Writing a Data-Oriented Blog Post

A data – driven post is the way of data storytelling and presenting to provide data insights. There are several tutorial examples of how to write data oriented blog posts such as:

Here are some examples of data-driven blog posts.

11 Simple steps to create data-driven blog posts

Before writing

Step 1: Understand what a data-driven post is

Before starting to write, you must distinguish what counts as data. Use the above examples so you are clear on what "a data driven post" should look like. The main point is that your data should address and resolve your audience's concerns or problems, while backing it up with actual scientific findings, data and research.

Step 2: Understand what the message is

After you’ve chosen the subject you want to be clear on what is the message you are trying to convey. This is your chance to communicate to the world what your view point is on the specific matter or what solutions you can come up with.

Make sure you understand the problem you are talking about. You must be able to answer some key questions: how long has this “issue” existed for? How has it been handled until now? What are your thoughts on the matter? How can this be resolved? What does this issue/problem say about our humanity? (if you want to generate a profound relatedness with your audience, which I would recommend).

Step 3: Know Your Audience

I cannot stress enough how important this is. You should always be aware of your audience and what they believe in. Knowing who your audience is will not only focus you on creating great content but also creating the right content. This could be a helpful resource to understand your audience: 12 ways to understand your audience.

Your job is to address your audience’s concerns, answer their questions and even be sensitive to certain topics or approaches that could trigger upsets for them.

It will also inform the style of writing you are using – formal, business, scientific, or informal. Even if it is a data-driven blog post, you do NOT want to forget that people will read it. Therefore do not forget to approach the matter from a human and empathetic angle as well.

Step 4: Explore the data and the content

Use demographic data. Demographic data helps to understand and plan strategically for future trends and consumer demand. The data must be accessible and queryable. The data that you’re collecting should be able to generate a report and can be used for analysis.

Step 5: Write a good data-driven headline

A good headline is what attracts your audience to read the blog content. Their interest to invest their time reading your blog is through the headlines. In case you run out of ideas, you can get inspired here:

43 Data-Driven Headline Ideas

Step 6: Write detailed content

Put some clear and detailed information of the problem, purpose, and datasets that you’re using so that the readers can relate to you. These are the right ingredients to include in your content so that your are credible and the readers do not get distracted from what the main point is.

Step 7: Use actual data, facts and figures

The data that you’re providing should be legitimate and credible. There is a hard truth for this – if you’re not an expert, not many people will trust your advice. Link the data source that you use so that the readers can verify if the site is trustworthy. Also, use the open source statistics.

If you are making bold statements such as "climate change has become a severe matter that we must attend to" – you can bet the reader will expect to see some figures that back up what you are saying. You can say how it has been increasing/decreasing in the last couple of years; which countries contribute to global warming the most; or what has been done/not been done about it, etc.

Step 8: Use visualizations

Use visualizations like charts, graphs, maps in your blog so that the behavior, patterns and trends of data can be detected. It can enhance the point you are trying to make by giving the reader a visual perspective on the matter. Make sure that the pictures are inserted appropriately so that they do not interrupt or interfere with the flow of your post.

Step 9: SEO

Don’t forget search engine optimization. What good is an amazing blog post if hardly anyone reads it? Therefore you need to bear in mind what people are searching on the internet and what is the most effective way to build traffic for your post and website. This is a whole chapter in and of itself, but I would recommend reading this post to begin with.

Step 10: Conclusions

At last, sum up your key message you want your readers to remember in the conclusion. A STRONG CONCLUSION is what will make your blog post memorable. It can't be shallow or any less important than the rest of the content.

Leave them with a question to ponder – and encourage them to comment on your post. Invite them to consider their perspective on the matter makes them feel like their opinions are heard and valued. Where relevant, you want to also encourage people to start using certain services – such as Datopian’s services.

Step 11: Review and correct

Your post must reflect Datopian culture and quality standard. Hence it is very important that the writing is clear, concise, and engaging (and most of all accurate). Punctuation, correct topic order in a sentence, and grammar mistakes need to be checked. Make sure to use a platform such as grammarly.com to help you check and elevate your writing. Noting, is more off-putting – then pour grammer and speeling!

After writing

Step 12: Analyze

Go through your metrics and see what works. Check your traffic and your social media insights. You can use Google Analytics or the Insights feature that each social media platform has built in. What are the most popular posts? Where is your audience from? What age group? What gender is predominant? What country are they from? Answering all these questions will help you create better content every time.

Some Key Points To Remember

Create original content.
Use headings, bullets, lists, and block quotes.
Link external resources that you find help to illustrate your point and/or could be useful to your audience.
Increase your font size and spacing in a way that make the text easier to read.
Use images/videos, but not too many.

Remember that your content must be credible, authoritative, and trustworthy. Your high-quality posts should state a common problem the reader has and then offer a solution that is backed by scientific findings, data, and up-to-date research. Include relevant graphs and charts, and make sure it is long enough to fully explore both the issue and the solution of the topic for your readers.

If you want to see some really good examples – go check out this sheet.