Entries Tagged 'blog' ↓

OK, that’s nothing new. I’m guessing you’ve been told by umpteen marketers that you should be blogging.

But how much does blogging really help?

Well, according to Hubspot, companies that blog get:

• 55% more visitors
• 97% more inbound links
• 434% more indexed pages

Not only that, but 57% of companies with a blog have acquired a customer from it.

Still think you don’t need one?

Getting started

Now you’ve been convinced to start blogging, you have to decide a few things:

• The niche you’ll blog about
• The type of articles you’ll write
• Who will blog
• How often you’ll blog
• How you’ll promote it

Your niche

Before you put finger to keyboard, you need to give some thought about the topics you’ll cover. Obviously, it makes sense for you to write about your business activities. So, as I’m a copywriter my blog focuses on copywriting, marketing and social media.

Always stick with what you know, after all, that’s want you’re an expert in.

Type of articles

It’s good to add a variety of articles such as top tips, opinion pieces, how to guides, reporting on industry news etc.

As your blog grows your analytics will show you which articles are the best received. Using that information, you can hone your blogs to draw in more readers.

Who will blog?

If you run a company with several staff, why leave the blog writing to one person when you can ask everyone to contribute.

Just make sure they understand how their posts are to be written (i.e. in the second person with a conversational style and absolutely no jargon) and which keywords they should include. It’s a great idea to add an author’s bio too, that way you readers can put a face to the name.

How often is too often?

The frequency you decide on has to be achievable. If you are the only person in your business, setting a goal of a blog a day is probably not going to happen. I blog 3 times a week, which is manageable.

Set yourself a realistic target and stick to it. People will get used to your posting frequency very quickly so if you suddenly stop, they’ll wander off elsewhere.

Promotion

Many companies make the mistake of thinking that just because they have a blog people will read it. That’s not always the case; you will also have to show them it’s there. Social media tools such as Twitter are a great way to promote your blog and widen its readership.

Over to you

Have you been convinced to blog?

Perhaps you’ve been blogging for a while – if so, leave a comment below and let us hear your blogging success stories.

You want to widen your audience and what better way to do that than pitching for guest blogging slots.

Did you notice I used the word pitching?

A lot of people will write something, email it to a blogger and expect it to be accepted. Life doesn’t work like that.

The first thing to remember is that you don’t have a right to be published on another blog. That decision remains firmly with the blog owner. It is your job to convince them that your writing will:

• Bring new readers
• Suit their blog’s tone
• Fit in with their niche
• Entertain their readers

So how to you go about making an approach?

What not to do

If you do either of the following, you’re unlikely to be accepted and you may not even get a reply.

1. Send in any old post and ask for it to be published
2. Chase them within a couple of days if you’ve not heard anything

Why? Because it shows a lack of regard for their blog and respect for them as a blogger.

How to make an approach

First of all do some research and find blogs that you can write for. If your post is to be interesting you’re going to need some background knowledge and experience within the niche you’re writing about.

Once you’ve found a good fit, read through some of the old posts to get a feel for the style, voice and approach used.

Then, you can make contact.

In the first instance, email asking if they would be interested in accepting a guest blog from you. Tell them a bit about yourself and why you think your writing would benefit their readership. Give them a few suggested titles for posts and ask them which one they feel would be useful to their readers.

Don’t be surprised if you don’t get an instant response. Leave it for a week before chasing, and if you do chase, be polite!

You get the green light

Once you get the go-ahead it’s time to write.

You would already have researched the tone and style of the blog you’re writing for, but also think about your layout. Blogs with sub headings and bulleted lists are much easier to read than those that are just a series of long paragraphs.

Keep your language simple, make sure you include some great information and follow the guidelines given to you by the blog owner.

Above all make it interesting and informative. If there is any whiff of a sales pitch going on (however well hidden) your submission will be rejected.

Finally, take great care with your spelling and grammar. The blog owner may be willing to correct the odd typo (after all, we’re all human), but if your post is written badly with loads of errors they are not going to use it.

If you are rejected because of this and manage to get them to agree to a re-submit, make sure it is absolutely perfect otherwise it will be deleted and that will be the end of your relationship.

