11 Blog Writing Tips You Wish You Knew Sooner

Anyone can write a blog post.

But writing persuasive articles that change opinions, provide value, and keep the readers engaged till the end? That’s no small feat.

If your goal is to have content that boosts brand awareness and converts readers into subscribers, you have to figure out how to jump that hurdle.

In this article, I’ll share proven blog writing tips to keep your readers glued to your content.

Let’s dive in.

Blog writing tips: 11 tips for writing memorable blog posts

Writing a good blog post is very different from writing college essays. So, let’s start by forgetting everything you’ve learned about conventional writing. Thrown it all out the window? Good.

Here’s what you should do instead.

1. Research your topic

Before putting pen to paper, you need to thoroughly research your topic and understand the problem you’re writing about. It’s not enough to have a vague understanding of your topic. To stand out and create content that solves problems, you need to dive deeper.

Here’s how.

• Analyze the top-ranking content for your topic and see how your competitors have covered it. Do you see any gaps or improvement areas?
• Search your topic on Google and note the questions in the People Also Ask section. These are the most significant pain points of your audience that your blog post should cover.
• Find the most relevant primary and secondary keywords on your topic with Similarweb’s Keyword Research Tool.
• Use Similarweb’s Audience Insights tool to understand the search intent of your keywords. This will help you determine your blog post style, voice, format, length, and angle to cover your topic.

2. Know your reader and define your goals

Who is your ideal reader? Why do they read your content? What do they hope to achieve from it? What do you want them to do after reading your blog post? Why are you writing this blog post?

These simple yet critical questions determine your blog post’s quality and effectiveness. Remember the rule of one when writing your blog post. 

• One reader: Write your blog post for your ideal reader, not everyone.
• One problem: Blog posts aren’t books that cover topics from A-Z. They’re laser-focused content pieces that solve one problem at a time. So stay focused on a single problem throughout your article. For example, this post is about writing better blog posts (not SEO, traffic generation, design, or anything else).
• One solution: Blog posts should drive business results and lead the reader to your call to action (CTA). You can share multiple tips or approaches in your content, but they should all converge on a single CTA.

To do this, you’ll need to get audience insights and create reader personas. Read our comprehensive guide to learn more about personas.

3. Be conversational (and original)

“Write as you talk” is an age-old writing tip that still works. A Nielsen research study found that informal and conversational content emotionally engages readers and communicates your message more effectively.

So, put the formalities aside and speak your reader’s language. Here’s how:

• Frequently use words like I, we, you, us, your, my our, etc., depending on your brand’s voice (I vs. we).
• Research discussion forums and social media to find the words your audience uses to describe its problems and include them in your content. Similarweb’s keyword research tool is another excellent source to find frequently searched queries.
• Have a distinct and consistent brand voice that your readers can easily recognize. For example, Nike’s voice is always positive and enthusiastic. Harley Davidson’s voice is firm and aggressive.

Not sure how to create your brand voice? Read this brand voice guide for more tips.

4. Write and then edit

Editing while writing is a rookie blogging mistake.

Scientifically, your brain cannot multitask. *gasp* So, when you try to edit while writing, it only slows you down.

Put your ego aside and flush out as much content as possible in one go without worrying about typos, sentence structure, or grammar mistakes. Just make a mess and focus on putting your ideas down on (virtual) paper to get that first draft out of the way.

Then, take a break from the piece. It’s hard to critically analyze your work while it’s still fresh so take a beat. And, then go back to it and edit all you want.

5. Cut extra words

Obviously, when you edit, you have to fix typos and grammar mistakes, but this is also the time to remove repetitive content and filler words

How do you identify filler words? First, they don’t add any meaning or value to your content or its voice. Plus, they’re easily replaceable.

“That” is a prime example of a filler word. Remove it from your writing, and 99% of the time, it won’t make a difference.

Here are some more examples:

• In order to → to
• To be able to → to
• In spite of the fact that → despite or although
• In the event that → If
• Very angry → furious
• Very bad → horrible

Trimming unnecessary words doesn’t mean compromising your voice or writing emotionless copy. It just means: cut the fluff.

6. Cliches are out

Cliches are overused and have lost their meaning. They also don’t translate across borders very well. Using them in your writing is a big no-no.

They serve no purpose, communicate no meaning, add no originality and distract from your core message. Plus, since blog posts are conversational, cliches don’t fit well.

Prime example: “All that glitters is not gold”. Who talks like that? Think of a better, more human way to say what you mean.

7. Make it scannable

An average person’s attention span is 8.25 seconds. Formatting your blog post like a wall of text will only push away readers faster. Make your content scannable to help readers find the most critical information faster.

This image perfectly shows the difference between regular and scannable content.

Here’s how to improve your content’s scannability.

• Add a table of contents.
• Use the inverted pyramid approach by sharing the most important information first.
• Use short paragraphs of 2-3 lines max.
• Break down your article into multiple sections and subheadings.
• Use bulleted points and lists whenever possible, like we’re doing here.
• Highlight important words and content sections using bold, underline, and italic formatting.

8. Bring receipts

We live in the age of fake news where people don’t trust opinions anymore. To make your content credible, back-up your claims with proof in the form of data, research studies, and examples.

How do you find relevant data and examples for your content? Google, of course.

To find good stats, try these searches:

• [your topic] + stats + [year]
• [your topic] + research
• [your topic] + case study
• [your topic] + use cases
• [your topic] + survey

9. Include visual content

No, not images or stock photos. Visual content. To keep your readers on your page longer, make visuals that enhance your copy.

Research shows that readers find text content + visuals much more valuable than text-only articles.

Don’t have a designer? Try pulling quotes from your article and turning them into graphics using a free tool like Canva.

Pro tip: Develop a video marketing strategy and/or find relevant (non-competing) videos from YouTube to embed in your blog posts whenever possible.

10. Don’t get emotionally attached

As writers, we can sometimes feel emotionally attached to our work and find it difficult to make changes.

But, remember, your goal is to write a blog post that provides value to your readers and positions your brand as the go-to expert in your industry.

If you think a sentence isn’t adding value to your content or doesn’t align with your target audience, don’t hesitate to hit that delete button.

11. Take a break and then get back to it

We’re humans, and we’re not perfect. So, there will be times when you lack the inspiration to write or won’t be able to think clearly.

Don’t worry about it. It happens to the best of us.

Take a break, go for a walk, or do something you love. Some of the best ideas often randomly pop up in our minds when we’re relaxed and enjoying life.

So, the next time you experience writer’s block, relax your way out of it.

Have you tried these tips for writing blog posts?

Writing a good blog post isn’t impossible. In fact, when you have the right process, understand your topic, and know your audience, writing becomes enjoyable. But if you’re having a hard time putting together words for your blog, do try these tips and tell us how it went for you.

FAQs

How do you write a blog for beginners?

Identify the top ten problems of your audience and write comprehensive blog articles answering them.

What are the 4 main parts of a blog?

• Blog title
• Introduction paragraph
• Body content
• Conclusion

What is the format of blog writing?

Blog posts are semi-formal articles that use short sentences and paragraphs, multiple subheadings, and lists to break down information into chunks of easily understandable content.

What makes a blog successful?

A successful blog comprehensively answers its readers’ questions in an easy-to-understand format, targeting the right search keywords.