DISCOUNTED: How To Write a Blog People Will Read

Want to start a blog? Need to start one to promote your business or services? More than 152 million blogs already exist. How do you make yours stand out?

You could just buy a domain, monetize it and start scribbling on the virtual screen. Maybe you’ll luck out and go viral.

Probably not, though. To be worth following, you’ve got to be worth reading. That’s why journalist and acclaimed personal finance blogger Donna Freedman created Write A Blog People Will Read, an online course that will teach even the most uncertain would-be writer how to find a confident and unique style.

“Your blog can do more than merely entertain. It can be a translator, hand-holder and game-changer – but only if it gets read,” she says.

[Donna has created a discount code for 1099Mom readers. Click on the link to save 50% on the writing course, through March 31.]

Plenty of info is already out there about how to build a website, do a podcast or choose a theme. But blogging isn’t just about the nuts and bolts. It’s also about technique – and the better you write, the better your site.

This is a 12-part program that you complete at your own pace rather than being held to a particular timetable. Among other essentials, you’ll learn how to:  

• Make your point quickly, clearly and irresistibly
• Focus, then flow
• Find a distinctive voice (without being annoying)
• Speak directly to readers
• Tell people why they should care
• Never run out of ideas
• Discover ways even the busiest person (looking at you, mamas!) can find time to write
• Avoid burnout

Bloggers have just 2.1 seconds to grab a reader’s attention. So while you can tease people over with a clickbait headline, you need to keep them once they’re there – and you need them to come back. Create posts that read well and you will be well-read.

Each lesson does have “homework,” but not the kind you turn in; the  assignments help you put what you’ve learned into practice right away. Bonus: Many of them could become blog posts to publish right away.

For more information (and testimonials!) on the course, visit WriteABlogPeopleWillRead.com. The website also has a writing-focused blog with tips on best practices, including work-life balance and how to take care of yourself when combining entrepreneurship with a normal, busy life.

Again, the 50%-off coupon code is good through March 31, 2016. Remember: The better you write, the better your site.