For example, if you’re creating a home and food blog, scroll through other popular home and food blogs. Notice the layout, content, and images on the other blogs. Pay attention to how long the posts are, the frequency of the posts, the writing style, and the subject matter. If you’re creating a business blog, look at how other sites approach a certain business topic. Also, note if the site has an active comments board and how often the writers respond to reader comments.
If you are writing for a personal blog meant for only close friends and family, you can likely be as honest or casual as you’d like. You also won’t need to explain that Toby is your 4 year old son or Baxter is your cat. Treat a personal blog like a conversation. Write like you are chatting with a close friend or family member. Avoid jargon, complicated sentences, or cliches. [3] X Research source The reader wants to feel like they are getting to know you, so don’t be afraid to put your unique voice front and center. If you are writing for a personal blog that is meant for a larger audience, you can still write casually and honestly. But you may need to include references, a glossary, or explanations to ensure your readers can follow along. Though business blogs or marketing blogs may be a bit more formal, they should still have a conversational tone. Above all, you want to avoid confusing or boring the reader. For a business or marketing blog, think about what your readers expect from your blog. Are you providing information to your readers/buyers? Are you trying to persuade them to buy a certain product?[4] X Research source It’s also important to think about the information your readers already have. If the majority of your readers are Millennials looking to start their own business, you probably don’t need to provide information about how to use social media. But you may want to give them information on how to adjust their approach to social media to be more business-savvy.
For example, you are writing a blog post about how to make chocolate cake on your personal food blog. Of course, there are many recipes for chocolate cake online. So what makes your recipe stand out? Are you adding interesting ingredients like salt or candy? Or are you using a unique technique to make the chocolate cake?
If you are writing a personal blog about fashion, you may want to consider a fashion issue or problem you are interested in discussing. This could be the lack of nice clothing for plus size women, the neon fall trend that won’t go away, or even your struggle with finding the right pair of jeans. If you are writing a business blog, you may want to focus on a particular aspect of your business that might be interesting to your customers. For example, if you run a retail camera store, you may want to talk about the latest camera releases, or a more specific topic like your favorite digital camera on the market.
Don’t be afraid to have a bold title. The title is the first thing the reader will see on your blog, so make it attention grabbing. [6] X Research source It may be better to have a simple title, rather than a complicated or confusing one. Though you may want to be snappy or witty, often titles that are clear and easy to read are the most effective. [7] X Research source For example, a blog post on your food blog about a chocolate cake recipe could have the title like: “My Amazing Salted Chocolate Cake Recipe”. A blog post about finding the perfect pair of jeans could be: “Blue Jean Blues: Finding the Perfect Pair”. Or something shorter and simpler, like: “My Search for the Perfect Pair of Jeans. ” If you are writing a blog post on your favorite camera on the market, you could use a title like: “The Best Point and Shoots Out Right Now”. Or something more formal like: “My Top Ten Best Digital Cameras on the Market”.
Identify a need. [9] X Research source Think about what problems or issues the reader would want to solve. Create an opening line that promises to answer this need. For example, on your food blog, you identify a need for your reader to learn how to properly ice a cake. Your opening sentences could be: “We’ve all been there. Your child’s birthday is set to start in an hour, but you can’t figure out how to ice the triple layer chocolate cake. ” Ask an intriguing question. Use a question that leaves little room for the reader to respond with anything but “yes”. Make the question seem interesting enough to the reader. For example, on your camera blog, you could begin with: “Looking for a digital camera that produces top quality images, but doesn’t weigh a ton? Ready to switch to a point and shoot, but shopping on a budget?”[10] X Research source Say something unexpected. But make sure it still relates to the topic of your post. This could be a unique statement or phrase that you haven’t used often on your blog. The idea is to jolt the reader into paying attention. For example, if you often talk about cakes or cookies on your food blog, begin a post on pies with: “Okay readers, it’s time for me to do something radically different on here. I give you: lemon meringue pie. ”[11] X Research source Make a claim or promise. This technique works well for business blogs that are selling a product or providing product information to their readers. Just make sure you can back up your claim with solid content. For example, the camera post could begin with: “Today, I am going to help you buy the best digital camera you have ever owned. ”[12] X Research source
Create an outline for the post. Break the topic down into sections, short paragraphs, or subtitles. [13] X Research source If you are writing a blog post with a recipe, you may want to create a separate section for the recipe and then a separate section with the directions. Or if you are writing a post with a list, use numbers to organize the content. Download free blog post templates online, which are pre-organized based on the most common blog post types. [14] X Research source
You could include customer testimonials, expert quotes and industry research or data. You could also include a seconding of your claim from another blogger who is considered an expert or tastemaker in the eyes of your audience.
If you are writing a blog post with a recipe, breakdown each step in the recipe. Explain how the reader can whisk the eggs, combine the wet and dry ingredients, or place the cake in the oven. Be specific and go through each step in a logical order. If you are writing a more opinionated post, like the best ten digital cameras, back up each camera with a personal note about your experience with each camera. Include your reasons why each camera is worth the reader’s attention.
Remember that your blog has an unlimited amount of space for posts and images. So don’t be afraid to focus on one aspect of a topic and then expand on another aspect in another blog post.
You can also include a “tweet this quote” option on a quote from the post, or add a share button for Facebook or Twitter. [19] X Research source
Think of tags as keywords, terms, or categories that relate to the post. Avoid a laundry list of terms and only include terms that apply to the topic of the post. [20] X Research source
Focus on images that look interesting, are easy to understand, and trigger an emotion in the reader. [22] X Research source
If you are writing a personal blog post, it may be useful to read the post out loud. That way you can check that the voice sounds natural and casual.
Most blog experts argue that posts published on weekdays will get more exposure and traffic than posts published on weekends. Public holidays are also not the best times for publishing a post as web traffic is usually already down during these times. Figure out the best time of day for you to publish posts by testing out different publishing times with your audience.
If you are updating your blog on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis, keep it consistent so your readers know when to look for new content on your blog.
Responding to reader comments also allows other readers to have conversations with each other on your blog. This builds reader loyalty, and creates a space where readers feel like they can talk and “belong”. It also gives the content of the post more depth by including other opinions and impressions from readers.
