40 Ways to Deliver Killer Blog Content

December 4, 2008 · Comments

rock scream You’ve got a chance right now. While everyone else has their eyes on celebrating the holidays and doing all their year end rituals, you can make a commitment. You can make your New Year’s resolution almost a full month early. Here’s what you can commit to for 2009: you’re going to have a killer blog. You’re going to write the kind of blog people post, tweet, link, and even print to stick up on their office wall. Your blog in 2009 is going to be the kind of blog that people use to power their own change. This is your chance to get out there and kick ass.

You can do this. You can deliver with the impact you want, and build on the work you’ve already done. I don’t claim that I know every little secret, but I tell you this: I get a lot of decent results with what I’m doing so far. You want some ideas from my side of the page? Here: take 40 of them. And if you want, add to them in your own blog post (pointing back to here). Ready?

40 Ways to Deliver Killer Blog Content

The Basics

  1. Brevity rules. Can you say it briefly?
  2. Start at the main point, then work the story up. (Make the main point in the first paragraph.)
  3. Use small words. You don’t have to impress people. You have to be clear.
  4. Analogies help people understand things better.
  5. So do stories.
  6. You don’t have to write complete sentences, even though your teacher taught you to do that. But treat it sparingly. Like this. Like a condiment.
  7. Keep paragraphs small, if possible. We balk at large blocks of text.
  8. Make your point from the reader’s side of the fence. Who is your audience?
  9. Depending on how you write, go back and see if you can cut out more. Reduce. Reduce. Reduce.
  10. Use the word you’re thinking about, not a fancier, or more polite word.


Concepts and the Bigger Picture

  1. Set up series of posts, even if you don’t call them a series. Make a post that brings up follow-on points from a previous post, and link back to that post to reinforce the original content.
  2. Get your inspiration from reading. #1 source for my ideas comes from other blogs not in my space. Not sure what to read that’s NOT in your space? Alltop, my friend. ( see also).
  3. Think strategically, if this is for business or a cause. Ask yourself what you want your reader to do next. Try to write from that point of view.
  4. Theme-wise, writing very helpful things that people can use is way better than writing thoughtful things that make people think and just walk away. You can have thoughtful but not helpful, but you’re striving for helpful and thoughtful in the same piece.
  5. Never write the me-too blog. Look to be ahead of the wave and feeding backwards, not behind the wave and eating someone’s wake.
  6. Look for ways to think forward, but that tie to your business interests. When I write about the future, I’m also inviting someone to make that future with me.
  7. Mix it up. Keep an editorial calendar and note what kinds of posts you’ve written lately. Thought posts? Lists? Interviews? Make sure you’re mixing up the type of post you’ve written lately.
  8. Consider the occasional dip into Google Trends to write a story that might draw new audience to your conversation. Don’t do this all the time, because the gimmick can wear off quick. Again, think condiments, not meals.
  9. If you don’t have anything interesting to blog, skip a day. Don’t skip many days.
  10. And never never never (raise your hand and repeat this with me) “I” (state your name) “solemnly swear never never never never ever to post another ‘I’m sorry I haven’t blogged lately’ posts ever again. Ever.”


Overdrive

  1. Consider your audience but write from your passion.
  2. Don’t mince words. If it’s a “pissing match,” it’s not a disagreement.
  3. Ask questions. Blogs are conversations starting and flowing. Ask. Questions.
  4. Link to people. If you write about Steve Garfield, link to Steve Garfield.
  5. It’s not all about your blog. Get out and comment on other people’s blogs. Often.
  6. Leave a few ideas unfinished. Ask for input. It always improves a piece. Blogs are great for that.
  7. Use tags. Lots of tags. Make sure you claim your blog with Technorati, and submit it with Alltop.
  8. Make sure your blog’s URL is everywhere: in your email signature, in Facebook, in Flickr, in Twitter, in every outpost you can think about.
  9. Don’t email, DM, and otherwise push every blog post you write to other people. Share the best ones. Let the others be found on their own merits.
  10. Always know why you’re doing what you’re doing. Question yourself often. Look for ways to improve the game.

thesis is my wordpress theme

Encore

  1. Comment back to the people who have left comments.
  2. Follow those people’s links sometimes and go explore their blog.
  3. Look for ways to empower the community you inspire.
  4. If you haven’t found your community yet, keep looking, searching, and connecting.
  5. Learn about Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Search Engine Marketing (SEM). It’s no longer okay not to know even the most basic things.
  6. Find great Creative Commons photos and use them for your post (with attribution).
  7. Deconstruct what your favorite writers do, and try it your own way.
  8. Occasionally, try something completely different.
  9. Don’t be afraid to fail. Be afraid of not being interesting enough.
  10. Write as if someone believes in you, because someone does. (me!)

