How To Start a Blog and Write With Ease

There is a great deal of discussion around how one can bring good qualified and highly targeted traffic to your website and how to start a blog in order to do that. One way to do this is to start a blog. In fact, there is so much talk that after a while you start to  wonder what you ‘should or should not’ do. One of the best things you can do is keep on providing value and quality content.

You already know that word of mouth can be and probably is one of the most powerful tools in business. But did you know this applies online as well. The most successful websites have been able to bring millions of targeted visitors to their website, because they had an excellent word of mouth offline referal.

Have I confused you? Are you wondering how offline word of mouth can be more important than search traffic, pay per click advertising and backlinks? Well it can and it is! Yet it is often the most overlooked traffic technique you have at your fingertips.

Even though you may not have complete control over word of mouth, but it’s so powerful because it is people talking to people, friends talking to friends, making recommendations to one another person. For word of mouth to remain powerful, it must not be influenced. It cannot look like a sales pitch or a form of advertising or people will instantly lose interest.

How to start a blog

And that’s where your blog comes into play. Creating can be blog is quick and easy. Once it’s up and running it can become the perfect tool for word of mouth marketing. Because you promote your own products and or services, however it must not look like a sales pitch. You can do this by saying you are blogging to your friends and family. People find blogs interesting and fun to read. Have good content can make it easy to get followers. It is also very simple way for you to write interesting content while at the same time weaving the marketing through your products and providing that very valuable word of mouth form of marketing.

You can never know which of your blog visitors will be that person that shares what you have to say with their friends and so forth. You simply have to encourage it, and then wait and see how your blog traffic increase. So remember to spread the word about your blog.

How To Write a Blog Post

Write a blog that actively engages the reader. It’s not something the reader simply consumes and forgets about. An engaging blog leads its users to interact with it, commenting and sharing it on social media and elsewhere. It’s a more experiential relationship than simply reading a newspaper.

The blog landscape has changed a great deal in the last few years. While it used to be a weblog where the writer shared their random thoughts and feelings, today’s blogs are focused around specific topics and are written for highly targeted audiences. 

In order to get the most out of your blogging efforts, you need to maximize engagement with your own readers. Here are five tips to creating a memorable experience for your audience that will keep them coming back:

Write a Blog which is longer then 500 words. Write Epic content.

Today, blog posts are longer than they were in the past. Years ago, bloggers kept blog posts short and published more often. This brought SEO benefits. However, today, readers prefer longer and more in-depth blog posts. 

Writing longer blog posts isn’t actually a hard thing to do. It just requires you to think differently about your topics. You might have written three separate posts before on social media such as:

• Which Social Media Sites Should You Be Using?
• Creating a Profile on Social Media
• Best Practices for Growing Your Social Media Connections

Each of these could be a short 500-word post. Today, you would take all three of these and make them sections of a longer post rather than individual posts. You might write an article called, “Getting Started and Growing Your Presence on Social Media. Instead, write an epic blog that goes into great detail and adds massive value to the reader.

Since we’re aiming for engagement today and not merely traffic, longer posts work better because they’re more likely to be shared and commented upon due to their length and depth.

Write a Blog which Keeps Your Content Focused

The word “blog” comes from “weblog,” or an online journal that you keep. Bloggers used to write about themselves, their experiences, and their ideas. Some blogs were just random thoughts. The idea was to express yourself.

There are still some blogs like that today. But for bloggers who want to expand their reach and potentially monetize, the content has to be highly targeted to their audience. People get on the internet looking for high-value information that helps them in some way. If your blog provides that, you’ll get engagement.

A good blog today focuses on the reader, not the writer. Blogs offer advice, tips, “how-to” content, and other helpful content. Much of it is involved with identifying and solving the reader’s problems. If you want to run a successful blog, you need to focus on the reader with strategic content creation which builds up to or links into other related posts on your site.

For example, if you write about finances, you might share tips on family financial planning or saving money grocery shopping with your readers. A writer on internet security might tell their readers how to create good, strong passwords. A blog for musicians might offer tips on how to get gigs and network for future opportunities. These are all difficulties the audience faces. 

How do you know what your readers needs help with? This is done through research. If you already write or you already have a social media presence, study your current readers. If you already run a business, look at your customer base. If you don’t do either, you can research online by looking at forums, social media, your competitors, and so on. From this data, you then create a profile and write to this person.

