Blog Writing: 13 things you never knew

 

At Vocal, our copywriters are very familiar with blog writing. So, we know a thing or two that those just starting their blogs may not. There are surprisingly a lot of things to consider when blog writing. We have listed 13 different things you may never have known about blog writing.

 

You may be wondering which website to use to host your blog. The truth is it doesn’t really matter. The most important thing is that you know what you’re doing. That is why our Vocal team are going to share our tips on things you probably never knew about blog writing.

 

1. Headlines can make or break your blog

 

When you are blog writing, using compelling headlines is essential to drawing in an audience. It is your one chance to catch a reader’s attention, so it has to count. Using numbers in your headline can also make them stand out!

 

In your headline you should follow a tried and tested format of addressing a problem that your audience has. Then how you will fix it. And make sure your blog actually has the answers you promised in your title. Click-bait content drives people insane and it’s the easiest way of getting readers to never look at your content again. You need to build trust with your readers so that they keep coming back and you build a reliable reputation.

 

Some great examples could go along the lines of:

 

• The top 9 tools for writing an awesome novel
• The 7 best methods of training your puppy
• You’re running out of energy! Here’s 6 ways to fix it
• You’ll be in hot water if you miss this guide on the best way to save money.

 

2. Conducting research

 

When blog writing, you will likely need to conduct research on your topic. Here are three things to keep in mind when doing so.

 

• Learn to recognise credibility
• Keeping sources organised
• Conduct your own research.

 

You want to make sure you check your facts and information. Gaining a reputation for being unreliable is definitely not what you want! Researching topics can also give you a lot of ideas.

 

3. SEO & keywords

 

If you want your blog writing to be seen, then SEO is the best way. Search engine optimisation (SEO) is about adapting your work to the search engine’s algorithm. Google likes content that is over 1,000 words as it regards these as more “useful” to users. You should also keep sentences to no more than 20 words in length. As for paragraphs, avoid making them too long. And sub-headed sections should be no more than 250 words.

 

SEO is also based around the use of keywords. You can use analytic tools to discover which keywords are most searched for. Using these often within your blog can help you list higher on search engine result pages (SERPs). And of course, the higher you rank, the easier it is for your potential audience to find your content.

 

Our writers know how much of an impact SEO makes in blog writing. So, we are sure to focus on optimising our work. This is to ensure our content reaches the audience we want. There are tools we use to keep track of keywords and SEO. As well as how well our content is being received. Below are some that we believe could be best for you:

 

• Google Analytics
• Exact Metrics
• SEMrush.

 

Long-tailed keywords

 

Using broad keywords can be good, but sometimes using long-tailed keywords is better for your content. Our website content writers understand that long-tailed keywords can bring in a very specific audience. This is because those people are using particular keywords when searching. If you are aiming to bring in a niche audience, perhaps long-tailed keywords are worth considering. So, if you use long-tailed keywords, remember that the more particular they are, the better. But do not forget to make sure they are relevant.

 

4. Know your audience

 

Knowing who you’re writing for is a massive component in blog writing. It essentially dictates how your content is written. Are you writing for teenagers? The tone and language you use would differ compared to the style you would use when writing for adults. You probably won’t use words that are too complicated for a younger audience. Your writing would likely be more conversational and informal.

 

5. Your brand and tone of voice

 

This is similar to recognising your audience, but it’s more about how your tone works with them. Our next point you may never have known about blog writing is the importance of brand and tone. It is crucial to be recognisable as a brand through language. Once you know who you’re writing for, you can adapt your content to them. Things to consider are your tone of voice and how you wish to communicate your brand. A lot of blogs tend to have a bit of the writer’s personality in them. This needs to fit your brand and the way you want to connect with your audience. You may use a more informal tone as this often works better at keeping your audience engaged.

 

6. You can generate income when blog writing

 

One of the best benefits of blog writing is that you can generate income. There are several ways of doing this. But in short, you can offer services. This could be things like workshops or a course in relation to your niche. You could also sell ad space on your site. Writing sponsored posts are also great methods of generating income. However, SEO is a long game and you should expect great results quickly. It takes time and effort to work towards building your presence online. SEO is great for bringing in customers. So, you should always focus on SEO if your goal is to generate income.

 

Becoming an affiliate with companies and blog writing about their products can be greatly beneficial. You can also contact businesses and review their products for a fee. Often times this is a win-win for both sides. If your blog writing really takes off and fans are interested, you could even sell merchandise!

