by Lior Levin

Every blogger, at some point in their writing career, gets a little stumped when it comes to finding something great to write about. In the beginning, ideas are flowing like crazy. But at some point, between wanting to be completely original and yet wanting to drive tons of traffic to the blog, many bloggers find themselves slowly but steadily running out of steam.

This is where content planning comes in. I admit that planning out every post for the next year seems incredibly difficult, but content planning doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to come up with all of the content at once. Instead, simply try to incorporate different types of posts. The ideas will come naturally when you start there.

Here is a list of 8 types of posts that will bring a nice mix of content to your blog and get ideas flowing again.

News Posts

Too many bloggers fail to embrace the significance of the news. While the news, by its very nature, is not evergreen, covering news from time to time is going to bring fresh, and predictable, traffic to the blog. Most bloggers forsake traditional reporting, leaving all of the opportunity to mainstream media. Take advantage of the fact that people are searching for articles related to current events – and also realize that these articles get retweeted and shared on social media sites rather frequently as well.

Event Posts

This is another type of post that’s fairly easy to write if you’re finding yourself nearing blogger’s block, or if you’re tired of writing the same things all the time. Blogging about events actually has more than one benefit. If the event requires ticket sales, it’s possible that you could generate affiliate income by directing your readers to purchase tickets, if an affiliate option is available. Events also bring both “before” and “after” traffic by people searching for information about it. Lastly, like the news, events are rarely covered by the mass majority of bloggers out there, so you will give yourself the advantage of offering something unique to your readership.

Pick of the Week Posts (Content Curation)

Whether it is a great photo, tweet, blog post, or comment left by a reader, singling out a group of favorite things will ensure that you have something to talk about. My personal favorite is re-capping the comments that have been left on a blog by readers. Remind people that your blog is a place to be social and to speak up. Highlighting photos weekly – perhaps ones that are especially bizarre, timely, or moving – also gives your blog some texture. These types of posts take very little time to write since they primarily involve content curation.

How to Posts

It is widely accepted notion by pro bloggers that how to posts are a critical type of post to add to your content plan. How to posts have the potential to do two things: (1) generate consistent traffic, and (2) increase blog authority. They are likely to be referenced in other user-generated content articles (blogs, Squidoo lenses, Hubpages, etc.), which both drives traffic and increases incoming links. And how to posts may be bookmarked both publicly and privately, creating repeat, loyal readership.

Focusing too much on how to posts could lead to blogger’s block, though, if you’re more focused on simply incorporating this type of post than you are on actually communicating something important. When considering what to write, think of the last time you needed to figure out how to do something. What was it? Write the process down and publish it on your blog. Instant content!

Controversial Posts

It’s probably fair to say that you don’t agree with everything that you read. If you are a regular blogger and blog reader, it might even be fair to say that daily, you find something you totally disagree with. Write about it – and link to the source. Don’t just spout your personal opinion about something which the reader has no frame of reference. Specifically talk about the fact that you read something that you don’t agree with. Include why, link to it, and for some flavor, pull a quote or two from the original source and put that into your post. See if you don’t inspire some heated discussion from your readers.

Introduction To/Subject Overview Posts

While it may seem boring, writing a post that introduces and/or explains a topic is easy and incredibly beneficial for increasing traffic and blog authority. From time to time, write a post that is simply an overview of a particular topic. Include links, images, pull quotes, and whatever else you can curate to give readers a very substantial and quality overview. More than likely, this type of post will not be a hot topic in social media circles, but if your blog already has great authority and page rank, you will find yourself generating a lot of traffic by people who are searching for information on that topic. You’ll also earn yourself links from writers who feel your post is the most reliable source of information on that topic.

Research Results Posts

When you’re finding yourself at a loss for something to write, turn to your favorite press release distributor, such as PR Newswire, PRWeb, or something similar. They are excellent places to come up with great ideas – especially those based on recent research. On your blog, publish your opinion – or ask your readers for their opinions – on research results that would be of interest to them.

Infographic Posts

This is possibly the easiest way to eliminate blogger’s block. Infographics are created to be written about and shared. The nice thing about this type of post is that you don’t need to be the one to create the infographic. Instead, just share it. Grab the code, insert it into your blog post, and publish. If you want, you could add a paragraph or two summing up your opinion on the infographic, or you could write an overview for it. You could also include a poll from PollDaddy.com on the subject, giving your readers a way to interact with the content. If the infographic is good, you’re likely to get a lot of social media shares and links.

