29 TIPS TO MAKE YOUR BLOG POSTS BETTER

Did you know that a new blog post is created every half a second? That’s over 175,000 new blog posts every day. Kinda scary, right? That’s a lot of content out there for potential readers to be sifting through. So it’s only natural you want to make your posts stand out – gain the attention of readers – and keep them coming back for more. Here’s the best 29 tips I’ve learned over the years to help make your blog posts (way) better!

1. Use images to break up your content

The stats are in and posts with images displayed throughout get 94% more views than those that don’t use photos. Not only is it more visually pleasing to the eye, but it can also spark an emotion in a read – excitement, intrigue, sympathy… and guess what? Sparking an emotion means your content is more likely to be SHARED. Meaning TRAFFIC. Meaning blogging gold.

2. Create your own infographics

Want to make information more interesting? Create an infographic. There’s a range of websites that offer this for free with premium options. Give Infogram a try.

3. Be original, be YOU!

There’s nothing more exciting for your reader than seeing something new that hasn’t been written before. To be completely honest, that’s the major reason I have neglected writing a ‘blogging tips and tricks’ post until now. Why? Everyone’s doing it. But I think it’s great, it’s time we all shared our knowledge and helped each other out. Especially new bloggers! We all started somewhere and it’s great to share our knowledge gained over the years to those starting out fresh. Hello to you!

4. Have a clean blog layout

The reader experience isn’t just in the content of the blog post alone – in  fact, that’s a small part of it. Ensure your blog is clean, minimal, and not bogged down by too much advertising. Advertising is a touchy subject for some – but if you want to monetize your blog and have a crack at blogging professionally, I say go for it! Just don’t overdo it – reader experience should always come first.

5. Forget what you learned in English class

Blogging is a complete new style of writing. Forget essays and a formal tone, just have a conversation with your readers! Use short, sharp sentences and keep your paragraphs to a minimum.

6. Have an opinion BUT…

It’s important to have an opinion and show your readers what you think/feel, but be sure never to overstep the mark. I’m talking about the difference between saying you dislike something and completely ripping it to shreds in a sense that it reads as a rant about your personal experience with the product. It’s okay not to like something, but it’s another thing to sound bratty. No one likes bratty.

7. Share your posts on social media

If you’re not sharing each of your new blog posts on social media, you’re missing out on an HUGE reader engagement. 

8. Put social shares on auto pilot

So now that you’re going to share every single article you write with readers and friends you’re gonna want to save some time, right!? Use a plugin to immediately share your content to your social platforms AND shorten the URL link. I find Jetpack’s publicise the best option. 

9. Sign up with Bloglovin’

Speaking of social shares and reaching more readers, have you signed up with Bloglovin’? This is arguably the best platform to promote your posts and reach readers interested in your content. It’s also a great way to discover new blogs – I read my favourites every day through the platform!

0. End with a Call to Action

Want to create a community on your blog? Create a two-way street between yourself and readers? Let them know that YOU care about THEM and what they have to say, too? Ask them! It’s as simple as leaving a “let me know your thoughts in the comments below” at the end of your post. It’s a great way to get feedback on your post and build a relationship with your readers.

Want more help? Read my book: “How to Create a Successful Blog”

11. Use LINKS

Want to make your blog post more useful and shareable? Use links. That way the reader can go off on a trail and use this information to actually get something from your post.

12. Speak Your Mind if you Really Have Something to Say

Back at #6 I mentioned to be wary of insulting others by getting too ‘ranty’. But if you’re really passionate about a topic and want to go on a full-fledge rant, go for it! Going against the grain and creating a controversial piece will spark an emotion in readers – causing a reaction and more traffic to your post. BUT just don’t say anything you’ll regret. If you’re fired up, draft the post and check it the following day – do you want that out there for the interwebs to see?

