Writing a personal blog and improving your blog writing is more art than science. A couple of past week’s experiences convince me that if Aristotle were still alive he’d issue harsh criticism to bloggers.
I recorded a podcast with one of the top execs at a mobile marketing company. My guest, during the 30 minute recording, was amazed I’d read one of his articles on the Web. He said he thought only his mother read the piece. After joking that I was his second reader, we finished the podcast interview.
Checking my blog stat’s on “Brian Prows’ Blog,” compared to my other blogs, also blew me away. My personal blog, which I haven’t really promoted at all and launched two weeks ago, has some decent readership stats.
Why? In the first two weeks of “Brian Prows’ Blog,” I haven’t posted a “spill my guts piece.” I haven’t revealed any secrets about blog writing. I’ve ignored SEO’ing the blog and posts pretty much. I don’t think I write half as well as years ago. I ramble at times. Why would anyone want to read my stuff?
Darren Rowse, who writes the very successful ProBlogger blog has a a new guest post by Patrick Riddel called: “The Holy Grail to Writing Great Content – Rhetoric.” Rhetoric is generally defined as “the art of effective or persuasive writing or speaking,” although lots of people, especially politicians, use the term negatively–for example, “Obama’s rhetorical remarks about health care upset Republicans.”
Riddel debunks the myth that writing “great content” by itself will cause your Technorati ratings to skyrocket. Instead, he gives examples of rhetorical techniques that will help you write better. And he links to Robert A. Harris’ “A Handbook of Rhetorical Devices” page, containing definitions and examples of rhetorical techniques.
Riddel’s advice and examples are worth reviewing. Excellent bloggers, who care about their writing styles, want to write more clearly and persuasively to increase their readership. Paying more attention to how you write as well as what you write is essential.
Meanwhile, if in doubt about your next post, consult Aristotle and your Mom.