blogging: what i've learned
DESCRIPTION
Workshop on blogging given 10/25/2014. What gets shared? What's microcontent? How do you mind map?TRANSCRIPT
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Steal from the best
Learn from the mistakes of others
KristeenBullwinkle.com
What I’ve learned about blogging
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Why blog?
•
Over 31 million bloggers in the US in 2011.
•
Over 316 million people in the US in 2013.
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Aren’t you still worth knowing?
•
You have a unique voice.
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Job seekers take note
“Candidate blogs and posts will rise in importance as a means of getting noticed by employers, along with fellow professionals.”
www.linkedin.com/pulse/article/20141021141118-17604922-a-dozen-critical-trends-that-
will-affect-employment-search-in-2015?published=t
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Marketers take note
A blog provides your business or cause
•
Better visibility,•
Increased credibility,
•
Lead generation opportunites.
http://blogs.salesforce.com/company/2014/07/small-business-blogging.html
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Your experience?
•
What blogs do you follow? What makes them worth your time?
•
What was the last item you shared on social media?
•
Why did you share it?•
Did you read it (listen/watch) the entire item before you shared it?
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Authority, StatusI shared this because of its
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proof of my group’s (state’s) unique quality. And it’s a list.
I shared this because of its
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usefulness. I found it first.
I shared this because of its
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humor, emotion, identity
I shared this because of its
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What gets shared
•
Longer format•
Has an image
•
Invokes awe, laughter, or amusement.•
Appeals to people’s narcissistic side. (Yah, what she said; quizes; my people)
•
Lists, infographics•
Trustworthy
•
Shared by an influencer (friend, celebrity, expert)
http://okdork.com/2014/04/21/why-content-goes-viral-what-analyzing-100-millions-articles-taught-us
/
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What’s out there
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Lacks your thoughts, your views, your images, your voice.
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Might miss your audience.•
Might become popular long after publication date.
•
Can have an impact if it reaches just one right person.
•
Covers a topic that others have written about before.
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Blog example
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Stock photo
Title is not compelling. What therapy? Keyword at the end.
Dry lead
Author and reviewer credited
Blog example
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Social
Google+ allows so much more copy. Make use of it. Give people a reason to click.
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Blog on same topic
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Blog on same topicKeywords at beginning of title.
Is this post written for University of Miami
alumni, doctors, or women with breast cancer?
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Blog post review
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Blog post review
Informative, keyword-rich title
Rating shows this one article is targeted to two
different audiences: Patients or health professionals.
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Blog on same topic
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Blog on same topicTitle elicits some emotion.
Deck, or subhead, is easily missed.
Original photo?
Begins with a question.
Suggestion for additional reading
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Social
Different photo.Different title.Same blog post.
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Blog on same topic
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Blog on same topic
Links
Headings
Lists
Reviewed by authority
Credits source
Keywords
“sex drive”
insteadOf “libido”
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Blog post review
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Blog post review
Nostalgia is popular
People love to read quotes
Photos and images don’t haveto be magazine quality to capture
a reader’s attention.
Category links do get clicked
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Curate content from others
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Curation
guidelines
•
Don’t just copy. •
Include a link and attribution.
•
Write a new title. Use a new image.•
Write for your audience. Choose quotes, images, examples, and other content for their interests.
•
Introduce your own voice. Have an opinion.
•
Use a variety of sources.
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Still promote yourself
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Your challenge is to write the BEST post for YOUR audience
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More informative•
More useful
•
More easily read or understood•
More entertaining
•
From your audience’s perspective•
With your own voice
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Content review•
Write the way you talk.
•
Use short words, short sentences and short paragraphs.
•
Avoid jargon and words like utilize, reconceptualize, attitudinally, etc.
•
Use jargon to establish your membership of a community. (Gamer site should use gamer jargon.)
•
Check quotations for accuracy (and tone).•
Use indicators of authority.
•
Let the readers know what you want them to do next.
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Alan Bleiweiss: QUART
•
Quality•
Uniqueness
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Authority•
Relevance
•
Trust
Note: Humans trust those who show vulnerability. Share judiciously.
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One real rule
•
Meets the visitors’
needs (to be informed, entertained, understood, respected,
part of the group, etc.)
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WRITE:
Topic ideas
•
<Favorite cause> awareness•
Getting your toddler to try new foods
•
Starting a new workout program•
Getting your kids and yourself outdoors
•
Your favorite childhood toys•
Preparing your daughter for her first pap test
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WRITE:
Your topic
Mind map it.
•
What do you actually want to write about?
•
Where do your thoughts take you?•
What’s your call to action?
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WRITE:
Mind Map your topic
Winter sports
X-country ski
curl
downhill
Snowshoe
Ice skate
Snowmobile
cold
discomfortNewest trend?
St. Paul, Blaine locations
Difficult to get started?
Indoor?
indoor What winter sports can I do indoors?
Proper equipment
hockey
expensive
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Übersuggest
(mind maps from others)
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WRITE:
Your topic
Consider your audience.
•
What does your audience want to know or need to understand?
•
What questions can you answer for them?
•
What will capture their attention?•
What are the reader’s key take-aways?
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Great advice
“Great content creators aren’t necessarily great storytellers, but they are fantastic tour guides: They introduce you to a subject you’re unfamiliar with, and they help you arrive at a certain understanding without losing you along the way.”
http://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/unglamorous-truths-about-content-marketing-tl
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WRITE:
The Q & A: example
•
What activities can I do in the winter?•
Where can I go and be active, but not be outside?
