Many factors set great bloggers apart from the rest. Do you know which one that I’ve seen cropping up most over the last few years of interacting with successful bloggers? It’s that successful bloggers often have and are not afraid to express strong opinions.
While most bloggers in their niche ‘report’ the news. It is those who express opinions about the news and current events in their industry that tend to be the blogs that get linked to by others. Those blogs generate more comments and that people look to as thought leaders in a niche.
Your task today is to write a blog post that expresses an opinion.
This might seem easier for some niches/topics than others but I think it probably applies to most of us.
- If your blog is about politics – share your own personal thoughts on what a politician is saying
- If your blog is about cameras – don’t just report that a new camera has come out – tell your readers what you think of its features and who you think it’ll be useful for
- If your blog is about Britney Spears – don’t just show us her latest haircut and outfit – tell us what you think about it.
- If your blog is about food – don’t just share a recipe – tell your readers what you love about it and what occasion you’d eat it at.
Your post need not be a highly emotional one that rants and raves about your topic – to express your opinion all you need to do is add your own thoughts and feelings about the topic you’re covering.
Why Opinions Matter
You probably won’t find it suitable to share opinions on every post (although on some blogs this may be appropriate) – but when you regularly add your opinion on your blog you’ll find that it can have a significant impact.
- When you share an opinion it often draws out others to share theirs (in comments or on other blogs). Often opinion posts draw out interaction and productive conversations.
- When you share an opinion you help your readers to translate news and to understand information and how it applies to them. This makes your content more useful.
- When you share an opinion you show your readers that you’re going beyond just reporting news but are yourself engaging with and interested in the topic you’re writing about. This is infectious and will draw your readers in too.
Expressing opinions on your blog is like adding seasoning to food. Without it your blog could end up being quite bland and blend into the crowd. However when you add it you will find that it helps to give your blog unique flavor.
