Actually Writing [Blog Writing Series #3]
In Part 1, we covered how to come up with blog ideas and research. In Part 2, we discussed the frameworks your blog might be built around.
Today, we’re rolling up our sleeves, opening up a new word doc, and getting to the writing itself. If that makes you sweat, don’t. You are already more capable than you think.
If this is truly your first attempt at writing, it’s going to seem like a lot you have to keep track of all at once. Don’t let this overwhelm you!
The guide below is not step-by-step for a very good reason:
There are only a few universally applicable rules in writing a blog, and most of them will occur in the editing & optimizing stages.
Think of this as a best practices guide, and the more you retain, the easier it will (hopefully) make your life.
Most of these things took me years and dozens of articles to learn, so don’t expect you need to remember it all at once. Let it wash over you as you embark on the writing journey.
A. Important Caveats
There are 3 really, really important things that you need to keep in mind before we begin though, so before you go a step further, read these:
1. A good blog is based on good knowledge
If you don’t have a lot of knowledge on your topic (pretend it’s highly technical and you’re just a member of the marketing team), you absolutely, imperatively must have good research. You must have done your research extensively before you can hope to write about it. So if your notes are spotty or hardly coherent, you might want to back up and do some more research on your topic.
Paradoxically, writing can help expose your lack of knowledge, so sometimes it’s actually better to take a stab at writing the thing first, and do more research as needed. If you think you’ve already exhausted your research, press on.
2. Writing is just talking, organized
The simplest way I can explain writing is that it’s stuff you already know, and eventually you’re just going to clean it up so it makes a bit more sense. There is no secret formula, there is no shortcut (that’s not true, actually. There are plenty of shortcuts. At the end of this article are even more).
If someone were standing in the room with you right now, and they wanted to know about what you’re about to write about, how would you verbally explain it to them?
Take all of that, and write it down instead. You can even use the talk-to-text feature on your computer or phone if you need to! The point is, because you already have the knowledge, all you’re doing is laying that out for someone who has no idea what you’re talking about. So explain as much as you need to about all the little details. Assume your audience has no previous idea what you’re talking about.
3. You can’t edit what you haven’t written
Editing is its own entire section (it’s less scary and more helpful than you think; even if you’re just editing your own work), and it’s really important that you understand this about writing:
When you are writing, you are not editing.
Some people call your first draft your vomit draft, because the goal is just to get the information out of your head and onto the paper. I don’t love the term, but it gets the point across.
Your goal in the writing stage (this stage) is just get it all out. We will refine it later. You cannot edit something you haven’t written.
Avoid the delete key right now. The goal is to jot down every thought in your head. That’s why I’ve said it 17 times in 5 sentences. It’s important, hence the emphasis.
Ok - you still with me? You promise to do those last 3 things? Great!
B. Let’s Get Writing
We’re gonna loop back a little bit here to what I was starting to explain in number 2, because it’s really the foundation of what we’re doing today. So I’ll say it again:
Writing is just talking, organized.
What’s hard about writing for most people is that, when you’re doing it for the first few times, you’re forcing your brain to do something you haven’t done before. It’s like the first time you decide to lift weights or go for a run. It knocks you down a few pegs. Why? Because you haven’t done it before! But it’s not a big deal, and you’re going to get better with time.
If you can read and write, you can write a blog.
(Hence the write part…)
If you’ve:
Developed a great idea for a blog,
Chosen an appropriate framework for how to format it, and
Done enough research that you actually have a number of things to say, then:
you are ready to write!
As soon as you’re done reading the rest of this article, you will have everything you need to go for it.
Before I send you on your way, there are a few more things I want to cover to help you out considerably.
C. Editorials, Journalism, & Technical Guides
It’s been my experience that a lot of written blogs tend to fall under one of three umbrellas, and which one you should use will depend on your understanding of what you’re writing about, and who it is you’re trying to reach.
1. Editorials Argue Something
So even after choosing a framework in which to write your blog, it’s still important to understand that it’s rarely helpful to just state plain facts.
We read articles because we want opinions on something.
Now, don’t get me wrong, it’s hard to have an opinion on something you know little about, and that’s why research and personal knowledge are so essential to writing effective content.
In high school, you might’ve been taught about a thesis essay; and how it is an entire paper designed to argue one specific point. This is essentially what an Editorial article is. You see a lot of these in newspapers when the editor wants to make their case for a particular viewpoint on something.
