Quick Tips For Writing a Blog Post in 15 Minutes!

Feb 242012
 

15 Minute Blog Post
So your schedule says it’s time to write a new blog post, but you don’t have a lot of time. What do you do?

One of my goals when I first started out, was to write a blog post every day. Most days I’m able to stay on top of it, but sometimes, not so much. I even had one spurt where I didn’t write to my blog for almost two months because of some kind of “block” that was going on with me. It happens.

So the result… I lost a lot of traffic coming to my blog.

I decided that I wanted to go on a major binge to get my blog moving again, but I wanted to do it fast without compromising the quality of my content. I decided that I would write one regular post a day and one mini-post, which would give me two blog posts a day. I would do this for 30 days.

So, how do you write a mini blog post with content that your audience still wants to read?

First, you have to learn how to mix the “minis” with your regular blog posts.

The great thing to know is that your purposes don’t change with a mini blog post. You still want to keep the same goals and give your readers information that’s valuable and can help them.

I’d say that perhaps one in four of your blog posts can be a mini post. The key is thinking about information you can share that already exists. Now you don’t have to do any recreating… simply share.

6 Tips For Creating a Power-Packed Mini Blog Post!

1.  Find a Good Video to Share

Visit one of the popular video sites like youtube.com or ted.com. Look for a video that you like, perhaps one that helped you, and share it along with some thoughts of your own.

2. Find a Good Article to Share

Go to a couple of article marketing sites like ezinearticles.com. Search for a good article and share it with your readers. Don’t copy the article as though it’s yours. Siimply share it as it’s written, giving the author the credit for it and share some of your own thoughts and ideas about the article. 

3.  Tell Your Readers About One of Your Favorite People

Pick one of your “successful” friends or acquaintances… even if you have to use someone within your social media circle. Do a real quick email interview. I’d actually have some of these set up and then publish them whenever you need to. Here’s how simple it is to do this.

     -  Send an email to your interviewee
     -  Include these questions in the email
          * Tell me about your business
          * What do you enjoy most about ____________
          * What one piece of advice would you give to a person who would like to start ________________?
          * Is there anything else you would like to share?

4.  Find a Good Image to Share

Look for a really good “info-graphic” and share some good points surrounding it.

5.  Share One of Your Favorite Blogs

You should have some blogs that you enjoy reading. Simply share the link to a good blog related to your main topic and write a summary. Include who the author is, what they’re about, and why you enjoy their blog.

6. Share a Favorite Tool or Resource

Pick a tool or resources that you use and find helpful, or even a “free” give-away that you’ve taken advantage of. If it’s really good, share them with your readers so they can benefit as well.

How to Make These “Mini Blog Posts” Work Within the 15-minute Time Slot

Here’s the secret to keeping your time limit for writing your mini blog post under 15 minutes. Be quick about it. In other words, choose something really fast and don’t over-think your choice. If you don’t move quickly, you’ll still get stuck and end up spending an hour getting your blog post done.

Do you have more ideas on things you could share with the your readers to create a quick blog post? If so, please comment and share with us.

Also, if you enjoyed this post on writing a blog post in 15 minutes, subscribe to my RSS Feed for more great tips!

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Nobody’s Commenting On My Blog Posts… Why?

Feb 232012
 

blog comments
Where are all the comments on my blog post?

Have you ever wondered? You’re writing new blog posts almost every day. It’s good stuff, but nobody’s commenting. This can be discouraging, especially to a new blogger, but there are ways to fix this problem.

For starters… let’s go with some technical easy fixes for your blog

Let’s look at some reasons you’re not getting enough blog comments.

1.  You don’t have enough blog traffic

Learn how to check your stats. I know that every blogger wants to assume that people are actually reading what you write. But the only way to know for sure, is to check your stats to make sure you’re getting enough traffic.

Also keep in mind… most people who read your blog will never comment. That’s pretty much the norm, so don’t worry about that. the best fix is to learn how to get more targeted traffic to your blog.

2.  When you drive traffic, don’t focus on the wrong audience

Sometimes the place you’re promoting your blog may be an issue. If you’re not getting many comments but you have a lot of traffic, it could be that you’re promoting the wrong way.

To fix this, find out where the people are that are most interested in your topic and promote there. And, don’t be afraid to reach out and use that “personal” touch.