Engage on Social Media, not Your Blog

In the past, bloggers focused on getting comments on their blog. Engagement meant having your readers comment. This is the same today, but the focus has shifted off the blogging platform itself and instead to social media.

The only people who see your blogging platform’s comments are people who visit the blog; but with social media, absolutely anyone can see your readers engage with your content. This can bring you new readers.

So, instead of encouraging comments on your blog itself, today’s strategy is to promote your content on social media. Whenever a new piece is published, you can spread the word through Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ and whichever other sites you use. 

There are some tricks that will help your efforts on social media:

• Grow your connections and then comment and interact with their contacts as well.
• Connect with influencers on social media who can help you extend your reach.
• Give a taste of the value your followers will receive by clicking on your link and reading your post.
• Ask a question to get your readers interacting.

There are also tools that can help you save time with social media. Social media dashboards are programs that bring all of the different platforms you use into one control center. From the dashboard, you can post once and your content is broadcasted to all of your profiles. Heres 18 Foolproof Content Marketing Tips from Active Campaign for Overcoming the Attention Economy

Mix It up with Multimedia

When blogs first started, most were text-based and many were text only. They were meant to be read. Today’s blogs often include other types of multimedia content to go along with the text content. On many, the centerpiece is actually the multimedia and the text simply comments on it. 

One reason for this is that it’s easier than ever to embed multimedia content onto a blog. The other reason is simply that people love multimedia and it’s especially popular on social media.

Types of content include:

• Videos. Videos are extremely popular on blogs and social media. Many bloggers share videos with a short description or transcript.
• Visual Content. Visual content can include more than just an image. It can be an infographic, a quote, a chart, a diagram, or a template. Blogs generally also use images to be more visually appealing and break up text.
• Audio Content. Podcasts and other audio content can also appear on blogs. Again, the text might offer a transcript of the audio.

As a result, for today’s bloggers creating or finding multimedia content to share has become part of their blogging routine, along with writing, publishing, and interacting with their readers. 

Use New Metrics

One of the major challenges bloggers face today is that there are completely new metrics they have to pay attention to.

Previously, blog owners were concerned with quantitative data. They were concerned with traffic numbers, page views, where visitors clicked, conversions, and so on. This data is easy to understand using a simple metrics program, and it’s easy to take corrective action based upon it.

Today’s metrics are harder to measure. You’re looking at how your audience interacts with you and feels about you. It’s not a matter simply of numbers, but there are quantifiable ways to measure it. 

How to Make the Most out of Blogging Today

The blogging world is constantly evolving. It’s much more focused on the audience today. Even if you’re writing about your products or your industry, it should be focused on the problems, questions, or concerns of your audience.

The goal of blogging today is to create two-way communication with your audience. You’re not simply publishing to be read. You’re talking to your readers and they’re responding by talking back to you or talking to each other.

But to build this kind of relationship with your readers takes time. You will need to write and publish regularly. It also takes time to interact with your readers and learn more about them. However, the work that you put in at the beginning pays off a great deal over the course of a few years.

What this means is that it’s time to start writing and posting now.

Want to learn more about how you can blog like a pro and make a profit? Click here to master your blog

How to Write and Structure Your Blog Content

How to Write Amazing Blog Content  (That Keeps People Coming Back)

By now, you’ve probably heard the phrase that “Content is King” right?  Throughout all of the algorithm updates Google has releases over the last six years – one thing has never changed.  Google loves to index fresh content.    

Content Marketing is an amazing strategy to find and engage with loyal customers – and it’s only increasing in popularity because 90% of customers prefer to learn about a brand through content vs ads.  

But simply knowing that you need excellent content is one thing – actually creating it is a whole other thing altogether.  

Just recently, Google made an appeal to website owners regarding their use of SEO techniques. What the search engine giant essentially said was that these techniques are not the most important considerations for ranking highly in the search results. 

The most important factor is that website owners offer relevant and quality info to their readers. If you do that, Google will reward you with better rankings in their search engine. 

This has given rise to the term content marketing, which is simply a new name for a very old concept. By publishing interesting and engaging content for your website visitors, which converts a percentage of them into regular visitors while at the same time, attracting new ones too. 

