9 quick-start blog posts for activists

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9 Quick-Start Blog Posts for Activists MARY JOYCE FOR THE OPEN SOCIETY FOUNDATION AND THE EURASIAN HARM REDUCTION NETWORK DECEMBER 2013 image: Flickr/JohnCrider

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1) The Pass-it-Along Post 2) The “We’re Real People” Post 3) The Community Appreciation Post 4) The “Our Response” Post 5) The Informative Listicle 6) The Mobilization Post 7) The Ignored News Story 8) The Guest Post 9) The Email Interview

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Page 1: 9 Quick-Start Blog Posts  for Activists

9 Quick-Start Blog Posts for Activists

MARY JOYCEFOR THE OPEN SOCIETY FOUNDATION

AND THE EURASIAN HARM REDUCTION NETWORKDECEMBER 2013

image: Flickr/JohnCrider

Page 2: 9 Quick-Start Blog Posts  for Activists

THE BLOG POSTS

1.The Pass-it-Along Post2.The “We’re Real People” Post3.The Community Appreciation Post4.The “Our Response” Post5.The Informative Listicle6.The Mobilization Post7.The Ignored News Story8. The Guest Post9.The Email Interview

Page 3: 9 Quick-Start Blog Posts  for Activists

FOR ALL BLOG POSTS:

1. Know Who: Speak to a specific audience.

2. Know Why: Have a clear goal for posting.

3. Be Clear: Speak in accessible language.

4. Be Brief: If you can say it in fewer words - do!

5. Attract Attention: Include a visual element (photo, video, gif) that illustrates the post topic.

Page 4: 9 Quick-Start Blog Posts  for Activists

1. THE PASS-IT-ALONG POST

Pro Tip:This is the easiest

type of blog post to write.

Page 5: 9 Quick-Start Blog Posts  for Activists

1. Keep track of relevant news by reading other NGO blogs, Twitter feeds, and listservs.

2. When you find content that would be useful to others (could be your own content too), copy and paste the content into a blog post.

3. Link to the original source to give credit.

4. Comment on why you think the content is useful.

5. Publish!

1. THE PASS-IT-ALONG POST

Page 6: 9 Quick-Start Blog Posts  for Activists

Examples

Share a photo that powerfully illustrates the problem.

source: SURFRIDER Foundation

1. THE PASS-IT-ALONG POST

Page 7: 9 Quick-Start Blog Posts  for Activists

Examples

Share an infographic that illuminates an issue your organization cares about.

source: postwhoreamerica.com

1. THE PASS-IT-ALONG POST

Page 8: 9 Quick-Start Blog Posts  for Activists

Examples

Share in internal report.

source: Amnesty International

1. THE PASS-IT-ALONG POST

Page 9: 9 Quick-Start Blog Posts  for Activists

Pro Tip:

In social media people listen to other people, not to organizations.

Reminding readers that they are reading posts from real people helps create an online relationship.

2. THE “WE’RE REAL PEOPLE” POST

Page 10: 9 Quick-Start Blog Posts  for Activists

1.Be attentive to the stories of staff and the work they are doing.

2.Remind your readers that your organization is full of real people by sharing stories about staff (or ask staff to share their own).

3.Publish!

2. THE “WE’RE REAL PEOPLE” POST

Page 11: 9 Quick-Start Blog Posts  for Activists

Examples

First-person stories from staff about they work they do.

source: The King’s Fund

2. THE “WE’RE REAL PEOPLE” POST

Page 12: 9 Quick-Start Blog Posts  for Activists

Examples

Office decorations, celebrations, silliness.

source: ONE Campaign

2. THE “WE’RE REAL PEOPLE” POST

Page 13: 9 Quick-Start Blog Posts  for Activists

Pro Tip:

Activist blogging is about creating relationships between people that allows them to

work together to achieve a common goal.

People work together better when they feel appreciated.

3. THE COMMUNITY APPRECIATION POST

Page 14: 9 Quick-Start Blog Posts  for Activists

1.Be alert to the good work being done in the network.

2.Write posts that describe this good work.

3.Use photos and video to illustrate this good work whenever it is available.

4.Praise generously.

5. Publish!

3. THE COMMUNITY APPRECIATION POST

Page 15: 9 Quick-Start Blog Posts  for Activists

Examples

Appreciate a group of people.

source: ONE Campaign

3. THE COMMUNITY APPRECIATION POST

Page 16: 9 Quick-Start Blog Posts  for Activists

Examples

Let individual volunteers and community members tell their own stories about the good work they do.

source: Human Rights Campaign

3. THE COMMUNITY APPRECIATION POST

Page 17: 9 Quick-Start Blog Posts  for Activists

Examples

Sharing a video that shows a network member hard at work.

source: SURFRIDER Foundation

3. THE COMMUNITY APPRECIATION POST

Page 18: 9 Quick-Start Blog Posts  for Activists

Examples

When appropriate, sympathize with community members during tough times.

source: SURFRIDER Foundation

3. THE COMMUNITY APPRECIATION POST

Page 19: 9 Quick-Start Blog Posts  for Activists

4. THE “OUR RESPONSE” POST

1.Keep track of what governments and the media are writing about your topic.

