Blog posts are important for a small business, because they help you reach your target audience and provide value to your industry. When written well, they showcase expertise, inspire trust and even entertain. Here are the basics of how to write a blog post.
Pick a topic
If you’re looking up how to write a blog post, chances are you’ve already got an idea of what you want to write about.
Refine that idea by thinking up potential titles for your blog post. You can use Buzzsumo for ideas on which titles are most popular, or Google Analytics to discover any relevant popular search terms.
Do some research
Unless you’re already an expert on the subject, the research phase of the writing process is vital. Articles should be well-researched, authoritative and informative.
Decide what you want to say
Now that you’ve done some research, take a stance. Decide what you think on the topic and jot down your notes.
You could brainstorm about;
- Best way to approach the topic
- Top 3 takeaways on the topic
- Why it’s important for your target audience
Get your first draft down
Write like the wind. At this stage, don’t worry about perfection. Just get your thoughts down on the page, and then organize them into a reasonable structure.
Tips on writing;
- Stick to one idea per paragraph.
- Have a clear beginning (introduction), middle (body paragraphs) and end (conclusion).
- Avoid unsupported claims.
- Avoid jargon that readers outside your industry wouldn’t understand.
Edit x3
Edit, edit, edit. Add any links that are needed and make sure you cite your sources. This is the stage where you or your editor (if you have that luxury) will weed out any mistakes in spelling, grammar, ideas or flow.
Tips on editing;
- Change the font size to catch mistakes hidden by line breaks.
- Read it out loud.
- Run your post through content tools.
- Ask someone else to look over your post.
If you’re writing this blog post on WordPress, like I am, you’ll also want to refine the SEO settings, add a featured image (don’t forget alt tags) and select the appropriate categories.
Hit publish
Pour yourself a glass of wine, because you’re done! …Until it’s time to work on sharing it 🙂