I often give people the advice “write what you know.” It’s concise, but honestly, it’s a bit of a cop out from providing any real advice.

Writing what you know isn’t always so straight forward. You need an audience. Heck, you need to know who your audience is in the first place!

When you sit down to write your next piece (whether it be a blog intended for content marketing, or a rant about the latest box-office bust), here are some pointers to keep in mind.

1. Determine your audience, and write for them.

Whether there are already too many blog posts on the subject, or the topic itself is just not engaging, figuring out who you’re writing for will save you a ton of time and headaches.

2. Just press submit (after you’ve proof read, of course)!

We all have (or would like to think we have) our own great ideas, but sometimes, putting them down on paper is the hardest part. There’s something finite about pressing submit on something you’ve just written. Once published on your blog, it’s out there for the world to see and judge. If you’re not entirely confident about your writing, actually publishing your work can be incredibly nerve wracking, but sometimes it is best to just jump straight in! This leads to the next point…

3. Gain confidence!

Writing will become easier to you as time goes on. Practice might not always make perfect, but it can certainly improve your writing. Also seek feedback from peers whenever possible. But…

4. Question too much positive feedback

All too often friends and colleagues are afraid of offering their true opinion – if you’re hearing nothing but positive things, you’re either the best blogger in the world, or your friends don’t want to hurt your feelings.
Now get out there and write!