Blog Writing Guidelines

Rules of the road for writing a great blog post.

1. Creativity is Key
Pick a topic related to your business or expertise, then give it a fun and interesting twist.

2. Simplicity Rules
Think of a blog as a fun and engaging conversation with someone who isn’t an expert and
is looking for guidance. Your company is investing in writing blogs to create a connection or
touchpoint with a prospective client, and you are the expert and resource to help them.

3. Know Your Audience

Think of who your ideal reader is. Consider the topic and how it relates to your reader’s
needs, wants, dreams, fears, etc. Think about why they would want to read the blog post and
what they want to learn from it. Connect with an emotion, life event, or relevant topic that will
resonate with your audience for bonus points.

4. Have a Good Conversation

Writing in a conversational tone will make you feel more genuine and human. Plus, if you write
how you would normally speak, ideas tend to flow more easily, and the writing is typically
better. The last thing you want to do is distance yourself from the reader and risk them
missing out on the message.

5. Use Sub-Headings
Breaking up information is key, as it makes the information easier to digest and scan. Call out
a key topic or takeaway of that paragraph and make it a header.

6. Bite the Bullet Points

Whenever you can break up the text with a list or set of bullet points, you should do it. Any
lists, tips, or information you want to call attention to - put it in bullet format if possible.
It allows the reader to consume information a bit differently than they would a robust
paragraph.

12110 Sunset Hills Road, Suite 600 | Reston, VA 20190

Management | Branding | Marketing | HR | Workplace Services info@stellapop.com | 703-956-3022
BLOG WRITING GUIDELINES

7. Write Purposefully and Naturally

The key to blogging is consistently producing relevant content. This will help organically
increase (with Google) the total volume of contextual information your brand is known for.
So, keep writing about what you know, what you do, and how your approach adds value to
client’s goals. Write naturally and often, and the volume of contextual keywords will natively
build as a part of that writing process.

8. Establish Expertise
The purpose of a blog is to add value to customers, not to sell something. Think of yourself
as a subject matter expert and use the blog to establish expertise in your industry or on
a particular topic. Showcase scenarios, provide insight into industry trends, report on new
technology or specific events related to the industry.

9. Write About What Matters to Ideal Clients

Don’t fall into the trap of writing about what’s important to the company. Think about what
your audience wants to read about, and cater to that. Aim to produce timeless or “evergreen”
content, which has a long shelf-life and will apply to the potential or current clients in
the future. Blog posts that speak with a human voice to the top goals, opportunities and
challenges of their ideal audience are seen as trustworthy, insightful and connected.

10. Short & Sweet Paragraphs

Since our brains absorb and retain information better when ideas are broken into small
chunks, be sure to use shorter paragraphs. In other types of writing, each paragraph expands
on one idea and can include many sentences. In blogging, the approach is less formal, and
paragraphs may be as short as a single sentence or even a single word in some cases.

11. Short & Sweet Sentences

Keep sentences short for the same reason you’d keep paragraphs short: to make it easier for
the viewer to read and understand.

12. Keep it Simple

Since your purpose is to communicate and not sell or impress, simple words work better than
big ones. The exception: use longer words if the meaning is so specific that there is no other
word to use.

12110 Sunset Hills Road, Suite 600 | Reston, VA 20190

Management | Branding | Marketing | HR | Workplace Services info@stellapop.com | 703-956-3022