Outlining our message is a good way to prep a post; creating a strong structure and focus for what we want to say. It enables us to cut the excess and to stay on point more readily—just what we need to keep readers on our page rather than moving on to another website.
Second, write an introduction that grabs the readers’ interest. Are you addressing a question or problem a reader brought to your attention? Is there a story or antidote to tell? Offer a strong lead-in to simplify, empower and support.
The what, why, where, when, who, and how formula is a guide that never grows old. Keep content relevant and meaningful. Consider making your posts 300-450 words for a quick read.
By using these tips, we craft a well thought-out post, podcast, or video. Add links to your social media pages driving folks to your blog for the rest of the article and more.
Can this message be the first blog post of a series? How can we test an idea for a series of articles? I have listed a few points—please add to the list via comments.
· Is it evergreen or is it trendy?· Is it relevant to what the reader needs/wants?
· Do you have enough to say on a subject to write several articles?
If not, consider one piece and a sequel, or a mini-series of three articles.
· Which graphics help support what you are presenting?Let’s break out our writing journal and explore the series, dream, and discover what works and what doesn’t work.
Deborah Lyn Stanley is a writer, artist, and editor. She is a retired project manager who now devotes her time to writing, art and caregiving mentally impaired seniors. Deborah writes articles, essays and stories. She has published a collection of 24 artists’ interviews entitled the Artists Interview Series. Careful editing preserves the artist’s voice as they share their journey. The series published as monthly articles for an online news network, can also be found on her web-blog: Deborah Lyn Stanley - WritersBlog. Her “How-To” articles have appeared in magazines.
“Write your best, in your voice, your way!”
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1 comment:
Deborah, thanks for the tips on writing a blog post worth reading. Authors should definitely be making blogging a part of their book marketing strategy. I've done a number of series posts. It's an easy way to make two or three posts out of one. This is an especially good idea when you tend to write 1000+ word articles!
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