BlogWritingMagic.pdf

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Blog Writing Magic

About the Author

Ihave16yearsexperienceindesigningandwritingfortheInternet.

IhaveanMAinDesignforInteractiveMediafromMiddlesex University in London but Im not atechnicalperson. Imawriterwhoenrolled togetovermyfearoftechnology,andbecauseIrealisedcreative people need the Internet as much as itneedsus.

Mymain interest is people, and how we can usecomputers and the Internet to improve our lives.TheInternetisabrillianttooltohelppeoplereachandengagewitheachother,andIwanttomakeitaccessible for everyone. It saddensme thatmanysmallbusinessownersandcreativepeopleareputoffbloggingbecauseofthetechnicalside.Ifyoureone of those people I want to show you how tooutsource technical issues confidently (and makesuretheygetdoneproperly)withoutoverwhelmingyouwithtechnologicalinstructions.

Ive written theses on how to build communities,increase user interaction and make the Internetexperienceenjoyable.Iloveputtingthisknowledgeto practice on my own blog and teaching otherpeoplehowtouseittotheiradvantage.

My blog and writing has featured in print mediaandonline, and Ivewritten for someof themostpopularblogsontheInternetincludingProblogger,Copyblogger,ZenHabitsandmanymore.

Immarriedwiththreekidsandrunmyownbusiness,soIfocusongettingresultsfastandsavingtime.

After12monthsofstartingmyblogGetIntheHotSpot, Ibuilt itup tomore than1,500 subscribers,witharound5,800uniquevisitorspermonth from165 countries. As I write this it has more than3,600commentsfromengagedreaders-asteadilygrowingandappreciativecommunity.

Mybloghasbroughtmefocus,clarityandconfidencein bothmy business and personal life. I want youtoexperiencethemanybenefitsandopportunitiesblogginghasbroughtmetoo.

IvesleptfreeinGermany,runoutofmyroomnakedafterhavingaveryrealisticnightmareinGreeceandhitched rides on a fire engine in Turkey, a graveltruck in Zimbabwe and by donkey cart in Tunisia.Ive traveledtheglobetospotanimals in thewildandendedupsharingmyhomewithscorpions,batsandbirds.

IwritetravelstoriesonmyblogGetIntheHotSpot(www.getinthehotspot.com)aswellasforprintandonline travel publications. I live with my husbandand our three children in Queensland, AustraliawhereIhelpwriterstapintothepowerofbloggingat Successful Blogging (www.successfulblogging.com),takedailybeachwalksanddreamofzippingbacktoAfricaforanextendedsafari.

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Copyright Notice

Copyright 2012 Annabel Candy. All Rights Reserved.

The right of Annabel Candy to be identified as author and copyright owner of this work is asserted by Annabel Candy in accordance with Australian copyright laws, as determined by the Australian Copyright Council. Copyright extends to any and all countries in which this publication is purchased and/or viewed and/or read.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted, in any form by any means without the prior written permission of the authors, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover, other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

The purchaser of this publication indemnifies Annabel Candy and her companies, Get In the Hot Spot.com and Mucho Ltd, and the directors, officers, employees and agents of those companies, from and against all losses, claims, damages and liabilities which arise out of any use of this publication and/or any application of its content.

Please understand that there are some links contained in this guide that I may benefit from financially. The material in this guide may include information, products or services by third parties. Third party materials contain the products and opinions expressed by their owners. As such, I do not assume responsibility or liability for any third party material or opinions.

The publication of such third party materials does not constitute my guarantee of any information, instruction, opinion, products or services contained within the third party materials. The use of recommended third party materials does not guarantee any success and or earnings related to you or your business. Publication of such third party materials is just a recommendation and an expression of my own opinion of that material.

All trademarks and registered trademarks appearing in this guide are the property of their respective owners.

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Peoplewillneverreadyourblogpostsiftheheadlineismorefizzlethansizzle.

EvenpeoplewhovesubscribedtoyourblogbyRSSfeedoremailwill readtheheadlinefirst todecide iftheywanttoreadthewholepostornot.Sadly,ifyourblogheadlinedoesntseemtohelpwiththeirproblemor doesnt arouse their curiosity theyll never readthewholepostatall.Youcanputthoseviolinsawaythough andmake sure your blog posts get read bylearninghowtowritehypnoticheadlinesthatpeopleclickon.

I cant teach you how towrite good headlines, giveyouanysetformulasorwaveamagicwandtoturnyouintoa topwriterovernightbut Icangiveyousomeideas,resourcesandmotivationsoyoucan learntheartofheadlinewritingforyourself.

Ablogheadlineshouldimmediatelytellpeoplewhattheblogpostisaboutandgivethemareasontoreadit,socompelling,newspaperstyleblogheadlinesarewhatyouneed.Ifyouwritehypnoticheadlinesatleastsomeofthetimethenyoull:

Getmorereaders

Winincominglinks

Gainnewsubscribers.

