Writing a blog post that is valuable to readers should be the goal which can be achieved if you provide blog posts that are insightful and informational. How to write blog post that achieves this need ?
The first thing is headline
What makes you click on a particular article from the hundreds of articles that you can choose from on the web?
Is it because of the headline?
Or maybe the image that goes along with it?
Maybe it’s due to the fact that you’ve read this particular writer before and have come to trust their opinion.
But if you think about it, isn’t it all of these things combined together that make something interesting enough to stop you in your tracks?
Know your audience
Before writing a single word, make sure you really know your audience. Your content should be tailored to them and their needs.
- You should read every post by your competitors and see what works for them and why.
- What posts were popular?
- Why were they popular?
- What can you do better than them?
The first thing most successful bloggers recommend is reading other people’s blogs so you have an idea of what’s already being written about.
Set up Google Alerts in order to do just that! They’ll send notifications directly to your inbox any time somebody writes something online relevant to your industry.
Do keyword research
Before you begin writing, you’ll want to do keyword research.
This can be done in any number of ways, but here’s how I recommend doing it:
- Take your topic, paste it into Google, and see what comes up.
- What are people actually searching for?
- Put yourself in their shoes.
- What words would they use?
- Can you come up with specific search terms they might use based on your keyword?
- Do some digging around if necessary.
For example, if you were going to write about how to lose weight fast (which is a pretty popular search term), you may also use the term “lose your weight fast” or “lose weight fast diet plan”.
See what else pops up when you type these in—there may be other keywords that are relevant that aren’t as obvious at first glance.
Choose a topic
This seems like an obvious tip, but you’d be surprised how many people jump into writing without deciding on their topic.
Choose a narrow subject area and write about it often. The more familiar you are with your subject matter, the better writer you will become.
For example, if you’re interested in technology, choose one specific piece of hardware or software and learn everything there is to know about it.
Then use that as your focus for several posts—it could be anything from a gaming console to a new operating system update.
You can even take things further by doing research or interviewing experts in that field.
If you do decide to branch out beyond one topic, make sure each post has something unique to offer—or at least tie them together somehow so they don’t seem disjointed from one another.
Create an outline and make sure it’s tight
Outlines are used by authors, journalists, and business professionals alike.
Your outline doesn’t have to be fancy; it just needs to set out your main ideas and how you’re going to cover them.
As your post develops, remember that you can break any rule that serves your content well—but try starting with something like three points or five reasons.
When it comes time for writing, don’t feel compelled to stick closely to that outline if a better way of explaining your idea presents itself—but consider referring back once in a while for guidance.
Always remember: The idea behind an outline is not just organization but efficiency. It helps ensure that every word counts.
Write engaging and compelling content
The first step in creating content is figuring out what it’s actually about.
Research your idea, write down any sources you have and give yourself time to come up with your initial outline.
- Once you have your outline and sources, begin writing.
- Your writing doesn’t need to be perfect when you start off.
- just get something down on paper.
You should invest in basic editing software like Grammarly that checks spelling and grammar, but if that isn’t possible, don’t worry too much about small errors at first – just correct them later once your draft is complete.
Write as much as you can without editing
The beauty of blogging is that it allows you to give your readers unfiltered access to your world. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t edit your posts, or go back and add new content once they are live.
But when you first begin writing, if you find yourself constantly editing as you go, it will be hard for your writing to flow. The act of creating every word on its own will help make them flow better together as one cohesive unit.
So, before publishing anything, commit yourself to writing without editing for at least 30 minutes. It might not be perfect when you’re done—but neither is life!
Rework your rough draft
Once you’ve written your rough draft, take some time away from it.
Let your mind rest and then come back with fresh eyes. Then read it aloud to see if there are any areas where it still needs work.
Rewrite or tweak as needed and then keep moving forward with posting it on your site or sending it out for feedback.
It may be difficult to get up and start writing again, but finding new inspiration for your piece will make all of that frustration worthwhile in a few weeks when you see all of those page views roll in! If you haven’t started yet, keep at it.
Once that first draft is complete, sit back and enjoy how far you’ve come!
Edit properly
Writing is easy, but editing is hard.
What many bloggers don’t realize is that they’re actually much better at editing than they give themselves credit for.
By blogging every day and reading your own writing, you will be forced to edit constantly—which means you’ll start getting good at it.
Here are some tips:
• Always end on an intriguing note. It doesn’t matter if your post isn’t perfect; what matters is that you make your reader want more content by offering them something compelling—perhaps an enticing statistic or a question they have to read more about in order to find out the answer.
• Find your hook: In nonfiction writing, hooks are used to draw readers into stories.
Write a compelling title
The title of your post is arguably one of its most important aspects, but it’s also one of its trickiest.
