This document summarizes a writers workshop discussing blogging and branding. It introduces two authors, Hannah Conway and Sara R. Turnquist, and covers topics like how to build a platform through blogging, when and how often to blog, keys to blog growth, using tags and keywords, and announcing an upcoming writers retreat in September.

1. Clarksville Christian
Writers Workshop
BLOGGING & BRANDING:
#CCW2016

2. WIFI
HBCStudent A

3. Hi, I’m Hannah Conway
• Kentucky Native
• Army Wife, Momma &
Speaker
• Author with Olivia Kimbrell
Press
• “The Wounded Warrior’s
Wife”
• “Wedding a Warrior”
WWW.HANNAHRCONWAY.COM

4. Sara R. Turnquist
• Clarksville native
• Wife, mother, “closet
writer”
• Author with Clean Reads
• “The Lady Bornekova”
• “The General’s Wife”
saraturnquist.com

5. #CCW2016

6. Icebreaker

7. BLOGGING

8. DO BLOG:
to connect with your audience
to practice
your craft
making deadlines
to build a platform

9. PLATFORM
the people who follow (listen to)
you
followers on social media, blog,
and e-mail list

10. DO NOT BLOG:
to sell books
to run a self-commercial

11. WHAT TO BLOG
your interests
social media
things you like to talk about

12. WHAT TO BLOG – back to YOU
what blogs do you follow?
why?

13. WHEN TO BLOG?

14. WHEN/HOW OFTEN?
why not daily?
burnout
not always your best
not always read
what works best for YOU

15. TO CONSIDER:
your goals
your own expectations
your own version of crazy

16. KEYS TO BLOG GROWTH
predictability of posts
frequency of posts
use of social media
connection with audience

17. BLOG GROWTH
STAGE 1: six months - year
little forward momentum
two steps forward and one step back
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
Stage One

18. BLOG GROWTH
STAGE 2: six - nine months later
small but consistent growth
good time to seek out guest posts
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
Stage Two

19. BLOG GROWTH
STAGE 3: after
audience grows a lot faster
you’ll be asked to guest post
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
Stage Three

20. BLOG GROWTH – back to YOU
What stage is your blog at?
Why did you place it there?
Is there one of the “keys” you can
work on?

21. BLOG GROWTH
STAGE 1:
6 months – 1 year
STAGE 2:
1 – 2 year mark
STAGE 3:
2+ years 0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
Stage Three
0
2
4
Stage Two
0
2
4
Stage One

22. KEYS TO BLOG GROWTH
predictability of posts
frequency of posts
use of social media
connection with audience

23. Some things to be aware
of when blogging…

24. THINGS TO KNOW:
25% rule
computer devices harder on eye
low resolution
contrast between ink and paper is
strong, monitors are inconsistent
People avoid reading long
paragraphs

25. WHAT TO DO?
avoid “pretty” fonts
avoid long paragraphs (100 max)
use block formatting
use headings and pictures
write tight - no more than 500 - 700
words

26. MORE THINGS TO KNOW
end with open-ended question
no right/wrong answer
ask readers to share an experience
avoid “you”
share your own experience

27. How can I get my
blog found?

28. Tags, Labels, & Keywords, Oh My!
tags = labels = tags
keyword = like a label; it is a short
way to state the purpose of your
article (usually several groups of
words)
makes your blog easier to find

29. Tags, Labels, & Keywords, Oh My!
title of that post
your name
blog site name
some phrases that relate to
that post

30. Blog Post #1

31. Sara R. Turnquist
Self Editing: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
The Musings of a Novelist
self-editing
editing
publishing your novel
road to publication
how do I self-edit

32. WHY BOTHER?
Millions of blogs and other articles exist
Google and other search engines search
for posts and articles when someone
types in a search word
You want them to find your blog
Tags, labels, and keywords are how that
happens

33. Dave the Plumber

34. SEO

35. What was that about Keywords?
it’s all about keywords
what are people typing into the
search box?
always use the keywords in the title
use them again in the first 50 words
spread them throughout your article

36. Blog Post #2

37. KEYWORDS – back to YOU
pick out some tags, labels, keywords
for the second blog post

38. What is an SEO?
SEO is basically where your
article shows up in that list
when a person types
something in the search box
based on a (secret)
mathematical equation called
an algorithm

39. BLOG TITLES

40. BLOG TITLES
search engine algorithms take
words literally, not always
understanding double meanings
“Too Hot to Handle Chili” vs.
“Homemade Vegetarian Chili”

41. BLOG TITLES: Guess the matter?
When Things Go South
In the Mood
I Live Next Door to a
Cemetery
Not Quite What I Expected

42. BLOG TITLES – back to YOU
Compose a title for a blog post
Give us a synopsis of the post
and then tell us the title

43. Break

44. Questions?

45. STAY TUNED FOR
MORE INFORMATION
TO COME…

46. And tentatively mark
SEPTEMBER 10th-11th
in your calendar

47. for CCW’s FALL WRITER’S RETREAT!
at Carriage Lane Inn in Murfreesboro, TN

51. Workshops…
Mentor Appointments…
Critique Time…
and, most importantly…
WRITING TIME!
ONLY 15 SPOTS!!!

52. Stay tuned to the
Clarksville Christian Writer’s
Facebook Page for more details

53. HOW TO FIND US
HANNAH
www.hannahrconway.com
TWITTER: @hannahrconway
FACEBOOK: Hannah Conway, Author
SARA
saraturnquist.com
TWITTER: @sarat1701
FACEBOOK: Sara R. Turnquist, Author

54. Clarksville Christian
Writer’s Group!
WEDNESDAY NIGHTS
6:30 – 7:30 pm
Hilldale Baptist Church
2001 Madison Street
Clarksville, TN