3 Secrets of Writing for Blogs

1. Grab people’s attention.

When blogging, you have to stand out from the crowd. Firstly, titles have to be interesting, intriguing, or at least descriptive. Which post would your rather read?

• “Writing for your Blog”
• “Why your first Sentence will make or Break you article”

Never underestimate the power of your first sentence. It will determine whether people keep reading or stop. The point is that bloggers face a lot of competition, and you need to be able to differentiate yourself and your blog. The internet doesn’t really need yet another article “how to get more links”. If you are writing on material that has been covered many times before, at least, try to look at it from a different perspective. If you make it interesting, it will grab people’s attention.

Related:

• The Importance of your first sentence
• Creating Eye Catching Titles

2. Your Writing Can Improve.

If you want to be a successful blogger, you have to change your mindset. Everybody has the potential to become a good writer. Whatever your current standard, it is always possible to better. However, don’t expect to improve without making some effort.

Every writer I know has trouble writing.

~Joseph Heller

How You can Improve your Writing

1. Don’t expect perfection from your first draft. Go back and give yourself chance to improve your article.
2. Spend half an hour learning when to use the comma
3. Read other writers for inspiration.
4. Spend time on some key articles, don’t always go for quantity over quality.
5. Keep practising.

3. Good Writing is Simple and Clear.

Good writing is effortless to read. Write for the benefit of your readers and not for yourself. Try to use the minimum words necessary to explain your point in a clear and concise manner.

I try to leave out the parts that people skip.

~ Elmore Leonard

Articles that get promoted on sites like Digg, usually offer something informative and are written in an easily digested manner.

A few tips on How to Make writing simple.

1. Avoid Double negatives. “You shouldn’t not complicate things” – instead use: Avoid complication
2. Use lists and bullet points. Write on one point per bullet point.
3. Get straight to the point. Avoid – “I haven’t been inspired to write much lately, but here is an article on ….”
4. Use a mixture of short and longer sentences. If every sentence is short, your writing will feel stilted and basic; however, used in small doses, short sentences can have a power to emphasis key points. Try it yourself. Short sentences also make it easier to clarify your ideas.

Useful Links

• Finding Inspiration for Writing
• Write with style at Pick the Brain
• Quantity vs Quality – which is more important?
• Ernest Hemmingway’s top 5 writing tips at Copyblogger

This post is part of Blog Project 3 at Blogging Tips. I would recommend entering, there is a good chance of getting an increase in backlinks and traffic. There is also even cash prizes!