{"id":9464,"date":"2022-10-04T15:02:41","date_gmt":"2022-10-04T15:02:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fitpro.com\/blog\/?p=9464"},"modified":"2022-10-04T16:34:19","modified_gmt":"2022-10-04T16:34:19","slug":"writing-blog-posts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fitpro.com\/blog\/writing-blog-posts\/","title":{"rendered":"How do I get started writing a blog post?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Resident FitPro writer and sub editor Aislinn Kelly shares her thoughts on getting started with writing a blog post.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

I\u2019ve been tapping away at the keyboard for years now \u2013 and not all of what I produce is great stuff. I\u2019ve been known to scrap huge swathes of content with one ruthless click of the \u2018delete\u2019 button and start again. Hey, it happens. Don\u2019t beat yourself up about it. Sometimes it\u2019s best to give in and start again, rather than to doggedly power on with a piece that feels clunky and inauthentic.<\/p>\n

So why would I write a blog anyway?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Good question. We already know you\u2019re brilliant at what you do, so why boil your expertise down to a 1,000-word piece on the perfect squat? (Yes, you read it right \u2013 1,000 words is now the recommended minimum length for a blog post. It used to be around 800 words and the new guidelines are good for making your head spin!)<\/p>\n

Having good-quality blog posts linking to your website will help drive traffic to your site. They\u2019ll also demonstrate how knowledgeable you are and give people the confidence to get in touch and book your services. If people feel they already know you a little before they come face-to-face with you, then it ramps up the comfort factor for something that can be quite daunting for many people. Blog posts can also get you noticed \u2013 if you\u2019re the master of a fine blog and you drop us a line at FitPro<\/a> with a content idea, it gives us something to go on and, hey, maybe we\u2019ll sign you up! Seriously, we always love to hear from you guys, so hop on over and say hello.<\/p>\n

Enough of the flirting \u2013 back to the science bit \u2026<\/p>\n

Where will I find inspiration for my blog posts?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

If you\u2019re anything like me, you\u2019ll be plagued in the middle of the night by ideas, snippets of content and random craziness that choose to pop into your brain when your brain should be sleeping. Oh yes, being a writer is a real sleep stealer. Don\u2019t allow this night-time blast of inspiration to get the better of you. Even though it feels like such a drag, scribble your thoughts down in a notebook. Or, if you\u2019re like me, pull up the voice recorder and speak into your phone. This way, when you hear your thoughts back the next day, you can feel the energy in your ideas coming through your voice. Works for me, anyway (even if does go against all the advice to never look at your phone overnight).<\/p>\n

Take inspiration from your clients (but always ask permission to use their stories if you\u2019re going to refer to them directly). What challenges have your clients overcome with your help? How did you approach those challenges? There is a wealth of inspiration to be found within the people you meet every day. Keep a little notebook handy for any flashes of brilliance throughout the day.<\/p>\n

Check out the latest trends. Get on google and see what everyone else is harping on about \u2013 then either take your own spin on a popular subject you know people are interested in (never plagiarise) or, if you\u2019re that way inclined, head in the opposite direction to bring added originality to your blog posts.<\/p>\n

Remember, the world is your classroom and everyone is your teacher. So start listening.<\/p>\n

How do I go about writing my blog post?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

First of all, if you\u2019re not feeling it \u2013 if you\u2019re sitting at the laptop, fingers poised, and there\u2019s nothing flowing down to your fingertips \u2013 abandon the task (unless you have an urgent deadline \u2013 then you\u2019re just going to have to take some deep breaths and start writing!). There is no point wasting precious minutes fretting over your empty head. Just get up and go and do something else. I can guarantee that, if you have the subject in mind, there will come a moment in your day when the language starts to flow. Then you hit the keyboard (or the voice recorder, depending on where you are) and let it flow.<\/p>\n

If you don\u2019t have time to abandon the task \u2013 or you\u2019re someone who has a methodical mind \u2013 you could try mindmapping your ideas. Grab a blank sheet of paper and your favourite pen and write the topic in the middle, ringing it with a big circle. Then start to write your key thoughts around the main topic, linking them with a line to the centre circle. From those key thoughts, go into more detail, linking those details to your key thoughts with a line. Once you\u2019ve got all your main points scribbled down, use that to plan your piece and structure it. You\u2019ll soon find the blog post is almost writing itself.<\/p>\n

