Do I enjoy writing? Yes, heck, I love it….
It is my way of telling stories
my way of sharing my stories with the world..
Blogging:
A lot of people have asked me ‘why do you still blog? who read blogs?”
Well when I started my blog back in 2005, it was more of a place where I can save all the things that I have written over the years, and then it grew wings flying in different directions. But the one thing that hasn’t changed is that I continue to love to write. I blog about my life, everyday stories, travel tales, food [everything from dishes I order in and dishes I cook]. To put it in a nutshell, it is basically my space. On a random day, I might have less than 50 people read my blog, but sometimes it’s a lot more [100s to 1000s]. For me, at the end of the day, it is something I love and enjoy doing, and I think I will continue doing it for years to come.
I don’t set myself any targets – something like writing 10 – 20 posts per month or doing 1 post a day..I have tried those and infact when I set these goals, i end up completely ignoring my blog. Therefore, I write when I feel like it, I write on whatever is on my mind or comes to me at that moment and that is the process.
Writing for a living:
I also write for a living, am a content specialist who helps businesses with their content strategy, marketing techniques and creating content for different platforms across formats as well. Over the years, I have learned to read clients, read between the lines, and gauge what works and what doesn’t work, what will keep the audience engaged and what kind of content will have people running for their lives, never to come back even for a fleeting visit..
So, when I am working on a project or going into a meeting, there are few things that I keep in mind
1. Understand where the client is coming from
2. What are their pain points
3. How can we tell the story featuring their solutions on their website, collaterals, social media and other places.
But bottom line is, irrespective of whether am writing a piece for personal purposes or for work,
1. The content needs to be engaging & interesting
2. There needs to be a clear defined message that comes through
3. The reader/visitor should see the purpose of the page/document
4. When working on anything for work or on social media, it needs to have a clear call to action – a link, a button that leads the visitor to a website, the shopping page, download a document, or to attend an event or anything else that has been pre-determined.
Between the two:
When it comes to my blog, I can write across topics, I write what hits me, I write on things that affect me, I write on things/people that/who amuse me, I write on lessons I have learned over time. I am not too bothered about the format and font size.
Whatever format of content I am creating, i make sure to divide it into segments, sections, give them subheadings, and include links or images wherever possible. Apart from the brief given by the client, the one other thing that’s going on in my mind is that hopefully whoever is reading it, finds it useful and helps them tide over whatever they are going through [personal or business]..
Essentials:
1. A clear message right at the beginning that basically tells the reader what the post is about or what your article on the blog of the white paper is about.
2. The body should contain the same message but expand on the same with examples, details that help the reader understand it better. Break this section into parts -paragraphs, sections, give them sub-titles
3. Conclusion or Summarize =- wrap up of what the piece was talking about.
4. CTA- call to action – a button or link. or a question!
So, what do you think? is this how you plan your blog or other pieces?
Few other posts I have done on Writing:
Freelancers – tips on how to pick projects
Love for writing…
Why I love writing ~ !!
