By Terez Howard

If you’re on Jon Morrow’s e-mail list, then you probably received his message about getting rid of nice writing. He pointed to Jennifer Greshem’s post Why I Fired My Father (And Maybe You Should Too) and how this woman openly talked about her personal life.

Jon spoke about the blogging world being overrun with nice, helpful information. He said it is boring. And I have to agree with him to an extent. Type in a simple phrase, like how to grow long hair, and you will be inundated with content. Most of it will be junk, some will contain nuggets of truth and a few will be entirely well-written and thoroughly helpful articles.

Is it really mean?

I read Jennifer’s post, and I didn’t think it was mean at all. She professionally explained her story, why she made the decisions she did and how others can learn from her. She was not mean; she was real.

Now, my husband calls me mean. When I told him about this post, he said, “You’re not just mean, Terez. You pride yourself in being mean.” I suppose that’s true. But to correct him, I said that you can call it whatever you want. I prefer to call it real.

In my personal life, I have an “I don’t care what people think” attitude. I will speak my mind, and if it happens to hurt your feelings, so be it.

I think this was really Jon’s point. There’s no need to hide behind a curtain of niceness if you feel strongly about a subject. Your strong emotions will get traffic and will get people talking. Look at the multitude of comments on Jennifer’s post.

3 ways to be mean the right way

I really examined Jennifer’s so-called mean post. I noticed something particularly interesting, besides her unvarnished honesty. Several times, she referred to expert sources. She wrote a blend of journalism and blogging. I found this intriguing.

With my journalism background (I worked and interned at a newspaper for seven years), I saw this to be an integral part of real, not mean, blogging. If you have an opinion that goes against the norm, back it up with expert sources. It makes your case more believable, more acceptable.

Secondly, Jennifer also wasn’t general. She called people by their names, and she told brief but poignant stories. She did not rant or expel suppressed emotions. She gave solid reasons for the choices made.

So, when you’re keepin’ it real, you cannot just settle to write in circles. It’s like taking a controversial topic, like the food industry’s general lack of telling us where the things we eat come from. (Can you tell I’m still hyped up about Food Inc.?) You could say it’s wrong. It’s bad. It causes diseases. But if you don’t go beyond the surface, like Robert Kenner did, nobody is going to believe you.

Lastly, like Jennifer, you help people. Yes, Jon said that helpful writing is boring. But that’s what Jennifer did. In the end, she was helping people. That means that your posts have to have some kind of purpose, a call to action that motivates them to do something.

Can you handle being real?

Jon said that Jennifer did get some hate e-mails and some people who disagreed with her. That goes with the territory. You have to expect that people might not like when you write even nice things. One anonymous commenter criticized an analogy I made about being creative, like a child. I didn’t expect anyone to hate on that topic, but that’s what happened.

When you put yourself out there, especially when you take up something big, something real, people will exercise their free right to talk back. You have to be able to stand the heat. You also have to be like Jennifer and stand nearly 200 comments, loads of traffic, countless e-mails and a single blog post going viral. I could stand that.

How do you make your blogging real, or mean, whatever you call it?

—
Terez Howard operates TheWriteBloggers, a professional blogging service which builds clients’ authority status and net visibility. She has written informative pieces for newspapers, online magazines and blogs, both big and small. 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

Someone once said, “Do you do it just enough to hate it?”

I recently thought about that question in reference to cooking. I try to cook healthy meals for my family. But if I cook too often or cook too many courses that take too much time, I don’t want to cook at all. I hate it. If I never cook (like when my kitchen was remodeled for a month), then I get used to not cooking and hate the idea of restarting.

Then there’s blogging. Do you blog just enough to hate it? Are you writing so much, so frequently that you dread the next time you have to concoct some witty, informative post? Or, do you write so rarely that you cannot produce anything worth reading?

Strike a balance

When you blog, you first have to have a clear objective in mind. What is your purpose?

