I’m working with a small educational institution, helping them develop a blog that covers their specialized approach to educating students. It’s a great project; worthwhile, their blog could be a hub for writing and resources that I haven’t seen on the Web.
There’s one problem (so far!): finding and motivating regular contributors among the ranks of their institution. As part of my work for the school, I’ve brainstormed 5 ways they can get dedicated contributors on board:
- Don’t ask someone broadly, “can you write a post?â€, instead ask them “can you write about X?†Ask them to write about their expertise or passion. That way people will give you better work and will enjoy it more. Set them up for success.
- Approach people and be ready to answer every “No” they could possibly have.
- First approach people that will both be likely to give you a “yes” and be advocates for your project. In every organization there are leaders, if not in position then by personality. Get the pied pipers on board first.
- Give the best support you can to your contributors. Develop a tip list for your contributors that will help them write posts: headline ideas, topic brainstorming ideas, and post format ideas. All of this together answers the statement, I don’t know how to write a blog post.
- Develop a good “elevator pitchâ€. It can be a very effective tool. One thing to be aware of: this term is often used around the business world, but there is no reason the techniques can’t be used in any number of settings. The idea is to deliver a summary of your blog in 30 seconds, in such a way that the pitchee then asks you to talk more about the project. Because you’ve created interest about your project, they’ll want to know more.
I’m sure there are other effective ways to get contributors to your blog on board. How have you done it?