Blog writing is a beast of its own – You have to capture your reader’s attention and hold onto it.
But how?
The answer is to use techniques that make your content irresistible.
Here are blog writing tips you can use to craft better content.
Shorter is Better – Sentences and Paragraphs
Shorter sentences and paragraphs simplify your writing. This helps your reader understand your message.
Shorter Sentences
Long sentences have the tendency to include more than one idea in a single chunk, which makes it harder for your reader to decipher what you’re trying to say and instead of shedding light on your message it makes it even more clouded.
See that. You had to pause and think about that sentence’s message. And while it was is information-packed, it’s hard for a reader to understand.
This spells EXIT to a busy visitor reading your blog.
But you can treat this. Try writing sentences that feature only one idea. This makes your content much more digestible.
This doesn’t mean zero sentences should feature two ideas – that would make for a ho-hum blog. But be conscious when you’re writing and editing, and break up sentences into readable chunks when possible.
Shorter Paragraphs
Apply the “shorter is better” idea to your paragraphs as well. Nothing scares a reader more than a wall of text. Breaking up your ideas into bite-sized pieces keeps the reading tempo of your blog high.
A rule of thumb is to keep paragraphs to three sentences. Again, this isn’t absolute, but apply blog writing tips like this one where possible.
Use Headings and Subheadings
Headings and subheadings break up your blog post. This lowers the cognitive load on your readers and keeps them engaged with your content.
This blog writing technique goes hand-in-hand with shorter sentences and paragraphs tip mentioned above. Using headings and subheadings breaks up walls of texts and makes reading more digestible.
Here’s an example of using headings and subheadings in a blog:
In this blog, for every new idea I introduce, I use a new subheading. And that’s a good rule of thumb to follow.
This is good for readers consuming your blog word-for-word or for readers just skimming through to get to the goods.
Adverb Free Blog Writing
An adverb is a modifier. We use adverbs in conversation all the time to help us explain details. But in blog writing, adverb over-use can hurt you.
Have a look at these two sentences:
- With adverb: Simpler is always better.
- Without Adverb: Simpler is better.
Both these sentences are quite simple. But by dropping the adverb “always” I’ve made the sentence even clearer.
Words like “quickly”, “extremely”, and “more” all help modify an action verb. And they’re OK to use in blog writing, but if they’re overused, your post loses strength.
Using adverbs less usually calls for a sentence restructure, which takes time and effort. But you’ll be happy with the results when you have a bold and clear sentence that drives home your message.
Drop Passive Voice
Passive voice kills your blog writing. It makes the object of your sentences appear as the subject. This confuses readers.
Here’s what I mean:
- Passive voice: Phrases that have been written in passive voice confuse the reader.
- Active Voice: Writing phrases in passive voice confuses the reader.
I usually spot my passive voice sentences while editing, when I see a word in past tense. In the example above, “written” is past tense, meaning the sentences is likely passive. To fix this, I transformed the past tense “written” into present tense “writing” and restructured the sentence.
I try to eliminate passive voice whenever I can in my writing. It helps make the message of my blog accessible to my readers. It also helps trim down sentences (check out the “shorter is better” tip mentioned earlier.)
Add Images When Possible
Sometimes explaining through text won’t do the trick. You need an image to drive your point home.
Images give your readers a visual reference to the point your making.
I’ve already used this blog writing technique in this post. I explained how using headings and subheadings helps break up content and make it digestible. To drive the point home, I used an image highlighting the number of subheadings I used in the past blog.
Using images also makes your blog more appealing. Splicing your blog with nice images adds perceived value to your content. So why not make your content more attractive?
Personalize the Post
A blog is about engaging your readers. And to engage your readers, aim to write natural-sounding communication. Almost like you were having an in-depth conversation.
Hit home on this communication style by personalizing your posts. This means writing in the first person and using pronouns like “I” and “you”.
This tip makes your writing natural and conversational. It gives the reader the idea that you’re speaking directly to them. This engages the reader, and in return, the reader will engage with your content.
Use Simpler Words
Why use “utilize” when use “use” will work?
Keeping things simple is the name of the game in blogging. Your readers are busy, and most likely skimming your content and/or getting distracted by something else.
Make your blogs easy to read. When there’s a simpler alternative for a word, use it. Don’t lose readers’ attention by trying to get fancy.
Blog Writing Tips to Improve Your Posts
Look at any successful blog and you’ll see these tips at work. Now that you know the blog writing tips of the trade, use them going forward and improve your content.