The ultimate purpose of content marketing is to get your visitors to do something that you want them to do. Such as to sign up for your newsletter or visit your brick and mortar location, and buy your products & services.  

But that begs the question: what is “interesting” content? 

A lot of people get it all wrong when it comes to blog content.  Too much self-promotion is the fastest way to get a reader to click the back button so what should you feature instead? 

How to Write Amazing Blog Content

Know Your Audience

The best way to engage your audience to know who your audience is and what type of profile they have.  By knowing their profile and having an idea of who your visitors are in your head, you can create content that they would find interesting even if the topic isn’t directly linked to your products or services.

Tone

The tone of your blog content matters.  It’s not just what you say… It’s how you say it. For some businesses, like a coaching service for example – a casual “write as you speak” tone might work best. Giving tips on how to improve mindset should probably be written in a more “neighbourly advice” tone.

But for other industries like legal services a more professional tone will likely be more appropriate – but again it all depends on your audience.

There’s an exception to this rule, however. For many smaller businesses, where you are the “face” of your own business it’s also important that your readers get a sense of who you are.

In this circumstance, you’re aiming for a more “intimate” relationship with your blog so people can identify with you easier – which will help to build your personal brand.

Content is King

I’m sure you have probably heard the phrase that “Content is King” right?  Throughout all of the algorithm updates, Google has released over the years – one thing has never changed.  Google loves to index fresh content.

Content Marketing is an amazing strategy to find and engage with loyal customers – and it’s only increasing in popularity because around 90% of customers prefer to learn about a brand through content vs ads.

But simply knowing that you need excellent content is one thing – actually creating it is a whole other thing altogether.

What search engines essentially say is that SEO techniques are not the most important considerations for ranking highly in the search results.

The most important factor is that website owners offer relevant and quality info to their readers. If you do that, the search engines will reward you with better rankings in their search engine.

This has given rise to the term content marketing, which is simply a new name for a very old concept. By publishing interesting and engaging content for your website visitors, which converts a percentage of them into regular visitors while at the same time, attracting new ones too.

The ultimate purpose of content marketing is to get your visitors to do something that you want them to do. Such as to sign up for your newsletter or visit your brick and mortar location, and buy your products & services.

But that begs the question: what is “interesting” content? 

A lot of people get it all wrong when it comes to blog content.  Too much self-promotion is the fastest way to get a reader to click the back button so what should you feature instead?

Choose Topics That Interest Your Readers

What you post all depends on your business industry. Ask yourself what your website is about. And then put yourself in your reader’s shoes.  What content would they find useful? What problems can you solve, how can you help and add value to your readers?

Here are some suggestions for your topics:

1. “How to” articles. If you sell products, you can write articles on how to use these products, or how to take care of them.

If you offer services of some kind, you could write about how to get the most out of the service you provide or preventative maintenance to avoid it from happening again

Another idea is to create a buying guide. These are practical tips that many consumers and customers will find useful. And they also establish your authority in your industry.

2. List-type articles. Most people love lists. Publishing articles like “the top 10 Bruce Lee Books” or “most popular hair styles of the season for women in their 20’s” etc.  You can also publish the top ten worst lists, just to give you some ideas.

Check out many of the list-type articles online, and you’ll notice that they also generate a lot of comments. Some comments may offer suggestions as to which items were left out from the list,(which gives you valuable insight) while others agree with your choices. What’s undeniable is that these lists can attract a lot of active interest – which is a good thing.

3. Head-to-head comparisons. A lot of car magazines pit one car against another car in its comparison reviews, and you can do the same thing with your own products or services. This offers a tangible demonstration of how your business is better than your competitors.

The trick here is to pick a suitable match for your comparison, and then emphasize the ways in which your business is better.

4. Answer Common FAQs – Do you find that customers ask the same question over and over?  Then it makes sense to create a blog that answers it.

Instead of repeatedly having to explain it, you can post a link to your blog post on your social networks and direct customers there for other great information too.

5. Video Posts, also referred to as “vlogs”– Do you own a smartphone or video camera? Consider starting your own “how to” series on topics in your industry. Post your videos to a dedicated YouTube channel, add them to your written blog posts, and promote them through your social media channels.

