Passionate Blogger

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When someone reads your blog their first reaction should not be, “Who talks like that!” If you are using the thesaurus every time you write a post and add words that you would never use if you were speaking face-to-face with a friend its time for a little lesson. Blogging is a conversation and I have some tips to help you connect with your readers on a more personal level by learning the art of conversational blogging.

Blogging and talk radio have a lot in common

On my radio show I talk to many callers each day. Blogging may seem different than doing a radio show but really its not. Callers respond, get fired up, and want to call the show and join in on the conversation. Blog readers might not hear your voice with their ears, but they get a feel for who you are by the words you use and the style you write.

When I write the opening monologue I am going to use on my radio show I read it out loud to make sure it sounds like a real conversation. When you read something on air (unless you are a 20 year professional) it sounds like you are reading. There is an art to reading something out loud and making it sound like you are not reading and if you want to be successful in radio and blogging you need to master this art.

When I write a blog post I read it out loud before I ever hit the publish button. If the post does not sound like a conversation I would have with a friend then I rewrite the post until it seems like a perfectly natural conversation. Your friends don’t want you to read the encyclopedia to them when you are talking to each other and neither do the readers of your blog. Write like you speak and you’ll find your readers responding to you like you are their best friend.

Ask questions?

Do you ask your readers questions that they feel compelled to respond to?

This is an old radio trick. I start each hour of my show with a question that has to do with what I we will be talking about that hour and it helps to get the listeners thinking about how they would answer the question. The next 15 minutes of my radio show I outline a story and add a personal story about how I relate to the story and why the story is important for them. I give the listener a feeling of why I am personally passionate about the story and then ask some additional questions of the audience about how they personally relate to the story, their insights, and to call me because I really want to hear their views and opinions on the topic we are discussing.

The last 15 to 30 minutes of the hour I take phone calls from passionate listeners. If you have done your job right as a talk radio show host or a blogger the phone lines or comment section of your blog lights up with callers and comments. Wouldn’t you like to get hundreds of comments on a story you have just posted to your blog? Do you ask your readers questions? I’d love to hear from you on your successes with asking readers questions and some of the amazing responses you have received.

A conversation is a two way street

There are very few bloggers and radio talk show hosts that can spend everyday talking without taking callers or responding to comments. Do you want your readers to feel like you are out of their league and they are wasting your time writing comments on your blog that you will never respond to? If you want readers to use some of their valuable time commenting on your blog then the conversation must be a two way street.

When a reader takes the time to comment on your blog then you respond to their comment this is a great way to get hundreds of comments and great way of making new friends online. How long would you talk to a person that ignored you, wouldn’t make eye contact, and acts like you do not exist? Chances are you would move on and find someone that is actually interested in what you have to say. Same goes for blog readers, they might read your blog, but they learn very quickly whether you are a person they would like to call a friend or whether you are a blow hard that is only interested in yourself.

Are you a conversational blogger?

How do you make your blog posts more conversational? There are many bloggers and new blogger that want to learn how to get more comments, engage their readers, and inspire them to leave comments on their blog. Tell us about some of the ways you make a conversational blog!