I’m here to argue that editorial writing is the most powerful writing because it is active and persuasive. You are actively campaigning in favour of one thing and against another. I find these articles are the most gripping reads, and the most influential in making a connection with your audience. Editorials also lend themselves nicely to less formal grammar and more human writing, which are benefits unless you work in an extremely white-collar industry.
2. Journalism Reports Something
Journalism is, in my experience, by far the least common format for a blog, but it certainly does exist in the right context. It is sort of a blend between an Editorial—which aims to prove a point—and a Technical Guide, which is strictly fact-based and procedural.
A journalistic blog can be a diary of your experience having done something, it could be a retelling of an event that took place, and it may cross over into editorial or technical territory, depending on the subject at hand.
The problem that can occur with journalistic writing is that it is too passive.
Because you’re primarily reporting something that took place, it can feel less engaging and less memorable to your audience. Because you aren’t aiming to evoke a particularly strong emotional reaction, journalistic blogging can be easy to read and easier to forget.
Use journalistic writing when it makes sense, but my general advice is not to default to it.
See how I took a stance and gave you my opinion? That was helpful, wasn’t it? That’s editorial!
3. Technical Guides Explain Something
As opposed to an Editorial—which is entirely opinionated—and a Journalistic approach—which is a retelling of something, a Technical Guide is a step-by-step, black and white, fact-based approach to blogging.
Technical Guides tend to use a lot of jargon and industry-specific language that someone from outside of the industry might not be acquainted with. However, if you have a baseline understanding, Technical Guides can be really effective in teaching someone how to do something.
Technical Guides often contain the least human-element in their writing, so take precautions to make your guide lively.
Whereas journalistic writing can become too passive, technical guides can become too dry if you aren’t careful.
I am not at all saying don’t ever write technically. But I am saying as you do it, be cautious not to suck the life out of your writing.
What is the best blend for a catalogue of articles?
No one can give you a specific answer, and you’d be better off finding out for yourself anyways.
That being said, I would imagine that the average person with the average blog in the average industry would benefit greatly from a 60% amount of Editorial content, 10% Journalistic blogging, and 30% Technical Guide.
Ultimately, write a bit of everything and see what your audience reacts to!
If you can fill a niche in your industry that is missing content, you’re likely to see a spike in traffic.
Pursue that.
D. Finding Your Voice
This part of the blogging process feels the most daunting early on. Writing is like turning on the tap in an abandoned home; where the water is all rusty and smelly and gross, and you have to let it run for a while before clean water comes out. The first few things you attempt to write are going to be awkward, weird, disjointed. That’s ok. Push through it. Better stuff is just behind it.
You could be saying something that changes someone’s life, but if you’re speaking the wrong language, it’s worthless.
Sort of a lame metaphor to try to say: if you’re not conveying your arguments in a way that your audience will understand or relate to, it’s irrelevant how strong your arguments are. That’s what this section is about: helping you to communicate your message more effectively.
Here we go!
Write Like You
You are the only person in the world with your eyes and your brain. No one else can have your perspective. That’s amazing! It’s a gift, and you should use it in your writing.
Only you are going to sound like you. This is a feature, not a bug. As you try to think like your audience and cater to them, don’t be afraid to sound like yourself. And don’t be too focused on style: trying to be funny or witty or clever. If you are those things naturally, write it, but don’t force it.
If in doubt, keep it simple.
Think Like Your Audience
What kind of questions pop up in your audience’s head? Usually blogging is about trying to prove a point, or shed some light on a situation or product you offer. Instead of looking at the benefits and features from the manufacturer’s perspective (your perspective), think about how it makes your customers’ lives easier (your audience’s perspective). If you can think the way your audience thinks, and write in a way that addresses their concerns and questions, you are on track for creating a really relatable piece of content that is going to perform well.
Choose Formal or Casual
Your audience is going to have a particular style of writing they respond best to. If you work in the financial sector, for example, you’re not going to want to write like a kid on the street. But if you’re trying to write to blue-collar steelworkers, you shouldn’t sound like you came up with your article while sitting in an air conditioned board room.
Generally speaking, your writing should tow the line between formal and casual, but you can persuade it one way or the other depending on what you’re writing. This is as simple as whether or not you use contractions, make puns, share exclusively statistics and data, or use metaphors to make a point.
Be Quotable
Anytime you’re in the flow of writing and you say something that summarizes your arguments in a really concise and catchy way, try to take note of it and bold it. Rewrite it so it’s as succinct as possible, then put it in its own paragraph and make it bigger. We want the key takeaways of our writing to be big and obvious for our readers, because many of them will only skim the headlines and bullet points (which, wouldn’t you know, is our next point!).
