Product Reviews

Product reviews are a huge attraction to readers- especially if you are reviewing something that your readers may be interested in. And there’s no better time to post a product review than around the holidays. Christmas, New Years, Easter, birthdays- all of it’s fair game where reviews are concerned. Just received a gift from someone? Bought a new electronic device? Write about it and share your pros and cons with others.

Tutorials

How-tos are a great way to help your readers figure out how to do something for themselves, and it also helps to build your credibility. For example, many SEO experts will provide readers with step-by-step instructions on how to properly use Google Analytics, etc. Whatever tutorial you decide to do, just make sure that your directions are clear, concise and easy to follow. Use bullet points to help break up text, and screen shots/pictures are always a great addition.

Power Posts

Whether you are talking about something of special interest to your readers or something fun and personal, when you put a lot of thought and research into your blog posts and target it towards your audience, they will definitely appreciate the effort. Encourage reader response by posing open ended questions at the end of the post such as “What do you think?” or “I’d love to hear your thoughts..” etc.

1. Going Off Topic-One of the unfortunate things that many of us do too often is start off our blog posts with one idea in mind; then by the time we finish writing what we thought we had to say, we realize that the post has taken a completely different direction. While some readers may forgive you for this, it is usually better to err on the side of caution and avoid any confusion. Stick to the topic and keep it simple.
2. Rambling-Following closely in the footsteps of going off topic is rambling. Often times, blog posts fall apart due to the fact that the author is digressing about something or the other. How does this translate to the reader? Readers will usually quite reading what the author has to say before they even finish whatever it was they were rambling on about because their writing comes across as having little or no meaning. Again, stay on topic.
3. Complaining-Complaining in posts is usually a no-no, unless you are somehow tying it into some bigger point-which you had better reach quick. Remember, you want to keep your readers engaged. You can get away with complaining on a personal blog or journal, but for a professional site and for building credibility, this can be catastrophic.
4. Photographs- Imagery is important when blogging. People like pictures because they like to feel a visual connection to what you are talking about. Photographs serve many different purposes such as tying a piece of writing together to help promote a deeper understanding; or they can be used in place of words to help illustrate a point. Often times, bloggers use photos to help break up the text and give their readers’ eyes a break. However, just make sure that you are careful about the type of photo you use as well as the size. Both need to be relevant to the amount of text on the page as well as related to what you are talking about. For example, if your focus of your blog post is based around an image, then your image will be bigger, etc.

I don’t know about you; but for me, when I am surfing the net and come across a blog site, I’m immediately drawn or turned away by the following things:

• Length- Length is an ongoing issue for many people. More often than not, lengthy blogs tend to lose their readers either because of the way in which they are written, the typeface that is used, external distractions on the page or due to long, unbroken text that simply doesn’t give the eye enough of a break. Personally, I don’t mind reading a slightly lengthier blog as long as it has a point. Additionally, I find that, like a good book, if the opening line isn’t great, chances are I won’t get past it. That being said, when writing blog posts, always aim to keep it short and to the point
• Title- As stated earlier, the opening line is a biggie. Equally as important (if not moreso) is the title that you attribute to the blog post you are writing. The trick is to know when to keep people guessing versus knowing when to just spell it out for them to let them decide. For instance, a blog post that is titled like this one informs the reader of exactly what he or she will be reading about whereas a blog that is titled “The Day I Died” is more abstract. Both blogs titles draw in a potential reader because of the title. Try not to be too abstract or vague because rather then draw in the reader, you will do the opposite. So, for instance, something titled, “What I Did Today” wouldn’t really garner much readership.
• Focus-What is the focus of your blog? This should be spelled out or made pretty darn clear within the first few lines. You never want someone to reach the middle of your blog post or [gasp] the end of your post and still have no idea what it was they just read.
• Pictures- Pictures are an excellent way to draw people into a blog. They can also be incredibly distracting if they are too large, too small or too frequently used. Use the amount of text within your post to help guide you in terms of how large or small the picture should be. In most cases, pictures are usually used as a sort of aside to the blog. The only real time a picture should be made huge is if it is the focus of your blog post. In this case, showcasing the photo at either the beginning or at the end of your blog post would be acceptable.
• Ads-For those out there who have websites or blogs that are monetized, ads may seem like a godsend. However, like someone who gets a tattoo, it isn’t long before one ad simply isn’t enough. The economy may be tough right now, but it is still no reason to pepper your website with advertisements and banner ads. If you absolutely must have ads, consider putting them all on a separate page. Not only are ads distracting, but they begin to look somewhat sloppy and less professional as you accumulate more of them.

What are some things that you do or don’t like to see on blogs?