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Quick Tricks to Speed up Your Writing

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Writing is something that can come naturally at times, but at other times it can take lots of willpower to muster. If you find that you easily run into writer’s block, there are a few strategies you can implement to get around the lack of creativity and spark productivity.

1. Make an Outline

Many writers make the mistake of immediately jumping into their piece without a plan or outline in place. They might have a solid introduction in mind, but when it’s time to start writing the meat and potatoes of the piece, they draw blanks. This is because there is no direction or outline in place. This can easily be combated by taking the time before starting the piece to create a solid outline with major points and topic sentences. This will help by showing you exactly what to write about, and it will greatly reduce the chance that you’ll wander off topic or get stuck.

2. Take Advantage of Your Spurts of Creativity

Simply enough – if you’re not feeling creative, then don’t write. Try to note your patterns of creativity. Maybe you feel like writing the most during the morning. Maybe you’re a night owl and you like to write at night time. Whatever the case, carve out some time to write when you feel most productive.

3. Write First, Edit Later

Many people make the mistake of trying to correct their mistakes and edit while they’re still in the writing/drafting phase of their piece. Jumping between writing and editing can slow down the overall writing process, and it can even cause you to lose your train of thought or motivation. Make it a point to not worry about the editing process until the piece is officially finished. Once you’ve created a basic draft, go back and spend some time solely editing.

4. Break Up Your Writing into Sessions

You can also try to break up your writing into sessions for easier flow and quicker production time. Trying to get out lots of content in one sitting can seem overwhelming, and in turn, it can dull your creativity and exhaust you. Either take frequent breaks or designate various times throughout the day to work on your piece. You will find that it’s a lot easier to look at your piece as a 10 part task rather than a huge chore.

5. Use a Timer

Lastly, try using a timer to get blocks of work done. For example, you can allow yourself an hour for each section of a piece. Using a timer to ensure this creates a sense of competitiveness, and it creates somewhat of a deadline to get your work done. You can set a timer for the entire piece, or you can break it up into smaller segments. Either way, you should see an improvement in your overall production time.

Speeding up your writing shouldn’t have to feel like a chore. Try implementing various strategies such as using timers, making outlines, or editing later to slash your production time into a fraction. Most of all, remember that writing takes practice and it will come more naturally and easily over time!

How to Work Through Writer’s Block

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Writer’s block is one of the most frustrating things that a writer can experience, especially if they write for a living. Unfortunately, it’s something that everyone faces now and then, no matter how creative or prolific they may be. The good news is that there is always a way through it. Here are some tried and true measures for dealing with writer’s block in a useful manner.

Write Anyway

Just like with any career or hobby, practice makes perfect so it is important that you don’t let a slump keep you from writing at all. Take the time every day to write at least a little bit, whether or not it is a part of a particular project. Keeping a journal is a good exercise for writers; just jot down any thoughts you may have about the day, along with any story or poem ideas that may arise. Set aside a time every day to do this, even if it’s only for ten minutes. If writing only for yourself is too uninspiring, try writing a letter every day, either by e-mail or longhand. This practice will also help you cultivate your relationships, which are very valuable for someone in a largely solitary profession. You could also sign up for a review website and write about books, music or movies.

Read

They say that great writers are great readers, so if you don’t feel like writing, why not read instead? Try to keep a list of books that you want to read and pull one of those out during a time of low creativity. You might try reading about writing, seeing what advice accomplished writers have to offer, or you could get lost in the pages of a great novel or some inspiring poetry. Not only will you be experiencing great writing at work, you may find that you find some new ideas for your own writing.

Have a Writer’s Group

Why not start a group made up of friends who enjoy writing? If you arrange to meet periodically, you can spur each other on. Your friends can offer suggestions on new directions that you can go with your writing, and you can feel good about reading and critiquing the work of others and thus being helpful to them. Talking about writing for a couple of hours can do wonders for revving up your writing engines. This might also be a good time to dust off an old story or poem and let it see the light of day.

