Launching your coaching business AND starting a blog? These 5 tricks will save you hours of writing content that never gets read.
If you’re thinking about starting a blog or you already have one, but it isn’t getting the engagement you were hoping for, here are a few actionable items to work on for your next post.
Let’s start with some context:
A friend of mine is in the process of developing his coaching business and recently launched a blog on personal development and limiting beliefs. Though his content is refreshingly authentic and the ideas he proposes have lots of potential, he decided he could use some guidance on the marketing side of things. For instance, how to create an eye-catching title, and how to make a personal experience more relatable to a larger audience.
Here is the advice I gave him:
1) Avoid use of the first person “I” as much as possible
As a coach, you’ll inevitably need to talk about yourself in your blog posts. You want the reader to get to know you, trust you, and learn from you. And in 2019, a huge trend in content strategy is providing authentic, vulnerable stories that show your reader you are willing to go deep and be honest with them. However, even when describing your most personal, vulnerable, and authentic experiences, please avoid using “I” over and over again. It’s a little habit we all have, and it can be easy to overlook.
PRO TIP: After you write your first draft, go back through and see how many times you use “I.” Then take them out wherever possible.
2) Figure out how research affects your writing
If you’re the kind of person who struggles with perfectionism, don’t research too heavily before you write. It will stop you dead in your tracks and that blog will never get written. However, if you’re the kind of person who hates research because it reminds you of writing a college paper at midnight on Redbull, consider how much value you can add to your blog by taking a quick look at other content. You can quote an industry influencer, or cite statistics that will strengthen your position, and solidify you as an expert in your Coaching arena.
PRO TIP: Write your first draft as a brain dump or stream-of-consciousness to ensure you’re sharing your unique perspective. Then research other blog articles and see what you may want to include to show you’ve done your homework on the subject.
“Everything that needs to be said has already been said. But since no one was listening, everything must be said again.”
3) Ask yourself, should this even be a blog post?
We don’t always have time to create an amazing blog, with statistics, influencer quotes, and actionable steps that will help our readers. Let’s be honest, it’s a lot of work. So if you go through your morning journal and find something vulnerable that is worth sharing but not necessarily as a blog piece, decide how else the content can be used. Especially if you are discussing philosophical ideas or personal experiences, people may relate to it better if they hear it from you rather than read it in their heads.
PRO TIP: If your stream-of-consciousness first draft isn’t feeling like a full blog post, why not turn it into a short script and film an Instagram live, or create a Facebook post in your group? Authentic, vulnerable content is sometimes best used to connect with people on social media. Leave your blog for factual, evidence-based, professional content (something you would be comfortable sharing on LinkedIn).
4) Make your readers say Yes, Yes Yes!
One of the most important things to remember is that people are bombarded with advertisements and they don’t want to waste time. They demand to know instantly if what they are seeing is for them or not. So, the more you can do to make it obvious whether the content was created with them in mind, the better your content will perform. (Plus the more you can do to narrow down your niche and provide specific advice for specific people rather than masses of people who have way too many different needs…the better your content will perform). KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE!!
PRO TIP: Get your readers to say (or think) YES three times in a row by asking them a direct questions in the first few sentences of your writing. Try beginning your blog posts with two sentences that answer the following for the reader: Who am I? What am I doing? How will this help me succeed at what I am doing? (Check out the beginning of this post, that’s exactly what I did in the title, first line, and opening paragraph: Who are you - a coach. What are you doing - launching a blog. How will this help - you’ll save time and create better blogs).
5) Make your blog accessible for in-depth AND skim reading
Did you notice that this blog is formatted as 5 main bullet points, includes a quick PRO TIP as well as a longer, in-depth paragraph explaining my point? This is one example of how to make your blog accessible to two kinds of readers, the ones who want a really fast digestion of your value, and the ones who are in the mood to absorb every word you write. This is also helpful because you can be attracting new prospective followers at the same time as providing highly valuable content to your loyal supporters. The people who don’t know you are deciding if they care to. The people who do know you are remembering why they continue to pay attention. It’s a win win.
PRO TIP: Take a look at blogs you follow, or email newsletters you always read. How do they format their paragraphs to make it easy to skim but also go in-depth if you want more detail (Marie Forleo is a great example).
I Saved This Seat For Ya!
If you found value in this blog post and want to chat more about marketing strategy, let’s get coffee (virtual Zoom chat or in person if you live in San Diego!!)
Feel free to reach out by email or send me a message on Instagram @mwecreative