How to write blog posts people will read and forward

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February 25, 2013

How to write blog posts people will read and forward

Monday, February 25, 2013

Here’s wisdom from Roy H Williams via Kevin Miller (Free Agent Academy)

Most of you read blogs. But do you know WHY you read the ones you do and don’t read so many others? Many of you also write blogs yourself, and you realize not many folks are reading what you write.

So, are you ready to learn how to write blog posts that people will read and forward?

So what does it take for a blog to capture your attention, keep you reading and get shared? This is just as relevant for a podcast too.

Today I bring you great wisdom as a student, not the teacher. Your teacher today is Roy H. Williams. “The Wizard of Ads” he’s known as. I’ve been reading his weekly blog (yep, he only writes one per week) for as long as I can remember. I generally find two out of five to be a bit obtuse, and the other three, flat-out brilliant.

The following bullet points come from his blog titled, “Look Through These Lenses To See a Better Outcome.” You can read it here (and I recommend signing up for his Monday Morning Memo). This comes from a study on non-fiction books and what four attributes the successful ones had. Here you go:

1. A Big Idea

  • Concept
  • Insight
  • Information

2. Nuts & Bolts

  • How To
  • Step-by-Step
  • Instructions
  • Examples

3. Entertainment

  • Writing style
  • Anecdotes
  • Adventure
  • Surprise

4. Hope

  • Visualized Happiness
  • Promise
  • Inspiration

Now I will be so bold as to add one more. Not because I’m wiser, but a study on successful non-fiction books doesn’t fully apply for the newbie. We also must address:

5. Credibility
The can nail the four points above and still fail if you haven’t established your credibility. How can you do this?

  • Overcoming – your personal success story
  • Testimonials – from people you’ve helped
  • Endorsements – people who already have credibility, recommending you
  • Stating and Selling It – the hardest way to do it, but if you have the personal relations skills, sales ability, charisma and even the looks…you can sometimes gain credibility coming from ground zero.

My personal experience is, and you can think for yourself regarding people you read, generally someone will be stronger in an area or two which may compensate for weakness in other areas. But most will hit all areas to a decent degree.

So my counsel is this – be honest in reviewing your own blogs or podcasts and see where you’re weak amongst the four attributes, and use them as a guide to write your next one!

Also see which ones you are most natural at and leverage them. Shine them even brighter.

For myself, I think I tend to best hit #1 “A Big Idea” and #4 “Hope”. I do a bit less on #2 “Nuts & Bolts” and don’t pay much attention to #3 “Entertainment”. So in my next blog I’ll try to juggle or mime or something…

Do you see where you’re weak and strong? Does it ring a bell with why you like certain bloggers and podcasters?

Have a great Monday,
Kevin

Thanks to Kevin and Roy

Ron

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