Tammy Letherer 
As I was staring at my blank computer screen this morning trying to decide what to write, I decided to check my email, because, you know, checking email is always the answer to being more productive.
In this case, my answer was right in front of me. My friend Kate sent a message asking for some blog writing suggestions. Since I love to nerd out over the nuts and bolts of writing, I thought I’d share my 5-Step Blog Blueprint as a guide for keeping your own blogs personal and to the point.
Step 1: Lead with the story, the hook, the personal, specific part. Think of sitting down with a friend and saying, “Wait until you hear what happened to me….”
Don’t write about other people, write about yourself. This is harder for most people than you would think. But readers don’t connect with ideas; they connect with people. Be a person first, not an expert or salesperson.
Step 2: Give the message; deliver the nugget of gold. In one sentence, what is the point you are making?
Beginning bloggers make the common mistake of trying to cram too much material into one blog, maybe to sound smart or to justify taking up a reader’s time. Instead, think of your message as a Lifesaver candy. You want to hand out just one and let the reader savor it for a while.
Step 3: Pull back the lens and generalize; broaden the message to include others, not just you; quote experts, or support your message with additional material.
You made it through the discomfort of writing about yourself as a lead. Now you can refer to other people or pontificate a bit about how your message applies to more people.
Step 4: Circle back to your lead story. What part of your opening story or anecdote stayed with you? How did you apply the lesson from paragraph 2? (This step is optional and may not always fit, but it’s a nice way to reinforce your point.)
Step 5: End with a call to action, a question, or even an open-ended thought-starter.
If you have questions about blog writing, call me during my FREE office hours, every Tuesday, 10:00 – 11:00 am CST. (Call in number 781-448-4582, Pin number 12229)
OR, if you want to consistently post blogs on your website but don’t want to write them yourself, I can help! Email me to find out how my monthly blog writing service works.
