1. Tell a story to give an example

For a quick way to get a feel for storytelling, try telling a short anecdotal story in place of an example. Short, entertaining anecdotes can absolutely make a blog post more fun to read, and they help create a feeling of connection between blogger and reader. 

2. Get inspiration from your personal experiences 

Generating ideas for stories doesn’t have to be difficult. Use your own personal experiences for inspiration. A laugh with a co-worker, a funny thing your cat did, something that happened during yoga class; these are your stories! 

The stories I use in my own posts come from my own life experiences. Stories are everywhere.

3. Align your story with your post

Every story has a message, usually it’s something you want people to take away from that specific story. Your story’s message should align with and support your blog post’s message.  

I did that above, in the story about Diane (me). I used that story to show how storytelling can be used in blog posts, which is what this particular post is all about. 

4. Use the elements of storytelling

A good story requires 4 elements: a character, a problem, an action, and a solution. 

-The story needs a character. In my story that’s Diane. 

-The character should have a problem: for example, the character is aspiring to become something, or to overcome an obstacle. 

-The story requires the character to take an action to overcome the obstacle or to solve the problem. 

-The story needs a solution which is actually the message you want the reader to understand. The message is the take-away of the story. 

5. Make it relatable

Stories are powerful if the reader can emotionally relate to the main character. Make your character relatable so your readers naturally understand your message. 

6. Use images or color 

Adding an illustration or graphic to your story will make it easier to identify with. It can make your message clearer and easier to grasp. Colors help convey emotion, so using blue can help to convey trust, orange conveys creativity, green is calming, yellow is happy. 

Questions? 

Diane@ImageandAspect.com

My Contact Page

Other articles you might like:

-How Your Personal Brand Makes the Difference–

-Use a Thank You Page to Grow your Subscriber List or Customer Base

-Using images: Tips to improve your SEO rankings

About the author

I developed Image and Aspect because I believe that professionals need to have an impactful web presence. One that showcases their unique talents, skills, and abilities as well as their values and style. A presence that focuses on social engagement and connection.

I’m passionate about what I do; I like helping fellow humans, I like having all kinds of social connection with others, and I want to give back, to make the world a better place.

I do much of the designing and coding myself, and I also have a wonderful network of professionals that may contribute as well; photographers, copywriters, branding experts.

I love designing and coding beautiful, elegant and responsive web creations. I ALSO teach and help others who want to learn how to do it themselves.

‘Tips and Snips’ is my blog, and it’s full of information and inspiration to help transform any online persona from “meh” to AMAZING! Sign-up HERE to get blog posts right to your in-box every Friday! I write about Design, Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Branding, Vlogging, Color Theory, HTML5, CSS3, Bootstrap, WordPress, Social Media…anything you’d want to know to get yourself noticed online.

Visit Image and Aspect to learn more about your web presence options

Diane M. Metcalf, M.S.

GETTING THE RANKINGS

Higher search engine rankings depend on your blog post title, and interspersing those (or similar) keywords throughout your post in a creative way.

For blog post SEO optimization, here are a few important things you need to do in order to get measurable results:

FINDING THE RIGHT KEYWORDS

Using the right kind of keywords is the MOST important thing to do, so spend some time doing research. If you’re writing about a specific topic, make sure to include those topic keywords too. To keep your post interesting, you could vary the keywords by using synonyms so it doesn’t sound repetitive or monotonous.

Here are a few tools for finding keywords to make your blog more SEO friendly:

• How To Get Backlinks: 9 Most Effective Strategies
• How To Show Different Post Titles To Readers And Search Engines
• How To Use Google Keyword Planner Tool For Keyword Research
• 7 Free Blog Post Title Generators & Analyzers for More Traffic
• Which is the Best WordPress Permalink Structure for SEO?
• Keyword Planner
• LongtailPro

Put your main keywords in these places:

1. Your post title (h1)

2. The first paragraph of the post

3. The first part of the SEO title

4. The SEO description

5. The page URL of the blog post

6. A couple of times in the post itself.

Have fun improving your SEO!

Questions?

Diane@ImageandAspect.com

My Contact Page

Other articles you might like:

-How your personal brand makes the difference

-Using images: Tips to improve your SEO rankings

-Use a customer thank-you page to avoid missed opportunities

About the author

I developed Image and Aspect because I believe that professionals need to have an impactful web presence. One that showcases their unique talents, skills, and abilities as well as their values and style. A presence that focuses on social engagement and connection.

I’m passionate about what I do; I like helping fellow humans, I like having all kinds of social connection with others, and I want to give back, to make the world a better place.

