How to Write a Great Blog Post, Part 4: Final Editing

Four weeks ago, I began a series in which I shared the very simple process involved to take a concept from the idea stage to completed blog post. This process is successful because it always keeps new material in the pipeline. It keeps you inspired, helps prevent burnout, and encourages creativity.

In parts one and two of the series, I covered the early steps of writing a post - creating an active ideas file and tips for finding inspiration; and advice for expanding the concepts in your ideas file and the positives of getting personal in posts. Last week I discussed the process behind writing your post - summarizing the concept in your ideas file; creating a great title; choosing the right length; and using the most effective language.

This week, I'll provide the final part of the series regarding editing, and include some final tips for writing a great blog post.

At this point in your writing process, you've collected ideas in your ideas file, chosen on to write about, created an effective post title, and thought about the length of your post. Now you're ready to write! As you get your thoughts down, here are a few tips to improve your blog copy:

• Don't write in a too-formal tone: Blogging is a much more casual medium than you might be used to writing in. The most effective blog posts are written in a conversational tone, using language you speak in on a daily basis. One way to develop your blogging "voice" is to pay attention to the language used in blogs you already follow. What is it about the tone that resonates with you?

• Edit, Edit, Edit: Once you write your post, review it for redundancies, spelling errors, grammatical mistakes, and punctuation errors. All of these errors distract your reader and take the focus off the message you are trying to communicate. I always type my posts out in a Word document before copying them into a blog post. Though it takes a few extra minutes, I can be sure that any grammatical and spelling errors will be caught before I post. Watch out for common misspellings that won't show up on the spellchecker, such as "your" versus "you're," "their" versus "there," and "principle" and "principal." You can also use the dictionary.com and Guide to Grammar and Writing websites for additional help.

• Avoid tired clichés:  A cliché is a phrase that has been used for so long that it's become tired and repetitive. Take a moment to be creative and replace those cliches with something fresh and inventive.

• DO use lists. Most blog readers skim post rather than read them  all the way through. One way to maximize your post impact is to use lists. Bullet lists or numbered lists call attention to important points, and guarantee that readers who are skimming will catch the most important parts of your post.

• Understand basic principles of  effective text layout: Readability is one of the most important aspects of good blog copy. Use line breaks between paragraphs. Use italics for emphasis. Your goal is to draw the eye and create a smooth sense of flow throughout your post. Make it easy to read!

• Come back later: If you get stuck while writing, don’t try to force the words to come. Save the post and work on something else for awhile. If inspiration strikes, open up that document again. You can even switch from one blog post to another, spending a few minutes on each as ideas comes to you. I tend to work on two to three blog posts at a time, and I've learned that this really helps prevent burnout effectively.

• Trust your instincts: If you've already proven that you can attract readers, then you are doing something very right. Keep doing what you've been doing.  Without you even being aware, with every article/post you have written you've gotten better. You have learned what ideas work, what do not. You have increased vocabulary and language usage. DON”T OVERTHINK IT! Just trust your instincts and keep writing.

• Keep it simple: Some posts are simply to convey information.  Some are introspective and emotive. Some are humorous and succinct. And sometimes your readers just need information. There are no "supposed to's" in writing. Write what you want.

• THE GOAL IS LONGEVITY: It's okay to take a day off. It's okay to write less than you normally do. And it's okay to review your blog objectives and change direction. The ultimate purpose of blogging is to create a personal venue through which to communicate your values, goals and interests. 

Has this series made you think different about crafting a post? What has your favorite tip been so far?

How to Write a Great Blog Post, Part 3: Titles, length, and language

Three weeks ago, I began a series in which I shared the very simple process involved to take a concept from the idea stage to completed blog post. This process is successful because it always keeps new material in the pipeline. It keeps you inspired, helps prevent burnout, and encourages creativity.

In parts one and two of the series, I covered the early steps of writing a post - creating an active ideas file and tips for finding inspiration; and advice for expanding the concepts in your ideas file and the positives of getting personal in posts. This week I'll discuss the process behind writing your post - summarizing the concept in your ideas file; creating a great title; choosing the right length; and using the most effective language.

