You know it when you see it: a great blog post. What makes a blog post great, and how can you write great posts yourself? Dennis Shiao is somewhat obsessed with blogs. He's published close to 1,000 posts and has read far more than that. While not all of his posts have been great, Dennis understands the elements and methodology behind creating great posts. In this presentation, he details tactics, strategies and tips for writing a great blog post.

1. HOW TO WRITE
A GREAT BLOG POST
Dennis Shiao
Director of Content Marketing, DNN Software

2. GENERAL TIPS

3. READ A LOT

4. TALK TO
CUSTOMERS

5. "Sometimes the problem can’t be solved with our product
and that’s fine too. As long as our customers are worried
about a problem, we are too.“
-- Patrick Whatman (@mrwhatman)

6. INTERVIEW LIKE
A JOURNALIST

7. 1) PLANNING
2) PRODUCTION
3) DISTRIBUTION

8. 1) PLANNING
2) PRODUCTION
3) DISTRIBUTION
10%
80%
10%

9. 1) PLANNING
2) PRODUCTION
3) DISTRIBUTION
33%
33%
33%
Use the final 1% to exhale ☺

10. PLANNING
Have a clear
understanding of
whom you’re writing
for.

11. PLANNING
Identify the
keywords you
want your post
to rank for.

12. PLANNING
Don’t re-invent
the wheel:
search for
existing posts
on the topic.

13. PLANNING
Generate the
outline. I like to use
pen and paper ☺

14. PRODUCTION
I don’t write with a
pen. I do write in
Microsoft Word
while disconnected
from the web.

15. PRODUCTION
I self-edit via the
printed page. Then, I
ask colleagues or
connections to
review and provide
feedback.

16. PRODUCTION
After editing, re-read
the post and find key
phrases to link to
other pages on your
site.

17. PRODUCTION
Add images and
break up long
chunks of copy.

18. DISTRIBUTION
Share across your
social channels. On
Twitter, I use a
scheduling tool and
vary the sharing text
and times of day.

19. DISTRIBUTION
Identify the top
performing organic
posts and use paid
advertising to boost
their reach.

20. DISTRIBUTION
People are ready to
spread the word:
advocates,
influencers, people
mentioned in the
post. Activate them!

21. EXPERT TIPS

22. “
SUSAN MOELLER
Senior Marketing Manager at BuzzSumo
“Original research is a great tool to drive
engagement in competitive content
landscapes. High production value = less
competition.”
Learn more about Buzzsumo.

23. “
GINI DIETRICH
Founder and Author of Spin Sucks
“Pay attention to what's going on around
you—world events, convos with friends,
even people-watching. That's where your
best blog post ideas will come from. Every
time.”
Visit the Spin Sucks website.

24. “
AMBERLY DRESSLER
Editorial Director, Website Magazine
“Know who you are writing for, why you
are writing for them, what problems they
need solved, how to best present the
information and where to distribute the
blog to reach more of them.”
Learn more about Website Magazine.

25. “
PAM NEELY
Freelance Writer
“Obsess over your post's headline. Write 25
before you publish. Use CoSchedule's
headline analyzer to pick the winner. Consider
testing your headlines after you publish. The
right headline can get you 200-500% more
traffic and shares.”
Learn more about Pam.

26. “
ANA GOTTER
Business Writer
“Write posts to answer questions. Use
stats to validate claims and actionable tips
that don’t leave them wondering ‘but how
do I do that?’”
Learn more about Ana.

27. “
ANDY CRESTODINA
Co-Founder, Orbit Media
“If it’s visual, emotional or collaborative,
it’ll work in social. If it answers questions
or goes deep into details, optimize it for
search!”
Learn more about Orbit Media.

28. “
BRIAN HONIGMAN
Content Marketing Consultant
“When writing a guest blog post, link to
published articles you've written in the past
when relevant. Whether linking to posts on
your site or articles published elsewhere,
this approach can help you increase the SEO
value of your work.”
Learn more about Brian.