There you are, sitting in front of your computer and staring at a fresh, blank document while the agitated little cursor blinks at you impatiently.

You want to write a blog post, but you have never really known how — and your readers can tell. If the last time you wrote anything you were even remotely confident in was during college, it may be time for a little help.

Writing a blog post isn’t difficult, but it can be incredibly unnerving. Here are some tips for getting started:

Know Your Audience. It should go without saying that if you’re writing a blog about hand tools, you’re going to be putting out very different information for hardened professional than you would for homeowners who are just getting their feet wet in home improvement. Your website analytics may help you figure out who is reading your blog or alternatively, how to attract the people you really want, but unless you write what your audience wants to read at a level they can understand, you’re wasting your time.

Choose a Topic. If you’re still working on that blog about hand tools and you’ve been getting a lot of questions about bubble levels, you’ll be filling a readership need by writing that blog. Unfortunately, more often than not you’re going to be on your own when it comes to topic selections. Look around the Internet for news or frequent debates that take place in relevant forums and use these sources to construct a topic that will be useful far into the future. Let’s say a new bubble level was just released by Stanley Tools — this is a great time to talk about how to choose a level or what applications are best suited to bubble levels.

Do Some Research. Once you have a specific blog post idea in mind, you’ll have to collect some information to support it. You should be writing on topics you know a great deal about, rather than just regurgitating other web sources, but relevant statistics, trivia items and insider information are better gathered than simply invented.

You’re almost ready to put fingers to keyboard, try not to panic. The best thing you can do for your blog is to have a little confidence when the time comes to write posts. By following some simple advice and not overthinking things, you’ll find yourself composing the best blogs of your virtual career.