You blog. You create, you spell check and you hit publish, but are you doing it right? Here are some tips on the art of writing the perfect blog post. I have also included a free blog post checklist for before and after you hit publish found below.
Outline Your Post
Begin by outlining your post in a draft. Write your post title / headline first. Your post title will be the main reason why someone visits your blog to read what you have to say, so make it a good one! Your goal is to grab attention followed by focusing on the main key points your post will include. Outlining your posts gives you the ability to step back and get a clear vision of where the post is going. You want to keep focused and not steer away from the original topic.
Opening – Introduction
The first few sentences set the tone for the rest of your post. If they are no good you will lose your reader in a matter of seconds. Make sure the post content is going to be beneficial to your reader. Is your post going to entertain them, educate them, or inform them of something? Whatever your blog post is going for, make sure you are writing it directly to your reader in first person narrative to build rapport and trust.
Make it Easy to Read
You are already making it a bit easier for your reader by writing in first person, but you can also make it easier for them by incorporating the following tips:
Hit preview – View what your post looks like, is it pleasing to the naked eye?
Click to tweet – Short paragraphs, half page format, using plain english and eye-catching photos make for great posts.
Add Big sub headers with enticing titles
Often people are short on time and skim through lengthy posts to get to whatever they are searching for. Help them get there by separating your key points using sub headers with good titles that will keep your reader hooked.
Connect with your readers
You would be surprised with the amount of blogs I see that write-up a post and actually never respond to a readers question. You need to connect to your readers or you will lose them. If you have a ton of questions to go through, there are many options you can take to still connect with your readers without answering each one individually. Usually most readers ask similar questions, so possibly doing a Q & A follow-up post would work well or even a short video post. However you decide to connect to your readers and followers just remember that the main goal of your blog is to have an audience not lose it, so show them some appreciation.
Get Social
A blog post still gets viewed years and years after it is posted and it is sure to drive you great traffic by constantly refreshing your social media outlets. Social media is detrimental to bloggers. You have the ability to drive your audience to wherever you want them as long as you maintain a connection through social media. It takes time and energy to write a blog post and hit publish, you should make that post work for you more than a few days. I often retweet old posts as I know that they answer questions many might have and have yet to read my post.
Click to tweet – Blog Post Pro Tip – Add a click to tweet quote, tip, or trick like this one easily using Click To Tweet!
8. Closing
Be a closer, ask for it. What do you want your reader to do next? If you don’t ask them to do it, they are just going to hit the X, and leave. How many times has something been demonstrated to you and then you are asked to buy it and you do? Don’t be afraid to add a buy button, a subscribe section, share button or even encourage discussion at the end of each posts.
Remember you can do it, you are a warrior! 😉
DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE BLOG POST CHECKLIST
What is the most important aspect of your posts? Do you outline your posts? What do you have the most trouble with when writing your posts?