Experience the World

The more you see and hear of the world, the more you are able to put pen to paper about it. If you don’t feel like writing, maybe it’s a good day for a field trip. Go into town and spend some time observing people and making note of their unique habits. Take a nice long stroll through the woods and soak in the beauty and silence of nature. Go to the movies and see the craft of storytelling from a different angle. A change of scenery is sometimes all that is needed to get the creative juices flowing again.

Nobody ever said that writer’s block was fun, but if you see it as an opportunity rather than a stumbling block, you can turn an afternoon of staring at a blank screen into something much more worthwhile.

8 Ways to Prepare Before Writing a Guest Post

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In many ways, writing a guest blog post is just like writing a regular post for your own blog. However, there’s a lot of pressure, especially when there’s more at stake: guest blogging can be a huge benefit to your own website if you are accepted by a publisher, but being rejected is never a fun feeling. When writing a guest post, you should follow the same writing routine you normally do for your own website, but keep in mind a few key differences between a guest post and a regular blog post; most importantly, a guest post is your first introduction to a new audience. Because you are trying to convert new readers instead of appeasing old ones, you need to put your best foot forward. Make sure your post is polished and completely readable. This might mean finding an extra proof-reader or two.

So how do you prepare to write a guest post? Try a few of these steps and see what feels right for you:

  1. Think about your areas of expertise. Guest posts should contain valuable and informative content – if you aren’t teaching something new or sharing something interesting, it isn’t worth it to you or your publisher. Before you settle on a topic, make sure it’s a field that you are totally confident writing about. Besides, you’ll enjoy writing about something you’re familiar with.
  2. Don’t worry about keywords when you are deciding your topic. Trying to rank for keywords on an individual blog post is not worth as much to your SEO as branding. Use guest posts to display your own talent, rather than trying to work the system of SEO.
  3. Once you’ve settled on your topic, then you can start thinking about your angle. Are you writing this from a specific perspective? An example of this would be “time management for parents” rather than just “time management.” Or maybe you’re writing your post for a specific audience, such as people who have some experience but aren’t yet experts. Writing your blog post from a predetermined angle will help you organize your thoughts, as well as make your post fresh and interesting.
  4. Think long and hard about the format of your blog post. In fact, you may even want to try it a couple different ways to see what works best.
  5. Your guest post should be at least 300 words long, but ideally more than 500. Make sure you have a lot to say about your chosen topic.
  6. Grab a friend or other trusted individual to proofread your post. You may even want to read your post out loud to see how it sounds. You and your proofreader should check thoroughly for clarity and readability, not just grammar and spelling mistakes.
  7. Create or find some interesting rich media (pictures, infographics, graphs, videos, etc.) to add to your blog post.
  8. The title of this post is especially important because you are trying to put your best foot forward. To ensure that you are creating a perfect and catchy title, write out 10 title options and pick your favorite one.

Now you’re ready to submit your article to a publisher! Your post will contain valuable content at the same time as remaining SEO-friendly.

What steps do you take before writing and submitting a guest post? Let us know in the comments!

How to Get Started as an Online Freelance Writer

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It takes certain qualities to be a freelance writer, but if you’ve determined that you have what it takes, the next step is getting started. Here are a few practical and critical things to do as you break into a competitive, oversaturated field:

  • Don’t be too proud to ask for help
  • Constantly build your portfolio
  • Finding clients is a priority
  • Determine a niche and perfect it
  • Don’t expect overnight success

Ask for Help

Think about your writing preferences and expertise. Determine your style and niche and then reach out to individuals or clubs for guidance, tips, and even hookups to potential clients and gigs. A simple Google search will point you to such resources. Don’t forget to tap into your social media connections as well. Networking is an invaluable tool in business that you certainly should leverage in freelance writing.

How is Your Portfolio Looking?

