Free Website Content
Blog Posts that Get Attention
Blogs are now a dime a dozen, and bloggers
need to make their blog posts stand out. Developing
a blog following is not as easy as it once was. Learn
how to write blog posts that attract readers and retain
their attention. Follow these guidelines to cultivate
readers...
1. Draw Attention
Use titles to attract the reader's attention
to the blog post. The title should mimic newspaper headlines
and generate interest in the blog post. The title can
be controversial, but not to the extent of being misleading.
Use action words in the title. Bloggers will often come
up with a handful of potential titles for blog posts,
and then settle on the title that is best suited to
a particular blog post.
2. Deliver
Having a catchy title, but following it
with content that fails to deliver, will not endear
you to your readers. The blog content must deliver what
is promised in the blog title, or readers will unsubscribe
and stop reading. When deciding on a blog title, do
not stray too far from the content, as the two are intricately
related -- the title will attract the reader's attention,
but the content must then live up to expectations...
or the blogger's reputation will suffer.
3. Accurate
Nothing stains a blogger's reputation
like inaccurate information, so be sure that your blog
posts contain accurate information. Intentionally posting
inaccurate or false information will significantly damage
a blogger's reputation. But if an error unintentionally
or inadvertently occurs in a blog post, be sure to quickly
post a retraction or correction, along with an explanation
and an apology in order to salvage your good reputation.
4. Relevant & Timely
Blog posts should always be relevant and
timely. Hearing about something long after it has occurred
will not captivate readers. Blog about information that
is occurring in the here and now. If you are going to
write something that is no longer timely, be sure to
add some sort of twist, or include new or updated information
to make it relevant.
5. On Topic
All blogs should have a general theme
that connects all the posts on the blog. Readers will
expect posts that are related, so stay true to the blog's
theme and topic.
6. Use Keywords
Use keywords liberally in blog posts.
Search engines will attempt to categorize the content
of a blog post and discern its general topic. By including
related keywords or keyword phrases, search engines
will have an easier time classifying the blog's contents.
Additionally, a blog that uses keywords will have a
better chance of ranking well for those keywords or
keyword phrases in organic search listings.
7. Evaluate Web Logs
Review web logs to determine what blog
posts have been popular with readers. Then figure out
how to provide similar or related content that might
also be of interest to those readers.
8. Original
Blog posts should always contain original
and unique content. If you are simply re-posting information
from others, include editorial content or a different
spin to the information. Readers do not want to constantly
rehash the same information -- they are interested in
reading new material.
9. Chunky Content
Break content into smaller, readable
chunks. Most website visitors will just scan paragraphs
for information, and very few will take the time to
read all the words contained in a post. Use bulleted
lists, or break web copy into paragraphs with bolded
sub-topics that appear before the paragraphs.
Writing blog posts is not just about spewing
forth content. The best blogs are well thought out,
and contain provocative and interesting unique content.
Follow the above steps to produce a relevant blog worth
reading.
About the Author:
Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll http://www.feedforall.com
software for creating, editing, publishing RSS feeds
and podcasts. In addition Sharon manages marketing for
RecordForAll http://www.recordforall.com
audio recording and editing software.
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This article may be used freely in opt-in
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box is included and the links are active. A courtesy
copy of the issue or a link to any online posting would
be greatly appreciated send an email to sharon@notepage.net
.
Additional articles available for publication available
at http://www.small-business-software.net/free-website-content.htm
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