The DailyInfographic.com is a great source for infographics. The more timely your infographic, the more likely it will be that you will see a surge in traffic and shares from it.

Those 8 types of posts alone could keep you busy for awhile. What other types of posts inspire ideas for you?

This guest post is written by Lior Levin, a marketing consultant for a company that offers psd to xhtml conversion.

Photo credit: Michael Davie

One of the issues writers always struggle with is what to charge for their writing. Here’s how I advised a friend recently. She was contacted by someone asking her to guest post for a set fee and wanted to know how to respond to them, as the money didn’t seem huge but she wanted to build up the paid blogging side of her business.

Here was my initial advice on average rates for writing blog posts:

What you can charge for posts depends on your profile and their budget. Small blogs may only pay $15-20 a post, while corporate/big blogs may be anywhere upwards of $50.  So the fee offered (about $30) sits right in the middle. (I also know bloggers who don’t do posts for less than $100-$150 apiece for corporate clients. )

Then I suggested that another consideration should be the work involved in writing the post:

If it’s a topic you’re expert in and you can write without thinking about it too much, then that would be ok (just) for a short post (400-500 words). If you have to write a longer, more detailed post and provide images, upload it yourself and so on, then you could ask for a bit more if you think they want it badly enough.

I followed this up with thinking about how the job sat with her personal productivity:

One way I work out a rate is to think of my hourly rate and halve it because I can easily write two 500 word posts in an hour, if it’s a topic I know inside out. (Update: but most people would expect you to take an hour to write a post and more time for associated tasks, so keep this in mind as well.)

Finally, I provided a short script for a response that left room for a future price increase:

You could also respond positively to the offer and make it clear that you will do it for $30 as an introductory rate, but would want more if it turns into something regular.

I always believe in leaving room for negotiation.

New writers, would this work for you? Experienced writers, what other advice would you add?

Update: This guest blogging opportunity has now ended.

I’ve just landed a new gig – and it’s one that provides an opportunity for writers looking to raise their profile with guest blogging. I’m going to be managing Quips and Tips for Achieving Your Goals, part of the the successful Quips and Tips network, owned by Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen. I wrote  some posts for the blogs earlier in the year.

Why is this good news for you?

Because the site is open to guest writers. In fact, it’s more than just open – we really, really want you to share your tips with readers.

Why Guest Post on Quips and Tips for Achieving Your Goals?

From my own experience as a writer on some of the sites, I can tell you that you get a great author bio and your post gets tweeted out a couple of times to 7,500 Twitter followers (and that’s just Laurie’s account. Add my Twitter followers into the mix and it’s going to nearly 10,000 people on Twitter alone – that’s great exposure.

If you’re interested in taking up this offer, check out Laurie’s Perks and Procedures post and start writing. I’m looking forward to publishing your posts!

It’s no secret that I’ve been a long time advocate of promoting yourself through your writing. In other words, you should use some of those writing chops for you and not just for your clients. When I started blogging, I advocated article marketing as a promotional strategy, and while that still has its place, an even better way to showcase your writing talent is by guest blogging. I’ve been doing a lot more of it for two reasons.

1. Guest Blogging is Fun

I am interested in all kinds of things and sometimes I want to write about more than just writing or promotion or blogging. Sometimes I want to release my inner geek in my writing or explore an aspect of parenting. Or try to write about something I’m familiar with for a new audience. Guest blogging allows me to do that. Some of my recent guest posts and articles include:

• Getting Paid to Write – It’s More Than Just Writing
• Five Ways To Go Green In Everyday Life
• How to Plan A Green Vacation
• Twylah – Fan Pages For Your Twitter Stream
• How to Use Speech Recognition Software – 5 Tips for Writers
• 5 Things About Managing Money I Learned From My Mom

As you can see, I’ve written about a few topics I wouldn’t normally cover here.

2. Guest Blogging Enhances My Professional Reputation

I’m a professional writer and blogger. When my clients see my byline attached to posts on well respected blogs, that makes me look good. (And that’s part of the reason I put in my best effort to anything I write. Whether I get paid or not, I still have professional standards and the only person I hurt if I don’t live up to them is myself.) What’s more, there’s a bit of a numbers game, too. When I first got online, I got very excited the first time I did a vanity search in Google and got 100+ results; now those results are in the tens of thousands. If you’re hiring someone, won’t the person who seems to be everywhere at least make you take a second look? So even when I post good quality posts on sites that are still up and coming, I’m still getting some benefit.

