Blog Writing for Beginners

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If you are just starting out in the online realm, it may be a little intimidating for your before you write your first blog post. It is understandable that you may feel that way; however, once you do it once, it will become much easier and your comfort level will go way up.

The importance of blogs

Blog writing is an extremely effective way not only to share your content with other people but also to invoke discussions and to build relationships with other people in your very important online social circles. In short, your blogs will enable your to build relationships that will hopefully be mutually beneficial and very productive for both of  you. Although your blog posts should be informational, not promotional, they will eventually lead to your business having increased revenue. The reason for that is that the people with whom you interact will get to know and trust you over time and you will be credible and knowledgeable to them. Those qualities will be the reason that your online connections will eventually buy your products and/or services. It is well known that people don’t buy from people they don’t know and trust. It is that simple. No matter how experienced you are as a blogger or even how experienced you are as a writer, you still might have something to say that is of interest to other people. In fact, you have an obligation to those other people to share your knowledge with them as they have to share their knowledge with you. If you are having difficulty getting started with your blog writing, some of the following reasons may be why:

Getting over your fear

If you are having a difficult time getting started, if may be because you are allowing fear to get in your way. You may be afraid of the idea that the people who read your blog will not find what you have to say interesting or valuable. That is the same issue that so many writers face before they actually do the writing. They are faced with a “blank piece of paper” and it intimidates them to no end. Here is a little secret for you. If you can manage to write just one sentence to begin with, the rest will come much more easily and you will quickly see that there was no reason why you should have been afraid in the first place. It is sort of like learning to walk. You put one foot in front of the other and you just keep on going. If you are still having a great deal of trouble writing after that, it is not a bad idea to do some research. You can learn a great deal from other blog writers who have been where you are right now and who have overcome some or all of those obstacles. Undoubtedly, they can offer tips and tricks that will help you to overcome your fear.

Figuring out what you want to write about

If you don’t happen to know right away what you want to write about, there are many different ways in which you can get blog topic ideas. You can search through websites to see what people are blogging about. It is not important if the websites belong to your competitors on not. Another great source of blog topics is the comments that people leave on your other blogs. In many cases, you can get a large amount of wonderful ideas by listening to what your readers communicate. Another way (and a simple one at that) is to ask your readers what they would like you to write about. If their ideas are aligned with your business goals, it will be a match made in Heaven! Other people rarely mind if you ask for what you need. In fact, in all likelihood, they will appreciate your honesty and the idea that you were brave enough to tell them what you need. Your relationship will start out (and hopefully continue) solidly forever.

Choose topics about which you are very familiar

If you try to write about things that you don’t truly understand, your readers will know it and they may not continue to read what you are sharing. It is extremely important to have a solid knowledge base before you write anything. After all, it is an important part of your ability to build your credibility.

Now for the actual writing

At this point, you have all of the tools that you need in order to write a top-quality, insightful, intelligent piece that other people will appreciate and will learn and benefit from. Many people find it easier to do the actual writing after they have created an outline. On the other hand; however, other people prefer to just jump right in and start writing. They let the words flow as they will. It is not particularly important if you aren’t sure at the beginning what your entire blog post will look like. All that matters is that you have written something of value for other people and that you are proud of what you have written.

Conclusion

As daunting as blog writing can be in the beginning of the process, you will see that once you have written a few blogs, the words will come much more easily and you may even have a great deal of fun with it. That is not to say that blog writing is never challenging. It is just that it must be done carefully so that you communicate exactly what you wish to communicate. If you make sure to write content in each case that you would be delighted to read, other people will feel the same way.

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Author

  • Carolyn Cohn

    Carolyn Cohn is the Co-Founder & Chief Creative Services of CompuKol Communications. Carolyn manages CompuKol’s creative and editorial department, which consists of writers and editors. Her weekly blogs are syndicated globally. She has decades of editorial experience in online editing, and editing books, journal articles, abstracts, and promotional and educational materials. Carolyn earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo.

9 Responses

  1. Jackie Nagel says:

    Via LinkedIn Groups
    Group: Small Business Accelerator
    Discussion: How Do You Overcome Blog Writing Intimidation?

