How to Blog - Part 1 - 'The Original Article' by Nathan Smith

Each day for the next 5 days I'll be covering some of the basics of blogging.

One of the biggest complaints about blogging is ‘what do you write about?’  Making the commitment to write a blog can often leave the blogger with great anxiety about making a fantastic posting at 4.40pm – having to work under pressure to make sure you write something that is not only informative but witty, original and strong enough that people are going to want to forward this on to their friends and contacts, hopefully giving you one of the best viral articles on the web that day!

This is a big ask for anyone, and this approach is likely to leave the blogger exhausted and overwhelmed.   The problem is rooted in the approach, for sure.  A great analogy of a blog is to think of it as your own newspaper – can you imagine a bunch of journalists turning up every day without the slightest idea of what they might write about in terms of general subject area?  Of course not -  that’s because newspapers  have years behind them in terms of structure,  direction,  focus and just having a feel for what makes news  -what do people find interesting enough that means they will read what you’ve written.

My suggestion is that bloggers can greatly benefit from this approach.  Instead of sitting there waiting to be inspired, get a structure that gives you that direction.  Below are some suggested categories that you may want to consider adopting to help you enter the blogging world – there’s no doubt that once you begin blogging, your style and subject matter will evolve and you’ll find your own structure – one that reflects your strengths. You’ll also have the benefit of listening to the blogosphere for feedback on your posts – where you’ll learn that certain subjects will provoke more reaction, more laughs, more criticism.I believe this type of post would make up the core of your blogs – your original thoughts, comments and observations.  Of course as this is the most important, it’s also the post that causes the most anxiety – and is usually followed by the comment ‘but I don’t have any original thoughts’.  Of course you do – it just takes a certain amount of self awareness to recognise them

Here are 21 examples that I bet anyone could pick and write about – why not write your own list until you become confident and self-aware enough re: what makes a great article?

1) The Original Article

-          Are press releases really that effective?

-          The way to pitch really great stories

-          Why PR works best when you have a passion for the subject

-          Does Facebook help my clients?

-          A good client, a bad client

-          I’ve learnt something new

-          How to recover from making a mistake

-          My client’s industry is really interesting because ...

-          This company always appears to be different and stands out

-          I wish I’d written that piece!

-          Why public speaking is a skill worth learning

-          10 tips on what makes a good story

-          How to report to your client

-          The best meetings are always...

-          5 ways to maximise a client’s time

-          Client expectations – how to make the relationship work from the start

-          Things I’ll do differently tomorrow

-          What a great company they are!

-          Where I get my news

-          How journalists differ from industry to industry

-          The best and worst aspects of PR

 

Example of an original article:  Steve Rubel discussing the rise of digital media

Tomorrow I'll being covering 'how to review'