Tip #1: Clear Targeting
As with any marketing, you need to consider the ‘who’ before working on the ‘what.’ What are you trying to target with this blog?
Before you start writing, ensure you thoroughly understand your ideal customer’s profile and the core message you’re trying to portray. If you have a good idea about who you’re writing for, it will be easier to write and more successful in the long run.
Tip# 2: What do your readers want?
Another great principle to follow with any marketing or content is to ensure you’re providing a solution. Find out what your target audience wants and write about that.
Always keep your reader in mind when creating and ask yourself, “what’s in it for them?”
You may be asking yourself how you find out what they need. Well, there’s no shame in asking them! A quick survey, or a social post asking them what they’re most interested in, is a quick and easy way to get your answers.
Tip #3: Edit, edit, edit!
Blogs don’t get written in one go (well, good blogs don’t!). It’s important to come back to your blog with fresh eyes and edit it at least two or three times.
Remember, a blog isn’t a story or an essay – your readers have come looking for specific information, so get to the point quickly. Starting a blog post with ‘The other day, I was thinking about…” isn’t going to hook your reader in.
Follow the cheesiest marketing theories: KISS = Keep It Simple, Sugar! This means you do not have to write loads, but you must focus on short, declarative sentences and omit all unnecessary words.
This does mean you need to keep rereading your posts and editing them before they’re published, but this step will drastically increase the readability of your blogs.
In addition, when you hit ‘publish,’ have a quick reread. Often the formatting looks slightly different so that you can pick up on typos you may have missed.
Tip #4: SEO Headlines
Take advantage of keyphrases and write headlines with them in. Make sure they’re relevant to your topic and something that your reader is likely to search for.
Many keyword tools and sites will help you if you’re unsure what keyphrases to use. However, a simple way to do this is to imagine you are your ideal reader.
When writing your headlines, note that they should be as descriptive as possible. Don’t have a vague or ambiguous headline, as your readers need to see where you’re going and what they will get out of this post.
Tip #5: Write killer first Sentences
We know it’s easier said than done, but always make sure your first sentence hits home. Optimise your first paragraph using the keywords you used in your post headline and make your point right away rather than including superfluous text that doesn’t aid the reader.
Make sure you use exact keywords in the first sentence of the first paragraph and then summarise these points again before you close your blog post.
Tip #6: Write for scanning
No, we don’t mean printer scanning – the type of scanning a reader does when they look over your post.
People don’t have time, and a thick wad of text can be hard to read and use too much effort to keep a reader hooked.
Also, keep your paragraphs short and keep lots of white space between paragraphs. Two sentences should be the longest your paragraphs are, and remember, sometimes, just one sentence can be as effective as a paragraph. You want lots of white space between sections on your blog.
Most readers are in a hurry and reading on a tablet, mobile, or computer is significantly harder than text on paper. Lists, images and white space make the reading experience much easier and more enjoyable.
Tip #7: Bulleted Lists
Bullet points and lists are handy tools when writing blogs. They make your post easy:
- To scan
- To read
- To understand
- To remember
Studies show that people prefer easily digestible information rather than long pieces of text. This also makes it easier for them to remember your message. Some online writing experts also recommend keeping lists to an odd number of bullet points, but the important part is to use lists whenever you can.
In summary
There are many ways to write a good blog post, but sticking to these seven tips for writing blogs should set you on your way to writing killer blog posts.
Remember always to keep your audience in mind when writing and, wherever you can, cut it down to make it easier to read.
Author: Anna Maria Balint
Anna Maria Balint has been working in marketing since 2009. Her experience ranges from social media marketing to graphic design, copywriting. project management and operations. She is the Operations Director and Head of Social for Caliston Ltd.
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