Why do you blog?
What do you hope to achieve by taking time out of your busy day to write a blog post?
Do you want to become a professional blogger and make money blogging?
Or do you blog to vent, rant, or talk about your boss? (be careful, he/she may subscribe to your blog secretly)
Whatever your reason for blogging, if you’re like me, you want people to READ what you have to say and comment.
To help you achieve whatever blogging goal you have in mind, I’ve compiled a list of 5 steps to help you better promote your blog post.
Step 1: The Power of the Title
Your content could be the BEST out there, but if your title sucks, the content probably won’t get touched.
Write a blog post with a catchy title!
Brian Clark calls this “The Law of Headlines and Hooks“:
Your post titles must stand out in a crowded, noisy blogosphere, and you must quickly communicate the value of reading further with your opening.
Some of the titles that have worked best for me:
- How To’s in List Format
Love them or hate them, informational posts presented in list format are easily digestible and allow for an efficient transfer of your value proposition to the reader…creating an excellent list gives you an extra boost in terms of presentation and connecting with your readers.
- A title in the form of a Frequently Ask Question
Step 2: Blog Posts Must Be Reader Friendly
Make sure the blog post is “scannable” so readers don’t have to sift through all the “words” to get the gist of the content.
How to Make a Blog Post Scannable
- Bullet Points
- Header Tags
- Numbered Lists
- Pictures
- Quotes
- Short Paragraphs
- Bold Text
- Good spacing between lines (this is CSS technical stuff)
Step 3: Pictures are Worth 1,000 Words
Include pictures in ALL blog posts.
Not only does a picture “liven the mood” of an article, but it’s more likely to get passed on in the social networks, especially if it’s funny, creative and applicable to the content you’ve shared.
(My client will LOVE this!)
Step 4: Use Video from Time to Time
I’ve seen video used really effectively.
And I’ve seen video OVER-DONE. Use it from time to time if you feel it’s adding value to what you’re sharing.
One small recommendation I give clients is to add at least a few paragraphs of text after a video. Not only does this show you’ve put in a bit of time to get the content ready, but it will help with SEO too.
I’ve even “transcribed” or “summarized” video content about social media marketing in the form of text to emphasize key points.
Step 5: Keep It Simple Stupid
If you’re blog posts are way too long and wordy, you’ll lose readers right away! I usually shoot for 500-750 words max.
I don’t care how good your writing is, most people won’t read more than a few sentences. Any more and they’ll start scanning. You probably aren’t reading this article exactly from top to bottom are you? In fact, you’re probably not even reading this sentence. Man, for a discussion about brevity this sure is dragging on. You can fight it by being more entertaining, but the best policy is to just write less.
How have these steps helped you promote your blog and achieve your life’s purpose?
Nate Moller has helped thousands of new online entrepreneurs start an online business. He does SEO consulting for a variety of clients, including one of the best dropship companies online. He also works with clients to build their online reputation via social media marketing strategy. Follow him on Twitter @mollermarketing.
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I have to say this is a pretty good list and I am in complete agreement with most of the points made. However, one needs to be careful when dreaming up “catchy titles”. Stay away from abstract or metaphoric titles. Titles need to be search engine friendly and keyword wired or nobody will ever see them, no matter how catchy they are. Check out How To Write Better Blog Titles for more.
Thanks for the comment and the reference Joella!
I do agree about titles – if they are way “out there” that’s one thing. One of the keys to an effective title is using keywords to connect.
Here’s one example of one that’s worked well for me:
5 Must-Read Strategies to Maximize StumbleUpon
Not only has this article helped me get TONS of traffic because of the title, but it’s also got me natural placement at #3 out of 4,960,000 for the phrase “StumbleUpon Strategies”.
Talk soon!
It’s sometimes hard to write a catchy title and make it meaningful. I think keyword appropriate and meaningful come first, catchy comes second. If the reader can’t clearly tell what they are going to get in the article by the title, it’s too abstract. That said, I agree it’s important to stand out, just keep the priorities straight.
I have heard mixed opinions about lists (or not to list) with bullet points. I guess it depends on the subject matter. Personally, I love lists! I agree with #5. If I have 1,000+ blog posts to prioritize and read from my reader, I tend to pass up on super long posts.
Hey Carla,
I’d be intrigued to read about the negatives of lists in blogging. Please share a link or two on the subject.
Thanks for the comments!
While every blogger has a different audience and style, in general I agree with what you have shared here – even when I don’t always conform to it. I wanted to include the Twitter ID for both the author and the blog in my review at StumbleUpon that gets fed to Twitter, FriendFeed, Facebook and Delicious but I wasn’t able to locate one.
Every blog needs two things to be Social Media sharing friendly: a search box near the top right corner and at least their Twitter ID in a very easy to locate spot. Make sure anyone who wants to recommend your content can do a search of your page for the word Twitter and find yours.
Good addition Gail. Including a twitter ID is a great way to connect on a variety of levels with your readers. I really like how Twitip.com does this – they request a Twitter ID as part of the comment content.
Hope to chat more about your ideas!
Great post! I agree with you about making a blog article scannable…just like the one you wrote above – you kept my attention & I was not overwhelmed by deep paragraphs.
I agree with #5 as well, but on occasion I do write longer posts or ‘pillar content’ which is the foundation of your Internet business as it will continue to bring consumers and readers to your website.
