Blogging Basics

A Wellness Blogging Primer – Interview With Linda Dessau

August 23, 2017 By Linda Dessau

Curious how I got started with blogging and content marketing? Wondering about the biggest blogging mistakes I see from wellness professionals?

I answer these questions and many more in this interview for Response Mine Health. Put them all together for your very own wellness blogging primer. Here’s just a glimpse of what we covered:

RM: What are some of the specific challenges facing wellness professionals when handling the marketing side of their business?

LD: One thing that comes up is a loud inner critic. “I feel like a fraud because I don’t have this all figured out yet.” “Who would want to read what I write?” “I’m no good at writing; I can’t blog.”

The antidote for this kind of self-doubt is to find a blogging buddy, writing group or blog editor who can remind you that none of us are perfect, and who can look over your work to give you an outside perspective and catch any pesky typos or writing errors.

RM: What are the most common mistakes you see your clients making with their online writing efforts? What should they be doing differently?

LD: The biggest blogging mistake you can make is to start and then stop. Once people see a blog on your site, they’ll notice if it hasn’t been updated or you only seem to post haphazardly. They’ll wonder if that’s how you do everything in your business. Instead, set yourself a realistic blogging schedule like once a month, and then carve out a little time each day to work towards that.

Read the entire interview on the Response Mine Health blog.

P.S. If you liked my tips in this interview, you might enjoy the Blogging Tips newsletter, delivered weekly to your inbox! Sign up here.

When You Show Up For Your Blog, You Show Up For Your Clients

July 5, 2017 By Linda Dessau

Do you want your clients and prospective clients to feel cared for or abandoned? It seems obvious, but think for a moment how they might feel when you start blogging and then stop.

Since I’d rather focus on the positive, let’s talk about how they’ll feel when you do show up. Because I don’t want you blogging out of guilt or obligation. I want you blogging out of a genuine desire to be of service, and a commitment to build the business you want.

Prioritizing your blogging as a key marketing activity, being willing to consistently get out there and be visible, is how you show up for those people out there who need you, but won’t know you’re there if you stay small and silent.

Here are five reasons to keep showing up for your blog:

There is always room for improvement and discovery. When you blog consistently it keeps you thinking about how else you can help, what you can do better, what else there is to know, and how you can explain the same ideas in new clearer ways. It also helps model this mindset to your clients. If you act like someone who has “arrived” with it all figured out, you will not be credible or relatable because no one can achieve that.
Done is better than perfect. To that I like to add, “but good is still better than bad.” Being authentic, conversational, and relatable is not an excuse to be sloppy or unprofessional. No matter how brilliant and important what you’ve written may be, it can still wait 30 minutes for you to walk away, come back, and proofread. Once that’s done, shore up the courage to release your writing to the world and the people who need your help. By showing up week after week or month after month (however often is right for you), whether or not you’re ready, whether or not it’s “good enough,” helps your clients embrace their own imperfections with whatever they’re trying in their own life (including the things you help them with).
Self-esteem comes from the actions you take. Whenever you follow through and do what you said you were going to do, it boosts your self-esteem from being a person of your word. In this case, you’ve promised your social media followers and newsletter subscribers that you’re going to share new valuable content on a regular basis. When you tell yourself, “That’s okay, I can skip it today, it’s not really that important,” you’re breaking your commitment and that can eat away at your self-esteem. And since how you do one thing is how you do everything, keeping your daily blogging commitment can have a positive impact on other situations in your life where you have goals and habits you’d like to build.
Most of the time is better than none of the time. None of us can do this perfectly. There are days that I choose not to fulfill my blogging commitment. That doesn’t mean I have to go stand in the corner. It means I start again the next day or fit it in later in the day. (That sure challenges my all-or-nothing thinking! But just because I didn’t blog in the morning doesn’t mean I have to write off the day.)
Other people notice when you’re showing up. Publishing consistently gives you credibility – not just with the clients and prospective clients who see that you care about them, but with search engines who are crawling your website all the time to assess whether you are a true authority on your topic. As you keep the conversation going, you maintain the perception you have lots to talk about and there is lots more where that came from.

Blogging can feel like a difficult chore, and can be one of the first things to slip onto the back burner when life gets busy. Remember that there are people out there waiting to discover your next piece of valuable content, and all the other ways you can help them.

P.S. Want more ideas about how to write high-quality content that has more impact, attracts more ideal clients, and makes you more money? Register for my FREE webinar, Write Less, Earn More With Blog Posts That Are Easy to Write and Irresistible to the Perfect Clients For Your Health and Wellness Business.

