Monday 4 March 2013

How to Write a Great Blog Post


I get a lot of value from both writing and reading blogs.  Blogs are first-hand accounts of the world as bloggers see it.  They are honest viewpoints of someone’s real life experience.  A trusted blog is like advice from a friend – personal and often (but not always) useful.  I even feel the same way about my own blog posts – after a while it feels like someone else wrote them!

So what makes a great blog post?  In the vast sea of information out there, what makes something worth reading?  I don’t pretend to be any kind of expert, but I have been blogging for a few years and one or two people have stopped by to have a read.  So here is my top six pointers for creating great blog posts:

1.     Address a real need.  Like how to give up caffeine, how to write a blog post, or what lead and lag indicators are.  By a real need I mean needs that more than one person might have.  One of the joys of blogging is that you have no idea whether other people have the same issues as you, but you write about what you think is important.  And people either respond or they don’t.

2.     Give practical advice.  It’s hard to give a personal view on a theoretical topic.  Of course we all know that in theory there is no difference between theory and practice, but in practice there is a great deal.  Anyone can read theory from a text book, bloggers tell you when happened when they actually tried doing something.  The joy, of course, is that the path is rarely straight.  It took me 3 or 4 attempts to give up caffeine, and it would have been pointless to lie about the difficulties. 

3.     Get to the point.  Blogs are not essays, and most get to the point in 500 words or less.  I can think of at least one notable exception, but for the most part you can read a couple of blog posts before you finish your first cup of green tea in the morning.  I think people appreciate that.

4.     Make it easy to read.  Six points.  Top ten ways.  Three things I Learnt.  You get the idea.  This is fast-food information, not curl-up-on-the-sofa and get-in-the-mood reading. 

5.     Don’t aim to please everyone.  Some blog posts upset some people.  You just have to add value for that group of people who might be interested.  And yourself, of course.

6.     Write so you can be found.  No matter how great your advice is, how brilliant your breakthrough, if it can’t be found by people who need it, it’s no use.  As I started to write this blog post I titled it “The Joy of Blogging”.  It appealed to my long memory for self-help books, but wouldn’t have helped anyone find my six pointers.   

29 comments:

  1. geffnerkersch.com Divorce Attorney Nassau County NY, Prenuptial Agreements Nassau County NY. Call us now: (516) 268-9898

    ReplyDelete
  2. Complete pest control specializing in Rodents & Rodent Proofing, has 40 years of experience in dealing with nuisance pests such as skunks, possums and raccoons. Our business is based on honesty, integrity and reliability, so you can count on us to solve all your wildlife problems. 650-839-9999, 408-246-0492, 415-818-6301

    ReplyDelete
  3. Nyallpurposepaving.com offers Paving Contractor, Parking Lot Repairs, sealing, striping, Oil and Stone Driveways at Riverhead NY, Quogue NY, Hamptons NY, Southampton NY, Sag Harbor NY, Green point NY, Wading River NY, East Moriches NY, Center Moriches NY, Mannorville NY, Miller Place NY , Mt. Sinai NY,Greenport NY"/>

