Blog writing best practices

1. BLOG EDITORIALS 101
Planet Hatch Blog 2014

2. INTRODUCTION TO BLOGS + SEO
Over 180 million blogs online
 Search is the #1 driver of traffic to websites
 75% of users never scroll past the first page of
search results.
 Attracting and retaining readers is a challenge
affected by factors like:

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
 Content/Readability
 Design
 … and many more!
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3. BEFORE WRITING...
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Think about who your audience is
What tone are you using?
 What subjects interest them?
 What key points do they need to know?
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What is your main focus/purpose of the post?
 What are the key messages that you need to get
out to your audience?
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4. GENERAL TOPICS
How-to posts
 Though leadership: trends, what’s next
 Personal experiences/advice
 Be honest- don’t be afraid to be controversial!
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5. CONTENT SHOULD INCLUDE…
Clear and specific focal point
 Concise writing
 Organized writing
 Supported arguments
 Original content and ideas
 Advanced material (more than the basics!)
 Thought-provoking statements/questions


6. CONTENT SHOULD NOT INCLUDE
Repetitive content
 Unclear points
 Too many points
 Disorganization
 Content that doesn’t deliver on the title


7. INCORPORATING KEYWORDS
Keywords are search terms that will lead searchers
to your blog
 Incorporate key words into title and content- this
makes it even more searchable
 Think of terms that are related to the subject of your
post, or that pertain to your audience (i.e. startup,
entrepreneurship)


8. WORD LENGTH
Ideally between 400-600 words
 Minimum 200 words, Maximum 1000 words
 The most important thing is to use as many words
as it takes to get your point across!


9. FORMATTING
Short, spaced out paragraphs
 Have consistent font, spacing and bullets

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Fonts should be clear and easy to read
Break up your post with different types of media

Pictures, videos, etc.

10. SCANNABILITY
73% of readers scan rather than read
 Important to design post so that readers can scan and
still absorb the material
 Intriguing title


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State conclusion first, then back it up

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Try to design a title that will draw readers in
Readers will know what you are going to talk about, and
decide if they want to keep reading.
Separate piece into short paragraphs

11. SCANNABILITY CONT’D

Separate material into short paragraphs

Long stretches of text are intimidating!
Use sub-headings to organize the content
 Emphasize important points with bold text
 Use bullet points and lists

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Readers are drawn to numbered and bulleted lists, an
easy way to quickly absorb information.

12. PICTURES
Pictures are important to include in your post
 Pick something attractive and that is relevant to
your material
 Deep Image Captions: Captions are among the
most read material on blogs. They should
incorporate a compelling point from your post
 Stock photos are welcome
 Be sure to reference!


13. FINAL TIPS
Don’t worry too much about writing quality
 Writing quality doesn’t keep readers- content does!
 Remember who you are speaking to- use language
that will appeal to your specific audience
 Try to pique curiosity within the title and first
paragraph- draw your readers in!
 Have fun and be creative!
