This link has been bookmarked by 39 people . It was first bookmarked on 10 Jul 2008, by James OReilly.
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28 Sep 11
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24 Mar 11
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Nine Signs of an Effective Blog Post
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06 Mar 11
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There are as many styles of blog posts as there are bloggers
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What they all ultimately share is the desire to get their reader to do something — to feel or act a certain way, to buy a product, to think a thought, to answer a question, to leave a comment, or even just to respect the author.
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adapted the following tips from Bly’s “How to Write a Good Advertisement”
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1. The headline draws the reader in.
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entice
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compelling
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2. A concrete detail or visual illustrates the benefit promised in the headline.
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something the reader can picture that lends credibility to the title and draws them further into the post.
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3. The lead expands the theme of the heading
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The opening of a blog post should not just be concrete but it should expand on and deepen the promise made in the headline (this applies to leads after subheads, too)
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4. The layout is clear and skimmable.
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Sub-heads, bullet points, short paragraphs, bold-faced text
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help make key points stand out, without cluttering your post
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5. The post covers the topic in a logical sequence.
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if a post presents information in a scattershot way, no one will ever be able to put all the pieces together.
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Most topics will suggest their own structure. A how-to post is best structured in steps, one after the other. A historical event is usually best presented chronologically. An idea an usually be broken down into clear parts.
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however you choose to write the post, the parts should flow, one into the other, to create a coherent whole.
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6. The post is persuasive.
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The most effective posts lay out an argument in a way that leads the reader to agreement of sympathy with the author’s position.
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audience
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structure
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detail
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Evidence
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Narrative
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Emotion
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7. The post is interesting to read
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02 Oct 10
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02 Mar 10
Cathy BogaartProblogger has tons of great articles on blogging, although they often focus on SELLING, which I'm not a fan of. However, a good blog is a good blog as long as you decide what your purpose IS, who your audience is and stick to it.
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21 Sep 09
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31 Jul 08
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12 Jul 08
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desire to get their reader to do something
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an effective blog post leads the reader to take action
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The importance of a good headline has been emphasized repeatedly
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Few readers will read a post whose headline doesn’t entice them in some way, either by promising them a benefit for themselves (”How Blogging Makes You Sexier” — the reader wants to know how they can be sexier), arousing their curiosity (”The 10 Mistakes You Make that Are Costing You Money” — the reader wants to know what those 10 mistakes are), or promising a reward (”Earn $5,000 in an Hour!” — the reader would like to make $5,000). A post that doesn’t get read in the first place is obviously not an effective post, so a compelling headline is essential.
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your first paragraph or two should concretely illustrate the benefit your headline promises.
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The opening of a blog post should not just be concrete but it should expand on and deepen the promise made in the headline (this applies to leads after subheads, too).
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strong layout and design is crucial to the success of a blog post. Sub-heads, bullet points, short paragraphs, bold-faced text — all of these give the eye something to “catch on” as the reader skims through your post. Take advantage of whatever tools are at your disposal to help make key points stand out,
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logical
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persuasive
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interesting
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believable.
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asks for some action.
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You want your reader to subscribe to your RSS feed, to come back and read the next chapter in your adventures in corporate hell, to click on ads, to share your story with their Twitter pals, to digg or Stumble or bookmark it, to link to it on their blog. You want them to feel sorry for you, to laugh with you, to write a letter to their Congressperson, to boycott company X, to patronize company Y, to write better or to start a blog or to have a better relationship or bake better cookies or ace that interview or get a job or install Linux on their toaster oven, to buy a product or subscribe to a magazine or download a program or…
The more explicit you are about the outcome you have in mind, and the more forthright you are about asking for that outcome, the more likely it is that that action will happen. Seems like common sense, yet a surprising number of writers skip that part. Even in advertising, there are writers who are great at capturing attention and building interest, who get their reader all keyed up to buy the product, and fail to ask for the sale.
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11 Jul 08
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10 Jul 08
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David PhillipsIn this post Dustin M. Wax explores what it takes to write an effective blog post.
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09 Jul 08
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Jim HolincheckA good reminder of what is a good blog post (more for me than anyone else)>
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