7 Tips for Kick-Butt Blog Writing

Posted on 27. Jul, 2010 by in Blogging, Internet

Blog WritingFar different from book or other formal writing, writing for a blog requires its own specific set of skills. And once you’ve got them down pat, you’ll be able to produce sparkling, original, copy that will keep your readers coming back for more. There are tons of books and sites devoted to writing great content, but unless you’re someone who really struggles with writing a complete sentence, it really boils to some basic principles.  And even if you already know all this, it’s always a good idea to get a reminder and re-evaluate your writing to make sure you’re not falling back into bad habits.

Here are the seven most essential things that every blogger needs to know:

1. Keep it short – Learn the skill of brevity. Your readers will love you for it. It can take time to develop the art of saying more in fewer words, but it’s worth it. Keep sentences short, paragraphs tight, and articles at a reasonable length. Make your point, repeat it, then leave it. Short, succinct sentences look appealing to a reader when they scan your page. This means they will keep the window open and take a look at what you have to say.

2. Bite-sized nuggets – Break your content into nice, digestible pieces. As a general rule of thumb, paragraphs written for the web shouldn’t be longer than four of five sentences. Ever heard of the popular web abbreviation “TLDR”? This stands for “too long, didn’t read.” Readers scan web pages, rather than reading them carefully, such as they would a book or newspaper. Make your content look short and readable and you will stand a better chance of keeping your reader’s attention.

3. Subheadings – Put the most important points, keyword and phrases in bold subheadings. This helps to catch the eye of readers skimming over your page. Subheadings are where people “land” on a website. Each subheading should introduce a kind of “mini article.”  Take advantage of subheadings to make readers stay on your page for longer.

4. Leave them wanting – The number one trick to making a profit from web writing is to leave readers wanting just a little bit more. Introduce the problem, offer some solutions, but don’t completely solve it. That is what your next link, next post, or targeted ads are for. Learning the skill of leaving the problem a little bit open is the best skill you can develop.

5. Offer something original – Why should readers choose your blog over someone else’s? Offer them something original, and they’ll make that choice. Figure out how you can tap into a niche and how you will be able to offer a unique angle. If you are an expert in a field, use that to your advantage. Any topic that you are passionate about is a good place to start. This way you can deliver readers heartfelt, knowledgeable advice that doesn’t just repeat what someone else is saying.

6. Watch your adverbs and adjectives – Any writing teacher will tell you that you need to eliminate your writing of adverbs and adjectives. Blog writing is no exception! There is a place for them, but most of the time they tell the reader nothing. They are empty words which don’t say anything, yet they do take up plenty of space. Consider the sentence, “This product is really rather quite good.” What does that mean? If you mean good, then that’s what you should write. Keep your writing simple, active, and powerful.

7. Use a professional yet casual tone – There is a careful balance that needs to be struck. Write informally, but don’t litter your blog posts with careless grammar mistakes, messy formatting or text speak. Not only does this look ugly, readers will wonder why they should trust you to tell them anything. Want to be an authority on a topic? Keep your readers coming back? Write in a professional tone that gives them a good impression.

Follow these tips, and you’ll take your blog to the next level.  Or at least be on your way to keeping your content clean and readable.  Do you have other tips and tricks for great writing?  Be sure to share with us in the comments!

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18 Responses to “7 Tips for Kick-Butt Blog Writing”

  1. Tej Kohli

    27. Jul, 2010

    I think you are right , sometimes blogger just add RSS from other Blog its pulls content its looks odds to people who are looking for best information .

    Reply to this comment

  2. Corinne

    27. Jul, 2010

    Great tips Matthew. I think one of the key tips to any successful writing is to immediately draw your audience in. You only have a couple of seconds to get your audience’s attention before they lose interest. I definitely agree with your point about keeping it short- people have very short attention spans!

    Reply to this comment

  3. Jason

    27. Jul, 2010

    Good article. Your advice about bolding, particularly for readers that ‘skim’ through the content is very important. Bolding can still provide readers with a good understanding of the article, even if they’ve only skimmed through it quickly.

    Jason

    Reply to this comment

  4. Will

    28. Jul, 2010

    You’re totally right. I hate it when a blog just has a bunch of RSS feeds it pulled in. Great original content is always the way to go. Plus keeping them wanting more ensures they’ll come back for more…

    Reply to this comment

  5. Jennifer Brown Banks

    28. Jul, 2010

    I love these tips and techniques offered here! I also find that using anecdotes can be an effective way to draw readers in as well. Thanks for sharing this.

    Reply to this comment

  6. Chris McCann

    28. Jul, 2010

    This piece was brief & helpful…it rocked! Even though I am only 18, my blog about my entrepreneurial journey could uses this tips. I’m gonna read over this again right before I write my next post :)

    Thanks,

    Chris

    Reply to this comment

  7. Credit Girl

    28. Jul, 2010

    An attractive and compelling title will do it for ya, too!

    Reply to this comment

  8. Phil Morse

    30. Jul, 2010

    Very useful summary, I think I fall down in the brevity stakes on my blog sometimes.

    Reply to this comment

  9. Jesse

    31. Jul, 2010

    Great tips! I made alot of use out of them.

    Reply to this comment

  10. Cummins Generators

    01. Aug, 2010

    Good tips Matthew. I imagine one of several critical suggestions to any effective writing is to right away draw your audience in. You only have a couple of seconds to have your audience’s awareness just before they lose interest. I undoubtedly agree together with your point about preserving it short- people have very small consideration spans!

    Reply to this comment

  11. tires

    03. Aug, 2010

    Great 7 tips, if there was something I would add is that you should always try to maintain consistency in your blog writing. Too often times, I see bloggers make an outstanding post, and then all of the sudden their next post is completely different from the other style, and it totally confuses the readers in my opinion. So yeah… consistency is huge.

    Till then,

    Jean

    Reply to this comment

  12. Legitiamte Work From Home Jobs

    06. Aug, 2010

    I read many blogs – different topics, different writing styles, and a variety of article lengths. All of my favorite blogs have two things in common: they keep me wanting more and they use proper grammar. Both very important to me.

    I know of some blogs that utilize guest writers. In many of these cases, the flow and character of the blog diminishes as the writing style of the guest doesn’t mesh with that of the blog owner.

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  13. PS3

    07. Aug, 2010

    Some really good tips there. Another point i think is to blog regularly, it will keep visitors coming to your blog. If i see a blog that hasn’t been updated in a while i’ll read one or two articles and leave, i won’t bother to bookmark it.

    Reply to this comment

  14. sell things on ebay

    09. Aug, 2010

    Something I recently found had a big impact on the success of my online posts, was to use plenty of sub headings with short paragraphs underneath, lots of bulleted points so people can get the information that’s relevant quickly, and lists (top 5/7/10 reasons) – people love lists for some reason.

    Reply to this comment

  15. Rachel

    10. Aug, 2010

    Writing can be a real challenge especially if you run out of ideas. These tips are very helpful.

    Reply to this comment

  16. Bidet

    16. Aug, 2010

    These are great tips, having sub headers is key for writing good posts so it does not look intimidating and hard to read. Its easy to divide it up and its much easier to read when theres sub headers.

    Reply to this comment

  17. Napkin Rings

    16. Sep, 2010

    I just wish it was that simple as it sounds. You guys are great at this, mainly because you have lots of experience in writing. Great tips nevertheless.

    Reply to this comment

  18. my online income system

    21. Sep, 2010

    I also use chunk size words and rely on bullets a lot. Also my writing style is casual.
    If your article spreads into your resource box, then that helps as well. It looks natural and the click thru is good.

    Reply to this comment

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