Nate Riggs: Blogging Styles - The List Post

NATERIGGS
social business design | strategy
nateriggs.com
@nateriggs

#spinsuckspro

BLOGGING

To win at the art AND science blogging, you must:
Understand how search engines work
Know how humans spend time online
Consistently have fresh content ideas
Understand what resonates with your audience
Speak “bloggerese” and know the terminology
Have command over technology tools
Understand the the nuances of blogger culture
Have knowledge of web conversion and analytics

What you the blogger are up against:
152 million – The number of blogs on the Internet (as tracked by BlogPulse, in December 2010).
29% of business blogs post an average of 3-4 times each week
Bloggers are more affluent and educated than the general population with 79% have college degrees & 43% have graduate degrees
81% have been blogging more than 2 years.
Professionals blog 10+ hours/week.
Data from:
Technorati's State of the Blogosphere 2010 report
Hubspot 2010 State of the Industry Report

Don’t let this be your blog...

What practicing blogging styles can do for you:
Provides you with a solid foundation from which to experiment
Familiarity with style frameworks make it easier to stay consistent in your blogging practice
Style makes your content more inviting, readable, memorable, and engaging
Helps you stand out in a crowded world

Mastering the List Style Blog Post
Understanding the list style blog post
3 types of list style frameworks
7 tips writing better list style blog posts
11 bright list topic ideas for your homework

Get updates on my new book...
nateriggs.com/bloggingbook

Understanding the list style blog post

Used wisely, the list style can help you:
Increase the amount of social bookmarking and audience ratings
Increase the amount of repeat visitors to the specific posts
Accelerate sharing across social media
Draw higher amounts of comments and audience interaction
Create greater affinity between the blogger and audience

Well designed lists also preform:

Quick Break for
QUESTIONS?

3 types of list style frameworks

Your study guidelines
Look at posts from the 30,000 foot view
For today, the content doesn’t count
Layout is everything in readability

Simple Lists
Appropriate for higher number of list items with less information per item
Use numbered bullets to help your readers navigate
Always include the total number of bullets in the title
Each bullet demonstrates one question or statement
List as many items as are relevant to the content focus
Periods are only necessary for complete sentences

Simple Lists
Post Framework:
Introduction sentences
Tell your audience why this list matters to them
How will this list help them
Bulleted list elements
Each bullet is typically one sentence
Bullets can be sequential or random
Summary sentences
Instruct your audience as to what to do with this list
Call to action
Ask them to take that action

Detailed Lists
Appropriate for shorter lists that contain more information for each bullet
Use of sub headers as bullet points in conjunction with text or numbered bullets
Bullets may contain full paragraphs of detailed information, steps, etc.
Total number of of bullets is typically kept to 10 or less, to control overall post length
Make sure to use proper punctuation in the bullet descriptions

Detailed Lists
Post Framework:
Provide more backstory that supports your explanation of the details
Each bullet item may be 50-100 words in length
Use numbered and text sub bullets to increase readability
Summary sentences
Call to action

Hybrid Lists
Appropriate for lists that require lots of visuals or demonstrations
Use numbered or text bullets, but apply the rules from previous lists
Integrate media such as videos or photos to demonstrate the list
Each bullet then reflects a list element present in the integrated media
Don’t be afraid to turn the camera and show yourself to your audience
Make sure to embed the video above the fold or utilize auto-play for videos below the fold

Simple Lists
Post Framework:
Tell your audience why this list matters to them
How will this list help them
Media integration
Use video to audible and visually list each of your bullets
Embed photographs as examples of list elements
Apply rules from previous lists
Summary sentences
Call to action

Quick Break for QUESTIONS?

7 TweetableTitles for writing killer list style blog posts
@prtini

TweetableTitle 1:
@nateriggs says - choose blog post titles wisely: SEO keywords or attention getters - #spinsuckspro

TweetableTitle 2:
@nateriggs says - link often to other blogs to leverage pingbacks and get attention - #spinsuckspro

TweetableTitle 3:
@nateriggs says - make your list style posts easy for your audience to navigate - #spinsuckspro

TweetableTitle 4:
@nateriggs says - use repeat keywords and phrases in list posts to build SEO juice - #spinsuckspro

TweetableTitle 5:
@nateriggs says – Leave your list 80% complete and ask your audience to help your finish it - #spinsuckspro

TweetableTitle 6:
@nateriggs says - use mindmaps to create your list bullets at random, then order them - #spinsuckspro

TweetableTitle 7:
@nateriggs says - experiment with different list styles. Mix, match and create your own - #spinsuckspro

Quick Break for QUESTIONS?

11 bright list topic ideas for your homework

# of things you know now that you wish you knew when you started your career
# most important times to support your co-workers
Top # things to never say in a client meeting
Top # ways that small businesses can benefit from using the internet
# of opportunities you might be missing by not blogging regularly
The top # best blog posts you’ve read this month

NATERIGGS
Content marketing consultant
Social business design
Professional speaker
Daily blogger
Author in progress
nateriggs.com
nate@nateriggs.com
@nateriggs

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Nate Riggs: Blogging Styles - The List Post

by Nate Riggs on Jul 14, 2011

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Nate Riggs: Blogging Styles - The List Post — Presentation Transcript