October 30th, 2006 by James Omdahl
So I know this isn’t directly related to affiliate marketing, but I know that a lot of our affiliates are using or experimenting with blogs at this point, so I wanted to share my notes from one of my favorite sessions at the Blog Business Summit. The speakers of this session were Robert and Maryam Scoble, without a doubt the first couple of blogging. The session was called Ten Ways to a Killer Blog, but Robert and Maryam over-delivered with fifteen tips to having a killer blog. Without any further ado…fifteen ways to a killer blog:
1) Blog because you want to - A story without love is not worth telling. Make sure you are writing about something you enjoy writing about. If you don’t, it will be hard to keep blogging long term.
2) Read other blogs - exposing yourself to a bunch of different blogs and writers will help you blog better and will help you get to know other bloggers better. Even more importantly, leave comments. Comments are key to getting eyeballs and regular readers to your blog.
3) Pick a niche you can own (be different) - blogs like TechCrunch got big by focusing on a niche market of a larger industry. Instead of competing with all of the other technology blogs, they decided to focus only on Web 2.0 technology…and then they became on of the top blogs in the world.
4) Link to other blogs - even the biggest bloggers check their backlinks. By linking to other blogs you have a chance of getting those bloggers attention…which could mean links back to you.
5) Admit your mistakes - if you write something that is wrong, admit you are wrong. People appreciate it and it helps give you a more human and (hopefully) likable voice on the web
6) Write good headlines - this is an area where you have to balance the need for keywords and the need to make catch reader’s eyes on Technorati, Digg, etc. Think of good headlines as a form of optimization for both readers and the search engines. TechMeme has some good examples.
7) Use other media - podcasts, video blogs, photos, etc. All of these things will help you stand out, and since these new media forms are not heavily used (yet), it is a good opportunity to get noticed.
Have a voice - when people read blogs, they aren’t looking for someone who writes like Shakespeare, they just want to read something from an authentic person. Robert Scoble mentioned that when he writes he writes like he is writing to one person, and he tries to write just like he would talk to someone.
9) Get outside the blogosphere - meet other bloggers at conferences and meet-ups, send emails, talk on the phone, etc. These types of interaction help build relationships with people which is reflected back on blog posts
10) Market yourself - make sure your blog URL is on your business cards, emails, etc. Robert told the story of how he got his blog URL printed on his business cards at Microsoft, even though it was against the rules. People freaked out, but eventually got over it and he got to keep the cards with the blog URL. He also mentioned that he prints up different cards for different events.
11) Write Well - Blogs should be written with short paragraphs and in the inverted pyramid style (most important info at the top). This is increasingly important in the world of RSS feeds and Digg.
12) Expose yourself (no, not like that) - Blogs that have some personal content tend to do better than those that do not. There is a line of course, but don’t be afraid to let people know who you are.
13) Help other people blog - helping other people get into blogging is good blog karma. Being active and promoting blogging will help you gain respect and a reputation in the blogosphere.
14) Engage with commenters - when people comment on your blog it is an opportunity to get to build a relationship. Don’t be afraid to engage these people online and offline.
15) Keep your integrity - if you have a vested interest in something you are blogging about, make sure you tell your readers. Bloggers don’t like to feel like they have been fooled…honesty is the best policy.
Great info huh? Big thanks to Robert and Maryam for the awesome presentation. If you have questions about any of this, ask away in the comments.
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October 30th, 2006 at 12:09 pm
The Scobles saved BBS for me. Their presentation on 10 ways to a killer blog was fresh and invigorating. They were so engaging with the audience with their newly-wed back and forthing. I thought I was really great, and BBS got better for me after that.
October 30th, 2006 at 1:39 pm
Hey Blake - I totally agree with you.
Day one was, as advertised, definitely for beginners (and I dont think there were a whole lot of them there). Day two has some interesting material, but at times the presenters seemed unprepared (which was a good thing in the “Walking the Tightrope” session…funny stuff). But day three, especially the Scobles, really made the conference. I also enjoyed the musings of Calcanis, John Battelle, and the future of blogging session with Matt W. from Wordpress and Liz Lawly.