Although many multi-author platforms depend on and even appreciate guest bloggers for their valuable insights, there are some behaviors that are simply not acceptable. This post elaborates on how to differentiate between good and bad guest posts, enriched by real-world examples.

Let’s just say, truth is often more bizarre than fiction. (Note: Names have been omitted as they are not remembered.)

1. Paying Attention to the Little Things Matters

Getting off on the wrong foot during a pitch can have severe consequences. Even if you believe you have an 80% chance of winning over your audience, certain blunders can quickly reduce those odds. In this section, we’ll discuss these common errors and how to sidestep them.

Don’t Underestimate the Impact of Spelling Mistakes

One common error is misspelling crucial details, like the name of your contact, the site owner, or even the blog you’re pitching to. For instance, our blog’s name is often misspelled, which may seem trivial but can be the tipping point in a sensitive situation.

Treat Your Readers with Respect

Another frequent mistake is using patronizing language towards your readers. Phrases like “WRONG!”, “That’s a foolish approach,” or “Are you uninformed?” have no place in a post meant to impress. Always be courteous and considerate in your language.

2. The Pitfalls of Being Unnecessarily Rude

Discourtesy has no place in guest blogging – much like a child fussing over the color of their new gadget, it’s not acceptable. You can’t just submit a lengthy article on an unrelated topic and expect it to be published. No. Trust me, if we publish just anything, you wouldn’t want your work featured.

If your article is rejected, don’t pester the editor for the “magic” title that will ensure publication. Blogs are not required to feature your content.

Keys to Successful Guest Blogging

If you submit a top-notch guest post, like this example, or this one, we will reach out to discuss publishing your work. The authors of these exemplary posts were cooperative, patient, and professional, making the guest blogging process a mutual endeavor.

3. The Importance of a Relevant Pitch

Some of the submissions I’ve received would astonish you. Topics have ranged from trekking in Nepal to hotel reservations in Mumbai, and even peculiar subjects like “why controversial figures deserve your affection.” Clearly, these are not suitable for our blog.

Before submitting, ensure your article aligns with the blog’s focus. If it doesn’t, it’s best not to submit it. Sending an irrelevant article will likely result in silence, as blog owners are not obliged to engage with off-topic submissions.

4. The Art of Patience in Guest Blogging

Being a guest, whether in someone’s home or on their blog, requires a certain level of patience and understanding. Just like you wouldn’t expect immediate attention from your Aunt Ellen, you shouldn’t expect instant responses from blog owners.

Guest blogging operates on a set schedule, and your contribution, no matter how important to you, is still a “guest” in this system. Being overly demanding can make the blog owner reconsider your submission.

Remember, the blog can function perfectly well without your article. So, avoid being high-maintenance. If you’re truly exceptional, some leniency may be granted, but remember, there’s only room for one diva.

5. The True Objective of Guest Blogging

The main reason blogs accept guest contributors is to obtain high-quality content. In return, you gain valuable exposure. However, if you come with demands like link swaps or sponsored posts, don’t expect a warm welcome.

If you’re considering a financial investment, look into the blog’s advertising options. If you have a team capable of writing diverse topics, perhaps starting your own blog is a better route. Guest blogging is a win-win situation when everyone brings the right elements to the table.

6. The Unacceptable Act of Plagiarism

It happens more often than you’d think. Far too often, actually. I’ve even received a guest post that was a direct copy of an article from another site – which had originally taken the content from our site.

Related: Check out these plagiarism tools to detech bot generated content.

Imagine the absurdity of being shown your own stolen car at a dealership. It’s unacceptable on multiple levels.

The Wasteful Use of Skill

Some individuals attempt to dilute their work by merging multiple authors’ pieces into one. Others spin their articles, changing tenses or sentence structures. Sometimes, it’s so well-done that it’s hard to catch unless you’re particularly observant.

It raises the question: Why not produce an original piece to begin with?

All successful relationships start with trust and understanding. No blog owner wants to feel deceived by accepting a fraudulent guest post.

7. The Dangers of Identity Deception

Just as you wouldn’t want to go on a blind date with someone hiding their true identity, you wouldn’t want to accept a guest post from an impersonator. If a submission comes with a suspiciously attractive photo, perform an image search. You might find it’s just a stock image.

Be wary of submissions featuring two first names. It could be a sign that the individual hastily chose two common names to create a fake identity.

The most egregious case I’ve encountered involved an author claiming to have “multiple personalities.” After initially accepting the post, I found that the author had copied content directly from product descriptions.

When confronted and officially rejected, the author reacted poorly. He insisted that I honor the initial approval and accused me of using “an unjust reason” to withdraw the post. Ironically, he signed the email with another contributor’s name, revealing that he had lost track of his own impersonation.

Conclusion

Despite the hurdles, we continue to welcome guest submissions as they offer a meaningful platform for skilled writers genuinely interested in delivering quality content.

Many guest bloggers have even transitioned into becoming regular contributors on our platform. Implementing a stringent screening process for submissions has proven more effective than completely eliminating guest blogging opportunities.

By adhering to this approach, we maintain high content quality without sacrificing the fresh perspectives and diversity brought by guest bloggers. This strategy has been successful in achieving our objectives.

The post The Seven Sins of Guest Blogging: Real Stories appeared first on Hongkiat.

Personal branding is described as an enhanced version of oneself, refined to highlight everything that’s pertinent to your work and vision. But what portion of this is deliberately planned, and what part is simply a natural aspect of interacting with others? Let’s explore and figure it out.

It only appears effortless

The most effective kind of branding is subtle, or what some might call “no” branding. The goal is to meticulously cultivate your personal brand while making it seem as though you’ve done nothing of the sort.

Overly conspicuous “branding” can be off-putting. However, just because it appears that you’re not actively promoting your brand doesn’t mean there isn’t a significant amount of effort taking place behind the scenes.

Take, for example, a blog about design. You may adopt a playful tone, frequently sharing anecdotes about your friends, your dog, or a recent visit to a favorite restaurant. Readers might be drawn to your blog for the humorous and insightful comments you make, perceiving you as a humble and down-to-earth individual rather than a calculated marketing strategist.

The truth is, you are indeed humble and down-to-earth. Your friends genuinely do make those amusing remarks, and so on. However, there’s also a strategic marketing plan in play, where you emphasize certain aspects of your personality to shape them into a recognizable brand.

Your mission

Your mission, whatever it may be, must be earnest and genuine. Trust me, people can discern if it’s not. Whether abstract or precise, your mission or goal needs to reside at the core of everything you do.

Do you aspire to change the world through design? While that may sound vague, it’s perfectly acceptable, provided your readers truly believe in your intent and can perceive it through your content.

Maybe you aim to educate fellow designers about the rewards and risks of the industry. This goal is also somewhat vague, but it offers ample room for you to interpret and convey the message to your readers.

Internal & External Views

Reconciling who you are as a designer and individual with what people expect from you professionally is essential. It’s akin to the Freudian id versus superego in design: instinct versus external influences.

Consider the example where you are a simple designer who blogs about design and includes random, human details from your life. You are still crafting a conscious brand that people have developed specific expectations about.

If you, the design blogger, suddenly began writing lengthy posts about golf simply because you developed a sudden interest in the sport, it would conflict with your readers’ expectations. This inconsistency could lead them to question the authenticity of your brand.

That’s not to say you can never shift topics or stray from the design-specific subjects you initially wrote about. However, keeping your general goal in mind – clarifying exactly what you want to communicate to your audience – and ensuring your content aligns with this goal is vital for a successful personal brand.

Filter, Don’t Add

Cultivating your public image isn’t about artificially inserting things; it’s about filtering out what doesn’t fit. For instance, if other designers are blogging about a hot design trend that you don’t particularly care for or have any interest in, don’t feel compelled to write about it just to keep up.

Writing about something that doesn’t interest you will lead to burnout, and your readers will detect your lack of passion. They may begin to ignore you as a result. Instead, focus on filtering out the things that are irrelevant to your personal brand’s main goal, whatever that may be.

As we learned earlier, straying wildly from the main drive of your brand – such as posting about golf on a design blog – will turn off readers. It’s not that your message isn’t genuine; it’s that it doesn’t align with what they expect when they visit your blog.

Branding Is Like Happiness

In branding design, we often say that you can’t actually create a brand, just as you can’t create happiness. Think about it: Happiness is a feeling that arises from a memory of something good, whether it’s spending time with people you care about or engaging in an activity that brings you joy.

It’s the experiences that make you happy that lead to happiness. Similarly, it’s the experiences your clients and users have with your designs that build brand loyalty.

The post Is Personal Branding Misleading or Essential? appeared first on Hongkiat.

So, how should we go about it? Proofreading methods can vary greatly, often depending on the individual blogger’s preferences. In fact, many of us don’t adhere to a specific procedure; we simply read through the content and use our best judgment to determine where revisions are necessary.

Given the ambiguity of this practice, I thought it would be beneficial to provide some general tips for proofreading your latest blog posts:

1. Reading Aloud

Consider engaging as many of your five senses as possible when proofreading your work. This approach can help you identify areas that may seem or sound incorrect. Reading your text aloud, rather than merely scanning it visually, allows you to hear the rhythm and flow of your words, sentences, and paragraphs. This dual-layered proofreading strategy can be quite effective.

Reading aloud is particularly crucial for blog posts, which are typically written in a conversational style. You want to ensure that your readers feel as if your writing is directly speaking to them. As you read aloud, try to put yourself in your reader’s shoes. Does the tone sound natural and engaging? If not, make the necessary adjustments to improve its readability and relatability.

2. Seek External Proofreading

Repeatedly reviewing your own work can sometimes lead to oversight of even the most glaring errors. This can occur due to complacency or simply because you may not recognize certain spelling or grammatical mistakes. This is where an external proofreader becomes invaluable, as they can identify errors that you may have overlooked.

