How To Write Magnetic Blog Posts: Beta Software

Those who have been around the blogging field in the past few years know that times have certainly changed. There was a time when bloggers had to come up with ideas for their magnetic posts from scratch. In those days, social networking and bookmarking sites were not as mainstream as they are today. So if you wanted to figure out what types of posts would go viral on a site, you’d have to spend a lot of time doing research. These days, all you have to do is listen and learn from what others are doing.

Writing posts about beta software solutions is one of the things that I have focused on in the past couple of years. These types of posts may not work for everyone in the beginning, but they can help you set yourself up as an authority figure in your field. Besides, as the time goes by, more people will find your coverage useful. Take WordPress 3.0 for instance. Its beta versions have been out for quite a while. All you have to do is look at Delicious or other top bookmarking sites to see how much action WP 3.0 related posts are getting. You can do that with almost any product (as long as you catch it ahead of time).

Writing a blog post about a beta product takes time and effort. You do not want to repeat what others are discussing on their own blogs. Once you actually test your software, you can come up with unique ways to provide value to your readers. Just don’t cut corners.

If you are planning to cover a beta software on your blog, here are a few tips that can help you put together the best coverage possible:

• Compare with older version: we have all seen those comprehensive comparison charts in the past. They can go viral fast if you have the right information. Those interested in the product you are covering on your blog may want to get a quick overview of what’s different between the old product and its new version. This can save people time and help them make upgrade decisions faster.
• Discuss Benefits: showing people why the new product is better than its previous version is only one part of the story. Discussing its advantages over other competing products can help as well. You want to be as comprehensive as possible here.
• Hightlight Challenges: going back to the previous point, you do not want to paint a rosy picture for a product if it has some short-comings. You are not there to be the bearer of only good news.
• Offer Hacks and Tips: Hacks and super tips can go viral quickly. Unfortunately, you just can’t make these things up. You will need to spend some time getting yourself familiar with the product you are covering and use your creativity to come up with unique hacks.
• Make a Cheatsheet: cheat-sheets are my favorite post type. If you are good with design software kits and can come up with an attractive and comprehensive cheat-sheet for a new product, your blog traffic can sky-rocket. Cheat-sheets get a lot of love from Twitter, Facebook, and other social communities.

Providing video overviews and demonstrations can be helpful too. The sky’s the limit as long as you are creative and comprehensive with your coverage.

How would you go about covering a beta product?