13. Your titles as your “front cover”

They say don’t judge a book by it’s cover but let’s be honest – when was the last time you DIDN’T judge an actual book by it’s cover? Think of your titles as your front cover – drawing in your readers so they want to read more. Titles that suggest your reader will gain something from reading your post or learn something new are a sure way to lure them in (then you’ve gotta come through with the goods, of course!).

14. SEO – know what it is and master it

Over time SEO becomes a natural evolution – you start to write both for your readers AND for search engines. Just be sure to keep a balance between both or you’ll get loads of new readers who won’t stick around for long and turn away all your loyal readers (which is like losing friends).

15. Make your writing Scannable

Sure, you might have something GREAT to say but the truth is not everyone has enough time in their day to read your whole post. Take a look at this blog post for example – it is laid out in a way that makes it scannable for readers. Sure, you know you will get more out of the blog post if you take the time to read the descriptions (like this one), but if you’re short on time you can flick through the headings and make some mental notes for future reference.

16. Not too long, not too short

I’m often asked by my friends who are starting out in blogging “how long should a blog post be?”. There’s no golden rule – but generally speaking it should be somewhere in the middle. Of course there are exceptions to the rule – some blog posts I get to the end to and keep wanting more, and some are short and sweet and cause me to think which is just enough to take away from the post.

17. When you lack motivation…

Don’t write. Wait until you feel inspired to write – that’s all I will say on the matter.

18. Read other blogs (with caution)

Blogging isn’t a competition; it’s a community. Be sure to find and follow your favourite bloggers inside AND outside your niche for inspiration and to see what is trending. But do this with caution… it’s important to remain original and prevent yourself from stealing other’s ideas. Sometimes a few words or one dot point within a blog post can inspire you to write a whole post on the matter. That’s a perfect medium.

19. Find your voice

Everyone has a different writing style so one of the most important things to master early on in your blogging career is to find your voice. But this is quite an elusive suggestion and I’m sure you’re probably thinking “Okay, Brooke… but how exactly?”. I find the best way to ‘find your voice’ is to just be yourself. Write like you’re having a conversation with whoever you picture would be reading this on the other end. Et Voila!

20. Learn from your mistakes by monitoring your stats

The only way to know what is and isn’t working is to monitor  the results and learn from your mistakes. Hopefully by now you have installed Google Analytics – but if not, get onto it right now! This is a free tool that makes it effortlessly easy to monitor the traffic on your website. You’ll soon learn which posts are popular (and those that aren’t), as well as what links your readers are clicking on and how they’re finding their way to your specific blog posts. Magic.

21. Show your Personality with Video Content

Being on video isn’t for everyone… but it’s a great way to show your personality! When I first started filming Youtube Videos they were truly horrible. I was nervous, they were bad, I was too worried about what I looked like, and again they were bad. But with time I learned just to be myself and show readers who I am – this gives them a way to connect with you and trust you/your advice. It’s okay to be nervous but you gotta start somewhere!

22. Write Lists

(Like this one!). Lists are a great way to shape your message into interesting, engaging and useful content.

23. You don’t have to learn code but…

So you want to use sub-headings, colourful fonts and quotes? You will be pleased to know you don’t need coding experience for this – there’s a whole world of plugins out there to explore! For WordPress users, here’s a great article on the most useful Plugins in 2014 (there’s heaps of these articles just a google search away).

24. Get to Know your Readers

This is such an important part of blogging that is often overlooked and I’ve left it until now to be included as a “thanks for reading this far”! Readers are the most important part of your blog – otherwise you’re just punching out words into the interwebs for no one to read! Never forget about them, engage with them, MEET them! NB: one of my favourite things from blogging has been meeting readers – I want to meet ALL of you (shout out to my Swiss readers below)!

25. Introductions should be short and sweet

Short – sharp – straight to the point. They should introduce your readers to the topic you are blogging about, tell them what the blog post contains, and encourage them to read on for more.