Moreover, if you’ve been working on your blog post for an extended period, your perspective may become somewhat inflexible. Inviting someone with a fresh viewpoint to review your work can help ensure that your content flows smoothly.

Additionally, they may offer insights or suggest points that you might have missed, particularly if you’ve been deeply engrossed in meeting a deadline. If time permits, consider discussing the content with them. You may be pleasantly surprised by the innovative ideas that can emerge from such a dialogue.

3. Consider Your Target Audience

When you have a deep understanding of a specific subject, it’s easy to write in a way that may be difficult for others to comprehend. This happens because you’re familiar with the jargon and technical aspects of your topic, and you might unintentionally assume that your readers share this knowledge.

As a result, you could inadvertently alienate some of your target audience who might otherwise appreciate your content. To prevent this, it’s crucial to regularly assess whether your intended readers can easily understand your language and terminology. Review the terms you use in your text and consider whether they would be clear to the average reader without the need for an online dictionary.

A good practice is to fully spell out abbreviations and acronyms the first time you use them, providing the shortened form in parentheses. Also, make sure to define any specialized terms as needed. This will help your readers stay engaged and follow your content more easily.

4. Conciseness is Key

In my previous posts, I’ve consistently emphasized the importance of brevity, especially in the digital world. Online readers expect quick and immediate access to information. The more words you use, the more time it takes for your readers to understand your message. This could potentially lead to impatient readers switching to other blogs.

You might question whether shortening your posts would detract from the enjoyment of reading your blog, particularly if your readers find your content engaging. The answer to this largely depends on the purpose of your blog. If your primary aim is to provide information, your audience will expect you to deliver that efficiently.

Conversely, if your blog is primarily for entertainment, the quality of your content becomes paramount to your blog’s success. In this case, the length of your posts becomes less significant as long as you continue to captivate your audience.

However, most blogs fall somewhere between these two extremes. Therefore, it’s crucial to strike a balance between keeping your posts concise, informative, and entertaining.

5. Verify Your Data and Information

Even with impeccable spelling, grammar, and sentence structure, your credibility can be undermined if your data and information are inaccurate. This is particularly crucial when dealing with statistics. Ensure that the numbers align and that they are derived from trustworthy sources.

A good practice is to cite your sources, providing your readers with the confidence that your assumptions are not unfounded. If there are any doubts, they can always refer to the original sources for comprehensive details.

Regarding factual information, avoid making unusual claims (and presenting them as facts) unless you have substantial evidence to support them. Such extraordinary statements tend to attract more attention from readers due to their oddity.

Consequently, they are often subjected to more rigorous scrutiny. If your claim turns out to be false, it will be challenging to regain your readers’ trust in your future writings.

The post 5 Essential Proofreading Tips for Bloggers appeared first on Hongkiat.

Once you find a talented freelance content writer, hold onto them as if they were the last one on the planet. The good ones are either booked solid for months or have moved on to more gainful endeavors. Even if you can keep a talented content writer, they may not remain a content writer forever. Just like everything else in life, if someone is good at something, other opportunities will open for them to expand and broaden their horizons.

Woes of the Site Owner

Unfortunately, as a site owner, you have little to no control over when your writer needs to take leave. It often happens at the worst possible times. You may be in the middle of a huge marketing or branding campaign that just took off, or you might have a large boost in readership in your blog and require a steady in-flow of content for the next few weeks.

The last and worst possible thing you could hear at this precise moment is, "I’m leaving for greener pastures." So, what do you do?

8 Things to Do Instead of Panicking

1. Take Affirmative Action

As the Master and Commander of your ship, it’s time to take charge. Whatever you do, do not panic. Panic, at this point, would not only be counterproductive, it would make things much worse. It is not the end of the world until the deadline, which means there is still time before the iceberg hits the ship.

If you find yourself in panic mode, take a deep breath and get a hold of yourself. Remember that you are in control and that there are steps you can take to address the situation.

2. Hot Off the Press

New content writers are entering the internet every day, and the demand for their services is still higher than the supply.

Stop worrying about finding a content writer and go get one. However, be careful about how you go about it. Weeding out the bad writers from the good ones is a delicate process.

3. You May Already Have a Replacement

Don’t have time to engage with someone you can’t risk trusting? Have you spoken to your team, family, or a friend in the writing business lately? You may be surprised at how many people you know who write, dream of writing, or are already pursuing it.

By reaching out to those you know, you can get an inside look into the personality of a new writer and determine if they are someone you can rely on for steady content. This information can come directly from the horse’s mouth.

4. Go Social

Another digital option is social media marketing. LinkedIn is a great platform for Business to Customer or Business to Business marketing, as well as building brand recognition. With the help of a good content writer and six social media websites, you can create more buzz about your website than with two dozen magazine ads. LinkedIn is particularly useful as it has a wealth of content writers.

Overall, there are various methods available to promote your website. It’s important to consider your target audience and choose the methods that will be most effective for reaching them.

5. Be My Guest

Guest posting is a useful approach that can be utilized from time to time. You can put out a call for guest posts and usually, the guest blogger just wants a link in the content and a couple of links in their bio.

Some guest bloggers may even get paid for their submissions, but regardless, you get good content at half the time it takes to find a long-term replacement for your writer.

6. Editors Are Worth Their Weight in Gold

Editors are incredibly valuable for ecommerce websites and blogs. They can help increase your ROI by ensuring that your readers see what they need to see at the right time. Additionally, editors can edit the work of your content writers and even replace them temporarily if needed.

However, it’s important not to take advantage of an editor’s writing skills too often. Remember to respect their time and expertise and use them wisely. Overall, an editor is worth their weight in gold for any business looking to improve their content and increase their success.

7. Draw Ideas from the Web

The internet is a wondrous place, filled with all kinds of information on just about every subject you could possibly imagine, including your ecommerce endeavors. If your content writer disappears, there is plenty of material on the internet to pursue and draw ideas from.

However, don’t fall into the trap of copying content at liberty. Original content is still gold even in desperate times.

8. Unleash the Writer in You

Have you ever attempted to write your own content? As the one who knows the kind of content you desire, it may be worth a shot. Although it may not be the best content in the world, I can assure you that it will not be the worst either. In fact, you may even write better than some freelance content writers as nobody understands your readers’ preferences better than you do.

Take the opportunity to create your own content and express your thoughts in writing. You may be surprised at how much you enjoy it and how well it resonates with your audience. So, why not give it a try?

The End Result

The end result of all this is actually much simpler than the 8 reasons not to panic and how to help yourself. If you panic, nothing gets done. So, if you need a content writer, don’t rush into anything. Take your time and find the one that is right for you. In the meantime, follow these simple tips to get through the rough patch and always keep your chin up.

Make sure to fix any grammar and spelling errors and break the text into easy-to-read paragraphs.

The post 8 Proactive Steps to Take When Your Writer Quits appeared first on Hongkiat.

At its core, writing is a form of communication. The secret to effective communication online lies in the presentation. Here are a few tips to help you write for an online audience. Once you master these, writing for the web becomes easy.

There are just a few things you should keep in mind when writing.

1. Formatting for Clarity

When writing for the web, improper formatting is considered an offense. After all, reading long blocks of text can be taxing. Nobody has the time to slow down and read; we all scan and skim online.

How to fix it:

Write short sentences for better impact. Try to limit your sentences to 15-20 words at most. Even one-word sentences and paragraphs are acceptable online.

Next, break your text into shorter paragraphs. Three-sentence paragraphs are the norm, but five-sentence paragraphs are acceptable too. Make sure you mix them up with long and short sentences!

If your text requires a lot of items separated by commas, break them into lists or bullet points. Use subheadings to help guide the reader through your text. Subheadings give readers the gist of the text at a glance, helping them absorb more information faster.

2. Avoiding Passive Voice in Writing

Writing in passive voice is so common that most writers don’t even realize they are using it. Unfortunately, passive voice can be detrimental to online writing, as it fails to engage the reader.

Here’s an example of a sentence in passive voice: "The freelancer was hired by us." The same sentence in active voice would be: "We hired the freelancer."

Now imagine reading both of these sentences in, let’s say, an email. Which one sounds better?

How to fix it:

I could give you the technical explanation of how the subject in the sentence performs the action expressed in the verb, but that can be confusing and difficult to remember while writing. Writing in active voice is essentially about creating a connection with your reader.

Instead of referring to yourself or your audience in the third person, write to them in the first person. Imagine yourself having a conversation with someone while writing.

3. Incorrect Sentence Length

Often, non-writers reveal themselves through their sentence length. Online, readers tend to scan. This means that if your sentences are too long to scan, your reader will stop reading and move on.

Any sentence over 25 words – which is already a very generous word count – risks losing readers’ interest. Imagine reading one sentence after another that is too long to read in a single breath. Just thinking about it is exhausting, right?

Let’s conduct a quick test. Go to any online content you’ve written and randomly check the word count of your sentences. If quite a few of those sentences are between 20-25 words, you have a problem.

How to fix it:

Fixing this issue is quite simple. All you need to do is break your text down into smaller sentences. Focus on one thought, point, or idea per sentence.

Ensure the sentence length is between 16-20 words maximum for an optimal reading experience. It will be even better if you can manage shorter sentences.

Make sure your sentence length varies. Too many short sentences can make the text feel abrupt, while too many long sentences can make it tedious to read. Mixing up the length of your sentences will create a better reading experience.

4. Lacking flow

One of the most popular pieces of writing advice (perhaps of all time) is: The purpose of your first sentence is to get the reader to read the second sentence, and so on.

While the quality of writing is crucial for achieving this, the flow and structure of the writing also matter significantly. If your writing is unstructured and presented in a haphazard manner, your reader will wonder what point you are trying to make.

How to fix it:

Organize your writing into a structured format and ensure it flows logically. Begin with an introduction, then move on to stating all your points before summarizing them in the conclusion.

