Tips for Writing a Guest Blog Post

This week I'm hoping to eliminate some of the anxiety people may have about writing a blog post. I know that AHF's volunteers have some great stories and information to share, and I want to encourage all of you to share your thoughts on this blog. Here are my tips for writing a blog post:

• Choose a well-defined topic. Topics like "Saving Dogs" are a bit too general for a blog post. Pick something unique to you or something you want readers to know about. For example, if you volunteered at this year's annual run/walk, you could write about that experience. Alternatively, stories from long-time foster moms/dads would make interesting posts. Please don't feel limited by my examples--just have a specific topic in mind for your post before you start writing.

• Choose a title. Your title should be simple and reflect the topic of your blog post. For example, my title for this post promises to deliver tips on how to write a blog post. This advice isn't meant to squash your creativity. Be as creative as you want in the post itself, but search engines simply don't know what a title such as "Dog Gone It" is about, and neither will readers.  

• Blog post length. Your readers are looking for information and/or an interesting tale about your volunteer work, not the next Great American Novel. Try to sum up your story or information in a few paragraphs. If the post must be longer, please use subheadings, numbers, or bullet points to help break up the text and make it easier to read. Keep your paragraphs to a few sentences each.

• Spelling and grammar. A quick spelling and grammar check makes your post look more professional, but please don't obsess about this. I promise that readers will not criticize you for ending a sentence with a preposition. 

• Use of images. If they're relevant to your post, go ahead and use images. Just be sure that you explain to readers what the image depicts. For example, in a post about the run/walk you could include a photo of yourself at the event.

• Have fun sharing what you know with readers. Please don't be shy about posting or commenting on the blog. As everyone knows, the animals need all the help they can get, and a busy blog will show off Almost Home's great work!