Blog posts written by women for the Attract Readers blog challenge look at the year of the pandemic. Schools went back in England on March 8th, almost a year since the country went into lockdown.
Blog Challenge Theme
The theme for International Women’s Day 2021 was #choosetochallenge. We chose to encourage our readers to write a blog post that challenged them. For some that meant making the time and emotional space to get their words written and published on their blog. For others it meant an additional level of challenge to talk about what the year has meant for them. This may or may not directly relate to what their blog is officially about.
It can often be difficult to write from a personal perspective, especially if it is a new venture. Reactions vary from “What can I write about?”, to “They won’t be interested” or even “How can this fit when my blog is about something else?”
Writing more personally can be a challenge
The challenge got them through the initial hurdle of feeling that nobody would be interested – because they knew we were! The theme was chosen already, and they had to find a path through. If their blog was normally about something different we suggested making a new category. A category like “Inspiration” could suit off-topic thoughts.
For Gill Buchanan the pandemic brought a new focus for her next novel, for Jo Scott a photographer it meant going online. For a stay-at-home Mum it meant an increased wish for higher status for those who look after families. You can read these and more over on Attract Readers.
The Courage to Write a Blog Post about the Pandemic
We were unsure whether our newsletter readers would want to write about their year. Some might have been still struggling and to ask them to do so could have been an imposition. So as with everything where you are not quite sure, we left it a little late. We didn’t want to create additional pressure for anyone, so didn’t follow up with anyone who did not respond..
We held 2 Zoom calls. One on 1st March to help them find ideas that might appeal, and a follow up celebration on 8th March. That meant there was a week to write the post. To a journalist a week is a long time. To an exhausted home-schooling business owner that may not seem long at all.
The courage to write and the courage to speak stem from the same trigger. So we wanted to make it seem natural to speak up in the group. We wanted them to know they would be listened to with courtesy, and given help if needed. Some women who I had imagined would have no hesitation speaking up mentioned that they felt safe to talk. It was a reminder that despite the media, we do not all shout each other down. There are many respectful women who need the same courtesy given to them.
Giving your blog the best chance
Once the idea has been generated, and the post written and edited there remains a final step before publishing. Choosing a photograph (or more) to go with the post, and making sure that it is all on topic. We did not see our role as providing a detailed critique. Use of a WordPress SEO plug in like Yoast or All In One SEO helps to stay clear. They were encouraged to take a photograph with their own camera. The whole idea was to express authentically what might not have otherwise been expressed.
Promotion is the final piece of the puzzle. To a certain extent we did this by encouraging the group to read each other’s posts and to comment. This has three benefits:
- Backlinks to your own site,
- reading what other people have written helps your own writing,
- improving relationships with other bloggers develops confidence to write.
It was a challenge to think of celebrating International Women’s Day in this more personal way. The pandemic is certainly not over yet. But we felt it was an important point from which to look back. Looking back and evaluating is often the missing step before moving on.
We received a lot of positive comments about the writing which meant the most important part was a success. I have been celebrating International Women’s Day for many years. With Attract Readers it has been at least 5 years with our annual blog challenge.