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I like to imagine that I am sowing seeds in the reader’s mind that will grow and flower into action. A great article can accomplish any goal, whether it is to inform, educate, change a mind, enhance understanding or something else. An article’s success demands clean, dynamic and authentic writing as well as precision and confidence on the part of the writer. My freelance experience includes writing a wide variety of articles for very diverse audiences.

ARTICLE SAMPLES

ARTICLE 1 :: 9 Simple Steps to Become a Thought Leader in Your Industry

Jessica tackles each article with aplomb and delivers well-crafted pieces that flow, regardless of the “excitement level” of the topic.”
— Mandy Russell, Communications Editor – Ghergich & Co

9 Simple Steps to Become a Thought Leader in Your Industry

Being a thought leader in your industry is a pretty nice gig if you can manage it. Consider it the adult equivalent of being the high school quarterback or captain of the cheerleading squad. Everyone wants to be your friend, they hang onto your every word, and your opinions practically become the law of the land. There’s just one small problem: You can’t snag this esteemed title quickly or easily.

Building yourself up as a respected and legit thought leader takes incredible focus and commitment, unwavering effort, and smart strategizing. It won’t be easy, but the reward of establishing yourself as an industry thought leader is far more satisfying (and lucrative) than any short-term achievement.

Why Do You Want to Be a Thought Leader?

Maybe you’ve never understood the draw of the limelight; even so, that doesn’t mean you should shy away from it as an adult, especially if you want to make a difference in your industry. Writing on the subject for Forbes, Shel Israel defines a thought leader as “someone who looks at the future and sets a course for it that others will follow . . . They foment change, often causing great disruption.”

If you like the idea of reshaping the conversation of your industry, then you already have the mindset of a thought leader. Here are just a few more reasons to lace up and start walking down the thought leader path:

•  Career elevation: Those who never speak up don’t get remembered, and they certainly don’t get promoted. Dorie Clark, author of Reinventing You, explains, “Good employees and good executives are nice to have. Thought leaders are irreplaceable—and indispensable.”

•  Company elevation: Thought leaders often become synonymous with their companies. As the reputation of the thought leader rises, so follows their company brand. Steve Jobs’s well-known obsession with perfection built him a legion of Apple fans who were and are willing to pay for just about anything his company makes.

•  Open doors: The more you put your name and ideas out into the world, the more opportunities will come your way. Rachael Ray took the simple concept of easy-to-make 30-minute meals and turned it into a lifestyle empire.

•  Real change: The most powerful reason to position yourself as a thought leader is that you can bring about real change in your industry. The business world hangs on the words of people like Richard Branson, Warren Buffet, Elon Musk, and Sheryl Sandberg. They don’t just influence the global conversation—they grab the wheel and steer.

The journey to thought leadership land can be long and challenging. If you’re not sure how to get started, here’s a nifty map with nine steps that can put you on the right path to becoming a respected voice in your industry.

Step One: Carve Out Your Personal Brand

Thought leaders, by their very nature, stand out from the crowd. They have strong and compelling personalities that appeal to their respective audiences. Rachael Ray has perfected her folksy everyday woman brand that fits with the no-fuss meals that she promoted on 30 Minute Meals, the Food Network show that launched her to fame.

Your personal brand should be a natural extension of who you already are. That said, you may want to emphasize certain aspects of your personality. Above all: Be authentic.

You also need to define your niche:

•  What are your opinions about your industry?
•  How are they different or unique from the voices that already dominate the field?
•  Can you stand out even more in your niche? (You can always broaden your focus as you gain more attention.)

Don’t forget to give plenty of thought to who your audience is. Who are your people, and what ideas will capture their attention and loyalty? All of this information is essential before you even start.

Step Two: Start Spreading Your Viewpoints

Standing on a soapbox on your front lawn might amuse your neighbors, but it isn’t going to help you build a following. As a thought leader, your most powerful tool will be a platform from which to begin spreading your ideas. For many thought leaders, this is a personal blog. For example, Wil Wheaton’s blog cemented his reputation as a leading voice for all things nerd and geek. He amplifies his reach with his wildly popular Twitter feed.

If the thought of churning out an endless stream of blogs has you breaking into a cold sweat, rest assured that a blog isn’t your only option. Plenty of thought leaders spread their gospel through podcasts and videos. Gary Vaynerchuk made his name as a social media guru in part by creating the binge-worthy #AskGaryVee show on YouTube.

