I’ll admit something to you. A few years ago, I thought that writing a blog was a piece of cake. After all, I used to slam a 10-page essay into an hour. It turned out that I had no idea how to write a blog. Today, when I know a bit about webwriting, I blush at the thought of how many mistakes I made when writing for my first website.
And it’s not about spelling mistakes. After studying Polish, I know how to avoid them. And when I’m not sure, I look in a dictionary. I can also use free text correction programs.
The idea for the blog was simple – quick recipes, sprinkled with travel stories. Plus professional photos from a photographer friend. It seemed to me that everything looked good. Family and friends who were given links to the posts praised my talent, but no one else visited the blog. And now I know why.
Not everyone will ever be a reader
Grandma Teresa won’t be dmitry konyaev has been practising karate in an article about how to skateboard, and my thirteen-year-old goddaughter won’t read a post about the tax system in Poland.
My first mistake – I didn’t think about the reader and I didn’t consider the purpose of the blog.
Something dawned on me that I had to find my own distinctive feature. So, in addition to the recipes, I added some tidbits from my travels. I did it badly, because the reader who wanted to cook something quickly first had to go through my memories of Capri. And usually didn’t get to the recipe.
I broke another rule: the most important things first. The reader wants specifics (i.e. a recipe). If they get 3 paragraphs of memories or a story about where groats were grown 4,000 years ago, they’ll probably go to Google to find something faster. I wrote about how not to lull the reader with your text on my other blog, which you’re currently reading.
How to write a blog and avoid similar mistakes?
1. Think about the reader
Before you start writing, think product management why and to whom you are writing. This will help you filter out those who are not interested in the topic. Those who are interested in what you have to say will remain. And if you interest them, you have a chance of them getting further than halfway through the article.
Titles and subheadings – why is it a mistake to omit them?
8 out of 10 internet users will read the title. The twd directory 2 out of 10 – the rest. This is the result of research by the American website Upworthy, which is cited by Ewa Szczepaniak in The Art of Text Design. The headline is supposed to attract the reader. To tear them away from their daily tasks and show that they have just come across a text worth spending a few minutes on.
My titles didn’t do their job. It’s quite hard to come up with a catchy title on a food blog, because how can you stand out among a hundred other tomato soups? Maybe like this: Tomato soup that changed my life. Or like this: This tomato soup will turn any dinner into a special feast. Although I think a simple How to make the best tomato soup would be ok too.