Buffer
GetSocial
Feb
09

Why You Must Never Write A Killer Post

By | Blogging, Write Better, Writing

47 Comments

ProhibitedKiller post!

Those two words seem to appear everywhere in the blogosphere, don’t they?

This post was inspired by a comment made by Samar, after my last post, Be Honest Now – Would You Read Your Blog?

Samar used the expression Killer Post… and I started thinking… and this is the result.

Here’s my view on Why You Must Never Write a Killer Post.

I don’t know about you but when I hear or read the word Killer I feel a bit afraid. I have to admit it leads to loads of scary images and I certainly wouldn’t want the word used to describe my writing.

Here’s where my mind takes me….

1.   A killer is usally anonymous.

He doesn’t want to be recognised, does he? He even wears a mask or some kind of disguise and even disguises his voice.

My blog isn’t anonymous. And neither is yours! Exactly the opposite in fact. We try to get our names and our niches known by as many means as we can.

We tell anyone who will listen (and some who won’t) about our blog and entice them to read it and stay with us in our blog community.

We’re proud to have readers, especially when they pay us complements. We want to be known.

We read sites like Think Traffic to help us increase our readership and share ideas on sites like this one.

What are you doing to become  ’known’?

Are you -

  • Offering services exclusively to subscribers?
  • Joining A-List Blogger Club to learn from the Forums and Boot Camps?
  • Looking at blogs you enjoy to see how they grow their readership?

Start today and see what happens.

2.   Killers sometimes act without thinking.

You know how it feels when you ‘have’ to send out a post but have nothing much to write about?

Do you -

  • write without thinking?
  • post for the sake of it?
  • think it won’t matter if you don’t post for a week or two?

I hope you  -

  • Make a plan. Brainstorm your post idea and make a list of points. Let your mind come up with what it wants you to write.
  • Write something new. That’s the hardest part. So much has been written on your subject/niche before and it feels impossible to come up with a new angle. But if it’s not new and different, would you bother to read it on your blog?
  • Don’t read what others have written on your post topic before you write your post. It’s so easy to do that and be influenced. You are unique. No one else writes as you do. Your writing is yours. There’s no need to copy someone else’s style, and it’s not polite!

3.     Killers use a disguise.

Do you hide your true self?

Why?

Do you write without emotion?

Why?

Does your passion shine through your writing?

Why not?

You must -

Let the world see who you are.

  • Be transparent. Let yourself show through your writing. Develop your own style so it  becomes instantly recognisable.
  • Be proud of who you are, your expertise, your creativity, your ‘youness’.
  • Don’t hide your talent. You know it’s there, show it in the way only you know how to do. The braver you are the braver you’ll become.
  • Choose images that reflect you. I was surprised to see in this post in Arvind Devalia’s  series about Relationships, some images of cats and kittens! I had no idea he is a ‘cat person’ but these delightful images tell us a great deal about the man, which words alone might not.

So … Do you still want to write that Killer Post?

In the comments, tell us what you find the hardest to do, when writing your posts.

  • Is it hard to be transparent?
  • Is it hard to find  traffic?
  • Is it hard to write something new, in a new way?

What would you like most help with?

We’d love to know.

Image credit

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
About Linda Hewett

Linda blogs at Positive Spin Blog where she provides Practical Confidence Solutions. She is a qualified Confidence Coach and has experienced many Confidence Issues herself, so she is able to empathise with her readers and help them to solve their problems.

Comments

  1. Gary Ashton from Nashville Golf homes says:
    December 19, 2011 at 8:48 pm

    I was about to say, “Killer article, here!”. But I think I’m going with, “Clever post” instead. :) I don’t like the sound of it as well. It has a different meaning to everyone and I would just rather use a different word than do everyone else does.

    Really great points here. Good stuff. :)
    Gary Ashton recently posted..LeAnne Constantine of REMAX Elite continues to sell Nashville real estate in December 2011My Profile

    Reply
  2. Alice says:
    September 28, 2011 at 10:54 am

    It’s very hard to be original when you have thousands of listings being posted everyday, and you don’t want to disappoint your users by showing them something they have already seen before, creating an original listing post is definitely a hard mission.
    Alice recently posted..CAKE SHOP GAMESMy Profile

    Reply
  3. Melphys says:
    August 31, 2011 at 2:42 pm

    Good post. I recently stumbled upon your web site and want to say that I have honestly appreciated browsing your blogs. Anyway I shall be following your feed and I am hoping you are writing more in the near future.

    Reply
  4. jocurionline says:
    August 21, 2011 at 11:08 am

    This blog is very interesting for me and others ,I will return very soon for other items,thank you very much.

