Written on December 30th, 2005 at 06:12 pm by Darren Rowse

Ten Tips for writing a blog post

Writing Content 105 comments

The following post on tips for writing a blog was submitted by Lyndon from Flockblog who in his email to me with it described it as a simple ‘back to basics’ kind of post. Thanks Lyndon.

Here are ten tips that help me with my blog writing.

  1. Make your opinion known
  2. Link like crazy
  3. Write less
  4. 250 Words is enough
  5. Make Headlines snappy
  6. Write with passion
  7. Include Bullet point lists
  8. Edit your post
  9. Make your posts easy to scan
  10. Be consistent with your style
  11. Litter the post with keywords

1. Make your opinion known
People like blogs, they like blogs because they are written by people and not corporations. People want to know what people think, crazy as it sounds they want to know what you think. Tell them exactly what you think using the least amount of words possible.

2. Link like crazy.
Support your post with links to other web pages that are contextual to your post.

3. Write Less
Give the maximum amount of information with the least amount of words. Time is finite and people are infinitely busy. Blast your knowledge into the reader at the speed of sound.

4. 250 is enough
A long post is easier to forget and harder to get into. A short post is the opposite.

5. Make Headlines snappy
Contain your whole argument in your headline. Check out National newspapers to see how they do it.

6. Include bullet point lists
We all love lists, it structures the info in an easily digestible format.

7. Make your posts easy to scan
Every few paragraphs insert a sub heading. Make sentences and headlines short and to the point.

8. Be consistent with your style
People like to know what to expect, once you have settled on a style for your audience stick to it.

9. Litter the post with Keywords.
Think about what keywords people would use to search for your post and include them in the body text and headers. make sure the keyword placement is natural and does not seem out of place.

10. Edit your post
Good writing is in the editing. Before you hit the submit button, re-read your post and cut out the stuff that you don’t need.

I hope you enjoyed my tips for writing a blog post - feel free to share your own blog writing tips below.

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105 Responses to “Ten Tips for writing a blog post”

  • These ten tips on writing blog post are really helpful for a beginner like me. I have just started a blog named ‘Live Blog’ at http://live-blog.blogspot.com/ . I have also signed up for the Google Adsense Program. Currently I am planning to post some high quality blogs. I have been searching for some good pages about ways to increase traffic to blogs on http://del.icio.us/ and I ended up here.

  • Good points. Especially keeping posts short.
    I would add using pictures where appropriate and asking a question of the readers to increase feedback..

  • Those post are a truly great i like them very much has a lot of great information.

  • A picture paints a thousand words, trouble is, Google feeds on text. Even the image search for Google uses the text around the pic to index it.

    Thanks for posting it Darren, makes me feel I’ve arrived.

  • […] Great tips for both beginning and old-hat bloggers alike. Tags […]

  • I’ve been blogging for 5 months now, on a previous blog I just sold. I have started a new one and can honestly tell you that it is easy to stray and become long-winded, and boring. As I start my new blog your 10 points are are just what the doctor ordered. I have copied and pasted them as my wallpaper on my notebook so I won’t forget them.

    Thanks for the really excellent pointers.

  • […] ProBlogger has (again) a very interesting article about writing blog posts. As a starting blogger these are very useful to me, and maybe also to you. Here’s the list. […]

  • It’s a good list, but I think he forgot to follow #8–or is it #10?

    Anyway, many of these are good things to remember for any sort of writing, and not just blogging. Thanks for posting it.

  • Here’s one that has to go in the Top 10: Write a good summary. Not only is it important for SERPs and SEO, it’s good for RSS. Also, if you show summaries on your index page and link into full-text entries for your permalink, it can make your blog index page much more user-friendly.

  • Thank you for this interesting list. I printed it in order to have a look anytime. For a newbie blogger these advices are really useful.

  • 11 consejos para escribir un post

    El blogger invitado de Pro Blogger, Lyndon de Flockblog nos da 11 consejos para escribir posts, que transcribo junto con mi resumen de la explicación para las más confusas:

    1.- Da a conocer tu opinión. La gente quiere escuchar opiniones en los b…

  • […] Found at Problogger: […]

  • Great list!

    I definitely struggle to keep the posts short. Although I’m not a fan of numbered lists (connotates that some of the points are more important than others).

  • Good list but I had to chuckle at the missing space in tip #9 when tip #8 is “Edit your post.”

  • Which just goes to prove the point. lol

  • Blogging - Tips and Tricks

    Latest Update: Added Ten Tips for Writing a Blog Post.
    If you’ve got a blog, you probably want more readers, no matter why you’re blogging. If you want to make money, more readers means more income. If you want to ‘sell’ yourself

  • Nice post as ever. Just on thought. The typo (Tens) in the post title is also some kind of strategy? Just kidding… Have a nice year.

