Blogging 101: Getting Started – How to get ahead with blogging that works for your brand and supports your SEO objectives
We write creatively for a lot of our clients across our in-house disciplines. From press releases, mailers and social copy to content pieces, newsletters, and guest articles and yes, you guessed it, we also write a lot of blogs!
Each medium requires a unique approach, but the great news for PR’s and copywriters alike is that the skills to create a great piece of writing are 100% transferable between the mediums.
Blogging as part of a wider content strategy is integral in supporting SEO for your brand. Blogs increase your authority and visibility, making you more searchable and your site more crawlable when they are approached in a strategic way. This is where we add maximum value for our clients by looking after PR, Marketing and SEO all under one roof, ensuring we take a joined up approach to creative copywriting in all its forms.
But how does a good blog help your brand stand out and cut through the digital noise?
It’s important to think about a blog less as an indulgent piece of creative, but as a well-structured and thought out content piece that supports a defined content pillar. Content pillars help structure both creative writing and wider campaigns so that they work to serve a bigger purpose – supporting SEO through keyword inclusion, relevance, and topicality, while providing your audience with exactly the information they need in one digestible chunk.
So, how should you approach blog writing to maximize the visibility and relevance of your brand within your sector? Here are our top practical tips for getting started:
Write What You Know
Getting started can be the hardest part, so it’s time to put your expert hat on!
Any new blog or content piece should add value. It needs to say something, whether that be answering a search query, providing a step-by-step guide, or offering insight in a fresh and relevant way. This is where keeping it niche it so important.
It’s easy to get carried away and write tomes on your area of expertise, but short and snappy content pieces on very specific keywords and topics will ultimately serve your objectives so much better.
Ensuring your messaging is clear and your content flows seamlessly is essential for keeping your readers on-page.
Think Ahead
Starting with a blank document can be hard. Starting with a headline, even harder. This is where planning the structure of your piece before any prose hits the page comes in.
You might find it useful to brain dump all your thoughts as bullets, and then sign-post those thoughts into defined sections to help guide readers through your content piece. Or you might like to think about a blog as a mini thesis, introducing your subject and outlining what the reader can expect, then using each paragraph or section following to add value that unpacks and supports your opening gambit, before wrapping it all up with a nice summary and call-to-action at the end.
If you’re formulaic, approach it like a formal content piece:
- H1: Headline (Stumped? Try a working topic-led title to finalise later)
- H2: Sub-headline (Add a sentence contextualising your title)
- Introduction (Start strong with a catchy opener and outline)
- What is this blog about (topicality)
- Why should you read it (relevancy)
- How can it help solve a problem, answer a question or provide insight to the reader (value)
Here you can tease readers with what is to come to encourage them to keep on reading…
- H3,4,5: Section headings (or sign-posts that summarises what you’re about to read)
- Keep paragraphs short, punchy, and relevant to the overall topic
- Summary (wrap things up and relate it back to the overall topic)
- Call to action (Encourage readers to convert, get in touch, or find out more)
Make It Human
It sounds silly, but it’s really easy to get overly formal when approaching a blog or content piece.
Make sure you write in the way you (or your reader) would speak. Vary sentence structures, use colloquialisms, keep paragraphs punchy, ask rhetorical questions and try to have fun with it…
If in doubt, read it back to yourself out loud. If you wouldn’t say it in conversation, it might not be right for your blog.
It’s All in the Edit
Edit, edit, edit. It’s the golden rule. I would put money on the number of first drafts making it to publication being very few if not entirely non-existent.
Take time away from your copy and go back to it with fresh eyes – you’ll wonder what you were talking about, but ultimately, it’ll make your points so much clearer.
You’ll also spot mistakes that spell-check may have conveniently missed!
Think About SEO (but don’t get hung-up on keywords)
Keyword stuffing is bad. It’s unprofessional, messy, and ultimately won’t do your SERPs or readers any favours.
Readers want a blog that expands on their search query or area of interest in a natural way.
As writers, we’re constantly thinking about semantics, and this natural ability to evolve a blog topic beyond the headline feeds into SEO objectives in a much more seamless way than sitting with a list of ‘must include’ phrases which ultimately make your content feel forced and clunky.
Write about your chosen subject with passion, and again, keep it niche – the proof is in the pudding as the relevancy of your piece will skyrocket if it speaks to your readers’ needs in a relatable way.
External Sources Are Not the Enemy
While keeping readers on-site is the dream and converting the end goal – sometimes it’s okay to admit you need a little help to get there. Whether that be external reviews or supporting thought leadership, or even a topical or trending news or social piece that helps your reader visualise your message in a different way, use it to your advantage by including external links.
External linking can, when done right, help support the ultimate visibility of your content as its association with other reputable sources or relevant content pieces grows over time. But remember to check for broken links regularly!
Stand Out with Data & Insights
Looking to drive digital PR opportunities from your content piece or blog? Data and insights can turn a bog-standard blog on a topic into an authoritative and news-worthy piece of content.
Whether it be data, statistics or personal insight from an expert or thought leader – giving your blog some extra oomph with something completely unique to your brand, service, product, or spokesperson can make all the difference.
Content with hooks may well get organic traction – if it takes a bold enough stand – or it can be used by your PR teams to build topical and reactive campaigns around, seeding out press releases which link through to specific keyword-driven content pieces.
Think About the Journey
In the same vein as the sign-posting we spoke about earlier, think about how you can take readers on a journey with your content and keep them onsite.
Natural internal linking will improve user experience and keep your readers coming back for more as they delve deeper into their search query or specific interest with your brand.
Ultimately… have fun and join the dots
Blogging shouldn’t be a stress point, but writing is a skill and doesn’t come naturally to many. This is where creative writing experts across the many media and consumer facing disciples can step in to take a jumble of ideas and objectives into a well thought out content strategy.
Blogs and the wider content on your website or social media should not be approached in silo. It is important to join the dots when determining strategies for your brand across PR, Marketing, SEO to make your message make sense for your target audience.
Without a joined up approach, a potential reader or customers touchpoints with your brand will be inconsistent. Taking a planned approach to content that informs campaigns across PR, Digital and Social from the blog up is a great way to ensure you’re hitting the right mark when it comes to communicating with your audiences.
Need help with blogging, or looking to implement a wider content and marketing strategy? Get in touch: [email protected]
