Writing for the internet is a lot confusing task then it appears to be. If you haven’t written a piece for online publishing before, then you are pretty much in for a surprise.
Whether you freelance or write for your own blog, the conundrum of whether you are writing an article or a blog post is always there. Even experienced writers find themselves at crossroads when they are faced with the same dilemma. Not only the style and research, but there are many more key differentiators between an article and a blog post.
Over the years, Wisden Writers has catered to the clients across the globe providing our professional article and blog writing services.
Curious Case of Clients
Sometimes when our clients reach they enquire what would be an ideal type for their needs-an article or a blog post. Finally, we are discussing this issue so that all of you can benefit.
If you have spent most of your time writing blog posts then you need to stop right now. Yes, it is important to understand that the content as we know it is changing and the need for better content is paramount now.
Major Differences Between Articles And Blog Posts
| Blog Post | Article |
| Comprises of one’s own opinion | Your opinion doesn’t matter its entirely based on facts |
| Research, scientific findings or interviews not included mostly | Includes interviews, statistics, research and findings from experts and credible sources |
| Often Short | Long and detailed |
| Focused around SEO keywords | Naturally written with little or no importance to keywords |
| Good spellings are expected but no such emphasis on grammar | Impeccable grammar and spelling |
| Casually written based on one’s writing style | The sophisticated and formal writing style |
| Often self-published without any role of an editor | Involves the role of an editor |
The convergence of blog post and article
However, with blogs getting common by a zillion and print media moving towards online publication, the line of difference between blog posts and articles has started to blur.
When Google started to tighten the noose on spammy blogs, genuine bloggers were forced to pick up the entirely new standards for their posts. Now blog posts became longer with 1000 words becoming the norm for a useful post. They started including interviews and interesting data to be more valuable for their readers. The use of SEO keywords lessened after Google started penalizing keyword-stuffed content. Ultimately, it led to bloggers becoming more professional and hiring services of editors to stay afloat amidst all the chaos.
Changes started to creep in on the article’s writing side as well. Print media began posting content online. To get more traffic to their sites, headlines became sleazy and attractive like the blog posts. The opinion-driven content became common and even some publications allowed bloggers to post their content too. Wordcount also shortened and the writing style grew more casual.
Tl;dr
The two styles merged into one to the extent that writers are confused about how to differentiate between the two.
Be Ready To Pay For What You Want
As a client, it can be confusing whether you want articles or blog posts but eventually you will be paying for the quality as well as the length of the content. As we mentioned, the line between a blog post and an article has almost diminished it is important to understand the needs of your writing projects.
You cannot expect a blog post with interviews and data to be offered for cheap, neither you should pay for articles exorbitantly just because the writer quoted your project as article writing.
What you should know as a writer
The convergence of blog posts and articles has made it tough for writers to understand the needs of the writing project and bid accordingly. It has also given clients an opportunity for a bargain. The fact is, clients will always want to seal the deal as cheap as possible.
It’s on you to educate your clients about the project and what’s the fair pay. Fortunately, the closeness of blog posts and articles has made it possible for writers to get paid more.
Now articles and blog posts are reaching the same standards in quality. So you can charge the same for blog posts as you charge for articles, provided you are offering the same quality.
But it’s up to the writer to take the steps to capitalize on this change in the marketplace.
Pro Tips
If you find yourself confused or the client is not able to make out, the best way to figure the right writing style is to properly define the project. Ask clients what actually they want, what’s the word count they expect, do they want interviews included, and so on.
Clients always prefer writers who can bring in article-style in the blog posts as such style conveys more authority. This is why you need to get better at researching content related to a topic irrespective of its style.
If you are just getting started then the idea of finding experts, interviewing them, and adding research to the content can be daunting, but you call learn it on the job.
Just start writing better content with informative data and research-backed statements.