  • As much as possible include a relevant photo or graphic. It’s worth a thousand words.

  • It all sounds good… but first I need a topic to blog about!

    I’ll definetly keep that in mind though…

  • For me content is King. It only matters if your readers like your content or not. There could be a million ways to convey the same. In 10 words or 100000 words.

  • As a history student and therefore a soul eternally assigned to write, I totally agree that LESS IS MORE! Thanks for the great perspective.

  • Some great points….. I guess it’s important to put the point across in the very first paragraph… in this day and age, attention spans are getting lesser and lesser… to make an impact is very important right from the word go …. of course once you have a loyal base of readers, this point matters a bit less… but it never hurts to make your points sharply and precisely …

  • […] Ten Tips for writing a blog post […]

  • I have to say that these are REALLY helpful tips for newbie like me. I recently started a techical blog http://adarshanto.blogspot.com and signed up for Adsense.I was searching for the most effective way of content presentation.Thanks Lyndon for sharing them….

  • Great tips.. Thanks a lot.

  • […] Ten Tips for Writing a Blog Post by Darren Rowse at ProBlogger […]

  • […] Since we’ve been talking about blogs and how homeschoolers might use them, here is a list of ten tips for writing a blog post. This list would make a pretty good writing challenge for your kids! I’d also like to point out that I placed my blogging article on it’s own page so it can be easily accessed from here. Just look over in the “pages” over —> there on the right hand side of this page. […]

  • […] From Problogger […]

  • […] Ten Tips for writing a blog post: ProBlogger Blog Tips (tags: tips blog blogging blogs tutorial) […]

  • I like the tips, but the first list is eleven tips, not ten. Second, both lists, summarized & elaborated, don’t exactly match up.

  • […] To know more about the ten tips above, visit Darren’s blog here. […]

  • […] Current Mood: ContentI read these ten tips for writing a blog yesterday and realized I break a few. Some of my posts are a bit long winded and I haven’t been linking near enough. […]

  • […] Blogging goals Ping services 10 Tips on Writing the Living Web Ten Tips for writing a blog post […]

  • Great info for new bloggers like me!

    250 words or less is the best thing you could have said - I’m already guilty of breaking that rule. But at least I have a focus for my blog(technology for financial services). Hey its a learning process!

    Thanks for the insights. I’ll be coming back for more soon.

  • Yes… is really a great info for blogger (newbies) like me :Þ Thanks for sharing info.

  • the 10 commandments of the blog world:)

  • […] Out of all the blogs in the world, ProBlogger is my absolute favorite, since it’s taught me more about blogging than anyone or anything else. He also has guest bloggers such as Lyndon from FlockBlog sharing Ten Tips for writing a Blog Post. […]

  • This is really good advice, so much so that I copied it into Word and printed it to stick on my wall. I like the way that the article embodies the principles that it espouses.

    Did you notice that your numbered list has 11 not 10 tips in it?

  • […] Darren Rowse: Ten Tips for writing a blog post - kurz und bündig […]

  • On Writing…

    One of the reasons I started this site was just to keep myself writing. Years ago, I made my living as a freelance writer. I wrote for PC Magazine and some other Ziff-Davis publications. I also had some corporate jobs……

  • […] Darren Rowse - Ten Tips for writing a blog post - kurz und bündig […]

  • […] I decided to do some online (google) research today on effective blog writing. My inspiration came from a comment by one of my readers recently and by my own knowledge that I can be rather verbose at times. One of the tips I picked up, the one I’m going to discuss, was to limit your post to 250 words or less. […]

  • Excellent article, I enjoy every article I read here. Can I add something? You mentioned that it is a great idea to provide links. Lots of them… I have an article that talks about how to find good links to back link too. I think with how blogs are formatted, publisher’s archived articles get lost in cyberspace, yet then tend to get a higher PR as time goes by. I think finding relevant archived articles on other blog sites and providing a reference link back to these pages within your article is an excellent thing to do. Not only does it help your site’s PR but also provides such an awesome way to spread great content out to your viewer base. It’s all about sharing cool things and great information… that’s what links are all about and it is a shame that so many have abused that.

    I really enjoy finding new sites that I can not only “Trust” but also find very useful, informative and entertaining.

    Regards,
    Garry

  • […] Den originale artikel Blogging goals Ping services 10 Tips on Writing the Living Web Ten Tips for writing a blog post […]

  • It’s interesting, I wrote this article ages ago and it still sends me traffic. For some reason I am getting a lot lately.