Reasons for blogging include:

• Showing yourself to be an authority in your niche, thus directing potential customers to your business
• Helping people by explaining what you have learned in your niche
• Sharing personal experiences for the fun of it
• All of the above

Next, you have to take an honest look at your schedule.How much time per day or per week can you realistically devote to blogging?

You can devote:

• One to two hours per week
• One to two hours per day
• One hour every other day
• You get the idea!

Third, figure out how long it takes for you to create a high quality blog post. Some can whip up a post in a half hour, while it takes others a few hours to do the research, make links and write well.

Don’t forget about promotion

Too often, bloggers hear the saying, “Content is king.” And while beneficial content is a key ingredient to a great blog, promotion should be queen. It takes time to promote your blog.

Ways to promote your blog include:

• Guest posting. Write for blogs related to your niche, so readers will naturally be drawn to read more at your own blog.
• Blog commenting. Blogs you choose to comment on should be related to your niche, but even more importantly, should interest you. If you don’t care about the topic, then your comment will reflect your attitude.
• Social media. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Youtube are other avenues that can direct people back to your blog.
• E-mail marketing and newsletters. Build a list of devoted followers to inform of the newest developments on your blog and with your business.
• Free reports. Who doesn’t love freebies? Your audience will eat these up, especially when you tailor them to truly benefit your readers.
• SEO and LSI. When you write your blog posts, good content is definitely on top. But you should consider SEO and LSI to direct search engine results to your pertinent posts.

All of this promotion takes time. So, you have to decide what you’re going to do and how long this is going to take you.

Planning makes perfect

If you plan what you’re going to do, how much time you will take and follow your plan, you will see results. It might take longer for some that do not have much time to devote than others. But it WILL pay off. You can blog just enough to love it.

How do blog just enough to love it?

—
Terez Howard operates TheWriteBloggers, a professional blogging service which builds clients’ authority status and net visibility. She has written informative pieces for newspapers, online magazines and blogs, both big and small. 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

A month or so ago, I got a Victoria’s Secret catalogue and decided I would get a pair or two of flannel pajamas. I didn’t really care if I purchased them after winter ended because I figured they would be cheaper by that time. But now, I cannot stop thinking of those warm-looking pjs.

Shortly after I received the catalogue, I noticed how uncomfortable I felt in my pjs when I was in bed. My pant legs always ended up twisted like pretzels around my legs and rode up as if they were short shorts. I got to the point where I couldn’t stand if my pants only started to ride up to my knees.

Then I remembered those flannel pajamas, the ones that had pants like leggings, nice and tight ones that would not ride up or twist. I needed them yesterday!

What those pajamas have to do with blogging

But this post isn’t going to be about my pajamas, even though I could probably fill up a post just talking about them. It’s about our eyes. Victoria’s Secret does something very interesting that I never noticed before.

That company provides pajamas for everyone. Skimpy lingerie to shorts and tees to lovely nightshirts to those flannel pjs that I like, Vickie’s really has every woman’s tastes covered.

That got me thinking about blogging. What am I giving to my audience? Are they getting a need satisfied? Are they getting the information they want? Are they at least being entertained to some degree?

We bloggers cannot write to appeal to every Internet surfer. But we can appear attractive to the members of our audience.

Utilizing the power of the eyes

They draw people in. They entice them. They make people go, “Hmmm.” Pictures are the start of a reason to read your post.

Tap that “Add an image” button in WordPress and upload a shot to your blog post. Since I’m a freelance writing mama, I am certain my audience would be interested in children. That’s why you will see family-friendly photos on my blog.

If you can’t take a few original pictures (which are best, in my opinion), there are plenty of royalty-free stock photo websites. Expect to pay a fee to free your mind of worrying about infringing on copyright laws. My favorite is iStockphoto.

The first words people read are headlines, telling people whether or not they want to read a post or not. Show people how they will benefit by reading your entire post in your headline. Give them a tantalizing reason to read what you have to say.

