Time to Blog Like You Mean it

How To Blog Like You Mean It

Everybody knows that to blog like you mean it you need to be passionate about the topic that  you are writing about. When I’m writing about Google, my mind quivers with excitement, a thousand ideas crash through my brain at once, and usually within just an hour or so, I can turn out a literary masterpiece, brimming with current, engaging and informative text for the reader.

But what happens when I am not so passionate about a subject?

Finance topics, for instance, are my nemesis. My brain freezes, it will churn ideas slowly, and just finding a suitable angle to cover such a dull topic can feel strangely overwhelming.

Lets just say that my productivity decreases quite dramatically.

So, how do you blog like you mean it, when you don't?

Find a Fun Approach

In order to blog like you mean it on a subject that doesn't interest you, you need to find a fun approach, this will make it seem less like hard work.

If the secret to successful blogging is writing about something that you are passionate about, then you must find a way to address the topic in question that will ignite that spark within you. Always write your articles from a first-person POV, and write them how you speak. This will embed your character into the post and make it instantly seem more personal and enjoyable to read.

Ask Questions

If you want to blog like you mean it you must ask questions. The reason I love SEO and the reason I love to blog are one and the same thing. I love to learn, and both these topics inspire me to read and absorb as much information as I can on a daily basis. The best way to learn is to do your research and continue to ask questions. By asking questions within an article, you are giving yourself a clear direction and your blogging efforts a purpose.

After all, If you are asking yourself these questions, you can bet that there will be countless others out there searching for answers to the very same questions. The best gift you can give to your readers is to learn all about the topic in question, so they don’t have to. In order to blog like you mean it, ask yourself as many questions as you can. Then ask some more. Keep going until you find a question that sparks a real interest for you personally and use this as the main focus of your content.

Conduct Research

To blog like you mean it you need to conduct a lot of research. Conducting research takes time. You should dedicate approximately half of the time that you spend writing an article to researching the topic. Once you have your question, this is the question that is going to enable you to blog like you mean it, you need to begin conducting research around that question.

A great resource, that will enable you to blog like you mean it, by finding both questions and answers centered around a specific topic is; Quora. By typing your subject of choice within the search bar on Quora you are accessing a minefield of data. These are the questions that people are really asking about your topic.

For me, a quick search on Quora today resulted in the following finance related questions:

“What books have contributed to your financial intelligence?”
“What is the best way to invest $1200 as a teenager?”
“Should I Buy or Invest in Facebook Shares?”

These are all questions that I probably wouldn’t have thought of myself. Yet I would find writing an article called “5 Ways to Invest $1000 as a Teenager” really good fun. Certainly much more so than “What is a Hedge Fund?”, which is all that my dull and unproductive brain could muster up on this occasion.

So, even if the topic you are blogging about isn’t really all that interesting to you, there are always ways to make it seem more interesting.

Recommended: How to Make Your Corporate Blog More Interesting and More Successful

Blog Like You Mean It, Every Time!

The important thing to remember is that to blog like you mean it, you need to focus your content on one specific question or set of questions. From this, all other ideas should flourish. Not all of your articles will attract large readerships but this should not be your end goal. It is more important to appeal to the people that are out there browsing the internet looking for an answer to a specific question. These are the readers that will engage in your content, and as we move into the future, engagement is everything.

Here's a podcast from Ms. Ileane that goes into some details on this topic. She also answers a question about promotion.

61 thoughts on “How To Blog Like You Mean It”

  1. thanks for such an inspiring post …

    sometimes i has a great idea but its really hard to transfering it to an article.
    yes iam a bit lazy too

    argg.. i mad to myself if i think about it. i need consistent 🙂

  2. Great topic Hayley. If you are passionate about your topics you can sure blog like you mean it. I love finding topics via comments people leave on my posts. The questions usually can lead to a future post. Sometimes I do find it harder to blog on my business sites. I really need to come up with fun topics for them.

    1. Thanks Lisa. Yes i think so many business websites get caught up trying to be an “authority” in their niche that they forget to be fun. Fun posts are often far more shareworthy than a rehashed version of the same old content that’s already available on 101 other blogs within the same sector.