Appeal to Skim Readers
We’ll discuss this in further depth in Part 4, but recognize that the vast majority of the people that read your article are only “reading” it. Many people won’t dedicate the 5-10 minutes of their day to read, word for word, what it is you have to say. Have you been reading this word for word? Probably not. And if you have, you’re the exception and not the rule.
As I’ve already done in this article, put little headlines and quotes all throughout your article so someone who only has 1 minute to read your article can still get the gist of it.
Yes, it’s annoying that most people won’t see all the hard work you put into every sentence, but it’s also a relief.
Use Smaller Paragraphs
Notice how most of my paragraphs in this article are only a few sentences long; sometimes only one? This is by design.
Textbooks are dense, and when you flip to a random page and look at them, you can already tell if it’s going to be an overwhelming read or not. Writing that is lighter, dense, and more accessible has lots of whitespace all around it.
It’s a personal pet peeve of mind when writers overuse this tactic, but it doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be used at all.
Be smart, but break larger paragraphs up into smaller ones where possible. Grammar rules don’t apply the same in blogging.
Arrange Your Arguments
Most blog articles are made up of a handful of arguments. The best writers have put consideration into their layout.
Either follow a logical line of thought in your blog (sort of like I have here), or put the smartest things you have to say as the opener and closer of your arguments. The middle should be the weakest.
You want to start strong to grab their attention, and finish strong to leave a lasting impression.
And that’s about it!
If you can do all of these things, you’re going to be well on your way to a really, really strong blog.
E. Where Do I Start?
Chances are, somewhere in your notepad (you followed my instructions and have been writing all your raw thoughts down, right?), you’ve got the bullet point list of what you wanna say. If not, start there. Sometimes we call it a skeleton.
Summarize each of the arguments you want to make in 1 sentence or less.
This will become your scaffold, or your skeleton. You’ll be referring back to it. After you’ve done that, you can, for real, start writing.
Some people suggest starting your blog in the middle, with the arguments that you know you want to make, and then adding on a conclusion and an introduction. I get what they’re going for, but that’s not usually the way my brain works. If I don’t know where I’m going to end the blog, I don’t even know where to start.
What that means, is that it’s different strokes for different folks, and sometimes it will even vary depending on the piece you’re writing.
Start with the easiest part.
If that’s the opening of the thing, boom. Write it down. If it’s the ending, great! We wanna hear it.
In order to get your brain flowing, you just need to start. So begin with the part that you already have figured out in your head, and follow your brain as it jumps around from there.
Refer back to your bullet point list when you move onto the next section and it becomes easier to keep up with yourself.
F. Word Count & Length
Writing a blog for the express purpose of eventually gaining marketshare in your industry is really unintuitive the first few times you do it. Thankfully, like all things, it becomes second nature with practice.
There are a few other pointers about blogging that are helpful to keep in mind:
Aim for 1200 words
This might be a bit of a hot take, depending on who you ask, because you’ll get massive ranges on what length of blog is most ideal.
Ultimately, it depends on your industry and your readers. How in-depth do you really need to get on a particular topic? How broad or specific is your technical guide? How many arguments can you make in your editorial?
500 words is the shortest blog I’d ever publish. Less than that, and it could just be a social media caption in most cases.
1200 - 2000 words is a comfortable range to make a case for something without going overboard.
Anything 3500+ words is verging on a pretty definitive guide, and should be marketed as such. More than that though, I’d be concerned you’re putting too much together when you could be benefitting from breaking that bad boy up into multiple smaller articles.
Pillar pages are something I don’t have time to get into here, but if blog articles are branches, a pillar page is the tree trunk. If your blog is getting too long, you probably need to break it up somehow.
One Last Tip on Writing
If you’re really, really terrified to pour your heart into writing something only to have it turn out terrible:
Make it your goal to write something terrible.
…Huh?
Yep. Write something; no matter how bad it is. You don’t even need to show it to anyone. What’s the worst thing that happens? You write it. You reread it. You decide “This sucks.” And then what?
Then we edit. Because what did we learn at the beginning?
You can’t edit what you haven’t written.
So if writing something terrible is your biggest fear, then face it head on and intentionally write something terrible.
You will already be miles ahead of the millions of people that want to write but never do.
In Conclusion:
Hopefully you’ve got what you need to get your first blog written. Be brave! Go for it!
You have far more ability than you think.
If you’re terrified of writing something that sucks, remember that editing is where we’re going to get it back on track.
But before we get to editing, Part 4 has a few extra blog bonus features you can add for maximum points.
Click below to read
