How To create compelling online content with Pete Matthew Creator of Occasional blogger at Managing Director of
How Tocreate compelling
online contentwith
Pete Matthew
Creator of Occasional blogger at Managing Director of
How(not Why)
Decisions, decisions
Decide on your medium
Written Blog
Podcast
Video
Decide on your audience
Clients / Prospects
Professionals
Niche (e.g. Doctors)
Decide on your subject
Choose your passion
Need expertise
Stay focused
Practicalities
50 topics?
Get started
Setting up your platform
Blogs / CMS
Wordpress,
Blogger, Squarespace
Tumblr, Posterous
Setting up your platform
Design
Domain
Bells & Whistles
Golden Rule
Post regularly
If writing, use a template
Intro / Lead paragraph
Relevant image
Personal experience
Main body
Discussion question
Keep posts short
500 words approx
Short sentences
Short paragraphs
Use subheadings (H2/H3)
Use numbers / bullets
Maintain a list of post ideas
Tell a personal story
Describe a historical event
Book / movie / software review
Comment on a quotation
Comment on a news story
Maintain a list of post ideas
Report an interesting conversation
Create a step-by-step guide
Provide a list of resources
Answer a reader’s question
Make an complex task seem simple
Maintain a list of post ideas
Explain rationale behind a decision
Write a guide to something popular
Avoid these common mistakes
Not posting often enough
Posting too often
Posts are too long
You don’t invite engagement
You don’t engage in the conversation
Avoid these common mistakes
Your content isn’t accessible
You create poor headlines
Your posts are off-message
You have a weak first paragraph
Your post is about you
Spread the word
Google+
Spread the word
These are embassies
Engage with people there
Bring them back to your home base
Brand them consistently
Tools
If writing, use an offline editor
Windows - Live Writer
Mac - MarsEdit
Tools
For images:
iStockPhoto.com
Flickr – CC License search
Great resources
Michael Hyatt.com
Copyblogger.com
PodcastAnswerMan.com
Codepotato.co.uk
The Best Book on the subject
Thank YouMore on Wednesday Morning
Session 1 – Track 2