And if that’s not enough, here’s my best advice about blogging.

What do you think? Any questions? Anything I left out?

Photo credit, motorpsykhos

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  • It's got to be #13 - think strategically particularly when you're blogging for business.
    Take time to think through these questions:
    1. What do you want to achieve by doing a blog?
    2. How will the blog do this?
    3. How does it fit with the rest of your marketing?

    Then prepare your content to fit
  • This is so helpful and inspirational! Thank you for the great tips.
  • NeuronOutlaw
    Chris,

    I am writing a post about hand writing and keyboard writing and remembered a post you wrote a while ago about writing by hand first and then doing a second draft on the keyboard. I wanted to quote you but couldn't find it. Any Help?
    Mike
  • I like the theme you're illustrating here Chris. I'm reading Trust Agents right now, and this is the first time I've visited your blog. Great book, great post, now it's time to follow #38 on my blog again. :)

    Thanks for the great content and book Chris!
  • Great point about making your writing clear and concise, don't write to impress people. Also about keeping paragraphs small. Everyone hates reading large blocks of texts, it just turns the reader off immediately. Very helpful post.
  • romanohenry
    bookmarked and content copied for my personal reference.
    This is one of kind.

    thanks for sharing it. :)
  • Awesome. Every blogger needs to read posts like these, if only to shore up their confidence and to put them back on the right track. It's easy to get off track while trying to keep everything in check.
  • Excellent article, one I will definitely print out and take a more in-depth look at!
  • I just started a new blog a few weeks ago using many similar ideas. But you have just confirmed that I headed down the right path.
    Thanks
    Steve
  • Amrita
    Hi Chris,
    That was a very inspiring post. I love #39. I've been planning a blog for ages. Finally going to get going with it.

    Thank you.
  • Really helpful ideas. Practical and creative at the same time. Will be using them fro now on.
  • Great post, thanks for the tips. It's nice to know that I'm doing most things right. Also thanks to gerd Leonhard for sending me a link to your blog:)
  • Great stuff. I need to get better at lists. So much great content in once place.

    I think I'm always too busy trying to organize thoughts into large, all-inclusive blog posts. Getting information out there quickly is better than polishing it off completely. It's better to start the discussion than to own it.
  • stevepohlit
    Great list of tips and wonderful comments. I suggest don't hesitate writing information that is part of a product or service you market. Offering value on your blog does not diminish the opportunity to market that in exchange for money.

    Steve Pohlit
    The Profit Expert
  • Thanks for the great tips.
  • Awesome content. I doubt I can add anything new that someone else hasn't already said but I really appreciate you sharing. As someone who is in the midst of career transistion into the social media world, I really value learning from those that have been there and are making a difference.

    Look forward to reading and learning more from you. I will be referencing this many times as I finish writing my next KILLER post.
  • Great advice, especially the part about editing yourself - or not. Thanks for sharing.
  • I absolutely, wholeheartedly, totally agree on all the points!!
  • Excellent list!
  • Liz
    I think it depends on the purpose of your blog. I can see following these rules (or some of them) if your blog is part of your business and it is important to build an audience but they run counter to the creativity and spontaneity of a personal blog.

    Blogs can be creative outlets where one expresses ideas with words, images, videos, colors, movement, & design. It's great to share this but sometimes the creation is satisfying in itself. I think it is more important to be authentically yourself than calculate through managing content how to attract the greatest number of people. The quality and originality of the content, not the packaging of it, should be the primary concern, IMO.

    I guess what I'm arguing is that there is no one set of rules of what a blog should be. They are more like books (which can be works of art in themselves) than newspapers (which have a clear objective...to deliver news). A blog is whatever it's creator wants it to be and sometimes rules don't apply.
  • Printed and posted on the wall! Thank you!
  • Someone said something about journalism 101.

    But I was thinking the opposite...

    How does journalism 101 fit into it all?

    [Loved your post. Will probably print it out and paste it on my wall and follow it like a religion.]

    But what about the ethical concerns of blogging (the journalism 101); does that have anything to do with the convo? [I know a lot of bloggers aren't journalists, but I'm asking, what about "being good" -- what does that have to do with being a good blogger?]

