Chapter 3: Writing Like a Blogger

In This Chapter

Blog writing style and structure

Writing content for online readers

Setting a blogging schedule (and sticking to it)

Battling bloggage

No single blog style of writing exists. However, you can try out different techniques to make your blog easier to read (and write), such as using bullets to make more-scannable pages and using images to grab the reader’s attention.

For most people, reading online is hard — far harder than reading a print page. You need to take that into account when you write your blog posts. And that’s what this chapter is about: how to write posts that are easy for your readers to scan and read, how to write posts that they’ll love, and how to write consistently over a long period of time.

All these efforts add up to a blog that firmly connects readers to your blog and your business. That, in turn, translates to a better connection with potential customers and a more successful Internet marketing campaign.

Following the Three Blog S’s

The ideal blog post (and blog) creates an image of you, the writer, in the reader’s mind. That image is consistent, and it’s one with which the reader can identify.

To reach that point, though, you have to know how to structure your posts, eliminate roadblocks to readers, and make sure that they get your point. If you want to achieve that, all blog posts you write must follow the three S’s:

• Simplicity: Your writing should be clear and easy to read. Flowery language is a helpful way to show off your vocabulary, but it doesn’t necessarily communicate. Keep your writing simple. For example:

• Okay: The steak was the epitome of flavor and texture.

• Better: The steak was delicious.

• Scannability: People don’t read online; they scan. Use Bullet1s, photos, and other techniques to break up your writing and make it easy to skim. For example:

• Okay: You’ll love this website because it has simple lessons, great tips you can act on right away, and no sales pitch.

• Better: You’ll love this website because it has Simple lessons Great tips you can act on right away No sales pitch

• Sharpness: Your writing should get to the point — right away. For example:

• Okay: I wrote for hours. Then I pondered a bit. And wondered some more. And then I realized that 1 + 1 = 2.

• Better: 1 + 1 = 2. I realized this after I wrote for hours, pondered a bit, and then wondered some more.

The rest of this chapter offers techniques for following the three S’s and then describes the logistics of consistently publishing a blog.

Writing for simplicity

Mark Twain once wrote, “If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter.” You would think that writing simple prose would be the easiest method, but it takes practice. Follow these tips every time you write, though, and you’ll be off to a good start:

• Shred the thesaurus. Nothing breeds complex writing like a thesaurus. Throw it away. Use a dictionary if you need better words. And, never replace a perfectly appropriate two-syllable word with a four-syllable one. For example, melancholy is a great word, but if sad will work just as well, why not use it instead?

• Write, think, revise. Don’t try to produce the perfect sentence in your head before you write. Just write down what you’re trying to say. You can always improve it later.

• Count syllables. Make a game for yourself. Read a sentence in your post and see whether you can reduce the number of syllables by 20 percent without changing its impact or meaning. Do this for at least four sentences per day. The practice will help you write shorter, clearer prose. For example:

• Okay: I pedaled my bicycle to the grocery store.

• Better: I rode my bike to the store.

• Minimize prepositions. Prepositions, words such as about, in, and from, can give readers headaches (see the third Bullet1 in this list):

• Okay: If you end up with a sentence that has too many prepositions in it, it might be from overediting.

• Better: Overediting often creates sentences with too many prepositions.

• Use active voice, not passive. If you find yourself using was or have been or similar wording, you might be using passive voice. Grammatically, it’s okay, but it’s more difficult to read and leads to overly complex sentences:

• Okay (passive): The boy was bitten by the dog.

• Better (active): The dog bit the boy.

• Minimize parentheticals. If you use parentheses or an em dash (—), you’re creating a parenthetical, which can be a handy literary tool that helps you explain something. It’s easy to use parentheticals far too much — you can quickly become attached to them — and you may have a hard time getting rid of them. There — see that? Just keep them to a minimum.

• Break up compound sentences. Whenever you combine sentences using conjunctions, commas, and so on, you create a sentence that’s hard to read online.

• Okay: Writing simply is a must, because it invites readers in, while complex writing, though fancier, drives readers away.

• Better: Writing simply is a must. It invites readers in. Complex writing, though fancier, drives them away.

• Blow away fluff. It’s hard to resist adding words such as really or extremely. Resist it anyway.

• Be confident. Make your statement with authority. Don’t dilute it with “I think” and “I feel.” Obviously, this blog should offer your take on the topic at hand.

• Okay: I think simple writing is best.

• Better: Simple writing is best.

• Don’t get cute. It’s hard to resist writing “$ave dollar$ and ¢ent$.” It’s also hard to read it. Don’t use cutesy punctuation. Don’t use texting shorthand like LOL, either, unless it fits your audience.

• Don’t! Use! Too! Many! Exclamation! Points!!!!! Hopefully, you get the point.

• Practice! Writing is not a talent. It’s a skill. The more you write, the better you get. Practice doesn’t help you only with blogging. The work you put in on your blog pays off anytime you sit down to write.

Writing for scannability

Online, people don’t read; they scan. Typical readers rapidly scroll down the page, looking for words, pictures, and ideas that catch their attention.

