By Terez Howard

 I know the old adage really says, The best teachers are learners. I think the saying applies to we bloggers, too.

Ever find yourself stuck in the same routine?

Personally, I have a cleaning routine. I clean each room in a specific order. I dust each piece of furniture in one order around the room, clean any glass and then clean the floor. That is my routine, and I can do it mindlessly and very quickly. That’s what is good about my routine.

The bad part of my routine is if I have to break it somehow, like if my refrigerator needs cleaned or my closet needs organized. I have a hard time getting the oomph to actually do a task outside of the ordinary.

I think that many bloggers get stuck in a routine, which is bitter-sweet. It’s sweet because a blogger can write an interesting post quickly. It’s bitter because a blogger might get stuck doing the exact same thing. This can morph interesting into boring.

I’ve stepped out of my usual blogging routine to interview a few of my writer friends. I have written for or with each of these people, and they each gave some thought-provoking insight.

I asked them all this question:

What is one problem you see with bloggers’ writing, and what is the solution?

Liz Strauss, (you should all know her!), said:

“Bloggers are often too self-conscious when they write … They focus too much on the information and not enough on bringing their own “value” to the topic. Information is all over the Internet, but an experienced opinion is not. I read your blog because you’re there.”

Dan Keller, a.k.a. Tycoon Blogger, said:

“The biggest problem I see with bloggers’ writing is that most are so damn boring. Seriously, most blogs are written like a car manual. I would like to see more bloggers loosen up and interject their personality into their writing and shake things up a bit. Dare to be edgy and exhibit some break-through thinking. I have personally been working on developing my own unique writing style, and I have found the more I deviate from the norm, the more popular my blog.”

Tom Lindstrom, from tlmarketing.net, said:

“Bloggers often write about things they like because this way it is a lot easier to keep a blog going for longer. The downside with this is that monetizing the blog becomes really hard because you need to have the right keywords (keywords that people are actually searching for every month) in order to make money from your blog. The solution is to do proper keyword research before writing anything.”

Katherine Nussberger, USARiseUp Associate Editor, said:

“My initial opinion is that many bloggers write about some topic or issue that is strictly based on their personal opinion. As a journalist, first and foremost, I personally do not see the value of this style of writing because in a lot of ways it feeds on negativity and does not provide a solution or unbiased account of the topic or issue. On our site, www.usariseup.com, we have very strict guidelines for our Blog Zone that specifically state that we need sources for all of our blog articles because we do not accept opinion based pieces.

Solution: I think that to become a reliable and usable source of information, bloggers need to cite their information, and provide valid comparisons of the topic that show both sides, which I know is similar to journalism, but even in blogging there have to be guidelines. Bloggers need to become more willing to show another opinion beside their own in their content, and let the readers decide which side they accept or believe in without trying to push the reader into a belief system that is exactly the same as the blogger.”

Jael Strong, one of TheWriteBloggers, said:

“The absolutely largest problem that I see with blogs is the poor mechanics. Misspelled words, omitted punctuation, and word misuse (i.e. “there house” instead of their “their house”) are sometimes so distracting that I stop reading altogether, even if the topic and writing themselves are engaging. The solution? Do not depend on spell check programs, periodically review the rules of grammar, and edit! The best editing strategy that I use is reading my work from the end to the beginning, sentence by sentence. I catch most of my punctuation errors through that strategy.”

What stood out to me?

Be interesting, be unique and be professional.

How would you answer my question: what is one problem you see with bloggers’ writing, and what is the solution?

—
Terez Howard operates TheWriteBloggers, a professional blogging service which builds clients’ authority status and net visibility. She regularly blogs at Freelance Writing Mamas . You’ll find her on Twitter @thewriteblogger

Thanks, Terez!

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!

By Terez Howard

I’ve been writing professionally for about 10 years, and the majority of those years were spent at the newspaper. I delved into blogging early this year, and I’ve learned a lot from this experience. These two writing avenues have taught me things about myself I didn’t even know.

