Actual Client Advice: Writing Reader-Friendly Blog Posts
Blogs posts come in all shapes and sizes. Some people like Seth Godin can get over writing short posts with one great thought. Others like CopyBlogger write long, involved posts that give lots of specific tips. Here is an example of repurposing an email as a blog post. This was actual client advice to someone who was writing blog posts that were not very reader friendly.
Here are some quick tips on making your blog posts more reader friendly:
- You are very fond of CAPITAL LETTERS. THE PROBLEM WITH WRITING EVERYTHING IN CAPITAL LETTERS IS IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU ARE SHOUTING AT THE PERSON YOU ARE WRITING TO. Also, it loses it’s impact if you do it to much. Titles should NEVER be in all capitals.
- Don’t write things like “Class 4 Women.” If you are text messaging this is okay, but these are blog posts and should be as close to polished as possible. Also, it makes you sound like a 15-year old.
- Think in terms of sound bites: if your audience has 30 seconds to scan your page for info, what do you need to tell them? These should be headings in the post. Besides helping with SEO (having your posts come up in Google searches), using headings will structure your posts and make them more readable.
The tips may have been a bit harsh, but they really got through to the client. She changed her writing style and began communicating more effectively. Little changes like these went a long way in helping her find her voice.
