Elizabeth Dyrsmid
Publishing exceptional blog posts on a routine basis is one of the most challenging feats you will face as a marketer of a business. Whether you run an agency, a flower shop, or you operate as an online entrepreneur, blogging is not as simple as brainstorming a topic, finding resources to link to, grabbing relevant images, hitting the publish button, and then waiting for thousands of unique visitors to flood your site in a matter of minutes.
Sure it’s easy to sit down and scribble out a 200-word post to promote one of your special discount offers, but nobody wants to read about that stuff. The blog readers of today are looking for interesting data, unique content, and helpful resources to increase their knowledge of your industry, not advertising copy.
If you want to know how to write a blog post that engages your target audience and motivates them to take action (read your post, fill out an opt-in form, purchase a product, etc.), you need to create content that brings them back to your site again and again. So what is the formula for creating content like that consistently?
How Do You Write A Blog Post That Readers Will Love?
Lead With A Catchy Headline
You may think your blog content is the best in your niche, but it won’t make a difference if your headlines don’t entice readers to click. So how can you make sure your headline is extra clickable?
The best blog post headlines often have a few characteristics in common:
- They include odd numbers
- They contain words like easy, free, essential, how to, and best
- They are less than 9-10 words
Try to keep your audience in mind when you craft your headline. Put yourself in their shoes and imagine what you’d click on while browsing the web for interesting content. If you’re having trouble coming up with ideas check out these 74 compelling blog post headline templates.
Ask Questions
The easiest way to generate a new idea for a blog post is to focus on the questions your target audience has. Before you begin writing ask yourself what pain points your audience is experiencing and find a way to answer those pain points in your post.
If you have time for preliminary research, consider asking a few of your readers what they’re struggling with at the moment and how you can address those concerns in a blog post. You can also browse popular industry forums to determine what your current and potential customers are discussing online.
Once you’ve identified your primary question, you should come up with a few sub-headlines for your post that tie into the question. For example, if your primary question is “How did you decide when to quit your full-time job and start a business?” you can create sub headings to fit in with the question. A few examples might be: How to Know When It’s Time to Quit and 3 Things to Do Before You Leave Your Job.
Using your blog platform to answer questions is an effective way to increase your return traffic, shares, and the awareness of your brand in the social sphere. The better your posts perform in the social sphere, the more valuable your content will become over time.
Create A Story Of Your Content
Creating a story is a tip that many bloggers don’t take full advantage of, but it’s a valuable way to attract visitors to your website and deepen their connection with your brand.
We all enjoy stories in one form or another. Academic writing certainly has its place, but there is no match for a unique storytelling experience. The best bloggers on the web can combine hard data with conversational storytelling in a way that turns casual readers into loyal fans, which is exactly what you want for your blog.
Take this post for example, or this one. Both of these posts present useful information, but they do it in a way that’s human. If you want to replicate that success, we suggest mimicking what these blogs do well. This is an extremely important step if you want to learn how to write a blog post that goes viral.
What’s The Next Step?
Hopefully, this information has helped you learn how to write a blog post that impresses your audience. If so, we invite you to subscribe to our blog and check out the other free resources we have in store for you.
Do you need help launching a marketing campaign? If you do, check out this free in-depth guide that covers all the steps necessary to launch and measure a remarkable marketing campaign.
Have questions? Give us a shout in the comment section below!
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