14 Feb 4 Simple Tips to Writing Better Blog Posts

It’s no longer a secret…having a blog for your business is a fast, easy, and effective way to build a targeted audience. And with some hard work and a little flexing of those writing muscles, that audience can turn into a loyal customer base. Unfortunately, that writing part can be tricky. In fact, it can be downright debilitating, keeping many from even starting a blog in the first place.
The good news is that writing doesn’t have to be (and shouldn’t be) difficult. Blogging should be as easy as putting a conversation to paper. If writing angst is keeping you from starting a business blog, here are 4 simple tips that will help you become a blogging master in no time.
Tip Number 1: Write as if you are talking to a single person
Have you ever had a conversation with someone that made you feel like you were the only person in the room? They maintained eye contact throughout the conversation. They responded to your verbal cues. They nodded along and listened intently to every word that escaped your lips. Remember how good you felt? How much you enjoyed that conversation? Remember how important, significant, and unique you felt? You can recreate that in writing, you know.
You can write in a way that makes your readers feel like you are directly speaking to them. Like they are the only person in the room. Like every word you type is tailor made just for them. The easiest way to do this is to stop speaking in generalities and start using words like “You” and “Your”…and make sure to use those words more than you use the word “I”. Remember, your blog posts are just for them just like this blog post is just for you.
Tip Number 2: Write Shorter Sentences and Paragraphs
Read any popular blog and you’ll notice two things: short sentences and short paragraphs. Why? Because it holds your attention longer. We live in a world where everyone is busy and in a rush. Similarly, these days a person’s attention span can be measured in nano-seconds. Seeing long sentences and paragraphs can deter people from reading what you have to say because, as a popular internet meme goes, “Ain’t nobody got time for that.” So write well. Write succinct. And speaking of succinct writing…
Tip Number 3: Focus on Quality. Ignore Quantity. 
Always remember who you are writing for. You are writing for your audience. You are not writing for the search engines. A lot of people worry about having posts that are at least 500 words or more because that’s what the search engines want. They think a minimum word count will get them on the front page of Google.
Sorry, but content length doesn’t really matter. We are living in a time where quality content and quality backlinks matter. This is an important point to make because many people will write to fill a page instead of writing to reach their reader’s heart. All this leads to is crappy content and low user engagement.
Do you remember the show F.R.I.E.N.D.S? There is a perfect example of what people tend to do when they try to fill a page or meet a word count in the episode entitled “The One Where Rachel’s Sister Babysits.”
In the episode, Chandler and Monica are looking for letters of recommendations to give to their adoption agency. Much to their chagrin, Joey volunteers to write one for them. As Joey sits down to write his letter, Ross comes in and offers some advice to a struggling Joey and introduces him to the thesaurus.
When Joey finally finishes the letter and delivers it to Chandler and Monica, a hilarious conversation ensues:
After reading the letter…
Chandler: I don’t…uhhh…understand.
Joey: Some of the words a little too sophisticated for ya?
Monica: It doesn’t make any sense.
Joey: Of course it does. It’s smart! I used a thesaurus!
Chandler: On every word?
Joey: Yup.
Monica: What was this sentence originally?
Joey: Oh. They are warm, nice people with big hearts.
Chandler: And that became, “They are human pre-possessing homo sapiens with full sized aortic pumps.”
Joey: Yeah. Yeah. And Hey…I really it mean it, dude.
Don’t be like Joey. Don’t try to use fancy, complicated words. Don’t write from your head…write from your full sized aortic pump. Your readers will thank you for it.
Tip Number 4: Break the Rules. 
Know the rules. Respect them. And then break them. We’re not writing for English professors. We’re not writing in an academic setting. We’re writing and conversing with real people….so write like you talk. Don’t worry about ending sentences with prepositional phrases. Don’t stress out about beginning sentences with “but’s” and “and’s.” One word sentences are not only ok, they are encouraged. The point is no one is grading you. Write clearly. Write passionately. Write like you would talk. That’s really the key to blogging.
So there you have it. Four incredibly easy tips that will have you blogging like a champ. With these tips, you’ll be sure to touch your audience’s aortic pumps in no time.