When you blog – and most experts recommend you blog weekly – some articles resonate with your audience more than others.
For insider tips and expert advice about blogging, check out Kim Page Gluckie’s 8-video blogging program. It’s well worth the investment.
Back in January I published 6 successful business owners to watch in 2013. At the time of writing, it had 400+ shares on social media alone, mostly on Facebook. I was blown away – this is about 5-10 times more shares than most of my articles.
Learn more about this article in this short video:
And, here’s the rest of the article in written form:
While I’d love this to happen for all my articles, it’s probably not realistic to have high expectations like this for each and every one. Maybe one day, though!
I do think – when one has success – there’s value in sharing the behind-the-scenes of how that success happened.
Here’s how this popular article was created and how you can do it too:
1. See what the big magazines do.
Look up editorial calendars for magazines appropriate for your industry and learn from them. These companies spend millions of dollars every year on market research to plan their topics based on their ideal clients. Check out their monthly editorial features and see if you notice any trends or ideas. In my case, I researched O Magazine, Entrepreneur, Success, Inc. and Canadian Business Network.
These headlines stood out for me:
- The 100 most brilliant companies of the next year
- The top 20 brands to watch in 2013
- Entrepreneurs of 2013: the winning names and faces making an impact
2. Choose a theme for your article that works for you and your audience.
Tweak your favourite ideas from the magazines to work for you and your audience, based on the intention you have for the article. My intention was to shine a light on entrepreneurs who inspire me, to highlight why they inspire me and why I think they’re successful. I quickly realized I could write about 100+ people. That could be a book one day!
For this article, while there are many I admire from afar, I decided to share six who I personally know and have had the good fortune of getting “under the hood” to see the behind-the-scenes of their businesses. I know firsthand each one of the ladies in my article walks her talk and I can personally vouch for her. With all this in mind, I decided my headline would be: 6 successful business owners to watch in 2013.
3. Engage your audience in a two-way conversation.
In my case study, I wrote my article incorporating content from each person’s website and asked for approval or changes on their section from the article. I also engaged my audience in the article with a call to action in the article by asking: “Who’s on your own “women to watch in 2013” list – and why? Make a comment below and highlight one person who comes to mind, share her website (if she has one) and a few sentences about why she inspires you.”
I got the conversation going by highlighting my picks and made it clear in my article that it was about inspiration, not a popularity contest. I truly wanted to know who inspired my readers and wanted to create a two-way dialogue.
4. Publish and promote the article in social media.
I shared the article through my ezine to my own list and in various social media groups and platforms at various times in the week. In the shares, I asked readers who’s on their own “women to watch in 2013” list and invited them to share. This two-way engagement is what I believe inspired my audience to share this article with others they trust. This created a sense of community in this article, making it bigger than me and the six women I featured. That sense of community is what I love to create.
It’s Your Turn.
Think back to some of your most popular blog articles. Make a comment below and tell us ONE thing that helped make this article so popular. And, be sure to include the URL for your article.
P.S. Walk away with clarity on your exact next step to LEAP your business forward. Apply for your complimentary strategy session here: http://nadinenicholson.com/strategy-session/.
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{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }
Nadine, I’m so impressed with your share and response rate! I, too, loved KPG’s blog course and the tips she gave to be an effective online writer. Highly recommended.
In the past, I’ve found that general purpose and ‘safe’ articles I’ve written are a little pointless. I’ve received the most leverage out of articles where I’ve shared very specific case study examples of branding and design work, so I’m starting to steer back in that direction. I’ll come back and report on how that strategy unfolds!
Nikki, love that you say here the safe articles don’t get many legs. I certainly noticed your case study article on the mountain picture / brand. Seems like a strategy that works AND showcases your amazing talent!
You are on top of it Nadine! Glad to hear you had great success with this blog and I can see why these are some great entrepreneurs.
You have obviously had some well thought out posts and they inspired many others. While I admire the success it can bring, the thought of that much research to produce one post also paralyzes me a bit and could be a reason that would stop me from blogging.
One of my most popular posts is from when my husband did a guest blog-it was heartfelt, experiential, true to his personality, simple, and inspired. So, perhaps, inspiration is the key!
Josephene, thanks for being so honest! You know the funny thing was this particular post was one of the fastest blog articles I’ve ever written. I don’t remember how long it took to write … I just remember it flowed really easily and quickly. Maybe because I am so inspired by the women in the article. ~ n
I think we like to share articles that highlight the wonderful people we know or meet along our journeys. As business owners, we all aspire to be validated – and recognition from your peers is certainly validation.
Thanks for sharing how you found a winning formula. Kim also talks about editorial calendars, but I needed the reminder.
