Slides from the Blogging Rotation at Social Media Residency.

1. Blogging Best Practices

2. Blogs provide content to
inform, educate, and invite engagement.
Content may be:
 Curated – Culled from 3rd party sources
 Created – Developed especially for the blog
Includes a mix of:
 Web-readable text
 Images*
 Embedded videos and slide decks
*The new “must have” element.

3. Best Practices
Start with strategy and tactics.
 Identify audience(s)
 Clarify goal(s)
 Craft message(s)
 Create an editorial calendar to ensure
consistency and variety
ProTip: Read lots of blogs to see what
works and what doesn’t.

4. Think Tactically About Posting
 What content? Images?
 When?
 How often?
 Categorized and tagged clearly and
consistently?
 Integrated with website and other
platforms?
 Policies in place for comments?

5. Best Practices
Understand that anything posted online
becomes visual, even if it’s written text.
 Brief posts (250-400 words)
 Shorter sentences (7-10 words)
 More and shorter paragraphs
 Include an image/illustration
 Pay attention to fonts and spacing
Editorial oversight prevents blogging oversights!

6. Best Practices
Follow editorial standards
for web readability.
 Active voice
 Personal pronouns
 Contractions
 More informal
 Ditch industry jargon
http://www.hemingwayapp.com/

7. Best Practices
Adopt tried-and-true tactics to
generate visibility and engagement.
 Allow comments and respond promptly
 Include sharing buttons for social networks
 Include links
 Use descriptive, recognizable tags
 Have a plan for cross-posting
 Seek opportunities for re-posting
 Consider launching a series

8. Blogging Basics Demo
 Adding a post
 Formatting
 Lists
 Links
 Pictures

9. Assignment: Your 1st Blog Post
 Go to private Social Media Residency blog
 Click on:
 Write 200 words about “One thing I’ve learned
today that I can apply for my work is…”
 Upload an image
 Add a link (e.g., to your website)
 Embed your YouTube video

10. Questions?