When I first started writing blog posts about 15 years ago I used to get to work at 5:00 a.m. just so I could write my articles and have them ready to go by 7:00 a.m. At that time in the morning it was quiet enough for me to think about the many moving parts that came with creating content that really mattered to my audience.
I was the head of a small but growing PR firm and I knew writing about my profession would set me up as an industry expert. It worked but it wasn’t without its challenges. If you’re a blogger trying to build a brand you know exactly what I mean. You have to decide on topics, format posts, decide on images, get your tone right, which I think is the most difficult part. ‘
What’s more, it’s a daily challenge, because a blog needs to be regularly fed with high-value content that is relevant to what you want to do and who you want to connect with. I’ve learned a ton in the process of blogging daily and I’m sharing tips about how you can nail your own killer content.
I wrote this 8-Step Guide to Finding and Understanding your Brand Voice on Social Media because I know how difficult it is to discover your tone. The way you speak to the folks who read your blog and the kind of emotions you want them to feel directly after reading your post can be difficult to nail.
The first question is to ask yourself is why are you writing a blog post? Do you want your audience to feel motivated or inspired? Do you want them to feel like they just had coffee with a friend? Do you want them to feel like someone just lit a fire under them to get them going with their goals?
When I first started blogging on this platform, my main goal was to make my readers feel more confident about themselves and more focused on growing their businesses and brands online. So the content had to feel like Oprah, Instyle Magazine mixed with spoonfuls of Entrepreneurship.com. I wanted my voice to be approachable, conversational, relatable, and informative, never fluffy or stuffy.
If you’re struggling to find your own voice, the first piece of advice I’d suggest is to take a few minutes or hours to understand your WHY and then zero in on your tone. The voice you write in must be your own and not a carbon copy of someone else because people see right through that.
2.
WHO IS YOUR TRIBE?
When I worked in television, I used to think of just one person sitting at home watching and encouraging me. It made me less nervous and it allowed me to feel more personal with whatever I was broadcasting. I do the same with the blog.
In Forward Forty I knew I wanted to speak to female entrepreneurs over 35 who were interested in growing their brands online. Having spent most of my professional life in PR, I knew if you write for everyone, you will ultimately not be read by anyone! It hurts to hear, but it’s true. I used those two lessons to build a tribe.
Best of all, at the end of the blog post you can measure if I delivered on my promise, if my content was specific and tangible. Whether you’re sharing your favorite dresses under $100 or giving your 5 favourite iPhone audio tips, you should let your readers know right away what they’ll get out of reading your post. This also helps to create more clickable posts on social media because there’s a concise, understandable promise that delivers once people land on the page.
So while good content is always written with a specific goal in mind you also have to decide how it will be presented. Will it be educating, entertaining, convincing or inspiring?
Depending on your goal, the content you create will come in different forms: posts to educate, quizzes to amuse, case studies to convince (see mine about writer Elizabeth Gilbert here) and my favorite, videos to binge watch etc.
Many successful and profitable bloggers create this collection of content to help position themselves as market leaders.
4.
ANTICIPATE THE NEWS
Your content will be consumed more if it is in tune with current events. Bouncing back on a buzz-making event is a great way to attract traffic to your website and reach new audiences. I did this a lot when the pandemic hit the world creating content for my readers to help them pivot their businesses.
5.
CREATE QUALITY, AUTHENTIC, FLOWING CONTENT
So here are a couple of facts you need to note. Be Authentic! Don’t steal someone else’s writing and pretend it’s yours. People who know will see through it even if they don’t say so. Also when writing an article, make sure that the sentences flow naturally, and that each one encourages the reader to continue reading. Your style should be attractive, your spelling flawless, and your ideas complex and simple at the same time
7.
PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR TITLES.
8.
ORGANISE YOUR IDEAS AND MAKE THEM ATTRACTIVE
9.
GET A CONVERSATION GOING
10.
PROMOTE YOUR BLOG POSTS
Here are some question to ask yourself:
BONUS POINT.
BE CONSISTENT AND KEEP IT EVERGREEN.
IN SUMMARY
@ForwardForty