So the big question is: How do you start a portfolio if you’ve never written professionally before? When you’re competing against established writers for work, your blank portfolio isn’t going to look to enticing to prospective clients. First, take a look at a few of these sites designed especially to host writers’ portfolios: portfolio sites.

Content pieces that are suitable for inclusion in your portfolio: press releases, web copy, marketing flyers, posters, blog posts, white papers, academia, even creative work. Imagine yourself as a website owner. What would you look for in a freelance writer? You want someone who can demonstrate an understanding of your field, writing skill, comprehension of grammar, and further than that, a proven ability to convert. Include any positive praise or feedback you have received. If you’re just starting out, that may be from professors, but it will still look good to prospective clients.

Next, work your way through this list to start accumulating your best work to put up on your portfolio:

  • Seek out opportunities to write for friends or colleagues
  • Compile your best academic or personal creative work
  • Write mock copy (content you’ve imagined for your client or a made up company)
  • Write guest blogs or opinion pieces to submit to online magazines (it doesn’t have to be published to include in your portfolio. It just has to be your original work.)
  • Google search pro bono writing jobs and volunteer your writing services

Time to Find Some Clients

Determining what you’re worth is important, and don’t sell yourself short. Heavily research freelance writing rates (definitely talk to your new mentor friends about this too), and establish your rate to start charging.

Get used to asking, “Do you know anyone in need of a good writer?” Also, there’s nothing wrong with seeking out exactly what you want to do and write. Now that you have a portfolio, you can reach out to a client you would love to write for and provide them a link to your portfolio. Even if they don’t respond, it was a worth a shot, and the more direct queries you send out, the more chances you’ll have at getting a positive response.

Don’t forget the usual haunts either. They’re worthwhile venues to check out: Craigslist, Idealist, freelancewritinggigs.com, LinkedIn, and eLance.

What’s Your Niche?

Eventually, as you take on more and more gigs, you’re going to start learning about yourself as a writer. You’ll become more and more familiar with the types of gigs you like most and which you do best at. Your portfolio is going to start showing a strong inclination toward a particular vein and you can start directing your search for new gigs in that direction as well. Before you know it, you’ll be a specialist in a particular kind of copy.

Raise your rates, advertise yourself as an expert, and start honing in on the advantages of having a specialty niche.

Overnight Success is a Fluke

Freelance writing isn’t going to be your full-time job right out of the chute. You may not even want it to be, but if you do, set realistic expectations for the income you will be making as you start out. Make plans to supplement and then with hard work, allow yourself to grow. Soon enough, your results will be commensurate with your efforts and you’ll find yourself juggling gigs.

In fact, here are a few tips to stay organized, since at this point in your journey, you’ll be an established freelance writer.

What has been your greatest hang-up in your freelance writing journey? Share in the comments!

Source

Hamill, Kate. “So you want to be a freelance writer.”https://www.freelancersunion.org/blog/2014/09/10/how-to-start-freelance-writer/. (January 23, 2015.)

How to Make a Living as a Freelance Writer

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As a writer, being new to the online writing game is overwhelming. The Internet churns out content on a constant basis—bad, good, and great—and figuring how to insert our voices and where (and then get paid for it) seems like a colossal and intimidating task.

Finding success in writing online will require networking, contributing to and drawing from writing communities like Free Guest Post, and ultimately becoming prolific in what you do. Writers characteristically exist in their earliest stages within a shell of insecurities and inhibitions; we all need to undergo the process of de-shelling to begin contributing our art to the world.

To start, we have to detach our sensitivity from our art and let it become second nature. Writing must become to us what music is to the skilled musician: simply an outpouring of fluid notes, well-versed, well-practiced, and precise. It’s not just our art, but our marketable skill, as easily uncorked and accessible as a singer’s voice.

One way to learn how to do this is to listen to the stories of others who have done it, hear about their pitfalls and successes, and to mimic what worked for them.

Things to Remember as a Freelance Writer

Here are a few practical tips offered in a condensed version of a Q&A session with Billfold contributor, Nicole Dieker, who recently answered fan questions about freelancing processes and best practices.

