7 Ways to Build On Your Blogging Strengths

 

 

 

The other week, I wrote a basic blogging how-to for people who hate to write. Naturally, it begs the question…
For those who love to write (and want to take the quality of their business blogging to the next level), try out these suggestions…
Develop series. Blogging is something most of us do with no end in sight. Personally, I find tasks without a finish line to be rather exhausting, which is why I like to create “series posts.” They alleviate the minor anxiety of having to be creative for an indefinite period of time. With CEM, for example, I’ve done blog series on:

• Writing tips from great literary authors
• Advertising and sales tips from the copywriters of the Golden Ad Era
• Weekly news columns on trending topics like native advertising

Knowing that you have these regular posts up your sleeve makes the creative process easier.
Explore different forms. Do you find yourself always succumbing to the “List of 7 or 9” posts (eh… like this one)? Do you always tell stories? Can you absolutely not write a post without a meme/infographic/video? None of those methods are bad. But, if you want to build your blogging strengths, then you should try exploring different formats.
Encourage user-generated content. Why should you do all the work? Let’s say you sell chalkboards. You might write blog posts about certain chalk art techniques; you may share pictures of chalk art on your boards. But these are all things your audience is passionate about, too. Encourage them to share their images and tips with you; then turn the user-generated content into blog posts.
Solicit guest posts. Speaking of having others do the work, why not put out a call for guest posts? Guest posts give you a chance to stockpile your own blog posts while also bringing a fresh, interesting voice to your blog. Plus, you get to develop relationships with others in your industry.
Don’t write linearly. You use a word processor – not a typewriter. More and more, I find myself starting my blog posts at the end. Or in the middle. But rarely in the beginning. This is another tip that’s not necessarily a “better” approach to writing. However, you might find that it freshens your blogging style.
Design contests. Looking to increase engagement? Then why not build contests around your blog posts? This can be done well and… not-so-well. Do it well.
Connect unlikely topics. Demian Farnworth is one of my favorite bloggers (on the subject of blogging), and he is a master at connecting unlikely topics:

• Why Hunter S. Thompson Would’ve Loved Author Rank (And Why You Should, Too)
• What The New Yorker Magazine Can Teach You About Content Marketing that Works

One of the reasons these posts work so well is that Farnworth is able to combine two totally different subjects that are both popular with and important to his audience:

• The universal (Hunter S. Thompson)
• The specific (Author Rank)

What business blogging strategies do you use to become a better and more interesting writer?

By Ben Richardson