Top tips for writing a blog

Writing a blog post seems simple: you have an idea and you write the blog, job done. But the truth is, blogs are considered and can take a while to finalise. Let’s face it, writer’s block is an all too true reality!

When you’re writing a blog, it’s always best to have some sort of plan because although ‘winging it’ can sound authentic, it can also result in a messy, long-winded post. You want to make sure you’ve captured the reader’s attention and kept them wanting to read on. To give you a headstart, I’ve devised a checklist that you can use to make sure your blog packs a punch.

Consider your persona

There will be a reason for writing the blog, even if you think there isn’t! Whether that’s to inform people about something you’re passionate about, to entertain, to promote a new product or service, to answer a question you’re always asked, to share your knowledge, to provide light-reading or something of value to current customers, the list goes on…

Whatever the purpose behind your blog, it will guide the topic, tone of voice (how it reads/sounds in someone’s head and how your brand is portrayed) and what you subsequently write.

It’s important to have your ‘ideal’ audience in mind, here. Ask yourself:

Will they want to read this?
Will they understand this?
Will it add value to their life?

Here, you can utilise your consumer persona to see what topics will be most relevant to your readers. If at any point you are doubting whether or not your blog will be appropriate for your desired audience, ask someone that fits the criteria of your target market whether they think it’s useful/entertaining and achieves the purpose you want it to. If it is almost there, but you’re not quite sure, try altering the language or tone used just to make it more palatable and relatable.

What's the topic?

The purpose of your blog is likely to have influenced and lead to a topic. However, there will undoubtedly be times when you are lacking inspiration for future avenues. Whilst I’d never recommend pulling a blog out of thin air, even when you know the purpose, it can be hard to think of a theme to fit and write up to 2,000 words for.

Always keep your purpose in mind and make sure you are aligning your blog topic to it, but to kickstart the process of creating ideas, I’ve curated a list of places to find inspiration:

Ask yourself – what services or products do you offer? Or perhaps you have a new line on the way? Do your potential customers and clients know enough about them? Could they benefit from them? Even current customers might not know about alternative offerings you have that they might be interested in. Explain more about them in a blog post.

If you’re a seasoned blogger, take a look at your backlog and see what topics have proved popular in the past. How can you put a different spin on them?

Take a look at the blogs of your competitors. Definitely don’t steal their ideas word-for-word, rather ask yourself – is their target audience similar to mine and how are they serving them in a way I can in my own style?

Perhaps your existing customers or clients have expressed interest in a particular topic, or perhaps they’ve expressed frustration towards something. Either way, these can be a useful starting point for creating a blog to delve into these topics in more detail. Tell the customer what they want to hear!

Likewise, ask current customers and clients if there is something they would find useful, interesting, or entertaining and write a blog about it.

Does your audience know much about the face(s) behind the brand? A nice way to differentiate in the market and to add a personal touch is to do a ‘get to know the team’

Still no luck? Head over to BuzzSumo and Uber Suggest which can provide suggestions for topics based on keywords, searches, trends, and more general areas of interest.

Unleash your inner wordsmith

Now the purpose and topic of the blog have been settled, it’s time for the writing. Remember though, it’s completely normal for the first edit not to be perfect or publishable – take the first draft to be a trial run where you just get your thoughts to paper and understand what your key points are. From the initial draft, the edits will get you closer and closer to the final piece and are useful in refining your voice, purpose and ensuring that your blog is understandable.

To aid this process here is a list of the dos and don’ts of blog writing (yes, some may be obvious but they are important nonetheless!)

Things to include:

Be sure to use a catchy title to gain the reader’s attention. However, also ensure that it’s relevant to the topic. If it’s misleading, not only will the reader leave the page, but they will be apprehensive about reading one of your future blog posts. When thinking of relevant, catchy titles be sure to keep in mind the principles of SEO to ensure that your blog posts will have the broadest reach possible and increase your visibility.

In the same way, use subheadings to divide your blog into easy-to-digest sections and help any skim-readers.

In relation to SEO, be sure to utilise keywords that you want to be visible for, but don’t go overboard with them. Instead, use them tactically. Choose one-two keywords or phrases and use them around 5 times throughout. Only include them if they are relevant to what you are actually saying – don’t force it as it will make the blog an unnatural read!

When relevant, use images that are related to the text. Not only will this help to maintain the reader’s attention, but breaking down your text into smaller, less intimidating paragraphs means readers are more likely to nod along to what you’re saying. I mean, how many times have you clicked off something because it was too text-heavy? That said, don’t go overboard with images, you want to give people something to actually read!

The last thing you need to do before you press publish is to proofread your work. Yes, this may sound patronising, but no one wants to read a blog, nor will they take it seriously, if it’s full of spelling mistakes! If you’re sick of re-reading the same thing over and over again, consider getting a friend to read your blog to make sure that it makes sense and is being interpreted in the way you anticipated. It’s also a good idea to read it out loud to make sure it sounds good.

Things to avoid:

This one’s easier said than done, but try not to waffle on! When writing your blog, it’s almost inevitable that a new idea will be thought of, and whilst this can act as a good source of additional content, ensure that the new piece of information is a) relevant to the topic in question, b) adds value to your point and c) doesn’t over-explain. If not, consider using it as a new blog post. After all, it will save you time thinking of something new to write!

Don’t think that your blog is a place for original ideas only. Blogs are the perfect way to increase your network and collaborate with others. When creating a blog it’s good practice to use links – both to external pages and to your other blog posts as this will help with SEO. If you particularly like another blogger, perhaps invite them to collaborate with you (if their topic preferences align with yours) as a means to extend your reach further.

Try not to write one blog and leave it at that. You don’t need to make blogging a weekly task, but you should think of your blog as a bank of content you regularly update. Aim for a frequency that works for you, just make sure you are telling your audience when you launch a blog and they aren’t too far between that people forget your blog in the first place. You want your blogs to be a welcome surprise or highly anticipated, not a random communication.

In all of this, perhaps the most important thing to remember is that anyone can write a blog. If you know your customers and clients well, write from the heart and in a tone that is true to your brand. They will appreciate the authenticity.

Secondly, don’t overthink it! It’s unlikely you will get the content spot on first time (if you do, bravo) but that doesn’t mean you should stop: over time you’ll gain your voice and by getting feedback, you can make amends until your blogs pack that punch.