Writing on the Web from Patsi Krakoff, The Blog Squad

Anatomy of a Blog Post: A Writing Checklist

I'm preparing handouts for our Better Business Blog Writing Class, and came up with a 18 point blog writing checklist. Tell me what you think. If you review your posts after you write and before publishing, this will help you get better results.

A Blog Writing Checklist:
The anatomy of a blog post that Educates, Entertains, Engages and Enriches your readers
© 2008 Patsi Krakoff, Psy. D. & Denise Wakeman aka The Blog Squad™

This blog writing checklist is designed to cover learning styles of readers so that you connect with as many different kinds of readers as you can.

1. Why is this post important? If readers ask “what’s in it for me?” - will they know right away?
2. Does this post describe a problem? Does this post appeal to readers’ pain, needs, wants, desires?
3. So what? Do readers understand the consequences of this problem?
4. What’s your solution? What are you educating readers about? What’s your unique perspective? How is your solution different from widely accepted knowledge?

3 Blog Squad Teleclasses this week

Mark your calenders if you want to listen in on 3 more business blogging interviews this week, plus a private session with our Blogging and Beyond Mentor group. More Blog Squad Blogspell...

May 12 - 16 (we present on Tuesday, May 13 at 4 pm ET)
As part of Andrea Williams' Womens Business Launch Success TeleSummit we join an amazing group of 15 experts presenting on how to sort through the clutter of business building tactics, focus your marketing strategies, and claim financial SUCCESS.

Presenters include: Viki Viertel, Lisa Earle McLeod, Debbie LaChusa, Suzy Spivey, Adam Urbanski, The Blog Squad™, Sheri McConnell, Kyle King, Christina Merkely, Michael Port, Joe Nunziata, MaryPat Kavanagh, Lynn Scheurell, Mara Castello, Wayne Kelly
Details and Registration here.

Thursday, May 15, 5 p.m. ET
Blogging to Explode Your Business Growth
Hosted by Cathy Goodwin
No charge, register here.

Thursday, May 15, 9 p.m. ET
Using a Blog to Gain Expert Status
Hosted by Joe Nunziata
No charge, register here.

Blogging Naked: Personality Is Included

I’m reading Personality not Included  by Rohit Bhargava right now. And I’m having pangs of inadequacy.

I think I must have been somehow traumatized by the ‘in-crowd’ kids in school who were hanging out in packs and talking about having a ‘cool personality.’ (I know, but in those days we had somewhat archaic language for bad-ass, and ‘cool’ was it.)

Personality: I never got it then, and probably still don’t. I know I’ve got one, just not sure that it’s all that ‘cool.’

Recently I’ve been filming The Blog Squad video clips of myself talking about blog writing tips. Have you ever had a chance to see yourself on film? It's revealing for sure... omg, as the kids say.

(Dialog inside my head: "I think I come across as a dork. I seem unsure of myself, modest (not a good trait for a marketing expert), and somewhat shy. Definitely not cool...")

5 Ways to Enrich Your Blog Posts

Business blog authors love writing on blogs since it’s so quick and easy. You can usually post in 20-30 minutes and be done with it. That’s a great use of your marketing time, and you provide readers with valuable content to market your business.

But while ‘quick and easy’ is great, sometimes it’s not enough. Denise and I recommend you write at least one rich and meaty post a week. Stimulate your readers to think. Be profound. Go deep.

“Oh no,” you might be saying. “More time to spend on blogging!”

It gets even worse: here’s another “E” writing tip! Enrich your blog posts! First it was the 3E’s - Educate, Entertain and Engage readers.

Now there are 4 E’s! Educate, Entertain, Engage and Enrich with your blog posts!

How do you enrichen your post? Here are 5 ways. But don’t expect to be writing and posting in 20 minutes. This takes time to read, research, find quotes, and to link back to sources.

4 Questions a blog post should ask and answer

This is a follow up to yesterday's post Educate Your Readers, about the four different learning styles of blog readers.

Why this is important: Because you want your blog posts to educate, entertain, and engage readers of your business blog. What do you need to remember when writing a post that's designed to educate?

According to the 4MAT system on www.aboutlearning.com, when you are educating people you need to appeal to four different kinds of learning styles:

1. Imaginative learners
2. Analytic learners
3. Common sense learners
4. Dynamic learners

How does this translate into blog writing for your business? Think in terms of the questions each type of learner would be asking as they read your blog post:

1. Why?
2. What?
3. How?
4. What if?

Educate your readers: 4 ways people learn

Remember the 3 E’s of Better Business Blogging? It's my short hand memory checklist before publishing a blog post: Educate, Entertain, & Engage readers.

You write to educate, entertain and engage readers when you want to build readerships and get great results with your blogging.

When it comes to educating readers, it’s important to take a page out of teachers’ notebooks. Teachers know that not all people learn the same way.

Most of us teach in the style we’re most familiar with: our own learning styles. If you’re analytical, you’ll teach using data. Your blog readers will understand and learn well if they’re like you.

But not all readers are the same. Denise is an active experimenter. She wants to know how to do something and needs to try it out before she learns something.

I’m probably more of a conceptualizer: I’ve got to sit and think about something a while. It also helps when there are visuals so I can see how it works.

Content Marketing Blogs: We made the list!

Joe Pulizzi of Junta42 announces his Top 42 Blogs for content marketing this week, and WritingontheWeb.com, this blog, went from #25 to #24! He's getting more stringent on qualifications so I consider myself lucky indeed.

What I like most about this list is the company: these are all great blogs with a lot to say about how your content markets your business. You could spend a week reading each one and come out with an MBA in content marketing!

Congrats to Brian Clark at Copyblogger.com for taking the 1st spot.  Also congrats to the other Top 5, including Lee Odden, Brian Solis, Newt Barrett and Ardath Albee.

Here's a link to Joe's Junta 42 blog post announcing the updated list.

Brian Clark and the Secret to Life

If you haven't read Copyblogger Brian Clark's story The Snowboard, the Subdural Hemotoma and the Secret to Life yet, do so now. This is what I refer to as telling your story and capturing the hearts of readers. But be prepared to be moved...

Cornerstone Content for Better Business Blogging

Do you know what I think most business blogs are missing? A clearly defined key post that explains:

• what the blog author’s core message is
• what the blog author’s story is and why they are blogging
• what the blog author really values and cares about
• what the blog author gets angry about

I call this Cornerstone Content. Others call it pillar posts, flagship content, core content.

It needs to be featured on special stand alone page(s). You announce it in a side-bar notice and link to it so that first time visitors know exactly where they can read your cornerstone message.

3 Blog Squad Interviews on this week's calendar

Denise and I will be putting on our Blog Squad pink and preaching the Blogspell to a variety of teleseminar and radio audiences this week. Mark your calendars:

• Tuesday May 6, 2008 at 8 pm ET: Interview with Ellen Britt of Marketing Qi- Blogging to Gain Expert Status (we always include new information in our signature teleclass - no two classes are the same)
  FREE - Register here: www.marketingqi.com/blogsquad
  
• Thursday May 8, 2008 @ 12 pm ET: interview with Lorraine Cohen on Powerfull Living Radio – www.blogtalkradio/PowerfullLiving
  
  Thursday May 8, 2008 @ 2 pm ET: Sharon Capehart interviews us on BlogTalkRadio Power Up for Women -  www.blogtalkradio.com/SharonCapehart/