Choose Topics That Interest Your Readers

What you post all depends on your business industry. Ask yourself what your website is about. And then put yourself in your reader’s shoes.  What content would they find useful? 

Here are some suggestions for your topics:

• “How to” articles. If you sell products, you can write articles on how to use these products, or how to take care of them.  

If you offer services of some kind, you could write about how to get the most out of the service you provide or preventative maintenance to avoid it from happening again

Another idea is to create a buying guide. These are practical tips that many consumers and customers will find useful. And they also establish your authority in your industry. 

• List-type articles. Most people love lists. Publishing articles like “the top 3 most energy efficient double pane windows” or “most popular hair styles of the season for women in their 20’s” etc.  You can also publish the top ten worst lists, just to give you some ideas.

Check out many of the list-type articles online, and you’ll notice that they also generate a lot of comments. Some comments may offer suggestions as to which items were left out from the list,(which gives you valuable insight) while others agree with your choices. What’s undeniable is that these lists can attract a lot of active interest – which is a good thing.

• Head-to-head comparisons. A lot of car magazines pit one car against another car in its comparison reviews, and you can do the same thing with your own products or services. This offers a tangible demonstration of how your business is better than your competitors. 

The trick here is to pick a suitable match for your comparison, and then emphasize the ways in which your business is better. 

• Answer Common FAQs – Do you find that customers ask the same question over and over?  Then it makes sense to create a blog that answers it. 

Instead of repeatedly having to explain it, you can post a link to your blog post on your social networks and direct customers there for other great information too.

• Video Posts, also referred to as “vlogs”– Do you own a smartphone or video camera? Consider starting your own “how to” series on topics in your industry. Post your videos to a dedicated YouTube channel, add them to your written blog posts, and promote them through your social media channels. 

Know Your Audience

The best way to engage your audience to know who your audience is and what type of profile they have.  By knowing their profile and having an idea of who your visitors are in your head, you can create content that they would find interesting even if the topic isn’t directly linked to your products or services. 

The tone of your blog content matters too.  It’s not just what you say… It’s how you say it. For some businesses, like a landscaping service for example – a casual “write as you speak” tone might work best. Giving tips on how to get a greener lawn should probably be written in a more “neighborly advice” tone. 

But for other industries like legal services a more professional tone will likely be more appropriate – but again it all depends on your audience. 

There’s an exception to this rule, however. For many smaller businesses, where you are the “face” of your own business it’s also important that your readers get a sense of who you are. 

In this circumstance you’re aiming for a more “intimate” relationship with your blog so people can identify with you easier – which will help to build your personal brand. 

Final Notes

Blog articles are not purely words. Graphics and images will help illustrate your message better.  Also, consistency is critical. Updating your blog regularly has a multitude of benefits – including better SEO rankings.  

Don’t be afraid to delegate – you don’t have to write ALL of your content yourself.  Guest bloggers or even your employees can contribute articles. A blog that is not updated often will eventually lose its readership. 

There’s many ingredients to creating amazing content for your blog. Hopefully by implementing some of these suggestions you can create a content recipe for a successful blog that has your visitors coming back for more!  

To find out how to grow your blog and audience check out this blog here

How to write catchy blog titles

The title of your blog post can make or break the visibility of your content. People skim on the internet and if your title doesn’t catch their attention, they’ll pass it by. Here are some guidelines for creating curiosity-inducing titles for your posts.

Make It Catchy

The number one rule is to make your titles catchy. This is what’s going to hook a potential reader and get them to click. Make it unique and striking. Look at other blog post titles and find ways to make yours stand out.

Be Specific

Wherever possible, make your title very specific and targeted. Use numbers when appropriate. If you have a blog post that offers 8 tips for how to organize your workspace, call it something like “8 Tips to Get Your Workspace Organized Once and For All.”

Consider Word Choice

Try not to overuse the same words in your titles. Use a dictionary to find synonyms to mix it up. Choose words for their emotional impact.

Set Expectations

Although you want to make bold claims with your title, make sure that your blog delivers. Don’t write deceptive titles just to get clicks. This is called clickbait and it won’t gain you readers. In fact, it will hurt your SEO as readers will quickly leave your blog and go somewhere else.

Hey Google!

