Hi there, peeps. Here’s another post for Darren Rowse’s 31 Day Blogging Project.

Last week, I tackled some tips on how to organize your blog contests. This week, I wanted to write a short article on how to make a good post.

Let’s start by identifying the elements of a good post. The first and most important would be the relevance of your post. Second, and equally important, is the composition length. You should be able to strike a balance between “Not too short” and “not too long”.

Shall we delve into the more interesting stuff?

The rest after one more click.

TIPS ON POST COMPOSITION

1. Relevance – like I said, make sure that you are providing good content for your target audience. One good way to do this is to ask yourself “If I were not the owner of this blog, would I be interested in reading this post?”. Remember, content is KING!

2. Length – A good post (with some exceptions) should run between 400 to 500 words. That’s usually 2/3 page in MS Word. Any post (again, with some exceptions) longer that this and your readers might be “intimidated” to even consider finishing (not unless the title is captivating, see below).

3. Titles – titles should be a call to action. They should be controversial (makes me wanna click it), blunt and direct to the point. Here’s an example: lame title: “Trial offers for a foreign game. Chance to win”. Good title: “FREE Open Beta Accounts for <game>. Join Now” see the difference? Also, remember to have your key words in your title. That’s an SEO must.

4. Post tone – Just try to be yourself. Remember, it’s YOUR blog. You don’t have a boss and you are your OWN editor. Try to type as if you were talking to a friend. Don’t be too formal or “journalistic”. An informal tone will make your readers relax. Imagine, if you will, trying to lure them into a soft and fuzzy coach and you’ll know where I’m getting at, kapish?

5. Promote your old posts – make sure that you anchor old and relevant posts in the body of your message. It’s one way of making your readers stay longer in your blog. The longer they stay, the more they are exposed to your adsense ads (more likely of clicking), go figure.

6. Alpha and Omega – beging your posts with a personalized, informal message. What’s racing through your mind about this topic? Let them know. Interject personal inputs and insights within the post body too. Remember that successful blogs are like this. If you just cut-and-paste and say “Hey… check out this article, I got this from <site here>” that’s rather lame, right? Before ending your post, a good technique is to have a “call to action”. Be the first to “comment” on your own article (before ending it) and then challenge your readers by posing a question. Trust me, you’ll get more comments this way.

I hope these tips help. Until next week’s blogging tip!

GM T