    Reply
  5. Cheolsu says:
    June 20, 2011 at 11:51 pm

    Linda, Those are some interesting points and did enjoy reading it. I started blogging before 6 months. I used to post one post daily for the first 3 months. Off late, finding new ideas for blog post is getting tough. I have been trying to write totally unique, content rich article. Some of my articles that have a unique title and content have always ranked much better than other posts.
    Cheolsu recently posted..Airtel LoginMy Profile

    Reply
  6. Carla says:
    June 13, 2011 at 3:56 pm

    You give valid arguments why you shouldn’t write a killer post and I really enjoyed reading them. The fact that English isn’t my “mother language” makes thing a little difficult for me to understand some thing and to make myself understood but I’m still learning.

    Reply
  7. Razvan says:
    June 13, 2011 at 2:09 pm

    Getting traffic is as hard as getting new ideas for posts, if you get some rad idea for a post, it might go viral and the traffic will come for itself, so practically, brainstorm the right post idea then try to see if it can build the traffic by itself.

    Reply
  8. John says:
    February 15, 2011 at 10:59 am

    I certainly don’t agree, because you took the word “killer post” too literally. When someone talks about “a killer post” he just want to say that he is very proud of his post. Something like: really cool, or crazy post, or fantastic post. Something like that. There is one reason WHY you should write a killer post and that’s for the sake of building community. Someone told me a couple a weeks ago that we should actually present our best articles/posts on the front page. I asked him why? He said because the first impression is the most important. If someone come over to your blog and he reads a post which he really don’t like, he will label your log as “bad, worse” and he won’t definitely come back. What I’m trying to say is writing killer posts as much as you can is of vital importance, because if you don’t.. you will certainly lose people. Just my 2 cents!

    (one of the first times I really wanted to take part in a discussion on a blog. Usually I just read some “killer” information and I’m gone, haha.:P)
    John recently posted..Gratis Voetbal op je PC kijkenMy Profile

    Reply
    • Linda Hewett
      Twitter:
      says:
      February 15, 2011 at 12:51 pm

      Hey John!
      I think you need to read my post again! I was trying to take the negative meanings of ‘killer’ and use them to show that in the true sense,’killer posts’ are exactly what we should be writing.
      If you read the other comments I think you’ll see that you have misunderstood me.
      Hope I haven’t misled you!
      Thanks for commenting today.
      Linda Hewett recently posted..Do You Lose Friends QuicklyMy Profile

      Reply
  9. Anne Sales | Coupon Codes says:
    February 11, 2011 at 9:21 am

    Wow, very catchy title and most interesting content. I honestly never looked at it that way. But that’s the wisdom of having a good sense of anticipation.
    Anne Sales | Coupon Codes recently posted..GotoMeeting Promo CodeMy Profile

    Reply
  10. Keith says:
    February 10, 2011 at 12:44 pm

    You make some very valid point why you should never write killer posts. But in todays world, the english language means lots of different things and some words now mean the exact oppposite. Especially with the younger generation.

    I’m off to write a kick ass post on my blog now, lol
    Keith recently posted..Weider Home Gyms – Very Popular Exercise Machines For Home Gym UsersMy Profile

    Reply
  11. Alex says:
    February 10, 2011 at 11:46 am

    Being transparent is definitely much harder then anyone else things. Even when you want to present something that you want to share with everybody, some aspects may seem much harder to reveal and you might omit them.

    Getting traffic is as hard as getting new ideas for posts, if you get some rad idea for a post, it might go viral and the traffic will come for itself, so practically, brainstorm the right post idea then try to see if it can build the traffic by itself.

    As for killer, I think it can have a lot of meanings but it depends on every people perception about id and the context.
    Alex recently posted..Coloreaza Sirele H2OMy Profile

    Reply
  12. Mavis Nong says:
    February 10, 2011 at 9:58 am

    Hi Linda,

    Interesting title, interesting post.

    It’s funny how we tend to use some words without paying attention to the actual meaning.

    As you have clearly pointed out “killer post” is the opposite description of an “amazing post”.

    Thanks for sharing your insights.

    All the best,
    Mavis
    Mavis Nong recently posted..Blogging Platform – Have You Convincingly Made The Right ChoiceMy Profile

    Reply
  13. Patrick Simspon says:
    February 9, 2011 at 11:09 pm

    Thanks for this post, it sums up everything that I have been thinking for awhile, I have been trying to find myself as a blogger without copying anyone else, although it does happen. I try to give readers the info that I have had to spend hours learning and researching, so that don’t have to waste their valuable time.

