Creating a Blog is More Than a Good Idea and Fast Fingers
Everyone’s got something to say. I know I do. You’ve probably got a lot to say about a lot of things. In fact, I would go so far as to say that there are probably more blogs out there than there are people! The great thing, though, is that with the depth of the Internet there is always an audience out there, no matter how specific or niche your topic is. It is time to get out there and start shouting your thoughts at the world via a blog. How do you make it good though? More importantly, how do you make it readable?
Good Writing
Remember those English class you hated? Well, they are worth something when it comes to blogging. It is just like writing a paper or an essay except you are not going to be writing five pages on the motivations of Holden Caufield (or maybe you are, there is an audience for that!). No matter how formal or informal your blog is, it still has to be easily readable by your target audience. This means complete sentences, correct punctuation and spelling, and well organized content.
Content is king! I have said it before. Having a relevant and consistent topic and theme to your blog will give readers a feel for what they are reading. If you write about random topics, you are not hitting a targeted audience and there is a good chance readers aren’t going to come back consistently.
When it is time to sit down and write, be sure you know in advance how your post is going to play out. Do your research on the topic. Have proper, solid sources on what you are writing about and be sure you can back up any conjectures with facts. Just like those research papers, site those sources to give what you are saying more weight and respect.
Visuals
Pages of plain text are straight and to the point. That is not a bad thing if you already have a following and they expect just the facts. Unfortunately, the real fact is that plain text isn’t visually appealing. Visuals like photographs or info-graphs that directly relate to the topic of your blog are eye catching. They help readers connect and relate to whatever story you are selling. In fact, info-graphics have recently made a big comeback in popularity. Single-frame info-graphs can really help get a message across. They are pointed and effective.
Personalize
You have a voice and it is completely unique. That uniqueness is what readers are going to bond with and relate to. Like your favorite character on a television show, it is what is going to keep readers coming back. Whatever you are writing about, it has to have some kind of personal feel to it. That is why that essay on Holden Caufield I talked about earlier turned out so dull, you were more of a Jay Gatsby person and had no interest in Caufield. Relate the topic to yourself and your experiences and you will be sure to enhance your content.
So now that you know some of the basics for blogging, it is time to channel your inner Salinger and start penning your next great literary masterpiece.
Kiar Media is a full-service interactive marketing agency located in De Pere, WI, specializing in getting results and ROI from online and mobile strategies. For more information on content curation or blogging, contact Kiar Media at kiarmedia.com, on Twitter @kiarmedia or by phone at 920-403-0576.
