Push-Up Bra blogging [4]: the Push-Up Bra Approach

Hello again.

Before we jump into today's edition of this *free* e-course I'd like to thank all of those who've already donated to my fund-raising via my Just Giving page.  And if you're not one of those ... and you find anything even vaguely useful or entertaining today ... please consider a small donation to help me reach my £500 target. It's for the Save the Children charity ... not me!

Onwards ...

The first couple of posts in the Push-Up Bra Blogging series - from The McFly Approach Part 1 and Part 2 to elements of Caroline South's lovely guest spot yesterday - covered the 'WHY?'element of this course.

• We've looked at a few general reasons why someone might feel like boosting their current blogging schedule and why occasionally making a little extra effort might be worthwhile.

And, if it did its job correctly, and it motivated you to think again about what you could get out of blogging ... :

• then round about now you might just be starting to feel like logging back in and drafting out a post. Maybe?
• So let's take advantage of that boost to your motivation shall we? Because today I've got some suggestions as to what you could fill that draft post with in ...

The first of our'WHAT?'based approaches [and the approach after which I named the entire series]:-

It's been tricky for me to describe this series in a brief, easily tweetable, lift-pitch, headline phrase because: yes, it is kind of about blogging more... but, then again ... not really.

[Who wants to blog more for the sake of blogging more?]

But ... then again, at the same time ... it kind of is about blogging more often ... so ... well ... errrrm ...

You see my difficulty?

More is more ... except when it's just an illusion!

Just because you might be wanting to blog more often it doesn't necessarily mean you're going to need to find the time to make more crafty things or visit more blog-worthy places etc etc 

[Unless of course you've been wanting to do more of all those things anyway. In which case, why aren’t you doing them already? With or without a blog? But, hey, stop getting me side-tracked! That sounds like the topic for a whole other e-course!]

No, what I’m actually suggesting is that you follow the example set by the average cleavage enhancing brassiere, because:

A push-up bra doesn't physically create any more 'boobage' ... it just collects together what's already there ... and puts it on more prominent display!

Take this approach to your blogging and you'll easily have at least one good solid post per week for the rest of your life!

Example 1:

• Scrappers: I don't know how many scrapbook pages you make each month ... but there's a good chance it adds up to more than I make [remember, I've read some of your Month in Numbers posts ... I know what you get up to ... so I'm not just talking out of the top of my hat here! ;-)]. 
• Now ... how many do you blog?
• Because I blog just about all of mine in a post of their own.

Example 2:

• Cardmakers: you know when you make birthday cards for everyone close to you because if you gave them a shop-bought one they'd feel slighted?
• Do you photograph each one and then blog it?
• Because I do. Pretty much.

In fact ... here's my Dad's latest birthday card as evidence!

And, do you know what?

I probably don't make any greater amount of 'stuff' than you ...

... I just happen to blog the majority of the 'stuff' I do make ...
 and that has the tendency to fool the eye ... like a blogging tromp l'oeil!

This is an idea I develop even further - including the number one tip of the series about how to get all the necessary photographing and blogging of stuff completed - in a post 3 weeks from today [I know, I'm a tease!].

But, until then, before we move on to thrusting it all out there, you can get yourself prepared by beginning to think about how much you already have to push together and fool the eye!

Carry out a 'blogworthiness' audit!

Spend a short while with your diary, notebook, scrappy bit of paper [I know from experience that papercrafters are the least likely people to have any scrap paper on hand in an emergency, but do try!] ... and:

• Make a list of everything you already do [within reason people ... within reason! Oh my!] eg. hobbies, activities, pastimes etc ...
• Be specific eg. "make samples for the classes I teach" / "make a handful of cards per month to give to the kids' school friends"/ "read with the kids"/ "walk the dog" /etc etc
• And be general too! List other things you dabble in or which only happen occasionally eg. scrapbook layouts / cards / journal pages / try a new recipe / fiddle with your DSLR settings / take photos on your phone / listen-in to other people's conversations on the bus / receive gifts which other people might like to see /  experiment with clothes or make-up... etc etc
• Be thorough ... I bet you're far more interesting than you're giving yourself credit for!
• Now read back through the list looking for which items fit in with and reflect with that blogging 'voice' we talked about last week. 

You might want to:

• focus on one key area on that list to give your blog a specialised theme ...
• or you might want to bring in a more 'lifestyle' / eclectic approach ... and combine several of your favourites. Whatever works for you!

Based solely upon what it is you're looking to share, what the theme of your blog is, what category you fit into, what best reflects what you're trying to portray etc on your blog ...

... start thinking how, without having to do anything more than you already do, you can make the most of all those current very 'bloggable' opportunities you're neglecting!

• Stop trying to find time to make more or do more if you're already busy enough ... and pay more attention to what it is you're already doing!
• Start seeing them all as individual blogging opportunities;
• If appropriate / feasible ... collect some of them together or photos you've taken of them previously;
• Or else decide to take more photos of them from now on.
• And, pretty soon, you'll inevitably have a basis for several - if not plenty - more posts!

