| Ask a hundred bloggers, get a hundred answers. But some things you do hear repeatedly: A good blog is current and updated regularly. It’s open to comments, encourages discussion and tolerates dissent. It interacts with a community of other blogs and guides readers to relevant information. It has something interesting to say, is personal and has a unique voice.
All these are the ‘rules’ except for the last point, which is the magic that distinguishes great blogs from the forgettable majority. You can succeed equally as a sober expert or a raging wit, as long as you have something to say, and say it in a unique voice.
Voice and personality are what humanize blogs and distinguish them from most mainstream journalism and corporate communications. Blogs have taught Internet users to put a premium on a candid, human voice. If you sound like a human being, you will be received like one. If you sound like a faceless corporation or bureaucracy, you will, probably to your detriment, be viewed as one.
For PR professionals and organizations this makes blogs both appealing and risky. Many companies have used the personal nature of blogs to project a more human, public face and invite direct interaction with customers and even critics. A handful of big-time executives are often cited as examples. Arguably more important are the hundreds of rank-and-file employees blogging on behalf of their companies, either explicitly or through their personal blogs.
Given the premium on candor and humanity, two of the worst mistakes a company can make today are to manufacture a blog as a marketing tool and disguise it as an actual person’s voice, or to obfuscate in any way the relationship between a corporate sponsor and a blog. The value of a company blog is that it’s transparent, direct interaction with the public. Companies that aren’t ready for this type of relationship should not blog. And those that are should involve employees who already blog or who want to do it. Public relations’ role is to work with these informal spokespeople and ambassadors to make sure they have relevant topics, a clear set of guidelines and the support they need to succeed.
The hard part, especially for new or inexperienced bloggers, will be finding the unique voice that distinguishes a blog. This is particularly true if PR professionals are to be authors. Blogs are the anti-corporate communication - rambunctious and individual. PR and corporate communications professionals work in a world that often values homogeneity and consistency to a fault. Dragging those habits with us can destroy the natural language of engaging blogging.
Some people are natural bloggers and slip right into it. For all the rest, it’s time to abandon some of those ingrained PR instincts. With the ground rules set, here are some steps that can help you to build an original voice, or coach someone else into doing it:
Find your niche
Technorati tracks some 60 million blogs, and that doesn’t even include most of Asia. An original voice is a big part of standing out, but you also need something interesting to talk about. If it’s a personal blog, find the topic that you know best or is your passion. For a company blog, especially one that isn’t driven by the personality or fame of a CEO, look for an industry topic that your company is uniquely placed to comment upon and a company blogger who can do it justice.
Write in your own voice
Be yourself. Write the same way you talk, and let your personality show - there is no easier way to demonstrate humanity. If you’re scholarly, write like a scholar. If you’re a wit, write with humor. If you’re profane and vulgar, well if it’s a corporate blog then you might want to find somebody else. If it’s your own blog, you’re free to express yourself however you like.
Stifle the instinct to please everyone
Public relations writing is calculated not to offend, and is often hammered into the lowest-common-denominator of broadly acceptable blandness. And blandness is a blogging death sentence. Part of being a real person in a large community is encountering people who disagree with you. Don’t be pointlessly inflammatory, but also don’t worry about saying things that spark dissent. If you haven’t got an angry comment or two on your blog, you probably haven’t written anything interesting.
Acknowledge comments, especially dissent
Credibility comes from being able to deal constructively with dissent. Far too many corporate blogs moderate (edit) their comments, not just for off-topic or vulgar submissions, but for anything less than wholly flattering. A stream of sycophancy is a turnoff. If your readers don’t sense a real conversation on your blog they will look for one elsewhere. Engage with your participants and relish the challenge of defending your position when they criticize.
Crush jargon
Companies are like priesthoods. They construct impenetrable layers of language to insulate themselves from the laity. Technology companies are especially guilty of this, but it can happen anywhere. If you’re writing a hardcore industry blog then by all means use industry jargon. But ruthlessly purge company-specific jargon, and if you’re trying to reach a mass audience, think twice about industry lingo as well.
Be more than a mouthpiece
Go out on a limb. Have an opinion. Be candid. Tell us how you really feel. One of the best ways to stimulate an engaging discussion is to be a bit provocative. If it’s a corporate blog that doesn’t necessarily mean trashing your CEO or new product, but it can mean questioning things thoughtfully. Showing that you think for yourself is the route to credibility, especially for a blog with a company name on it. It will pay dividends when you do promote or defend your company.
But you also need to know the boundaries. Don’t damage your company’s reputation or your own. Be smart, and have some policies in place.
Be patient
It takes time to build an audience and also for your blogging voice to settle into its natural ground. Few people hit their stride right away. Be prepared to invest a few months in finding your voice and rhythm. Experiment and see what feels comfortable. Solicit criticism and advice. Pay attention to the comments. If you start a sales-pitch people will tune out. But if you start a conversation, people will eventually join it.
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