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How to Write Killer Blog Posts and More Compelling CommentsWhile basic writing talent is innate, many of the skills for writing compelling blog posts and and salient comments can be learned. The basic guidelines: keep your copy lively, factual, tight, clear and short and search engine optimized. Here are basic blog style guidelines to follow: Tips for Writing Better Blog Posts o Link like crazy. Link to any other blog or website you mention. link to articles, books, products, bios, explanatory materials on other sites that you mention in your blog. Always link to information that clarifies or gives background on information and opinions in your post. o Write less was from my first boss, the late "press agent" Leo Miller, who taught me a game to play with sentences. He'd keep taking out words until removing one more word destroyed the meaning of the sentence. For example: He'd take out words until removing another destroyed the sentence meaning. o Aim at keeping your posts at about 250 words. o Include complete thoughts in headlines o Examples: After: Pakistan National Assembly Calls Water Resource Problems the Nation's Major Issue Before: The B. B. King Book After: I'm Writing The B.B. King Biography o Keep sentences and paragraphs short. o Don't take yourself too seriously o Never lose your sense of humor. o Write like it counts. "No matter what your audience size, you ought to write as if your readership consisted of paid subscribers whose subscriptions were perpetually about to expire. There���s no need to pander. Compel them to re���subscribe." said Dennis Mahoney on A List Apart o White space is your friend. It makes reading from the screen easier. Nothing is harder to read than a solid block of copy on a computer screen. o Use the simplest possible word and sentence structure. o Read your post out loud and make sure you don't get stuck on complex construction. If you trip on a word the midst of reading a sentence aloud, re-write the sentence. o Forget what you learned about business writing in school if you graduated before 1990. Go ahead! Start sentences with "and"or "but." Don't be afraid to break archaic rules. But, jeez, follow all grammatical rules that provide clarity to your content. Cardinal Sin: Say "This is about me," never "This is about myself." Same with "you" and "yourself." Stiff, formal writing is only for lawyers. And you know what Shakespeare said about them. o Use bulleted points whenever you can. o Use subheads every few paragraphs, even in a 300 word post. o Use bold text and italics for emphasis on words and phrases o Make sure your posts are easy to scan. o Choose your voice and keep it consistent. o Don't be afraid to voice opinions. Questions to ask yourself before you hit "Publish": __Does the lead paragraph tell who and what the story is about and why the reader should care about it? __ Is the angle you've used likely to seem newsworthy? __Would someone who knows absolutely nothing about this topic understand this post? __ Is the post free of jargon? __ Is it written in journalistic style and does it make an effort to be objective? __ Have you peppered the headline and the post with keywords and phrases that will be attractive to search engines?
Commenting intelligently on blogs, even if you don't have a blog of your own, can be a very good way to build a reputation as an expert in a field. Some blogs are more influential than others and many are trolled by journalists and your potential clients who are seeking ideas, trends and sources. The key is to provide useful, factual information so that, over time, it becomes clear to other readers of the blogs to which you post that you know what you are talking about. In general, it is a good idea to keep your posts short and on point. Since blogs are archived online, anything you write in a comment will be there until forever. So think before you write and edit, edit, edit before you hit "submit." Blog Comment Guidelines A signature that looks like an ad will simply be cut. Stick to the facts about what you do. The quality of your comments will prove your expertise. Because of comment spam, many bloggers ask you to register or to have a Typepad key o If you have a business connection to a product or service mentioned in the blog post, this should be clear to anyone reading your comment. o Comment only when you feel you can offer something of value that is relevant to the types of issues that are discussed. o Size constraints make space limited and bloggers may shorten your comments. Better to simply write shorter. o Bloggers are free to reject inappropriate posts, including, but not limited to, overt solicitations and personal attacks. o When quoting material, strive for accuracy and note where you have omitted copy; provide attribution for the quote, including source and URL (if available.)
