Good writing is good writing.
I have said it before and I will say it again. No matter what you are writing, whether it’s online or in print, good writing is good writing. There are a few things that can help you be more effective when you are writing online.
I want to give you a few things to help you craft more creative and engaging copy online but I don’t want to forget the old stand by rules of solid writing. So I will review a few of those here too!
I want to make sure I am leaving you with enough tips and techniques so you can craft the best content you possibly can. It is all about reaching your readers, clients, customers in the most efficient and effective way possible.
1. Write short sentences and short paragraphs:
Keeping it short helps to keep your reader’s attention. Let’s face it, there is so much to see online most people have shorter attention spans these days. There is research that shows most readers only stay on your website for mere seconds. Check out this Hubspot post about it. You want to keep things moving and short sentences and short paragraphs help do that while helping your reader move through the copy.
2. Use the white space:
Make sure there is a good amount of white space on your page. You don’t want to overwhelm your reader with long, dense copy. Give them some room to breathe. I know talking about the use of white space is a bit strange when I said I was going to give you some writing tips BUT it is a design or layout tool that will help your readers digest the words on the page better.
3. Make your writing readable:
This is a big tip because it involves so many things. You want to write in an active voice rather than in a passive one. It helps keep your writing interesting and in the NOW! It helps give your writing life and energy. You also want to watch out for unnecessary information and words. The word THAT often shows up in our writing but can often be left out. Try eliminating the word THAT from your sentence. If you can drop the word and the sentence still makes sense then leave it out. Your writing will be tighter without it.
There are several sites that can help you with your readability score. Readability-score.com is just one of those sites.
4. Be Conversational:
Think about how you would tell your friend a story and then write it that way (of course leave out the slang and the like!). You want to write the way people speak so try use everyday language. Try to avoid buzz words and jargon. This is really important when you are writing industry or niche posts. Being conversational will also help you bring in some personality and life to your writing, especially if you are the brand.
5. Be Clear and Concise:
You don’t want to confuse anyone so be clear about what you are saying. Think about all those essays you used to write in school. There was a clear beginning, middle and end. That goes for blog writing or writing any online content. Be clear about your message. Don’t leave anyone guessing. Going back to point one, writing short sentences will help you stay concise. Read over what you have written, if you aren’t sure what you are trying to say don’t expect anyone else to know! Sometimes I feel like people try to write clever content in the hopes of catching the attention of more readers but all they end up doing is confusing people. Be clear rather than clever!
Back to the Basics
1. Crappy First Drafts:
No one ever writes the perfect post or piece the first time. You should expect the first version to be a crappy first draft. It is the best way to get to the good stuff. So don’t expect to write perfectly out of the gate. Give yourself permission to write the crappy first draft. The magic comes out of the editing process.
2. Edit and Then Edit Again:
Editing takes time. You need to read it over a few times. The first time you are looking for spelling and grammar errors. Or if you are me, TYPOS. Typos are the thorn in my side. The next read through you should be looking for flow and structure issues. And then maybe you read it a third time just to make sure you didn’t miss anything. You could also find a beta reader to help. Find someone who you feel is a pretty good writer to read over your content and let them spot out the errors.
3. Read It…OUT LOUD!
I think it is the broadcaster/journalist in me but I think everyone should read what they have written out loud to themselves. The mind often makes corrections for us while we read silently to ourselves. When you read out loud it forces you to see the mistakes… or rather HEAR the mistakes. I am not only talking about the spelling and grammar mistakes. Reading out loud helps you hear how your writing flows and helps you discover how readable it really is.
So keep these tips in mind the next time you pull out the pen and paper or open up your laptop to craft your next post. Print them off and keep them as a checklist.
Got any other writing tips? I would love to hear them. Please share them in the comments section below!
