I think it’s safe to say that we all have at least one thing that we are extremely passionate about, something that gets us pumped, something that we believe in and want to stand up for.

If you love writing and want to help spread your passion to others, blogging is a great way to do that. Who knows? You may even make some extra income along the way. But your posts won’t get the traffic that you’re looking for if they sound just like every other blog post written about the same topic.

Now, I know you don’t want to be a cliche. And you’re not. Not at all. You have great insight to give on the topics you want to write about, but in order to set yourself apart you need to spend some time working on the delivery of your posts.

Luckily I’m here to help!

Here are 5 helpful hints so that your work is true to you and your brand, without sounding run of the mill or ordinary.

1. Avoid rhymes.

Readers love compelling lines from articles and will thoroughly enjoy your interesting “quote-worthy” phrases. But don’t rhyme if you can help it. Unless you are also a tongue twister aficionado, I highly doubt you rhyme in your daily vernacular.

Your posts should sound as authentically you as possible. While rhymes to get to your point are cute, they can easily make your post feel cliché.

2. Have an attention grabbing title, but not too clickbaity.

You want to grab your reader’s attention but not at the cost of making it seem like you’re only writing for the exposure. People post online because they want their voices to be heard. But that voice has been inside of you this whole time.

Your platform is only significant if you genuinely care about what you are talking about. Your title needs to be relatable but not like you’re overly trying to be something you’re not.

Read How To Write Irresistibly Clickable Headlines to help you out.

3. Make your post target a subtopic within your desired topic.

Your post should be focused. When you write about a generalized topic, it’s so easy to fall into the trap of saying something that’s already been said hundreds of times.

For example, if you want to talk about finances, you aren’t going to write one blog post about the topic of finances in general. You’re gonna be specific and perhaps write about how to keep better track of your excess spending, or how to budget your resources.

Find your niche within a niche and run with it. The more specific you are with your topic, the less likely you are to write about something in a cliche fashion.

Read How To Find The Best (And Most Profitable) Niche if you don’t have one.

4. Take the time to fully develop your thoughts.

I doubt that much thought is put into work that is merely a paraphrase of someone else’s words. If you’re gonna take the time to write your ideas down, spend a couple more minutes writing your words in a way that’s true to you and what you believe.

Fully process what you want to convey so your post is as authentically you as possible. Although we joke otherwise, people themselves are rarely cliché. Our human experiences are specifically tailored to us. So if the thoughts that you are writing are truly your own, they’ll have a unique spin that only you can offer.

5. Establish early on why your post is extraordinary for the topic on hand.

I said it earlier on and I’ll say it again: You have great insight—uniquely crafted because you are uniquely you. If you are a leader in the field that you are writing about, don’t forget to mention it. If you have any experience working in an industry related to the topic, bring it up!

Even if you don’t have any formal experience, you must know something about the topic at hand. If you can reveal your individuality and personality in your writing, it won’t be perceived as cliché. And your readers will get to know you a little bit more. It’s the best of both worlds.

While you craft your perfect post, don’t forget to review your writing with the help of these five simple, but important, tips. You are a unique and incredible woman from whom the world can learn. Your posts should reflect that.

Current Junior at Wheaton College, Octavia Powell is an International Relations major who enjoys blogging and creative writing in her free time. She is passionate about the empowerment of all people and sees the internet as a positive tool that everyone can use to further improve themselves and the world around them. Octavia aspires to work as an agent of change throughout all that she is a part of.