The Wax Blog

By Beth Graddon-Hodgson

In last week’s post, I gave you a little bit of insight to help you use your intuition and determine how to respond you comments on your business blog, based on what you think each commenter wants to hear. This week, we’re delving a bit deeper into the really juicy stuff; writing blog posts that are sure to get people commenting and I’ll reveal one of my big secrets about handling comments. (more…)

By Beth Graddon-Hodgson

A great blog should attract regular feedback from readers. Any subject that provokes thought, whether it’s because visitors love or hate what you wrote, entices them to leave a comment. They might ask for further clarification, leave an opinion of their own, or thank you for the information. Sometimes if your opinion or perspective in an article really irks them, they’ll even bash you on a personal level. Comments are comments and they’re all fantastic, because you know you made an impression on your readers.

You might think that the only reason to answer comments is for courtesy, like the obligation to return a phone call when a voice mail has been left. It is the polite thing to do, indeed, but you can also use comments to keep your readers talking. (more…)

By Beth Graddon- Hodgson

You might think that it’s only your actual blog content that is going to get people to stop by and read, but images play a big role, too. They can help make your blog posts appear more professional and attractive, but that’s really only a small portion of their benefits.

Photo from fOTOGLIF

For one thing, the images can drive traffic to your blog. People search for usable photos just about as often as they search for information online. When you post a photo and use your blogging tool to upload it with a title, relevant keywords and a caption, you’re creating another way for people to find you on search engines. This can encourage them to either read your blog content while they’re already found themselves on your site, or give you a link back if they decide to use your image on their own blog or site.

Of course, photo usage needs to be done carefully, or you might find yourself at the losing end of a lawsuit. Not all of the pictures you upload on your blog need to be yours, but these are the guidelines to follow before you put a picture on your post: (more…)

By Beth Graddon- Hodgson

It might not be the most interesting component to read about when it comes to getting traffic to your blog, but it’s so often overlooked regardless of its importance that you really should keep on reading. Really, the success of your blog depends upon it.

It may sound melodramatic to say that blog scheduling can make or break blog success, but I’m not kidding. The unfortunate thing is, few bloggers actually think about this element or recognize what a difference it can make so more often than not blog scheduling is breaking rather than making a blog.

I guess before we go any further I should explain what I mean by blog scheduling specifically. It means more than simply using the function in WordPress (or another blogging tool…is my bias showing?) that allows you to input a specific date and time that you’d like your blog post published. What’s important is not that you can use that function; it’s what you put in it that counts.

Decide how many days per week you’re going to be blogging to start, and then pick convenient days to write. Say you’re going to post 3 times per week, Monday, Wednesday and Friday can be your chosen days. If your blog has more than one focal point, pick a day for each. The focus area for each day doesn’t need to be clearly indicated (for example, the trend amongst casual bloggers to post just a picture on their bog for Wordless Wednesday) with a name or category unless you want to. It’s just about setting the standard that each Tuesday on the blog you’ll find a guest post (from me in this case) or that every Friday on a green news blog , you’ll find a “how to” style guide.

Now that you’ve got a grasp of what to do when it comes to blog scheduling, here’s the why that you might still be wondering about.  Blog scheduling is about setting a standard and consistency. It’s about attracting regular readers; sure, you’ll still drag in people at random who are interested in one specific article from Google, but you want people to subscribe and visit week after week.

Consider blog post scheduling like the arrival of a daily newspaper or weekly magazine. How annoying would it be to step onto your front porch at 8am to find your favorite newspaper has yet to make an appearance? It works that way with a blog too. It might be tempting to write when you’ve had a specific thought or to comment on something big that’s happened in the news. But use those posts to supplement everything else that appears on your blog.  It should be the rule, not the exception, that your blog follows a publishing schedule when you’re blogging for business!

To learn more about how a blog scheduling tool can help you maintain your timeline, check out WordPress Support . If you want to take the whole scheduling aspect one step further, you can also read about how to schedule blog postings  to be sent out as newsletters here.

Beth Graddon-Hodgson is a professional writer/blogger and the founder of WriteSourcing a professional blogging, writing and editing service. You can read her posts on blogging for business here at the Wax blog every Tuesday.

Last week’s post focused on choosing or understanding the two main writing styles you can use for your blog. That post went into incorporating the personal into your business blog – this one will focus on what I like to call topical blogs that have more of a business feel and remain directly relevant to hot issues in the industry your business is in.

But first things first. In the last post I mentioned there’s a very fine line between adding a personal blog for business and sticking to something topical and I asked for some guesses on what style that particular post used. As far as I’m concerned that post was more topical than it was personal, and here’s why. I did write it in first person, providing a feel that’s engaging to readers, I didn’t actually use any personal examples relevant to my business.  I also used other examples of good, personal blogs.

What my post from last week didn’t have was any points that you could easily relate to me on – it was based on fact about my industry.  Even though it incorporated some opinion and personal experience, it wasn’t presented in a way that was about ME. If you want to see what I consider a personal post when I write, read yesterday’s post on my blog.

So, with that little introduction to topical blogs, here are some of the components that should appear:

1. Use of factual information – think of what’s happening in your industry at the moment, or what your clients are most likely to be concerned about and present relevant facts. Whether you use statistics, tips in a “how to” format or a blurb with commentary from a recent press release; you’re on the right track with your topical blog.
2. Consider the format – my post from last week was presented in paragraph format, but often for readers to quickly pick up information, it’s easier to read if you use bullet points or numbered steps where relevant.
3. Avoid tying yourself to factual statements – when you’re providing a topical post as a reference or guide to readers, don’t introduce it with “I think XYZ”. You may agree, but no you don’t think if they’re universal facts and not your opinion. To be an authority in your industry, you don’t always have to be the one coming up with the innovative ideas; sometimes you can just be the one relaying them.