  • […] ProBlogger.net: Ten tips for writing a blog post […]

  • […] Tips Tips For Writing A Good Blog Post by Lyndon from Flockblog. Short, to the point. […]

  • […] My teacher recently had us read some articles on blog posting (Good Blog Writing Style and Ten Tips for writing a blog post), more specifically, what makes a good blog post. After reading these articles, I started to think a little about how I’ve been writing my posts, both on this site and my Livejournal account I write for my family and friends back home. Here on this site, I’ve more or less tried to keep them brief and to the point, because writing too much 1) gets difficult sometimes for me to keep coherent and 2) people don’t always have time to read ridiculously long posts/rants. However, if I at some point I really am into what I was writing, the above would be mute, however, my strategy of writing would change somewhat. The main points of the post would still be present in the first paragraph so the reader may get a general overview of what I am attempting to write about followed by more general information and tangents about the main points in later body paragraphs. This is something I’m NOT doing on my other blog, I realized however, but I feel that since I’m writing for my family and friends, I’d want to make it a story, not information sharing. The other thing the articles mention is linking to other sites so readers can follow up the blog post with additional information that is relevant. Since I’m still relatively new to blogging, this idea was something I had to get used to doing and remembering to do so. I think however that I’ve gotten a handle on it and am getting better at it; it changed my LiveJournal blog in that now I can link to the pictures that relate to the story that I’ve been telling people about which makes then make the stories more lively. These tips I feel will also help me accomplish my goals this semester with this site, which for the most part are to report what I am learning in class, report on things I notice about Japan as I walk around, and any other random things I want to talk about. These tips will allow me to organize my thoughts so to more easily convey my ideas and messages to the world and hopefully to start people thinking. And thinking I must do some more of right now so I’ll be back later with my new thoughts. Happy Blogging! […]

  • […] Ten Tips for Writing a BLOG POST […]

  • […] [5] “Ten Tips for Writing a Blog Post”, posted at problogger.net, 30 December 2005. http://www.problogger.net/archives/2005/12/30/tens-tips-for-writing-a-blog-post/ […]

  • helpful tips, not only for blog, but also for articles, webpages & eBooks.

  • Why do we need to link like crazy? Also, how do you get a blog listed by google?

    ~fantasyfan Novel Writing

  • […] a general one that doesn’t tell much but seems pretty straightforward.  And by including it I am following […]

  • […] Some time by Wednesday (or early in the day on Thursday or so), you should read, review, comment on, ask questions, suggest other readings, etc., on this week’s topic of getting started and RSS feeds. The readings are the following: Feed 101; Feedburner (you might want to sign up for an account, too); A Basic Guide to Power Blogging; 10 Tips on Writing the Living Web; “How to Make Your Blog Sticky;” and Ten Tips for Writing a Blog Post. […]

  • You left out “The More Controversial The Better”…

    Nothing gets your audience more engaged then a controversial post.

  • […] This link provides some excellent blog writing tips. […]

  • […] 1 - write the title I used the 10 Tips for writing great titles from Problogger to come up with this, “How Some People Can Write Great Posts Quickly”  […]

  • Nice tips for writing blogs, i hav started my blog, u can check it here at rohittripathi.blogspot.com

  • […] Ten Tips For Writing A Blog Post - Problogger    Old school Darren.  Short and sweet, and if you aren’t already following most of these ideas, it is time for a rethink […]

  • […] of the other tips they rattled off, which were echoed in Darren Rowse’s problogger, were to keep posts simple and focused, to write with passion, to be accessible to readers via […]

  • Blogging like any other type of printed media is only as good as the reader-blogger interaction.

    I can write four words that will set off someone on a post. Or I can write a thousand words and only the first four will get read.

    Controversy is probably the best thing available to any writer. Controversy breeds discussion, apathy breeds nothingness as far as the relativity of the subject.

  • These are excellent tips for blog writing. Thanks for sharing this!

    ~~Joyce~~
    http://www.piecelibrary.com

  • sajjad paracha

    August 5th, 2007 8:55 pm

    HI!
    I was actually looking for good bloging tips on google , came accross your post .All pints are really helping and valid.I think Depending on the nature of blogh entry one can also add some other points to your 10 pints.In my case i am starting to write blog entries for our comapanie’s official wesite http://blog.tcm.com.pk/.
    Since we are starting to discuess some high end topics related to software development for start we are planing to write about design patterns so we have decided to have

    1) Code snipets in our blog,to help others to understand our point.
    2) Diagrames (UML) for the prrof of concept.
    3) external refrences.
    I know it will amke our blog entries reletivlely big but that once again is the demand of those topics.

  • This is great information for writers. Thanks.

  • You articles are great! these tips can help to improve the writing skills.

  • I just got back into blogging after a year off. I never was that good to begin with. Good tips to keep in mind.

    Now, time to drink a few beers and slip into a coma.

  • Being a first time blogger… I found your blog through a quick Google search and have referenced to it in my first ever blog post… I like the fact it is simple… to the point… frank… and useful for a ‘noob’ as such to start blogging… even though I am a late starter in that regard… peace!