Part 3: Writing the post

Before writing your post, it's crucial to sum up what you want to communicate in three sentences or less.  Ask yourself the following questions:

• What is the one thing I want my readers to know? 
• What is the one thing I want my readers to remember? 
• What simple truth do I want them to embrace as a result of the material I am providing? 

Maybe all you want your readers to know is you prefer high heels to flats. Summarizing your post topic before it's written will keep you from writing 700 words on the construction process of high heels and straying from your point. I usually hand-write the three sentence summation of what I want to communicate on a notepad beside my computer and look at it frequently as I am writing.

If I cannot sum up the idea in less than three sentences I have to entertain the idea that I may not have an article, I may have a series.

Once my material is grouped in your ideas file comes the difficult process of editing. Everything I have added to my idea is not going to make it into the post. I go through the concepts in my ideas file, and decide which points contribute towards effectively communicating my message, and which words detract. Some material may be discarded not because it is bad, but because it works better as a stand alone idea of its own.  Do not use material in an article that could be an article in and of itself.  Put it back in your idea file.

Once you have selected the best material from the concept in your ideas file for the intro, body, and closing of the post, you're ready to compose your post title. Why do this before writing the body of your post? While there will usually only be a handful of words in your post title, they are the most powerful words that you’ll write because for most of your readers the decision as to whether to read the rest of your post rests upon them.

Composing An Effective Post Title

Blog post titles appear in: 

• Search engine results
• RSS feeds
• Links from other bloggers
• Social media sites
• On your archive pages (depending upon how you format them)

The title is often the only thing people see and the sole thing on which they base the decision to visit your blog. The purpose of a title is to drive potential readers to your blog, and a boring, complicated title will guarantee you less traffic than a captivating, intriguing one. While many bloggers use song titles or lyrics as post titles, they are avoiding the massive opportunities a straightforward, powerful blog title can generate.

When crafting an effective post title, it's helpful to consider one of the following techniques:

• Communicate a benefit: Identifying a need with your readers, and promising to meet that need, is a guaranteed way to draw potential visitors in. Posts with titles such as "Dressing For Your Body Type" and "How To Wear Fall's Fashion Trends" clearly articulate what readers will learn in the post.
• Ask a question: This is a favorite technique of mine. When you present a question, readers are wired to respond. Posts with questions as titles are not only effective at drawing in readers, but also at generating comments.
• Personalize titles: Personalizing the language that you use helps readers feel more connected to your blog.  Simply inserting the words "you","your", or "my" draws readers in. For example, my post My stomach, myself has drawn over 1500 hits since it was published less than a week ago.
• Use keywords: Keywords tell search engines what your post is about, and guarantee that it will resonate well beyond the date it's published. Search engines pay particular attention to titles to ascertain what blogs are about.
• Keep it short: Search engines show only approximately 65 characters of a post title, so if you go too long it's likely your full title won't appear in search results.

Post Length: How long should a blog post be?

It's well documented that the typical web reader has a short attention span when it comes to reading content online. An investigation on Problogger found that average blog readers stay 96 seconds per blog. As a result many web-masters purposely keep their content length down to a level that is readable in short grabs.

• SEO: There is a fairly strong opinion among those considered experts in Search Engine Optimization that both extremely short and extremely long web pages are not ranked as highly as pages that are of a reasonable length. The general opinion seems to be that a post of around 250 words is a reasonable and effective length.
• Quantity of Posts: Shorter posts might allow you to publish more posts, and more posts are better for generating readership with RSS and in Search Engines.
• Topic/Genre: The type of post that you’re writing will often determine it’s length. For example when writing product review you’ll generally write more than when you compose a daily outfit post.
• Comprehensive Coverage of the Topic: Ultimately this has to be the main criteria that bloggers go with. You should write enough to comprehensively cover your topic and then stop. Long posts for the sake of them are not a wise move – but so are short ones that don’t cover the topic well.

