Often when I talk to companies about blogging they tell me while other companies might have a wealth of things to write about, their company would probably struggle to write more than a few posts before seizing up. It normally takes me coming up with ten or so topic ideas for me to convince them otherwise. How do I perform this seemingly magical feat? The technique I use, amongst others, is one I call "Reverse Process Discovery". That's a fancy name for something that is actually quite simple … [Read more...]

Being stuck for a blog post topic isn't always a case of sitting down and your brain going blank. That was the problem we hopefully had solutions for in the previous post of this series. There are times when you know in advance the overall subject you need to cover but somehow you still need to actually write the individual articles. Consider the situation where you start a new blog, or get invited to write for a blog. You get given the niche, such as "photography", "gardening", "tech". … [Read more...]

One of the most challenging aspects of blogging is thinking up what to write about. It is something that impacts all of us at one time or another. While it is true the more you write the better you get at it, you can still sit at the computer one day absolutely blank. When that happens it is good to have some strategies for generating new blog topic ideas and fast. In this post I will cover some of the quick-fix inspiration triggers for when you are in a fix here and now. In future posts I … [Read more...]

Do your readers have a clear idea of where you stand? Does any philosophy or approach come through your writing? Making your blog opinionated could be a way you can make your blog stand out and gather an audience. Gather Your Community Around an Idea Consider what a community is. Would you agree that a community is a group of people unified by having something in common? What if that "something" was an approach, an idea or a philosophy? When I launched this blog I outlined a key part of … [Read more...]

What have bloggers got as an advantage that other webmasters do not? I would argue "conversation". Have a think about which sites you feel a part of, or where you feel a connection to the site and its owners. What are the common elements? Liz has turned blog conversation into an art form and a key differentiator. As someone once remarked, Liz's blog is more event than website. It's 2/3 audience and 1/3 Liz. How many blogs can you think of like that? Few I imagine. Last night I was … [Read more...]

In my last article on Social Media I said getting more Digg traffic means understanding and appealing to the peculiarities of the Digg audience without alienating your own. What do Digg users like? Pro Apple, Anti-Microsoft Pro Open Source, especially Linux, especially Ubuntu Anti George Bush, pro Ron Paul At least half seem to be Atheist, or at least anti-creationist Big on gadgets ... iPhone, Wii and Xbox 360, PS3 not so much Webmastering, Freelance Design, Programming and … [Read more...]

I was asked last night how I think up topics for posts when I am writing freelance or guest posts. It can be tricky but I did come up with an analogy that I think works to explain how I deal with it. Think of each place you post articles to as a different friend. It shouldn't be too difficult as each blog will have a person or group of people associated with it, and will usually have a distinct audience. If you are chatting to one friend then go and talk to another then normally you will … [Read more...]

A common challenge with writing is putting forth your opinion while knowing you are going to upset, annoy or lose a portion of your audience. How can you explain your position when you know it is not going to be 100% popular? Some of the best stand-out articles are when someone actually has an opinion and explains it well. The fact is if you muddle through an argument you are going to lose some of your audience anyway through cloudy writing. Relax, this is not about stirring up a … [Read more...]

I was looking over the member blogs over at the Authority Blogger Forum and had an idea I wanted to share with you. To prove or disprove this theory though I will need your help, just a click in a little poll. My theory? That many people don't know what they are going to write about until they sit down at the keyboard and they have several types that guide them. While there are writers who plan everything in advance, other writers work closer to deadline either because they follow the … [Read more...]

As you might already know, one of the ways I earn income is by blogging for other people. This practice is becoming more and more common as companies realise the benefit of having a blog but their staff do not have the time to keep up the content. Companies can choose to go with a freelance blogger for many reasons Linkbait and search engine boost Having the credibility of a recognised authority blogging for them Constant content to keep client and prospect relationships … [Read more...]