Pro tip: If you can’t commit to the rigors of regular blogging, vlogging, podcasting, or whatever the next hip thing to do is, start small by spreading your ideas on your social media channel. Elon Musk gets by without a blog or podcast, but his Twitter feed has over 4.8 million followers. Likewise, Vala Afshar, with over 140,000 Twitter followers, is also a regular contributor to The Huffington Post.

Step Three: Build Your Platform into a Destination

As a thought leader-in-training, you need to put a lot of sweat equity into turning your platform into a destination. One blog a month isn’t going to cut it. Neither will a sprinkling of Instagram pictures. Instead, you need to produce a lot of content on a consistent basis that is as good as you can make it. In an article for Entrepreneur, Jayson Demers encourages readers to “start making bolder claims in your articles, and making bigger predictions about the future of your industry.”

Most likely, you won’t get a lot of attention right away. That’s normal. Keep writing, recording, and posting. One of the reasons Richard Branson has over 8 million followers on Twitter is because the founder of Virgin Group has posted over 13,000 tweets! Want to match his influence? Start racking up quality tweets, blogs, and more content.

Step Four: Expand Your Spotlight

Eventually you’ll want to see what’s going on outside of your own little fishbowl. The world is vast, and your audience is scattered. It’s up to you to expand your spotlight so they can find you. The easiest way to do this is to develop social media channels that allow you to share your daily thoughts and observations, and engage in the current conversation of the day. Social media can also let you showcase your latest blog post, YouTube video, or podcast episode.

Of course, you can only do so much on your own platforms. Now is the time to find new audiences. Figure out what blogs, podcasts, magazines, email newsletters, and YouTube channels your audience loves and then start pitching guest posts, interviews, and other collaborations. Craft compelling, personalized pitches. You’ll probably receive a whole bunch of dead air back, but it only takes a few yeses for you to dramatically grow your visibility.

Pro tip: Who says everyone has to do you favor? Invite other up-and-coming thought leaders to guest blog on your platform, co-host a podcast, or sit down for a video interview.

Step Five: Network, Network, Network

Your industry is likely already home to a wide range of thought leaders. These individuals have already built up their audiences, and have star power they may be able to bestow upon you. Effective networking could lead to collaborations and even partnerships that launch you into the big leagues. Rachael Ray was doing great at building her brand, but appearing in multiple guest segments on the Oprah Winfrey Show and the Dr. Phil Show catapulted her into celebrity status.

Of course, if you don’t have Oprah’s number in your Rolodex, there are other ways to start networking. Carolyn Edgecomb of iMPACT Branding & Design suggests writing blogs or creating pieces around your favourite thought leaders or their companies to catch their attention. Promote the post on your social media pages, making sure to tag the thought leader. You may be surprised by how many of them will share or retweet your mention.

Another good tactic is to share and comment on the blogs, social media posts, videos, and other content of the industry leaders you admire. Additionally, if you can, attend industry conferences and events that bring thought leaders together. A lot of small touches can help raise awareness of your name among the heavy hitters in your field.

Step Six: Hit the Speaking Tour

It’s hard to imagine that Tony Robbins—one of the world’s most popular self-help gurus—gave his inspiring presentations to small groups when he was first getting started. These days, he can easily fill thousand-seat auditoriums. Perhaps you will, too, but, like Tony Robbins, you’ll need to start small as you build your brand.

Speaking not only puts you directly in front of new audiences, it also forces you to polish your special focus, lends you authority in your field, and gives you the opportunity to network on equal footing with your fellow speakers, panelists, and keynotes. Author Dorie Clark explains, “Given the terror that public speaking instills in most people, your street cred will automatically skyrocket when you take the stage.”

Don’t wait around for the folks at TED to call you. Instead, actively pitch yourself as a speaker, panelist, or workshop leader. Clark suggests reaching out to your local Rotary Club and Chamber of Commerce to get started. With a few successful speeches under your belt, you can pitch regional conferences, major industry events, and in-house speeches to big corporations.

Pro tip: Even if you think you’re too small time for a specific event, pitch anyway. You never know if an event is struggling to fill all of its speaking slots or if organizers are dealing with a speaker who dropped out at the last minute.

Step Seven: Get Published

If you keep your eyes on the prize, you’ll slowly but surely start building a name for yourself. Now is not the time to slow down. Instead, it’s the perfect moment to use all of the thought leadership mojo you’ve built—as well as the unique perspective you’ve polished across hundreds of blog posts and speeches—to create something outstanding. For many thought leaders, this is a book that shares their philosophy and insights with the world. We all know how Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In turned her into one of the biggest authorities on empowering professional women.