    <meta name="keywords" content="Driveways Riverhead NY, Seal coating Riverhead NY, Parking Lot Repairs Riverhead NY, Parking lot sealing Riverhead NY, Parking lot striping Riverhead NY, Paving Contractor Riverhead NY, Oil and Stone Driveways Riverhead NY, Driveway Seal coating Riverhead NY, Driveways Quogue NY, Seal coating Quogue NY, Parking Lot Repairs Quogue NY, Parking lot sealing Quogue NY, Parking lot striping Quogue NY, Paving Contractor Quogue NY, Oil and Stone Driveways Quogue NY, Driveway Seal coating Quogue NY, Driveways Hamptons NY, Seal coating Hamptons NY, Parking Lot Repairs Hamptons NY, Parking lot sealing Hamptons NY, Parking lot striping Hamptons NY, Paving Contractor Hamptons NY, Oil and Stone Driveways Hamptons NY, Driveway Seal coating Hamptons NY, Driveways Southampton NY, Seal coating Southampton NY, Parking Lot Repairs Southampton NY, Parking lot sealing Southampton NY, Parking lot striping Southampton NY, Paving Contractor Southampton NY, Oil and Stone Driveways Southampton NY, Driveway Seal coating Southampton NY, Driveways Sag Harbor NY, Seal coating Sag Harbor NY, Parking Lot Repairs Sag Harbor NY, Parking lot sealing Sag Harbor NY, Parking lot striping Sag Harbor NY, Paving Contractor Sag Harbor NY, Oil and Stone Driveways Sag Harbor NY, Driveway Seal coating Sag Harbor NY, Driveways Green point NY, Seal coating Green point NY, Parking Lot Repairs Green point NY, Parking lot sealing Green point NY, Parking lot striping Green point NY, Paving Contractor Green point NY, Oil and Stone Driveways Green point NY, Driveway Seal coating Green point NY, Driveways Wading River NY, Seal coating Wading River NY, Parking Lot Repairs Wading River NY, Parking lot sealing Wading River NY, Parking lot striping Wading River NY, Paving Contractor Wading River NY, Oil and Stone Driveways Wading River NY, Driveway Seal coating Wading River NY

    ReplyDelete
  4. Atopcommercialpaving.com offers Commercial Paving, Asphalt Contractor, and Parking Lot Resurfacing at Queens NY, Nassau County, Bayside NY, Jamaica NY, Middle Village NY, Ozone Park NY, Howard Beach NY, Little Neck NY

    ReplyDelete
  5. Bedbugprocpc.com offers Bed Bug Exterminator, Bed Bug Inspections, Bed Bug Elimination, Bed Bug Inspection for Hotels and Residential and Commercial Bed Bug at Palo Alto CA, San Mateo CA, San Jose CA, Belmont CA, San francisco CA, Redwood City CA, Sunnyvale CA

    ReplyDelete
  6. Davispestmanagement.com offers Pest Control, Exterminator, Bed Bug Removal, Inspections, Rodent, Pest Elimination, Commercial, Residential, Professional, Licensed Exterminator , Scorpion, Bee Hive, Hornet, Fire Ant Removal by Service Area, Las Vegas NV

    ReplyDelete
  7. Viceroy Investigations and Consulting LLC is a member of the Chamber of Commerce of the Massapequa's offer security consulting, assessments and training to large and small businesses. Let us help you design and implement policies that aid in Safe hiring, Work Place security and Information Security. Call us: 516-694-0093

    ReplyDelete
  8. Jettonsgrading.com offers Grading, Excavation, and Paving Contractor, Land Clearing Services, Septic Systems, Retaining Walls and Driveways, Drainage Systems, Construction Site Clean-Up, Demolition Contractor at Walhalla SC, Seneca SC

    ReplyDelete
  9. Diskdatadestruction.net offers Mobile paper shredding, Mobile hard drive destruction at Hauppauge NY, Suffolk County NY, Long Island NY, Ronkonkoma NY, Melville NY, Huntington NY, Garden City NY, Farmingdale NY, Westbury NY, Bohemia NY, Stony Brook NY, Nassau County NY

    ReplyDelete
  10. Is it really that easy, I thought it requires you to do a lot of research until you are able to figure out how to explain it correctly?
    buy logo

    ReplyDelete
  11. reliablecommercialpaving.com offers Parking lot paving, walkway construction, Commercial paving, asphalt, Parking Lot Repairs, Parking Lot Striping, Commercial Blacktop, Parking Lot Repairs, Commercial Paving Contractor, Commercial Asphalt Contractor at New Jersey at Hanover NJ, East Orange NJ, Newark NJ, Morristown NJ, Summit NJ , Union NJ, Hackensack NJ, Patterson NJ