I personally look at headlines very simply. There are basically two types of good headlines: the ones that tell you exactly what to expect and the ones that make you wonder what to expect. Experimenting with those two will get readers hooked on the rest of your words.

What do you see?

What you see directly affects your actions. The same goes for your readers.

How do you utilize the power of the eyes in your blog posts?

—
Terez Howard operates TheWriteBloggers, a professional blogging service which builds clients’ authority status and net visibility. She has written informative pieces for newspapers, online magazines and blogs, both big and small. 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

During a recent night of Netflix searching, my husband and I watched the movie Julie and Julia. This film, from 2009, intertwined the story of cooking sensation Julia Child with Julie Powell, a blogger who challenged herself to cook every recipe in Julia’s first book and record her experiences in a blog. This true life adventure helped me realize a key to reaching goals.

One pivotal scene is the movie is when Julie decisively commits to this cooking/blogging challenge. She announces her decision to her husband, Eric, and says that if she does not give herself a deadline, she will not complete that immense task. One year for 524 recipes.

Give yourself a deadline

When I worked for the newspaper, deadline was a word I heard daily. “Will it be ready by deadline?” “We have to meet deadline.” “Maybe we can extend the deadline a little for this breaking news.” “It’s too late; it’s after deadline.” The deadline dictated what would make the daily news.

With a blog, it’s hardly a necessity to make your content stick to a strict 10:30 a.m. deadline. However, there are benefits to establishing a blogging schedule.

A deadline means more than just the time your posts appear for public viewing. A deadline gives your goal or goals a point of fruition.

Let me illustrate it this way. Let’s say that I want to start integrating video into my blog. I would give myself a week to research and purchase a video recording device and another week to shoot two to four videos. I would allot myself two to three hours per day per video to make my own edits. Then I would spend a day posting the videos and another week to fiercely promote them.

Know this, I’ve not yet put video on my blog. But this rough sketch gives me the idea that it would take me a good month to get a few decent video posts published. My time allocations fit my schedule. They might seem drastically long to you or perhaps not long enough. However, only I know what I can handle.

The same goes for you. You know what you are capable of achieving and how long it will take you.

Light a fire

Do you need to light a fire under yourself? Make your deadlines tighter and stick to them.Give yourself one week to get high quality video on your blog.

At the same time, be realistic.If you work a full-time 40-hour week, such a task might be insurmountable in such a short period.Give yourself necessary leeway, not excuses.

And please, don’t decide to do something by the end of 2011. That’s too general. If you’re going to be that general, make several short-term goals and deadlines along the way.

A new year, a new deadline

Most people look at the start of the new year as a fresh start. Challenge yourself by setting a deadline to just one goal. It could be for your blog, for your weight, for your family, or something else. Whatever it is, treat it like you were a reporter at a newspaper. It is urgent. With no deadline, there will be no news.

Tell me, what is your goal? What is your deadline, and how will you achieve it?

—
Terez Howard operates TheWriteBloggers, a professional blogging service which builds clients’ authority status and net visibility. She has written informative pieces for newspapers, online magazines and blogs, both big and small. 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 was recently interviewed about blogging, and one question I was asked was how many words a post should be. I will admit that when I first started blogging, word count was an issue for me. I would deliberate over posts not being long enough and think that if a post were too long, my audience would quickly stop reading it.

It’s funny. When I first started working at the newspaper, I was worried about word count. I had come from college. In English class, the instructor tells you to write x amount of pages. If you don’t, expect a lower score. Well, it’s not like that at the newspaper.

You are not going to get a lower paycheck if your articles are not at least 500 words. I learned very quickly that everyone wrote differently. Each writer highlighted different aspects of a meeting or event. Every person created an article that would interest readers. Whether it filled just one column or several, it still was news. It was written well, and that was enough.

Blogging for who?

If your blog is a personal project that isn’t meant to benefit anyone but yourself, write however much or little as you want. It’s for you!

