How do I come up with blog topics for my business’s blog? This is a question that both professional and novice writers ask all the time. And even when you have a topic in mind, finding the time or inspiration to act on it can be difficult. These are six suggestions that our content writers live by and would recommend to all other bloggers looking to write for their businesses.
- Just Write
What’s the hardest part of writing a blog? Getting your pen on paper! (Or fingers on the keyboard.) So many people get hung up on having writer’s block that they just don’t write altogether. If you’re frozen in your steps, you’re wasting time. Combat your writer’s block by scheduling a time on your calendar every week, if only 15 minutes, to write something. Write about a conversation you had with an employee, a problem your client is up against, or an industry news topic. Your writing doesn’t even need to shine; the important part is to just get an idea down on paper.
- Editorial Calendar
To complement the first point, an editorial calendar is a great way to keep you on track with writing. Schedule a time at the end of each month to spend 30 minutes brainstorming ideas for the following month. Jot down 4–6 compelling and specific ideas that you feel you could comment on. Then, when it comes time to write, you’ll have a pool of ideas from which to choose, so you don’t waste time trying to think of ideas and burn out.
- Proofread and Edit
Proofreading is low on the priority list for many because it requires you to labor over writing that you just, well, labored over. However, editing your work is the most important part of writing a blog. The best thing to do if you’re not a fan of editing is to get a coworker to read over your content. Every office has a designated grammar magician. Find yours and leverage them.
- Know Your Audience
How do you come up with the ideas for your editorial calendar? Put yourself in your customers’ shoes. What are their challenges? What are their questions? What are their day-to-day tasks? Consider these items and offer a creative solution. But remember to speak on the topic in terms they’ll understand and are familiar with. If you do use industry jargon, be sure to define it in your writing.
- Be Specific
Your topic needs to be specific, and your language also needs to be specific. Using too many pronouns cheats you out of good keyword use. For example, if you say, “that’s a good idea,” instead of, “search engine optimization is a good idea,” you’re missing out on the use of a strong long-tail keyword that will help you rank in search results.
- Do. Not. Sell.
Please, we beg you—do not sell your services on your blog. Imagine you’re just starting to think about buying a car. You call your friend, a car salesman, for advice. Instead of giving you helpful tips on your search, she only gives you information on the cars she sells and harps on why they’re better than any other brand. Feels kind of like you’re not getting an un-biased opinion, right? Nor does it seem trustworthy. So, if you write a blog and end it with a pitch, your reader might feel skeptical or cheated—which is not the taste you want to leave in their mouth. Instead, end your blog with a free content download or links to relevant blog articles.
Very good tips as well. I fully agree with you that a writer must be aware of his/her audience, it’s important. I suggest my friend Kim (he just started writing professional blog post) to stay connected with some excellent writing tips blog. Hope he will be happy to read this.
Thank you for the tips. I always make sure to proofread my articles. I think it’s very important to double check before deciding to post anything online especially with blogs.
I have quite recently made a blog site and your 6 Steps to a Better Business Blog will unquestionably be useful in composing my blogs. Much obliged and incredible tips!