We’ve all read a blog title thinking it’s exactly what we want to know, so we click on ad settle in for some enlightenment.
Then, halfway through, we start wondering what on earth we’re reading!
- It wasn’t what we thought it would be about.
- It has nothing to do with the original title.
- It feels like an advert.
- It’s taking us all over the place – what on earth is it about?
- I’m gone – life’s too short to wade through this lot…next!
Written well, blogs really can be an asset to your business, marketing and content and here’s our best advice on how to stay on topic!
(You should know that we took a chunk out of this blog as we’d gone off topic…even the experts have to check themselves sometimes! Head to ‘Why bother to write a blog’ to see what we chopped out!)
Create a working title
Your working title should be as simple as: ‘This blog is about how to brush a cat’.
This then focuses your mind and sets out very clearly, what you are writing about.
Refer to the working title as you go
With every sentence and paragraph you write, go back and read your working title. If your blog has started to cover different points, such as washing the cat, either bring it back to answer the original title (adding in ‘when to brush your cat after a wash’, for example) or take the point out and save it for another blog, like ‘how to wash your cat’)
Think about what your audience wants to know
Stay away from telling people how fantastic you are and how you can help them. Instead, think about the top 3-5 things you get asked all the time about the topic in your working title.
If people ask these things all of the time, answer them for others who might also ask. Perhaps it’s how often to brush the cat, the best brush to use, technique, how to get your cat to like it, or how to manage a long-haired breed.
A good, informative blog starts to get your foot in the door for people thinking about using your products or services and shows them that you can help – without blowing your own trumpet too much!
Length
I get asked this all of the time! ‘How long should my blog be?
We’re slightly veering off-topic now – remember that our title is ‘How to keep your blog to the point’.
But we’re going to make this point answer the title quickly and concisely.
We say the same thing every time – concentrate more on sticking to the topic and covering everything you need to within it to be thorough, than looking at the word count.
Focus on giving your reader an easy, structured and chronological read. Take them from the start to the end. Keep it simple. Don’t say in 100 words what you could in 50.
Add sub-headings to break up the text (mini headings).
But keep referring back to your working title – can you chop anything out that doesn’t fit?
No one wants to read waffle and self-indulgent text for 15-mins when 3-mins of short, sharp content would have sufficed!
That’s the basics – have a go!
And if you don’t want to, can’t fit it in, don’t remember or just hate writing, get in touch!
