Beginner's Guideline
Some Helpful Guidance (Tips) for Writing Blogs
Did you know that as I write this there are more than 600 million different bloggers trying to get your attention? Their goal is simple. They just want you to click that mouse and read their work. That’s it. Seems pretty simple.
But there is where the difficulty begins. In addition to all the algorithm’s at play, why should someone take the time to make that click and then spend 5-10 minutes reading something that probably won’t be a difference maker in their life? But come on, you say, my writing is different. It is impacting and creates a positive difference in how someone approaches their daily walk of faith..
This is probably true but as you make the commitment to writing a blog, you need to be aware of a few things that will make people have that burning desire to make that click to enter your world of thoughts, hopes, and ideas.
Whatever your reason for blogging, it has become a vital way to build your online presence and to be a platform for sharing your inspirational insights with the world.
So, as you get started, it’s important to know a thing or two about the right way to blog and the … Well, you get the idea.
The following are a few tips for writing, editing, and maintaining a successful blog presence:
Choose a Topic/Theme That Interests You
You’ve heard that old adage, “Write about what you know.” That couldn’t be more true when it comes to blogging. It’s important to write about a topic that will attract readers but it’s even more important to write about a topic that is comfortable to you. The more comfortable you are the more freely words will flow into informative, thought-provoking blog posts.
A good way to find your topic or niche is to consider what your goals are. Obviously, on Crossmap Blogs you want to create content that glorifies the Kingdom of God and edifies your readers. Beyond that, do you want to write blogs that dig deep into theology? Do you want your posts to be serious or funny? Or perhaps you just want to write material that simply sparks a positive thought, or insightful spiritual take on a current event. Whatever the case might be, figuring out your general theme or objective early can go a long way to point you in the right direction.
Do Your Research!
Perhaps one of the most important parts of being a successful blogger is knowing what you are talking about, or being an authority on your topic. The last thing you want to do is make bold, declarative statements about something and then not have any sort of data to back it up. For example, you might write, “The vast majority of Generation Z does not think you need to go to church on a regular basis.” Ok, says who? Is that your rationale or is there something larger driving that thought. A better way to say this would be, “The vast majority of Generation Z does not think you need to go to church on a regular basis. In fact, according to the Barna Research Group in a recent study, 84% of individuals younger than 25 say attending church isn’t important in their spiritual walk.”
And let’s take this a step further. For these types of statements, always hyperlink to the study that you are referencing. You can do this by simply by bolding the statement that is most important and attaching a link to the study. For example, “The vast majority of Generation Z does not think you need to go to church on a regular basis. In fact, according to the Barna Research Group in a recent study, 84% of individuals younger than 25 say attending church isn’t important in their spiritual walk.”
This increases your reader’s perception of your authority as a writer. Backing up your statements creates a more impacting and credible blog post. Furthermore, providing a backlink in your article will help with your post’s link juice … er, sorry, will make it easier to find in a Google search.
Create an Effective, Creative Title for Your Blog Posts
I had a friend once who was a really good writer. So good in fact, that he decided to create and write a blog to show off his expertise about baseball and storytelling skills. And what did he call his blog? Can I get a drum roll please? He called it “Bill’s Blog”. Not “Around the Horn”, “Diamond Notes with Bill”, not even “Bill’s Bunts”.
Be sure to really think through what you will mainly be writing about and find a creative, clever title to support it. Doing so, will create a higher level of interest for the general drive-by person searching for a blog to read on a given topic. You may be the best writer in the world but if you don’t put a title out there that piques someone’s curiosity, you have lost the battle.
Make Use of Striking Images to Support Your Topic
Time for an object lesson. I want you to take a look at the following two images and tell me what the blog post is about.
Example 1:
Example 2:
If you guessed computers, while a good attempt, you would be wrong. The image is supporting a blog post titled, “How Should the Church Approach the Rise of Artificial Intelligence”.
While the first image technically supports a story about Artificial Intelligence, it is seen as drab and blah when compared to the ‘DaVinci meets Outer Space” theme in Image 2.
The point to be made here is that the more your image dazzles the reader, the better chance you have that they will engage with your blog post. Your images should immediately draw the reader’s attention and make them want to read further. It’s the equivalent of driving a souped up sports car compared to serviceable but very ordinary family minivan.
Use Social Media Effectively to Tell the World About Your Awesome Blog
Now that you have written this fantastic blog post, how do you actually get your reader to see your blog? As I mentioned at the beginning of this article, there are more than 600 million different blogs vying for people’s attention at this very minute.
