Three common Blogging #Fails and what to do about them

April 26, 2012 by

I work with a lot of clients on their business blogs. I also read a lot of blog posts, do a fair share of writing myself, and regularly teach a blog writing workshop. What I’ve discovered in my time blogging is that there are some very common areas that people get wrong or just plain ignore. Sometimes this is intentional – they don’t want to be bothered about one aspect or another. In other cases, they may not be aware that they’re skimping in an important areablogging fails. So, let’s talk about these three “Blogging #fails” (hashtag for emphasis!).

1) Visuals

Too many times, I see a blog post without any visuals (#fail) or with really low quality or irrelevant visuals. On the other hand, I occasionally see blog posts that have taken the time to carefully select, create or customize a visual just for that post. Well, you don’t have to go that far, but visuals for your blog posts are important.

Why are visuals important?

  • Emotion: Pictures often set a tone for your post and trigger an emotional response. No picture = no response.
  • Supporting your message: Your picture can quickly reinforce your key message – even before they read your post!
  • Social Media thumbnail: When you (or others) share on social media, your picture is often the thumbnail that shows up with the post title. A great picture can get attention and bring people to your post.
  • Pinterest: People are collecting (curating) content in Pinterest. You need a (good) picture to have your post shared in Pinterest.

How do I find pictures or graphics?

  1. Make it or take it yourself – see examples here of visuals I made or shot: Peter Shankman, Content Curation, Move to WordPress?
  2. Stock photo sites like istockphoto, fotalia and dreamstime
  3. Creative Commons: Go here and you can use Flickr – just make sure you search for pictures that are licensed for business use

So take some time to get the right picture and don’t just skip it!

2) Closing

Have you ever had a conversation where the energy just dies? The person you’re speaking with seems bored or ready to move on to the next conversation. Or the conversation just trails off. If so, you know how annoying that can be.

A bad blog post closing is like a conversation that trails off awkwardly. Most of us have poured our hearts into the actual post so by the time we reach the end, we may be anxious to wrap up. That’s a mistake.

What I learned from one of my mentors, John Morrow (of Copyblogger and Guest Blogging course), was that getting people into action – getting their “butts off the couch” is something that will get their attention. This is what people will remember and appreciate.

So, get them off their butts! Encourage or challenge them to use what they’re just learned. Have them tell you in the comments what they’ve got planned. Ask them to come back and tell you what they did!

3) Call to action

The third part that is often lacking is the “Call to Action”. In this part of the post, it’s not just about motivating them to get off their butts. This is the part where you try to drive some activity that ties to your business model. In the case of a nonprofit or industry organization, this is something that ties to the goals of the organization.

You can embed your call to action at the appropriate spot in your blog post (in context), in the closing, or after the closing – or in multiple places.

The Call to Action #fails that I see quite often include:

  • No call to action
  • Too many calls to action – too many choices may cause them to take none!
  • Calls to action that are not compelling – you need to provide something that incentivizes them to act
  • An unclear call to action – not having a clear “path” to follow will result in low conversion rates
  • An unrelated call to action – having a call to action completely unrelated to the topic of the blog can be problematic

Are you doing any of these #fails?

Based on what you see here, which of these #fails have you been guilty of? What are you going to do about it going forward? I’d love to hear about it in the comments. I also don’t pretend to have all the answers. Do you see other common #fails out there?

Will you join me for a blog writing workshop?

Oh, and while we’re at it, I’m teaching a free Blog Writing Workshop for the Social Buzz Club on May 1st where we’ll create a blog post together. Will you join me there? Click here to learn more: Blogging Made Easy – Blog Writing Workshop

 

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Comments

  1. Priya
    Twitter:
    says:
    April 26, 2012 at 6:38 pm

    Another sterling post as always Tom.
    Just one small point if I may. Your post has May 1st for the blog writing workshop whilst the image below the post has May 2nd as the date.
    Cheers, Priya
    Priya recently posted..So you’ve done something wrong on social media, what do you do now?My Profile