    Funny you should ask. I just completed a 30 blog in 30 day challenge. That sure got me over quite a few things that were intimidating about blogging.
    By Jackie Nagel

  2. Terri Lively says:

    Via LinkedIn Groups
    Group: Writum
    Discussion: How Do You Overcome Blog Writing Intimidation?

    Author Terry Pratchett says, ““There’s no such thing as writer’s block. That was invented by people in California who couldn’t write.” As a resident of California, I don’t love that remark.

    As of now, I haven’t had a block, but there are days when I simply can’t do anything good. I think those days are important in the journey too, however, because you get so angry that it sparks new creativity!
    By Terri Lively

  3. Tameeka Robinson says:

    Via LinkedIn Groups
    Group: Woman 2 Woman Business
    Discussion: How Do You Overcome Blog Writing Intimidation?

    Thanks for sharing this article! I have started to take the time offline to write everyday. This practice has helped me come up with different ideas that I can use for future blog posts.
    By Tameeka Robinson

  4. David Russell says:

    Via LinkedIn Groups
    Group: Writers World
    Discussion: How Do You Overcome Blog Writing Intimidation?

    Hi, When I set up my blog in 2009 there was a lot to be intimidated about.. Minimizing occurred when I first came up with a blog name for myself, mellow roc. I enjoyed listening to that genre of music then and still do now. I tried and try to pick popular song titles that hint on the topic which I am blogging about that particular post. My blog is faith-based and titled grafted in and on the journey at blogspot. I also use it to promote my avocational writing.
    By David Russell

  5. Kevin Hoult says:

    Via LinkedIn Groups
    Group: Succeed: Small Business Network, Powered by Staples
    Discussion: How Do You Overcome Blog Writing Intimidation?

    Great article and I’ll add this content building tip I leaned from another great blogger – it’s called the content rule of thirds.

    One third commented links (Much like many Succeed: Small Business Network, Powered by Staples, LinkedIn article posts; “Here’s a great read on a timely topic” – link to off-blog content)

    One third opinion links (Also similar to some Succeed: Small Business Network, Powered by Staples, LinkedIn posts; “I read this article and I think the author is really on the wrong track here – what do you think?” – link to off-blog content)

    One third original content (the kinds of blog posts the linked article describes).

    I have found that the rule of thirds is a great way to build meaningful content quickly.

    P.S. With your original content, remember the rule of five – reuse your original content five times.
    By Kevin Hoult MBA

  6. MICHAEL WEITZMAN says:

    Via LinkedIn Groups
    Group: Linked User Group (Official Linked User Group)
    Discussion: How Do You Overcome Blog Writing Intimidation?

    I have many great things to share and help people with are selling anything yet but what and how do you do it and where does it go?

    Thanks Great Info!!
    By MICHAEL WEITZMAN

  7. Stephen Cabbot says:

    Via LinkedIn Groups
    Group: Business Writers of America
    Discussion: How Do You Overcome Blog Writing Intimidation?

    I always approach just like I am having a conversation with someone – that way its not intimidating at all.
    By Stephen Cabbot

  8. Susan Brown says:

    Via LinkedIn Groups
    Group: Small Business Accelerator
    Discussion: How Do You Overcome Blog Writing Intimidation?

    One tip that’s not mentioned is to first spend some time reading other people’s blogs in your niche. Not only will you get to see what’s already out there, but if you leave comments, you’ll get to stretch your writing muscles while at the same time potentially build some quality connections with the blog’s owner and his or her readers.
    By Susan Brown

  9. Sam Ashdown says:

    Via LinkedIn Groups
    Group: Small Business Web
    Discussion: How Do You Overcome Blog Writing Intimidation?

    It’s true that blogging can be very intimidating at first, and difficult. When I look back at my first few posts, they are truly awful! The good thing is, no one was reading them then! Now I feel more confident, I find my voice more easily and I can write ‘to order’ without having to wait for inspiration to strike.

    Many thanks for a great article!
    By Sam Ashdown