There are many guides out there that help you start a blog but none that really discusses how one should write a blog post. When I first started, I never got a how-to book on how to start as blogs are very different from any sort of writing I did before. However, blogs are still a powerful tool of marketing and can serve as a creative outlet for people who want to enter the webspace. So to help out future bloggers, here is my personal guide on how to not fail at blogging.
First step, make your mind up on what you want to discuss. You probably already decided that when you created your blog, but, it’s most likely too broad and not unique enough to get your audience excited. We’re a volunteer management service and yet, our blog is to shoutout heroic volunteers in the world and provide a unique insight into the world that only we can share. Just because you are a DIY (Do-it-Yourself) site, doesn’t mean your blog has to be purely what you make and how you made it. Make it more enticing by talking about how useless some manufactured items are, or how to improve someone’s life one invention at a time. Spin a topic and make it yours.
Next step, research! If you have something to contribute, be sure to have some substance. Every post I do, I make sure to research some information online and include it in my posts because I want to demonstrate that my opinions have some merit behind them. It increases your validity and reliability, 2 key things that you want to have if you’re a business or a regular digital citizen. It also just makes the internet community better.
If you’re done the first two things, now get to writing. The key to blogging is that there is no formality, no structure, and no restrictions. If you’re the creative type, this is your best dream. But, if you’ve always used to a format, then don’t be afraid of this powerful tool. The best advice is to do what you normally do and create a format from scratch. Being creative is having the capacity to create, so there’s nothing wrong if it turns out that a blog is structured like a 5 paragraph essay.
Kevin – thank you for the writing tips! I always have a hard time getting started!