Successful Blog

Is Your Blog An Interior Designer’s Dream?

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By Terez Howard

When someone visits your home, what do they notice?

Will a visitor see clean hardwood floors, cozy seating decorated with fashionable pillows, artwork that matches your theme and room uncluttered by knickknacks and accessories? On the other hand, will a person see a sticky mess on the walls, a carpet that obviously hasn’t been vacuumed in ages, a couch buried by papers and no visible pathway through the room?

These are two extremes. But which spectrum would you want to lean toward? Obviously, the neater one. Sure, no home that’s lived in can look like it belongs in an Ethan Allen catalog. I’m satisfied with a neat, clean, presentable home.

Now type in your blog’s url.

What is will visitors see?

Is it overrun with affiliate links, disorganized archives, poor picture placement, harsh backgrounds and tiny fonts? Or is it simply pleasing to the eyes, a place where visitors can find everything they want?

How can you make sure your blog looks home sweet home?

The same way you make a house a home. You clean it, and you organize its contents. With your blog, you should choose a clean-looking theme, or have a professional designer make one for you. That doesn’t mean it has to just be a cold, solid color background with nothing else. It does mean that your readers will not instantly want to click away from your blog without reading your content.

Here’s how you can get a clean, organized blog:

  • Think about your audience.  Who will be frequenting your blog? Business owners, mothers, gamers, writers? What kind of graphics would your audience like to see? What type of format would they favor?
  • Are your posts and archives easily accessible? Readers come to your blog to read. They shouldn’t have to sort through junk to get to your content.
  • Categorize your information.  Arrange each of your posts according to specific categories. Then, visitors can check out all that resourceful information found conveniently in the categories they want to see.
  • Auxiliary links should be seen but not blinding. Links to your business website, friends’ blogs and other extra links should be easily available to your readers, but they should not overpower your blog. Be discreet.
  • Don’t forget that subscribe button.  Every blog should be equipped with a subscribe button, so your faithful followers can easily follow you.

Give yourself a blog makeover

Niecy Nash isn’t going to pop in and clean up your blog. But there are plenty of graphic designers that will offer their services.

If you’re more of a do-it-yourselfer, like myself, do it yourself. Check out blogs that have designs you favor. See how you can incorporate such elements in your blog. Ask your friends, graphic designers or not, for their opinions. Then get working.

When visitors pop in, you won’t be trying to kick old newspapers under the couch. You won’t be embarrassed. You won’t feel impelled to say that you’re under construction, even if you’re not.

What makes a blog an interior designer’s dream?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!!

How To Become A Guest Blogger

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By Terez Howard

Last week, we talked about the benefits that come from guest blogging on high traffic blogs. If you’re just stopping in this week, here’s a brief review:

    • Guest blogging gets people talking about you.
    • Guest blogging helps you establish connections with other business professionals.
    • Guest blogging may eventually lead to paying work.

 

This week, I promised to help you writers interested in getting involved in guest blogging. First let me say, there’s no one, correct way of getting your original blog posts on other people’s blogs. That said, there are two ways you can do this that I’m going to share.

The prepackaged approach

1. You search for a blog that relates to your niche or your interests. Perhaps you like to write about fashion. So, you look for fashion blogs. Be specific in your search. Perhaps you want to hone in on fashion for pregnant women.

2. Check to see if your blog of choice accepts guest bloggers. Some blogs have specific guidelines for guest bloggers. Make sure you understand what is expected of you.

3. Examine the blog to see if it seems to be a blog with high traffic. This can be difficult to ascertain. I like to look at comments, number of tweets and the amount of content the blog produces. I check to see if I can see a pattern in the number of posts per day/week.
Tip: You want to find a blog with decent traffic so that people will become familiar with your work. I’m not saying to never write for smaller blogs. But you should keep your purpose in mind.

4. Choose a topic that hasn’t been covered on the blog. Try to aim for a unique angle. For instance, with my pregnancy fashion example, you could write a post about swimsuits and cover-ups that flatter that baby bump.

