This presentation was part of the Irish Management Institute blogging workshop.

1. How to write a blog post
30th August 2013
IMI Blog Editors
Fabio Grassi
Matt Kelleher
Eva Maguire

2. LET’S GET STARTED
Fabio Grassi

3. Why Would you
to read
something
online?
What are your
expectations
for this
workshop
today?
What is the value
in posting
original content
online?
What is a
blog?

4. What is a blog?
What it is
 A short
 self-published…
 article..
 In the First person
 can take the form of commentary/
news/recipes/knowhow/tips/interviews…
What it isn’t
 An academic article…
 An advert

5. Why blog?
- Give people a broader view of who you are
- Tell a story
- Show expertise
- Reach a wider audience
- Influence thinking
- Help others
- Get attention from your potential market
- So does it sell what you do? …Depends on what
you blog about…

6. WHAT MAKES A GOOD
THEME?
Eva Maguire

7. What makes a highly read blog?
 Resonance
 Relevance
 Shareability

8. A relevant trend
Something that people
are talking about
A personal
insight
Your take
A point of
interest
Something you’ve noticed
Finding a good theme
Call to
Action
© Irish Management Institute 2013

9. Lots of blogs… same basic structure
The structure is shaped by where you start….
Some start with the trend
 Culture eats results for breakfast Warren Gatland right or wrong?
 What managers can learn from Andy Murray and sports psychology
Some blogs start with the point of interest
 Marketing Has a Bad Case of Technology Vertigo, and IT Needs to Help
 The Karaoke Effect: How to Perfect Your Startup’s Story
 Readers Control the New Age of Print
Some start with the insight
 Building your personal brand is easier and more valuable than you might think
Some event start with the call to action
 Independent bookshops: share your survival strategies

10. WHAT MAKES A TREND?
Matthew Kelleher

11. Useful tools
 Google Trends
 Google AdWords

19. LET’S HAVE A GO….

20. 3 Steps to a Blog Post
1. Find a good theme
2. Get your thoughts down
3. Turn it into a blog

21. A relevant trend
Something that people
are talking about
A personal
insight
Your take
A point of
interest
Something you’ve noticed
Step 1: Find a good theme
Call to
Action
© Irish Management Institute 2013

22. Step 2: Get your thoughts down
A relevant trend
Something that people
are talking about
A personal
insight
Your take
A point of
interest
Something you’ve noticed
Call to
Action
I personally think…
I think it boils down to…
What I/we find is…
It seems like everyone is talking
about….A client recently mentioned to me
that…
I’ve noticed…
This might be helpful…
What do you think?
Have a look at what we’re doing in this
area..

23. Have a go…
 Take 20 minutes
 Use the template
 Pick a starting point
 Then fill in the rest of the blanks
 Try different orderings

24. Step 3: Make it a blog post
 Piece the paragraphs together.
 Read
 Is it too long?
 Would I read it?
 Am I saying something interesting?
 Does it give a sense of me as an individual?
 If you quote any facts make sure they are correct
 …and rewrite
 Add a picture
 Come up with a catchy title (ideally trend + point of interest)

25. Shows you
have
something
insightful to
say
Keeps people
up to date
Less frequent
More frequent
Updates
(short & sweet)
Twitter
LinkedIn
Facebook
Commentary
More in-depth
Blogs and
website articles

26. Setting up your own (free) blog
 As easy as setting up an email account…
 Try out
- Blogger https://www.blogger.com/tour_start.g
or
- Wordpress http://wordpress.com/

27. Want to start reading more business writing
online?
 For a start –
 look at the links we recommend to our followers
on Twitter
 https://twitter.com/IMI_Ireland

28. The Irish Management Institute blog
IMI Blog
Non-IMI blogs by IMI staff
 Over the Bar
 Geode
 The City on the Page