This evening it was my immense pleasure to chat with Rachel Thompson of Bad Redhead Media and her #BookMarketingChat community. While Rachel and her audience are authors, and our chat was focused on how authors can use a blog and blogging techniques, I think every blogger and business, regardless of niche, would have gotten value from the chat!
So, with that in mind, I thought it would be a good idea to share the questions and my answers with you!
Hello everyone! Really happy to be joining you tonight on #BookMarketingChat. Looking forward to your ?’s!
Q1: Why Start a Blog?
A1: A blog gives you a platform on which you can grow an audience, build authority, and promote your work. #BookMarketingChat
@mike_allton @bobmueller @TedRubin BIG fan of #RonR here. That's the entire base of what I do and teach. #bookmarketingchat
— Rachel Thompson (@BadRedheadMedia) May 25, 2017
Q2: How often should you blog?
A2: Generally, as often as you have something interesting to share. For great SEO, 2 – 3x per week. #BookMarketingChat
Know that most businesses begin to see exponential traffic after 52 blog posts. How long do you want to wait? #BookMarketingChat
— Mike Allton (@mike_allton) May 25, 2017
MORE READING: How Often Should You Blog? The Ultimate Answer
Q3: Explain what guest blogging is and why consider it.
A3: Guest Blogging is allowing others to publish on your site, or you publish to theirs. Can give you more content. #BookMarketingChat
Remember, just because someone provides you with a guest post, that will still require time to publish and promote. #BookMarketingChat
— Mike Allton (@mike_allton) May 25, 2017
Q4: When starting a new blog, is it best to wait to allow guest bloggers or should you invite them early to help with creating content?
A4: Don’t accept guest bloggers initially (if ever). You need to develop your own voice & audience. #BookMarketingChat
Q5: What are the three styles of blog posts and when is it appropriate to use each?
A5a: 3 types of blog posts are Cheater, Standard & Pillar. I’ll explain each… #BookMarketingChat
A5b: Cheater posts are <250 words and great when you’re short on time. i.e. Embed YouTube vid or Infograph and intro it. #BookMarketingChat
A5c: Standard posts are 750-1250 words and should be your normal post, like a 5 paragraph style. #BookMarketingChat
A5d: Pillar posts are 2500+ words and will be epic, long term traffic drivers. Aim to publish 2 – 4/year. #BookMarketingChat
@mike_allton in publishing, we say 'brand the author, not the book' and that goes for your blog as well (for authors) #bookmarketingchat
— Rachel Thompson (@BadRedheadMedia) May 25, 2017
MORE READING: Vary Your Blog Posts With These Three Styles
Q6: Explain what it means to blog with your voice, and how to find it.
A6a: @JeffBullas has said that everything which can be written under the sun has been, and he’s basically right. #BookMarketingChat
A6b: What sets your content apart isn’t WHAT you right, therefore, but HOW you write it. That’s your voice. #BookMarketingChat
A6c: It’s about bringing your unique personality and tone into your writing, and it comes with time and practice. #BookMarketingChat
MORE READING: Hey! He Took My Blog Post Idea!
Q7: How can bloggers incorporate video and video blogging?
A7: My favorite method is to interview other experts/people and embed/transcribe the video into a blog post. #BookMarketingChat
MORE READING: How To Use And Repurpose Live Video Streams
Q8: How can a blogger determine and find the right audience?
A8: Use Social Media to both find and TEST topic and audience resonance. Find & Start relevant discussions. #BookMarketingChat
Sometimes my lengthier discussions & answers are copied directly into blog posts. Like this chat!! #LiveBlogging #BookMarketingChat
— Mike Allton (@mike_allton) May 25, 2017
Q9: Explain what it means to target a niche, why it’s critical, and what processes and tools can be used to help.
A9a: Whether a blog or book, it’s important to identify your best, most interested readers and to write for them. #BookMarketingChat
A9b: Stephen King goes so far as to say you should write for just 1 person! That puts them clearly in your mind. #BookMarketingChat
A9c: Google Search, Keyword Planner, and @SoloBuildIt’s Brainstorm It! are great tools to find topics/audience. #BookMarketingChat
MORE READING: How To Narrow Your Niche And Beat The Big Guys
Q10: What are the best practices and considerations for crafting compelling blog post titles.
A10: TEST, TEST, TEST. There’s lots of advice out there, but the best will be to do your own primary research. #BookMarketingChat
MORE READING: How Many Titles Does Your Blog Post Need?
Q11: Discuss the importance of using images with your blog posts, and provide best practices and tools.
A11a: EVERY blog post needs min. 1 great image plus add’l image for every 500-750 words. #BookMarketingChat
A11b: Images make your social shares look good, and provide visual interest throughout the post. #BookMarketingChat
A11c: PhotoShop remains the best tool, but if you lack PS experience use @Canva. Always large img’s w/ branding. #BookMarketingChat
MORE READING: 10 Benefits Of Using Images In Blog Posts
Q12: What is a publishing schedule, and why does it matter?
A12a: A publishing schedule is a preset time/day on which you commit to always publish. And it doesn’t matter. #BookMarketingChat
A12b: Seriously… you don’t have to have a schedule – but if you do, you have to keep to it. #BookMarketingChat
A12c: What’s more important is meeting expectations and delivering great content through your posts. #BookMarketingChat
A12d: In 5 yrs I’ve never committed to a set schedule so no one’s ever complained when I don’t for a week or two. #BookMarketingChat
A12e: But if your business goals require you to achieve certain levels of traffic & growth, you must publish regularly. #BookMarketingChat
Q13: What is a “call to action” and where should it be used?
A13a: A “CTA” is when you give your readers a Next Step, and you should always have one. #BookMarketingChat
A13b: Whether that’s to buy something, subscribe to your list, or even just go read something else. #BookMarketingChat
Q14: Why is the About Page of a Blog is an often overlooked, but critical, page of the site.
A14a: People think to themselves their About isn’t interesting, but it’s often the #2 most popular page. #BookMarketingChat
A14b: Use it to tell your story, and frame it so that it’s really ABOUT THE READER. #BookMarketingChat
Stories about you, your characters, your readers… whatever stories you can find and share. #BookMarketingChat
— Mike Allton (@mike_allton) May 25, 2017
MORE READING: Tell Your Business Story, One Blog Post At A Time
And that’s it! There were some wonderful conversations that took place during the chat, so I’d encourage you to jump into Twitter and sift through the tweets yourself. I’ll also add a link to Rachel’s summary when published.
If you, too, are an author, and have been wondering how to build your author brand and promote your books using a blog, I hope this has helped! Definitely follow and participate in Rachel’s chats, and do sign up for my Facebook Hacks resource kit (click the graphic down blow) if you want to leverage Facebook to build your author brand.
If you have more questions, leave a comment below!