This content originally appeared on Modern Web Development with Chrome and was authored by Paul Kinlan
Link: How to Write Blog Posts that Developers Read · Refactoring English
I think this post would be good for every developer to read. It’s more about communication than just blogging.
The biggest mistake software bloggers make is meandering.
Often, the author has some valuable insight to share, but they squander their first seven paragraphs on the history of functional programming and a trip they took to Bell Labs in 1973. By the time they get to the part that’s actually interesting, everyone has long since closed the browser tab.
This is me to a tea. I remember when I first started blogging and I would just get traffic, times have changed and I certainly need to be a lot clearer with my writing.
This really resonated with me:
If you want people to read your blog, choose topics that have a clear path to your readers. Before you begin writing, think through how readers will find your post.
I tend to fart out a blog post, and the guidance here is very similar to the guidance I hear from a lot of content creators. Study your medium, understand your audience, how to reach them, and then plan plan plan.
If you’re interested in the broader topic of writing for an audience (probably a more business focused one) then I really enjoyed Pyramid Principle by Barbara Minto, it’s helped me a lot within my role as a way to communicate more effectively (although, I still have a long way to go)…. I’ve heard it’s favoured by McKinsey consultants, while that’s not my cup of tea, the principles seem sound to me.
This content originally appeared on Modern Web Development with Chrome and was authored by Paul Kinlan