Hypnotic Blog Headlines to Get You Started

Some of the most popular types of blog posts areeasilytranslatedintogreatheadlines.Hereareafewideastogetyourcreativejuicesflowing:

1. Ask a question - Questions are a good way toarousereaderscuriosity,makethemwanttofindoutmoreandgivethemaneedtoreadthefullstory.

Isstartingablogthehardestpart?

Areanti-wrinklecreamsalltheyrecrackeduptobe?

Confusedbyaffiliatemarketing?

WouldyouTravel1,846MilesforthisMan?

Doyouknowwhynetworkingscrucialforbloggingsuccess?

2. Ask Why - Try to solve a common or persistentproblemyourreadershave.

Whyyouneedtowritekillerheadlinesforyourblog

WhyIgotheadhuntedforavacation

Whydopeoplelovetotravel?

Whytimemanagementisdumb

WhyIllalwaysbackupmyworkfromnowon

3. How to Helpyourreadersdosomethingbetter,faster,insimplestepsorwithconfidence.

Howtoworkoutwhatyourdreamisfast

Howtobreakthebloggingruleswithpanache

Howtosleepsoundly

Howtostayfocusedin9words

HowtouseTwitterasamotivationaltool

4. Numbered lists A popular staple for a reasonbecausepeoplelovenumberedlists.Iwasscathingofthiswhen I startedbloggingandwrote101ways tofeelhappyasa jokebecause Ihated the ideaof listposts.The jokewasonmeas itwentontobecomeoneofthemostpopularpostsonmyblogatthattime.Listpostsarealsoagreatfallbackplanifyoureinahurry.Comparedtoothertypesofblogpoststheycanbewrittenquicklyandcaneasilybewrittenbitbybitworkifyouaddanewpointwhenyouhave10minutestospare.

10waystogetthelifeyouwant

3keystolivingyourdreamlife

How to Write Hypnotic Headlines that Drive People to Your Blog

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usefulvaluetoyourreaders.

Get in the habit of scanning newspapers andmagazinestoseewhichheadlinesstandout.Makea note of great headlines and see how you cancustomisethemtomakethemworkonyourblog.

Plan your attention-grabbing headlines first thenwritetheposttofitthem.

Trytokeepyourblogtitlesshortbutiftheyhavetobelongdontworry, justbear inmindthatpeoplemay not see the whole headline so get themostimportantwordsinfirst.

Make sure the font size for your headlines is bigenough so people know theyre headlines. Youvespenttimecreatingheadlinesyoucanbeproudof,nowmakesurepeoplecanreadthem.

Finally the most important tip of all is have funwritingyourblogheadlines.

RememberthosetopcopywriterImentionedbefore~Brian,RobertaandSonia?Theydidntgetgoodatwritingbyreadingaboutwriting.Theydidntgetgoodatheadlinewritingbythinkingaboutwriting.Theygotgoodatheadlinewritingjustlikewewill:bypractisingitlotsandacceptingthatitsnevergoingtobeperfectbutcanonlygetbetter.

Blog Headline Writing Practice

1. Comeupwithfiveheadlinesforyourblogfromeachofthestylesabove:Howto,why,question,numberedlistandbestorworst.Ifyouvegotcategoriesonyourblogcomeupwithfivetitlesforeachoftheheadlinestylesabovethatyoucouldactuallyuseonyourblog.Forexample,ifyouhavefivecategoriesonyourblogthat will be 25 headlines. Dont worry if you donthavealltheinformationyouneedtoactuallywritethewholepost.Justtrytocomeupwithtitlesyourreadersshouldfindinteresting.Havefunwith it,channelyouinner tabloid newspaper editor and concentrate onwritingasmanytitlesasyoucan.Youcanalwayseditandrefinethemlater.

2.Gobackthroughyourblogarchivesandseeifthereareanyboringheadlines. Improve themorcomeupwithbetterheadlinesonthesametopicthatyoucanwriteaboutanothertime

101waystofeelhappy

5instructionsforbetterwriting

7goodreasonstogoforawalk

5. Best or worst Makeyourreaderscuriousandgivethemahandyreferencetheyllkeepcomingbackto.

BestandworstthingsaboutlivinginAustralia

Worstbloggingmistakesandhowtofixthem

Bestblogstogoforblogwritingtips

Worstblogdesignsever

Bestwaystonetworkusingsocialmedia

Advanced Headline Honing Techniques

If youve read this far thats great news. You musthavelikedthechaptertitleandyoudeservetoknowthatIhadfunbrainstormingaloneandwroteover30headlines(itwasoriginallyablogpost)beforepickingthe one I thoughtwouldwork best. Here are a fewotherheadlinetechniquesIveexperimentedwith:

Court controversywith your headlines -Why timemanagementisdumb.

Experiment with rhyme - Dont delay, subscribetoday.

UsealliterationBestbusinessblogs.

Use buzzwords like killer or awesome that willappealtoyourreaders-Killerwaystotravelforless.