Try to write headlines that will catch the attention of the search engines. Choose a keyword or two related to the article that have a high search volume and put it near the beginning of the title. Keywords are not as important today, but if you choose a good one and use it naturally, it will bring you some traffic.

Research the Competition

To get ideas for your titles, look at the titles other bloggers use. You can do this by searching keywords relevant to your post and examining how other bloggers create titles based on them. The content that ranks highest in the search engines can be assumed to be the most popular, so those title formats and lengths are something to consider.

Don’t stress over the title at first. Create a working title that you know you can change later. Many writers start with the title since it’s so important, but as you write, you may find yourself going in a different direction or you may get a better idea for the title. A great way to come up with a winning title is to create five or ten initially, and then narrow it down to the one that best meets the above criteria.

How to get more blog engagement

A great way to engage your audience is to ask questions in your content. A direct question addressed to the reader gets them thinking and encourages them to respond. If done skillfully, you can turn every post into a lively conversation, which gives you a great deal of opportunity to interact with your audience.

But what kinds of questions should you ask? Here are some ideas.

Ask for opinions. Ask your social media contacts for their opinion on a controversial issue. You can take a recent news item or some issue where there are differing opinions in your industry (for example, whether or not you should use a certain type of cleaning product).

Ask how customers overcome common problems. Take a common problem that your readers face and ask them how they overcome the problem. For example, if your audience consists of bloggers, ask them how they drive traffic to their site or how they design their blog for best readability.

Ask how you’re doing. You can use social media and your blog as a means of gathering feedback. Ask your customers how you’re doing. Is your content helpful? What would they like to see more of? Did your product solve their problem? What could you do to improve your content, service, or products?

Ask your readers, “Did you know?” A good way to share a curious or little-known fact with your audience is to pose it as a question. Ask them whether or not they knew about this and what is their opinion of it? This can spark a discussion based around the topic.

Ask for favorites. A great conversation starter is to ask your readers what is their favorite of something. For example, you might ask your blogger audience, “What’s your favorite plug-in?” Each person will state their favorite, but many will give reasons why and this can lead to discussions and disagreements.

Ask about experiences. Ask your audience about a past experience that stands out in their memory. Choose a specific topic. Ask for a major achievement or a hard lesson your readers learned.

As a general rule, ask open-ended questions rather than yes-no questions. If you ask a yes or no question, you’ll end up with many people simply replying “yes” or “no.” Open-ended questions lead your readers to discuss at length and get more deeply into the topic. You can use surveys and polls for gathering data through yes-no questions.

4-Step Process for Meeting Your Blogging Deadlines

A 4-Step Process for Always Meeting Your Blogging Deadlines

Consistency is essential when running a top-notch blog and there are many ways to successfully manage your blogging schedule. Every writer is different and each of us has his or her own flow. Here is a 4-step process that many use which involves the best practice of goal setting to keep you on track: setting goals and working backwards.

1 – Create a publishing schedule

Start by deciding how often and when you will publish. A very general guideline is to publish a post weekly. If you can keep up the schedule, you can choose to publish bi-weekly as well. Once you start publishing regularly, review your metrics to see what posting schedule works best, but for now, choose something that works for you.

2 – Set Specific Dates for Specific Posts

If you already have an idea list, assign a specific date to each. This is a provisional schedule and you can switch posts to different dates if you feel the urge to. For now, it’s good to just have a schedule you can work with.

3 – Identify the Steps

Identify the steps that are necessary for a single piece of content. You may be able to sit down and dash off excellent blog posts on the day they’re to be published. On the other hand, you may decide to write all of your posts at once in one busy afternoon to make posting easier.

Examples of steps might be:

• Planning and research
• Outlining
• Rough draft writing
• Editing
• Publishing

You may find that it’s best to plan and outline one day, write the next, and edit and post on the third day. Decide what works best for you and if you’re not sure, decide on something and then see how it goes. You can adjust your steps later.

4 – Put the Steps on Your Calendar

Finally, assign a specific date or time to each step. Work backwards from the publishing day and put each step on your calendar.

For example, if you have just the three steps of planning, writing, and editing, your publishing schedule might look something like this:

• Friday morning: Edit post and publish
• Thursday morning: Write post
• Wednesday: Create outline

With each step entered consistently on your calendar, you’ll have a good blogging schedule where you never feel rushed and there’s plenty of time to give each step the attention it deserves, and publish on schedule.

