What's the difference between a blogger and a journalist?
One still has a day job.
Jokes aside, there's still a lot that bloggers can learn from journalists. Here are a few ways that thinking like a journalist can help your blogging.
Write a Post Daily.
I've never been a full-time journalist, but I was in a newsroom part time in college. I learned something that has helped me since - you have to get the story out and you have to do it quickly. Every single day no matter what. Give yourself a deadline every day and it will motivate you to "ship" - even if your blog post is not perfect.
Use an Editorial Calendar.
This is especially helpful if your blog has multiple writers. Brainstorm themes then write topics and plan them out. It's good to have backup content. Consider writing a series of posts around a theme (such as a 3-day series on how businesses are using Foursquare). Schedule posts around common themes during the year (such as stress relief for bloggers). Every December I like to list the most popular posts of the year. Then for New Year's I write about what I want to accomplish for the new year and ask for feedback.
Write about News.
Write about news in your niche and try to be one of the first ones on the story. People will read and link to blog posts around hot topics, so pay attention to what's in the news right now and see if you can tie it into your blog post. Use a tools like Trendistic to see what's happening on Twitter or look at the front page of Digg to see what's new. Another way to find out what is happening is to go to search.Yahoo.com and search for a keyword.
Think of your readers.
Always think of your readers and what their needs are. You want readers who not only read, but readers who talk to you. Don't lose sight of that fact. While many journalists have lost their jobs, you won't lose yours if you forget your readers. You just won't have many.
Any other tips that have helped you improve the quality of your writing? Please share them in the comments.
Guest post by Eric Rea
Eric Rea is a college student from Canada who loves Blogging and Sports. He spends his free time working on his own blogs and playing sports. You can follow him at @ericwilliamrea.
3 Things Bloggers can Learn from Journalists is a post from: We Blog Better. © 2010. Share it freely, but please link back to this source.
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