•
What’s something new I can introduce to my kids and maybe my significant other?
•
How can I avoid the bitter cold?•
Title draft: Hate the cold? Try indoor winter sports.
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WRITE:
Your topic
Outline it.•
In what order should ideas be presented?
•
How could it best be presented? What format should it take?
•
What should the reader do next? What actions do you want the reader to take?
•
Are there ideas that would be better saved for a second post?
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OutlineI.
Intro (Problem = cold …
Solution = indoors)II.
Relate to Olympics? Olympic fashions? (image)
III.
Twin Cities locations [sidebar list with fees]a.
Skating (quote from venue owner)
b.
Curling (quote from new participant)IV.
Equipment (type, where to rent/buy)
V. Complete cost summary (fees, equipment, effort)
VI.
CTA: New to sport? Check with physician. Exercise in winter. Try a new sport.
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“The first draft of anything is shit.”
― Ernest Hemingway
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Titles
•
Titles are your bait.•
They capture your reader and they capture search engines.
•
Use words your audience would use.•
Be informative.
•
Use tricks from next few slides.
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Titles and headings capture the eye
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Titles & meta descriptions solicit the click
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Titles for your review
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Titles for your review
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Titles for your review
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WRITE: Five Titles•
Best titles might require a new outline. Or suggest a second post.
Use up to about 55 characters. This is all that will show on a search results page. The rest will get cut off.
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Example: Five Titles
•
Why not curl this winter?•
Avoid the cold: curl or skate indoors
•
Five indoor winter sports to try around Mpls. 50
•
Indoor family-friendly winter sports•
How I learned to love winter sports —
indoor sports 51
•
Warm winter sports –
indoor sports.
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Share titles
•
Critique titles.•
Suggest new ones.
•
Share your favorites.
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WRITE: Revise your outlineWrite the headers for each section.
Identify possible sidebars, images, pullquotes, etc.
I’m going to add a question: What are the four indoor winter Olympic sports? And then new paragraphs on speed skating, figure skating, and hockey.
Should I add locations for laser tag, rock climbing, bowling, or billiards?
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WRITE: Micro-content
Deck (subhead)Meta description (~156 characters)Call-to-action(s)Image caption and alt tag descriptionTwitter post (<140 characters, hashtag)Facebook post (photo & text)Google+ post (photo & more text)
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Shared Images
•
Surprising•
Funny or cute
•
Inspirational•
Contain quotes
•
Useful•
Relatable
•
Have a “WTF”
angle•
Convey only one message
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Different priorities by personality –
DiSC model
D•
Bottom line up front
•
Results, quality, authority
•
Success, their goalsi•
Enthusiasm, excitement, optimism
•
Trusting relationships•
Quotes, uniqueness, new
S•
Sincerity, respect
•
Dependability, security
•
Like to share, be helpful
C•
Analysis, evidence
•
Quality, competency•
Logic, lists, how-to, comparisons
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Teasers for personality types
•
D –
Meet your fitness goals without going outdoors
•
i –
Join others in unusual indoor sports•
S –
Local indoor sport opportunities to
share with friends•
C –
Top 6 Twin Cities locations for indoor
sports
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Examples for personalities
•
How will you incorporate one of these priorities or motivators into your blog post?
•
Share with your group.
Write a Facebook or Twitter teaser for each type.
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Format review
•
Be ready to re-purpose your topic.•
You might need yet another post tied to news, weather, recurring events.
•
Write more posts on topics surrounding your currently popular content.
•
If you’re stuck in need of a post, reformatting an old one solves the problem.
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Outline with a different format•
Book summaries•
Cartoons, comics•
Case studies•
Charts, graphs, data, stats•
Cheat sheets•
Comparisons•
Creative stories•
Demonstration video, steps•
Event information•
History•
How-to guides•
Illustrations, infographics•
Interviews•
Lists •
Personal bio, experience
•
Photo galleries, Pin boards•
PowerPoint or SlideShare•
Product review or service info.
•
Q&As, FAQs•
Questionnaires, quizzes•
Quotes and inspirational messages
•
Research or synthesized info.•
Results of polls, surveys, and questionnaires
•
Site tour videos•
Testimonials•
“To do”
and “what not to do”
articles
•
Worksheets
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Build up an archive
•
Write stories like those that succeed for your competition.
•
Go deeper, higher, farther, funnier, simpler.•
Write a better title.
•
Make it link-worthy. •
Make it a landing page.
•
Solve a problem.•
Be the resource for at least a few types of content.
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Test
•
Create and fail.•
Create and fail less spectacularly.
•
Create and win.
•
Look at Shares Views Time of page Click through to goal sites
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Review
Call-to-actionMeta description (~156 characters)Twitter post (<140 characters, hashtag)Facebook post (photo & text)Google+ post (photo, more text, _italics_
and *bold*, hashtag)
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Again: refocus, repurpose
Narrow down your audience. or
Narrow down your topic.
•
My example: one post for moms with tweens/teens (cost, social/physical benefits focus), one for couples/adults (social vs. competitive focus)
•
Two differently targeted social media posts
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Summary•
Have a great information-rich title.
•
Craft your formatting --
the more scannable, the better.
•
Have a ‘So What?’
--
a takeaway that serves as the backbone of a piece.
•
Write with empathy
for your reader. •
Write vividly. (Use figurative language, imagery, metaphors, quotes).
•
Support your arguments with research, and cite your sources with hyperlinks.
•
Select an evocative image.•
Revise.
•
Proofread.