I do much of the designing and coding myself, and I also have a wonderful network of professionals that may contribute as well; photographers, copywriters, branding experts.

I love designing and coding beautiful, elegant and responsive web creations. I ALSO teach and help others who want to learn how to do it themselves.

‘Tips and Snips’ is my blog, and it’s full of information and inspiration to help transform any online persona from “meh” to AMAZING! Sign-up HERE to get blog posts right to your in-box every Friday! I write about Design, Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Branding, Vlogging, Color Theory, HTML5, CSS3, Bootstrap, WordPress, Social Media…anything you’d want to know to get yourself noticed online.

Visit Image and Aspect to learn more about your web presence options

Diane M. Metcalf, M.S.

After creating your website, there are 10 things you should do to promote it to make sure it’s found.

1. Write your webpage titles and SEO descriptions

After creating your website, people won’t be able to find your site unless you do some preliminary Search Engine Optimization. Google has a great starter guide with info on writing meta tags, page titles and incorporating keywords. If you use WordPress, the Yoast plugin is a great option.

Make sure the site looks good on various devices. Use a browser extension like Chrome Developer Tools or the Chrome Window Resizer extension to view your pages on simulated devices like phones, tablets, and laptops, then correct what’s needed.

2. Write a launch story

After creating your website, you need to pitch it to an audience. Make sure you include these components in your story:

Headline — The headline should be brief, descriptive and contain useful info about your site including its’ purpose.

Short story — Include a brief paragraph about your website; what it offers, who you are and what you do, how you got started. Spell and grammar check everything.

Contact Info —Include basic details like the website URL, your name, title, location, and phone number. Add the links to your social media profiles such as Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram or Facebook for verification and more info about you and your business.

3. Create visuals

Use some key images to identify your website for brand recognition, and for use when anyone blogs or posts about your website. Keep images small, no logos or lots of text. Keep it simple.

4. Use a press page

A press page is a web page where people go to read your story and download the key visuals. People who will write about your site will use this information. It’s basically a pre-written article about your site, so make sure it contains everything you want people to know.

Link to the press page when you pitch your site. The press page is your “news-hub” page.

5. Find bloggers and website editors

After creating your website, do some research to find bloggers and influencers that you want to write about your site.

Target particular blogs. Contact at least 30 people to pitch your website. This can be a time-consuming step, but the more pitches you make, the more likely that some of them will succeed.

Submit.co has an extensive list of places to pitch if you’re a start-up or tech-based business.

6. Create the pitch

After you’ve created your website, go ahead and make a list of people to send your pitch. Then it’s time to write. Make it short, interesting and well written. Spell and grammar check, always.

Put your headline in the email subject field, and summarize your website story in the body of the email. Be direct: ask them outright if they would write about your website. Include the link to the site and specifically to your press page.

Write an email to each person, using their name and include a reference to their website. Individualize it. Do not batch or write generic pitches.

For example:

“Hi Matt,

My name’s Diane and I’ve just launched a new online resource for creative entrepreneurs about how to have a wildly successful web presence: https://tipsandsnips.imageandaspect.com

I think your readers would benefit from it, and it would be great if you would tell them about it on your blog.

I’ve prepared a full post, including graphics here: https:// press page URL here

I look forward to hearing from you.

Thanks!

Diane

7. Find relevant websites

Research relevant forums and list-sites. Reddit, Hacker News, ProductHunt.com, and Designernews.co, are some examples of sites you might want to post on.

8. Post to the relevant sites

Post about your site in the relevant categories. Include the URL to your site as well as your sites info summary. If people like your site, they may hit ‘like’ or ‘upvote’ it, which will move it up in the rankings.

9. Write a blog post

After you’ve created your website, write a blog post on your website, then share the link on social media. A great way to do that is to use a key visual (visuals increase engagement) and share it along with the URL link to the post on social media channels like Pinterest, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and any others you use.

10. Pitch your site to your own social network

Announce your new site on your social network. Summarize the purpose of the site and provide a link to the landing page. Ask your connections to re-share the link.

Questions? 

Diane@ImageandAspect.com

My Contact Page

Other articles you might like:

-How your personal brand makes the difference

-Using images: Tips to improve your SEO rankings

-Use a customer thank-you page to avoid missed opportunities

About the author

I developed Image and Aspect because I believe that professionals need to have an impactful web presence. One that showcases their unique talents, skills, and abilities as well as their values and style. A presence that focuses on social engagement and connection.

I’m passionate about what I do; I like helping fellow humans, I like having all kinds of social connection with others, and I want to give back, to make the world a better place.

