#PRAdvice: Why Blog?

Blogging might seem like old news. Television shows like Gossip Girl and Dog with a Blog depict blogging as a past time for people to write about random thoughts and subjects that have little meaning to most of the world. But this depiction of blogging is far from the reality.

Truth is, blogging is still pretty prevalent among small businesses and writers who make a living bestowing their knowledge on topics that pertain to their industry. And there are some serious benefits to running your own blog -- money, followers, and most importantly, sales.

Here's an example. We talk a lot on this blog about pitching to journalists, which entails creating a media kit, a style guide, the perfect press release, and more. But at the end of the day, like we always say, the key is to stand out among the sea of pitches that journalists receive daily. That doesn't necessarily mean you will earn coverage. And repeated, failed attempts to earn media coverage gets frustrating after some time and puts you in a rut.

With this in mind, owning a blog guarantees that an outlet is going to give your business press when other mediums aren't pulling through for you. Considering that journalists are pitched from every angle constantly, the chances of getting your story in the headlines from the get-go are slim. You may decide that blogging is the way to go for your business for starters before branching out and pitching.

You need a blog for when your business is starting out and you have no journalists acknowledging your pitch. You need a blog to for when business is are going well, but somehow, you can't seem to get your name in the headlines. Most of all, you need a blog because you have complete control over it. This should be reason enough to create one. 

Make a blog for your business.Learn AP Style. Grow as a businessperson and as a writer. Guest blog. Write tutorials. Write advice. Become a contributor to a larger publication like Forbes or The Huffington Post.

Who knows, maybe a year from now you'll have journalists contacting you instead of the other way around.