Do you wish more people would read and share your blog posts? Watch what happens when you take a few simple steps to create higher quality content.
#1 Replace passive language
Want tighter, more impactful writing? Replace passive verbs with active verbs. In a recent post, Lynn Gaertner-Johnston challenges readers to see how quickly they can eliminate the passive verbs from 10 sentences.
While active writing is typically more clear, direct and concise, Lynn also identifies four times when passive verbs work as well as or better than active verbs.
Take Lynn’s challenge: How Fast Can You Change Passive Verbs?
#2 Write with conviction
Do you take the wind out of your writing by adding disclaimers? Business rebel Ash Ambridge echoes something my sister Ruth said early on as my editor – “It’s your writing; we already know what you think.”
Ambridge continues,”Prefacing a statement with ‘I think’ sounds like you’re asking permission for your thoughts.” As an entrepreneur it’s common to sometimes feel like an imposter or like nothing you write will add value to the sea of information out there.
Sound familiar? Here are some suggestions:
Read Ash’s post: Starting a Sentence With “In My Opinion” is Bad for Business. Here’s Why.
Get bossy with your blog.
Write (and speak) with conviction.
SlamNation – Taylor Mali – "Like Totally Whatever" from DevlinPix on Vimeo.
#3 Proofread
As powerful and convincing as your writing may be, writing and publishing errors can repel people before they receive your message.
While you can always edit a blog post later, it’s well worth taking a few moments to proofread before you publish.
Ideally, walk away from the post for a few hours or a few days. It’s amazing what you’ll notice when you see it again with fresh eyes. Just watch out! Since you know what you meant to say, your eyes will trick you into seeing that. Read the post out loud to catch these tricks, and use this five-step readability checklist.
How you do anything is how you do everything. When you commit to writing well, you show the world the quality of your services, your business, and your character.
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