Freelance Business Writing

In a future post I plan to discuss how you can come up with ideas for your blog posts. In this post, I’ll provide some general pointers about writing a post.

First of all, there is the title. Remember that every blog post becomes a separate URL (Web page). As such, it is searchable and “index-able” by search engines. To help your posts rank higher, try to use keywords in your title. See how mine uses the phrase “blog marketing”? That title will hopefully capture people looking for information on blogs and marketing.

Unlike most business writing, blogs are meant to have an informal tone. That may present challenges to you as a blogger, since you are likely used to writing in a kind of bland, non-confrontational, non-controversial, formal style. Not that I am suggesting you be confrontational or controversial in your business blog – not at all. But you should try to show a little personality in your posts.

Decide on a tone for your blog when you first set it up. The tone depends in large part on the type of business you run. Someone who runs a party planning business for kids, and who is aiming their blog at parents looking for birthday party ideas, will want a tone that conveys energy and fun. Someone who runs a spa and wants to talk to clients about new treatments and trends will likely use a softer tone that shows some authority with and knowledge of the subject matter.

The vocabulary you use can really affect the tone of your posts. Do not use a lot of long words and esoteric terms if you are aiming to speak to a general audience. See what I mean? Words like “esoteric” do not generally belong in your blog posts. Unless you are a writer who wants to show off her expansive vocabulary. (I’m kidding of course)

No matter the tone, try to use a conversational style. A blog is really intended to be a conversation with your customers, and you should write as though you are speaking directly to them.

If you are having trouble coming up with the right tone, or if you feel your writing is not so great, look around your business and see if anyone you work with might be willing to write the posts. Or check with your local college or university to see if anyone in a journalism or copywriting course might be able to write you some posts for a nominal fee or for a “byline” that would give them some writing experience. You may even be able to talk a professional freelance writer into a barter arrangement, whereby they write you some posts and you exchange your products or service (but I’m not naming any names).