BL Ochman
| Jan 19 05 11:00
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CommentsI can't remember who told me the story about the guy on a pier who spots a sign that reads, "Fresh Fish Sold Here." "Would you sell stale fish?" he asked. The vendor said no, so he crossed out "Fresh." "Are you selling fish over there?" he asked, pointing to the other end of the pier. Again, no, so he crossed on "Here." "Would you give fish away?" he asked. Of course not, the vendor replied, so he crossed out "Sold." So the remaining sign simply read, "Fish." Posted by: Shel Holtz at January 19, 2005 10:21 AM Actually, "Fish" is ambiguous. It could be a command, an invitation, or an indication that fish is being sold. I'd go for "Fresh Fish" Posted by: B.L. Ochman at January 19, 2005 3:58 PM A direct response company, like many others, offered a "free gift" as a response incentive. When the owner's spouse, an English teacher, complained that "free gift" was redundant, they changed it to "gift" -- and response actually declined. Posted by: Bob Bly at January 19, 2005 5:37 PM What an informative post which I will bare in mind. btw - you forgot, Check For Typos Posted by: Piers Fawkes at January 19, 2005 6:16 PM "Excellent post!" I hope that's not too wordy:) Seriously, great post, advice, and instruction. I especially like your suggestion of reading your posts aloud, it really helps with clarity. Thanks! Posted by: Jim Logan at January 19, 2005 8:03 PM This is being really bloody picky, but I know of fishmongers who sell frozen fish. Admittedly, if you're selling fish on a pier, I doubt you got it shipped to you in an ice-box.. Anyway, love this article. Posted by: Peter Cooper at January 19, 2005 8:12 PM Actually, the "Fresh Fish Sold Here" is a magic trick sold in most magic shops. I first performed it in the mid-70's and it was old then. I imagine some entrpreneurial person saw the value of applying the patter to marketing. BTW, the finale of the trick is the magician restores the sign because the owner didn't want a sign that just said "Fish" More to the topic above - well done. A valuable addition to the 8 billion pages clogging the WWW. Posted by: Timothy at January 19, 2005 8:35 PM "Link to any other blog or website you mention. link to articles, books, products, bios, explanatory materials on other sites that you mention in your blog." Great post. Absolutely link to others. Also, absolutely link to your own previous posts, cross-linking. It let's your visitors know what other links on your site/blog are important. Posted by: Earle at January 19, 2005 9:27 PM jeez, i don't know how this fish thing got into this discussion. it's a bad example. the advice still stands.... Posted by: B.L. Ochman at January 20, 2005 11:44 AM Great advice, although I don't necessarily agree with 100% of these comments. For example my posts are often longer than 250 words. Reading a post out loud before hitting "post" is a GREAT suggestion. I know it may sound silly, but IT WORKS! In general these guidelines are good common sense which isnt always common, and Ill make a point of rereading them again later as well. Hey, isnt this post longer than 250 words :) Posted by: Ted Demopoulos at January 20, 2005 12:31 PM Good Morning! {This is my FIRST EVER comment posting - please forgive any inadvertent etiquette breaches.} {I found you via www.800BrainBrew.com (Doug Hall) to www.EurekaRanch.com to www.EntrepreneursLife.com (Michael Cage). The main point of the "Fresh Fish" example (and B.L.'s second bullet point) is to keep your writing lean - but not anorexic! For real good writing advice that's fun to read, I highly recommend James J. Kilpatrick's "The Writer's Art" ISBN 0836279190 (currently out of print, but available at that "great big bookstore"). "Read it out loud" is a recurrent theme in his weekly column "The Writer's Art". Thanks for reminding us of our "common" sense. Posted by: Karen Johannessen at January 21, 2005 12:23 PM Welcome karen! What a round about route you took to get here! You're exactly right about common sense being the key. But some artistry is required too. Or at least I like to think so. :>) Posted by: B.L. Ochman at January 21, 2005 3:42 PM What a goldmine of advice! I will have to apply it to my posts, as they are growing longer every week.. You are providing a much-needed service in assisting companies to enter the blogosphere. I have no doubt that blogging will finally cross the chasm this year. I'm glad I followed Wayne Hurlbert's link. Posted by: David St Lawrence at January 24, 2005 2:20 PM Thanks for some excellent tips for my business blogging efforts. Also, I noticed Bob Bly's name in the comments. Is this the same guy who authored the ultimate text on copywriting? If so, I'd also like to congratulate you on your audience and thank Mr. Bly for writing one of my very favorite businesss books. Posted by: Oklahoma Wine News at January 27, 2005 2:56 PM Hi: Glad the article is helpful! Yup, that's the same Bob Bly. He's blogging too. Posted by: B.L. Ochman at January 27, 2005 3:45 PM Brilliant article - It should be prescribed as a weekly read for all new bloggers and a regular read for the rest of us. An additional thing that's worth doing is CHECKING any links you make. It doesn't take long to confirm