Chapter 6
Blogging Your Way to a Job Interview
In This Chapter
Figuring out what you have to blog about
Discovering how to set up and run a blog like a pro
Landing a guest-blogging opportunity
The age of blogs as some kind of odd, private exhibition is over. Today, blogging is a respectable way of publishing ideas geared at a particular audience. If you have great content for that audience, you can easily build credibility online. By voicing your opinion, interviewing experts, or sharing new news, you’re telling your readers that your topic is something you’re passionate about and may even have some authority on. And the longer you blog, the more credibility you gain.
Your original blog content may, therefore, wind up becoming your biggest career asset. Many aspects of your personal brand are on the surface of things, like the picture you use and the value statement you develop. But a blog provides deep insight into your voice, your passions, your values, and your abilities. Blogging is the part of your personal brand that can’t be duplicated by anyone else. And your blog is completely under your control. The amount and types of content you publish are reflections of your own volition and commitment to getting a job in that field.
In this chapter, I show you how to find something to write about and put it into an easy calendar you can follow. I also explain how to set up your blog and get people to comment on it. Finally, I reveal how to boost your online credibility even further by landing guest-posting opportunities on fellow bloggers’ sites.
Developing Your Content Strategy
Less than a third of the millions of blogs out there remain active after the first few months, largely due to a failure to plan. Don’t make the mistake of failing to plan what you’re going to say.
When I tell job seekers that they need to blog, they usually object with, “I don’t have that much to say.” However, if you’re passionate about your particular area of expertise, then you do have something to say. But without a plan, the fear that you don’t can easily become a reality. I take it as my challenge to help you find something to blog about and keep your blog alive.
In the following sections, I help you figure out where your expertise lies, other ways to get your content out there if you’re not much of a writer, and how to plan out your blog posts so that you’re never left with nothing to say.
Recognizing your area(s) of expertise
Whether you think so or not, you’re an expert at something. The shift from armchair specialist to outspoken expert is really just a mental shift. As long as you educate, inform, or even entertain your audience, your blog is read-worthy. With social media’s acceptance, everyone can have his or her day in the public spotlight, and you have a right to your say as well. Don’t deny yourself this opportunity.
Finding what you want your blog to be about can be a difficult task; however, if you think about it in terms of your own passions, then it can be quite simple. Think about something you’re good at. When people come to you for advice, what do they generally ask?
Picking a topic you like and that you’re knowledgeable about is important for the continuity of your blog as well. You want to pick a topic that keeps inspiring ideas for articles. If you’re not particularly passionate about the topic, it’ll eventually become impossible to generate new content.
The more specifically you can define your area of expertise, the better. General topics don’t tend to develop strong audiences. Try to narrow down your topic to the point where it becomes different from what everyone else is covering. Often, you can simply put a new spin on an old idea or have a unique perspective when collecting artifacts. By bringing more of your own voice and your own story to your writing, the more unique your blog will be. What you choose to blog about and how you represent it comes back to your personal brand because your name becomes associated with the topic.
If you’re having trouble identifying what you should blog about, ask yourself these questions:
What’s a topic I can talk about for hours without ever getting bored?
What’s something I do that makes me lose track of time when I do it?
What subject do I tend to have strong opinions about (apart from politics or religion)?
What have I done for years, and maybe not realize, that I have amassed more experience in than most people?
Do I have a new interpretation of a concept or a new method of doing something that may benefit others? If so, what is that?
When others come to me for advice, what do they ask? In other words, what can I write about that will resonate with others?
Are there objects I like to collect and react to, such as funny ads, new products, or something else that relates to my career?
If you’re getting stuck on ideas to build your expertise around, you may want to look at what other bloggers are writing about. Based on your survey of what blogs are already out there (and their quality), you’ll be better able to identify your niche. The following list may help narrow your topics down:
Business etiquette
Business operations, theories, and practices
Consumer package goods packaging ideas
Creative design collections
Financial news and analysis
Green banking
Holistic medicine and healthy living
Leadership ideas and advice
Personal productivity and time management
Product reviews
Project-management techniques
Public policy and social issues
Technology reviews and predictions
Writing tips and grammar
Identifying online mediums to publish on
Not everyone enjoys writing. Some people are just unable to adapt to a new style of writing to match online mediums. Blog writing is different than book writing or report writing, for example. The good news is that you don’t have to write to publish online content. Here are other mediums you may also consider:
Podcasts or audio blogging: This option is perfect for people who enjoy conversations or talking out their ideas. Just check out www.blogtalkradio.com to see all the different types of audio blogging topics out there.
