You come up with an idea to write a new blog post. You sit in front of the computer and stare at the empty screen. Then you stare some more. Then some more. All of sudden, you get a spark of inspiration and you start to write. Alas, much like Andy Farmer, the Chevy Chase character in the comedy Funny Farm, the moment is fleeting and all you have for your time is a single word on the page… “The”.
The way to avoid all that is to simply write the way you talk. Think about it. When you are speaking to someone, do you stutter in between every word? Do you worry about saying the wrong word (note I did not say “saying the wrong thing”… that is an entirely different issue.) Of course not. You just say what you’ve got to say. You don’t stop and judge; you just talk.
For the purposes of blogging, writing is no different. You are simply talking on paper. If it helps, you can even start off the post addressed to a family member or a friend, say what you are trying to share, and then go back and delete the intro address. Boom, instant blog post.
“But it’s still a post. I need structure, not just some random conversation,” you say?
Okay, here is exactly how I write a new blog post…
Keyword(s) first. Always, always, always, do your research. Not including product reviews, which is a horse of a different color, there are basically two types of post.
The first type of post is what I call a "Q&A" post. Here, you are actually researching keywords and trying to find what kinds of things people interested in your niche are searching Google for. Write a post that uses those keywords, and then answer their question or provide what they are searching for.
These posts are important because they're the ones bringing in the traffic. Use Jaaxy to identify which potential keywords have good numbers. You're looking for keywords where the QSR is 100 or less if you can find them.
The other is what I call "sharing" posts. That is where you have knowledge about something and you just want to share it.
Just know that these are sometimes a roll of the dice. They may or may not rank, because no one is really looking for them. That's going to limit how many people see it. That's okay, of course, because these more intimate posts tend to do real well with building a relationship with your audience. Again, it shows them that you're a real person. But these posts can wait. For now, do that research.
Once you have identified a potential keyword by the numbers, head over to Google and do a search for the keyword. What you’re looking at is the top 10 results. Your goal here is to check out your top competition. Review what each of the top 10 sites are putting out there, and then ask yourself what you need to do to beat them. Remember, Google gives us nothing for free. We have to deserve to be in the top 10.
If their posts are 500 words long, you write 1000. If they are 1000, you write 2000.
If all they have is text, you include images. If they have images, you make a video.
And so on…
Once you have gathered your notes on what you need to do to kick the competition’s backside, you now have the “secret” formula to getting ranked in the Top 10. All you need to do is write the darn thing… and of course, now you know how.
Good luck and keep us posted of your progress.
Reply
Steve.
A great introduction to how to write for beginners. People just get caught in the details of what to include, spelling and grammar. The longer a document is, the more likely it will have mistakes. Our brains work faster than we type. We are so critical of our own work and we think it is never good, but guess what some people will be impressed, others not much so. That's life.
The only difference I would make is that I wouldn't recommend that the first draft is made in front of a computer. The computer will mock you. Instead write the first draft using pen and paper. In that way, when you transcribe it to the computer you will make changes and therefore your second draft.
Thank you for this great training.
Antonio
I agree with your thoughts on the first draft, but only in the sense that one must find what works for them.
For example, with my first drafts, I tend to "vomit" on the page, meaning I just want to get everything out as fast as I can. And since I can type a LOT faster than I can physically write, I actually have the exact opposite experience... it is the pen and paper that wind up mocking me with the cold stare of the blank page.
After all that typing, I tend to print out my writing where I can go through it, taking my time, correcting mistakes and editing for style.
As you can see, we both seem to follow the same process, only in a different order. And that's the beauty of writing: there's no one right way to do it. :-)
When we are writing the first draft, we are in the creative mode. Here we are just trying to get our ideas down. This creative act comes from the right side of the brain. This is where things like creativity and emotion live.
The logical mode is where we do all of our editing. We are using the left side of our brain. This is where things like logic, math, grammar, etc. live.
As you can see, since each requires a different part of the brain, the absolute worst thing you can do is the try and do both at the same time. The constant back and forth hinders your writing, slows you down, and simply wears your brain out; it's just too much to handle.
So, when it's time to write, write. When it's time to edit, edit. And, to quote Kipling, never shall the twain meet :-)
Now I feel motivated to JUST WRITE cause its actually easier and enjoyable.
Here's to Progress, not Perfection (well not just as yet hehe).
Thank you again. :-)
