So you finally landed that sweet blogger gig and you’ve just been handed your first real assignment, only to stare at a blank screen and a blinking cursor for the past three hours. Don’t let your mind succumb to that feeling of panic; I’m here to give you a few simple ideas on how to kick that writer’s block and turn in an awesome blog post, with time to spare before it’s due!
Starting Your Blog Post
First, engage your readers by creating content that’s enticing and unique. If you’re brand-new to blog writing, this could take some time. Do some research by looking through other blog posts to find inspiration! Once you’ve got it figured out, you’ll be a force to be reckoned with.
Finding Your Voice
You may be thinking, what kind of voice are you referring to?
Your voice is what keeps your audience engaged. It’s the style behind your writing and it should set you apart from everyone else. The key to finding your voice is to understand things like how will you present your information? What are your truest opinions on what you’re writing about?
According to Social Examiner, when you captivate your readers, your content has the potential to turn into a piece of their day-by-day schedule, as regular as brushing their teeth or having a shower. Now that is one powerful blog writer!
I found inspiration for my voice during a corporate job. A co-worker of mine introduced me to Garance Dore, a famous fashion blogger known for sharing other people’s life stories. She offers content that is relatable and has a sense of grace through her storytelling. Also, she’s funny, conversational, and engaging which is something that makes her blog posts relatable to me.
If you’re not quite sure how to find inspiration from other writers, why not try an online course? Online platforms such as Udemy offer a variety of copywriting courses that will allow you not only to write great pieces but also enhance your other marketing writing skills.
Choosing a Great Topic
Depending on your industry and target audience, you may have a few ideas on topics. But in the event that you’re completely left in the dark, you should consider starting your topic search with the most frequently asked questions from your target audience. This can include going through interactive platforms such as Facebook niche groups or industry specific chat forums, etc.
There are also websites that help bloggers identify popular keywords used most frequently for a given topic. One such website, Ahrefs, offers phrase match to help identify top-search keyword terms to formulate your topic. In this example, they’ve used blueberry pancakes to illustrate search volume results.
Additionally, you could search your competitor’s domain link for inspiration to see which pages are more popular than others.
Buzzsumo is another great website that can assist in searching for topic ideas. Their cloud-based platform uses your keywords to generate articles with the highest engagement rate.
Researching for Your Blog Post
I can’t stress enough how important it is to do your research before writing your blog post. Personally, if I don’t do my research, my post is bound to head in the wrong direction. However, don’t be ashamed if you don’t know what you’re writing about, this is normal and actually one of the most enjoyable aspects of blog writing. You get to learn something new!
According to Study Pug, “Without statistical research, we would be unable to credit new discoveries, answer new questions, and confidently advance with new development.”
In this example from optinmonster, they offer loads of statistical information with cited articles that you can pull out for your blog post.
Don’t forget to cite your work in your blog posts as well, it’s always good to have manners!
Creating Your Outline
Once you’ve selected your topic and completed your research, you will be ready to formulate a stellar blog post outline. It should go without saying that having a well-thought-out and organized outline will help create a nicer flow that will engage your readers.
Start with your introduction, and then outline your different subheadings.
Determining How Many Words You Should Use In Your Post
According to Orbitmedia, the typical blog post could be up to 1269 words, which is a huge 57% increase since 2014.
Blog posts used to be in the range of 500 to 800 words. That, however, has drastically changed. Orbitmedia shows the bigger the blog post the bigger the results.
You may be thinking, why does this matter? It matters because you want to provide enough content for your reader to feel like your blog was worth the read. Essentially, you are offering a sense of value they can take away from.
Personally, after reading a blog post that’s filled with useful information and images to support it, I’m left feeling more knowledgeable than ever.
A perfect example of this is by looking at the social shares for blog posts in the finance industry. Snap Agency shared data where the word count over 2,500 had the most social shares.
All Things Considered
It’s essential to stay laser-focused and organized when it comes to creating your blog post. Finding your voice will ensure that your audience stays engaged throughout their blog journey. Additionally, using your top-searched keywords will not only help you find great topic ideas but also form a beautiful outline that will allow you to write a free-flowing blog post.
And don’t be afraid to let loose on your first try! You can always come back and fine-tune later.
Have a cool blog post you want to share? Need help creating an effective blog post? Contact us! We would love to chat.
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Article Written by:
Sharon Espinal
Content and Digital Marketing Specialist | Digital Marketing Collective
Connect With Sharon on LinkedIn 
