The New York Times, somewhat lovingly nicknamed “The Gray Lady,” is arguably the most important and influential newspaper in the United States. As we all know, it’s trying to climb out of a very deep financial hole.
One of the reasons might be found in its nickname. The reason it’s called “The Gray Lady” is because traditionally the newspaper is full of long articles, dense print, few photos and a dearth of white space.
Related post: How to get more likes on your Facebook Page in easy way
If we wanted to sum up all our five ideas to help you write a killer blog into one big rule it would be:Make your blog the "Anti-New York Times."
In other words, keep your articles short, make sure the print is often broken up by lists and photos and be certain there’s a lot of white space on your pages. If you don’t read any further, just remember those guidelines.
However, if I would like to elaborate on those points just a little bit and I think you’ll benefit from a somewhat deeper understanding of what makes a killer blog post.
1. Keep it short, stupid
Many of us have worked where KISS was the overriding rule: Keep it simple, stupid. Change “simple” to “short” and you’re well on your way to writing a killer blog post.
Let’s be brutally honest here. It seems we might be well on our way to a post literate society, and even if that’s a worst case scenario, there’s no doubt that we are reading less. Add to that the fact that we read about text 25 percent slower on computer screens than on paper and it becomes abundantly obvious why you need to keep your posts short.
Rule of thumb: Shoot for about 250 words in your posts. (Longer is OK, but you should have a good reason for the extra length.)
2. Keep it scannable, stupid
Okay, sorry to come back to KISS again, but it serves to illustrate my point. Because reading off computer screens can be so slow and painful, people scan the page rather than reading it. Make sure your posts are scan friendly.
You need to use plenty of visual clues to guide your readers through your posts. These include:
- Bullet lists
- Headlines
- Subheads
- Photos
- Illustrations
- Graphs and charts
- White space
- Block quotes
Don’t insert a cat picture just because you think it will make your post go viral. Use all of these devices to enhance and forward your editorial points. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then one good piece of artwork illustrating your 250-word post suddenly carries the power of a 1,250-word article. Painlessly!
3. Know and use your keywords
Killer blogs get read. They get read because their writers know their targets and use the proper keywords to hit their targets. It doesn’t hurt that their keywords revolve around popular topics.
The first rule of writing is to write for your audience and in blogs this means identifying your audience through your keywords and crafting those keywords into your blogs. Develop your writing skills so you can work your important keywords into your blog posts ways that seem natural, informative and entertaining to your readers.
If you’re writing 250-300 word blogs, your optimum keyword density for maximizing your search engine visibility and ranking is probably about 6-8 percent. This is an often discussed topic and as you develop your blog, it’s a good idea to keep up with the current best practices.
4. Use headlines and subheads liberally
I mentioned this earlier, but there’s a little more to say. Headlines and subheads help guide your readers through your blog posts and also make your writing very scannable. But they serve another invaluable purpose:
- Headlines and subheads force you to be organized and concise.
Here’s an exercise for you. Before you write your next blog post, write the headline and subheads. Think about your keywords and the important points you want to make. If you can do this, it proves you really know what you’re talking about and what you hope to accomplish.
5. Sign your posts and add a PS
Confession time here: When I get a letter or card in the regular mail, I’ll always look to see if it has a PS. They catch your eye and they always say something interesting or important. Use them in your blog posts. Here’s something I can absolutely guarantee:
- Every reader will check out your PS.
Also, sign your blogs. This truly gives you ownership of your blog. Readers like to know that they’re dealing with a real person. You can use a graphic signature or just a text signature.
These five basic tips should get you well down the road to writing a killer blog. Practice them each time you sit down in front of a blank computer screen.
PS: Make sure you are passionate and honest about your blog topic!
Lin Edwards is the Chief writer for SmallBusiness-Domain.com, an online resource for domain name, e-commerce and web hosting tips, news, editor ratings and reviews, top 10 companies lists, articles and more. Small Business Domain also offers leading companies promo codes and coupons, including Yahoo small business promo codes.
