You’ve decided to start a blog. Good for you! Whether this blog is a supplement for your business, a new piece of content that you can add to your website, or a personal project to talk about things that matter to you, blogs can be very fun to write.
However, with so many different blogs out there in the world, quality is a problem. There is a lot of great blog content that everyone loves to read, and there’s a lot of poor blog content that isn’t going to get too many views. You obviously want your blog to be one of the great ones, and that all depends on your content.
Writing the best blog content for your niche isn’t as hard as you might think that it is. There are several tips for writing content that can have your readers eating it up and demanding more, and it all requires a little planning before you focus on your first post.
Pick A Niche
If you are using your blog as a supplement for your small business, then the niche is already picked for you. If you own a car company, then your blog is likely about cars and topics related to your industry. The same thing might happen with your website, where the issues or theme of your site influence what you are going to write about.
If you are just starting a blog from scratch, then it can be tempting to just throw up posts without rhyme or reason and write about anything that comes into your head. However, this isn’t the best plan. First, you have a higher propensity to burn out, and second, it creates a ton of content that is hard for readers to wrap their heads around.
Remember, readers come to your blog or website to get informed and entertained, and it’s certainly what keeps them coming back. For example, if you write a fascinating article about street art, people who like street art should read it. Then they come back to your blog, and guess what they are looking for? More street art articles!
If you don’t have any more and have written articles about everything else under the sun, that prospective audience is going to find another blog. Pick a niche, even if it is tentative and start from there.
Have A Posting Schedule
Posting schedules do two things for you. First, they keep you on track because if you decide that you are going to post every Wednesday, then you need to post every Wednesday. Secondly, it gives you something to market to your audience.
If your audience knows that your newest blog post is done on Wednesday, then they flock to your website to see it. You can create some social media hype for your post on Monday and Tuesday to get the maximum number of readers for your content.
Posting schedules hold you accountable, and they also prevent you from overwhelming yourself or your audience. Depending on your niche and the length of your posts, you might be able to post every single day and share different topics and ideas. However, that can very quickly burn you out and take energy from other areas of your work.
A posting schedule allows you to dedicate one day a week to your blog, and then you can see how you feel after a few weeks. If you think you can handle it, maybe you can post twice a week. Posting schedules are not set in stone, so don’t be afraid to vary it up for both yourself and your audience.
Sometimes doing a surprise post whenever something exciting happens in your niche or your personal life can help provide a connection to both you and your audience. Plus, if you stay on top of and report industry trends, then it positions you as an expert in your field.
Follow A Structure
Far too many blogs come out as rambles and incoherent messes, especially personal blogs where the writer just writes. A structure, even the bare minimum of a design, can make your blog seem more professional. The more experienced you look, the greater you stand out from the crowd.
Professional means different things to different people. Some people might make changes to the wording they use when they write their blogs. Other writers might try to add more pictures and subheadings. Regardless of what you choose, the best way to be professional is to have a structure.
The structure can be a simple ‘introduction, middle, end’ type of post, you can interweave stories into your blog, or you can break up every third paragraph with a picture. Whatever your structure is, make sure to stick to it.
Blog readers want familiarity, and that familiarity can keep them coming back for more. If you put your blog posts in a really unique structure and think outside the box, you might even find that your blogs’ design is the primary marketing gimmick!
Write About What You Enjoy
This is something that some bloggers let go of once they start looking at the marketing and SEO driven side of blogging. Suddenly, every blog post needs to be optimized and measured against data and trends!
That’s not a bad thing, and it can help you grow your audience, but if you solely focus on marketing, you tend to lose the enjoyment that built your fanbase in the first place. You never want blogging to feel like a chore because your lack of enthusiasm shows in your posts.
While you can optimize your blog for the best results with search engines, you shouldn’t lose sight of how to have fun. If a blog post that you want to write isn’t going to help you get optimized for search engines, then so what? Write it anyway and have some fun! Remember why you got started with your blog in the first place. Once you have that, your love of the topic shows through in your posts.
Getting excited about writing your blog is also one of the best ways to deal with burnout and prevent it from happening to you. The old saying ‘if you love what you do, you never work a day in your life’ really does come true if you are operating a blog from a place of excitement.
If you aren’t excited about writing your blog, see if it is just a slump or the symptom of something greater. Depending on the answer, you can either push through it or figure out if you need to take your blog in a different direction.
Do Something To Engage Your Audience
If your blog is connected to your business, there is a pretty good chance you are using your blog as a marketing tool to make some sales. That’s great, and a blog can be a great place to share some information about your business.
However, the majority of people who read your blog are going to be passive readers. They show up, read your blog, maybe follow a call-to-action link… but ultimately never do anything to make you money.
Converting passive readers into active audience members who make purchases, book calls, or visit your storefront is a struggle that every business owner has to face. You need to do more than include a call to action at the end of each post and hope for the best.
Depending on your niche, you might offer a giveaway or raffle for specific products. All your audience has to do to enter is give you an email address. If anyone enters, then boom, you have new candidates for your email marketing efforts. You could decide to host a webinar about your niche as well.
Webinars are fun and allow your audience to connect with you. They can see your face, hear your voice, and ask questions in real time during the Q&A. Plus, if you write a lot of blog posts about the webinar niche, then people who like the webinar might start to read your blog and vise versa. It’s a great way to bring in some new readers and customers.
Try something different, and both you and your audience might be pleasantly surprised at how it all turns out!
How Should You Write Blog Content?
There is no clear answer to that question, and you won’t find the ‘one size fits all’ guide to blog posts anywhere in the world. Blog posting is a lot of trial and error, seeing what works and analyzing what your readers are responding to. Especially if you want to use your blog as a marketing tool for your online business or storefront.
There’s no perfect way to write a blog, but on the flip side, there’s no wrong way to write a blog either. You have a lot of freedom to try out new formats and topics, and if something doesn’t work, then move on and try something new.
The best piece of advice you can ever get is to pick your niche and start writing. Everything else comes to your blog with time and perseverance.
