blogging: research, topic selection and writing styles/tips

WordCamp Victoria

Research Strategies, Topic Selection and Writing Styles

Cindy Stephenson

November 14, 2009

Focus on your reader

Focus on your reader:

• Research strategies

• Identifying your niche

• Getting your message out

• Your takeaway

• Strategies and best practices

• Additional resources

For each of these we’ll consider:

Research helps you:

• Know who you’re writing for

• Understand their issues

• Know what others are saying

• Strategically offer your point of view

Research Strategies

• Read, read, read (with a focus)

• Seek out other points of view

• Organize your info

• Explore useful tools (many are free!)

Some interesting examples…

• American Red Cross

• Google Trends

• CEO blogger Merrill Dubrow

American Red Cross

• Uses research to identify key influencers and improve its image with key audiences

http://www.redcross.org/

American Red Cross: uses research to identify key influencers

http://www.redcross.org/

The CEO blogger: going beyond standard web metrics

The Merrill Dubrow Bloghttp://www.marcresearch.com/blogs/merrill/

25 Things I Learned on Google Trends – Steve Rubel of Micro Persuasionhttp://bit.ly/3ikPm4

Tudorwilliams An interesting comparison of web traffic on IABC's site compared to PRSA over past year. Some big differences! http://tinyurl.com/mn4soy

http://surveymonkey.com

Want more on research?

• KDPaine’s PR Measurement Blog http://kdpaine.blogs.com/

• Charlene Li

http://www.altimetergroup.com/about/charlene-li

• Angela Sinickas http://www.sinicom.com/index.htm

http://kdpaine.blogs.com/ @kdpaine

http://www.sinicom.com/ @sinickasa

Research helps you focus on your reader

Becoming known in your niche gives you:

• Traffic• Links• Fans• Authority• Opportunities and

contacts

Specialize

• Everyone’s an expert at something today!

• Why not you?• What are your

interests?• Why should people

read your blog?

http://www.problogger.net/about-problogger/

http://www.copyblogger.com/keyword-research/

Finding success in your niche

• Focus on your readers

• Comment • Reciprocal links• Submit guest posts• Post a response to

something you’ve read

Want more inspiration?

Getting your message out effectively leads to:

• Subscribers• Incoming links• Influence and

authority• Fame and fortune!

Before you start writing:

• Who is your audience?

• What do you want to say?

Have a clear message:

• Put your most important ideas first

• Keep it short and simple – one idea per post

Be your own editor:

• Write the way you speak

• Use simple, everyday words

• Cut out unnecessary words

Appearance matters

• Layout• Sub-heads• Images • Links• Bullets

More on writing?

• Jakob Nielsen: http://www.useit.com/

• Brian Clark and Copyblogger: http://www.copyblogger.com/

• Garr Reynolds and Presentation Zen: http://www.presentationzen.com/

• Style guides

Photo Credits• Meliqua and Bernard:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thomashawk/3975342529/in/set-72157594567688537/

• People: http://www.flickr.com/photos/amit-agarwal/856769331/• Social media signals: http://www.flickr.com/photos/intersectionconsulting/• Prairie dog love:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thomashawk/21824144/in/set-72157594567688537/

• Motocross: http://www.flickr.com/photos/georgio/• Urls: http://www.flickr.com/photos/thomashawk/2535129902/• Chris Brogan:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cc_chapman/375395955/sizes/m/• Lorelle Van Fossen: http://www.flickr.com/photos/foreverdigital/• Connie Reece:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sheilascarborough/3317397310/

Photo Credits(continued)

• Blog headline: http://www.flickr.com/photos/anniemole/85515856/

• Protester: http://www.flickr.com/photos/city_poet/1518350408/

• Editor: http://www.flickr.com/photos/nicmcphee/2756494307/sizes/l/

• Closet: http://www.flickr.com/photos/22876714@N03/3682069379/

• Touchgraph: http://www.flickr.com/photos/susanbeebe/2937045576/

Contact Info

PR Perspectivehttp://cindystephenson.wordpress.com

@CJStephenson

cindy.stephenson@shaw.ca