{"id":11552,"date":"2020-10-08T16:04:40","date_gmt":"2020-10-08T20:04:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newpirdev.wpengine.com\/for-orgs\/learning-center\/resources\/blogging-101-how-to-put-out-perfect-posts\/"},"modified":"2024-06-28T01:40:57","modified_gmt":"2024-06-28T05:40:57","slug":"blogging-101-how-to-put-out-perfect-posts","status":"publish","type":"learning-center","link":"https:\/\/pir.org\/for-orgs\/learning-center\/resources\/blogging-101-how-to-put-out-perfect-posts\/","title":{"rendered":"Blogging 101: How to Put Out Perfect Posts"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><em>By Malleana Ruffin, Social Media Manager, PIR<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><em>This article is part 5 of an 8-part series called &#8220;Bootcamp for Mission-Driven Organizations&#8221;.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Making good use of blogging can have a significant impact on your fundraising and awareness initiatives. Blogging is not only an effective storytelling tool, but it also boosts SEO (search engine optimization), encourages repeat visits to your website, and starts important conversations. Plus, it\u2019s easy. Maybe there\u2019s even a blog already integrated with your website builder. You can just type up what you know, put it out there, and watch your readership grow, right?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Not exactly.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While anyone can blog, not everyone can do it well\u2014at least not without a little help. The following tutorial gives you step-by-step instructions for drafting impactful posts. Read on, and you\u2019ll be hitting \u201cpublish\u201d in no time!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Step 1: Identify Your Author<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You\u2019ll want to choose the right writer or writers for the job. Many blogs have multiple authors who bring different voices and perspectives to your audience(s). Whether you choose one staff member, several, or an outside team, whoever blogs for your organization should:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Know your mission and message;\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Understand the work you do;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Be creative and organized; and<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Have a solid command of language and grammar in your primary language and script (for example, many non-profits use the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.apstylebook.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Associated Press Style Book<\/strong><\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for blog articles written in US English).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Step 2: Brainstorm Your Ideas<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Set aside some creative time, gather your team, and turn off phone, text, and email notifications. Ask everyone to <\/span><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.bethkanter.org\/facilitation-brainstorm\/\">think outside the in-box<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Choose concepts that are new or employ unique twists on presenting information and ideas. Some categories to consider while generating and developing potential article ideas:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Profiles of members or volunteers;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Recent organizational successes;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">News related to your mission; and<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Research or insights about your core issue(s).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Step 3: Develop Your Editorial Calendar<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An editorial calendar is essential to making your blog a meaningful communications asset. <\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.orbitmedia.com\/blog\/blogging-statistics\/\">About half of bloggers<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> post between two and four times per month, so you need a plan. Schedule posts in advance, taking into account upcoming events, milestones, and programs. Remember to leave room for opportunity, should something arise that you want to address. An effective editorial calendar will include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dates and frequency;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Assigned authors;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Topics; and<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Plans to promote the posts.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Step 4: Start Blogging<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now comes the fun part. Grab a cup of coffee and block off time to focus on blogging. You will probably need more than you think.It takes <\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.orbitmedia.com\/blog\/blogging-statistics\/\">nearly four hours<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to write the average post. Once you get writing, these are some key elements to include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A catchy headline;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An engaging opening paragraph;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Related images and\/or video; and<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An appropriate <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/nonprofitwp.org\/blog\/on-small-donate-buttons-contextual-requests-for-support\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>call to action<\/strong><\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> at the end.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Step 5: Promote Your Blog\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now that you\u2019ve created great content, don\u2019t waste it. Once you\u2019ve published your blog, share each post immediately and repeatedly on social media, with a catchy summary and a link to the article. Here are some other effective ways to boost readership:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Launch your blog with an introductory email;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Encourage readers to subscribe to receive it in their in-boxes;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Invite guest bloggers with their own followings to author a post; and<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Encourage readers to comment and share your posts.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Feel confident about starting and maintaining a successful blog for your organization or good-for-the-world business. Don\u2019t forget to plan carefully, write regularly, and share widely. Happy blogging!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Resources<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Blogging is a powerful way to promote your organization. If you need help getting started, <\/span><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.classy.org\">www.classy.org<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> offers this free non-profit editorial calendar <\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/go.classy.org\/nonprofit-content-calendar\">template<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\">www.globalgiving.org<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> shares this <\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.globalgiving.org\/learn\/nonprofit-brainstorming-worksheet\/\">guide<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to non-profit brainstorming sessions. Here is a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/nonprofitwp.org\/enter-wordpress-content\/images-media-embeds\/#wordpress8217s-magical-embeds\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>lesson<\/strong><\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> from <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nonprofitwp.org\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>www.nonprofitwp.org<\/strong><\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on embedding video and other links in your posts, and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.freelancersunion.org\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>here<\/strong><\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nten.org\/articles\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>here<\/strong><\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> are some excellent examples of effective non-profit blogs from <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.freelancersunion.org\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>www.freelancersunion.org<\/strong><\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.techsoup.org\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>www.techsoup.org<\/strong><\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":11553,"template":"","article-type":[],"bit-type":[],"learning-center-category":[567,60],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.5 (Yoast SEO v24.5) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Blogging 101: How to Put Out Perfect Posts - PIR<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Enhance your fundraising and awareness initiatives with blogging. 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