How PRSSA Chapters Can Blog Better
Because blogging is the cost effective and seems easy to use, it often attracts people as a great medium to reach their audience. However, effective blogging takes time and strategy. Therein lies a visible problem PRSSA Chapters are coming across as they use social media to communicate: What do we blog about and how do we keep people coming back?
To get you started on the path to better blogging, always ask, “What’s in it for me?” from your reader’s perspective. Your Chapter can create content about news, meeting minutes and documents, but how does that provide real value to your readers?
Here are some tips to keep in mind while blogging for your Chapter:
- Decide who your audience is and cater content to that audience. Is your blog for members? Is it for public relations students in general? Is it for prospective members? When you decide which audience or audiences you writing for, put yourself in their shoes and write something you would be interested in reading.
- Remember the three C’s: clear, concise and compelling. Be clear and concise by writing conversational and succinct copy. Be compelling by posting a your own perspective, not reposting or reiterating content that is already out there.
- What’s in it for the reader? It can be information, updates to a situation or another perspective, but make sure there is something in the post that benefits your readers.
- Use the blog to connect with others. There is a large chance Chapter members are blogging; be sure to comment on their posts and encourage guest posting. This will build a relationship with your audience and keep them coming back.
- Don’t give up! Nothing is quite as disheartening as seeing a Chapter give up blogging or take long breaks between posts. Be sure to post regularly and encourage several people to be involved in managing the blog so it isn’t forgotten
In addition to the above tips, check out Christa Keizer’s post on what PRSSA Chapters can blog about. She is working on the California State University Fullerton PRSSA Chapter blog and thought out loud about what the blog will discuss.
How do you think PRSSA Chapters can improve their content? Are there any words of wisdom from those who have been successful?
*This question about Chapter blogging, along with many others concerning social media, will be answered in PRSSA’s Social Media Toolkit. This resource will answer questions on how Chapters can use new tools strategically to communicate to members and other target audiences.
