Some people may look at blogging and think it’s one of the easiest tasks in the world. Don’t get me wrong, writing a blog doesn’t have as many steps as brain surgery, but it’s still no walk in the park. If you’re a newbie, you might want some tips before you get started so that you can anticipate the mistakes you’re likely to make. Here are the 4 most common blogging mistakes made by beginners.
#1: Stiff Writing
As a blogging beginner, might find yourself writing in the most formal way possible. You may only have experience writing term papers or formal letters, so it’s hard to break the habit. A solution to this problem is to write the same way that you talk. You may be thinking, “I don’t even speak in full sentences.” No, you don’t always speak in full sentences, and you probably don’t add verbal commas, either. But your reader isn’t looking to read a term paper–he or she wants to read blogs that flow and are easy to understand. All of the errors that you make in your speech can be corrected when you edit your blog.
#2: Not Editing
The more you write, the easier it will be to catch mistakes. No one’s perfect, though, so there is no situation where you can write a blog and not spend time editing it. Even if your blog is flawless, you should still spend some time reading over it to make sure that it’s error-free. Most beginners start writing and believe that their blog is a masterpiece based on how it flowed in their head, but what’s in your head doesn’t always translate to your keyboard. Give yourself a few minutes after writing to make sure that what you meant to write is actually on the page.
#3: Posting Regularly
If you’re writing blogs, you’re probably already pretty creative. It takes a pretty imaginative person to be a writer. Unfortunately, to be successful, you’ll have to have some type of structure. That means posting blogs consistently. No, having a blogging calendar probably doesn’t sound glamorous. It sounds way more fun to just write when the inspiration hits you. But posting quality content consistently will reap the largest benefits. Create a blogging calendar with deadlines and topics you’ve thought about ahead of time. Plan your creativity, and you’ll enjoy a more stress-free life as a blogger.
#4: Broad Topics
Starting out, you’ll probably want to cover some hard-hitting topics. Let’s be honest, though–you’re not going to write a blog that someone wants to actually read if the title is “Healthcare.” Broad topics aren’t the way to go because they aren’t usually the type of blogs that people want to read. If you write about a broad topic, your blog could become too lengthy, and instead of reading your blog, someone will go to Wikipedia and get a better understanding of your topic. Make your blog topics specific! Readers can connect to specific topics that affect them and then they’ll be more likely to read your blog posts.
Uptick Marketing, the Blogging Veterans
At Uptick Marketing, we’re blogging veterans. Yep, blogging is hard work, but we’re professionals with a team of seasoned writers who’ve made the mistakes, learned from them, and come out stronger. If you’d like to learn more about our blogging services, contact us today.
