The 7 Steps to Perfect Blogging

Blogging is a crucial tool in the armoury of the modern day PR professional.

But so many bloggers lose the battle before their audience is barely through the first few paragraphs of their piece.

Here’s 7 Golden rules for turning your blog into gold for your readers.

Make the blog interesting
It may sound like a painfully obvious point but, you’d be surprised just how many blogs are impossible to read simply because the writer has spent so long making sure it is perfectly optimised for SEO that they forget to engage and entertain the reader.

Even when you are making a serious point it can often be beneficial to do it with a sense of humour or irony.

Keep it short
You may have a zillion ideas you want to cram into your blog but no-one will read it if the piece resembles a huge wall of text on an internet page. Try and keep it below 12 paragraphs in total.

Keep it light, jaunty and make your paragraphs short too.

Know your subject
Don’t try and turn assumptions into fact. The internet is unforgiving and picks holes in ‘facts’ like no other resource available.

Check your facts before hitting that publish button. Then check them again. If you are unsure about a fact – triple check it against different reference sources.

If you’re still unsure, don’t publish it. Don’t try and wing it – you’ll be found out and undone quickly.

Use your style
The best blogs are natural and seem effortless and conversational.

Don’t try and make yourself sound like someone else when you write. Use words and phrases you’d use in everyday conversation with friends and family, phrases you are familiar and comfortable with. They are natural to you and won’t come across as forced or contrived on the page.

Be direct
Don’t bore us, get to the chorus. In other words, don’t spend an eternity getting to your main point. Set the scene by all means but, don’t keep your audience waiting for the big reveal – you run the risk of losing them before they make it that far.

Never let the facts get in the way of a good story
While you must use facts, don’t try and include too many. It bamboozles the reader for a start.

There’s no point in writing a blog if it is just a list of facts – your readers may as well read a menu. Blogs require a large dose of you to make the contents palatable.

So, use facts as your foundation but remember that it is opinions that kick-start conversation.

The pay-off
The pay-off line is your best-friend. It is also your last chance to make your mark on the reader – so don’t waste it with some ill-thought-out throwaway sentence.

Great blogging is all about engagement. Write your last sentence, then add a question mark. It looks different doesn’t it? It changes the emphasis too. It’s now inviting your readers to have their say.

If the rest of your blog is good enough, they won’t be able to resist the opportunity.

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