  1. Your pitch should fit the publication. Smaller publications will have individual submission guidelines that you’ll simply follow. You’ll want to have your piece finished beforehand. Larger publications will require more formality. A query letter will be more appropriate in this situation.
  2. These days, finding the resources for work as an online freelance writer (blog writing, copy editing, and more) is a simple Google search away. Other writers are already doing exactly what you’re setting out to do, and they’re writing about how to do it. Just do some research and use the Internet for the purpose it was intended. To get you started, Dieker provides these two links: a.) Unconventional Guide to Freelance Writing, b.) Make a Living Writing.
  3. Ghostwriting comes in two sets: long-form and short-form. Long-form encompasses pieces like book and speeches, and the ghostwriter is credited for the work in the fine print. Short-form covers blog posts and similar pieces for another person’s brand and is published on their name. In this situation, the ghostwriter receives no credit, only compensation for the work. Generally, short-form ghostwriting is not a desirable or lucrative final destination. It should always be thought of as temporary. Seek out situations that allow you to use your own byline and receive credit for your work.
  4. When trying to find a balance between writing for work and writing for pleasure, consider your bliss. Are you enjoying what you’re doing? What’s compelling you to write at all? Both sets will demand to be written in one way or another, and if you can seek out work-writing that you actually enjoy, even better!
  5. Be pleasant. I was about to write professional, but the connotations with that word can mean stiff or formal, so I redacted. You can be fun and engaging, witty and controversial, without being unpleasant to work with. Understanding that healthy networking is key to your success, don’t use social media irresponsibly. Watch your writer’s tongue, which we all know craves the taste of sarcasm, and don’t burn bridges.

To the Keyboard!

The main trick to making it as a writer is to write. A lot. Be prolific, hone your craft, and let the words flow.

What resources have you found that have helped you the most as a freelance writer?

Source

Dieker, Nicole. “Advice to New Freelance Writers: How a Freelance Writer Makes a Living.”http://thebillfold.com/2014/06/advice-to-new-freelance-writers-how-a-freelance-writer-makes-a-living/. (December 9, 2014.)

Most Common Blog Formatting Mistakes You Should Avoid

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Blogging can be a great way to continually engage customers and keep them up to date with product changes or promotional sales. But in order to make your blog easy to read and a good experience for your followers and for any potential readers, you need to avoid several formatting blunders that can make you lose the reader. These errors include:

Tiny Font Size

Nothing will keep readers away like an excessively small font. If your blog is written with a font that is too small, it can cause readers to squint and focus hard to read it. This is uncomfortable and can cause them headaches and eye strain. No one’s going to become a regular reader if they have to continually lean in to figure out what you’re writing. In order to keep your readers, make sure your font is large enough to comfortably read. Make sure you test it on several different browsers to troubleshoot. Stick with a basic font as well – some computers and browsers can’t process different font types.

Lack of Paragraphs

Another common blog formatting blunder is lack of paragraphs. This is where the entire blog or a very large portion of it is just a chunk of text with no spaces. This is tedious and difficult to read, and many readers will lose interest in reading something formatted like this. Paragraphs with spaces between them are needed to help keep the interest of readers and to make the overall look of the website better. Studies have shown that most people skim what they find online and don’t actually read the entire article – so breaking your piece up with subheadings, bulleted or numbered lists and paragraphs will help them find exactly what they need quickly.

Way Too Many Formatting Types

When your blog is full of underlined text, italics, and bold text in almost every sentence, it can give your blog a choppy, ugly look. Doing this can really muddle the tone and mood of your article, and it’s hard for readers to smoothly read. To keep your readers and attract more, make sure to use italics, bold, and underlined text sparingly.