  3. The questions usually can lead to a future post. Sometimes I do find it harder to blog on my business sites. I really need to come up with fun topics for them

  4. Interesting topic and Quora is a great source for almost everything. Another tip for boosting your passion could be adding “unusual” pics or videos to your blog post. That could spice up a post and make it more fun.

  5. Very good tips. I did not realise about writing the posts in first person. That’s something quite interesting and I will bear that in mind when I write a post next time. I agree completely that writing has to be fun, you must be passionate about it, otherwise 3 months down the line, you just don’t want to continue.

  6. when i started blogging sometimes i think that just give up but then after somedays i started again blogging is such a era that it has now become a part of your life and some are doing it without any money.

  7. I’ve really enjoyed reading other people’s blogs and seeing their blog style. I can see things that I like and don’t like .. as far as posting style goes.

  8. Excellent post, as always) thanks a lot. I would also add that to succeed in blogging the one must have thing has to be there with you – INSPIRATION. Haha, my kid told recently that inspiration it’s when a huge hippo becomes as light as a baloon))

  9. Spot on Hayley! I always run into a mental block when I force myself to write, now I just focus on the things that I’m good at and that is by being myself. Instead of coming up with a topic and forcing myself to write, I just start writing a few sentences or how I am feeling for that day and THEN figure out a topic to write around it. More like allowing myself to lead rather than a topic 🙂

  10. Exactly Ardiv. “Bloggers block” as i like to call it, truthfully affects me at least once or twice a month. Blogging about something that isn’t a passion can be very difficult to do well, but not impossible. You just need to find that one thing that sparks an interest within you.

  11. Hi Hayley, First of all great piece of article. Agree with your point, whatever you are writing you must have good knowledge about that topic and your mind should be full of ideas about the topic.

  12. Can you really pretend to blog like you mean it? I think your readers can tell when you’re going through the motions.

    It’s a good post, and I agree that sometimes you can really get fed up with blogging all the time, but when that happens just walk away for a day or two. No use losing some blogging integrity because your post shows that you’re “not feeling” it in that particular post.

    1. Hi Wade,

      Thanks for your comments. In an ideal world we could all just walk away for a day or two, this is what i do for my personal blog. But what im talking about here is when you dont have that option. Many people have to create content on a daily basis as part of their job. My clients expect me to turn out professional content on a very regular basis and its my job to make sure their needs are met. Its difficult to write compelling or interesting content on a subject you are not passionate about, particularly when you have a deadline looming, this is why im suggesting ways to try and find a spark and get creative juices flowing more easily, rather than churn out an article that sounds wooden and uncomfortable to read.

  13. Hello Hayley,

    Wonderful suggestions here. When I first started “blogging” I thought in order to be taken seriously I had to be serious but that’s the corporate mindset. Thankfully, it didn’t take me long to realize that I need to change my style quickly and when I did, it made a huge difference.

    You’re right about research in that it takes time and that’s my most dreadful task I have on my to-do list but I know it has to be done if I want to evolve and continue sharing quality content.

    My boss used to say “Fake it ’til you make it” and thankfully I don’t have to do that because I’m in a place where I’m excited about what I’m doing and the direction I’m going and like Lisa says in her comment if you’re passionate about the topic it’ll show it your post and it makes creating content that much easier.

    Enjoy the rest of your day.

    1. Hi Corina,

      Thanks for taking the time to read my post and leave a comment. It sounds like you have found your niche and are really enjoying what you are doing. I guess “fake it til you make it” would be a good way of describing the process im talking about here, my first few articles about finance were dull, now ive found a way to write about the topic which gets me excited, and i dont feel like im “faking it” anymore.

  14. Hey Hayley,
    Asking questions is one of the most under-used ways to come out with burning post ideas. It works just every moment.

    I have been on Quora now for a few weeks but never thought I could use it the way you brought out here. Good for me, I read this article 😉

  15. Interesting Hayley,

    However, if you don’t connect on some genuine level when you create the content then reader won’t either.

    Example zerohedge is a financial blog that offers compelling content for people interested in finance and money.

