into my thinking for my VO career. Thanks so much.

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