Want to write a solid blog post that keeps people engaged and reading long past the first sentence? There’s an art to blog writing that you can perfect over time with the right approach.
To help you craft the perfect blog post, the following are some expert tips that can help you connect with your audience.
1. Have a Clear Subject and Target
The very first step when writing a blog post is to choose a specific topic and target for your post. Without these elements in mind, you won’t have as much of a direction to go in as you develop the post and flesh it out. Figure out what you want to discuss and the core message at the center of the content, which will help ensure the post resonates with your readers.
2. Know What People Are Looking for
In addition to considering the topic and the audience you want to reach, think about what the audience specifically wants from the content. What is the intent behind it? Do they want to learn general information about a topic? Maybe they’re looking to make a more informed buying decision. As you write, you can try to get into your audience’s head to better determine how to meet their needs.
3. Do Plenty of Research
With a particular topic, audience, and audience perspective in mind, you can begin doing the research you need to invest in your blog. You can get started by looking for other blog posts that cover the same topic, including competitors’ posts. Maybe you can get some inspiration from them, or you might find that you can fill in information gaps that other posts neglect.
4. Draft an Outline
Before you begin writing your post, it’s always helpful to develop at least a rough outline that further clarifies your direction. Consider the specific talking points of your blog post and organize them into a narrative via an outline. The outline could also include more minute details that ensure you cover everything you want to discuss in your post. Using this outline as a guide, you can then begin expanding on each point until you’ve constructed a strong post that goes over every key talking point.
5. Create a Compelling Title
The title will be the very first thing people read in any blog post. If it’s not relevant or enticing, people won’t click through or scroll down to read more. Make sure your title includes an engaging summary of the topic at hand, with something of a hook that lures people into the rest of the post. Also, for search engine optimization (SEO) purposes, make sure your headline includes relevant keywords with the right intent behind them.
6. Craft a Great Opening Hook
In addition to a title, your first sentence or two should serve as a compelling hook that keeps people’s eyes glued to your post. Getting off to a great start with your content will mean the difference between immediate disengagement and reading your post to the end. Opening with a question that empathizes with readers is a great way to start. For example, “Struggling to find the right solution for [specific pain point]? We know how you feel.” This type of approach can be the psychological key people need to ensure they keep reading.
7. Be Conversational
Technical topics may require more technical language to cover them, but it often pays to write the way people talk if you want to establish a real connection. People don’t want to read a post that’s bogged down by a bunch of confusing and boring jargon and lingo, especially when it’s possible to simplify the topic using basic terms. Be frank and conversational when it makes sense to do so, which can go a long way in hooking your readers.
8. Break Up the Content
While ideally people will read your blog post to the end, you should also make it very readable and skimmable by breaking the content into sections and short paragraphs. People don’t want to see a big wall of text that only serves to overwhelm them—use subheaders and short blocks of text to keep things simple and easy to skim.
9. Edit Frequently
Editing your post can help you get straight to the point and eliminate any unnecessary words or sentences. We have a tendency to include a degree of fluff in many posts, but working to simplify the text can help significantly with engagement. Make sure the language and ideas flow throughout the text and get rid of anything that doesn’t need to be there, which will make your post far more connective.
10. Incorporate Images and Other Media
To make your blog post more visually stimulating and engaging, add some images, embedded videos, or other graphic media throughout the post. This kind of visual element can supplement the text to keep people reading along. Just consider the fact that 91% of consumers prefer visual content to written content, which shows how powerful this media can be.
11. Include a Good Call to Action
At the end of (or throughout) your post, you can drive action and conversions by including a specific call to action (CTA). It could request people to connect with you for more information, download an ebook for more info, or take another specific action to lead people along the customer journey. This CTA can effectively transform your blog post into a strong lead magnet.
Get Help With Developing the Ideal Blog Post
Do you need some assistance with blog writing and other types of content production? Vigor Seorchers is here to help. We offer blog services that can help you write the perfect posts and maintain a blog that gets real results. We also offer a host of other marketing solutions that can meet your unique requirements.
For more information about our blog services and other solutions, reach out to us today and speak with a member of our team.