Video blogging: These unproduced, simple, two- to three-minute video conversations are a great way of building intimacy with an audience. Many great business leaders have taken to this medium.
Short blogs: Short blog posts are between 50 and 100 words, or two to three sentences, and can be fun, to the point, and easy to read. Seth Godin virtually created this format. On his blog (www.sethgodin.typepad.com), he writes very short posts, but he posts every single day. They're usually high impact and poignant and most are less than 100 words.
Facebook Fan Page posts: These posts let you reach your audience by letting Facebook handle the technology. My good friend George Kao has turned his Facebook Fan Page into a highly engaging blog. He told me once that he doesn’t really enjoy blogging, but that didn’t stop him from building incredible expertise online.
E-newsletters: These newsletters can be powerful at adding value to an audience, but they require you to build a contact list first. You can have a website that captures e-mail addresses and then actually delivers your content via e-mails. Some services now allow you to charge small amounts of money for someone to subscribe to your newsletter.
Using an editorial calendar to keep consistent
Every successful blog relies on an editorial calendar. An editorial calendar is a list of all the topics you plan to cover (via text, audio, or video) over a defined period of time.
According to ProBlogger’s Darren Rowse, here are four reasons you need a content plan:
To combat writer’s block: You don’t want to be stuck on publication day with writer’s block thinking, “Here’s another day I didn’t post, and I still can’t think of anything to write.” Having a list of topics in front of you is a great backup plan.
To build good habits: In the long term, you’ll need to post consistently over the life of your blog. Planning ahead will force you to post regularly and respond to comments, which is good blogger behavior.
To be seen as a niche authority: The name of the game is establishing your expertise on something. Publishing consistently about your topic is the best way to build an authoritative voice.
To get help with post ideas: The process of sitting down and thinking about the next three to six months of posts gets your mind rolling. After a while, you’ll notice that newer and better ideas emerge. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself improving your content plan days after you think you’ve finished.
Creating your own editorial calendar is easy. Follow these steps to get started:
1. Choose a niche topic that you feel very comfortable with.
All the techniques in the world can’t help if you don’t know your topic.
2. Break your topic down into five categories or subtopics and list them at the top of a spreadsheet.
Think of a category in a blog as a chapter in a book. The categories I use for my blog (www.careerenglightenment.com) are LinkedIn Tips, Twitter Job Seeking, Online Résumés, Confidence Boosters, and Other Social Media Tips. I also have an Announcements category, but I don't need to plan for it because the content comes about as it happens. So when thinking about your topic, consider breaking it down into categories and then developing content to fit within each category.
3. List the weeks down the left side of the spreadsheet.
I like to plan my posts at least three months out, so I have at least 12 weeks down the left. Now I can choose to rotate topics over that time period. Whether I focus on one topic a week or two different topics a week, I aim to give each topic an equal amount of attention by the end of the three-month period.
4. Decide how many times a week you want to post.
Usually, you want to post between three and five times per week during your first three months. (Your blog needs to have a higher frequency of posting during the first three months than at any other time so you can grow your followers and they can trust that you’ll stick around.) After the first three months, then you can consider tapering off to two to three times per week.
5. Come up with a list of specific blog posts you’ll write and put the titles of each post under the appropriate category and week, as shown in Figure 6-1.
Figure 6-1: A sample editorial calendar.
Pre-writing articles can give you a backup when you’re out of ideas, so be sure to pre-write at least five articles before officially launching your content. Doing so gives you some cushion as you get used to this new part of your life. I like to batch my writing for a month so that I write 10 to 20 articles on the first Sunday. Find the schedule that works best for you.
If you're looking for additional structure around your content planning, I highly recommend you download Charlie Gilkie's blog post planners (shown in Figure 6-2) at www.productiveflourishing.com. (Click on Free Planners and then scroll down to find The Blog Post Planner and Calendar section.) Every month, Charlie publishes a new planner designed to help you think about what you're going to write about for each of your categories.
