It doesn’t matter what you’re writing about or where you’re publishing your articles, we all need to write blog posts in a way to attract our readers closer to us.
Our content needs to be unique and interesting, and it needs to compel the people in our niche to want to read more and follow us.
And if you have writing talent, that’s great but not necessary. All it takes to write compelling blog posts is a few basic, simple writing techniques.
Ten simple tips to help you write better blog posts.
1. Don’t beat around the bush…
When you write your blog posts, be specific. It’s better to make solid statements than it is to hedge. Hedging is when you throw things in like… “almost all” or “a little bit of”. It’s better to make a definitive statement. So instead of writing “almost all young children like ice cream or at least a majority of young children like ice cream, say… young children like ice cream.
2. Repeat key phrases
Structure and rhythm helps the structure of your blog posts. It creates a flow that readers can identify with. The best things to repeat are phrases that have your key words included, so in this case, repetition becomes your friend. Just be sure not to over do it.
3. No flabby writing
Flabby writing usually happens when you fill your blog posts with a lot of passive sentences. Putting the subject first will avoid too many passive sentences. An example of a passive sentence is… “the party was attended by hundreds”. To become a writer that draws people in with magnetic blog posts, use a more active writing style. Now that same sentence would read… “hundreds attended the party”. Passive writing isn’t always wrong, but entire blog posts written that way would be a terrible flow for your readers.
4. Be Brief!
In case you didn’t know… most of your readers aren’t going to read your entire blog posts. They’ll scan through them and pick out whatever nuggets they can. Doesn’t matter how well you write, that’s just how it is. So don’t drag your blog posts out, but make sure to get your point across–be brief. And on a side note… don’t be afraid to make your readers laugh. Everyone likes to be entertained.
5. Write your blog posts with short sentences.
You want to make your blog posts easy to read, so don’t make your sentences too long. Shorter sentences are easier to digest and it’s easier to follow each point of that you cover. For longer sentences, use dashes–just to break things up a little. Don’t over do it with the dashes, but keep in mind that it’s a useful tool to take advantage of.
6. Provoke your readers to dig for more
Don’t ever try to hand over a complete solution to a problem with one article unless you’re writing a report that is supposed to cover all the bases. Give value and yes, solve problems, but always leave your blog readers wanting more.
7. Don’t write using trash adjectives
If you’re using too many adjectives and adverbs in your blog posts, break the habit now. They don’t add anything to the quality of your article and will more often than not, dull your message. Example: “I’m very interested in going to the park today.” If you remove the adjectives you get a sharper message that says the same thing. For example… “I’m going to the park today.”
8. Be direct with your message
Excuse me, dear visitor, but if it wouldn’t be too bothersome or inconvenient to you, would you allow me to trouble you for the favor of applying your obvious expertise with the English language to just get to the darn point? Smothering your blog post with flowery words should not be used when you want your writing to be magnetic and persuasive.
9. Include story-telling in your blog posts
Don’t fill every blog posts with bullet-points and checklists. These are great types of posts to write and you should use them. But if you fill your blog with these alone, it will lack personality and your visitors will be looking for a way of escape. Combine the bullets into a paragraph that tells a story. You’ll get more readers liking, tweeting and subscribing to your blog.
10. Don’t write with too much formality
So many bloggers mistake formal writing for professionalism. Not the case. Yes, informal writing is less professional by most people’s standards, and using certain patterns of speech… like yeah instead of yes might break the formal rules, but if you talk that way, you should write that way. You want to come through as a real, down to earth person… not a robot.
Use these10 tips for starters in writing your blog posts and you’ll find that your writing becomes more and more magnetic each time you write. Want to make that good first impression? Take the time to write in a way that draws your readers in to you.
The good thing is… you can always change what you don’t like.