Overuse of Caps Lock

When blogging, it’s common for people to express their emotions or opinions on a matter in a strong way. A lot of bloggers may be tempted to overuse caps lock when trying to express themselves. This is not a good idea. Paragraphs full of uppercase letters take a lot longer to read, and reading a blog full of uppercase letters can even exasperate people as some of the anger or energy of the blog are unfortunately transferred to the reader. You can easily express yourself in any way without having to overuse caps lock.

Poor Choice of Text Color

Blogging is an enjoyable experience, and you should make sure reading the blog is just as enjoyable. Your readers don’t need to be attacked by a bright, neon color as bright as the sun. Don’t make your blog’s background any excessively bright colors, and don’t have text a bright or neon color, either. Moreover, text and background color need to work well together instead of fighting each other. For instance, avoid having white text on a bright yellow background; that will be almost impossible to read, and it’ll look unattractive as well.

Your blog should be a place where you can express yourself and connect with readers. In order to make their experience enjoyable and to keep more readers, avoid these common formatting blunders.

How to Create a Blog Management Strategy

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Blog

Come Up With a System That Works For You

Blogs serve a multitude of purposes, and each one has a specific audience that needs to be engaged and hooked into visiting over the course of time. Managing blogs requires a lot of hands-on attention as well as a serious time commitment. Many blogs fail because they are not consistently updated, content becomes stale or advertising and marketing strategies become annoyances to the reader.

There is no single approach to managing blogs that will work for everyone, and it is important to develop a strategy that is based on your preferences and expectations. However, considering some basic principles can be very helpful as you develop a strategy that will work best for you and your overall goals.

Purpose, Focus and Consistency

Examining the purpose of any blog is the first step towards creating a personalized system that will promote success. Readers tend to visit blogs because they contain information about a particular niche. Readers tend to become followers when content is relevant, engaging, informative and interesting.

Develop a posting schedule that readers can follow. Consistent updates can add to the credibility and authority of a blog while also building a loyal following. You can write, obtain or prepare content in advance and schedule them to be posted at a particular time in the future. This will help you to manage your time effectively while also ensuring that your blog is always fresh and predictable.

Pay Attention to Stats

Statistics contain a wealth of information that can help tailor a blog to match the interests of the audience. Note the days and times when more people are visiting, and look at what posts generate more views or comments. This will help you to tailor your blog around the habits and interests of the readers.

Monitoring the performance of your blog will help you to focus your time and effort in more productive and efficient ways. Giving readers more of what they want can only serve to improve the quality and effectiveness of the blog while reducing the amount of time that you spend on preparing content.

Quality Control Is Important

Quality control is an essential component to effective blog management. Reviewing feedback, testing widgets and other extras to ensure they are not causing problems or annoying readers is essential. Blogs that are slow to load, frequently crash or overwhelm visitors with advertisements and banners can be counterproductive.

Keeping an eye on quality will help you to give the reader what they want while also serving your purposes as well. Choose extras that are easy to work with and manage, but make sure that you are incorporating features into the blog that users will appreciate and value.

Your blog must be continually nurtured and tweaked in order to give readers what they want while accomplishing your goals as well. Consistency, quality and viewer engagement are all essential components to effective blog management. Make a schedule, be organized and remember that some trial and error is necessary in order to crate the ideal system that will work for you.

Creative Ways to Improve Your Content

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If you were to ask yourself whether or not your favorite blog frequently has boring or dull content, the answer would probably be a resounding “no.” Instead, your favorite blogs are your favorites because they consistently put forth interesting and memorable content.

It may seem frustrating to be told to put forth more interesting content but not have a clear concept of how to do this. To help you improve your blog’s content – and thereby improve its readership – here are some creative ways to improve your content.

Content

Look at What’s Trending

We aren’t saying that you should steal titles and write an article that fits. In fact, this usually looks like a cheap ploy to get views, and that’s typically exactly what it is. Instead, look at trending topics on Yahoo! or Google. Without looking at what any other bloggers have chosen to write about within these topics, instead take the trending topic and create a completely and original article about it. This ensures that you are not only hitting a popular keyword and topic, but adding something completely unique and original to the overall conversation.