3.  Make it easier for people to comment on your blog

If you make it to difficult for your readers to leave comments, they won’t bother to do it. The easy fix… don’t force your readers to have to log in before making a comment. And as great as captchas are for blocking spam, they’re a hassle for people who simply want to share a thought or two.

If you make your readers jump through too many hoops just to make a comment, most of them won’t!

4. Your readers notice that no one else has left comments on your blog posts

It’s regular human nature to follow the crowd. You know who it works even in real life. Someone asks a question to a crowd of people. No one says anything. Finally, one person decides to respond and little by little, others begin to chime in.

A quick way to fix this is to join a blog commenting tribe. Pull together a small group of bloggers who all agree to comment on each others blog posts. This is one of the best ways to get your comments started.

blog post reward
5.  Reward those who post on your blog

If someone does take the time to post a comment, reward them with simple things like giving them more visibility, engaging and responding to their thoughts, sharing their blogs and giving them more visibility through a “top commenter” widget.

These little small rewards will motivate your readers and encourage them to comment more often.

6. Ask for feedback

You may find it strange, but sometimes your readers can’t figure out what to comment on after they’ve read your post. This is the easiest fix of all. Just ask them. Yup! At the end of your post, simply ask for their feedback. Many people might not have it in their mind to comment, but if you ask them, they’ll suddenly have something to say!

7. Be careful not to ask for too much feedback

Don’t ask deep, complicated questions about things like political or religious views. These types of responses would take 15 minutes to write, and most people won’t take that kind of time to make a comment.

If you do want to get into a topic like that, be very specific and just ask one very specific question or ask for an opinion on one topic at a time. Asking for blog comments this way will make it much easier for your readers to respond.

8.  Don’t be so personal or comprehensive that your readers don’t know how to respond

Personal and comprehensive blogs are very hard to respond to. Your readers just don’t know what to say to these types of blog posts. You’ll either get a ton of comments or no comments. I won’t write a lot on this topic because many bloggers have written blog posts that are intense, but still work.

Bottom line… always remember not to take it personally if you don’t get a lot of comments because it doesn’t mean that no one is reading.

All of that being said…

What do you think about these tips?

Have you found yourself making a few of these mistakes?

Do any of these things keep YOU from commenting on other bloggers blog posts?

My readers and I would love to hear your experience with commenting on other peoples blog posts. Please leave your own blog comments and share your thoughts below.

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10 Tips For Writing Blog Posts That Attract More Readers

Feb 042012
 

effective blog posts
It doesn’t matter what you’re writing about or where you’re publishing your articles, we all need to write blog posts in a way to attract our readers closer to us.

Our content needs to be unique and interesting, and it needs to compel the people in our niche to want to read more and follow us.

And if you have writing talent, that’s great but not necessary. All it takes to write compelling blog posts is a few basic, simple writing techniques.

Ten simple tips to help you write better blog posts.

1. Don’t beat around the bush…

When you write your blog posts, be specific. It’s better to make solid statements than it is to hedge. Hedging is when you throw things in like… “almost all” or “a little bit of”. It’s better to make a definitive statement. So instead of writing “almost all young children like ice cream or at least a majority of young children like ice cream, say… young children like ice cream. 

2. Repeat key phrases

Structure and rhythm helps the structure of your blog posts. It creates a flow that readers can identify with. The best things to repeat are phrases that have your key words included, so in this case, repetition becomes your friend. Just be sure not to over do it.

3. No flabby writing

Flabby writing usually happens when you fill your blog posts with a lot of passive sentences. Putting the subject first will avoid too many passive sentences. An example of a passive sentence is… “the party was attended by hundreds”. To become a writer that draws people in with magnetic blog posts, use a more active writing style. Now that same sentence would read… “hundreds attended the party”. Passive writing isn’t always wrong, but entire blog posts written that way would be a terrible flow for your readers.

4. Be Brief!

In case you didn’t know… most of your readers aren’t going to read your entire blog posts. They’ll scan through them and pick out whatever nuggets they can. Doesn’t matter how well you write, that’s just how it is. So don’t drag your blog posts out, but make sure to get your point across–be brief. And on a side note… don’t be afraid to make your readers laugh. Everyone likes to be entertained.

5. Write your blog posts with short sentences.

You want to make your blog posts easy to read, so don’t make your sentences too long. Shorter sentences are easier to digest and it’s easier to follow each point of that you cover. For longer sentences, use dashes–just to break things up a little. Don’t over do it with the dashes, but keep in mind that it’s a useful tool to take advantage of. 

