Tag Archives: blogging

Guest Post: Infographic on How to Write the Perfect Blog Post

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I’m getting geared up to join Denise Wakeman tomorrow on her Virtual Blog Writing Day. Although I’ll be out of the office for a morning meeting, I will do my best to keep up later in the day. I found this infographic on her blog, and I had to share it because I got some ideas from it so I figured you would too:

PerfectBlogPost
Like this? Learn how to use psychology to get more traffic and sales with Social Triggers.

Shared via, Denise Wakeman’s blog, Build a Better Blog. You can go there to find out more about Virtual Blog Day. Leave a comment here if you plan to participate.

 

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Guest Post: 5 Ways to Generate Content Ideas Quickly

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photo credit: sxc.hu/ rohach

Today’s guest post provides some useful tips for generating blog content ideas quickly and putting them to use right away. I saw this article in an email newsletter that I am subscribed to, and it was a perfect fit for my blog so I published it. Do you see how guest posting on blogs is a perfect win-win-win? You, the reader get a fresh point of view from a different blogger, the blogger gets exposure to a new audience and a back link to their blog, and I as the host get some fresh content that I didn’t have to create myself. Perfect.

5 Ways to Generate Content Ideas Quickly

By Dr. Rachna Jain

If you’ve been promoting online for any length of time, you’ve probably understood the importance of coming up with new content ideas.  After all, you need content for your website. Content for your blog. Content for your Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn updates. Content for your guest blog postings and article syndication and videos and slideshows and. . . and. . . and. . . (You get the idea.)

Now, in between service delivery, marketing, and all the other things you do to keep your business running, who has time to come up with good content ideas over and over? And yet, you know you must, in order to keep your business growing. So here are 5 ways to generate new content ideas quickly:

1.) Scan your email and social networks. What questions are people asking? What kinds of content or updates are they posting? Can you find something to respond to or reply to?

2.) Create a list of 25-30 topics your target market is interested in- and then create a list of subtopics for each of these. Refer to this list whenever you’re stuck.

3.) Examine your own life for lessons or stories you can share. Your readers want to know you better, and a story is a great way to share about yourself and provide valuable information at the same time. You can also find good ideas in books you read or movies you see.

4.) Examine your website statistics. Which posts or pages are getting the most interest? Can you write a follow up article for something you’ve already written about?
5.) Create a case study. Case studies are a useful way to create content. Think about a client you are working with or recently helped. How can you create a narrative about their transformation?
These 5 strategies will help you build new content ideas rapidly. Once you get in the habit of generating content ideas from these sources, you might find that you have a lot more to share than you ever realized!

” Popularity is Good. Profitability is Better. Profitable Popularity is the Ultimate Goal.”
- Dr. Rachna Jain http://profitablepopularity.com

 

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Guest Post: 3 Ways to Speed Up Your Blog Time & Still Write Quality Content

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photo credit: istock photo

Do you use blog writing to attract business? Do you wonder how you can double your blog output and still have a life? Do you worry about whether your blogs offer quality content that your target readers will love, so they will subscribe? Know the biggest benefit to strategic blog marketing means that Google will like your blogs. Each time you write a blog post, you build your website traffic.

I can relate. When I started a blog over 6 years ago, I got discouraged because of little audience response and little traffic increase. Against my better judgment, I quit. Now, after four years of using a WordPress blog, I realize I just needed to multiply my posts so Google would notice me and I’d get more targeted subscribers. As a writing coach, I already knew what I could do. I just needed to do it. You can relate, yes?

I recommend you post at least two times a week and share your blog URLs on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

For your best results, here’s my proven top 3 Ways to create quality blog posts faster.

One. Write a Title of One Specific Question to One Specific Audience and Answer it.

You may be marketing a book or your service. Your target audiences want their questions answered. Questions are one of the best ways to write a blog title. To find out where your audiences are now, you can poll your audience with a survey by email or on one of the social media platforms. Simply ask them to state their biggest challenge or problem.

They may have many questions. That’s great. You can leverage each blog post by a complete answer to their question. For example, book writers ask, “How can I write my book fast and sell it faster too?” Of the nine pre-marketing answers given to this in a book chapter of my “Write your eBook or Other Book – Fast!” I simply address one at a time in nine different blog posts. For example,”Do you know your Target Audience for your Book? This one blog post became 1000 words. That number is good for some audiences, but the sweet spot for blog length is around 500-800 words and many will want shorter lengths.

Two. Rewrite Similar Content for a Different Audience.

