Blogging 101: The Basics of Content Creation
Blog writing has been a popular pasttime since the early 2000s. The advent of personal internet access made online blogs accessible, and now anyone with a smartphone or computer can log on and start putting content out into the world. But not all content is good content. How do you write a good blog article? This question haunts writers across the world, but we’ve discovered a solid process that will help any writer start creating their best contet today.
BRAINSTORMING
Any writer will tell you that the best blogs begin with a good idea, but ideas are often the most challenging part to develop. Parsing out the good ideas from the bad is a challenge in itself, but that can also be the most inspiring part of the writing process. The following are some effective brainstorming techniques that help focus your ideas into a good blog topic.
DRAFTING
Once you’ve brainstormed your way to a blog topic, the next step is to begin writing the content itself. Some writers find creating an outline helps them plan out their content, but others prefer to just sit down and get to work. Either option is good, but what matters most is that you just start writing. Many writers struggle with this due to an impending sense of perfectionism, or the desire to write a perfect draft on the first try. In fact, the opposite is true. Good blog posts often go through several rounds of editing, first by the author, then by a peer, then finally by another editor or administrator before they get posted. Don’t be afraid of drafts, and definitely don’t get rid of previous drafts; comparing each work to previous edits helps you catch mistakes and map the progression of your ideas from start to finish.
EDITING
Editing can be very tricky, especially when you’ve just spent a lot of time creating the content and are now faced with critically revising it. One of the best tips for writers is to walk away from their piece after they finish writing it and before they start to edit it. When you write a post, you spend so much time with the content that it becomes easy to miss little mistakes like typos or odd grammar. Taking a break from your work gives you fresh eyes, so that when you edit it you can identify more of the minute errors you missed when you were writing it. Take a break, run the piece through SpellCheck, and then sit down and read it over again.
Another good thing to look for while in the editing phase is the quality of your content. Good blog posts should strive for Evergreen content, that is, content that is durable and remains relevant for some time. For example, a blog post on popular Halloween costumes for 2020 will be popular and useful, but only up until Halloween of 2020. Once that Halloween has passed, the content will be outdated and people will stop reading it. However, if you write a post on popular Halloween costumes for children, people will continue to read that for many years to come. Try to avoid highly seasonal or popular culture-related references in the majority of your articles and stick to broadly relatable content to ensure your posts stay popular well beyond their initial posting.
MEDIA
Many bloggers have begun incorporating other types of media into their posts. Photos, gifs, videos; all of these add color and life into traditional black and white text. These media additions are especially useful when you’re writing content geared at younger age groups. Millenials, Gen X-rs, and children are drawn to engaging and illustrative content, so adding in a few demonstrative pictures or linking an informational video can do wonders for drawing in readers. Even older readers are starting to enjoy them; videos of news media and other tutorial-style images are very popular for people who struggle with reading, especially on a screen. This additional media can enhance your content, but be careful not to overpower it. Try to keep your image based media to no more than thirty or forty percent of your total article to ensure the most attention is paid to your post.
THE FINAL TOUCH
When you’ve finished drafting, editing, and reviewing your blog post, take one more look at it. Read it out loud, read it to a friend, read it printed out; all of these steps help give you a fresh perspective on the piece and ensure it’s to the exact quality you want it. When you feel ready, go ahead and post it! You can be confident that your blog is catchy, unique, and interesting, and it’s sure to draw readers in for years to come.
Like, Follow, and Subscribe! How to Promote Blog Content in the Age of Social Media
First, the world had MySpace. Then that gave way to FaceBook, then Youtube, now Twitter, Instagram, Vine, TikTok, and more. Keeping up with popular social media platforms is a dizzying task, but an important one, especially for writers looking to promote their work on a large-scale platform. Advertising is essential to blog success, so read on for our best advice on how to grow and maintain a social media following and use it to promote your blog content.
These tips may feel overwhelming, but they are tried-and-true techniques that will go a long way in promoting your content. As your following grows, you can spread to multiple social media platforms until you have an expansive and dependable following that will continue to support your blog.
