David Airey (one of my favorite bloggers out there) tagged me to write some advice about, well… writing… But not just any writing; we are talking about blogging. Now he definitely hit the nail on the head when he said that I might be busy; in fact, being in the midst of finals has driven me to the brink of insanity. However, I have decided to take a step back, take a deep breath, and take a crack at giving some blog article writing advice:
- Start off some of your posts with a quote. They are interesting and eye catching for a reader. And they somehow add a bit of credibility. It seems like you took the time to find a relevant quote, so the reader might want to take the time to read your post (by the way, the design side of me is screaming to remind you to make your quotes look distinctive and somewhat elegant; work some css magic folks!).
- Try to relate to your readers. This is not to say that you need to conduct a demographic study to figure this stuff out. Maybe it could be something like cracking a joke about macs, because your hunch is that your readers are mostly pc-kind-of-people. There are all sorts of ways to relate, and it will make your reader feel a little bit more attached.
- Make the images you use unique. One of David Airey’s tips was to use images in your post. I absolutely agree, but would like to take it a step further. If you can (in other words, if you have the software/knowhow), you should customize an image that you are putting into a post; give it a polaroid look; make it have a subtle reflection; change its perspective. These little details will add a nice flair to your post.
- Do anything to suck readers in. I am serious. You need to start your post off in such a way that a reader can’t help but continue to read. Throw out an outlandish statistic; embellish the truth; anything that it takes. Just make sure you fess up to it, or else you will lose your reader’s trust, and that is no good…
- Actually follow good writing advice. I myself don’t do these things half of the time, and perhaps that is why I am stuck being a mediocre blogger. If you consistently use these and other tips, I guarantee you will notice an increase in readership and participation for your blog.
If you want some more great blog related writing tips, be sure to subscribe to Copyblogger. This is by far the best resource for writers available.
Who said you were mediocre? Yours is one of the few blogs I read on a daily basis mate, so don’t put yourself down without deserving it!
I like the idea of using a quote for an opener – and yes, I’ve styled my blockquote tags!
Well, thanks so much, Paul! That just made my day! And that is saying something, because I am sitting at Starbucks and I just met the guy who played Sidney’s dad in “Alias.” (He is doing some kind of one man show here in Boston)
You just met Victor Garber?!? You ******* – that’s it, I’ll never read your blog again! The only think better than that would be bumping into the girl herself in the street…
Nice follow-up, J David!
Using quotes to begin is a great point. It’s something I used to do a lot during my time at university, to attract attention to the otherwise dull essay.
Oh, and I’m with Paul. You’re not mediocre!
Thanks David. I also heard about the quote thing when I started writing papers. It is a more interesting way to get people to read.
Excellent tips! I’ll try to implement the ones that I haven’t done or tried before. I really need to work and improve on my writing/blogging skills. Hehe
I can add 1 more tip
6. Improve your grammar and spelling at least I know that I am loosing a lot or returning visitors
But I do try my best to write as best I can.
That is definitely a good tip.
it’s my first time to hear (learn) about the tip number 1. anyway, i will try it in my blog. but my real problem is the grammar and spelling. I am really bad on it.
The grammar stuff may be hard to overcome. On the one hand, the English speaking audience is the biggest one (maybe Chinese is getting closer), but they demand good writing. Maybe you could have a friend or something look over your writing?
I think I tend to forget things from time to time as well. I guess we both need to start sticking to the rules better if we want to do better blogging!
These are great tips. I have tried even writing my blog as a “Dialog” between two fictitious characters to make a point. It was like a play with each character taking a turn arguing a point. This really worked great, although, it took some extra effort to make the dialog seem somewhat realistic and interesting.
Great tips.
I’ll try the “copyblogger” link and see what they are saying.
Thanks
Keith