Taking the “Blah” Out Of Blogging — Tips and Tricks for Starting a Blog

It’s long been said that if you build it, they will come but the likelihood that guy ever started a blog? Not a chance.  

Blog writing is simple, so it is said. In fact, there are tons of tutorials that can teach you how to write a blog post — the mechanics of blogging, what to do, and what not to do. But where do you get started? And how do you craft a blog post that cuts through all the noise? We’ve got a few tips:

POST FREQUENCY
When starting a blog, start small. Begin with achievable goals. A large content library is not built overnight. Start by writing two blog posts each month. Alternate between an article that requires a little more time and research and one that can be written quickly — a post that features lists, do’s and don’ts, and easily understood information. 

It might be helpful to start by brainstorming as many post topics as you can think of and then plan out the first six months or twelve articles. Be sure to write about different topics and then set deadlines. If you miss a deadline, it’s not the end of the world, just pick up or adjust as needed. The majority of blog posts feature evergreen content, so it won’t matter when they go up. 

NUTS & BOLTS
For each post, think about a compelling hook for the title. Lists are often great for attention-grabbing titles, or a creative hook that grabs attention (like the one for this post). Make sure the title relates to the actual content in a way that makes sense for search engines and more importantly, readers. Add tags to each post so in the future you can pull in blog posts related to page content on your website. Lastly, include a featured image for each post, and images in the body copy where they make sense. Because everyone needs a few pictures to break up all the words!

ENGAGEMENT
One thing content creators often overlook is how to leverage each new article to gain maximum attention. For each of your blog posts, be sure to share the post on all platforms in as many ways as it makes sense. To effectively cross-promote your blog posts, you can’t simply broadcast the same message on each channel. You’ll need to tailor your message to fit each platform and audience. 

The best frequency for posting on Facebook is once a day. Be sure to include an image and put your link in the text field instead of using the automatic link preview post. Tweet your blog link with an image and hashtags for the best engagement. From there, you can pin on Pinterest, post on your LinkedIn profile and your company page, add to your Facebook and Instagram stories, and send an email if you have an established list. 

Similarly, you can recycle old content when it makes sense. For seasonal posts, you can update them annually with the current year’s information, update the post date, and re-publicize an old article with little effort. Once you have your content library built up, use it over and over again to your advantage! 

And our best advice — just start! Each day you worry about if your content will resonate or what your approach should be is another day you aren’t making progress. Sometimes the best thing to do is to just dive in, even if you haven’t perfected the dive (just don’t dive in the shallow end). After all, the end goal is to increase organic site traffic and allow your audience to connect with your brand, if you have a few duds, it will be okay. And the more you write, the better you’ll get!

Need a little help jump-starting a blog or building your content library? Get in touch.