Theses are the seven things I’ve learned from writing my HR & recruitment blog and from guest blogging for leading global blogs. So wish I’d know them at the start!

Seven things to know before starting your recruitment blog

1. Why are you starting your recruitment blog?

Writing a blog takes commitment. The worst thing you can do is start and then give up because nothing looks worse than an abandoned blog.

There are many blogs out there already, so get crystal clear on why you’re writing yours before you start.

Are you looking to:

• Attract the best or scarce talent?
• Be more consultative and engaging with your applicants?
• Share your company’s story or employer brand?
• Increase business by sharing expertise?
• Something else?

2. Who will read your recruitment blog?

Who do you want your reader to be?

Start by thinking about your area of expertise as this will define who your reader will be.

For example, I’m a social recruiting specialist, so I write for HR and Recruiters offering advice and guidance on anything to do with social media and recruitment. I play to my strengths, so if the blog idea I have is of little value to HR or Recruiters, I don’t write it.

What is your expertise or who do you want your reader to be?

3. Which platform should you use?

I have a self-hosted WordPress blog incorporated into my website because I want HR & Recruiters to be drawn there. The same could work for you, and it usually makes the most sense.

But, you may be after 18 – 24-year-olds, in which case Tumblr could be a better place to start.

Or you may be seeking Recruiters, Sales or Marketers, and then LinkedIn may work for you. [Though be wary of duplicate content & who owns your content.]

4. Who else is blogging in the space?

Try a blog search on Google, and then take the URLs of the ones that you find the most appealing and assess their posts in Buzzsumo.

What’s the most shared post? What are they writing about? What is their style?

I don’t want you to copy their content! Instead, work out what is well read as that is clearly of interest to your target audience. Then write your opinions in your style.

5. Who will write your recruitment blog?

Leading Online Marketer, Neil Patel, says you need four main qualities in your world-class blogger:

1. Traffic generation abilities: you want great content that is well shared.
2. A conversational writing style: you want an intimate conversation with the reader.
3. Skilled storyteller: can they make their point in a story?
4. Ability to prove a point.

Will you use your own team or invite guest bloggers in too?

Will you use a copywriter or do it yourself?

Who will your readers be and what voice would they like?

6. How often will you post?

Consistency is key as your readers like to know when they’ll get their next instalment.

You could use an editorial calendar plugin or could simply use a spreadsheet containing:

• The frequency of publishing / what days you’ll publish
• The topics you’ll write about
• Will there be featured columns? If so include that.
• Will there be guest bloggers? Include them too.

7. How will anyone find your blog?

Before you start, start building your following and connections now on social media. A good engaged following will be critical to increasing readership.

Don’t overlook the power of Google. Use a WordPress plugin, like Yoast, which will help you write more effectively for search engine rankings (without keyword stuffing!)

In summary

What I’ve learned building my recruitment blog:

1. Be it once a week or once a month, post consistently.
2. Write content that is valuable to your reader, always!
3. Ensure guest bloggers write content your readers will like.
4. It’s good to have an opinion, just back it up and/or offer a solution
5. Write as an intimate conversation between you and the reader and tell a story
6. Make your posts scan-able, read it out loud before publishing, include images, and link to sources
7. Share it socially and by email, and ensure it’s search friendly and mobile optimised.

Easy! 🙂

Looking to blog on Blogging4Jobs? If you’re a practitioner and would like to blog for us 2 times a month, email blake(at)blogging4jobs.com