| Article 3. Writing about services Perhaps you offer writing services, such as copy writing, ghost writing, business writing, etc. Or perhaps you offer editing or proofreading services. If the goal of your blog is to bring you clients, you must attract them by showcasing your knowledge of the services you offer. Showcase past work, or offer solutions to editorial problems (e.g. ‘How to Correctly Use the Semicolon’) and offer insightful discussions into your industry. So those are the three most common types of writers’ blogs, in my opinion. Blogging about writing is perhaps the most common. Many ‘how to’ guides suggest that writers should write about their subject matter in order to attract readers, but I think that writing about writing is equally valuable, for a different reason.
Turning your personal motives into an incentive for your readers
A
s mentioned previously, your personal motives for writing your blog and your readers’ incentives for reading your blog have to maintain a sense of balance, otherwise you’ll essentially just be typing into a black hole. Here’s how you might turn your blogging motives into a focus for your readers:
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A) Motive: I want to discuss and develop the craft of writing through my blog. Focus: My blog offers discussion and inspiration on the craft of writing to other writers. B) Motive: I want to promote and sell my books. Focus: My blog offers information and insights into the genre or subject I am writing about, which will be of interest to my potential novel readers. C) Motive: I want to promote my writing-related services. Focus: My blog offers interesting insights into my industry and solutions to problems related to the services I’m supplying, showcasing my skills and authority to potential clients. Of course, these are very broad statements and are intended to provide you with an overall focus in your mind. You can also merge these statements – but be careful not to dilute your focus. For example, perhaps you want to write about writing, but instead of doing it in order to share your thoughts, offer discussions and inspirations, you’re main goal is to sell non-fiction books on the craft of writing, then you can mix the first motive with the second focus.