Change makes the eye pause: Paragraph breaks, photos, and boldface or italicized text all draw attention. Used properly, these devices help readers get your point before they dive into reading every word of your post.

Before people read your article from start to finish, they want content that

• Has no paragraphs longer than four or five lines

• Lists important points in numbered or Bullet1ed lists

• Breaks up major points with headlines

• Includes images to emphasize points and give the eye a break

• Includes only one idea per paragraph

• Is short and concise

See the previous section in this chapter.

• Includes headlines that explain the subsequent copy on their own

You should be able to write a headline on a blank sheet of paper and immediately understand it:

• Okay: Overview

• Better: Overview of Online Writing

• Includes links that follow the same rule

• Uses line spacing of at least 1.5 lines

• Places headlines closer to the paragraphs that come after them than to the paragraphs that come before

Figure 3-1 shows an example of a blog post that uses at least a few of these principles: images to break up the page, subheadings and numbered lists, and short paragraphs.

Here’s another advantage to scannable posts: Many readers skim through countless posts from multiple blogs using their RSS feed readers. When they do, elements such as headlines and images catch their eyes.

In the example shown in Figure 3-2, you can see a couple of differences in the posts:

• Left post: It’s more scannable and therefore catches your eye. You’re more likely to read it.

• Right post: The lines in this post run together somewhat and are less likely to draw the reader’s eye.

Scannable content gets a chance to be read: The text you write is more likely to be read by visitors to your site.

Writing sharp

Get to the point!

In grammar school, we’re taught the funnel writing style: Start broad and then narrow your focus until you draw a conclusion at the end of your essay.

Forget that method. Instead, adopt a more journalistic, upside down style. Lead with your conclusion. Tell readers why they should continue reading, and tell them what benefits they’ll see if they do.

The first paragraph (or paragraphs) of your blog post should include

• What the reader will find

• Why she needs to find out about it

• How it will benefit her

This isn’t a hard-and-fast rule. (No rule ever is.) You can always add a little extra introduction for entertainment value. If you start by writing the sharpest possible text and get to the point, however, the result is always a more readable post.

Clearing Bloggage

If you’re avoiding writing on your blog, or staring at your computer screen for an hour without writing a word, you have blogger’s block or bloggage.

Here are a few ways to clear bloggage:

• Read instead of write. Find something that someone else wrote, said, or did that makes you laugh, scream, or cry. Responding is sometimes easier than writing from scratch.

• Request ideas. Ask your audience what they want to read. They may give you some helpful ideas.

• Go wild. Write something in a tone that’s nothing like your normal style. Pretend that you’re a new guest author on your blog and write under a pseudonym. It’s fun!

• Take a break. If you’re jammed up, it may be your brain’s way of saying, “I need a vacation.” Walk away from your blog for a few hours or days. Read a book. Come back refreshed and see whether the ideas flow more easily.

• Start talking. Rather than write, start talking about your subject matter. Use a recording device and pretend that you’re teaching a class. Transcribe what you said after five or ten minutes, and you’ll likely have some interesting ideas for a post.

Keep reading for more on bloggage-blockage removal techniques that you may find helpful.

Setting your editorial calendar

Using — and sticking to — an editorial calendar can help you avoid bloggage. Dedicate a few days each week to a specific type of article.

For example, Monday might be book review day. Or, Wednesday might be list-of-photos day. You can have a site review day, when you ask readers to submit their sites for review and you write recommendations as a post.

You don’t always have to follow your editorial calendar. Use it when you’re running low on ideas.

Keeping an idea list

Always keep a pad or file at your computer where you can compile a list of potential blog posts. This idea list is your resource when you’re running out of ideas. It also ensures that you don’t forget any outstanding ideas when they pop into your head.

Here are some types of information that you can keep on your list:

• Interesting websites that inspire you

• Ideas that just pop into your head

• Questions your clients or customers ask

• The title of a book or magazine article that made you think

• A quote or comment from you or someone else that might make an interesting topic

• Anything else that occurs to you

Get in the habit of keeping a small notebook with you at all times. You can transcribe any new ideas from your notebook to your computer for future blog posts. Or go the geeky way: Use a notes app on your smartphone or tablet and sync with your computer.

Writing ahead

No rule stipulates that you must write one complete blog post, publish it, and then move on to the next.

If you have a half-formed idea, start writing. Save it as a draft in your blogging software. That way, you can return to it later.

If you’re inspired and suddenly want to write a series of related blog posts, all at one time, do it! Publish the first one and schedule or save the rest to publish later. Writing ahead in this way creates a library of material that you can publish at any time.

Finding guest bloggers

Letting another blogger write on your blog can give you a break when you need it. It can also attract attention (if the blogger is well known) and bring that blogger’s audience to your blog. And, it can get you invited to post as a guest on that person’s blog, too.

If you know of a blog that complements yours, or if you comment regularly on a particular blog, consider contacting that blog’s author. Ask that person whether she’s interested in guest-posting on your blog.

Your invitee doesn’t need to guest-post right away. Just keep a list of bloggers who indicate an interest in guest-posting. If you’re stumped for an idea, if you’re going on vacation, or if you have an interesting idea that requires guest posts, contact a potential contributor.