1. How to write great blog posts
The number of words, types of photos and secrets to getting others
to interact with you.

2. Who We Are
Nadine Anglin
Online Editor, The Kit
@nsharona
Sarah Kelsey
Style Editor, The Huffington Post Canada
@sarahkelsey

3. Who we are
Christy Laverty
News writer, editor, blogger
@Imfreckles
Mara Shapiro
Blogger, Community Manager
@chickymara

4. Blogging Basics
Your Mantra:
NBB (Never Be Boring)
A good blog post is:
• interesting, engaging
• well edited
• unique to your voice or viewpoint

5. Blogging Basics
Structure:
• between 500-700 words (you can split posts into part 1 &
part 2 if necessary)
• contains at least one photo
• short paragraphs (lots of white space makes it easy for
the eye)

6. Three Parts to a Blog Post
• Introduction: Why am I writing this? Why would you want
to know about this? Start with an anecdote or
strong/witty statement, give a reason why someone
should read on
• Body: Choose your points and support them. Answer
questions, make the connections. This is where you
engage the reader
• Conclusion: recap your beginning, summarize; call to
action
AEI: Always End Interestingly

7. Other tips
• Make sure you know why you’re writing before you start.
What
point do you want to get across?
• Titles are key: great titles will bring readers to your post
• Use lists, bullets or tips (eg. Top 10 reasons...)
• Include keywords in your first couple of sentences

8. Other tips
• Make sure to title and tag photos when uploading
• If you want people to comment, ask a question at the
end
• Don’t be afraid to be controversial; people want to hear
your unique viewpoint

9. What if I’m not a good writer?
• What are the formats and tools that you can use to help
you nurture the writer in you?

10. What if I’m not a good writer?
• Just write. Sometimes your beginning happens at the
end.
• Get away. Take a shower, go for a drive.
• Step away then edit. And edit again. Make sure you’re Is
are dotted and Ts are crossed. Take out superfluous words

11. What if I’m not a good writer?
K.I.S.S:
• Keep It Simple Silly! Don’t get too complicated.
Conversational:
• Try thinking about how you tell a story to a friend.
• Think about the casual, conversational tone you might
use to talk about that product, experience or person.
• Record it if that helps. Then use that same tone in your
writing.

12. What if I’m not a good writer?
• Create formats for different blog posts so that you’re not
just staring at a blank page, you’re filling in categories.
• When creating your formats think about what interests
you, what will serve your reader, and what other people
in your niche are doing.

13. What if I’m not a good writer?
Stay organized:
• The more organized and on top of day-to-day site
management you are (managing site calendars, reading
the news, etc.) the more organized you’ll feel when it
comes to writing.
• You’ll feel like you have all the time in the world to write a
post.

14. What if I’m not a good writer?
Talk it out:
• Think about how you would tell the story you’re trying to
write to a best friend.
• Write down the conversation.
• This will give you an idea of how a conversational story
should read.

15. What if I’m not a good writer?
Read:
• There are dozens of books out there that aren’t boring
that will help you learn about proper grammar.
• Eat, Shoots and Leaves is one of my favourites

16. What if I’m not a good writer?
Analyze your favourites:
• The next time you surf the web, bookmark the sites you
like the tone of.
• Go over the sites in-depth; read a lot of their articles.
• Jot down notes on what makes them sound similar. How
are they telling stories? How do they make them
engaging?

17. What if I’m not a good writer?
Be patient:
• Being a good writer isn’t something that happens
overnight. It’s an evolution; a process.

18. Why am I writing this?
Why is it relevant?
The importance of being timely.

19. Why am I writing this?
• Before writing any post, ask yourself why it’s worth writing
about right now.
• Remember the 5 Ws: who, what, where, when, why
• Just because you’ve received a press release, doesn’t
mean something is worth covering

20. Why am I writing this?
Don’t stop there:
• What’s trending? (On Google, Polyvore, YouTube, Pinterest,
etc.)
• Develop a content calendar
• Can you develop more than one story out of the post?
• What are other blogs similar to yours writing about?

21. Your Voice
What is your voice?
How do you use it to create a great blog post?

22. Your voice
• Your voice is your unique style of writing (pacing, tone);
it’s your personality in text.
• Your voice can be comical, poetic, sarcastic,
academic... all of the above!

23. Your voice
• You need a unique voice to stand out in the crowd
and to connect with your audience.
• To find your voice study writers who write in a style you
like, take note of how you speak when you’re having
a conversation with a friend, record yourself talking
about a specific topic or product and literally listen to
the way you speak.

24. The next level…Nadine
• Upgrade to an entry-level DSLR (around $500) and learn
basic photography principles.
• Try different embeddable widgets ex. a poll, a gallery, a
quiz, etc.

25. The next level…Mara
• Decide what the level is.
• Do you want to become a quotable expert? Do you
want to change the look of your blog? Monetize it?
• Whatever you decide to do, just reach for the stars. You
never know when the magic will happen.

26. The next level…Christy
• Storify and Infographics (pictochart) : A great
way to tell a story in a different way.
• Think visual: Photographs and video

27. The next level…Sarah
Become tech savvy.
• Take a course like those offered by “Ladies Learning
Code.” You’ll learn everything from Photoshop to HTML,
so you can upgrade the look and feel of your site on your
own and easily.

28. Last words…Nadine
1. Remember writing is a craft, not an art. Anyone can learn
it.
2. We’re moving into a visuals-first era online. How can you
tell your stories more visually?
3. Always self edit. Take away the fat, you’ll be left with a
better story.

29. Last words…Sarah
1. Ask for advice (people who’ve come before you can offer
tips and tricks you might not be able to learn on your own).
2. Be bold and brave. Try new things! Don’t take yourself too
seriously
3. Keep your eyes and ears open. Story ideas and visuals can
come from anywhere. Stay up-to-date on news stories, read
lots of blogs/magazines, etc. Brand yourself with PR people.

30. Last words…Christy
1. Write, Write, Write: the more you write the better you
will become & the easier it will be.
2. Don’t be afraid to try something new, different,
creative
3. Be yourself.

31. Last words…Mara
1. Your blog is you. Make it yours. Don’t ever
compromise yourself and what’s important to
you
2. Be Real. Don’t be afraid to say what you mean
and share your feelings
3. Be consistent. Give your readers what they
expect. A small loyal community is a wonderful
thing. There are no small blogs.