How to Write a Blog Post

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A collection of insights from personal and professional bloggers on how to overcome your fears and get blogging!

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HOW TO WRITE A BLOG POST

IMI Blog EditorsFabio GrassiEva Maguire

SOME QUESTIONS TO START WITH…

© Irish Management Institute 2013

Why would you read something online?

What are your expectations of this workshop

today?

What is a blog?

Why post original content online?

© Irish Management Institute 2013

What is a blog?

What it is: A short self-published… article.. in the first person which can take the form of commentary/

news/knowhow/tips/interviews…

What it isn’t: An academic article… An advert

© Irish Management Institute 2013

Why blog?

- Give people a broader view of who you are- Tell a story- Show expertise- Reach a wider audience- Influence thinking- Help others

- Get attention from your potential market

- So does it sell what you do? …Depends on what you blog about…

WHAT MAKES A GOOD THEME?

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A highly read blog has….

Resonance

Relevance

Shareability

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A relevant trendSomething that people

are talking about

Your insightYour take

A point of interest

Something specific you’ve noticed

How to pick a theme

Call to Action

Find a point of entry

…and round it out

© Irish Management Institute 2013

Lots of blogs… same structure … just different points of entry

Some blogs start with the point of interest (something they have noticed)

Marketing Has a Bad Case of Technology Vertigo, and IT Needs to Help

The Karaoke Effect: How to Perfect Your Startup’s Story

Some start with the insight Building your personal brand is easier and more valuable than you mig

ht think

Some start with the trend Culture eats results for breakfast Warren Gatland right or wrong?

Some even start with the call to action Independent bookshops: share your survival strategies

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Our current All time top 10

IDENTIFYING WHAT’S TRENDING

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Useful tools

Google Trends- Hot Searches- Explore

Google AdWords - Get Search Volume

LET’S HAVE A GO….

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A relevant trendSomething that people

are talking about

A personal insight

Your take

A point of interest

Something you’ve noticed

Step 1: Pick your point of entry

Call to Action

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?

?

?

?

© Irish Management Institute 2013

Step 2: Get your thoughts down

A relevant trendSomething that people

are talking about

A personal insight

Your take

A point of interest

Something you’ve noticed

Call to Action

I personally think…I think it boils down to…What I/we find is…

It seems like everyone is talking about….A client recently mentioned to me

that…

I’ve noticed…

This might be helpful… What do you think?Have a look at what we’re doing in this area..

© Irish Management Institute 2013

Step 2: Round it out..

A relevant trendSomething that people

are talking about

A personal insight

Your take

A point of interest

Something you’ve noticed

Call to Action

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Have a go…

Take 20 minutes Use the template Pick a starting point – trend/insight/point of

interest/call to action Then fill in the blanks Try different orderings

© Irish Management Institute 2013

Step 3: Make it a blog post

Piece the paragraphs together.

Read Is it too long? Would I read it? Am I saying something interesting? Does it give a sense of me as an individual? If you quote any facts make sure they are correct

…and rewrite

Add a picture

Come up with a catchy title (ideally trend + point of interest)

© Irish Management Institute 2013

Shows you have something

insightful to say

Keeps people up to date

Less frequent

More frequentUpdates &

Sharing linksTwitter

LinkedInFacebook

Commentary

Blogs and website articles

Publication channels

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A Healthy blog Diet

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Setting up your own (free) blog

As easy as setting up an email account…

Try out

- Blogger https://www.blogger.com/tour_start.g

or- Wordpress http://wordpress.com/

© Irish Management Institute 2013

Want to start reading more business writing online?

For a start – look at the links we recommend to our followers

on Twitter

https://twitter.com/IMI_Ireland

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The Irish Management Institute blog

IMI Blog

Non-IMI blogs by IMI staff Over the Bar Geode The City on the Page

© Irish Management Institute 2013

Thank you

And happy blogging…

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