How to Find the Best Research in the Least Time to Boost Your Blog’s Credibility

June 7, 2017 By Linda Dessau

© viperagp – Depositphotos – Fotolia.com

Have you ever noticed underlined text or reference numbers when you’re reading health and wellness blogs? If you click on those, you’ll see that the author has backed up their writing with links to journal articles, studies, and other sources.

When I created my collection of five nutrition blogs I like, I noted Julie Daniluk’s commitment to research, and that it speaks volumes about her credibility and professionalism. And as nutritionist and health writer Leesa Klich points out in her post, there is no better way to make sure you’re delivering the most current recommendations and best value to your readers.

Leesa was my guest for a recent class in my Content Mastery Formula program, where she shared her tips for finding the best research in the least time.

She was even kind enough to stick around for a Q & A with our students, where we covered topics like how to shift from academic/professional/technical writing to conversational blog post writing, and how to structure the links and references within your blog post.

Here is an excerpt from our interview:

We all remember our days as students, spending hours poring over references for our academic papers. Is researching a blog post easier? (Please say yes!)

You can make it as easy as you want to! I see three main factors that would influence how long it would take:

What type of articles does your audience want (and expect) from you, and what type do you want to deliver and be known for? Short tips, updates, recipes and Q&As require less research time than “ultimate guides” or comprehensive protocols, but the latter will help you rank for SEO by giving away your best information.

The type of references you want to use. PubMed scientific peer-reviewed research articles will take a lot more time to decipher than reading a consumer-friendly NIH or Harvard Health newsletter, or another blog post on the same topic.

How specific you are. The more specific your search, the fewer references there will be. This is similar to the concept of a “long-tail keyword.”

If you go too far, and get too many references, consider breaking them up into a blog series.

A note from Linda: Remember that a blog post isn’t the same thing as a journal article or academic paper. This is a common myth amongst health and wellness professionals. You’re not writing to other professionals here (though of course your colleagues may also read your posts). Ultimately, you are writing for clients and prospective clients, so imagine you are speaking just to them and keep it simple.

What are your tips for being efficient with your research time?

Have a specific topic – Looking up references for “Is dairy healthy?” is very broad, versus looking at “Is milk a good source of calcium?”

Have a system – First, list your favourite sites to reference and use those sites each time (there’s no need to go down a “Google” black hole).

Batch it – Take your topic(s) and set a timer for 20-30 or up to 50 minutes. Search each of your preferred sites. Take a cursory look at the title of each potential reference. If it looks like it applies, copy the link into your draft blog article document. Don’t go and read through them yet.

Save good references for future use – They can give you some great ideas for future blog articles, and you already have a reference to start you off. Bookmark them, or copy the URL into a document for when you need to write your next article.

How about you? Have you ever gone down a Google black hole when researching a blog post? Or felt confused about the difference between a blog post and a journal article?

Hopefully these tips from Leesa Klich have given you a good place to start. With the boost to your credibility and the value for your blog readers, research is definitely worth the effort.

P.S. Leesa and I went on to discuss more about the three categories of references you might use in a blog post, and how to assess the credibility of a potential source. You can access that recording as a member of the Content Mastery Formula program. Learn more by joining me for my next free webinar.

How to Add Blog Post Links That Get Results

May 25, 2017 By Linda Dessau

blog-links-heart — © Leigh Prather – Fotolia.com

Adding links to your wellness blog posts enhances your readers’ experience and can have benefits for your business as well. While it does take extra time and thought, it is well worth the effort.

Internal versus external links

There are two types of links you can add to a blog post:

Internal links take the reader to another page on your site. This might be:

Another blog post about a related topic
A page about a product or service
A contact page
A landing page for a special event or offer

External links take the reader to another site, such as:

A research study, abstract, or journal article
Related content you wrote on another site or social media network
A reference site that defines or explains a term or concept
Another resource or blog post for tips, products or services related to the topic

3 ways to add more effective links to your wellness blog

1. Choose meaningful anchor text

Anchor text is the word(s) people click on in order to visit your link. It is typically set apart from the rest of your text by being underlined and/or in a different color. Ideally, your website is set up so that once someone clicks on a link, it changes color so visitors can easily see which links they’ve already clicked.

It’s important to use meaningful anchor text, rather than non-descriptive terms like “Click here” or “Visit this link.” To help your site rank higher in search engine results, you can use keywords as your anchor text – with two important caveats:

They must be natural – Ultimately you are writing for readers, not for search engines. If the phrase can’t be worked into the sentence clearly using proper English, do not sacrifice readability or credibility. Instead, Andy Crestodina suggests you add the full title of the post you’re linking to, either in parentheses or within the sentence (e.g., See Internal Linking: 9 Best Practices for SEO and Internal Links).
They must be varied – This Moz post cautions us to not to always use the same phrase when linking back to a particular blog post or other page of your website. Doing so can look spammy – both to readers and to search engines.

