The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations is the membership organisation for Scotland's charities, voluntary organisations and social enterprises. Charity registered in Scotland SC003558. Registered office Mansfield Traquair Centre, 15 Mansfield Place, Edinburgh EH3 6BB.
Top Tips for Blogging
A great blog post should inspire, encourage, motivate and captivate your audience.
Open with a bang |The first paragraph of your post will be the deciding factor. You have one chance to grab your reader’s attention. Try the following:
- Ask a question
- Share an anecdote or quote
- Use an analogy, metaphor or simile
- Cite a shocking statistic
Start with your conclusion | We’ve been trained to save our big reveal for the end, but in a blog your reader wants to know what the point is immediately – the rest of the blog can explain your point
Drive your message home hard and fast | Web readers are lazy and fickle – hook them in fast.
Keep it focused | Make one or two points at the start and stick to them. If you have more to say you may want to consider a series of blogs (talk to the TFN editor about options for this).
Keep in mind your audience and objectives | You are speaking to an audience of one, think about your core reader and speak to them, or imagine it’s your uncle Jim
Write in first person | People respond to people. Many of us have been to uni and have been trained to write as a detached third person. In the world of blogging it’s ok to be a person.
Draw on professional opinion and experience | You’re in your job because you’re an expert in what you do – this is your chance to shine!
Be bold | people love (or love to hate!) blogs that really say something. The best blogs will stir people. You can’t do that by being wish washy. Try adding a persuasive call to action if you have one, or challenge your readers to respond and tell you why they agree/disagree with your points.
Keep it short and concise | Around 500 words is great. Before you send it in remove needless words or phrases and any unnecessary adjectives or adverts that make sentences clunky.
No jargon, acronyms or abbreviations | It’s difficult in the third sector (land of jargon and abbreviations) but remember your reader is not necessarily an expert in your field (yet!)
Create a great headline | The headline will most likely be the deciding factor in whether people click on your blog or not. TFN can help with this, but if you have a great idea, please add it on.
Are you also on social media? | Put your Twitter, Facebook, website credentials at the bottom of the blog so we can flag you up when we promote it and so readers can interact with you. Also include any pictures, videos or multi-media content that might compliment your piece.