6. Provoke your readers to dig for more

Don’t ever try to hand over a complete solution to a problem with one article unless you’re writing a report that is supposed to cover all the bases. Give value and yes, solve problems, but always leave your blog readers wanting more. 

7. Don’t write using trash adjectives

If you’re using too many adjectives and adverbs in your blog posts, break the habit now.  They don’t add anything to the quality of your article and will more often than not, dull your message. Example: “I’m very interested in going to the park today.” If you remove the adjectives you get a sharper message that says the same thing. For example… “I’m going to the park today.”

8. Be direct with your message

Excuse me, dear visitor, but if it wouldn’t be too bothersome or inconvenient to you, would you allow me to trouble you for the favor of applying your obvious expertise with the English language to just get to the darn point? Smothering your blog post with flowery words should not be used when you want your writing to be magnetic and persuasive.

9. Include story-telling in your blog posts

Don’t fill every blog posts with bullet-points and checklists. These are great types of posts to write and you should use them. But if you fill your blog with these alone, it will lack personality and your visitors will be looking for a way of escape. Combine the bullets into a paragraph that tells a story. You’ll get more readers liking, tweeting and subscribing to your blog.

10. Don’t write with too much formality

So many bloggers mistake formal writing for professionalism. Not the case. Yes, informal writing is less professional by most people’s standards, and using certain patterns of speech… like yeah instead of yes might break the formal rules, but if you talk that way, you should write that way. You want to come through as a real, down to earth person… not a robot.

Use these10 tips for starters in writing your blog posts and you’ll find that your writing becomes more and more magnetic each time you write. Want to make that good first impression? Take the time to write in a way that draws your readers in to you.

If you enjoyed this post on writing magnetic blog posts, be sure to Subscribe to my feed!

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How to Create Headlines That Get Your Blog Posts Read…

Feb 022012
 

blog
Your blog post headline is your chance to make a good first impression upon your blog visitors.

What kind of impression are you making?

If you’re not writing headlines that convert your visitors into readers, it’s almost like the rest of your post doesn’t even exist.

Your headline is intended to grab the intention of your readers, but there’s a lot more that a good headline can do. Your blog post headline should be so intriguing that the main message of your post is being spoken loud and clear… so clear, that your blog visitor can’t wait to read more of what you have to say.

The best way to form your blog post headline is to promise a benefit to your reader. In other words, what will they get out of spending their time reading more.

Here are some tips that will help you write great headlines for your blog posts.

  • Give a direct message in your blog post headline. It’s okay to use indirect headlines from time to time, but don’t try to be clever every time. Whatever the main point of your blog topic is, go straight to it. When you’re using a direct message approach, tell the people what information you’re offering in the headline and offer it in the blog post.
  • When you want to approach a topic subtly, use an “indirect headline”.  Ask a question, or word your headline in a way that your reader will ask themselves a question. Then… answer the question in the body of your blog post. When you do want to write a ‘cleverly written’ headline, this is the place to do it. Imply one thing that’s true, but write about something totally different, but still relates to to your subject. Here’s an example… You can use a title that says something about fresh bait. Most people will immediately think fishing, but your message may be about link bait.
  • Another headline style is called a “news headline”. The description is pretty clean and simple. Find something that’s actually current news and write the headline about it, then tell your story in the body of your blog post. This is a great headline style to talk about a new product that you’re selling or launching.
  • One headline style that works like a charm is still the “how”. People always want to know how to do something. If you can figure out what they need and write the solution in your blog post, you’ll start to experience a loyal following that you might otherwise never get.
  • A headline that asks a questions is extremely popular, but make sure you’re asking something that the majority of your readers would want the answer to. The “who” questions comes at a very close second. It’s still asking how, but just phrased differently… “who wants …”
  • Be bold… and use the “command headline”. This is where you’re telling your reader exactly what he needs to do, like… “put a tiger in your tank” which was a very successful ad campaign. You use this same tactic by saying things like… “subscribe to…” — “order my…”– “visit this…”
  • Another effective style to use is the “Reason Why” headline. This type of post is great for “list styled” writing. A couple of good examples are… “Ten ways to get a better nights sleep” or “Five ways to fight migraines”. Again… people always want to know why or why not…
  • And last… let’s talk a little about the “Testimonial Headline”.  This type of headline gives you to opportunity to plug something that works where you have proof. You simply use the words that someone has spoken or written to comment about your product or service. Be sure to include “quotation marks” so that people understand these are words that were actually spoken by someone.