I do much of the designing and coding myself, and I also have a wonderful network of professionals that may contribute as well; photographers, copywriters, branding experts.

I love designing and coding beautiful, elegant and responsive web creations. I ALSO teach and help others who want to learn how to do it themselves.

‘Tips and Snips’ is my blog, and it’s full of information and inspiration to help transform any online persona from “meh” to AMAZING! Sign-up HERE to get blog posts right to your in-box every Friday! I write about Design, Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Branding, Vlogging, Color Theory, HTML5, CSS3, Bootstrap, WordPress, Social Media…anything you’d want to know to get yourself noticed online.

Visit Image and Aspect to learn more about your web presence options

Diane M. Metcalf, M.S.

Cut straight to it: Check out my own customer thank you page to see what I’m talking about.

Tell them what to expect 

Although they’re nice to hear, the words “thank you” don’t really prompt a visitor to do anything in particular, when it comes to your website. If you do it correctly though, a “thank you” page could inspire your visitors to take another action. So use that thank-you page to increase sales opportunities.

Consider what would happen if you did this: on your thank-you page or in your thank-you email, you gave your visitor some additional information about what happens next. For example, say when you’ll be in touch. For e-store customers, tell them what to do if they’re not satisfied, or tell them how they can share their satisfaction and spread the word. For subscribers, tell them when to expect their subscription emails and a preview of the contents. Get them excited! Get them to share info about your site on their social media!

Make your thank-you gesture the beginning of a new conversation. If your visitor has come this far, they’re definitely interested in you and in what you do! Offer them something again, and this time they might reconsider.

Offer to add them to your newsletter or e-course

Take every opportunity to grow your email list. Your visitor is interested in you! Maybe they liked your content. Maybe they liked your blog article, or what you do or what you sell. Take advantage of this interest! Using a thank-you page the right way might prompt them to sign up for something else if you give them another opportunity.

Add a video

Videos are undoubtedly the best way to tell your story. Revenue growth is 49% more with than without a video. Show a video on your thank-you page to deepen your new connection as well as add to their understanding of your brand.

Suggest they follow you on social media

Encourage visitors to connect with you on social media networks. Give visitors a reason to take action; tell them what they’ll gain by following you.

Show off your best content

Use your thank-you page to hold your visitors’ interest. Link to and/or embed your best stuff on it. This is an opportunity to show the content they may have missed earlier.

It could be a popular blog post, video, downloadable PDF or anything else useful or of interest to them. Focus on the additional value this stuff provides and keep the tone friendly and personal.

Show proof and build trust

Build credibility on your thank-you page. Use “social proof” to show you’re an authority. Use testimonials, links to case studies, press mentions, and industry credentials. These can be reused and repurposed from existing ones.

Send an auto-response email

Once your visitor has converted (they’ve become a customer-lead by giving you their email address when they signed up for or bought something) you have one more opportunity to get them back on your website by using an email auto-response system in conjunction with a thank-you page.

Instead of just saying thank-you, use that email as another opportunity to get them back on your site by inviting them back. Provide incentive by using a discount code or a coupon or another interesting gift or freebie.

“It’s easier to deepen an existing relationship than it is to create a new one.

Focus on your visitors while you have their attention.”

Check out my own customer thank you page to see some of these ideas in action. I hope you’re inspired!

Questions? 

Diane@ImageandAspect.com

My Contact Page

Other articles you might like:

-How Your Personal Brand Makes the Difference

-Gutenberg Got You Down?

-Using images: Tips to improve your SEO rankings

About the author

I developed Image and Aspect because I believe that professionals need to have an impactful web presence. One that showcases their unique talents, skills, and abilities as well as their values and style. A presence that focuses on social engagement and connection.

I’m passionate about what I do; I like helping fellow humans, I like having all kinds of social connection with others, and I want to give back, to make the world a better place.

I do much of the designing and coding myself, and I also have a wonderful network of professionals that may contribute as well; photographers, copywriters, branding experts.

I love designing and coding beautiful, elegant and responsive web creations. I ALSO teach and help others who want to learn how to do it themselves.

‘Tips and Snips’ is my blog, and it’s full of information and inspiration to help transform any online persona from “meh” to AMAZING! Sign-up HERE to get blog posts right to your in-box every Friday! I write about Design, Marketing, Search Engine Optimization, Branding, Vlogging, Color Theory, HTML5, CSS3, Bootstrap, WordPress, Social Media…anything you’d want to know to get yourself noticed online.

Visit Image and Aspect to learn more about your web presence options

Diane M. Metcalf, M.S.