This short guide aims to give some guidance on how to write blogs for your website, in order to minimize editing and speed up the publication process.
First up, let’s start with a list of items a submitted item must include for consideration on the blog. Afterwards, we’ll dive into what each term means and the specifics we need to make the blog great.
Elements to be included in a blog post
- A headline
- A meta description
- Body text itself
- A featured image OR company images to inspire one
- Author information
- Author picture (where possible)
In-depth: guide to each element
Headline
Try to keep it short, snappy, and interesting to read. Where necessary, you can include the name of your company in the headline. However, stick to something that is likely to be clicked and read, rather than just written for the sake of posting
Meta description
This is a short description utilized by search engines as a ’blurb’. It is also the text that appears on the blog feed to give readers an idea what the blog is about.
Like the headline, this should be snappy, should explain the blog post, challenge the reader, or just intrigue them to read more.
Think of this as a blurb to sell your story. In any case, try to limit it to 150 characters.
Body text
This is the main copy of the blog. Here are some basic rules:
- Straightforward tone – no idioms, jargon, or abbreviations that can be misunderstood
- Tell a story. What inspired your blog? What’s your experience? Anything that stirs emotion.
- Try to keep the copy under 500 words
- Include sub-headings where possible – it makes it easier to read
- Use appropriate paragraph spacing for ease of reading
- Include links to external sources proving your point
- Use contractions if you like – we’ve got no problem with writing how people speak
Featured image
This is the image that appears at the head of the blog.
It should measure at least 1200 pixels in width, and 400 pixels in height.
However, we understand that not everyone can supply high-quality images that adhere to our editorial policy, style, or sizing. Therefore, if you’re having trouble, please supply any company images and/or images you have on file which could inspire us to make a featured image ourselves.
Author information
While our Marketing team will edit the blog, it’s important to declare that the blog was written by an external writer.
Therefore, it’s important to supply us with some author information. Please include:
- Name of the author
- Job title / role
- Company
- Short company description
For example: This blog was written by John Smith, Marketing Director at Made Up Company, a British-based imagination company dealing in the inception of people.
Author picture
Next to the author information should be a picture of the author. Just a small thumbnail of the author’s face will do.
However, it’s your work – we can’t take that away from you, and don’t want to. Any revised versions will be delivered to you for your input and discussion before publication. We’ll happily clear up any edits or misunderstandings at this point.