Crafting a book (or creating premium content in some other form) is a great way of creating a new revenue stream that leverages your growing reputation. It also gives you something that you can sell after your speeches. However, the greatest benefit of having a book or a product that contains premium knowledge is the authority that it can lend to your brand. Clark puts it best: “There is no more definitive proof of thought leadership than authoring a good book on your chosen subject.”

Step Eight: Keep It Going

If you work hard enough and smart enough, and find a message that truly resonates with your audience, then you will reach a tipping point where things become much easier. You won’t be sending out dozens of guest blog pitches only to hear crickets in return. People will ask you for interviews. Conferences will ask you speak. Your social media audience will seem to grow on its own. In other words, you’ve made it, or at least a good deal of people have started to listen to you.

At this point it’s easy to sit back and let the waves of adoration keep on coming, but the job of a thought leader never stops. Now that more people are listening, you need to be as sharp as ever, or you could become yesterday’s news. Don’t slack off and regurgitate the same ideas on your blog. Keep reaching for new ideas and ways to push your industry forward.

Now is also the time that you can make a play to break through. Rachael Ray wasn’t just satisfied with one show. Today, she is a lifestyle brand, complete with cookbooks, a line of cookware, her own magazine, three shows on the Food Network, and a syndicated daytime show called Rachael Ray. She certainly didn’t rest on her laurels, and neither should you!

Step Nine: Pay It Forward

Yeah, you’re kind of a big deal now, but you didn’t get there on your own. Along the way, someone gave you the chance to guest blog on their bustling platform. Someone else took a chance and let you speak at a conference even though you only had a few small speaking credits to your name. Your idol may have even re-tweeted a link to one of your podcasts, giving you that big bump in listeners.

Now it’s your turn. There are others on the trail behind you taking the long, arduous hike to become thought leaders. When you can, give them a helping hand. This isn’t charity: The unknown professional you help today could become tomorrow’s thought leader superstar, ready and willing to collaborate with you on the next great thing.

The Road Is Long, but the Journey Is Worth the Effort

If you want to be a thought leader in your industry, you need to work at it every single day. The road is long, and it may be lonely for months (or even years) as you work to define your personal brand and build your unique platform. However, if you can find a powerful and unique message, and articulate it in a way that resonates with your audience, the sky is the limit.

Don’t be afraid to network and use the power of those who are farther ahead on the thought leader path. Push yourself to nab speaking engagements, and, when the time is right, consider launching a book to consolidate your reputation.

Don’t leave it to others to lead your industry. Speak up. Create change, and become the trusted authority you know you are capable of being.

Client: SalesForce | Category: Article

ARTICLE 2 :: Superhero Moms Can Have it All — Fight Germs, Rescue Style

Superhero Moms Can Have it All

Fight Germs, Rescue Style

Every mom is a superhero in her own right. She spends her nights and days battling against germs, rescuing wayward toys, ridding her house of evil scum and much, much more.

But can she do it with a fashionable flair?

Of course she can when she adds a Coverplayard Slipcover to her germ-fighting arsenal. The trendy and whimsical slipcovers made by Coverplay fit easily over most common play yards to shield children from germs. Play yards can often become dirty and are difficult to clean. Bacteria and germs thrive in these conditions, a situation no superhero mom can let stand.

Coverplayard slipcovers are made of high quality material and offer children a soft barrier that protects them from germs as they play. The play yard slipcover is machine washable, so any messes or spills can be quickly defeated by a quick cycle through the washer and dryer (also indispensible superhero Mom weapons).

Best of all, Coverplayard slipcovers are a stylish and fun accessory. Coverplay offers 20 different play yard slipcover styles to choose from including stripes, polka dots, camouflage and more. Moms can find the perfect design to reflect their baby’s personality or one that blends with the décor of the house. Imagine fighting germs and strutting some style at the same time. Now that’s a true Herculean task!

Coverplay Slipcovers were created by “Momprenuer” and superhero extraordinaire Allison Costa after she discovered just how germy her play yard could get. Concerned for the health of her twin boys, Allison hatched the idea of play yard slipcovers with her good friend and fellow designer Amy Feldmen. Together, the two women strove to put all germs on notice with their new line of play yard slipcovers.

Now, Coverplay Slipcovers have come to fruition. Play yards everywhere are protected from germs, and superhero moms can finally relax…until the next emergency!

