What’s Your Secret Formula For Blogging?

I was asked recently about my secret formula for blogging.

I don’t have one. I’m not sure anyone does. If I were to sum it up into one sentence, it would be, “Do what works for you.” Whether you’re writing to let others know about your day, or you want to make money, the key is to do what works for you.

I believe there are a few tenets of blogging that drive engagement through sharing and comments. Here they are, in no particular order:

  • Be human. Don’t be a technical manual.
  • Don’t spend 1,000 words doing what 100 words can.
  • Don’t use 1,000 dollar words. Ever. Doesn’t matter how smart your audience is, don’t write over their heads.
  • Give credit where credit is due. If you found an idea somwhere that you’re expanding on, give credit to the original idea.
  • Spark a conversation, don’t end one.
  • Being self-depricating is a strength, not a weakness. I believe that if you take yourself too seriously, no one will take you seriously at all. Just look at my about me page. Do you really want to read about me growing up a completely normal kid? Bo. Ring.

In the end, I’m not sure I do have a secret formula. I realize that by asking this it’s not really a secret, but:

Do you have a secret formula for blogging?

(Image courtesy istolethetv)

  • http://stanfaryna.wordpress.com Stan Faryna

    Do I have a secret formula for building a community around my blog, amplifying the voices of others, and keeping it closer to the heart?

    I can tell you one thing. It ain’t easy. But I’m going to finally admit to it because Jack deserves to hear it from the horse’s mouth. [laughing] I love it. I love blogging. How about you?

    [grin]

  • http://rickmanelius.com Rick Manelius

    One thing I’m still trying to master is being brief. I agree it’s more powerful, much like poetry.

    Funny. I’m actually decent at poetry. But when I switch to prose, I get long winded!

    Some great tips, Paul. Thanks!

  • http://www.experiate.net Paul Flanigan

    Ha. I tried poetry. I found that the less I worked at it, the better I got. Problem was I was more Weird Al Yankovic than e.e. cummings.

    Thanks, Rick.

  • http://www.experiate.net Paul Flanigan

    I love blogging. I really do. Maybe that’s the point. It’s kind of like love. Everyone has their own definition of what works, and everyone has their own method (or madness), and some are great, and some are not.

    Damn right it ain’t easy.

  • http://thefarmerslife.wordpress.com/ Brian

    I’m really happy when someone tells me I just explained something on my blog in terms they can understand.  That’s one thing I wanted to try and accomplish when I started blogging, and was so glad people actually took the time to mention that to me.  I’m no expert and I don’t have much traffic yet, but I’m learning all the time.  I’m thinking I should do some “quick” 100 word or less posts more often.

  • Anonymous

    I share my odd inclinations. Piecemeal, not every single one at once.

    I think about what makes fiction work, then write about that. I obsess about good beginnings. A lot.

    My day job as a translator taught me how to focus on effectiveness and readability, which my degrees in modern languages and comparative literature did not. 

    As a translator, you learn to produce material that is not about you, and you learn to subdue your ego. Sometimes your personality gets in the way. 

    However, the kind of writing I do as a translator helped develop my sense of self, not deny it or squash it. It improved my writing skills. And it taught me humility.

    My secret formula is: Don’t write for yourself. Write to be read. More importantly, write the kind of thing you like to read.

  • http://www.experiate.net Paul Flanigan

    The 100 words or less approach seems to work well for me. I think it’s two things. I think that it’s easier for people to digest, and I think that my own writing is better because of it – I cut out a lot of fluff. Is that a secret? To me, it was a lot of experience. I have written a few long-form, bu they are so niche that they would not catch on. So that’s one of my favorite rules – keep it short.

  • http://www.experiate.net Paul Flanigan

    One of the things that a lot of people believe is that you should tell stories. Regardless of the subject or theme, if you can craft a story, you’ll resonate better. I think that’s a good approach, but not necessarily appropriate across the board. Do you believe that? (I’m curious…)

  • Anonymous

    Not only do I believe that storytelling is useful in most situations but I also practice it.

    Bear in mind that a story doesn’t have strict requirements in terms of length. You can tell a decent, helpful, even convincing one during an elevator ride.

    I’d like to point out that we most often think of stories as ‘fiction’ – which they don’t have to be. You can present non-fiction in story form, which plenty of marketers, psychologists and authors of self-help books do. 

    In fact, our verbal circuits are wired to turn everything into a story. 

    We expect the teller to deliver the goods in a timely manner. So when you launch into a meandering narrative, people will ask, ‘What are you driving at?/What are you trying to say?/So what’s your point?’  

    Don’t forget that storytelling principles underpin everyday language. An analogy is a narrative device. Exaggeration, repetition, extrapolation, all of these are verbal, narrative tactics to get a point across.

    The paramount weapon in a storyteller’s arsenal is the ability to find simplicity and direction in a confusing environment.

    Just look at this military PowerPoint slide:
    http://www.presentationmagazine.com/most-complicated-slid-2517.htm

    There’s no direction. No clear focus. This is a visual riot – information run amok. There’s too much of it and, whether it means anything or not, meaning is heavily diluted.

    My point is, whenever you communicate verbally, the next story is just around the corner. You just can’t help it. But in order to resonate, the story has to be relevant. Relevant to your audience or readership.

    Most Lady Gaga fans won’t know or care about Orlando di Lasso — but if she told them di Lasso was an amazing composer they should listen to, millions of them would Google the name, find recordings of his music and start buying CDs or downloading MP3 files.

    All this to say that the teller’s identity, and context, also matter. Certain messages require authority. I’m no expert on lung cancer, so if I recommend that one of my friends stop smoking, my concern is legitimate, but I am not an authoritative voice. I may have an informed opinion but it’s not an expert opinion.

    To get around this, people use a tactic I like to call ‘borrowed credibility,’ which is similar to the argument from authority. The audience may know you’re not an expert, but show them you’ve done your homework – through storytelling – and they start to connect with you. 

    Stories are a good way to communicate that you did the reading and that your opinions are neither baseless nor eccentric.

    The best book I ever read on this subject was Made to Stick by Chip & Dan Heath. 

  • Pingback: Why Storytelling Is That Important — Experiate

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