    ReplyDelete
  12. Landscape , Outdoor, Landscape Lighting Installation, Lawn Sprinkler Design, Repairs, Installation, Lawn Irrigation Service, Sprinkler System Backflow Testing at Long Island, Nassau County, Suffolk County, Dix Hills NY, Huntington NY, Syosset NY, Smithtown NY and Happauge NY"/>

    ReplyDelete
  13. johnnyontheshop.com offers Supermarket, Food , Costco ,Home depot , Supermarket home , groceries home , home delivery for seniors, shopping for seniors, Elder services, Senior services, BJS Home Delivery, Prescription Drug Delivery, Department Store Delivery, Fry’s Food Delivery, Lowes home Delivery Service at Scottsdale AZ

    ReplyDelete
  14. The Center for Body Wellness offers Massage and CBD Massage at Rochester NY. Call us now: 585-266-6730

    ReplyDelete
  15. Improvesearchresults.com has helped thousands of small business expand their business through website design and search engine optimization. Since 2004, we have been industry leaders in helping business owners create their successful digital campaigns.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Yankeeclippersbarbershop.com offers Barbershop, Men’s Haircuts, Straight razor cuts, Neck shave, Trendy haircuts, Barber, Straight Razor shaves at Augusta GA. Call us now: 706.496.3342

    ReplyDelete
  17. HandRails | Security Cages | Steel Coating | Custom Ironwork | Welding at Tucson AZ
    Keywords: tool fabrication Tucson AZ, custom awnings Tucson AZ, HandRails Tucson AZ,
    Decorative HandRails Tucson AZ, Security Cages Tucson AZ, Steel Coating Tucson
    AZ, Custom Ironwork Tucson AZ, Ornamental Handrails Tucson AZ, Welding Tucson
    AZ

    ReplyDelete
  18. This content material material is written thoroughly. Your use of formatting while making your factors makes your observations very clean and clean to understand.


    law dissertation Writing Service

    ReplyDelete
  19. Realestatebydavidschoelles.com offers David Schoelles Real Estate, Cash for Homes at Arizona, Scottsdale AZ, and Phoenix AZ

    ReplyDelete
  20. johnniescarwashonoak.com offer Best Car Wash on Long Island, Detailing Centre, Car Detailing, Brushless Car Wash, Full-Service Car Wash, Car Detailing, SUV Detailing, Best Car Wash, Auto Detailing, SUV Detailing, Lease Return Detailing at Copiague NY, Lindenhurst NY, Amityville NY

    ReplyDelete
  21. Gambling Addiction Helps the Brain and Creates
    by J E Rosen 춘천 출장안마 · 2017 · Cited 대구광역 출장샵 by 18 — Gambling addiction 광주 출장마사지 has been 경상남도 출장샵 the result of pathological gambler,” 청주 출장안마 which refers to a pathological gambler or “muckling”, a term used to refer to an individual

    ReplyDelete
  22. David Schoeless Plumbing, David Schoeless at AZ, Scottsdale AZ, Phoenix AZ

    ReplyDelete
  23. davidschoelles.net offersDavid Schoeless Plumbing, David Schoeless at AZ, Scottsdale AZ, Phoenix AZ

    ReplyDelete
  24. Carpet, upholstery cleaning, carpet stain, odor removal, carpet steam, ceramic tile, commercial carpet cleaning at mobile al

    ReplyDelete
  25. norwalkfloorsanding.com offers Wood Floor refinishing, Installation, Oak Floor Refinishing, Staining, Flooring Contractor, Wood Floor Sanding, Residential Wood Flooring in Norwalk CT

    ReplyDelete
  26. Kitchen cabinets and Kitchen cabinet supplier, remodeling, countertops, New Kitchen Cabinets, Wood Kitchen Cabinets

    ReplyDelete
  27. Fleet Tire Repair Service, Mobile Truck Tire repair, Fleet Roadside Assistance and Mobile flat Truck Tire repair at Queens NY

    ReplyDelete