If you get it wrong, your readers will click off and forget about you forever.
So what makes for a compelling title?
The perfect title will be pithy (meaning concise and meaningful), should grab your reader’s attention, and give them some insight into what they can expect from reading your content.
It may sound difficult, but it’s not.
Try these tips: A useful way to create headline ideas is to combine two or more words into a new compound word or phrase.
Provide content in a scannable format
One way readers become loyal is when they feel you’re taking into account their preferences.
For example, instead of cramming your entire post onto one page, break it up into sections and provide a table of contents (or other easily scannable content).
- This way, your readers can quickly scan through and find exactly what they’re looking for.
- They’ll appreciate that you put their needs first—and you’ll see results from making them happy.
- Scannable formats include lists, bulleted points, numbered steps, and callouts.
- Avoid creating posts with only paragraphs or blocks of text as these are harder to read.
In fact, even if people love your writing style or content in general, if they have trouble scanning your articles or finding information within them, chances are good that you won’t be successful at gaining new followers and growing your business which is kind of what blogging is all about!
Vary your tone and point of view
Just as you do in conversation, vary your tone and point of view throughout your post.
- Whether you’re writing about something serious or funny, keep it conversational, and don’t take yourself too seriously.
- Write with passion, but leave out fluff words such as just or really.
- Again, it may feel like basic advice, but these tips can make all the difference between a so-so post and one that grabs readers from start to finish.
- Varying your tone and point of view is also important for keeping readers engaged over time.
If you always write in a dry, formal voice, people will stop reading after a while. But if you mix things up—say by writing an emotional post every once in a while—you’ll help prevent burnout among your audience.
Keep the paragraph short.
Readers want to quickly scan content and determine if it’s valuable or not.
If they can’t get through one paragraph at a time, they won’t continue reading.
Keeping your paragraphs short makes it easier for readers who are on the go or just busy and will allow them to take in more information in less time (concentrate).
Try breaking up long sentences into two or three shorter ones for improved readability.
Use Bullet points.
Effective headlines are almost always just bulleted lists.
Think about it:
What do you skim when you land on an unfamiliar website?
If there’s nothing else in that text area, it’s probably going to be a list of bullets.
Since we scan content at more than twice our normal reading speed, it’s important to use bullet points if you want your headline and subheadline to actually be read.
Get good images
There are tons of free and cheap image sites online where you can find great photos for your content.
Be sure to be totally clear about what you want from a photo before you buy it, or else there’s always a chance that you’ll end up with an image that doesn’t fit into your project.
Also, try searching Google images. There are tons of gems there. Just remember – quality matters! If it looks amateurish or if it makes your content look bad, then don’t use it!
Create visually appealing infographics
Infographics are fantastic at explaining complex issues quickly and simply.
When you’re trying to create an infographic, keep in mind what it is that you want your readers to learn.
Once you have that figured out, it will be much easier for you to determine what data is relevant and where you should place it on your graphic.
Infographics can be shared across social media platforms, which means they will reach more people than if they were simply included in your posts as images or text links.
Make a call to action
Don’t bury your key takeaway or CTA somewhere in an obscure corner of your post—make it front and center.
Don’t be afraid to repeat your call-to-action multiple times, too. (You can never be sure which of your readers will actually take action.)
Finally, keep it short and clear; you don’t want people stumbling over their own words as they’re trying to act on yours.
It might be tempting to create content that simply entertains or informs without asking for anything from your audience, but creating value alone isn’t enough to build trust and authority with your brand.
A strong call to action is necessary if you’re going to get results from your efforts.
Use the golden rule of blogging
When writing a compelling piece, think about why your readers would want to share or engage with your post—what value will they take away from reading your words?
If you can write something meaningful and include an effective call-to-action, people are more likely to respond positively.
Double-check your facts before publishing!
No matter how much you respect and trust your sources, it’s always important to verify anything you plan on publishing as fact.
Once you feel confident that everything is correct, go ahead and publish—but make sure you add an update note stating that additional research has led you to believe something was inaccurate. Doing so will show readers that even if something isn’t 100% accurate, they can still trust you.
Another step is making sure all of your sources are cited clearly within your text; if someone wants more information about what they just read, they should be able to find it quickly.
Summary
A mediocre post is certainly better than no post at all. Often, when we get stuck in our writing, it’s because our thoughts aren’t clear yet. We have good ideas, but can’t articulate them. So go back and read over what you’ve written.
It may not be perfect, but it’s better than not publishing anything at all. Even if you’re not sure about sharing your work with others, publishing helps you gain confidence. It also helps you learn from your mistakes and improve your skills. I hope I covered all the points about How to write blog post that is valuable to readers.