“Curate a Best-Of Post that Gets Read, Used, and Shared” plus 1 more

Curate a Best-Of Post that Gets Read, Used, and Shared

Posted: 13 Nov 2012 12:04 PM PST

One of the posts I’m featuring in the carousel on Digital Photography School at the moment is the Best of dPS.

If you haven’t compiled a best-of list of your most-loved posts yet, you should.

It’s very sharable: Take your best posts, make them into one post, and you can be sure that your readers—current and new—will love it, and love to share it with others.
It supports your authority: Posts like this act as a scannable guide to your expertise and experience within the niche.
It provides enormous value: A best-of really is a valuable piece of content for readers. That almost goes without saying!
It helps you get attention to great, evergreen content: If your best works are languishing in your archives, a best-of can get them the fresh attention they deserve.
It helps readers access content they’ve missed: It’s inevitable that readers will miss some of your posts. A best-of brings your best, most helpful work to their attention in a single, easily bookmarked location.

Now, it might seem like putting to post together is as simple as looking through your visitor stats and working out which posts have gained the most traffic. But there’s more to it than that. Here are my tips for curating a really strong best-of post.

1. Weigh the stats

The way most of us work out which are our best posts is to look at our stats. But what does that actually mean?

I think it’s a good idea to look at social shares and comment counts as well as pageviews. Also, try to remember what type of social media buzz the posts generated when they were first published—the kinds of things people were saying, and why. Finally, look at how long the traffic to the post lasted, as a gauge of how much it drew readers back again over time.

Different posts have different statistical profiles, and not all traffic is created equal. Ideally, your best-of post will contain articles that attracted traffic that converted (for example, became subscribers or social media followers for your blog).

2. Consider your blog’s evolution

The dPS post covered posts that had been published in the space of six months. While these were evergreen posts, you might want to include more topical posts in your best-of. That’s fine—so long as these posts still reflect where your blog is at.

Industries change, and so do bloggers. Something you wrote six months ago—and which did really well at the time—might seem a bit dated or stale to you now. Maybe your opinions have changed, or perhaps it’s your writing style. If you’re not still excited by a post, don’t include it in your best-of list. You want this to be a post you can stand behind whole-heartedly.

3. Review hot topics in your niche

When you’re choosing between good posts that all look they might make the cut, one way to narrow down the options is to look at what’s happening in your niche at the time. Does one post suit the current niche “climate” right now? Does it play into a concern, dialog, or sense of anticipation, and might it draw more readers for that reason?

Including a post or two from your archives that tap into current trends in your niche can really boost the discussion around your best-of, and encourage sharing.

4. Consider reopening closed comments

If you close comments on posts after a set period, you might consider reopening them on the posts you’ve included in your best-of when the post goes live. Allowing new visitors to add to the discussion on these evergreen posts can bring new life—and present-day insight—to these older posts.

Then, when other readers come across the posts in future, they’ll find the discussions more relevant to them.

5. Make sure the linked posts are perfect

Of course, you’ll make sure that all the posts that appear in your best-of list are perfect. Even if you’re the kind of blogger who doesn’t let anything make it through to the blog that’s not perfect, go back over those old posts.

This will give you a chance to reacquaint yourself with the material, so that you can talk about it with readers who ask questions via email or social media. But I think you might also pick up on one or two things that you want to change in each post. It might be something as simple as a turn of phrase, or correcting a link that’s become broken. But these small tweaks will help you get the absolute most out of your best-of post.

Do have a best-of on your blog? Tell us how you put it together—and what benefits it’s brought you.

Originally at: Blog Tips at ProBlogger

Curate a Best-Of Post that Gets Read, Used, and Shared

The Benefits of Being a Transparent Blogger [Case Study]

Posted: 13 Nov 2012 06:09 AM PST

This guest post is by Ashley Bennett of Ashley-Bennett.com.

One of the most successful bloggers online right now is also one of the most transparent.

You probably know him as Pat.

Pat is the owner of the successful website and podcast entitled Smart Passive Income. Smart Passive Income is all about blogging and internet marketing strategies that can help people literally earn smart, passive income on their own.

Pat’s not the only one—there are plenty of other bloggers who do the same thing.

Transparent bloggers are open about who they are, what they do, and even how much they make. There are very few successful bloggers that have managed to remain anonymous online.

If you’re in this for the long haul, then you should be transparent too.

Here’s why—and how Pat’s Smart Passive Income (SPI) blog does it.

People connect with you more easily

The object of blogging is to connect with people. Ads and affiliate links mean nothing unless you have a connection with your audience. Your connection with them is what makes them trust you, and eventually buy from you or click on your ads.

People connect with other people, not websites. They become readers of certain blogs because they like the people that write them. Showing your picture will help people connect with you better and feel like they have gotten to know you. Share not only what you look like, but who you are and what you do.

Creating connection

Pat has a photo of himself right on the header of his website, so you know exactly who he is before you have to start reading the About page. There is also a video link that introduces him, and explains who he is and what his website is about for new visitors.

After watching his video and seeing his picture, readers feel like they just met him over lunch. His picture alone improves his credibility because you know there is a real person behind the website. This will make you more likely to listen to advice, buy stuff, and most importantly, engage with him.

Pat’s About page has a picture of him with his newborn son, along with a lot of information about his background and how he got started. He admits that he came to blogging after a layoff, and created a new life and career.

They trust you more

You are more credible to audiences when you are open and transparent. For example, you disclose that you have affiliate links and sponsors and you even discuss your own personal experiences using them.

Spammy tactics and sneaky affiliate links are pretty much useless. No one wants to buy anything from people that they’ve never heard of because they will think that it could be a scam or that the products might not work.