Relationships with Other Bloggers Matter

You might already understand that relationships with other bloggers are essential for trading links and the like, but you might not understand how relationships with other bloggers can be useful for creating creative content. One of the best ways to create unique content is to request that your blogger friends do a guest post for your blog. This is a brilliant way to add something unique – something that will be out of the ordinary for your regular readers. Naturally, it is customary to write a guest post for your friend’s blog in exchange for theirs.

Create Something Worth Sharing

Next time you’re on Facebook or Twitter, really look at the articles that your friends are sharing. The most popular articles – as in, the ones that get shared the most – are the lists and the posts that contain image macros. Don’t think that putting up a few blogs like this will turn you into a cliché. Find a unique way to make the concept of creating these lists unique. For example, if you run a website about gourmet cooking, toss up a post on the top ten non-gourmet foods that even the most snobby foodies love, accompanied by some funny pictures of kittens in a kitchen. You’ll find that people are eager to share these types of posts on Facebook and Twitter.

Take a cue from professional writers and comedians and always have a notepad with you to scribble down ideas for posts when you’re on the go. Your most inspired ideas will rarely come to you when you’re sitting down to write a new article or blog post. The most important thing to remember, besides being original, is to be consistent. Every single post you put on your blog won’t be legendary, but if you keep at it, more and more will start to be.

Inspiration for Writing Posts About Your Local Area

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Whether you’re a business blogger or a personal blogger, writing posts about your local area is aninvaluable SEO method. It’s much easier to dominate a keyword related to a geographical region than one without. For instance, you know that Googling “fast-food” will give you different search results than “fast-food in Smallville.” The same is true of any other location-keyword pairing.

Writing about your region is a great way to become a local authority, capture a new audience base, and give you something fun to blog about!

Here are some ideas for blog posts about your local area:

  1. Write a review about a restaurant, museum, concert venue, movie theater, and other similar businesses. Be careful about going negative – this may help you gain some traffic, but it won’t do you any favors with the business itself. If you write a positive review for a business, you can share the post with that business and gain a new ally. A negative review will not have nearly the same advantages. Instead, leave any of your bad customer experiences out of your blog entirely.
  2. Create a roundup of similar locations or activities. Include all the events happening in December or stores that sell the best gardening supplies.
  3. Get nostalgic – if you’ve lived in the same place for a while, write about what’s changed and what’s stayed the same. Or write about your favorite ice cream store as a child.
  4. Create a bucketlist of parks to visit or restaurants to try. As you complete each item, take pictures and do a small write-up.
  5. Check out all the activities happening in your town: carnivals, farmer’s markets, parades, festivals, charity events, etc.
  6. Create a list of little-known facts about your area.
  7. Share some of your favorite haunts and locations. Talk about the coffee you are addicted to or the gym where you are most comfortable.

What kind of local posts do you write about for your blog?

10 Writing Tips for Bloggers

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A blogger can wear many different hats – they could be web designers, marketers, social media gurus, photographers, and any other occupation that applies specifically to their niche. But bloggers are always writers. And as with any type of writer, it takes constant practice to hone your skill. But a blogger’s audience and objective is unlike those of other types of writers: journalists, magazine writers, copywriters, novelists, etc. Writing advice regarding character development or the inverted triangle doesn’t apply to bloggers. So what pieces of writing tips are specifically for writers who publish their work on blogs? We’ll fill you in on a couple methods you can practice to perfect your writing skills as a blogger.

1.      Remember your audience

This piece of advice is true for every type of writer, but works differently for bloggers. Bloggers need to think about the demographics of their audience as well as the fact that their audience is reading their work online. People who read blogs are looking for something that is entertaining and informative, but more importantly, easy to digest and a quick read. Use numbered lists, bullet points, and short paragraphs to achieve this.