5. Write the post.

6. E-mail your post to the blog’s owner. Most blogs will have a contact page, where you can find an e-mail address.

7. Wait one week, and respond with a follow-up e-mail if you don’t hear anything. Your short, simple follow-up e-mail could read as follows:
I wanted to make sure you received my guest blog post “Flattering That Baby Bump At The Beach.” I sent it on Wednesday, June 12. Will you be able to publish it?
Tip: You might want to attach your post again in case it has been overlooked. It will save your contact the time of having to ask you for your blog post and waiting for your response.

8. Wait another week. If you still don’t hear anything, use that guest blog post on your blog, pitch it to another relevant blog or use it for article marketing.

The opened package

1. Follow the first four steps of the prepackaged approach.

2. E-mail the blog owner your idea. Make your guest blog post pitch short and sweet. You could say:
I enjoy reading your blog posts about fashion for pregnant women, especially the one about (name a specific example). I would like to write a guest post on swimsuits and cover-ups that flatter that baby bump, such tankinis and pareos, but still keep pregnant women cool on the beach. Please let me know if I can move forward on this idea.

3. Wait one week, and then follow up with another e-mail.

4. Wait another week. Again, if you hear nothing back, use your idea for another blog, your own blog or another avenue.

 

No pay, high exposure

Most guest bloggers are not paid. I say most because some guest bloggers are paid. You must remember that guest blogging is not meant to be your source of income. It will hopefully lend a hand in leading to a client or two. It will definitely give you a following.

How do you go about guest blogging?

 

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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!!

A Memorable Blogger Is A Guest Under Many Roofs

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By Terez Howard

You are a blogger. You want people to know who you are. You want the sight of your name to instantly remind readers of your brand. You want to be memorable.

The people I remember are the people that are everywhere.

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Bloggers that guest blog here, there and everywhere stick in my mind. They are the ones hat offer their insights on their own blog but aren’t stingy with their wisdom. They willingly share their expertise and musings with the audiences of other blogs.

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The beauty of guest blogging is that a well-established blog already has regular readers, and they flock in droves daily. They talk; they comment; they tweet about this blog. Then one day you get to write for this blog, and you’re the talk of the town.

One Guest Blog Post Increased My Twitter Followers Sevenfold from writing at this very blog.

Not only that, I recently established a relationship with a blogger I met on LinkedIn who also wants to blog for businesses. Guess how she heard about me? Liz Strauss!

Guest blogging gets your name known, or at the very least, recognized. Don’t expect an instant surge in traffic to your blog or tons of requests for your services from a single guest blog post. While these are possibilities in the early stages, they are results that should come gradually… and not from just one post.

Get under many roofs

If you want to spread your image around, guest blog for several blogs. Choose blogs with readers that will be interested in what you have to say and that will benefit from your knowledge and experience.

If you know nothing about reverse mortgages (I don’t!), then don’t try to write for a blog about them. Readers will wonder why they are reading general, rehashed information from you. Further, you won’t have any fun writing on a topic that bores you to sleep. You’ll find yourself staring at the computer screen, waiting for the words to magically appear. They won’t.

If you hope for traffic from your guest blog post to go to your blog, then the topics have to compliment one another. They don’t have to be carbon copies. But I’m not going to click on a mesothelioma lawyer blog after I read post on summer hair care.

Be a good guest

When I am a dinner guest at some else’s home, I take off my shoes, compliment their décor and be as polite as possible. Hosts expects these pleasantries when having guests in their homes.

So a guest blogger should give her host respect. Even if you guest post for a blog just one time, you must give it your all. Your guest post on a heavily trafficked blog might get viewed hundreds of times over the course of time.

What do you want visitors to see below your name? An engaging post with little to no errors which provides readers of that blog with practical content. That’s it.

Do you want to get started guest blogging? We’ll talk about how to do it next week.

In the meantime, what do you like or dislike about guest blogging?

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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!!

