1. Pay
attention.
Know your audience. Know which topics appeal to your audience. Know
which topics don't. Develop posts that answer your audience's most pressing
questions. And most importantly, demonstrate your appreciation for the people
who follow your blog.
2. Be
yourself.
Blog about what you know and love. Don't write to please everyone.
Cover the stories that inspire you. Be true to your voice. And remember, you're
going to encounter critics no matter what you do. Wouldn't you rather be ten
people's shot of whiskey than everybody's cup of tea?
3. To
deliver clickable headlines,
Be the tease that you hated in high school.
Headline writing is a balancing act. You need to pique enough interest for the
viewer to click through, without disclosing too much too soon. So be explicit.
Tell the viewer exactly why your post will add value to their life, and then
leave them wanting more.
4. List your
key points (as I have here).
People have short attention spans and will riffle
through your posts. Facilitate their skimming with numbers, letters and/or
bullet points.
5. Aim to
keep your posts within the ballpark of 300-600 words.
You'll know that you're
done editing, not when you have nothing more to say, but when you have nothing
more to take away.
6. To boost social media engagement, adorn your posts with
photos, GIFs and videos.
7. Publish fresh content as frequently as possible.
Viewers are
hungry to consume it. But don't underestimate the importance of establishing
distribution channels for your content. While content remains king, "distribution is queen
and she wears the pants."Consider funneling your posts through
email lists and social media platforms. And keep in mind: each social platform
has a unique audience. You'll need to respect the voice of whatever platform
you're exploiting.
8. Amplify your message with influencer marketing.
Social media stars are ideal resources for promoting your content. They've
amassed millions of dedicated followers who will devour whatever content the
influencer shares.
9. Be
relentless and competitive in your search for publication.
You might submit
your articles to 20 publishers before one responds. Don't let this discourage
you. Let your confidence and passion lead you to the doors that will open just
for you at the perfect time. Your writing belongs where it's appreciated.
10. Don't
forget to have fun.
It's easy to obsess over engagement metrics and forget why
you started blogging in the first place. If you're anything like me, chances
are, you started a blog to tell your story. Don't lose sight of that. Share
whatever makes you unique with the world. Even if nobody is listening, a
falling tree most definitely makes a sound.