Figure 6-2: Charlie’s Blog Post Planner sample.
Blogging as the Expert on Your Own Site
Having your own blog, where you control the look, feel, and tone of the site, is a great feeling. It’s also one of the most powerful credibility builders for anyone’s career. The sections that follow fill you in on all the basics you need to know to start blogging, from reserving the proper domain name to structuring your blog posts so you get readers and comments.
Selecting the right title and domain name
The domain name, or URL, is the web address for a website. For a blogger, the domain name is the defining business card; therefore, it needs to be memorable.
Choosing a good domain name is closely related to choosing a title for your blog. Imagine that you’re at a networking event and someone asks what the name of your blog is. You have to say it out loud! And if your domain name is different from your blog title, you may confuse people.
Follow these steps for finding a blog title and registering the domain name:
1. Decide on a title that relates to your topic in some way.
If you can’t think of one after trying for a while, just use your name (for example, John’s Blog).
2. Check your title with a domain registrar.
A domain registrar is a website where you can purchase domains. For an easy tutorial on buying and hosting a domain name, head to www.careerenlightenment.com/jobseekers-website-setup. Enter your domain name idea, and if it's available, you can purchase it for around $10.
If the title you came up with is already taken, find another title and repeat Step 2.
If you get stuck, just use your name with the suffix .net, .com, or .me. As your blog evolves and you find your voice, a great name will come to you. You can always change your blog's name later and just redirect domains. For example, I started my blog using the domain name joshuawaldman.net. Later, I came up with the name Career Enlightenment, so I purchased careerenlightenment.com and redirected my old domain to the new one.
Whether you come up with a creative blog title or just use your name, purchasing the rights to a new domain costs a minimal amount of cash. However, you’re better off owning your own domain than purchasing one through a blogging platform because you want to be the one in control of your brand. If a blogging platform purchases your domain for you, then the blogging platform owns your domain, making it hard for you to leave its service later.
Setting up an attractive blog
Before you can start posting content to your blog, you need to make sure your blog looks attractive enough so that when people visit the site, they stick around long enough to read, watch, or hear what you have to say instead of scurrying off to another site simply because they can’t stand your fascination with neon colors and flashing banners. Following are some basic blog-design concepts to be aware of:
Theme: A theme is a template for the look and feel of a blog. It controls colors, typefaces, and layout. When you change the theme, your content isn’t affected, but the way it’s displayed is.
Page: A page is static and may appear at the top of a blog for navigation. Pages can have subpages. (A page isn’t to be confused with a post, as described next.)
Post: A post is where you publish your most recent article. When someone subscribes to your blog, what they’re really subscribing to are your most recent posts.
Categories: The categories of a blog are like chapters in a book. Typically, you don’t want much more than five categories. This limit helps focus your writing and keeps you on topic. Use only one category for each post.
Tags: Tags are like the index of a book. You can have as many tags on each blog post as you like. Readers can use tags to navigate to different posts.
A good blog keeps its focus on the content you’re publishing. Some themes are beautiful but distract the reader from the content. When choosing a theme and setting up your blog, keep the following in mind:
Your theme is tied to your personal brand. The colors and feel of the layout should reinforce the image you’re trying to convey. If your personal brand is related to the field of education, then you may consider brighter colors than someone writing about finance.
Archives based on dates are useless for most readers. If someone wants to read your past articles, they most likely want to do so based on category.
Tag lines or about-me boxes can help readers understand the purpose of your blog. The easier you can make it for a new reader (like a potential employer!) to quickly understand what your blog is all about, the better. So make sure your about-me box talks about why you’re blogging and what you blog about.
A photograph of yourself adds trust and credibility. A photo can create a sense that you’re talking directly to your readers. Choose one that best represents the voice you write with. If you write more formally, then use the same image as your LinkedIn photo. If you’re more off-the-cuff with your content, then pick a more casual image.
If you want to make your blog look as appealing as possible, I suggest you skip the other blog platforms and go right to WordPress. WordPress has more than 60 percent market share for blogs, has the largest community of developers, and is favored by Google in search results. Most importantly, you own your content when you use WordPress.
