MackCollier.com

by

How to Write Your First Blog Post

iStock_000015529331Medium

Recently a friend asked me a question that any business that begins blogging will have to answer; What should your first blog post be about?  That first blog post is terribly important, because it sets the tone for the blog. Not just for the readers, but for the writers as well.

From the reader’s point of view, I would want to see four areas covered in your first blog post:

1 – Who you are. Tell me about your business, but also introduce me to the blog’s writers.  Share pictures.  The more information about yourself and your business that you share, the easier it will be for me as a reader to trust you.  This is very overlooked by many businesses but we want to see pictures of the people that work for your business and more importantly, those that will be writing for the blog.  It helps us identify and connect with them!

2 – Why you are blogging. Possibly the most important question you can answer, because it will force you to spell out your intentions to your audience.  And as always, consider your audience when answering this question, ask yourself, ‘Why would someone come to this blog, what would they be looking for?’  Hint: They won’t be coming to your blog so that you can market to them.  Maybe you want to share your thoughts on your industry with your readers, or maybe you want to teach them how to do a certain set of skills that tie into your business.  Another way to think about this is to ask yourself ‘What’s in it for the reader?’

3 – What will you be blogging about.  Answering the above question makes this one much easier to answer.  Will you be blogging about your business, or perhaps the lifestyles of your customers?  Spell out the content on your blog so that I know what to expect when I arrive.  And remember that this will also serve as a ‘bookmark’ for your writers to keep them focused on what the goal of your blog is.

4 – How I can leave feedback. Tell me how I can be involved.  Can I leave comments?  Do you encourage comments?  What if I want to email you?  Spell out exactly how I can contact you, and don’t be afraid to encourage feedback, and even disagreement.  In fact this would be a good place to formally spell-out your comment policy, which again can serve as a reference tool for your writers as well.  But do everything you can to make sure that my feedback is appreciated, and encouraged.  If possible, give readers ways to contact you online (such as an email address) and offline (such as your address and phone number).

If your first blog post contains these elements, your business blogging efforts will be off to a fine start!

About Mack Collier

My name is Mack Collier and I am a digital marketing and content strategist located in Alabama. Since 2006 I've helped companies of all sizes from startups to global brands such as Adobe, Dell and Ingersoll-Rand, create customer-centric programs, content and experiences. A long-time internet geek, I've been online since 1988 and began using social networking sites in 1991 when I joined Prodigy. Today, I help companies understand how new technologies like web3, crypto and artificial intelligence can integrate with existing marketing strategies to lead to exceptional customer experiences.

Comments

  5. Nikki says

    Thanks for this! We are just starting a new blog and really want it to take off. Have you ever worked with anyone who was in the health or mental health field? We are trying to look into the ethical implications of writing a blog. It’s not as if I’m just a person out their writing my opinion… Well, I am, but I also have to consider that I am responsible to the state for what I say as a Counselor Resident. Anyways, very helpful. Thanks, again!!

    • Mack Collier says

      Nikki you are right in that there are certain industries such as healthcare and financial that have strict rules around what interactions you can have directly with customers via social media and other online communications. It’s best to do your homework, as you said.

  8. Abdol Rauf says

    Hye I found this post very useful as I just wana edit my first blog post. I answered all of your questions so that readers may easily find what blog is all about. Actually it’s about life lessons. Thanks.

  10. mohammad umair says

    A very helpful article. I was struggling to write my first blog post and bingo I end up on your page. Thanks for your help Mac. I now have my first blog post ready to be posted. Will share it with when it is uploaded.

  11. Kuldeep says

    Thanks, Mack,
    Such a helpfull article for newcomers, please tell me more about bullet points or prototipes wich we gives to writer.
    Also tell about engauging flow of blog.

  12. Amanda says

    Thanks so much. I looked at a couple different pages and your was so helpful. Simple and to the point. I was proud of my first post. Thanks again! 🙂

  13. Floworks says

    the article on how to start a blog was really helpful. thank you for this. I also include that in starting a blog , the topic should catches the readers attention. they really want the whole story to be read in the first paragraph they see or from the title. that’s all I could add up cause I was always reading blogs.

  16. Michael says

    Hi, I am 21 days old in this and what my aim is to start earning online and for that I need some ideas from you if can really help me in this I have posted more then 30 articles some were written by me only some I took it from ezine and then changed it almost 90 percent of it. So just waiting to get some comments from you.

  17. Torri Thompson says

    Hey Mack,

    Just wanted to tell you what a great post you’ve got here. It can be really difficult to start a blog in the beginning and hard to tell where to actually begin. Thanks for making blogging easier for our growing community.

    Torri

  19. Hayu says

    Hi,

    I’m just starting my personal development website and this post has been a tremendous help to get me started 🙂 Thank you

  28. paraphrasing services. says

    You always have to have a call to action. The goal is not to just make a point, but to make a difference. Every blog or article needs to have points that it makes, but without a call to action it cannot make a difference. A point loads the gun—a call to action fires it.

  29. Kundan Raj Bhattarai says

    Thanks for your post. I have just started to write a blog and your information will be useful. Perhaps the most important point to consider before writing a blog post is to consider are you really passionate about blogging and do you have enough knowledge about what you are blogging.