5 Tips for Dynamic Blogging Posts

by Randy Eagar

1. Instructional

a. Instructional posts are meant to tell people how to do something. I find that my tips posts are generally the ones that are among my most popular, both in the short term (that is loyal readers love them and will link up to them), but also in the longer term. One of the reasons people search the web is to find out how to do things, and if you can rank highly with your posts you can sustain traffic over a length of time.

b. Make sure you give instructions on interesting topics. You will make your blog posts more compelling to read, and more likely to be linked. It’s getting others to link to your post that will build back-links for you.

c. Instructional blogs are highly recommended and bookmarked. The reason for this is in the nature of wanting to just click back to the instructions rather than take copious notes on how to do something of interest.

2. Informational

a. This is one of the more common blog post types where you simply give information on a topic. This is an easy one for most agents to use, but also a very good one, as we are constantly being asked about interest rates, appreciation/depreciation, foreclosure rates and so forth.

b. You can give information on any topic of your choice. The better the information that you give here, the more of an expert you appear. This is the nice thing about the informational blog post. It sets you up as the expert.

c. It could be a definition post or a longer explanation of some aspect of the niche that you’re writing on. The more of a niche that you target the more interesting the post becomes.

d. This is the crux of successful sites like Wikipedia. In fact many of my posts will reference Wikipedia and other reference sites to validate my point.

3. Reviews

a. Another highly searched for term on the web is ‘review’ - I know every time I’m considering buying a new product that I head to Google and search for a review on it first. Reviews come in all shapes and sizes and on virtually every product or service you can think of.

b. Give your fair and insightful opinion. Make sure that in your post, you mention the word “review”, as this is what will be used in the search engines. Think like a buyer might think for these.

c. Ask readers for their opinion. This is a great way to get input from your readers, is to ask for it. It also makes people feel special to have their opinions valued.

d. Reviews can be highly powerful posts that have a great longevity. People will bookmark and re-reference reviewed posts as purchasing decisions are often delayed for longer periods of time.

4. Lists

a. One of the easiest ways to write a post is to make a list. Posts with content like ‘The Top Ten Ways to….’, or ‘7 Reasons Why….’ Or ‘ 5 Favorite ….’, or ‘53 Mistakes That Homebuyers Make When….’ are not only easy to write but are usually very popular with readers and with getting links from other bloggers. One tip on lists - if you start with a brief list (each point as a phrase or sentence) and then develop each one into a paragraph or two you might just end up with a series of posts that lasts you a few days.

b. Examples:

i. Resource lists: The useful list of resources requires two ingredients: time and a good eye for quality. If a resource list seems useful many readers will bookmark or vote for it on face-value alone. If your blog is struggling, a useful resource list can be an effective way to spark up your traffic and links.

ii. Best-of lists: At this time of year you’ll see a lot of ‘Best of 2010′ round-ups, though best-of lists seem to work well at all times. They’re effective because people are constantly searching for the ‘best’ of everything. It’s a term that promises high quality. It also generates interest because ‘best’ is subjective - what’s best for you might be mediocre for others. Ranked lists always seem to generate links, traffic and debate.

iii. Lists of tips: Quantifiable lists of tips are really attractive to readers because they explain in just a few seconds what a visitors stands to receive in return for their attention. You see them everywhere - and that’s because they work.

5. Interviews

a. Sometimes when you’ve run out of insightful things to say it might be a good idea to let someone else do the talking in an interview (or a guest post). This can not only be good for you, but for your guest as well. I’ve done several interviews with those who do the same thing that I do, and I have just as much fun being the interviewer as the interviewee.

b. This is a great way to not only give your readers a relevant expert’s opinion but to perhaps even learn something about the topic you’re writing yourself. One tip, if you’re approaching people for an interview on your blog - don’t overwhelm them with questions.

c. One of two good questions are more likely to get you a response than a long list of poorly thought through ones. Make sure that you always give those that you are interviewing the chance to send you questions that they would like to answer.

d. Q&As with high profile people: Interviews with well-known bloggers always seem to get links, comments and traffic. The nice thing about this method is that the only work involved is writing questions and approaching bloggers. The success rates for getting interviews are pretty high as most bloggers love talking about themselves!

Randy Eagar is a member of the Broker Agent Speakers Bureau which is a full service Speakers Bureau serving the real estate and financial industry. To learn more about Randy, view his bio or visit www.BrokerAgentSpeakers.com.