Citecelebritiesorpopularculture-AsurfersguidetosuccessorInbedwithSethGodin.

Those are just a few ideas for writing hypnoticheadlines, now you just need to practice. Lots.RememberthateventopcopywriterslikeBrianClark,Roberta Rosenberg, and Sonia Simone have spentyearspractisingandimprovingtheirwritingskills.

If you want more ideas for writing blog headlines IrecommendCopybloggersMagneticHeadlinesseries.

AnothergreatresourceisSeanDSouzasreport:whydomostheadlinesfail?

Last Word on Blog Headline Writing Tips

Focusoncreatingheadlinesthatshowyouprovide

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started thinking more about her readers goals. Itworked. Check out the graph below and youll seetheupturninsubscribers.Thegraphdoesntshowthewhole storybut slowlyher subscribernumberscreptup and she got 1,000 subscribers just in time to meet her self-imposed deadline.

Writing blog posts that get more readers

1. Focus on giving your readers value

Workoutwhy your readershave come to yourblogandgivethemyourbestinformationeverytime.Makeyourblogspostsclear,usefulandactionable.Readthebitaboutfocusingongivingyourreadersvalueagainandmakeityourbloggingmantraorwriteitdownandstickitonthewallsomewheresoyoufocusoniteverytimeyouwrite.

2. Just write as if you were speaking to your best friend

Usethekindofsimplelanguageyouuseineverydaylife, dont confuse people with jargon or too manylongwords.

3. Give your readers clear instructions

Theyreblogreadersnotmindreaders.Ifyouhavetipsbreakthemdownintoeasysteps. Ifyouhaveadvicemakesuretheycanunderstandit.Ifyouwantreaderstosubscribeaskthemto. Ifyoud likethemtoshareyourpostsonTwitterorFacebooksuggestittothemandmakeiteasyforthem.Ifyouwantthemtoleaveacommenttellthemorleavethemwithaquestiontoananswerattheendofyourpost.

Onceuponatimetherewasawriterwithamission.Shewantedtostartablogandget1,000subscribersafter12monthsofblogging.Afterall,howhardcoulditbe?Shehad14yearsofexperiencedesigningandwritingfortheWebplus200friendsonherpersonalemailmailinglist.Shefiguredifshecouldntdoitnoonecould.

But she rushed into it and made every mistake inblogginghistory.Firstshedidntplanherblogproperly.Then, because it was just an experiment, she threwthedesigntogetherin30minutes.NextshechangedtopicsasoftenasLadyGagachangesherimageandfinallysheswitcheddomainnamesthreetimes.

Itwasntjustherwhowasconfused,herreadersweretoosotheydidntbothersubscribingandlookedelsewherefortheirregularblogreadingfix.

It was depressing. But knowing that perseveranceis the key to success our fearless writer carried onblogging,scouringtheInternetdailyforadvice,everdeterminedtoworkoutwhyherwritingwasfailingtoconvertcasualreadersintoloyalsubscribers.

There was plenty of blog writing advice out there.Shereadthatcontentisking,peoplelovestoriesandwritersneedtohaveavoicesoshewrotemore,sharedstoriesandbaredhersoul.Itdidnthelp.

Although shewrote her heart out and updated herblogthreetimesaweekafter six months of blogging she still only had 43 subscribers.Failureloomed.

Finallyinalastdesperatebidtosucceedsheresortedtodoingwhatsheknewbest:

Writeaboutatopicsheknewinsideout.

Giveherreadersinformationtheywerecraving.

Beconfidentandsharefromtheheart.

She stopped thinking so much about her goals and

Proven Ways to Write Killer Blog Content and Get More Readers

6Blog Writing Magic


thatupwithsocialproof.Itsabrilliantwaytoletpeopleknowyouretherealdealwithouttalkingyourselfup.Slipping in name of companies youveworkedwith,testimonialsfromhappycustomersorotherthirdpartyaccoladesistheperfectwaytobackupyourclaims.

4. Calls to action

Dontforgettosealthedeal.Hopefullytheylllikewhattheyreadandiftheydoyouwanttomakesuretheydontslipoffwithoutsubscribingandforgetallaboutyou.Addanothercalltoactiontellingthemwhytheyshould subscribe and including the two words thatmakepeopleclickmorethananyothers:freeandnow.

You probably guessed that writer whose blogging journey got off to a slow start was me. I finallybought theGet In theHotSpotand startedfocusingonwritingempoweringtipsforlifeandworkthen and soon realised that my readers were moreinterestedinmywebdesignandwebwritingtipsthananythingelse.Isurveyedmyreaderstofindoutwhattheywantedmetowriteaboutandtheysaidwriting.So thats what Im doing. Readership grew and myreaders asked me to help them with blogging tooand eventually set up Successful Blogging to meetdemand.

Today my blogs have thousands of subscribers and one of them is probably you. Itsnotamiracle, itsbecause Im givingmy readers the information theyneedandifyouwanttogrowyourblogyoushoulddothatforyourreaderstoo.

