When blogging about your company, service or product, give readers clear access to what you want them to know, and make your message relevant to their lives. It may sound simple but even experienced writers sometimes get tripped up by the process.
How do your blogs compare to those written by the pros? Ask yourself:
- Did I start with what’s most important? Make your point in the headline and/or first paragraph. Never assume people will have the time or patience to read to the end. This also helps increase the visibility of your value points for the search engines.
- How much industry jargon did I use? Have I included too many acronyms? People shouldn’t need a cheat sheet to understand what they are reading. Even if your audience is your own industry, assuming that readers are new to the trade will add clarity to your writing.
- Have I used all caps anywhere? The U.S. Navy recently made the news when it announced that it would no longer communicate using all capital letters. It acknowledged that standard upper/lower case writing is easier to read and improves comprehension. Using all caps for product names is also jarring to the eye, and it commercializes your content.
- Is it credible? Stretching the truth, using overtly promotional language, and an excessive use of exclamation marks will diminish your authority in the minds of your readers.
- Does every word add value? People tend to skim what they read so think of every phrase as a sound bite. Ask yourself, is this significant to the story? Resist the urge to use “throw away” sentences or phrases that don’t support your point. Consider: “You’ll look better” versus “You’ll have fewer visible lines and wrinkles.”
- Is it short enough? Some experts recommend that blogs should max out at 1,000 words. I prefer 600 words.
- Did I let it rest? Write it then move onto another project. Re-read it the next morning or even a few days later. This trick of the trade makes it easier to spot problem areas, edit extraneous language, and find clearer ways to phrase concepts.
To get help writing your blogs and other social media content, call us at 952-697-5269. We charge per post, and we have more than 30 years of professional business writing expertise.
