“Don’t procrastinate. If you want to blog, then blog.” – Fritz Chery

What’s holding you back? Oh. You’re not a writer. I see. Well, this post will give you all the knowledge you need to write a kickass blog!

Make a Statement

Your blog isn’t going to stand out if it says the same thing as every other blog out there. Find a way to make it different. Even if you are writing about the same topic as someone else, change it up and make it unique. Playing with language, voice, perspective and opinion are easy ways to alter the way your writing is perceived.

Titles are the Stepping Stones to Everything Else

SEO+catchy=gold! Without a strong title, your reader doesn’t know what they’re getting into. Many great writers fail at writing blogs because they are frivolous with their titles.

Tip: Write it again. Create multiple titles and surprise the people around you with them. Ask them to click or scroll IRL and see how they react.

Your First Sentence Should Entice

If writing your first sentence took you less than 5 minutes, chances are you should re-write it. Write the rest of your content and come back to it. If the first sentence doesn’t grab attention, your reader won’t stick around for the second. Don’t be afraid to write multiple versions and ask people’s opinions!

Tip: Try not to use idioms in your first sentence. You’re not offering anything new by just repeating sayings your audience has heard a million times before.

Get to the Point!

A blog is not the place to learn advanced concepts. Blogs are meant to investigate a single aspect of a topic or give a broad overview. Make your point clear in your introduction and support that point with interesting facts or opinions throughout the rest of your piece.

Figure out Punctuation

It’s been years since you learned when to use a semicolon. So how are you supposed to remember all the little nuances of writing? Honestly, you probably don’t and won’t. That’s why there are so many ways to re-learn the right way to write. There are some great tools to help ensure everything you write gets a stellar grade. (my favorite is Grammerly!)

Stop Using Whimpy Words

One of the worst offenses in any writing is the use of boring words. Bust out a thesaurus and find another way to say really bad, really good or really sad. If you can’t say a sentence without maybe, might, could or another safe word, don’t bother saying it.

Tip: Be careful about using words that you’ve heard only once or twice. Make sure you understand the complete definition of the word.

Go for Clarity

Bold, italicize, use different headers. The professional skimmers out there will thank you. Those that read the entire piece will retain more of what they read and come back for seconds, or even thirds!

Tell the Reader What You Want Them To Do Next

When someone makes it to the end of an article, they often want to know more. Give them what they want! Add links, calls to action, or a graphic to help them visualize your message.

Have Someone Else Read It For Goodness Sake!

Don’t think you can get away without proofing your writing. No matter how careful you are, you will make a mistake. Call your sister. Email it to your mom. Read it aloud to your cat. Pay your next door neighbor to read it. Without a second set of eyes, those mistakes will be put on display for the world to judge.
One of the best parts about writing a blog is the ease of fixing a mistake after something has been posted. A digital medium can be much more forgiving than print. So don’t let the fear of making a mistake prevent you from trying. Get something out there and welcome those learning opportunities!