Blog Content Writing Practice

Pickthetopicyouknowmostaboutandwriteyourmostusefulblogpostever.

Includecallstoactionatthebeginningandendofyourblogposts.

Ask a question at the endof your posts to solicitcomments.

Rewriteyouraboutpageemphasizingthebenefitspeople will get from reading your blog and whyyourethebestpersonforthemtogetitfrom.

Whats the first thing youre going to change on your blog now?

4. Keep it simple

Tellingastoryhelpsbuttobeginwithjustmakesureyour blog post has a beginning, a middle and anend. Itstheinformationthatpeoplewantmorethananything,astorysjusttheicingonthecake.

Writing Static Blog Content That Gets More Readers

Writingusefulblogpoststhatclearlygiveyourreadersvalueiskeybuttoconvertnewreadersintosubscribersyoualsoneedtopayattentiontothestaticcontentonyourblogtoo,especiallytheaboutpage.

Your about page is the single most important page on your blog.Mostnewreaderswhovisitablogandarethinkingofsubscribingwillchecktheaboutpagefirstbeforesigningup.Itsyourbigchancetoconvertblogvisitorsfromcasualreadersintoeagersubscribers.

Abracadabra Your About Page

Make sure people who hit your about page caninstantlyreadthesefourthingswithouthavingtoscrolldown:

1. The benefits of reading or subscribing to your blog.

Remember your readerswant to know that you canaddvaluetotheirlives.Theyrenotinterestedinyouramazingsocial lifeoryourexotic travel stories.Theymightgetinterestedinthoseoneday,butrightnowtheyreafteronething:coldhardinformationandthesolution to their naggingproblem. If youvegot thegoodsmakesureblogreadersknowitrightawaybytelling themwhat information they can find on yourblog.

2. Your credibility

Readers dontwant to invest precious time listeningto any old charlatan who sets up a blog and callsthemselves a guru. They want to know you have aproven track record of success. Qualifications andexperiencewillgodownwelltoo,butdonttalkaboutyourselfinthethirdperson-usethewordIandwriteifyouweretalkingtoafriend.

3. Social Proof

Anyonecansaytheyresuccessfulbutithelpstoback

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A good editor is worth their weight in gold. When you read a book or magazine article it will always have been written by one person, then edited and checked by someone else. Theres a reason why at least two people are involved in the print publishing process.

Whenyouwritesomethingyourselfitshardtoreaditproperlyandnoticethetyposanderrors.Wetendtoscananythingwewroteourselvesandcaneasilymisserrorsthatwouldjumpstraightoutatsomeonereadingit for thefirst time.Also,when youwrite somethingyourselfyouretooclosetothematerialandmayomitvitalinformation,assumingyourreadersalreadyknowitjustbecauseyoudo.

Butwebloggersdonthavetheluxuryofaneditortogooverourwriting,suggestimprovementsandpointout typos or spelling mistakes.We have to do thatourselves.Soknowinghowharditistoedityourownwritinghowcanwemakesureourblogpostsarehighquality?

Formeblogposteditingtakeslongerthanwritingthepost.Imayspendoneortwohourswritingablogpostthen,fourtoeighthoursperfectingit.Eventhentyposcananddoslipinsometimes.

Idontthinktheoddtypoormissingcommamatterstoo much, but if you have multiple typos, spellingmistakesandgrammaticalerrorsononeblogpost,oryourwholeblogisstuffedwithtypos,itisoff-putting.

Dontbeaperfectionist -yourwritingmayneverbeperfect-butdomakesureitsasgoodasitcanbeinthetimeavailable.Ifnecessarypostfewerhighqualityblogpostsratherthanalotofpoorqualityposts.Yourreadersshouldbeabletoexpectandlookforwardtogoodqualitywritingonyourblogeverytime.

Mypointhereisnottomakeyouparanoidthatyourblogpostsarentgoodenoughorhavemistakes.The

pointisthatgoodwritingtakestimebutyoucandoitifyouinvesttimeandkeeppractising.Trynottoseetheeditingasaprocess,seeitasafunpartofpolishingyourpostsothatitsevenbetter.

How to Edit a Blog Post

1. Put Your Hands in the Air and Move Away From Your Post

Writeyourblogpost,thenputitasideforadaybeforeeditingandcheckingit.Oratleastputitasideforanhouror two soyoucan read itwitha fresheyeandseetheerrorsmoreclearly.Thismeansyouprobablycantwriteablogpostandpublishitonthesameday.Unless youre a trained and experienced writer likeMollyKelashwhoblogsatSeriously,andworked forVoiceofAmericaforyears.

2. Check if its Huh? or Ha!

Rereadyourpostwithyourreadersinmindthenedititformeaning.Wevealreadytalkedabouthoweveryblogpostshouldhaveabeginning,amiddleandanend.Itsoundsobviousbutmakesureyourblogpostdoes have a natural progression and a story behindit. Give your post an introduction, a middle and aconclusionorsummary,evenifthatsnotwhattheyrecalledinthepost.

