This article is part of a series of posts that make up the “How to Start a Blog” guide. If you want to read this series from the beginning, start here.
This article is a guest post written by the awesome Troy Bird. Troy has worked as a content writer for the past 10 years working primarily on blogs and websites. For this topic specifically, I thought he’d be an excellent resource on writing stuff.
What’s the secret to writing a great blog article? How do you invite other people to read and learn from your expertise? You don’t need a degree in English or communications to become an expert in your chosen field.
In this article, we’ll cover a few points on how to write fantastic articles and how to get people to read them. These include:
- Recognize and write for a specific audience
- Recognize what questions your audience has to which you have answers
- Answer those questions with the proper tone
- Structure and write your blog article with these details in mind
If I’ve learned anything in my years of content writing, it’s that everyone has answers for someone else. My expertise has extended from crafting props for cosplay, writing a fiction novel, how to assemble a desktop computer, to a dozen other things that could pique someone’s interest. If you think you’re boring and have no hobbies, you’ve got a whole life’s worth of experience to share!
Take your passions and your training, and put it on display
Everyone’s got a book inside of them. But let’s set aside the cost of publishing: everyone’s a blog inside of them. If you know your stuff and can deliver hard-to-discover answers in a clear and concise manner, there will be people who want to learn from you. And believe it or not, you can get paid for sharing your expertise with those who visit your blog.
In my case, one of the challenges of being a content writer is not only sounding like an authority but finding the right information to actually become an authority. I’ll admit it: I have no passion for plumbing, storage facilities, dentistry, or how to obtain a mortgage for a repossessed home. But the marketing companies that employ me need me to provide useful information to those that read my content. And if I can do that, how much more effective will your content be if you have both the passion and the knowledge about your specialty?
Like this guest post, for example: could you imagine how much better this article would sound if I had the passion for it? Can you imagine many more exclamation marks I would be using to convey my excitement for this topic? (I’m kidding, Jason, I’m using all my passion, please don’t fire me.)
You can certainly sit down at a keyboard, pound the keys with a stream of consciousness, and eventually have a blog (we call that a blerg). That’s how I first learned to write. But instead, let’s take a step back and break the process down into steps to make it easier for you to write and easier for your readers to follow.
Recognize your audience
Lee Odden, CEO of TopRank Marketing, said: “A blog is only as interesting as the interest shown in others.”
If you’ve read the advice to ‘know your audience’ before, you’re probably rolling your eyes and thinking: “Oh, here comes the English major for another writing lecture.” You’re only half-right this time. I’m tired of hearing the phrase too.
For now, let’s keep it simple: what is your passion? What do you want to write about? Is it fun and informative? Technical and professional? It isn’t likely that children go searching for blogs, but their parents do. It isn’t likely that a programmer would go searching for an article on web design, but you never know who is looking to broaden their horizons. Write for age, write for level of expertise, and let the performance of your blog inform you on your accuracy (most blogging hosts give information on demographics).
The process could also go both ways. What if you are passionate about making money (or, at least, making enough money to replace your 9-to-5 job)? Before you consider your overall blog topic, take a moment to consider not only what people might be interested in, but the demographics of your audience and their finances. Writing about the technical specifics of a Bugatti Chiron Sportscar may appeal to an automotive audience, but comparing the lifestyles of people who own Bugatti Chiron Sportscars may improve your bottom line.
Perform research and find questions you have answers for
Are you a fan of gold-plated ceramic penguins? Do you understand the electroplating process for gold? How about the costs to import an authentic ceramic penguin from South America? Do you have issues with shipping? Who do you sell them to, and how? You’re likely the only one answering these questions. Keep in mind, the more specific your focus, the smaller your audience. At the same time, you may become the #1 expert on your specialty. It’s a balancing act.
People search Google want answers to their problems. Using this example, why not write a tutorial describing some or all of your techniques? This would be an excellent way to write a blog, and answer anyone who might be searching for answers about:
- Metallurgy and electroplating
- Working with fired ceramics
- eCommerce issues like shipping costs, imports, and returns
- Great ecommerce hosts or marketplaces to choose from
- Your history with all of these techniques
- The all-important question: why penguins and not puffins?