  • This will come in handy

    I am just starting up a blog

  • […] of Mantra’s chanted across the blogosphere, making my task an even more lily-livered one. Problogger plays host to one of my more favourable accounts, citing a list of do’s and don’ts that […]

  • This was very helpful. Thanks.

    Suzanne Lieurance
    http://www.workingwriterscoach.com

  • Greetings, Jacob Sikais!I think, your comment to this clause very opportunely. And where a source?
    Thanks, now all became clear!

  • These are very good reminders for newer and for more experienced bloggers. Your points about keyword optimization are a good reminder to us all.

    Anyone can create a blog but it takes a measure of skill to craft good quality offerings that will motivate readers to return.

  • Helpful and interesting posts. Just one think though, the link like crazy is good for relevant items, but thoughtless linking can be annoying to readers and can lower your pagerank (or so I’ve heard)

    If you get time, check out my blog

    http://how-to-earn-cash-make-money-online.blogspot.com

    Thanks,
    and keep bloggin!

  • I notice that this post was written almost 2 years ago, but its’ relevance remains.

    I too have printed out a copy for my workplace as a helpful reminder to myself.

    A most sincere thank you to Lyndon :)

  • nice post! i’ll try tips

  • Nice information that is very helpful for a new blogger like me. Looks like your never to old to learn new tricks…

  • Sounds interesting i will keep in mind these point’s for my new posts.

  • Excellent advice for all newbies to blogging on how to write posts that are interesting and at the same time offers god information for the readers.

  • Great idea of blogging. I will try to follow your step.

  • Great tips! I had posted a blog about 2 years ago that pretty much violated all ten of your tips. The posts were like novels and no one returned :(

    My new blog is a lot different and I hope to have more than 3 people visit :)

    http://werehavingababies.blogspot.com

  • How to add anchor links in the post. I am using wordpress and it doesn’t seem to be supporting html codes.

  • Nilesh, putting link in Wordpress post is smooth, open post editor, there you will see two tabs above editor, “Visual” and “Code”, if link insertion button is grayed in visual tab, switch to “Code” tab, there you will find bright blue “link” button to create a link in post. Hope this helps.

  • I have heard a lot of good things about bullets or top ten lists. I think this is a good thing to include in your blog and plan on doing it myself. Thanks for the advice.

  • Good advice,
    On one of my blog, most posts are less than 250 Words long, I think this is ok because they are quite informative and containing rich keywords in them.

  • I hope this post along with some others I am going to make using this information will bring me some traffic.

  • Hello,

    Good Tips,

    Based on this tips I will write the blog and this time I hope my blog gets some result and comment.

  • Fine tips.. I have started a blog (www.novelthinking.net) and I will surely follow all these tips and look for good results.

  • I’ve returned to read this again because the information is so timely. Most Internet readers are pressed for time. A blog post that gets to the point quickly is appreciated.

  • Great list! Blog writing is so very important and is the first step to launching a great blog…

  • Very nice guidance. surely I will using this information bring me some traffic

  • Thanks for the great advice. You included some items I hadn’t seen before. Very clear concise instruction. Thanks.

  • Excellent tips to become a good blogger. I also found that the blog becomes popular when you restrict the number of words to 250.

  • Check out my blog and tell me what you feel about my posts.

  • the content should be simple and crispy. It should be understandable and no use of tough words for which a reader will have to first consult a thesaurus as there is no such extra time to waste

  • I enjoyed your article. It’s straight to the point like the things I write about.

  • yup… noor was right. using simple and familiar vocabs are much more appreciated than fantastic words. thanks for such a great article.

  • I like how you set up this post, with a summary, followed by a detailed list. Great for those looking for info on the run.

    Nice!

  • This is a nice list, thanks for going in-depth to each topic. I recently started a blog dealing with mobile devices, so i decided to browse around to see what others had come up with. I came across a blogger who had reportedly started making 5 grand a month with his cell phone review blog!!! Anyway, when i checked out his site… I noticed almost all of his posts were very short… some just a couple sentences. Short and too the point. That is great motivation to know that you don’t need to write 500 word essays on every post!

  • […] yearn to read the books and truly understand what is going on in the books. The true sign of a well-written post is one that makes the reader want to find out more about what the writer is talking about and I […]

  • Thanks for your topic on ‘Ten Tips for writing a blog post’. I think it will add a great value to refine my skills and abilities.

  • Thanks for your topic that a very well

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  • These are excellent tips for blog writing. Thanks for sharing this!
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  • Good one, linked it in to mine at http://howmommakesmoneyonline.com/2008/creating-successful-blog-posts/

  • Awesome and so helpful. New blogger here - was getting way too wordy and your 10 tips sure helped! Thanks.

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