2. Provide descriptive title text

The title text is what readers see when they move their mouse over the underlined text in your blog post. A little box pops up with whatever text you’ve entered. If you don’t enter any text, they may see the URL of your link at the bottom of their screen, or depending on their browser they may see nothing.

Providing title text gives your reader additional information about the link, and you can also incorporate a call to action. This is particularly important if your typical readers are not very web-savvy. Ask yourself, will they instantly recognize underlined text as a link and know they can click to read more, or would it be helpful to see a message like, “Click here to read the related post, “Post title”?

Note: When I wrote the original version of this post in 2014, I was setting title text for every link. Since then, my assistant and I decided to let that go in favour of a quicker and more efficient workflow. I still think title text is helpful though, and after this new look I’m thinking that a balanced approach to using title text might be the key.

3. Set target options with care

The target of a link refers to what will happen when a reader clicks on the link. By default, the new page will open in the same window and the user can use the “Back” button to return to your blog post.

You can also set the target so that the link opens up in a new window, though some argue against this and have even called it one of the most cardinal sins of web design.

I have a plugin installed on my site that automatically has external links open in a new window, while internal links open in the same window. I’m happy for visitors to get lost in my other blog posts or pages, because I know that wherever they are on my site, they are always one click away from more information about my topics or my business. But if they click away in that same window, they may not (remember to) find their way back.

If you do choose to have links open a new window, web accessibility experts recommend including a note in your title text that notifies users what will happen, e.g., “link opens in a new window.”

As I noted before, since writing this original article in 2014 I have stopped using title text, though now I am reconsidering this for all external links as well!

Here is a quick video tutorial for adding links, whether you’re working in Microsoft Word or WordPress. Tip: The same technique also works in Google Docs, you’ll just need to add your title text as a comment.

5 best practices for blog links

Vary your links. While internal links serve up more useful information that reinforces your expert status, increase the time visitors spend on your site, and improve your search engine ranking, external links help you make valuable connections with other experts and showcase your industry knowledge.
Limit your links. In Crestodina’s article, he suggests including no more than six internal links in the main text of your blog post. You can have between 75-100 in total, he writes, but that includes links in your navigation menus, sidebars and footer. Too many links can make your post look suspicious to search engines and can also seem cluttered to readers. Be sure every single link provides value.
Position your links. Links closer to the beginning of your post will get more attention from both search engines and readers alike. Moz points out that Google will flat out ignore links and anchor text if you’ve already linked to that page earlier in your post.
Monitor your links. Broken links create frustration for your visitors and can diminish your credibility. There are several tools for checking broken links on your website. Ask your web developer for recommendations. Also, review your older posts periodically to see what new resources you can link to that you’ve created or discovered since writing the original post.
Highlight your links. Avoid using underlined text for emphasis on a blog or anywhere on a website. People have come to associate underlined text with hyperlinks and will assume you forgot to add the link or it is not working. This can then create additional confusion when visitors come across one of your actual links.

Links from your own site and across the web can enrich your blog posts immeasurably with valuable information for your readers. Using the above three techniques for adding links can grow your business by helping new people find your blog, and giving them a better experience once they arrive.

How do you use links in your blog posts? Do you lean more towards internal links or external links? What makes you appreciate links on other wellness blogs?

This post was updated from one that originally appeared on the SteamFeed blog, which is now closed.

How to Manage Your Blogging Tasks

May 17, 2017 By Linda Dessau

There is a productivity principle that what gets scheduled gets done. This concept has definitely been central in my both my personal and work life, and is even more important when the two connect. Meal times during work days, for example, are a non-negotiable break from the computer.

Aside from Google Calendar, my other essential scheduling tool is Wunderlist, a beautifully-designed task management application that seamlessly syncs across multiple devices. It’s completely free to use, or you can upgrade if you want additional features.

NOTE: Since I wrote this original post in 2014 for SteamFeed (now closed), Wunderlist was acquired by Microsoft, who are turning it into a new app called To-Do. The jury is still out on whether my favourite features will survive the transition. I have Todoist on the back burner, which I’ve heard is very similar to Wunderlist. It’s also comforting that I can easily import my data when/if the time comes.