    Thanks!!!
  • Great post! I'll definitely use this as my own guide in my startup blog.

    Thanks, and Happy Holidays!
  • SRS
    40 tips, doens't that contradict the very first one: number 1?

    Good points though...
  • I needed this! I'm printing this out and putting it in front of my face everywhere I can. You're gonna kill it in '09 and hopefully I will follow ya!
  • One of the best blog posts I have ever read.
  • This is a great post! I learned a lot of great things and was reminded of a few that I knew, but somehow forgot. Thanks!
  • Good stuff- especially well organized.

    Josiane
  • Thanks for the tips. A friend of mine forwarded this post to me and it couldn't have come at a better time. I'm in need of the inspiration.

    I really enjoy your posts by the way. I've been following along for a few months now and you always have great insight to share with the rest of us.

    Thanks again and keep on keeping on!
  • #24... I don't know how bloggers miss this. It is quite irritating, really... to say the least.
  • Hey Chris, awesome post! Some of these 40 points can be obvious but sometimes people forget them... It's nice to have you here to remind us that kind of simple but killer strategies!

    You have inspired me today! Keep up your great work :D
  • I have had this post up on my computer for the last couple of days so that I would not forget to read it. First, I am so glad I did save it. Wow, definitely the kind of information I needed to read, hear and learn and then be able to re-read yet again. Thank you for putting it into a an easy to quick read format as well.
    I used to say that I write to be read. I believe now it is I write to be heard and most certainly hope to be understood.
    Keep on Sharing!
    I like what you are doing!
    Most Sincerely,
    Tanya
  • Chris, this is a really useful and insightful post. There are some great tips in here, I particularly like the fact that people should make their point in the first paragraph rather than building up to it.

    I also think, people should have a good point first and not just blog for the sake of it. I often find myself holding back rather than diluting what I write about.

    Keep up the good work.
  • This is a great post, Chris, and conveys your 40 tips with short words, too. Thx!

    One tip to consider adding: Have a place to capture your blog topics, in real-time, as you think of them. As with all inspiration, if you don't capture it, you lose it! In the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson:

    “Look sharply after your thoughts. They come unlooked for, like a new bird seen in your trees, and, if you turn to your usual task, disappear.”
    --Emerson
  • Come back to this site often, yup, that'll help.
  • I'm working on jumpstarting a new site/blog as soon as my academic quarter is over. These tips are the perfect motivation to get it going over winter break! Thanks for the great post! :)
  • You nailed it. This is killer content and great advice. Thanks for the tips!
  • Great suggestions Chris! I'm actually going to print this post out and put it on my office wall.
  • Stu Opperman, APR
    Not only are your posts consistently great, they make me optimistic about the future of the PR industry. They bring together two admirable types of professionals -- those eager to learn and grow as communicators and those willing to show them how to get there.
  • I just saw Adrianna Huffington pushing her new guide to blogging. You may have taken the wind from her sails!
  • great post! i will definitely send my clients to this site. :)
  • Chris you made some really great points here that I often tell my business coaching and consulting clients. I think one of the biggest problems educated people have is using simple words in their. Somehow they feel their vocabulary represents who they are.

    So I am glad you pointed that out here. Website writing is much different than writing a book. People's attention span is less then thirty seconds when it comes to the internet. If they have to stumble over words you lost them.

    Thanks for sharing your wonderful tips.
    Dawn
  • You did it Chris -- printed and wall-posted. Thanks!
  • I put the wrong website in the prior post
  • I am always looking for advice. These tips about brevity are particularly helpful to a lawyer like myself.
  • Very helpful! I'm hoping to start my own blog soon!
  • Dang, Brogan, you really rock immensely.
  • Thanks so much Chris. I've been working on the indyawesome blog for a few months now, and it's definitely one of my new years resolutions to have a superstar blog by the end of next year. It can be so hard to get your readership going. Sometimes it feels like you've just hit a wall. Thanks so much for sharing the secrets to your success.
  • I need this post in my life!!

    Haha, I've been really busy and trying to build a blog on relationships.
  • Love the 40 ways to deliver a killer blog. Maybe it is just my affinity for lists! All great points. There is a tendency to feel like you have to be a Pulitzer caliber writer to gain interest, but in reality you have to connect with your audience while relating to them. Chances are, they don't have and writing awards either. Great stuff!
  • I have to admit, I've always thought I was God's gift to writing, but never really understood why no one seemed to react to any of my posts on my (numerous) blogs. Well, breaking the majority of your first 10 rules seems to explain why (namely that whole brevity thing...like the Bard said: Brevity is the soul of wit).

