How to write an incredible blog

Blogs have evolved since the journal-type formats Millennials often think of. It’s not just about documenting an idea or event (although it can be).

The top UK bloggers discuss everything from fashion, cars, travelling to news.

Promoty says that nearly one out of three British people read the content regularly – that’s an astonishing audience to capture. The site lists some of the top UK ones. These include Zoella, the lifestyle and YouTuber influencer; Tim Burton’s Schmee150 on cars; and Joe Wicks, thebodycoach.com on fitness.

Within the charitable sector, the top blogs discuss issues related to the purpose. Cancer Research UK’s outlet merges data, insight, and politics. JustGiving, highlights success stories, fundraising tips and shares inspiration.

Taking stock of how blogs tap into large audience numbers, knowing how to write and produce one can increase reach.

Know your audience

Most charities will already know exactly who their target audience is. When producing a blog, follow the same steps for audience segmentation. HubSpot agrees. They suggest developing personas. The blog’s content, voice, and media cater to these fictitious audience members.

Brainstorm an idea

Thinking about an idea is one of the trickiest parts of devising a blog. Reviewing some of the most successful ones, the scope tends to be broad. Content creators will want to be able to branch out into tangents, so don’t focus solely on purpose and mission.

Allow subscriptions

Design content around RSS and feed subscriptions. Plan for multiple buttons or links to add to personal feeds. Ensure that your outlet is compatible with both RSS and Atom.

Content is king

Gone are the days of boring text and diary writing. Blogs have rich content, video, graphics and links. Checking out JustGiving’s feed, there are flashy headers and custom images for each article. This makes the blog engaging.

Update frequently

Plan to post content regularly. Checking out Age UK’s blog, they have something new around twice a week. Remember that subscribers will be receiving news direct to their front page or mobile device, so no need to overwhelm them daily.

Titles matter

Feed and avid readers will skim the title before digging deeper into an article. Wix, the e-commerce platform says drafting a title is easy: “All you need to do is keep the following points in mind: clarity, specificity and offering an answer or solution.”

To get started, Wix have offered tantalising titles like:

• Create a powerful landing page in under an hour
• 20 Best Time Management Apps

Our top tip here is to start with a list. List toppers often generate the most traffic and are easy to write.

Optimise for SEO

“Keywords are a driving force behind SEO,” says Charity Digital’s Ioan Marc Jones. Google’s algorithm favours quality content. To keep near the top of the search list, use keywords in the title, standfirst, URL, and meta descriptions. Avoid repeating similar articles, as that will decrease the blog’s ranking.

Highlight the main topics

Most blogs will have sub-discussions. Use tags and categories to pull out the main keywords. Cats Protection UK organises content in an exemplary fashion. On their blog, they show readers exactly what the tags and categories are. There’s also a filter function where the main topics can be pulled out from.

Use accessible language

Language counts for a lot when writing en masse. To capture the largest audience groups, use simple, non-technical words. Someone with no experience with charities or the mission should be able to read and engage.

Avoid language errors

Remember that charity blogs are still professional outlets. Content needs to be tight and error free. Online grammar, spelling and language tools help take away the pain of proof reading. Our top suggestions are Hemmingway and Grammerly.

Create a calendar

Plan to post according to your calendar to avoid scrambling for content. Use holidays, fundraising events, and wider charitable dates (Giving Tuesday etc) to anchor news. For larger teams, a social media management platform will be invaluable to organising all outlets. 

Host guest writers

New writers offer diversity and perspective to audiences. Charities can also capitalise on the guest’s own audiences and followers. Authors don’t have to be industry experts – they can also include beneficiaries and mission-aligned members.

Be consistent in style and content

Last, with all content, make sure that media conforms to the charity’s digital strategy and content guidelines. The strategy should mention the format of posts, images, video, language and tone. Looking at the bigger picture, readers should be able to expect when posts are online and the charity’s position on issues. The look and feel should be consistent – the same size images, text, and syntax.