3. More Guest Blogging Benefits

And there’s more. The more places I blog, the more I connect with other bloggers – and I have met some wonderful people through blogging. I love connecting with like minded people and get a lot of intellectual satisfaction and mental stimulation from the process (which is a boon for any writer.) Past experience also shows that just as I recommend the people I connect with to others who need professional writing, blogging and social media services, they also recommend me, so everybody wins.

Do you guest blog? If you do, and want to publish posts on writing, then check out our guest posting guidelines and send me your ideas.

Image: photostock / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Raise your hands if you need a blogging mentor! I believe in learning something new whenever I can, so when Annabel Candy announced her new Successful Blogging site and a shiny new ebook, also titled Successful Blogging in 12 Simple Steps (disclosure), I immediately stuck my hand up for a review copy.  After all, even if you’ve been blogging for years, there’s always a chance that you’ve missed something.

Successful Blogging Contents and Summary

Successful Blogging is a 64-page, 12-step guide to blogging covering (the summaries are mine):

1. Topic & Goals – How to come up with a topic and sub-topics for your blog, with questions and worksheets to help you focus.

2. Branding – Brainstorming your brand, describing it and securing it.

3. Planning a blog – Design brief and content organization – pre-planning to save time later.

4. Blog set up – A quick tour of the main WordPress functions so you can get up and running fast.

5. Writing static content – How to brainstorm and write about pages and other static pages on your site.

6. Writing blog posts – Types of blog posts and headlines.

7. Writing for the web – Web writing, formatting and editing to make your blog posts great.

8. Reality check and adding value – Checking that everything you’ve done so far works; adding pillar content.

9. Blogging and other social media – A brief guide to getting started with Twitter and Facebook.

10. Online networking – Exactly what it says on the tin – starting out with networking online.

11. SEO, stats and rating progress – The behind the scenes stuff that can make or break your blog.

12. Guest posting – How to find and land guest posting opportunities.

There’s also a bonus chapter on motivation.

How The Book Works

Each chapter is clearly laid out and covers a couple of pages. The chapter content includes a thinking point, a hot tip (as in ‘here’s a way to make this work quickly’, an action point and a checklist to help you go over the content and apply it to your own blog. This is all based on Annabel’s actual experience of growing a blog from nothing to a well respected and often visited blog in its niche. She knows what she’s talking about, but takes the time to explain it in bite sized chunks so her readers will too. That’s why this is a great guide for someone completely new to blogging. There’s no chance that you will be overwhelmed.

SEO – Where Should It Be?

There’s just one area where I disagree with Annabel – and that’s where she places the chapter on SEO. Personally, I’d think about SEO right at the start, when choosing a domain name and before I write any content. That might be hindsight talking, though. When I started my first blog almost six years ago, I didn’t think about SEO till I’d already been blogging for months. And, to tell the truth, if you’re an experienced blogger, you can just dip into the SEO chapter when you think it’s right to do so.

Benefits For Experienced Bloggers

Notice how I mentioned experienced bloggers? That’s because I think we can gain something from this blog too. I don’t know about anyone else, but when I started my first blog (the blog that eventually became Get Paid to Write Online), I didn’t know enough about blogging to approach it in a systematic way. I know a lot more now, but it will be interesting to use Annabel’s lists to check my progress when I start my next blog.

Finally, all bloggers can benefit from Annabel’s tips on using guest blogging to promote their blogs and the extensive list of tools and resources at the end. To add to the value, there’s a great list of tools and resources at the end.

Grab A Copy of Successful Blogging

This  ebook self study course on blogging is available in three options:

• Ebook and bonus chapter for $29
• Ebook, audiobook recording, bonus chapter and case studies for $39
• Ebook, audiobook recording, bonus chapter, case studies and two hour personal consultation for $499

Check it out for yourself!

by Jered Slusher

Jered promised to review the headlines on this blog as part of his launch of the Blog Headline Action Guide. This post is the result. Enjoy!

Wish you could wake up in the morning and see your year-old blog post is still being passed around virally? Imagine what that would do for your traffic stats.

For Sharon Hurley Hall of Get Paid to Write Online, this wish is a reality. One post by a guest blogger on March 1, 2010 has received:

• 27 Comments
• 89 Facebook Likes
• Over 2,200 Twitter Tweets

And on top of all that, the post is ranked 2^nd in Google for its key phrase.

The post?

10 Most Common Writing Mistakes by Tom Walker

This blog post is a case study in how an irresistible headline can drive massive amounts of traffic.

