Jeweller - July, Edition I 2020

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How to create outstanding blog content
It can be tough and time-consuming to generate fresh, original content for websites and blogs that will engage your
readers without being repetitive. BETH WALKER shares strategies that can help the process.
One of the hardest things about running
a blog for your company or website is
trying to come up with good topics for
your articles, especially when you don’t
have much time.
The instinct may be to skip publishing
but that’s not best because frequency
matters when it comes to blogs.
By utilising these five essential actions,
you can create outstanding blog content
consistently and still stick to your
publishing schedule.
Crappy first draft
American novelist Anne Lamott is famous
for promoting bad first drafts.
Her point is that you just need to get
something on paper.
“Writers write” is a quote I hear or
read at least once a day because it is a
crucial device that writers use to remind
themselves that their job is to, well, write.
My first drafts often take on an outline
form – I’ll consider the title and keywords
I need to target and, as I research, I’ll pull
out the ideas I want to highlight.
Once I determine the sections and
flow, I can start in the middle of an
article even when the introduction isn’t
coming together.
The point of the crappy first draft is to get
some words written.
You may delete them all later, but at least
you’ll have started!
Walk away
After you get something down, walk a
way. This might seem counterproductive,
but I promise that it works.
When writer’s block strikes, I’ll
sometimes take an actual walk. Getting
outside and doing something active
seems to be a perfect method for
inspiring new perspective and thoughts.
Use tools
While no tool is perfect, automated
grammar software program Grammarly
is my go-to tool so that everything I
write is checked by a second set of ‘eyes’
before I hit publish.
The free version of the tool is helpful
tool to catch spelling, punctuation and
My first drafts
often take on
an outline form
– I’ll consider
the title and
keywords I need
to target and,
as I research,
I’ll pull out the
ideas I want
to highlight
grammar mistakes, but the paid version
goes even further.
For example, Grammarly often highlights
that my drafts are “wordy”. This isn’t
surprising to me, but it is a gentle
reminder for me to edit my work to
improve clarity.
However, I don’t turn Grammarly on when
writing my first or second drafts.
I’ll turn it on once I’m on my final review
so that I can consider any suggestions
and edit accordingly. After this, I do one
final read-through before sending my
content to a proofreader.
Use a proofreader
As writers, we can find ourselves feeling
defensive about the editing process, but
the reality is that developing outstanding
content requires editing.
Even when you have a great handle
on your audience, it’s still important
to make sure that your ideas are
communicated clearly.
Remember that you’ve been focusing
on your article for several hours or even
54 | July 2020