Archive for category: Blogging

One of the questions that I get the most from my blogging clients is, “how do I write a good blog post?” This question usually comes up when a new employee joins the blog team at one of my clients. (One of the first things I do when starting with a new client is help them form a blog team.)

So let’s tackle the formula for a good blog post. This involves the Hook, the Structure and the Pictures. (I just told you what I am going to tell you… more on that later.)

The Hook

Every story needs a hook. In our busy, busy lives, most people don’t have time to read things unless there’s something that catches their attention. This is why the title of your story is critically important. You want people to click. And the only way they are going to do that is if they care about you as a person, or if your title includes something interesting to them.

The way to determine the hook for a story is to start by writing the story. Whatever you are talking about, just get the facts and flow down. (More on blog structure in a minute.) When you have a rough draft, ask yourself what is interesting about your story.

The Structure

The short story method I like to use is:

• Tell them what you are about to tell them. The title should have already given them a good idea, but start by locking the idea you are sharing into their brain.
• Spend some time telling them your story, breaking the content into 4-5 (or more) paragraphs. Focus on flow and readability, I recommend it be conversational.
• Wrap the story up by summarizing what you just told them. It takes this kind of repetition for people to remember the story. Just look at this blog post as an example.
• Include a call to action. Ask for a comment. Give them a link to find out more on the subject. Direct them to your Contact page so they can get in touch for next steps.

The Pictures

Every single story you ever write should have at least one picture. Normally, this picture is called the Featured Image and is the most representative picture of the concept you are sharing.

• Your picture shouldn’t be grainy. This happens a lot when people take the photo on their smartphone and then email it to themselves (or worse, text it to themselves.) When you email it to yourself, choose a larger file size so that the resolution is decent. And never text it to yourself… the image quality is reduced dramatically by default for text messages.
• The featured image shouldn’t be one that you had to crop things out of. If the shot you took isn’t a good one, take another. It’s free. You don’t have any film to develop. (Some people reading this might not even understand what I mean by that.)
• I recommend you take a “wide” shot, not a “tall” shot. Landscape is almost always better than portrait. There are a few reasons for this, especially when the photo is going to be used as a featured image on a blog post, but take my word for it. Just take wide shots, not tall shots.

Thinking like a blogger opens your eyes to the moments as they happen, and you should have your camera ready to go. Your smartphone probably has a fantastic camera, you just have to remember to use it. And I’m not perfect. I’ve missed plenty of photo opportunities when I get caught up in the moment. It’s easy to enjoy what’s happening and to forget that you might want to capture it in a photo for fond memories or a future blog post.

Closing

This is where I recap what I just told you. And yes, insert smiley face here.

The Hook, Structure and Pictures method has worked well for me for the last ten years. And it’s often really helpful for aspiring bloggers at my clients to learn this method. Following the process will result in a decent blog… but the magic happens when you pour yourself into it. When you’re excited about sharing a story, it comes across in the words that you use. And you’ll include more interesting details because you aren’t just “reporting” on an event… you’re sharing something you care about with an audience that hopefully cares about you.

Call(s) to Action

So, did you find this story helpful? Let me know in the comments.

Is there something you would like me to discuss in a future blog post? Let me know!

Thank you for reading! My goal is always to help you, make you smile, or make you think. I hope I accomplished that this week. If you made it this far… high fives. Thanks to every one of you that shared the date that they signed up for LinkedIn after reading the blog post last week!

Post written by Mic Johnson, talking about embracing your fears in order to conquer them.

We all have fears.

That’s human nature.

Many of us avoid thinking about them.

Others of us obsess over them.

The irony is that the best way to conquer your fears is to embrace them.

When I’ve embraced and conquered my fears, I’ve also learned that the fear I’d built up in my head was often far greater than when I actually faced the fear.

I see this a lot when I work with new clients as they begin their blogging journey. Sometimes people on the blog team are excited about writing. But more times than not, I could cut the fear of writing in the room like a warm knife through butter.

That’s natural. I get it. But it’s also a case of irrational fear.