There are three fundamental reasons why this headline works so well:

1. The headline is targeted to Get Paid to Write Online readers.

When people visit this blog, they’re looking for ways to make money online through writing. One of the most common fears of beginning writers is the fear of rejection. It’s hard to invest lots of time into writing if there is no promise of publication. This headline plays to that fear of rejection by promising to reveal 10 common mistakes that will kill your chances of getting published.

The headline also promises that the post will be in an easy to scan list format. Readers love to share posts that are easy to scan.

2. The headline clearly lays out the subject matter.

There’s no guess work involved with this headline. We know we’re going to learn about common writing mistakes. Let’s say Tom wrote the post and used the headline “10 Common Mistakes Writers Make.” At first glance, it may look like this headline works well as a substitute. However, this headline is not as specific, as the mistakes that writers make could be anything: time management, researching markets, etc.

The headline “10 Most Common Writing Mistakes” is more specific and in-tune with what the post is about. As writers we have to be careful to make sure our posts accurately reflect what we’re writing about. Readers love to share posts that have headlines that clearly explain the subject matter that’s covered.

3. The headline makes every word count.

It’s not an accident that the post ranks #2 on Google for “10 Most Common Writing Mistakes.” Every word in this headline counts. Readers are sharing the link to the post using the headline, and the headline is something that readers would genuinely search for.

Besides being good for SEO, people are more likely to share posts that have clear, concise headlines. The post explains the subject matter in 5 words. That’s brief! When we use brevity, the headline tends to pack a punch that grabs the reader’s attention.

The big picture to this post’s success:

Tom Walker delivers on his promise of giving us the 10 most common writing mistakes. His writing is engaging, and it covers some of the most devastating mistakes that writers make. All these mistakes cost writers their reputation, publication, and ultimately, their ability to make more money.

Because his headline is irresistible, and his content delivers on his promise, people want to share the post.

The result? More exposure for Get Paid to Write Online.

How to Write Blog Headlines to Increase Traffic and Subscribers

I would like to help you create irresistible headlines for your blog so that you can see more traffic, get more subscribers, free up your time, have better content, and make more money.

I’ve just released the Blog Headline Action Guide and Toolkit so you can create attention getting headlines, just like the “10 Most Common Writing Mistakes” headline that works so well for this blog.

For a limited time, I’m also offering you the opportunity to work 1-on-1 with me to create a blog headline strategy that works for you.

For more information on how to reserve your spot, check out: Blog Headline Action Guide and Toolkit (aff)

If you’ve been following me on Twitter or Facebook, by now you will know that I’ve landed a gig writing occasionally for the Quips and Tips blog network.  This writing gig was a gift to myself and although it’s a paid blogging gig, the reasons I wanted to do it had very little to do with the money. What I like about this gig is:

• Although I can write for the well-known writing blog, I can also write for the goals blog, the money and love blog or most of the others in the network. It’s nice to have a choice.
• I can choose when I write. There’s no pressure to deliver a set number of posts in a certain time. That means when my client work is lighter I can write more, and when I’ve got a heavy workload, I can write less. That alone makes it a dream writing gig.
• I get links to my sites, resources and profiles from a respected group of sites – lots of SEO juice there.
• I can use the knowledge I’ve built up of different subjects. All though all of you know that I write about writing, did you know that when I started freelancing, I wrote a heck of a lot about financial stuff? Credit cards, mortgages, loans, insurance, estate planning – I’ve written about all of those, sometimes exhaustively. That’s why my first post is on funeral planning, but I plan to write about more fun stuff in the future.
• It’s fun – I get to choose my topics which means there’s finally a home for some of the random things that occur to me. I can turn these into articles in the Money and Love topic (which I think has a lot of scope). And if they’re not right for that one, they might suit another blog in the network.

As you can see, I’m getting a lot out of this writing gig and of course, I plan to give a lot back. Fair’s fair!

Have you ever taken a writing gig for reasons other than the pay? How did that work out?

When I got the email asking me to take a look at the Blog Headline Action Guide and Toolkit (aff) (by Jered Slusher and Jean Sarauer), I didn’t expect to like it as much as I did. In some ways, you could say the information it contains is common sense, but if you are starting your blog and want to draw your readers in, this is a good resource. It’s also pretty useful for bloggers who are feeling out of ideas and creative spark.

