From Blah to Blog

hand typing on a laptop keyboard
by Ashley Crain

At some point in our careers, we’ve all faced the dreaded, but unavoidable, writer’s block. Whether it’s drafting an email, creating copy for a direct mail piece or, in my case, writing my first DAR blog, there comes a time within the writing process where your brain shuts off for a time and you’re stuck looking at a blank page.

Luckily, thanks to the modern times in which we live, help is always a mouse click away. To get my creative juices flowing, I rely on the trusty World Wide Web and my go-to online resources for inspiration. In the case of blog creation, I turn to Sprout Social, Grammarly and Hubspot to provide helpful tips and tricks for generating a blog post viewers will actually find useful and readable. And, as an added perk, these resources and tips have proven helpful for any particular writing project I’m working on.

My top tip takeaways are:

Choose your topic & type

  • Pick a topic that both you and your audience are passionate about.
  • Conduct research on current trending topics.
  • Find inspiration from other writers and blog contributors.
  • Find the type of blog that best fits your topic (i.e. “listicles,” news piece, an infographic, a how-to guide, etc.).

Pack your post with a punch

  • Make your headline attention-grabbing! According to SproutSocial, there’s an oft-cited claim that 80% of people will decide whether or not to read something based on its headline.
  • Keep your reader’s attention with a captivating introduction.
  • Cultivate your voice, and if possible, tell a story within your post.
  • Write with your emotions.

Finish strong

  • Write a closing that will stay with your reader, engage them and encourage social sharing.
  • There are numerous ways to wrap-up a blog post, including:
    • Finding a natural stopping point
    • Inserting a call-to-action
    • Concluding with a summary paragraph, which is the most traditional approach

Since writing is an integral component of a communicator’s job, I welcome any tips and tricks that have proven successful for you. Please share them at ude.agu@niarcyelhsa.

Editor’s note: Don’t forget, everyone can submit blogs for this website. Employ these tips to create your own blog posts and send them to Emily Munnell.

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