As a copywriter I’ve been assigned some blogs that are fairly technical in nature. This is something we’re quite familiar with! Between satisfying our clients’ needs and keeping their audience in mind, we know there’s a lot to think about outside of the writing itself. Through our experience, we’ve developed four best practices we consider during our writing process to produce the perfect blog article that is both easy to digest and informative.
1. Align on the Angle
Before the writing process begins, there should be a clear idea of the focus of the piece. When it comes to technical writing, there are often many angles you can take, so aligning on the key takeaway and the proof points that lead the reader to that conclusion are critical. It can also be helpful to search for trending keywords to guide the angle of your article.
Whether we’re publishing to a blog or a social site like LinkedIn, we take this time to form an outline. You have the power to decide an angle for yourself but staying organized and true to the purpose of the piece is crucial for cohesive writing. Start with a short outline and expand from there!
2. Sort out Your Sources
When writing a technical blog, there is often a need for outside research. If we are assigned a piece about an unfamiliar topic, or we think the piece could be amplified with statistics or supporting evidence, we are sure to cite the sources we used. However, just any source won’t always work. When possible, we try to link to another article or landing page from our own client’s site. This way, we’re not sending our readers to a possible competitor.
We do keep track of how many sources we’re citing in one blog, though. While including citations can boost credibility, too many links can become distracting and take away from the voice of the piece. We ask ourselves: ‘Is this source going to be a valuable and insightful addition to my own work?’
3. Getting an Expert Opinion
While preparing to write a technical blog, we occasionally find it might require very in-depth research or off-site citing. This is always a good time to consider turning the piece into an interview or leveraging an expert’s opinion. This way, we minimize referencing too many outside sources and simply bring the expertise to us.
An added benefit of presenting a topic as an interview is that it gives the reader a more human, authentic experience. If they can read the technical blog as a conversation, they can feel that the expert is explaining the topic directly to them. This can make it feel exclusive, like we’re providing the “inside scoop!”
4. Don’t get TOO Technical
Lastly, beware of getting too technical in an explanation of a subject. Keep in mind how much the target audience might know already and how much background they might need. There are going to be different levels of understanding. But we know we’re not writing for ourselves or even the client, we’re writing for the reader. If the target audience is likely well-informed, then we have room to go deep into a topic. If not, we’re sure to explain things that need explaining in more detail, and maybe even leave out information that is too complicated and not really necessary. Plus, there’s always the opportunity to nudge readers to contact customer support, which could generate a sale or valuable leads for the business.
Build Your Readership
In the end, knowing our takeaway and executing it clearly helps us ensure that the audience isn’t more confused by the end of the piece. The reader should have greater confidence in his or her own knowledge of the subject. If we can gain the reader’s trust, they will come back in the future. And isn’t that the goal?
Let’s Create Together!
Interested in learning more about how you can streamline your writing process and reach your marketing goals? Drop us a line at info@againinteractive.com. Your success is how we measure ours.
