Anka asks
I’m wanting to start blogging this year and making myself known as the “celebrant in the know” within my area with some personality thrown in as well but I’m not sure exactly how to start? Any suggestions or topics?
This is another fantastic question Anka, and the answer is simple and complicated at the same time.
You’ve identified blogging as a possible area for content creation, and I’d encourage you into it as well into other areas that match up with your personality type. If you’re a speaker, speak into a podcast, if you thrive on video, make videos, if you love to write, write.
The key isn’t the medium, but the message. Make sure your message is one that matters, a message that the community needs to hear. No-one’s trawling the web looking for selfish, useless, unhelpful content.
I could talk on this topic for ages, and we will be at the conference on the Gold Coast in August, but between now and then, devour this content deck from Gary Vaynerchuck, it’s the real deal.
Great advice, Josh! Also, my day job is Digital Content Specialist, so I would expand on Josh’s advice by saying make sure (if you’re writing for the web) that your content is SEO-friendly. SEO (search engine optimisation) sounds scary, but in its simplest form, it’s as easy as thinking “If I wanted to find out about this, what would I type into Google?”
To get started on topics, think about who you are writing for (engaged couples? other celebrants?) then write down a list of the questions you are most commonly asked by those people. Each of those questions could be a potential blog post.
For example, you might often be asked by couples if they have to say vows out loud or can they just say “I do”. So the title of the blog post could be “Do I have to say vows at my wedding?” Then the blog post could explain what is legally required, what is optional, and tips on writing personal vows.
Excellent tips Alison! You know what has stymied my blog publishing more than anything? Having to find a bloody image to go with the post! For years I’ve been saying I’ll blog more, and I’ve got a list of questions to answer, but then I get stuck on the featured image problem!
My other biggest bugbear with blogging and my website in general is writing for SEO. SEO-appropriate content is not written the way I write, and it’s annoying to have to continually use the keyword or phrase! My SEO guy and I have had many robust discussions on this issue over the years 🙂
I would argue today that Google is smarter than we think and it will appreciate genuine Sarah writing over SEO-perfect writing from Melbourne Wedding Celebrant, Sarah aird, marriage celebrant, serving Melbourne for fun weddings with excellent professional service for Geelong, Yarra Valley, and the Dandenong Ranges.
Ha ha! Love it Josh! And yes, Sarah, Google definitely prioritises natural language and will penalise “keyword stuffing” so keep on writing as you would speak. That being said, if you can fit a few keywords and phrases into the title, and the first paragraph it will help. The trick is to make it sound natural. For images, there are a few good sites for free stock images – try unsplash.com or pexels.com.