    If they published a non motivated guest post article it wouldn’t fly, the audience would call it out in a second.

    Also when you conduct research you have to connect with some level of curiosity in order to do a good job.

    My advice if your heart is not in it then you shouldn’t be either. Life’s too short. #BlogSoHard

    1. Hi Jacko,

      Exactly i totally agree. This is why im suggesting ways to become passionate about the topic, in order to turn out more compelling content. Sometimes we have to blog about something we dont enjoy, now we can find ways to make it enjoyable and therefore write something that will be interesting to real readers.

  16. The three points above are just the perfect solution. I do experience difficulty writing some topics too. I applied point two, asking questions. I use warrior forum regularly to ask questions that will lead to debates and from there i write my post. Its really fun doing it, and that is why i appreciate that point most.

  17. Hello,
    I like your point to be mindful on the blog’s content. I also write and building blogs on my own and it really matters more on the content for the content was main ingredient on the website. Nice release Hayley.

    Thank you

  18. If you know about your niche, you don’t have to try hard or to explain to your readers. You will write a blog like you really have an idea about your topic.

  19. I love the ask questions suggestions it really helps becuase in the process I learn answers and it gets me ideas on how to spread that to my reader

  20. thanks for sharing the post! Yes I agree 100%, blog is ask and answer. Conducting research and keeping update is way to get right right blogging.

  21. Recently I started my new blog. It was about three weeks ago. I see there are many bloggers and some of them are success with their blogs. I am very interested and want to know about blog and how to blog well. At first my goal is how to make money but then I find that it is not so easy. But there is something I find useful that by blogging I learn how to respect other opinions and views and I find writing a post is delighted. That’s it now I want to learn from the very beginning by writing a post, leaving comments in other blogs. And it is very good for my experience of writing.

  22. Hi Hayley,

    Awesome post! Blog like you mean it. Take blogging as a fun and asking questions around and involving in research about it could be the greatest fun of all time.

  23. Intelligent post Hayley, you’ve made bloggers’ job a bit easier. Getting topic for blog posts from question and answers sites is a good idea!

  24. Hi,

    Thanks for sharing great article about creating good looking blog to attract people. This is very useful information for online review readers. Keep it up such a nice posting like this.

    Regards,
    Sekhar Reddy.

  25. Writing new content for a blog is not the easiest thing, as it requires passion and a thorough research. In addition, we also need to pay attention to promoting our blog and creating connections in the niche.

  26. Hello,

    Thanks a ton for the post. I just stepped into a new blog and finding the way to discover how to grab and attract visitors. This will help me a lot.

    Looking forward for more 🙂

  27. Asking questions is the best way to engage your visitors and coming to enjoyment. I enjoy the work I do more passionately. Nice Read.

  28. Great post! Blogging will always be effective if writing is really your craft and you are comfortable and knowledgeable with the topic you are writing and will be writing in the future. With these, writing a more personal blog will just come out smoothly.

  29. Ricky Villers

    Hello, I think you collected all the info in the perfect way and everybody get lots of help through this. You have to do lots of effort for build your blog and also for promoting. Thanks

  30. According to me personally, conducting a research is the most vital task. It helps you to get related information, helps you to create a list of related keywords and also help you to become more creative while writing.

    Overall what you pointed out in your article is complety true and can surely help you generate more better traffic.

    Thanks for the post.

  31. Thanks for this great post. I sometimes need motivation to get going on my blog. This did the trick this morning.

    Thanks!

    1. Youre welcome Joe! Sometimes a little motivation is all we need. After replying to the comments left here yesterday i went back to Quora to write an insurance based article which i usually find quite difficult to do. I found somebody asking what type of insurance web designers need, this interested me because i didnt know so i knew there would be a ton of other people thinking the same. Needless to say i researched the topic and it became the focus of my article for that day and i have already had an offer from a PR7 blog to publish next week.

  32. I could re-shuffle your topic to “How to create an interest in what bores you most.” Its a great piece that gives me some ideas as I read the lines. Keep up the good work Hayley.

