Writing Killer Blog Posts
By Wade Kwon
Someday, we're going to have a special prizeThe Nobel Prize for Blogging
Will you win it?
Yes!
Why improve your writing?• You owe it to your readers• Only 2 kinds of writing get
noticed ... good and bad• It's how you stand out among
millions of blogs and bloggers
I. Better Writing
Goal review• What is the goal of your writing?• Of your blog?
Read good writing• Blogs• Magazines• Newspapers• Books (remember those?)• And save clips
Practice practice practice• Often, daily if possible• Helps with writer's block• Forces you to think about writing• Helps develop your writing style
Passion counts• If you're bored by your topic,
your reader will be, too.
What does this mean to the reader?• Sum up in 1 sentence.• Sum up in 1 word.
Revise revise revise• Make first paragraph count• Get someone to read over it• Or put it down and read it later
Revise revise revise• Cut by a third• Spellcheck• Incorporate reader feedback
Tools• Q&A / FAQ• Opinion
– Forces you to think critically• Lists
Tools• Surprise
– Contrary opinion– Original thought
• Humor
(Take 5 minutes.)
II. Better Blogging
Get organized• Important on a blog page• Include roadmap if needed• Pick a game plan:
– Sections?– Lists?– Chronologically?– Q&A?
Write conversationally• Don’t use “click here”• But incorporate links
– With headlines– With title tags
Think visually• Bullets• Bold key points / sentences• Break up paragraphs• Subheds using <h2> tags
Think about time• Write long version,
but add a short version at top• Add “related posts” at bottom
Think meta• Headline
– Clever vs. SEO friendly– Short vs. long– Think CNN.com
Think meta• Sprinkle keywords throughout post
– Tagcrowd.com• Use tags
OK, so you might notwin the Nobel Prize,
but instead ...Recognition
FansSatisfaction for a job well done