WordPress comes in two forms: www.wordpress.com, which is hosted by WordPress, and www.wordpress.org, which you host on your own hosting service. Hosting WordPress yourself requires more technical skills but is not unwieldy. It also allows you more freedom to customize the look and feel of your blog and offers a wider range of plug-ins (extra features you can load onto your blog, such as anti-spam filters for comments, a Follow Me on Facebook button, and more). For more details on WordPress, check out WordPress For Dummies by Lisa Sabin-Wilson (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.) or visit Grovo.com (www.grovo.com/browse/site/wordpress) for an entire video course on WordPress.
Communicating effectively within your written post
Blog writing differs in many ways from other forms of writing, which is mainly due to the fact that most readers scan online content and don’t spend a lot of time on any given web page. Also, readers are bombarded with catchy titles and flashing links that draw their attention away from your content. So a unique style of writing has evolved. The next sections break down some of the style elements for blog writing.
Topic
The topic is the single subject or idea that your post is all about. Generally speaking, you have only one topic for each blog post. When you first start to write, be sure you’re crystal clear about the point of the post. Don’t ramble or bring in too many counterpoints. Feel free to outline your post if you need more structure.
Title
The title is the name of your blog post. Always start by writing the title first. This technique helps me stay on topic. If I start rambling on and on in my post, I just look at the title and think, “Oh yeah, that’s what I’m supposed to be writing about.”
A strong title not only keeps you on task but also grabs the attention of your reader. In my experience as a blogger, I’ve found several formulas that seem to work as titles, including the following:
Numbered lists: These lists always grab people’s attention. Some examples include “Five reasons why . . .” or “Three mistakes policy makers make when . . .”
Quick tips: Show your readers how to do something new or useful. By offering a learning environment, you can keep readers engaged for longer. Start titles with “How to . . .” or “Quick Tips to . . .”
Debunking myths: This formula works really well. When you challenge popular opinion, you get readers excited and ready to watch a battle. You can grab readers’ attention by starting with “Why most people are wrong about . . .”
Blatant controversy: Controversies always make people curious. Saying something controversial, such as “Facebook will ruin your chances of getting a job” or “Why you should be afraid of getting Googled,” can get people reading in a jiffy!
Hook
The hook is a journalism term that refers to the opening passage of an article. It’s what keeps the reader reading. Because the hook in your blog post is an important part, it requires that you spend some extra time crafting it.
According to ProBlogger’s Darren Rowse, here are just a few techniques for writing strong hooks:
Ask intriguing questions. When you ask a question, the reader tries to answer it in his head. Questions create curiosity; for example, “What does a project manager have in common with Papa Smurf?” or “Can you name the three reasons why most mutual funds fail?”
Tell a story. This technique is probably the one I rely on the most. Telling a story brings readers into your world and provides context. I love sharing the story of where I got the idea for the post or an illustration of the main point. Try weaving in a personal story at the beginning of your post and then extract key lessons learned from it.
Use statistics. Starting with startling facts that challenge someone's view of the world also creates curiosity. "Did you know that more than 40 percent of workers have never even met their boss in person?" To find interesting stats, subscribe to the Pew Research Center newsletter at www.pewresearch.org.
Upload a picture. Sharing a picture on your blog helps support the point of your post. Provocative pictures keep an audience engaged and entertained. I like to scan Flickr for free image ideas, but for the best-quality images, check out www.istockphoto.com (this site charges a few dollars per image). The key is to find and use images that emotionally reinforce your topic and are visually interesting.
Headers
Headers are basically titles for the main points of your blog post. Because your readers are most likely going to scan your post, help them out by using headers to break up the article. Your blogging platform should let you format text as you write. The title of your blog post is usually an H1 header, the largest sized header, so use H2 or H3 headers for your subject markers.
The headers are the best places to use a keyword or two (see Chapter 5 for more on keywords). If you use a keyword in a header, you don’t need to worry about using it again within the content.
Length
Most blog posts are between 300 and 800 words to account for readers’ short attention spans, which means you need to be able to get to the point fairly quickly and then move on to the next point without lingering. If you plan on exceeding 800 words, consider breaking the post into two parts or writing a series. I write most of my posts in around 500 words.
