Starting a blog can be a great way to get your voice heard, shout about your skills and experience, and build brand awareness. But how do you choose what to write about, and how do you get people to actually read your work? To help save you time, I've collaborated with some thought leaders and provided you with the ultimate list of places to share your work for maximum exposure
Table of Contents
What is a Blog
According to the Web Tribunal, there are more than 600 million blogs worldwide, with 6 million blog posts daily and 77% of internet users reading blogs. Over 44% of buyers say they typically read three to five blog posts before deciding to engage with a company. So, having a blog for your business is an important part of building your online presence and trust in the services you offer.
A blog can be a standalone website or an add-on to a business website. Owners regularly update blogs with articles that provide insights into a specific topic or niche. Some bloggers make a full-time living out of maintaining a blog with affiliate marketing, and companies can acquire 67% more leads by regularly posting to a blog.
How to Write a Blog Post
When deciding to start a blog, consider its purpose and your target audience when choosing what blog content to include.
For example, one of my target audiences is actors. When deciding what articles to write for them, I use a combination of market research and tools such as Answer the Public, Moz keywords and Google Keyword Planner. Using these tools, I then chose to write articles that a large number of actors are searching for on the internet and that answer their search questions.
When researched well, blog posts allow you to rank on search engines for a variety of keywords that bring traffic from your targeted audience. Include internal links to encourage your visitors to explore other pages and to help turn them into potential leads who then go on to purchase your products or services.
How to Write a Blog Title
Choosing a blog title is an important part of enticing readers to continue reading the full blog article. Don't be afraid to change your title. Many times, my rough title changes by the time I've finished writing. Think of your title as a starting destination on a road map; your headings are stops along the way, and the content is the description of your journey. As with any journey, sometimes you take detours, and that's the same with writing a blog post.
Remember to visit 'Answer the Public' and look for the types of questions your target audience is asking. Don't be too broad; be specific, not vague, and don't give away too much in the headline; the key is to evoke curiosity.
What is a Canonical Link?
A canonical link is a special tag added to the head section of a webpage. By specifying a canonical URL, you tell search engines which version to prioritise when indexing a page. This helps to avoid duplicate content issues that can sometimes negatively impact a website's SEO performance.
Where to Share Blog Posts
There are a number of places you can share your blog posts to grow your reach and audience base.
Medium
When I write a blog article, I leave it for about a week to be listed by search engines, and then I repost the content on Medium using the import a story option. If the import a story option doesn't work, you can also copy and paste the entire article and add a customised canonical link in the advanced settings section.
Biz Sugar
Biz Sugar is an online networking community for business owners to share articles and blog posts and explore ways to grow their businesses. Bizsugar also has online events and lets you save and share your favourite web links.
Online Blog Directories
Another option is to also submit your blog posts to online blog directories like Blogarama.
What is Guest Writing
Guest posting is the practice of writing an article for a website in your industry that mentions your brand name. This will acquire you a backlink that helps build and increase your brand's audience.
An easy way to find these when searching Google is to use the search terms:
Keywords + “Write for us”
Keywords + “Guest post”
Quora and Social Media for Diverse Reach
Faizan Khan is a public relations and content marketing specialist at Ubuy Australia:
"Quora is an excellent platform for sharing your blogs, articles, and other informational posts to maximize exposure and traffic. By engaging in topics related to their blogs, writers can also find inspiration for posts and answer relevant questions.
Bloggers can amplify traffic and exposure to their blogs/posts by utilizing popular social media channels like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Reddit to tap into diverse audiences. Combining these platforms enhances reach to engage a diverse audience segment with advanced sharing capabilities, leveraging your content across different demographics and ultimately driving more traffic."
LinkedIn: Professional Exposure and Networking
Utilising your professional networks like LinkedIn can be a powerful tool in driving business to your website. A question often asked is whether it's safe to repost entire blog posts as articles on LinkedIn. Currently, LinkedIn doesn't provide canonical URLs, and Google has mixed guidance about reposting content this way.
However, the predominant advice seems to be to wait at least a month to let search engines register and list your article, and when reposting the article on LinkedIn, ensure to link back to the original post on your website with a disclaimer saying similar to Medium, that it was originally posted on xxx.com.
Michael Hurwitz, CEO and Co-Founder of Careers in Government, has this to say about LinkedIn:
"LinkedIn serves as an ideal platform for professionals to share their blog posts, offering maximum exposure and traffic for several reasons. Firstly, LinkedIn boasts a professional audience that actively seeks valuable content related to their industry or interests. By sharing your blog posts on LinkedIn, you can target this audience directly, increasing the likelihood of engagement and interaction with your content.
Secondly, LinkedIn provides abundant networking opportunities. When you share your blog posts on the platform, you not only showcase your expertise to your existing connections but also attract potential new connections who are interested in your topics. This expands your professional network, opening doors to collaboration, career opportunities, and valuable connections in your field.
Lastly, sharing blog posts on LinkedIn enhances your visibility within the platform and beyond. LinkedIn's algorithm prioritizes content that receives engagement, meaning that well-received blog posts have the potential to reach a wider audience through likes, comments, and shares. Additionally, LinkedIn articles are indexed by search engines, further increasing the visibility of your content beyond the platform itself."
The Power of Reddit
Armen Davtyan, Head of SEO of Market Apartments, tells us not to forget about the power of using Reddit:
"Don't neglect the power of Reddit. For some, Reddit may seem a bit chaotic. Yet, when the right subreddit is found, it's like you are joining a crowd already eager to hear you. Participation and insight-sharing will stimulate your blog's visitor count. Keep in mind that Reddit appreciates genuine interaction and enriching conversation; it's not just link-dropping, and you're done. It's about contributing value."
Email Newsletters and Niche Forums
Collecting newsletter subscribers is an important part of maintaining and sustaining a blog. You can collect subscribers by adding a subscriber box to your blog and posts. You can also submit your blog to newsletter websites like Feedspot. If accepted, they'll include your new blog posts in a daily newsletter they send out.
Celeste Routh, SEO Strategist, at The Elegance Edit has this to say about newsletters and using niche forums:
"Your email subscribers have willingly signalled their interest in your content, creating a receptive audience for your blog posts. To reach an audience beyond your current subscribers, leverage paid promotions within relevant newsletters that boast a larger following. Collaborate with newsletters or email lists that align with your niche or industry, offering to sponsor content or feature your blog post.
Forums, on the other hand, serve as hubs where individuals actively seek information and engage in discussions related to your niche. For industry-specific content, professional forums such as Reddit's niche subreddits or Stack Exchange are beneficial. By sharing insights in these forums (with a link back to your full post), you tap into a community genuinely interested in your content.
Both email newsletters and forums provide targeted platforms where your content aligns with the expressed interests and inquiries of your audience. The key is to match the platform to the audience's preferences and behaviours."
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, by now, you have a good idea about whether or not starting a blog is the way forward for you and your business. Yes, blogs are time-consuming; the average blog takes about 4 hours to write. However, the payback in terms of brand awareness and creating a strong online presence somewhat offsets the work needed. Maintaining a blog is a powerful way to share your vision, give yourself a voice, and assert your authority in the field you work in.
If you want to connect or stay updated with the latest industry news, make sure to follow me on LinkedIn or sign up for my monthly newsletter, which also includes receiving updates on when a new blog post goes live.
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