Your business needs a blog, and you need to learn how to write a blog post. I can help!
Today, anyone can write a blog post, but writing a blog that will make visitors want to read and share the content is quite challenging. Fortunately, writing a blog post with great content requires no degree in creative writing.
There seems to be an infinite number of guides and tutorials on how to write a blog post, but the most important aspect for the best blog post is providing engaging and valuable content that readers will find entertaining and useful. With that in mind, here is a brief guide on how to write a great a blog post:
Craft an intriguing headline
In order to get visitors to click and read your content, you should start with an interesting title. The title should draw the reader in, giving them the impression that they need to read this post to learn something important.
Keep the readers interested with a good introduction
The title gets the reader’s attention, but the intro keeps them on the page. A good introduction tells the reader exactly what to expect when they finish reading the post. You could promise to solve a business or personal problem, make a statement that is relatable to them, or ask a common question. The goal is to make your website visitors keep reading in order to get the answer or solution.
Go straight to the point
People don’t want to sit reading a bunch of rambling before the point is revealed. Refrain from babbling, delete the fluff and keep the reader engaged as you get to your point.
Address the users directly for a more personal approach
In order to create a personal connection with the readers, you could use, us, we, you and I. Write the post like you are talking directly to readers.
Write the same way you would speak
It is a good idea to use an informal writing style and conversational tone when writing a blog post. Simplify convoluted words and avoid using long sentences. Also, break the complex ideas to simple and understandable concepts and do not try to impress the readers with difficult vocabularies.
Keep the paragraphs short
Most online readers have a short concentration span, they will skim or skip all long paragraphs. Therefore, keep all paragraphs around five to seven lines.
Use subheadings
Subheadings make it easy for readers to absorb information and skim the content of the page by breaking up the long text with subheadings.
Use visuals
The use of images in a blog post increases clicks through rates, shares and links. Using images, graphs, charts and videos facilitates better transmission of data and information while enhancing user experience.
Include a strong closing paragraph
A closing paragraph, also known as a conclusion, sums up the content of the post and discusses key points to note emphasizing what the readers should learn and how they will benefit from it.
Proof read and edit the post
In order to build and maintain credibility, blog posts should be free of spelling mistakes, grammatical errors and unreliable statements. Neglecting to proof read prior to publication can destroy the reputation of a blog.
You may have noticed I didn’t give a word count. This is because there is no clear cut answer. Some experts believe that your blog posts should be no longer than 300-400 words because this is approximately how many words can show up at one time on a computer screen. However, others feel that you should write longer posts for better clarity and to give more information.
My take is your post can be as long or as short as you think it needs to be to answer the question or give the solution to the problem you promised your reader you would address in the intro. Over time your readers will tell you if they think you are writing too much or too little, and as you become more comfortable with writing you’ll settle on a length that you are happy with.
After you write your first post, you should create a writing schedule and editorial calendar so that you can give your readers a regular set of new content. But, we’ll save that for later. For now though, I hope this has given you a pretty decent grasp on how to write a blog post.
