The Art of Blogging

[Tracy Krauss]

I recently read an excellent article by Michael Hyatt on the elements of a good blog – or more specifically, what NOT to do! It was so relevant to where I am at, in terms of my own networking, that I thought it prudent to recap his finer points here. For more, or to read the entire posting, go to his website – www.michaelhyatt.com.

Michael lists 10 common mistakes that new bloggers make which can lessen or impede your ‘traffic’. I’m very sure I am guilty of all ten – thus my keen interest in the article. Firstly, he points out that in order to get attention, you have to blog FREQUENTLY. No month long lapses, please! But conversely, don’t blog too often either – you don’t want to wear your followers out. He suggests four to five times a week, but my goal at present is to blog at least once a week. That might be all I can handle now that I am back at work. (The real world) Then, if I actually make it twice a week I can legitimately feel good about myself.

He also lists several points that focus on style. Watch out for that weak intro – something I should know from my days teaching journalism. It’s all about the hook! Along that same vein, a catchy headline pricks interest and hopefully will draw readers to your page. Finally, don’t make it too long. You don’t want to bore anybody by droning on and on, and hey – save some for the next blog. That allows for more frequency rather than unloading everything at once.

Then there is the matter of content. Keep your musings accessible. In other words, don’t use terminolgy and language that your target audience won’t understand just to make yourself look smart. One of the appealing things about blogs (for me anyway) is the casual and conversational tone, so try to keep it that way. Of course, another biggy in this area is focusing too much on yourself and blogging off ‘brand’, as he calls it. For instance, since this is an authors blog, I should try to keep it relevant to authors. Writing tips, sharing ideas and experiences about writing, marketing, publicity, publishers, reading, reviews … basically anything that has to do with writing, is fair game. Talking about my pet isn’t. (Unless he inspires me or answers my emails, which in my case is impossible since I don’t own a pet.) Which is a nice segue into that “Me, Me, Me” business. Too much fun and fluffy personal information can be a turn off for readers. As Hyatt puts it, most people just don’t care. (Unless they’re your relatives and then there is always ‘facebook’.)

Lastly, he suggests that you need to invite engagement and then be prepared to participate in the conversation. Ending with a question or a thought provoking idea is a good way to do this. But don’t be a snob - talk back once someone has made a comment. With this in mind, I would love to hear if anyone else has found these ideas helpful.

Thanks Michael, for timely advice!

[Tracy Krauss]

Good, eh?