26. Draft, Edit, Post, Repeat

Over time you will become so accustomed to creating great content that you will no longer need to edit your content – but to begin with this little detail can not be overlooked! Sometimes its a good idea to draft the post and edit it later or the following day – just to be sure you want to put it out there for the world to see.

27. Include Quotes and Facts

Things that might appear simple like a short quote or interesting fact are actually much more powerful than you would expect. Why? Quotes that inspire people or a fact that is interesting enough to share with another person lead people to either a) share your content or b) think about it long after they’ve read the post. This then leads to “I was reading this blog post the other day”… leading to word of mouth sharing – often even more powerful than social media sharing!

28. Go back and edit old posts

After you’ve been blogging for a while, you will all of a sudden get the urge to go back and look at your first, second, or seventh blog post. PREPARE FOR A SHOCK. But there’s no point deleting these posts that once upon a time took a lot of effort and time to create. So what should you do? Edit them! Make some minor adjustments and improve old posts that surprise, surprise! Someone will read one day.

29. HAVE FUN!

And of course most importantly, have fun with it! Blogging should be fun if nothing else. These tips are guidelines and suggestions only – it’s a lot of information to digest so don’t try and divulge it all at once. Bookmark this page and come back to it when you feel the need – it will always be here to help and guide you!

Versace on the Floor

Selamat Ulang Tahun Cinta Pertama

"Kenangan cinta pertama itu tak akan pernah bisa disembunyikan."

Selamat Ulang Tahun, Cinta Pertama! Seorang pria dengan wajah sayu, berhidung mancung(?), bermata sendu, serta seorang pria dengan pita suara yang dihiasi oleh suara lembut. Di mataku, kautanpa cela. Di hatiku, kaumemiliki peran yang luar biasa.

Mungkin, kautak akan pernah membaca ini, melihat sekejap matapun tidak mungkin, apalagi membaca hingga paragraf akhir. Mungkin, kautidak mengetahui usahaku untuk menulis ini, usahaku untuk mengundangmu kembali berotasi diotakku, mengelilingi poros otak tengah, menjalar ke otak kiri, lalu membias ke otak kanan. Tak ada dasar apapun dan tak ada alasan apapun yang menjelaskan mengapa aku harus membiarkan jemariku menari dan kembali menuliskan semua hal tentangmu. Seseorang yang sempat mengendap dalam sel otakku, seseorang yang pernah terlupakan oleh jemariku yang dulu sering menuliskan tentangmu.

Jika aku bercerita bagaimana pertemuan awal kita hingga perpisahan kita, mungkin tulisan itu akan terakum sempurna menjadi sebuah roman, yang di dalamnya terdapat tokoh sentral. Hanya aku dan kamu, bertemu, berkenalan, berteman, bercanda, bergembira, jatuh cinta, indah, dan berpisah. Jadi, aku tidak akan bercerita tentang itu. Tunggu dulu! Bukannya aku melupakan kenangan itu, aku hanya ingin membuat semua paragraf menjadi sangat berisi dan efektif, walaupun sekali lagi mungkin kautak akan membacanya.

Aku bahkan tidak lagi tahu kabarmu. Siapa wanita yang menjadi pilihanmu saat ini? Bagaimana keadaanmu? Tak perlu lagi aku  membiarkan air mataku terbujur kaku, menyerah setelah beberapa saat bertahan dipelupuk mata. Aku yang sekarang adalah wanita kuat yang dulu belum kaukenal. Jika kau melihatku saat ini, kaupasti berkata,"Kamu berbeda!" Ungkapmu dengan rambut menyeringai santai, dengan jambul yang menjuntai.

Kausemakin tua. Aku sedang membayangkanmu saat ini, mungkin hidungmu semakin mancung (?), mungkin bulu matamu semakin lentik, mungkin kausibuk dengan kegiatanmu, dan mungkin kautelah melupakanku. Dari jarak sejauh ini, mustahil jika aku bisa lagi menyorot erat bola matamu dan menyerap sinarnya.