Hopefully, you have a clearer understanding that blog post headlines aren’t just catchy words that sound good. Make sure that there is a purpose and that it’s fully exercised.

Mix up your headline styles so that your blog doesn’t read like mundane babble, but appears to your blog visitors that you have something very powerful to say… because you do!

A good practice start now is jotting down really good headline ideas and build your content around them. Keep a small notebook nearby and every time a good idea comes along, write it down. This will go a long way in helping you keep your blog content fresh and relevant for your readers.

If you enjoyed this post on writing good blog post headlines, be sure to Subscribe to my feed!

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I’m a Newcomer… What Do I Need to Know About Writing Blog Content?

Jan 202012
 

writing blog content
Whether you’re new to blogging or it’s “old hat”, understanding the basics of writing blog content or should I say “good” blog content (especially if you’re blogging for profit) is more important than you can imagine.

The first thing to know when you’re writing blog content is that your blog can be about anything you want… whatever you’re personally interested in.

But, there is a difference between a blog that makes money and one that doesn’t… and it’s all in how you’re writing blog content. Think about it this way. If you were to be given an option of reading the lecture notes from your philosophy teacher or a novel from your favorite author, which would you choose?

It’s not a trick question… Most people would instantly think the right answer is your favorite novel. The reality is… the right answer is whichever one appeals to you most. So here’s what you have to ask yourself as you’re writing blog content. “What type of reading will the people who visit my blog enjoy most?”

If we were to follow a rule of thumb, the average person likes to keep his reading on the ‘light’ side most of the time.

Here’s another question for you. Are your visitors coming to your blog to learn something? Great!

Are you writing blog content in a way that makes it easy for them to grasp?

What you need to know is that for the most part, while your readers are looking for information or to learn something, they still want to experience an ‘easy read’. Most people read blogs at times that they can to relax and enjoy.

So, if you really want to attract more visitors to your blog, make sure you’re adding the human touch as you’re writing blog content. In other words… ‘write it’ the same way you would ‘say it’.

The easiest way to do this is to make sure you’re writing your blog content so that it sounds exactly how you would say it if you were speaking directly to someone. If you have to… say it to yourself first, then write it the same way. This will keep your visitors coming back for more. And by the way… don’t be afraid of a little humor from time to time. People love to laugh!

Another good tip for writing blog content is to make sure you’re writing as though you’re speaking with one individual.

So often, bloggers write in plural… as though they’re speaking with a group. But keep in mind. Your reader is an individual… one person… so you’ll do best to write as though you’re speaking directly to one person. This helps your reader to feel a better connection with you because as they’re reading they get a sense of you speaking directly to them almost as a personal friend.

We humans are very curious creatures. You must know that in many cases, we want to know as much about you as we want to know about the topic that you’re covering.

Another point to consider when you’re writing blog content…

Lean more in the direction of letting your voice be heard over facts about a product.

Now this can be a little confusing, but hear me out. You can talk about products all day long, and that’s fine. But are you sharing your personal opinion or experience with that product or are you just spewing out facts that you found on a product sales page. As you’re writing blog content, finding ways to keep it on a personal note will hold your reader’s interest longer.

So the takeaway for this post ~ as you’re writing blog content, be sure you’re writing as though you’re sharing a one-on-one conversation with a friend. ;-)

If you’re still struggling to get your blog set up, be sure to get my free “How to Blog 101″ video tutorials here.

Now… get to writing blog content that your readers will luv!

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Making The Best of Your Blog Menu and Pages – Part 2

Nov 212011
 

Blog Menu
In Part 1 of Making the Best of Your Blog Menu and Pages we covered how to get the most “juice” from your blog posts using your blog menu.

In Part 2, we’ll talk more about your blog posts and categories.

The focus of this 2-part series is to show you how to make it easier for your readers to find your content by the way you use your blog menu and navigation. Even when using these methods, keep in mind that you should continue adding new content to your blog regularly.

It’s important to hi-lite your most important content with  pages in your blog menu if you have a “how-to” site because if you’re providing good content, your readers will return again and again. You want them to continue to be repeat visitors, by making it easy for them to find the content that they’re looking for, as well as the content that you want them to see most.