Keep in mind that a topical blog doesn’t need to be boring, incorporate a bit of the personal, but make the factual information the focal point.  There are some major benefits to using this style – the first is that your readers will know that you’re up to date on industry news and knowledgeable enough to share tips or indirectly address questions prospective clients may have. As a plastic surgeon’s office, you will know that a patient’s number one concern is typically risk factors, so outline the risks of those procedures so they know you’re open and honest, and will have a great understanding by the time they call you. The second relates directly to client recruitment. Keep in mind that someone considering plastic surgery is likely doing their research for a great cosmetic surgeon and in searching for their areas of concern, they will come across your site and you may have earned yourself a new client.

Find the blend of styles that works best for your blog. You don’t need to write exclusively topical or exclusively personal blogs, so pay attention to the stats and reader comments and see what they find more engaging. You may find it works best to do half and half each week, or to dominate with topical posts with a first-person style and throw in a more personal post once a month. There is no ideal formula, but with an understanding of both styles, you can find the combination that works for you!

Coming up next – picking specific blog topics to attract readers each time you sit down to put together a post, and the importance of blog scheduling.

Beth Graddon-Hodgson is a professional writer/blogger and the founder of WriteSourcing a professional blogging, writing and editing service.

Here’s the first of a series where I tackle journalists on the street and make them tell me what they want. Want to know how to pitch a freelancer?  Elizabeth Millard writes about business and technology for a range of publications.  I stopped her on a busy street last week and amid planes, trains and automobiles (ok maybe not trains but it sounds like it)  asked her some questions about how she likes to be pitched, what stories she likes and  her BIGGEST pet peeves. Elizabeth is based in the Twin Cities, but her advice will hit home in any market, local or national. I encourage you to watch the video for all of Elizabeth’s tips - including the phrase that makes her delete your email from her address book forever.

But for those of you too busy to watch, here are the main highlights:

• A pitch gets her attention if the writing is really good in the pitch, even more so if it makes her laugh
• Don’t use marketing speak in your pitches ever
• If a freelancer tells you “no” don’t be relentless in trying to change his or her  mind
• Only pitch product stories to writers who specifically write about product news
• Do favors for freelancers – help them find sources even if its not for one of your clients or for your business. They’ll pay you back in the long run!

NOT Lance's assets

Once you start dabbling in the world of PR you hear the question “what’s the back story” quite a bit. In fiction the back story is the character’s history – it’s key to how much we identify and care about that person.

For news stories, and particularly for talk shows and feature ‘packages’ the back story is often more important than the actual product or service. Lance Armstrong is perhaps the best example of a great back story. Before he battled cancer, Lance was just another racer in a sport Americans cared little about. After winning his battle with cancer and subsequently becoming the Tour de France champion umpteen times we cared a great deal (as did the sponsors.) It’s the classic story of winning against all odds. We love it!

I had a client once that developed a beautiful card game based on the idea of teaching kids how and why to do random acts of kindness. Very nice product, but the reason behind that product was compelling.  This woman had experienced the loss of a baby and was devastated. She finally was able to overcome her depression by practicing random acts of kindness.  When she recovered she felt so strongly  she created a way for others to learn about the powerful benefits of practicing random acts of kindness. Although sad, it’s an inspirational story, one that Montel Williams picked up on right away. Although she was hesitant to use it, people totally connected with her story.

It’s so important to put forth your STORY…editors and producers get tons of pitches on products and books and services all day long. If they fit into another story they’re developing you might get lucky. If you can create your own back story you’ll have a much better chance. Here are some steps to create a great back story:

• Think about your own history. What obstacles have you overcome in your life? Illness, divorce, bankruptcy? What drove you to create your product or service in the first place? Be careful here…many people are quite humble and don’t realize how interesting they really are. Facing and overcoming a huge obstacle is always a great story.
• Re-write your bio so that it covers all the struggles you’ve faced and your accomplishments, and make sure you include your volunteer work. Many journalists look at a bio first to see if there’s anything unique. Remember, news stories and features are about PEOPLE not THINGS.
• Find research to support your story. For example, everyone knew statistically few survive Lance’s form of brain cancer. This made his story that much more dramatic. For the random act of kindness project, we found research that explained positive psychology.  Editors and producers want FACTS to back up their stories.

Now write your pitch using the back story as the general theme, with supporting facts from reputable academics or foundations. Add the product or service as a footnote, not as the main idea.  You might be surprised at what happens next!

I mentioned this briefly in a post back in February – if you want to get the media’s attention you have to know how to write a good hook. Particularly now when most of them are underpaid and WAY overworked. (But not too crabby, which I find an interesting twist and maybe the topic of another blog post)

Look at the headlines and subheads in magazines as a starter. If your email has a starting sentence that the editor or reporter can see as a lead-in you’ve got them “hooked”. Then you hit them with all the background info. Keep it short, keep it relevant and keep it interesting. Humor is okay, but remember not everyone (especially busy journalists) get it. Give them something they can use – the biggest compliment I get is when a writer or TV reporter uses my hook as the lead-in for the eventual story.

Not surprisingly, companies often think that their strongest features and benefits are the best hooks. Maybe they have a great team or their clients saved a bunch of money. I get why these are important points but media doesn’t care. They want provocative, startling, even shocking hooks. One of my best pitches for a management consulting firm started with “Briefs or boxers – what kind of company do you run?” I must have gotten a dozen responses on that one.

Here are a few other hooks that have turned into actual editorial -

• Telemarketing gets welfare moms off the dole more than any other industry
• Happiness can be bad for your health, leading researchers say
• Losing your job is more stressful than surviving a hurricane, according to psychologist

Kat Feete also has some great ideas for hooks. Send me your examples!