How to Write an A-list Blog Post That Matters

It’s important to have a method to your madness (also known as an intention). Why does this especially pertain to blog posts? Because we all have enough static coming through in our daily lives – billboard ads, TV commercials, pointless content we randomly come across online, etc, etc.; you and I don’t need to add more to the pile via posting crap on the internet that doesn’t matter. So get clear on how you decide what content is worthy of posting and what’s not.

Here’s a couple of things I keep in mind while writing a blog post: creating meaning, making a compelling and specific invitation or call to action, and building connections with others in order to evolve the conversation. I'll break it down even more for you:

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Creating Meaning
I’m here because I want to have a business that intentionally serves the evolution of humankind, particularly the awakening of Vixi’s readers, all while maintaining a positive bottom line. On the day-to-day scale, how is this possible? How do I decide what is important enough to write and post? How do I make sure my site maintains the standards of holistic thinking, holistic action, respect for all forms of life, and comes across as an invitation to join our vision? I run each blog post idea and program through two main checklists.

Checklist 1
Matthew and Terces Engelhart of Café Gratitude inspired me to makes sure every piece of content I post on Vixi gets a P.A.S.S.

P: profit = love of enterprise
A: awakening = love of transformation
S: sustainability = love of Earth or the whole
S: service = love of community

Love for a business entity is profit. As a business owner I always want to be looking out for the tender entity known as Vixi. If I nurture her, she’ll give livelihood to hundreds and empowerment to thousands. So, is this post adding value to lives of those who read it? Does it support my audience in creating profit for their enterprise?

Love of transformation is awakening. Are those involved with this business and this blog post inspired by their lives? Is my business bringing forth a new consciousness? Is this venture and this post a nurturing presence to all life? Profit and success demand it.

Love of the earth is sustainability. Does my work support or diminish our experience here on earth?

Love of community is the highest customer service. Am I using my privileged position of entrepreneur to liberate those less fortunate, cultivate love in action, and a fulfilled life? Am I being of service to my community (online AND local) by putting this content out into the world?

You can read more about Matthew & Terces’ ultra transformative, loving-edge, business philosophy in their book, Sacred Commerce: Business as a Path of Awakening

Checklist 2
Sally Kempton, author of Meditation For the Love of It, reminds me to pass my content through something called The Four Gates of Speech;

1. Is it true?
2. Is it kind?
3. Is it necessary?
4. Is this the right moment to say it?"

If my general ideas makes it through both checklists, I get the internal thumbs up and begin writing. Often times i'll run the finished post through the checklists again just to make sure i'm uber clear that what i'm putting out there is going to add the best value possible to my readers.

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Make a Compelling and Specific Invitation or Call to Action
Most of my blog content will call you to action in one way or another. The idea here is to change the world by a) being the change myself and b) making a compelling invitation by offering information and inspiration. That being said, be conscious about how you do this. Also provide specific, actionable, step-by-step information on how to solve a problem. Here are some tips (some of which come from Tyler Tervooren at Advanced Riskology):

1) Use a positive argument instead of a negative one by telling your audience what they could gain from shifting A, B, or C instead of what they might be losing. If you want someone to listen to you appeal to hope instead of fear!  You’ll be far more effective that way. Empowerment beats guilt every single time.

2) Use specific figures and show proof. If you’re using numbers show the math. If you’re linking to people or resources explain (briefly) why.

3) Entertain and/or tell a fun story. People resonate with things they can visualize and picture in their minds. They want to be able to relate....and we all love ourselves some good entertainment. Stories are one of the best ways to help people do this.

4) Make a strong call to action. Once you’re done explaining your point say something like, “Okay, here’s what I want you to do now.” It might seem obvious to you what you want them to do, but when you end an argument by actually asking for a specific action, you’re far more likely to get it.

5) Acknowledge your dear readers because change isn’t easy. It’s vulnerable and out of their comfort zone to do whatever radical thing you’re ask them to do. They have to trust in what you‘re telling them AND that you’re holding the supportive space they need to try out this new thought, action, attitude, or belief.

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Building Connections
Links = Love
Include at least 5 outbound links in every post. We are in a new paradigm on the web where people doing similar jobs are no longer considered competition. It's actually quite the opposite at this point. My business coach, Dr. Rosie Kuhn, puts it eloquently when she says that success with our business or practice is more about building relationships than it is about selling or marketing.

A way to build relationships online is to link to other people's Twitter or Facebook accounts and their posts in your writing (please make sure the links are both relevant to your post and enhance your work). The basic idea with links is that the pages with the most inbound links rise to the top of search results. If we are in agreement that we must give away that which we’d like to receive (as a law of nature) then link to other people. They will probably notice incoming traffic from your site and BOOM you’re on their radar. Maybe, if you’re lucky and you write stuff that matters, they’ll link back to you in good time.