I like writing on deadline.

When I first started writing for the newspaper, I was horrified when my editor threw me a breaking story that needed to be completed within a couple hours, so the story could appear in the same day’s newspaper. Now, I love that pressure. It might sound crazy, but I think the adrenaline rush helps me write better than ever, instead of agonizing over every word.

With blogging, I have yet to be on such a tight deadline. However, I’ve learned to not take five minutes over word choice. (Should I say choice or options?) When I blog, I try to be myself and just talk.

I don’t mind asking for help.

Working for the newspaper was a constant learning experience. Each and every day was different. When I was asked to cover a city council meeting when I usually covered Kiwanis Club meetings, I took the time to ask the regular reporter what to expect, what to listen for and what would make a newsworthy story.

As a novice to blogging, I researched how blogging was different from other writing and studied other blogs. I also asked and continue to ask more experienced bloggers for advice and direction. I don’t care if my questions seem stupid because I figure my questions can keep me from looking stupid.

I love to tell stories.

When I worked for the newspaper, I grew to enjoy telling someone else’s story. I felt like I was getting important information into the ears of the public. Feature stories were the best because they featured a person or group, who made some accomplishment or had an interesting story to tell. We can learn a great deal from simple stories.

I once got to write a story about the hometown bakery owner who used to be the manager for Wild Cherry. You know, “Play That Funky Music White Boy.” It was so fun to write!

When I blog, I try to tell stories. Most of the times, these stories are my own, and I have to remember that these stories have a point. Have you ever found yourself writing about something that happened to you only to get to the end and wonder what point you were trying to make?

Newspaper office or home office?

This one’s a draw. I think I like my home office more than my desk at the newspaper. At home, I can write whenever I have a spare moment, which is great with my rambunctious toddler. On the other hand, it can be difficult to jump on my computer to just check my e-mail with an active little girl tugging on my arm.

At the office, I had a set period of time from 8 to 4 every day to do my work. I got the job done. But I also had a lot of down time.

It’s not for the money.

Anyone who has ever worked for a newspaper, unless it’s a very huge paper, does not work for the money. A high school graduate, not a college graduate, could have easily earned what I did somewhere else. I stayed with the newspaper as long as I did because I enjoyed the work, writing people’s stories and being in an office full of wonderful people.

I blog because I love to write. Yes, I want to earn money with it, but I’m not looking to get rich. I’m not saying that you cannot earn a substantial income from blogging because I know it can be done. I just don’t want to.

What have you learned from blogging?

—
Terez Howard operates TheWriteBloggers, a professional blogging service which builds clients’ authority status and net visibility. She regularly blogs at Freelance Writing Mamas . You’ll find her on Twitter @thewriteblogger

Thanks, Terez!

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!

Interestingly, they both responded by asking an identical question. “What do you like to write about?”

I said that my favorite writing topic is family-related because my family is my life.

Talk in the real world

I haven’t been running my blogging business for a long time, and I have a confession to make. I have felt much more comfortable talking about my business behind the computer screen, rather than face-to-face, even if those faces were familiar ones.

But as I talked about my love for writing with my doctors, I learned something that I’ve read over and over again in blog after blog: Talk about your business in the real world. Yeah, when we have access to the entire world, it’s easy to forget about the people in our own town.

I read a blog post a while back (I wish I could find it!) that made an interesting point. The blogger said if you are a professional blogger for businesses, you should not neglect your local area. You could be the only one in your entire city.

Of the 20,000 people in my city, I only know one other professional blogger, and she’s my associate. Think about your area. What is your niche? You too might be the only person in your region offering the information in your blog.

Talk to the community

So I started brainstorming some ways to get my name known in my city. I used to be community editor for the newspaper, and I covered many club and organization meetings. These meetings oftentimes included guest speakers who not only shared useful information, but also gave out materials on their occupation/business.