Bukankah, kenangan cinta pertama itu tak akan pernah bisa disembunyikan? Bukankah, kekuatan cinta pertama jauh lebih kuat daripada cinta-cinta lainnya? Tapi, apa yang kurasakan saat ini, hanya aku yang tahu, hanya aku yang bisa manafsirkan.Kaumiliki jalanmu, aku mengikuti jalanku, sekarang bukan dulu, kaudan aku bukan lagi bocah sma yang suka permainan.

Jadi, untuk segala kemungkinan yang terjadi, biarlah Tuhan menyimpan kemungkinan itu rapat-rapat dalam sela-sela jemariNYA yang penuh kuasa. Diumurmu yang semakin bertambah ini, semoga Tuhan memberkati semua rencana pembahagiaanmu, semoga kautetap dicintai oleh sesamamu, dan semoga aku masih tersimpan aman dalam laci lemari otakmu.

NB : ditulis saat: hidung tersumbat, kegalauan menghambat, nafas tercekat.

Untitled....

Kala itu saat matahari di atas kepala,aku tengah mengendarai sepeda motorku. Di tengah hiruk pikuknya jalan ibukota,aku teringat kenangan masa laluku. Teringat hari ketika orang yang kusayang meninggalkanku. Tak terbayangkan luka hatiku saat kuingat lagi kejadian kala itu. Hari senin,pukul 5 sore 3 tahun yang lalu. Jalan raya tengah sesak diisi oleh kendaraan-kendaraan. Aku tengah mengamati suasana jalan raya dimana semua pengendara seolah berlomba mencapai garis finish, barisan mobil yang tidak teratur,pengendara yang melanggar aturan dan menikung kendaraan didepannya. Kadang aku berfikir kemana perginya polisi lalu lintas negeri ini?

Tengah itu pula terdengar kencang sirine ambulans, seharusnya jika seseorang memiliki tingkat toleransi yang tinggi ia harus segera memberi jalan untuk ambulance itu. Namun semuanya seperti orang tuli,tidak berperasaan dan tidak punya toleransi. Teriakan petugas ambulans dari dalam mobil tidak sedikit pun membuat mereka bergeming. Mungkin karena kesal,petugas itu turun dari mobil yang ditumpanginya dan dengan membawa toa ia memberi instruksi agar semua pengendara segera menepi dan memberi jalan untuk seorang pasien yang perlu tindakan yang serius. Apakah bangsa ini selalu menutup telinganya seperti itu? Kemana perginya kritikan mereka ketika melihat berita pejabat korupsi,yang tidak mempedulikan kesejahteraan rakyat kalangan bawah? Kemana perginya sumpah serapah yang dilontarkannya ketika hal-hal yang tidak baik terjadi pada bangsa ini? Apakah bangsa ini hanya memperhatikan apa yang ada diatasnya dan tidak pernah melihat ke bawah? Dimana toleransi mereka?

Aku kesal melihat ulah mereka, apakah mereka baru akan sadar jika diperingatkan seperti itu? Harusnya mereka malu dilihat oleh anak jalanan yang tidak berpendidikan yang malah lebih memiliki toleransi daripada mereka yang duduk manis di dalam roda empatnya,ditiup oleh sejuknya pendingin ruangan. Yasudahlah,setelah direnungkan lagi memang mereka mungkin telah terbiasa menutup indera dan bahkan hati mereka untuk memperdulikan hal-hal semacam itu.

