Author: socialnomics

Writing blogs that will capture the hearts of your audience and influence their standings on a particular subject doesn't only require writing talent. There are many blogs people read, comment on and subscribe to, but the thing that concerns me is the lack of editing and proofreading. You're definitely trying to write engaging and inviting content, but you shouldn't offend your readers by not spending time to correct the obvious mistakes.

In order to hit the mark, a blog post requires a great deal of thinking and planning, as well as some self-editing that will bring it close to perfection. You should make sure to make your blog posts as great as you can before publishing them. Since you don't have professional editors and proofreaders to watch your back, you need to pay attention to the tips provided in this article and take blogging more seriously.

1. Hook your reader right from the start

Editing goes beyond simple proofreading; it involves making your content more captivating for the reader and finding the best way to re-phrase sentences that don't work. Pay a lot of attention to the opening paragraph. It should captivate the reader and inspire them to read the whole thing. Show your readers that you care about their particular worries, concerns, and challenges associated to the topic and make them confident that you have the solution.

Think of a person interested to read the blog you're working on. What question would they impose? You can take that question and turn it into an opening line.

2. Don't ramble in the introduction

If you're providing tips on how to sell more books, for example, no one would like to read your memories of the first book you wrote and go through an entire synopsis that's not directly associated to the topic. Your introduction should be short and right on spot. Blog readers are mostly interested in quick tips that are easy to read and implement into practice.

Keep the post in present tense and don't write an extensive introduction – make it short and powerful!

3. Blog posts have theses, too

If you thought that theses were something your professors tortured you with, here is a surprise: your blogs need them too. A strong thesis will help you maintain your focus to the main idea of your article and construct it more easily. Clarify the thesis at the end of your introduction and let the reader know what you will be talking about.

4. Avoid long sentences

People see blogs as quick reads. If they want to be tortured by long sentences that use rare words, they will look for a book or an academic article. Write in active tone and keep all sentences short.

5. Add more drama and attitude

A sentence can be made more powerful with a single phrase or word, such as fact. Make sure to add authority to your writing by being sure about the things you stand behind.

6. Don't write endless blog posts

If the post is too long, many potential readers will lose interest in it at first sight. Don't try to stress out how much you know about a certain subject and avoid going to extents that would drive a reader away. If the topic requires more elaborating, you can separate the text into few linked blog posts and serve them on a daily basis.

7. Don't generalize!

Generalizing is the worst thing you could do for your blog. Your readers' emotions will stay intact if you don't trick them into reading something specific they can relate to. Think of a category you can relate to, like consultants, coaches, photographers, and so on. Use names and specific nouns and you will bring yourself closer to the readers immediately.

8. You like adverbs? Readers don't!

Adverbs don't show; they tell. Instead of saying that someone is very fat, use the word obese. When there is a word for something – use it and don't try to explain it by using adverbs. Your readers will appreciate that.

9. Leave out adjectives too

Now that we cleared the air on adverbs, let's convince you to let go of another thing you love: adjectives. Your readers don't want the sizzle, so don't try to full them by adding incredible, amazing, unmatched or other adjectives. Those won't make your statements more powerful.

10. Get rid of anything you don't need

The worst thing for a blogger is making a reader yawn before getting to the end of an article. Oh wait; there is one thing that's worse: readers leaving the article after the first few sentences. Avoid that from happening by eliminating redundancies and repetition from your posts. Editing is all about knowing what to keep, what to add and what to leave out.

You can turn your blog posts into real pieces of writing art if you make smart choices during the editing process. By becoming a great editor, the audience will understand you better and you will be commercially accepted.