Formulating the right recipe for success
Have you been asked to write a blog or - better still – have you taken it on yourself to start writing one. Here are some top tips to give you inspiration and stop writer’s block kicking in.
1. Use your expertise
Across the board people are hungry for information. It’s one of the primary reasons they use the Internet. So think about your area of expertise and the ideas and experiences you have to share. Then break them down into individual messages for each blog.
2. Know your audience
Knowing your audience is essential. Is it a business or technical audience? Technical people won’t thrill to a business message and highly technical messages will go over the heads of most business people. And what is their responsibility within the company? Always think user-focused content.
3. Create an eye-catching title
The title is the first thing your audience will see. So make sure it’s catchy and will draw them in. If you want some inspiration just Google “best blog headlines” and you’ll get plenty of advice. And don’t forget eye-catching imagery can be as important as the words to help you attract readers.
4.Be yourself
Try and write informally, in your own voice and style, rather than how you would write a report. One of the best ways of doing this is to write as if you are talking to someone. And don’t be afraid to add a touch of humour to bring out your personality. But, at the same time, make sure you keep it professional and informative.
5. Make it easy to read
When people are assessing whether a piece of writing is useful to them they rarely start at the beginning and read it through. Usually they will glance at it first. Then they will scan it. If it still looks interesting, they will read it. So divide your copy into short paragraphs and use headings, bullet points or numbered lists to draw them in and hold their interest.
6. Keep it digestible
Whilst you shouldn’t let the number of words dictate the quality of your post, you should not make it too long either. Reading long pieces of text on screen can be difficult. As a general rule you should aim for around 600 words. But, if you have a topic that requires more, consider breaking it into a number of separate posts.
7. Make sure it’s well written
Don’t diminish the impact of your ideas and experiences with a poorly written blog. Editing and proofreading are essential. If possible try and get someone else to look over it with a fresh pair of eyes and, of course, make sure your spell-checker is turned on!!
8. Be social media friendly
The most important text for appearing in searches is the title and opening lines of your blog post, so writing it with Search Engine Optimisation in mind is important. It’s a big subject, but a quick way to see the words the search engines are picking up on is to do your own search on the topic you’re writing about. And don’t forget to add sharing buttons to your blog, so people can easily share your great content.
9. Stimulate action
Include a clear call to action that makes the reader want to act after reading your blog. What do you want them to do – share the post, sign up for more information, visit your web page? With this blog, for example, I am hoping to inspire you to write a blog for yourself.
10. Promote your work
Finally, to grow your audience and the number of people reading your blogs you need to promote your work consistently. If you write quality posts and share them on a regular basis, it will be easier to attract more readers.
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