12 Rules for Writing a Great Blog

In today’s guest post, author, ghostwriter and editor Kim Pearson shares some terrific tips for writing blog posts that people will love to read.

If you’re struggling to keep up with writing your blog, here are 12 ideas that will help you write a blog that is compelling, powerful, and fun to write.

As a ghostwriter and ghost-blogger, people pay me to write for them. This means I cannot write sloppily, even if I’m tired. I cannot wait for the Muse to strike, because I have deadlines. My blog posts need to be compelling, powerful, sometimes funny, and most of all moving. Every time.

This isn’t easy. To make it easier, I came up with 12 rules for writing blog posts, which I try to follow. (I’m not perfick, so I don’t always follow them all.) If you’re struggling to keep up with writing your blog, you might be interested in my rules. Here they are:

1.  Not too long!

Blog posts are usually from 200 to 500 words.  Rarely more than 800 words. Any longer, and people tend to skim or skip them. They look like too much work. If you have more to say, write an article, and if you have a lot more to say, write a book.  When writing a blog post, be succinct, clear, and get your point across fast. The web is not made for leisurely reading. Think of your readers hopping like fleas from one blog to another; a sip of blood here, another sip there. If the blood is tasty, they might stay longer, but you know the old saying – the blood is always redder on the other blog. (Actually I made that up.)

2.  Be yourself. You’re not a corporation or a king.

You are an individual, writing for other individuals, no better and probably no worse than you. It’s your job to connect with them on a personal level so they feel they know you. Whenever possible, use “I” and “you”. Share your opinions. Share bits of your story. Relate points of your post to your own life if possible. If your blog is for an organization, you can use the royal “we” but make sure your readers know who the “we” represents. And don’t pontificate and don’t preach. Don’t be a know-it-all. Do you really know it all? Of course you don’t, no one does. And no one likes one, either.

3.  Be funny, and if you can’t be funny, be wry.

Humor attracts. You don’t have to make your readers hurt their cheek muscles, but a snort or two is good. A self-deprecating sense of humor, poking a little fun at your own missteps, often makes people like you. They’ll want to keep reading just to see what you’ll say next – so they can repeat it to their friends and sound funny themselves. Who doesn’t like to laugh?

4.  Know your readers and what they want, not what you think they need.

You may think everyone should be interested in what you have to say – but this isn’t real. Be clear on who you are writing for. What do your readers care about? Who are most likely to be attracted to your subject? Who do you really want to reach? Men or women? Young, middle-aged, older?  From a specific geographic area? Working in certain industries?  Describe your readers to yourself. Your information must be valuable to them. If it’s not, they won’t read it. Even if they read it once, they won’t come back if your message doesn’t help them visualize any benefits. It must be applicable and relevant to your readers, so they can relate it to their own lives.

5.  Know your field – its past, present and future.

Tie blog posts to current happenings in your field. This requires research – you’d better know what is new and exciting. You’ll should read other blogs from the same industry, or browse Facebook pages of people interested in this topic, or read industry magazines, e-zines or newsletters. Discuss the history of your field, and why it is the way it is. Take a position on controversies. Ask for feedback from your readers – do they agree with you or think you’re a fool?

6. Use sensory detail.

If you always use generalities instead of specifics, if you always tell and never show, don’t be surprised if your readers yawn and move on. Your readers’ emotions are activated if they feel they are “really there.” Don’t write “flower”, write “daffodil”. Don’t write “we jumped in the car and took off”, write “we jumped in the Jaguar and sped off” or “we piled in the pick-up truck and rattled away.” And don’t get stuck on how things look – remember you have at least five senses. Include what it smells like, feels like, sounds like, tastes like. Sensory details elicit emotions, leading to action or change.

7. Tell stories.

 “Reality TV” is popular because people are fascinated by true stories. Most of the great teachers and leaders in history have been good storytellers. Tell a story in a way that captures attention – solve a mystery, master a challenge, conquer a problem, avert a crisis.  If your blog mentions products or services, tell stories of those who use those products and services, and how they changed as a result. Interview customers, employees, subscribers, or fans, and let them tell their stories in relation to your topic.

