Blog writers for hire have many rules to follow: Google’s SEO rules, guidelines put into place by their clients, and grammar rules. While some rules should be followed to a T to avoid problems, other rules are meant to be broken. Back in high school, your teachers may have told you that certain grammar rules are written in stone. However, in the world of content marketing and blog writing, a few of these “rules” are actually quite flexible. If you need a little help getting your message across in an easy-to-read and effective way, you may need to break these laws of grammar.
- Don’t Write in Second Person – In formal writing, one of the biggest “no-nos” is writing in the second person. Your teacher may have encouraged you to say “One may like to eat Oreo cookies” instead of “You may like to eat Oreo cookies.” However, when you’re writing web content, writing in the second person is a great way to connect with the reader. It is especially useful in instructional content.
- Don’t Use Contractions – Writing out “do not” instead of don’t is not a big deal. In school, you may have been instructed not to use these contractions. However, content writing is a bit different. Using contractions sometimes will add variety to your work and make it a little less stiff.
- Never End a Sentence with a Preposition – This is a rule that isn’t really a rule. Ending a sentence with a preposition is frowned upon. (See what I did there?) However, it can make your writing too stifled and stiff to rewrite every sentence without ending in a preposition. Follow the “rule” when you can, but don’t stress or make your document unreadable by avoiding it.
- You Can’t Start a Sentence with a Conjunction – While starting a sentence with and, but, or, and other conjunctions isn’t something you want to do on a regular basis, it can be done. You should use a sentence that starts with a conjunction to make a sentence jump off the page—only using it for effect.
- Never Use Slang – While you may not want to talk about “totally wicked medical supplies,” there are certain times in content marketing that a little slang can make your content flow. Product descriptions, blog posts, and e-mail content may all get a boost by well-placed slang.
While it is certainly acceptable to break these rules from time to time, it is still important to make your writing as free from grammatical errors as you possibly can. By doing this, but breaking the law when it’s necessary, you can create content that is clear and easy-to-read—which will provide the best results for your content marketing needs.
Tracy S is a content writer and blogger who specializes in home improvement related topics. When she’s not working, Tracy loves playing pool, watching cheesy reality TV, spending time with her family and dreaming of the beach.