    Thanks
    Patrick Simpson
    Patrick Simspon recently posted..Using Kompozer To Create Mini-Sites For Free Part 4My Profile

    Reply
  14. Brad Harmon says:
    February 9, 2011 at 8:58 pm

    I’m a little sad, Linda. Several commenters already took my “killer post” idea. ;)

    It’s interesting how some words make their way into our everyday lexicon meaning something so opposite of its actual meaning. With the shooting a few weeks ago in Arizona, it makes us rethink phrases like this, doesn’t it?

    Your post has done the same. A killer post doesn’t seem to be anything we’d want near our post now.
    Brad Harmon recently posted..21 Resources for Writing Guest Posts that Kick Some Serious ButtMy Profile

    Reply
  15. William Tha Great
    Twitter:
    says:
    February 9, 2011 at 2:59 pm

    Hey Linda,

    Thanks for the awesome article!

    I must say it was a pleasure reading this! You really have made me rethink writing a killer post! What if I was to write a fantastic post, or magnificent post, or even astromatic post(don’t even know if that one was a word ha) but, you get the point the word “killer” is really only a term used.

    Personally I just want to write the best article I possibly can!

    Thanks again!

    God bless,
    William Veasley
    William Tha Great recently posted..Jealousy Is a Useless EmotionMy Profile

    Reply
  16. Nicole says:
    February 9, 2011 at 12:12 pm

    This is a great post with some great advice! The hardest thing for me is to write something new, in a new way. When someone has already written on a topic, it can be hard to think of something new to add. But I liked what you said about each person’s writing being unique and no one can write the same way. We should always remind ourselves about that on a daily basis.
    Nicole recently posted..Avoid Theft During Your MoveMy Profile

    Reply
  17. steven papas
    Twitter:
    says:
    February 9, 2011 at 11:53 am

    Hey Linda, that was a “killer” title :) thanks for sharing your thoughts. I liked the “write something new” subtitle. I ‘ve been noticing the last months that blogosphere is packed with blogging tips for blogging repeated over and over again. It’s very nice when someone makes the difference and provides something new.
    steven papas recently posted..How to Place Google Ads In Your Blog And Optimize Your RevenueMy Profile

    Reply
  18. Ben says:
    February 9, 2011 at 10:16 am

    You have a clever writing style. I agree you need to have your own unique style. This way, you can blog about the same things as everyone else, but with your own spin on things.

    Reply
  19. Johan - Chesstiger says:
    February 9, 2011 at 9:35 am

    Since english isn’t my mother language i have trouble in being transparent as i would like to be. It’s difficult sometimes to come up with the correct word that descrives exactly what i want to say.
    Johan – Chesstiger recently posted..Thoughtproces- where are youMy Profile

    Reply
  20. Andreas says:
    February 9, 2011 at 9:13 am

    Its very tough to come up with something new the more resources you digest on a daily basis. You will get the feeling that everything has been said and done, which may give you a feeling of frustration. However many famous bloggers repeat other bloggers, but the important thing is that they do it in their own words, then your blog will become successful.

    Reply
  21. DiTesco
    Twitter:
    says:
    February 9, 2011 at 7:49 am

    Well you certainly described what “killer” is, and as you said, many do use this expression. I too am guilty of it, but maybe my point is that the “killer” aspect sometimes is referred to as “eliminating” competition :) Obviously debatable and something to think about.

    When writing, just about anything (including comments sometimes, lol), I normally find problems in being as “transparent” as possible, as it is not as easy as it seems. As for traffic, I have to admit that before I had this urge that every time I publish a new post that it will go “viral” or something, but not anymore. BTW, there’s another word, that might inspire a next post, “viral”, or a “killer viral post”, haha.
    DiTesco recently posted..Free WordPress Themes- Shocking Facts You Need To KnowMy Profile

    Reply
  22. iphone 5 says:
    February 9, 2011 at 5:03 am

    killer post… no it isn’t… it made me come alive.. amazing post…sometimes you are so full of ideas that you don’t know what to write about.. but sometimes you couldn’t come up with one even if you tried… so i would say writing about something new is the hardest thing for me
    iphone 5 recently posted..Will iPhone 5 support LTEMy Profile

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Featured in Blokube.com says:
    February 10, 2011 at 12:16 am

    Why You Must Never Write A Killer Post…

    Killer post! Those two words seem to appear everywhere in the blogosphere, don’t they? This post was inspired by a comment made by Samar, after my last post, Be Honest Now – Would You Read Your Blog? Samar used the expression Killer Post… and I started…

    Reply

Speak Your Mind

*

CommentLuv badge
This blog uses premium CommentLuv which allows you to put your keywords with your name if you have had 3 approved comments. Use your real name and then @ your keywords (maximum of 3)