Industry experts and thought leaders use blogs to share their knowledge with interested parties like you. And, if the post was written well, chances are you came away with helpful insights and a positive opinion about that person and the brand they represent.
Even as multimedia content has taken over the internet, blogs keep playing an important role in sharing ideas, opinions, and business solutions.
30 Free Blog Post Templates
Table of Contents
- What is a blog post?
- How to Start a Blog
- What makes a good blog post?
- How to Write Your First Blog Post: Getting Started
- Blog Format Guidelines
- Blog Post Examples
- Quick Blog Writing Tips
What is a blog post?
A blog post is any article, news piece, or guide that’s published in the blog section of a website. A blog post typically covers a specific topic or query, is educational in nature, ranges from 600 to 2,000+ words, and contains other media types such as images, videos, infographics, and interactive charts.
How to Start a Blog
1. Understand your audience.
Before you type a word, define who you want to read your blog. How?
- Ask yourself exploratory questions. Who are they? Are they like me, or do I know someone like them? What do they want to know about? Consider your audience’s age, background, goals, and challenges at this stage.
- Carry out market research. Use market research tools to uncover or confirm more specific information about your audience. For instance, a blog about work-from-home hacks will likely appeal most to Gen Z and Millennials. But, confirm this hypothesis through research.
- Create formal buyer personas. “Buyer personas can be a handy way to keep a human in mind while you’re writing. Coordinate your personas with your marketing and sales teams. Chances are that your existing customers are exactly the kind of people you want to attract with your writing in the first place,” says Curtis del Principe, user acquisition manager at HubSpot.
2. Check out your competition.
Review popular blogs to understand how their strategy and execution led them to grow in credibility. You’re not trying to copy these elements but rather gain insight into what readers appreciate in a quality blog.
Keep these points in mind when reviewing a competitor’s blog:
- Determine whether they’re actually a direct competitor. A blog’s audience, niche, and specific slant determine whether they’re your competitor. The most important of these is their audience. If they serve a different public than you, then they’re likely not a competitor.
- Look at the blog’s branding, color palette, and theme. Colors and themes play a huge role in fitting into your niche. For example, a blog about eco-friendly products should likely use earthy tones instead of loud, unnatural colors.
- Analyze the tone and writing style of the competition. Take note of your competition’s copywriting. Is it something you feel like you can successfully emulate? Does it ring true to the type of blog you’d like to create?