I have just checked how long it took me to write my previous post on Fusion 381 restaurant.
First, the time includes editing the photos. That involved cropping them to show the food and not bits of hands and arms on the table. Add the writing, editing, adding photos, captions, labels, rewriting title. Adding names. Promoting. Total time, an hour and a half.
The reason I have noted this is because friends in Toastmasters International need to write a blog of a minimum of eight posts for a project. (An option in Pathways.) I have given several speeches and a couple of workshops on writing a blog. One of the frequent questions I am asked is, 'How long does it take to write a post?'
After you have written the text, you check the spelling, add the labels.
Add another five minutes to mention your post in Facebook or other media. Remember to include the blogspot link, not the blogger link where you create the post.
Tripadvisor
If you are writing a review, of a restaurant or museum or destination, or anything about transport, you might like to write in Tripadvisor which gives you a framework. But they don't like to publish a copy of what you wrote elsewhere, and you cannot copy words from their posts, so its best to write two separate pieces, or to write two days apart so that your phrasing and emphasis is different. You might also write one piece about your view of the meal. The other piece could be written after you reminisce with whoever ate there with you.
Allow another fifteen minutes to write on Tripadvisor. Allow longer if you are adding photos. Decide whether you want to use photos of yourself in your personal blog, and impersonal photos on Tripadvisor. You might decide the other way round.
Good reasons for including yourself.
1 Self-Promotion
That's why you write, to promote yourself, gain status as an expert, show off. To establish copyright. To enable you to identify your own photo, if anybody else re-uses it.
Other options for promoting yourself as an expert include writing on Google maps reviews. Writing on Wikipedia, Simple Wiki, Wikitravel and Wikivoyage. And writing in a local newspaper or national newspaper.
A Spin-Off Post
If the post is too long, or you have another thought on a slightly different subject, you will write the second post faster by extracting a paragraph or two from the first post.
This takes only about 30 minutes for a shorter post. But you might need another ten to fifteen to hunt for a different photo or a free caricature or to take a photo.
Timing
I went to listen to a panel of the most prolific and widely read travel writers at The World Travel Market, a travel trade show in London, England. Some travel writers choose to put out a new post at a time of day when they think readers will be most likely to be looking for something to read, first thing in the morning local time - unless you are writing for a foreign market.
Newsworthy Stories
The most widely read blogger in the UK wrote to get a high number of readers so he could sell to advertisers and earn money from affiliate marketing. He made a point of attending every cinema opening and every event. He tried to get an invitation and take a picture of himself with the stars or to get an exclusive picture of the stars. If he did into get an invitation, he would photograph the outside of the building, interview the stars outside as they arrived and left, and if all else failed, phone them up afterwards for a quotation, or interview passers by to get their forthright opinion on whether the stars were stunning or a waste of time.
How did he get the courage to do this? Quite simple. He told me, 'I needed the money!'
Famous Names
My son is in Search Engine Optimization which is a fancy way of saying marketing websites to increase the number of times the website or post is being found by searches, and read.
He told me two vital facts. The first was regarding photos,
TIPS
1 Prolific Photos Promoting Blogs
Yes, you must have at least one photo at the start of each post. No one is not enough. you need lots of photos. Ideally one above each paragraph for each new idea. So my idea restaurant review would show the outside, the inside, the seat, the table, the menu, the starter, the main course, the dessert, the drinks, the water, the server, the owner, any special offer or later event such as book now for Christmas or sign up with your birthday to get a special offer on your birthday.
2 Text Translations
The text should be easy to read. Translated into other languages. On many website creation websites, you simply click boxes for the languages you want to add.
3 Call To Action
If you want readers to act, by making a purchase, you need to have a buy now button. This must appear on every screen they see whatever size screen they are reading on. So you might need call to action after every paragraph, not just the end of the page because it could be off the screen and they might not read that far because they are tired and bored or because they did not realize that the post continues below.
4 Mention Famous People and places
To increase clicks, use as many famous names as possible, of places and people. For example, supposing I am writing about an inexpensive or new hotel near Niagara Falls, I must include the words Niagara Falls, and Canada, and mention Marilyn Monroe who made a film there. Plus the words cheap and bargain.
5 Sales - Urgent! Buy Now!
People who promote promotion often tell you that you increase sales by making people buy now. Show that a special offer is being made.
6 Show that you are cheaper than rivals.
7 Give testimonials.
8 Add number, such as three reasons why you should buy, 5 places to see, the top ten museums, 10 countries to visit before you die, the 100 best restaurants.
9 Have An identifiable Alliterative Product or Person or Brand
You have heard of Apple, Automobile Association. For example, I as a teacher would be Angela, English Expert.
As a fashion writer, I could be Angelic Angela. Look like Angelic Angela. Dress of the Day with Angela.
10 Test Titles
Try two titles for your blog and see which gets the most readers. I tried Angela's dress of the day and dress of the day angela and the latter got the most clicks.
As a traveller, ... I could ask on Facebook which title people prefer and get votes. A or B. But remember that people may prefer a to b but not like either enough to buy the book or product. So you might allow a vote for neither or a vote for another suggestion.
BONUS TIP 11 Time Saving
Plan your year's blog posts. Copy your own posts from last year, adding new photos and updated prices and people and quotations from famous people.
Write all your posts for the week on Sunday. Each day just release the next post.
Useful Websites
dressofthedayangela.blogspot.com
Please share links to your favourite posts.
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