Blog writing has been a popular pasttime since the early 2000s. The advent of personal internet access made online blogs accessible, and now anyone with a smartphone or computer can log on and start putting content out into the world. But not all content is good content. How do you write a good blog article? This question haunts writers across the world, but we’ve discovered a solid process that will help any writer start creating their best contet today.
BRAINSTORMING
Any writer will tell you that the best blogs begin with a good idea, but ideas are often the most challenging part to develop. Parsing out the good ideas from the bad is a challenge in itself, but that can also be the most inspiring part of the writing process. The following are some effective brainstorming techniques that help focus your ideas into a good blog topic.
- Start Big
- Pick Passions
- Narrow Down, but Not Too Much
DRAFTING
Once you’ve brainstormed your way to a blog topic, the next step is to begin writing the content itself. Some writers find creating an outline helps them plan out their content, but others prefer to just sit down and get to work. Either option is good, but what matters most is that you just start writing. Many writers struggle with this due to an impending sense of perfectionism, or the desire to write a perfect draft on the first try. In fact, the opposite is true. Good blog posts often go through several rounds of editing, first by the author, then by a peer, then finally by another editor or administrator before they get posted. Don’t be afraid of drafts, and definitely don’t get rid of previous drafts; comparing each work to previous edits helps you catch mistakes and map the progression of your ideas from start to finish.
EDITING
Editing can be very tricky, especially when you’ve just spent a lot of time creating the content and are now faced with critically revising it. One of the best tips for writers is to walk away from their piece after they finish writing it and before they start to edit it. When you write a post, you spend so much time with the content that it becomes easy to miss little mistakes like typos or odd grammar. Taking a break from your work gives you fresh eyes, so that when you edit it you can identify more of the minute errors you missed when you were writing it. Take a break, run the piece through SpellCheck, and then sit down and read it over again.
Another good thing to look for while in the editing phase is the quality of your content. Good blog posts should strive for Evergreen content, that is, content that is durable and remains relevant for some time. For example, a blog post on popular Halloween costumes for 2020 will be popular and useful, but only up until Halloween of 2020. Once that Halloween has passed, the content will be outdated and people will stop reading it. However, if you write a post on popular Halloween costumes for children, people will continue to read that for many years to come. Try to avoid highly seasonal or popular culture-related references in the majority of your articles and stick to broadly relatable content to ensure your posts stay popular well beyond their initial posting.
MEDIA
Many bloggers have begun incorporating other types of media into their posts. Photos, gifs, videos; all of these add color and life into traditional black and white text. These media additions are especially useful when you’re writing content geared at younger age groups. Millenials, Gen X-rs, and children are drawn to engaging and illustrative content, so adding in a few demonstrative pictures or linking an informational video can do wonders for drawing in readers. Even older readers are starting to enjoy them; videos of news media and other tutorial-style images are very popular for people who struggle with reading, especially on a screen. This additional media can enhance your content, but be careful not to overpower it. Try to keep your image based media to no more than thirty or forty percent of your total article to ensure the most attention is paid to your post.
THE FINAL TOUCH
When you’ve finished drafting, editing, and reviewing your blog post, take one more look at it. Read it out loud, read it to a friend, read it printed out; all of these steps help give you a fresh perspective on the piece and ensure it’s to the exact quality you want it. When you feel ready, go ahead and post it! You can be confident that your blog is catchy, unique, and interesting, and it’s sure to draw readers in for years to come.
Like, Follow, and Subscribe! How to Promote Blog Content in the Age of Social Media
First, the world had MySpace. Then that gave way to FaceBook, then Youtube, now Twitter, Instagram, Vine, TikTok, and more. Keeping up with popular social media platforms is a dizzying task, but an important one, especially for writers looking to promote their work on a large-scale platform. Advertising is essential to blog success, so read on for our best advice on how to grow and maintain a social media following and use it to promote your blog content.
- START SIMPLE
- STICK TO A SCHEDULE
- CURATE, CURATE, CURATE
- ENGAGE WITH YOUR FOLLOWERS
- COLLABORATE (NOT JUST SHOUTOUTS)
These tips may feel overwhelming, but they are tried-and-true techniques that will go a long way in promoting your content. As your following grows, you can spread to multiple social media platforms until you have an expansive and dependable following that will continue to support your blog.