A client asked me to edit some blog posts for her. So I did. But they still seemed a bit generic. They didn’t show enough uniqueness or personality. They didn’t hook in the reader.
So I suggested she start each post with a story (as I usually do on this blog).
Here’s a great example of the writing style I mean.
The other advantage is that stories make it easier to choose a relevant image. With the Internet becoming more visual, images are useful. They attract the eye and intrigue the reader.
For example, one of my favourite guest posts includes a picture of a full English breakfast. You can read it here.
As you may have noticed, this blog almost always include an image. Usually on the right hand side. Usually about the same width.
A picture tells a thousand words
She asked: “Should I use photographic images or illustrations?”
My own blog uses both, so I answered her with a story:
“Yesterday, I was designing some PowerPoint slides. Most of the slides contained two or three key words, on a white or coloured background, in a nice graphic font. They were clear and simple. They did the job.
But after doing some work with Lee Jackson, the PowerPoint Surgeon, I wondered whether I could make them even more visually interesting.
So I found an image to represent the main message of each slide. I made them all black-and-white for consistency. To match my house style, I made the text orange-and-white or orange-and-black depending on the darkness of the background.
The slides would have been good enough before. But now they look amazing. I will be proud to stand up and present in front of them.”
As a result of this conversation, my client is going to write some introductory stories for me to edit, and then source relevant images with a blue border to match her brand. I’m sure this will make her blog more compelling. Maybe you could do the same?
Top tips
- Start each blog post with a story
- Add a relevant image
- Don’t use standard ‘handshake’ stock photos
- Use your imagination and make your images interesting
- ‘Brand’ your images for consistency
