Blog Posts Versus Articles
Today’s post was written by fellow writing coach and freelance writer Kimberlee Ferrell of Freedom Writing. In addition to writing professionally, blogging, and consulting, this small town Iowa writer is the proud mother of two girls.
For beginning web writers, there are two main categories of writing you will come across. Article writing is writing informative essays about a specific topic, which are used on a client’s website or submitted to article directories. These can be search engine optimized, by using a specific percentage of keywords within the article. Blog posts are informative essays as well, although they can be less formal, and directed to the blog’s audience. Blog posts can be written for your own blog, or for your client’s blog.
Personally, I enjoy blogging more than article writing. With blogging, I can insert a splash of my personality within the posts, and have fun connecting with my audience. For me, writing articles is a very cut and dry process. I research my topic, choose an angle, and write a fact based article. Blog posts allow me to pick a subject I care about, and bring it to life.
I am also able to speak my opinion on many topics within blog posts. I can point out things about life, that a simple article on the topic might not be able to. For example, I could write an article about “Tips to Lose Weight.” This would list all of the little things you could do to get in shape. Or I could write a blog post about my personal weight loss experience, taking you on the journey with me. I like having that option, to share my world with my readers.
In my mind, articles are a static form of writing. You write the article, send it out into the world, and that is all. You rarely get a response from your readers about what you have published. With blog posts, you have the opportunity for immediate responses from your readers, via blog comments. Reading comments, replying to questions, and gaining additional information about a topic are all rewarding aspects of blogging.
What is your favorite form of web writing? There are no right or wrong answers, just personal preferences. I would love to hear what you all think.
January 21, 2009 at 8:05 am | For the Writer | 7 comments
Blog Posts Versus Articles | Freelance Writing 101.html: For beginning web writers, there are two main categorie.. http://tinyurl.com/9fn45x
Hi Kim, (Hi Angie). It’s an interesting topic. I actually don’t make the same distinction. I’ve always injected the same personality (where relevant) into my articles as I do in my blog posts. I used articles for years for SEO, and distributed them on all the major article directories. I think the same rules apply: show your personality and you’ll engage more readers. And I had equally as much feedback from my articles as my blog posts.
However, I suspect that most writers draw the same distinction you have. It’s much easier to splash personality when you’re in your own home. When you know your article is gonna appear in lots of other peoples’ homes, it’s a bit more difficult to get your head around.
Glenn (@divinewrite on Twitter)
Glenn Murray’s last blog post..It’s not your length that matters, it’s how much they like it!
Hi Glenn!
Very good points. I agree that the more personality you put into your articles, the more readers you will attract. However, many clients don’t want “your” personality in “their” articles. The tone and voice you might use in your own writing might clash with their audience.
Some articles don’t lend themselves to a lot of personality either. A highly technical medical or computer article doesn’t always have room for witticisms. The client (and the readers) are reading purely for information, not entertainment. In fact, some SEO article clients don’t care how well written your article is. They only care about their keyword percentages.
Thanks for replying Glenn! Glad to see you here.
~Kimberlee
Kimberlee Ferrell’s last blog post..Research Your Writing
I totally know where you’re coming from. When I write my own articles for my sites, I can be more personal in them. I’m always more drawn in by reading articles with a more person slant – who wouldn’t be! Then there’s the situation of ghostwriting 30 articles for 30 different clients, then you have less room to inject your personal experiences.
Christine OKelly’s last blog post..How I Ranked A Brand New Site In Google & Yahoo’s Top 10 Within 3 Weeks
Hi Christine!
Exactly! I wonder if those 30 article clients would pay more for personal experience articles, if their readers made it clear to them that those are the kind of articles they would like to read. Something to ponder…
Thanks for stopping by!
~Kimberlee
Kimberlee Ferrell’s last blog post..Research Your Writing
I think that sometimes they would, and sometimes they wouldn’t… it’s something I thought a lot about! When you’re talking about injecting lots of personality into an article, the project starts to move into the arena of brand building for that company vs. link building… and that takes considerable more effort and communication with the client and commands a higher price point. But is a lot more fun and rewarding for all!
Christine OKelly’s last blog post..How I Ranked A Brand New Site In Google & Yahoo’s Top 10 Within 3 Weeks
Those are great points. A client is often not thinking about developing that connection with their readers. They are looking for traffic and links, not personal interaction. Blogs tend to lend themselves to this interaction more than articles do, in my experience.
~Kimberlee
Kimberlee Ferrell’s last blog post..Research Your Writing