You’re here for the secret to blog writing success! Here you go…
Blogging, everyone’s at it. Your old school friends, your neighbour, even your Granny’s got a baking blog (she’s doing well too!), so why aren’t you?
Simple answer, you don’t know where the ‘F’ to begin.
Well, that’s where we, well we and a multitude of other advice and marketing blogs come-in.
So here’s a list of 5 top tips to blog writing success!
Are you ready? Then let’s begin.
Tip 1: Plan your blog post
It sounds ridiculous, the idea that you might sit down to write and have no idea where you’re going with it, but knowing what you want to say is half the battle.
Writing a successful blog post requires a little inspiration, a decent amount of research, a sprinkle of writing nouse and a reason to write in the first place.
Writing for writings’ sake is all well and good, but it’s time consuming and can be time wasteful, especially if said post ends-up being 700+ words of drivel.
When we talk about planning, we’re not just talking about the i’s to be dotted and the t’s to be crossed, we’re also talking about crafting a piece of content that’s relevant to your target audience but will also keep them tuned-in throughout.
To that end, we suggest a tone of voice, a style of writing and if you don’t have those things…well, try.
Look, you start a book, maybe the first page is ok, so you keep going, but then 3-4 pages in, the writing seems a little stale, the words come but the story doesn’t and very soon, the book is down, back on the shelf and you’re on to the next one.
You must keep your reader invested from beginning to end!
If you’re funny, be funny. If you’re clever, sure, be clever.
If you’re a marketer…well, likely as not you’ve read these blog writing tips blogs before and only ‘liked’ this link on LinkedIn to be polite and highlight you know what you’re talking about too 😉
Tip 2: Craft a Kick-A Headline
The headline is the first thing you see after either a beautifully designed image your creative department has skillfully crafted and formatted for you or, a free image from Pixabay or the other multitude of free imagery sites where the photo bears some vague relevancy to your chosen topic.
So, best get it right, because it’s the second reason that your “reader” will click on your link/image and add to your visitors stats on WordPress or Google Analytics.
Hmm, a Kick-A headline you say…a few words or more that will pull that finger from auto-scrolling to tapping mode…hmm, I have it!
Click here for ‘The Best Headline You Could Ever Write‘!
Fine, just kidding.
Look, headlines can be clear, concise and do exactly what it says on the tin (old advert reference – sorry if it’s lost on the those outside of the UK and the 1990’s) or, you could go the fascinating, alurring, vague route.
The route that draws the curious and fingers crossed, keeps them invested long after they realise your headline bears little to no relevancy to their search criteria.
OK, I’m being glib, but ultimately, other than the SEO element of copywriting, that will likely change in seconds (thanks Google), it’s down to you.
Our advice?
Appeal to the audience first, adhere to the Google Masters second
…and always, always share on social media.
More? OK.
- Use numbers (Top 5, Top 10, etc.)
- Use formulas (The key to gaining more leads is…contact Wing Digital Marketing….)
- Use keywords
- Use Social Media (bears repeating – a lot)
- Use adjectives (Scalable, Skillful, Diligent, etc.)
Once in a while, use an ALL caps word.
Oh and run your headlines through a HEADLINE ANALYZER TOOL to see which plays best.
Here are one or two you can use.
Headline Analyzer by Capitalize My Title
In case you’re wondering, here’s how ‘5 Top Tips to Blog Writing SUCCESS‘ faired on CoSchedule.
Tip 3: Write your post
Blog writing, like any other turn at a keyboard can be done then and there – BISH, BASH, BOSH, or you can take days or even weeks at it – it’s simply down to you and your writing approach.
Take this post for instance, sure, we are following the steps, we have to, but much of this now is ‘old hat’ to us.
We did the research, but it was over the course of years, we tried quite a few headlines, but ultimately liked ‘5 Top Tips to Blog Writing SUCCESS‘ because it was clear, in-your-face, adhered to many but not all of the criteria the headline analyzers requested of us and in the end, it’s such a BS title that at least a few of you are going to click.
Some are going to read a bit.
And for those of you that are here, right now, well, maybe you’ll be smiling a little too.
The tips are there to help, but let’s be honest, if the content sucks, it’s on you.
Plan, research, write, re-write, find a cool pic and get the work done.
Oh and don’t forget those back links.
Tip 4: Use images throughout
As a writer first and foremost, adding imagery to text was always something of a tedium.
That’s not to say I didn’t like photos or drawings, but I’m not that kind of artist and the time it takes to Google search, download, edit and tweak imagery to fit my ramblings, well, it’s frustrating…but it’s neccessary.
Why?
What he said.
Tip 5: Edit and then edit some more
Spell checking and grammar corrections are very important, but your potential lack of writing/spelling process should not disuade you from crafting a post that will play to your key market.
Word has ‘spell-check’, use it. Your “other half” might be a whizz at spelling – ask Him or Her.
Sub-headers – use them.
Draw the reader to the sections that most appeal to their needs.
Your reader might simply be vacantly scrolling at 3am…who’s to say that your opinion isn’t the one that sets their mind at ease?
Try not to say the same thing over and over and OVER…unless you’re looking to emphasize the facts or make a poor joke 😉
Keep the sentences punchy and the paragraphs short for blog writing success
Make sure your keywords are included fairly frequently. Google crawls for them, ranks them and ultimately, your reader has searched for them. So, deliever.
Read your article through a few times. Once for spelling, once for flow and once more, to put a smile on your face and realise that your work, your HARD work might very well pay-off.
Now, go forth and write!
…or contact Wing Digital Marketing and we’ll do it for you.
Informative and appreciate the resources
I loved the way you have presented this article. It is so informative. I was totally engaged during the read.