An Easy Way to Monetize Your Blog

There are many ways to earn money through your blogging efforts and one of the most commonly used is affiliate marketing. Affiliate marketing is popular because it’s relatively easy to make a steady stream of money and you don’t need to develop any products of your own.

What Is Affiliate Marketing?

Affiliate marketing for bloggers is based on a very simple concept. You have a popular blog where you share content that informs or entertains your readers. Along with your regular informational content, you also pitch products that your audience would be interested in. These are the products of other vendors, not your own, and you get a commission for any sales you make.

How to Get Started as an Affiliate

You can get started selling affiliate products by joining an affiliate network, such as Clickbank or JVZoo. On a network, you can browse products and find the terms for selling those products. Vendors differ in their policies, commissions, and requirements. The network system makes it easy to connect with vendors and start selling quickly.

The Right Products for the Right Audience

The key to success with affiliate sales is not the size of your audience, but how well the products or services you offer meet their needs. You really need to know your readers well and understand the kind of help they need, and then match this to the products available on the network.

If you have a large and responsive readership but offer products that are not entirely relevant to them, you may get a smattering of sales. But quality is more important than quantity. It’s much better to offer the right product to the right audience, even if the numbers aren’t massive.

To Promote or Not to Promote

It’s a generally accepted best practice in blogging that you should never be selling outright. So, how can you sell affiliate products?

The key is to be transparent. Let your audience know that you are recommending this product because you’ve used it and you thought it would help them. You can write review blog posts, or simply put your own plug for the product on the sidebar of your blog. Avoid making a hard sell as it could turn off your blog readers. And don’t promote anything that you’re unsure of.

Like any other blog monetization strategy, affiliate marketing depends on your blog readership and the strength of your content. It works best when you already have a loyal and engaged following.

Stop Writing Blogposts and Articles and Try This Instead

You’re going to think I’m splitting hairs on this one.

And maybe I am.

But if you’re tired of writing articles and blogposts, I’d like to propose a mind shift that’s helped me out immensely.

Instead of writing articles, write a column or epic content pieces.

If you’ve read newspapers and magazines, then you’ve seen columns all your life. 

When you’re writing an article, you’ve got to start from scratch to prove you know what you’re talking about. You have to be an authority or at least quote authorities. You’ve got little or no foundation to stand on because an article, by its very definition, is a stand-alone piece.

This puts pressure on you to prove yourself. Every. Single. Time. And as you’ve probably experienced, that gets really old really fast. You feel like you are standing on the street corner going, “Hey, over here, look at me!”

Who needs that?

But when you’re a columnist, you’re no longer on the street corner vying for attention with thousands of other article writers. 

Instead, you’re in your office writing a personal one-to-one piece to your favorite reader.

It’s just you and the person you are talking to. They know you. They like you. And they trust you.

Plus, they look forward to reading what you have to say today.

This is a mind shift. Yes, your columns might look a lot like articles, if articles are written with the confidence of someone who KNOWS people want to read his or her words.

You can think of article writing as having to make a formal presentation to a large group of people who have barely heard of you, versus writing a column as having an intimate conversation with a trusted friend over a cup of coffee.

I can’t tell you what a difference this small shift of perspective has made in my life recently. I’ll be exploring a whole new angle with blogs soon with this thought in mind.

Imagine you’ve had a much-loved column in your favorite newspaper or magazine for the last decade. Imagine today you’re writing your latest column. Imagine people eagerly reading it the moment it hits the newsstands or their mailbox.

And then write.

Am I splitting hairs? Maybe. But give it a try and see what being a columnist does for you.

And to get you started, I’ve made a list of some of my favorite column topics. Pair these ideas together with your niche and start writing your next column now.

Column Ideas

News – Your personal take on the biggest news in your niche today.

Their Mistakes – What well known person or company is making a BIG mistake? Why is it a mistake and what should be done instead? Or what are the top 3 mistakes that new people or seasoned pros are making?

Your Mistakes – What bone-headed thing have you done – past or present – and what were the consequences and lesson learned?

