6 Ideas For Creative Blog Posts

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Sometimes making regular updates for your blog can become a little stale, and it’s easy to rely on a few “tried and tested” ways to post. There are many ways to make your posts more creative, and a little effort may pay rich dividends in keeping your readers interested in what you want to share.

1. The Power of Language

Harnessing the power of language is essential if you want to keep your blog creative. Creating an eye catching title for your post is key to attracting the attention of your readers. Research shows that 8 out of 10 readers will read a blog title, but only 2 out of 10 will go on to read the post. Unless your title stands out from the myriad of other blog titles out there, few will bother to read on.

Careful phrasing of your title can make all the difference! A direct rhetorical question will immediately make your reader feel more involved (e.g. “Are you ashamed of your cooking skills?”). Framing your title as advice is also likely to attract attention (e.g. How following this advice saved me a fortune).

Creative use of numbers is another popular strategy, such as “10 sure-fire ways to save time when cleaning”, or even using “shock” tactics such as “Five alarming facts about fizzy drinks”.

It’s important to use interesting language and vocabulary throughout the rest of your post, but attracting your reader’s attention in the first place is essential.

2. Ring the Changes

If you want to build up a regular audience, you will need to use a host of different formats to stop your readers from getting bored. Try to think of alternative ways to present your post. For example, a recount of a day out could be written as a diary entry, or the story of how you landscaped your garden could be presented as a “How to..” guide.

You could write your post as a letter, perhaps to a friend, or even to a famous person or historical character. Why not consider a real or imaginary interview? Or perhaps make use of a list – for example “Five gadgets I could not live without”. You could even write a humorous recipe (“A recipe for a perfect marriage”).

Once you have begun to ring the changes with your format, you will find more and more creative ways to structure your posts.

3. Food for the Eyes

There is no doubt that the look of your blog is as important as the words you use. Take time to think about the ambience of your blog. Many blog hosting sites provide a variety of templates to get you started, but do take time to personalise yours so that it reflects your character or the theme of your blog.

Creative use of photos can work wonders in terms of making your blog more attractive. This can be as simple as sharing your own photos (for example, travel photos), but there are many other ways to use images on your blog. Sharing favourite photos can also be interesting for your reader e.g. “My ten most inspiring sports photos” – this could then be linked to other social media sites such as Pinterest. However, do be sure to credit any photos which are not your own!

Images can also be used as a starting point for discussion or further sharing, perhaps by using a news photo about a current event and inviting discussion, or posting a photo of your latest craft project.

4. Use your Senses

As well as using photos, you can also make use of other multimedia on your blog. You could upload video you have taken of a family event, or something you have seen when travelling. You could provide a link to online video and use it as a starting point for discussion or sharing.

Some bloggers will add audio blogs or podcasts to their blog. Offering a variety ways to communicate with your reader is also likely to avoid them losing interest.

5. It’s Good to Share

Sometimes it can be interesting to involve others in contributing to your blog. For example, you could ask someone to make a guest posting and invite comment from your readers. This can bring a fresh perspective to your blog and perhaps present a different viewpoint from your own.

Contributions could be in a “standard” blog posting, or something more creative such as a poem, short story or article. You could also use content you have found elsewhere but, of course, you will need to make sure you don’t infringe copyright and that you credit any external content.

6. Involve your Audience Creatively

Most bloggers welcome feedback from their readers and blog sites provide a means for leaving comments about postings. There are lots more creative ways to encourage your readers to participate. For example, encouraging your readers to add to your post – e.g. adding their own image to “My favourite travel photo” is a good way to help them feel involved. Posting a list and then inviting others to add their own list can generate discussion – for example, “Ten books every child should read” or a “bucket list”.

Starting a longer running thread is an interactive way to involve others – maybe by starting an book circle, a recipe sharing thread, or everyone sharing a small cross stitch chart they have designed. Everyone will then benefit from the ideas of others.

Once you have begun to think about more creative ways to post on your blog, you will find that your ideas will snowball and you should build up a loyal and proactive readership.

About The Author: Amy Harris is a writer for FinancialTraining.co.uk which helps British and international students find the right financial courses in London and the UK. Amy is an American expat herself, and enjoys helping people with their careers and financial advice.

Did you find this article helpful? Do you have any tips to share? Please let Amy and myself know by leaving us your valued comments below.

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2012-08-13 09:22:29

Source: http://www.derekjones.co/2012/08/6-ideas-for-creative-blog-posts.html