    Thanks for a great post, I'll be sure to check back often for more great advice
  • Great list. Very concise and very helpful.

    Thanks for sharing!
  • This is one for the ages Chris. Wish I had waited until now to start my Blog ;-)
  • Last nite as I watched Chrysler ask for government help to build more internal combusiton cars -- I used a few of this tips to send out the news about Better Place's roll-out of real change in Hawaii - very effective

    Will use all your other tips too.
  • That. Says. It. All.
  • Fabulous post! Thanks for the inspiration. I must admit that I am in awe of the number of comments that you receive. You must be doing something right.
  • If people wrote as you suggest, then even I would read their blogs! You have reassured my belief in what writing is about.
  • Rocking hot post as usual Chris. A TON of great ideas that I will use for sure. Love the one about complete sentences. We don't talk in complete sentences, so why write in complete sentences? amen! PREACH!
  • I'm in! I vow to make my blog suck less in the New Year.
  • Thanks for the tips - some of it really fits right in with journalism 101.
  • Going with the condiments! You could have said reduce one less time. Also could you give me an analogy to help me understand #4? ;-) Seriously, this was a good read/refresher - thanks.
  • Thanks,, Chris! My blog just went live about a week ago, and I am posting this list on my wall to refer to!

    Another really great help to me in my fledgling bloggery has been Havi Brooks series on Blogging Therapy, which she writes every Tuesday. You'll find her at FluentSelf.com.

    I can use all the help I can get!
  • #36 with Zemanta and Firefox there is no reason not to have a picture in every post. Also great for finding other related articles and linking important concepts/people to wikipedia entries etc.
  • Chris, thanks for the comprehensive list.

    One point about internal blogging at businesses, especially for those companies that are not active in social media. Introduce a blog about customers and what problems your products are solving. Everyone likes to hear about customers and their stories can be fascinating. It also becomes great content for an eventual external company blog.
  • Thanks for this timely post. I like it when through synchronicity I read something I had just be thinking about. Will post a link to the article from my blog.
  • Chris
    BRILLIANT!
    So concise, so precisely what I needed this evening.
    Thanks so much for sharing all of this with the rest of us!
    I'll be adding you to my reader.
    Take care,
    Karenne
  • Hi,

    Seeing how many people posted comments here I'm sure that you know what you are talking about. It's obvious that you know your staff and I'm sure you worked hard for this community.

    The only thing I have to add is this :
    - Repeat all these steps at least 3 times per week.

    That's all for now. See you on Twitter.
    PS : I'm WebOptimization :)
  • Interesting points, that I will read again and see which ones fit. But I think it's also possible to have a blog as a hobby, and allow yourself not to spend all your time on it as if it was a job. I worry about the "not being interesting enough" - I worry about being too ecclectic. Since I sell jewelry, and have entries about Steampunk, Biblical exegesis, and sushi, am I really going to get an audience that wants to buy my jewelry? But I want to talk about everything that interests me. Hopefully the right people will come.
  • lifeofjenn
    #3 Use small words. You don’t have to impress people. You have to be clear.

    It's amazing what big complicated ideas can be communicated with small simple words. (I learned this living in China when people knew very little english but we were able to dialogue about big world issues)

    If there were such thing as blog church, I'd nominate you as the teaching pastor.
  • "Don’t be afraid to fail. Be afraid of not being interesting enough."
    Thanks for this reminder and many other great insights. It's easy to be interesting with so many fascinating people and conversations in the world today.
  • Awesome, Chris! You are so right on. Thank you.
  • Hi Chris,

    Just found you and added you to my blogroll. As a newbie to the world of blogging this post is really helpful. Thanks for all the well communicated tips! Happy holidays.
  • Yet another amazing post and worth printing for constant reinforcement. thx for putting it together in easy to comprehend format.
  • One question I have though is what's the difference between categories and tags and is it really necessary to use both?
  • Great stuff. I plan to print it out and put it on my wall. I've been blogging for about a month and a half now and the benefits are not just in having people find me for consulting work. What I really like about it is that it helps me move through my own ideas faster -- like being back in grad school where I had to defend every stray thought.