Double check the beginning and the end. Thebeginning is crucial todraw the reader in andmakethemwanttofindoutmore.Theendisagreatplacetorewardyourreaderforstickingaround.Ifyoucan,endyourblogpostwithabang,orrelatetheendingbacktoapointyoumadeatthebeginningtotiethingsupneatlyandgiveasenseofclosure.

Checkthemessageisclear.Keepthingssimpleandtrytodistill thepurposeofyourblogpostdowntoonesentence with one message your readers can easilydigest and take away. When you reread your post

Blog Post Editing: 5 Steps to Take Before You Hit Publish

8Blog Writing Magic


ortwowouldhavebeenenough.Makesuretherearenocommonwordsrepeatedandnofluffthatsjustinthereforthesakeofit.

Here are somewords andphrases I choppedoutofthispost:

Despiteallthat;

IfImhonest;

Ithink;

Really;

Mostly;

That;

Ifthisisntpossible;

Sometimes;

Theotherthingisthat;

Forsomereason;

Itsfairtosay.

Horridisntit?ImgettingbetterandstartingtocatchmyselfbeforeIwritetheseannoyingandmeaninglesswords.Youwilltoo.

5 Talk the Talk

Printyourblogpostoutandreaditaloud.Whisperingwilldobutreadingoutloudandfrompaperwillhelpyounoticeerrorsyoudmissonscreenorwithasilentread.Apparentlytopeditorsreadbackwardstoforcethemselvestopayattention,buthopefullyyoudontneedtotakeitthatfar.

Dont panic if this sounds like a lot to take on,butwriting the post is just the first step for successfulblogging. Editing is what makes your blog posts shine even more.Ihopethesetipsleaveyoufeelingempoweredtoturnyourroughfirstdraftsintogoldennuggets.Justremember,agoodeditorisworththeirweight ingold,andwitha littlepractice thatwillbeyou.

Take Action

Giveitago.Takeoneofyourroughdraftsandpolishitintosomethingprecious.Howmuchshortercanyoumakeitwhilestillgettingyourpointacross?

makesurethatmessageisclearandnotmuddiedbyirrelevantinformation

3. Be Pernickety

Noone likesnitpickingand fussiness,but youhavetoedityourblogpostforgrammar.Ifyourenotsureaboutgrammaticalpoints look themuponline.Herearesomeofthemainthingsthatcauseproblemsandafewsuggestions:

useeveryday languagewhenyouwriteyourblogposts. Yes, I do use words like pernickety in reallife.Sorry,Icanthelpit.AsakidIporedoverthethesauruslearningnewwordsandIliketousethem.But I try to keep long words in check and over-formalwritingismybiggestbugbearwithblogandwebsitewriting.Ablogisnotabusinessreport.Itsaconversation.Makeyourwritingsoundnatural;

use contractions just like you would if you weretalkingtosomeone.ForgetwritingIwill,youareorshewould-makeitIll,youreandshed;

apostropheshavetwouses:-forcontractionstoshowlettersaremissinglikeinthe examples above,where Iwill became Ill; and- for possessives like the bloggers posts whichindicatesoneblogger,orthebloggersposts,whichshowstherearemorethanoneblogger;

homonyms - words with the same sound but adifferent meaning. Spell checkers are great buttheymisswords thatare spelled rightbutused inthewrongcontext likeyoure/your, its/itsortheir/theyre/there.Youhave to check the rightword isusedintherightplaceyourself;

be consistent - if you make a mistake, make thesamemistakeeverytimebecausethatwaypeoplemightthinkitsjustyourwritingstyle.

4. Give it the Chop

Removing unnecessary words makes the readingexperiencefasterandsmootherandMollysaysthefirstthreerulesshelearnedinthenewsroomwere:Omitneedlesswords;omitneedlesswords;omitneedlesswords.

Youneedtoedityourblogpostforstylebytakingawayasmuchofitasyoucanwithoutaffectingthemeaning.Rereadittoseeifyouveusedfivewordswhereone

9Blog Writing Magic


oftraditionalmediaandlegibilityknowledgethatwecanuseonourblogsorwebsitelayout.

Newspapers follow set rules for the formatting andlayout their stories tomake themeasy to read andbloggersneed to followsome too.BlogwritingandformattingcontentfortheWebismorecomplexthanwritingforprintbecausehowwereadonacomputerscreen isdifferenttohowweread inprintandmorechallenging.

Blog Rules are Based on Two Things:

People skim read when they read things on screen

Awebsiteorblogismissingtheusualcuesthatletusknowhowlonganarticleis.Pickupabookorcastyoureyeoveranewspaperarticle, andyoull instantlybeabletogaugehowlongitisandhowlongitwilltaketoread.Onlinetheonlywaytofindthatoutistoscrolldowntotheendoftheblogpostandthatswhatmostpeopledo.

