Blogtastic writing

By Angela Bensemann, Director Halo Communications

The first time I heard the word ‘blog’ I was at a Public Relations conference in Auckland and was mystified by this new word. It sounded really fancy and something very specialised.

Turned out it was really just about providing information in a different format on a different platform.

Although we use the word blog now in everyday language, I really had to scratch my head as it what its origins were. Apparently, blog is short for Web Log, which makes sense as originally blogs were often used as a web diary for exciting travels etc etc. There were separate blog platforms you could use.

Now you’d be hard pressed to find a website without a blog on it and they have come to cover off all manner of different uses.

A blog can be used as a thought piece, something that positions you as a leader within your industry and can be used to provoke engagement from your target audience. Depending on your business it can also be used to drive sales.

Here are my tips for making sure you’re writing something that is really blogtastic:

Firstly, this is about being relevant to your audience – the people you are engaging with. Secondly, it’s about being relevant to what’s going on around you. If you’re an engineer and there’s a recent major development in your industry write about it and relate it back to what you do and what you can offer.
Setting the right tone. A blog is the place for personality to shine through. This doesn’t mean talking about your cat and being overly familiar (unless of course you are in the vet or pet industries). You can still be professional and authoritative but it’s a place where you can be less formal, you can adopt a more chatty style and your clients and customers can get a sense of who they will be working with or buying from.
Get to the point. As with any writing – most important information comes first – you need to grab someone’s attention straight away and there’s only a few seconds to make that first impression.
Interesting headline. This is an adjunct to point 3. Decisions on whether to read or not are often made at the headline stage. Headlines are tricky beasts. Now not only do they have to attract attention they need to talk to your search engine as well. Think about the types of things your customers and clients would be googling and work some of that into your headline and first paragraph. Try to be a bit quirky, though provoking, clever or provocative.
Less is more. With any writing for the web less is usually more. I personally think blogs of about 500- 700 words are enough. Although rules are made to be broken and if there’s more to be said then say it – or serialise it into a three-parts.
Check before you publish it. I know better than anyone the perils of pushing publish before a peer review has been completed. Let’s face it – we see what we think we wrote, not necessarily what’s actually on the page. Grab a fresh pair of eyes to check for spelling, punctuation and sense.
Enjoy what you write. If you think what you’ve written is boring and longwinded, chances are your audience will too. Have fun, play around with words that paint a picture and sentences that leave you wanting to read more.
Attention grabbing images. No blog would be complete without a feature image. Perfect if you’ve got one of your own you can use (provided it’s well lit, relevant and high enough resolution. If not, check out the many stock photography sites on offer. Ones like Unsplash offer royalty free images that you can use for almost any purpose. Always check the licensing information first.

If you want a hand with getting your message out contact me angela@halocommunications.co.nz