Client: Cover Play | Category: Article

ARTICLE 3 :: Reddit is a Customer Research Gold Mine

Reddit is a Customer Research Gold Mine

Do you ever have the feeling that your ideal customers are all meeting in some secret location, and that you haven’t been invited?

Well, you’re not exactly wrong. In 2015, Reddit received 82.54 billion pageviews. People visit Reddit to read, comment, and socialize, and they cover just about every topic under the sun. The site and its users are somewhat intimidating at first, but Reddit is a vibrant community full of open, (sometimes painfully) honest, oddball dialogue. Your target customers are here pouring their hearts out, so it’s time that you to take advantage of this gold mine of customer research.

Just make sure to buckle on your armor first: The locals are tough on marketers. According to Sherice Jacob, “Do it right, and you’ll be seeing a measurable stream of targeted traffic. Do it wrong, and you’ll be downvoted into nothingness.”

Okay, So What Exactly Is Reddit?

This short video gives you a quick tour of Reddit, summing up the site as “the gateway to everything interesting going on in the world.” At its core, Reddit is a place for people to gather, share information, and then endlessly discuss and dissect that information in every possible way. Think of it as the Wild West of news and commentary, an anything-goes zone where you are just as likely to have a fascinating conversation about episode three of Firefly as you are to spend six hours arguing over the best sandwich meat.

Any member can start a thread on any topic, such as “The color of my dog’s nails correlate with the color of his toes,” an actual trending thread that has over 450 comments. Within each thread, users comment on the topic or, more typically, go completely off topic. Threads on a similar topic are bundled into larger categories called subreddits. Popular subreddits include politics, world news, and gaming.

Does this sound like a smorgasbord of randomness? That’s kind of the point. But there is a method to the madness.

The upvote/downvote is what turns Reddit into the ultimate meritocracy. If users like your thread, they can vote it up, which helps your thread rise a little higher in the rankings. If the upvote is the equivalent to adding a little helium to your thread, then a downvote is like tying a lead weight to it. A bad thread will quickly get dragged down and disappear forever into the downvote graveyard. Users can also upvote and downvote comments within a thread, which helps quash unhelpful or pointless comments and brings the best (or at least the most interesting) to the top.

Why Use Reddit for Customer Research?

Reddit is the internet equivalent to a massive watering hole where a savvy marketer can wander among 800,000-plus subreddits and eavesdrop on conversations among a target demographic for free. These conversations can easily allow you to identify your target market’s:

•  Varied interests
•  Primary pain points
•  Opinions on recent news, technology, or hot topics within your industry

These insights can help you make new and interesting discoveries about your customer profiles. Once you learn the ropes—which is a critically important step—you can even solicit direct feedback from the Reddit community by asking specific questions. In this way, Reddit can act like your very own focus group.

It is important to note that, like all social media networks, Reddit does skew to specific demographics. According to Ignite Social Media, Reddit attracts an audience that skews significantly male in the 24 to 44 age bracket. Its users hail mostly from the United States and Canada and tend to have at least some college education. That doesn’t mean that you won’t find anyone outside of this demographic on Reddit. However, the young, educated, acerbic males who dominate the site mean that topics such as gaming, technology, comics, sports, and politics get a lot of love

How to Strike Customer Research Gold on Reddit

Search for Your Audience

The first and easiest way to start panning for customer-research gold on Reddit is, simply, to use its search feature. Are you considering making an interactive game for young children? Try the /r/Parenting subreddit to find thousands of conversations between parents. A few well-considered keywords can help you refine your search. When you find a relevant thread, click on it to scroll through and absorb the conversation.

If your company or product is already well known, then search for names and terms related to your business. The discussions may bounce all over the place or be a little hard to swallow, but that may be exactly what you need to improve your product, customer service, or brand. For example, a quick search for “Fitbit” reveals over 7,000 posts, as well as a Fitbit subreddit that has been running for four years and contains 21,538 subscribers.

Reddit Wizard Tips:
•  Don’t just spy on yourself: Search for threads and comments on your competition, too.
•  Have you found some great threads or subreddits you want to follow? Just click the “Front Page” button whenever you find a thread you like to add it to your curated front page.

Join in the Discussion

It’s a good idea to spend some time as an observer on Reddit to get comfortable with the local “reddiquette.” Redditors can be merciless when a newbie makes a faux pas. Eventually you’ll want to come out of the shadows, create a profile (this will allow you to accumulate karma points when your comments are upvoted or downvoted), and join the conversation.

