Write Better for a Better Blog Series
One of my favorite movies is Duplex, starring Ben Stiller and Drew Barrymore – I love that movie because it’s a hilarious, yet accurate portrayal of the life of writer with all its potential pitfalls and distractions.
I used to dream about setting up my lap-tap in a spectacularly decorated coffee shop, and then while sipping some extravagantly named caffeinated drink, I’d crank out the most inspiring best-selling copy ever!
Life would be grand – I’d never struggle to write a single piece.
After all, that how writers did in the movies…
Well…
At some point, I woke up and realized I was not in a movie and that some days I would struggle to create engaging content.
So I had to find a way to at least get a draft going – a structure that I could start working from and could leave and come back to later, when I was feeling a bit more inspired or when there were less distractions.
Using this structure makes writing easier for me. I could just start following my structure and write. I don’t always use it, but it certainly helps when I’m in a pinch and need to get the creative juices flowing quickly.
Here’s a structure you can follow that will make writing a little easier:
The Heart: Connect
Use your intro to connect with the reader. The easiest way to do this is to start out with a brief personal experience story or other use of vivid description that sparks curiosity. It doesn’t have to be a long and drawn out scene, re-visit my intro to this post – notice how I used just enough specifics to paint the picture.
The Why: Benefits
Highlight the benefits of accepting your opinion. Here you should reveal the significance – tell people why what you’re saying is important; why people should listen to you; and what wonderful things might happen as a result of putting your words into action. I presented “The Why” to you by suggesting that using this structure makes writing easier and is a good way to break past those times when you just can’t seem to get into writing.
The How: Tips
Include action steps that your reader can take for improvement. These don’t have to be totally innovative and completely original ideas. As long as you’ve made every effort to engage the reader at the beginning of the post, they’ll continue reading and will at least browse the following section headers to see what’s new and interesting. At some point in your life you’ve probably already heard about these tips – it’s nothing new, but it’s being presented to you in a new fashion.
The Wrap-up: Tie up the loose ends
Bring it all together – remind readers why it’s important to absorb the knowledge you’ve presented and why they need to act now.
The Question: Encourage interaction
Always end with a question. I love to ask for input or additional tips, because it not only encourages comments, but oftentimes those comments enhance my knowledge and that of any future readers who might take the time to read the comments as well. You never know, sometimes the answers might surprise you or make you think about things differently.
If you’ve been reading my content for a while, you’ll notice that this how I structure the bulk of my content. It allows me to start at any section, then later I can come back and fill in the others. It’s much more fun for me to write this way.
I’ve always believed that if I enjoy writing the post, then people will enjoy reading it. Of course, that might not always be true – but what’s the point in blogging at all if I can’t have a little fun with what I’m writing?
So anyway – can you guess where this is going? (Question!) What tips would you add for structuring great content?
About Kiesha Easley
If people who read this post actually follow your advice we would see a lot better quality posts out there. I don’t follow a strict system like that. Yet, I can totally see how it would improve an otherwise less than stellar blog post. I think that good writers follow most of the steps you mentioned without even thinking about it. It just comes out that way naturally.
Your last step about ending with a question is really effective if you want blog comments. Without that question, people sometimes feel weird about how to respond.
Kathy recently posted..Does That Blogger Know That You Like Them
Twitter: weblogbetter
says:
Hi Kathy,
Yes, this method does make it so much easier to write. We would see much better writing everywhere if people just thought about these steps.
I love the movie of Ben Stiller which is There is something about mary, nice love story and comedy.:.~
These are excellent tips for structuring your posts. Too many bloggers simply write their topic but do not leave a door open for commentors to carry on a conversation.
Tracy recently posted..It’s Funky- Freaky Friday- Fashion’s Oddest Finds- Right Here-
Hey Kiesha,
I really like how simple you broke this down. This is one of those simple formula that anyone can remember and apply it. It does take consistency to apply it. Thanks for putting it together!
Chat with you later…
Josh
Josh Garcia recently posted..The Secret to Successful Blogging
Yeah, agree with you – your popularity is strongly connected with the quality of the materials and posts in your blog.That can be said about the Google rankings of the blog also.
Twitter: dragonblogger
says:
Writing to draw reaction and engaging readers to respond and comment is key, it doesn’t matter if you are challenging and expecting arguments or inviting similar opinions, the most prolific and shared posts are ones that encourage readers to participate and share their insights.
Enjoyed the article and Duplex is a good movie.
Justin Germino recently posted..Create Clean Title Tag for your WordPress Posts
Twitter: weblogbetter
says:
Hi Justin,
You’ve definitely got it! Now I’m in the mood to watch that movie again… :)
Wise words from the blog guru herself :) Great tips Kiesha, so where does the “call to action” should be placed at? at “the question” part? I never tried using a question as a closing part, but I do see many great blogs that ask good questions at the end of their posts, but the intention was to attract curious minds in discussing the issue through comments. I guess that really is effective and can bring positive results for the blog.
By the way, I just followed you on twitter :)
Regards,
Jason
kaiserthesage recently posted..Top Page for a Very High Competition Keyword in 3 Months Part II
Twitter: weblogbetter
says:
Hi Jason,
LOL! Guru – that’s funny! Actually the question is kind of a call to action – so that would be a very appropriate place to put a call to action – but keep in mind that this structure isn’t set in stone – I just use it as a guide to get me started when I’m struggling. The “wrap-up” section might also be appropriate – it all depends on what you’re trying to accomplish.
Thanks for following on Twitter – I’ve followed back. Curious to see what tweets you’ve got in store :)
The way I write content is all over the place in terms of structure, but I do frequently use this basic structure. I can normally write a few sentences in each section using this structure and end up with a draft that actually says something vs. some of my ‘free-writing’ pieces that are 2000 words long and still don’t make a point :)
Jean Sarauer recently posted..7 Signs That Granny Hijacked Your Blog
Twitter: weblogbetter
says:
Hi Jean,
If I didn’t constantly check myself – my writing would be all over the place, too. I’ve got several unfinished novels that will attest to that! :)
Excellent comparsion of the a film to a blogger. When you blog there is so much to consider.
This is my first visit to the blog its very well laid out. With call to actions throughout the site.
Well done
Twitter: weblogbetter
says:
Hi James!
Welcome! Glad to see you here! I certainly hope you will return.
Excellent set of steps. However, I don’t always have a personal story to start off a post with.
I find that asking questions that get the reader thinking in the direction your are going with your article is a great way to start a post as well.
I can’t begin to tell you how important it is explain the benefits to your readers. Or why it’s so important. But ask any telemarketer if you really want to know. ;)
Blog Angel a.k.a. Joella recently posted..Want To Write More Engaging Posts? Think Like A Telemarketer
Twitter: weblogbetter
says:
Hi Joella,
I don’t always have a story either – but any steps taken to connect to the reader can be effective.