How to Write a Blog
Choose a genre., Write like an expert., Write the way you speak., Share details.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Choose a genre.
If your aim is to attract readers beyond your friends and family, it's a good idea to pick a genre, however broad, to blog within.
Establishing yourself as someone with an interesting opinion on a certain set of topics will keep people who share your interests coming back for more.
What's so important in your life that you're drawn to discuss it publicly? People blog about everything under the sun: family, food, cars, professions, the apocalypse, gardening.
Think about your own priorities in life and decide where your blog will fall.
Just because you aim to be a "food blogger" or a "fashion blogger" doesn't mean all of your content will have to be pigeonholed into that specific category.
You can be a food blogger who also talks about being a single mom, or a sports blogger who writes about politics occasionally.
Read other blogs that fall into the same genre to get a sense of the community that is already built around that particular topic.
Entering the blogosphere is like entering a big group conversation.
What are you going to contribute? What's unique about your story? -
Step 2: Write like an expert.
The most compelling writing sounds confident and authoritative, no matter what the topic is.
People who take the time to read your writing will want to feel as though they're learning something from you.
Offering your expert opinion on an issue, expert tips on how to do something, or expert information not readily available from other sources will make your blog worth reading.
You don't have to have a PhD to sound like an expert.
There are already areas in which you have expertise: your own life, for starters.
Your taste, your opinions, your experience.
Everyone is an expert in something, and blogs are a great way for people to share their knowledge with the world.
Your expertise should come across in your tone.
Write in assertive prose, rather than using passive language.
Back yourself up with anecdotes, and where appropriate, research.
Consider creative ways to share your knowledge with your readers.
You could tell a hilarious story everyone can relate to and learn from, share a tutorial on how to do something you could do with your eyes closed, review little-known musicians or artists who need some promotion, discuss ways to calm down a screaming toddler in a restaurant . . . the possibilities are endless. , Blogs, unlike most traditional writing forms, tend to be casual, conversational, and relatable.
When you're writing a post, it might help to pretend like you're talking to your sister or best friend.
Use that same voice in all of your posts so that they feel cohesive and represent you as a person.
A common response readers have to popular blogs is that they feel the "know the person." When you hit on a tone and style that creates a sense of familiarity with people you've never met, you've struck blogger gold.
Many bloggers have a "friendly" relationship to their readers, but there are other forms of familiarity that can also bring success.
For example, you could write as though you're a teacher and your readers are your students, spouting inspiring wisdom that keeps them coming back.
Find the relationship that works best for you.It can be difficult to use the same words in writing that we use while speaking.
If you're unsure how your voice is coming across, try reading your post out loud.
Are you able to read it in a natural, relatable way, or does it come off sounding stiff? If the latter is true, go back and change the language and sentence structure to make it sound more conversational. , Let's be honest: blogging is to writing what reality TV is to television.
Like the best reality TV, the most compelling blogs are those that have a lot of juicy personal details.
If your blog is too dry and formal, you're going to have trouble keeping readers.
Share as much of your life as you're comfortable sharing; you'll build trust with readers and strengthen that "relationship" we discussed in the previous step.
How much should you share? A good marker is to share the amount of information you'd share with a pretty good friend who knows you well.
Your personality and unique experiences should shine through.
Know your limits and stick to them.
There will always be some details you keep to yourself or share only with intimate friends and family members, and that's OK.
Once you publish something on the internet, it's hard to take it back, so don't force yourself out of your personal comfort zone. -
Step 3: Write the way you speak.
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Step 4: Share details.
Detailed Guide
If your aim is to attract readers beyond your friends and family, it's a good idea to pick a genre, however broad, to blog within.
Establishing yourself as someone with an interesting opinion on a certain set of topics will keep people who share your interests coming back for more.
What's so important in your life that you're drawn to discuss it publicly? People blog about everything under the sun: family, food, cars, professions, the apocalypse, gardening.
Think about your own priorities in life and decide where your blog will fall.
Just because you aim to be a "food blogger" or a "fashion blogger" doesn't mean all of your content will have to be pigeonholed into that specific category.
You can be a food blogger who also talks about being a single mom, or a sports blogger who writes about politics occasionally.
Read other blogs that fall into the same genre to get a sense of the community that is already built around that particular topic.
Entering the blogosphere is like entering a big group conversation.
What are you going to contribute? What's unique about your story?
The most compelling writing sounds confident and authoritative, no matter what the topic is.
People who take the time to read your writing will want to feel as though they're learning something from you.
Offering your expert opinion on an issue, expert tips on how to do something, or expert information not readily available from other sources will make your blog worth reading.
You don't have to have a PhD to sound like an expert.
There are already areas in which you have expertise: your own life, for starters.
Your taste, your opinions, your experience.
Everyone is an expert in something, and blogs are a great way for people to share their knowledge with the world.
Your expertise should come across in your tone.
Write in assertive prose, rather than using passive language.
Back yourself up with anecdotes, and where appropriate, research.
Consider creative ways to share your knowledge with your readers.
You could tell a hilarious story everyone can relate to and learn from, share a tutorial on how to do something you could do with your eyes closed, review little-known musicians or artists who need some promotion, discuss ways to calm down a screaming toddler in a restaurant . . . the possibilities are endless. , Blogs, unlike most traditional writing forms, tend to be casual, conversational, and relatable.
When you're writing a post, it might help to pretend like you're talking to your sister or best friend.
Use that same voice in all of your posts so that they feel cohesive and represent you as a person.
A common response readers have to popular blogs is that they feel the "know the person." When you hit on a tone and style that creates a sense of familiarity with people you've never met, you've struck blogger gold.
Many bloggers have a "friendly" relationship to their readers, but there are other forms of familiarity that can also bring success.
For example, you could write as though you're a teacher and your readers are your students, spouting inspiring wisdom that keeps them coming back.
Find the relationship that works best for you.It can be difficult to use the same words in writing that we use while speaking.
If you're unsure how your voice is coming across, try reading your post out loud.
Are you able to read it in a natural, relatable way, or does it come off sounding stiff? If the latter is true, go back and change the language and sentence structure to make it sound more conversational. , Let's be honest: blogging is to writing what reality TV is to television.
Like the best reality TV, the most compelling blogs are those that have a lot of juicy personal details.
If your blog is too dry and formal, you're going to have trouble keeping readers.
Share as much of your life as you're comfortable sharing; you'll build trust with readers and strengthen that "relationship" we discussed in the previous step.
How much should you share? A good marker is to share the amount of information you'd share with a pretty good friend who knows you well.
Your personality and unique experiences should shine through.
Know your limits and stick to them.
There will always be some details you keep to yourself or share only with intimate friends and family members, and that's OK.
Once you publish something on the internet, it's hard to take it back, so don't force yourself out of your personal comfort zone.
About the Author
Amanda Flores
Committed to making creative arts accessible and understandable for everyone.
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