that you can, in fact, click through and it saves frustrating your readers. Posted by: Claire at January 28, 2005 3:48 AM Good article - although I agree with reader comments about the 250-word guideline. It's a great average, but occasionally as a writer, I published longer, polished pieces that are representative of my commercial writing. It's a great way to entice people to keep coming back to your blog, and it gives editors who read your blog a taste of your wider writing style. And Claire's right-on. Check your links, people! Posted by: The Zero Boss at January 28, 2005 11:18 AM As you can see by reading my blog, and this article, I run longer pieces when they are merited. Even in long pieces, I try to write tight. Posted by: B.L. Ochman at January 28, 2005 11:23 AM Thanks for the tips. It was a really helpful read. ~Tara Posted by: Tara at February 7, 2005 1:23 PM I missed the fish discussion. But in Washington last week, the editor in me was once again irritated by the words inscribed on the Supreme Court: "Equal Justice Under Law" "Justice" would have done the trick, far more elegantly. Posted by: Allan Jenkins at March 6, 2005 10:57 AM In reviewing comments, two thoughts strike out...'fish', to wear thin a subject, can be a verb, a declarative, it is near water after all or an evening meal. Is one out of three good for an empty stomach? Brevity?...tell that to Shakespeare or should/could modern text/prose do better? Just enough seems...enough. Posted by: jrb at March 14, 2005 5:50 PM Great tips! I'll have to check the word count on my blog posts--never really thought about it. I wish more people would comment on blogs (especially mine!), otherwise I sometimes feel that no one is reading what I write! Reading aloud is an excellent tip and should be used whenever you are proofing any written document. It's funny how by changing up your brain a little you can hear mistakes when you can't see them. Posted by: Lauren Hidden at May 17, 2005 8:51 AM Great post! Thanks for sharing your insights. I look forward to what's next! Posted by: Phil Gerbyshak at June 25, 2005 10:30 PM Good advice! Sending this URL to our entire team immediately! JP Posted by: JP at July 5, 2005 9:39 PM Reading your sentences out loud really is great advice. Some of this entry was repetitive. I'd also suggest to use a spell-check plugin or write in a word processor. Posted by: Designer Ella at July 7, 2005 7:50 PM Thank you for these tips... I've likely been making a number of mistakes in my [now-several!] years of blogging - which may have interfered with my readership success. (I just found this entry, from an e-mail sent to those of us who are Watchblog writers.) Posted by: Aakash at July 25, 2005 8:11 PM Short! Emphatic! Thanks! Posted by: The Heretik at July 27, 2005 8:44 AM Under 250 words? Not sure I can do that. :-) My blog, however, isn't just linking to news stories or a list of stuff -- it's a take from my admittedly-caustic point of view on various topics. Other than that, though, outstanding suggestions, espeically for those who take themselves too seriously, or those not familiar with writing for the Web. Posted by: Mark at July 27, 2005 4:40 PM At one point, I was trying to write fiction at night and technical during the day. The rule about cutting words extends even farther in technical writing - not only do you cut the word if you can do it without changing the meaning of the sentence, you also do it if it DOES change the meaning of the sentence but the reader didn't really need to know the fact that was lost. I really got into trimming text down to size. And people loved (OK, hated less than usual) my manuals, because they were short and to the point. But when I got home, I couldn't turn it off, and by the time I got done trimming my fiction, there were no words left at all. Posted by: Error 404 at July 28, 2005 12:33 PM Great advice on trimming sentence length, but limit to 250 words? Doesn't that assume that readers don't want a complete explanation? Posted by: Chuck McKay at August 3, 2005 8:41 PM Define "complete explanation" 250 - 300 words is enough for 99% of blog posts. Posted by: BL Ochman at August 4, 2005 12:07 AM Excellent advice which I copied Thanks Posted by: marie at August 14, 2005 9:04 AM This is one of the best articles I have read on how to write blogs. The way this article is written demonstrate the style. I have book marked this page and will return until I start writing something like this. Sanjay Johari Posted by: Sanjay Johari at October 27, 2005 9:51 AM Great article. Really hit points I needed to have cleared up. What about if you are posting poetry or prose, what attracts readers most (besides great work of course)? Posted by: Veronica Romm at December 14, 2007 6:13 AM This is a great blog. I found you via Amy Gahran's Contentious, and I'm indebted to her for the link. Thanks for this helpful post. It provides a lot of guidance and some neat tips. 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Blogger, social media strategy consultant to Fortune 500 companies, and sought-after corporate speaker B.L. Ochman heads the creative team of whatsnextonline.com. She also publishes the Ethics Crisis blog for SRF Global Translations
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