How I Help My Clients Embrace and Conquer the Fear

1. I tell my clients “People either think they’re a great writer or a horrible writer. The truth is usually somewhere in between.” I’ve seen it play out that way countless times over the years. Most people aren’t bad writers. It’s just a muscle that hasn’t been exercised.
2. I remind them that when their blog post is live on their website and shared on social media, the world doesn’t stop and yell, “Hey everyone, X Company is blogging now! Drop everything and read their post!”
3. I let them know that their blog post doesn’t have to be a literary work of art. The internet isn’t waiting with baited breath to critique their content.
4. Finally, I remind them that, as with most things, the more they write, the more comfortable they’ll get and the better writers they’ll become.

One Recent Client Example

I just started working with Jeff Hagen and his team at Grafton Staffing. We did a website project together and recently kicked off their blogging efforts.

Jeff told me early on that he wasn’t a writer, that he had reservations about writing, and that he once had an English teacher who told him he’d never be a writer. The fear was there for sure.

But when Jeff sent me his first rough draft, I told him “You can write. You’re not a bad writer.” My hope is that I crushed the negative record playing in his head about what that English teacher told him so many years ago.

In the end, Jeff embraced the fear and conquered it. He did a fine job on his very first blog post: Grafton Launches New Website in Pain-Free Fashion.

Not only that, but others on the Grafton blog team did well on their first posts too. All of them had reservations, but all of them embraced their fears and conquered them.

And you can too.

What fears have you embraced and conquered? What did you learn from the experience? Share your notes in the comments below to help others who read this post. 

By Jason Terry, talking about blogging and using pictures as the starting point for your next blog post.

Something everyone struggles with when it comes to blogging is finding inspiration for your next great story. A story that’s heart warming. Or scary. Maybe chuckle inducing. But most importantly, interesting.

Blogging 101: Start With a Picture

We set up blogging teams at the companies we work with. And one of the first things we teach the blog team is that a story needs to start with a picture. Or if the idea is already there, they still have to figure out a featured image that represents their story.

As I sat down to write my blog post for this week, I opened up my iPhone photo gallery. I wanted to see what’s been going on over the past couple of weeks that would be worth talking about. And because I take pictures often to capture interesting moments, I had a bunch to choose from.

LinkedIn Training at TPP

Pictures Tell The Story: TPP Being Prepared for Training

I was recently at TPP for a second round of LinkedIn training. I was so impressed that every single person came to the room with pen and paper, ready to take notes, that I had to take a picture. I was impressed with their professionalism and that they came to the room prepared to learn. I could have written an entire blog about fostering a company culture of being prepared based on this picture.

Lenexa Public Market Ribbon Cutting

Pictures Tell the Story: Lenexa Public Market Ribbon Cutting

My wife and I recently attended the Lenexa Public Market ribbon cutting event. If you weren’t aware, there’s a bunch of development happening in Lenexa at 87th and I-435. It’s called Lenexa City Center and it’s basically in our back yard. I’m excited because more businesses and restaurants should be within walking distance over the next couple of years. (Fingers crossed for a Chipotle.) I have a dozen pictures I could have used to talk about the Public Market opening and the anchor tenants like Roasterie Cafe, Chewology, Topp’d Pizza and more.

A Random Act of Kindness

Pictures Tell the Story: Shelly Edwards at Panera and her Random Act of Kindness

I was meeting someone at the Panera at College and Metcalf. I think about a thousand people have their satellite office at that Panera. When I walked up to the register and ordered my coffee, Shelly Edwards told me that it was on the house. And that she wanted me to have a great day. #payitforward

That random act of kindness really surprised me and made me happy. I could do an entire blog post on why Random Acts of Kindness often come full circle, especially in business.

That’s a Wrap

I had three more pictures I wanted to share. They were more examples of how to use pictures as anchors for a great story. The problem is, I didn’t want this blog post to be too long. If I’d included more, there’s a good chance you wouldn’t have had the patience to get through all of them. Heck, you might not be reading this part because you’ve already moved on.

If you did make it this far, thank you so much for reading another story from your friends at Blue Gurus. We do our best to educate you, make you think, and hopefully make you laugh. Oh, and if you’ve been following my fitness journey, here’s a quick update…

Fitness Update

I’ve been walking at least 10,000 steps a day since May 1st, 2017. As of today, I’m down 28 pounds. Last week, I walked over 40 miles, more than 95,000 steps. An unexpected benefit is that there’s been a ripple effect. Quite a few people in my personal and professional circles have joined me in walking to improve their health. And that’s an awesome combo for me… helping others while helping myself! If you have a FitBit, let me know so I can invite you to the party.