Writer’s Block | Tribal Blogs

Why List Posts are 1. Fun 2. Easy and 3. Great SEO

Filed under Blog Strategy, Increasing Traffic, SEO, Writer's Block by Kelly Bristow on January 28, 2012 at 10:00 am {no comments}

You know you should write a post every day but there are days, many days sometimes, when pulling a post out of thin air can be not unlike pulling teeth. When you’re stumped for a post consider a list post. List posts are easy to put together and can be a lot of fun to write. Better yet, they have the ability to go viral because they are so simple.

List posts are fun

The great thing about list posts is that they can be as silly or as serious as you like. Generally, the more silly the list the more fun the post will be (and the more likely it will be shared). List post ideas often come from the writer’s every day problems, and specifically their solutions. Self deprecation is usually woven into most list posts. I wrote a post years ago about how not to leave a comment. I’d had some trouble leaving a comment on one of my blogger pals blog and made a fool of myself in her comment section trying to fix the mistake. The exchange was fun and turned into a helpful way to navigate comment sections. I had a blast writing the post and to this day it has nearly 200 comments and still gets steady traffic.

List posts are easy

Because list posts are so easy to put together they can be a lot of fun to write. You don’t need to go into great detail with any of the points you make, usually a sentence or two and all that’s left to the writing is the introduction and summary. Because you can toss out items in reference you don’t have to write detailed paragraphs about your topic. Of course you can but it’s understood that it isn’t necessary.

List posts are great for SEO

Because list posts are easy and fun to write the posts themselves tend to be witty, intelligent (because you don’t over think the task) and have the potential to go viral. Everyone loves short articles that have great information or packed with laughs. Consider that many people reading your blog are doing so at work. Though it may not seem like it by looking at Facebook, most people at work actually have work to do. So writing a shorter post ensures that most readers can finish it and if it’s entertaining, can pass it on to other who will do the same. This applies to Stumble, Reddit and Digg as well. People using those services are more likely to give your post a thumbs up if it’s short and to the point.

Writing a post for your blog doesn’t have to take a lot of time. This list post took about ten minutes to write and yet it hits on all the points I wanted to make for both my small business readers who really need to put out at least one post a day, and the search engines. It’s not Pulitzer prize winning writing but it isn’t mean to be. If you would like more information about writing list posts you can read this more in depth post on Problogger.

10 Amazing Blogs About Blogging to Start Reading NOW (hubspot.com)
It’s In the Numbers: 4 Strategies for Blog Success (roundpeg.biz)
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Why List Posts are 1. Fun 2. Easy and 3. Great SEO

Friday Blog Challenge: Plan The Next Week of Posts

Filed under Blog Challenge, Tips and Tricks, Writer's Block by Jennifer Brown on January 20, 2012 at 10:33 am {no comments}

Friday Blog Tips

Earlier this week I wrote about post frequency and how as a blogger you cannot post too often. In fact, if you want more traffic you need to post more often. The problem with writing more comes down to what to write about. Often times the biggest obstacle to updating a blog or website on a regular basis is finding an interesting topic to write about.

There’s always something to write about

I usually write ten articles per day, nearly half are about blogging. There have been times where I believed there was nothing left to write about in my niche. But of course nothing could be further from the truth. I also write for several real estate blogs, home improvement websites and home builders blogs. While there are always topics to discuss in those industries each article I write must be unique so burnout can happen.

Organization increases productivity

What I have found, in both my ghostblogging and writing for this site, is that if I plan ahead and write down the topics I want to discuss for the coming week, and the coming month, I can easily breeze through more articles per day than if I spent each morning staring at a blank page with only a blinking cursor on it.

Having a plan sounds like a really simple thing to do to increase your productivity and yet because it is such an easy thing to do most bloggers overlook its importance.

Inspiration comes from organization

Whether you blog professionally or just do it as a hobby you will notice quite quickly that being organized will lessen your time staring at your monitor with nothing to show for it. You might also find that indeed there are plenty of things to write about within your niche and you might even be inspired to write several blogs posts in advance of publication.

Wouldn’t it be nice to have several blog posts in the can and set up to autopost?

Take a few minutes this weekend and jot down the topics you want to cover, are interested in writing about or just find topical and relevant to your blog. If you are really feeling ambitious start a draft of each topic and save it to come back to later. Just seeing the start of a draft can be inspirational and is less likely to cause you to mop the floor, clean the window blinds, sort your socks by color and fabric or anything so you don’t have to write.

By taking a few minutes to plan out the next week of your blog you might be surprised to learn there are plenty of topics to discuss.

Friday Blog Challenge: Plan The Next Week of Posts

There Has Never Been a Better Time to be a Writer

Filed under Freelance Writing, Writer's Block by Jennifer Brown on November 8, 2011 at 1:35 pm {31 comments}

There has never been a better time to be a writer. Whether you are a freelance writer for business, a How-To specialist, blogger, or a real, honest to goodness writer who is really gonna write that book once and for all, this is the time when there are no more excuses.