Being a part of the conversation can earn you loads of amazing insight, but only if you do it right. Ben Beck of Social Media Examiner explains, “Reddit is not a platform to shout your message at fans, but rather a place to interact with them.” Travis Levell of Startup Bros puts it a little less gingerly: “Redditors aren’t big fans of self-promotion. In fact, there is a special fiery hatred within every redditor’s heart toward shameless self-promoters.”

In other words, you can be a redditor who happens to also be a marketer, but you can’t be a marketer on Reddit. If redditors even get a whiff of self-promotion, you’re bound to get down-voted into permanent anonymity, and probably heaped with loads of mockery along the way. You may even get “ghosted,” which means no one will be able to see your posts.

Once you get a feel for how the site works, you can begin to ninja a tiny bit of market research into the mix. Dave Schneider of Business 2 Community highlights the case of two guys who asked for feedback on a new voice chat program they were thinking of designing. They posted their question in the wildly popular League of Legends subreddit and received 1,137 comments, as well as 4,694 upvotes. As Schneider explains, “These comments and the discussions they generated resulted in invaluable customer research directly from the target market.”

Reddit Wizard Tip:
•   Not sure what to post? In an article on Kissmetrics, Sherice Jacobs notes that “Redditors love things that are unique, funny, interesting, cute, and courageous.”

Start Your Own Thread

If you are feeling brave, consider starting your own thread within a subreddit, or possibly even creating your own subreddit. Beginning your own thread will allow you to shape the conversation you want to have and attract a highly tailored community. When this goes right, you can reap invaluable feedback from your target market. Again, beware: If you come off as an advertisement, instead of someone who earnestly wants to start a conversation, you’ll hear crickets on your thread, or worse, the trolls could come out to play.

Create something relevant that will interest and entertain your target market. Travis Levell of Startup Bros doesn’t mince words when he says, “Only share something with the community if you think it’s awesome.”

Reddit Wizard Tips:
•  Great thread headlines win the day on Reddit. You’ll be competing for eyeballs with the likes of “A blown dried cow” and “Fresh baked lemon macarons made with tear of Beyonce.” (Both are actual trending threads.) Be on top of your game!

•  You can’t force redditors to love you, but you can force them to see you. Reddit lets you pay to push your thread to the top of the site’s home page or to the top of targeted subreddits.

Do an IAMA

There is one final way to discover a rich vein of market research on Reddit. The site hosts a wildly popular feature called, “I Am A … Ask Me Anything,” known as IAMA. Anyone can offer themselves up to the crowd for a live IAMA, and plenty of people have, from U.S. President Barack Obama to Bill Gates, Roger Federer, and Tyrion from Game of Thrones.

The key to hosting an IAMA is to position yourself as someone interesting. No one cares what Joe Smith is up to, but if Joe Smith is a designer on the latest installment of HALO, you can bet he’ll get lots of questions. Hosting an IAMA can be a great way to assess interest in an idea, hear pressing questions from your audience, get direct user feedback, and generally engage with your target market.

Redditors expect you to be honest in your IAMA, which means answering as many questions as you can, especially the ones that get the most upvotes. Don’t be surprised if some of these questions are odd, uncomfortable, or tough. While you don’t have to answer every question, you’ll invite mockery if you only respond to the softballs.

Time to Hit the Mines

Can Reddit be a little intimidating for marketers? Yes. Redditors certainly don’t handle anyone with kid gloves, but that’s no reason to stay away. With a little patience and work, you can quickly transform yourself into a stellar redditor and discover that hanging out on Reddit can be immensely interesting, engaging, and fun.

The best way to truly understand the weird beauty and power of Reddit is to go to the site and start reading threads. As long as you keep your focus clear, you’ll be able to find your target audience with little effort. Though the things they have to say may at times be roughshod and crude, they could be invaluable for your company or product.

There’s customer research gold in the Reddit hills! Now go find it.

Client: SalesForce | Category: Article

ARTICLE 4 :: The Next Baby Boomer Trend: Franchising

The Next Baby Boomer Trend: Franchising

Baby Boomers are Seeking Franchise Opportunities in Record Numbers

Baby boomers are at a crucial and powerful point in their lives. They now straddle the traditional retirement age, but most are not looking to put their feet up and relax anytime soon. Many are still healthy and energetic and searching for a new opportunity that will give them the chance to follow their passion for the first time in their working careers. Other boomers may not feel that they are financially ready for retirement and may be searching for an opportunity that will continue to bring in money. A wide swath of boomers is still a decade or more off from retirement. These individuals have worked their way up to the top of the corporate ladder and may be searching for a change in environment, or they may have trouble finding traditional work in the recession-age economy.

