Write a Better Blog in 10 Easy Steps

Mom entrepreneurs frequently ask me if I have tips and advice on creating a better blog.

At a BlogHer conference I attended awhile back, I met some people from Yahoo! Shine, which is the online destination for women looking for the latest information and advice from experts and the community. I picked up a handout about tips for writing a better blog. The information was very useful and I wanted to share it with you.

• Blog about what you’re most passionate about - Good blogs require commitment. If you’re not passionate about a subject, you’re not going to be committed to it.
• Read and comment on other blogs – Get in tune with your audience by reading other blogs. It’ll help you find your niche, and you’ll also build up a network of readers and fellow bloggers.
• Create a blogging plan – Regular posting will make your blog attract more readers. Loyal readers will evangelize your stuff, and will grow your audience for you.
• When picking a topic, be relevant and valuable to your readers – Choose topics that are timely, provocative, helpful, or responsive to your readers’ needs.
• Write great headlines – It’s important to write compelling, grabby headlines that are also easy to understand. Clear headlines are more likely to show up in searches and easier to read in an RSS feed.
• Be focused on one topic – Too many topics in one post confuses the reader, plus it makes your post too long. Break multiple topics into new posts.
• Humanize your topic by relating it to you – Your point of view on a topic is what makes your blog worth reading, so insert your personality and be opinionated.
• Don’t make a post all about you – Remember, a blog is a conversation between you and your readers, and no one likes being trapped in a conversation with someone who only talks about themselves.
• Make sure your post is adding to the conversation – When writing about a topic everyone’s already writing about, make sure you’re not just recycling the story. Add your own spin to make it your own.
• Craft posts that are easy to read and scan – Write clean copy – typos and bad grammar ruin your credibility. Second, break up big paragraphs with subheads, images, and video, so it’s easier to skim. Use bullet points, short sentences and other layout techniques to make your post reader friendly.

What additional suggestions would you offer for writing a better blog?

10 Steps to Writing a Better Blog

At a recent BlogHer conference I attended, I met some people from Yahoo! Shine, which is the online destination for women looking for the latest information and advice from experts and the community. I picked up a handout about tips for writing a better blog. The information was very useful and I wanted to share it with you.

1. Blog about what you’re most passionate about - Good blogs require commitment. If you’re not passionate about a subject, you’re not going to be committed to it.
2. Read and comment on other blogs – Get in tune with your audience by reading other blogs. It’ll help you find your niche, and you’ll also build up a network of readers and fellow bloggers.
3. Create a blogging plan – Regular posting will make your blog attract more readers. Loyal readers will evangelize your stuff, and will grow your audience for you.
4. When picking a topic, be relevant and valuable to your readers ­– Choose topics that are timely, provocative, helpful, or responsive to your readers’ needs.
5. Write great headlines – It’s important to write compelling, grabby headlines that are also easy to understand. Clear headlines are more likely to show up in searches and easier to read in an RSS feed.
6. Be focused on one topic – Too many topics in one post confuses the reader, plus it makes your post too long. Break multiple topics into new posts.
7. Humanize your topic by relating it to you – Your point of view on a topic is what makes your blog worth reading, so insert your personality and be opinionated.
8. Don’t make a post all about you – Remember, a blog is a conversation between you and your readers, and no one likes being trapped in a conversation with someone who only talks about themselves.
9. Make sure your post is adding to the conversation – When writing about a topic everyone’s already writing about, make sure you’re not just recycling the story. Add your own spin to make it your own.
10. Craft posts that are easy to read and scan – Write clean copy – typos and bad grammar ruin your credibility. Second, break up big paragraphs with subheads, images, and video, so it’s easier to skim.

To blog or not to blog

Entrepreneurs find many benefits in personalizing their online presence.
(By Traci Bisson, as seen in NH Mirror, August 2008)

”Does a blog have something to do with a computer?”

Even though the concept of blogs and blogging has been around for nearly 10 years, small business owners still ask this question. Many entrepreneurs are unaware of what blogs are and how their businesses can benefit from this versatile marketing tool.

Blogs can provide commentary or news on a particular subject, while others function more as a personal online diary with which readers can interact by posting comments. Bloggers, the people who write and maintain blogs, have the responsibility to deliver valuable content on subjects of interest to their target markets and, much like a magazine or a newspaper, readers can subscribe to blogs via feed readers or e-mail.

People blog for many reasons. Some blog to “have a voice,” while others blog to invite comments and discussions from readers. Many blog to build a large community of readers, which allows them to solicit advertisers and sponsors and make money with their blog.Many entrepreneurs choose blogging as a way to interact with readers who might have questions about a company and its products or services. Whatever your reason is, blogging in today’s fast-paced world allows you to hang on to the coattails of the ever-changing technology industry.

Ready to start your blog? Follow these eight simple steps:

• Choose a blogging service. Blogger.com is a great place to start. The service is free and easy to use. Once you decide you enjoy blogging, the blog can be upgraded and migrated to a traditional hosting service.
• Choose a name for your blog. The name should have meaning to your target market (i.e. “name of your company”.blogspot.com).
• Write a description. What is your blog about? Write a brief description so readers will understand your blog’s mission.
• Offer a complete profile. In the bio section of Blogger, create a complete profile for yourself so readers can get to know you.
• Syndicate your blog. Use a program such as FeedBurner to syndicate your content so readers can easily subscribe via a feed reader or e-mail.
• Post content. Begin posting information to your blog that your target market will find interesting and valuable. Be diligent and post once a week at a minimum.
• Notify your network. To begin building your community of readers, e-mail everyone in your network about your new blog and ask them to subscribe as well as spread the word.
• Experiment. This is the fun part. Add widgets to your blog to add interest and generate revenue. If you see a widget on a blog that you like, you can grab it by simply clicking on it.