Boring. It’s arguably the most offensive word you can use to describe some one’s writing. I don’t mind if people disagree with me, but don’t call me boring!
Unfortunately all too often that’s what blog posts are, and no one wants to read boring.
Here are some tips to make sure you aren’t losing readers to boredom!
ah-ha! Make sure that some where in your post you have an ah-ha moment. You need something unexpected in your post or readers will have no reason to share it. If you post “10 things to take with you to the beach this Summer” and only cover things like towel, sunscreen and a swimsuit, you give your readers no reason to share your content, and quite frankly no reason to come back to your blog.
Instead, offer them tips they haven’t heard yet, like those water proof beach tattoos for kids that have your phone number on them in case a kiddo wanders off. Or the idea to bring an inflatable pool to the beach for your toddler to play in so she doesn’t get covered in sand all day. Give them posts taht make them go “wow!” and “I need to share this with my friend, she’d love to hear this advice!” and “I wonder what else this blogger has tips about!”
Easy to read – This is more about design than writing, but it GREATLY affects your writing so it’s worth saying. Your words are EVERYTHING as a blogger. Don’t cover them with popups (why would I want to subscribe to your list or follow you on Facebook, when I haven’t even read your content?), don’t use fancy fonts that make it hard to read, and DON’T use crazy background or font colors that make it hard to look at your site for any length of time. Stand out because of your words, and even the things that surround your words, but make sure your content can be viewed and easily understood above all else.
Make sure that you use lots of white space. Break long paragraphs up into shorter ones so they are easier to read. It’s true that people are okay with reading large blocks of text in a print book, but that is a lot more difficult to do when looking at a screen, so it’s a simple way you can encourage people to stay on your site longer, and read more of your content.
Make your point clear. Don’t let the point of your post get lost in details. Have a clear message that you are trying to communicate and re-read your post to be sure that message comes across in a concise way for your readers. Remember that you don’t have to cover every last angle of your topic in one blog post. Figure out what YOU are trying to say and don’t worry that there could be 10 other angles that could be covered as well. OR, if you have more to say, cover another angle in another post and link to it in the bottom of your first.
When in doubt, take it out. Be a brutal editor for yourself. If you aren’t sure if something is relevant to the story, or if it will be understood by your readers, just chop that part out.
Don’t talk down to people. Make sure that you are phrasing your posts as if you are talking with an equal, not some one that is “beneath” you. Using regular language, and being open to other opinions are two great ways you can avoid this.
What about you? What makes writing come off as boring in your opinion? Share with us in the comments!
If you are looking for more writing tips, I highly recommend On Writing Well (Affiliate). It’s an old book, but has a lot to offer!
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