Do you blog every day? When someone tells you that they do, do you express total disbelief? This is certainly the reaction I get when I tell someone that I post to my blog every day.
They want to know where I find the time and how I think of something to say every day.
Well, I’ve been explaining to non-writers and writers alike for years that what I do is write. So, of course, I have the time to write—it’s my way of life. So putting together a daily 300 to 600-word blog is just as much a part of my schedule as is pouring a glass of orange juice first thing in the morning.
How do I think of what to write? As most of you know, I attempt to follow the rules of blogging etiquette and good sense and offer you something of value in each and every blog post. Sure, I use it to tell you about my books and services. But mainly, you get tips, techniques, resources, perspective, insight and news.
So what do I recommend to those of you who are just starting out with a blog, who are considering a blog or who have been blogging, but not very regularly?
• Jot down topics when they occur to you. Presumably, you are blogging about the subject of your book. Also presumably, you are promoting that book day in and day out. So you are always in the mode of your book—gardening, pet photography, family budgeting, dog-showing, healthy-eating, living green, travel, public speaking or—in my case, writing and publishing.
• Respond to questions. You may receive questions via email, while giving a presentation or even on the street about an aspect of your expertise. Use these questions as a theme for your blog. You’ll notice that’s what I did today. Just recently someone asked me again, “You blog every day?” And she looked at me like I must be from a planet where the beings never sleep, they have hours to spend blogging and where they have access to constant blog topics.
• Seek themes for your blog through Google Alerts, HARO, your regular newsletters, teleseminars, appropriate forums and other such resources.
http://www.google.com/alerts
http://www.helpareporter.com
• Interact with others, be they colleagues, experts in your topic, individuals involved in the subject of your book and so forth. Listen to what they say and use some of their ideas or concerns to create useful blog posts.
• I get ideas for this blog from my clients and customers as they are also my blog followers. At least, they have some of the same challenges.
• I might use a quote, a poorly written sentence or an outrageous comment as fodder for this blog.
As you can see, blog ideas are wherever you look for them. It’s a matter of opening your eyes, ears and mind to them. And about the time element: if you don’t believe that you have the time to blog every day, just rethink your schedule. I wrote this blog post in less than 20 minutes.
If you generally watch TV at night, for example, simply go to the computer at every commercial break, maybe three times during a program, and you should be able to write a fairly decent blog post. Don’t click send until the next morning when you’re fresh. Instead of watching the Morning Show or reading the newspaper, re-read your blog post, revise where necessary and then post it.
If this is a stretch at first, keep on keeping on and you will develop the ability to create more useful blog posts in less time. Practice, practice, practice.
Place your order today for The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book.
http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html
Or any of Patricia Fry’s other books for authors. Have you checked out my latest ebook, The Successful Authors Handbook? http://www.matilijapress.com/successful_author_handbook.html