- Student Blogging: Essential Skills & Tools for Success
- Core Skills Every Student Blogger Needs & International Perspective
- Content Creation and Writing
- Bringing together ideas from different subjects
- SEO Basics for Beginners
- Time Management and Consistency
- International Perspective
- Must-Have Tools
- Student Blogging Specifics & Field-Specific Content Ideas
- Science & Technology Students
- Business & Economics Students
- Arts & Humanities Students
- Journalism & Communication Students
- How Blogging Prepares Students for Future Careers
- Building a Personal Brand
- Transferable Skills
- Networking Opportunities
- Student Blogging as a Path of Growth
If blogs once used to be considered “personal online diaries” to express ideas and thoughts about life, today they are no longer just that. Over time, blogs have become a powerful strategy for creating quality content on different personal, professional and academic topics, and a powerful marketing and SEO tool. The result of this transformation could not be anything other than a high interest among young people in working with blogs. Nowadays, blogs go far beyond being a hobby, and help strengthen one’s personal image, academic enrichment and career development. Keep reading to discover the main skills and tools for successful student blogging.
Core Skills Every Student Blogger Needs & International Perspective
There are several important skills that everyone who is studying and plans to have a blog needs to develop. Therefore, we have selected the main ones that you cannot leave out of your preparation and development routine if you want to be successful in this area. Check them out:
Content Creation and Writing
The ability to create quality content is built on good writing skills. It is essential for anyone who wants do blogging. But it’s not enough to be able to write well, you also need to have a good command of persuasion techniques, a strong knowledge of grammar, and the ability to develop a unique voice. Especially nowadays, when artificial intelligence (AI) tools are becoming increasingly common in content creation environments, the ability to write good content, focusing on quality rather than quantity, becomes increasingly important and valued.
Bringing together ideas from different subjects
Working with different subjects and topics and collaborating with experts from different fields is a fundamental skill for students who want to work with blogs. In addition to quality writing, which we mentioned in the previous topic, it is important to know how to use technology tools and various writing styles to achieve the objective with the content created.
To write a critical review, for example, you need to have some specific notions. According to the definition brought by Grazielly de Souza Santos, Brazilian specialist in academic production: “…a resenha crítica é um modelo, como exemplos ela pode ser de um filme, de um livro, de um artigo acadêmico, e até mesmo uma peça teatral (..). É um modelo de escrita acadêmica que visa analisar detalhadamente e avaliar uma obra. Esse tipo de texto tem algumas especificidades, incluindo formatação, número de páginas e sempre deve conter a crítica”. In short, she says that this type of content is a specific model of academic writing that aims to analyze in detail and evaluate a work, such as a film, book, academic article or even a theatrical piece, for example. A critical review has a specific format and must always contain criticism.
To be a good blog content creator, therefore, you need to be aware of the various models and types of texts, as well as their nuances.
SEO Basics for Beginners
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is a set of strategies used on the internet to ensure that your content is delivered to the right target audience. Basically, these are strategies that will ensure that your content is well positioned in internet search engines. Therefore, it is essential that blogging students have a basic understanding of the main strategies, such as keyword research, link building, quality content, persona building, among others.
Time Management and Consistency
Another important characteristic that is usually present in successful content creators is knowing how to manage time well to maintain consistency. Consistency is a crucial factor for a successful blog. After all, there is no point in creating quality content during certain periods and then going without posting anything at other times. Blog viewers will want to see consistency and have some predictability about when new content will be available.
Especially as a student, you will need to know how to balance blogging tasks with other daily tasks, such as academic activities and work. Therefore, organization and planning are key to success.
International Perspective
Having an international perspective is also very important. The digital world connects nations through the internet, and online content travels thousands of miles and reaches different audiences. Likewise, content companies are increasingly globalized and digitally connected.
Therefore, students who seek to always be well-informed of international trends and who are able to incorporate this perspective in their content planning are certainly one step ahead towards success.
Must-Have Tools
Some must-have tools are essential for creating online content. These tools will help both in structuring ideas and organizing tasks, as well as in improving the quality of the content created.
