How to Write a Blog Post

What makes a good blog post? Follow these guidelines:

$1.$ Know your audience and write for them.

When writing for non$-$professionals, keep your style clear and simple. Avoid technical terms and jargon unless you explain them. Your tone should be conversational, not dry and academic. When writing for professionals and peers, you can assume more knowledge but should still keep the style conversational and define any terms that might not be common knowledge. In either case, let your own voice shine through. It$$s ok to use first$-$person $$I$.$

$2.$ Make your posts quick and easy to read.

Aim for $400$ to $800$ words per post. Be short and to the point. Chop out any unnecessary words or ideas that are not central to your topic. Consider chunking up your content into sections with subheaders or key points in bold. Make good use of bullets and lists. Visuals are also good. Here are some sources:

$$ Pexels, Pixabay, and Unsplash have free stock photos. They typically allow you to use them free for commercial and noncommercial use across print and digital. Attribution is not usually not required, but you should give credit to the contributor in a caption underneath any photo you use.

$$ Canva and Infogram are free tools for making your own graphics, including infographics.

$3.$ Share useful information.

Consider what your readers will want to know about a topic. Make this your focus. Use examples to make your points concrete. Make complex information simple to understand.

$4.$ Start with a catchy opening paragraph.

Grab the reader$$s attention in the first few lines. For example, can start with an interesting question or an anecdote.

$5.$ Proofread your work.

Even though blog writing is not formal or scholarly, you must still carefully proofread your writing for grammar, punctuation, spelling, and style. Mechanical errors undermine your credibility and confuse your readers.

$6.$ Consider using one of the following blog types:

$$ A Listicle, which is a blog post centered around a list of facts$/$items$/$ideas$,$ each with a brief accompanying text. They often include links to more information. Listicles entice readers because they are easy to skim and easy to understand. Listicles often have headlines like $5$ reasons you should do X$$ or $$The three most important things I learned about Y$.$ For more information, read How to Write a Listicle.

$$ A how$-$to that explains how to address a task or problem. Give specific steps or recommendations and explain the reasons for each.

$$ A $$Q & A$$ post where you identify one or more questions your audience might have and provide answers. For example, If fast food$$s meatless meats aren$$t healthier, why are we eating them? focuses on one question and gives several possible answers. Men's Health Q&A addresses several questions.