Posted at
7:05 PM
- by
Kaito
The New York Times, somewhat lovingly nicknamed “The Gray Lady,” is arguably the most important and influential newspaper in the United States. As we all know, it’s trying to climb out of a very deep financial hole.
One of the reasons might be found in its nickname. The reason it’s called “The Gray Lady” is because traditionally the newspaper is full of long articles, dense print, few photos and a dearth of white space.
Related post: How to get more likes on your Facebook Page in easy way
If we wanted to sum up all our five ideas to help you write a killer blog into one big rule it would be:Make your blog the "Anti-New York Times."
In other words, keep your articles short, make sure the print is often broken up by lists and photos and be certain there’s a lot of white space on your pages. If you don’t read any further, just remember those guidelines.
However, if I would like to elaborate on those points just a little bit and I think you’ll benefit from a somewhat deeper understanding of what makes a killer blog post.
1. Keep it short, stupid
Many of us have worked where KISS was the overriding rule: Keep it simple, stupid. Change “simple” to “short” and you’re well on your way to writing a killer blog post.
Let’s be brutally honest here. It seems we might be well on our way to a post literate society, and even if that’s a worst case scenario, there’s no doubt that we are reading less. Add to that the fact that we read about text 25 percent slower on computer screens than on paper and it becomes abundantly obvious why you need to keep your posts short.
Rule of thumb: Shoot for about 250 words in your posts. (Longer is OK, but you should have a good reason for the extra length.)
2. Keep it scannable, stupid
Okay, sorry to come back to KISS again, but it serves to illustrate my point. Because reading off computer screens can be so slow and painful, people scan the page rather than reading it. Make sure your posts are scan friendly.
You need to use plenty of visual clues to guide your readers through your posts. These include:
- Bullet lists
- Headlines
- Subheads
- Photos
- Illustrations
- Graphs and charts
- White space
- Block quotes
Don’t insert a cat picture just because you think it will make your post go viral. Use all of these devices to enhance and forward your editorial points. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then one good piece of artwork illustrating your 250-word post suddenly carries the power of a 1,250-word article. Painlessly!
3. Know and use your keywords
Killer blogs get read. They get read because their writers know their targets and use the proper keywords to hit their targets. It doesn’t hurt that their keywords revolve around popular topics.
The first rule of writing is to write for your audience and in blogs this means identifying your audience through your keywords and crafting those keywords into your blogs. Develop your writing skills so you can work your important keywords into your blog posts ways that seem natural, informative and entertaining to your readers.
If you’re writing 250-300 word blogs, your optimum keyword density for maximizing your search engine visibility and ranking is probably about 6-8 percent. This is an often discussed topic and as you develop your blog, it’s a good idea to keep up with the current best practices.
4. Use headlines and subheads liberally
I mentioned this earlier, but there’s a little more to say. Headlines and subheads help guide your readers through your blog posts and also make your writing very scannable. But they serve another invaluable purpose:
- Headlines and subheads force you to be organized and concise.
Here’s an exercise for you. Before you write your next blog post, write the headline and subheads. Think about your keywords and the important points you want to make. If you can do this, it proves you really know what you’re talking about and what you hope to accomplish.
5. Sign your posts and add a PS
Confession time here: When I get a letter or card in the regular mail, I’ll always look to see if it has a PS. They catch your eye and they always say something interesting or important. Use them in your blog posts. Here’s something I can absolutely guarantee:
- Every reader will check out your PS.
Also, sign your blogs. This truly gives you ownership of your blog. Readers like to know that they’re dealing with a real person. You can use a graphic signature or just a text signature.
These five basic tips should get you well down the road to writing a killer blog. Practice them each time you sit down in front of a blank computer screen.
PS: Make sure you are passionate and honest about your blog topic!
Lin Edwards is the Chief writer for SmallBusiness-Domain.com, an online resource for domain name, e-commerce and web hosting tips, news, editor ratings and reviews, top 10 companies lists, articles and more. Small Business Domain also offers leading companies promo codes and coupons, including Yahoo small business promo codes.