Format your writing for the web. Use short paragraphs that explore only one idea, and incorporate subheadings, lists, etc., to make it easier to read.

5. Showing Respect for Your Readers

It is crucial to respect your readers when writing for an audience. Just as in face-to-face conversations, we demonstrate respect by being friendly, considerate, and avoiding condescension.

To be honest, there is a fine line between respecting your readers and insulting them. Sometimes, being overly helpful can backfire as well.

Consider online tutorials, for example. If you oversimplify them and explain every single detail, you risk undermining your readers’ skills. On the other hand, if you don’t provide enough explanation, you may alienate readers who find your tutorial insufficiently helpful.

How to fix it:

Identify your ideal reader and write for them. Expanding on the tutorial example, if your target reader is a beginner, detailed tutorials that explain every aspect might be appropriate. If your readers are more knowledgeable, simply guiding them in the right direction may suffice.

For tutorials and all other types of online writing, ensure your writing comes across as friendly and does not make your reader feel belittled.

Using "you" and "your" are effective ways to make your readers feel like you are speaking directly to them, but be careful not to sound patronizing.

6. Lack of a Call-to-Action

Effective web writing aims to persuade your reader to take action after engaging with your content. This action could be as simple as leaving a comment or as complex as gaining their trust to make a purchase. Without a call-to-action in your writing, how will your readers know what you want them to do or why you’ve created the content?

How to Fix It:

Incorporate a call-to-action at the end of your content. If you’re writing a blog post, encourage readers to share their thoughts, express their agreement or disagreement, or simply ask them to leave a comment.

Inviting readers to share your content through social media also serves as a call-to-action. If you want them to make a purchase or sign up for a newsletter, make your intentions clear by adding a "Buy Now" or "Sign Up Here" call-to-action.

7. Improving Your Reach

At its core, improving your reach is as simple as formatting your text, writing in an active voice, including a call-to-action, and above all, respecting your reader. The great thing about writing is that once you know what to watch out for, it becomes easy to improve.

Begin by practicing the aforementioned techniques in your emails. For other forms of online writing, compose as you typically would but take the time to proofread and edit with these tips in mind. After a few attempts, these mistakes will become more noticeable as you write, and before you know it, your writing will have improved!

The post 7 Ways to Keep Your Online Audience Reading appeared first on Hongkiat.

The keyword in this definition is “persuade.” While selling a business to potential customers is a form of persuasion, it is only a subset of what copywriting entails. Blogging about your opinions can also be a form of persuasion, whether it be to persuade readers to your view, increase traffic flow to your site, or motivate others. As a freelance blogger myself, I firmly believe in the ability of words to inspire and even change people’s lives.

Regardless of the purpose of your copywriting, there are certain fundamentals that we can follow to hook our readers. Here are a few of them.”

1. Making it Conversational

Copywriting differs from other forms of writing, such as news writing or novels, as it aims to establish a personal connection with the reader by adopting a conversational tone.

When writing copy for blogs, it is essential to remember that your post may be read by thousands of people, but you should write as if you are addressing a single person. This is because each reader will be reading your post alone, and you don’t want to disrupt their reading flow.

This personal connection is particularly important when trying to persuade your reader. You must communicate in their language and connect with them through personal experiences, observations, and emotions, which are unique to humans.

To maintain a conversational atmosphere, use short paragraphs and limit each one to a single idea. This technique ensures that the flow of the conversation remains uninterrupted, and your ideas are easily absorbed and understood.

2. Be Clear, Concise, and to the Point

When it comes to copywriting for blogs, online readers are different from offline readers. With a wealth of information available at their fingertips, they can easily skip from one site to another if the first one is boring. A blog becomes tedious when it offers many words but little information.

The first rule is to keep sentences and paragraphs short. This makes your ideas clearer and turns your article into neatly organized, easy-to-read chunks. Use headings and subheadings to show the organization of your writing at first glance. If readers can’t immediately identify the general structure of your article, they may try other sites that are more systematic.

Minimize the use of jargon as it hinders understanding. Remember that on the internet, nobody wants to waste time figuring out information. Everyone wants it quick and fast.

3. Customer-Focused

Although the term “customer” seems to imply that you are selling a service or a product, it can also be generalized to selling ideas, solutions, and knowledge to your customers, also known as your readers. Therefore, you need to assess who your target audience is and what their needs are. Remember that you are selling and persuading others, so what you write must emphasize how your customers can benefit from reading it.

What kind of information do your readers want to receive from your blog? Do they want tips or solutions on how to troubleshoot their computer problems? Or are they looking for something that inspires and motivates their lives?

These questions will be answered once you understand who your target audience is. From then on, you will know what topics are sought after by them, down to the details of how you should structure your articles. Your research (if any) for topics will be more effective because you will know beforehand what interests them and what does not.

4. Start with Good Headlines

What is the first thing that any reader notices in an article? The headline! To encourage the reader to continue reading, your headline must be catchy enough to motivate further reading. As with sentences, keep your headline short (preferably seven words or less) so that the reader can understand what it’s about upon first reading.

There are many ways to lure readers in. You may use a witty headline or something that piques curiosity. The most common (and perhaps even foolproof) method is to state the benefit.

After all, as per #3, anyone reading the article is wondering “what’s in it for me.” Revealing the benefit right from the start would spur anyone to read on, so long as it’s what the readers want. Such headlines are straight to the point and clear to Internet readers, who, as we all know from point #2, are “fickle-minded” individuals.

5. Proofreading

Practice makes perfect, and the same goes for proofreading. In any type of writing, it is critical for the writer to reread the entire piece and ensure that it flows smoothly. Without a cohesive flow, it is difficult for the reader to establish a connection with the writer through the words, sentences, and paragraphs. Persuasion requires the reader to relate to what the writer is saying.

Furthermore, if the spelling and grammar are correct, the reliability of the article is less likely to be questioned. This has implications for the number of readers who will return to your blog for more entries.

In addition to proofreading your work yourself, why not have someone else read your post? Sometimes, when you spend too much time working on a specific piece, your mindset and perspective become rigid. You may fail to see your own mistakes and may not be able to detect a lack of flow. Having another person read your article, who has not seen it before, can provide unbiased, objective, and constructive feedback.

The post 5 Copywriting Fundamentals for Blogs appeared first on Hongkiat.

This helps boost credibility and the blog itself may serve as a work portfolio with all your knowledge put into it. Besides that, you can also earn on the side. If you need more convincing on why you should start a blog (or continue on with your current one), here I give you 10 reasons why you should still blog if you haven’t already.

1. It’s a Resume in Action

If you are looking to create the perfect resume, especially if you are in web design and development as well as writing and graphic design, blogging about your focus is basically a resume in action. It tells people that you know what you are doing. Employers and clients might as well skip the interview part.

Take for example web designers who regularly publish tutorials about how to build websites on their own blogs. That, in itself, is a testament that they know what they are doing.

Suppose a man handed you their business card and it has their website, email address, phone number, and business address written on it. Which would you be most likely to use first? Are you going to email the guy or call him, or send him a letter?

If you don’t already have one, start a blog and include your blog address on everything. Your resume, business card, letters, social media profiles, and maybe even place a sticker of it on the back of your car.

2. It Increases Your Credibility and Authority

Companies and individuals are going crazy about building up their brand. They want themselves to be presented to the public in a way that will make them a credible authority in their niche. Of course, that’s the goal, and blogging is the easiest method to accomplish it.

Put yourself in the place of potential clients or employers. Suppose you have ten resumes on your desk and only two of them have their own blogs. Wouldn’t you be curious about these two and read their blogs? And if you like what you see, wouldn’t you give them a higher score than the rest?

This is a useful trick that works most of the time. If you have a blog, people will trust you more. The same thing happens with businesses. Notice how people will trust a business more if it has its own website. The same goes for individuals.

3. It Makes Networking Easier

Blogging connects you with like-minded people and in this competitive world having the right people in your network is equivalent to good currency. This applies to the real world too. If you’re a writer who has a web designer friend, you can ask them to help you with your website for free or for a cheaper price. If you know an IT person you can say goodbye to your computer problems.

If you connect with people who know search engine optimization, blogging, freelancing, and the like, and if you develop good relationships with them, it’s as good as saying you have those skills yourself. And I mean it in a very positive way.

Safe to say, you can also use your personal network as a way to ask for help or feedback (and give yours too). Of course, you need to reciprocate. But you get the idea, right? And if you do it right…

4. It’s a Good Way to Find Clients

You can start a blog that answers common questions about your field, how-to articles, tips, and tutorials or a mix of everything. The thing is, you need to make it useful and be sure to add your personality to it. You need to make sure that everything you publish expresses how well you know your field.

It’s your time to show off. Big time. You are the artist and your blog is your canvas. And you are trying to sell yourself.

If you are a copywriter, be sure to publish tips on how to become a better copywriter. If you are a web designer, publish your best designs. And so on, you get the point. If your goal is to attract clients through your blog, be sure to design your blog in a way that will scream “Hire me!”

I’ve been blogging actively for almost 4 years now and I can attribute at least 60 successful freelance works that were led to me by my blog, whether it’s web design and development or copywriting. All of these happened while I was employed full-time.

5. It Can Be a Source of Extra Income

You can monetize your blog if it becomes popular. You can make anywhere from a dollar to several thousands of dollars a month depending on how well you market your blog. You can earn by selling your product, someone else’s product (and earn commission), or by placing advertisements on your blog.

If you are wondering how blogs make money, it’s mainly through advertisements and affiliate commissions. One of my blogs earn somewhere from $50 to $300 monthly, mostly through affiliate commissions. And it’s a good way to earn passive income.

