Blogception: A blog about blogging

A blog is the perfect wat to introduce readers to your company and your products. But creating good, engaging content isn’t always easy.

The good news? We’ve prepared some tips on creating more effective blog posts. Let’s get started.

First: what the hell should you write about?

It’s simple. Focus on content that’s relevant to your company – and your target audience. Which means it’s that much more important to know your audience first. Find out what fascinates them. What keeps them up at night.

You could offer them a behind the scenes look at your company. Or you could give them important information about new developments in your field. A good blogger always keeps up to date with the industry they specialize in.

Has a recent event impacted your company/business/ industry? Write about it. Let your audience know.

But here’s the thing. It really needs to be relevant. If you’re watching the news and you hear about the farmer Sjarel driving his tractor into a canal, don’t reroute it through 1000 funnels and put it in a company blog post. Well, not unless you’re a tow truck company, of course.

Headline: How to make it good

Studies show you only have 8 seconds to capture your audience’s attention. So you really need a headline that immediately leavers your reader wanting more. And, as any blogger would agree, nothing’s quite as hard as coming up with a headline.

Blog titles often consist of a question- “How to get better at writing?”. Or use the tips approach – “5 tips for a good blog”. Those title types have proven their effectiveness in the past- but you can hardly call them original. The best advice I can give you is: Experiment. Try different headline formulas, split test them and find out what works for your audience.

Keep it simple

People often read blogs on their coffee break, on the morning subway, between meeting … you see what I’m getting at. People are busy. A blog needs to be short and easy to digest. Make your blog post between 400 and 1000 words- and no more. Avoid long, complex sentence structures and lengthy paragraphs. Readability is key.

Online readers are often in a hurry.  Most times, they’ll skim an article before actually reading it. Make it easy for them by structuring your text properly. Put keywords in bold. Keep your article light by adding lists/ bullet points.

1 picture says more than 1000 words

Walls of text are intimidating. When they see a blog that’s just a lot of text, many people simply won’t read it. Online readers need visual stimuli to stay focused while reading an article. Our brain processes visual information much better than it does text.

A diagram, table or infographic can help you explain an abstract concept. Or, if it fits the topic, don’t be afraid to use a meme here and there. Humor keeps your readers engaged, and coming back for more.

Writing is work  

I don’t need to tell you to check for spelling/ grammar mistakes. Right?

Most importantly, your blog needs to be smooth to read. Repetition is your enemy. Get rid of overused words. Then read the whole thing out loud. Listen to how it sounds, to whether it flows well. It’s sometimes hard to evaluate your own work- you can always ask a friend/ colleague to take a look.

Want to get even better at blogging? Find out how to improve your SEO ratings. Or, if you just want to stand out from other bloggers, our Blogging course is a reliable opportunity to develop your skills.

Good luck!