 

7. Collaboration / guest opportunities are great for blog writing

 

By using social media to grow your audience, you have a greater opportunity of collaborating with other creators. You may be recognised by other sites that would like you to write a guest blog for them. These are both excellent ways of growing your presence. This is also another way of generating income, as mentioned above!

 

8. Making sure your blog writing is relevant to your niche

 

An important part of blog writing is knowing your niche and sticking to it. If you write fashion blogs, that’s great! You’ll bring in an audience that are interested in fashion. But if you’re writing about multiple topics like fashion, science, politics and more, your content is a lot sparser. You may think that this is good, as covering multiple topics can draw in readers of various interests. And overall, that’s a lot of people. But actually, you’re making it harder for yourself to appeal to each of these audience groups. You’d have to stay on top of each of these subjects. Favouring one could lead to a loss of interest in the others. This means you cannot dedicate as much attention to a singular subject, and therefore, you aren’t optimising its potential.

 

9. Keep your blog writing organised

 

When blog writing, it is important to stay organised. You should know which content is being written and when it should be completed and published. The best ways of staying organised are by using content management systems (CMS) and editorial calendars. These tools allow you to stay on track and are great for team productivity. Tracking keywords and competition rates are also important.

 

10. Social media can boost your audience

 

Using social media alongside blog writing can massively increase your audience and interaction. Millions of people use social media. So, you should always take the opportunity to turn some of these into your readers.

 

Post regular content

 

You should try to keep your social media posts regular. This way, your audience never forget about you. Posts should not be spam, though, so keep that in mind. Only post relevant and preferably useful content. If you post too often, your audience may grow annoyed and feel spammed. This will lead to a lot of unfollows.

 

Interact with your audience

 

The benefit of using social media means you can quickly and easily interact with your audience. There is no need for emails that take 3 working days to get a reply. Stay active with your audience so they can reach you when they need to. This also increases your engagement. It’s also a fun place to share your blog writing processes and development.

 

Use different content for each platform

 

Use different platforms to ensure you reach the widest audience possible. But also make sure your posts on each platform are different. This is so people have a reason to follow you on multiple platforms.

 

Pay attention to trends

 

You should also focus on trends and see if your blogs can link to them. This gives you a good chance of reaching a wider audience. And it is more content for you!

 

11. Using graphic design for your website to make your blog writing stand out

 

Using a graphic designer can give your blog a boost. Your website should be appealing to your audience and make it easy to navigate. Perhaps this may be surprising, but colours are often chosen specifically for websites with goals in mind. Colours can have a psychological effect on us. That is why a lot of social media platforms use the colour blue, as it is calming.

 

12. Structure and format is crucial for blog writing

 

This point for blog writing is similar to that in our section on SEO. Keeping your reader engaged is the goal. So, you want to execute every method possible to ensure this.

 

Your blog should be broken down into different sections and they should have subheadings. Each of these sections should be no more than 250 words. This is mainly for SEO reasons, but also because people do not like reading massive paragraphs.

 

If you break your content down, it is easier to read, as it can be skimmed. No one wants to have to read an essay if they want a single answer to a question. Being able to scan your blog and find the relevant information is what will keep your readers coming back. Clean and tidy presentation is eye-catching and easy to follow. Using bullet points is another method of keeping your work simple and it looks great!

 

Using different forms of media is also great for breaking up your content and keeping readers engaged. Videos are often great for engagement and making points.

 

13. Use a call-to-action when blog writing

 

One of our blog writing tips is that you should always try to include a call-to-action. They will most often be found at the end of a blog. Ask your audience to share their thoughts in the comments, to repost your content or check out your services. This way you can massively increase readership, engagement and interest. This can also boost your SEO score by including internal links.

 

So, there you have it. That’s 13 things we suspect you never knew about blog writing. We hope our blog has been informative and that you’ve learnt something valuable! We value learning, so we frequently give our thoughts on all things creative. Visit Vocal’s website to read our thoughts.

 

Our team

We would love to hear about your business goals, so why not contact us and speak to one of our team? We can brainstorm how we can produce the best content for you. Then, we will use our experience to make recommendations. We pride ourselves on delivering results. We will provide you with predicted outcomes so that you can make an informed decision. If you give us the go ahead, we will provide you with a quote. Our team will then get to work on creating the content of your dreams!