As I mentioned earlier ... do hang on in there for my best piece of advice [coming in 3 weeks' time] on just this subject [I love it so much I gave it a title and post all to itself!!] But until then, in short:

Start shoving all that perfectly share-able fodder - that you're currently hiding under your jumper - into a virtual push-up bra for all to see!  

Now ... with that image floating awkwardly in the air around us ... let's move along swiftly to just a couple more ideas for the kinds of posts you could turn to to boost that blog of yours.

How about blogging a review, demo or some hints + tips about things you already have or already know about?

 

This kind of thing needn't be a full-blown professional type of post or one which is sponsored.

[That said, plenty of bloggers do go down that route if that's something you feel like following-up. Just bear in mind that it's seen as good blogging practice to mention when you're getting payment for a post or when you've been given something for review purposes. OK. End of lecture.]

 

... but these kinds of posts can be another simple way to connect with your readership without having to have spent hours planning / preparing unique craft projects etc. For example:

 

What about a simple, quick, overview of a new product you've just bought?

 

Be it a new range of paints, a new tool, a new lens or yarn etc etc ... as we tend to buy so many of our crafting materials online these days we're shopping without the benefit of being able to see, squeeze, prod and scrutinise items before we make a purchase.

 

Your readers might find it useful to see ...

• a quick 'compare and contrast' with an earlier version or a different brand;
• whatever it is out of its packet and in your hand - to judge its size for example. [Leave that one alone ... I was, for a change, not trying to sound risque there!]
• how many items / sheets there are of something in a pack;
• a few detailed close-ups to be better able to judge quality or colour etc;
•  and so on and so on ....

It can be so annoying to spot something in an online shop which you think you might like .... but then not be able to find a decent photo of the full contents anywhere? Not even on the manufacturer's site! So it's great when someone shares better images and more accurate details on their blog.

I still recall how useful I found a post of this kind on the Sarah's Cards Design Team blog a while ago now [I know it's a DT blog, but I think the principle would apply anywhere]. The blogger had opened a packet of journaling tags / cards and laid out all the different designs to demonstrate exactly what was inside because, from the packaging you just couldn't tell. And they didn't have to make anything from the tags for it to be a useful post. [And, for the record ... no, I didn't get paid to mention them! I genuinely just remember it being a practical category of post!]

Maybe you could demonstrate a tool or a product and explain or explore how it works to share your knowledge and build links with less experienced readers: 

• Can you demystify the inner workings of the ATG gun, the Bind-it-All, the Gelli plate? etc etc 
• Can you share it in a couple of photos or a quick video?
• Can you remember back to when you were confused by a new technology / software / techniques etc ...?
• Can you blog a list of shortcuts, things to avoid and general advice for newbies to .. whatever it is you can demonstrate!  

This kind of peer-to-peer learning,in normal, friendly, everyday language can often make more of a lasting impression on us than any dry, technical manufacturer's instruction sheet.

 

For example ...

 

... ever since hearing one crafty-friend yelling 'die face up' across the room at another crafty-friend ...

 

... I've never forgotten the best way to load cutting dies into a Big Shot  !

 

And finally, while we're on the subject of useful advice, why not ...

 

Try a'skills audit'to identify some of the skills you've picked up over time + build them into a set of posts.

• Just jot down a few of the things you can already do ...
• then break it down into one key piece of advice ... or several understandable chunks ....or a series of step-by-steps  ... or short video  ... etc

And suddenly ... without having to learn anything new yourself, without making anything new, reinventing the wheel or even leaving the house ... you're filling your blog with content which makes you a useful person to follow, to subscribe to, to engage with.

The sharing of personal, genuine, tried + tested advice is a staple of many a successful blog. and there's no reason yours can't be added to that list any time soon!

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Any responses, bursts of inspiration, nods of recognition ... send them all my way - it's great finding out which bits of the series are ringing true with you and hitting the intended target! 

So, drop me comment, use my Facebook page or if you use Twitter I'm @notesonpaper over there.

If you miss a chapter then you can catch up any time via  the full 6 week Push-Up Bra Blogging course schedule.

• The next installment - another of the 'WHAT?' approaches to blogging - will land here one week today [on Thurs April 4th].
• But I'll be back this Sunday [March 31st] with a business-as-usual Month in Numbers post.

Until then ... keep pushing it all up where we can see it!!

Julie ;-)
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**Again ... IF YOU'VE FOUND ANYTHING IN THIS POST WORTH READING THEN PLEASE CONSIDER SHOWING YOUR APPRECIATION BY MAKING A SMALL DONATION TO THE 'SAVE THE CHILDREN' FUND.

You can do this via my Just Giving page where I'm hoping to use this blog series to raise at least £500 worth of aid for children worldwide. I can't do it without you.