What do you hope to achieve by taking time out of your busy day to write a blog post?
Do you want to become a professional blogger and make money blogging?
Or do you blog to vent, rant, or talk about your boss? (be careful, he/she may subscribe to your blog secretly)
Whatever your reason for blogging, if you’re like me, you want people to READ what you have to say and comment.
To help you achieve whatever blogging goal you have in mind, I’ve compiled a list of 5 steps to help you better promote your blog post.
Step 1: The Power of the Title
Your content could be the BEST out there, but if your title sucks, the content probably won’t get touched.
Write a blog post with a catchy title!
Brian Clark calls this “The Law of Headlines and Hooks“:
Your post titles must stand out in a crowded, noisy blogosphere, and you must quickly communicate the value of reading further with your opening.
Some of the titles that have worked best for me:
5 Performance Goals All Bloggers Should Set
How To’s in List Format
Love them or hate them, informational posts presented in list format are easily digestible and allow for an efficient transfer of your value proposition to the reader…creating an excellent list gives you an extra boost in terms of presentation and connecting with your readers.
10 Social Media Books to Read in 2010
A title in the form of a Frequently Ask Question
(ie. Is Blogging Really Worth It?)
Step 2: Blog Posts Must Be Reader Friendly
Make sure the blog post is “scannable” so readers don’t have to sift through all the “words” to get the gist of the content.
How to Make a Blog Post Scannable
Bullet Points
Header Tags
Numbered Lists
Pictures
Quotes
Short Paragraphs
Bold Text
Good spacing between lines (this is CSS technical stuff)
Step 3: Pictures are Worth 1,000 Words
dr.eyre-sexiest-man-alive
Include pictures in ALL blog posts.
Not only does a picture “liven the mood” of an article, but it’s more likely to get passed on in the social networks, especially if it’s funny, creative and applicable to the content you’ve shared.
(My client will LOVE this!)
Step 4: Use Video from Time to Time
I’ve seen video used really effectively.
And I’ve seen video OVER-DONE. Use it from time to time if you feel it’s adding value to what you’re sharing.
One small recommendation I give clients is to add at least a few paragraphs of text after a video. Not only does this show you’ve put in a bit of time to get the content ready, but it will help with SEO too.
I’ve even “transcribed” or “summarized” video content about social media marketing in the form of text to emphasize key points.
Step 5: Keep It Simple Stupid
If you’re blog posts are way too long and wordy, you’ll lose readers right away! I usually shoot for 500-750 words max.
I don’t care how good your writing is, most people won’t read more than a few sentences. Any more and they’ll start scanning. You probably aren’t reading this article exactly from top to bottom are you? In fact, you’re probably not even reading this sentence. Man, for a discussion about brevity this sure is dragging on. You can fight it by being more entertaining, but the best policy is to just write less.
How have these steps helped you promote your blog and achieve your life’s purpose?
Nate Moller has helped thousands of new online entrepreneurs start an online business. He does SEO consulting for a variety of clients, including one of the best dropship companies online. He also works with clients to build their online reputation via social media marketing strategy. Follow him on Twitter @mollermarketing.
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