8. Call to action.

What do you want your reader to do, learn, or give you? An email address and permission to add them to your list? Order a free report? Give you a testimonial? Or make a comment on your blog and start a conversation? (A call to action does not mean you write variations on the theme of “Buy My Stuff!” )

9. Propitiate the Google Gods.

I haven’t yet said anything about SEO or any of that techie-stuff. That’s because although you must know some techie stuff, it’s much less important than the content. It doesn’t matter how many folks you attract if your blog isn’t valuable, interesting, or fun to read, because they won’t do what you want them to do, and they probably won’t come back. That’s not to say SEO isn’t important. It is. But to write SEO-friendly isn’t that hard. If you know your topic, you already know which key words, key phrases, and common questions that people are apt to type into a Search. You’re an expert, remember. Make sure you use these words and phrases in your post.  The best places are in headers, sub-headers, and the first few lines of your post. But do not overdo it – remember, the most important thing is a well constructed message, not a bunch of key words and phrases flung together. The keywords should not disrupt the natural flow of your writing; they should enhance your message, not distract from it. If the term SEO scares you, remind yourself that you are writing for the human who is reading your post, not the search engine algorithm that discovers it.

10.  Be generous.

Link to other blogs and websites. This will increase your readers’ knowledge, introducing them to others who may be valuable to them, which in turn increases their appreciation of you. This is also a way to engender good feeling with other bloggers in your industry, and they might reciprocate in kind, and hyperlink to you.  The use of hyperlinks also may help to boost your SEO rankings. Win-win-win all around.

11.  Tweet your blog.

For every new blog post, tweet about it, including a link to the post. How to write good tweets is a whole other subject, but my number one rule for tweet writing is – Be Funny and Useful. This isn’t always possible, and never easy in less than 140 characters.  (Yes, less than 140 characters – you have to leave room for others to ReTweet.)

12.  Comment and respond.

Okay, now you’re writing great blog posts, so you can relax, right?  Not so fast.  Blogging is an interactive medium.  Your blog post is only the first step.  Now you need to comment on other blogs, with backlinks to yours. Comment on blogs which are complementary with yours, or even on your competitors’. Don’t be afraid to comment on “big” or popular blogs. Your opinion is valuable – you’re an expert, remember?  That’s why you won’t make inane or blah comments like “Good blog.”  Contribute something valuable, something that adds to peoples’ knowledge. Again, be generous. And don’t forget your own blog – if someone comments on your blog, you need to answer them. Keep the conversation going. This is how you convert readers into real people, people you know and who know you.

A final note: what’s the hardest thing about writing blog posts – or writing anything, for that matter? It takes time!  Coming up with new topic ideas takes time, researching your readers takes time, staying up to date on your industry takes time, interacting with your readers takes time.  And writing well takes time. If you want good content that moves people, the writing must be powerful, compelling, and stick with the readers so they remember you and come back for more. That’s why people pay me to do what I do.

About the Author

Kim Pearson is an author, ghostwriter, editor, and the owner of Primary Sources, a writing service helping others become authors. She has authored 6 books, ghostwritten more than 35 non-fiction books, edited 20+ more, teaches workshops on writing and history, and writes From the Compost, a blog about writing, history, and storytelling. She also teaches others how to be a ghost. Visit her at www.primary-sources.com.

Comments

[FREE CASH]

GREAT SITE AND TOP INFORMATION THANKS ALWAYS LOOKING FOR SITES LIKE MINE

[Dee for D.I. Telbat]

Hi Dana, Thank you for having Kim Pearson as your guest. This was a helpful list. Even though we have a Christian fiction website/blog, I can still apply much of what Ms. Pearson shares here.

I have a question about her #10 point, linking to other blogs/sites. I understand the importance of being generous, but should we contact the site owner to let them know we have linked to them, or do we just let our trackbacks automatically take care of that? I wasn't sure about proper etiquette.

Thank you again for your helpful site.

[Dana Lynn Smith]

Hello Dee, I'm glad you enjoyed the post. It's not necessary to contact other sites when linking to them, but I think it's a good practice because it helps to build relationships. The other site owner may not realize that you have linked to their site and writing a note to let them know that you admire their site and have linked to it can help establish a relationship where you can cross-promote each other. Unfortunately, many bloggers fail to put a contact link on their site so you may not be able to contact them.

It can be a challenge to come up with topics for a fiction blog. See these articles for some ideas:

What Do You Talk About On Your Blog If You Write Fiction? http://bit.ly/c92Vlm

How to Write Blog Posts When You Are Blogging to Market a Novel http://bit.ly/gYWMGs

Good luck with your books!
Dana

[Dee for D.I. Telbat]

Hi again Dana,

Thank you for answering my question so quickly! That helps me to know what I should do.

And thank you for these links about writing for a fiction blog. I've gone back and read these posts again. We have implemented some of these helpful ideas.

David Telbat has decided to focus on offering much free short fiction on his blog, based mostly on the premise of his upcoming novel. And occasionally, he writes something we call "Author Reflections" so that people can get to know him as he shares his thoughts on Christian issues. And as suggested, he has written some posts from a character's POV. Now to gain readers!

