There is nothing wrong with sharing a personal story on a business blog, as long as you have a business reason for doing so.
Sometimes that might be to demonstrate that you are a member of your own target market. As you’re achieving successes, you’re sharing your experience with your audience.
Sometimes it might be to reinforce a lesson that you wrote about previously.
And sometimes your reason might just to be show your readers more of your personal side, because we do business with those we know, like and trust.
How to write a personal post for your business blog
Business reasons aside, a personal post also gives you the opportunity to focus on the entertainment factor of your blog. So you’ll want to make your story as compelling as possible.
Blogging consultant Brad Shorr has a helpful primer on simple storytelling techniques for your blog. And Lou Hoffman shares a wonderful example from the CEO of Marriott International in his post about applying storytelling techniques to corporate blogging.
And since of course you’re going to be reading your story out loud before you post, you might want to practice some oral storytelling techniques as well.
I suggest you keep your personal posts short at 250-300 words or so. If it’s turning into a full article, consider reworking it into a “how to” or thought leadership post instead.
At some point during your story – maybe in the introduction and/or conclusion, subtly remind the reader who you are and what you do. After all, depending on the subject of your story, this post could end up in front of an entirely new audience.
For both new and returning readers, a personal story is a nice opportunity to show another side of you, your business and your life. If the reader happens to be your ideal client, this will bring you closer together. If they’re not, that will become clearer.
How to Write a Blog Post, Part 1: The “how to” post
How to Write a Blog Post, Part 3: The thought leadership post
How to Write a Blog Post, Part 4: The connecting post