Matahari pun akan berganti posisi, indahnya lukisan langit sore itu. Diperjalananku,aku memandangi siluet tawa gembira sebuah keluarga yang mengingatkanku dengan ayah ibu di kampung halaman. Aku termasuk anak desa yang beruntung yang dapat mengenyam pendidikan di kota besar ini dan hanya perlu mengeluarkan sedikit biaya. Semester pertama lalu aku tinggal di kediaman nenekku yang sangat jauh dari kampus, lelah rasanya harus pulang pergi dengan jarak sejauh itu. Aku juga harus menghemat biaya hidupku disini,supaya tidak menyusahkan ibu bapak di kampung. Yang aku perlukan disini hanyalah belajar agar cepat menyelesaikan perkuliahan dan menjadi orang sukses,aku tidak masalah jika harus tinggal ditempat yang sempit toh jika aku sudah sukses nanti semua bisa terbayarkan. Itulah kenyataan yang harus aku jadikan motivasi.

Semester 1 berlalu,aku disibukkan dengan kegiatan BEM Universitas Brawijaya. Untuk ikut organisasi ini adalah hal yang menyenangkan buatku. Awalnya aku tidak tertarik,mengingat aku selalu diremehkan ketika SMA dulu. Teman satu angkatan pun bahkan hanya sedikit yang mengenal aku. Oleh karena itu aku akan mengekspos diriku dengan mengikuti organisasi ini. Daripada aku harus menjadi mahasiswa kupu-kupu yang dianggap cupu. Memang dulu aku memiliki gejala autis,yang menyebabkan tingkahku sedikit beda. Aku punya keahlian di bidang seni dan iptek tapi aku tidak bisa mengeksplorasi semua bakatku. Aku minder,aku terlalu sensitif. Oleh karena itu aku harus mengubah sifat minderku dengan cara menunjukkan inovasiku pada organisasi ini.

Mengulas sedikit cerita tentang masa SMA yang kata orang tersimpan cerita indah itu. Namun,tidak bagiku. Aku tidak bisa bergaul,aku seorang siswa yang hanya memiliki 3 teman,2 diantaranya adalah sahabat kecilku yang dipertemukan lagi di SMA. Hari-hariku hanya ditemani laptop yang berisikan game online,aku tidak pernah ke kantin tidak bersosialisasi dan telingaku selalu di tutupi oleh sebuah earphone tua milikku. Bukan aku tidak ingin bergaul,tapi aku hanya bisa fokus pada satu hal saja. Saat belajar,aku fokus ke pelajaran,saat main game saya hanya terfokus dengan game. Sehingga waktuku bagai tersita dengan pelajaran dan game online saja.

Karena disibukkan dengan kegiatan organisasi yang harus membuatku menginap di tempat peristirahan temanku untuk sekedar menghemat biaya hidup,jadi aku ditawarkan oleh seniorku untuk tinggal di sekretariat BEM di universitasku. Tanpa ragu aku terima tawaran itu, meskipun aku belum mendiskusikan hal itu kepada paman dan bibi. Memang itu alternatif tempat tinggal yang aneh,membayangkan tinggal di sekretariat BEM di tengah kampus UNIBRAW yang luas itu. Bagaimana harus membersihkan diri disana, namun itu bukanlah masalah mengingat aku sudah terbiasa hidup susah di kampung. Dan saya rasa paman dan bibi tidak masalah dengan itu,lagipula setiap weekend aku bisa berkunjung kerumah mereka.

Aku menghela nafas, betapa rindunya aku dengan kampung halaman dan segala kenangan yang terukir di pikiranku saat ini. Membayangkan kehidupan sederhana keluarga kami,pertemanan tanpa pamrih,bermain di pasar sambil membantu bapak jualan kue. Untuk bahagia itu sangat sederhana,selagi kita dapat tertawa lepas bersama orang yang disayangi. Memang benar, untuk sekedar bahagia itu sederhana tapi ada pula hal yang kita inginkan untuk diubah. Terutama kondisi finansial, dengan finansial yang tergolong rendah saja kita sudah bahagia apalagi dengan kondisi finansial yang meningkat. Ada pula keinginan untuk membuat nyaman kedua orang tua di masa tuanya kelak.

Mengingat hal itu aku terbangun dari lamunanku.

to be continue...........