3 Cardinal Blog Writing Rules (Part I – Blog Writing & Science)

When it comes to photography Adam is a believer in pushing limits and experimenting until perfection. His recent creative pursuit is blending photography and graphic design to visually communicate abstract concepts, but he also enjoys capturing portraits and landscapes. Aside from photography, Adam enjoys playing music, traveling, and staying flexible for last minute adventures. To see more of Adam’s work, visit adamhbrandt.com and follow him @adamhallbrandt.

Make no mistake, I’m not an english major or that much of a writer really. I’m no social media guru either. I don’t spend a lot of time boosting my blog traffic or my twitter followers. However, as a communication major, I have spent a lot of time studying and applying effective techniques for online communication for clients and organizations. I’ve also written blog posts for organizations and seen how different they looked after an editor tore into them (an honest process I’m grateful for).

With that being said, I’m not going to tell you about grammar, active voice, or pushing your blog via Facebook and Twitter. Most people know all about that. This two-part blog will focus first on 3 blog writing rules, and Part II will dissect 3 blog science rules.

Lets get started…

1. Magnetic headlines

Believe me when I say that headlines are 90% responsible for clicks to your blog. The other percentage is credibility and headline photos, but headlines are worth even more with visitor clicks because they don’t have a perception of your credibility yet.

A solid headline pulls the target audience into your blog. Don’t write abstract headlines; be direct. Create quick, easy to understand, and if possible, unique headlines. And yes, I did rewrite this headline 5+ times; still unsatisfied.

Secondly, a headline is a promise that the content directly reflects what the headline suggests. Sometimes bloggers fail on that promise in attempt to write a unique headline. When this happens the reader clicks on the headline out of interest, starts reading, gets annoyed with the content and misleading headline, and they mentally withdraw funds from your credibility bank and never fully trust your future headlines. Never compromise your credibility for a cool headline.

The three default headlines that generally work are “Why I don’t… (or whatever subject and verb you need)”, “How to…” and lists like “5 ways to…” Readers love these headlines because they are very straight forward, and the reader knows what content to expect.

2. Don’t write defensively

This might be harder than it seems, especially in opinionated writing. At least it is for me. Defensive writing always rubs your reader the wrong way, and it’s unprofessional. A defensive posture gives off a snappy or pitiful vibe. None of which are attractive. So don’t go on defensively justifying yourself to the reader. They’ll smell the insecurity immediately.

Be open with your reader and share things that might put you in a bad light. Take the risk and write like you’re talking to a friend. Be true to yourself, and don’t try to appeal to everyone. You’re a writer, not a politician. Your reader will appreciate your honesty and bravery. Persuasion and inspiration come more easily when you’re open about your success and failures.

While we’re talking about persuasion, I’d like to touch quickly on the dangers of using guilt as a tool to persuade. Two years ago, I had this awesome communication professor named Dr. Haffey. One class Dr. Haffey expressed her concern with chapel speakers using guilt as a tool for persuasion. Dr. Haffey said something like this, “When I hear a speaker or pastor use guilt to persuade me, I walk out. Life is too short to sit through manipulative speeches.”

Using guilt to influence change is manipulation. Take the following statement…

“We spend more time watching football than we do helping our communities.”

We hear stuff like this all the time don’t we? While statements like this are often true, they target specific people and actions while oversimplifying the issue. By using guilt to influence change, you are directly causing people to change an action out of fear, not love. Our communities don’t need any more people helping with an attitude of pity or fear of not doing enough. They need people helping out of love and desire.

Sorry, I’m venturing too far for this of post… I just can’t help it.

3. Don’t be wordy

Blogs are donuts. They’re grab and go, easy to process, and good for the soul. I use to think as long as your writing is interesting and well written, length is no issue. I was wrong. It took me a while to learn that my audience simply does not have the patience and attention span to read all the details within the context of a blog. So don’t be Charles Dickens and describe the feeling of air brushing through your hair. Be direct and quick to the point, and don’t go over 1,000 words. It’s a blog post, not a book.

I could go into the 3 blog science rules, but then I’d be breaking the rule I just told you not to break (I’m sometimes never hypocritical)… So you’ll just have to wait till Part II!

If you want to take your writing further for blogs and other online mediums, I couldn’t recommend CopyBlogger more highly. I can’t tell you how many countless hours I’d spend reading this site while at internships when I had no clue how to write or where to start in various online contexts. Their content is vast and invaluable.