Many authors have multiple audiences, so to bring more sales, they need to write different blogs aimed at the needs of different audiences. For instance, one client who is a coach for eating disorders, now writes blogs for her three audiences – bingers, bulimics, and anorexics, because you can binge, but not necessarily be a bulimic or anorexic. She’s writing specific tips for each one. This approach will multiply her numbers and keep her audiences coming to her website, where she offers her other programs and new books we’re working on. Many general book titles will benefit from this approach.

Know your article’s purpose and specific audience and narrow your slant or focus your information just for them. They will feel as though you speak directly to them and get engaged with your post, leaving comments and clicking the links to your site where they can get more of you.

Three. Write a 500-Word tip blog post.

No matter what your topic is, your audience loves tips. This shortest “how to” blog post with numbered tips is the most popular of all.

*To create around 500 words, you need to…
*Choose a title that works for tips.
*Outline your topic.
*Write a one-two sentence hook or introduction.
*Include four to six sub points in outline form.
*Write each paragraph to support each sub point.
*Write only two or three short sentences for each paragraph.
*Create three to five paragraphs from each heading.
*Finish with a one or two sentence conclusion.

This kind of blog post blueprint will not only shorten your time, but will create consistent, organized, and easy to read blogs.

Now that you know three blog writing strategies that will keep your audience coming back for more quality content, will you share your latest blog writing challenges and successes with us?

25 year Book Coach, Judy Cullins helps you in business to write a “best seller” and build your brand with a short book to sell all the books and get all the clients you need. To double your blog writing, ask Judy about her blog coaching at bookcoaching.com/blog-editing.php

 

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5 Practical Tips for Blogging Your Way to Writing a Book

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Last week I published a blog post, Blogging Tips: How to Blog Your Way to Writing a Book. I wrote about the process that I used to write the content of my upcoming book from a series of blog posts.  I received a comment from a reader named, Tamara who said,

“Congrats on finishing your manuscript! I love the concept of blogging your way to publishing a book. I am a dessert blogger, so my question is do you think this can work for me too? I already have a few concepts in mind for cookbooks, but I think recipe development is key for me as opposed to writing lengthy blog posts. What are your thoughts?”

Tamara also left a similar comment on my Facebook business page, so I answered it there. As I was thinking of a response I got the idea for a blog post because there may be others of you out there who are thinking about using your blog to help you come up with the content for a book.

Here is our exchange on Facebook:

Now here are five practical tips for blogging your way to writing a book:

1. Announce your intention to write a book on your blog

Announcing your intention of writing a book publicly on your blog serves several purposes at once. It creates a sense of accountability. Now that you’ve announced it publicly, you better believe that your readers are going to ask you about how it’s going, and it makes the project more real to you and that might motivate you to stick with it until it is finished.

2. Blog about the theme of your book

If you are working with a publisher, then you’ve already done the work of creating a book proposal for your project. Now you will tailor your blog posts to fit in with the outline of the book. You will not be writing the entire book—word for word—on your blog. You will still have additional sections to write outside of the blog, but if you are having trouble finding time to fit writing a book into your crazy schedule, and you already have an established blog, your writing gets to do double duty for you.

3. Set a deadline for completing your book

Working towards a deadline can be a great motivator. Let your readers know what your deadline is for finishing the manuscript. You might even put one of those countdown clocks on your blog that displays how many days you have left to finish. This will create a sense of urgency and drama and help pull your readers in. It will also spur you on to stick to your writing schedule to avoid public humiliation if you don’t finish on time.

4. Get your readers involved

In the case of Tamara, who wants to write a dessert cookbook, she will not necessarily write most of the cookbook on the blog. As I mentioned in the Facebook comment, she can use her blog to share photos as she goes through the recipe development process, she can write about the ingredients she is using, where and how she sources them, her inspiration for the dessert items, where she gets her ideas from, and how she narrows down which recipes get included in the book and which ones get cut. She can involve her readers in all of these kinds of posts by asking them questions and soliciting their feedback.

5. Set a daily or weekly writing goal and stick with it consistently

Setting and keeping a daily or weekly writing schedule is the only way you will get you book finished. I set a time limit of 30 days, and the goal to write a blog post every single day for 30 days straight. You will have to figure out how many pages your book will have, and then estimate from there how many of those pages you want to write on your blog, and then set your deadline date.

An additional bonus to using your blog to help you write your book is with every blog post you are building your writer’s platform. You are establishing the audience for your book well in advance of publication.

I hope you found those tips to be helpful. I think that with just a little bit of creativity you can find a way to write many different kinds of books on your blog. If you have blogged your way to writing a book, please include a link to it in the comments so we can go take a look.

