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If you are just starting out as a blogger, chances are, you are struggling to make some progress, most especially in writing blog content. As for me, when I was just starting, I focused on improving my blog writing skills to capture the attention and loyalty of my potential readers. Don’t worry. You don’t need to enroll in an expensive class to be an amazing blogger. With the right resources and blog writing tips, you can do it at home–all by yourself!
Not all of us are brilliant writers. I know, it can be really frustrating! But keep in mind that writing for our blog pages is not like writing poetry. Everything needs to be conversational. It’s like writing a friendly, informative letter to a good friend.
A blog post is not the perfect place for “sales talk”
No reader would ever want to read sales talk in blog posts. When reading blog articles, what they want to see are engaging, quality content that can entertain them or provide solutions to their problems.
When looking for blog writing tips and writing blog articles, remember these three things:
- Influence readers on an emotional level
- Educate people about your brand, services or products
- Establish your own unique voice
Start by writing an outline for your blog post.
It’s impossible to create a blog post in just a few minutes. Even the most successful bloggers need enough time to produce engaging articles that will impress and help their audiences. This is where the importance of creating an outline comes in. Don’t let your content suffer from poor word choices, poor formatting and poor grammar. If you let it happen, you will also struggle because of poor shareability. Creating a headline first can help you control the entire format, and every detail in your post.
A blog outline doesn’t need to be detailed and lengthy. Remember, the main purpose of this outline is to take note of the things you are planning to cover. What sections do you want to put? Keep everything short and simple. No matter how short your notes are, your outline can stop you from incorporating poorly thought-out words and metaphors. You can focus on your post’s overall structure. It doesn’t matter whether you are writing yours on a word processor or using a pen or paper. Do what works best for you.
How to write a blog outline? Here are some quick tips!
1. Organize key points. What is the big idea?!
Every blog post should be a collection of related, supported points that contribute to one big idea. This means one big idea = one blog post. Feel free to break down that big idea in some key points, and then elaborate on them. Let those key points lead your audience towards interesting ideas and facts.
2. Decide what you want to achieve from writing that blog post.
Why do you want to write that blog post? Who are the people that you want to benefit from it? Is it necessary to include research data? What is the most appropriate call-to-action statement for that article? In what way should you structure that content, so the call-to-action appears like a solution to readers? The answers to these questions can go multiple directions. Thus, it’s important to know exactly where you wish to end up once you establish the structure.
3. Write headings and subheadings.
Put headings and subheadings that summarize what every part is all about. These headings are helpful in figuring out which parts need to be cut, and which information must be retained.
The most effective blog writing tips!
1. Get ideas from your readers.
Listen to your readers. Make time to go through their comments every day. Are they suggesting new blog topics? If they are, take down notes! This is a great way to gather new ideas that people will love to read about. By just knowing their thoughts, you can grow your blog exponentially. Also, aside from your blog’s comment section, you can also read feedback from your social media accounts.
2. Write captivating headlines your readers can never resist.
Tons of bloggers make the mistake of coming up with poorly-written headlines. It’s highly recommended to set headlines first before writing most of your blog content. Without headlines, there are no roadmaps that will lead you towards the right direction. The result? Blog posts go in several directions. This leaves readers feeling disoriented and confused.
Headlines are there to function as maps and your content’s navigation system.
Click here if you need help in writing catchy headlines.
3. Appeal to your readers’ senses.
This is one of those blog writing tips that we can learn from fiction writers. How? Well, we love fiction writers because they make us experience the wonderful stories they write in an effective, creative way. Sure, business writing is different from that of creative writing, though it’s still possible to use sensory language in online articles. With the right choice of words, bloggers can produce concrete details that perfectly appeal to the senses of their readers.
Of course if you’re struggling to come up with compelling stories to weave into your blog posts, there are tools out there to assist you. For instance, it has become easier than ever to conjure up persuasive AI copy thanks to powerful, modern solutions designed to enhance and complement your existing writing skills. Even if you’re simply struggling to find the right word for the occasion, harnessing AI will take the stress and the indecision out of crafting appealing content.
4. Eliminate all the unnecessary words.
Using unnecessary metaphors and other words will just overwhelm readers. Proofread your work. Are there flabby, weak words? These words are empty terms that incorporate zero value to your content. Chop out these terms, and just prioritize powerful words and statements.
5. Make your blog post easily skimmable.
Break down blocks of text using subheaders or bullet points. You wouldn’t have a hard time with this, as long as you take your outline seriously. Some people are so lazy that instead of reading blog posts word for word, they just skim articles. Make sure that your paragraphs are not more than 2 to 3 sentences.
6. Use powerful images.
I know we are talking about blog writing tips here, but the importance of images is still worth mentioning. Use compelling images that visually break up huge blocks of text. This makes the entire content easily skimmable for your audience. Also, by including the best images, you can effectively illustrate the key points you are trying to make. For example, if you want to mention scientific data on your post, it will be better to include a graph or chart visualizing that data.
7. Research on the topics you want to write about.
So, you already have a list of interesting topics you want to write about? Before starting your draft, research on those topics first. Check the level of relevance. You can also check Google Trends, and figure out what the world is currently talking about.
8. Do keyword research.
Keyword research is an important part of content creation. Every blog must be optimized well for 1 or 2 powerful keywords. These keywords must be used in the URL, meta description, header tags, title tag and all throughout your blog post. It’s also okay to use semantically related keywords or those highly related ones. These words are deeply relevant to the main topic, and can make a huge positive difference to your content. The most basic platforms you can use here are SEMRush and Google Keyword Planner.
9. Optimize for SEO.
Without proper search engine content optimization, all of your blog writing efforts will be useless. Never underestimate the power of SEO. If you want, you can go for paid SEO, but don’t ever forget about organic searches. Organic searches still make a big chunk of traffic for many websites. Below are quick tips that you can follow to maximize your search engine optimization ranking.
- Add alt-text to your blog post images.
- Focus on writing an engaging meta description and meta title.
- Optimize based on your focus keywords.
- Put internal links.
10. Take a break.
Blog writing can be exhausting and overwhelming. I’m sure you want that blog writing task to be over soon, so you can share your knowledge to your readers. But, it’s crucial not to rush things! Before finalizing your draft, walk away from it for a while. Relax, get some sleep or rewatch your favorite movie. Walking away from the job for a while will soon help you spot overlooked errors, and then incorporate new creative twists.
11. Write a clear conclusion.
Provide an informative conclusion, and then incorporate a clear call-to-action statement. What do you want your readers to do after reading your content? Don’t let them forget you and your blog right after reading the article! Make them remember you and your unique voice. Your concluding thoughts must linger in their minds for quite a while. Soon, they will consider your platform as an authority site.
Think of these blog writing tips as the keys to blogging success.
You see, blog writing is not just about grammar and choice of words. SEO and consistency are crucial in every blogging strategy. You can do it! Just focus on your determination to provide free information to your target audience, and in establishing your brand’s authority online.
Click here for a list of the best blogging tools and resources that you can use to grow your blog.
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