Fairy Blog Mother

Blogging is not for the faint-hearted. It may be considered something to hide behind, especially if you prefer to write rather than stand up and talk (I used to be like that), but then the danger is your blog becomes stilted, too perfect, too precise.

When I first started blogging and article writing, all those years ago, I was insistent my writing should be the absolute best. I took hours over it, rewriting and changing it, looking up alternative words and fussing over the syntax. And in the end it wasn’t all that good after all!

Then I relaxed, and wrote down whatever came into my head. It made it so much easier to write a post, and I like to think it showed more authenticity in my subject matter. The answer is to become more open and transparent in what you write, and I reveal little quirky bits (which I really should regret) in order to show up my personality(?)!

The idea is to try and get inside your readers’ heads, and think like they think. Don’t sound too intelligent, blogs aren’t meant to consist of academic thesis or much laboured articles. If you don’t understand your readers, do some simple research (it needn’t be complicated or expensive) or even just ask them – what do you want me to write about?

Hang out where your readers are. Immerse yourself in their environment, ask the same questions, wallow in their predicaments, gather this information together and then formulate the solutions. Once you’ve found out what is wanted, write about it in your posts.

What kind of readers would you prefer? Find out what other blogs are they reading, and then comment on them, to draw attention to yourself and your blog. What discussions forums do they frequent? Contribute your opinions or begin a new discussion, post up one of your blog posts and ask for comments.

Be enthusiastic and sympathetic to prospective readers and they will eventually come round to you, especially if you write the kinds of posts they want to read.

Fairy Blog Mother

The subject of effective post writing has been covered many times, because everybody provides their own theories. But it was brought to my attention when a couple I am teaching how to blog showed me their first examples, proving it was necessary to set an appropriate style.

First you need to think of the purpose of your post, and the kind of audience who will read it. What is the subject, is it relevant or appropriate, and will it change your readers’ lives? It’s important to remember who you are writing for, and that it needs to be sufficiently entertaining. A proper focal point will help towards providing a better finished product, as well as stimulate future presentations.

The next thing is the headline, an important element designed to attract the reader’s attention. Give careful consideration to its relevance and description of the post’s subject, its length (preferably under 60 characters), and avoid cryptic, ambiguous or over-clever examples. Headlines are presented in many guises and situations, so give some thought where it is likely to be seen, especially as a link in social media or RSS feed, and how your readers would react to it.

Once past that hurdle, your readers need to be sufficiently hooked by the first sentences. Blogging is a quick, newsy, busy medium, and posts are subject to skim-reading to see if they are relevant to the reader’s needs. Therefore it’s imperative to state the most important points first, because they may never get read if you leave them to the end, and the opportunity may be lost.

The next thing to consider is the length of your post, particularly bearing in mind the fast-moving nature of blogging. Presentation can be enhanced by subheadings or bullet points, as these can break up a lot of content to maintain the reader’s focus. Paragraphs should be short, containing only 3-4 sentences, which also shouldn’t be over-long, as this facilitates easier reading.

If you have a lot to say, you don’t have to write it all at once. Time-starved readers are more attracted to shorter posts, so consider presenting your material as a serial within several posts over a number of days. Spreading it over time will encourage your audience to return to read the next installment, boosting your ratings considerably.

And finally provide a conclusion or summary to round off your post; it helps the reader to know it’s the end, and this is also where you add in a call to action, even if it’s only an invitation to leave a comment, or otherwise your objectives will not meet the achievement they deserve.

Fairy Blog Mother

There is always this forced focus that when we post on our blogs we must always be writing stuff that is worth while.

A writer friend approached me about her two blogs. One is business-orientated, designed to attract potential clients interested in her skills. The other is a personal blog, in which she expands her gift, but she was concerned that it had no focus or consistency in its contents.

That doesn’t matter. I have another friend who writes amazing material in her blog, and the subject matter is totally varied. It is an outlet to vent her feelings, aspirations and ideas. The result is a thoroughly entertaining collection of writings, each an identity in their own right.

A blog is a medium in which to express yourself, whether it is for business reasons, or just somewhere to unload yourself. Even having such a platform which enables you to talk about your business, in terms that would not be suitable on your website, is sometimes purely a release. If you are truly passionate about your business and want to explain it in a myriad of ways that would connect with the variability of your customer base, here is the perfect resource.

Anyway, back to my writer friend and her directionless blog. I told her to use it as somewhere to explore the art of writing, develop her language, play with syntax and constantly redefine her concepts. Think of it as a place to perform, learn, investigate, examine and review. What a wonderful chance for her to put her talents into good use, even if nobody else reads them (but you never know who might do, though).