    Blogging makes me smarter ...
  • Ann
    Thanks for the tips. I'll pass this along.
  • I'll be sending you an invoice for paper and toner, as I print and save YET ANOTHER Brogan post.
  • Hi Chris, thank you for this great list, it answers many of the questions I had for a while! I love your point about brevity and using simple words. One of my all time favorite writing teachers, William Zinsser "On Writing Well", makes this point over and over: be brief, keep it real. Not as easy as it sounds, sometimes.
  • Great tips Chris-- I would add, from my experience, if you feel you don;t have time to blog MAKE the time, and use tools that help you. that's why I post from mobile quite often, because I think of topics on morning walks/drives, then post via Utterli.com. It changes the form of the posts, but it often dislodges bigger ideas for longer posts as well. More importantly, it creates a bigger stream of content, and sparks conversations.
  • I practice many of the points you have mentioned. One huge bullet point for me is showing drafts of my posts to a group of people in your circle who will give you very candid feedback. You are what you post on the web, so why not make sure you are showing your best side.
    It is also very important to constantly question yourself about motivation for your articles. Are you writing to stroke your own ego or to share real knowledge with the world?

    Apolinaras "Apollo" Sinkevicius
  • Hey, Chris -- Great post! So clearly laid out and broken down into manageable sections. I'm a baby-blogger (just stared a little over a month ago) and feel overwhelmed by all there is to learn. Thanks for making the process slightly easier! Michele
  • inspirational!
    will pass it on!
  • As always, very informative and helpful to the blogging community.

    Great post
  • Great post. Especially about learning about SEO. There are a ton of great blogs out there that will allow you to learn about it slowly but completely. And writing a blog helps your SEO if you do things the right way.
  • Hi Chris!

    #1 Extremely important and sometimes not easy to do it!

    #7 How many times I see biggg paragraphs completely inedible and worst, without any type of formatting, colors or subheadings!
    As a foodie the same must be utterly appealing to the eyes…like your favorite dish ;)

    # I want to remark the social media aspects of blogging, engage in your specific communities and/or use social media sites like stumbleupon, digg, mixx, sphinn, twitter and the list can continue…depending of your niche :)

    Congrats for this excellent article, bookmarked for future reference!

    Gera .:. sweetsfoods
  • Thanks for the wonderful ideas. For those of us who don't feel comfortable writing your post takes some of the fear out of it and provides a great starting point.
  • Good post, thanks. I DID print it & put it on my wall! :)
  • Chris - Excellent advice as usual. I especially think number 32 is important - I've found lots of useful, interesting information/opinions online just by following links from comments on other blogs.

    On #36 - there are a number of great tools online that let you search Flickr for CC licensed images. http://color.slightlyblue.com/ (no affiliation to me!) is one that lets you search based on colors, which is great for finding images that match your theme. And of course, Flickr's own advanced search at http://www.flickr.com/search/advanced/
  • these are some great tips to pass along to the other staff members on the website. this was an excellent post with some great advice.

    we have been hanging in there for 2 years now, and we just keep learning more and more about managing a site.

    thanks.
  • Great post and since we just started a blog, something I've been thinking (and reading about) quite a bit. Brian Clark from Copyblogger has a great, related article that's worth checking out: "5 Simple Ways to Open Your Blog Post With a Bang" -- he actually has a lot of helpful advice about writing content for blogs. Here's the link:
    http://www.copyblogger.com/5-simple-ways-to-ope...

    Cheers,
    Anna
  • Great post...I will definitely use this.
  • Nice post - lots of sound advice - like the bit about not being afraid to fail and dont worry about not being interesting (two pretty big stumbling blocks for most people)

    Ive got lots of work to do on mine - but that list will give some serious food for thought.
  • 2 Ideas come to mind:

    1. Be Bold!
    Don't be afraid to disagree with the status quo.

    2. Know your audience! Speak to them directly. You are not trying to appeal to everyone. Find your niche and stay home.

    anyone have other ideas to add to this list?
  • 41. Traffic bait posts about how to blog still seem to work!
  • Great tips! You inspire me to keep blogging and to get better at it. Thanks for sharing.
  • Thanks. Working on it all.
  • Excellent tips. You inspire me to keep on blogging and to improve every day. Thanks for sharing!
  • Great info for new bloggers. Pieced together very well, I have read umteen articles like this, but this one is very
  • I loved this! Better than a blog school & so easy to pass along to others just starting out. I just tweeted it to my followers. Thanks once again Chris!
  • Excellent and very timely. My students in a college course on Social Media & Business (http://sixdegrees.wikidot.com) just completed an assignment where they had to create a list of tips for blogging. We'll compare their lists with your list for a great discussion. Thanks, Chris!
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