If you blog as a way to promote your business, it's important that your time and energy give you payoff. But all the traffic gimmicks in the world won't fix poor writing or bad design.

1. Three Reasons
NOBODY READS
YOUR BLOG
(And How to Fix Them)

2. Hello, I’m Tea (aka The Chef)
•
•
•
•
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20+ years in
marketing
Author of
“Attract & Feed a
Hungry Crowd”
Passionate about
food & stories
Proprietress of
StoryBistro.com
@teasilvestre

3. First, Make Sure…
1.
Your blog addresses a REAL
need in the market place (do
your research!)
2.
You've done the requisite
homework to understand
your Ideal Client/Ideal
Reader

4. Reason #1
Not
Enough
Traffic

5. You Compete w/ 80+ million blogs
In 2012, there were 160+ million blogs in
existence.
Today, more than 50% are inactive.
-Wikipedia

6. It Starts with Your Headline
Okay headline:
Send large files to your friends
Better headline (More Specific):
The Absolute Easiest Way to Send Super Large Files
For More, See:
http://www.copyblogger.com/headline-hacks-report/

7. Images Get Attention
 Bridge language gaps
 Boost shareability
 Increase value on
social media

8. Reason #2
Your
Design
Might
Suck

9. We Eat With Our Eyes First
Does your blog or website…
 Look old or outdated?
 Have too much going on?
 Use compelling images?
 Are your posts user-friendly?

10. Reader Friendly Format
Simple language
Very specific
Scanable
Shorter is better
Sections
Subheadings
Sentences 6 to 16
words
• No jargon!
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11. Reason #3:
Your
Writing
Might Suck

12. Traffic Gimmicks Aren’t Enough
You could spend ALL DAY posting and
emailing links to your blog. If your writing
sucks, your readers …
 Won’t Finish Reading
 Won’t Share
 Won’t Comment
 Won’t Turn Into Subscribers

13. Edit Like a Pro
 Write your first draft without edits
 Read it out loud and edit
 Read it again and edit
 Remove any extraneous, flowery words
 Get to the point
 Read it out loud again

14. The Power of Emotion
• Emotion = Energy in
Motion
• We always buy for
emotional reasons
• Don't ignore the
logical - we
rationalize with logic

15. Tell a Story

16. Even Blog Posts Should
Have a Call to Action

17. Blogging Checklist
 Does the post fulfill the promise of the
headline?
 Is it interesting?
 Is it easy to read?
 Does it make a point?
 Does it tell a story?
 Is it relevant to your Ideal Client?
 Is there a call to action?

18. Improve Your Writing Skills
Find or join a blogging group of
peers – community support is
invaluable!
 Give each other feedback
 Comment on each other posts
 Share each other’s posts

19. Questions?
•
What’s one thing you will implement
immediately?
•
What did you find unclear or want more
examples of?
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Other burning questions?
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Talk to me! @teasilvestre (Twitter)

20. Join Our Group:
Learn More:
http://storybistro.com/five-weeks-better-blog-mastermind-group/