This is a blog series about how to start a blog that will sometimes reference the tips and tricks I’ve learned from creating my food/booze blog, Philly-ism.com. It’ll cover all the other things you need to know – mainly: the how, the what, the where, the when, and the why should anyone care.
Maybe you don’t actually care if anyone follows your blog but your mom (#1 fan), but knowing that people read your words and kinda care what you have to say is a huge motivator.
So figure it out beforehand! Who do you think will read your posts? And more importantly, why would they keep coming back? Figure it out by writing it out.
KEEP IT REAL
Once you figure out what your readers want to hear, it’s up to you to find the best way to tell them. Here are some tips and tricks to help you learn how to write good and to do other stuff good too.
Have an angle and tell it like a story:
Having a particular perspective or an opinion makes posts more engaging because people feel like they’re listening to a real live human. Don’t think you have to be boring like everyone else.
Always think of the reader:
As much as you may love reading your own words, try to think of someone reading this for the first time and understand what they’re going to actually do with your info.
Get involved and your readers will get involved:
Engage with people who comment on your posts or better yet, start the conversation on platforms like Twitter/LinkedIn/Facebook.
Make your posts matter by saying things that matter:
People aren’t going to keep reading if you’re telling them everything they already know (but you already knew that right?…wink)
Be clever and be funny. Stoic just doesn’t sell.
THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO CARE ABOUT EVERYTHING AND THEN THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO JUST WANT THE DIRTY FACTS.
Make your posts detailed, but skimable. Include lists, highlight important text and provide links to more information throughout your post to ensure you can talk to both audience types.
There’s always a fine line between providing the critical facts, and overwhelming people with info. On my personal blog, Philly-isms.com, posts are chock full of delicious details but, at the end of every post, we hand over the quick tips and disclaimers that are the must-knows of the post. People are lazy and there’s so much content to consume out there, so make yours digestible.