I realized that several business professionals attended these meetings, and I could reach these individuals by volunteering to speak. Most of these meetings, like Kiwanis or Rotary, are covered in the newspaper. Can you see the free publicity that has the potential to reach a broad audience?

My goal is to speak for at least one meeting by the end of the year. If I get a lead, great. But my real objective is to get people talking about my blog and what I do.

Talk to familiar faces

I previously mentioned how I’ve been more comfortable speaking about my blogging virtually, rather than face-to-face. My other goal is to talk about blogging to my family and friends. It might not seem much like a goal, but several of my family members and friends aren’t aware of my blog.

Do your relatives and acquaintances know you have a blog? If they aren’t, why don’t you mention it? Be careful not to give your brother a sales pitch. Be casual. Be conversational.

If you want more traffic to your blog, and we all do, start talking in the real world. Those people own computers, too!

Who do/will you talk to about your blog?Â

 

—
Terez Howard operates TheWriteBloggers, a professional blogging service which builds clients’ authority status and net visibility. She regularly blogs at Freelance Writing Mamas . You’ll find her on Twitter @thewriteblogger

Thanks, Terez!

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!

By Terez Howard

If you’re just starting out blogging or you want to create an additional blog, here’s a word of advice:

Find a needle in the haystack.

Beginner bloggers probably have heard the terms “niche” and “micro niche.” A niche is a distinct segment of a market, while a micro niche is a more specific form of a wider market. For instance, green living is a niche, and green living with pets is a micro niche.

As a blogger, you want to find a topic that you already have contained a wealth of information, or at least you have a lot to say about the topic. Sounds easy enough, right?

It is pretty simple. Keep in mind that you not only go as tight as possible, but also make sure that you’re writing about something that people want to read about.

That’s where research comes in. Pay a visit to the Google Adwords Keyword Tool. Type in a desired keyword to get an idea of what people are searching for, and then head over to Google to see what you’re competition is like.

This method does not always give you a clear picture, though, since you’re keyword might be too broad, but you’re topic could be perfect. So check through several keywords and remember that a keyword alone should not decide the fate of your blog. It is just a piece of the puzzle.

There are various free and not free software programs that go into greater depth in spotting a niche. You could choose to invest in one if you plan on using it to generate blog topics or post ideas. However, in my opinion, it isn’t necessary.

My short blogging topic list

I was thinking about topics that I would like to write, as well as blogs that I would like to see and/or enjoy reading. I came up with the following list of topics about blogging:

1. Blog writing tips
2. Blog design
3. Unpaid blog marketing
4. Paid blog marketing
5. Sponsored blogging
6. Blogging for businesses
7. Blogging as a source of income
8. Blogging with babies
9. Blogging basics
10. Corporate blogging
11. Video blogging
12. Blogging for fun
13. Blogging about news
14. Blogging for newspapers
15. Where to find best blogs of a certain topic
16. Affiliate marketing and blogging
17. Social media marketing
18. WordPress plug-in reviews
19. WordPress template reviews
20. WordPress graphic designer reviews
21. Ghost blogging
22. Before you blog, you should know
23. The blog that responds to the best bloggers
24. Personal branding
25. Blog that reviews blogs
26. Blog strictly about blogging topics!

Within my list, I can see these topics can be even tighter. A blog about unpaid blog marketing could be cut down to only include how to market via Twitter. A blog that focuses on affiliate marketing on a blog could solely discuss using Commission Junction.

Are you thinking that a super tight micro niche blog will run dry on topics? It may. But the odds are slim because within one topic is the possibility of hundreds of posts.

So yeah, you’re trying to find a needle. It’s also a needle with a billion atoms on its point. You won’t run out of material.

What kind of blogging topics would you like to read or write about?

—
Terez Howard operates TheWriteBloggers, a professional blogging service which builds clients’ authority status and net visibility. She regularly blogs at Freelance Writing Mamas . You’ll find her on Twitter @thewriteblogger

Thanks, Terez!

–ME “Liz” Strauss
Work with Liz on your business!!