Seven Tips to Help You Write Better Blog Posts

Posted: 17 Aug 2012 06:58 AM PDT

Are your blog posts as well-written as you'd like them to be?

Many people who get into blogging don't see themselves as writers. They might not have written much in the past – and may even have been put off by poor marks or critical comments at school. They might start blogging as a way to express themselves, or in the hopes of making money, or to build up their small business.

Whether you see yourself as a "writer" or as a "blogger", there are steps you can take to improve your writing. Even if you know your writing is a weak spot right now, you can use these tips to write better posts. All the bloggers who you admire have been practicing their skill for years – they weren't born with the ability to write!

Here are seven ways to improve – they'll all have an immediate effect on your writing. Which ones could you try this week?

Always allow time for editing your work. Read through your post carefully – you might even want to read it out loud. Change any sentences that don't seem quite right.
Ask a friend or fellow blogger to read your draft post. Get them to provide feedback on any areas that you might need to rewrite.
Find a really well-written post (sites like Copyblogger, Men with Pens and Write to Done are great for this) and print it out. Read through carefully, and try to work out how the writer has achieved particular effects.
Plan your posts before you write. By writing a good plan that lists the key points you want to cover, you make it much easier to create a well-structured, coherent post.
Look up any words you're not sure about. If you're not 100% sure how to spell a word, or if you don't quite know what it means, then double-check before using it in a blog post.
Write directly to the reader. Use "you" as if you were writing an email directly to one person. This almost always makes your writing more engaging and immediate.
Watch out for easily confused words. Bloggers often get muddled between "its" (belonging to it) and "it's" (short for it is). Words like "you're" and "your" can also be hard to get right, as well as "their", "there" and "they're". Pay close attention to these and make sure you get the right one.

If you've got a tip to add (or a favourite idea from the list above) then let us know in the comments!

Ali Luke is a regular columnist for DailyBlogTips. To get more writing and blogging tips from her, and links to great posts around the web, make sure you're following her on Twitter at @aliventures.