Jun 1

Written by:
2010/06/01 09:06 PM 

Content is the key to a great blog. It marks the difference between a successful blog and a failed attempt at nothingness.

But, if no one has told you, writing great content does not come easy. At first anyway.

Here are some tips on writing great content that will boost your blog into the A-league.

1. Original Content

This should go without saying. Don’t Copy and Paste. Content is King and Originality is His Queen. Keep it original.

While the topic in question might have a million posts about it. The actual words of the content differ tremendously. I have no doubt that there are thousands of posts and articles about this very subject. But this particular post is original.

Focus on being better than those other posts. Focus on bringing something different to the party.

2. Keep your readers in mind

Don’t write for the search engines. Yes, SEO is important. But not as important as your readers. They don’t really care about SEO. They care about good quality content.

There is a term used in marketing WIIFM. It stands for What’s In It For Me. This is what every reader asks when they land on your blog. They are there because they want something out of it.

3. Quality before Quantity

Many people fall into the trap of writing just for the sake of writing. Remember, if you have nothing to say, then rather say nothing.

Don’t waste peoples time by writing dribble. There are a lot of ways to have a post where you don’t say anything.

• Guest posts
• Interviews
• Reviews
• Share other posts
• Surveys
• Re-cap posts

4. Be honest.

Honesty is the best policy. People are not fooled easily. If you don’t know anything or very little about a topic, don’t make out as though you do. Write about what you know, about your personal experiences.

Most importantly, don’t try to be someone you’re not.

5. Make your writing scan-able

You will be surprised to learn how much spare time people have nowadays. One would think that with all this technology we could do things so much faster and be more productive.

Well it has, but it has also caused us to do more with less. Because of this make sure your posts can be easily scanned. Readers should be able to identify the main points. Then they can choose to dig deeper if they need to.

• Use bold headings
• Formatting, use BOLD, Italics, CAPS, underline, and white space. Sparingly
• Use bullet points
• Use small paragraphs
• Pay attention to words used in headings and subheadings
• Good use of graphics

6. Tone and Style

We all write differently depending on the topic and niche of our blog. Even in letters and emails we write differently depending on the targeted audience.

A letter to your boss will be different to a letter to your loved one. A technical post has a different tone and style to a celebrity post.

Do some research on different successful blogs within your niche. Try to identify the tone and style they use.

7. Proof read.

Because I am a bit dyslexic, it is inevitable that my grammar and spelling will not be that well. Oops sorry good. Gotcha.

But seriously. remember to proofread your posts. Check spelling and grammar. It does not have to be picture perfect and sound like it was written by an English major. But you should get the basics right,

Be like me, if this is not your strong suite, then have someone else proof for you.

8. KISS – Keep It Simple Sunshine.

Don’t try to overcomplicate the blog post. When you have said what you had to say. STOP.

There is no perfect blog post length. Some are short, some are longer. But the point is to keep it simple.

Enough said on this point

9. Link out

Link out to other posts and articles to strengthen your point. Linking out gives credibility to your story.

It also provides a sense of community as well as provide more valuable information for the reader.

10. Have fun

Probably the most important tip is to have fun. Don’t let blogging be a burden or a pain in the nether regions.

You need to enjoy it. If you don’t, your readers won’t either.

Related reading:

Design must complement content

Design and Content. A match made in heaven

7 Ways of getting fresh content for your blog.

What is the best and most optimal blog post length?

image by amypalko

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