Today’s blog is a guest piece from a real authority in the business. D
an Case most likely had the first on-line newsletter. He has been the editor of Writing for Dollars for many years. He is also the owner of AWOC.COM Publishing, a small publisher which now has over 100 books to its credit. He is a very successful blogger. Today, he shares his rules for blogging success. Here is Dan Case on blogging.
My wife, writer Susan Case, remarked to me about how incredible it was that her co-author’s BLOG, Mommy with Selective Memory, became one of the most popular among mommy blogs in just a few short weeks. Her posts are among the most pinned on Pinterest and she gets thousands of hits every day. To me this was not a remarkable feat at all because I know the reason why Katie’s numbers went so high that fast. Her BLOG posts are much better than the competition.
When I was in the 4th grade, we had a girl, Dorothy, in our class who was tall. She was a full foot and a half taller than the rest of the kids. In our class picture, she’s the one that is head and shoulders above the rest.
Katie’s BLOG posts stand out like Dorothy. Because the posts are so much better than the normal posts in her genre, these readers take notice and pin, retweet, like and 1+ her posts often. Did you understand those four things? Readers pin on Pinterest, retweet on Twitter, like on Facebook, and 1+ on Google+. That’s networking doing what it does best, advertising your BLOG to hundreds, thousands, even tens of thousands of potential readers for your BLOG.
You too can duplicate Katie’s success, but first you have to learn to write a “Dorothy” BLOG post. Here are some points to help you get started on your path to creating stand out posts.
1. A Good Headline — A good BLOG post headline will not only be descriptive, but will entice your readers to have a look-see. This is not always the easiest thing in the world to do, but it’s worth it to spend some time with this and get it right. One of my favorite headlines is one that I did for a post on my BLOG, How to Promote Your Books. The headline? “Sign Books Before You Eat the Fried Chicken.” The subject of my post has something to do with signing books… and the fried chicken part? Well, it was a minor part of my story, but putting the two things together certainly added to the curiosity and forced many to click on the headline to read the post.
2. A Good Hook — The first paragraph (or two) must “hook” the reader into reading the whole post. The reader must know what to expect by continuing or anticipate a revelation by reading on — and they must really want to do this!
3. Keep It Short and to the Point — My wife, Susan, always marvels that I am able to edit her 1200-word posts down to 500 or 600 words and make them better. It’s simple. I throw out everything that has nothing to do with the theme of the post. I don’t recommend posts more than 800 words. Keep them brief and don’t try to cover a subject that’s broad enough for 2, 3 or more posts in 500 words. For instance, instead of a post on “what to do when my child misbehaves,” (you could write a book on that!) do a post on “what to do when my 3-year-old hits the cat.”
4. Include a Photo or Graphic — A visual representation of your BLOG post is a good idea. When someone pins your post, there will be something specific to “pin.” If they like your post for Facebook, it will stand out from other Facebook posts because of that picture.
5. Write a Good Conclusion — Many bloggers forget this important element to their post. A Good conclusion will “wrap-around” and restate your subject brought out in the “hook.” It will also end with a reason for the reader to act in some way — clicking on a link to buy your book or tweet, pin, and like, or join a discussion by asking a question that they can comment on.
Instead of the “I’m going shopping later today, so I won’t have time to write my normal boring post…,” turn your posts into “Dorothys” and stand head and shoulders above the crowd with your posts and soon you will be one of those “top blogs” somehere.
Dan Case is the editor of Writing for DOLLARS! (http://www.writingfordollars.com)
Click on the “Replies” link below to leave a comment. Or click on FB, or Like, or Twitter. This blog deserves a comment. Thanks.
James Callan
Pingback: To Blog Or Not To Blog? | THE NAUTICAL MUSE
Here I am, catching up on all my blog mail, Jim! This is very useful information which I’ll be referring to when I actually start up my blog. I keep putting it off — so time-consuming, I feel.
Thanks for posting this interview, Jim. Since I’m right in the middle of creating a blog (my Publisher made me do it) Dan’s comments are extremely relevant. I’ve been following Dan and his wife Susan’s publication WRITING FOR DOLLARS for many years. As always, lots of good information.
Outstanding post. This is great information that is presented in a manner that is exemplary to the subject matter. I try to follow this advice as much as I can and the response to my blog posts and the increase in readership I think reflects that I’ve been doing something right.
Lee
Tossing It Out
Great advice. Now to put it into play… Thank you for the interview, Dan and James. The tips are taped to the upper left corner of my laptop.
Great tips on blogging, which I’ll share with others and use myself when I start up my blog. Thanks for sharing this, Jim.
Great information! I’m inspired to come up with catchier titles for my blogs!!
Thanks for sharing.
~Ann
Jim thank you for interviewing Dan, all of his ideas are promising…there is something new in Kansas, think like a Dorothy.
Great information. One of the best commentaries on blogging I’ve read. Thanks. I’m pinning it to the wall in my brain for reference.
Lesley
I loved the part about the tall person who stood a head above everyone else–that was me in school! Ha! Great ideas that work for stories and books as well as blogs–snappy title, hook the reader, trim out the fat and satisfying conclusion. Thanks!
Sally Carpenter
I’ll have to start calling them Sallys instead of Dorothys!
Excellent tips, and you made me want to go read your wife’s blog in the process. Thank you so much for sharing. Oh, and I absolutely agree about headlines.
I forgot to tell you where you can find my beautiful wife’s blog.
It’s http://kindergartenbasics.blogspot.com
She’s been blogging for just a year and she now AVERAGES 1000 visitors a day! Many of them decide to buy her book while they are there — Kindergarten: Tattle-Tales, Tools, Tactics, Triumphs and Tasty Treats for Teachers and Parents
Now that’s what it’s all about!
Dan, I loved your tips for “turning your posts into Dorothys” and that phrase will certainly stay with me and help me to remember the points you made. Thanks!
I was there when Dan started Writing for Dollars, in fact, had a hand in naming it; also have my greasy fingerprints (see Fried Chicken above) on the name AWOC. Both insignificant contributions to what is now a burgeoning publishing empire, but the point is, you should heed what Dangerous Dan says. He’s usually right.
Thanks Phil!
Phil was around when I started Writing for DOLLARS! And was a big help and one of the first 10 subscribers! It certainly wasn’t the first newsletter on the Internet. I WAS one of the first writing related newsletters though. There were a couple already… Inklings was the largest, owned at that time by Debbie Ridpath Ohi. She was a BIG help to me when I was getting started by advertising (for free) my newsletter to her 20,000+ readers back in 1997. Debbie is now a great blogger and children’s illustrator. I highly recommend her blog for writers, Inky Girl (http://inkygirl.com/). She has some great posts on using Twitter!
I’ll tell you what really gets me when I open up a promising blog and find generic information that everyone already knows. I want to learn one specific, some insight that the blogger is willing to share. This blog gave five great tips.
Oh, and if you can’t come up with an attention getting headline, look at how People Magazine and Entertainment Weekly do it. Or, even those awful tabloids. The enticing come-ons on the cover of Cosmopolitan. Examples are all around us. Take notes.
As usual, youo’re absolutely right on the money, Sunny. Too often, we devote a full 30 seconds to finding a good title. What would happen if we spent two minutes, or five minutes? The title deserves more. I’m making a promise to try and do better on titles.