How to Write an Effective Blog Post

I am no expert on blogging and it definitely shows. I’m not the most consistent and sometimes my photographs are not magazine perfect. However, I do write pretty effective posts and I try my best to be informative without being preachy or bossy. Yes, that was a bit of a humblebrag, but I believe that is probably the only reason I still have followers on here. Also, it’s okay to lift yourself up every now and then.

When blog-hopping, I may have cringed at certain posts and that’s usually because they contained wrong information or they’re photo heavy with minimal wording. This is just my own little blogging pet peeve and yeah I can be pretty biased. With that being said, there are so many different styles of blog posts and it does depend on the topic. I do want to talk about the types, but in a different post sometime soon. Keep reading if you want to see my tips on how I go about writing an effective blog post.

• Find your blog voice

Let’s just say you’re writing a very general post whether it be a review, how-to, or a haul. My very first tip is to write in your voice. Every person that writes has a voice or a style that is unique to them. Nine times out of ten, your voice for a blog is going to be a mixture in the way you speak and the way you write (like a formal essay.) Try your best not to sound robotic, boring or even repetitive. My “blog voice” tends to be pretty informative with a dash of humor. I like to make up my own words and I even go on tangents at times. In real life, that is how I talk so I like to incorporate that into my posts.

•  Be thorough but use brevity

This is a tricky one, but I love a good engaging, lengthy blog post that isn’t too convoluted. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read through a review of a product and still questioned whether or not the product worked for the reviewer. One thing I have learned in my short life is that less is more in almost every aspect of life. A post can be lengthy but it needs to get to the point. With this blog post here, my introduction is two paragraphs and it was obvious what the topic was. Anything more and the reader either starts skimming or clicks off. You’ve seen this many times if you’ve ever looked up a recipe, which brings me to my next point.

• When in doubt, tell a story.

Readers love a good story and that is why cooking blogs aren’t as problematic as people make them out to be. Usually, there is a story of why they’re cooking the meal or how many different ways they have tried to cook it. Storytelling is and will probably always be a good way to keep readers engaged. Also, you can always scroll to the bottom if the story behind it is bothersome.

• Embrace choppy sentences 

I struggle with this point so much. I tend to write run-on sentences (with ellipses) because I’ve learned that when writing formally you should avoid choppy (or short) sentences. Essays are filled with filler words, “SAT words,” and incorrect syntax. The cool thing about a blog post is that you can break all the grammar rules…although I advise against doing so. What I TRY to do now is write a short sentence, followed by a longer one and then another short one. This actually creates a rhythm or iambic pentameter (think poetry,) which every single writer out there should maybe strive for in my humble opinion.

• Photos

I had to save this one for last because, like most bloggers, I love the part where I insert the photos! Back when I first began blogging, I only posted photos with very minimal writing as my blog post and so was everyone else…at least the blogs that I followed. I’m not bashing this way of blogging because it is very useful especially for days you may be experiencing writer’s block. However, it can look pretty lazy. For example, I insert a picture of a skincare product and underneath it says “This product worked really great for my skin. After the first use, it made my skin soft.” There is no further information (price, brand name, where to purchase) and as a reader that is a turn-off for me and there’s this really beautiful photography platform called Instagram for such posts. I  am biased though because I’m big on reading. To each their own. Anywho, if you choose to follow this tip, try to find a good balance between wording and photos. Your readers do like imagery, but they do also like to read.

Hopefully, these tips were helpful to anyone out there. These are just a few things that I’ve learned since I began blogging and I believe they have truly improved my writing. Of course, these tips are opinions and aren’t the end all be all of writing a blog post. At the end of the day, have fun with your blog! Leave a comment and tell me what your favorite tip was.

Thanks for reading

ChelsiKay