3 quick tips for writing focused blog posts

| Writing great content | Stream of consciousness blogging >

I've read a lot of blog posts that start off well, but somehow lose their way. Maybe the author doesn't have enough time. Maybe they can't think of enough good subjects. Maybe they get distracted. Or maybe they just aren't enjoying the blog post all that much.

To avoid trailing off towards the end of your posts, you need to be focused right from the start, and stay that way. Here are three simple ideas that should help you in this quest.

1. Write early in the day.

We all have daily commitments. You might not be able to write first thing in the morning. But what's the alternative - writing last thing at night?

I find it very difficult to write just before I go to bed. As I'm tired, it takes longer to write the blog post. By the time I get offline and go to bed, I'm too awake to sleep. This disrupts my sleeping pattern and means I feel tired the next day, so I am less productive.

If you come home from work and write your blog entry quite early into the evening, you'll be able to switch off once you're done.  If you can blog in the morning or afternoon instead of late at night, that's even better. Blogging isn't something to "get out of the way", but it shouldn't interrupt your sleep.

2. Tackle large subjects in logical stages.

Let's say I want to write about how to write great content for your blog (as I'm doing here). This is potentially a huge topic and it would be foolish to try and write a definitive guide in one post. Instead, what I do is break it down into several specific blog entries so I can really get into the detail of each subject.

As each blog entry will be quite specific, it should be a lot easier to write, and a lot easier for my target audience to read. I'm much more likely to do a good job of the smaller blog entries than if I were to write a big sprawling blog entry with loads of general ideas but no real depth to the information.

Write about a very specific topic and you can write in a lot more detail.

3. Save tangents for future entries.

Sometimes when you're writing a blog entry, you may find that you start to go off on a tangent. You may forget why you started the blog entry in the first place and what your conclusion was going to be.

Instead of getting bogged down by subjects you didn't intend to write about in the first place, make a note of the subject for a future post. You can then give the topic a proper airing. People will be much more likely to read your blog if you try to keep to the topic you're writing about. Otherwise, it feels as if you're trying to do too much, and it just gets confusing.

What do you think?

How do you keep your blog posts focused?

Posted by Ben | Tags: time of day, schedule, tangents, planning, breaking it down