I was asked to talk to some pastors about blogging. I’ve been doing it for awhile and it has become part of my pastoral ministry. I reach more people every week through my blogs than my Sunday sermon. So, in addition to a handout, I thought I’d blog. Sounds obvious. I’ve also included links to some of my blogs to illustrate.
If you are a pastor, I know you are very busy. Maybe, like me, you did not start ministry with the internet and the many contemporary methods of ministry are too complicated. Well, I want to help you understand and begin a blog. Even if you’re not a pastor, you have a story that needs to be shared.
Look in the Mirror.
Not literally, but maybe! What is important to you? What experiences do you have that might help others? An audience awaits to hear you.
I am a pastor who loves to study and speak. So, it is natural to share some of the things I’ve studies. I also deal with people’s problems. So, after helping individuals, I often blog my findings (no personal information is ever shared).
Sign up for a Blog Page.
My first blog was with Google’s ‘Blogger‘ (see Burdine’s Adventure). This is free and you can sign up with your Google Account. If your church or company has a website, most have the capability of adding a blog page. Check with who manages your webpage.
I currently use WordPress. My first WordPress site was very simple and free. I had a catchy title: Greg Burdine’s Blog. If you want to use WordPress, it is very easy to sign up here: WordPress.
I currently have my own website (see www.gregburdine.com). There’s a small charge to set up and maintain, but I have much more control of editing my page. If you’re interested, this is the youtube video that helped me the most: How to Make a WordPress Website. (Also: How to Start a Blog – Michael Hyatt)
Part of setting up your blog is writing your ‘About Me’ page (here’s mine: About Me). This will your most visited post, so make it good. Tell about yourself and family. Maybe include pictures.
Find your Story.
Story ideas are everywhere. I often get mine from my sermons (Better to Build Children Than Repair Adults; 8 Nails to Hold Your Marriage Together), current events (18 Reasons I Don’t Play the Lottery; Nanu, Nanu, Robin Williams), or life experiences (Don’t Limit God; The Day My Dad Got Saved). If you have a passion (golf, camping, eating out, etc) you can blog this.
Some people blog about specific journeys they are on (pregnancy, cancer, vacation, etc). You can include this in your blog, or start one specifically for this. The more specific your blog is, the more you will have people follow your blog consistently.
I try to keep my blogs short (500-1000 words). I don’t read long blogs. Takes too long. Use bullet points so people can glance at your content quickly (8 Benefits of Having a Daily Quiet Time). If you can number your points, it makes for a great, engaging title.
Make sure the first line or paragraph grabs attention. Sometimes the only text people see in a search is the title and the first few sentences.
Get a Great Picture.
This cannot be overstated. The right picture will bring people to your blog. Especially when you share your blog on other social media (FaceBook, Twitter, etc), a picture gets attention.
The best pictures are those you take. With camera phones you can become an experienced photographer. Some blogs are more about the photographs than the text.
I like having people in my pictures. I’ve used my children and grandchildren. I’ve scanned pictures of years ago. (See: I Love Being a Grandparent)
You can always search for pictures on the internet. Be careful of copy-written pictures. Most are okay. But you sure don’t want to ‘steal’ pictures. I try to put the best picture at the beginning of my post. I use multiple pictures in about half of my posts.
Write an Inviting Title.
Your title is what gets attention. You want people’s curiosity to drive them to read what you said. I often spend as much time trying to find a title as writing the post. You can ask a question (Do Children Go To Heaven When They Die?), or provide steps to solve a problem (3 Positive Ways To Deal With Depression), or state a contemporary issue.
Your title should be fairly short… maybe 7-10 words. Long titles look crowded.
Push ‘Publish’.
Okay, you’re ready. Read it once more and make sure it’s what you want to say, then ‘Publish.’ It won’t be perfect, but it will be out there. Don’t worry if you have mistakes. You can always change it later. Or explain in the comments.
Once published, you now have a link to your blog. Share it with friends on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn. You can email it to anyone you want. Most blogs will keep count of how many people visit your blog. This can be fun!
Well Done, Good and Faithful Blogger.
You are now a Blogger! See, that wasn’t that hard. To gain momentum, you can blog on a regular basis. At first, I blogged every day. Now, I blog about 3 times a week. I know successful bloggers who blog once a week. Pick what works well with you and commit to it for 3 months. More blogs create more opportunity for people to visit your site.
You don’t have to have a FANTASTIC blog every time. Just write good ones and be faithful. Your audience will grow as time goes by. Let me know how you’re doing!
If you have any other helps for blogging, please share them. Let’s learn from each other.
You can also read: Why I Twitter As A Pastor, Texting and Other Ways to Annoy Your Pastor.