Rants – What is driving you absolutely batty in your niche? Why is it driving you crazy, and what should – in your opinion – be done instead?

3 Things to Avoid – What should be avoided and why?

3 Things to Do – Who should do them and why? What’s the benefit of doing them and the consequences of not doing them?

True Stories – Any great story in your niche. Play up the drama if possible but keep the facts accurate (no embellishing.) Bonus for surprise endings or heartstrings tugged.

Steps to X – What are the steps to achieve something awesome?

Monday Morning Quarterback – If you knew then what you know now. Look back on your experience in your niche and find something that you would change if you could.

Pain – Your pain, someone else’s pain or some big problem. Has there been a resolution? Write about it. No resolution or solution yet? Find one or ask your readers for their ideas and then write a follow-up column.

Experiments – Try something such as a new method or technique, take notes and then report on what happened.

True or False – Choose something that everyone believes to be true. Investigate it and determine if it’s real or a myth.

Current Events – Take something that is happening in the world and then tie it to your niche.

Pose a Radical Question – This is a question most people have never thought of, but when you bring it up, it will spark thought and conversation. For example, why are or were things done a certain way? Or what if you combine X with Z? Or what if you take something in a whole new direction?

Secrets – Real secrets, not just things that many people already know. People LOVE secrets and they don’t have to yours. For example, relate how a real-life espionage operation from 20 years ago accidentally impacted your niche in the present in a truly unforeseen way.

Goals – Your goals, their goals, famous people’s goals. How are they achieved? How do people screw up goal setting and goal-getting?

Controversy – Decide in advance how controversial you’re willing to be. Then take a stand and watch the sparks fly.

Tips – But not just any tips. Weird tips. Little known tips. Surprising tips.

Warning Signs – What are the warning signs in your niche that something bad is about to happen? What do you do when you see these signs?

Challenge – Create a challenge for your readers. Make it easy enough that they will do it but challenging enough that it is interesting. Have them report their results to you and write about it in a follow-up column.

Mindset shift = You’re not an article writer or a blogpost writer – you’re a columnist. And I can’t wait to read what you write next.

How To Secure Your Blog and Setup a Membership

Use Memberpress to local your content for members only. MemberPress is the most feature-rich membership plugin for WordPress, making it absolutely effortless to build membership sites.

Accept Credit Cards and MemberPress gives you a step-by-step guide in setting up membership sites. You’ll be able to add new features with ease, as well as remove features you might not need. Learn more about Membepress here

How To Sell Products and Services Along Side Your Blog

Use ThriveCart – This cart converts more than any other cart. Get a simple and easy to use cart that supports your business model and your lifestyle. Build a beautiful, mobile-friendly cart and start earning affiliate commissions. Built from the ground up to help you win at affiliate marketing. To Learn more about ThriveCart click here

Add email marketing to your blog

Sign up with ActiveCampaign as it offers everything you need to create, send and track emails while maintaining your customer relationships in one place. It’s everything you’d expect from a world-class email marketing solution and much more. To learn more about Active Campaign click here

Final Notes

Blog articles are not purely words. Graphics and images will help illustrate your message better.  Also, consistency is critical. Updating your blog regularly has a multitude of benefits – including better SEO rankings.

Don’t be afraid to delegate – you don’t have to write ALL of your content yourself.  Guest bloggers or even your employees can contribute articles. A blog that is not updated often will eventually lose its readership.

There are many ingredients to creating amazing content for your blog. Hopefully, by implementing some of these suggestions you can create a content recipe for a successful blog that has your visitors coming back for more!

Discover how to Supercharge Your Blog and Website here – A complete Step By Step Content Strategy System that Drives More Traffic and Sales To Your Business Website or Blog.

Jatinder Palaha

Digital Business Coach | Web Revenue Strategist | Award-Winning IT Consultant | Author 

Transform Your Skills, Knowledge and Experience Into a Thriving Online Business

Get Expert Guidance and Bespoke Growth Strategies, Meticulously Crafted to Align with Your Individual Journey as a Subject Matter Expert.

With over 18 years of industry experience in business and personal development, I’ve successfully been working with coaches, consultants and authors set up the right systems and implement strategic content strategies to start, grow and scale their businesses online with automation, digital products and services. (To work with Jatinder – click here)