If your blog is directed toward a particular crowd, then you need to ask yourself this question:

Does your audience favor longer posts or shorter ones?

ViperChill wrote This Is How Long Your Posts Should Be. Different blogs were different lengths. Variances were from less than 200 words to nearly 1500 words. Your blog’s niche can help you to see what kind of word count your audience is looking for.

But that is not the only thing that determines how long your posts will be.

Blogging for who, again?

What about you? You are the one doing the writing. Are you naturally a long-winded person, or do you get your point across in a few short paragraphs? Do you feel the need to explain every little detail, or do you favor short, informative lists?

Your own writing style comes into play when you’re deciding if you should write short posts or long ones. You have to allow your personality to shine because if you force yourself to follow rigid rules, your blog will suffer. You will find writing more of a chore than a joy.

Personally, I am a succinct person. I like to write what I think I need and stop. I hate to feel like I’m babbling. On the other hand, I’ve read plenty of long posts that have had me captivated to the very last period. On my blog, Jael Strong and I purposely mix short posts and longer ones. We do what we need to get the job done.

Just write!

Don’t get too hung up on word count. It really should not be too high your priority list. The most important aspect of your blog should be original, quality content. Short vs. long? I deem it a tie.

Do you tend to write short posts or long ones, and why?

—
Terez Howard operates TheWriteBloggers, a professional blogging service which builds clients’ authority status and net visibility. She has written informative pieces for newspapers, online magazines and blogs, both big and small. 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

This statement is not true of me. I love writing. I find the written word to be the best way to express oneself.

However, not all share the warm, fuzzy feelings I have for writing.They have more of a love-hate relationship with sentences and paragraphs.

When you recognize the benefits of blogging, then you know that you have to kindle some type of fire for writing or hire a professional blogger.When I don’t know how to do something, I always opt to hire out.

My husband once decided that he could repair our toilet. It was a simple fix, so he was told. Simple for the professional and simple for the completely clueless amateur have two totally opposite definitions. After Ethan “fixed” our toilet, which took a couple hours, every flush included waterfalls down our basement walls and showers into our garage.

We learned our lesson. Always seek professional help. The plumber charged as much as a new toilet would have cost us for about 10 minutes of work. But we got a functional toilet with no leakage.

When you cannot do it, don’t.

Like I said, when you are absolutely certain that your limited skills stop short at creating intelligible sentences, hire out. Don’t feel defeated. It takes a strong, humble person to seek out help when needed.

But let’s say that no matter how you figure your expenses, you cannot afford a good writer. That does not mean it’s time to shut down your blog.

Get some guest bloggers.

The majority of guest bloggers will write at your blog for $0. Why would a writer give services away for free? Because what she gets in return doesn’t have a price.

Jael Strong and I are in the midst of a guest blogging challenge. Yes, we are looking for exposure. But even more importantly, we are looking to make connections with people.

We’re not the only available guest bloggers out there. Others have joined us in the challenge. Take advantage of this free insight, and when you have the funds to hire a writer, you know to whom you can turn.

Just talk

Guest blogging can fill in many of the holes in your blog. You still feel the need to add your own original posts. My best advice is to just talk.

A blog is informal. It’s not a research paper. It doesn’t have to strictly follow every rule of grammar. I’m not saying that strings of run-ons are acceptable or that outside links are not warranted. I am saying that you can loosen up.

Don’t think of your blog as a formal article. Think about it as helpful information you are sharing with a friend. Just talk!

If you still aren’t buying into that tip, then seriously, just talk. Get a video camera, talk and put up some video posts. That is still a blog, well, a vlog to be more correct.

Make sure you’re talking/writing about something that interests you. I find the best way to generate interest is to parallel it with your own life. You might find your love-hate relationship with writing tipping the scale more toward love.

How do you keep your blog fresh?

—
Terez Howard operates TheWriteBloggers, a professional blogging service which builds clients’ authority status and net visibility. She has written informative pieces for newspapers, online magazines and blogs, both big and small. 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!!