Vary the length of your posts from time to time. Doing so helps you keep a fresh feeling on your blog and prevents your reader from getting bored. For example, if you usually write shorter, 300-word posts, then once a month publish the mother of all posts to make a big splash at 800 words.
Tone
When it comes to the tone of your blog posts, forget what your fifth-grade English teacher taught you. Using first person in blog writing is completely acceptable, and you can even begin sentences with and or but for a more casual feel. In fact, your tone should be as intimate and candid as possible. However, writing conversationally doesn’t mean you patronize your reader; it means you avoid jargon when possible and explain it when you can’t, share your opinion, and use an everyday tone of voice — your own voice.
If you’re having trouble finding your blogging voice, try visualizing your best friend — as in the person who usually has no idea what you’re talking about when you start talking about your work — standing in front of you. Now write as if you were talking to him or her.
Call to action
A call to action is what you want your readers to do about whatever it is you’re saying, and it’s usually located at the end of your post. Do you want them to share a comment, rethink an idea, subscribe to a list, visit a website, or change a behavior?
The call to action in your blog post must be specific and transparent. Your readers aren’t dumb or gullible. If they like what you have to say, they may want to do something about it. Make it easy for them to find out what to do.
Here are a couple of examples of calls to action: “If you resonate with any of the points in this article, I’d love to hear your opinion. Please leave me a comment below” or “Do these facts change how you lead project meetings? If so, try out my tips and see whether they work for you.”
Writing blog posts in a half hour or less
When you know the basic elements of blog style writing (see the previous sections), you can put them all together into a strong, easy-to-write formula. Earlier, I mention that I write ten blog posts in one sitting. If you follow this formula too, you’ll probably be able to finish a single blog post in just 30 minutes. Just be sure you’ve read up on the last section.
1. Start by clearly identifying which audience you’d like to read your post and what problem your post will solve for them.
2. Write a compelling headline. Refer to the earlier section on headlines.
3. Write your hook.
4. Describe the problem your audience faces.
5. Provide your analysis of the causes of that problem.
6. Offer a solution, preferably something unique and actionable. Here, you can provide a series of steps the reader can take.
7. End with a call to action.
Getting people to comment and build your credibility
When you first start a blog, it can sometimes feel like you’re talking to a wall. Don’t worry if your page views are low or no one bothers commenting on your posts. Just remember that every website is vying for traffic and that many people are in the same boat you’re in.
What really matters for you, as a job seeker, is that when people of importance see your blog, they get a good feeling about you. The point is this: People may not see your page-view analytics, but they do see whether other people are commenting on your blog. So don’t get too worried about traffic. Instead, spend your energy producing good content and facilitating comments about that content.
How do you get people to comment on your blog? One easy way is to just ask them to. At the end of each post, say something like, “Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.” Be sure to reply to each comment you get. When readers see that you read and respond to comments, they’ll be more likely to join in.
One controversial trick for jump-starting comments on your blog is to use a service called Fiverr. Fiverr is a community of people who will do anything for $5. Yes, anything. (Don’t get any funny ideas, though). Most of the things people are willing to do are for traffic building, graphic design, or even video production. And, yes, people are willing to do some weird stuff, such as the guy who will dance to any song of your choice in a hot dog costume. But putting that odd stuff aside, you can purchase 20 comments on your blog for $5, giving you instant credibility. Here’s how:
1. Head to www.fiverr.com and either log in or create an account.
2. Type in “blog comments” in the search bar.
3. Hire the best provider based on reviews and whether they offer other services.
Don’t worry if you don’t like people’s comments, because you can delete them from your blog. Personally, I’ve had very positive experiences hiring people on Fiverr.
Welcome engineered comments only until you start seeing real comments and traffic coming naturally from genuinely interested people.
Scoring a Guest-Blogger Gig
A guest blogger is someone whose articles are published on someone else’s blog. Many bloggers struggle with creating enough content to fit their editorial calendars, so when a guest blogger reaches out with quality content, a lot of bloggers are happy to publish the guest’s article.