  2. Serena says:
    April 26, 2012 at 7:56 pm

    Surprisingly….not really! I think I post decent pictures (I trrrry not to use my iPhone, but sometimes I can’t help it! LOL). And I really do put calls out for action, but sometimes I just get nothing back. I have 37 Google followers and 92 subscribers via Feedburner. And 71 followers via Thrift Diving on FB. And sometimes, people just don’t come out. I don’t know if I haven’t connected with them enough, or maybe they don’t like what I’ve done enough to comment. Still figuring it all out….
    Serena recently posted..BEFORE & AFTER: The Makeover of a Roadside Book ShelfMy Profile

    • Tom
      Twitter:
      says:
      April 26, 2012 at 8:39 pm

      Hi Serena. That’s great! I think the calls to action are the hardest part because you never know what’s going to respond with people. I try to learn from my clients what they’re struggling with and to give it to them. Obviously the wording, the type of invitation, the placement, etc. all matter. As for comments, most people don’t comment so don’t get discouraged!
      Tom recently posted..The Best Excuses We Tell Ourselves To Avoid BloggingMy Profile

  3. Ryan Hanley
    Twitter:
    says:
    April 27, 2012 at 11:06 am

    For a very long time my biggest Blog fail was NO calls to action. I would write and write and write and no one would do anything. I get pissed and get frustrated and write more.

  4. Rana Shahbaz
    Twitter:
    says:
    April 30, 2012 at 5:01 am

    I would call all of these points you mentioned in the post a finishing touch. Quite a few people spend huge amount of time on writing posts and publish it with out a proper finishing.

    Another point you can add here is : Forget to Target One Keyword for each of your posts. :-)
    Rana Shahbaz recently posted..Social Media Marketing Services: 5 Steps Checklist for Smart BusinessesMy Profile

  5. Gemma says:
    May 1, 2012 at 5:36 am

    Hey Tom.

    Yep. I’m…..

    Guilty. Guilty. Guilty.

    You’re right about closing and a call to action. They’re so important. I need to make sure that I’m doing that. Being a very visual person myself, I’m always thinking of photo opportunities when I’m out and about so I can put real life photos into my blog. Thanks for the post. These tips are really helpful to someone trying to take blogging seriously these days.

  6. Timo Kiander
    Twitter:
    says:
    May 1, 2012 at 9:11 am

    Tom,

    This is a great post and I can identify some of the areas where I should improve: Visuals and call to action.

    I’m trying a new format for my CTA, but I have to think about my visuals a bit more (maybe like creating an infographics if it supports the content on my post).

    Cheers,
    Timo
    Timo Kiander recently posted..PSD Video Tip #9: How to Make More Realistic Schedules When Running ErrandsMy Profile

  7. Shanna Mann
    Twitter:
    says:
    May 1, 2012 at 9:25 am

    Having a slider on the homepage of my site has FORCED me to find a good picture for every post. Before I would always be in a hurry to press Publish to see what people think! but now I’m forced to have that discipline.

    The biggest fail I see is writing a really catchyheadline to a post that completely fails to deliver value. I hate that! It’s made me so jaded about clicking through on anything that has an otherwise provocative title.
    Shanna Mann recently posted..I’m Broke but I’m Happy, I’m Poor but I’m KindMy Profile

  8. Steve Baines
    Twitter:
    says:
    May 1, 2012 at 1:54 pm

    Hey Tom,
    Great Advice! I always try to incorporate a good picture, but I think I tend to combine #2 and #3 as one, rather than making them separate. I need to remember your advice here. Thanks!
    Steve Baines recently posted..The Key to Happiness… According to Dr. Baines?My Profile

  9. Jackie
    Twitter:
    says:
    May 1, 2012 at 6:57 pm

    Tom,
    I’m afraid I’ve been guilty of the lack of strong closing and calls to action. Like Ryan, I’d write and somehow think that the reader was in my head and they knew what I wanted them to do. Definately not the case, as I found out.
    Great reminders thanks.
    Jackie recently posted..Do You Really Need That Mentor?My Profile

  10. Sylvia says:
    May 3, 2012 at 12:17 am

    I definitely agree with your #2 blogging fail – the closing in a post. There are lots of times I get to read a great post, but then the ending becomes suddenly lax as the ending was abrupt and there were no closing thoughts or conclusions that could leave a good lasting impression on the readers.
    Sylvia recently posted..Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 – rumors and factsMy Profile

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