  33. What I do about this situation is I let myself learn about the topic. I love learning new things and I treat everything as a challenge. Thanks for the article, it motivated me to write again 😀

  34. Thoughtful share Hayley.
    It is easy to write on topics which interest me but writing on every topic is not at all easy . Lot of reading on a daily basis does help me big time because it revives my thoughts and knowledge . Enticing readers and building a loyal audience over a period of time does ask for lot of smart thinking and hard work.

  35. thanks for such awsome post to make blogging a fun….just search in latest and targeted topic and have handsome words about it should be the passion of every blogger (including me). You are right your blog post must have some thing that urge a question in that ways you can gain something from your readers.

  36. As bloggers, writing many topic is very important. Having many topics that are related to our niche will increase our blog value in visitors mind. But, sometimes I’ve got freeze in some topic. This posting really help me to find the best way to write article . One of the best tips for me in this posting is ask questions. By asking questions we will got right direction about the topic.

    Thanks Hayley for share this information

  37. You have discussed a really important topic especially for a new blogger like me. These blogging tips will surely help me a lot. Thanks for your concern.

  38. thanks for an inspiring post, lots of stuffs run go through my mind at times, i hope i can all put them all into one place and get them written at a blog!

  39. You have mentioned some great points in this article.

    One way that I use to blog like I mean it is to use my knowledge.

    I write on topics that I know about that are exciting and also know what entices my blog readers.

    Thanks for you tips as well.

  40. If you mean it, you will succeed with blogging 🙂

    Blogging with meaning will show the others that you are committed to helping them and you look like a blogger who will be the next Big thing.

    Thanks for the article!

  41. Thanks for such awesome post,actually blogging is really a fun for the passionate bloggers.Sometimes when i just got an idea to write then the most difficult and challenging work is to put it in order and arrange it as seo optimized.But do it at last…

  42. Great post Hayley and a lot of great tips too! I much agree with you that it is not easy to write bout things that bore you. It’s not as motivating that’s for sure. I am new to the blogging scene, but I actually find it quite fun to even write blogs about topics I am not familiar with. I am the kind of person that loves to learn new things, so the research is half the fun for me. Also, I have always been a great writer, probably even better than I speak. One thing I do when I get what they call “Writer’s Block” and I can’t think of a specific topic to write on, is use the Imagination Prompt Generator. This helps me find topic first then I find a site I can post my blog topic on. This may seem a little backward to how some people start out, but it works for me.

    1. Thanks for your input Jennifer. Yes, i agree. I believe that if you love to learn new things and have a skill for writing then you can make an excellent blogger with practice and focus, because all the right ingredients are there for success. I hadn’t heard of the imagination promt generator before, its a quirky little tool. It would be great if someone like Technorati could build a more in depth generator. Thanks for sharing this.

  43. Hi Hayley – this is an awesome post. There was a time that I lost my confidence in writing so what I did was outsource contents for my blog. What happened – I can’t find myself in there – so I changed my mindset. I need to write once more. I want to blog like I mean it.

    I will take your advice. I will ask myself several questions about the topic I want to write about – I want to come up with a question that will personally interest me – and will start the research and writing from there.

    I will strictly follow my editorial calendar now so I have more time to do more important tasks. I want to spend more time in reading awesome posts like this – I want to learn straight from the experts and probloggers like you.

    And – I want to shift from second person to first person in writing my blog post – and I realized it’s far more engaging to readers.

    Thank you 🙂

    1. Hello Prime. Thanks for your comments. Unfortunately, as you seem to have discovered quickly, outsourcing your work for someone else takes away not only your own individuality and personality from your blog but also often results in poor content being produced.

      When i started my blog i didnt have time to post every day and believed this was essential in getting good ranking signals for my blog. So i decided to start accepting guest posts. Unfortunately, paticularly with a new blog, the work being submitted was very poor. I published guest posts for only two weeks before i decided to remove all the content, revise my strategy and keep my blog personal.

      I still dont have time to blog every day, sometimes not even every week, but when i do post an article i make sure that it is what i would call “unique and valuable content” and then am careful to promote it everywhere socially and build backlinks both internally and externally to each post. I also have authorship set up. This strategy is far more successful for blogging than filling out your well written content with badly produced guest articles. Good luck with your blog.

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