Every blogger, once they have their first few posts under their belt, is interested in how to write better blog posts. I hear the phrase “content is king” all the time in the blogging world. And it is true. But surely, in the 2 million blog posts that are written each and every day, there is tons of great content being written.
If you do a Google search for “write better blog posts”, you get 194,000,000 results. And I would venture a guess that any topic that you choose to write about would come back with similar results. So the question becomes, “How do you write a better blog post with content that already exists?”
For myself, the process of writing a blog post looks like this:
- I choose a topic to write about.
- I do some research.
- I regurgitate what I want to say.
- I re-write, re-read and correct grammar and spelling multiple times.
- I choose a pic.
- I insert categories, tags and make adjustments according to SEO.
And still I feel like something is missing. It happens to me a lot. I think to myself, how can I make this post better? Usually, I will take a step back, go do something else and return with fresh eyes.
This morning, while my post was breathing, I was going through my twitter feed looking for posts to read when one caught my attention:
5 Ways to Improve Your Blog Writing by Vicky Charles at Single Mother Ahoy!
Vicky’s post is excellent and even though she covered a different aspect of the same topic, I thought that I should scrap my own post.
I decided against it because her post clearly conveyed the points I wanted to make. If you re-read her post after my tips, you will see what a great example her post was to use.
3 Ways To Write Better Blog Posts
1. Insert Your Own Personal Style And Experience
Unless your blog is a personal journal or creative writing, chances are that someone else has already covered your topic. The only way to distinguish your posts and blog from others is to insert your own style and experiences. Your voice is what will be unique and different. Do not be afraid to use “I”. Personal examples re-enforce key points or elements of your topic and help readers to identify with you.
2. Be A Source Of Great Information
What is a blog if not an essay. Don’t be afraid to show your sources or connect to evidence that can emphasize your view. Link to posts/bloggers/writers that have inspired you or motivated your creative process. Share great information that your readers will find useful. They will come back for more.
3. Say More With Less
If you only have one thing you wish to discuss, do it and get out. Do not repeat and expand in an effort to meet a word count. Always go back and chop what you can without sacrificing content before posting. Readers will leave your blog without engaging if your post needs to be scrolled endlessly.
If you want to discover more ways to write better blog posts, read more blogs.
13 comments
This is awesome! I recently read another blog post about how when posts have higher word counts they tend to lead at the top of search engine sites. Which I had no idea, and even though I’d be at the top I definitely agree that having lengthy posts can be tedious and intimidating to readers and cause them to leave! At least that is how I am as a reader. Luckily there was some other added information that engaging in comments adds to your word count 😀 So making exciting, personable, and informative posts is definitely a great way to offer readers great content that they will want to engage through conversation with you.
Question about tags when blogging, do you need to use the # symbol like other social media outlets? or just put the word?
If you mean tags when creating blog posts, then no, it is not needed, use just the word.
Hi Elena – I think your last un-numbered point is the best and sums the others up – “If you want to discover more ways to write better blog posts, read more blogs.” .. and so I’ll continue to read and learn.
Read and learn. Always the best advice. Thank you for dropping by Mrs. P.
Say More With Less I definitely need to work on, it’s hard for a writer though!
It is hard. I once heard that you shouldn’t use adverbs often. I am a sucker for that.
Great Post! I think this is something that loads of bloggers worry about. Personally I try and think along the lines of your first point, everyone has their own unique take on a subject and there is always room for more well written work.
Sometimes reinforcement by multiple bloggers makes a lesson stick! Lol Thank you very much for stopping by!
Brilliant post! And thanks for linking to mine. I think the two work well together!
Thank you so much for reading! You are an inspiration and I am thrilled you came to visit my little blog!
Great tips! #3 is one I wish the more verbose among us would take to heart. There are some famous writers/bloggers who can get away with long posts because of who they are, but for the majority of us, brevity is king. Especially in writing tip posts, I try to say what I need to say in 500 words or less. I know I don’t seek out a blog post that’ll feel like work. I wouldn’t expect that from my readers either. And what better way to practice making every word count, right? 🙂
Absolutely! I do approximately 90% of my blog reading on my phone. I get lost with long posts! Thank you for dropping by Allison!
definitely came in useful!