A Blog is not a Blog…until you Add Content to your Blog!
If you are creating your blog on your favorite hobby or something you enjoy and your blog is just for fun, you can write just about anything your want on the topic. It becomes your online journal.
If you are creating your blog as an online business, then you will want to write content that will encourage visitors to return to your blog to get the latest information and purchase whatever you might be recommending to them… because they know, like and trust you as their expert. The content must be relevant to the purpose of your blog.
I can hear your comment now… but I’m not a writer! How can I get content to my blog? It’s a lot easier than you think. Here’s a few creative ideas to add content to your blog…
Q&A BLOG POST
You can pick a question that would be important for all your readers and answer it. You can answer it with words, pictures, videos, comments from people, reference from an online source, etc. If you are curating content from another site, it is very important to give credit to the original site and not just copy everything. Add your own comments to add value to the content that you have curated. Let me show you an example.
Let’s answer the question, What is a blog? I have provided three examples on how it could be done:
1. Write out the definition and indicate the source. I am only showing a small piece as an example, but when you write your blog you could add several different sources and give examples.
Your Dictionary defines a blog as… “An online, chronological commentary”. Webster’s New World College Dictionary defines blog as… “a journal or diary written for public viewing on a website and consisting typically of personal reflections, commentary on current events, etc. arranged chronologically.” Some examples of a blog are….
2. Use a picture or image as a reference in your blog. I have taken a screen print of Your Dictionary, the actual source for the written definition above. By the way, when you go to this site at YourDictionary.com/blog they even pronounce the word for you!
What is a Blog?
3. Create a video of your own or use one from YouTube. Special tip… using short videos will help your site because people will be reviewing your content longer. Google tends to penalize a site if someone bounces right off the site after they get there. Here’s one that I found on blogging…
USING THE NEWS IN A BLOG POST
When something happens in the news and you can relate it to your business, it adds extra credibility to your post because it is already very popular. Comedians and late night TV hosts use this method for content all the time, especially this time of year when we have an upcoming presidential election. Here’s a picture and statistic from Inc Magazine on August 18th…
As reported by Inc.com … A survey released last week showed that 41 percent of small business owners viewed Donald Trump as the best presidential candidate–41 percent!
USING SPORTS OR HUMOR IN A BLOG POST
Using a current sporting event, or even personal stories that may be humorous (or sad if the situation lends itself to it) are another good source for content. We used football as a source for our Sunday motivation post last week. Here’s a video that combines sports and humor from Time:
TRAINING BLOG POST
It doesn’t matter what the topic of your blog is, chances are there is some form of training or education that can be done. If you are an expert on a subject, write away! Capture your visitor with multi media as above… diagrams, pictures and video are always good. Using arrows, bullets, charts, statistics…it’s all good! Make it easy for your reader to absorb, especially if it is a difficult topic. As an example of training in a blog post, in our recent blog we showed you how to install WordPress plugins.
Want more ideas? Sign up to join our list and you will receive a special gift as our way of saying thank you…
A year’s worth of Writing Tips, one for each week!
By joining our list you will get notification when we add a new post so you won’t miss a thing!
Continue to get all the info you need for growing your business with a blog and also Sunday motivation to get you ready for the new week! Sign up below! (Notice the arrow?!) PS. Don’t forget to leave a comment too! We love to hear from you!
Great advice Barbara. How many times have I sat there saying to myself “I need to post on my blog” but I have no idea what to write about. For me, the hardest part is getting started. Once I do though, the words just seem to flow (sometimes too much) 🙂
Kevin Everett would like you to read…IS PAID TRAFFIC OR FREE TRAFFIC BEST?
Hi Kevin…you and I are alike…it’s getting started that IS the hardest part! BTW I liked your article on paid vs free traffic 🙂
Hello, Barbara
Great encouragement and advice for us when we’re stuck with our next blog post. You have given enough creative ideas for anyone to pick on just one and run with it!
As you suggested, I find using a video from YouTube (not my own, haha) is the easiest and fastest way to get a post up on your blog.
To your continued success with Blogging!
Sue
Sue would like you to read…Who’s snooping through my Windows?
Thanks for your comments Sue! I like the YouTube video method too and the good news is, so does Google so we get a plus with seo on our site! BTW, I saw your post on Windows 10…great helpful article but I’m still debating.
I couldn’t stop imaging what was really making the dog so happy watching a tennis match. Nice video and after watching I remembered, That is exactly why barbschallenge says we should be using videos on our blogs. I know how powerful videos can be not only to keep readers on a site but also how powerful it can be to convey info.Thanks this post has reminded me on what I should do next time I am having hard times to come up with what to write or the content to post on my blog.
Boris Qs would like you to read…Tips on YouTube rankings for Affiliate Marketers (Part 1)
Hi Boris, LOL with the dog video! Videos do keep readers on your site…especially if they are not too long. I have not been making my own videos yet but love using YouTube videos! You had some great tips for ranking in your recent 2 part series and I have bookmarked them both for future reference!