‘Barroom’ Banter and Cyber-Appeal: Tips on Creating a Successful Blog

The first rule for writing a successful blog is to forget all the rules of professional writing.

That doesn’t exempt bloggers from using proper grammar and punctuation. But those who blog about

philanthropy say bloggers need to write differently than those who are composing letters, proposals, or newspaper opinion pieces.

Here are some pointers established bloggers offer to those who are thinking about starting their own blogs:

Get to the point. The most effective blog entries are brief and pointed. Unlike newspaper opinion pieces, there’s not much room for nuance, background information, or context. Instead, bloggers say, the best entries make a point quickly. “They won’t read you if it’s a column,” says Trent Stamp, the chief executive of Charity Navigator and the author of the blog Trent Stamp’s Take. “People are busy. My standard blog length is two, three paragraphs, max. I try to get in and get out.”

Identify your audience. Bloggers who write strictly about their own opinions or experiences tend to write mostly for themselves, says Albert Ruesga, author of the blog White Courtesy Telephone.

If you want your blog to gain an audience, Mr. Ruesga says, you need to think about who you are writing for and pick topics that will appeal to those readers. If you are writing for donors, for instance, provide them with information about choosing the right charities.

If you are writing for development directors, stick to topics that apply to fund raising. “You would be very self-absorbed and very foolish to not pay attention to your audience,” Mr. Ruesga says. “You don’t want to read someone who is blogging inside their own head.”

Think barroom, not boardroom. Formal language and jargon doesn’t engage readers, and it won’t stimulate much conversation on comment boards. If you want your readers to come back and offer comments, write in your regular voice — the voice you use when you’re with your family and friends.

“It’s kind of like the difference between the conversations you have at work versus the conversations you have at the bar,” says Philip Cubeta, the author of Gift Hub, a blog about philanthropy. “I personally like to hear the conversations people have at the bar.”

Read and link liberally. In the world of blogging, imitation is the rule. Most bloggers say they religiously read and borrow from the work of other bloggers — with credit, of course. And they are quick to post links to others — with the idea that their fellow bloggers will return the favor.

The best way to attract readers is through links — otherwise they won’t know where to find your work.

“I read a lot of blogs, over 100 a day. And I read almost the entire nonprofit press online and on paper,” says Jeff Brooks, the author of Donor Power Blog. “I comment on stuff. That’s what most of my content is driven by, commenting on what I see.”