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Sunday, 07 Sep 2008
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How To Write Compelling Blog Posts
by B. L. Ochman
Writing
blog posts and comments on blogs is actually very simple. The
basic guidelines: keep your copy lively, factual, tight, clear,
short and search engine optimized.
Here
are basic blog style guidelines to follow:
1)
Adopt a direct style. Declarative sentences are
good. Web readers demand them.
2)
Link like crazy. One thing that distinguishes
blog posts from dead-tree journalism is that bloggers link prodigiously.
Link to any other blog or website you mention. Link to articles,
books, products, bios, explanatory materials on other sites and
anything you mention in your blog. Always link to information
that clarifies or gives background on information and opinions
in your post.
3) Write less. Omit all unnecessary words. The
best advice I ever got about writing was from my first boss, the
late "press agent" Leo Miller, who taught me a game
to play with sentences. He'd keep taking out words until removing
one more word destroyed the meaning of the sentence.
For
example: He'd take out words until removing another destroyed
the sentence meaning.
Aim
at keeping your posts at about 250 words.
4)
Write good headlines. Most people use a newsfeeder
like NewsGator to scan
blog headlines. They decide after seeing the headline to click
into the post. Tell as much of the story as you can in the headline:
Before:
Pakistan: NA body on S&T meets [Huh? Who's NA? What is S&T?]
After: Pakistan National Assembly Calls Water Resource Problems
the Nation's Major Issue
Before:
The B. B. King Book
After: I'm Writing The B. B. King Biography
5)
Keep sentences and paragraphs short.
6)
Don't take yourself too seriously. Blogging isn't
brain surgery. Don't get pompous or dictatorial.
7)
Never lose your sense of humor.
8)
Write like it counts. "No matter what your
audience size, you ought to write as if your readership consisted
of paid subscribers whose subscriptions were perpetually about
to expire. There's no need to pander. Compel them to re-subscribe,"
said Dennis Mahoney on A
List Apart.
9)
White space is your friend. It makes reading
from the screen easier. Nothing is harder to read than a solid
block of copy on a computer screen.
10)
Use the simplest possible word and sentence structure.
11)
Read your post out loud and make sure you don't
get stuck on complex construction. If you trip on a word the midst
of reading a sentence aloud, rewrite the sentence.
12)
Forget what you learned about business writing in school
if you graduated before 1990. Go ahead! Start sentences
with "and" or "but." Don't be afraid to break
archaic rules. But, jeez, follow all grammatical rules that provide
clarity to your content.
13)
Cardinal Sin: Say "This is about me,"
never "This is about myself." Same with "you"
and "yourself". Stiff, formal writing is only
for lawyers. And you know what Shakespeare said about them.
14)
Use bulleted points whenever you can.
15)
Use subheads every few paragraphs, even in a
300-word post.
16)
Use bold text and italics for emphasis on words and phrases.
17)
Make sure your posts are easy to scan.
18)
Choose your voice and keep it consistent.
19)
Don't be afraid to voice opinions.
20)
Ask these questions to yourself before hitting "Publish":
*
Is the topic clear to someone who reads only the headline?
* Does the lead paragraph tell who and what the story is about
and why the reader should care about it?
* Is the angle you've used likely to seem newsworthy?
* Would someone who knows absolutely nothing about this topic
understand this post?
*
Is the post free of jargon?
* Is it written in journalistic style and does it make an effort
to be objective?
* Have you peppered the headline and the post with keywords and
phrases that will be attractive to search engines?
How
to Write Comments on Blogs
Some
blogs are more influential than others, and many are trolled by
journalists and your potential clients who are seeking ideas,
trends and sources. Commenting intelligently on blogs, even if
you don't have a blog of your own, can be a very good way to build
a reputation as an expert in a field.
The
key is to provide useful, factual information so that over time
it becomes clear to other readers of the blogs to which you post
that you know what you are talking about. In general, it is a
good idea to keep your posts short and on point.
Since
blogs are archived online, anything you write in a comment will
be there until forever. So think before you write; and edit, edit,
edit before you hit "submit."
Blog
Comment Guidelines
It
is necessary for you to sign your comments. In most cases, anonymous
messages will not be published. You're also generally asked for
your email address and your URL.
A
signature that looks like an ad will simply be cut. Stick to the
facts about what you do. The quality of your comments will prove
your expertise.
Because
of comment spam, many bloggers ask you to register or to have
a Typepad key.
If
you have a business connection to a product or service mentioned
in the blog post, this should be clear to anyone reading your
comment.
Comment
only when you feel you can offer something of value that is relevant
to the types of issues that are discussed.
Size
constraints make space limited, and bloggers may shorten your
comments. Better to simply write shorter.
Bloggers
are free to reject inappropriate posts, including overt solicitations
and personal attacks.
When
quoting material, strive for accuracy and note where you have
omitted copy; provide attribution for the quote, including source
and URL (if available).
B.L.
Ochman is president of Whatsnextonline.com
and author of "Press
Releases From Hell and How to Fix Them" and What’s
Next Blog.
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