Intro, Please! Why-A-Blog-About…

Most often, I’m so anxious to get into a book that I skip over the introduction.  I’m awfully glad I took the time to read Rolf Dobelli’s introduction to “The Art of Thinking Clearly”. Not only did that intro section help me put into perspective all the information I was going to be reading, it helped me realize how important our opening blog posts are when it comes to content writing for business blogs.

In fact, I thought Dobelli’s introduction section accomplished many of the things we need to include in opening blog posts.

• The author shares reasons he felt compelled to write the book.
  When we Indianapolis freelance blog content writers are beginning to create content for a marketing blog, we need to share with readers why we’re doing that.  WHY a blog about   (accounting, sinus conditions, long term care insurance, mattresses, divorce counseling, furniture…whatever the industry or profession or product or service)?  
   
• The author shares his own struggle to accept his findings and the process by which he arrived at his unique perspective. 
  “This is not a how-to book,” cautions Dobelli. “I think of myself as a translator whose job is to interpret and synthesize what I’ve learned.” Sharing the “why” helps personalize the blog, so that readers can feel a connection with a real person.(In Why a Blog About Juliana?, another author, Juliana Playwright reveals how seeking the answers to simple questions about the time periods she was writing about ended up becoming more complex than she might ever have imagined.)
   
• The author clarifies his end goal for the book.
  “Indeed, my wish is quite simple. If we could learn to recognize and evade the biggest errors in thinking – in our private lives, at work, or in government – we might experience a leap in prosperity. “When setting out to blog, it is important that you first set goals,” explains bonsaimediagroup.

“I'm hoping that I'll be able to get across some of my ideas about how clients who need debt help should expect to be treated, and how important I know it is to just listen to people when they need to talk about their business or their family or their health problems. So, I'm going to be here blogging, debunking, explaining, and helping. I hope you'll be here, too…”
(This is an example of the opening blog for a debt consolidation lawyer.)

Mack Collier sums it up nicely in “How to write your first blog post”: Tell them who you are, he advises, why you are blogging, what you will be blogging about, and how to leave feedback.

Whatever you do in blogging for business, don’t skip over the introduction.  Over my years of reading blogs and providing corporate blogging training, I’ve learned one thing – there’s absolutely no substitute for figuring out and then translating into words – the Why-a-Blog-About……