If you want to write killer blog content, you don’t need a degree in literature. You don’t need fancy words, you don’t need ground-breaking scientific discoveries and you certainly don’t need to be a genius. All you need is a basic understanding of the difference between posts that people enjoy and those that make people bounce. Here are seven simple tips that should help you to write the former.
Less is More
Never start a blog post with a word count in mind. There are no prizes for reaching a thousand words. Those who visit your blog are looking to be entertained and there is nothing entertaining about long rambling posts. Decide on the point that you want to make and make it in as few words as possible.
Aim for Simplicity
The best bloggers are always going to be those that actually enjoy writing. Unfortunately however some bloggers are so obsessed with becoming real writers that they feel the need to demonstrate their writing prowess in every post they write. This attitude rarely, if ever, benefits the reader. Nobody visits your blog to admire your clever words. Use simple language wherever possible.
Focus on Clarity
Blog posts are supposed to be informal. They are supposed to be written in a conversational tone. And if you want to occasionally break a bit of grammatical syntax to get your point across, there’s nothing wrong with doing so. Formatting however is anything but optional. Your paragraphs should be short and they should be separated by sub headings where appropriate. Bullet points are also very good friends to have.
Be Opinionated
If you want to educate your readers, you are going to need your fair share of facts. But if you want to entertain them, you are also going to need a few opinions. Opinionated blog posts are simply more fun to read. Opinionated bloggers are more fun to follow. Anyone can sit on the fence. Parrots can regurgitate facts. Be opinionated.
Know Who You Are Writing For
To write engaging blog content, you need to know who you are attempting to engage. Who are your readers and why have they visited your blog? What are they looking for? If they want to learn something, what do they already know about the subject? If you don’t define your readers, you are going to have a very hard time keeping them around. Effective blog content is always written with a specific audience in mind.
Write with Purpose
Every post you write should have a specific purpose, and that purpose should be introduced at the beginning. For example, the purpose of this post is to provide tips on writing better content. If you find yourself deviating from your posts purpose, it’s time to stop writing. Don’t ramble. Don’t talk about your cat. Speaking of my cat, he did the cutest thing today….
Choose Your Images Carefully
Finally, the perfect compliment to any great post is a great image. Many bloggers incorporate images into their posts but most make the mistake of doing so solely for SEO purposes. And when images are added solely for SEO purposes, they are usually chosen hastily. You are better off including no images in your posts than hastily chosen ones. If you’ve taken to time to write a great post, take the time to find the perfect image.
This is a guest post by Brian.
Brian is a freelance writer and blogger. He hosts his website on cloud servers provided by Atlantic.net. Through his posts, Brian talks about his love for blogging and advises beginners about how an ideal post should be.
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