If your submission is accepted, thank them and offer them another post (although before agreeing they may want to see how your first post is received by their readers) and start building a relationship with them.

As a blog owner myself, I know how valuable good guest bloggers can be – but if you want to get on the ‘good’ list, you’ve got to work for it.

This article was written by Chris Peterson, a copywriter for Straight North, a Chicago internet marketing firm. He specializes in B2B and B2C marketing, with experience in informational blog posts, press releases and website content that emphasizes Search Engine Optimization. He is a graduate of Northwestern University, where he earned a Master’s degree in journalism.

The author’s views are entirely his own and may not reflect the views of FreelanceCopywritersBlog.com. If you are interested in producing a Guest Post for this blog, please get in touch with your ideas.

The word “blog” has been tossed around for almost 15 years, but a formal definition still eludes many of us. That’s partly intentional. By nature, blogs are not boxed in. Bloggers define their own guidelines and styles. Bloggers express political opinions, share eggroll recipes, sell disposable shoe covers and show off videos of the new baby wiggling around on the floor.

Many blogs are established with a specific purpose, and others take a while to settle into a comfortable rhythm. Rather than showing you methods to improve your general blog-writing style, this post aims to help you identify the type of blogger you are. From there, you can craft a distinctive voice that accomplishes your purpose as a unique blogger.

The Informative Blogger

We’re talking purely objective blogging here. For more on opinionated writing, scroll down a bit. Informative blogging most closely resembles newspaper and wire writing. These bloggers tend to stick with safe AP Style writing. While the content might be analytical (strong blogs typically are), this blogging style is fact-based and topical. Posts also can be instructional – this post being an example.

The Business Blogger

Granted, most bloggers can claim to be business-related (dropping ads is easy enough these days), but for our purposes, we’re referring to bloggers selling products and services. Commercial blogging can be informative and persuasive, and the formality of voice depends on the product being peddled.

Search Engine Optimization is a writing style often used in business blogging. For example, a blogger might link to a specific item – leather safety gloves, for example – with the intent being that Google will spot the relevant word combination and corresponding link within a blog and assign the target company a higher ranking in searches.

The Persuader

Some bloggers write to change minds, be it for political reasons or simply to encourage readers to take up a cause. If the persuader is starting from scratch, it probably doesn’t hurt to use AP Style to establish a voice of authority – the idea being that if you use proper grammar and punctuation, maybe your opinion is informed, as well. Write professionally because, believe it or not, the stable blogger has more influence than the ranting one.

It’s important for persuasive blogs to link to objective sources, like informative blogs, to reinforce credibility. If your blog is encouraging readers to support a cause, for example, link to a news article that offers an unbiased perspective.

For a persuasive blog post, you want a mix of concrete information and anecdotal evidence. If your goal is to persuade, it’s important to keep your readers engaged and interested so they don’t turn away at the get-go. Use easy-to-digest graphics and visuals to help you make your point. As a blogger, you could have a persuasive edge over, say, a newsletter, in which interaction is limited.

The Personal Blogger

You’re not trying to make money. You might even be in it for fun. But that doesn’t mean you can’t have a basic plan for how you want to present your blog. Are you blogging for your family? Your in-laws? Your classmates?

And then there’s the tone you’ll set. You could be humorous or serious. Perhaps you’re blogging poems and artwork, or maybe you’re posting pictures of the new baby for distant relatives to see. All of these factors will affect how you present yourself, both style- and content-wise.

Personal blogs make for good practice, as well, especially if you’re considering using a blog for business purposes later on. Use a personal blog as an opportunity to try new things. Post photos, videos, polls or surveys. Get a feel for how readers respond so that you’ll know what to expect when you take your show on the road.

We hope you’ll find these tips helpful as you establish yourself as a blogger. Feel free to leave comments if you have any tip you’d add.

Straight North provides a full range of online marketing services, including its innovative Chicago Web design group and highly experienced Chicago SEO team. Straight North develops strategy and executes marketing programs for clients ranging from credit card processing service providers to leather safety glove retailers. 

Oh yes, ‘wearing’ your blog is this season’s latest trend.

