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Raise your Blogging Game!

Apr 29, 2014 | Posted by Ben Thompson

This week I have decided to gather some of the research and experience I have developed in blogging since I myself have started as a student of the art of blogging. My agenda is to spread my knowledge of the art with the hope of helping and inspiring bloggers to start or continue their successful journey in producing great posts.

There is Something To Be Said For Blind Writing

• don’t be afraid to just jot down some ideas to get the the juices flowing, once its down you can go back and edit and worry whether or not its good, usable, or even where or when you can use it
• everyone is different, my problem is word economy, smaller, clear and concise is always better

Format Your Blog To Be Easily Digestible

• imagine you were your audience, you don’t want to waste your day reading a beautiful LONG work of art, you want what you want and you want it now
• sub headings in your work make the reader more able to scan for what they are looking for
• if they find what they are looking for faster then somewhere else, they are more likely to return
• also each sub heading gives you another chance to grab your readers attention, (much like your headline but I touch on that a little further down the line.)
• point form can be your friend, both to build a body paragraph or also to quickly get your point across, they are your best friend under sub headings

Blogging is planning

• plan lots of small short pieces that arc into a whole story
• first close your eyes, or get comfortable, now visualize your story arc, see a major writing piece fragment in your mind in to sections, then sections of sections
• for the arc connectivity is key, don’t be afraid to jot these down in a flow diagram and leave it on your cork board or what have you, as a loose guide
• think of your blog like a good TV show
• each season has an arc, and a major story it tries to tell as a whole whilst leading into the next season
• release your blog at the optimal time for your desired audience, weekly is preferable
• promote your blogs through as many social media facets possible, example; Linked In and Twitter etc.
• do this at the optimal timeframes to release and promote content based on high traffic periods for each social media providers

You guys have expertise, write about them

•  write about topics you are well versed in, you already have experiences and knowledge on these topics
• the more comfortable you are with a topic, the easier it is to write good content on it
• this will have people clamoring to your blogs for a taste of your expertise
• a blog is like a great conversation with a good friend, they keep asking questions on a topic you know well and enjoy talking about, so you respond naturally
• each sub heading or headline is a question in the sequence of the conversation and your there ready with an articulate answer
• and lastly, when I get stuck on a topic, I’m such a student at heart I tend to research more to super charge my thought process

Blogging is collaborative art

• bouncing headline ideas off of fellow editors, bloggers, friends, family is an excellent peer editing tool, rather priceless actually.
• You can do the same by reaching out to established bloggers of similar content
• asking for their opinions or just taking a look at their material, is an avenue few are comfortable to utilize, the worst that can happen is they say no or don’t reply
• most bloggers are happy to help each other, like in you would create allies in business, create allies of blogging
• reference a blogger in your blog as a source of your research
• email them ahead of your post to “ask” permission, I promise you every time I’ve done this it has been a positive experience
• Link your self into oblivion  It’s not only good form to cite your sources, but links in your posts make your posts more search engine friendly, and as earlier stated it helps towards building an alliance with other bloggers, for exposure and support

Below is a collection of articles that I have found useful both by example and content.

And of course I am always at your service as a fellow blogger, friend, brainstorming partner, proof reader, even a publisher for promoting it in our newsletter here at TnT.

 

5 Key Blogging Techniques to NEVER Start Without

http://kimgarst.com/5-key-blogging-techniques-start

 

The Big Mistake Most Bloggers Make and 5 Tips on How to Fix It

http://www.jeffbullas.com/2014/03/27/the-big-mistake-most-bloggers-make-and-5-tips-on-how-to-fix-it/

 

3 Top Corporate Blogs to Inspire You

http://www.jeffbullas.com/2014/03/10/3-top-corporate-blogs-to-inspire-you/

 

How to Create a Loyal Blog Audience

http://www.quicksprout.com/2014/03/07/how-to-create-a-loyal-blog-audience/

 

The Bloggers Biggest Challenge and How to Overcome It

http://www.jeffbullas.com/2014/02/24/bloggers-biggest-challenge-overcome/

 

The 10 Commandments for WordPress Blogging Beginners

http://www.jeffbullas.com/2014/02/20/the-10-commandments-for-wordpress-blogging-beginners/

 

21 Types of Blog Posts That Get People Talking!

http://kimgarst.com/21-types-of-blog-posts-that-get-people-talking

 

How Can I Write a Successful Blog and Get More People to Read It?

(I found this one very helpful, Mark was the one to actually bring this to my attention)

http://lifehacker.com/how-can-i-write-a-successful-blog-and-get-more-people-t-1257476541

 

5 SEO Tips for Bloggers

(seo is search engine optimization, key to getting your blog to score high on search engines leading to better exposure, this is an area that I have just begun to explore and learn)

http://www.jeffbullas.com/2014/02/19/5-seo-tips-for-bloggers/

I hope this is a helpful source to get your creative juices flowing. I remember how hard it was for me to get started blogging regularly so I felt I needed to share this to assist fellow and future bloggers alike. So warm up those fingers and be sure to,

Keep

Calm

and

Kaizen

On!