Today, I was discussing with my teenager how to begin a science research project. Later I realized this process applies to putting together a quality blogging. Here are the steps for both projects:
1. What is the question you want to answer?
For a science project, you’re looking for an area to research further either through experimentation or research. Putting the topic into a question format helps drive the next steps in the process.
For your blog, you want to answer a pressing question from your audience. Where is their greatest pain? What is it that is preventing action in your audience?
2. Develop a Hypothesis
For a science project, the hypothesis is a reasonable or educated guess to answer your question.
For your blog, you can narrow down to one way you THOUGHT would solve the problem. You could also consider what the conventional wisdom is for the solution. Bottomline, define what you initially think the answer to the question is for your readers.
3. Research or Test
For a science experiment or project, you’ll want to take your hypothesis for a trial run. Is it valid? True? Testing your solution for a blog might be a little trickier. Even if you have experienced success using your solution to the problem, consider taking it a step further.
In preparing your blog, setup a timer for 15 minutes and doing some surfing on the topic. Choose one or two other blogs or articles directly related or supporting your solution. You might even find some with the opposing solution. Use short quotes from these sources where they make sense. Also considering links to them within your blog to better support your solution or provide the finer details.
4. Analysis of Hypothesis:
The whole purpose of the scientific method is to determine if your hypothesis is valid or true? If true, consider repeating experiment for additional verification. If NOT true, then determine why and test again.
With blogging your analysis can be found in the comments to your blog. Be sure to ASK folks to comment (you can comment on my blog below)! The feedback from your readers will help you keep it real. Did this solution work for the question at hand? If not, how can we adjust and try again?
5. Repeat
With the massive changes happening in marketing your business today, applying the scientific method to blogging might help you better determine if you are succeeding or need to do some adjustments.