How To Write The (Almost) Perfect Blog Post

Well, I say perfect. My posts are NEVER perfect. I'm always rejigging and tweaking already published content as I always think of new ideas or sentences to add or I have to correct a grammar or spelling error that I may have missed.



Believe it or not non-blogger's, there is a real process in creating a blog post. As blogger's can testify to, we all want our content to be perfect. We don't want to be publishing slapdash and average work. At the end of the day, it's going to be published on the world wide web, world wide meaning that potentially a lot of internet users may come across it at some point in their online journey. Well, not everybody, that's a wide audience, but you get what I mean.



I'm somebody who is quite picky about what I post. I won't publish anything until I know that I am 100% happy with it. Like Ross from Friends, I like to make sure I use the right 'who' and 'whom'. I like to correct any typos I have made during the typing of the post. I can honestly say, I make so many during writing. It takes two or three skim throughs to make sure I have amended them all.



Call me a perfectionist, call me fussy, call me Monica Gellar for being too organised, but I don't want my readers to pointing out any mistakes to me. As well as that, if brands come across your blog and read your content and notice any errors or if you just post your unexceptional work, odds are that they're not going to reach out to you for a collab. Call it intuition.



I go through a little checklist of what I need to have in my blog post for it to be absolutely banging -




GRAMMAR  CHECK
One of my Mam's biggest bug bears is bad grammar. So I kind of feel under pressure to achieve the highest correct grammar when writing posts as I know she reads them. We should be checking for grammar anyway, sometimes I read back on my own posts and think to myself, "That doesn't even make bloody sense!" and automatically rejig the sentence or just delete it altogether. The last thing you want is for a reader to read your post and not be able to understand what you're going on about.





IS  IT  RELATABLE?
I love all of my content to be as relatable as possible. You need to be able to get across your point without acting like you don't know what you're talking about yourself. The more relatable your content is, the more your readers will empathise with you and will be drawn to read any future content you create. For example, I write posts about having Cystic Fibrosis, not only will people with CF relate to the post, but other chronic illness warriors will to.
 
 
PHOTOS
Photo's are, for personally, the hardest thing to get right when it comes to creating content. I'm still trying to find my creative side in that area. However, if you're like me and you're completely void of any ideas for what photos to include in your post, use stock photos. When I first started blogging, stock photo's were my life saviour. Websites like Kaboompics, Pexel and Pixabay offer such a wide range of free photo's, you have no excuse to not include photo's in your posts.
 
 
BULLET  POINT  IDEAS
Bullet pointing ideas really helps the creativity of a new blog post. If my brain sparks to life and gives me a new idea, then I immediately write it down. Whether it's on the notes on my phone or even using the old fashioned pen and paper method, I take down as many ideas as my brain will give me. Once I've got a core idea of what the blog post is going to be about, I can then start bullet pointing sentences and quotes to use for the post. It's amazing how much you can expand on bullet points.


GRAB  THE  AUDIENCE
This does sound weird, but bear with me. What I mean by this is that always make your opening paragraph as attention grabbing as anything. Use a pun, use a funny quote, start a post in a way that will immediately grab the readers eye. It honestly is worth it. I'm getting better at my opening paragraphs, I use to start them so boringly now they're a bit more catchy and lively than before.
 
 
What are your tips for writing the perfect blog post? Let me know!
 
 
Lucy
26 comments
  1. Thank you for sharing this - the perfect blog post seems elusive! Your tips are going to help so much 🤩

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  2. I love this! I'm so much like you when it comes to writing blog posts! I get so embarrassed AFTER I write a blog post and find a spelling error! And I'm starting to add in more photographs, besides the header and my Pinterest image to my posts, just to help with the post. You had some great ideas and tips! Thank you so much for sharing! <3

    Emily | https://www.thatweirdgirllife.com

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    1. Thank you Emily, I'm happy that you enjoyed the post! I'm exactly the same, I always spot an error AFTER I hit publish! x

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  3. I try to be as perfect as I can with everything I do on my blog, but I do still make mistakes ... I won't lie about that. We're not all perfect, and I'm the first to admit that I'm not.

    Being relatable, is easy to a point. If you know what you're talking about, then all well and good. For example, I have very basic knowledge in Recruitment. If I don't know something, I don't put it in, just in case if somebody as me to explain what it means.

    For photos, I generally scan things like newspaper articles I blog about, leaflets, etc from when I go to Careers / Job Fairs, etc.. Plus I only use a basic phone, but if I have to take a photo, I would ask somebody else to take a photo and e-mail it to me.

    I actually plan at least a week in advance if I can. As it stands right now, I have already planned for the coming week and about half of the following week. I also have the week after completely sorted as well. I always put pen to paper, unless it's an online article that I will be blogging about, which is only occasional.

    I do struggle getting people's attention to my blog. I'm not a fan of shouting about my blog, or how to really.

    Thanks for sharing your tips.

    I have shared this post!

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    1. I never used to be a fan of shouting about my blog when I first started, but now if I'm proud of my work, then I would love others to read it and tell me what they think, it lets me know what my readers love and also what I could improve on

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  4. I recently found grammatical errors in a post of mine that had been up for over a year and it drove me mad haha! Great post x

    https://www.femaleoriginal.com

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  5. Grammar is such a big one. Sometimes I read an old post and spot something I missed when I first wrote/ edited etc and I cringe so much knowing it's been out there like that. I always think that relatability is an interesting one, you can try your hardest, but you never know how someone else will interpret what you're saying. I think about if it's something I'd actually say in real life and try to write like I'm talking to a friend instead now. It's not 'perfect' but I like reading it and feeling like I wrote it. I hope that makes sense..x

    Sophie
    www.glowsteady.co.uk

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    1. That's a very good point about relatability Sophie, not everyone is going to agree on the same thing and may interpret it in a different way x

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  7. I love this but I don't necessarily think that a post needs to be relatable, some of my best posts have done well off the back they aren't experiences everyone has had yet! Thanks for sharing gal x

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  8. Getting photos right is something Ive also struggled with since I started blogging. Now I'm back blogging again I want to work on my photos. X

    www.beccamfletcher.co.uk

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    1. I hope you can get some inspiration for your photo's Becca! x

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  9. Writing is hard isn’t it? People don’t realise half of what goes in to it.

    I find reading the post out loud really helps me pick up on grammar and spelling errors.

    Great post Lucy x

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    1. You're right, people don't understand the hard work that goes into perfecting a piece of writing! x

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  10. You've shared such an amazing advice which I'm more than sure are gonna help so many other bloggers. I'm sending you so much love! 💜

    With love, Alisha Valerie x | www.alishavalerie.com

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  11. Great tips - I'm exactly like you when it comes to grammar checking! It's so important, especially if you're wanting to work with brands - seeing spelling mistakes/grammar mistakes is so offputting! I'm trying to work on putting together some better photos but it's so difficult when you don't have the best lighting in your home! Thank god for stock photos 😂

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    1. It's so hard to get the lighting right, especially during the winter months! Stock photo's are a life saver for a lot of blogger's!

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  12. Great tips Lucy! It's easy to go too fast with the flow and forget some crucial parts.

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    1. Absolutely Jenni, it's important to take your time when creating blog content!

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  13. These are wonderful tips - as someone whose still under 3 months of blogging I take a lot of time doing research and trying to make sure it would capture people! I love using stock photos - such a time saver! Thanks for sharing this.

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    1. You're doing great for only for blogging three months lovely, I love your content!

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