6. It Makes You a Better Communicator

One of the most useful skills to have in this day and age is writing. If you are a good writer, no matter what the field, you instantly become a good communicator and that’s exactly what upper management level jobs require. If your goal is to ascend the corporate ladder, make sure to work on your writing skills. And blogging is the perfect place to start. What makes a good writer is that they write daily.

But if you are not fond of entering the corporate scene and would rather work as a freelancer, being a good writer will definitely do wonders. If you can write the best cover letter, proposal letter, resume, and any kind of text that would entice employers to pick you then you are basically securing your future.

Think about it. If you are looking for a web designer and two people emailed you regarding the project, which one will you pick, the one who writes better or the one who just rambled on endlessly?

7. It Turns You Into a Teacher

With great power comes great responsibility. This also applies to the skills you have. By default, you have a responsibility to help educate people, especially if they are clueless on how to be like you.

Besides, what are you going to use your skills for aside from work? It would be wasteful to just keep them to yourself, especially in today’s age where information flows freely from across the World Wide Web.

Think of it this way, I’m certain that you didn’t learn everything you know right now from school or from books you bought. Most of the practical skills you have you probably learned from free tutorials online. So why not give back?

8. It Forces You to Learn New Things

Blogging is not just about writing and waiting for pageviews. Blogging, in itself, is an art that is comprised of several parts. If you want to make your blog popular (and it should be your goal), you’ll need to learn how to do many things like marketing, SEO, keyword research, basic web and graphic design, and the like.

I daresay if you know Internet marketing and SEO on top of your other skills, you’ll be an invaluable asset to anyone, especially in the online world. If you know how to make things go viral as well as what kind of tools to use in order to have a smooth-faring website, you’ll be an unstoppable entity (like the Batman of the Internet). Simply because you have multiple skills to offer your client.

If you start your own blog and put some serious effort into it, it’s definitely a possibility.

9. It Helps You Strengthen Your Mind

Aside from solidifying your skills through blogging, you get to strengthen your mind as well by delving deeper into different topics.

Just think about the last article you’ve read. What are your thoughts on it? Did you agree or disagree with it? How will you improve on it? The process in itself turns your mind into a more well-rounded inquisitive mind. And the world needs more of that.

Another thing you should keep in mind about blogging is that it’s a process of self-discovery. You can only write your opinions and what you know.

Blogging is also a great way to organize your thoughts. By writing regularly for an audience, you are forcing yourself to form coherent sentences and your mind remembers this process, which you can then incorporate throughout your life.

10. It’s Easy

Blogging is easy and it yields great results. All you need to do is set up a blog and start writing your thoughts about your interests (that are relevant to your work, since you want your blog to be your resume, right?).

Write, improve and learn from other. In the process of doing so, you’ll inadvertently improve not only your work, but also your entire self.

Conclusion

Running your own blog can be time-consuming, but it can also be fun, especially if sharing your knowledge makes you happy. The great thing about blogging is that if you do it right it will pay off big time.

And there are a lot of guides out there that will teach you exactly how to blog. Regardless of your profession and speciality, I highly suggest that you put your expertise online for the world to see.

Show yourself off online.

The post 10 Reasons to Keep Blogging appeared first on Hongkiat.

If you want to know how to capitalize on this, read on.

Why Even Write Long-Form Content?

Good question. After all, a 1,500-word piece takes a lot of effort to write and proofread. Why not focus on shorter articles instead?

There are a few reasons why you might want to invest in writing long-form content:

1. Google Panda, Google’s long-term search ranking algorithm, often prioritizes websites with longer (1,000 words or more) articles.
2. On average, each web page on Google’s first SERP ranking page includes at least 1,400 words.
3. Longer content increases page authority which also contributes to increasing SERP rankings.
4. These articles are perfect pillars for topic clusters to build a content strategy off.
5. Skyscraper content has been shown to attract more links for SEO purposes.

There are good reasons to keep writing short content, but long-form content is ultimately a trend that cannot be ignored. It doesn’t have to be the only way you choose to write content, but it will be a part of an effective content marketing strategy.

What is Considered Long-Form Content?

This is a tricky one. Although there are specific reasons to write long-form content, different websites have definitions of what constitutes a long article. Some websites might suggest long-form content is 700 to 2000 words, whereas others prefer nearly 3,000 words.

For example, Quartz, a famous business blog and news aggregator, considers anything longer than 1,500 words to be long-form content. This is just enough to add a lot of detail and value but short enough to read in one sitting.

How to Write Long-Form Content & Grab Reader’s Attention?

If you’re interested in writing more long-form content, below is a breakdown of how you could approach this.

1. Choose a title suitable for a longer article.
2. Conduct preliminary research and choose your format.
3. Determine the platforms you will distribute your content on.

Below, we focus on each stage in more detail.

Choosing a Great Topic for Long-Form Content

Choosing a topic for your long-form content is going to be the MOST important part of grabbing the reader’s attention. The first thing they see is the title of your content! This is the first chance to attract readers, pique their interest and get them to click.

Therefore, choosing a topic that summarises your content, gets straight to the point, and is click-worthy comes down to some essential points:

• How popular is the topic? You want to focus on topics that retain their relevance despite changes in technology and people’s perceptions. Long-form content often uses evergreen topics, ones that won’t necessarily lose popularity but will always be searched for and relevant. These kinds of topics can provide lots of points to write about, making long-form content even easier.
• How specific is the topic? Your readers will avoid articles with generic titles like ‘Tips for being a good writer‘. A much better solution is to mention specific concepts or theories. For an example of a specific topic, just look at the topic for this article! Having specific topics can also mean you target a long-tail keyword which is good for SEO.
• How compact is the topic? A compact topic could feasibly be summarised in 1,000 words articles. If you are trying to write an article on targeting digital book publishers, no number of words is going to express all the tips and recommendations that cover this topic, making long-form content appropriate.
• What is the content’s purpose? Long-form content can be used in many ways, from blog posts to published books. Therefore, the actual purpose of the article informs the topic you are choosing as well. Is it a simple blog post that focuses on one single idea or an ebook that covers a broad subject by diving deep into its aspects?
• How can you compose the title? The topic itself is not the only reason why readers will click on your content, the way you construct and present the topic is important too. Can you include statistics? Numbers have been proven to attract masses of readers. Can you use power/emotive words? Triggering emotions in readers can be the kick they need to click, read and love your content.

This first stage is probably the most significant to determine whether your long-form content will be successful or not.

How Do I Choose a Suitable Format?

After you choose your topic, it is time to conduct some preliminary research and choose how your article will be structured.

If, for instance, you are writing a detailed ebook on academic writing for students, you might want to write longer paragraphs. Including sections that detail the key types of academic assignments, tips on how to pay attention to the lecturers’ requirements and doing proofreading.

If, on the other hand, you are writing an online guide for other freelance writers (just like this article!), shorter paragraphs and a more entertaining structure (e.g., using questions and answers) should be a good fit. Other freelancers are busy people who simply do not have the time to read another wall of text and a bullet list could be a better way to present information.

Reading other long-form content on similar topics should provide you with a good idea of what structure you should choose. In general, the use of highly specific and compact topics also calls for using bullet points and infographics to complement your main discussion. These elements can help complement as well as provide variety within your content that helps keep the readers interested and attentive to your content.

The form and structure of what you write are essential to providing good value to your readers. How well is the information organized and does it present the information clearly? Are there other interesting elements such as checklists, images, videos, or infographics?

The way you present your content is just as important as the content itself and will keep the reader’s attention.

What Platform Should I Publish Long-Form Content On?

Again, this decision might make or break your long-form article. This choice is primarily made between two types of platforms.

• Gated websites. Gated websites are anything that hides the content behind a specific wall. It may be a paywall or a simple login form that requires the user to submit their personal info before being able to read your article. Websites requiring users to turn off their adblockers also qualify.
• Ungated websites. These websites do not restrict who can view their content in any way.

On the one hand, gated websites can pay more for long-form content, especially if these platforms have a paywall such as Medium. Websites like Medium are an excellent choice for high-value, long-form content in order to make money and build a following. But, competition on such a large platform can be high. However, with a powerful and attention-grabbing title, your content can thrive.

On the other hand, other gated websites could have low traffic as many people simply leave the page when they see a login page instead of the article they clicked on. Ungated websites enjoy greater traffic but can fail to filter their audience in any meaningful way. Leaving some such websites vulnerable to spam and low-value leads.

Although about 80% of B2B companies use gated content, ungated content is great if you want to improve SERP rankings and grow organic search traffic. However, a good balance between shorter and long-form articles and gated and ungated content will contribute to your SEO rankings.

Final Thoughts

Choosing to include long-form content in your marketing strategy can be very difficult, especially if you are used to writing shorter pieces. While long-form content is not for everyone, we hope that the above guide motivates you to write longer pieces and choose narrower and more compact topics.

Even if the idea of writing long-form content does not sound appealing right now, writing just one or two longer articles per month could significantly grow your audience and attract sponsors and partners.

The post Writing Long-Form Content: Tips for Engaging Readers & Adding Value appeared first on Hongkiat.

Today, we’re going to talk about the best ways you can write a summary for your blog. So, let’s dig in deeper.

Why Blog Summary is Important?

A blog summary is a vital aspect of the content. It can accompany your primary text on many platforms online, and it can be an important draw for your target audience. So, if you wish to promote your content on social media, then a summary is the most important glimpse of your main content.

Moreover, suppose you’ll email your target audience about your blog. In that case, a small summary of your blog’s contents should suffice to attract them.

5 Ways to Write a Good Blog Summary

Writing a good summary takes a lot of effort and various aspects into it. Whether you do it manually or you get help from a summarizing tool (like this one), you must understand a few things to write a good summary.

In this section, we’re talking about the five best ways to learn to write a good summary. So, let’s get started.

1. Read Profusely and Take Notes

A good summary isn’t an extension but rather an overview. It’s a plot synopsis of your main story, which allows the reader to understand what the main content entails. It’s not meant to overtake but extend the reach of your primary content.