You've gotten inspired, organized your concepts in your ideas file, narrowed down your concept into three points, constructed an effective blog title, and thought about length. Now it's time to write! Use language that you speak in - your own voice is distinctive and makes you unique. The great writing manual, The Elements of Style by Strunk and White, instructs us to write in a way that comes naturally. It also says to avoid fancy words and to omit unnecessary words. Readers enjoy writing that is conversational, without being wordy. Write in a way that speaks to your reader, not down to them, and doesn’t confuse them with jargon and acronyms and technical stuff.

Pretend that you’re having a conversation with a friend, and write like that. Then go back and edit out sentences and words that are unnecessary, and revise sentences that aren’t clear. 

Next week I'll discuss the final editing process of writing a great blog post, and provide a few final tips. Has this series made you think different about crafting a post? What has your favorite tip been so far?

How to Write a Great Blog Post, Part 3: Expanding your ideas & getting personal in posts

Last week I begins a series in which I share the very simple process involved to take a concept from the idea stage to completed blog post. This process is successful because it always keeps new material in the pipeline. It keeps you inspired, helps prevent burnout, and encourages creativity.

In the first part of the series, I discussed the earliest stage of writing a post - getting inspired. Generating ideas for blog posts is as simple as paying attention to the world around you, writing down ideas when you get inspired, and asking yourself what posts you would like to read. Here are some very brief tips from part one of the series regarding getting inspired:

• Read voraciously, and about topics outside of your blog focus.
• Carry a notepad and pen around with you at all times.
• Open your mind to new ideas.
• Take a half-hour every day to brainstorm.

Now that you have tips regarding getting inspired, let's move on to Step 2!

I review the concepts in my idea file, determine which would make successful blog posts, and expand them. 

At this point in the process, you should have minimum of ten possible post topics in your ideas file. Whether each idea in the file is a sentence long, or fills a page, it has the potential of becoming a blog post. It's time for you to expand your idea.

• As you read each idea that might become a post,  add details to the idea. These are things I have read, heard, or thought of that I think would go great with this idea. At this stage all I want to do is accumulate material that may be part of the finished post. Sometimes I read an idea and have nothing to add to it. Some days I add a few paragraphs. Some days I add an idea to the original idea that is a few lines, sometimes I add a vignette that is 200 words.
• Make a list. As you add details to each topic in your ideas file, underline or highlight the most relevant points. Which part of the idea is most compelling to you? What do you want your readers to know the most? What about that idea resonates the deepest? Compiling a short list with these points will help you outline the body of the post when the time comes to write it.
• Be extremely useful. Consider your reader and the focus of your blog. A cohesive collection of blog posts is much more effective at engaging your readers than clashing concepts and confusing topics. Which topics do you believe your readers will be interested in?
• Identify a topic. Does your ideas file contain similar concepts? Are any ideas related to one another? If so, you might be able to generate a series based on these concepts rather than write individual posts. (I'll talk about the benefits of and the process involved in flushing out a series in my next post.)

Some posts are simply to convey information. Some are meant to educate, and others are an opportunity to welcome your reader into your daily life. The blogs I read regularly, and the ones with the most followers and traffic, contain a mix of educational, informative posts and personal vignettes.Which brings me to my new point:

Don't be afraid to get personal on in your posts.

From time to time, pulling back the curtain and letting your readers know something personal about you allows them to understand who you are on a deeper level. Something special happens when you share information about your personal life in a post. It humanizes you as a blogger, shows a different side of who you are, makes you more relatable to your readers and gives them another connecting point with you. Readers are more likely to comment on posts that include personal information. The posts where I shared my own personal struggles were the ones in which I received the most comments and the most traffic. For example:

• I discussed my experience receiving a negative comment and gave tips on how to handle it if the same happens to you;
• Shared my terror over bikini season and struggles with negative body image;
• and explored my battle with competition between women.

Personal blogging takes bravery. It takes courage to put yourself out there, to share your life. A personal blog post is unafraid to share your real personality, not just your writing style or opinions of your blog focus. As Anika of the extraordinary blog By Anika noted, a personal blog post is like a conversation with a friend. It's a lovely and effective element if you're looking to build relationships with your readers, and should not be discounted when going through your ideas file.

