September 3, 2019

 

 

Note From Rochelle

 

Dear Writers,

 

I’m delighted to let you know that  my How to Blog a Book Class is available for purchase!

 

You will learn how to write your book by blogging regularly. I’ll also talk about the three kinds of books that are best to blog.

 

If you want to learn how blogging can help you get your book written, get my class: How to Blog a Book.

 

I’ve been writing about blogging lately, and today’s post talks about three key features of successful blogs.

 

Enjoy!

Rochelle

Key Features of Successful Blogs

by Rochelle Melander

 

What makes a blog successful? I’m drawn to great content with a unique voice. I don’t want to read a blog post that sounds like anyone could have written it. I want to hear your singular voice, even if it’s snarky. I think that’s a big reason why Jenny Lawson has had such a successful career writing The Bloggess.

In addition to great content, I’ve found that the following features will help you succeed:

 

Readability

Readers who struggle to read your posts will give up after a few sentences. Make sure the print is both big enough and readable for your audience. If you’re writing for the over 50 crowd, avoid the teeny tiny print. Consider the impact of both your font style (some are easier to read than others) and color (I despise white on black, but some people love it). Divide your post into paragraphs with headers. And give the reader some white space between paragraphs. And don’t forget: before you go public, test your blog’s readability on various platforms—mobile phones, iPods, and iPads—because blog followers read on the go.

 

Social Sharing Tools

Blogs get fans the same way that books get fans. Someone reads it and then tells his or her friends about it. Online, this often means sharing the post via one of the major social media sites. Social sharing tools—buttons that allow readers to easily share posts at Twitter and other sites—make this possible and easy. Without these social media sharing tools, you are missing a key marketing feature. Don’t make me cut and paste!

 

Author Information

In today’s blog market, authenticity matters. Readers want to know about the person behind the blog. Include a bio in your unique voice that tells readers who you are and what you do. Include a great photo bursting with the personality you put into your writing. Finally—and most importantly—make it easy for readers to connect with you via email and the social media sites you frequent (e.g., Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest). If you hope to get writing gigs or other business from your blog, you must include a way to contact you. If readers cannot connect with you, then you will lose work. It’s that simple.

 

Pro Tip: If you’re also a book author, make it easy for the media! Include a media page featuring your bio in several lengths and a photo (with photographer credit) that journalists can download.

 

What are your must-have blog requirements? What blogs do it well? What blogs fall short? Leave your comments below