That’s why it’s important that you read your content, then read it again. This way, you will allow yourself to comprehend the idea. Now, reading should be done with a purpose. Ask yourself a few questions, such as:

• Which sections are more important?
• Which section requires more attention?
• Which section should lead the summary?
• Where is the bulk of your argument?

The focus should be on that particular section. Even though filler content is necessary to avoid, it’s not always the case in blogs. So, avoid using filler content as a part of your summary. And the only way to do that is by reading your content repeatedly.

2. Talk About Research & Importance

Every content piece has a specific method behind it. It could be about technical aspects or general – the importance of research behind it never fades. That’s why your reader must know why the research was important in the first place.

Here’s an example of NASA (image below), one of the biggest organizations in the world, summarizing a blog for social media captions:

In this caption, it mentions something that’s in detail in the main article. However, it gives you a glimpse of how it uses the four images of Europa captured by the Juno Spacecraft. Then, it just gives us surface-level information about the “Valuable views” of this moon.

What it tells us is the research and importance behind it. Your summary needs to feature that. In blogs, it’s not always easy to overlay this information. But, if you link your blog in an email or on social media, you will provide this information.

The only way to do that is by understanding the basic methods in the main content beforehand.

3. Condense Larger Ideas into Surface-Level Sentences

A summary is a brief report of your content. The keyword here is “brief,” but that doesn’t mean it cannot be detailed. Now, it can be difficult to do, as not all summaries are written equally. Some summary requirements are less than a hundred words.

While other summaries are almost equal to the primary content. In blogs, it’s more of the former than the latter. So, to achieve a specific length, you should condense larger ideas into surface-level sentences.

For example, you must summarize the outcry over inflation in 50 states. But, the information cannot be covered in a few words. So, how do you write a sentence-based summary?

Here’s an example:

The underlined idea is the fundamental idea in the blog. Whereas the rest of the sentence is a summary of the larger idea at work. And the author’s name in the bold text tells us that this person wrote it.

So, this kind of summary doesn’t only draw attention; it makes the reader want to read more. Plus, it’s much more suitable for a blog’s homepage, social media, or email.

4. For Each Section, Write a Sentence

Not all summaries are one-sentence glimpses. Instead, some summaries need to be longer to effectively capture an idea. That’s one of the main reasons that each section needs a separate sentence to cover all.

Let’s divide this into a simple equation. So, let’s say your content is around a thousand words. And you’re supposed to write a hundred-word summary.

How do you do it? By summarizing each 100-words within 10-words.

So, you don’t only have the 10% of the original content but also a summary of all the important information within the article. But, it’s important to skip the introduction and conclusion from this equation.

5. Revise or Use a Summarizing Tool to Achieve Specific Length

The final step you’ll take is to revise or summarize the rest of your content using a summarizing tool. But why is using a summarizing tool important? Because it can help you achieve a specific length for your summary with options like these:

As mentioned, some summaries must be longer than usual. Thus, with an option like this, a summarizing tool can make the job easier. Besides, if you write a summary manually and it doesn’t meet the word count, this process can also help you condense it.

Conclusion

These are the five ways to learn to write good blog summaries. Not only do you need manual input, but also the help of viable summarizing tools. So, it’s important that you read your content until you grasp the idea and then write the summary according to your understanding.

The post How to Write the Summary of a Blog (5 Best Ways) appeared first on Hongkiat.

For instance, you might see the word “troll” or “trolling” often in the comments section on social media. It refers to making offensive or provocative comments to elicit a strong response (usually anger) from someone else.

Go back a few centuries, and you will find the word “troll” referring to a giant, usually hideous, almost always bad news, who is also quarrelsome and likes to make life difficult for others. See the connection there?

Here’s a list of more words that carry a history all on their own, with a quick look at their present vs. past usage.

In this article:

1. Milestone

What does “Milestone” means?

The mile was a commonly used unit for measuring distance. One mile equals 1.609 kilometers, 5280 feet, or 1760 yards.

A milestone originally referred to small markers placed along the side of a road (typically a highway) to indicate the interval of a mile. Its purpose is to indicate to a traveler how far more he has to go to reach his destination or to show the total distance that she has already covered.

It is also useful for communicating a specific location along a road, for instance, in the event of an accident.

Nowadays, kilometer markers are more commonly to be used for the same purpose due to most countries relying on the metric system. However, it would still be acceptable to refer to them as “milestones”.

What it means now:

It is mostly used nowadays to mean a significant achievement or stage of development. In other words, it denotes a measurement of progress. For example, a baby who has just learned how to crawl is said to have achieved a new milestone in his physical development.

A startup that has secured funding to proceed to the next phase of its expansion is also said to have achieved its first milestone.

The word “milestone” can still convey its traditional meaning though describing location markers (see below).

2. Footage

What does “Footage” means?

The term originated from the fact that movies used to be captured onto physical reels of film that would be measured in feet. For example, when using 35mm film, a commonly used film gauge for movie recordings, a foot-long film would contain 16 frames, translating into one second’s worth of imagery when played.

What it means now:

When used in the context of motion pictures, film footage normally describes a recording (be it a photograph, video, audio clip, etc.) that is used as part of a movie or an edited version of a video. It can also be taken to mean the material (subject matter) that was captured in that recording.

3. CC and BCC

Image source: Holger Ellgaard

What does “CC and BCC” means?

Carbon copying refers to a process whereby one or more copies of a document can be made using carbon paper sandwiched between the original document and the duplicate copy.

The carbon paper would then trace the contents written on the original copy onto the duplicate. This was especially useful during the days when handwritten and typewritten documents were the norm.

Carbon copying would be used for writing office memos (where the list of recipients would be printed in a CC list at the tail end of the document) or for filling out forms or receipts. This traditional technique has declined since most documents are produced digitally. There are some situations where this method is still in use, though. For instance, in handwritten receipt books.

Blind carbon copying also existed back in the days when paper was the primary mode for documentation. An office typist would sometimes need to include additional names in memos sent out in order to keep the identity of certain recipients confidential.

Their names would be typed onto designated document copies after creating all the necessary duplicates without using carbon paper.

What it means now:

These two acronyms relate to email usage. Both are alternative input fields for email addresses (in addition to the conventional To field). CC is commonly known to mean “Carbon Copy” whereas “BCC” is “Blind Carbon Copy”. Names on the CC list will be visible to everyone else on the same list; names on the bcc list will not.

Some may argue that CC stands for “courtesy copy” rather than “carbon copy”. Others say that it just means “copies“, following a convention of using double letters to indicate a plural, such as how “pp” stands for “pages“.

4. Movie trailer

What does “Movie trailer” means?

From the very beginning, “trailers” had always referred to a preview of a future movie release, but it made more sense back then because they were shown at the end of a movie screening, trailing the actually shown movie, instead of at the start as is the practice today.

By the end of the 1930s, however, film studios realized that trailers would have a greater impact if they were screened before a movie rather than afterward. Consequently, they began showing them in that order instead.

Movie trailers were said to have first emerged around the year 1913, with the first known movie trailer to be advertised in a theatre of a Broadway musical called The Pleasure Seekers.

What it means now:

A form of advertising whereby a sneak preview for an upcoming movie is shown to a cinema audience before the beginning of a movie screening. The term is so widely used nowadays that any form of movie preview is generally known as a “trailer”, even those shared online.

5. Blueprint

What does “Blueprint” means?

Back in 1842, Sir John Herschel invented a method of reproducing documents known as cyanotype.

An existing plan drawn on translucent tracing paper could be photocopied by placing it on top of another piece of paper that has been coated with a photosensitive chemical solution (ammonium iron citrate and potassium ferrocyanide). The two layers are exposed to ultraviolet light (the sun) for a few minutes.

Consequently, the bottom sheet will turn blue due to the reaction of the chemicals to the light. However, as light would not be able to penetrate through the parts of the original document where the drawing marks are, those sections would remain white on the bottom sheet.

When the chemical solution is washed off the bottom sheet and the paper dried, a copy of the plan is created.

Other methods of achieving the same effect have emerged since that time and have replaced this practice, but the term “blueprint” continue to be used until today.

What it means now:

The word is generally used to refer to any layout plan for a room, building, or landscape. It is most commonly used to refer to technical drawings in architecture and engineering. For most of us, a situation where we would likely need to refer to a blueprint of some sort would be when we’re considering real estate to purchase, for instance, a house.

6. The press

What does “The press” means?

In the distant past, the news was disseminated mostly via printed publications; in other words, newspapers. Hence, the term “the press” was mostly a reference to the newspaper industry, whose pages were created through the use of printing presses.

What it means now:

The phrase is often used interchangeably with the term “media” and refers to the producers of mass media or those in the news industry. It is generally understood as encompassing all forms of news delivery, from printed publications like newspapers and magazines to TV stations, radio, and online news portals and blogs.

7. B side

What does “B side” means?

Back in the heydays of vinyl records, 78 RPM (revolutions per min) and 48 RPM phonograph/gramophone records could be played on two sides: an “A side” and a “B side”; the latter is sometimes called the “flipside”. It was around the year 1924 that the first such records were offered for sale in public.

Initially, record companies randomly assigned songs to either side of a record, but later on, it became a convention for “B side” songs to be those that were excluded from the album, weren’t radio-friendly, were alternate versions to the songs on an album or were just tracks that were considered inferior.

With vinyl records being more of a collector’s item nowadays than the main mode of music distribution, the use of the term “B side” isn’t as widespread. However, it still carries some of its earlier meanings in terms of describing music tracks that match the above criteria.

Some quarters have also come to think of the “B” in “B side” as referring to “bonus”, since music content that can be categorised as befitting of a B side is also known as “outtakes”, “exclusive” or “unreleased” tracks.