Whiletheyreatit,theyllalsotrytoscanreadthepost.Alongbodyoftextisscary.Eveniftheheadlineappealstothem,withnoothercluesaboutthecontent,peoplewill be reluctant to start reading. By helpingpeoplescanyourblogpostswithgoodlayoutandtellingthemmoreaboutwhatinformationtheyllfindinityoucanenticethemtoreadthepostinfull.

Its harder to read things on screen than on print

Screenlegibilityisimprovingalongwithresolutionandscreen sizebut there are still some simple rules youneed to know to help people read your blogmoreeasily.Ifyouwanttomakesurepeopleenjoyreadingyourblog,telltheirfriendsaboutitandsubscribethenyouneed tomake sure the very actof reading yourblogiseasy.

Nomatterhowgreatyourblogcontentandwritingis,

Blog Rules Vs. Print Rules

Remember newspapers? People used to get themdeliveredtotheirdoorandreadthemoverbreakfast.Theyre big, awkward to hold and they cover yourfingers in black printer ink. Plus, getting them toyourdoorsteptakeshoursso,bythetimeyoureadanewspaper,thenewsisntallthatnew.

Newspaperhavetheirdrawbacksbutonethingtheydorightismakesuretheirstoriesareeasytoread.Bythat Imeanhow theyactually formatand layout thenewspaperandeachstory.

Ofcourse,firstnewspapershityouwithaheadlinethatmakes you reallywant to readmore.Something likethisworkswonders:

THE KING OF POP IS DEAD!

How he really died!

10,000 pills in 6 months

Sensationaltabloidsaside,thecontentinnewspapersisgenerallygood~thewritingshighqualityandtheyusuallygettheirfactsstraight.

But quality content isnt all you expect when you buy a newspaper and it isnt enough for blog writing either. Allnewspapersmakesuretheircontentiseasytoreadbyconstrainingthewidthoftheircolumnsandthatswhat their readers rightly expect. Blogwritersneedtodothesameandformattheirblogpostssotheyreeasytoread.

Long narrow newspaper columns mean your eye can easily jump from the end of one line to the beginning of the next without losing its place. Ifthecolumnstoowidereaderswillkeepgetting lost,unlesstheyenlisttheirfingertohelpthemkeeptrack.Even if theydo that theyll get frustrated andwontenjoythereadingexperience.Thisisjustoneelement

16 Rules of Blog Writing and Layout.

Which Ones Are You Breaking?

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Blog Writing Magic


to improve you can experiment and lengthen yoursentences,chucking ina longonehereand there tokeep things interesting for readers, and make suretheyrereallypayingattention.Longsentencesarefinebut check that every sentencemakes sense and themeaningisclear.

6. Short paragraphs

Becausereadingisharderonlineitsbesttobreaktextintomanageablechunks.Paragraphsshouldbemuchshorteronlinethanonpaperwithtwotosixsentencesperparagraphagoodguidelineforblogposts.

7. Font type

Sansseriffonts(withoutthesquigglybits)aregenerallysupposedtobeeasiertoreadonscreen,inparticularVerdana. Get In the Hot Spot uses the serif fontGeorgia(withsquigglybits)whichisalsodesignedforeasyreadingonscreen.

8. Font size

Bigisbetter.Teenytinywritingishardtoreadonline,even for people with 20/20 vision like me. Makeit bigger. Check out some of your favourite blogs,comparethefontsizetheyuseanddecidewhatworksbestforyourreaders.Iftheyreoldertheymightpreferevenbiggertextthantheaverageblogreader.

9. Be bold

Dont overuse bold text or it loses its effectivenessbutdouse bold text to make a splash and highlight important sentencesthatwillcatchpeoplesattentionanddrawtheminto,oronwith,theblogpost.

10. Drop the italics

Italics arehard to read inprint.Couple thatwithonscreen readingalreadybeingchallengingandbanishitalicsfromyourblogwriting. Ihatethem.Ifyoucanavoiditalicspleasedo.

11. Capital letters

Use capitals for proper nouns and at the beginningofsentencesbutavoidwritingall incapitalsbecauseits harder to read. PLUS USING CAPITAL LETTERSCONSTANTLY IS THE ONLINE EQUIVALENT OFBEING SHOUTED AT. Sorry, just wanted to get thepointacross.

ifitsnoteasytoreadpeoplewontenjoyitandwontcomebackformore.Irecommendyousticktotheseblogrules.

16 Rules of Blog Writing and Layout

1. Format every blog post

Careful formatting will make your blog posts easierfor people to scan.Write your posts with the pagelayoutinmindoreditthemtomakesuretheyrewellformattedforscanreading.

2. Constrain column width

Keeptheblogpostcolumnwidthabout80charactersor less (includingspaces)andyourreaderswill thankyou for it. Check out these before and after screenshotsofUndertheMangoTree.IadvisedStacyanntoupdateherblogtomakeiteasiertoreadandchangingthecolumnwidthforthemainbodyoftextwasoneofthefirstthingswesortedout.Widecolumnsoftextareaninstantturnoffandveryhardtoread.Thedifferenceisincredibleanditssuchasimplechange.

