It hits you like a TON of BRICKS!
This is an idea for that KILLER blog post that is sure to bring you all the traffic you’ve always dreamed of.
With the idea fresh in mind, you sit down at your keyboard and SLAM – desperate to post as quickly as possible lest someone else beat you to it PUNCH!
As SMOKE gets up from your keyboard, you finish your message, quickly add a title to it and proudly press PUBLISH!
Visions of an avalanche of visitors, inbound links and comments swirl before you…
But then…
Reality hits you like a slap in the face.
There are few visitors, no comments and no links.
It’s not a KILLER post – but not in a good way – it’s DEAD.
Have you already had this experience?
I have done it – many, many times.
Today I want to introduce you to an alternative workflow for creating a blog post…
A…
That…
Takes….
Time.
Create a blog post
If there’s one lesson I’ve learned writing for the web, it’s that a key part of writing successful blog posts is that, in most cases, they take time to create.
I emphasize “create” because I think too often as bloggers we “PUNCH” content as if we are in a race or under some sort of deadline. It’s almost like we’re on a production line sometimes – unfortunately, the articles we write often reflect this.
In this series, I want to suggest an alternative approach – the development (or creation) of content.
This process is a more thoughtful process that concerns craftsmanship words and ideas – shape messages in content that takes readers into a journey.
To kick off this series, I want to suggest 10 things to pause on when writing a blog post. I will include a link to each post that follows in this series as I update them.
Instead of rushing through an article, I find that if I pause at these key moments, my article reaches a new level of quality and the articles tend to be more engaging to readers. They don’t guarantee a perfect post, but they certainly get you closer to a good post.
1. Choose a topic
Take a little more time to define your topic and the message will flow more smoothly and you’ll develop something that matters to readers.
2. Create the title of your message
Perhaps the most crucial part of getting readers to start reading your post is when they see it in an RSS reader or search engine results page.
3. The opening line
First impressions count. Once someone gets past the title of your post, your opening line draws them deeper into your post.
4. Your “point(s)” (what gives importance to your messages)
A message must have meaning. If it’s just an intriguing title and opening, you’ll get people to read it – but if the message doesn’t matter to them, it will never be successful.
5. Call to action
Lead readers to TO DO something cements a message in their mind and helps them apply it and helps you build a deeper connection with them.
6. Add Depth
Before publishing your article, ask yourself how you could add depth to it and make it even more useful and memorable for readers?
7. Quality control and polishing of posts
Small mistakes can be barriers to engagement for some readers. Spending time fixing mistakes and making a post look good can take it to the next level.
8. When to publish your message
Timing can be everything: Strategically timing posts can ensure the right people see them at the right time.
9. Post-promotion
After you click Publish, don’t leave it to chance that people will read your post. Giving it a few strategic “nudges” can increase the visibility it benefits from exponentially.
10. Conversation
Often, the real action happens after your article is published and readers and other bloggers interact with it. Taking the time to have a dialogue can be very fruitful.
Take your time
Taking extra time on each of these 10 points feels different in every post I publish – but I believe that every extra moment spent on these tasks pays off.
Sometimes the break I take in one step will be momentary while in others it may take hours or even days to get it right. Sometimes the above process happens completely automatically and other times I have to force myself to stop and think about something like a title or the timing of a post.
Each of the 10 points above could say a lot more about them. As the weeks go by, I will address them in turn in the hope that we can have a good discussion and share ideas around them. I will link to each one from the list above as I publish the posts.
For each point, I hope to give an overview of how I approach them and share some practical tips and examples of what I’ve done that has worked (and hasn’t worked). Don’t expect to post about this series every day – like all good things – it will take us some time!