2.When they say something about your topic (either good or bad) publicly respond to highlight or to correct.

3. Publish!

Page 20: 9 Quick-Start Blog Posts  for Activists

Examples

Give your organization’s opinion of a government policy report (that’s shorter and easier to read than the report itself.)

4. THE “OUR RESPONSE” POST

source: Results UK

Page 21: 9 Quick-Start Blog Posts  for Activists

Examples

Refute a misleading public statement about your issue.

source: Huffington Post

4. THE “OUR RESPONSE” POST

Page 22: 9 Quick-Start Blog Posts  for Activists

Pro Tip:This is a more challenging kind of post

because the purpose is to take something complicated and/or long

and present it simply and briefly.

list + article = listicle

5. THE INFORMATIVE LISTICLE

Page 23: 9 Quick-Start Blog Posts  for Activists

1. Think of something that you want your network to know, but the complexity of the information is making comprehension difficult.

2. Use your expertise as issue analysts to break the information into easy pieces.

3. Present the pieces as a list (bonus if each item also has a photo to illustrate it).

4. Publish!

5. THE INFORMATIVE LISTICLE

Page 24: 9 Quick-Start Blog Posts  for Activists

Examples

Explain the elements of a confusing new law or government policy.

source: Buzzfeed

5. THE INFORMATIVE LISTICLE

Page 25: 9 Quick-Start Blog Posts  for Activists

Examples

List a lot of similar content all at once (usually positive content).

source: Buzzfeed and SURFRIDER Foundation

5. THE INFORMATIVE LISTICLE

Page 26: 9 Quick-Start Blog Posts  for Activists

1. State why action is necessary (the crisis).

2. State why action will help (the opportunity).

3.Be clear about how to take action (make it easy).

4. Publish!

6. THE MOBILIZATION POST

Page 27: 9 Quick-Start Blog Posts  for Activists

Examples

Use links and boldface so the reader can see where and how to take actions without reading the whole post.

source: No H8 Campaign

6. THE MOBILIZATION POST

Page 28: 9 Quick-Start Blog Posts  for Activists

Examples

Make it personal with an ask from a staffer or community member.

source: Beth’s Blog

6. THE MOBILIZATION POST

Page 29: 9 Quick-Start Blog Posts  for Activists

Pro Tip:News is something that happens out in the world,

not in the organization.

When an organization publishes a report, that is not a news story, it’s a pass-it-along post.

7. THE IGNORED NEWS STORY

Page 30: 9 Quick-Start Blog Posts  for Activists

1. Be alert to stories from inside your network that are not being covered by mainstream media.

2. Write the news story yourself, as if you were a journalist. Include:

• Who it affects (start with the story of a person who is part of the event)

• What + When + Where the event happened

• Why the reader should care

• How the reader can take action to help (if applicable)

3. Include an image (with permission) wherever possible, to illustrate the story.

4. Publish!

7. THE IGNORED NEWS STORY

Page 31: 9 Quick-Start Blog Posts  for Activists

Examples

A creative solution to an ongoing problem.

source: Invisible People

7. THE IGNORED NEWS STORY

Page 32: 9 Quick-Start Blog Posts  for Activists

Examples

A new threat that you want your network to be ready to take action on.

source: Human Rights Watch

7. THE IGNORED NEWS STORY

Page 33: 9 Quick-Start Blog Posts  for Activists

Examples

Updates on a ongoing story members of your network are already interested in.

source: Greenpeace

7. THE IGNORED NEWS STORY

Page 34: 9 Quick-Start Blog Posts  for Activists

Examples

Success stories

source: ONE Campaign

7. THE IGNORED NEWS STORY

Page 35: 9 Quick-Start Blog Posts  for Activists

Pro Tip:

These next two post styles are time-savers.

You are basically asking someone else to write the post for you.

Page 36: 9 Quick-Start Blog Posts  for Activists

1. Select a community member who has a good story to tell.

2. Email them a list of 5 questions that bring out the story.

3. Edit the interview for clarity and length if necessary.

4.Publish!

8. THE EMAIL INTERVIEW

Page 37: 9 Quick-Start Blog Posts  for Activists

Examples

Put questions in bold so they stand out.

source: The Open University

8. THE EMAIL INTERVIEW

Page 38: 9 Quick-Start Blog Posts  for Activists

1. Select an expert on a topic that is of interest to the network. This person should have good writing skills.

2.Ask the the expert to write a post on the topic.

3. Edit the post for clarity and length if necessary.

4.Publish!

9. THE GUEST POST

Page 39: 9 Quick-Start Blog Posts  for Activists

Examples

This is also a great way to appreciate a network member...

source: The Nonprofit Technology Network

9. THE GUEST POST

Page 40: 9 Quick-Start Blog Posts  for Activists

THE BLOG POSTS

1.The Pass-it-Along Post2.The “We’re Real People” Post3.The Community Appreciation Post4.The “Our Response” Post5.The Informative Listicle6.The Mobilization Post7.The Ignored News Story8. The Guest Post9.The Email Interview

you can

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these to

make more

types of

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