We’ve talked about using static pages, but when it comes to your most recent posts and categories, you can hi-lite them in your blog menu as well. Here are two very simple ways to do this.

1.  Get the link for your Categories and add it to your blog menu just like you would add a page.

2.  If you use a theme that has more than one blog menu, use one for your most important content and the other for your categories.

Now your blog menu is featuring your money pages as well as making it easy for your readers to find the content they’re looking for in a very organized manner.

What happens when you use your blog menu to display your content?

1.  Your readers will be able to easily find the information they need with your static blog pages, which will make their overall experience on your blog very pleasant; and when people enjoy your blog, they’ll spend more time.

2. The longer people stay on your blog, the more of your pages will be viewed, which will in turn slightly improve your bounce rate.

When people have a good experience on your blog, as I mentioned earlier, they’ll usually bookmark it and visit often. You definitely want your readers bookmarking and visiting your blog because the more your readers visit, the more likely they will be to make purchases of the products and services you recommend.

Not to mention… when your blog is organized properly, it makes it easier for the search engines to understand what it’s about. This can help with your seo, which can improve your ranking over time.

How Do I Find a Theme With a Multiple Blog Menu Option?

Premium themes are great, but there are many free options in WordPress. You can search for free options by typing “menu options” in the theme search area.

I use a premium theme called (Profits Theme) which has multiple menus built in. This makes it extremely easy to make the modifications that I need. It also has a ton of other benefits  like ready-made landing pages, lead capture pages, membership option, and so much more… but that’s for another post. :-)

Of course you can always add your own code to your existing theme to create an additional menu, but that’s for more advanced users. If you’re interested in adding code to your theme, do a Google search for “how to add a menu to my WordPress theme”.

Now that you have a better understanding of how to use your WordPress blog menu with static pages, posts, and categories, review your blog’s structure to see if perhaps you need to make some changes or improvements in the way your blog is organized.

Remember, a well-structured blog will go along way with your readers and the search engines, too!

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Making The Best of Your Blog Menu and Pages – Part 1

Nov 202011
 

Blog Menu
Not only do your readers like easy navigation with your blog menu and pages, but so does Google!

When you look at the way most blogs are designed, it’s automatic that blog posts are displayed by category in the order that they’re written. Sometimes that’s good… other times, not so much. What gets underused so often is the blog menu and static pages.

If your website is designed as a training site, much like this one, readers want to be able to easily locate the information they need. In this case, putting my blog posts in categories is perfectly fine… actually preferred. But having a blog menu that displays static menu pages is important as well. This actually helps you to ‘organize’ the content on your blog in places where it can be easily found.

When your blog menu and static pages are organized properly, it improves your conversions, SEO, and bounce rates.

One thing that makes regular blog posts confusing is that when your content isn’t organized by using a blog menu, it usually doesn’t follow a set order. In other words, if you’re writing about “how to” do something, your posts will default to the order that you write and publish them. Now, if you decide to write more on the topic later, the blog posts will be completely out of sequence. This can sometimes be confusing and cumbersome to your readers, but there is a way around it.

Use a Blog Menu and Static Blog Pages to Organize Your Content

If you have content that you don’t want to get lost in the “category shuffle” you want to use pages rather than posts… and again, the way to display these pages is with a blog menu. This will keep your content readily available and prevent it from getting buried in your blog. In addition to special pages, you can use your blog menu for categories and external pages as well.

You use your blog menu and blog pages to showcase the information that you want your visitors to see every time they visit your blog.

Ideally, you want to find a WordPress theme that gives you the option of more than one blog menu. This gives you much more space to create the content that you want to be easily found.

Tips on Improving Your Your Blog Menu

Most bloggers will put categories in their blog menu that takes their readers to a list of posts under that topic. There’s nothing really wrong with this, however, I’m going to recommend that you create static landing pages instead. Choose your blog’s main topics, create a landing page for each one, and add them to your blog menu to create a better experience for your readers.

These blog pages should be the most important points of your blog. They should contain information that will compel your visitors to do business with you, or come back for more information.

So if you haven’t given thought to what your static pages should be, go ahead and do that now and create your blog menu. You may even have some blog posts that you’ve already written that can easily be converted to blog pages.

In part 2 of Making The Best of Your Blog Menu and Pages, we’ll cover the best way to use your blog posts and categories.

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