More on Blogging

Addendum to a previous post:

"Blogging and Your Business" posted on the 13th of June.

 I just wasn't satisfied with it and thought I would add just a little more info on blogging, so here it is.

A quick guide to getting started with blogging that you can print off and keep somewhere near when writing. Hope that I haven’t missed any, if you know of any that I have missed, let me know and I will revise my list. Thanks.

The Basics

1.      Brevity rules. Can you say it briefly? If you can say it in two sentences, don’t waste time with drawing out to five.

2.      Start at the main point, and then work the story up. (Try to make the main point in the first paragraph whenever possible.)

3.      Use small words. Don’t speak down to your audience, but you don’t have to impress people either. It’s about being clear, not impressive.

4.      Analogies help people understand things better, so do stories.

5.      You don’t have to write complete sentences, even though your teacher taught you to do that. But treat it sparingly. Like this. Like a condiment.

6.      Keep paragraphs small, if possible. Large blocks of text tend to make people skim as opposed to read the entire entry.

7.      Make your point from the reader’s side of the fence. Think about who your audience is and write it as if you were having a direct conversation with them.

8.      Depending on your writing style, go back and see if you can cut out any fluff. Reduce. Reduce. Reduce. Remember that you are having a conversation and not trying to impress anyone with over the top jargon and repetition.

9.      Use the words you’re thinking about, not a fancier, or more polite word. In a real conversation, you will speak with your voice, portray your voice in your blog and make it yours.

Concepts and the Bigger Picture

10.  Set up series of posts, even if you don’t call them a series. Make a post that brings up follow-on points from a previous post, and link back to that post to reinforce the original content.

11.  Get your inspiration from reading; not just other blogs, but from any resource on any topic that interests you, especially topics that aren’t necessarily in the space that you blog about. Ideas come from everywhere.

12.  Think strategically, if this is for business or a cause. Ask yourself what you want your reader to do next. Try to write from that point of view.

13.  Theme-wise, writing very helpful things that people can use is way better than writing thoughtful things that make people think and just walk away. You can have thoughtful but not helpful, but you’re striving for helpful and thoughtful in the same piece.

14.  Never write the me-too blog. Look to be ahead of the wave and feeding backwards, not behind the wave and eating someone’s wake.

15.  Look for ways to think forward, but that tie to your business interests. When I write about the future, I’m also inviting someone to make that future with me.

16.  Mix it up. Keep an editorial calendar and note what kinds of posts you’ve written lately. Thought posts? Lists? Interviews? Make sure you’re mixing up the type of post you’ve written lately.

17.  Consider the occasional dip into Google Trends to write a story that might draw new audience to your conversation. Don’t do this all the time, because the gimmick can wear off quick. Again, think condiments, not meals.

18.  If you don’t have anything interesting to blog, skip a day. Don’t skip many days.

19.  And never never never (raise your hand and repeat this with me) “I” (state your name) “solemnly swear never never never never ever to post another ‘I’m sorry I haven’t blogged lately’ posts ever again. Ever.”

Overdrive

20.  Consider your audience but write from your passion.

21.  Don’t mince words. If it’s a “pissing match,” it’s not a disagreement.

22.  Ask questions. Blogs are conversations starting and flowing. Ask. Questions.

23.  Link to people. If you write about Steve Garfield, link to Steve Garfield.

24.  It’s not all about your blog. Get out and comment on other people’s blogs. Often.

25.  Leave a few ideas unfinished. Ask for input. It always improves a piece. Blogs are great for that.

26.  Use tags. Lots of tags. Make sure you claim your blog with Technorati, and submit it with Alltop.

27.  Make sure your blog’s URL is everywhere: in your email signature, in Facebook, in Flickr, in Twitter, in every outpost you can think about.

28.  Don’t email, DM, and otherwise push every blog post you write to other people. Share the best ones. Let the others be found on their own merits.

29.  Always know why you’re doing what you’re doing. Question yourself often. Look for ways to improve the game.

Encore

30.  Comment back to the people who have left comments.

31.  Follow those people’s links sometimes and go explore their blog.

32.  Look for ways to empower the community you inspire.

33.  If you haven’t found your community yet, keep looking, searching, and connecting.

34.  Learn about Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM). It’s no longer okay not to know even the most basic things.

35.  Find great Creative Commons photos and use them for your post (with attribution).

36.  Deconstruct what your favorite writers do, and try it your own way.

37.  Occasionally, try something completely different.

38.  Don’t be afraid to fail. Be afraid of not being interesting enough.

39.  Write as if someone believes in you, because someone does. (me!)

40.  When writing a series topic, write multiple at a time, when you are “in the zone” so that they are more cohesive and also, so it frees up more time.

This post is a little short, I know, but I just wanted to make sure that I got this in the right hands of those who have contacted me about giving more of a checklist on blogging strategies. Trust me, once you get started, the first one is the most difficult.

  To Your Success,

Leave a comment and let me know if this blog post has helped you and pass it on to someone else who may need this information to jumpstart their success.