You may have noticed the new look and feel of my website. It happened rather suddenly—despite the fact that I’d been toying with the idea of a redesign for months.
What was the inspiration that made me finally pull the trigger? One of the most beautiful articles I’ve ever seen online.
It was a Mashable article about a victim of the Boston Marathon bombing. If you haven’t seen it, take a moment to scroll through it. Then come back and finish reading.
It’s time to take your blog to the next level
I fell in love with blogging from the moment I first hit publish. And though I’ve always taken a publisher’s approach, I still saw blogging as slightly “less than” mainstream publishing. Most of us do, I think, whether we’re willing to admit it or not.
But that doesn’t have to be the case anymore.
Technology is making digital publishing as sophisticated as print. Add the relevancy of blogging, resulting from a shorter turn-around time from idea to publication, and you have a compelling argument for digital media winning out over print.
Take the Mashable article. It uses Parallax technology, which allows readers to stroll past images like onlookers passing a picture window. Because the photos are high quality, they draw you in. But because they aren’t static, you engage with them on a much deeper level.
Of course, this article gets special treatment because it’s a “spotlight” article (Mashable’s term for feature). Not all blog posts need or even deserve this kind of treatment.
And it doesn’t have to use advanced technology to get a similar effect. Here’s another magazine-quality example from Medium:
Both of these articles have the look and feel of a glossy magazine: beautiful type, gorgeous layout, great writing and, in the Mashable article, photos that tell an important story. Adding the interactive quality of parallax doesn’t just match a magazine’s quality. It surpasses it.
Inspiring, isn’t it?
I liked the format of this article so much, I immediately started researching the technology. Then, in my research, I discovered a new Parallax Pro Theme by Genesis. How cool was that?
A few hours later, I was giving my web guy the go-ahead to apply the new theme. And I couldn’t be happier. Technology is making possible for bloggers to tell powerful stories in a way that used to only be possible for big publishers.
Better still, we bloggers can adopt a bigger view of what blogging means. And that changes everything.
Do you think like a publisher?
The key to taking your blogging to the next level is to treat your blog like a magazine. Step up your efforts. Create content that any magazine would be proud to publish—content on par with Mashable’s article.
Here’s how to think like a publisher:
1. Provide consistently high-quality content for your readers.
Don’t settle for the same tired coverage every other blog is providing. Hunt for the fresh angle or unusual perspective that will catch people’s attention. But don’t do this just to be contrarian. Or weird. Or whatever. Develop a voice and message that resonates with your readers, a voice that’s so enjoyable, they’re excited when another article gets published.
2. Know why people read your blog, then keep delivering.
You’ve got to know your readers. Really get them. You’ve got to talk their language and cover the topics that are most important to them—whether that’s celebrity gossip, how to train your dog, or tips for becoming a better marketer. What’s the “thing” that sets you apart from other blogs in your vertical? You’ve got to know that cold and be committed to giving readers what they want.
3. Plan ahead, so you can provide variety and depth within your core topics.
Offer a wide variety of content: features articles, news pieces, op eds, reviews, and any other format your readers will enjoy. Then invest the time and resources to do them right. Some articles can be put together quickly. Others need research, analysis, or even a professional touch. Try to be “the resource” for your topic and readers.
4. Set a goal to entertain and engage—so readers will keep coming back.
Great content is more that good writing. It’s entertaining, with interesting ideas packaged in a way that captivates your readers. Think more: more research, more analysis, more creativity, more of what your readers love.
5. Track results so you know what works.
Pay attention to the articles that get the most engagement, especially the ones that get lots of comments and shares. What is it about those articles that people love? Whatever it is, try to repeat it. It may take some experimentation, but if you keep repeating what works and avoiding what doesn’t, you should begin to nail the type of content your readers want most.
Bottom line
Publishers know their readers. They know what they want to read about and the style that keeps them reading. As a blogger, that’s your job too. Then, once you get the content right, look at your presentation.
As the Mashable article proves, you can rival the glossy pages of a magazine if all the elements are right.
Why settle for less when you can do more? Blogs aren’t your only competition. These days, magazines are fair game too. And with a little work (and technology), you can put them on the defensive.