Guest posting on a high-traffic blog can jump-start your public image, drive traffic to your own blog, and launch your personal brand. After you’ve established your own blog, your topic is clear, and you’re comfortable with your unique voice, follow these steps to get your article posted on a top blog:
1. Find top-ranking blogs that closely match your area of expertise or topic.
I note some places to find top blogs and guest post opportunities in the later section “Guest-blogging on high-authority blogs.”
2. Narrow down your list to three or five blogs and thoroughly research them to make sure you can write on topic and to their audience.
3. Send an inquiry to your list of target bloggers.
I show you what a good inquiry e-mail looks like in the later “Crafting the perfect inquiry e-mail” section.
4. Write an original blog post for each blogger that gets back to you.
Don’t write a guest blog post until you get an agreement from a blogger to publish it first. Otherwise, you may waste a lot of time. Also, be aware that some bloggers want to reserve the right to review and edit your post before publishing it, so always talk to them in terms of sending a draft rather than a finished work.
Guest-blogging on high-authority blogs
Unless you’re running around to all the nerdy blogger events and networking with high-profile authors, you may need to research and cold-approach your own guest-posting opportunities. Following are some cool sites where you can find top-ranking blogs as well as guest-posting matchmaking:
Alltop: Alltop (www.alltop.com) is a directory of top-ranking blogs on hundreds of different topics.
BloggerLinkUp: This site (www.bloggerlinkup.com) matches bloggers looking for guest posters with article writers. You can subscribe to the e-mail list to see what blogs are requesting content.
BlogSynergy: BlogSynergy (www.blogsynergy.com) is a directory of blogs looking for guest bloggers.
MyBlogGuest: This community of bloggers (myblogguest.com) share content with one another, so the quality of writing is fairly good.
Jobs.ProBlogger: This site (http://jobs.problogger.net) is actually a job board for bloggers. Companies and content producers post their jobs here, often looking for writers on particular topics. Most are willing to pay you a little bit of cash, too.
Crafting the perfect inquiry e-mail
Your inquiry e-mail needs to be authentic and sound like you, so make sure you don’t copy and paste a template when you reach out. Also, top bloggers receive a lot of spam e-mails, so the less spam-like your message appears, the better your chances are that the person you’re contacting will read it.
Follow these guidelines to boost the odds of having your inquiry e-mail read and seriously considered:
Get to the point in the subject line. I like to use “Guest post inquiry for Blog Name” or simply “Guest blog post.” If the blogger needs a new post, he’ll gravitate toward your e-mail.
Prove that you did your research. If you’ve read a person’s blog for a while or if you heard about her (or her blog) through someone or some promotion she did, mention it. A generic “I love your blog” doesn’t cut it. Make sure you can prove that you do indeed know who this person is and what she blogs about.
Many bloggers publish guidelines on how they want to be approached by guest bloggers. Search their blog to find these guidelines and then follow their instructions. If they have guidelines that you ignore, you just showed them that you really don’t know much about their blog.
Build your credibility. Mention any other writing experience you have, your own blog, or any other credentials to show why you’re qualified to write on the topic.
Offer a title for your guest post. Don’t just say, “Do you accept blog posts?” Instead, offer a title that’s both compelling and on topic for the other blog. Although you don’t need to write the post until after the blogger agrees, you should offer a title for the post.
State what you want to get out of the guest post. All you really want in return is a link back to your blog. You’re not selling anything or using her blog as a platform for promoting yourself. Typically, guest bloggers link to their blog a couple times during the article or at the very end in the author’s tag line.
Close with a call to action. End with telling the blogger what you want her to do. Usually, the call to action is “Please let me know whether you’d be open to seeing a draft of my original post.”
The following sample inquiry e-mail puts all these pieces together.
Subject line: Guest blog post inquiry
Hi Ms. Blogger,
I saw your blog mentioned on the latest Techcrunch article and really enjoy your writing.
I've been writing for my own blog on a similar subject at www.wandaright.com and want to know whether you'd consider an original guest post from me. One title I had in mind was "Three deadly mistakes people make when writing copy."
All I ask for is a link back to my blog in the author’s section.
If you want to see a draft of this article to review, please let me know, and I’ll send it on.
Thanks for your time. I look forward to hearing from you.
Wanda Right