In today’s content-driven world, writing matters more… not less. Ann Handley offers 10 tips for crafting a better blog post. Based on Everybody Writes: Your Go-To Guide to Creating Ridiculously Good Content by Ann Handley and published by Wiley. For more info, visit: http://bit.ly/1xPCWYi #everybodywrites

1. tips for a better blog post 10
Tactical suggestions that have more
to do with structure than writing

2. 10 tips for a better blog post
1. Keep Headlines Tight
This is what 40 characters look like. Th
This is what 60 characters look like. This is what 60 charac
This is what too many characters look like. This is what too many
1
40
60
>60
Average length of a blog headline
Received the most social shares*
Sharp decline in social shares*
*According to TrackMaven study

3. 2 x
10 tips for a better blog post
2. Add Blog Bling
• Add large graphics or embedded
videos & make it count!
No bad
stock images!

4. 10 tips for a better blog post
3. Time It Well
• Publish between 8 & 10 a.m.
• Tuesday & Wednesday are most popular for posting
Don’t fear the weekend!
Posts published on weekends account for just 13.1% of posts
published, but they received 32.6% of social shares.*
*According to TrackMaven study
3

5. 10 tips for a better blog post
4. Use Bullets
and Numbered Lists
• Shows an appreciation for your
reader’s time constraints
• Creates organization & natural
white space
1. 2. 3.
4

6. 10 tips for a better blog post
5. Include Calls to Action And Provide
Subscriber Options
• Don’t leave your visitors hanging!
• Define the conversion action
FREE
TRIAL
SIGN
UP
Download
5

7. 10 tips for a better blog post
6. Keep them short. Ish.
• Posts should have fewer than
1,500 words (per Andy Crestodina)
• Structure with subheads and bolding
I cannot remember
reading any blog
post that I wished
was longer ”
“
6
- Guy Kawasaki

8. 10 tips for a better blog post
7. Use a Rational Approach
• Good writing has logic and structure.
• The structure itself can draw in readers.
7
Beginning middle end

9. 10 tips for a better blog post
8. Show Up
• Half of blogging is consistency
If you want hits, you
need to keep going
up to the plate
and swinging ”
“
- Barry Feldman

10. 10 tips for a better blog post
9. Build Scale
• Write for your audience’s audience. Build scale for your blog
by ensuring that your writing appeals to industry influencers.
9

11. 10 tips for a better blog post
10. Experiment
10
Do something unexpecteD!
Figure out what works for your audience so you can do it again and again, consistently.

12. Experiment. Optimize.
&
have fun!

13. “Move over Strunk & White: Everybody Writes is the
creative resource for a new generation.”
—Andrew Davis
Wage a War
on conTenT
mediocriTy
everybodywrites.com
#everybodywrites