13 Blogging Tips For Beginners

| by thechivalrous | Writer's Guide | Blogging, Writer's Guide

story

So you want to be a blogger? Here are some writing tips.

1. Monkey see monkey do.

Research other blogs you like and mimic them. Take the good, leave the bad and get started. Don’t spend too much time at the drawing board building something from scratch. Put your own twist on things everyone enjoys.

2. Keep it short when you can (500 words or less) and write 2 new posts per week.

New posts are expected often. Embrace the demand and think of your blog as your very own editorial column.

3. What’s in a name? Titles are everything in a blog.

People read posts with good titles. The title of the blog is the first impression and vitally important. 80% of people who read the title will not read the article. The web has trained most of us to read title and navigate to the links or vital information.

4. Learn copy-writing techniques.

Good titles are vital to the success of your blog.

5. Be direct and to the point.

Give a summary, the meat and conclusion first, and then provide a link if necessary. This allows the reader to continue to dig at their leisure.

6. If you lack writing talent focus on a good title and useful links.

This is a writer’s work around and is always appreciated by the audience. Don’t be afraid to only post a few lines. Keep it simple

7. Link to the source not another blog.

Unless it is the source of course, you want to link to the original source. Don’t Send your readers on a quest for details.

8. Sync your blog with your twitter account.

This is kind of a duh factor. There are many twitter wordpress plugins and I will be sure to review and recommend some in a future post.

9. Pictures and videos are part of the language.

A picture/video is like a title. It is required not optional.

10. List, question, and quote.

Write list posts ie 8 Ways to Save Money on Car Insurance, 3 Ways to Bathe 4 Kids at Once, etc. The big and short lists are incredibly helpful and enticing to the reader; organizing main ideas and tips. You can also entice a reader by using a question and answer as a Title ie Just How Many Licks Does it Take to Get to the Center of a Tootsie Roll Pop? Let’s See.

11. There is no Spoon.

Blogging does not require a degree. Even if you are working on a corporate blog- if it is not casual and part of a conversation, the blog is simply a news feed and not much of a blog. THERE ARE MANY TIPS BUT NO FORMAL RULES FOR BLOGGING. Anyone who says otherwise is trying to sell you their book. When AP tries to crank out blog rules in their stylebook- burn those pages.

12. Know your readers and chat whenever you can.

Understanding your audience is easier than ever in this age. Between actual conversations and analytical tools, use it all to your advantage to really get to know your reader. I prefer actual conversations myself, they tend to turn into several new blogposts.

13. Be funny, casual, relevant and memorable.

Use pop Culture to your advantage. Good blogs are a mix of to the point writing balanced with wit and humor. I am not a big fan of TV but fastforward through many TV shows in a given day to have reference points in mind for my readers. Jack Bauer, the main character of 24, at mere mention, signals a concoction of imagery that can provide clarity on a subject. I don’t watch the show but I know that my readers likely do