Thanks – Lori
Lori,
I’m glad I kept your attention! I too, from time to time, will write longer posts.
However, I try to still make them scannable so readers can “digest” the content and not look at it and say “Whatever…”
Thanks for the comment and support of what I shared.
I think you really hit it! These are things that some bloggers totally miss!
Excellent and to the point blog.
I like to think I follow most of these, though a) I don’t put my stuff in bullet list format, and b) I don’t use photos.
On the first, my blog is aimed at stimulating thinking among readers, so the list idea doesn’t tend to work for my thought process (though yes, a great way to get people to follow tweets / links to your blog!).
On the second… my only thought is.. doh ! Of course I should have been using picture all along. Even for an “idea-based” blog, if you can find the right image, you are finding yet another way to express your ideas, or even nailing it in an image. After all, the right picture can tell a thousand words.
Hey Tom,
Thanks for the great comment! In regard to “stimulating thinking among readers”, what are strategies you’ve used that work effectively for you?
Images, to me, set a so-so blog apart from one I’m going to come back to over and over again.
Look forward to hearing more from you.
Nate Moller
MollerMarketing.com
Great advice. Especially for one as new to the blogosphere as I am. Just got my very first blog up and running and reading this I could have used these tips 2 hours ago! Oh well, live and learn I suppose :-)
Thanks Cheryl!
You’ve come to the right place for blogging tips for beginners. It’s been fun to blog with the team at ThouShallBlog.com.
You can read more information I’ve written about blogging tips at MollerMarketing.com too.
Some fantastic tips there. Writing unnecessary stuff can be irritating at times and not really required.
Funny, I have the hardest time with your last suggestion and my clients diarrhea of the keyboard. People have such a hard time with brevity.
Awesome list. Simply meaningful.
Not many people love (and have much time) perusing every word in articles published on the web, unless they’re reading novels online. Scanning is the most time-saving way to obtain information.
However, IMHO there are times when we have to write lengthy or somewhat wordy posts. For example, writing detailed reviews, narrative of one’s personal experience, or literary articles. Becoming unscannable is inevitable in these cases and it’s excusable, I think.
This post is in accordance with Jakob Nielsen’s Alertbox (http://www.useit.com/alertbox/reading_pattern.html).
Funny, I jumped to the paragraph where you questioned whether I was reading every word.
This was aninteresting read that should really helpmein thefuture. My blod sucks and Ireally struggle to keep wotkingat it. Will try and implement some of your tips.
The Kiss method is my favourite… altough sometimes when trying to keep it simple we end up in making it complicated… lol
what is the meaning Keep It Simple Stupid?
I am beginer in internet, this article is so usefull for me.
I will try to make blog with 5 tips that you say
tks
Mentioned this post on Twitip!
Check it out here:
How to Get a Viral Buzz on Twitter
I always wanted to put up my own blog but I just don’t have the time to do it yet. It has been one of my personal goals for quite some time now. If I could share a thing for all the bloggers out there. I think that you should take time to really write great content. For me, this is the very essence of blogging. A lot of times we get caught up with the things around us and we lose sight of why we are blogging in the first place. A content that comes from the heart and life experiences, those that are worthwhile to share. When people read your blog, they will sense that sincerity from you. What you write in your blog will channel to your readers. It’s uncanny how your readers can sense that but for some surreal reason they will.
Happy blogging everyone!
Ahaha! That was a cool read :P anyway, I missed the old design of your blog. Cheers mate!
All great tips 1-2-3 and 5 are the most important.
I just started blogging a few months ago–still feeling my way through it. This is very practical. Thanks for sharing.
Concise. That is the one comment I have gotten about my writing since I was in the 6th grade.
I believe it comes into in a very big way when blogging. Completely agree… too much jibber jabber, just simply does not get read.
Map out your main points. Quick explanation. Done.
Wag!
I blog because I have difficulty expressing things verbally; inversely, I’m a good writer. I don’t expect my stuff to be read, but I do get a few readers here and there..
It is really an useful post. I know some of these but I usually dont use vedio in my blog by considering blog speed.
Great tips here. I need to work harder at these. I try to add pictures, but I am guilty of not doing it in every post. I also have not done many list posts. I have a few ideas for them, so I’d better get to work. As for video, that is on my to do list. I just got a camera, but I haven’t taken the time quite yet to learn it. =)
Thanks – Heidi
I can relate to the points you make in the article.
However, I really don’t think there is a set standard for what to post and how to post. I think this is constantly changing and it depends on your reader base. We like to define boxes, but sometimes what ends up catching on fire are things that appear outside of that box. :)
I like the article though.
I really think that a good headline is the most important part of any post. What good is a post with great content if no-one reads it because your title is too dull.
Headlines such as 5 Reasons To Do xyz work well because they promote curiosity and get readers engaging with your content. They also make writing your post easier as you now have a simple way of organising it:
5 bullet points with 100-150 words per bullet. Beleive me, this is easier than writing a 500 word post on the back of one headline.
I think the most important one is the titles, a good example is my first blog that i started and every time i writed the same title for every post. then after 5 days the blog was ranked first in google for the words of the title!
Video is my on my 2010 “to do” list. I have the equipment and no-how…It’s just a matter of doing it. Hopefully, I’ll use some of my humor to make them a bit more appealing.
Nice one Yan, good tips..and I must say that you’ve done a great job with the thesis :)
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