5 top tips to writing a powerful blog

Do you want to speak about a personal experience that changed your life, talk about a topic that deeply affects you or share your opinion on something that you feel deeply passionate about? Blogs are the perfect way to do so. There is no doubt that blogging has increased the sharing of experiences and opinions online. All you need is a computer and internet access.

But if you want people to actually read what you have to say, there are a couple of things you should think about before you start writing. Here are our five top tips for writing a blogpost.

1. Know your message and share it with passion

Before you start writing, think about what you want to say. What is the message you want your readers to remember from your blogpost? What’s the purpose of sharing your experience or opinion? One common mistake is that a lot of first paragraphs are wasted on a general introduction which says very little. If you know what you want to say, say it straight away. Your headline and your first paragraph must captivate your readers and encourage them to finish reading your post. Think about what is unique to your personal experience, skills or opinion, but also connect it to a wider audience. People reading blogs want to feel connected to you. Be passionate about your message and repeat it at the end if you can. This will increase the chances of your readers remembering the most important takeaway.

2. Be authentic

Keep it real! Don’t try to be somebody you’re not. Write from your personal experience and from your heart. Let your experiences speak for themselves – show rather than explain. Don’t make it too theoretical. Be personal and don’t try to hide your emotions. If you can’t be open about what you’re writing about, don’t do it. Everyone has skills or life experiences that the rest of us don’t have. Build on those and use your unique voice.

3. Know your audience

Decide who you want to speak to – your peers, your colleagues, or people who have a different experience or opinion from you? Once you’ve decided, put yourself in the shoes of your reader. Write your blog post and come back to it a couple of hours later. Try to read as if you’ve never looked at it before. Are you enjoying the experience? If you don’t like it, it’s unlikely that many others will. Also, don’t forget to think about how social media will engage your audience. Where are you planning to share your blogpost – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram? Can you encourage others to share your post through their social media channels? Share your work as widely as possible. Chances are you’ll inspire somebody you’ve never met.

4. Keep it simple

Keep your language simple. Be as precise as possible and use examples to support your points whenever you can. Never use jargon! Think about your grandmother, neighbour or old friend from school reading your blog post. If they don’t understand what you’re trying to say, you’re excluding a large audience. Break your text up with paragraphs, starting each one with a new point. Don’t exceed 600-800 words, research shows that online readers have a short attention span and often only read headlines. Your ultimate goal is for the reader to finish your blogpost and feel like you as the writer have connected to them.

5. Use images and videos

How do you consume content online? Loving that Instagram feed or getting lost in YouTube videos? Online content is primarily visual. People love images. Even the strongest blogpost can benefit from good quality pictures or a video incorporated in your text. If you’re sharing your post on social media, be aware that images on some platforms appear differently and might need resizing. If you don’t have your own pictures, use free online resources like FreePik or others.