See how many questions can be answered with gold-plated ceramic penguins? Take your specialty and make your answers unique.
Discovering your tone and voice
The digital marketing expert Daniel B. Beaulieu once said: “The casual conversational tone of a blog is what makes it particularly dangerous.” How can a blog be dangerous? It won’t be to you: it will be dangerous to your readers because they won’t be able to resist reading.
A blog isn’t an opinion piece in a newspaper. It isn’t a research thesis in a science publication. A blog is you on display. Don’t be afraid of this. No matter your specialty, your writing should use a tone of voice that is different from a stuffy academic paper. Make your information memorable as well as informative. Add in amusing anecdotes, keep the tone of your voice conversational but professional. Write that gold-plated ceramic penguins are as strange as they sound.
In this way, not only are your answers unique, but your brand will be too.
A quick note: the one way to ruin your authority about your topic is to abuse grammar, employ run-on sentences, and ignore spell-check. The tone of your writing depends upon precise language, and if your readers can’t follow along, they will go looking for another source of information.
Our advice for writing a blog post
Here are a few ways you can structure your blog posts to increase both audience readability and personal authority, no matter what topic you write about:
- Begin with an introduction unique to the topic of the day. This can take the form of a personal story, an anecdote, the offer of specialized information, or even a summary of the information you will be offering. The beginning of your blog post is your hook, the reason someone will want to continue reading. Don’t make it lengthy; 100 words is about right.
- Use headings. Imagine your blog post as having its own table of contents: these will be the headings you use to make the blog readable.The title of your article will be an H1 header by default (the largest and boldest font size), just like the title of a chapter. H2 headings should be used for the major points your article will cover. And any other headings you use (H3, H4, H5, etc.) should be used to further break down your major points into finer details. The purpose of headings is to go from broad to fine in terms of the details of information.
- Even if your blog article is about something incredibly technical or theoretical, do you best to use as plain of language as possible to help your readers more easily sift through the information you provide. Keep your paragraphs short. Use good punctuation to break up wordy sentences. But never apologize for writing too much, especially not in the article itself. No one will mind as long as everything within the blog post is helpful!
- At the end of your blog post, invite your reader to continue exploring your blog for other subjects that might interest them. This is called a ‘call to action’. This will maximize the time your audience enjoys your blog and gives you the best chance at monetizing your blog.
Monetizing your writing
David Risley, founder of the Blog Marketing Academy said: “Blogging is not a business by itself. It is only a promotional platform.”
Now that you have your blog written, it’s time to monetize it with vendors and other specialists that work in your field. Or, even better, you could be your own vendor and be your own promoter! Monetizing a blog about web hosts is easy because sites like BlueHost and WordPress are more than eager to connect with your readers. But you may be surprised how many companies would jump at the chance of getting more business because of your expertise, even if they don’t outright offer affiliate links. Many blogging websites use Amazon Affiliate links, but that’s only the tip of the iceberg.
Your blog will be the introduction into your unique trade, hobby, or profession. Once you have an audience, why not invite them to purchase the supplies or services that you use? If you have a source for ceramic penguins, an affiliate connection with a craft store for gold leaf, and a link to your Etsy account where you sell your product, use those links. With a large enough audience, the small individual profits from affiliate links will pile up into a revenue stream that will enable you to continue writing.
Quality blog posts + consistency = monetary success
Above all else, the best way to demonstrate the authority of your writing is to have a monetization strategy, a well-chosen subject, and consistent writing. Whether this means you write a blog post every day, every week, or every month is up to you and the success you discover adding a blog to your business plan. Not only does consistency mean your reader base will grow, it will give search engines like Google the indication that your blog is a good source of usable and up-to-date information. Search engines like it when writers care enough to continue writing. And your wallet will appreciate every potential reader (or customer) that clicks on your blog.
Up Next: How to Monetize Your Blog
Now that you’ve written great content that readers will want to read, it’s time to make money! Check out the final post in the series: How to Monetize Your Blog. (See what I did there? Call to action? It’s super easy, and I hope you’re dazzled enough by my consistency to keep reading!).