Being honest with your readers about these links actually improves your chances of earning money through them. This is because people want to know what will happen when they buy a product.

They need to know about the price, the level of customer service, and whether or not it does what it is supposed to do. Share both the good and bad things about the product and the company in your review.

People are more inclined to trust in more balanced reviews as opposed to overwhelmingly positive ones. It seems obvious that a blogger would say something positive about a produce if they’re getting paid to promote it. A balanced review shows you put your audience before dollars.

Building trust

Pat makes a point to use all of the stuff that he promotes on his website.

He never tells you exactly what to buy, but he does give suggestions about the things that worked for him.

He has unbiased reviews and videos that show how to use the products that he promotes. None of his links are hidden anywhere to "trick" people into opening them—they are posted on his side panel, and he also embeds them into relevant posts.

He will tell you what he uses, explain why he uses it, and admit that he will receive a commission if you purchase it from his link. Furthermore, he’ll even show you how much money he earned from his affiliate links in the income reports that he publishes.

They see themselves in you

People want to hear the story, they don’t just want to see the glory. Talk about how got you started, where you came from, and what worked for you.

Having relatable content and stories is what attracts people to a blog. Telling people about your story helps them engage with you—they will feel like they can do it because they know your story.

They know that what they want is possible, because they watched you do it.

Telling the story

Pat’s About page explains the entire story about how he got into blogging. It came out of necessity because he was laid off and he had to find another way to provide for his family.

Yes, he is successful today, but he does tell the entire story about how he struggled in the beginning. His success did not come overnight, and you can watch his progression through his blog.

He actually explains how he writes blog posts, ebooks, and even how he promotes his website. All of the moving parts on his website are explained and examined for your educational benefit.

It’s better for brand building

A brand is built upon trust and value developed over time.

You are building your personal brand online every time you connect with other bloggers, tell your stories, and talk about how you made it.

You can use the platform that you’ve created to write books, promote events, and to help people.

If people know you, they’ll be more likely to reach out to you. You could create strategic partnerships and gain access to a host of opportunities that you would normally never have access to through your blog.

It is about you, not the blog.

Creating a brand

Pat’s personal brand is strong because he connects with readers as well as other bloggers through his voice. Pat Flynn is the brand, not necessarily the website. It’s his name that gives the website its value.

Imagine what his website would be like if he had stayed hidden behind the virtual curtain. There’d be no social proof, no evidence, and probably few readers.

A plan of action for shy bloggers

Shy blogging is like taking a shower with your clothes on: you’re in the right place, doing the right thing, but it just isn’t working. Blogging anonymously probably won’t help you build a brand, help people, or even earn money.

Here is a plan of action made for shy bloggers who don’t want to come out of the closet.

Obstacle #1: I’m too shy to post a photo

Solution: Get a professional photo

If you are too embarrassed to show yourself, then that is a problem because anybody can look good in a photo. A simple personal photo will due in most cases, but a professional can make you look even better.

If you feel like you do not look up to par, then have your hair and makeup done, and get a new outfit to boost your confidence for the shot. If your personal photos aren’t what you want them to be, then go ahead and have a professional photo done. They don’t cost much, but if you are really budget-conscious, you could ask a photography student, or a friend who takes great shots to do it for you.

Do whatever it takes to become presentable online and off.

Obstacle #2: I’m not good enough! I don’t know how to do it

Solution: Improve your skills until you are good enough.

Some people are reluctant to reveal who they are because they are afraid that they are not good writers, not smart enough, or not as good as the other people online. If you feel like you are not good enough, then take a class, get a writing coach, read books, listen to podcasts, and most importantly, practice every day.

Most of the popular bloggers did not start out the way that they are today. They made a lot of mistakes in the beginning. Their websites didn’t look that good. Maybe their writing wasn’t that good either.

The thing is that they kept learning and practicing until they got good at it.

According to Malcolm Gladwell, you need to put in at least 10,000 hours to be good at what you do. Start clocking those hours!

Obstacle #3: I’m waiting for the right time to get started

Solution: Do something right now!

Paralysis through analysis is one of the biggest challenges for aspiring bloggers. They are always waiting until their website is perfect, waiting until they have time, or just waiting because they are too scared to take action.

The best thing you can do is to just get started. Just writing one single article, doing a guest post, or buying a website template can help you.

Force yourself to take at least one step forward every day or spend a certain amount of time to work on your blog every day. Putting in at least one hour day will eventually take you a long way.

Obstacle #4: What if people don’t like me?

Solution: Learn from the criticism

Criticism is a fact of life. Let’s face it: haters have computers too.

There are and always will be people who disagree with you or even dislike you online for no particular reason. Although they may be hurtful, you can’t take what they say to heart.

However, if someone does have some legitimate criticism then you can accept it and learn from it.

The key is to be able to distinguish between the constructive criticism and the negative criticism without getting your feelings hurt. That takes practice, but that’s all it takes.

Obstacle #5: I’m nervous

Solution: Be honest about your feelings.

Being transparent is also about exploring your emotional journey as a blogger and as a human being.

Everyone is usually a little nervous at first, so you may as well as admit it. Your growth as a writer and blogger stems from the fact that you can tell people about your mistakes, your failures, and your fears.

As vast as the Internet is, chances are that you’re not the only one that feels like this. Your audience will probably admit that they understand and support you. They might even give you some new ideas and help you stay motivated.

The bottom line is that you have to reveal something in order to get anything back from your audience. You can share whatever you’re comfortable with sharing, but just show your face to be present.

You might be surprised.

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