Choose a header that incorporates your key word or words (here, we\u2019re going for \u2018blog\u2019, in case you hadn\u2019t noticed). Then, in your standfirst (that\u2019s the intro paragraph at the start) make sure your key word appears there too. Try and get your key word into as many as subheads as you can as well. It all helps with that alien thing they call SEO.<\/p>\n

My grammar and spelling aren\u2019t great \u2013 help!<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Don\u2019t panic \u2013 while I may point out spelling mistakes on restaurant menus to my husband, most people aren\u2019t sad like that. Most people will cut you some slack if you put an apostrophe in its at the wrong moment. The world of blog writing is fast paced. Today\u2019s blog is tomorrow\u2019s chip paper \u2026 or something like that. So, sure, try to get it as correct as possible but don\u2019t spend an inordinate amount of time doing so. Ask a friend you trust to read through it and pick out any glaring errors. Use spell check. Use search engines \u2013 there are loads of free resources online to help you check your grammar. A quick google is all it takes.<\/p>\n

And, if you\u2019re a terrible typist, why not check out the Dictate function on Word<\/a>? Speak into it and it literally types it up for you. Say \u201cfull stop\u201d and \u201ccomma\u201d and it\u2019ll whack those in for you too. Genius. Of course, if you have a Yorkshire twang like me, you may have to tweak your accent so it understands you, but flipping heck, what a find that is for the slow typists among us! (Do go back and read it through though \u2013 you\u2019re going to need to do a little bit of editing. It\u2019s not perfect.)<\/p>\n

How do I keep up the momentum for my blog?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Ah yes, that old chestnut: you start a blog because you have a great idea for a blog post. But that\u2019s just it. You have a great idea. As in one idea. Just the one. It\u2019s fabulous but it\u2019s lonely. How do you keep up the momentum?<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t overstretch yourself. Don\u2019t decide to rattle off two blogs a week, start strong and then, by the end of the month, find you\u2019re writing about what your dog had for tea in the absence of anything else. One brilliant, well-thought-out blog a month is worth a hundred dogs\u2019 dinners. Start slowly. Build up. Kind of like how you approach a PT session.<\/p>\n

Plan your content ideas in advance \u2013 know what you\u2019re going to focus on in three or four blogs\u2019 time. Then, if inspiration strikes for a blog you have planned for three weeks\u2019 time, you can get ahead. If you\u2019re having a day where the words won\u2019t stop coming, you can get ahead. It\u2019s also a good idea to have an emergency blog in your back pocket \u2013 something you\u2019ve written that you can pull out at any time when the brain won\u2019t co-operate. Your readers will be none-the-wiser and you\u2019ll have eased the pressure on yourself.<\/p>\n

You are your biggest asset<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Remember that you are, for sure, your biggest asset. People choose you because they like you \u2013 sure, you\u2019re great at what you do, you know your stuff but, hey, if they didn\u2019t like you, they sure as hell wouldn\u2019t feel comfortable sweating away in your presence. So make sure you get some of that gorgeous personality in there. Don\u2019t reduce yourself to facts and figures, references (don\u2019t forget the references by the way \u2013 always credit other people\u2019s work if you refer to it) and dry instructions. Be authentically you. If you\u2019re outrageous, be a little outrageous (not offensive, mind!); if you\u2019re theatrical, throw in some jazz hands once in a while; if you\u2019re a fact fiend, go hard with the facts \u2013 just do it with a twinkle in your eye. People buy from people.<\/p>\n

When you put thoughts to paper (screen, whatever), you\u2019re putting yourself out there. It\u2019s a little nerve-racking. A little piece of you has just gone live, for anyone to see. But the main thing to remember is that other people\u2019s perceptions of you aren\u2019t your business. If someone chooses to be rude, that\u2019s their problem. Scroll on. And keep writing.<\/p>\n

It may seem like a daunting task if you\u2019ve never written a piece to go public before. But, honestly, what\u2019s the worst that can happen? You may just find you enjoy it. You may find it helps to consolidate your own learning. You may even find it secures you a few clients.<\/p>\n

And if you got this far, thanks for reading my take on how to write a blog. And hit us up in the comments \u2013 what would you love to write about?<\/p>\n

Author Bio:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Aislinn<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Aislinn Kelly<\/strong> is a writer, editor and proofreader and has been with\u00a0FitPro for 13 years. She is also a mum to two young children. As a freelancer, she can be contacted at thompsonandkelly@gmail.com<\/a><\/p>\n

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We thought you might also like to check out another popular blog post – this time on ‘how to read research papers’ from Sarah Bolitho – go check it out<\/a>!<\/p>\n

How to read research papers<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n