Born to Blog ─ Building Your Blog for Personal and Business Success One Post at a Time

Bestselling author Mark Schaefer and social media expert Stanford Smith present the ultimate blueprint for creating business blogs that generate measurable profits

Provides rare insights and best practices any company can use to gain an enduring competitive edge
Schaefer has been featured on CBS, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and Wired; he is in the top one-half percent of Twitter influencers, with almost 25,000 followers; in 2012, Forbes named him one of the world's Top 50 social media influencers
Stanford Smith is an award-winning social media strategist and founder of PushingSocial.com, a leading resource for business blogging

About the book

Launch a business and ignite a movement with a powerhouse blog!

Born to Blog is filled with practical, street-smart techniques and ideas to help you create and manage a winning business blog. Learn how to attract a loyal following, promote your blog, and write powerful content that generates new business.

""If your dream is to launch a business or publish a book, then read Born to Blog! You'll realize the blogger way is your fastest path to success."" -- MICHAEL STELZNER, founder of Social Media Examiner and author of Launch

""Born to Blog makes blogging accessible and fun for anyone. Read it, use it, and watch your business grow."" -- JAY BAER, founder of Convince and Convert and coauthor of The Now Revolution

""Read this book, then go blog like you were born to do so."" -- JASON FALLS, founder of Social Media Explorer and coauthor of No Bullshit Social Media and The Rebel's Guide to Email Marketing

""Blogging beginners and seasoned pros alike will find valuable advice they can put to use immediately."" -- LEO WIDRICH, cofounder, Buffer

MARK W. SCHAEFER is the author of the bestsellers The Tao of Twitter and Return on Influence. He is an internationally known speaker, consultant, and college educator who blogs at {grow}.

STANFORD SMITH is a digital marketing and social media strategist who created PushingSocial.com, a resource for business blogging.

Introduction: Were You Born to Blog' 1
Chapter 1 The Common Traits of Successful Bloggers 9
Chapter 2 You're Not a Writer, You're a Blogger 19
Chapter 3 Yes'You Can Blog 25
Chapter 4 Storytelling 33
Chapter 5 Dreaming 39
Chapter 6 Persuading 45
Chapter 7 Teaching 53
Chapter 8 Curation 57
Chapter 9 Discovering Your Blogging Skills 61
Chapter 10 Why Your Business Should Blog 67
Chapter 11 Corporate Blogging's Most Common Questions 75
Chapter 12 The Minimum Viable Blog 83
Chapter 13 Unlocking Content 93
Chapter 14 Attracting Readers 103
Chapter 15 Attracting and Nurturing Blog Contributers 111
Chapter 16 Making Your Blog Pay 119
Chapter 17 Rocks in the Road 129
Chapter 18 Getting Personal 137
Chapter 19 Breaking Through with a Personal Blog 143
Chapter 20 Blogging Habits 155
Chapter 21 Coda 163
Index 166