What it means now:

This is a phrase you will often hear with regard to music albums. It normally refers to additional music content not part of an official album release. This might refer to a different version or arrangement of a song compared to the same tune on the official album or tracks that were not included in that album at all.

8. Presentation deck / Slide deck

What does “Presentation deck” means?

While there doesn’t seem to be a definitive authority on the origins of this term, many believe it was a legacy from the days of the 35mm photographic film slides, which were displayed during presentations through the use of slide projectors. The slides in a projector tray were said to resemble a deck of cards, hence the name.

What it means now:

It is generally used in reference to a collection of slides used for a formal presentation. A Microsoft Powerpoint file that contains a set of slides is an example of a presentation deck. Some also consider the printout of such files as a slide deck.

9. Horsepower

What does “Horsepower” means?

The idea of using horses to quantify power came from James Watt, the Scottish inventor and mechanical engineer known for his contributions to improving the steam engine. Another unit of measurement for electrical and mechanical power, Watt, was named in honor of him.

During Watt’s time, horses were regarded as the highest power-yielding source and used in production mills. Horses would be harnessed to a central mill shaft and made for walking in circles to power grindstones and other such equipment. They were considered cheap to acquire and maintain for such purposes.

Image source: The Virginia Settlement

Hence, Watt chose to quantify the capabilities of his steam engine in horsepower terms since it was horses that this technology hoped to replace. With the aid of a mathematical equation, he estimated that a mill horse could push around 33,000 pounds in one foot in a minute. That was the power of one horse, i.e., one horsepower

He then went on to market his engines as being able to offer the power of 200 horses at once. His success led other competitors to copy his approach, and the term remains.

What it means now:

It is a measurement unit to quantify power and is typically used about the capability of an engine. In electrical terms, the energy generated for one horsepower is equivalent to 746 Watts.

10. Blockbuster

What does “Blockbuster” means?

Back in the 1940s, a blockbuster referred to an aerial bomb that was used in World War II, capable of demolishing entire city streets or blocks of buildings. This phrase eventually became an advertising term to depict extraordinary success by the mid to late 1940s.

Blockbusters were generally understood to mean large-scale productions that typically involved huge financial budgets. However, some other sources have claimed that the word “blockbuster” was used because it signified extremely well received plays or movies that effectively “busted” other competing production houses and put them out of business.

What it means now:

This term is used to describe popular or successful movies, or other forms of entertainment such as theatre productions or mobile/PC/console games.

11. Dial a number

What does “Dial a number” means?

There was once a time where rotary phones were the norm. Such phones featured a dial with the digits zero to nine arranged in a circular layout.

Each number had a hole on top of it, through which you inserted your finger, pull the disk in a clockwise motion to the end, then released it, before doing the same with the rest of the digits in the phone number. This action was also what you would call “dialing a number”.

What it means now:

The phrase is normally used when making a phone call. Nowadays, we use keypads (be it physical or even virtual one) to type in the phone number or name of the person we’re trying to reach. So why call it dial a number?

12. Mixtape

What does “Mixtape” means?

In the 1980s, mixtapes were mostly homemade by music fans using cassette tapes. It grew in popularity along with the use of cassette tape players, including the renowned Sony Walkman (RIP).

As cassette tapes were slowly phased out to make way for CDs and eventually, digital music files such as MP3, mixtapes evolved but remain available albeit in newer formats instead.

Meanwhile, in the hip-hop music scene, the term “mixtape” carried a slightly different meaning. Back in the 1970s, mixtapes consisted of recordings of performances by DJs that were taped by their listeners. Later on, in the 1980s, DJs themselves started recording their own shows and selling those tapes.

By the year 2000, a hip hop mixtape became a means for rappers to attract the attention of record labels and to connect with fans in a more personal manner. Such mixtapes were usually hosted by a DJ and included rap material that was less radio-friendly. Even successful hip hop artists have released mixtapes containing their original compositions, which are offered to fans for free. These can be mostly found on the Web nowadays.

What it means now:

Generally, it is understood as an audio compilation of songs whereby its compiler’s identity is known. Some use this characteristic of mixtapes to distinguish mixtapes from other kinds of music compilations where the compiler is relatively unknown or not revealed.

A mixtape can consist merely of a collection of its creator’s favorite tunes or may take on a more conceptual or artistic approach in its selection of songs to convey a certain message to its listeners.

The post 12 English Words With Interesting Origins appeared first on Hongkiat.

That said, these results depend on well-written blog content. There are many mistakes you can make when writing articles, and it’s easy to get caught up in trying to produce and publish as many posts as possible each week to keep your readers’ attention.

However, quality matters far more than quantity.

Luckily, there are strategies you can use to craft high-quality content for each of your blog posts.

Conduct thorough target audience research

Who are you writing to in your blog posts?

You must know the audience you’re trying to reach and the kind of content they’ll resonate most with if you want engagement.

Learn as much as you can about your target audience. This includes demographic, behavioral, and psychographic data. In addition, dig deep into their thoughts about your content and how they engage with it. Determine what topics they’re interested in, which blogs they read and how often, and the visuals they’re attracted to.

Once you’ve done your research, create reader personas, which are breakdowns of your ideal readers. You may need to create a few personas to cover a range of people most likely to read your blog.

Your reader personas should include:

• Name
• Age
• Education level
• Career
• Cultural background
• Interests
• Lifestyle patterns
• Future goals
• Challenges they’re facing
• How they find information
• Digital platforms they’re on the most
• The kind of content they consume.

Once you have these details and have a better understanding of what your readers like, you can create a content strategy they’re more likely to enjoy and interact with.

Use the Hub and Spoke Strategy

With a grasp on what your ideal readers deem valuable, it’s time to create a strategy for your blog content. The hub and spoke strategy, in particular, is beneficial for content planning.

This strategy is best understood as a visual.

Envision a bicycle wheel with spokes. The hub is the main content topic, while the spokes connected to it are the supporting topics that substantiate that central topic.

The goal is to create a lot of content around primary topics to show that you’re a thought leader on specific subjects. Thought leadership can increase your authority and prompt search engines to deem your blog trustworthy, which helps you drive more traffic to your site.

To use the hub and spoke strategy, the first step is to research keywords for hubs and key phrases to use in your spoke content. One to two hub keywords is enough, as you’ll create a lot of spoke content for each. After that, brainstorm topics around your keywords and phrases with which your readers will connect.

Be authentic

Aim to be as honest and accurate with your content as possible. Write blog posts that discuss your company in a transparent way. Use these posts to help develop your identity as an organization and show the world who you are. You can even communicate your values through your blog content.

However, it’s vital to be authentic in your content. It’s easy to fall into the trap of telling readers what you think they want to hear to secure a “quick win.

For instance, if your startup is committed to creating a healthier planet, your posts about this should talk honestly about where you are and what you’re doing to honor this commitment.

Avoid greenwashing in your content and don’t misrepresent your environmental activities to try and win readers over. If you’ve yet to become an entirely sustainable company, don’t say you have. And don’t write about how you’ve reduced your carbon footprint by 50% when it’s only 5%.

If readers discover dishonesty, that content will ultimately hurt your brand far more than it could ever help. Even big brands and established businesses struggle to overcome that kind of reputational damage. Your startup’s blog is a clean slate; use it as an opportunity to invest in your brand.

Write long-form content

A survey by Orbit Media revealed that the average blog post is a little over 1400 words. But the survey also shares that content even longer than that (around 3,000 words) gets better results.

Only a tiny percentage (4%) of bloggers write content that long regularly. If you learn to write high-quality, long-form content, you’ll have a better chance of standing out among the millions of other blogs online.

In general, though, you’ll want to follow these steps during the actual research and writing stages of your content:

1. Determine the keyword and phrase you’ll be using throughout the post. You should apply the Goldilocks principle here: not too much but not too little. You don’t want to keyword stuff your content, as that may come across as low-quality writing to your readers, but you still want to ensure your content is optimized to rank for those terms.
2. Read content from your competitors and authoritative sources. From your competitors, you’ll understand what content is being published that audiences are appreciating or not appreciating. From authoritative sources, you’ll gain useful information and find useful pages to reference and link to in your own writing.
3. Outline your piece. Identify the core point of your post, your supporting arguments in the body, and how you’ll wrap up the post.
4. Write the piece. Hook your readers with the first sentence. Keep their attention with a unique perspective and tell a good story. Be sure your startup’s personality shines through in your tone and messaging.

It may take a lot of time and effort to craft a single blog post, but it’ll be worth the effort when you see the kind of engagement a quality post inspires.

Create unique visuals

Images, videos, or other visuals should accompany every post you create if you want your readers to have a memorable experience with your blog.

Of course, you can use stock images, but original visuals will give your readers a real “wow” moment.

Considering creating the following visuals for your blog posts:

• Quotes
• Screenshots
• Infographics
• Stunning images
• Unique illustrations
• GIFs and memes
• Short and long videos
• Graphs, maps, and charts
• Interactive content like polls and surveys.

Track your blog content’s performance

You can’t improve your blog content if you don’t keep an eye on the results it’s generating for your startup. It’s essential to attach specific metrics and Key Performance Indicators (KPI) to every blog post to see how it measures up to your goals for the piece.

Track how your content ranks for your target keywords and phrases. Make notes about the posts that are doing great, as well as those that aren’t doing well.

You can then use what’s working in your best posts to update the pieces that aren’t doing well and, hopefully, improve their ranking and performance the next go-round.

Conclusion

Writing better blog content takes work. But you need a high-quality blog for your startup to fast-track its success.

Aside from implementing the tips above, ensure your blog is a part of an omnichannel marketing experience to further its impact. Use your blog to drive traffic to your other digital platforms, like social media and your email list, and vice versa.

Ultimately, each post should connect readers to the next touchpoint in their customer journey.

The post Crafting Better Content for Your Startup’s Blog appeared first on Hongkiat.