Again, thank you for your help and answer. Be looking for a note from us soon letting you know about our link to your site. ;)

Our best,
Dee

[Kim Pearson]

Hi Dee,
Thanks for your comments on my post. I agree with Dana that it's a good idea to take the opportunities to build relationships. Good luck with your books!

Regards,
Kim Pearson

[Erin Jamison]

Kim,

These are really great rules. I used to have the hardest time coming up with topics but I seem to have forgotten something. I am highly opinionated...sarcastic. Most of my sarcasm is usually directed my own way actually and the joke is often at my own expense but that's cool. I can make fun of myself. I live with me in my own head so we're used to one another. That sounded a little too alternate personality didn't it?

Check me out at http://www.wordpress.com/erinjamison or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/erin-jamison-author

[Smbutland]

Thanks for this. Although I've been following most of the rules a reminder/ confirmation is helpful and the additional rules will be considered.

[Macey Prange]

I agree with you. Writing blogs means you're expressing yourself and even your experiences. It's also true that making your blog too long has a chance of being skipped by readers, because it will take too much of yours and their time. It's been a while since I've read something that caught my interest, thanks for sharing.

[Dana Lynn Smith]

Thanks for your feedback Macey and Smbtland. I'm so glad to have Kim share her expertise with my readers :)

[Laurapepperwu.wordpress.com]

Great post! All good points to keep in mind.
I am having trouble trying to tweet humorously in 140 characters... but working on it!

[Staci Burruel]

Those are very nice information, dear. I especially love to write blogs about my everyday life. In them, I tell stories from the heart and what I honestly think about certain things. It doesn't matter if its long or short, what's important is that I speak what's on my mind.

[Deborahinfo.wordpress.com]

Great tips! I've been practicing these and it is so good to have validation! I especially like the first tip on "not too long." I like to create "articlettes" (to match with my EP, "Albumette," and sometimes wonder if they were too short (200-300 words), when I see blog posts that are 800-1000 words and beyond. That validation really helped. Thank you!

-Deborah E
www.deborah.info

[Dana Lynn Smith]

Thanks, Deborah. I think short posts are attractive to people who are really busy.

[Sheryl Gwyther]

Dana and Kim, this is a very helpful and timely post, thank you! I've been blogging for a couple of years as a children's author, and know I get carried away with a topic (sometimes ending up 800+ words) - this post is a good wake-up call for me.
Your 12 points come in handy right now as I'm the blogger for the 10 days in September of the Ipswich Festival of Children's Literature in Australia - a big challenge and I'm sure a fabulous opportunity for me. It focuses on both young readers, and those adults who come to the Festival because they love writing and illustrating for children. So, my posts will have to vary. It will be a trial and error thing as this is the first ever Festival blog. Another reason I need it to work well!
Any suggestions gratefully appreciated! :)

[Dana Lynn Smith]

Sheryl, I'm so glad you found the post helpful. I wish you much success with the Ipswich Festival of Children's Literature.
Dana

[Rohan Beata]

Being clear and straight to the point can be advantageous when it comes to writing a great blog. Putting humor in your posts can make them fun and lively, right?

[Dana Lynn Smith]

Rohan, I agree that humor is a great tool. I wish I had the knack for it :)

[Anna Sugg]

Hi Dana and Kim, this post was helpful for me. I have a blog, but can seem to make up my mind what I want to actually blog about. You've given me something to think about.

[Dana Lynn Smith]

Thanks Anna, I'm glad you found the post helpful. If you write fiction, also see this post:
What Do You Talk About On Your Blog If You Write Fiction? http://bit.ly/c92Vlm

[Caleb J. Ross]

Thanks for the great post. On the topic of SEO, while I agree that SEO should not be the primary focus of authors when writing blogs, it is still important that basics are understood. Write for humans, yes, but humans often find content by way of search engines. So, I think a happy medium should be established. For any authors interested in SEO, I have an ongoing series at my blog called, aptly, SEO and Authors. Check it out: http://www.calebjross.com/search-engine-optimization-for-authors/

[Dana Lynn Smith]

Caleb, thanks for sharing your articles on SEO for authors.

[Rachael Watson]

I really appreciate this article! It was refreshing to see that others struggle to come up with something to consistently write about in a blog, trying to stay relevant and up-to-date is a challenge, especially with my hectic schedule. I have established a blog for my ministry and I do a sort of verbal blog that plays on a national radio station, so I will try to begin to implement these suggestions in both areas as they fit. Thanks so much!

[Dana Lynn Smith]

Rachael, I'm so glad you found this article helpful :)