Writing Blog Posts: 6 Tips

May 6, 2013 | Better Blogging

Last week I was chatting with a friend who’s going to start blogging. She’s never written blog posts before, so she asked me for some tips on how to write good ones. Here are six tips that I gave her.

Write as if you’re talking to a single person. Blogs should be conversational and the best way to make that happen is to write to a single person. I don’t mean a demographic description or an imaginary person. Write as if you’re talking to someone you know who is or would be an ideal customer.

All first drafts are crap. Writers who produce good posts consistently revise their first drafts. Plan for three drafts at a minimum.

Letting the post rest adds perspective. Try to schedule so you don’t have to publish right away. If you let your post rest for a few hours or a few days, you’ll see ways to improve it.

Reading your post aloud lets your mouth catch things your brain will miss. As William Zinsser told us: “People read with their ears, whether they know it or not.” That means you should do some of your writing with your voice.

Spell and grammar check before you publish. Trust me, this will save you from some awful embarrassment.

You won’t get good all at once. Learning to write good blog posts, like learning anything else worthwhile, takes time. Don’t expect miracles. Do expect improvement.