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Blogging Tips: How to Blog Your Way to Writing a Book

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I’ve been blogging for many years, and looking over my blog archives I’ve often figured that there was enough content there for a book. I’m a freelance writer, so much of my writing time and energy is devoted to writing for my clients. I’m also a single mom with three kids and I run a business from my home, so I had lots of excuses for not finding time to write a book.

There are countless benefits of being a published author. Whenever I introduce myself as a writer, people almost always ask if I’ve published a book. I have grown weary of making excuses for why I haven’t published a book, so last year I decided to use my blog to help me come up with the content for a book. I gave myself a focused challenge and I write a post every day for a month. I then took those thirty blog posts and expanded them and added additional content. Now I have got an almost completed manuscript for a book based on the content of my blogging challenge.

This morning I came across this article, 7 Things You Must Do Before Writing Your Book, which is full of great tips for those who are thinking about writing a book. The author, Ofili, writes about the power of blogging to help you get your book written, ” I put myself on a strict and disciplined regimen of writing at least one 1500 article every month. I did this unfailingly starting January of 2011 and at the end of the year, I had 20+ quality articles chapters and over 25,000+ words in my book.” The secret is to commit to a focused writing schedule and be consistent.

There are a few benefits of blogging your book. One of those benefits, as Ofili mentions in his post, is the opportunity for instant feedback from your readers. Another benefit is that you are establishing a platform, building an audience for the book and getting your name and writing out there in the world. The best benefit, I believe, is the responsibility to your readers to blog consistently. Once you hook your readers in with what you are writing, they are going to want to stay in the loop and find out what happens.

Bloggers who want to become authors should go ahead and give it a whirl. Choose the topic of your book and focus your blog posts around that theme. Tell your readers what you are doing and get their support and encouragement. The positive comments I received when I did my blogging challenge really motivated me to stick with it no matter what.

Now that my manuscript is almost finished I am researching publishing options. It will launch first as an ebook, so you will be the first to hear about it when it drops. Keep on writing.

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SistaSense Digital Business & Marketing Update

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Regular readers of this blog know that I’m a fan of LaShanda Henry, aka SistaSense. She’s the founder of Black Business Women Online, and for me, a work at home business woman to watch. Yesterday she created this video to share, ’5 Things Happening Right Now,’ so I wanted to share this video with my readers because it’s full of timely information if you’re running an online business and want to stay up on what’s up in the world of marketing and growing your business online. Enjoy!

 

Talk To Me–Ask Your Questions About Creating Content Online

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One of my major priorities in my business is to never stop learning about how to grow my business, improve my process and learn new strategies. Towards that goal I am part of a Mastermind/ Group coaching program with the fabulous LaShanda Henry of the SistaSense.com blog and MyBBWO.com.

In last week’s meeting she challenged this amazing group of women to move beyond our comfort zones, spark some innovation and plot our own strategies for world domination. One the challenges that she threw down to the group was to create a video asking our audience what questions they would ask if given the opportunity. So, I recorded this video this morning.  Please take a moment to watch it and leave a question or a comment on the blog, or email me your questions.

Inspiration for Blocked Freelance Writers and Bloggers

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It’s been said that we teach that which we most need to learn, and I have found that to be a profoundly true statement. I have been doing freelance writing and blogging for many years, but there are times when I hit slumps where I feel blocked and I just don’t feel inspired to write. I sometimes wonder with all of the blogs out there why I even bother. Does what I write really resonate with people? Are my words making a difference?

If you have been blogging for any length of time some of these thoughts might have fluttered through your mind a time or two. If any of this sounds familiar this post is meant to be an encouragement to you to keep on writing.

A writer writes out of a desire to share that which is within them with the world. Writer’s have a love for the written word, and we enjoy the satisfaction that comes when we have polished up a piece of writing and it gets published so that others can read it. But did you ever stop to think about where your desire to write comes from? Do you ever wonder about the origins of those lofty ideas that are floating around in your heart and mind? Your inspiration to write flows to you and through you from God, the Universe, All That Is, because you are a chosen instrument of the Divine.

The Universe communicates with us through each other. It wants to get its message out in a way that will be understood and acted upon, so you are given those creative impulses, those flashes of insight, that burning desire to write because the world needs to know exactly what it is that you have to share.

Think for a moment about those writers whose work has greatly inspired or influenced you. What if those writers had listened to that critical voice inside of their heads telling them that they suck, that no one cares what they have to say, and causing them to doubt their talent or worth as a writer? Pick a favorite author and try to imagine your life without the inspiration you gained from having read their work.

