In many areas of life, what you say matters, but how you say it matters nearly as much.

<Insert your own tale of misunderstanding in a friendship, marriage, work team, etc.>

How you say things in a blog matters, too, but not really because you’re worried about being misunderstood or hurting someone’s feelings (though this may be worth considering whenever you post or comment. Ever sent an email you were sure was free of “tone,” only to find out you’ve created a big mess on the other end?).

How you present information in a blog post matters because your goal is to get read and start a conversation. And there are lots of ways well-meaning bloggers keep people from reading or responding. Here are some helpful do’s and don’ts.

DO stick with a schedule that’s sustainable.

I know people who blog every day, no exceptions, and I know people who blog once a month. More is usually better, but it’s far better to blog consistently once a week than to blog every day for a month and then drop off the face of the earth for the next 5 months. Nothing says “dead blog” more than your last post dated 4 months ago.

DO keep it brief.

Anyone who’s ever read an email of mine or gone to coffee with me will tell you: brevity is something I have to work at on a daily basis. But in the blog world, it’s especially important.

Unnecessarily long posts don’t get read. Call it busyness. Call it a short attention span. But in blog-world, it’s not changing anytime soon, so just keep it in mind. Don’t be scared to break a post up into multiple parts if it’s getting too lengthy.

DON’T miss a single opportunity to invite people to respond.

I’m a comment glutton. Loooove those comments, and I’m not above offering a giveaway (translation: bribe) to get the lurkers to come out from hiding.

Why? Well, other than the fact that it feels nice to know I’m not writing to a black hole of nothingness, it allows me to get to know people better. It helps me see their needs. It starts conversations that I wouldn’t have predicted.

Ask people to tell you what they think. As often as possible. Their answers might surprise you.

DO break up the text so people’s eyes don’t begin to bleed.

Use appropriately-sized pictures to create visual interest.

Hit return to break up paragraphs.

Enter a horizontal line by typing <hr /> into your HTML editor.

Use H1 and H2 subhead tags, like I’m doing on each DO and DON’T.

DON’T, under any circumstances, use yellow. Ever.

More seriously, try to take it easy on ALL CAPS and 5-exclamation-points-in-a-row.

A writer friend once told me that whenever she sees an exclamation point, she hears Jerry Seinfeld yelling in her head. It’s helped me use moderation since.

Emoticon usage is still an addiction, I’m sad to report.

DO link search engine phrases back to appropriate pages on your main website.

The how-to specifics are their own blog post, but linking keywords like Seattle copywriting back to the Copywriting page on your Wordpress website helps Google rank your page higher for those keywords (meaning more people can find you). It’s pretty cool, and easy to get used to.

DON’T forget who your blog is about.

See yesterday’s post about finding good blog content. It’s about them, not about you or your business. Navelgazing doesn’t earn loyal readers (unless your navel happens to be extremely interesting — this is the exception).

Make sure everything you post has something to offer the kind people who take time out of their day to visit you.

They’ll usually keep coming back.

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What are your favorite blogs? What keeps you coming back? I’m always adding to my list of favorite blogs, so please share in the comments section below!

Here are a few blogs I’m unabashedly in love with:

Seth Godin’s Blog

The Pioneer Woman

Simple Productivity

Don Miller Is

A few days ago, I sent an email with some blogging tips to one of my clients, and thought: HEY! This would be great for other folks out there who are new to starting a Wordpress blog!

It seems like a daunting task, and I’ve known more than one person who breaks out into a sweat at the mere thought of writing a blog. They say very understandable things like:

1. “I have no idea what to say.”

2. “I’m REALLY (!) not a writer.”

3. “I’m kind of private — how personal do I have to get?”

To which my responses are usually:

1. You may not know what to say on a blog, but you definitely have something to say, or else you wouldn’t be starting your own business/serving a nonprofit/sharing your artistic talent/what-have-you. Let’s figure out ways to get what you have to say on the blog.

2. Good news! Blogs don’t have to be artsy-fartsy writerly to be good blogs. If you can type clear sentences more often than you type muddled-up strains of gobbledygook… if you can write an email… if you can start a conversation — you can write a blog. (If you don’t have time, consider my ghostwriting services).

3. You’re private, but your business or organization isn’t. So it’s not necessary (and not always advisable, frankly) to be uber-personal with your private life on the world-wide-web — they key is to write from a personal viewpoint about the business. Warmth and humor go a long way, and you can still let yourself be a mostly-private citizen.

Unless you’re on Facebook.  But we’ll talk about that later.

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FINDING GOOD GREAT CONTENT… RIGHT UNDER YOUR NOSE

Today’s tips are all about content.  Tomorrow’s post will focus more on how to be web-friendly (also important), so be sure to check back.

Tip 1: Check your “Sent” email folder.

Chances are, you’ve got some good posts lurking in there (this post is Exhibit A).

Anytime you send an email to one client/donor/prospect that could easily be clarifying or helpful for a number of people, it would likely make a great post. And for those who get nervous when faced with a big blank blog-post screen, this is good news: you’ve already written some of your bests posts without even knowing it. Yay.

Tip 2: Q & A

Ever feel like you answer the same question over and over and over about your work, or a certain process, or how people can get involved? It’s because a lot of people don’t know the answer.

Make a list of the 3 most common questions you get asked… those “if I had a nickel for every time” questions. Write down a clear, friendly explanation. You now have 3 blog posts. (Don’t forget to offer a place for people to ask more questions in the comments section… questions can become your own little Blog Post Factory).

Tip 3: Fill-in-the-Blank

If coming up with new content all the time freaks you out, you’re not alone. A simple post schedule based on days of the week (or if you post once a week, rotating topics each week) can help. A few ideas:

My photog friend Brook and I were brainstorming recently on how her photoblog could work — she’s very busy, and though she wants this added point of connection with clients and fans, it needs to be quick and easy if it’s going to work. My favorite idea of hers: One-Word Wednesdays. One word, followed by photos that reflect that word, followed by an invitation for visitors to chime in with their own words and reflections. Easy, and for a photoblog, it’s a great fit.

Another favorite, from my brilliant fundraising friends at Oneicity: Good-job Mondays. They take what can sometimes be a bear of a day and send out a virtual high-five to someone who’s out in the world doing good things. It never fails to start the week out on a positive note. Across the board, celebration makes for great blog posts.

If you’re writing a blog and need some help coming up with topics specific to your work, write me at stacey@lawliscreative.com and we’ll brainstorm together.

Tip 4: Share!

Share books. Share news. Share links. Share cool products that make your life easier. Share, share, share. If something was helpful to you, maybe it’ll help someone else, too. A link, a few of your comments, and an invitation for visitors to tell you what they think . . . you’ve got yourself a blog post.

Tip 5: What’s in it for them? (Also… it’s about them).

This might fall better under tomorrow’s post, but I can’t help mentioning it now, because it’s SO important. I may say it twice.

Each and every post should have something valuable in it for your readers. Vital information. Permission. Helpful insights. Encouragement. Ways people can be involved. Special offers. Conversation. A coffee card.

Your blog isn’t about your company. It’s about your readers and clients and fans. If there’s nothing in it for them, they won’t return. So make sure every post you write has a gift inside.

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Got some other good ideas for blog posts? Spill ‘em. Questions about blogging content that I haven’t touched on? Leave a comment and I’ll try to help. Or, feel free to email me directly at stacey@lawliscreative.com.