Know What You Are Writing About?

I do, and before you start any blog, you should, too.

Why would you want any blog reader or your subscribers to think you don’t really know what you are talking about? Don’t comment on something you know nothing about, don’t review a product you haven’t actually tried, and don’t even think about writing a blog entry without some sort of research being done.

I always make sure what I am writing about has been researched upon. This may be through personal trial-and-error and experience, or through intense research from other sources, or preferably both. In some cases, I’ve spent 5 or 6 hours researching and putting that research down into a blog entry.

Get your information from a relevant source. Because Money and Blog is a blog about making money, mostly from blogs, a lot of the information comes from other blogs in the same niche. I also get much information from my university’s marketing and advertising text books. If you had a blog on classical arts or English, you might find much more information in academic essays through a local university, at a library, or at online directories. If you have a blog on reviewing video games, you should be prepared to spend the time and money purchasing/renting the game and playing it to the end, and take notes through the whole process. Taking journalism courses will also help you develop how to write for those reading your topics.

Never explicitly state you are a novice or “not an expert” on your topic. This raises a huge, red flag to the reader. Notice how that is in quotes? I have seen it, and every time I do see it, I laugh and click that blue x in the upper-right hand corner. It immediately tells me you have no idea what you are saying and I have no real reason to follow the words you’re entering in your blog.
Sometimes, your readers may comment asking you a question that delves deeper into your blog. Never answer with an “I don’t know.” Find an answer for them. Make an educated guess. Link them to another source where they can research on their own. It will keep your subscribers coming back, knowing their future questions will be answered just as concisely.

If you aren’t an expert, don’t come off like you aren’t. Let your readers think you are. I wouldn’t recommend lying, especially for new blogs, as that may come back to haunt you. Just don’t admit you are a novice in your topic. Everyone is capable of doing research, and when great research is done, you can write an excellent blog like any true expert. Writing a blog without research is just as bad as doing it on your senior thesis project: bound for failure.


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