HOW TO BECOME A BETTER BLOGGER

Five Great Ideas Here From Guest Blogger Rochelle Melander

 

I love watching talent competition shows like American Idol. I notice that the best performers make singing look easy. Yet I know that many hours of practice support every single note. 

Because blogging is such an immediate experience, with posts responding to recent events, it appears easier than, say, writing a book. Yet hours of practice, study, writing, and revising makes the best bloggers stand out from the crowd. Here’s how to develop a winning blogging style: 

 

(1) Research The Medium

 

Blogs are not periodicals or newspapers. They look different. The articles need to sound different and still offer great content. You need to learn the form instead of trying to squeeze your white paper writing style into a blog post. Know how the best blogs write: first person perspective, shorter posts, the best information at the beginning of the post, valuable content throughout the post, links to other information and blogs, and photos. 

 

(2) Sharpen Your Voice

 

Read a few of your posts aloud. Does your unique personality come through in the writing? If not, keep writing and revising until your posts sound like you. Pro tip: people like you and want to read your work both because you have something valuable to say but also because of how you say it. Think about how your unique perspective, including your quirks and pet peeves, comes through in your writing. 

 

(3) Create Great Content

 

Blogs need to provide valuable or fun information to the lives of others. Your content needs to rise above all of the other great information out there to make it onto the daily-read list of your audience. Think about:

 

*What is your unique contribution to your niche?

*How does your blog help readers?

*Where are the holes in your niche and how can you be the one who fills them?

 

(4) Create Titles That Rock

 

People click on titles that stir their imagination, capture their attention, or clarify something. Do what you can to find titles that are high in clickability. In addition, separate your paragraphs with headers and spaces. It makes your post easier to read. Think USA Today versus The New York Times. 

 

(5) Edit & Edit Again!!

 

Yes, good writing and grammar still counts. Write your rant then go back and make it sound good. Add key words for better SEO. Make sure the length is optimal: most readers do well with shorter posts (300-500 words), but for SEO, longer posts are better (1600 words). 

Your turn: What have you done to create a winning blog?

 

MEET ROCHELLE MELANDER

 

Rochelle Melander has helped thousands of people overcome writer’s block, write more, turn their ideas into books, navigate the publishing world, and use social media to reach their readers. She’s the author of ten books, including the National Novel Writing Month guide—Write-A-Thon: Write Your Book in 26 Days (and Live to Tell About It). She interviews authors and publishing professionals on her blog.

Visit her online at WriteNowCoach.com and follow her on Twitter (@WriteNowCoach)

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