{"id":6048,"date":"2014-02-12T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-02-12T19:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/creator\/?p=4719"},"modified":"2020-03-30T19:09:10","modified_gmt":"2020-03-30T23:09:10","slug":"3-questions-consider-running-startup-blog","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wework.com\/ideas\/professional-development\/3-questions-consider-running-startup-blog","title":{"rendered":"Three questions to consider when running a startup blog"},"content":{"rendered":"

Startups are consistently urged to blog, to the point that the advice starts sounding like a Portlandia sketch<\/a>, but saying \u201cPut a blog on it!\u201d isn\u2019t as simple as it sounds.<\/p>\n

Producing a great startup blog requires a lot of hard work and time, so it shouldn’t be something you take on just to check off another thing on your startup’s to-do list.<\/p>\n

Here are three questions to consider in the process:<\/p>\n

How does your blog fit in the market?<\/b><\/h3>\n

<\/b>Finding a product\/market fit for your content is indispensable. One method is to spot knowledge or perspective gaps on topics that aren\u2019t being shared online.<\/p>\n

HelpScout\u2019s blog<\/a> is rich with insightful research and compelling examples. It\u2019s a valuable resource for the customer service industry \u2014 not only because their content strategist\u00a0Gregory Ciotti\u00a0is producing great content, but he\u2019s also going against the grain of what\u2019s already out there. He explains<\/a>, \u201cWe noticed quickly that the customer service space is filled with anecdotal content and personal stories. We decided to do the complete opposite, relying instead on consumer research on customer loyalty.\u201d<\/p>\n

Similarly, when co-founder and CEO of ShopLocket Katherine Hague noticed their old blog fizzling out, she moved away from the ocean of existing software startup stories. Instead, ShopLocket filled a content gap with an interview series<\/a> about selling products and hardware. Hague explains that she wanted to create a series that \u201ctold the stories of people building real physical products.\u201d<\/p>\n

She also decided to treat content more like a product: beautifully designed and presented in a standalone style, rather than the reverse-chronological presentation of a traditional blog. \u201cWe wanted it to be pretty so we\u2019d be proud to actually have it be part of our portfolio,\u201d explains Hague.<\/p>\n

How do you connect with an audience?<\/b><\/h3>\n

Cultivating an audience shouldn\u2019t be a mindless attempt to attract a bunch of leads. Instead, you want to build relationships with people who care about your voice and your brand. Therefore, it is important to know your audience and offer content that they\u2019ll find engaging and valuable.<\/p>\n

For example, the makeup subscription service Birchbox puts out a monthly online magazine<\/a> with tips and product tests. Whether you\u2019re an actual Birchbox customer or not, you\u2019ll be interested in the magazine\u2019s latest discoveries, style tutorials, and videos. People who are into beauty and grooming are all potential Birchbox audience members.<\/p>\n

A startup is similar to a new local theater troupe when they\u2019re going through one of the toughest challenges of blogging \u2013 building an audience. They don\u2019t want people to just buy tickets; they want them to stick around for the whole show. They hope to have an audience who will return for more shows and spread the word.<\/p>\n

So here are some questions to think about when you\u2019re creating content: What matters to your audience? What do they care about? What conversations do you want to have with your community?<\/p>\n

Are you showing who you are?<\/b><\/h3>\n

You also have to express yourself. After all, your blog is a reflection of your company and what you\u2019re trying to accomplish. It can also help you define how you think about your business.<\/p>\n

Let your product guide the way. Intercom<\/a>‘s\u00a0blog delivers useful tips and articles on everything from sales to UX design. This makes sense because their personal messaging service impacts multiple aspects of running a startup.<\/p>\n

Likewise, The Fetch<\/a>\u00a0has a great blog that curates the best professional events, job and stories based on locations. In addition to having a useful product, their blog explores different cities, offers conference tips, and advice on community building.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"janetchoi_blog\"<\/a><\/p>\n

When it comes to starting a company blog, don\u2019t be afraid to express your personality, cultivate a distinctive voice, and experiment with content. A blog full of empty listicles and bland tips that sounds like you\u2019re trying on a knowledge leader\u2019s suit is boring. Even when you\u2019re educating and sharing knowledge like the folks at Wistia do with their <\/span>Learning Center<\/a> or <\/span>blog<\/a> on creating amazing video marketing, you can do it in a fun, even funky way.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You\u2019ll notice Wistia employees being featured in\u00a0videos<\/a>, penning blog posts, and participating in the comments. That fun, fresh approach still takes a ton of work, but people will respond when they see that you\u2019re enjoying yourself and sharing that experience in writing or on-screen.<\/p>\n

Treating your blog as another product in your portfolio will change your mindset on defining what you want to accomplish as a company. The important thing is that you\u2019re creating something with purpose for yourself and your potential audience.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Startups are consistently urged to blog, to the point that the advice starts sounding like a Portlandia sketch, but saying \u201cPut a blog on it!\u201d isn\u2019t as simple as it sounds. Producing a great startup blog requires a lot of hard work and time, so it shouldn’t be something you take on just to check […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1007,"featured_media":4726,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[43902],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6048","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-professional-development"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThree questions to consider when running a startup blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Startups are consistently urged to blog, to the point that the advice starts sounding like a Portland\u2026\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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