Follow The Leaders and Be Your Own

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By Terez Howard

A blogger is not just a blogger, not just a writer. Sure, the basic nuts and bolts of blogging includes stringing words together to make an entertaining, informative blend of copy. A truly great blogger also is a follower.

What? A follower? That’s what I said. And you thought that a major part of blogging was uniqueness. You’re not incorrect. That one-of-a-kind feel is necessary. You see, top bloggers make it to the top because they learn from other top bloggers.

It’s starting to make sense, huh? We bloggers learning the ropes (I include myself) can benefit greatly from regularly checking out what the bloggers who know their way around the web have to say.

But who are these great leaders?

I have my favorites, which I will share. But first, let me say that this will be different for everyone, depending on your niche, style and goals. In addition, there are business professionals that you might discover that have nothing to do with your specific niche, style or goals. You just like what they say and see the benefit from their words of wisdom. Let’s examine each of these.

1. Niche. What is your niche? If you are a fashion blogger, you should read well-established fashion blogs. Emulate what they do, while making your blog your blog. Do not be a copy cat.

I haven’t yet found a blogger who exactly does what I do. If you know any bloggers for businesses that willingly share their knowledge, please let me know.

2. Style. If you are looking to improve your writing skills, visit a blog that helps you become a more prolific writer. I believe a multitude of these blogs exist. If you’re like me, you don’t have the time to follow everyone; so find the person who blogs in a way that makes sense to you.

As for style, my absolute favorite blogger is Jennifer Mattern. I found her blog allfreelancewriting.com about six months ago, and I’ve been following her advice on writing and building a business, tailoring it to make it work for me. If you follow what she says, you will not fail.

3. Goals. What goals do you hope to achieve with blogging? If you want to make money selling your own product, you should visit blogs that tell you how to do this.

Hint: Look for ones that offer tons of free advice and don’t reek of sales copy. These are the bloggers that will truly have a desire to help you.

One of my goals is to make a modest living by blogging. I look to Chris Brogan on chrisbrogan.com to help me see how I can get my name out there. I notice that he primarily focuses on helping people. While I want to make money (I’m being honest!), I sincerely want to help people. I refuse to use fraudulence for material gain.

4. I like it. I ran across successful-blog.com when I was looking for leaders. I enjoyed what Liz Strauss had to say and how she got her point across. She’s the businesswoman who makes you think and motivates you to do something. I’m very grateful for the time she has taken with me.

You have your leaders. Now what?

Now you be you. Be unique. Take what leading bloggers say, apply it to your blog and make it your own. This isn’t a mindless game of follow the leader. The blogger does a dance, and you attempt to imitate the routine precisely. No. You dance to the beat of your own drum.

Who are some of your favorite bloggers and why?

 

—
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!!

Write For A Blog Reader And Not A Book Reader

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By Terez Howard

How to blog series
cooltext455576688_blogging
When you sit down to read a book, you read from left to right, paragraph to paragraph, page one to page two. That’s how I read a book, anyways.

When you read a blog, how do read it? I scroll like I’m looking for something, even if I don’t know what I’m looking for or what I’m going to find. I go up and down like a yo-yo, deciding whether or not a post is worth my time to read it. I check out subheadings, bullet points, bold characters, italics, a discernable font, and I love short paragraphs.

Time for a new paragraph. That last one was getting too long for my eyes. Why should you care how people read blogs?

First impressions – the worst impressions?

Because if readers don’t like the way your blog looks, even if you’re a first-rate writer, they are not going to read what you write. I do it all the time. I discover a post with an interesting headline and excitedly click on that link. When I see huge clumps of text and yellow-colored, size 8 font on a black background, I’m done.

It doesn’t matter what that blogger wrote. I’ve made a judgment call. Slap my wrist and tell me that I’m wrong. I don’t care. I’ve decided that if that writer doesn’t know the basics about blogging, then he/she couldn’t possibly have anything worthwhile to say.

