Characteristics of successful blog posts
Structure:
Title – something catchy and interesting
1st paragraph – tell the reader what you will be discussing
Following paragraphs – develop this point; have a topic sentence per paragraph to guide your
reader.
Ending – You must speak TO the reader and lure them into returning, i.e. “Chat next week when I
will be discussing XYZ”
Style:
Blogs are a genre which has no set conventions or characteristics.
The style, tone, content, purpose and audience of a blog are as diverse as they come.
There can be blogs that are similar to diary entries, blogs that discuss fashion, blogs that discuss
education, blogs that discuss Hollywood actors and blogs that discuss medical treatments.
However, there are a few basic characteristics that are the same in each of the above blog types.
Some general characteristics:
They have the date and the bloggers name
They use personal pronouns such as ‘I’
They are either objective or subjective
They have a strong sense of voice (you get an idea of what the writer’s personality, beliefs and
opinions are)
They have a strong sense of audience (the writer talks to you as the reader)
They make use of creative writing techniques such as figurative language, etc.
Be descriptive, SHOW don’t tell
They have a clear focus
They may contain images, graphics, graphs, etc.
6 characteristics of a successful blog:
1. They are pertinent: Relevance should be your number one priority when writing a blog post. Know
your audience and gauge what will be important to them.
2. Include useful information: It’s not enough that a blog post be relevant to a subject. It also needs to
be useful and important information. You blog should aim to help and educate its audience,
offering something they can take away. People appreciate information they can do something with.
3. Make it engaging: A blog post must be well-written. It’s not enough to have perfect grammar and
spelling; it needs to be personal, interesting, and interactive. Try and let your personality shine
through in your writing. Don’t be afraid to write in a conversational tone. Personal stories and
anecdotes are a great way to make a blog post more engaging.
4. Spark discussion: This goes along with engaging your reader. It is extremely important to generate
as much conversation and discussion as possible in your blog. Ask for feedback, thoughts, opinions,
or even just comments. Include a call to action at the end to garner a response.
5. Keep it readable: This isn’t prose, so keeps your thoughts succinct and to the point. Bullets, lists,
graphs and images are a great way to make sure your content is easy to read. Always preview your
work before you publish.
6. Appropriate Length: This is a bit trickier. Some say good blog posts should hover right around 500
words. If you can write a well thought out, complete article in 400 words, that’s great. In the end, as
long as you offer quality, pertinent information in a readable and engaging manner consistently
your blog should do well.
