Thursday Press #79: 6 tips to simplify your blogging to-dos
[4 MAY 2023] don't fall for this trap!
Do you wanna know the benefit of business ownership I've taken the most for granted?
Not having to write cover letters.
It's a week and change until my partner graduates with her master's in counseling and I've already been called in as editorial support on a handful of cover letters.
And resume checks. And interview prep & general hype-providing…
Don't get me wrong, I'm more than happy to help out (and I'm not just saying this because she reads the newsletter – hi, Caroline 👋🏻).
But the idea of striking the right balance between talking up my skills and humility makes me want to burn the entire job market to the ground, intangible as it may be.
There's always the one question that gets thrown around: “What's your weakness?”
Bestie, it's a TRAP.
They don't want you to say something actually bad, but if you hedge and go with "I care too much," that's transparent as f*ck and no one trusts you.
Top tip: If you ever get asked that question, give an honest weakness that isn't crucial to the fulfillment of the role, AND explain how you've been working to overcome it
My answer? I get so wrapped up in doing things right that it turns into a 10x bigger and more intimidating task than it needs to be (and then I usually don't end up doing it...)
Now, if I were a hiring manager, I wouldn't want that person on my team. So maybe don't take my job search advice.
But I know I'm not alone in this struggle.
It's really easy to build up a tiny task into a towering to-do list.
This is suuuuuper true for me when it comes to blogging.
Every time I open up that Google Doc, my internal monologue floods with thoughts and best practices, and it sounds a little like this:
Include keywords! But don't forget to write for people
Storytell! But hook them early (and add a keyword!)
How many words have you written now?
Does this make sense? You should have made an outline
Come up with a better title already, geez
What even * is * a conclusion?
Did I include enough links?
What freaking call to action should I use?
It's why my brief foray into offering blog writing services was just that – brief.
Annnnd it's why I'm super glad I know an SEO expert who's sharing her best blog writing tips to help you block out the fluff and actually start blogging!
BELOW THE FOLD
This week, I'm pumped to share these 6 tips from SEO expert Rhiannon Carnohan that turn all that noise into simple, actionable tips to write better content!
I'll let you read all 6 in a second, but first I wanted to share my favorite part – how to plan your post to make sure that it serves your audience and your goals.
As Rhiannon suggests, before you even start writing your blog, ask yourself these questions:
What is the purpose of the content? Do you want to educate? Inspire? Start a conversation?
What format will the content be? How to? Listicle? Ultimate guide? FAQs?
Who is your audience?
How does your content add value?
What problems are you helping to solve?
What action do you want readers to take after they read your content?
As a self-proclaimed messy marketer, planning is one of my notorious weak spots. These questions, not to mention the rest of the blog, make it so much more simple!
6 Blog Writing Tips to Create Content Google (+ Your Audience) Will Love
BTW – blogging, SEO, and Pinterest go together like apples, peanut butter, and sharp cheddar cheese, except maybe a bit less controversial
You can question my snack choices, but the fact is that SEO-optimized blogs and Pinterest are the powerhouse combo behind explosive traffic and business growth that you need to stop sleeping on.
If you're not convinced, you can read this post all about why you need to be blogging for your business…
..or head to Rhiannon's blog to read my guest blog all about the power of Pinterest to boost your visibility!
TOGETHER IN BLOGGING SOLIDARITY,
P.S. I wanna hear your weirdest snack combo. Even better if there's a fun story to go with it. Inspire me before I make the grocery list!