Seriously, no more excuses

As a writer myself I run with wannabe writers. ALL of my friends and associates, myself included, have a book sitting in a drawer or in a flash drive, just waiting for that publisher or agent to discover us. We hold that dream fast and tight. I’m not here to tell you to let go of that dream but I am here to tell you that if you want to ever see your book actually published there has never been a better time for that happen.

eReaders changed publishing

Digital publishing has been around for a long time but it was the Kindle and iPad that turned the traditional publishing industry on it’s head in the last year or so. There is no longer a good reason for not finishing your book. Period.

These days you can publish your book on your own for very little cost, you can hire a digital publishing company to do some of the formatting for you or you can hire someone to do everything from graphic design and marketing to typesetting and promoting. The choice is yours and yours alone.

Unless the only thing you are concerned about writing is your medicare part d form (I swear the ads are everywhere!) there is no excuse to not do the writing that you want.

Who doesn’t want to be a writer?

Everyone wants to be a writer. Okay, maybe not everyone but in the list of sexy jobs writer usually breaks the top ten. Probably due in no small part to all those dead writers who drank way too much during the 20s and 30s. But I digress. Writing is a great job and today due to the internet, eReaders, desktop publishing, blogs and media/news sites who are dying for content, anyone can be a writer.

Writing is hard

Yes it is. No one said writing was easy and if you have been a writer for any length of time and struggled to tell a story, you know why so many writers drink. Hell, Steven King wrote most of his best works while so drunk he doesn’t even remember writing them. The Tommyknockers and Christine notwithstanding, he wrote some great books and made a boatload of money selling them. Even, or especially, Steven King will tell you that if you want to be a writer you have to write every day and read every day. That hasn’t changed with the advent of digital publishing. If you can’t write and read every day then maybe you should find a different hobby.

Writing doesn’t have to be solitary anymore

It used to be that writers hid themselves in the attic or spare bedroom and typed away the hours of the day and night. If they were on a roll they refused company and when they couldn’t come up with words they weren’t good company. Nowadays writers can gather all over the web and chat with one another and support one another in their quest to be the next bestselling author. She Writes is one of those sites, though focused on women specifically, where you can meet with other writers who share your love of writing and understand your frustrations as well. There is also NaNoWriMo (which happens to be this month) where you can join (for free) and commiserate with other like minded writers (that would be insane people with a lot of time on their hands) about knocking that novel out in one month. Those are just two examples, the web is filled with chat rooms, forums and social networks to meet other writers.

If you are a writer now is the time to get your story our there. It doesn’t matter what your story is, there’s one for everyone, now is the time to tell it. And do it on your terms. No more excuses, it’s time to become an author.

7 Blog Post Ideas to Copy If You’re Stuck

Filed under Inspiration, Tips and Tricks, Writer's Block by Carol Zombo on October 3, 2011 at 6:56 am {3 comments}

You may be trying to think of a post idea. You’d rather think of one yourself. You might be desperate. You might not like any of these options, but just reading them could help you think of an even better idea for your next post.

1. Dispute an expert’s opinion

This could about politics, popular culture, blogging, morality, or the best films of all time.

2. Add to someone else’s numbered list

If you think a list from another blogger or magazine was helpful but it missed a few things, you can add your own spin. Link to the original, of course.

3. Survey the Experts

See what 10 different experts or other blogs have said about a certain topic, and list them (with links), adding your own opinion.

4. Write as if you were someone else

You could write in the style of a famous author, tabloid magazine, self-help guru, reality TV star. Is this too much of a cliche for you? Maybe, but it can still be hilarious.

5. Be a reality star

Imagine your life being filmed for a reality TV show. What would viewers learn about you if the cameras followed you for a few weeks?

6. Republish an older post

It’s OK to edit and post as new if you’d like, or explain that today you’re digging through the archives and wanted to share an older gem. You could even change the photo, or format it differently if it doesn’t match the way you write your posts currently. Don’t spend too long tweaking the old post, or you’ll waste the time that could have been spent on another project.

7. Explain your inside jokes

If you use certain inside jokes or refer to people with nicknames on your blog, explain to newer readers what you’re talking about so they don’t feel like they’re out of the loop. You could write a “5 Things About My Blog” post and put links to the older posts where these references are explained.

In conclusion

Remember that it’s OK to borrow ideas from other blogs. You won’t get sent to the principal’s office for cheating, and no one will beat you up on the playground.

About the author: Blog Rehab is written by Carol Zombo. You can check out her grammar and writing tips for bloggers and subscribe to her Writing Tips Newsletter at BlogRehab.com.

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