The big problem with blogging is how much competition there is. For that reason, if you want to get anywhere, it doesn’t matter how much content you have if it isn’t great. The big question is, how do you do that? What can you do to make sure that you’re not just good? What are the tricks of the trade to make sure that you actually stand out from the millions upon millions of blogs out there?
Okay, breathe. Don’t let that big number scare you. Millions might sound like a lot, but the vast majority of writers out there don’t actually know how to write all that well, so not all of those are competition. I’d say about 1%.
Of course, that still leaves hundreds of thousands to compete with. Here’s how you can come out on top.
Your most important words are your headline
The very first thing anybody will see regarding your blog is your headline. It doesn’t matter if they find your content on a search engine, on social media, or if they somehow end up on your page directly, they’re still going to look there first.
And, as we all know, first impressions matter. Don’t throw up your headline as a last thought. That’s both going to tank your traffic, and cause whoever ends up on your page to click away. No. Your headline needs attention and work.
What should you watch out for?
- It has to explain the article. You might want to write something poetic and creative, but you should only do that if you can also make sure that it explains what you’re talking about. You see, search engines don’t understand poetic. They care about literal meanings and keywords. Similarly, most people don’t have time for vague stuff. They want to know what they’re going to read about.
- It has to be both practical and emotive. You want to catch the attention of your reader on multiple levels. Your best bet is to use something like CoSchedule’s headline analyzer, as they’ll give you a good idea of what works and what does not. Yes, it’s an algorithm, but you’ll be surprised at how well it does.
Use lots of sub headlines and lists
Most of the people on the Internet are scanners. They don’t have the time to read your content in depth. Don’t lose them by writing dense text without a break. Instead, use lots of headlines and lists to make it easy for them to understand what you’re talking about.
The best part is that if they find what they’re looking for on a quick scan through your article, then it’s still very possible that you’ll suck them into your article and turn them into actual readers. Even if that doesn’t happen, and they find what they’re looking for and are pleased with how you write the article, they may still come back.
Being an engaging writer takes time. Writing short sentences is a lot faster.
The first trick you have to master is the art of writing short sentences. You see, the Internet works like this: People go there either to get distracted, or to get specific information. In both cases, they want information fast, and they don’t want to have to work for it.
Long sentences are work for your reader. Therefore, you’ve got to write some incredibly engaging copy if you want your work to stand out. That’s hard and takes years of practice.
So why not just shorten your sentences? That’s a heck of a lot easier and has other benefits. For example, it helps you clarify your thoughts. If you take a long sentence and turn it into two short sentences, you’re forced to think about what you’re trying to say. That will add clarity to what you’re trying to write.
Get help
You shouldn’t try to do it alone. It just doesn’t work. You’ll be far more likely to make typos, make mistakes where you think you’ve explained something well when you really haven’t, and get caught in your own echo chamber where you don’t realize what people like and what they don’t.
Work together with other bloggers. Get them to tell you what they like and what they don’t, and do the same for them. Even better, run ideas and copy by them before you put it up. Often their insights will help turn a good idea into a great one.
Don’t know that many bloggers yet? Then find some writing services to help you out. They can help you with the editing process as well as the writing process itself, giving you a much-needed break and making it far more likely that your content will rock.
Don’t try to sound smarter than you are
People will notice and they won’t be impressed. In fact, they’ll probably think you’re an idiot. What’s more, even if they don’t, you’ll come across as arrogant and unlikable. People don’t like people talking down to them.
Instead, be humble while at the same time being sure of what you do know. If you can do that, chances are much greater that people will think you’re likable. Once you’ve done that, you’ve won half the battle, as likability is an important part of engaging readers.
Blogs cost money
If you want to have a successful blog then you’re probably going to have to spend money on it. That’s because organic reach is shrinking by the year. The average post now only reaches a tiny fraction of your followers – and really doesn’t reach much beyond them if they’re not sharing your content wildly.
Now, it is still possible to build a blog without paying for it. The thing is, you’re still investing huge amounts of time. And because time is also money (you could have a paying job instead, after all), in the long run it’s going to be more expensive to not spend a little bit of money on marketing.
There is some good news though. There seems to be a tipping point where people assume that your site must be interesting if you’ve got that many followers. At that point, the number of followers you’ve got will start to tick up almost on its own. You just need to get there first. Spend some money to do so. You’ll thank yourself in the long run.
Last words
Becoming a good blog writer won’t happen overnight. You’ll have to work hard at mastering the writer’s art. Don’t let that dissuade you from starting a blog though. After all, everything that’s worth doing in this life is hard. That’s why it is worth doing. What’s more, because it’s so hard, this means there aren’t that many people who make it into that top fraction. That means that if you get there, you can charge good money and live comfortably. Take it from me.
So work at it. Try, try, and try again. Even if your blog does not take off, the lessons you learn and the writing you do will make you better all around. And then there’s always the next blog, which very well might be a success.
