Blogging FAQ, Day 6: How do I write blog posts that people will want to read?
image credit: foxtongue via Flickr
There aren’t really any “rules” about how to write a blog post. However, I think it’s important to keep in mind that your audience is not sitting down for a leisurely hour with a magazine. Most blogs are consumed in short bursts of time, in less than ideal reading conditions, and possibly with multiple distractions pulling on the reader’s attention. In addition, you should take into account how people are reading your blog, and how they are finding it. All of these will influence how you should craft your content.
First, the title:
I tend to shoot for the clever title, the play on words, the cute. However, that’s not really the best approach if your goal is to deliver information. The title of your blog post carries the highest weight in search engine rankings. Thus, if you use a phrase in your headline that describes the content of the post, you have a better chance of ranking higher in the Google results than if you only used that phrase in the body of the post. A cute and clever title will not do much to help you in the search engine results. And if it does show up, it might not be a clear indicator to the reader that your post has the content he or she is looking for.
Illustrate your posts when possible
Your blog is probably one of many that pops up in your customer’s feed reader or email box. One way to grab their attention is through an image or illustration. If you are writing about a book, then you can easily incorporate the book jacket or author photo. Otherwise, a photo or illustration does wonders to make your post more appealing. I get most of my images from Flickr, by using the advanced search to look for photos with Creative Commons licenses. These licenses are less restrictive and usually allow anyone to use them on a blog, as long as the image carries proper attribution. Do realize that some newsreaders and email clients will not show the images, so it’s good to have “alternate text tags” to describe what they are. This is especially important if the image is important to the content of your post, as opposed to just an attention grabber.
The text:
Keep your posts short. I struggle with this. If you write a post that feels too long, see if you can break up the big blocks of text. I usually do this by using the <H3></H3> html tag. If you look at the section headings in this post (“First, the title:”, “Illustrate your posts when possible,” “The text:”) you will see that they appear larger and in bold. This is the H3 (header 3) tag. Most blogging software has these types of tags, or you can put them in manually in the HTML coding area of the blog. I usually type everything in the “compose” or “what you see is what you get” window, and then go back and add the tags in the HTML window at the end.
Add multimedia where appropriate:
Embedding audio or video can add life to your blog, especially if it helps make a point, clarifies an idea, or entertains. Please do not allow anything to start playing automatically the minute someone hits your site! Remember, some people may read your blog at work. If you do include an audio or video, it is a good idea to let the reader know how long it is, so that they can decide if they have time to watch it. Additional text description is helpful for those who can’t watch. Multimedia will often not show up in newsreader feeds or emails.
Credit your sources, and link as appropriate
It’s expected and encouraged that you will share great content that you find elsewhere on the web. Please be sure to credit any source where you’ve found information, and link to the source or to the person directly. Linking to someone else’s blog is a way to say “thank you.” In addition, your readers will value your blog if you point them to things they may have otherwise missed or not known about. Don’t be stingy with links. I typically have links open in a new window, so that my readers can keep their place at my blog as they go explore a link I’ve given them. Other people prefer to have the link open in the same window, and they’ll use a back button to get back to your blog, or they’ll right-click the link to open it in a new tab. I’m not sure there’s any consensus on this, but be aware that some people can be prickly about it.
More resources
There are lots of great places to learn more about crafting blog posts:
Copyblogger – the entire site is great; I highly recommend that you subscribe to this blog
40 Ways to Deliver Killer Blog Content – from Chris Brogan
and 2 great posts from ProBlogger:
Ten Tips for Writing a Blog Post
How to Craft Post Titles that Draw Readers Into Your Blog
What draws you into a blog post?
Tomorrow: Blogging FAQ, Day 7: Will Blogging Sell Books?
Previous posts in this series:
- Ten Days of Blogging FAQs
- Day 1: Who’s going to read our blog?
- Day 2: Where do I find the time to blog?
- Day 3: I already have a newsletter, do I really need a blog?
- Day 4: What do I blog about?
- Day 5: How do I know who’s reading?
Drew Goodman says:
February 11th, 2009 at 1:35 pm
Ann, I would also add, let your personality show through the blog as well. People want to connect with blogs and they way they do that is by connecting with the blogger. If you write a blog that is “just the facts, ma’m,” it can get real boring, real fast. Put yourself into the blog, your knowledge, your humor, your sarcasm, your wit, your anger, whatever. Blogs with personality get read.
Aggie Zivaljevic says:
February 12th, 2009 at 3:21 am
Ann, I can’t tell you how meaningful it’s been for me to read your posts. Thank you!
I also love to read other booksellers blogs for their ideas and companionship – thank you for the links. I have been updating my blog only once or twice a week (in my free time) and I’m still looking for a way how to “find my blog voice.” I don’t want to be self-indulgent, too dry or confessional, “Dear blog, we don’t have any comments today (again!).”
Ann Kingman says:
February 12th, 2009 at 7:13 am
@Drew – great point — personality is key!
@Aggie – I learn as much if not more by writing these posts, so no thanks necessary! I think the only way to find your blog voice is to blog. Sounds too simplistic, but I can’t think of any other way. One thing I try to do is figure out what I want to write about (usually a book) and then figure out how it ties to me personally. And then put a little bit of that story in the post. I think it is really about story telling, and even silly little flashes of the personal make the reader feel more engaged — much like Drew states in his comment above yours.
Others keep a fairly consistent tone in their posts — curmudgeonly, or ironic — and that works, too, if it’s truly who you are. If it’s not you, it will come through. I think “be yourself”, as trite as it sounds, works just fine.
Booksellers Blog » Blogging FAQ, Day 8: If We Put Our Staff Recommends on the Blog, Won’t People Buy those Books Elsewhere? says:
February 13th, 2009 at 6:14 am
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