What’s Inside

Here’s the first part of the table of contents:

• Why Strong Headlines Increase Traffic, Subscribers, and Sales
• The Essentials of Irresistible Headlines
• 9 Simple Steps to Writing a Great Headline
• How to Evaluate & Transform Your Headlines

The first section of the book takes you through all the places where your blog headline will be seen, from search engines to status updates and more. It explains why it’s essential to use your headlines to draw readers’ and sharers’ attention when there is so much competition.

In part two, the authors highlight some headline writing techniques, citing examples from a wide range of blogs. There’s also a box at the end with the takeaways from those two sections. Part three gives you a 9-step headline writing process, making key points about identifying your reader, making them interested and checking that you’re not making any unsubstantiated claims. Part four picks apart some headlines, using a ‘hot or not’ formula, providing some additional lessons on which headlines work and why.

Taking Action on Blog Headlines

As usual with books of this type, I find the toolkit section most useful. It includes worksheets to allow you to put all the principles in the book into practice:

• Headline Writing Tip Sheet
• The Headline Checklist…
• 9-Step How to Write a Headline
• 5-Step Headline Transformation…

and, best of all:

• 175 Sure-Fire Headline  Formulas

Is It Useful?

I think the value that this book brings is collecting information about headline writing in one handy place. It also gives good guidance for people that struggle with headline writing. Is it worth the $27 price tag? That’s really your call. At the moment, that price includes monthly headline training updates and a 1-on-1 email consultation, so it looks like a good deal to me. If you’re still unsure, perhaps this interview with Jered will help you decide. As for me, I plan to use the Blog Headline action Guide the next time I’m feeling short of headline writing inspiration.

Coming soon: Jered Slusher reviews the headlines on Get Paid to Write Online and assesses why one headline in particular works well.

I’m always interested in anything that helps us to write better and one area that can often be improved is headline writing. A new resource from Jered Slusher and Jean Sarauer aims to help bloggers with this area. I asked Jered a few questions about the Blog Headline Action Guide and Toolkit (aff).

Jered, why have you decided to bring this book out now? Do bloggers really need it?

I wrote this book because I know how frustrating it can be to create strong headlines for a blog post. When I started out writing blog posts, I was frustrated by the amount of time I spent trying to create a “catchy” headline. I spent hours searching the internet looking for how to create something that would really draw readers in. There’s some good information out there, but nobody really seemed to have a big picture view of how blog headlines really work, or were giving enough information to create a solid headline crafting plan.

The Blog Headline Action Guide and Toolkit is not for everyone. If you’re not serious about creating a successful blog, then it’s probably not for you. Simply put, if you are motivated to grow your blog, and you’re looking to create attention-getting headlines, then this product is for you. The Blog Headline Action Guide provides you with step-by-step instructions for creating headlines that get readers to read your blog posts. Included with this guide is a separate toolkit with easy-to-use tips, checklists, worksheets, and headline formulas that you can put to work for you immediately.

What are the worst headline mistakes you see?

There are three major headline mistakes that ruin blogs.

The first big mistake is not providing content the readers want to read. The trick is to create something remarkable, unusual, and exceptional. I see too many articles about “The Benefits of Eating Vegetables” and not enough about “Can Broccoli Really Give You Kidney Stones?” It’s not about what you think the reader wants to read. You have to know what your readers want to read. If your headline doesn’t show that you know your reader, you’re done for.

The second big mistake is being vague and not introducing the subject matter of the post. You want to give the reader a sense of what they’re about to read. If you write a headline like “Cool Things to Read,” what’s the chances people are going to share it with their friends, or find it in the search engines? Not likely. But, if you write something like “How to Get 5,000 Blog Subscribers in 10 Minutes” and went on to link people up to several posts that talk about getting subscribers, people are likely to find you in the search engines, and share the post with their friends. Just make sure you’re telling the truth. Again, the headline has to clearly set the tone and subject matter for the post.

The last big mistake is not using keywords that your reader will recognize. I’ll give you an example from my own experience. When Jean Sarauer and I started creating this guide, I kept referring to it as an “Article Headline Mastery” guide. Jean quickly pointed out that bloggers talk about “blog posts” and don’t use the word “article” as frequently. “Article” is a much more sophisticated and formal word which doesn’t create the same informal, personal effect as “blog post” does. So, if you’re writing to bloggers, use blogging language. If you’re writing to car enthusiasts, use automotive language. Spend some time learning the lingo and tailor your posts to your audience.

How can a blogger who’s short of time use this guide most effectively?