I think when you can truly connect real-life with your audience its powerful… Men and women alike don’t want to feel alone, that they can find a shared voice for what they may have difficulty saying outward. I love that you do exactly this Nadine, and I really should engage my audience with fabulous conversation!
Recently I’ve had an influx of women (some men) regarding infertility. I decided to do an 8 week blog series on Healing the Conception Vessel. This blog (ongoing) was/is my most popular blog discussing traditional Chinese medicine treatment options for various conditions: I love “above all, know that you are not broken; you are not deficient. No matter the outcome of your journey, you are whole.”
http://www.fireacupuncture.com/apps/blog/show/24046998-healing-the-conception-vessel-blog-series-part-1-of-8
Tanya, your blog series is fabulous. I think you’ve struck a cord with a technique you can use more often to get deeper on incredibly important issues. Great job!
Great advice Nadine. I love that you supported other women who were walking the walk and were so thoughtful in your approach, your process in gathering information, in crediting others and following through with the conversations. Good things happen with a plan.
Hey Kelly, thanks!
Great work!!! so impressive. My most popular blog was about a volunteer event our dental hygiene clinic hosts annually – it was shared as a means of spreading the word. The event takes place on the same day in several provinces, and when individuals were looking for more details regarding the event- this blog post hit the spot.
Wonderful tutorial Nadine. I totally agree with leveraging the research done by big name magazines for what’s trending and what’s interesting to others at the moment.
I have to say my most popular posts have been the stories I told about 1) my customer service disaster experiences that I personally witnessed first hand and 2) my personal life and business that I related to a marketing or business-growth principle. It seems many of us love stories!
Thanks for writing such a fantastic post which is also a top-notch marketing tool.
Margo
Margo DeGange, M.ED.
Business and Life-Work Designer
Founder of Women of Splendor,
Publisher of the Women of Splendor Magazine
I loved that post of yours…I connected with the inspiration you got from them. My most popular post so far was a recent one comparing two similar diapers made by the same company. I was getting the question of how they differ as well as saw the question posted many times of the manufacturers social media, so I thought it would be a great way to be visual and make it a video. I also used pictures to really highlight the differences. It may of been this post that led me to being asked to write a biweekly column for a new green mom collective
http://www.adventuresoflittle.ca/blogs/news/7469448-what-are-the-differences-between-amp-os-duo-pockets-and-peachy-baby-os-cloth-diapers
Loving all the videos Nadine! This is a great one. I sometimes think of the “call to action” at the end of the blog as being something subtle but I like that you are very honest about address the fact that you have a call to action. And, that is just what makes me comment on blogs is honesty. I have also have much success with blogs when I am not honest with what I am experiencing and not just saying what I think people want to hear.
Hey Charlotte, thanks for pointing this out. So often I have visited other blogs and thought to myself, okay that was great information, but what does this person want me to DO? Having a call to action make creates clarity for all – especially the reader – and creates a feeling of closure, even if the reader simply reads the call to action and doesn’t actually take action. It’s so important the call to action is simple and do-able. For example, I wrote an article to help people record their life stories: http://nadinenicholson.com/personal-stories/record-life-story/. The call to action was not to do the entire life story and then come back and write a comment. It was simply to make a comment saying WHY the reader would want to write a life story in the first place… because in my mind she needs to believe in it before even starting. Thanks again Charlotte!
Hello Nadine,
I think the key in finding success in blogging is connecting to the ‘heart’ of your audience in some way. There is so much information on-line but when you can inspire, motivate, or empower your audience the message resonates and spreads.
My most successful blog post was “A Giftless Christmas.” I obviously touched a cord with my audience (people are searching for more than STUFF!) Another element I think helped, was highlighting local charities within the article too. http://letsstartorganizing.com/giftless-christmas/
Thanks for making me examine my successes and for choosing me in your article. You inspire me too!!
Kirsten ~ Connecting to the heart is so important, you’re absolutely right. To build on your thought – and I believe you’re saying this in between the lines – it’s about connecting our heart to our readers’ hearts and vice versa. When that happens, the article and the message come to life. And, when that happens, real action happens.
Great post, Nadine, thanks for sharing. And so thrilled that the post you did got such a great response. Probably because you were sharing the success of others, and people are really attracted to that, and love when you champion others.
I have noticed that my blog posts that are videos (like you are doing here) seem to get a great response. People love seeing you, hearing you and feeling like they are connecting with you.
I also noticed that when I am a bit controversial or challenge the status quo of a typical productivity or business topic, it seems to get people’s attention. The key is to do it organically though and not take a contrarian approach just for attention!
Thanks again for the great post – Lisa
Lisa, great reminder about being a bit controversial and challenging the status quo. It’s so refreshing to get a “different” point of view and not hear the same old, same old. Thanks for the reminder of a blogging technique that really works.