A simple and highly effective way (and free!) to promote your blog is by sharing it with the world on social media. Whether it be Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, the list of social media sites goes on and on, with a simple click of the mouse you can instantly let hundreds if not thousands of people know that you have a new blog post that is well worth reading.
And while you are at it, encourage your friends and family members to share your blog post on their social media pages. Why settle for a reach of your 500 social media friends when with a little encouragement of those you know and love you could get the word out to 5,000? All it takes is for you to leave a small note at the end of a social post asking your friends to share your content with others.
Proof, Proof, Proofread Your Work
Call me picky, call me an editorial snob, but one of the most detrimental things you can do as a blogger is to present something that is riddled with typos, misspelled words, and incomplete grammatical thought. Publishing work in this state is usually dismissed quickly and drives the reader from considering future work you might publish.
Always be sure, at a minimum, to run your blog post through a spell checker on your word processor to make sure all of your words are spelled correctly. Beyond that, it is always good to have a second set of eyes to read your work to pick up on grammar that is inconsistently weak or less verbose. That second set of eyes can be a co-worker, friend, or even someone sitting beside you at a coffee shop. You would be amazed what other people pick up on that you may have missed. Also, be sure to read your post through one last time after spell-checking and your friend’s editorial advice before hitting the publish button. You would be amazed at the spelling, grammar, and thematic elements you may have missed.
Proofing is not perfection but it does make your blog post feel much more publishable.
Use Keywords Strategically
What I am about to share with you is not rocket science but in the editorial writing world it is pretty close to it.
It is of critical importance to incorporate keywords into the text of your article. Simply put, be sure to include words in your prose that are specifically related to the topic you are writing about. Doing so, gives Google and other search engines (Yahoo, Bing) a better understanding of what your blog is about.
This is not to say you should write paragraphs like the following, “I had a really good time at the baseball game. I haven’t been to a baseball game in a long time but it was great to see my favorite team up close and personal. Baseball is a great spectator to watch in person, much better than watching on television. It’s even better when the food at your local baseball stadium is better than the restaurants you eat at.”
Baseball, baseball, baseball, did you get the hint?
Remember, it’s not wrong to use your keywords liberally in your text. But be sure that your keywords fit the flow of your blog post naturally. Overstuffing your article with your keywords is called “keyword stuffing” and can harm your SEO, or the ability to find your blog in a search.
Make Your Words White Hot!
Many years ago, I had an editor who had formally made his mark at the New York Times tell me, “Make sure your words are white hot! Make sure each letter sizzles. If you're not passionate about what you are writing about, your audience won’t be either.”
Such fantastic advice from someone who reached the pinnacle of the writing profession.
What my sage colleague was trying to express is that the more you care about what you're writing about, the more effort and careful precision you will use. If you don’t care, people will immediately see your work as uncredible and even blase for a few.
Writing with painstaking precision and passion will shine through in your work, subsequently grabbing the attention and intrigue of a wider audience. Those who write from the heart always rise to the top.
Break Up Long Posts with Bold Sub-Headings
I’m not sure you have picked up on this yet, but this entire article has been written using bold sub-headings. This was not a random or haphazard idea. It was done to specifically break up what would otherwise be a long and boring post where the reader probably would have checked out after the third topic.
Simply put, a great way to dress up a blog post and make it more appealing is by breaking it up with sub-headings. By doing this, you are guaranteed that readers will dig deeper and further into your writing because you are providing content to them in a bite-size digestible manner. In addition, providing bold sub-headings is a great tool for those who don’t have a lot of time and just want to scan the blog post for the highlights. I know that can be depressing to the writer but it is just the nature of our super-charged, short-attention spanned readers. I would much rather have people read at least some of my writing rather than none at all.
Know Your Blog by the Numbers - Statistically Speaking
How many people read your articles each month? How many shares do they get on social media? Which topics seem to interest your readers the most?
These are great questions that demand answers. Fortunately, web analytics can provide that to you. I am happy to report that Crossmap Blogs provides a simple and highly informative tool to let you know just how well your blogs are performing.
Use this service to your benefit. If you notice that a particular topic gets a lot of page views, it might be a good idea to create additional blog posts that relate to that theme. Conversely, if you write something that sinks to the bottom of the ocean like a boat anchor, it might be time to move on as your audience is obviously not interested in that topic.
Web analytics are a wonderful way of charting the course for your writing.
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We realize your head might be spinning with all of the thoughts and suggestions we have just dispensed. We just want you to realize that by utilizing some of these suggestions you can take what is a good blog and make it more insightful, powerful, and life-changing to your readers.
Now, start writing!