No, I haven’t completely lost it; you really can ‘wear’ your blog (in a manner of speaking).

People read blogs because:

•    They want to learn something
•    They enjoy reading people’s opinions
•    They are personal

That last one is the key – they are personal. Your posts are written by you, from the heart and full of personality.

So, if no one is reading your blog posts, that could mean there’s not enough of you in them.

Getting personal

Even if you don’t realise it, your readers are building a relationship with you.

They know a lot about you from your writing. The style you use, your opinions and subject matter all help them build up a picture of what you’re like. And if they like what they see, they’ll keep coming back.

To some, that might sound like a scary stalker kind of scenario, but your readers are based all over the world and read your stuff because they like it – simple.

If you are lacking in readers, or losing them, you’ve got to boost the connection you have with them. So squeeze yourself into you each and every post and flirt with them a little.

How to add personality to your posts

Try these out for size:

1. Write orally

Write as you speak.

As you compose your post, imagine yourself chatting to a friend over coffee and write in that style. This openness will appeal to your readers and create a very accessible and readable style.

2. Add a bio

By simply adding a biography to each post, or an ‘About’ page to your website will show your readers who you are and what you do. Adding a picture is always a nice touch.

3. Respond

If your readers like your stuff enough to comment on it, don’t ignore them, reply to them. This will encourage a two way conversation and may even boost the number of comments you get.

4. Be personal

Throw a few different types of posts into the mix. As well as your informative stuff, chuck in a few personal stories and experiences, may be even a rant or two. This will really connect with your readers and show them the real person behind the blog.

It’s also a great idea to be contactable – whether by email or social media (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn) – your readers will know you’re a real person who is also interested in them.

Over to you

What do you do to encourage readers to your blog?

Have you found a particular style that works for you?

Leave a comment below – it’s good to share.

Sally Ormond – Copywriter, blogger and lover of rum toffees

A great way to get your name or your brand name ‘out there’ is by asking bloggers to review your products or publish guest blog posts for you.

This helps you gain back links, widen your audience and generally boost your exposure and therefore should be a valuable part of your PR strategy.

But learning how to pitch your ideas successfully is vital if you want your posts to be accepted.

After all, well known and widely-read bloggers will be inundated by requests every week, so you have to make yours stand out from everyone else’s.

So how do you do that?

How do you get noticed?

1. Generic is bad

Like the rest of us, you’re probably short of time, but cutting corners by sending a single email out to a number of bloggers is a bad idea.

After all, who are they more likely to take notice of? Someone who has taken the time to write an email addressed to them specifically by name, or one that has obviously been sent out to the faceless millions (OK, probably not that many, but you get the idea).

If you’re serious about your pitch, mention them by name and personalise the email by showing your familiarity with their blog.

2. Blind submissions

Gathering a list of blog email addresses and blindly sending out your idea won’t be a fruitful exercise.

If you want to stand a chance, you have to research who you’re sending your pitch to. Let’s face it, as I have a marketing/copywriting/social media blog, if someone sent me a blog about the ideal beauty regime for Llamas I would be very unlikely to consider it.

Only send your ideas to blogs within your niche.

3. Don’t be repetitive

Sending your idea once is fine. But sending the same email again and again is annoying.

By all means chase up your proposal after a suitable time period, but don’t make yourself a menace.

4. Get to know them

If a company pops up out of the blue to try and sell me something and I’ve never heard of them, I’m unlikely to be receptive to them.

It’s the same with your blog pitch. If you’ve taken the time to get to know them, either through Twitter, Facebook or commenting on their blog, your name will probably be familiar to them and therefore they are more likely to respond.

5. Ignoring guidelines

If you’ve managed to get your pitch noticed and received a request to see your post, don’t scupper your chances by ignoring their guidelines.

They’ll probably be along the lines of:

•    Your post must be original and must not be published elsewhere
•    It must fit within the topic of the blog
•    It must not be a thinly veiled advert
•    There should be no HTML links in the body text

If you completely ignore these, your post will not only be rejected, any further pitches will more than likely be ignored.

Over to you

Do you regularly submit requests to bloggers?

If so do you have any tips you can offer?

Leave a comment below, it would be great to hear from you.