3. Use Headers and Sub-headers

Headersandsub-headerswillbreakuplongblogposts,

helppeoplescan readyourblogandconvince themtoreadthewholepost.ReadHowtoWriteHypnoticHeadlines to read more about the importance ofheadlinesandheadersforblogwriting.

4. Use lists

Numbered lists or bullet pointed lists help peoplescanblogposts fastandfindthe informationtheyrelookingforquickly.

5. Use punctuation

Use full stops, commas, dashes and colons to breakupeachparagraphintosmallerpiecesofinformationthat make sense quickly. No one wants to read thesame sentence several times to try to make senseof it. If yourenotconfidentaboutpunctuationkeepsentences short. As you practice writing and start

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Blog Writing Magic


Blog Writing Rules Wrap Up

Youve probably noticed traditional media likenewspapers are struggling and the Internets takingover. Its amazing to think that in less than 10 yearsyoumaynotbeabletobuytheL.A.Timesorwhateveryourfavouritenewspaperis.Instead,youlldownloadthewholethingtoyouriPadinananosecondandreadit on thego.Nodirty fingers, no struggling to readtext that runs over a crease and no pages blowingdownthestreet.

Ilovenewspapers,andIllmissthem,butIlookforwardtothedaywheneveryblogisformattedandlaidoutsoitsaseasytoreadasoneofthoseoldnewspapers.

Take Action

Gobacktoanoldpostwhichyoureproudofanddidntgettheattentionitdeservedwhenfirstpublished.Gothrough and format it carefully for easy reading andgreaterappeal. If you likeand itsanoldpostwhichmostofyourreaderswillhavemissedyoucanchangetheheadlineandrepublishitnow.

12. White space

Readers need somewhere to rest the eye andgoodblog layout leavesplentyofblank space.Make sureyourblogisnttoobusyordistractingandgivesreaderssomewheretoresttheireyefromtimetotime.

13. Background color

Most blogs and websites get the contrast betweentextcolorandbackgroundcolorright,butmakesureyourblogbackgrounddoesntmakethetexthardtoread. Itmakesmesad thatawhitebackgroundwithblack text has become the default for most blogs.Brightyellowtextonablackbackgroundiseasiesttoreadbutthatsquiteaconfrontationallook.Darktextonalightbackgroundhasawiderappealbutconsiderusinganotherlightcolorforthebackgroundaswhitegives off a harsh glare. There are plenty of choiceswhichlookgoodandarestilleasytoreadbutwithouttheglareofwhite:trylightgrey,mintygreenorpaleyellow.

14. Use images

Gooduseofimageswilldrawreadersintoyourblogposts.Sometimes I readapostpurelybecause I likethe image. Ideallyyour imageswilladdtoyourblogoremphasiseyourmessage.Eveniftheycantdothatusethemtobreakuptext,drawyourreaderseyedownthepageandrewardthemforreadingandspendingtimeonyourblog.SomeblogslikeViperchillturntheirheadersandsub-headersintoimageswhichmakesthetextlookmoreattractiveandhelpspeoplescanread.

15. Be consistent

You dont know how readers found your blog. Youcantbesureiftheyarrivedstraightatyourlatestpost,onyouraboutpageorviaanarchivedpost.Youcantknow which order people will read your blog in soeverypostyouwriteneedstotellthesamestoryaboutyou,yourmessage,yourblogandyourvalues.

16. Tell a story

Speaking of stories, every blog post needs to haveabeginning, amiddle and anend. Thinkof it as anintroduction, themain information and conclusion ifyouprefer.Evenifyoudontusethosesub-headingsbecause,hopefully,youvecomeupwithhotterones,do follow the convention to avoid confusing yourreaders.

12

Blog Writing Magic


IfIpublishsomethingwithatypoitsjustatypo,nottheendoftheworld.

If someonedisagreeswithme thats okay, it doesntmakemeabadperson.

Heres what Ive been doing to improve my writingskillssinceIstartedblogging.Ihopeyoullgetstuckinanddothemtoo.MywritingmightnotbebrilliantyetbutitsgettingbetterandIenjoythewritingprocessmoretoo.Youcantgetbetterthanthat.

5 Secrets of Brilliant Blog Writing

1. Practise

Ive said it before and Ill say it again. All thosesuccessfulbloggersandbrilliantwriterswerentbornthatway.Theygotgoodbywritingregularlyandweneed to as well. If you really want to improve yourwritingyoullhavetoputinthetimetoo.Writeforatleastanhouradayfivedaysaweek.Ifyouwanttobeawriterhopefullyyouenjoywritinganywaysomakewritingpracticeahighlightofyourday.

