Ever feel overwhelmed by all the things you have\u00a0to remember when setting out to write a blog post? You\u2019ve got to make it interesting, professional, eye-catching, original, unique, etc. There\u2019s lots of advice out there about the things you can do to get more traffic and engagement. And then there\u2019s advice about things to avoid\u2014like click-bait headlines and churning out quantity instead of quality content, or offering well-intentioned blogging advice that is executed inaccurately (like when you include a call to action to sign up for your newsletter or e-course but you\u2019ve inadvertently supplied them the exact same information on your blog). With so much advice out there, it\u2019s hard to keep the must-do\u2019s straight from the don\u2019t-do\u2019s.<\/p>\n
In a previous article, we talked about some of the worst blogging practices<\/a>. Today we\u2019re going to dig a bit deeper and focus on presentation\u2014on the actual writing and editing of the content; specifically, the writing and editing practices that tend to turn readers away, even to where they\u2019re reading no further than your headline. Consider this your quick-reference checklist of what to avoid when writing and editing your blog.<\/p>\n Sound a bit obvious? Well, sometimes the advice of \u201cwrite like you talk\u201d is taken too far, where the writing becomes a confusing stream of consciousness\u2014lacking in direction and transition\u2014that pretty much misses the point. Although your first draft can be more of a stream of thought, lacking proper grammar, punctuation, spelling, and sentence structure, your final published version should be copyedited<\/a> at the very least. Throwing out a piece of unorganized content is not only unprofessional (unless you\u2019re William Faulkner or Virginia Woolf<\/a>, who had literary and aesthetic reasons for doing so), if you don\u2019t have a clear, well-presented message, you\u2019ll quickly turn readers away (and losing followers sends a clear message that you need to get your writing in shape!).<\/p>\n If you know you\u2019re not a grammar guru, get Grammarly<\/a> or a similar app to help make sure you\u2019re using the proper mechanics. Grammarly also checks your spelling, even catching mistakes your word processor might miss.<\/p>\n What\u2019s a writing voice, you ask? To put it simply, it\u2019s the way you write\u2014your style and personality as showcased<\/a> by the way you employ language and word choice. This is different than tone, where you\u2019d use a more subdued tone in addressing serious issues and a lighter tone with a humorous post. (Side note\u2014switching tone within a short blog post isn\u2019t recommended.)<\/p>\n You don\u2019t want to change your voice from post to post because when you do, you lose your writing trademark, so to speak. Additionally, too many voices\u2014especially in one post\u2014will make you sound unsure of your subject, and that\u2019s not a good thing when you\u2019re trying to prove your authority!<\/p>\n Readers are looking for something they can scan in seconds and read in minutes, so don\u2019t write in big blocks of text that visually overwhelm the reader. Your post will be passed over like that (*snap*). There just isn\u2019t enough time in a day to read everything out there, and readers are far more likely to look at a succinct online article than a wordy post.<\/p>\n To clarify\u2014you can write a longer article, but you should break up the blocks of text with visuals such as:<\/p>\n Additionally, it\u2019s easier for readers to scan your post when you use numbered lists, bullets, and subheadings. And instead of including lengthy quotes and references, insert hyperlinks to outside sources and older content. It\u2019s important to include just the words that relate to what you're linking (never use an entire paragraph or even a whole sentence). A best practice is to limit the number of words in the hyperlink to four to five (I\u2019ve recently learned this lesson as I was a super-long linker). And FYI, phrases like \u201cclick here\u201d and \u201cread more\u201d are viewed as spammy by readers and search engines alike.<\/p>\n Easier said than done, right? Well, here\u2019s the first key to good writing: pick a topic that interests both you and your readers. If you write about something that doesn\u2019t keep your attention, how will it keep your readers\u2019 attention? Think of your writing as a type of storytelling\u2014because it is! This post itself is a story about how to avoid writing bad blog posts.<\/p>\n Here are a few story-structure tips to help you make sure you keep readers engaged:<\/p>\n Still not convinced you can be a good writer? The only way to get better is to practice, so write\u2014and write a lot! And don\u2019t worry if your blog posts aren\u2019t perfect. You can always fix a mistake even after it\u2019s published, and, as we said above, the more you write, the better you\u2019ll get. After you\u2019ve written a few posts, compare earlier posts to your most recent ones. You\u2019ll probably notice a difference in the quality of writing.<\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve finished writing\u2014you\u2019ve covered the topic adequately, you\u2019ve reached your word count, etc.\u2014you probably just want to be done. But don't hit Publish yet. You still need to edit your post<\/a>. Don\u2019t write and edit in the same breath, so to speak. Give it a break and then come back and view it through an editing lens rather than a writing one. Again, you don't have to be a pro to catch mistakes. In addition to proofreading apps like Grammarly, you can enlist the help of a coworker or use a good editing checklist<\/a>. Lastly, don\u2019t forget that part of editing is to check the formatting of your post. Always look at your preview to make sure that text isn\u2019t cut off in nonsensical places, the images aren\u2019t placed awkwardly, and that, overall, your post has an aesthetically pleasing appearance.<\/p>\n See, it\u2019s not so bad! What are some of your <\/em>don\u2019t-do\u2019s? Let us know in the comments below!<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Ever feel overwhelmed by all the things you have\u00a0to remember when setting out to write a blog post? You\u2019ve got to make it interesting, professional, eye-catching, original, unique, etc. There\u2019s lots of advice out there about the things you can do to get more traffic and engagement. And then there\u2019s advice about things to avoid\u2014like [\u2026]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3121,"featured_media":15049,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_strive_editorial_status":"not-started","_strive_copy_of":0,"inline_featured_image":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"content-sidebar","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_caption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_nocaption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_hide":"","_strive_checklists":"\"\"","_strive_active_checklist":"62291e2bb2422","_strive_post_notes":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[69,1],"tags":[374],"class_list":{"0":"post-14457","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-advice","8":"category-uncategorized","9":"tag-blog-editing","10":"entry"},"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t1. Don\u2019t Use Bad Grammar<\/h4>\n
2. Don\u2019t Change Your Writing Voice<\/h4>\n
3. Don\u2019t Be Text Heavy<\/h4>\n
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4. Don\u2019t Write Poorly<\/h4>\n
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5. Don\u2019t Skip the Editing<\/h4>\n