Whatever the reason, baby boomers are flocking to franchises. Unlike independent small businesses, franchises offer a lot of special benefits that uniquely appeal to baby boomers. One of the most attractive features of a franchise business is that it provides owners with an established business and proven brand. Owners usually receive training, materials, and marketing support from their franchise. Boomers tend to be more careful than other generations, and they will appreciate the solid, detailed system that franchises develop to support the success of their franchise owners.

This is a large part of the reason that franchises tend to survive longer than independent businesses. The numbers are pretty stark. Small businesses fail much more than they succeed, and they can take down a lot of cash and dreams with them. Franchises tend to be more successful over time, providing baby boomers with a greater sense of stability and promise in the future. Franchises may even allow baby boomers the chance to pass on a successful business to their children and grandchildren.

Baby boomers can also make spectacular franchise owners. They tend to have more cash reserves and can afford more expensive, higher-level franchises. They often possess a large skill set picked up from many decades in the work force that will help them steer their franchises more efficiently, professionally, and, ultimately, more successfully. Boomers are also known for their strong work ethic, which will be required in almost any franchise situation. Franchises are not for the weak of heart or anyone looking for a retirement hobby. A franchise, like any other business, requires constant management. Boomers are all too happy to roll up their sleeves and give their business everything they’ve got, which is a key ingredient in the business’s success.

So what type of franchise is ideal for baby boomers? Boomers are an incredibly large and diverse group of people, and there is no single franchise that will appeal to them all. Luckily, there are more than 800,000 franchises operating in the United States covering areas from pets to travel to babysitting to restaurants and much, much more. Franchises come in all shapes, sizes and investment requirements. Any baby boomer is sure to find multiple opportunities that match their interests, skills and experience.

Client: The Franchise Genie | Category: Article

ARTICLE 5 :: How to Build a Shower Bench

How to Build a Shower Bench

A shower bench is the perfect indulgence for your bathroom, allowing you to sit back and enjoy a relaxing experience beneath the soothing spray of water. A shower bench can also be an important accommodation if a family member is unable to stand for long periods of time or has trouble balancing.

Whatever your reason for deciding to install a shower bench, this article will show you how to do it right. This article assumes that the reader has a basic knowledge of carpentry, tile installation and other related skills necessary to complete a shower renovation.

DIFFICULTY: Moderately Challenging

Supplies You’ll Need to Build a Shower Bench

2×4 lumber

3/4″ plywood

drill/driver screws

PVC Pan liner or other moisture proofing membran

1/2″ tile backerboard

INSTRUCTIONS

Step 1

Determine the size, shape, height and location for the shower bench. Keep in mind how you plan to use the bench. (If a family member is hoping for a foot ledge for shaving assistance, this may change the optimal height of the bench)

At the same time, determine the height of the mortar bed at the location of the bench. Remember to add the height of the mortar bed into your calculations for the bench’s height. (For instance, if the mortar bed is going to be 2 1/2″ at the outer perimeter of the shower where the bench is located and a 20″ tall bench is desired, the bench should be roughed out at 22 1/2″).

Step 2

Build a slight slope into the bench (approximately 1/2″ per 12″) to allow for water run off.

Remember to deduct 3/4″ from the framed height to allow for the plywood top. Deduct an additional 1/2″ from the framed height to allow for the tile backerboard.

Once the bench is framed, install the plywood rough top.

Make sure the frame has been coated with a water proof seal, so your shower bench will last you a long time.

Next, install the pan liner or moisture proofing along the bottom of the shower pan the same way you would install a normal shower pan.

Install the pan liner or moisture proofing along the top of the bench (including at least 6” on the walls above the bench, overlapping the shower pan liner.) In essence, the bench has just become an elevated portion of the shower pan.

Step 5

Install the backerboard throughout the shower and prep for tile installation.

Remember to install backerboard from the bottom up so that the upper pieces overlap the lower pieces on the bench.

You should now have a sturdy shower bench in place for you and your family to enjoy.

Client: Specialty Home Improvement  |  Category: Article

Frame out the shower bench as desired.

Step 3

Step 4

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Reddit is a Customer
The Next Baby
How to Build a Shower Bench
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