So useful content is king, and we need to provide it consistently. But how? And what if writing isn’t our strong suit? I always find that writing tips, guides, and productivity hacks score high in the interest scale of ProBlogger readers. These were the five most-read posts this year.
1. 6 Lessons in Writing Irresistibly Magnetic Blog Post Headlines
We all know headlines are what can make or break your post: if your headline sucks, people just won’t read. This post has six ways to nail it, every time.
Image via Flickr user Dan Patterson
2. 9 Crucial Tips for Self-Editing Your Blog Posts (That Everybody Can Use)
Tend to waffle? you won’t after reading these super-easy tips.
3. How to Repurpose Your Content (and Why You Should do it)
Darren gives us a hefty post filled with great ideas on ways to take what you’ve already written and package it anew. A very effective use of resources.
4. 15 Quick and Easy Productivity Hacks for Busy Bloggers
We all waste time – Pooja shows us how to cut out the crap so we can make the most use of the time we have.
Image via Flickr user Toni Birrer
5. In a Blog Slump? Here’s what to do
When you’ve lost your writing mojo, everyone is succeeding but you, and you feel like throwing your laptop out the window – these are my top tips to get back in the game and feel the love again.
So what about you? I’m willing to bet you’ve slumped at least one time in 2014. What was the best writing tip you picked up this year?
Stacey is the Managing Editor of ProBlogger.net: a writer, blogger, and full-time word nerd balancing it all with being a stay-at-home mum. She writes about all this and more at Veggie Mama. Chat with her on Twitter @veggie_mama (cat pictures welcome!).
Thanks Stacey.
You guys are such an inspiration to the blogging community. I have been reading your stuff since 2007.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Very kind of you, thank you!
It’s always a good idea to repurpose content simply because it reminds people who can’t find your content that informative content on your site is still there. It’s also a great way for you, the blogger-affiliate marketer to stay relevant in Bing, Google, YaHoO!, and fresh in people’s minds.
I totally agree.
All these posts were great but my favorite was Crucial Tips for Self-Editing Your Blog Posts (That Everybody Can Use). After going through it, I realized mistakes I have been making, trying to edit a lot while writing and also editing the entire content immediately after completing. I always found whenever I edited after some time, I came across more mistakes not only grammatical and also in style and tone.
I think editing after leaving it for a bit is super-important. Editing as you go only slows you down!
Hi Stacey.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, too!
I really like the post Ali Luke wrote about editing your writing. As both a writer and an editor, it’s often hard to turn my inner editor “off” when I write!
I’ve found a solution, however: write blindfolded.
It’s very freeing! Have you ever tried doing this?
No! I’ve never heard of that! Is that so you don’t fix your typos as you go?
Yes! I have an obsessive need for perfection and when I type, I watch the screen to ensure that no errors occur. The backspace button used to get hit more than any other button! LOL Now, I’ve improved my typing skills. I also have forced myself to write using two processes: writing and editing (instead of editing while writing).
hi, this post is very nice , i like your post thanks.
Stacey, thanks so much for writing this – incredibly helpful and very kind of you to condense it all in one place. Going into my Pocket for repeated reference for sure! Just love the Edit Ruthlessly image – think that one’s destined for our IG. Happy New Year and thanks for sharing, Eric.
Such an inspirating and professional post, thank you!
That is truly a great collection of tips!
Masterpiece, I have started Self-Editing my blog posts and getting awesome results.
Thank you.
Hi Stacey
Thanks for this collection of tips and articles on blog writing.
One of the things that often strikes me about blog writing is that it forgets how it is going to be read.
Blogs, like all web content, are scanned rather than read.
So short sentences, bullet points, images to break up the text, pithy paragraphs and plenty of formating to signpost, but not confuse, the eye.
There’s a useful guide that goes into this in more detail here: nexusdp.co.uk/web-copywriting-made-simple/
Hope you find it as useful as the rest of the info in your collection of articles.
Robyn