Craft a Better School Blog Post with These 5 Quick Edits

MAKE YOUR HEADLINE YOUR BEST LINE

I always write my headlines first. And my first headlines are always the worst.

Writing the headline first helps me formulate my blog post concept. However, a lot can change during the writing process. Which means by the time I’ve completed a post, my initial headline is never as compelling as the content I just crafted with care. It needs to be reworked with diligent focus before it’s ready to publish.

If you write like I do, top to bottom, I guarantee that your headline needs more attention once your article is written. Don’t skip this critical step! Because if no one is reading your headline, no one is reading your article.

SHORTEN SENTENCES

For some reason, short sentences scare a lot of us writer folks. We like to string ideas together with ands and therefores and in additions. It’s as if we expect our readers to be too lazy to make the leap from period to new idea.

But short sentences are bold. Exciting. They give your writing an energy and a bounce that is essential online.

So read through your post. Are there sentences that can be split in two – or three? Can you cut out words that aren’t necessary? Is there a shorter way to explain the same idea? Be ruthless with your editing! Slash, slash, slash!

ADD SUBHEADS AND BULLETS

When I open a blog post (or an email!) and all I see is a wall of text, I immediately question whether or not I absolutely need to read it.

Reading feels more like a chore than a pursuit when the content format is not user-friendly, so break up that wall with subheads and bullets.

Subheads are a great way to engage readers and move them through your content. They give your readers the key takeaways from your article, so that when if they don’t read your entire post, they will still find it useful.

Bullets are also a breather in heavy content. They break up text from an aesthetic perspective and allow readers to absorb quick ideas rather than lengthy information. When it doubt, bullet. Trust me.

GET ACTIVE

Ok, this is as grammar-y as I’ll get in this article. But seriously, read your post and see if you are using the passive voice anywhere. For you non-grammar nerds, here’s a refresher:

Passive voice is when you make the object of an action into the subject of a sentence. So, the subject is being acted upon. For example:

The boy was bitten by the dog.
(Boring! This is passive voice, because the dog is doing the action.)

Once you’ve identified passive, lazy sentences, switch them up! Make them active by swapping the sentences around so the subject is performing the action:

The dog bit the boy.
(Bad dog! Good sentence!)

SWAP ME FOR YOU

One final edit, and this is universal for all of your content. When you are finished writing, ask yourself:

Who is the star of your article?

Is it you, or is it the reader? Are you talking a lot about what your school can do, what you provide, what your experience is … or are you talking about what your reader needs, how your reader feels, what your reader can do to improve?

Wherever possible, talk about your readers, not yourself. Frame your expertise or courses or approach in the context of how they answer your readers’ needs.

Remember: When people read about your school, they want to know how your school will benefit them. So make that question easy for them to answer.

There you go; not too hard, right? Now you’ve made some simple edits that have seriously beefed up that handsome blog post. Go ahead, press publish and send that charmer out into the world!

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