Six tips for writing a great blog post

Comments: (13) Published July 3rd, 2008 in Blogging

Hello, bloggers

I would like to thank you everyone who left a comment on my last post and while I am working on How to Monetize Your Blog-Part2, I am posting these tips that are helpful to every blogger. I am not Shakespeare (and most of the bloggers are not) :), but most blog readers aren’t looking for a soliloquy, just a great post with good information, from a person that they can identify with. If you are looking for more tips on how to write a great blog post - one that inspires thoughts and keeps people coming back - here is the list that I created after a recent conversation with a professional writer.

1. Make sure your posts have personality.

When I read a blog regularly, it is because of the connection that I feel with the blogger, not just the information provided in the posts. You can get information anywhere, but great blogs make you feel like you are getting the information and advice from your friend.

Have you ever thought what makes big marketing companies so popular and successful? They write in a friendly-professionally manner. Here is an example:

“Hello (your name here)
Helen Zhuk here (for example)… Last week I was doing (give an example, any example as long as it’s something people can relate to) and blah, blah, blah. Usually the sales pitch starts after they have shared their latest experiences, news, or other information with you that you can relate and identify with AND that makes you emotional. The information will always receive multiple wows from you so, they know how valuable it is to make you feel like they’ve known you personally for a hundred years.

2. When English is not your first language.

The best you can do is to hire a professional writer. Make sure you hire someone who is experienced with writing for blogs. There is a big difference between being a professional writer and a blog writer. Whomever you hire should be familiar or be willing to learn about your product/services. Otherwise you are hiring a proofreader, not a writer.

3. Give accurate and concise information.

You wouldn’t want to give your friends bad advice or false information, so give your readers the same courtesy. Blog readers want you to tell them the facts, not read a bunch of garbage, so leave out the unnecessary details.

4. Link to resources.

Nothing bothers me more than becoming interested something that is talked about in a blog post, but having no way to find out more. When you mention other blogger’s posts or talk about a website or product, do your readers a favor and provide a link. This will make your blog more useful and appealing.

5. Stay on point.
Have you ever read a blog post and been left wondering what in the world they were talking about? Readers lose interest quickly when they can’t figure out what the point of a post is, so try to stick to your topic. You can include things that relate to the posts, but try to keep yourself from going off on a tangent.

6. Always proofread your posts.

I have a tendency to think a little faster than I type, so proofreading is an absolute must. I forgot about this golden rule for a while and as a result of one of loyal readers immediately pointed it out.
Nothing will make a reader click away faster than a post teeming with grammatical errors and obvious misspellings, so double check everything before you hit publish. Sometimes it helps to walk away for a bit and come back, reading your post with a fresh pair of eyes, to help catch the less obvious.

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Eric - InfiniteWebProfit (Who am I?) said on July 3rd, 2008 at 11:35 pm

Another great blogging points here.
Sometimes I miss your point #6. I just hit that publish button, walk away and forget to proofread the whole article.

Following all what you’ve mentioned makes a powerful posts.
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Chato (Who am I?) said on July 4th, 2008 at 7:34 am

Thx, it is alway good to know that your doing something right as for me I felt like this was a good reminder…LOL #6 well that is my wifes job…
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Ankit Gupta (Who am I?) said on July 4th, 2008 at 3:15 pm

awesome tips! really

keep posting
cheers
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hakimtea (Who am I?) said on July 5th, 2008 at 11:30 am

for the first point definitely i agree, blogger is a Conversation Architect, we must have own personality on our post
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BSA (Who am I?) said on July 6th, 2008 at 10:48 am

This was a very good summary. If you’re serious about being looked at as a writer vs just a blogger, it would be valuable for you to take courses in English composition. Also to point #6, consider having someone else do a bit of proofreading for you. It is very hard to see all of your own mistakes.
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Chris Williams (Who am I?) said on July 6th, 2008 at 7:04 pm

I liked it. #6 about proofreading is a must. It always trips me up when I notice a typo on one of the big time blogs I read regularly.

#4 about linking is also important, I think. If nothing else, it shows a source for what you are writing and that you took the time to do some research. Nice Job!
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Helen (Who am I?) said on July 6th, 2008 at 7:12 pm

thanks, Chris:)
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caladohelena (Who am I?) said on July 7th, 2008 at 7:33 am

English is not my first language, but since there isn’t income to use a professional I will trust that isn’t to bad.

Any way the remaining tips are quite true and I use most of them.
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Richien (Who am I?) said on July 7th, 2008 at 5:43 pm

I liked this post. Especially interesting was your part about showing your personality. I haven’t been doing that, and I will have to try. Thanks
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Sportsdawg (Who am I?) said on July 8th, 2008 at 1:36 pm

Great site. As a new blogger I’m sure I can learn a lot here. Thanks
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HutleRootly said on August 2nd, 2008 at 7:50 pm

Brilliant!
miles (Who am I?) said on November 19th, 2008 at 11:24 am

It was a nice site thanks for the insights..
______
migael
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Finding The Right Words To Say | REVENUE HERALD said on September 6th, 2008 at 12:46 pm

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