Struggling to write decent blog copy?
Don’t worry, you’re not alone. It’s a common complaint that I hear… blogs take ages to write, and the words just don’t flow. If this is you, then these 10 simple tips for writing blog copy will help you crack on with your next blog like a pro.
1. Start with the research
Alright, let’s say you’ve sat down at a blank screen and don’t know what to write. The first thing you need to do is chat with people (ideally those people being your customers) or think back over recent meetings and emails with customers.
Were there any themes that came up? Did you have similar conversations over a short period of time? It might be something broad like “how is a recession going to impact my business?” Or it might be more specific like “I feel like I’m spending loads of time on social media and the sales don’t seem to be going up”.
Once you’ve got this starting point, you can start doing some more research. Yes, more than chatting with clients. As lovely as your clients are, they are only representative of a small group of people. What you want is to fully understand what’s out there.
You’ll want to hit up scientific research papers, Google Trends, and blogs around the same subject to get an idea of what’s already been said. And then you’ll need to think about what your angle is on the subject. Plus, you’ll probably need to do a bit of keyword research so you know what people are sticking into search engines to get their answers.
When you’ve got all of this together, you probably have a good idea of what you want to say. Now, it’s a case of getting it down onto paper.
2. Start with bullet points
It’s really tempting to dive right into writing but just like you did in school writing essays, it’s easier if you plan. That means putting down the key points into bullet points. This will keep you on track but also help you structure your blog so that it flows and makes sense.
I like to have one big takeaway point for each blog. If I can answer the question: “what is the one thing I want readers to take away from this blog?” then I know I’m staying on the right track and not going off on a tangent.
3. Use analogies
Analogies are brilliant for adding colour to your writing and helping you explain complex subjects. For example, I’ll liken content marketing to planting a seed. You’ve got to feed and water the content with updates, extra research and sharing it on social media to help it grow. Just as a plant needs to take root, so does your blog by linking it to other blogs on your website.
Using an analogy is a really simple tip for writing blog copy because it helps you tell a story that connects with the reader. And that’s what you need to do with your blog. Which leads nicely on to…
4. Develop your tone of voice
If you’re not sure what a tone of voice is, it’s the way you write that’s unique to your brand. For instance, I’ll use “folks” or “bloomin'” or “ain’t” as part of my tone of voice. I’d like to think you can kinda hear my accent through my writing. And it’s also very conversational rather than formal.
Tone of voice goes a lot deeper than this but developing it and keeping a document on how you’re using it is a good place to add a bit of pizzazz when writing your blog.
Another tip for writing blog copy is to keep a note of what you do and don’t like when it comes to writing. I know lots of people who can’t stand sentences that begin with “and” (even though there’s nothing wrong with it), so this can help guide your writing style.
Plus, the more you enjoy what you’re writing, the more it’ll show through to the end reader. The other upside for starting this kind of document is that if you ever outsource your writing, someone else will be able to pick up your style pretty quickly. And you can document all the other stuff that you like such as book titles in italics or other stylistic points.
5. Don’t overthink it
It’s far too easy to fall into the trap of overthinking what you’re writing. Sure, there are loads of rules around grammar, style, writing for the web and all that jazz. That’s before we even get into flow and structure or making sure your blog has all the page furniture it needs. (That’s stuff like photos, headers, call to actions and so on).
It’s far too easy to worry about all that stuff and not put anything down on the page in the first place. So my simple tip for writing blog copy here is to write the first draft for yourself and never let anyone see it. When you just crack on and do it without worrying about all the other stuff, you’ll get more words onto the screen. You can always come back and add all those back in during the editing stage.
6. Lose your sense of ownership
Seriously, don’t be precious about your writing. I know that writing can seem deeply personal but you need to start thinking about it in a more analytical way. When I started my journalism course, I was told that all writing would be torn to shreds and that everything we’ve learned so far about writing was wrong. I was also told that if I didn’t get a tough skin around feedback then I can go do English Literature instead. And that advice has served me well.
I have blogs sent back for multiple edits. It’s nothing personal. It’s a learning experience. No one is the perfect writer, not even professional writers get all the words right all of the time. If you see something that needs fixing, it’s better to go in and fix it. But it’s even better that you’ve written it in the first place.
7. Edit, edit and then edit some more
And then after you’ve done that, go have a cup of tea, come back and edit some more. Whatever it is that you have written, needs looking at more than twice. What you write in the moment can read very differently half an hour later. Better yet, get another person to review your blogs first.
Here’s a confession: when I worked at a record label, all my marketing emails needed to be signed off by another member of staff. At first, I really resented having my work checked. Then I realised that this second read-through was not a criticism of me or a judgement that I wasn’t good enough yet but it was to make sure another person could catch things that I couldn’t see. I was too close to the writing to read it objectively.
The same is true now. The white papers, blogs, web copy, everything really gets checked by a second set of eyes and it makes my work so much better. Plus, I do this for other writers.
If you’ve not got someone to do this for you, have a read of this blog and the section on editing in particular.
8. Don’t press publish right away
And when you’ve finished editing, resist all temptation to hit the publish button. Even if you’re on a tight deadline. In fact, especially if you are on a tight deadline. Take a breath. Take a break. If you have time, take a night to sleep on it. Then go back and give it another once over.
You will find something that doesn’t work or you’ll have thought of a better way to express your ideas. Yes, I know this makes it sound like a blog can’t be written in a day but the best-performing blogs are the ones that you go back to and improve time and time again.
9. Think beyond words
These might be tips for writing blog copy but that doesn’t mean you should ignore all the other media available at your disposal. Can anything be added to illustrate the words? Can you make the words pop out with formatting or use a video? If you truly cannot stand writing, then why not record what you want to say?
More than ever we should be thinking about how we can communicate through video (especially if you want to attract Gen Z). People are starting to use TikTok as a search engine and so thinking of how you can use this for your blogs will help you reach more people in the way they want to get the info.
10. Stick to your point
It’s really easy to get sidetracked by other ideas that pop up when you’re writing. This can make the process of blog writing pretty bloomin’ hard as you need to keep your brain focused on the point you want to make. My best tip is to make sure you get to the point in the first paragraph or two. And keep coming back to it as you write.
And there are other things that can help make writing easy such as having music on, hiding yourself away from people, writing in total silence or working out which time of day you write best. As a night owl, I used to think I did my best writing in the evening. When I really focused on this for a week or so, I realised that doing the writing before anything else made for better copy.
And if it feels like you’re forcing it?
Go grab a brew, take a proper break from the screen, maybe even sit outside while you drink it and then come back. There is something to be said for doing menial tasks to squeeze out the creative juice. Wash the pots, hang the washing, and just make sure you’re not secretly procrastinating.