Words to the Wise

Blogging is about connecting. Even with all the ways to promote your blog and its content, if your content doesn’t connect with your audience, you may never have a successful blog.

Ok, now that I’ve totally turned you off blogging, let’s turn this ship around and give you six keys to creating good blog content:

1. Write a headline that gets attention. Much of your audience will find your blog posts through search engines and their RSS feeders and only see the headline of one of your posts and possibly a tiny snippet of info. Write your headline in a way that grabs your reader’s attention and gets them to click through to read on.

2. Create captivating content. When a visitor clicks their way to your blog, you want to keep them there. And chances are, you aren’t the first blog they’ve encountered on the subject they’re searching out. Stand out by being unique - yet still relevant. This is done through the tone of your writing and your perspective on your niche. Be you…within reason, of course. Be funny because you’re funny - not for the sake of being funny.

3. Acknowledge comments. A blog post doesn’t end with the a click of the Publish button in WordPress. As long as your content is live on the Internet, you can expect visitors. Read and acknowledge those comments - good or bad. This is where true relationships are built on a blog. When others come to your blog and see comments and your responses, it’s like a welcome mat that invites them to do the same.

4. Share link love. Don’t hoard your readers. Share links to relevant content off your site. Trust me, people will appreciate it. It shows readers that you’ve taken the time to find relevant content for them and actually share it with them.

5. Leave the black tie, or LBD*, at home. One of the big differences with blogs is that your tone can be much more formal than on a business website. Although my main site is pretty relaxed, my blog offers an outlet for less formal topics. Think of a blog as a social tool and bring your conversational tone.

6. Offer more than words. Don’t be shy about offering links to relevant products you sell via affiliate programs if that’s congruent with the purpose of your site. Just don’t oversell thees products. It’s fine to blog once, maybe twice about a product you’ve used, loved, and now want to share with your readers.

*LBD: Little Black Dress

Jason Pedley is a freelance copywriter in North Carolina. He’s written copy and SEO content for clients in Raleigh, NC and around the world and he never wears an LBD when he blogs. Learn more, but not too much more, at the new and improved home of SEO content writer Jason Pedley.