People have been writing blogs since the early days of being connected to the internet. Also known as a personal journal, a blog has evolved into a social platform for people worldwide to connect and share ideas on any topic imaginable. Whether it’s about music, beauty, or even their daily routine, there is something out there for everyone.
As blogging has evolved, so has the variety of formats and niches available to those looking to start their own (or join an already established) blog.
The most popular kinds relate directly to specific interests such as fashion, cooking, and technology. Still, no matter what type of blog you decide to focus your energy on, you’ll need great content that engages your audience. And that starts with better writing skills.
While it’s never too late to improve your writing skills (blogging is an excellent way to do this), I’ve compiled a shortlist of the most important things you can do if you want to improve or refresh your writing for blogging.
1. Make Your Content Readable
There are many reasons why people choose not to read blogs because they find them difficult to follow. Try:
- Keeping sentences and paragraphs relatively short (most adults have a reading level between 7th and 12th grade)
- Using bullet points whenever possible
- Telling stories with as few words as possible
- Avoiding overly complex vocabulary (if unsure, check out Common Confusions English Words )
- Doing all of the above will help make your blog a lot more readable.
2. Use Pop Culture as a Reference, Not a Punchline
I’ve seen this happen so many times, and it makes me cringe every time:
A popular TV show, movie, or song is mentioned in the blog post for no real reason besides being funny.
The reference itself is irrelevant and most likely won’t stick with people making your post seem like you didn’t even try – which brings me to my next point.
3. Make Your Blog Post Memorable by Focusing on Quality, not Quantity
Even though it’s true that people love talking about themselves, the best bloggers only mention things about their own lives when it adds something meaningful to the post. Even then, there is always a way to word things without having them seem self-centered.
For example: Instead of writing “My family goes to Florida at least once a year,” try “We’ve been going to Florida for vacation since before I was born.” Simple changes like these make blog posts feel more authentic and less formulaic.
4. Outsource Blog Writing to Professionals
There’s a reason why major publications like the New York Times and Forbes rely on outsource blog writing professionals because they know what they’re doing. If you want to be taken seriously as a blogger, then you should do the same.
Luckily, there are many ways to go about this (some of which I’ll cover in my next point). Whether it’s hiring ghostwriters or outsourcing your post content to freelancers, you can rest assured that your blog will improve dramatically with the help of people who know how to write for an audience.
5. Make Sure Your Blog Post Comes Out as You Intended
I’ve seen this happen so many times where bloggers write entire paragraphs, maybe even pages of content, to find out that they couldn’t upload them because their formatting was wonky or plain text wasn’t working. Instead of feeling frustrated with your computer (or software), remember the basics when writing your next post:
Format big blocks of text with headings to make them easier to read. Use bullet points for lists etc. Most importantly, always use a spell checker! If you can’t upload it, then it probably won’t come out perfectly in the end.
6. Be Open to Feedback/Criticism
The most important thing about blogging is that you share what you love doing with interested others. It’s normal to take personal offense when someone criticizes something you’ve worked hard on, but the best advice I can give is not to take everything personally.
People will have different opinions about what you write, but if they leave any feedback, then there must be at least one valuable point within those lines.
So, the next time you get criticized try to think about it this way: Is there any truth in what they’re saying? What kind of advice are they giving me, and why do they want to see my blog succeed?
When you have a clear answer for all of these things, then you can use criticism as an opportunity to improve rather than being discouraged by it.
Final Thoughts
I want to discuss so many other blog writing tips, but these are the most important ones. The internet is highly competitive, so if you’re going to stand out, you’ll have to take your game up a few notches by considering these six points.
My goal was to help you improve your content quality, and hopefully, it worked!