Join the ACHPER NSW blogging team
We are very excited about providing our audience with content directly from teachers, researchers and other experts in the field.
Do you fit this bill?
Have you got great ideas, research or resources to share with our audience?
Well why not join the team creating content for the ACHPER NSW website.
What makes great blog content?
The key features we are looking for when assessing blog posts to be included on the ACHPER NSW website are:
Does the post encourage the reader to DO something?
- Does it provide practical steps for initiating change in practice?
- Does it explain ways to try something different in lessons?
- Does it describe new or different processes to achieve something?
Does the post support the reader to LEARN something new?
- Does it teach something about programming, assessment or teaching of content that is new or different?
- Does it provide research or policy evidence to support the learning?
- Does it take latest research in our learning area and translate it into practice for teachers?
Key considerations when creating a blog post
When writing your blog post there are a few key elements that we need you to consider to make it more engaging for our readers.
1. Magnetic headline
Think of the headline as your elevator pitch—you need to deliver enough information so that the readers will want to hear more and click the link. Ensure your headline:
- Gives some indication of what your article is about.
- Makes the reader want to at least check out your first paragraph.
2. Compelling lead-in
The first sentence or short paragraph of your blog must compel readers to read your second paragraph—you want to draw your readers in. Don’t take forever to get to the point, and make sure there’s sufficient build up so that readers will want to know more about the information you’re presenting and appreciate it once they understand your ideas.
3. Useful subheadings
Subheadings serve two key purposes:
- They break up the type to make the page more visually appealing
- They help our readers navigate to important sections – remember teachers are time poor and will scan to see if it is going to be worth dedicating time to consume.
4. Informative and engaging body
The total length of your blog post should be at least 1000 words so that you can really flesh out your ideas, strategies or processes. It is a balance of being short and punchy to get your point across quickly but also providing enough detail that teachers can take action afterwards.
5. Appealing graphics
It’s a great idea to include graphics in your blog posts to illustrate points and break up text within the body of articles to make your pages more visually pleasing. Also, when we promote your content on social media, we will include one of your graphics so it pays for it to have visually interesting graphics that are relevant to your ideas. If you can’t access graphics – provide a brief description of images or graphics you think might work and we can source them for you.
6. Additional resources or references
If you can point teachers towards further reading or practical resources if they are interested in finding out more then it will save them time.
7. Powerful call-to-action
Almost every blog article should have some kind of call-to-action, which can take a variety of forms and be achieved through different tactics. Your first step is to decide what action you want your readers to take. It might be to make a comment. It could be to read another blog on the ACHPER NSW website, or to check out a product or service you offer. You could also ask readers to join in a conversation or share their own ideas or resources in the PDHPE Community forums on the ACHPER NSW website.
