I recently got this tweet from a new friend of mine:
She had just finished reading my Who Is Jackie Lee page over at Internet Marketing for Mommies. She’s not kidding, that piece is 2205 words long. I am long winded… I’d say most of my posts on that site are between 1 to 2 thousand words long.
It’s interesting because I KNOW I’m long winded over there, and have been kind of proud of that fact… and I purposely try not to be over here.
I think it comes down to a skewed sense of providing value.
Fact: people will only keep coming back to my site if I provide something valuable for them. There are millions of blogs online, especially in the internet marketing niche, and if I want people to give me a piece of their day I am going to need to give them something in return aka provide value. So I went with the “more is better” mentality, and managed to puke everything I know about a given internet marketing topic (and many of its related topics) onto the page so people will feel as though they’ve received something valuable.
While I may have provided something valuable the problem is… it’s long winded. 🙂 And most people will not read through an entire 2000 word post, and yet I keep churning them out.
Funny thing is, on It’s a Wahm Life… I don’t do that.
I know work at home moms don’t have 30 minutes to sit and read one post, so I make sure I pack as much value into a post as I can in less than 750 words. This takes a lot more discipline as a writer, and it also takes a lot more clarity as a blogger.
I recently finished reading The Memoir Project by Marion Roach Smith. A really down to Earth book about how to write a memoir (or a blog). One of the most important lessons I took from the book was this:
What’s it about?
I’ve been thinking about it for days, and have come to realize that providing value to your readers really does come down to answering that ONE question ~ for a lot of different things.
1. What is your blog about?
Then make sure you’re writing to answer that question in each and every post.
2. What’s your sidebar about?
Then only add things that make that clear.
3. What is your blog post about?
Then make sure you’re writing to answer that question (and only that question) in your post.
Marion talks about the fact that when you’re a memoir writer you have your WHOLE life in your head… but only certain things are relevant to the story at hand. You have to be able to cut out the pieces that aren’t relevant, and only write the things that are.
It is exactly the same as a blogger… we have all this information in our head, all this value and we want to share it, but to really provide value to our readers we can only include (in any particular blog post) that which answers the question… what is this about? (Write down the tidbits that come up that don’t particularly fit ~ those can always be other blog posts!).
Here’s the point in time I would generally go off on a tangent that just came to mind… but today I’m going to write the tangent on a notecard and save it for another day.
What about you? When you read your blog posts, or look at your blog can you see the value in answering the one simple question… What is it about?
I’m not always sure I can answer that question about my blog in general – but I guess I can say it’s about being an expat and trying to raise a family in a different culture.
But for individual posts? Hell yeah, I think I’m very clear in each post as to what it’s about and do very well staying on topic to the post.
I think something as simple as living as an expat in Peru… would be good enough to keep you clear about what your blog is about… and good for you ~ with the post topics. I definitely have some hurdles to get over in that department, to not throw in the kitchen sink, just because it’s the same color as the floor. 🙂
Jackie,
I am a get to the point type of person. I guess I’m not your average female. I’m the quiet one, people say shy, but actually it’s that I don’t have a lot to say about most subjects. But if I feel passionate about something, watch out! I will want to go on and on.
I like your approach to blogging by answering those simple questions. I have read posts where people go off on tangents, it is very easy to do. These questions help to stay on track.
*Thanks for the mention! By no means did I mean it in a negative manner, I know I can joke with you. Your readers expect longer posts and that is what you give them. Never change your style, but you know that. It is hard to keep your “about me” section short when you are a mom.
AND I read your newsletter, looking forward to your book! I like how you break it down into 500 words a day. I believe breaking down goals into parts to conquer faster and easier helps tremendously.
~Allie
I certainly didn’t take it in a negative way at all… but it did get me thinking. I do have a tendency to just throw everything I know about a subject into a blog post, and people would probably be better served if I just stick to “what it’s about”!
I’m doing a pretty good job with the 500 words, haven’t missed a day yet, and some days I find myself on a roll and writing much more. It seems to me having a small number that doesn’t seem insurmountable is enough to at least get me started for the day. 🙂
(your comment again went to spam ~ I just don’t get it!! Glad I thought to check it today, there were a couple good comments in there)
Great post!!! I’ll try to ask myself those questions about my blog!!! (and about each blog post!)
Great post and definitely something to think about. I worry a lot that my blog is kind of all over the place. I will be keeping the “what’s is about” concept in mind from now on.
Great tips !! Esp on making it easy for your readers. I like how you put the tweet bar 🙂 Will check back for more tips 🙂
So glad to find you in #commenthour tonight… and thanks for introducing me to it. Your words here are wise and right on… indeed! Thank you!
Great points to consider when writing your posts. I tend to be long-winded and always end up taking content out of my posts before I publish them. I’ve dwelved into some different topics recently, all under the umbrella of conscious consumerism, but always try to keep it in line with the focus of my blog.
Just stopped by (fashionably late) from the Comment Hour. These are all great questions that deserve some thoughtful answers. I’m going to print this out and work on them–considering most of my posts start in one direction (say North) and end up somewhere else (say South by Southwest, usually in a bad part of town…)
Thanks!
I have changed the niche of my blog a few times because my life changes. Right now my main focus is on being an advocate for social causes. I do write posts about my family, parenting and even product reviews. I may be in the minority, but I feel that sticking to just one subject contains my writing inspiration, so I do tend to go “off topic” a lot.
It doesn’t have to be 1 topic… how to help work at home moms be more successful ~ which is my “topic” for this blog allows me to write about many different things. If I want to attract work at home moms who are trying to be more successful… they aren’t going to stay for long or keep coming back if I’m not talking about things they can relate to, and that help them do what they came her to learn to do.
For example… your Branson post. It says in your sidebar that your blog is about advocating and parenting a tween with special needs. Some information about things to do in Branson with a special needs kiddo would have been great. If I was a parent to a special needs kid I would really want to know what I could expect, would need to know about vacationing in Branson.
Does that make sense? You can write about anything (especially with a topic like parenting :)) but to keep your readers interested, and keep them following you, and learning from you, it’s important to talk to them about what they came to learn.
Finally visiting from #commenthour. I love this advice. I love that you thought to ask about the sidebar. I just had someone critique mine and say my sidebars are too cluttered. It’s tough b/c there are things I want people to know I’m part of – SITS, for example. Thanks for the food for thought!