13 Ways To Write “Better” Blogs

As you probably know, blogging is very much about writing. And if you’re using your blog as a way to market yourself online then you are going to have to master this skill in a big way… if you haven’t already.

Anyway, a blogger who can’t write is kinda like a tourist in a foreign country. He’ll be lost in no time if he doesn’t learn the local lingo.

So I’ve put together a map, it keeps me on track and I’d like to share it with you. You probably have your own ideas, and they’re every bit as good as mine are. These are just tips that I use every day.

I hope you enjoy.

13 Ways To Write “Better” Blog Posts:

Write like ya talk.
Delete, delete, delete.
Use short sentences.
Leave out the ten-dollar words.
Don’t criticize your reader.
Write to a single reader… not a group.
Find out what your reader wants.
Write 10-20 headlines. Pick one.
Read it backwards for typos.
Use subheads to increase readership.
Read your writing out loud.
Make it easy to read.
Don’t be afraid to rewrite.

This is by no means a complete list but I hope it’s a helpful one.

Still sometimes you don’t have time to get into the details. So if you’re ever in a rush then I have three quick tips for you.

You’ll be writing up a whirlwind in no time.

3 Quick writing tips:

1) If you have a fancy phone, you might have a little timer on it you can use to time your writing. I personally use an egg timer… it’s a trick I picked up from a great copywriter. Always set your timer… it works miracles.

2) Write an outline before you start. I like to simply write “headline goes here. Story goes here. Close goes here.” And so on. I find it really helps speed things up for me if I know exactly where everything is going.

3) Use reference. I know I mentioned this before but one of the fastest ways to write is to find examples and use them for inspiration. You then add your own spin and make something entirely new.

A final opinion…

Great writing is crystal clear. It’s like a store window. If it’s covered in mud then you can’t see the display.

So keep it clean.

And if you like this post. You might also enjoy
“How To Write Awesome Articles And Wonderful Website Content”

Let me know what you think.

Jason The “Better Networker”

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16 Comments

Jim Yaghi on October 7th, 2009

Jason,

you, my friend, have a very beautiful blog with well written articles full of nuggets.

I want to stress the reading out loud point you made. Because i’m very rigorous about this in my blog posts. I read, edit, re-read, and then i read out loud.

Reading out loud serves a different function from all the other previous “reads”. Because it’s a means to identify where your writing doesnt flow or rhyme…where you have unexpected words or stops.

And after i’ve read it out loud and edited a few times, i have someone else read my writing out loud to me. This is the real test of how your reader is going to interpret your writing. And if the reader stumbles on some words or has to back-track, then that’s another place you have to edit.

The end result is a masterpiece that flows like a song.

booooya!

laterz
jim

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