Be a Better Blogger

Blogs are alive and well but you'd better bring your A-game if you want to attract readers.

Are blogs still around? Yep, but they have grown way beyond the original concept that gave them the name. In the Wild West days of the Internet, there were these little, informal posts and updates that anyone could write and they called weblogs.

And many of them read just like diary entries really.

Web+log became blogs and now they are often a sophisticated source of information a tool for corporate branding, and a way to motivate, inspire and connect.

These days, blogs may be called newsletters, or articles, or posts. But the thing that distinguishes them from other articles and forms, is that they are usually more conversational, with a first-person POV, regularly updated, and relevant to what’s going on in the present day.

No matter what you call them or the tone you take though, you’ll need make your posts informative, compelling, and useful to your target market. Oh, yeah, you’ll need to know that too—who your readers are and then create well-written posts designed with them in mind.

What Makes a Better Blog?

Know your niche.

What do you want to write about? What do you bring to the topic? Do you have special expertise, a unique perspective?

Know your readers.

Who are your readers? What do they care about? Needs? How will your blog help them?

Know your mission.

Are you writing posts for a corporate client to establish brand identity or working to create with your community while showcasing your talent?

Know what your goals are for the blog and the posts, that will help you shape your editorial content, establish a point of view, and cultivate the voice of the blog.

What is your voice and point of view?

The best blogs bring a little personality, they are conversational and make complicated or relevant information accessible to readers. Consider what reading level you’ll write for, the tone, and the humor. Write in a way that your readers can relate to and one that is authentic to you.

Make a content plan.

It’s not enough to have the topic in mind, you need to know the specific pieces you’ll write. The Simply Write blog/newsletter is for newish professional and aspiring writers who want to publish.

That’s a broad topic, but this post How to Write a Better Blog is a specific post idea written directly for you, this audience of writers. And it’s been on my calendar for months. There are lots of things I want to share with you here, and sometimes I’ll deviate from the plan, but knowing what details and ideas I wanted to cover even before I launched this substack, and helped me realize there was plenty to write about.

In the months to come, I’ll drop a piece about writing a good post, but for now, make sure you pick a topic that’s important to your readers, research and get clear about what information you’ll present, remember you can’t do it all, and offer solutions and action-oriented ideas in the piece and you’ll have a good start.

Be consistent.

Along the lines of establishing your content plan, set deadlines, and keep them. Consistent publishing helps build an audience and credibility for you the writer. It also lets readers know that you take this stuff seriously, that you are committed to it, and value it, so they will take it more seriously too.

And don’t forget these things…

Write strong headlines and subheads.

Include images. Be sure to purchase rights to photos as needed and give credit to the photog.

Break up copy with subheads and images and numbered lists.

Keep posts at 1,000 words or below. There are all kinds of rules about this. But the posts in this range are more user friendly so write tight.

Include links, additional info, helpful resources.

Learn basic SEO and use it to build an audience.

Be a professional. You never know who is going to read your stuff. Proofread. Create clear pieces. Write well and be of service to the reader.

Provide solutions to your readers.

Use every post to entertain, inform, or inspire. Otherwise, what’s the point?

An Added Benefit to Blogging

When I first started blogging years ago, it came with a hidden benefit—it helped me become a much better writer. The regular writing and post schedule meant I was creating new material and shipping it out every week. That is a path to improvement.

But blogging also helped me become more aware of my voice and tone, and clearer about what I wanted to offer readers. That has led to a community and connection not only with the readers but other writers, and that feels good too.

If you have a blog going, let me know in the comments and I’ll link it in the notes. And if there are any writing-specific topics you want to see covered here? That’s cool too. Drop it in the comments.

And thanks for taking the time to read this today. I love writing and it’s fun to share that love with all of you.

-p