But all these meant little for the conned victims who actually believed in the fraudulent content and lost their money paying for ‘ransoms’ or ‘charity causes’.

Minimizing the amount of spam to your inbox equates to making it increasingly difficult for spammers to continue in their line of work. This not only benefits us, but also the Internet community as a whole.

Spamming becomes less attractive for them, thus reducing the total amount of spam out there slowing down servers and cheating victims of their monies.

Apart from a reliable spam filter software or plugin for your email client, there are still a few more things we should do to kill spam. Here are five simple tips to cut down on spam.

1. Do Not Unsubscribe to Spam

This is a smart tactic by spammers to find out whether email accounts are active. We have all come across official newsletters or advertisements where we have the option to unsubscribe to them if we do not wish to receive further emails from them.

Just when we thought we have the choice of ‘unsubscribing’ to spam, the spammers make use of that to notify themselves whether our account is spam-worthy.

What should we do then? Don’t reply to them at all. If we suspect that an email is a spam rather than a legitimate one, delete the message or report it as spam.

When we don’t respond to such spam, spammers will treat it as the email account has not been in used for awhile and thus no one will read their spam. They will more likely to strike us off from the spam list and we might not receive any more from them.

2. Do Not Reveal Your Email

Bots might harvest emails on the net wherever they could find the addresses listed in text. This includes forums, social media sites, websites, blogs, etc. One solution is to avoid posting your email address, but that might be rather inconvenient if you want people to contact you. Another solution is to edit your email address in the manner that these bots won’t identify it and capture it.

For the latter, one has to simply remove the ‘@’ from their email address, because that’s what those bots look for when they are searching for emails.

If you ever wondered why some people put their email address in the format of xxxxxx (at) xxxxx (dot) com, It’s precisely because they want to avoid being a victim of spam. We can also make our email address appear as an image so that there’s no way these irritating bots could make out our address.

3. Reporting Spam

Minimizing the number of unsolicited emails to our inbox is a good thing, but why not make it great if we can lessen it for everyone else in the internet community?

Simply direct spam to a spam reporting service site and they will do what is needed to prevent the spammer from spamming anyone else. Basically such a site would report to the hosting company of the email used by the spammer, where the hosting company would subsequently stop these spammers.

SpamCop is a free spam reporting service that allows victims of spam to report spammers to their Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and sometimes their webhost.

All we need to do is to create an account with them and send reports to them in the way they indicate. Do our part for internet users like ourselves and stop all the inconveniences and damages to our computers!

4. Use a Distinct Email Account

One way to automatically channel your spam away from your inbox is to create one email address which we will only give out when we register online any products we buy or download. We’ll never know if these companies sell a database of the email addresses they collected to anyone else, including spammers.

In any case, this separate inbox will house all the advertisements and what-not which most of us wouldn’t want to see it on a regular basis. The original email address which you access daily can then be used for personal and work emails, with the amount of spam minimized (or directed away).

5. Disable HTML in Email

For more advanced spam, the content can be written in HTML format and contain JavaScript programs that direct the user to an advertised page, thus successfully delivering what it was meant to deliver: the spam content.

The more problematic spam could even contain web bugs and install spywares unknowingly to the user’s computer system. Viruses can also be transmitted via such means.

Most email programs today Microsoft Outlook offers the option of disabling HTML upon receipt of any of such email messages. It is a good idea to do that because this would prevent any unauthorized installation or activation of programs via what is embedded in the HTML content.

Once we see that the sender and the plain text content seems suspicious enough to consider it a junk email, we can delete it before any damage is done.

The post 5 Simple Steps to Fight Spam Mails appeared first on Hongkiat.

Are you great at writing compelling fictional character stories, or are you the sort of person who finds writing non-fiction almost second nature? Do you want to write to educate, to entertain, or to make money?

Regardless of the path you choose to take, writing will certainly involve certain steps; the first step, the backbone of your work, is research. Now, while it is true that research tends to play a more critical role in non-fiction writing than it does when writing fiction, it is still important for fiction writers to understand the value of research, particularly when it comes to looking for references to base the elements of your story.

Preliminary Research

This is the part where you gather as much information as you can. When doing preliminary research, you don’t need to spend too much time reading and analyzing studies, articles, books, and even videos. All you need to do is find them and compile them for later.

Step 1: Identifying The Mystery

The first part of research is, of course, figuring out exactly what it is you want to write about. You’ll want to consider a topic that you can talk about for hours to days on end – preferably, something you’re passionate about. Make sure it’s a topic you have a good grasp on, though, otherwise, you’ll be writing fluff-filled pieces, and your readers will certainly notice.

The best way of identifying which topic could work well with you is by jotting down at least 10 of your interests. Then for each interest, write as much sub-topics as you can that are heavily related to their parent topic.

Once you are done doing so, pick the topic that has the most sub-topics – that is your golden topic.

Step 2: Picking up the magnifying glass

Now that you know what you want to write about, it’s time to start the actual research!

Researching doesn’t just mean gathering facts. It also means determining exactly how to write your piece in order to make it both unique and valuable. For example, if you’re interested in writing about money, don’t just stick to money as a general topic; go deeper, finding a sub-category, or a microniche, so that your book can be laser-focused.

If the main niche is Money, then its microniches (or sub-niches) are personal finance, investments, among others. Why not write about personal finance or investments?

Step 3: Gathering the clues

The next part of researching is spent on gathering lots of related materials. It is crucial that you do proper research, avoid inaccuracies, and make sure to nail all those tiny little details that may build up and eventually ruin a good book or article.

Gathering data may range from facts and information pertaining to your topic of choice to published works discussing topics similar to or tangentially related to yours. Note, however, that this step is akin to making a stew. You simply throw everything into the pot without doing any hard reading or analyzing just yet.

All you need to do is skim through your resources and find potential references; read the titles and subheadings, perhaps even the intro and conclusion as well, and just throw them into your makeshift database if the material looks like it would fit.

On deciding what sort of materials “would fit” check out books that are similar to the topic you want to write about. Look through their table of contents to get a general idea of what the book emphasized.

Make notes and identify what all these books have in common when it comes to content, and also determine what makes each of those books unique. If this sounds like a lot of work, here are some tools to help you with this stage:

Google Scholar – if your topic requires academic search results, use Google Scholar. You will see peer-reviewed studies, books, articles, journals, and the like.

Google Search Operators – when using Google, it will do you well to learn the many operators it has so that you can get more specific results. Here’s a post on what you can do with Google Search.

YouTube – Videos are also a great source for helpful materials like how-to’s. You might be able to find a fresh outlook on topics once the way it is presented is changed.

A word on blogs

Do not immediately jump to researching using blogs, because you might catch yourself heavily relying on them. Only start looking for relevant blogs once you already have a specific (but not compulsory) outline in mind. Check out Alltop and Reddit for leads.

Find the posts that are closely related to your main topic and determine if they are valuable enough to use as research material.

• Does the article or post in question have lots of social media shares?
• What about comments?
• Is it one of their top performing posts?

Generally, these metrics are what you want to see, because it usually means people responded favorably towards them.

Separate good feedback from bad feedback. Check out what the readers had to say in the comments section and learn how to filter the good from the bad. Categorizing these will act as your do’s and don’ts when writing your book or article.

Keep a copy of anything that is relevant to your topic, including the link(s) (it’s research, you will need to revisit your sources a lot), compile them in the same spot and make it semi-organized – basically know where you can find what in the shortest amount of time. Once you have done compiling all there is to read about the topic, then organize your stash according to relevance.

After this stage, it’s basically just reading and reading and more reading, before you begin the process of weaving everything that works well together and discarding whatever doesn’t. Use the outline you’ve created earlier to guide you on what to focus on and what to write.

Afraid that you’ll spend too much (or too little time) researching? Don’t stress over it too much. As a matter of fact, you can complete your research in just one day and start writing the next.

Analyzing, Restructuring, and Writing

Analyze everything. Remove the not-so-relevant parts and the bad stuff. Work with what is left on your table. Then, begin mapping out all the clues like how the private eyes on television shows do it. They grab all their newspaper clippings, photos of suspects, maps, and other forms of evidence and lay it all out on a cool-looking board or wall or table.

After removing the nonessentials, draft your final outline by dividing each section using their own headlines. Be sure to note what “worked” for the readers and try to capture the same “lightning” in your own figurative bottle.

Grouping info by relevance will also help when it comes to writing. Once your paragraphs can flow with relevance, and the harmonious flow in your structure is established, writing will be very easy. You already have everything you need based on your preliminary research. You just have to make proper use of them – make them work for you.

Wrap Up

Note that while others prefer to research, read, and then write, then research again, that is just messy. It takes your mind away from your writing. But by researching everything first (read: compiling all the relevant data) then reading everything later (and removing the unwanted parts), you can focus on just your writing.

Lastly, there are a few other important things to keep in mind during the writing process:

1. Cite your sources properly. (Aren’t you glad you kept all those links?)
2. Base your conclusions on data from your research, i.e. things you can defend on your own in the event that questions get raised about your conclusions’ validity.
3. Learn to exercise good judgment and consider both sides of the coin before choosing what to include in your writing. An opinion that is popular is not always right.

Remember: Only write the things you can back up with credible sources. When in doubt, do without. Now, go forth and be the Sherlock Holmes of writers.

The post How to Find The Right Topic (Writing Tip For Freelancers) appeared first on Hongkiat.

We hear you and since there are plenty of such ebooks lying around online, we’ve done the legwork and collected ten such eBooks that are great collections of blogging experience, knowledge, and tips that are the result of years of trial and error from those who have been there, done that.

Here you’ll see free ebooks on how to start blogging, how to become a successful writer, how to get money with blogging and get traffic, how to organize your blog and create strong visuals, and more. So, scroll down and enjoy!

1. How to Start a Blog

This book is a step-by-step guide on how to setup your blog and make it successful. The ebook contains 7 chapters to help you set up, maintain, monetize, and promote your blog, along with helpful resources and tools for bloggers.

