You don’t need to be a blogging superstar
Okay, you’ve read the reports, talked to successful inbound marketers in Denver and know that you have got to be blogging regularly if you want to get above the competitive noise and get your website “found” by your future customers.
So you’ve decided to start blogging. Great! We know writing your first blog post can be a little intimidating; you want it to be perfect. You want your first post to explode onto the scene and into fame and fortune.
Here’s a tip: It’s not going to happen, at least not right away. (Just saying.)
So, relax. You don’t need to be a blogging superstar to make an impact. Just remember these five tips for your first post (we’ll talk about “optimizing” your blog in a future post):
- Don’t aim for perfection. A good way to start is to just relate what your aspirations are for writing the blog. Aim for your readers’ hearts.
- Please don’t write about how you don’t know what to write about. Everyone knows it’s a challenge to blog regularly. You don’t need to remind us.
- Keep your posts between 400-500 words. Keep it crisp and simple.
- Publish it right away. It’s always good to edit, but don’t spend days trying to make the perfect post. You have to publish it sometime, so get it out there!
- Remember that this first post won’t be your best, and that is okay. Blogging is about practice and improvement, so get started!
Now, how do you get your great blog posts read??
Writing for “Scanability”
Online, people don’t read, they scan. Typical visitors to your blog will usually scroll down the page looking for words, pictures and ideas that catch their attention.
Researchers have found that change catches our eye and makes us pause. Use paragraph breaks, photos, and bold or italicized text to draw your reader’s attention. Used properly, these techniques can help readers get your point and help you stand out (be memorable) before they read your full post or move on.
Before people read your post from beginning to end, they want content that:
- Has no paragraphs longer than four or five lines
- Lists important points in numbered or bulleted lists
- Breaks up major points with headlines
- Includes images to emphasize important points and to give the eye a break
- Includes only one idea per paragraph
- Is short and concise
- Includes headlines that explain the copy that follow it
- Good: Overview
- Better: Writing for Scacnnability
Scannable content gets a chance to be read. In other words, the post you spent an hour (or more) drafting and composing is more likely to be read.
Bottom line: These tips are just the beginning. There are numerous additional tips and techniques that can help you get your blog posts read and shared.
But right now, the most important thing is to get out there and show the world (or at least your friends and clients) the inbound marketing pro that you will become!
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What do you think? What are your best tips for a beginning blogger to get above the noise? Give us your best thoughts below!
Want more ideas on great business blogging? Download our “Better Business Blogging” report by clicking on the image below. Let us know what you think.
