Blogging skills OVER 9000

TL;DR Devloper version

Full disclosure

• It’s not just typing stuff.

• Takes time.

• Word choices.

• Language issues.

The draft

• What’s The PurposeTM?

• Write simple ideas (paper, Evernote, etc.)

• Write a draft.

The title• Write it for humans (or Martians), not for robots.

• Try to include keywords but don’t force them.

• Must attract users.

• How-to, when, why, what, lists… tend to work well.

• About 60 chars.

The writing (1/3)

• Always start with a story.

• Read more & snippets.

• Define concepts.

• Keywords count more here.

The writing (2/3)

• Simple sentences.

• Subsections.

• Quotes & references.

• Facts, not opinions.

The writing (3/3)

• About 1200 words.

• British English.

• Does it solve The Purpose?

• If you read it elsewhere, would you share it?

• Link to other companies so we can mention them on Twitter.

Wrap-up

• Summarize in just one sentence.

• Include a call to action.

• Example: invite to discussion.

Editing

• Title attribute in links + target=_blank

• First 2-3 links to other posts.

• Simpler sentences + shorter paragraphs.

• Have somebody else read it.

Images• At least one image per post.

• Add title + alt attributes.

• Image will be shared to social networks.

• Content with images gets 40% more interaction.

• Sentences with % in them gain more credibility.

It’s all connected

Utils

Tools you should use

• Grammarly: Spell-checking + style. • Titlecapitalization.com: Chicago style. • Dillinger.io: Online Markdown editor. • Unsplash: Free photos. • Death to Stock Photo: Same.

1. Go to Trello to read your assigned post.

2. Download MarsBased-web repo.

3. Copy content (!!!) from one existing post into a new file under _drafts folder.

4. Set variables.

5. Write away!

Workflow

Some tips

• Practice makes the master.

• If you read a good post, write the idea on Trello.

• Allocate some days for my revision.

• Send it to people who might be interested.

Reading list

• Signal vs. Noise (Basecamp)

• Buffer’s blog

• Thoughtbot’s blog

• Pablo Villalba’s blog (@micho on Twitter)