There are countless tools, such as writing tools, SEO analysis tools, design tools, image banks, AI tools and others. Here are some options to look into:
- Design tools: Canva, which is ideal for creating and editing graphic design materials. It has a fee and paid option.
- Task management tools: Asana or Trello, which are useful for managing and organizing tasks and projects.
- SEO tools: Google Analytics and Yoast, for SEO analysis and content optimization, as well as SemRush, Keyword Planner, and Google Trends for analyzing and searching for suitable keywords.
- Spell checkers: There are several options, such as Google’s own spell checker, Libre Office, or Grammarly. They help with delivering perfect grammar.
- Plagiarism checkers: These tools will help you check whether your content will not be interpreted as a copy of other content on the internet. Some popular ones are CopyScape and Copyleaks.
- Website authority checkers: Sites like Ahrefs allow you to analyze the level of authority of a page on the internet and search for guest post options.
These are just a few of the countless tools you can and should know about to succeed with your blog. For an even more comprehensive list, you can search for blogging tools and detailed guides.
Student Blogging Specifics & Field-Specific Content Ideas
Now that you know the main skills and tools you need to pursue to be successful with your blog, we have brought you some niche options for student blogs with content ideas and formats that might be interesting to explore. Check it out:
Science & Technology Students
The science and technology field is on the rise and is an excellent niche for content production:
- Content Ideas: Simplify complex concepts, share current research trends, and explain real-world applications of scientific theories.
- Formats: Step-by-step tutorials, and technical walkthroughs.
Business & Economics Students
The business and economics area is also very interesting, especially for those who aim to become a recognized and respected expert in the market:
- Content Ideas: market trends, case studies, entrepreneurship advice based on personal experience. Timely, data-driven insights.
- Formats: Data visualizations, industry interviews, infographics.
Arts & Humanities Students
For arts and humanities students, there is a series of possible options, that open doors to more creative formats, such as videos, for example.
- Content Ideas: Creative showcases, cultural critiques, personal reflections on art/literature, or reviews of exhibitions and performances.
- Formats: Digital portfolios, video essays.
Journalism & Communication Students
Students in the field of communication and journalism also have countless options for content ideas and different formats to work with, such as interviews with experts, for example. Check out some options:
- Content Ideas: Media critique, interviews with industry professionals, commentary on trends in news and reporting, or coverage of events.
- Formats: Videos, podcasts, or in-depth investigative reports.
How Blogging Prepares Students for Future Careers
Much more than a hobby, running a blog is a way to develop professionally and prepare for a career. This activity involves developing not only hard skills, but also soft skills. See below how managing a blog can prepare students for their future careers:
Building a Personal Brand
Managing a blog helps create and develop a personal brand, something that should be built diligently to help generate online authority for the blogger. This can be a differentiator in the future, when making career decisions and planning next steps.
Transferable Skills
The skills we’ve mentioned here, as well as many other skills that blog owners develop throughout their careers, are skills that can be used in many other areas of their careers and in life as a whole. Knowing how to write well and be persuasive, for example, among other communication skills, can help you in any profession you may have.
Networking Opportunities
When you have an online blog, you dive into a sea of opportunities and connections, and your content can reach places you never imagined. This is one of the great benefits that the internet and content creation through blogs provide. Make the most of these networking opportunities and use them to continually grow in your career.
Student Blogging as a Path of Growth
Creating a blog requires dedication and commitment to develop the necessary skills and enhance those that are already present. Among these skills, we highlight the creation of quality content, knowledge of good practices and SEO strategies, time management, working with diverse topics, collaboration with experts and having an international perspective.
It is also important to dedicate yourself to learning about content creation and editing tools, SEO, AI tools, among other resources that will help enhance the quality of the published content. And the areas and formats of activity are diverse, ranging from technology to communication. Therefore, choose the niche that interests you most, put these tips into practice and use blog production to benefit your career growth.
If you already do this, share your tips in the comments!
