When you think about it, every personal post on Twitter or Facebook is effectively a blog. Some people may be creating formal blogs on their own websites, using such software as WordPress. Others may be present on web pages like Medium.com, where many peoples’ articles are hosted.
Blogging is not an easy task, however. This is particularly true when it comes to posting quality material regularly. There can be a battle for ideas and inspiration, and a lack of time. Fortunately, there are some things a person can do that will help in all these areas. We’ll take a look at these together.
Include Video or Audio Content
Video Content is becoming more and more prevalent in blogs. It can take us out of the realm of text-only stories, making it multimedia. Imagine having loads to say in an article, yet saving time by inserting video links at certain points in the story.
Nowadays, people can do virtually anything with technology. The professionals at https://vidd.ly/ say there are now apps that enable folk to download YouTube videos to their computers, for watching offline at a later date. People can even turn videos into music files such as mp3 or mp4. YouTube videos are useful for bloggers because they include a ‘Share’ button. This will reveal the web link that can be cut and pasted into the blog.
Audio content is another way to make a blog stand out, and to save writing. WordPress users can use the ‘Add Media’ feature to bring audio files into their blogs. Similar things can be achieved on Medium blogs by installing the play.ht Chrome browser extension, and using the ‘Add Audio’ button.
Use Royalty Free Photo Sites
There’s no point in reinventing the wheel: if someone needs a photo, why pay a photographer if there are quality pictures available online for free? Pixabay and Unsplash are two major players who host thousands of quality photos that can be used for free. All a person needs to do is type ‘Source: Pixabay’ or ‘Source: Unsplash’ underneath the picture.
When blogs are colorful and full of photos, people will be more inclined to read the content. And yes – we do judge a book by its cover! This means the main photo should be more than a random choice or a quick decision.
Have Strategies For Inspiration
Over the years, bloggers have wasted way too much time sitting in darkened rooms, desperately trawling for ideas.
There’s a mass of books online that are specifically designed to give people hundreds or even thousands of story ideas. They may include master lists, a thesaurus, character types, plots, or names. There may even provide lists of physical movements or romantic words. A quick Google search will reveal many of these books, and they can be a real goldmine for ideas.
Random Word Generators
It’s possible to find free versions of this online. Some give the option to request a list of five words. They can even be narrowed down to nouns. It’s then like pulling the lever on a casino machine: press a button and see what words appear! If one word is good, keep it and retry. There may be three words in the same result that create a novel idea when combined.
Random word generators can be great for coming up with new jokes. It’s the combination of previously unconnected things that can create exciting and funny new concepts.
Someone could create their own version if they needed something more bespoke. Why not create an Excel spreadsheet with different columns? There could be one for jobs, animals, and food, for example. Randomly connect the different examples and see what you come up with.
Mind Maps
Have you ever heard someone say, ‘I know what I need to say, but I can’t say it’? Sometimes a blogger has all the ideas in their head but doesn’t know where to start. The solution could be to draw a circle with lines coming from the center. Write down all the ideas that currently exist for the blog, and don’t worry about the order or structure.
Once every element has been written down, get three blank pieces of paper, and write ‘beginning’ on one, ‘middle’ on the next, and ‘end’ on the last.
The beginning will be the introduction that sets the stage for the story. The end will be the summary and conclusion. The middle section is where all the different mind map ideas are numbered and put in order. The article can then be written piece by piece in a systematic way.
Ambient Music
There’s no doubt about it: music can create atmospheres! It can be good to muffle the sounds of such distracting things as cars, children, or doors banging in the background. The mood of the music should match the mood of the article. If it’s a humorous blog, don’t play sad music!
The problem with some music is the vocals. Don’t be surprised if you struggle to write about a holiday memory if a pop singer is lamenting a broken relationship in the background!
Instrumental music is great, and ambient potentially better. It can have a calming influence too, which can be great when someone is struggling with their blog.
Add a Subscription Button
This is a great way to gain regular followers for your blogs. Once a person’s email address has been gained, it’s also possible to use it for email marketing campaigns and future newsletters.
If the blogger uses a WordPress site, they need to use a plugin called Jetpack. Once it’s all installed, the button, title, and description can be personalized for your purpose. There are also ways to add a ‘please subscribe’ button within Medium articles, and this will involve downloading a plugin. This may cost money, but it may be worth it if it generates business.
As we have seen, blogging doesn’t have to be dull and predictable. It can be visually exciting and even harness multi-media. Some photos can be used, and blog creation strategies to be harnessed. Why not sit down and put some music on right now? Your greatest blog may be about to be written!