Do you want your content to be seen and read online? Of course, you do.
But it is not just as easy as writing it down and pressing the ‘publish’ button. If it were, we would all be famous bloggers, right?
Well, you might not get there anytime soon, but you could easily improve your blogging skills and capture your audience with a few writing tricks.
#1 Keep blogs brief and to the point
Today’s readers are easily distracted. Your digital content will be competing with a plethora of other contents: banner ads, funny videos, click-bait articles, gossip, pop-up notifications, and virtually every other written piece published online.
So how do you make sure your post will go beyond a mere two seconds scanning?
There is no secret that blogging is much more different than writing for a print medium, be it a publication, newspaper or magazine. In other words, digital content caters to an online audience who consumes content faster than saying ‘Howzit.’ Blame it on the 140-words Twitter craze if you want.
The key to blogging success is to keep content short, trimmed, and ready for an easy consumption and sharing of bite-sized pieces. We recommend an average of 400 to 500 words per post, although it could vary according to the topic, style, practicality, and even your chosen audience.
There are no strict rules, but unless you are Robin Sharma or have a wonderful life story to share, put the lengthy 2000 words mark aside.
Content marketing is a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant, and consistent content to attract and retain a clearly-defined audience — and, ultimately, to drive profitable customer action.
#2 Write short paragraphs
The structure of your blog post is equally important. Again, cater for an online audience. Organise your text in clear, concise, and most importantly, shorter paragraphs.
The rules of writing paragraphs have changed. Smartblogger.com has recently dedicated a post to why you should forget what teachers taught you in school about writing paragraphs.
It’s the truth: today’s digital consumers are not going to appreciate long paragraphs that would have certainly made Ernest Hemingway proud.
In fact, the way we consume media, on mobile phones or tablet screens, has dictated that paragraphs should be no more than three to four lines in length to avoid the ‘stuffy’ look. One to two lines per paragraph is just enough for easily distracted eyes.
That doesn’t mean that every paragraph should be under 50 words. See the next point.
#3 Introduce rhythm and variation
Should I only add short, punchy lines to my blog? The answer is no.
You should alternate between paragraphs of various lengths to keep boredom at bay and give your piece rhythm.
If you wrote a few longer paragraphs of maximum four lines, continue with shorter ones. If you used a one-liner too often, switch to fuller paragraph. Break the monotony. But do keep it neat as we have discussed.
Finally, a word on the old school technique of associating a change in topic with a new paragraph. Forget the rules.
You can spread your topic or idea over few paragraphs, as long as you keep clarity in check. Be aware, though, of not changing paragraphs at an inopportune moment when the message might be misunderstood or negatively affect the reader.
Not sure about the rhythm? Give your blog a thorough read before you publish it. If something sounds off, feel free to re-organise paragraphs.