2.      Maintain your voice

There are literally millions of other blogs your audience could be reading right now. So what keeps your readers on your website? Other than your impeccable blog design and undeniable expertise, it’s your ability to relate to your readers. They want to know that there is a real person behind the screen. When you write blog posts, make sure your personality shines through them. Use your slang (as long as readers can understand it). Share your stories.

3.      Sit on your post for a few days after writing it

There’s a few reasons why leaving your post alone for a few days before publishing it can be beneficial. Obviously, it’s easier to edit it for clarity and typos when you’ve distanced yourself from your work. It can also help you stay on message better. Sometimes when we first write a blog post, we pour all of our thoughts onto the “page” in a haphazard fashion. This method can be very useful, but should not be published immediately. Just because your first draft made sense to you when you wrote it doesn’t mean it will make sense to your reader. Taking a break from your work before returning to it helps you iron out those tangents and unclear points.

4.      Take the leap of faith

Being a writer always requires some level of vulnerability. You are sharing parts of yourself and hoping your reader likes it. There is inherently the risk that they won’t like it, and that could hurt for a writer. While there’s nothing wrong with feeling hurt after receiving negative feedback, bloggers do need to develop thick skin. Instead of hiding away or limiting how much of yourself comes through your blog posts, take the risk. Let yourself be vulnerable. The thick skin comes after.

5.      You don’t need to be Shakespeare

I understand it’s kind of contradictory to tell bloggers to work at their writing and then turn around and tell them that they don’t need to aspire to the Bard. But what I’m saying here is that while you should always strive to improve, you don’t need to get bogged down with fancy language and flowery prose. Your content is more important than your writing style. Do your best as a blogger to balance clear, readable messages with an effort to improve your writing.

6.      Work on your headlines

A huge chunk of what attracts readers to your blog post is the headline. Your headlines must be compelling and meaningful – no clickbait! Use keywords and strong, attractive words to really juice them up. Make sure that your blog post keeps the promise that your headline is making; otherwise, your headline really is clickbait and you will disappoint your readers. Use title generators if you’re having difficulties creating headlines on your own. Pay attention to the types of articles you read online and what their headlines are. Write a few different headline options before choosing the best one for your blog post.

7.      Create a writing routine

For all writers, sitting down and creating when inspiration strikes is the ideal. However, it’s not the norm. Most of the time, writers have to struggle. Their craft does not come easily. And for bloggers, it’s especially important that you publish new content consistently. Instead of waiting for the perfect muse, sit down and write even when it’s difficult. Some writers choose an hour in the morning before doing any other activity. Some writers challenge themselves to write 500 words a day. Pick a method that’s best for you. The most important part is the consistency. Writing is a lot like exercise in this way – the more endurance you build up, the easier it gets.

8.      Work on your calls-to-action

Don’t forget that you are still a marketer. Calls-to-action compel your reader to complete an objective, whether it’s moving on to a similar post, leaving a comment, or sharing your post on social media. Oftentimes buttons, like social media buttons, are an adequate CTA on their own. Just don’t let those be your only CTAs. Pay attention to the CTAs other bloggers use. Frequently, they will use a question that starts a conversation. “What do you think about this issue?” can be compelling enough to motivate readers to leave a comment or respond on social media. If you constantly work on improving your CTAs, you can avoid making them trite.

9.      Write on topics you are passionate about

If a topic bores you halfway through writing it, what makes you think your readers are going to stick around that long? Pick topics that inspire you, bug you, make you angry, make you happy, etc. Don’t be afraid of controversy or picking a side. You’re blogging at least in part to share what makes you,  you. Your opinions on certain topics, even if they aren’t popular, are necessary to complete that. And they make for much better reading – even if your audience is incensed, they are still on your website, right?

10.  Do your research

Yes, you’re the expert here, but that doesn’t mean your knowledge base is limitless. Make sure you can back up what you are saying with some outside sources. At least brush up on a topic before ignorantly making statements about it. Just don’t forget to properly cite your sources in your blog post so that you aren’t plagiarizing.

What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever been given as a blogger? Let us know in the comments!