2. Have Fun

Writeaboutthingsthatpleaseandinterestyou.Writeabout them in a tone that flows naturally and stopworryingaboutwhatotherpeoplethink.IrecommendpractisingyourwritingbutImnotsayingyouneedtopublish itall.Butdowriteaboutthosesecretthings,the things you arent ready to sharewith theworld.Do write about the funny things that happened toyoutodayevenifyoudontthinkanyoneelsewillbeamused.Putyourinnercriticintimeout.Justwriteandenjoytheprocess.

3. Bin Your Agenda

Haveyouheardofwritersblock?Butbuildersdontgetblockedandunabletolayanotherbrick.Teachersdont runoutof things to teach. I cant thinkof any

I wont be winning the Pulitzer prize for literature any time soon but I like to think what I lack in writing skills I make up for in enthusiasm and determination.

Thosequalitieshavehelpedmetraveltosomeofthemost exotic and far flung places in the world andtheylltakeyoufartoo.Morethananything,Iwantyoutoknowthatevenifyourwritingsnotgreattoday,youdohavethepotentialtobecomeabrilliantwriterovertime.

I startedmy first blog in 2006 to overcomemy fearofbeingread.IknowitsoundsoddbutIwasusedtowritingwebcopyanonymously(Ivebeenaprofessionalwebcopywriterfor15years)andwasscaredofputtingmynametomywritingandclaimingitasmyown.

Itseemsridiculoustodaybutbackthenthefearwasveryreal.SorealIonlywroteoneblogpostin2006,andwhen I finallypickedupbloggingagain in2009thatfearwasstillthere.

ThesedaysImnotscaredofputtingmynametomywriting and Ive become a confident writer.Well, asconfidentasanywriterwilleverbe. Iveexperiencedhavingmywritingrejectedandlearnedhowtobouncebackfromrejection.Thatsprobablyoneofthegreatestskillyoullneedtosucceedinwritingorlife.

RejectionsanaturalpartoftheprocessofbecomingasuccessfulwriterandthesedaysImhappytosendmywritinganywhere.IfsomeonerejectsitIsendittosomeoneelsewhomightappreciateitmore.

All the things I previously feared about writing likerejection, ridicule and judgement dont ruleme anymore.

Mywritingmaynotappealtoeveryonebutitsmorelikelytobeareflectionoftheirinterestsandtastethanapersonalreflectiononmywriting.

5 Secrets of Brilliant Blog Writing

13

Blog Writing Magic


and letmeknow if theres anythingelse I cando tohelpyouenjoywritingyourblogwithmoreconfidence.

Thank you for reading Blog Writing Magic. I hopethis ebook has helped you with ideas, tips andwriting confidence. Let me know what you think orwhatyouneedmosthelpwithbyemailingannabel@successfulblogging.com.

Ill be sharing more tips on blog writing, marketingandbloggingforsmallbusinessownersandwritersatSuccessfulBlogging.com.

Subscribe Now (if you havent already) - ChooseupdatesbyemailorbyRSSfeed.

- Annabel Candy

other jobwherepeoplemakeexcuses fornotdoingtheir work. If youre having trouble writing forgeteverythingelse I told you in theBlogWritingMagicseriesandjustwritewhatcomesintoyourhead.Youcanworrylateraboutifyoucanmakeablogpostoutof it, if anyone would want to read it or what yourcolleagues will think when they find out about yourquirksandquibbles.Justwrite.

4. Give Fear the Finger

Actors get stage fright and I bet writers block iscausedmainly by fear.Writing is scary. Sharing yourthoughts and feelings with other people is a worry.Especiallywhenyoudontknowwhollbereading,andletsfaceit,anyonecouldbereadingyourblog,eventhatoldschoolteacherwhotoldyouyoudnevermakeanythingofyourself.Puttingyourneckonthelinebyteachingotherpeoplewhatyouknowisscary.

But dont be scared into submission. Just writeanything, everyday and seewhat comesof it. Thencreatecompellingblogwritingwithhypnoticheadlines,edityourblogpost,formatit,bebraveandpublishittoseewhatotherpeoplethink.Youllwritekillerblogcontentandsomestuffthatnevergetspublishedbutyourwritingwillimprove.

5. Share Your Voice

I live inAustraliaandweenjoy freedomofspeech. Ihopeyoudotoo.Letsmakethemostofit.Letsstopcensoringourselvesby listeningtothat littlevoice inour heads which tells us our work and ideas arentgood enough. They are. Please share your uniquevoicethroughyourblogbecauseyourstoryneedstobetoldandwewanttohearit.

Start Your Blog Writing Practice Now

Itsperfectlynormalandnothingtobeashamedoftothink yourwriting isntmuchgood.Nowget over itandgetwriting.

Writeaboutanything.Writeaboutwhatyousee,hearortouch.Writeabouthowyoulive,workorplay.Writeaboutthepeopleyouseearoundyou.Justwrite.

ImmoreenthusiasticaboutwritingandbloggingeverydayandImdeterminedtohelpyousucceed.Tellmewhat scares orworries youmost about blogwriting

Documents

BlogWritingMagic.pdf