It’s not the nicest way to be. I wasn’t always like this, tough. I’ve stumbled upon poorly constructed blogs that I have attempted to decipher. A deeper dig reveals typos galore, poor English and terrible content again and again. So why waste my time trying to translate?

You never get a second chance to make a first impression

Make a good first impression on your readers. First and foremost, you need original, well-written content. That is the foundation of a great blog.

Second, and this may seem ridiculous to say, but please make sure that people can read the size and style of your font. If you try to be too fancy, say with a script-type font, people will click away. If your words are too small for the average pair of eyes, people will click away. If the font is too big and overbearing, people will click away.

Either while you write or after you write and edit, you should try to include:

  • Subheadings. These break up text and summarize what readers can expect as well as build anticipation.
  • Bullet points/numbered lists. These are my favorites to read and write. They, too, break up text so well. I notice that if I read nothing from a blog post, I will read the list.
  • Bold, italics, underline, etc. Pepper your post with these font features when you want to stress something. But do not inundate a post with them. No need for the entire post to be bold.
  • Short paragraphs. Don’t write an entire blog post with just one paragraph. Staring at a computer screen with one long block of text is rough on the eyes. You can’t see anything. Experienced bloggers recommend three to four sentences per paragraph.

Use common sense

When you write for blog readers, don’t be a stickler to any rules. You’re thinking, And what’s the reason for this post if I can do whatever I want?

Well, of course you can do whatever you want. I’m saying that you don’t have to count the number of sentences per paragraph or include a bulleted list in every single post. Be natural. Think about your audience. Remember, write how you read.

A computer screen looks much differently than a book. Make it easy for people to read your blog.

How do you write for blog readers?

—
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!!

Know Your History To Shape Your Future

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By Terez Howard

We all have a story to tell. Some naturally have more interesting stories than others, while the great story tellers have a way with words, even if their tales are not particularly earth-shattering. What we experienced in the past and experience at present, whether it directly relates to our niche or not, makes its way into our blogs.

But what is a blog? If you’re reading this, you have some idea. My husband recently asked me how the term blog got started. This definition is for him and anyone like him who would like to know the etymology of the word.

William Safire put it so well back in 2002. He wrote this: Blog is a shortening of Web log . It is a Web site belonging to some average but opinionated Joe or Josie who keeps what used to be called a ”commonplace book” — a collection of clippings, musings and other things like journal entries that strike one’s fancy or titillate one’s curiosity. What makes this online daybook different from the commonplace book is that this form of personal noodling or diary-writing is on the Internet, with links that take the reader around the world in pursuit of more about a topic.

That 8-year-old definition still applies to the present blog. It isn’t just about writing a journal. It’s about making a difference.

You have to know where you came from to know where you’re going.

That old adage has been recited to me many times. What does it mean to bloggers as a group? According to Safire, a blog would “strike one’s fancy or titillate one’s curiosity.” When I read this, I wondered whose curiosity he was speaking of? The blogger’s or the reader’s?

It should be both. A blog is meant to be shared and get an audience involved in a subject. You write what you know. You write what you love. You write what you hate. But more basically, you write what you find is interesting, and you hope that others will be interested, too.

How do you keep people interested?

Let’s go back to our history. Safire said bloggers should “take the reader around the world.” One way to keep your audience interested is by guiding them through the world wide web with links that explore your topic deeper.

Bloggers can link to the following:

  • Other people’s blog posts related to your topic.
  • Your own related blog posts.
  • Websites of businesses, communities and people you mention in your posts.
  • Your other blogs.
  • Your own websites.
  • Videos relating to your content, by you or someone else.
  • Audio downloads that explore your topic further, by you or someone else.

You can place these links at the beginning or end of your posts, depending on the link. You can have a designated page for these links, such as one that includes links to your other websites. You also can put links in your right or left panel, so they’re easily accessible to visitors.

 

When your blog thoroughly provides answers to readers through content and external links, your audience will look to you as an expert in your niche. They will come back for more.

Now that you know your history as a blogger, how will that knowledge affect your future in blogging?

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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!!