Writing Original content for your blog is important nowadays. You can’t rehash the same old stuff from other blogs. This is a guest post by Tim Handorf, who writes on the topics of online colleges and is sharing with us today Tips On How to Write Original Blogs.
Part of maintaining a successful blog means writing fresh, original content on a regular basis. Just think about the blogs you follow regularly, and ask yourself why you follow that particular blog rather than other blogs of the same genre.
Chances are the reason you follow certain blogs is because something about the blogger’s unique style of writing appeals to you — it stands out from the crowd.
So why is it that many blogs you see these days only copy the ideas of another blogger?
One of the worst offenses in the blogging world is bloggers who make a regular habit of linking back to another blog, regurgitating what someone else’s blog already said, and calling it a day.
In my experience, blogs that claim to report on celebrity life are the worst culprits when it comes to copycat blogging.
While it is at times useful to re-route readers to a well-written point by another blogger, this should be the exception and not the rule.
Here we will explore some tips for writing original blog posts:
• Recognize When a Certain Topic is Overdone
When you are throwing around a blog idea in your head, do a little Google search and see how much has already been written about the topic.
If you see endless blogs exploring that same topic, choose a different idea or find a new slant on your original idea. For instance, if you manage a food blog and wanted to write about how to make a certain food and find that tons of blogs have done the same thing, consider writing the article on how to plate and present the dinner you were considering making, or maybe how you modified the recipe to your liking.
• If You Do Link to & Comment on Another Blog, Don’t Rehash
Nobody needs a play-by-play of a blog that’s already been written. Be sure to add your original thoughts about the blog you are linking to, or expound on how you have personally put the advice of the other blogger to good use.
• Choose Topics That Are Specific To You, & Your Expertise
The more you blog about your own personal experiences, the less you take the risk of sounding just like somebody else.
For instance, if you write a blog on the topic of personal finance, you could share how you personally got out of debt, quirky habits you put into practice to spend less money, the dynamics of how you and your spouse handle money, etc.
Remember: No one else lives in your shoes but you, and your readers want to hear how real individuals become successful in different aspects of life, and how they can apply that advice to themselves.
• Spend Time Writing Blogs
Unless you happen to be very lucky, good ideas don’t just come quickly out of thin air. If you begin to see that you are spending a mere 15-20 minutes on blogs and not putting any real effort into them, then you need to re-evaluate your blog strategy.
When you give yourself too little time to blog, you end up with the temptation to steal another blogger’s idea for a quick post on your own blog.
• Make A List
It’s a good idea for you to carry a notebook around with you when you are out and about so you can jot down blog ideas as they come to you and not forget about them. In fact, when you are about to write a blog, it is a good idea to write or type out a list of original angles you can take on old, worn-out ideas before you start blogging.
• Recruit Guest Posters
Some days the well of blog ideas will simply run dry. That’s why it’s important to build contacts and relationships with fellow bloggers (or expert friends) who can send a fresh guest post to you every now and then. Just be aware that guest posting is a two-way street; if you ask for someone to send you a blog, be prepared to write blogs for them when they need help.
The Bottom Line
Nobody wants to read blogs on topics that have already been written about a thousand times. Find a way to come up with more original content and stay away from the bad habit of linking to other people’s blogs only to write about same thing they did.
Share your comments on the importance of writing original blog content by writing on the great comment form below.
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This is some great info right here. You cant just take an article you just wrote and put it up on your blog. Then the content used over and over. It might save you time but your information is used and boring. Good info keep it up
Great article, the point I liked the most is we must google about the topic we are goin to write if you want to write a new unique topic.
A combination of Google and copycat detector just like Copyscape.com will surely help you to avoid plagiarism issue. Anyone here using Copyscape?
I think if we’re practice the thing that we are plan to write, even same topic will be different with the other. For example, if someone writing about autoblog amazon and i do the same, the article will have the different style based on writer experiences. Don’t make an article (especially tutorial) when you not practice it by yourself.
you make a great point. People have different writing styles but you still don’t want to sound like a broken record repeating things that have already been said.
In that case, we should work smart to make the article still interesting. If people writing about “BlackBerry reviews”, you can try to make “Blackberry reviews and comparation”. A lot of idea outside there 😛
I think the point “spend time writing blogs” is very accurate. If you don’t have the time to research and get inspiration for writing, simply rehashing someone else’s material seems like an easy way out. And to also to write personal like you said, the personal blogs are the most interesting to read.
Those are some strong suggestions you have given there Tim. Plagiarism should definitely be avoided at all costs. Making a basic research on Google takes just a minute of everyone’s time but it is well worth it. Being unique is really what pays in the blogging world.
I agree that guest posting is a very very good way of having a fresh article into your site whenever you cannot write your own (due to circumstances like you don’t have any to write about at the moment or you’re simply too busy to attend to your blog). Also, if you have a topic in mind, you need to spend time researching about it, how vast the topic really is or how many sites already have that kind of topic. Adding personal thoughts and also a bit of humor will make the article more interesting for readers.
Not writing about an overdone topic is very important and I think a lot of bloggers fail to realize that there is no set time period for this. For example, in the last 12 hours, I have read about 20 different posts on changes that Google may be making today. It got old or became overdone after the 2nd or third article I read, even though the information is new. Bloggers need to take a little time to research what has already been written to ensure that they are not just rehashing what someone else has said.
I believe in guest posting too. Its the best way to get a genuine traffic by proving the quality of content 🙂
Cheers.
If you are passionate about your niche then you will research thoroughly and make sure what you write about is relevant to your blog. I love writing but I do spend a lot of time researching to make sure I have all the facts before I write. Especially if I am reporting on someone else’s results such as medical trials for a specific area in my niche. It takes time to write a quality post but well worth it for the visitors to my site. Great post and very pertinent for those of us starting out on our blogging journey.
Patricia Perth Austrlia
I never would’ve thought about it this way unless Id run into your blog. Thanks for putting it up. I hope you have great success.