What I’m most excited about is the Blog Headline Toolkit that’s included with this. The tools in the toolkit can be picked up and used immediately to improve the effectiveness of your headlines. The toolkit includes 28 tips to get more out of your headlines, The Headline Checklist (what to look for before you hit publish), The 9-Step Quick Guide to The Headline Writing Process, The 5-Step Headline Transformation Worksheet and 175 Sure-Fire Headline Formulas. Of course, I don’t recommend using the tools without learning how to use them first. You don’t just grab hold of a buzz-saw and start cutting out your wood. You want to learn the important information about how to use the tool safely and effectively. That’s what the Blog Headline Guide is for. The guide is packed with the fundamentals of irresistible headlines that show you how big league bloggers use headlines to create successful blogs. Once you learn how to use the tools, the toolbox is there for you to use again, and again, and again.

What’s your vision for the Blog Headline Action Guide and Toolkit?

I see the Blog Headline Action Guide and Toolkit as timeless. Even though times are going to change, the fundamentals of blog headlines are going to stay the same. The people that are purchasing the product are investing in the future of their blogs. They’re saying that they want to build their blog’s foundation on rock, not sand. They’re saying that they want to grow their blog, and they’re willing to do what it takes to achieve their dreams. It’s really an honor to work with these people, because it inspires me to do better.

One of the things I’m most looking forward to are the two bonuses that come with the Blog Headline Action Guide and Toolkit. I’m going to hold official 1-on-1 e-mail consultations with everyone that purchases the product. This is my way of making sure that everyone gets immediate value from this guide. I’m also going to provide exclusive monthly training updates to everyone that purchases.

I’m passionate about helping people create strong blog headlines.

Thanks, Jered. I’ll be reviewing the Blog Headline Action Guide and Toolkit within the week.

Ghostblogging is a great way to get paid to write. As I’ve said before, blogging is how I got my own start in freelance writing and a good portion of my income today comes from blog writing, posting, and the marketing of client’s blogs. People and companies pay writers to write for their blogs and these writing gigs are much more informal than many other types of writing jobs, which is what some ghostbloggers enjoy most about it. You can get paid to blog for others in many different niches, offering you a great opportunity to make money doing something that could be a lot of fun. It’s most fun when you have an endless supply of things to blog about and make it as interactive as possible.

Blogs need to be focused for them to be effective. A lot goes into the successful ones and if you’re blogging for someone who is using their blog as a platform to increase their brand, improve their SEO, sell something specific, and / or improve customer relationships you’ll want to: write about things that are interesting to readers, utilise good blog optimisation practises, and if you’re doing it regularly, you’ll want to find a way to keep great ideas coming. Here are some of the ways you can do all of that so that you’ll get results for your customers, resulting in their wanting to keep paying you to write for them:

1. Industry research. Stay on top of the industry you’re writing about. Subscribe to other blogs in that niche and set a Google Alert for topic-related phrases.  Google will send you links, save you research time, and could supply you with endless blog post ideas. I love checking Google Blogs Search and Google News with keyword phrases when I need help.
2. Find out which keywords your client should rank for. Keyword optimisation isn’t everything but keeping it in mind will definitely help you help your customer rank for words and phrases that will get them the results they want. Pepper the blog posts with these phrases, especially in the title, subheadings, anchor text, and image tags. I also look to see who is currently ranking for those words and work to help my client look better in the search engine results than the existing top spots.
3. Interact. Interact with the blog readers. Try to inspire conversation in the comments with your text and get involved in conversations that get started as a result of your posts. Comments are good for the client’s search engine rankings and conversations attract crowds (which is always a good thing in the blogosphere).
4. Social media. Suggest to your client that social marketing and bookmarking services are part of what you’ll do for the blog. This provides you with additional invoicing opportunities, increases the blog’s exposure, and participating in discussions about the topic as part of your project will provide you with further ideas for future blog posts.
5. Linking. Take opportunities to link internally to other posts. This will keep the reader on the site longer and benefits the site from a search engine optimisation perspective. Don’t hesitate to link to authority sites in that niche as well as interesting news articles and other blogs.  The readers and authors of those blogs may follow track backs back to your customer’s site. Talk to your client about your strategy to ensure they’re on board but when you do link in and out of the blog, it will benefit the reader and the blog itself.

I love blogging. I have about a dozen of my own blogs and regularly blog for other sites as well as ghostblog for clients.

Oh, and…if you want to learn more about getting started in blogging, Sharon Hurley Hall has just released Getting Started in Blogging for the Kindle.