Next week we'll start to delve in to the steps involved in my favorite part of blogging - writing your post! This includes tips on constructing a great blog post title, grammar rules, advice on post length, and ways to create a series on your blog.

How to Write a Great Blog Post, Part 1: Creating An Ideas File

One of the gifts blogging rewards me with is the opportunity to write. I love to write. I've kept journals for years and believe few things are as beneficial as getting my feelings out on paper. I work furiously and joyfully on my posts. I do not have researchers. I don't have proofreaders or editors. I don't have advisers. And the lessons I learned in school are far behind me. In the last couple of months, I realized that I could not keep producing new material regularly without a system. I perform best with structure and organization, and my blog posts need to work with those elements in order to be successful.

This week begins a series in which I share the very simple process involved to take a concept from the idea stage to completed blog post. This process is successful because it always keeps new material in the pipeline. It keeps you inspired, helps prevent burnout, and encourages creativity.

Part 1: Keeping an active “ideas” file. 

I usually have close to a dozen possible post topics in different stages of development. These topics are typically based on one thought or question. My ideas flow from almost anything - blogs I read, magazine content, snippets of newspaper articles, conversations among friends, tweets from followers on Twitter, and comments left after blog posts (yes, you inspire me too!)

The most important thing to understand is that ideas are everywhere - do not stop looking.

Seeking out ideas isn't as tedious as it sounds. All it involves is becoming more aware of your surroundings, and recording ideas when they strike. Nearly every successful writer is inspired by another, so don't become obsessive about originality. Don't fall into the trap of thinking that every idea has to emerge completely from your own brain. Inspiration comes from diverse places.

• Read voraciously, and about topics outside your blog focus. Photographs in cookbooks have inspired me to think more about color, and the role it plays in my personal style. Articles in the NY Times business section have led me to explore the influence technology has on fashion. And Psychology Today helped generate a post I wrote about the labels we wear on the inside. 

• People watch. This is an interesting activity for any writer. Go to a busy public place and just sit and watch people. They’ll amuse you, inspire you, fascinate you. There’s nothing more inspiring than humanity.

• Travel. Whether it be halfway around the world, a day trip to the next town or an excursion to a new city, getting out of your usual area and discovering new places and people and customs can be one of the best inspirations for writing. Use these new places to open up new ways of seeing.

• Carry around a notepad and pen with you at all times. You never know when inspiration will strike, and it's best to be prepared. Jot down whatever pops into your head.Write down snippets of conversation that you hear. Write down visual details and fragments of song lyrics or poems that move you. Having these ideas written down helps, because they can inspire you or actually go directly into your writing.

• Take a half-hour every day to brainstorm. I usually do so at night before going to bed, when my house is quiet and kids are asleep. Turn off the TV and iPod, sit with a notebook and write a list of posts you would like to read about.What are things that interest you? What do you want to learn more about? What do you find inspiring? Any of these can become blog posts.

• Become more comfortable with journaling. Journaling is nothing more than opening up a notebook and putting pen to paper. Write about what you did that day. Write about pivotal moments in your life. Write about childhood memories, your favorite music, your boyfriend or spouse, your friends. Write about your favorite season, your dream travel destination, what movies you've seen recently and books you've read. Just write.

• Open your mind to new ideas. Be inspired by other art forms: Music, dance, sculpture, even movies. Sometimes, while watching a movie, a character will say something so interesting that I immediately think, “That would make a great blog post!” or “I have to write that down!” Screenwriters can write beautiful dialog.

At the end of a week, you should have a fairly decent collection of post ideas. Compile them in one notebook or journal with enough room on each page for for expansion. Over time, any of these ideas can be expanded upon and used to create compelling blog posts.

Next week, I'll focus on tips for expanding the concepts in your ideas file, and instruction for writing your first post using this system.  I'll also discuss why it's so important to get personal in your posts.