Everything I discuss in today’s post is possible with the free version of Wunderlist, and the general ideas should also apply to whatever task management system you may already be using. We’ll cover:

Why scheduling is important for business blogging
The benefits of Wunderlist as a blog scheduling tool
How I use Wunderlist in my business blogging workflow
Three steps for scheduling your business blogging tasks

Why scheduling is important for business blogging

Though anyone can publish their thoughts online in an instant, effective blogging is not that simple. Before you even start writing a blog post, you need a marketing strategy, blogging plan, time for brainstorming, a place to capture random blog post ideas, and an outline you can build from later.

After drafting, shaping, editing and decorating, your post is ready to publish. Then there is the social media promotion!

You may have a set day you like to publish on your own site, or you have a specific submission date for your clinic site or a guest post. Either way, you need to make sure all those steps are completed in enough time to meet your goal.

The last thing you want is to be rushing through the blogging process so you’re tempted to skip an important step like proofreading, adding links, or creating a compelling image. Scheduling your blogging time makes sure nothing gets missed.

The benefits of Wunderlist as a scheduling tool

You already know that I think Wunderlist is beautiful, and that’s important to me. If I don’t enjoy the experience of using an app, I won’t use it consistently. If I do enjoy it, that tool quickly becomes entrenched in my day-to-day routines.

Case in point: I started out using Wunderlist for business tasks, but now I also have a “Health and Household” list for assorted personal tasks, shopping lists for the stores I frequent, and even packing lists for trips!

Because it syncs so efficiently across all my devices, Wunderlist makes an excellent idea catcher for Content Mastery Guide and the other sites where I blog. Wherever I am, I can add a new title or additional ideas to something I’ve already planned.

I also appreciate how in Wunderlist I can sort and display my lists in different ways. For blogging, I display tasks in order of the due date. That way I can quickly get a snapshot of what I need to be working on next for each blog or client.

Wunderlist also has smart lists like Today and Week, which display all tasks with due dates on those particular days. These help me stay realistic about what I can and will get done.

I use the Today list every morning day to plan my time for the day, and on the weekends I use the Week list to plot out my tasks and adjust any due dates based on my available time each day.

How I use Wunderlist in my blogging workflow

In addition to laying out the specific ways I use Wunderlist, I’ve included broader steps you can use in any scheduling system.

Step 1: Batch your blogging tasks into scheduled blocks that make sense for you, and name those blocks.

These are the blocks my team and I use for the clients who outsource their blogging to us:

Initial draft (includes research, writing, editing, choosing photos, and social media promotion text) – complete once delivered to client
Revisions (includes editing and proofreading) – complete once delivered to assistant
Production (includes publishing to site with photo, SEO optimization, and scheduling social media updates) – completed by assistant

In Wunderlist, I have a separate list for every blog or client. In the appropriate list, I create a list item with the name of the blog post, and then add the name of the block, e.g., How to Manage Your Blogging Tasks – initial draft.

Step 2: Estimate the time you will need for each of those blocks.

This may be difficult at first. Overestimate your time at the beginning, until you get a clearer sense of your own blogging workflow.

I often use the Pomodoro Technique of working in concentrated 25-minute blocks, so sometimes I’ll add a hashtag to my Wunderlist item such as #2POM. That represents one hour, with a five-minute break in the middle.

Sometimes I’ll also note whether this is ideally a morning task versus an afternoon task (#AM or #PM), though I can usually determine that in a split second when reviewing my lists and planning my work day.

Step 3: Work backwards to schedule those blocks in enough time to meet your submission date.

If you know you want to publish or submit on a Tuesday, and you’ve determined you’ll need three blocks of one hour each, you might start the whole process on the preceding Wednesday or Thursday.

Your due dates for each blogging block will depend on what else is going on in your week, and when you typically like to do your blogging.

If you’re lucky enough to have help with your blogging, you need to work those people into your schedule as well. If your editor or assistant typically needs a turnaround time of two business days, that means your final day to submit to that person must be two days ahead of your actual due date.

In Wunderlist, once I’ve completed one phase of the blogging process, I revise the list item with the next block name and estimated time, and forward the task’s due date to the next date. For example, How to Manage Your Blogging Tasks – initial draft #2POM, becomes How to Manage Your Blogging Tasks – revisions #1POM.

Wunderlist does offer the option of creating sub-tasks, so why do I type these details manually into the task title? For a couple of reasons:

Sometimes I like to print out all tasks due on a particular day (the “Today” smart list). Sub-tasks take up more space on the page, often requiring a second page.
If the block name is part of the task name, I can see it at a glance when viewing a list or smart list. To see sub-tasks I’d have to click through to open up a particular task.

Whether you use Wunderlist or another task management system, if you want to keep blogging consistently and see results from your efforts, you must schedule time for your blogging tasks.

Note: An earlier version of this post appeared on the SteamFeed blog, which is now closed.