Ellie Jones - Content Writer

Have you ever started reading a blog, and then switched off before reaching the second li – I think we all have, haven’t we? There’s a good reason for that. The piece might be chock-full of important information, but if the audience can’t keep their eyes open past the introduction, the interesting stuff will lie dusty and unread under piles of jargon. Ultimately, the would-be blogger wastes time writing, and nobody gets to read their nuggets of wisdom. It’s a lose-lose. So, want to learn how to turn a boring blog on its head? (See, now you’re going to read past the intro.) Put some music in your writing Okay, I shamelessly stole and adapted that saying from Levi Roots. (If you’ve never tried it, his Reggae Reggae Sauce is amazing, by the way.) But it’s true. Nobody wants to read a sentence that goes on and on and has no punctuation and keeps using the word “and” and… A bit exaggerated, but you see my point. According to Soundplate, the average person listens to more than 20 hours of music per week. Stats don’t lie – people like music for a reason. It’s varied, interesting, pleasing to the ear, and blogging should always follow this rule. Switch up your sentence structure to keep your writing readable. Easy! Don’t be afraid to play about with your writing. If you enjoy writing it, it’s far more likely that people will enjoy reading it. In summary: big lumps of text with endless sentences – massive no. Bite-size chunks mixed with longer (well-punctuated) passages – heck yes. Have something to add You might be able to make an instruction manual sound like a bestseller, but please, please don’t rely on writing ability alone. Blogs exist to address a need. They’re an informal way of announcing “I have something to say on this topic, and here’s why you should listen.” So, in that vein, make sure you’re thinking about the “why.” What’s the point of your blog? Why should someone read your post over someone else’s? The answer is simple. Because it’s valuable. Be generous with your information. You wouldn’t be writing about your chosen topic unless you had something to add, so share that knowledge with your readers. You’re far more likely to boost engagement if you leave people feeling like they’ve learnt something useful, or if you’ve helped them see things from a different perspective. Adding value is vital. Of course, there are two sides to this coin. You might be wondering if it’s good business sense to give away valuable information for free, but whilst it’s a valid question, I’d say this in response. Why should someone choose to buy from you if they have nothing to base that decision on? Actively offering insights through helpful, well-considered blog posts is a surefire way to increase trust (hint: we can help you with that). If you’ve invested time and effort in proving your salt, i.e. via insightful, constructive content on topics you know inside-out, then potential customers are far more likely to invest in you, your brand, your products or your services. Just a thought. Be original If I see one more blog about AI coming for my job… Predictable. Boring. Done to death. Sure, it’s easier to jump on the bandwagon than come up with something unique, but rehashing a tired old subject, time, and time, and time again just makes you a sheep. Don’t get me wrong, it’s good to wade in on hot topics, because people want to read about issues that are trending. What they don’t want is regurgitated information they’ve read a hundred times before. 77% of internet users regularly read blog posts, so you're already halfway there. You just need to hook them in. Say something new. Take your topic, find an unexplored area, and go to town. Finding an unusual angle will help you stand out in a sea of content, whilst keeping a finger on the pulse of current events. You stay relevant, but you add intrigue. That’s the most readable content of all. Be yourself “Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is youer than you.” In the immortal (paraphrased) words of Dr. Seuss (no, I’m not taking credit for that one either) – be yourself when you’re blogging. I can’t stress this enough. If you’re struggling to make a start, that really is OK. Take it from me, even professional writers find themselves staring at a blinking cursor sometimes. But the golden rule is this: you can’t go too far wrong when you write as if you’re talking to your reader. In essence, a blog is just one half of a conversation. It’s your opinion about a specific topic. If you’re unsure about how to approach it, here’s a tip: think about how you’d explain the subject to a mate down the pub. Then write it down. It’s that easy.