Ogi Djuraskovic is behind FirstSiteGuide, and a web enthusiast who helps people start their own blog/site. Other team members of FirstSiteGuide who took part in writing the ebook are experts in hosting, marketing, SEO and design.

• Authors: Ogi Djuraskovic, Kristi Hines & the FirstSiteGuide Team
• Available in: PDF

2. 365 Writing Prompts

365 Writing Prompts was written by The Daily Post team who do all kind of jobs (from blogging to coding) and have the goal of helping people start their own blogs. Get this on your reader, tablet, or laptop, and get inspirational prompts on each day of the year to write.

For example, for June 20, you will get, "Moment of kindness. Describe a moment of kindness between you and someone else — loved one or complete stranger.” Also available in Spanish, French and Indonesian.

• Author: The Daily Post
• Available in: PDF and Kindle

3. Who’s There?

Seth Godin is an american author, marketer, and speaker who doesn’t really need an introduction.

Despite the title, Incomplete Guide to Blogs and the New Web, this ebook is not going to tell you how to set up your blog to sell your products.

It’s more about the influence of blogging on your future, career, ideas and the whole lifestyle that comes with.

• Author: Seth Godin
• Available in: PDF

4. How to Make Money Blogging

Crystal Paine is a wife, mom of three, public speaker and the founder of MoneySavingMom.com.

If you have a blog and want to get money with it, you going to need this ebook. It shares insider tips and tricks on how to monetize your blog as well as list useful resources for blogging.

• Author: Crystal Paine
• Available with Noisetrade account, Facebook login or email address.

5. How to Write Magnetic Headlines

Copyblogger is a software and training organization which provides expert advice, exceptional products and smart copywriting.

This ebook is an in-depth guide on how to write killer headlines, touching on mistakes to avoid, working formulas, templates you can use and more.

It is part of a 14-book how-to series on everything to do with content marketing, which you can get if you register on the Copyblogger site.

• Author: Copyblogger
• Available in: PDF (Editors Note: This link is from a university site. Otherwise, the book is only available upon registration.)

6. A Simple Guide to Blogging for Business

Wishpond is a company which helps people to create, publish and track their online marketing campaigns. They have worked with Facebook, Twitter, Mailchimp just to name a few brands.

This ebook will help you to understand all the benefits of having great content on your site. You will be taught how to start blogging, find your target audience, write good content, promote your blog, measure results and more.

• Author: wishpond.com
• Available with registration

7. The ROI of content marketing

Content creation is a form of investment that needs constant check and balance in order to measure the gains. This interesting ebook will tell you all about calculating the return of investment on your content marketing effort.

You’ll get to learn the best metric for measuring performance, ways of measuring content success, and a lot of handy tips on improving your way towards a healthy return on your content marketing efforts.

• Author: kunocreative
• Available: with registration

8. The Ultimate Guide for Content Marketers

From the popular online marketing and SEO platform SEMrush, comes this insightful ebook that tells you everything about creating engaging content and then marketing this content to the right audience using powerful tools.

The book includes tips on idea research and execution, optimizing existing content, content distribution, and other advanced concepts.

The content of the book aims at writers and digital marketers who are already working in the field to help them improve their skills.

• Author: SEMruch
• Available in: PDF (with registration)

9. How To Create A Well-Oiled Content Marketing Machine

Here is an ebook on tips and tricks regarding content marketing by the market experts KISSmetrics. The books talks about inbound marketing and ways to keep it going to get optimal results from your assets.

The book contains easy-to-catch concepts with real-life examples and encompasses everything from the usefulness of content marketing, content marketing role models, and ways to take your blog to new heights of user engagement.

• Author: KISSmetrics
• Available in: PDF

10. 23 Visual Principles For Designing More Persuasive Landing Pages

As a blogger and digital marketer, you cannot undermine the importance of a well-designed landing page. This ebook will guide you, through tips and live examples, the principals of designing a perfect landing page to capture your audience.

The author highlights the role of visual simplicity through psychology and interaction design owing to his vast experience in the field of visual design. There are also plenty of real-world examples to support the arguments.

• Author: Oli Gardner
• Available with registration

The post 10 Free Ebooks For Content Marketing appeared first on Hongkiat.

Through live blogging, if you can provide regular updates with useful insights throughout an event, your readers will most likely take your blog as a go-to place for event coverage. Also, live-blogging may help your blog get better visibility in web searches and may help boost your blog rank with search engines too.

That is why, you must learn the tips and tricks of live-blogging like a pro, which is the goal of this post. So, let’s get started.

1. Prepare well before the event

First of all, you must choose a relevant event with the right audience. The live conference or event must match your blog niche and fit with your readers. Then, you must set goals for live-blogging. And finally, you must prepare as much as possible before the event since you must post updates as soon as possible.

Check the event website

An event website is a great place to start researching the event. You can get the schedule of the event along with its speakers, sponsors, and corporate participants.

With this information, you can research more about them and create initial content for your live-blog including speaker details and links.

Speak out to the speakers

If your live event has a website, it will probably list the schedule of the event along with its speakers. If the site doesn’t show it, try checking the site later as they may post the speakers’ info just some days before the live event.

Once you know them, try reaching out to them on social media and telling them about your plan to cover the event. You can share the post link with them and on social media with attribution to them, calling them in a conversation.

And if they engage with you on social media, do share your excitement to hear them.

Design graphics and templates

It’s good to include graphics in blog posts as it interests users and helps with SEO. However, it takes time to create graphics, so you should consider creating them in advance.

If it’s not possible, you should create or download graphic templates with ample space to include some info or quotes from the event.

Be ready to talk to your audience

People always love insider insights about events. So you must prepare a list of questions you can ask the speakers and/or the audience at the event. If you speak to the speakers, you can get their take about the event.

Or you can discuss the event with attendees and ask their take about the event and its speakers.

You can also spread the word on your social media channels about interviewing people in the event and ask people to send questions. You may get surprised by people’s creativity and curiosity in asking questions related to the event.

2. Choose a blogging platform

Since you’ve prepared for the event, now is the time to pick your blogging platform. You can choose among multiple options based on their pros and cons (which I’ll discuss below under each sub-heading) and your preferences.

Your existing blog

Using your existing blog as the liveblogging platform is the most obvious choice — especially if you’re looking forward to boosting your blog audience through live-blogging. You probably need to create a category or tag for the event to help your readers follow it. Also, it’s suggested to write an introductory post.

Alternatively, you can create a single blog post or page dedicated to the event. However, you must create a post or page per day for a multi-day event. Also, you should consider having multiple authors for covering large conferences.

Microblogging site

Using a microblogging site like Twitter or Tumblr to live-blog an event may work better than your blog if you want to provide short updates.

Also, it’s probably a better idea if you’ve a major following on Twitter or Tumblr. Otherwise, you should think about live-blogging using your blog or a live-blogging service.

If you’re opting for a microblogging site for covering the event, check if there are hashtags associated with the event and make use of them. Also, you can include the microblogging feed in your blog to send updates to both audiences.

Live-blogging service

Using a live-blogging service like 24liveblog or Arena.im provides you additional benefits over your blog or a microblogging site. These tools provide features to engage your audience and grow social engagement like content walls, event analytics, group chat rooms, spam control, etc.

Moreover, they allow you to embed your liveblog in your blog, boosting the reach of your event coverage. Also, 24liveblog allows contributors and editors to write on your liveblog and enables you to live-stream the event directly.

3. Choose an enjoyable device

After you’re done picking a platform for live-blogging, you need to choose a device for live-blogging. Since you’ll be on the go, the most obvious choices are laptop, mobile, and tablet.

It also greatly depends on the event: will the sitting be tight, will you need a full-day charge, or will you be comfortable using the device?

You must ask such questions before picking the devices. You must charge your devices to 100% before leaving for the event. It’s advised to carry extra batteries or power banks just in case; you never know if you’ll need them. And you should carry a tripod along with a camera — especially if you plan to live-stream it.

Also, don’t forget to test your devices prior to the event — especially if you bought any new equipment for covering the event. There’s nothing worse than you working or recording for an hour and your device getting crashed. Or the recording getting blurred or deleted or getting recorded without the audio.

4. Post blog at the live event

There are several things to keep in mind when you’re at the event. First of all, you must understand you’ll make mistakes. Live-blogging will have grammatical errors, typos, and whatnot. It’s mostly unavoidable — especially if you’re trying to post quick updates as close to real-time as possible during the live event.

Then, be mindful and respectful of others in the event. You should pick a device per comfortability in there, i.e., use a mobile or tablet instead of a laptop if you’ve less space.

If you’re clicking a photo or recording a video, remember to turn off the flash (it distracts the speakers) and turn up the ISO setting instead. Also, if the lights are dim in there, adjust your device’s brightness accordingly.

5. Live-stream at the event

If you want to enrich the experience of your audience following the event, you can live-stream along with live-blogging. It helps your audience get better and richer coverage of the event.

In case you’ve got team members with you, one of you can manage the camera for live-streaming while the others do live-blogging.

If you’re going individually to the event, you should carry a tripod as well (as I suggested it above). You can set up the camera on the tripod and then focus on live-blogging while the camera is managing live-streaming to your audience.

For the live-streaming, you can make use of a variety of platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. Also, if you choose a live-blogging service for covering the event, check if it supports live-streaming. If yes, you can live-stream directly, and if not, opt for the platform with the most audience.

6. Go beyond live blogging

Live-blogging can’t be the end of your coverage at the conference or event. You should consider more ways to cover the event and reach a larger audience. You can set up a collection on Flickr to showcase your images of the event. Then, you can share your live blog on social media channels like Twitter and Facebook.

The post How to Live-blog or Cover an Event Live (Complete Guide) appeared first on Hongkiat.