As you’re developing your writing strategy for your blog, you may want to break it down like this (I’m going to use a popcorn blog as an example because I’m hungry, I adore popcorn and last time I checked, popcorn wasn’t political):
- The Basics. Cover all the facts about popcorn – different kinds, standard recipes, gift ideas, special ingredients, health benefits, history of popcorn, favorite kernels, favorite poppers, etc.
- News. What’s new in the popcorn world? Did Orville Redenbacher discover a carb-less cookie? Has Cuisinart invented a hybrid popper? Was the world record for biggest kernel just popped? (sorry I absolutely had to do that)
- Personal Experience. As you were popping corn today, what did you notice? How did your latest recipe turn out? Which brands do kids love, which do they abhor? (Hopefully that nasty microwaveable kind with the fake butter).
- How To’s. How to start a popcorn business. How to keep the popcorn from going stale. How to make the perfect bowl of popcorn every time.
- Guests and Features. And here come your opportunities to connect to your community. Invite chefs, parents, popcorn companies, kitchenware companies, kids, teachers, other bloggers, etc. to your blog to increase its content, information and value (and to cross promote and drive traffic).
- Contests. Everyone loves a contest (though not this crowd so much – what’s up with that?)…but popcorn people definitely do. Give things away, raise money with a raffle, donate funds to a cause, partner with another site…the opportunities are endless.
My advice? Write what you know and write to people that don’t know as much as you do, write to people interested in your field. Hell, even if they know as much or more than you know, they don’t know it like you know it so they’ll learn from you and it’s a great opportunity to learn from them. Make your mark by being completely you. Twenty people could write about Smart Food and they would all sound different and they would all resonate with different readers…like a poem, if you will.
I know this is no big secret, but I’m going to say it anyway: there are a lot of people in this world and many of them are online, reading blogs even. And because there are so many readers, the people who care about what you are writing will find you…and you will find them. I swear, it just happens that way.