How to stay on topic blogging

How to stay on topic when blogging?  Doing so is crucial to meet your readers’ needs.  In my article, I’ll highlight how to maximize focusing on your topic for the better.

Blogging isn’t easy work.  It requires working smarter.  As a solopreneur, I’ve seen how essential it is to focus on my goals.  

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Why should you stay on topic?

Can’t stay on topic?  Deviating from your focus provides a bad UX for your visitors.  Imagine searching for a specific thing, and finding an article to read.  Then, you realize it’s irrelevant and bounce off.  It hurts the blog immensely, not to mention your frustration, as a site visitor.

It’s a top priority to deliver what you promise in your article headline.  Serve your specific niche audience as they expect.  While it’s easy for bloggers to get distracted, it’s not okay to waste the time of readers.

How to stay on topic

During my 7 years of experience, I’ve always worked on honing such skills.  Staying on topic is key, and one of my priorities for self-improvement.  I’ll list handy tips that work best, having tried them.

18 supportive tips:

1. Reflect for clarity
2. Pin down the best topic
3. Have an outline
4. Ideal persona needs
5. Have a goal
6. Research thoroughly 
7. Stick to your plan
8. Short paragraphs 
9. Single ideas
10. Stay focused 
11. Avoid ambiguity 
12. Facts and stats
13. Natural flow
14. Conversational 
15. Proofread 
16. Fresh eyes
17. Another human pair of eyes 
18. Welcome feedback 

You won’t apply these listed handy tips all at once.  They come at different stages, namely your planning, drafting, polishing, and post-publish.

Article planning 

Before diving into writing your post, dedicate time to planning.  This gives direction to guide you.  Without this stage, you’re likely to waste lots of your precious time, without achieving the best results.

Plan:

• Reflect for clarity
• Pin down the best topic
• Have an outline
• Ideal persona needs
• Have a goal
• Research thoroughly 

Be clear on what you’re going to convey.  An article outline guides you automatically, so prepare a good one beforehand.  Your goal is a must, for example, it determines what my CTAs will be about.

I’ve seen better results since I niched down.  It gives me a better focus on my reader’s pain points.  Know exactly what you’re solving and focus on providing value.

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While drafting

After planning and research, you get started with your draft.  It’s not perfect, and there’ll still be room for improvement.  Some helpful tips support staying on topic, conveniently.

Draft:

• Stick to your plan
• Short paragraphs 
• Single idea per paragraph 
• Stay focused 
• Avoid ambiguity 
• Facts and stats
• Natural flow
• Conversational 

Stick to your plan for now, but review everything at the polishing stage.  Keep the message you convey simple.  One idea per paragraph, with short paragraphs.  Have a natural flow of ideas, for easy understanding.

My approach is conversational, which is simple.  It’s like I’m talking to my readers.  It also suits my writing voice and style.

Must polish

Refine your draft to enhance it.  Polish your work in different ways.  If needed, edit, and remove or replace things.

Polish:

• Proofread 
• Fresh eyes
• Another human pair of eyes 

Proofread using an automated spell and grammar checker.  Take a long break and get back with fresh eyes to see it.  If possible, find someone else to check your work, as they might spot something that you don’t.  If within budget, find a professional proofreader.

I’m solo and learned to deal with it by myself.  As a newbie, I used to ask for help.  Over the years I’ve developed skills to check alone, while still using an automated platform.  Reading backward has supported me (from the last paragraph to the first).

Post-publish

After publishing your article, don’t forget to promote it in the right places.  Know where your ideal audience is and notify them of your new piece of content.  Hone your skills based on the feedback you receive.  For example, questions might indicate if something is missing or ambiguous.

Welcome feedback in the form of comments.  Your readers express themselves on your blog, and also on social media.  Email subscribers’ replies are great to know what they need.

My best feedback comes from my blog.  My WordPress Reader fellow bloggers often leave relevant valuable responses.  Email subscribers are another important source to consider, as they have opted in to receive your updates.

Conclusion 

Stay on topic for better success.  When your readers find relevant solutions to their pain points, they keep reading.  Never go out of subject, instead make the most of your visitors’ time on site.

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