Content writing tips for political writers and bloggers.
Politics is a hot topic. Especially in the wake of forceful conflicts between the so-called Left and the so-called Right, careers are being destroyed for having political opinions. But that’s a different topic.
Are you planning to start a blog on politics, or do you want to carve out a career as a political journalist?
If you are managing a political blog then it’s obvious that you are published on the Internet, but even if you are a political journalist in the conventional sense, there is a great possibility that you will be writing most of your content for the web.
Hence, when you are writing for sharing your political thoughts, keep it in your mind that it’s mostly the audience on the Internet who will be consuming your writing.
Here are a few content writing tips for you if you plan to write in politics:
Learn to differentiate between being a political journalist or an activist
I have observed that most of the political journalists or political writers have very strong biases. They pretend that they are being objective, but 99.9% of political writers are running their political agendas, and that’s fine.
Nonetheless, in the beginning it will help you grow your audience if you are open about your intentions of being a political journalist or running a political blog.
Are you simply reporting or are you pitching for a political change? Your readers are smart. Even a couple of sentences are enough to let them know whether you are simply reporting or expressing an opinion.
On a political blog, opinions are preferred because your visitors are already expecting that since yours is a blog, you’re going to have a personal take on whatever you write.
But if you plan to work in a newspaper, it is better to stick to the facts – what, why, when, who and where.
Of course, there are many publications that hire political writers or journalists just to further their political agenda, so then, it’s your choice.
Identify the audience for whom you are writing
This is especially important if you plan to publish a political blog. Learn about your audience. What type of pieces do your readers respond to? What engages them? What sort of language do they prefer?
Your analytics may help you. When people are searching for information on Google, what do they search for that leads them to your blog or your article? Based on this, you can further narrow the focus of your writing if you are looking for the same sort of traffic, you can change the direction of your writing if you don’t prefer such traffic.
Write for a political niche that suits your political preference
This may seem contrary to the advice that I have written above – remain unbiased especially if you want to grow as a political journalist – but you should definitely pick your political niche early on because this will help you grow as a political writer.
Do you prefer conservative politics? Are you a liberal? Do you tilt towards the Left or the Right or somewhere in between?
Although you shouldn’t let your political proclivities dominate your writing, it will give you depth. It will keep you interested in your writing. It will motivate you and excite you. It’s very important to feel excited about what you are writing because then this excitement is transferred onto your readers. This is what makes you a successful political writer or a political blogger.
Learn to write for the web
I’ve seen that some political journalists or political bloggers go on and on when they are deep in their thought.
Keep in mind that most of the people who read you, will do so through a web page. Moreover, they will be accessing your web page or blog post from their mobile phones. What does that mean?
Write shorter sentences. Write shorter paragraphs. Use words that are easy to read. Write to communicate, not to impress.
Learn the basics of SEO
When you are writing, whether you are writing as a political journalist or a political blogger, you want the maximum number of people to read what you are publishing.
If you have created a vibrant social media presence, a lot of your traffic may come from your followers, but no matter how strong your social media presence is, most of your readers will be coming through Google or another search engine.
How can you implement SEO in political writing?
Pay close attention to what people are looking for on search engines. If you are running an independent political blog that is installed under your own domain, this can be as easy as adding your domain to Google Search Console. If you’re using a third-party blogging platform like Medium, it may be a problem.
Nonetheless, you can use websites like Quora to check what sort of political questions people are posting. You can also check Twitter.
Use words that your readers use interacting with each other when talking about politics. Create an optimized title for your post or for your article. Scatter your keywords throughout your copy but don’t overdo. Use your main and related keywords in headings and subheadings. Make your text scannable. Make it easier to read on mobile phones.
Political content writing can be quite exciting as you are constantly at the forefront of a great flux. Whether you are a political content writer in a democracy like India or the USA, or in a less democratic country, you can instigate a great change with your political writing.