As a writer you have been chosen to tell the story that will transform, uplift, or maybe simply enchant your readers. You have a sacred duty to keep listening for the whispers of inspiration that the Universe will send your way. It is your duty to remain a yielded vessel. Stop looking to ‘someday’ as the only someday that matters has arrived in this moment. Write as if your words were a life saving elixir, or as if they contained the key that would release someone from the bondage of ignorance. Stop resisting living and working into the fullness of the gifts and talent that you have been blessed with.

The world is waiting to receive the message you came here to deliver. The audience you seek is seeking your message. Stop making them wait until you sort out your issues and take your place. It’s not about you, your fears, your excuses, your self-imposed limitations. It’s about the message.

Watch and be inspired:

5 Powerful Tips for Getting Started with Creating Content for Niche Blogging (Part II)

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In part I of this series we covered selecting a topic that you already know and have a passion for. In today’s installment we will cover the remaining three tips on creating content for your niche blog.

Always keep in mind that you are not trying to be all things to all people with your blog. The more you tighten your focus to more targeted your audience will be.

3. Narrow the topic and maintain your focus

In order to rank in the search engines, you want to focus on a few, specific keyword phrases and use them in your content as well as in strategic places on your blog to attract the search engines. But narrowing your focus also helps you to get very clear on your topic and provide exactly what your visitors are searching for. Appearing high in the search results is about providing value for the visitors who search on your keywords.

4. Don’t skimp on keyword research

The most effective way to narrow your search is by doing extensive keyword research. By using a combination of free keyword research tools such as the Google Adwords Keyword tool, and premium keyword research tools such as Micro Niche Finder or Market Samurai, you can drill down to find the best keywords related to your topic that will bring the kind of visitors who are searching for your content.

Use those keyword research tools to kind some long tail keyword phrases (long tail= keyword phrase of four or more words) to really help target your traffic.

5. Strive to become known as a subject matter expert in your topic

As you are creating your content, write with an eye towards becoming known as an expert in your topic. Subject Matter Experts (SME) are looked to as authorities on a topic, they are called in to speak about their topic and people will begin looking to you for leadership and advice. Here’s a blog post about how you can use one of my favorite time-saving tools, Google Reader, to help you become a subject matter expert. http://feigenson.us/blog/?p=1110

A bonus tip is to start early creating relationships with the top blogs and SMEs in your niche. Comment regularly on their blogs and offer to guest post occasionally. This will give you lots of targeted exposure within your niche, and establishes you as a colleague rather than a fan of the top bloggers.

Remember, write about what you are passionate about, don’t skimp on keyword research and brand yourself as an expert and your niche blog will be a success.

5 Powerful Tips for Getting Started with Creating Content for Niche Blogging (Part I)

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On this blog I like to share what I am learning as an online freelance writer and blogger with my readers. I have been on this path for several years, and if anything that I have learned along the way can be helpful to someone who is just getting started, then I am pleased.

The topic of this post came about as a result of a new client inquiry. I had consulted with this prospective client about six months ago about creating some content for a blog that she was thinking about starting. She held on to my information, and when she got her blog all set up she followed up with me about writing some copy for her. She mentioned that her blog was going to be about six different although somewhat related topics.

I replied and told her that while these were all six excellent topics to write about, I cautioned her about how challenging it would be to try to get a single blog to rank for so many different keywords. As I was advising her about narrowing her focus and choosing one topic and delving deep, a little light bulb went off over my head. I felt a blog post coming on. I knew that if this advice would help her it might help my readers, too. So, here are five tips for how to get started with creating content for niche blogging.

1. Select a topic that you already know a lot about

In the beginning you will want to post at least three posts a week, but ideally five posts a week to establish yourself in the eyes of the search engines and your visitors, so you’ve got to pick a topic that you have more than a passing familiarity with so that you can start writing posts about what you already know about the subject. You will still need to do research, but you want to have a firm foundation of personal knowledge to give you an advantage when you start writing.

Another reason to choose a topic that you know about is that it will be a lot easier to begin to develop your authority on that topic, which will come in handy later as you become an expert in your chosen topic.

2. Select a topic that you are interested in and have some passion about

Along with knowing about a topic it’s helpful if you love it and have a passion for it because your passion is infectious and it will shine through in your writing. Your readers who share your passion about the topic will resonate with what you write and become fans, and the quality of the content you create will be better.

OK, so that was part I of this two-part series. Check back tomorrow to find out about how to narrow your focus, do keyword research and establish yourself as a subject matter expert.

Please feel free to ask questions or leave your tips and suggestions for picking blog topics in the comments.